Horizontal hydraulic fracturing not only benefits natural gas drilling, but also oil drilling in places far outside the Marcellus, like North Dakota, where the method has revived declining oil fields.
Looks like there’s about to be interest in drilling Marcellus shale gas wells in the Yellow Springs (Greene County), Ohio area from West Bay Exploration:
Read More “80,000 Fracked Wells in Ohio – Zero Groundwater Contamination”
The West Virginia legislature is considering a couple of bills that deal with rules for Marcellus shale gas development in the state. One of those bills contains a provision for forced pooling, a hot-button issue to be sure among landowners and mineral rights owners. The WV legislature may adopt a pooling provision that is used in the state currently for coalbed methane drilling.
Read More “WV Legislators Consider Forced Pooling for Marcellus Shale Landowners”
Looks like we have dueling pieces of legislation before the Maryland legislature, one bill that would force the state’s Department of the Environment to either officially approve or deny permits by Samson Energy to drill in Western Maryland. The other bill would put a hold on drilling until “further studies” can determine whether or not it’s safe.
Read More “Maryland Legislature Will Consider Whether or Not to Approve Hydraulic Fracturing”
On January 4, newly inaugurated Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated Joe Martens to head up the all-important (to Marcellus Shale drilling in NY anyway), State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The DEC is charged with drafting drilling regulations, and once in place, overseeing those regulations. Joe Martens’ nomination to head the DEC was viewed by most who support drilling as a bad omen. Why? Let’s take a look at who Joe Martens is, and what he has said on the topic of shale gas drilling in New York.
Since 1995 Joe has worked for the Open Space Institute (OSI), first as executive vice president and later as its president. The OSI buys private land in states along the East Coast of the U.S. to keep it from being developed. As it’s name implies, it wants to keep large tracts of open spaces undeveloped and pristine. Over 100,000 acres in New York State alone have been “protected” by the OSI. Most of the OSI’s land acquisitions and easements (laws to protect land they don’t actually buy but control) have come under Joe Martens’ reign as president.
Read More “Gov. Cuomo’s Nomination to Head the NY DEC: Will the Real Joe Martens Please Stand Up?”
An article in today’s West Virginia paper The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register attempts to denigrate Marcellus gas drilling in the state by focusing on some of the problems. One of those problems, according to the article, is that 13 illegal aliens (undocumented workers) that have been caught working for drilling contractors in the state “in the last few years.” But 13 illegals apprehended out of some 10,000 workers employed by the Marcellus gas drilling industry in the state is an infinitesimally small 1/10th of one percent. That is, it’s a non-story. If the statistics are to be believed that there are some 20 million illegals in the U.S., and the population of our country is around 300 million, that means an average 6 1/2 percent of the entire population are illegal aliens! Point is: the drilling industry does not seek to employ illegals—it happens, like any industry.
Last night a crowd of more than 500 turned out in Ravenna (Portage County), Ohio to hear details about the oil and gas industry in OH, specifically about hydraulic fracturing (for “fracking”) and its current use in both oil and natural gas drilling.
Local economic leaders in Schuylkill County, PA hope that Marcellus gas drilling will come to the county, as it has for neighboring Luzerne and Columbia counties, and with it, jobs. Schuylkill lies along the edge of the Marcellus Shale formation, but some believe the county will eventually see drilling. And perhaps sooner than anyone thought:
Read More “Is Marcellus Gas Drilling Coming to Schuylkill County, PA?”
Supervisors in Upper Burrell Township (Westmoreland County), PA are working on a package of local ordinances that affect Marcellus shale drilling in the township.
Read More “PA County Drafts Local Ordinance for Marcellus Gas Drilling”
New high paying jobs are being created, right now, in the Marcellus Shale—that is, where drilling is happening. Here’s an example from Pleasant Gap, PA:
Read More “Marcellus Shale Jobs – How Does $55K a Year Starting Wage for a 19 Year-Old Grab You?”
On Dec. 9, 2010, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) released a draft of its proposed new regulations that will affect anything to do with the exploration, drilling and production of natural gas wells within the DRBC’s jurisdiction, which includes parts of the states of Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The DRBC is responsible for protecting the waters of the Delaware River basin, which brings fresh drinking water to some 15 million people in the U.S.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Phyllis Mundy (Democrat, Kingston) recently reintroduced several pieces of legislation designed to stop drilling in the Marcellus Shale in PA. Not that it will make much of a difference since Republicans now control the governorship, the Senate and the House in PA.
It appears the constant drumbeat that hydraulic fracturing is evil (coming from extremist environmental groups) is having the desired effect. At least on Democrat state politicians. Now it looks like Maryland may ban drilling in the Marcellus Shale that runs under a tiny section of that state:
Maryland state Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County), is preparing legislation to ban drilling in the state until it is determined that it will not taint water. “We expect robust support,” she said. “The fuel source isn’t bad, we’re just concerned about the extraction method.”*
*The Washington Post (Feb 6) – Maryland county caught up in fight over energy extraction method
Pennsylvania State Senator Gene Yaw from Williamsport is proposing several bills that will address ongoing concerns from landowners about drilling in the Marcellus Shale in PA. Among the items he is proposing:
Triana Energy is stepping up its commitment to drilling in the Marcellus Shale by entering into a partnership with Marathon Oil. From the official press release:
Two landfills in South Central Pennsylvania—the Cumberland County Landfill and IESI Blue Ridge Landfill—have state approval to accept drill cuttings from Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations. Drill cuttings are the leftover dirt, rock, mud and lubricants that come out of the bore hole.