PPG Industries, a $12 billion global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass, is about to get another $50 million from the gas beneath one of it’s chemical plants located in Marshall County, WV.
Read More “PPG Chemical Plant in Marshall County, WV Gets a $50M Marcellus Shale Payday”
A new Marcellus Shale gas pipeline is coming to Preston County, WV which will ultimately mean more drilling in the region.
Read More “New Marcellus Shale Gas Pipeline Coming to Preston County, WV”
Have no fear, the great New York Times is now on the case of natural gas drilling, and it has “uncovered” some rather disturbing news:
With hydrofracking, a well can produce over a million gallons of wastewater that is often laced with highly corrosive salts, carcinogens like benzene and radioactive elements like radium, all of which can occur naturally thousands of feet underground. Other carcinogenic materials can be added to the wastewater by the chemicals used in the hydrofracking itself.
While the existence of the toxic wastes has been reported, thousands of internal documents obtained by The New York Times from the Environmental Protection Agency, state regulators and drillers show that the dangers to the environment and health are greater than previously understood.(1)
Opponents of drilling for natural gas usually key in on the process of hydraulic fracturing, claiming that it pollutes groundwater supplies. “Clean water!” becomes the rallying cry—and who is not for clean water? The Environmental Protection Agency has joined the chorus by ordering a “cradle to grave” study of hydraulic fracturing that will begin this year and run until 2014 before the final results are in. Waiting for the results of the study will no doubt be used as an excuse to delay drilling in some states and municipalities.
Read More “Subjecting Wind Power to the Same Scrutiny as Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing”
In an article on the developing situation of whether and where to allow Marcellus Shale drilling in Allegheny County, PA, we get this update of how much land has been leased, and the likelihood of whether or not drilling will commence in the county:
This is a new, regular post on MDN. Below I list the five most viewed stories from last week, two weeks ago and the past 30 days. There is also a list of any events MDN is aware of happening this coming week (from the MDN Calendar). Be sure to send your event announcements to jim@marcellusdrilling.com.
I’m excited to announce a new special report coming soon exclusively from MDN titled: Will There Be Marcellus Shale Drilling Near Me? Subtitled, Drilling Permits for Marcellus Shale Gas Wells from January 2010 to February 2011. This new report, created by MDN, shows how many permits have been applied for or issued by county and in most cases by local municipality for New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The report not only details the number of well permits, but also lists the numbers by drilling company. Leases are being signed in many locations—landmen are on the move. Although signing a lease can yield a good source of income now, the real money is when an energy company drills on or near your property. You need a permit in order to drill, so permits are a good barometer of the intentions of drilling companies. If you’re a landowner, you can use this special report to see who’s “serious” about drilling near you. If you’ve already signed a lease, use this report to see if drilling may be coming in your area in the near future. Many other interested parties will use this report as well, to see when and if drilling is happening in their communities (local business owners, government officials, residents concerned about traffic, etc.).
So, stay tuned for further announcements about how you can get your copy of this important new special report.
Happy reading,
Jim Willis, Editor
Newly elected Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, will be a key figure (perhaps the key figure) in determining whether or not drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale goes forward in the state. His appointment of Joe Martens on Jan. 4 to be head of the Department of Environmental Conservation which oversees drilling was not a good sign to those who favor drilling (see MDN’s story here). But Mr. Martens seems to be signing a different tune these days.
Read More “A Glimmer of Hope for Marcellus Drilling in New York State”
Chesapeake Energy was flaring three gas wells in Avella, located in Washington County, PA on Feb. 23 when tanks holding some 105,000 gallons of natural gas liquids exploded. Contrary to some reports, the explosion had nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing fluids. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation and not known at this time.
As for the three workers injured, at least one of them is still in critical condition:
The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) held it’s final round of public hearings yesterday near its Trenton, NJ headquarters. The hearings held earlier this week in Liberty, NY and Honesdale, PA, along with the hearings yesterday in Trenton, NJ, were for public comment on the DRBC’s proposed new extra layer of drilling regulations for Marcellus Shale gas wells drilled within the Delaware River watershed, which includes portions of Pennsylvania and New York where Marcellus drilling occurs. By all accounts, there was a similar theme from the comments in Trenton: Those in favor of drilling say the regulations are way too restrictive, and those against drilling say they’re not strict enough.
Read More “Final Set of DRBC Hearings Held in Trenton, NJ – More of the Same”
An explosion last night at a well site along the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border injured three workers and resulted in a fire that burned for about three hours.
Read More “Explosion at Chesapeake Drilling Site in Western PA Injures Three Workers”
More gleanings from year-end financial statements from drilling companies, this time from Cabot Oil & Gas and Penn Virginia Corporation. Of note, Cabot talks about the “prolific nature” of their 44 Marcellus gas wells, and Penn Virginia will drill their second Marcellus gas well in 2011 as they continue to shift their resources to the Marcellus with plans to drill 14 wells this year.
Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, spoke at the Youngstown/Warren (OH) Regional Chamber economic breakfast yesterday. She outlined the economic boom created by drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus. That boom is not only benefiting Pennsylvania, but also over the border in Ohio as well. Some of her comments included:
Yesterday saw the first round of hearings by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), four hearings total—two in Honesdale, PA and two in Liberty, NY (afternoon and evening sessions at both locations). The hearings were for public comment on the DRBC’s proposed new extra layer of drilling regulations for Marcellus Shale gas wells drilled within the Delaware River watershed, which includes portions of Pennsylvania and New York where Marcellus drilling occurs.
UPDATE: The EPA hearing scheduled for Feb. 23 was postponed because a stenographer was not available to attend and record the meeting. It will be rescheduled “in the next several weeks.”
Application has been made to inject wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations in Pennsylvania into two wells in Warren County, PA.
Read More “EPA Public Hearing on Proposed Fracking Fluid Injection Wells in Warren County, PA”
India’s largest private sector company, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has appeared prominently in the news for the past couple of days. And there’s a tie-in with the Marcellus Shale. Here’s the highlights:
Williams is one of the largest energy producers in the U.S. Their operations include exploration & production (E&P), as well as “midstream” – or processing, storage and transportation of gas, including an extensive network of pipelines. In fact, Williams owns three interstate natural gas pipelines totaling some 15,000 miles in length. We now get word that Williams is going to split the company.
Read More “Williams Announces it Will Split, Exploration & Production Will Become Separate Company”