Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Friday, Dec 9, 2011
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Accidents | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County
Dueling Press Conferences in Dimock PA
In the ongoing press event that is Dimock, PA, yesterday Gasland creator Josh Fox and actor Mark Rufalo, among others, gathered in Dimock to keep up the pressure and to continue to demagogue what has really happened in Dimock. See MDN’s previous coverage for background. A brief summary of events leading up to yesterday’s dueling press conferences:Read More “Dueling Press Conferences in Dimock PA”
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Shell’s Major Shift to Natural Gas, US Gas-to-Liquids Plant?
Shell is moving into natural gas in a major way. In fact, natural gas will eclipse crude oil for Shell sometime next year by being more than 50 percent of Shell’s global production. Shell has committed to spending $2 billion to build an ethane cracker plant in the Marcellus region of the U.S., and now they are talking about building a gas-to-liquids plant. Shell invested an astonishing $19 billion in a gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar. Imagine that investment coming to the U.S.! Such is the transformative power of shale gas.
Read More “Shell’s Major Shift to Natural Gas, US Gas-to-Liquids Plant?”
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Out-of-State Gas Workers Mean Continued High Unemployment
One of the criticisms of the Marcellus shale gas drilling industry is that although it brings with it an economic boom, including many jobs, sometimes those jobs are taken by out-of-state workers and not local workers. Drillers will say there are not enough skilled local workers to fill the positions. Labor leaders and local economic development officials will say, “Train them and there will be!”
According to Dave Efaw, secretary-treasurer of the West Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council, local drillers need to step up to the plate and start hiring more local workers:
Read More “Out-of-State Gas Workers Mean Continued High Unemployment”
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Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Shell | Statewide WV | West Virginia
Shell, One Other Company Close to Cracker Plant Announcement
According to officials in West Virginia, who are super-serious about attracting at least one ethane cracker plant to their state, Shell and one other company will announce site selections for their plants in January of 2012. West Virginia fully intends that at least one of those two plants will be inside their borders, and they are pulling out all of the stops to ensure it happens. In fact, according to WV Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s chief of staff, it’s the newly-elected governor’s “No. 1 goal.”
Read More “Shell, One Other Company Close to Cracker Plant Announcement”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wednesday, Dec 7, 2011
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: Wednesday, Dec 7, 2011”
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Has Fracking Killed the Renewable Energy Movement?
It is no surprise that those who rabidly oppose shale gas drilling in general, and hydraulic fracturing in particular, do so for one primary reason: it threatens renewable energy. In fact, MDN would go so far as to say hydraulic fracturing has single-handedly destroyed the renewable energy movement, and the greenies have brought out the long knives in response.A column by Dan Nestlerode on StateCollege.com calls attention to just how fundamental, and dramatic, a shift has taken place in the last few years, a shift that spells the end of the green/renewable energy movement.
Read More “Has Fracking Killed the Renewable Energy Movement?”
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New Study Shows Economic Boom from Shale Gas in U.S.
A new study just released shows that natural gas drilling and production will add 900,000 jobs and $1,000 to annual household budgets across the country, on average, by 2015. And shale gas production will go from adding $76 billion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) now, to $118 billion by 2015.
Read More “New Study Shows Economic Boom from Shale Gas in U.S.”
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PA Legislature Deals with Bonding to Decommission Gas Wells
The Pennsylvania legislature has been working on new laws to tighten regulation of the Marcellus Shale drilling industry. Since January 2011, both the PA Senate and House are now controlled by Republicans, as well as the governorship, giving new Marcellus legislation a good chance of passing. The new laws are a result of, and based on, the findings of an advisory committee appointed by Gov. Tom Corbett earlier this year (see this MDN story).
Both the PA Senate and House have passed slightly different versions of legislation and those versions are now being reconciled in committee to work out the differences so a bill can be sent to Gov. Corbett for signing. One of the outstanding issues to be reconciled is how much of a bond should drillers pay to decommission a well.
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011
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: Tuesday, Dec 6, 2011”
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Accidents | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County
EPA Tells Dimock Families Their Water is Safe to Use
A new email from the federal Environmental Protection Agency says the water wells for 19 affected families in Dimock, PA have tested fine and do not pose a threat to those families. Yet, some of those families are still grabbing headlines by playing the victim, claiming their water is undrinkable. Who to believe?The Dimock situation is difficult to understand, being shrouded in so many layers of publicity stunts it’s hard to know what the real story is. As near as MDN can tell, in a nutshell:
Read More “EPA Tells Dimock Families Their Water is Safe to Use”
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Gas Drilling’s Death by 1,000 Stalls in NY
An opinion column in today’s New York Post aptly nails the situation on gas drilling in New York State. In fact, the title says it all, “Fracking in NY: death by 1,000 stalls?” MDN has been a Johnny-one-note on this topic with our assertion that Joe Martens, Commissioner of the NY Department of Environmental Conservation and the man whose job it is to get drilling going in the state, is intentionally delaying drilling because he doesn’t want to see it happen. The Post agrees.
The Post column says, in part:
Read More “Gas Drilling’s Death by 1,000 Stalls in NY”
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Sullivan County NY Probably Won’t See Marcellus Gas Drilling
Sullivan County, NY, which has seen a lot of opposition to Marcellus gas drilling, may not have anything to worry about after all. According to those in the industry, the geology for most of Sullivan County just isn’t worth drilling, even if it were to be allowed:
Read More “Sullivan County NY Probably Won’t See Marcellus Gas Drilling”
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NE PA County Changing Public Transport Vans to CNG
The Luzerne County Transportation Authority in northeastern PA needs to replace some 60 vans they use to provide transportation for the elderly, children and special-needs persons. After researching it, the County has decided that compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vans are the best choice, due in part to low natural gas prices from an abundance of Marcellus Shale gas in PA.
Read More “NE PA County Changing Public Transport Vans to CNG”
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Spectra Gets FERC Approval to Expand PA Marcellus Pipeline
Spectra Energy has received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval for their Texas Eastern Appalachia to Market (TEAM) 2012 pipeline expansion project which expands Texas Eastern’s existing pipeline system and allows them to deliver extra Marcellus Shale gas to the northeast market in the U.S. A map detailing the existing pipeline and the proposed upgrades is embedded below.
Read More “Spectra Gets FERC Approval to Expand PA Marcellus Pipeline”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Monday, Dec 5, 2011
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
Deal sought for road repairs by drillers
The Columbus Dispatch
Drillers are eager to tap a vast reservoir of natural gas and oil within shale beneath Ohio, which could employ thousands, but critics say it will also cause pollution.Where To Try Consol Suit?
The Intelligencer
Pennsylvania officials want to resolve their dispute with Consol Energy for contributing to the death of thousands of aquatic creatures in 2009 at Dunkard Creek in Monongalia County Circuit Court.Southwestern Pa. colleges wary of gas leases
Valley News Dispatch
Area colleges don’t appear to be following the lead of two West Virginia schools that have signed lease agreements with an energy company to drill their land for Marcellus shale.NYSEG unveils pipeline documents
Ithaca Journal
New York State Electric & Gas Corp. has made the application and documents related to its Seneca West Pipeline Interconnect project available for public review.Pennsylvania towns contend with gas pipeline proposals
Erie Times News
A number of municipalities in Washington County have spent the past few months crafting regulations for Marcellus Shale gas well drilling pads, compressor stations, processing plants and even employee work trailers.Actor Mark Ruffalo embraces anti-fracking role
Star-Telegram.com
Movie star Mark Ruffalo is embracing a role as a fervent opponent of natural gas driling and hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale, a huge, gas-rich geological formation that underlies much of the northeastern U.S., including the Catskills region of New York where Ruffalo and his family live.
In the ongoing press event that is Dimock, PA, yesterday Gasland creator Josh Fox and actor Mark Rufalo, among others, gathered in Dimock to keep up the pressure and to continue to demagogue what has really happened in Dimock. See MDN’s 
It is no surprise that those who rabidly oppose shale gas drilling in general, and hydraulic fracturing in particular, do so for one primary reason: it threatens renewable energy. In fact, MDN would go so far as to say hydraulic fracturing has single-handedly destroyed the renewable energy movement, and the greenies have brought out the long knives in response.
A new email from the federal Environmental Protection Agency says the water wells for 19 affected families in Dimock, PA have tested fine and do not pose a threat to those families. Yet, some of those families are still grabbing headlines by playing the victim, claiming their water is undrinkable. Who to believe?