Marcellus Drilling News

Bradford County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Washington County | Wyoming County (PA)

PA PUC Issues more Advisories for Act 13 Zoning Violations
September 13, 2012October 18, 2013

It’s full speed ahead for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) when it comes to evaluating whether (or not) local zoning ordinances violate portions of the new Act 13 drilling law, thereby making those local municipalities ineligible to receive impact fees.

But wait, isn’t there a case in PA Supreme Court that will be heard in October about the constitutionality of the zoning provisions of Act 13? Indeed there is. So how can the PUC push forward with evaluating zoning ordinances that have been ruled unconstitutional by lower courts? Good question.

Read More “PA PUC Issues more Advisories for Act 13 Zoning Violations”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio

“Nationwide” Day of Fracking Protest a Gigantic Flop
September 13, 2012September 13, 2012

It was grassroots, a phenomenon of social media sites like Facebook. The word went out to the anti-fracking faithful, and yesterday (trumpets blaring) was ta da da da: Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day – a day when the masses would rise up and protest against the nasty, dirty, polluting practice of fracking. Wait, what? You didn’t know? You didn’t see any protests “across the nation” or even in your own city or town? That’s right—Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day was a massive flop because no one protested.

Well, almost no one protested. We did find one media reference that “at least 30 protestors” gathered in Youngstown, Ohio (an area with a population of over a half million people). The keynote headliner for the rally? Former president of Pittsburgh City Council (and rabid anti-driller) Doug Shields, peddling his view that fracking should be banned everywhere and for everyone. He said he’s pursuing legal means to try and do just that:

Read More ““Nationwide” Day of Fracking Protest a Gigantic Flop”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Sep 13, 2012
September 13, 2012September 13, 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, Sep 13, 2012”
Ohio | Statewide OH

Utica Shale Permits/Drilling Update for Ohio – August 2012
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) releases updates on Utica Shale permits and drilling each week. The numbers for August permits, along with cumulative totals for all permits issued and wells fracked and drilled, is shown in the handy table below. What do the latest numbers say? Of the 21 counties where there either has been or is permitting and drilling, the hot spot is Carroll County. Last month Carroll County saw 25 new permits issued for Utica wells, all of them issued to Chesapeake Energy.

Here’s a rundown on the latest numbers, telling you where, and how much, Utica Shale drilling is happening in Ohio:

Read More “Utica Shale Permits/Drilling Update for Ohio – August 2012”
Chesapeake Energy | Chevron | Energy Companies | Energy Services | EnerVest | Global Infrastructure Partners | Shell | SWEPI

Chesapeake Sells Permian Basin, Midstream Assets for $6.9B
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

Although we’ve known for a while that the embattled Chesapeake Energy has been shopping some of it’s shale basin and other assets in order to pay down debt, they’ve made a huge announcement today. Chesapeake has sold most of its Permian Basin acreage along with “substantially all of its midstream” assets for $6.9 billion. The buyers for the Permian were Shell, Chevron and EnerVest. Most of Chesapeake’s remaining midstream assets were sold to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

Chesapeake previously announced they would sell off assets in areas where they were not number one or two in an attempt to repay loans and concentrate their drilling in core areas. Two of the core areas where Chesapeake is sticking around are the Marcellus and Utica Shale.

From the Chesapeake Energy press release:

Read More “Chesapeake Sells Permian Basin, Midstream Assets for $6.9B”
Antero Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Utica Shale

Barnesville, OH Signs Lease with Antero, Receives $6M
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

The Village of Barnesville, OH (Belmont County) just signed a lease with Antero Resources to allow shale drilling on 1,047 village-owned acres. The village now has an additional $6 million in revenue because of it.

Here’s the details about the deal, including the per-acre price and royalty percentage (some of the highest we’ve seen):

Read More “Barnesville, OH Signs Lease with Antero, Receives $6M”
Energy Services | GASFRAC

Waterless LPG Fracking Company GASFRAC Fires its CEO, COO
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

GASFRAC, a Canadian company with a patented fracking technology that uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead of water, announced a major shakeup yesterday. The company’s board of directors has tossed CEO Zeke Zeringue and COO Steve Batchelor overboard in a management shakeup.

From the GASFRAC press release:

Read More “Waterless LPG Fracking Company GASFRAC Fires its CEO, COO”
Energy Companies | Gale Force Petroleum | Marshall County | West Virginia | Wetzel County

Gale Force Petroleum Marcellus Update for 2 WV Counties
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

Gale Force Petroleum issued an operations update today about their Marcellus drilling activities in Wetzel and Marshall counties in West Virginia. Gale Force says the wells they’ve drilled, in wet gas areas, are producing in excess of 60 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOEPD) of natural gas liquids in the Marcellus. They expect that number to grow.

Gale Force also says they’ve drilled 15 wells to date and have plans to drill another 50-100 wells on the 10,000 acres they’ve leased over the next three years. From the Gale Force press release:

Read More “Gale Force Petroleum Marcellus Update for 2 WV Counties”
Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Ohio County | Research | West Virginia

New Study to Measure Drilling Effects on Air Quality in WV
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is working with West Virginia University researchers in a new study to measure possible effects of drilling on air pollution:

Read More “New Study to Measure Drilling Effects on Air Quality in WV”
Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

EIA Short-Term Prediction for 2013: NatGas Avg $3.34 Mmbtu
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes a Short-Term Energy Outlook. EIA researchers crunch the numbers, analyze the trends, and haul out the EIA crystal ball to predict what will happen in the next 12 months.

Here’s the section where they talk about natural gas supply, demand and prices they expect over the next year:

Read More “EIA Short-Term Prediction for 2013: NatGas Avg $3.34 Mmbtu”
Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Anti-Drilling Group Gets Binghamton Univ. to Sign Petition
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

An anti-drilling group in the Town of Vestal, NY (Broome County) continues to agitate and pressure the town board to enact a moratorium on non-existent fracking in the town. (New York still does not allow high-volume horizontal fracking, and by all accounts, won’t any time soon.)

The latest tactic by Vestal Residents for Safe Energy (VeRSE) is to dupe get 60 Binghamton University employees to sign a petition requesting a fracking moratorium. VeRSE plans to present the petition at tonight’s town board meeting.

Read More “Anti-Drilling Group Gets Binghamton Univ. to Sign Petition”
Industrywide Issues | Kanawha County | NG Vehicles | West Virginia

Kanawha County’s First CNG Vehicle: $1.89/Gal. to Fill it Up
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

Earlier this week Kanawha County, WV got its first county vehicle converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG)—a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe. They filled it up for the gasoline equivalent of $1.89 a gallon (gasoline currently runs close to $4 per gallon).

It cost $12,000 to convert it to run on both CNG and gasoline, but the county figures by saving more than 50% on each fill-up, it won’t take long to make that money back.

Read More “Kanawha County’s First CNG Vehicle: $1.89/Gal. to Fill it Up”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Sierra Club, Others Call for Moratorium on New Drilling in WV
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

Eleven so-called environmental groups, led by the nose by the Sierra Club, held a small anti-drilling protest rally yesterday at the West Virginia State Capitol where they demanded a moratorium on granting any new permits to drill in the Marcellus Shale. They handed Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and legislators in town for meetings their list of demands.

The groups are anti-drilling and anti-fracking and want stricter rules for drilling than currently exist in WV, among them:

Read More “Sierra Club, Others Call for Moratorium on New Drilling in WV”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Sep 11, 2012
September 12, 2012September 12, 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 11, 2012”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Cuomo Says No Immediate Decision on Fracking in NY
September 11, 2012September 11, 2012

Is fracking in New York now effectively dead for the foreseeable future? MDN is pro-drilling, you know that. And we live and work in New York, you know that too. And we have many landowner friends in New York. We love New York!

But after comments made in a radio interview yesterday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, MDN has to confess we’re concerned about the future of fracking in the state. Here’s how it went:

Read More “Cuomo Says No Immediate Decision on Fracking in NY”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Impact Fee Raises More Revenue than Expected
September 11, 2012September 11, 2012

The new Pennsylvania Act 13 drilling law is paying off. Yesterday the PA State Public Utility Commission (PUC), the agency charged will billing and receiving the “impact fee” provided for under the new law, reported how much money was billed, and how much was received. We have the detailed list by drilling company (embedded below).

The original estimate in the spring of this year when the law was passed, is that the first year would raise a total of $180 million in new revenue. The good news? More than $200 million was raised from the impact fee. The PUC billed drillers $205,890,000. So far they’ve paid $197,600,000. The difference is either cases where the driller disputes the PUC’s information about the status of a well, and a few cases of “the check is in the mail.”

Read More “PA Impact Fee Raises More Revenue than Expected”