Marcellus Drilling News

PA Resident Wins Right to Appeal DEP Water Contamination Case

May 23, 2012May 23, 2012

The Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) ruled on May 16 that a Washington County resident who claims that nearby shale gas drilling is responsible for his water well being contaminated with methane and chemicals can appeal a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) determination that his well was not contaminated by shale drilling.

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

New Philly Association Formed to Help Businesses Crack the Marcellus

May 23, 2012May 23, 2012

A new association has been formed in the Philadelphia area to connect local businesses with business opportunities in the Marcellus Shale. So far the new association, called the Delaware Valley Marcellus Association (DVMA), consists of four founding member companies, but has plans to expand rapidly.

From the press release announcing the DVMA:

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, May 23, 2012

May 23, 2012May 23, 2012

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

PVR Announces $380 Million Investment in NE PA Marcellus

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

kick it up a notch Penn Virginia Resource Partners (PVR) is kicking up its commitment to the Marcellus Shale in northeastern PA a notch. Yesterday they announced they would invest $380 million on Marcellus Shale pipeline projects including a new extension to its natural gas pipeline in Lycoming County, PA. The announcement also reveals that they have commitments from Shell, Southwestern, Range and Inflection for the extra capacity and services. Yesterday PVR completed a previously announced deal to acquire Chief Gathering.

From the PVR press release:

Statewide WV | West Virginia

Why 4 Months to Approve WV Marcellus Permits?

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) Secretary Randy Huffman says it’s taking about four months on average to process a Marcellus Shale gas well permit in WV—which is about three months longer than it should be taking, according to Huffman. Why the delay? Four reasons:

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Union Support for Marcellus Drilling at PA Rally

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, a Pennsylvania-based industry group headed by Kathryn Klaber, held a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday. Their aim was to dispel two popular myths about drilling in the Marcellus Shale: that the jobs are temporary, non-union jobs, and that the jobs all go to out-of-state workers from Texas and Oklahoma.

At the rally to support the Coalition were union members from the Laborers’ International Union of North America, who presented evidence that it’s local, union membership that often fills positions in the Marcellus workforce.

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

NYC Comptroller Opposes 2 Chesapeake Board Members

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

New York City Comptroller John Liu wrote a letter to Chesapeake Energy shareholders encouraging them to vote “no” on the re-election of two members to the board of directors. Why does it matter what the New York City Comptroller thinks? Because New York City owns 1.9 million shares of Chesapeake stock—not an insignificant amount.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

G8 Ministers Give Fracking the Thumbs Up

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

Looks like the G8 members—countries that belong to “the group of eight” of the largest economies in the world (the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, the United States, Japan, Italy and Canada)—think fracking is a good idea. So says the official communiqué issued by the ministers that met last weekend at Camp David.

Louisville, OH to Sell Chesapeake Water for Fracking

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

The Louisville City Council (Stark County, OH) passed an agreement yesterday to sell both potable and treated sewage water to Chesapeake Energy for their use in fracking Utica Shale wells. The water purchase agreement runs through 2017.

Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Injecting Some Realism in the Shale Gas Debate

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

Writing in the Financial Post, Vaclav Smil, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and until 2011 a Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba gives some sage advice on the wild claims on both sides of the shale gas drilling isle:

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, May 22, 2012

May 22, 2012May 22, 2012

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

Chesapeake Sells More of its Utica Leases to Total

May 21, 2012May 21, 2012

Last week Chesapeake transferred 90 percent ownership of their 9,000 Utica Shale leases in Columbiana County, Ohio to their French partner Total in return for $2.03 billion. Back in December Chesapeake did an initial deal with Total for a 25 percent ownership stake in Chesapeake’s Ohio Utica Shale leases for 10 Ohio counties. This latest deal does not grant Total 90 percent in all 10 counties, so the question is, why Columbiana in particular? In two words: headache relief.

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chesapeake Reduces Board Compensation, Nips Private Jets

May 21, 2012May 21, 2012

Chesapeake Energy is still battling a tidal wave of negative press in a bid to prop up the stock price and prevent a “significant liquidity event” (i.e., being forced to sell the company). Their latest move is to reduce reduce the pay of board members and take away their private airplane rights. Still, board members get $350K per year, even after the 20 percent reduction.

From the Chesapeake press release:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Towns Pass Resolution They WON’T Ban Fracking

May 21, 2012May 21, 2012

Tired of New York municipalities passing ill-advised bans on fracking, and hoping to increase the chances that landowners will be “first in line” for permits when they are finally issued, a group of landowners in New York have launched a campaign to get municipalities to pass a non-binding resolution that they will not enact a ban on fracking—and it’s working.

Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Sierra Buckeye | Statewide OH

Muskingum Watershed District Signs New Deal for Utica Drilling

May 21, 2012May 21, 2012

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District has just signed a deal with Sierra Buckeye of Houston to allow Utica Shale drilling on 185 acres of District-controlled land—and it got some VERY favorable terms for the deal.

High Paying Jobs Come to Marshall County, WV Processing Plant

May 21, 2012May 21, 2012

Some high paying jobs are on the way to Marshall County, WV courtesy of a new natural gas processing plant being built by Dominion and opening in December. What’s good paying? How does $30 per hour sound?