Marcellus Drilling News

PA DEP Fines Chesapeake Energy $565K for Three Violations

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

gavel on money The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) yesterday fined Chesapeake Energy a total of $565,000 for major violations at three Marcellus Shale wells in Potter and Bradford counties in 2010 and 2011.

From the DEP press release:

Anadarko | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NGLs

The Massive Shift Underway from Dry to Wet Gas Drilling

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

An article on the SNL Financial website about the “massive shift” from drilling in dry gas (methane only) shale gas areas to the natural gas liquids (NGLs) areas begins this way:

Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

DOE Sec. Chu Goes to Pittsburgh, Promotes Shale Gas Drilling

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Steven Chu, visited Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Part of his visit was to (sort of) promote shale gas drilling. Among other things, Mr. Chu said hydraulic fracturing can be done “in an environmentally responsible way.”

Centre County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Pro & Anti Drilling Increasingly Divides Along Party Lines

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

With the new Pennsylvania law to regulate Marcellus drilling about to be signed by Gov. Tom Corbett, counties are already gearing up to vote on whether or not to accept the new impact fee provided for in the legislation. Although support or lack of support for Marcellus and Utica drilling cuts across political party lines, increasingly it tends to be Republicans in favor of drilling, and Democrats against. Take Centre County (State College area, smack in the very middle of PA) as an example, where commissioners are already planning a vote.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Regulation

NE PA Town Votes to Prohibit Drilling, Approve Wind Farms

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

Officials in Spring Brook Township (Lackawanna County), PA voted last night to prohibit shale gas drilling in half of the township while at the same time they approved designated areas for commercial wind farms. Those same officials acknowledged their vote to ban gas drilling may be meaningless under the newly passed Marcellus drilling state law about to be signed by Gov. Corbett, but they went ahead and voted anyway, having worked a year-and-a-half on the new zoning changes.

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Feb 10, 2012

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

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

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

Gov. Cuomo Says Decision on NY Fracking Due in “Few Months”

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

decision point In an interview yesterday with the editorial board of the Syracuse Post-Standard, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a decision about whether or not to allow high volume hydraulic fracturing to move forward in the state is “a couple of months” away.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Former PA DEP Head Says Fracking Doesn’t Contaminate Aquifers

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

Former PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger has been known to be a sharp critic of the drilling industry. He minces no words. If he believes drillers have caused a problem, he calls them out. Equally, he doesn’t shy away from defending hydraulic fracturing as the best, and safest, way of mining natural gas. He states outright that Marcellus fracking has never, not once, contaminated a water aquifer with chemicals.

Hanger is quoted extensively in an article on fracking hysteria in today’s New York Post:

Key Dates/Events for New PA Impact Fee

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

With the passage of the new Marcellus drilling law in Pennsylvania that establishes an impact fee, what happens next? The StateImpact website has a helpful timeline, which includes:

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

New Marcellus Drilling Law Passes PA House, Awaits Gov’s Sig

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

New Marcellus drilling legislation passed the Pennsylvania House yesterday by a vote of 101-90. The same measure passed the PA Senate earlier this week by a vote of 31-19. The only thing left before it becomes law is a signature by Gov. Tom Corbett, who said he looks forward to signing it. The new law will establish, for the first time in PA, a per-well-drilled impact fee. The fee is assessed on a sliding scale from $40,000 to $60,000 for the first year, decreasing each year for a 15-year period after that. The new law also tightens environmental regulations.

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

PennEnvironment Says Ban PA Drilling Based on Violations Data

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

PennEnvironment released a study yesterday of what they call “environmental violations” by Marcellus Shale drillers in Pennsylvania for the past four years (a copy of the study is embedded below). It is a skewed analysis of citations issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from 2008 to 2011. By PennEnvironment’s own admission, about one-third of the 3,355 DEP violations over the past four years are paperwork-related.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH

OH Attorney General Wants Drillers Who Pollute to Pay More

February 9, 2012February 9, 2012

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (Republican) said yesterday he wants tougher penalties for Utica and Marcellus Shale drillers who “pollute.”

Libous, Martens Shoot Down Proposal for Fracking Test

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012

shoot down A group of Chenango County, NY officials have come up with a great idea: Use the abandoned Camp Pharsalia prison facility in a very rural part of the county (sits on 52 acres, owned by the state) to drill several test Marcellus and Utica Shale wells, and use it as a living laboratory with everyone involved—the state, the drilling industry, environmental groups and academe. In other words, let’s just test this out to see if there are any problems. The experiment would be a public-private partnership between the state and the drilling industry. Brilliant!

This forward-thinking group submitted their proposal to the state Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel in January:

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

NY DEC Com. Joe Martens Now Says “If” Drilling is Allowed

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012

On Tuesday, New York Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Joe Martens gave testimony at a legislative budget hearing in Albany about the department’s staffing needs for 2012. The conversation turned to the DEC’s lack of a request for additional staffing that would be needed to oversee permits and drilling for shale gas should hydraulic fracturing finally, after four years, be allowed in the state. Once again, Martens’ language is very telling. His responses have moved away from “when” to “if” fracking will be allowed:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

MDN Prediction of Gasland Deux is Spot On

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012

Here’s an “I told you so.” Last week, MDN covered the story of the arrest of Gasland filmmaker Josh Fox at a Congressional hearing (see this MDN story). That episode gave rise to MDN’s weekly update this past Sunday, and the current MDN poll which asks if Gasland is truth or fiction.

In Sunday’s weekly update, MDN wrote:

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

Green Groups Split on Support for New PA Drilling Law

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012

New drilling legislation, including an impact fee, has passed the Pennsylvania Senate and debate began last night in the PA House. Debate will continue today. Passage is expected this week, perhaps as early as today. As MDN pointed out yesterday, the mostly anti-drilling organization Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) gave the new legislation a lukewarm, half-hearted endorsement as “the best thing we can get right now” (see this MDN story).

However, the mostly anti-drilling Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), which works closely with the PEC, gave the legislation a more positive endorsement, calling it “a tremendous step forward.” From the CBF press release: