Marcellus Drilling News

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Former Energy Sec. Richardson Supports Cuomo Fracking Plan
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

It seems Democrats themselves have grown tired of anti-fracking shenanigans by their own people at public gatherings. Former Sec. of Energy (and former Governor of New Mexico) Bill Richardson was in New York City yesterday speaking on renewable energy at an event hosted by the Democrat party and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A couple of anti-frackers who had “slipped in” stood up to protest, unfurling an anti-fracking banner and making claims that fracking would poison water supplies.

Here’s what happened:

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Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

Anti-Fracking Doctor Unsuccessful at Vestal, NY Board Meeting
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

Several doctors from the Broome County Medical Society (BCMS) attended a Vestal (Broome County, NY) Town Board meeting on Monday to ask them to vote for a delay in hydraulic fracturing until a so-called independent health study can be completed. One of those doctors was Niru Anne, a cancer doctor at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton and vice president of BCMS.

For a smart person, Dr. Anne is extremely uninformed when it comes to fracking:

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Ohio | Ross County | Statewide OH

Ohio Shale Drilling Starting to Expand South & West
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

According to Rhonda Reda, executive director for the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, interest in drilling in Ohio that started in the eastern part of the state—in the prolific Utica Shale—will soon start moving to south and west in the state. In fact, there’s already signs that drilling interest is expanding southwest to Ross County.

Read More “Ohio Shale Drilling Starting to Expand South & West”
Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Hilcorp Energy | Ohio

Hilcorp’s First Utica Permit for Columbiana County, OH
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

Hilcorp Energy has just received its first permit to drill a Utica Shale well in Columbiana County, Ohio. Although this is Hilcorp’s first permit, it is the 49th permit for Columbiana County.

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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation

Conservative Pushback for Gov. Kasich Drilling Tax Increase
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (a Republican) continues to get pushback on his plan to “spread the wealth around” by increasing taxes on the shale drilling industry and giving Ohio residents a cut in their state income tax. The pushback is now coming from conservative groups, including the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Tax Reform.

Earlier this month, a tea party-backed group called Ohio Rising started circulating an anti-tax pledge among Ohio lawmakers against the Kasich plan.

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Aug 23, 2012
August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:

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

PA DEP Allows Cabot to Resume Fracking in Dimock
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

Now that most of the families in and around Dimock, PA who previously sued Cabot Oil & Gas claiming their water had been contaminated by nearby drilling have settled with the company (see this MDN story), the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has given Cabot a green light to resume fracking seven wells in Dimock that Cabot previously drilled but had not completed. The action to let Cabot finish those wells and bring them online comes two and a half years after activity on the wells was stopped by an order of the DEP.

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Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation

South Fayette, PA First Town Challenged Under Act 13
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

Pennsylvania towns that have ordinances conflicting with the new state drilling law known as Act 13 run the risk of not receiving their portion of a new impact fee being collected by the state—unless they revise their laws to not conflict with Act 13. The first town to be challenged under this provision is South Fayette, in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh area). A resident of South Fayette wrote to the Public Utility Commission (PUC), the agency charged with policing compliance with Act 13, to complain that several town ordinances violate Act 13.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

NY Anti-Drillers Threaten Civil Disobedience over Fracking
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

If anti-drillers in New York don’t get their way with Gov. Cuomo (i.e., a total ban on fracking), they’re threatening to engage in so-called “nonviolent” civil disobedience.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Niagara County | Regulation

Wilson, NY Votes to Ban Fracking
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

The village board of Wilson (Niagara County), NY has voted to ban hydraulic fracturing. In a statement, one anti-drilling Wilson board member said he wants fracking to be banned everywhere, not just in New York. Gotta love those freedom-loving, “I know better than you do how to run your life” kinds of people, dontchya?

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Greene County (OH) | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation

Yellow Springs, OH Votes to Ban Fracking
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

Over the objection of their own lawyer, the village board of Yellow Springs (Green County), Ohio voted to ban both injection wells and all hydraulic fracturing within the village at an August 20 meeting. Three board members (out of five) decided they know better than their residents what those residents can do with their own land.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

New York State Ad Wars Heat Up Over Fracking
August 22, 2012August 22, 2012

As we get ever closer to the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) release of new rules to allow fracking—a decision expected either by or shortly after Labor Day—both sides of the debate are turning up the heat by taking to the airwaves and in print with advertisements.

For some time now, pro-drilling groups led by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) have run radio and print ads (see below). The other side is now entering the fray with their own ads.

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Aug 22, 2012
August 22, 2012August 22, 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: Wed, Aug 22, 2012”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County (NY) | New York | Regulation

Town of Rochester, NY will Vote on Frack Ban August 30th
August 21, 2012August 21, 2012

It looks like the Town of Rochester, NY (in addition to the City of Rochester) is about to turn down potential jobs and investment in their economically depressed community by spitting in the face of the shale drilling industry. That is, they plan to ban drilling at a town board meeting on August 30.

Not only will the measure they plan to vote on completely ban fracking, it will also ban “transferring, storing, processing and disposing of materials related to horizontal hydraulic fracturing.” They won’t even allow new buildings to be built related to fracking—so if you’re a law firm that represents a driller and want to build a new office, forget it.

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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Supply Chain

New Utica Supply Chain Website for Ohio Businesses
August 21, 2012August 21, 2012

A new online service displays more than 700 companies in a 12-county region of Ohio that provide services and supplies to the Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling industry on an interactive map. The Ohio Shale Energy “supply chain” website provides a valuable service for businesses looking to plug in to the ever-expanding energy industry in Ohio.

Now that the site is up and running, there are plans to expand it to cover the entire state.

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Industrywide Issues | Supply Chain

Advice for Companies Seeking to Work for Drilling Industry
August 21, 2012August 21, 2012

Do you work for, or own, a company interested in working with gas and oil drilling companies in the Marcellus/Utica Shale (often referred to as plugging in to the “supply chain”)? According to a speaker at a seminar in Ohio yesterday, the drilling industry is interested in one thing above all else: the safety of its workers.

If you want to plug in to opportunities in the industry, here’s some advice:

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