Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Exxon Acquiring Acreage in OH Utica Shale for Oil Drilling
September 23, 2011September 23, 2011

A rather generic story put out by Reuters yesterday refers to Exxon Mobil’s interest in acquiring acreage in the Utica Shale in Ohio as a new source of oil drilling. Details are sparse about Exxon’s plans, but it points out the white-hot interest there is in Ohio’s Utica Shale since Chesapeake announced in July they have struck oil, as well as natural gas and gas liquids, in Eastern Ohio (see this MDN story). Looks like Exxon considers Eastern Ohio to now be “one of the biggest sources of crude oil in the United States.”

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Energy Companies | Indiana County | Industrywide Issues | MDS Energy | Pennsylvania | Violence

Drilling Operation in Indiana County, PA Vandalized
September 23, 2011September 23, 2011

How sad and tragic when someone opposed to drilling comes unhinged and turns to violence, as just happened in Indiana County, PA:

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Chief Gathering | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Chief Gathering Counter-Sues 3 Families in Luzerne County, PA
September 23, 2011September 23, 2011

In a country with a proud tradition of free speech and open dissent, there is a line that can be crossed. That line is called libel and slander, and it’s always been a gray area, most often determined by the courts. We have a new case for the courts to decide related to the Marcellus drilling industry in Luzerne County, PA.

But this is not solely a case of slander. The people accused of slandering pipeline company Chief Gathering first filed a lawsuit themselves in an attempt to use the courts to stop the pipeline. So Chief is fighting back with their own lawsuit seeking to a) have the original lawsuit filed against the pipeline overturned, and b) seeking damages for the (according to Chief) slanderous remarks of the people and their attorney. Chief says their reputation in the community has been wrongly damaged.

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Roads | Statewide PA

Gas Drilling Industry Takes Care of Roads in PA
September 23, 2011September 23, 2011

The drilling industry in Pennsylvania is working hard to ensure roadways are maintained and in good condition, and according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), it shows.

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Friday, Sep 23, 2011
September 23, 2011

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

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Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Is Marcellus Shale a Mineral? An Important Question in PA
September 22, 2011September 22, 2011

A court case in Pennsylvania may have a chilling effect on Marcellus gas drilling in the state even before it’s finally decided. This is a bit complicated, so buckle up! And be sure to read this post if you own land in PA.

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Energy Companies | Range Resources Corp

Is Range Resources for Sale?
September 22, 2011September 22, 2011

An interesting rumor is making the rounds that Range Resources is about to be sold:

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Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

New Quinnipiac Poll Shows NY Remains Split on Gas Drilling
September 22, 2011September 22, 2011

Another week, another public opinion poll in New York about whether or not residents support Marcellus Shale drilling. This one is a regular poll done by Quinnipiac University and has trending details, showing previous vs current opinion. Bottom line from this poll: Residents remain split about evenly about whether or not drilling should be allowed, with a slight majority in favor. The full questions and responses, by category, is embedded below.

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

Forest Hills, PA May Adopt Fracking Ban
September 22, 2011September 22, 2011

Forest Hills, PA Council members are supporting a ban on Marcellus gas drilling within their borders. Forest Hills is a small borough in Allegheny County, PA with a population of 6,500. A petition with 275 signatures requesting a ban was delivered to Council members and apparently 4 percent of residents is close enough to a majority for Forest Hills elected representatives to take immediate action.

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Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide WV | West Virginia

EQT Starts Construction on New Pipeline in WV/PA
September 22, 2011September 22, 2011

EQT has received federal approval to construct a new natural gas pipeline that will reach from West Virginia into Pennsylvania, and will begin construction immediately:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thursday, Sep 22, 2011
September 22, 2011

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

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Chenango County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Madison County | New York | Norse Energy | Statewide NY

Norse Energy “Reduces” Employees by 50 Percent
September 21, 2011September 21, 2011

Early today, Norse Energy, a Norwegian company with gas drilling operations in New York State, issued an interesting press release about laying off half of their employees (see the full release below). Norse holds some 180,000 net acres of natural gas leases in New York, of which 130,000 are in the Marcellus and Utica Shale zones.

Until recently, Norse was using conventional vertical methods of drilling for natural gas in Upstate New York counties like Chenango and Madison. But Norse announced in early August that they are “betting the farm” that New York will adopt new regulations to allow shale gas drilling, and so they have focused the company on that prize. So much so they have filed the very first permits to drill in the Utica Shale in New York and have ceased all other kinds of gas drilling until it happens (see this MDN story).

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

119 Groups Ask Obama to Support Fracking
September 21, 2011September 21, 2011

Arguing that existing federal and state regulations are sufficient, a diverse group of organizations sent a letter to President Obama yesterday asking him to not impose new regulations on hydraulic fracturing and instead to support it. The 119 organizations signing the letter included bankers, bowlers, grocers, the energy industry and many others. The full text of the letter and the groups signing is embedded below.

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Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pike County | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Tennessee Pipeline Construction Racks up 45 Violations in 3 Months
September 21, 2011September 21, 2011

A conservation official in Pike County, PA is “fed up” with the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company and their project to expand their 300 Line pipeline by adding seven looping segments in Pennsylvania and New Jersey totaling 127 miles of 30-inch pipeline. Pike County Conservation District Executive Director Susan Beecher is asking the state DEP to assess a fine sooner rather than later, to send a message and encourage Tennessee to tighten up its operations.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | PVR Midstream

New Water Pipeline Coming for Drillers in Northeast PA
September 21, 2011September 21, 2011

Aqua America Inc. and Penn Virginia Resource Partners (PVR) announced they have formed a joint venture, Aqua – PVR Water Services, to construct and operate a private pipeline system to supply fresh water to natural gas producers drilling in the Marcellus Shale in north-central Pennsylvania. The 12-inch diameter steel pipeline will largely parallel the trunkline of PVR’s gathering system in Lycoming County and will share PVR’s existing rights-of-way.

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Commodity Price | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

What Those Opposed to Gas Drilling Really Fear
September 21, 2011September 21, 2011

Dave McCurdy is president and CEO of the American Gas Association. He’s also a former congressman (Democrat) from Oklahoma. In an interview with the Washington Times, he minces no words and says what MDN has been saying all along: Those opposed to shale gas drilling are motivated by an ideology, a preference for renewable energy. McCurdy points out what they really fear is that renewables can’t compete with natural gas based on economics. So that ideology and fear leads them to oppose natural gas.

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