Marcellus Drilling News

Behold the Power of Shale Fracking: ND Now #2 US Oil Producer

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

ribbon - 2nd This is technically not a story about the Marcellus or the Utica Shale. But it’s just as critical. North Dakota has just officially become the number two producer of oil in the United States, displacing Alaska for that spot. Texas still leads with the most oil production.

How on earth as ND become number two? It’s simple: shale and the miracle of hydraulic fracturing. What’s even more startling is that as recently as 1999 ND had zero drilling rigs and oil drilling in the state was dead. Just 13 years later, it’s number two in the nation. The importance of this cannot be overstated.

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

UB Study Released on Environmental Problems in PA Drilling

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

A peer-reviewed 52-page study released yesterday by the new natural gas institute at SUNY University at Buffalo (UB) finds that environmental problems caused by Marcellus Shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania were isolated, mostly minor and on the decline (a copy of the full study is embedded below).

The study analyzes the data from more than 3,533 Marcellus wells drilled since 2008 in PA by over 100 drilling rigs. The study makes the following conclusions, including assigning a percentage probability for how likely it is for a major environmental event to occur:

Antero Resources | Energy Companies

Antero Resources Continues Expansion in the Marcellus

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

Antero Resources released its first quarter financials and operating results earlier this week. Antero reports their net production of natural gas was up 83 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2011 because of new wells in the Marcellus Shale and the Piceance Basin (Colorado). They also report that the Marcellus Shale is where they will keep their focus with seven drilling rigs and some 233,000 leased acres as compared to two rigs for the Piceance (63,000 acres) and no rigs in the other shale plays where they operate.

The relevant portion of the Antero press release:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

Siena College Poll – New Yorkers Remain Split on Fracking

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

Siena College Research Institute runs regular polls of New Yorkers to gage their opinion on a variety of topics. One of the long-running topics they poll on is whether or not New York should allow hydraulic fracturing to move forward. The latest Siena poll was just released today. The full breakout is embedded below. Here’s how Siena interpreted the results in their press announcement:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Trumbull County

American Rivers Yearly Fundraiser/Most Endangered Rivers List

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

The anti-drilling American Rivers, an organization with a lofty Americana name but with a hard left environmentalist agenda, issues their “top 10” most endangered rivers list each year about this time. It’s an amusing exercise because the list rarely contains any of the same rivers on it from year to year. This year’s list is no different—and of course one of the targets of the list is shale gas drilling.

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chespeake’s Credit Downgraded by S&P, Stock Hits 3-Year Low

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

Chesapeake Energy’s credit rating was downgraded by Standard & Poor’s to BB-, which is defined as, “Less vulnerable in the near-term but faces major ongoing uncertainties to adverse business, financial and economic conditions.” The downgrade caused the stock to tumble to its lowest point since March 2009.

Statewide WV | West Virginia

Inspectors Angry with WV DEP Over New Marcellus Hires

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

Twenty inspectors with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have filed grievances alleging that the DEP is creating a two-tiered (and unfair) system for pay, job qualifications and job requirements in the DEP’s push to hire new inspectors for Marcellus Shale drilling. The inspectors are members of the West Virginia Public Workers Union. The union is lobbying to correct the situation.

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, May 16, 2012

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

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

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Monday’s Chesapeake Investor Call: Two Big News Items

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Carl Icahn Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon held yet another investor conference call yesterday morning, this one to quell concerns over Chesapeake’s “emergency loan” of $3 billion from Goldman Sachs on Friday. Among the things to come out of the phone conference were two (really) big pieces of news, one of which will directly affect landowners in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, the other which will potentially affect all landowners with Chesapeake leases no matter where they live.

MDN Analysis of Rig Counts in Marcellus/Utica

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Drilling rig counts are closely watched as an indicator of where, and how much, drilling is happening in a given geography. Last Friday, Baker Hughes reported that rig counts for Pennsylvania continue to decline from a year ago, while the numbers for West Virginia are going up. But that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

Advice to Landowners About Interstate Pipelines

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Let’s be honest. Using eminent domain to force landowners to allow interstate pipelines to be run across their property is a bad idea. At least it is in MDN’s opinion. Some pipeline companies have sought and have been awarded public utility status, and that status allows them to use eminent domain to grab property to run pipelines. It’s disgusting. They are not public utilities in the way a power company is a utility that needs to put up electric polls.

Two lawyers from Columbus, Ohio caution landowners to get a second opinion when it comes to negotiating to have pipelines runs across their property, like the ATEX Express ethane pipeline that’s currently being built across Ohio. They also counsel that although eminent domain can force landowners to allow a pipeline, landowners still have at least some rights under eminent domain.

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

PA Gov. Corbett Outlines How Shale Gas Benefits Everyone

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

In a recent radio interview, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett spoke about the Marcellus Shale drilling industry and how it positively impacts all Pennsylvanians, not just just a select few:

Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Wastewater

Ohio Dem Wants Feds to Investigate Injection Wells

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Here’s a new twist on the “fracking contaminates ground water supplies” argument that MDN has not seen before…

Marcellus & Utica Shale Drilling – Coming to Erie, PA

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

At a seminar in Erie, PA for manufacturers and other companies interested in becoming suppliers to the shale gas industry, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Kathryn Klaber told attendees that it’s just a matter of time before Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling comes to their area.

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, May 15, 2012

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

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

EPA’s Final Batch of Testing for Dimock Water Wells Released

May 14, 2012May 14, 2012

clean drinking water On Friday the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its results of testing for the fourth and final batch of water wells in Dimock, PA. The results are the same as the first three batches: There is and has been no contamination of the area’s water supply by chemicals from nearby hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale gas wells.