Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Property Value | Statewide PA

Have a Marcellus Lease? Forget a Mortgage with ESB Bank
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

It appears that ESB Bank (located in the Pittsburgh, PA area) is running a scam on Pennsylvania landowners with Marcellus Shale leases. ESB doesn’t tell landowners with leases looking to finance or refinance a mortgage that they won’t approve the application because of the lease—until after the homeowner has spent $500 to have an appraisal done. Oh, and ESB keeps the $500—sorry, no refunds.

Fortunately, ESB Bank seems to be one of the only banks (if not the only) refusing to finance/refinance properties with Marcellus leases. Here is one Pennsylvanian’s story of being fleeced by ESB Bank:

Read More “Have a Marcellus Lease? Forget a Mortgage with ESB Bank”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Ohio Home Rule Movement to Regulate Drilling Picks up Steam
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

The Akron Beacon Journal reports there’s a new movement gaining steam in Ohio to return “home rule” to local municipalities when it comes to oil and gas drilling. Home rule, for those unfamiliar, grants municipalities a say in whether, and where, drilling for natural gas and oil can occur within a township. Think of it as zoning, which is precisely what it is. The home rule debate is currently red hot in New York State where, similar to Ohio, the state previously passed a law removing the right of local municipalities to regulate drilling in any way (including bans). It’s also a hot topic in Pennsylvania where zoning provisions in the newly passed Act 13 law are now in PA Supreme Court awaiting a final decision.

Ohio passed a law in 2004 taking the right away from municipalities to regulate drilling. Now, some residents are trying to get the state legislature to reconsider it:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Wastewater

Is Marcellus/Utica Shale Wastewater Dangerously Radioactive?
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

The Columbus Dispatch attempts to gin up anti-fracking sentiment by using a year-old study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The Dispatch’s argument, in a nutshell: A lot of Marcellus Shale wastewater coming from Pennsylvania to Ohio for disposal via deep injection wells is “radioactive” (i.e. dangerous if it should leak onto the ground). The Utica Shale in Ohio is like the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, ergo, fracking shale in the Utica will produce radioactive waste. Conclusion: Don’t frack.

From the article:

Read More “Is Marcellus/Utica Shale Wastewater Dangerously Radioactive?”
DTE Energy | Enbridge | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Spectra Energy | Utica Shale

New Utica Shale Pipeline to Midwest Announced
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

Three companies have formed a joint venture to build a new Utica Shale pipeline from Ohio through Michigan and eventually into Canada, delivering Utica Shale gas to Midwestern markets. The three companies are DTE Energy—a Detroit-based energy company, Enbridge—Canada’s largest natural gas distribution company, and Spectra Energy—one of North America’s largest pipeline companies and a member of the Fortune 500 list. The partners plan an open season to lock in customers for the new pipeline later this year. The pipeline won’t be built and in service until late 2015 at the earliest.

From the joint press release issued this morning:

Read More “New Utica Shale Pipeline to Midwest Announced”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA State Geologist Talks about Shale Gas in Gettysburg Basin
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

The Harrisburg Patriot-News has an excellent article (well worth your time to read) on the topic, Is there shale gas in the mid-state area of PA? The article’s author, Donald Gilliland, first introduces us to the state geologist, George Love, painting an interesting picture of where he works and what he does. Gilliland then skewers the southeastern Republicans (properly so) for inserting an eleventh-hour moratorium on drilling in their part of the state into the recent state budget (see MDN’s dim view of their action in this article). The moratorium prevents drilling in the South Newark Basin, located around the Philadelphia area, until a study is completed. George Love is the man in charge of that study.

But it is the article’s focus on another nearby shale basin, formed at roughly the same time as the South Newark Basin, that is fascinating to MDN. It’s called the Gettysburg Basin, so-named for the historic place under which part of it lies. Would there, could there be drilling under the hallowed ground at Gettysburg and other mid-state locations like Harrisburg? Mr. Love’s study of the South Newark will also look at other basins in the state and will help answer those questions.

Read More “PA State Geologist Talks about Shale Gas in Gettysburg Basin”
Health Impacts | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Much-Ballyhooed Marcellus Health Impact Study Not Funded
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

MDN recently reported on the big story that two large health care systems are working together to conduct what is believed to be the first widespread health impact study of residents living in areas where there is active Marcellus drilling (see this MDN story). The two health care systems, Guthrie Health and Geisinger Health System, serving a combined 2.4 million patients, have good intentions. But now comes the word they don’t have the money (yet) to conduct the study. Oops. That’s embarrassing.

Read More “Much-Ballyhooed Marcellus Health Impact Study Not Funded”
Armstrong County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ion GX Technology | Pennsylvania | Seismic Testing

Manor Township, PA Denies ION Access for Seismic Survey
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

Houston-based ION Geophysical GX Technologies recently made a request to Manor Township (Armstrong County, PA) to allow them onto town property to conduct seismic mapping of the Marcellus and other underground structures. The board of supervisors for the town turned them down.

Here’s what ION told the supervisors at a meeting in July about what they hoped to do:

Read More “Manor Township, PA Denies ION Access for Seismic Survey”
Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

Latest EIA Numbers Show NatGas Production Still High
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

Energy industry consultant and investment analyst Richard Zeits writes on the Seeking Alpha website about the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest natural gas production statistics released on Friday. He observes that natural gas production in May and June for the lower 48 states remained virtually unchanged. Which means the commodity price for natural gas is likely not going up any time soon. Huge quantities of supply with the same demand equals low prices—Econ 101.

Read More “Latest EIA Numbers Show NatGas Production Still High”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Sep 4, 2012
September 4, 2012September 4, 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: Tue, Sep 4, 2012”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Sep 3-16, 2012 [Free]
September 3, 2012

MDN will not be published today, Labor Day (Sept. 3). However, we are sending out the calendar for this week and next, which is listed below.

Read More “Calendar of Events for Sep 3-16, 2012 [Free]”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Landowner Coalition Sounds Alarm on New Delay Request
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) yesterday emailed an “urgent call to action” to New York landowners and those in the state who support natural gas drilling. The JLCNY has received a tip from “credible sources” that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been asked to once again delay the release of new drilling rules in New York, known as the SGEIS, until after the election on Nov. 6—effectively meaning “not until 2013.” The JLCNY call to action asks landowners and gas supporters to phone the governor’s office, along with the offices of other prominent politicians, asking them to not delay the release of new drilling rules.

The JLCNY does not comment on who the credible sources are, nor who is doing the asking for another delay. MDN has its own theories, but we’ll hold off for now on the speculation. The important thing (for those of us who support drilling and want the new DEC rules released NOW), is to pick up the phone and start calling.

Here’s the call to action email received by MDN:

Read More “NY Landowner Coalition Sounds Alarm on New Delay Request”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Marshall County | Ohio County | West Virginia

Royalty Checks Coming for Landowners in WV Panhandle
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Landowners who leased with Chesapeake Energy and who live in Ohio and Marshall counties in West Virginia’s northern panhandle may soon have big smiles on their faces. Chesapeake is turning on the gas to pipelines in those locations, and once the gas starts flowing, so too will royalty checks.

How soon should landowners expect their first checks?

Read More “Royalty Checks Coming for Landowners in WV Panhandle”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Releases Draft New Rules for Streamlined Drill Permitting
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

A couple of weeks ago MDN outlined the smear job being attempted by the AP against PA Gov. Tom Corbett over his executive order to streamline the process used by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) for permitting new gas and oil drilling (see this MDN story). Lord help us if a politician actually tries to reduce the red tape involved in legitimate businesses trying to do business!

The DEP has just submitted a draft for new rules to streamline the permitting process (embedded below). The DEP is now asking for public comments on the revised rules. As part of that process, they’ll hold two webinars for the public in September.

Read More “PA DEP Releases Draft New Rules for Streamlined Drill Permitting”
Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

Is Wet Gas Following Dry Gas Over a Price Cliff?
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Since the beginning of 2012, hardly a quarterly earnings/operations report from an energy company, nor a story about natural prices, has failed to point out how drillers are now focused on “wet gas” areas in shale plays. For the Marcellus and Utica region, that means a shift from drilling in northeast PA to southwest PA, northern WV and eastern Ohio, where wet gas deposits are found. Wet gas simply means there are extra hydrocarbons that come out of the bore hole along with “dry gas,” i.e. methane. Wet gas hydrocarbons include propane and ethane.

A story in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chronicles the rapid drop in the commodity price for both propane and ethane because of increasing supplies from shale gas drilling. It feels like the dry gas price story all over again. Too much supply, not enough demand.

Read More “Is Wet Gas Following Dry Gas Over a Price Cliff?”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Sullivan County

Sullivan County, NY Town of Forestburgh Bans Fracking
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Sadly, another township in Sullivan County, NY has voted to ban hydraulic fracturing. Bans are currently illegal according to state law, but two court cases now on appeal will decide the matter.

The latest town in Sullivan to ban fracking is Forestburgh.

Read More “Sullivan County, NY Town of Forestburgh Bans Fracking”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Bloomberg Says “We Need that Gas” and Fracking Will Get It
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

The conversion of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg from reticent to ambivalent to full-throated supporter of fracking is certainly welcomed, but also surprising. MDN has connected the dots on his eleventh-hour conversion in this MDN story.

During public appearances this week, Mayor Mike has addressed the fracking issue a number of times. Here are a few of his comments on the topic, in his own words:

Read More “Bloomberg Says “We Need that Gas” and Fracking Will Get It”