Marcellus Drilling News

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

NY Gov. Cuomo’s So-Called Friends Target His Girlfriend Sandra Lee in Fracking Fight
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

Some of Andy Cuomo’s “friends” have decided they want to politically rough him up a bit because of his support for lifting the ban on hydraulic fracturing. The ever-loving, open-minded and ultra-tolerant left (sarcasm intended) is bringing out the long knives and going after Gov. Cuomo’s live-in girlfriend and Food Network starlet Sandra Lee, in an attempt to pressure Cuomo to re-think lifting the fracking moratorium.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Commissioner Says No Double Standard in Putting Some Watersheds Off Limits to Gas Drilling and Not Others
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

The new draft regulations that will finally allow Marcellus Shale drilling in New York State were published less than one week ago, but already Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens is coming under fire for one of the key compromises in the rules. Politicians in New York City were steadfastly opposed to drilling anywhere in the Upstate watershed areas, which is where New York City gets its drinking water from. Mayor Bloomberg and others claimed the risk was simply too high—that if the city’s drinking water supply were ever compromised, a filtration system would need to be installed costing billions. And so to assuage those fears, the DEC has said no drilling in both the NYC and Syracuse watershed areas.

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Bradford County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Two New Gas Powered Electrical Plants on the Way in PA – $1.6 Billion Investment
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

Marcellus Shale gas in Pennsylvania is having an effect on electricity generation. Instead of building coal-fired plants to generate electricity, natural gas powered plants are now in the works. Specifically, two new plants will be built in the next few years—one in Lycoming County and another in Bradford County. Not only does it mean a $1.6 billion investment, it also means hundreds of construction jobs, a cleaner way of producing electricity, and ultimately lower electricity costs for 1.4 million PA residents.

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Broome County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | New York | Pipelines

New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

The new Susquehanna Gathering System natural gas pipeline broke ground on Wednesday in Broome County, NY. The first phase of the pipeline is expected to be done in the next few months and will bring shale gas from northeastern PA to the Millennium Pipeline that cuts across New York State. From the official Laser Northeast press release:

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Economic Impact | Housing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Roads | Statewide NY | Trucking

Cornell Student Publishes “Study” Warning Marcellus Drilling in NY Will Impact Tourism in Finger Lakes
July 13, 2011July 13, 2011

Yet another study from Cornell University about the effects of shale gas drilling. The Appalacian Regional Commission awarded a $7,000 grant to Cornell doctoral student Andrew Rumbach to ~~write a term paper~~ author a study on the potential impact of drilling on the tourism industry in the Southern Tier of New York—specifically in the Finger Lakes region of the state. The “study” predictably warns about heavy truck traffic, scenic destruction and the “industrialization” of our little piece of paradise. One of the the biggest threats? Our tourism “brand” will be tarnished.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin Signs Executive Order 4-11 Creating “Temporary” New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules
July 13, 2011July 13, 2011

Yesterday, West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed Executive Order 4-11 directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to immediately draft and implement temporary new regulations controlling Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. Temporary in this case means the rules will be in place for up to 15 months—until the WV legislature can craft a set of permanent laws. Below is the press release issued by Gov. Tomblin’s office, along with a full copy of EO 4-11.

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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chesapeake Energy Will Invest $1 Billion over 10 Years on New Alternatives to OPEC Oil
July 13, 2011July 13, 2011

On Monday, Chesapeake Energy, the second largest producer of natural gas in the United States and a major player in the Marcellus Shale, committed to investing $1 billion over the next 10 years in technologies “that will replace the use of gasoline and diesel derived primarily from OPEC oil with domestic oil, natural gas and natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) fuels.” Chesapeake has created a venture capital fund, called Chesapeake NG Ventures Corporation (CNGV), that will invest in companies offering alternatives to OPEC oil—ie, technologies that use natural gas.

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Butler County | Energy Companies | Lawrence County | Pennsylvania | Shell

Shell’s Marcellus Shale Exploration & Drilling Strategy in PA – Drill the Edges First
July 12, 2011July 12, 2011

An article about Shell’s activity in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale, particularly along the western fringes of the Marcellus in Butler and Lawrence Counties (PA), reveals interesting insights about their strategy:

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Berry Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Update on Monongahela National Forest Study – an MDN Correction
July 12, 2011July 12, 2011

More details have come to light since MDN first reported on the new study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality about land application of fracking fluids in the Monongahela National Forest (see here). The press release about the published study was issued by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The release did not mention that the land application was authorized by the WV DEP as part of an ongoing drilling operation and not simply an intentional experiment. MDN does not knowingly distort the facts and is happy to “set the record straight” for any errors we publish. In that spirit, we offer this additional information about the 2008 land application incident and resulting published study:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin to Unveil New “Emergency” Fracking Rules Today
July 12, 2011July 12, 2011

West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will release new “emergency rules” today at 2 pm that direct the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to tighten controls on Marcellus drilling, in particular hydraulic fracturing.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Posts Entire Draft of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Regulations – Download it Here
July 11, 2011July 11, 2011

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) posted the full copy of the draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement), otherwise known as the new drilling regulations for Marcellus and other shale gas drilling, last Friday. MDN has not yet had a chance to fully digest the new rules. When we do, we’ll post more about them. In the meantime, you can read the entire 1075 pages for yourself by downloading the file below.

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Broome County | Delaware County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Landowner Coalition News | New York | XTO

XTO Energy (ExxonMobil) Invokes Force Majeure Clause in Contract with Deposit (NY) Landowner Coalition
July 11, 2011July 11, 2011

In 2008, the Deposit (NY) Landowner Coalition, with some 500 members, signed the first large scale leasing deal in New York’s Southern Tier region. The least was signed with XTO Energy which has subsequently been bought by ExxonMobil. The deal gave landowners $2,411 up front for leasing, and a 15 percent royalty when drilling begins. The lease payments made headlines around the country in a deal worth $110 million. The original lease was for five years.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Methane Migration in Gas Drilling More Common in Northeast PA
July 11, 2011July 11, 2011

According to a recent article in the Elmira Star-Gazette, drilling for shale gas in northeastern PA is more challenging than other areas of the state because of the geology in the area—a geology that lends itself to methane migration. The methane that migrates does not necessarily come from the Marcellus Shale layer itself, but is often trapped above the Marcellus in limestone and other rock layers.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

MDN In-depth: New Peer Reviewed Study Supposedly Shows Dangers of Fracking Fluid to National Forests
July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

A new “peer reviewed” article in the Journal of Environmental Quality is sure to set the anti-drillers afire with new “ammunition” that hydraulic fracturing may well mean the end of civilization. Invoking images of moonscapes, here is a press release from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) announcing the publication of an article from one of their members:

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Accidents | Bradford County | Chief Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

PA DEP Determines Gas Drilling Not the Cause of Barium in Crystal Stroud’s Water Well
July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

Crystal Stroud of Granville Summit (Bradford County), PA has been the darling of the anti-fracking movement for the past few months. MDN reported on her appearance at an anti-fracking rally in Harrisburg in early June (see here). Crystal and her 4-year old son were found to have high levels of barium in their bodies, leading to a number of symptoms like heart palpitations, slurred speech, etc. Crystal blames Chief Oil & Gas and a nearby gas well they had drilled about 1,200 feet from her home. She said that her well water has been contaminated from Chief’s drilling operation. Was this finally the smoking gun that gas drilling pollutes ground water?

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Monongalia County | Northeast Natural Energy | Regulation | West Virginia

Drilling Company Sues Morgantown, WV for $42 Million in Lost Investment & Lost Future Revenue
July 8, 2011July 8, 2011

Another chapter in the ongoing saga of Morgantown, WV. For those who have not followed the story, Morgantown city council members took it upon themselves to ban hydraulic fracturing outside of the city limits—up to one mile—which they say is allowable under a West Virginia law that grants cities the right to exceed their boundaries in certain circumstances. The council members are concerned that two Marcellus gas wells that will be hydraulically fractured are too close to the city’s water supply and the risks are too great.

The drilling company, Northeast Energy, says the state DEP issued permits for those two wells and that Northeast has worked with the city every step of the way to ensure there will be no problems, and that the city at the last minute changed their tune. Northeast has sued to overturn Morgantown’s ban, and if that doesn’t work, they want compensation not only for their lost investment, but also for potential lost revenue.

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