Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Jul 3, 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, Jul 3, 2012”
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Berks County | Bucks County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Montgomery County | Pennsylvania | Regulation
Republicans Sneak SE PA Drilling Ban into Budget Deal
An eleventh hour deal was snuck into the Pennsylvania budget signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett late Saturday night. On Friday, an amendment was introduced to the budget that would establish a moratorium on drilling in southeastern Pennsylvania in the South Newark Basin, a small area which stretches from New Jersey through Bucks, Montgomery and Berks counties in PA.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an evaluation of the South Newark Basin, which contains both shale and coal bed methane deposits, along with four other East Coast basins and issued a report showing how much natural gas each basin contains (a copy is embedded below). The report says the South Newark Basin contains a minimum of 363 billion cubic feet of natural gas deposits, and their best guess is it contains around 876 billion cubic feet. It’s much smaller than the Marcellus, but certainly nothing to sneeze at.
With all of the gas drilling in the rest of the state, and with new drilling laws now in place, why place a temporary moratorium that expires in 2018 on the southeast region of the state? That’s where politics rears its ugly head—and this time it’s the Republicans who are to blame.
Read More “Republicans Sneak SE PA Drilling Ban into Budget Deal”
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics
Sunoco & Carlyle Group Ink Joint Venture for Philly Refinery
Apparently the merger underway between Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco is going well enough, and the promise of Marcellus and Utica Shale big enough, that Sunoco has inked a deal with The Carlyle Group to form a joint venture to keep the Philadelphia refinery operating. The new joint venture will save 850 jobs at the plant. Wording in the extensive press release below indicates that shale—Marcellus, Utica and Bakken—will all play an important role for the refinery moving forward.
This is good news for the workers at the refinery, and good news for consumers who will continue to have access to low-cost oil, natural gas and other petrochemical products that will be produced by the refinery. Here’s the press release announcing the deal:
Read More “Sunoco & Carlyle Group Ink Joint Venture for Philly Refinery”
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Devon Energy Receives First Utica Permit for Wayne County, OH
Devon Energy has just received the first permit to drill a Utica Shale well in Wayne County, Ohio. No timeline is set for when the drilling will begin, but Devon hopes the well will yield not only methane but oil too.
Read More “Devon Energy Receives First Utica Permit for Wayne County, OH”
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Exterran Wins Contract to Build 3 WV NatGas Processing Plants
A big “get” for Exterran Holdings. They’ve won the contract to build three natural gas processing plants being built by Williams Partners in West Virginia.
From the Exterran press release:
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PA Budget with Shell Cracker Plant Tax Credit Passes
At 11:45 pm Saturday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, for the second year in a row (and his second year in office), signed into law an on-time budget for the state—a budget that does not raise taxes. No small feat given the current sad state of the economy.
One of the biggest victories for Corbett in this year’s budget (supported by both Republicans and Democrats) was the passage of a tax credit for Shell and other companies who invest in an ethane cracker plant for the state:
Read More “PA Budget with Shell Cracker Plant Tax Credit Passes”
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Delaware Riverkeeper Launches Anti-Fracking Ad Nationally
The anti-drilling Delaware Riverkeeper has launched a new anti-gas ad airing on Lifetime, MSNBC, CNBC, and FOX News. Yes, Fox News too. No doubt using the deep pockets of Hollywood types (like Mark Ruffalo) and money from billionaires (like the lefty George Soros), the ad tries to turn up the fear factor on gas drilling and smear the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. Perhaps you’ve seen the new ad? MDN editor Jim Willis watched it online here (he kicked the time-wasting TV habit years ago).
MDN notices that some lazy (obedient?) news outlets have picked up the Riverkeeper press release and printed it word for word as actual news, not even bothering to identify it as a biased press release (like the Hunterdon County Democrat).
Here’s the press release as issued by Riverkeeper (and as found in the Hunterdon County Democrat):
Read More “Delaware Riverkeeper Launches Anti-Fracking Ad Nationally”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Jul 2, 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, Jul 2, 2012”
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Calendar of Events for Jul 2-15, 2012
Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
New York
- 2012-07-11,12 IOGANY 2012 Annual Summer Meeting – Findley Lake, NY
- 2012-07-14 Debra Winger Hosts Barnfest 2012 – Callicoon Center, NY
Pennsylvania
- 2012-07-02 Spring Township Ordinance to Comply with Act 13 – Landisburg, PA
- 2012-07-03 Marcellus Shale & Butler County – Butler, PA
- 2012-07-09 Greene County Planning Commission Hearing Metering Station – Wayesburg, PA
- 2012-07-09 Hopewell Township Zoning Ordinance Vote to Comply with Act 13 – Avella, PA
- 2012-07-09 Westmoreland County Public Meeting on Impact Fee Revenue – Greensburg, PA
- 2012-07-10 Dr. Wilma Subra – Natural Gas Drilling & Your Health – Kingston, PA
- 2012-07-10 North Towanda Planning Commission Hearing on CNG Station – Towanda, PA
- 2012-07-10 Old Lycoming Twp Hearing on Ordinance to Comply with Act 13 – Williamsport, PA
- 2012-07-10 Truthland Screening – Harrisburg, PA
- 2012-07-10 Westmoreland County Public Meeting on Impact Fee Revenue – Apollo, PA
- 2012-07-11 Dr. Wilma Subra – Natural Gas Drilling & Your Health – Wyoming, PA
- 2012-07-11 Somerset Township Hearing on Ordinance to Comply with Act 13 – Eighty Four, PA
- 2012-07-12 South Whitehall Zoning Hearing on CNG Station – Allentown, PA
- 2012-07-13 Marcellus Water Quality Workshop – Slippery Rock, PA
Webcasts/Online
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MDN’s First Webinar: The Truth About Gas Drilling and America’s Energy Choices
Please join MDN editor Jim Willis has he welcomes former Sec. of the PA DEP John Hanger for a FREE webinar on Thursday, July 12, 2012 @ 7:00 PM EDT.John will present on the truth about gas drilling, and its alternatives, in MDN’s first-ever public webinar. It’s free to attend, just sign up by clicking the link below.
Register Now! (Spaces are limited)
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/0h532/register/2692075399046932736Read More “MDN’s First Webinar: The Truth About Gas Drilling and America’s Energy Choices”
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UK Academy of Engineering Study: Fracking is Safe
A refreshing report has been issued by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society that says, in essence, hydraulic fracturing should be expanded in that country and when it’s properly regulated, fracking is perfectly safe. Issued earlier this month, the 76-page report is titled “Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing” (a full copy is embedded below).
Here’s the opening two paragraphs, which pretty much sum up the tone and findings of the report:
Read More “UK Academy of Engineering Study: Fracking is Safe”
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UB Issues Supportive Statement for its Shale Institute
You may recall that recently the brand new Shale Resources and Society Institute at the University at Buffalo (UB) published a 52-page study that found environmental problems caused by Marcellus Shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania were isolated, mostly minor and on the decline. The enviro-left perceived a threat. This is a major university coming out in support of drilling—something that cannot stand. So the enviro-left flew into action to try and shame, cajole and bully UB into retracting support for its own newly established Institute. And it seemed to work (see this MDN story).
But what’s this? Yesterday UB issued a press statement that supports the Institute. Sort of. Lukewarm. Half-heartedly. UB defended the Institute by saying the university does not and will not dictate the positions taken by its faculty members on controversial topics, and that UB has no plans to get rid of the Institute. Here’s the full statement:
Read More “UB Issues Supportive Statement for its Shale Institute”
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PA Legislature Reaches Deal on Tax Credit for Cracker Plant
A deal has been struck by the Republican majority legislature in Pennsylvania to grant Shell a tax credit over a 25-year period starting in 2017. Gov. Tom Corbett had originally proposed the tax credit be capped at $66 million per year, or a total of $1.7 billion, but the final version of the law, if passed, places no limit on the total amount other than a credit of five cents per gallon of ethane used. So the total deal may exceed $66 million per year.
Read More “PA Legislature Reaches Deal on Tax Credit for Cracker Plant”
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SRBC Suspends Water Withdrawals in Some Areas
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), actively manages water withdrawals for shale drilling from the rivers and streams that are a part of its jurisdiction. The DRBC allows no water withdrawals at all—yet.
Yesterday the SRBC suspended withdrawals at 37 different locations because water levels have dropped from lack of rain. This happens periodically. Withdrawals in some locations are suspended for a time, and then allowed to restart when levels rise again. The SRBC continues to do a good job of managing water supplies throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Here’s the press release and list of affected areas:
Read More “SRBC Suspends Water Withdrawals in Some Areas”
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Ethane, a “Stranded Commodity” About to be Rescued
The Motley Fool blog site has an insightful article today on ethane, “the stranded commodity” that, according to the article, won’t be stranded for long! What does that have to do with Marcellus and Utica Shale gas drilling? Everything, as it turns out.
As explained in the article, ethane is produced from natural gas drilling in “wet gas” areas—mostly southwestern PA, eastern OH, and the northern panhandle of WV. Ethane, as MDN has explained countless times (but there’s always new readers!) can be “cracked” into ethylene, the raw material or “feedstock” used by chemical manufacturers to make plastics and products like tires and antifreeze. But there’s one problem with the ethane coming from the Marcellus and Utica Shale: it currently costs too much to transport it to the Gulf Coast and other points where it can be converted.
According to the author of the article, that will all change soon.
Read More “Ethane, a “Stranded Commodity” About to be Rescued”
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The Politics of Shale Energy
There is a brutal fact of politics no candidate can escape (try as they might): People vote their pocketbooks. The quintessential example of that that political axiom is Washington County, Pennsylvania. Heavily Democrat in voter registration, Washington County voters did something 3 1/2 years ago they haven’t done in over 40 years—they voted for a Republican for president (John McCain). And you can bet your bottom dollar Romney will be their choice this time around.
Read More “The Politics of Shale Energy”
An eleventh hour deal was snuck into the Pennsylvania budget signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett late Saturday night. On Friday, an amendment was introduced to the budget that would establish a moratorium on drilling in southeastern Pennsylvania in the South Newark Basin, a small area which stretches from New Jersey through Bucks, Montgomery and Berks counties in PA.