Marcellus Drilling News

Chimera Energy | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

New Non-Fracking Technology Takes Root in Mexico
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

An MDN reader alerted us about a month ago to a new non-fracking technology being marketed by Chimera Energy Corp. We watched the video on their website and were immediately turned off by its “fracking is bad, we have a better way of doing it” message. We’re fully in favor of new technology and better ways of doing things! We also have no problem with upsetting the status quo. However, in looking for a marketing edge, MDN believes Chimera is making a mistake by throwing stones at the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. What they apparently don’t realize is that if water-based fracking were banned today everywhere, rabid anti-drillers would find new flimflam excuses to object to their technology too—because they hate fossil fuels period. Need proof? See this MDN story about GASFRAC’s LPG non-water-based fracking technology.

It seems Chimera is getting some traction with their new, non-fracking technology. They’ve just announced an agreement with Mexico’s state-owned energy company Petróleos Mexicanos, or “Pemex.” Pemex is the biggest company of any kind in all of Latin America—really huge. Pemex has decided to give Chimera’s non-fracking technology a try south of the border.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Trucking

U.S. DOT Trucking Rule Clarification Targets Shale Drilling
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

Back in June, MDN wrote about a new “rule clarification” by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation that disallows truckers from subtracting down time as they wait for trucks to be loaded/unloaded when it comes to hauling water and sand for fracking oil and gas wells (see this MDN story).

The rule clarification has been controversial (and costly). More than 60 Congressmen sent a letter to Transportation Sec. LaHood last week requesting the rule clarification be reversed because it targets a particular industry: shale drilling. Some say the DOT is giving the EPA and DOE an assist since those federal agencies are having a hard slowing down natural gas development in favor of so-called alternative energy development. The rule change helps put the brakes on (pun intended).

Read More “U.S. DOT Trucking Rule Clarification Targets Shale Drilling”
Alternative Energy | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

Natural Gas Benefits Renewables in the Long-Term
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

Michael Butler, co-founder of Cascadia Capital and former managing director at Lehman Brothers responsible for global equity sales, today published his five predictions for the sustainable energy industry for the balance of 2012. His predictions #4 and #5 deal with natural gas. MDN found them interesting:

Read More “Natural Gas Benefits Renewables in the Long-Term”
Carroll County | Energy Companies | EnerVest | EV Energy Partners | Ohio | Stark County

EV Energy Partners 2Q12 Update: Utica NGLs Now Producing
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

EV Energy Partners (EVEP) reported their 2Q12 financial results yesterday. EVEP is a master limited partnership controlled by oil & gas company EnerVest. They look for lower risk, long-term oil and gas properties, with investments in a number of oil and gas plays across the U.S., including the Utica and Marcellus. It seems they’re doing a good job. Their 2Q12 profits were up 20% from a year ago—to $66.1 million. Production for the second quarter of 2012 was up 47%—10.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas, 282,000 barrels of oil and 403,000 barrels of natural gas liquids, or 14.8 billion cubic feet equivalent.

The only direct quote in the press release from the CEO was in reference to their activities in the Utica Shale:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

Sunoco Logistics Open Season for Mariner East NGL Pipeline
August 10, 2012August 10, 2012

Sunoco Logistics began an “open season” yesterday for their Mariner East pipeline project to deliver natural gas liquids—propane and ethane—from liquids-rich Marcellus Shale areas in western Pennsylvania to refineries and shipping terminals in southeastern Pennsylvania. An open season is the time when drillers can sign up and make long-term commitments to use the pipeline.

From the Sunoco press release:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Aug 10, 2012
August 10, 2012August 10, 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: Fri, Aug 10, 2012”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

More Details on Gov. Cuomo’s Plan to Start Fracking
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

We have a lot more insight into what Gov. Cuomo is planning thanks to Tom Wilbur, former environmental reporter for Gannett News and the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Tom is a confirmed anti-driller. He won’t tell you that, but we will. We’ve read his writing for years, and it’s evident that he’s opposed to shale gas drilling.

However, he has his sources in Albany, and they’ve come through for him big-time. Tom writes about many of the details Gov. Cuomo and the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are revealing to anti-drilling environmental groups ahead of the public release of new drilling rules for New York (called the SGEIS). He chronicles the details on his blog.

Read More “More Details on Gov. Cuomo’s Plan to Start Fracking”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

EIA: Marcellus Shale Reserves Underreported
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

Remember all those stories about how “there really isn’t as much shale gas in the Marcellus and elsewhere as ‘industry’ wants you to believe”? Those stories got their start with an artful work of fiction by Ian Urbina in an New York Times article last year (click here to read it). Urbina supposedly quoted someone who called shale gas reserves a Ponzi scheme, a la Bernie Madoff or Enron. One of the arguments used to support that particular fiction was that the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) had revised their estimates down for estimated reserves in the Marcellus Shale—down by a lot.

But what’s this? Last week EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski in testimony before Congress said with reference to Marcellus estimated reserves of natural gas, “I think it’s possible we’ll find, as production data begins to come in — Pennsylvania is a state that has significant lags in reporting of production data — we will begin to see those numbers inching up.” In the latest report from the EIA, their estimates for Marcellus Shale reserves in 2010, the latest reporting year, have gone up dramatically—based on production data just now coming in (see the EIA chart below).

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

Caton, NY Decides to Stay Neutral in the Fracking Debate
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

The town board for the Town of Caton (Steuben County, NY) decided last night to not cast a vote either way in the fracking debate. They won’t vote on a resolution in favor of drilling, nor will they vote for a ban, according to Town Supervisor Kate Hughes. Instead, they’ll remain neutral on the issue.

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

How Many Jobs will Utica Shale Drilling Create in Ohio?
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

How many jobs can Ohio expect from Utica Shale drilling? If it follows the same general path of Pennsylvania—and there’s no reason to expect it would not—for every job created in the oil and gas industry, two jobs are created in other industries to support it. It’s a 1:2 ratio.

Every new well drilled in PA created 30 jobs (in 2009) and $4 million in economic activity in the local economy. That is, shale gas drilling is hugely beneficial for both job creation and economic activity.

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Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Rhino Resource Partners | Utica Shale

Rhino Resource Ups Investment in Utica Shale JV
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

Rhino Resource Partners produces metallurgical and steam coal in a variety of basins throughout the United States. It also owns oil and gas acreage in the Utica and Cana Woodford plays. Rhino previously invested in an 80,000 Utica Shale acre joint venture with Gulfport Energy and Wexford Capital. Rhino’s investment gives them a 10.8% interest. Since that initial investment, Gulfport and Wexford have continued to buy up Utica Shale acreage and now have leases for 125,000 acres (including the original 80,000). The partners have extended an offer to Rhino to get a piece of the bigger action, which Rhino is doing.

From Rhino’s press release announcing a new deal with Wexford:

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Energy Companies | Energy Corporation of America | Greene County (PA) | Pennsylvania

ECA 2Q12 Update: Wells & Pipelines Now Complete
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

Energy Corporation of America (ECA) and the Trust they use to distribute profit to investors issued their second quarter update yesterday. Among ECA news: They have completed the last of 52 wells as well as completing the expansion of a gathering system expansion project in Greene County, PA. Three of the wells they’ve completed had an initial production of 10 million cubic feet of gas per day (Mmcf/d). All of their projects have been completed well ahead of schedule.

From the ECA update:

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Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies

Carrizo 2Q12 Update: Marcellus Picks up Slack from Barnett
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

Carrizo Oil & Gas reported their second quarter earnings and operations on Tuesday. Their statement shows the company’s profit nearly quadrupled because of their focus on oil production. They expect oil production to continue rising.

Carrizo is a driller in the Marcellus Shale, but the Marcellus did not play a big part in their quarterly statement. Here’s the couple of mentions it did get:

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Commodity Price | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gas Utility Lowers NatGas Rate by 11.59%
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

Bluefield Gas, a gas utility company based in Bluefield, West Viriginia, is lowering their rates for natural gas by 11.59%, effective November 1. Why? Marcellus Shale, of course.

Read More “WV Gas Utility Lowers NatGas Rate by 11.59%”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Penn State Paper on Water Usage in the Marcellus
August 9, 2012August 9, 2012

One of the concerns raised by anti-drillers, in an attempt to scare people, is that shale gas fracking will a) use up too much of our precious fresh water supplies, and b) wastewater from drilling will pollute fresh water supplies. The problem with those allegations is lack of evidence. If water supplies are in danger, then why have we not seen such shortages or contamination after 40,000 or so horizontal natural gas wells have been drilled since the early 2000s?

Every now and again a university will publish the facts on drilling, including it’s impacts on water. In May, Penn State University’s Extension program published such a paper, titled “Water’s Journey Through the Shale Gas Drilling and Production Processes in the Mid-Atlantic Region” (embedded below). It takes a look at how much and where water is used in the drilling process, and also deals with how wastewater is handled.

Read More “Penn State Paper on Water Usage in the Marcellus”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Aug 9, 2012
August 9, 2012August 9, 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, Aug 9, 2012”