Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services

More Details on Commonwealth Pipeline for Marcellus
August 20, 2012August 20, 2012

As previously reported, a new $1 billion pipeline for Marcellus and Utica Shale gas is in the works from Inergy, UGI and Capitol Energy Ventures (see this MDN story). The 200-mile “Commonwealth Line” would run from the MARC 1 Hub Line in Lycoming County, PA due south, connecting to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Here’s a bit more information about the project which is moving forward full speed ahead:

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Accidents | Antero Resources | Energy Companies | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | West Virginia

3 Workers Injured in WV Gas Drilling Explosion
August 20, 2012August 20, 2012

Hall Drilling LLC was drilling Cottrill No. 3 well for Antero in north-central West Virginia early last Friday when a spark caused a fireball injuring three rig workers.

Read More “3 Workers Injured in WV Gas Drilling Explosion”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Aug 20, 2012
August 20, 2012August 20, 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: Mon, Aug 20, 2012”
Anadarko | Chesapeake Energy | Chevron | CONSOL Energy | Devon Energy | Energy Companies | EnerVest | EV Energy Partners | Hess | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

List of Biggest Drillers in Ohio, by Leased Acreage
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

Akron Beacon Journal reporter Bob Downing reports some interesting facts about the Utica Shale from a recent conference. Well worth your time to review.

Among the interesting facts, MDN found these most interesting:

Read More “List of Biggest Drillers in Ohio, by Leased Acreage”
Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Broome County, NY Township to Hold Hearing on Drilling Ban
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

In a completely unexpected move, the Town of Chenango (Broome County, NY) has scheduled a public hearing on October 1st to consider a proposed one-year moratorium on natural gas drilling. That is, a couple of town board members in Chenango may ruin the ability for all landowners in the the town to allow drilling on or under their land for the foreseeable future. This is bad news for landowners in Chenango (not far from where MDN is written).

Broome County is likely one of the places where initial permits to drill will be issued, but DEC Commissioner Joe Martens and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have both said communities that don’t want drilling won’t get it. A vote to ban it—even temporarily—is a loud and clear message to the DEC to stay away.

Read More “Broome County, NY Township to Hold Hearing on Drilling Ban”
Energy Companies | EV Energy Partners | Ohio | Stark County | Utica Shale

EV Energy Strikes Oil & NGLs in Stark County, OH
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

EV Energy’s Utica well in Stark County, Ohio is producing large quantities of light crude oil in addition to large quantities of natural gas liquids. EV Energy’s CEO, Mark Houser, said their well in Stark looks better in the early results than oil wells in the Eagle Ford basin in Texas. High praise indeed.

Because of what EV and others have found, drilling activity for oil and NGLs is moving to Stark, Tuscarawas, Guernsey and Noble counties.

Read More “EV Energy Strikes Oil & NGLs in Stark County, OH”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Judge Rules Act 13 Zoning Unconstitutional During Appeal
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

The ongoing and currently unresolved court case in Pennsylvania over PA’s newly passed Act 13 law has an interesting new twist. You may recall a few weeks ago the middle-level Commonwealth Court in PA upheld a lower court ruling striking down the zoning provisions in the new Act 13 drilling law (see this MDN story). Those provisions under Act 13 substitute statewide zoning rules for oil and gas drilling in place of any local restrictions. Seven townships sued to have that portion of the law struck down and so far two courts have agreed. It’s now on appeal to the PA Supreme Court.

However, while the decision of the lower courts is on appeal to the Supreme Court, the original zoning portion of Act 13 was still in effect—until a judge’s order on Wednesday.

Read More “Judge Rules Act 13 Zoning Unconstitutional During Appeal”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

REX NatGas Pipeline Faces Stiff Competition from Marcellus
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

RBN Energy President Rusty Braziel says the Rockies Express natural gas pipeline (REX), which originates in Rio Blanco County, Colorado and sends gas to Monroe County, Ohio, is in danger of drying up because there’s so much shale gas coming from the Marcellus.

Braziel’s prescription? REX needs to look at flowing gas in other directions—either the Gulf Coast, the West Coast, or both.

Read More “REX NatGas Pipeline Faces Stiff Competition from Marcellus”
Bradford County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

PA Shale Gas Production Goes Up Again
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

Shale gas production in Pennsylvania, almost all of it from the Marcellus, increased 12% in the first half of 2012 over the last half of 2011 according to new data from the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection. Also during 1H12, Bradford County was displaced as producing the most shale gas in the state by…

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Dominion Exploration | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Two WV Colleges Get $100K Grant from Dominion Foundation
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

Two West Virginia colleges received $100,000 ($50K each) in grant money from the Dominion Foundation to be used for hands-on oil and natural gas training. WV Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin presented the money in a ceremony on Thursday.

The press release from Gov. Tomblin’s office:

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Marcellus Shale Coalition Expands with 2 New Hires
August 17, 2012August 17, 2012

The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), an industry-backed organization headquartered in Pittsburgh that does a terrific job at getting out the truth about drilling in the Marcellus, is expanding. They’ve just added two new people, Andrew Paterson will become vice president for technical and regulatory affairs, and Shari Williams, a former communications specialist with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, will head up MSC’s outreach efforts in the greater Philly area.

From the MSC press release:

Read More “Marcellus Shale Coalition Expands with 2 New Hires”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Aug 17, 2012
August 17, 2012August 17, 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, Aug 17, 2012”
About MDN

No Stories Today – Courtesy of Delta Airlines [Free Access]
August 16, 2012August 15, 2012

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I won’t be able to post stories today (Thursday, August 16). My sincere apologies! I will catch them up for Friday—have no fear, if it’s newsworthy, it won’t escape my attention.

The extremely long explanation…

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Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Dimock, PA Landowners Settle Lawsuit with Cabot
August 15, 2012August 15, 2012

The long nightmare for Cabot Oil & Gas in Dimock, PA is now about over. Recently, the EPA declared the water wells in and around Dimock are clean (see this MDN story). We now have word that all but four families that sued Cabot in an attempt at a big payday will settle—likely for far less than they had hoped to extract, although exact terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

There are still a few in Dimock who will fight to the bitter end, but that’s what keeps lawyers employed. So what. They’ll drag it on for years and they still won’t get what they want.

Read More “Dimock, PA Landowners Settle Lawsuit with Cabot”
Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell Reaffirms PA Cracker Plant Still Planned, Not Certain
August 15, 2012August 15, 2012

As MDN has previously cautioned, although the proposed ethane cracker plant Shell wants to build near Pittsburgh is looking good, it’s still not a foregone conclusion that Monaca, PA will be the location (see this MDN story). That message of caution was reaffirmed by Shell at an industry conference yesterday, as reported by the Youngstown Business Journal:

Read More “Shell Reaffirms PA Cracker Plant Still Planned, Not Certain”
Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Over 36K Shale Wells in U.S. Have Produced 23 TCF of NatGas
August 15, 2012August 15, 2012

Powell Shale Digest released a research report detailing how many shale wells there are in the U.S., and how much gas and oil/condensate those wells produce (see below). The results? Across the major shale plays—minus the Utica—the U.S. now has over 36,000 wells that have produced 23 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 682 million barrels of oil/condensate.

Read More “Over 36K Shale Wells in U.S. Have Produced 23 TCF of NatGas”