Marcellus Drilling News

Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Drilling Inside Pittsburgh City Limits?
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Anti-drilling Pittsburgh Councilman Patrick Dowd, one of nine people on City Council that voted to enact a drilling ban in Pittsburgh in 2010, is introducing new legislation that he hopes will make drilling so difficult in the city, drillers won’t bother. But wait, didn’t you just say there’s a ban? Yep. Which means Councilman Dowd is seriously concerned that the ban will be ruled illegal once a case now before PA Supreme Court is ruled on later this year (the “Act 13” case, see this MDN story).

In preparation for a ruling against the Pittsburgh ban, Dowd and City Council want to have Plan B ready to go—restrict any possible drilling to as few locations as possible (not that drillers would want to drill inside city limits anyway). Hence the new legislation from Dowd.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Beverly Hills 90210 and Fracking – A Connection?
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Anti-drillers in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio decry fracking and it’s “hazards” saying it could never be done near populated areas. They don’t want it done in any location, to be sure! But especially not near a heavily populated area. Can’t be done safely, they say. Is drilling in general and fracking in particular really hazardous when done near or (gasp) in a city?

Read More “Beverly Hills 90210 and Fracking – A Connection?”
CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | Mahoning County | Monroe County | Mountaineer Keystone | Ohio | Portage County

ODNR Issues New Permits in Mahoning, Other OH Counties
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

The latest permits issued in Mahoning, Harrison, Portage and Monroe counties in Ohio:

Read More “ODNR Issues New Permits in Mahoning, Other OH Counties”
Chemung County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

Fracking Sand Terminal Opens Today in Horseheads, NY
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

For some reason MDN just loves a railroad-related story. The shale drilling industry has single-handedly resurrected short line railroads in this country. This is a story about a new railroad terminal opening today—in Chemung County, NY.

A former oil trader who became a private equity investor, Ray Bartoszek, along with private-equity firm Carriage House Partners, invested $20 million in buying and building the Horseheads (NY) Sand and Transloading Terminal (HOST), a 200-acre site in New York’s Southern Tier area that will handle fracking sand for area drillers. Bartoszek’s plan is to ship in Montana fracking sand for drillers in Pennsylvania and (he had hoped) New York. The New York part isn’t working out so well, but Bartoszek says with the grand opening of HOST, he’ll still turn a profit by shipping sand to PA—just a smaller profit.

Read More “Fracking Sand Terminal Opens Today in Horseheads, NY”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Shale Drilling at Colleges
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Coming soon to a Pennsylvania college campus near you: Marcellus Shale drilling? Yep.

Read More “PA Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Shale Drilling at Colleges”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania

Canadian Firm Building NatGas Power Plant Near Allentown, PA
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Canadian firm EmberClear Corp. recently announced they will build a new 300 megawatt (MW) electrical generating plant west of Allentown, PA. The new plant will cost $400 million to build and use an abundant, clean-burning supply of shale gas from Pennsylvania to power it. EmberClear has selected SK E&C to build the plant, employing 500 local people for two years to build the plant, and “dozens” to operate it once built. EmberClear expects the surrounding area will see a $1 billion economic impact from the project.

From the EmberClear press release:

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Health Impacts | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Senate Leader Proposes Marcellus Drilling Health Panel
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Pennsylvania President Pro Tempore of the State Senate, Joseph Scarnati (a Republican), is drafting a bill to create a nine-member shale drilling health panel to study possible health and safety impacts from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. A new health panel was one of the proposals made last year by Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.

According to the Scranton Times Tribune:

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Commodity Price | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Technology will Make Fracking Greener – Eventually
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Keith Schaefer, editor of the Oil & Gas Investments Bulletin, gave a wide-ranging interview to The Energy Report yesterday. He talks about the price of natural gas and oil in the U.S., fracking technology and more. It’s an excellent interview and worth your time to read.

Here’s one small excerpt on how, when and why fracking leads to lower crude oil prices in the U.S.:

Read More “Technology will Make Fracking Greener – Eventually”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Sep 26, 2012
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:

Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Sep 26, 2012”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Wayne County

Federal Judge Throws Out NY AG’s Lawsuit Against DRBC
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

Big news for landowners living in the Delaware River Basin area, especially for those in Wayne County, PA who want to see drilling in the Marcellus go forward: A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman that sought to force the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to conduct a “fuller assessment” of the potential impacts of shale gas drilling on New York City’s water supply before allowing any shale gas drilling in the basin.

Such an assessment would have meant years of additional studies and delays, especially harmful to landowners in Pennsylvania who happen to live in the DRBC’s jurisdiction and have seen no drilling for the past five years while their neighbors all around them have. This is a victory not only for landowners, but the DRBC itself, fighting the lawsuit.

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Bradford County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York | Pennsylvania | Statewide NY

Bradford County, PA Landowners – $160M in Royalties (So Far)
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

Listen up New York State: Bradford County, which borders Tioga and Chemung counties in New York, has generated $160 million in natural gas royalty payments to landowners—so far. There’s much more to come.

Here’s the low-down on drilling in Bradford County:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Gov. Cuomo Responds to the ‘When’ Question
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

Although the ongoing moratorium on shale gas drilling in New York State feels like it exited being a Greek tragedy and entered being a Klingon opera a long time ago, MDN feels duty-bound to deliver any small shred of news we come across that impacts the prospects of New York drilling. After all, we live in New York!

Yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had a few comments for reporters about the “when” question:

Read More “NY Gov. Cuomo Responds to the ‘When’ Question”
Belmont County | Harrison County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio

Muskingum Watershed Moves Forward with Water Sales to Drillers
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

There’s been a change in position at the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), a large watershed located in Ohio. MDN reported earlier this year that the MWCD was making moves to sell water from some of it’s vast supply to Utica Shale drillers who have a number of active drilling rigs in the area. Almost as soon as the news was announced, however, the board of the MWCD issued a press release saying they would not sell any more water (other than a deal already done) until a comprehensive study was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey “later this year” on how such water sales might impact the watershed (see this MDN story for background).

The MWCD has reversed its decision (again). The USGS survey is not yet done, but the MWCD is now going to sell water to drillers—but only for a limited time. Here’s the details:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Michigan | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide MI | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

NRDC Launches Lawyers to Oppose Fracking in 5 States
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

You have to say one thing about the increasingly shrill Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)—they don’t let an issue they can demagogue for money go to waste. For the NRDC, there’s money to be made in opposing fracking. Warning to the drilling industry: The NRDC is well-funded and is gunning for you. Their latest offensive? They’ve created something called the Community Fracking Defense Project whereby they’ll launch lawyers out into any township across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina to assist that town in opposing fracking. (Sorry West Virginia, you aren’t important enough for the NRDC to spend time and money on.)

The fight over fracking is about to go very local, and get very nasty, with the NRDC pumping millions into the effort to make mischief.

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

Penn State Researcher: Most PA Drill Pads Prone to Erosion
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

A new 12-month study by a Penn State researcher says that 50-70% of shale gas pads in Pennsylvania are constructed on slopes prone to erosion and sedimentation problems. The researcher, Dr. Patrick Drohan, is quick to point out such problems don’t necessarily exist for those pads—he’s just pointing out they could exist given the right conditions, and he believes the pads need to monitored closely.

Here’s the Penn State press release talking about the newly released study (unfortunately we could not get a copy of the study itself):

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Chesapeake Energy | Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Columbiana Port Authority Votes to Lease Land to Chesapeake
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

The Columbiana County Port Authority (Ohio) voted last night to lease some Port Authority land to Chesapeake for shale gas drilling. Here’s the terms of the deal:

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