MDN Weekly Update – Sept 25, 2011: Vandalism at Drilling Sites
Below are the results of last week’s poll on whether or not local governments should be able to ban drilling.
Should local municipalities have the power to ban gas drilling?
No (70%, 190 Votes)
Yes (26%, 72 Votes)
Not sure (4%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 272
Should vandalism at drilling sites be considered an act of terrorism?
This past week MDN reported on a case of “vandalism” at a drilling site in Indiana County, PA (see MDN story here). There were some comments on that story taking MDN to task for not waiting to find out who the perpetrator is. MDN says it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s an anti-driller gone amok. Someone who’s finally gone over the edge. Could it be a simple case of vandalism? Perhaps. But not very likely in MDN’s opinion.
So MDN wades into controversial waters once again, this week by asking the question: If people who are opposed to drilling perpetrate crimes against drillers by damaging equipment, should that be considered an act of domestic terrorism? MDN thinks it’s a fair question and an issue we should address.
Agree? Disagree? Click on your answer along the right-hand side of any page, and feel free to leave a comment on this post with your opinion.
Below are the most recent “top 5” lists and the calendar of Marcellus related events for the next two weeks.
Happy reading,
Jim Willis, Editor
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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 (
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.
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.