As MDN has pointed out before, much of the opposition to drilling in the Marcellus (and now Utica) Shale is motivated by a philosophical worldview by the environmental left—a worldview that opposes natural gas simply because it’s a carbon-based fuel. The latest example is an “environmental bill of rights” being pushed in State College, PA:
Local governments in New York State that pass zoning ordinances to restrict or prohibit hydraulic fracturing and drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica Shales may find their actions overturned in short order.
Read More “NY Local Governments Not Allowed to Ban Marcellus Drilling by State Law”
Just how long does it take for West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to approve a new Marcellus shale gas drilling permit?
Read More “How Long Does it Take to Approve a Marcellus Shale Drilling Permit in WV?”
I’ve run the same poll for the past two weeks and am encouraged by the results. The question was:
Would you be willing to pay $5 per month (with the option to stop at any time) to continue reading MDN articles?
No (56%, 142 Votes)
Yes (44%, 113 Votes)
Total Voters: 255
So will Marcellus Drilling News continue? Yes! Will I immediately starting charging $5 per month to read it? Not just yet. I’m still working out what I believe is the best way forward. I’ve heard privately via emails and phone calls from quite a few readers who have encouraged me to continue the service with some great ideas on how to do it and earn a little bit to offset the costs. MDN likely will continue on as a blend of free and paid. Stay tuned—I’ll make an announcement soon.
Current Poll
It’s been a big week here in New York State (where MDN is written). The word has come down from Albany that drilling in the Marcellus Shale will finally begin. When? Still anyone’s guess, but as MDN has predicated before, I believe the first horizontally hydraulically fractured Marcellus well will not be sunk until 2012. The DEC Commissioner, Joe Martens, said the same thing in a recent media comment.
We still have a few months of public comments on the new draft rules which are due to be released to the public on July 8. Hopefully no more theatrical public meetings will be staged before a final version of the new drilling rules are issued. Early indications are that the new rules, while strict, will not be too onerous to prevent drillers from coming to the state. So, good news for landowners!
This week’s poll asks the question, “Did NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo make the right decision in allowing Marcellus Shale drilling to begin?” The poll can be found on 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.
Wishing you a happy Fourth of July,
Jim Willis, Editor
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation did not release the full 900+ page draft drilling regulations document yesterday (July 1) as planned. They supposedly did release it to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his review with the announcement that the full report would be made available to the public in one week, on July 8. However, the DEC did release a 27-page executive summary (embedded below). The executive summary is just that—a high level description of what is contained in the 900+ page document.
On page 5 of the Executive Summary we get this interesting statement:
Read More “NY DEC Releases Executive Summary Portion of New Drilling Regs”
Yesterday, New York State Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Joe Martens, held a press conference to announce the release of new gas drilling regulations for New York, and what will be (eventually) the end of the moratorium for shale gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, as well as other shale gas reserves including the Utica Shale.
Below is a link to the 41-minute press conference so you can watch it for yourself, along with an embedded copy of the slides used by Martens as he spoke.
Read More “Watch NY DEC Press Conference Announcing Release of Draft SGEIS Drilling Regs”
If there is anything positive to come from the extreme delays in New York State with a moratorium on horizontal hydraulic fracturing used to drill for natural gas in place since 2009, it is that New York has been watching other states, particularly Pennsylvania, where drilling is going full tilt. Watching, and learning from the problems, mistakes and accidents that have occurred.
At yesterday’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) press conference announcing new draft regulations to allow drilling to (finally) begin in New York, the DEC released a 2-page sheet outlining the main lessons learned in their observation of drilling in PA. The document is embedded below.
Read More “What New York has Learned from Pennsylvania About Drilling in the Marcellus Shale”
At yesterday’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) press conference, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announced the formation of a Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel. The new panel’s job will be:
Read More “NY DEC Commissioner Appoints Members to New Hydraulic Fracturing Advisory Panel”
A month ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told Joe Martens, Cuomo’s new Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), to release the years-in-the-making new regulations for drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York State by July 1. Today is July 1 and the 900+ page drilling regulations document—known as the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, or SGEIS—is supposedly being released to Cuomo only, with a public release of the document set for July 8, one week from today. Which means the SGEIS is being released next week and not today.
However, Joe Martens and the DEC issued a press release yesterday (see full release embedded below) outlining the major changes and provisions that will be in the SGEIS when it’s finally released to the public. The fact that the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing will be lifted under the plan has environmental extremists in a fit. The fact that the new SGEIS will ban fracking in 15 percent of the state’s Marcellus Shale region will not sit well with landowners in those areas. So there’s something for everyone to not like. However, on the whole, it seems as if the new rules will get the job done and landowners will be thrilled that drilling will finally begin in New York State.
Read More “New York’s DEC Releases Summary of New Drilling Regulations, But Not the Actual Document”
Now that it’s clear that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo intends to lift the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and allow drilling in the Marcellus Shale to proceed, groups that oppose drilling are expressing their disappointment in a very public way. Some of the more extreme elements are even threatening civil disobedience.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich yesterday signed into law a new measure that allows oil and gas drilling in state parks.
Read More “Ohio Gov. Kasich Signs Law Opening State Parks to Oil and Gas Drilling”
Bethany College, located in Bethany, WV (Brooke County), has just signed a lease agreement with Chesapeake Energy to allow drilling for Marcellus Shale gas on property owned by the college.
Read More “WV College Signs Lease with Chesapeake Energy to Allow Marcellus Shale Drilling”
Shale gas pipelines have skyrocketed in price in recent years, according to a new report by Ziff Energy.
The industry publication Natural Gas Intelligence (NGI) issued a press release yesterday summarizing the mounting opposition to the recent hit pieces published by the New York Times on the shale gas industry. The press release is an effort to get subscribers for NGI’s publications. Hey, MDN appreciates their efforts! However, the quotes in the piece from across the spectrum are an excellent roundup illustrating the truly misguided effort by the NYT to smear the shale gas industry. So MDN is running the NGI press release in full below.
In an article full of great quotes, here is MDN’s favorite: “Professional journalists are wondering why a newspaper industry leader would damage its credibility by substituting advocacy for accuracy, in what can only be described as a travesty of journalistic principles.”
Royal Dutch Shell, one of the largest energy companies in the world, is going on a public relations offensive with respect to its shale gas operations in the U.S. In a master PR move, Shell used the uber-liberal Aspen (CO) Ideas Festival to unveil its Global Onshore Tight/Shale Oil and Gas Operating Principles. Among the things Shell announced is support for full disclosure of fracking chemicals, monitoring of groundwater and a reduction of the water used in fracking. They also stated they recycle “almost 100%” of fracking wastewater in their operations.
As MDN previously observed and predicted, the city of Morgantown, WV is now in court over the vote by city council members to ban Marcellus drilling both inside and outside of its borders—up to one mile outside.