Marcellus Drilling News

Alternative Energy | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Comments from an Environmentalist Oil Industry Geologist
April 13, 2012April 13, 2012

A very interesting interview with someone who works as an exploration geophysicist for the oil and gas industry who considers himself to be an environmentalist—or rather, a “realistic environmentalist”—recently appeared on the Adventure Journal blog. The interviewee, who asked to remain anonymous, responded this way when asked if other environmentalists give him a hard time about his choice of career:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Apr 13, 2012
April 13, 2012April 13, 2012

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

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Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

NatGas Commodity Price Hits 10-Year Low, Facts & Figures
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Yesterday the commodity price of natural gas hit a 10-year low, $1.984 per 1,000 cubic feet. There will be plenty of stories in the press about it. However, in one of those stories, we get this interesting and helpful information about the price, as well as the areas producing the most natural gas and the drillers producing it:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Judge Grants Injunction for Zoning Portion of Act 13 Law
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Keith Quigley issued a 120-day injunction yesterday to stop a small but important portion of the newly passed Act 13 Marcellus drilling law. Seven PA townships had filed a lawsuit to overturn Act 13 (see this MDN story). As part of their lawsuit, they filed a petition seeking an injunction from stopping the law from going into effect this Saturday, April 14. Judge Quigley’s injunction only deals with the provisions in the law that deal with changes to zoning regulations—the part that would replace local zoning laws with a “one size fits all” state law. Everything else in Act 13, including collection of an impact fee, will go into effect on Saturday.

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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York

Packed House for First-Ever NY NatGas Career Expo
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Jobs in the shale gas industry was the focus of the first ever Natural Gas Career and Education Expo held at Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY yesterday. MDN editor Jim Willis attended.

Upon arriving, there was a line of 50 or more people waiting to get in to a packed exhibition area with more than 40 vendors, most of whom were looking for people to fill open positions. Exhibitors ranged from large oil and gas companies like Williams, Cabot Oil & Gas and Chesapeake Energy, to environmental consulting firms, equipment dealers and educational programs. Much of the time between 3 and 7 pm the exhibit area was packed, elbow to elbow, with job seekers. Early estimates MDN heard were that more than ~~400~~ 2,300 people attended the four hour event (see this article by the Press & Sun-Bulletin).

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

Pittsfield, NY Votes to NOT Ban Fracking
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

While attending the first ever Natural Gas Career and Education Expo held at Broome Community College yesterday, MDN learned of some good news—news that does not get reported by local or statewide media. Board members for the Town of Pittsfield, NY voted earlier this week to table a measure that would ban fracking. Pittsfield is a small township in Otsego County, not far from Middlefield where a lawsuit is underway to overturn a fracking ban there.

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Energy Services | GASFRAC | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Anti-Drillers Now Trashing LPG Fracking
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

When the announcement that a group of landowners in Tioga County, NY are about to sign sign leases with eCORP to allow drilling on 135,000 acres using waterless LPG fracking, MDN cautioned against euphoria that pro-drillers finally have a method of extracting natural gas that even anti-drillers can’t complain about. We predicted something eminently predictable: They will find things to object to in LPG fracking because, there is not other way to put this, they hate fossil fuels (see this MDN story).

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Energy Companies | Range Resources Corp

Range Resources 1Q12 Production Results, PA Impact Fees
April 12, 2012April 12, 2012

Range Resources reports today their natural gas production for the first quarter of 2012 increased 20 percent over the same period last year. Range CEO Jeff Ventura says the company is well on the way to achieving their 2012 goal of a 30-35 percent increase in production. Range also said the new impact fee in Pennsylvania will cost them $13.6 million for the first three months of 2012, as well as an additional one-time expense of $24 million, a retroactive fee to cover previous drilling (required under the new Act 13 law).

From the Range press release:

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Broome County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Meetings | New York

NY’s First NatGas Career Expo Today in Binghamton
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

If you live anywhere near the Binghamton, NY area, you might want to swing by Broome Community College this afternoon (April 11) between 3-7 pm. The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York together with Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is sponsoring the “Natural Gas Career and Education Expo” – reported to be the first such shale gas career expo in New York State. Over 40 vendors will have booths at the expo. (MDN was at first offered a booth, then the offer was retracted. We’re disappointed, but will still be attending to cover the event.)

There’s a full agenda of seminar sessions—see the agenda and list of vendors lucky enough to get a booth (embedded below). The event will be a great opportunity for those interested in jobs in the shale gas industry to gather and find out more. And yes, there are many New York residents in Broome County and surrounding areas who are landing jobs in the the drilling industry—because of the drilling that’s happening just across the border in Susquehanna County, PA and other northeastern PA counties. Thank you PA!

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

Olive, NY Town Board Votes to Ban Fracking
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Another town in New York has decided to ban hydraulic fracturing—this one in Ulster County:

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Chenango County | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York

TX Land Company Preys on Chenango County, NY Landowners
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Perhaps sensing an opportunity with an ongoing, now four-year-old drilling moratorium and the desperation of some landowners in New York State, a Texas-based land company is soliciting property owners in Chenango County, NY to purchase a 50 percent share of their mineral rights for $1,000 per acre. While it may technically be legal, county officials warn landowners that such a deal will damage the value of their property:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

Fox News Poll: Does Fracking Pollute Well Water?
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

The Fox News website is currently running a poll which asks the question: Do you believe ‘fracking’ pollutes well water? Head on over and vote.

Here are the results so far, as of early Wednesday morning:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA

New PA Bill Would Require Real-Time Monitoring of Gas Wells
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

On Monday, Pennsylvania State Representative Duane Milne, a Republican from Chester, PA (near Philly) held a press conference in his district to announce new Marcellus Shale legislation he will soon introduce. The legislation would require all natural gas wells—wells yet to be drilled and wells already drilled—to install real-time safety monitoring using technology called a wireless mesh network (WMN). The bill will also include real-time monitoring of natural gas pipelines using WMN.

WMN is a series (or network) of wireless transmitters that doesn’t need the Internet in order to “talk” with each other. The transmitters would automatically alert the Department of Environmental Protection and county emergency management organizations if it detects a problem.

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

The Economic Impact of Marcellus Drilling on PA Schools
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

Penn State Cooperative Extension and Penn State University researchers continue their research into how the Marcellus Shale gas drilling boom affects the state. Recently they issued findings from a survey of 940 school districts across PA (see this MDN story). Earlier this week, they issued another report in their Marcellus Education Fact Sheet series, titled: “Marcellus Shale Gas Development and Pennsylvania School Districts: What Are the Implications for School Expenditures and Tax Revenues?” (full report embedded below).

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Apr 11, 2012
April 11, 2012April 11, 2012

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

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Chesapeake Energy | Commodity Price | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues

At What Commodity Price Does NatGas Drilling Stop?
April 10, 2012April 10, 2012

How low might the commodity price of natural gas go before drillers really will quit drilling and wait for the price to go up? We’ll give you “the magic number” in a moment. But first, the (rather sketchy) rationale for how we calculate that number.

It seems almost every day we hear in the mainstream news that the low commodity price of natural gas is forcing drillers to suspend or slow drilling operations—especially in the “dry gas” areas of the Marcellus Shale. Contrary to what “everyone” seems to be doing, Shell, Chevron and others have said they will continue drilling regardless of the low price of natural gas. And more than one analyst has said announcements of drilling cutbacks by Chesapeake and others is so much hot air and that they will believe it when they see it.

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