The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is floating the idea of using a portion of the 300 million gallons of acid mine drainage that flows each and every day from abandoned coal mines in that state as a source of water for Marcellus Shale gas fracking.
Read More “PA DEP Wants to Use Acid Mine Drainage for Fracking Water”
A lawsuit against the City of McKeesport, PA (near Pittsburgh) for treating fracking wastewater has been settled. McKeesport was hauled into federal court last year by two activist anti-drilling organizations—Clean Water Action and Three Rivers Waterkeeper—to force the McKeesport municipal sewage treatment plant to not accept fracking wastewater for treatment at the plant (read the background in this MDN story).
Read More “McKeesport Settles Lawsuit for Treating Fracking Wastewater”
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: Wed, Jan 25, 2012”
An article in the New York Post lays bare the motivation of Cornell professor Robert Howarth and his conclusions about natural gas. Howarth, you may recall, along with two other Cornell professors—Renee Santoro and Tony Ingraffea—published a study in the journal Climatic Change last year making the assertion that natural gas is actually worse for the environment than coal (see this MDN story). It’s laugh-out-loud funny, except many people (excepting most scientists) take him seriously. The study has been roundly refuted by both the U.S. Department of Energy and Carnegie Mellon University.
Last week a new study was published in the same journal by a second set of Cornell professors that refutes Howarth et al.’s conclusions as “seriously flawed” (see this MDN story).
Read More “NY Post Article: Cornell Prof Howarth’s Farcical Science”
Environmentalists opposed to natural gas drilling were out in force in Albany, NY yesterday, demanding a ban on hydraulic fracturing. (MDN wonders if they know that vertical fracking has been going on in New York State for the last 40 years with no environmental apocalypse?!)
The rally, organized by Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Earthworks, Shaleshock and other anti-drilling organizations, was designed to bring pressure on elected representatives in Albany.
Read More “Enviro Groups Demand Fracking Ban in Albany Protest”
Yesterday, the U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA) issued the 2012 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2012) Early Release Reference case, which provides updated projections for U.S. energy markets through 2035 (a copy is embedded below). This Early Release Overview assumes no changes in current laws and regulations and is the prelude to the full AEO due out this spring. The AEO provides a comprehensive snapshot of the entire energy picture for the U.S. in particular, but in the wider context of world energy supplies. It is relied on by the government, politicians and the energy industry.
Among the observations and predictions in the Early Release for natural gas:
Read More “EIA Issues Early Release Summary of Annual Energy Outlook”
Robert Alt, a Fellow in Legal and International Affairs at The John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University (Ohio) has written an op-ed article in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin on the topic of “legally dubious” moratoriums like the one recently passed by the City of Binghamton. Given that according to forthcoming new drilling regulations from the state Department of Environmental Conservation there would be no drilling in Binghamton anyway, Alt asks the question, just what “message” did City Council send?
Read More “Expert Says Binghamton Fracking Ban is “Legally Dubious””
Yesterday, MDN told you about Chesapeake Energy’s major announcement that they will reduce capital spending on dry natural gas, or methane-only production, by 70 percent this year (see this MDN story). Chesapeake is also shutting down 9 percent of their domestic production, some 0.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, which represents 1.5 percent of the entire natural gas output in the U.S. The result is predictable—less supply and steady demand equals higher prices. And that’s just what happened:
Read More “NG Prices React to Chesapeake’s Announcement to Cut Production”
Stone Energy Corporation yesterday announced its planned capital budget spending plan for 2012. Stone’s projected capital budget is $625 million for the year, of which it plans to spend 30 percent (or $187.5 million) on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
Read More “Stone Energy to Double Marcellus Gas Production in 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: Tue, Jan 24, 2012”
Chesapeake Energy today made a major announcement about a change in their investment and drilling strategy for 2012: they will reduce drilling in “dry” natural gas areas by 50 percent for 2012—to 24 rigs by the end of June from the currently operated 47 rigs. Chesapeake operated 75 dry gas rigs in 2011, so the new level is a 67 percent reduction from last year. Chesapeake will also spend some 70 percent less of their capital budget on dry gas drilling in 2012, down to $0.9 billion (from $3.1 billion in 2011). It’s the lowest capital expenditure they’ve made on drilling in dry gas areas since 2005.
By the end of June, Chesapeake says they will be operating only 12 rigs in the dry gas areas of the Marcellus Shale.
Read More “Major Chesapeake Announcement: Shifting from Dry to Wet Gas”
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is getting itself involved in the ongoing situation in Dimock, PA by delivering water to four households that were affected by methane migration (see MDN’s recent Weekly Update for our view on EPA sticking its nose in). After the EPA told these same families two months ago their water was safe, they reversed course and now say they want to run some water tests themselves, and in the meantime they’ll deliver water to four of eleven families who have refused the Pennsylvania DEP’s settlement of the matter.
The EPA promised water to these same families a few weeks ago and reneged within 24 hours. This time they kept their promise.
FracFocus.org, the national hydraulic fracturing chemical registry where the public can look up information about the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on a well-by-well basis, is co-sponsoring a “Let’s Talk About It” meeting in Williamsport, PA this Wednesday (see this page for more details). The meeting runs from 5-7:30 pm and will provide details on how hydraulic fracturing works. Note: FracFocus.org via Energy in Depth is currently a sponsor advertising on MDN.
Many drilling companies voluntarily use FracFocus.org to disclose the volumes of chemicals and water they use in the process of fracking, and do so for each well they drill. Four states already require drillers within their borders to use FracFocus.org. You can now add Texas as the fifth state to that list.
Read More “Five States Require Drillers to Use FracFocus.org Registry”
Heading to grad school and want to make $120K a year when you graduate? You might consider an advanced degree in geology or geophysics and working in the shale gas industry.
Read More “Some Grad Students Make $120K per Year in Shale Gas Industry”
Hydraulic fracturing, the process used to break apart shale rock deep below the earth’s surface to allow natural gas and oil to flow, will increase in 2012 some 19 percent from last year according to Spears & Associates, a research and consulting company for the worldwide petroleum industry. Almost 19,000 new wells will be fracked in 2012, compared with 16,000 in 2011. Halliburton is the largest U.S. fracking services provider with 18 percent of the market.
Read More “Record-Breaking 19K New Wells to be Fracked in 2012”
Local pipeline work in the Marietta (Washington County), Ohio area has brought an influx of pipeline workers from out of town. Along with those workers has come a mini-economic boom for Marietta with money being spent at local RV parks, grocery stories, restaurants and other area businesses.
Read More “Mini-Economic Boom from Pipeline Workers in Marietta, OH”