Marcellus Drilling News

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

NY DEC Pays $480/Hour to Health Expert for Fracking Review
November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

Included in part of a Gannett story about the New York DEC’s release of revised portions of proposed drilling regulations, we got word of how much New York State is paying three outside “experts” to give an assist to State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah in his review of the DEC’s proposed fracking rules with an eye on their impact on public health.

The hourly amount paid to John Adgate makes me think I’m in the wrong profession:

Read More “NY DEC Pays $480/Hour to Health Expert for Fracking Review”
Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Lease & Royalty Payments | Mahoning County | Ohio | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Halcon Resources Responds to Lordstown, OH Landowners Group
November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

A few weeks ago MDN told you about a new landowners group in Lordstown, Ohio, formed in response to requests from Halcon Resources who is asking landowners in the area to sign modifications to existing 20-50 year-old leases on their property to allow for Utica Shale drilling (see this MDN story). At the time the new Lordstown Regional Landowners Group represented 5,000 of the 31,000 acres in Trumbull and Mahoning counties (Ohio) Halcon had recently purchased the rights to.

Apparently the movement has picked up steam and Halcon issued a press statement yesterday saying they want to cooperate with landowners to make them money on royalties, but stopped short of saying they would renegotiate leases, which is the aim of the landowners group.

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Economic Impact | Hancock County | Industrywide Issues | Processing Plants | West Virginia

WV Refinery Expanding with Marcellus/Utica Crude Oil
November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

Ergon, Inc., a crude oil processor headquartered in Jackson, MS but with operations in other states, including West Virginia, announced Wednesday there’s enough crude oil flowing from the Marcellus and Utica Shale region that they are investing $78 million to add more refining capacity to their plant in Newell, WV.

From the Ergon press announcement:

Read More “WV Refinery Expanding with Marcellus/Utica Crude Oil”
Allegany County | Garrett County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Marcellus Drilling #1 Priority for Western MD Legislators
November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

With strong headwinds against shale drilling from both Maryland’s Democrat governor, Martin O’Malley, and from Washington, D.C. area Democrat Maryland legislators, the legislators from western Maryland who want to see Marcellus Shale drilling face an uphill climb.

Nevertheless, when the next session of the Maryland legislature meets, western MD reps will make Marcellus drilling their top priority:

Read More “Marcellus Drilling #1 Priority for Western MD Legislators”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Peake Fuel Solutions

New Technology Converts Diesel Engines to Mix in NatGas
November 30, 2012November 30, 2012

Here’s a new one: Chesapeake Energy subsidiary Peake Fuel Solutions has just introduced a new product to the marketplace aimed at trucking firms. It converts diesel engines to run on a mixture of both diesel fuel and natural gas, something they call DNG, or diesel natural gas. The technology converts diesel engines to run on up to 70% natural gas—either compressed or liquefied—meaning the engine runs cleaner and costs a lot less to operate given the low price of natural gas.

From the Chesapeake/Peake press release:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Nov 30, 2012
November 30, 2012November 30, 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: Fri, Nov 30, 2012”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

New MIT Study on Fugitive Methane Discredits Cornell Study
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

A new peer-reviewed study by MIT (see below) obliterates the findings and false claims made in a previous Cornell University study by Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea. The Cornell study tried to make the case that natural gas is actually worse for the environment than burning coal because of so-called greenhouse gas emissions from “fugitive methane” escaping into the atmosphere during the gas drilling process (see this MDN story).

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters by MIT researchers has done some actual—instead of theoretical—measurements and has found that “fugitive emissions” of methane are much smaller than Howarth and Ingraffea stated. Smaller by orders of magnitude—like only 22% of what the Cornell study theorized them to be. Oops. Paging Howarth and Ingraffea—the dean wants to see you in his office NOW.

Read More “New MIT Study on Fugitive Methane Discredits Cornell Study”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Profs Target New Energy Training Center at Philly College
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

A few weeks ago the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) announced plans to create what they call an “Energy Training Center” with the purpose of connecting Philadelphia-area residents with Marcellus Shale jobs. The president of CCP, Stephen Curtis, says the new program is essentially just a marketing campaign that repackages courses already offered by the school—there’s no new curriculum involved. Sounds like a smart move—no new courses or professors needed, repackage what you have, and put more Pennsylvanians to work. Except…

Except one professor at the school got his feelings hurt because no one told him about it before the press release was issued, and another professor is rabidly anti-drilling and opposed to it because of her twisted ideology. Both are now actively working to prevent the program from going forward. In other words, they would rather see fewer students and less income for the school if implementing this new marketing program goes against their own ideology (or selfish interest).

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Athens County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Wastewater

OH Protesters Ejected from Injection Well Open House
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

Oh gee, what a surprise. Anti-drillers behaving badly…once again. This time in Athens, Ohio:

Read More “OH Protesters Ejected from Injection Well Open House”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research | Wastewater

DOE Funds Projects to Make Shale “Environmentally Acceptable”
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

The massive federal government will not leave shale energy alone—that’s a given. Not because they think they can protect citizens, but because they want to control it. The latest attempt is by funding 15 research projects addressing what they consider “technical challenges to environmentally acceptable shale gas development.” The very concept is repugnant. Big-brother government choosing how an industry will do its job—what technologies it will be “allowed” to use. Welcome to Obamaland, Alice.

Yesterday the Dept. of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy announced 15 projects (“winners”) that they will fund over the next two years with $28 million of your tax money to research shale energy and ways to control it minimize it’s impact on the environment. Three of the 15 “winners” are located in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. Here’s the announcement listing who got what from the government gravy train:

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Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Hilcorp Energy | Ohio | Utica Shale

Hilcorp Energy Plans New Utica Well in Salem Township, OH
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

Hilcorp Energy plans to drill a Utica Shale well in Salem Township (Columbiana County), Ohio. Last night at the Salem Township trustee meeting a Hilcorp rep requested information about certain roads and made the comment that they plan to drill soon.

Read More “Hilcorp Energy Plans New Utica Well in Salem Township, OH”
Harrison County | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale

5 More Permits Issued in Ohio Utica Shale Last Week
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

The latest Utica Shale well permits issued (by county) through Nov. 24, courtesy our friends at the Akron Beacon Journal:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Jobs, Wages Go Up Because of Marcellus Shale Drilling
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

WorkForce West Virginia issued a new report to the WV legislature on Wednesday documenting that employment throughout WV in the oil and gas industry has increased 10% since 2008, and average wages for those workers have gone up 19%. Why? The Marcellus Shale, of course.

A few more interesting facts and figures from the report:

Read More “WV Jobs, Wages Go Up Because of Marcellus Shale Drilling”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Nov 29, 2012
November 29, 2012November 29, 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: Thu, Nov 29, 2012”
Belmont County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Gulfport Energy | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Utica Shale

Gulfport’s New Utica Well Produces Mind-blowing 28.5 Mmcf/d!
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

First we had the “Alpha Dog” Utica Shale well from Gulfport Energy, the Wagner 1-H well producing 14 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (see this MDN story). Then we had an even bigger success with Gulfport’s Shugert 1-1H, which MDN dubbed the “King of Utica Shale wells” producing a whopping 20 million cubic feet of gas per day (see this MDN story). We’re running out of metaphors to use! Yesterday Gulfport reported a flow rate of 28.5 million cubic feet per day on the Shugert 1-12H well (in Belmont County, OH), sister well to the 1-1H. Wow! Shall we call the 1-12H the Emperor Utica Shale well? It certainly ascends to the throne as the top-most producing well in the Utica.

In the same announcement from yesterday Gulfport said it has made its first sales in the Utica Shale via MarkWest Energy. Here is the full press release with details on the Shugert 1-12H and MarkWest:

Read More “Gulfport’s New Utica Well Produces Mind-blowing 28.5 Mmcf/d!”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Files for 90-Day Fracking Rules Extension, What Now?
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

It’s official: The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will file for a 90-day extension on the rulemaking process for fracking. Although it would be better for the DEC to just release the new rules now, before tomorrow (Nov. 29), at least the process is still alive, albeit now delayed. Still, given the current climate in New York, MDN takes it as good news for landowners and a signal that drilling may indeed yet come to the Empire State.

Here’s how it all came down yesterday, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitting to reporters that the DEC will “have to” file for an extension:

Read More “NY DEC Files for 90-Day Fracking Rules Extension, What Now?”