MDN Weekly Update – Aug 7, 2011: MDN Classified Ads – Reserve an Ad Now (Limited Number)
The results of last week’s poll, which asked:
Should those who support drilling boycott businesses in municipalities that ban drilling until the ban is lifted?
Yes (76%, 151 Votes)
No (23%, 45 Votes)
Not sure (1%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 199
Regardless of your opinion and whether or not you support or would engage in a boycott, this past week we had proof positive that even the threat of a boycott works. Last week’s poll was inspired by the West Virginia Independent Oil & Gas Association’s (WVIOGA) response to a recently enacted drilling ban in the city of New Martinsville, WV (see this MDN article). City council members enacted the ban in early July. On Friday, August 5, council members voted to overturn the ban that was only a month old (see this article). Why? Because of WVIOGA’s threat to boycott businesses in the city. Perhaps more municipalities that have banned drilling should feel the heat from those who support it…
Classified Ads Coming to MDN!
For generations, the lowly classified ad has been an effective way for those with something to sell (product or service) to reach those with an interest in buying. MDN wants to make it easy for sellers and buyers to find each other, so we’ve introduced a Classifieds section on the website. MDN has a dedicated and growing community of readers. Currently there are 24,000 unique individuals who visit the site some 38,000 times each month! In addition, there are almost 1,400 people who subscribe to MDN’s daily email alert. Both sellers and buyers can now take advantage of reaching the MDN audience.
Here’s how MDN Classifieds works: Those with something to sell/an offer, including job listings, land leases and products & services for either landowners or the drilling industry, simply fill out a form on this page. MDN will review the ad and respond to confirm details and make arrangements for payment. When the ad is released, it will run for 30 days, reaching a potential audience of 24,000 people highly interested in Marcellus and Utica Shale gas. In addition, MDN will produce a special, dedicated email once per week with a list of all classifieds and email it to daily email subscriber list of 1,400 people. Your ad will be emailed 4x during its 30-day run.
You supply a brief, 40-word version of your ad that will display on the main Classifieds page and in the weekly email. But when readers click on your ad headline, they will go to your special, dedicated page on MDN where you can supply as many words as you like.
The cost? Just $75 per ad per month. Please note: MDN will limit the number of ads to 100 maximum so it’s always easy to quickly scan the list.
A very special offer: The official launch of the service will be September 6. However, if you want to reserve a spot now, your ad will begin running immediately and you will not be charged for the time between now and September 6. All ads must be pre-paid.
For more details and a sample ad, visit the MDN Classifieds page: //marcellusdrilling.com/classifieds/.
Current Poll – The NYT Vendetta Continues
The New York Times started running “hit pieces” against the natural gas drilling industry earlier this year. The ongoing series is penned by Ian Urbina. What has become apparent is that Mr. Urbina has an anti-drilling ax to grind. Some of his earlier reporting was refuted by the Times’ own public editor, pointing out his so-called source for one story was a government agency intern (see this MDN story). But that doesn’t seem to matter to the managing editors at the Times. This past week we saw yet another drive-by hit piece penned by Mr. Urbina (see this MDN story).
A publication (and “brand”) like the New York Times has built a storied and well-deserved reputation based on its high standards going back for generations. However, in recent years it seems that the Times has swayed from reporting into advocacy—from impartial publication of record to propagandist rag. But for many, the aura of the once-great Gray Lady persists. It is inconceivable that what they now read in the Times may not be the truth.
So MDN wants to know what you think. Is the Times a good and reliable source of information about the shale gas drilling industry? Can we believe what they (and Mr. Urbina) publish? Or do you think that perhaps the Times is not such a reliable source, as it once was. This week’s poll question asks:
With respect to shale gas drilling, is the New York Times a reliable source of information?
Register your vote along the right side of any page on the site.
Below are the most recent “top 5” lists and the calendar of Marcellus related events for the next few weeks.
Happy reading!
Jim Willis, Editor
Read More “MDN Weekly Update – Aug 7, 2011: MDN Classified Ads – Reserve an Ad Now (Limited Number)”
Those opposed to Marcellus drilling in New York and Pennsylvania continue to use the court system in an attempt to either delay or outright ban drilling. The latest instance came just yesterday with a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York:
Canadian Stephen Murgatroyd has penned a sterling guest column in the Ponoka News (Alberta, Canada) on the subject of oil, natural gas and renewable energy. The column refutes the notion that fossil fuels, in particular oil, have reached their “peak”—the idea that we have reached a situation where we are using more oil and natural gas in the world than can be found in new reserves—and that we will run low or run out in the not-too-distant future (perhaps a generation or two from now).
Dominion, one of the country’s largest producers and transporters of energy, has just announced they will build a large natural gas processing and fractionation plant along the Ohio River in Natrium, W.Va. to process shale gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions. The plant’s first phase of construction will be completed by the end of next year. The new facility will provide construction jobs initially, and when completed, 40-50 permanent jobs. Dominion reports they have already pre-sold 90 percent of the first phase’s processing capacity of 200 Mmcf (million cubic feet) of natural gas per day and fractionation of 36,000 barrels of gas liquids per day. Dominion’s largest customer for the first phase is Chesapeake Energy, reserving 100 Mmcf of processing capacity.
The kick-off meeting for Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s recently appointed Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission happened yesterday at Rocky Gap State Park in western Maryland. It was the first meeting in what will be a three year process—a final report from the Commission is due in August of 2014. Such a long delay puts Maryland at the back of the pack for Marcellus shale drilling (
Even though the New York Times’ own public editor has written two articles criticizing the Times for its slanted and inaccurate coverage of the natural gas drilling industry (
Just last week, MDN wrote about New Martinsville, WV enacting a Marcellus drilling ban (
News of Chesapeake Energy’s major oil discovery in eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale prompted officials in Columbiana County to renegotiate their about-to-be-signed lease with Chesapeake. It was a smart move for the county—netting them an additional $255K:
Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields, who will soon be leaving office, is staunchly anti-drilling. He led the successful effort to have hydraulic fracturing and shale gas drilling banned in the City of Pittsburgh. The ban was enacted by City Council last November. Now that Mr. Shields has landed on the happy shores of no drilling, he wants to burn the ships to ensure future Council members can’t undo all of his good work. His method? Amend the City’s Home Rule Charter to permanently ban drilling anywhere in the city limits.
Ohio continues to be red hot with respect to leasing mineral rights for shale gas (and now oil) drilling. Some counties, like Belmont, can’t keep up with the lawyers and researchers who pour over property records at the County Recorder’s office:
Texas-based GreenHunter Energy, Inc. announced they’ve purchased acreage in West Virginia where they will establish a facility to treat and dispose of fracking wastewater. Part of GreenHunter’s plan includes disposing wastewater using an existing injection well with plans for additional injection wells. The press release (in full below) does not mention the exact location for the new facility and injection wells.
The quarterly reports from public companies continue to roll in, which sometimes makes for interesting reading. EXCO Resources, Inc. has just issued their quarterly report and includes the following operational update on their drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale. Of particular note is EXCO’s statement about IP, or “initial production”. IP for oil and gas wells is that initial burst of activity which is not sustainable through the life of the well. Usually a well produces the most right at the start—according to EXCO IP is a 24-hour period during the first few days a well goes online. But as EXCO points out below, their Marcellus wells sometimes don’t hit peak performance until a month or two after they have come online.
On May 31 of this year, NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to force the federal government “to commit to a full environmental review of proposed regulations that would allow natural gas drilling – including the potentially harmful "fracking" technique – in the Delaware River Basin” (
The leading and most visible organization representing the Marcellus drilling industry in Pennsylvania is the 
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding a number of research projects to help find ways to extract more energy from unconventional oil and gas resources while reducing environmental risks. The DOE grants amount to $12.4 million.
Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon on Monday appeared on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money show on CNBC to talk about the company’s new, oil-rich discovery in the Utica Shale of eastern Ohio. He had some fascinating things to say, including that he expects there to be some 25,000 wells drilled in the Ohio Utica Shale, and that there will be $10 billion per year for at least 20 years (or $200 billion) of investments in the Ohio Utica Shale alone. Yikes! No wonder Gov. John Kasich is “gushing” about Chesapeake’s discovery. An investment of 1/5 of a trillion dollars is a major big deal for Ohio—not only for landowners but also for businesses and for those who will be employed by drilling and associated industries. You cannot overstate how important this discovery is.