In 2004, US Airways stopped flying from Williamsport, PA to Pittsburgh, leaving only flights to Philadelphia to tie the Williamsport airport with the rest of the world. And in 2008, US Airways announced they would even stop those flights. Things looked pretty bleak for the airport. Then it all changed.
Read More “Marcellus Shale Drilling Saves the Williamsport, PA Airport”
EQT Corporation is reducing it’s commitments to other gas exploration and concentrating on the Marcellus Shale over the next few years:
Read More “EQT Plans to Drill 86 Wells in the Marcellus in 2011, Adding More Midstream Infrastructure Too”
A landowner group in Columbiana County, OH is looking to form a second group with new members interested in leasing their land in the Marcellus Shale. An organizational meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 3rd:
Read More “Columbiana County, OH Landowner Group Looks to Expand, Accepting New Members”
India’s largest private sector company, and one of the world’s largest energy companies, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is in a bidding war with Chevron to buy Atlas Energy. A primary motivator for both companies is the large number of net acres Atlas controls in the Marcellus Shale region. Just last year RIL and Atlas formed a joint venture, a deal that would have been worth $3.5 billion over ten years. Now that Atlas is on the block, RIL wants to tie the knot permanently. But another suitor has arrived and is vying for Atlas’ affections by offering $4.3 billion:
Read More “Reliance Industries of India in Bidding War with Chevron to Buy Atlas Energy”
The Platts energy news service has already unearthed some problems with the statements made yesterday by Congressional Democrats Henry Waxman, Edward Markey and Diana DeGette that claim some energy services companies are injecting “millions of gallons” of diesel fuel into hydraulically fractured wells, violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. It seems (surprise!) some of the so-called facts they shared with the EPA are not quite accurate according to the agencies which actually regulate drilling in their states:
Read More “Update: State Regulators Dispute “Findings” of Congressional Democrats Concerning Diesel Fuel Used in Hydraulic Fracturing”
A group of investment managers who belong to an organization called The Investor Environmental Health Network have banded together (some might call it collusion) to put pressure on energy companies who engage in natural gas drilling by using hydraulic fracturing. Their aim? To stop fracking of course, but that’s not what they say in their press statement. They’re just little ‘ole investors encouraging companies to “do the right thing” …
Read More “Group of Investment Managers Target Drilling Companies Who Use Hydraulic Fracturing”
MarkWest Energy announced that today they closed on the previously announced acquisition of EQT’s natural gas processing complex in Langley, Kentucky and an associated natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline for $230 million.
Read More “MarkWest Continues Ramp Up in the Marcellus with Purchase of Natural Gas Processing Plant and NGL Pipeline”
A new landowner coalition, The Loretto Landowners Group, is forming in Cambria County, PA on February 2. Their hope is to negotiate a lease with gas companies looking to drill in the Marcellus Shale.
Read More “New Landowner Coalition in Cambria County, PA Gets Started Feb 2”
Two anti-drilling “environmental” groups, The Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) and Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS), have joined forces in filing a federal lawsuit today against the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) in federal district court in Trenton, NJ. The anti-drilling groups are challenging the actions the DRBC took to allow some exploratory natural gas wells to be drilled “without DRBC review and approval and despite a Basin-wide moratorium on gas wells.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) conducted air quality testing from August to October of 2010 at a number of natural gas drilling sites that use hydraulic fracturing in Susquehanna and Sullivan counties, including a Cabot Oil drilling site in Dimock, PA. The DEP looked for compounds associated with petroleum-based products that may have become airborne. They also looked for other compounds, like elevated levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Read More “PA DEP Tests for Air Pollution at Gas Drilling Sites – Finds None”
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley indicates his administration may issue new permits for drilling in the Marcellus Shale in western Maryland. O’Malley maintains that Maryland will protect the natural environment “to a greater degree than other states” and he “makes no apology” for that.*
Read More “Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley Looking at Issuing Permits for Hydraulic Fracturing”
Prepare for the deafening noise now being generated by the mainstream press echo-chamber against the decades-old method of natural gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing. The latest attack comes courtesy of three Congressional Democrats. Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Edward J. Markey, and Diana DeGette sent a letter today to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson regarding the results of an investigation into the use of diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing fluids.
Read More “Democrats Allege Halliburton and Others are Using Diesel Fuel in Hydraulic Fracturing, Asks EPA to “Do Something””
Carrizo Oil & Gas has filed 41 records of gas leases in three Luzerne County municipalities:
Talisman Energy shut down its four North American shale gas drilling operations for eight days following a fracking fluid release (MDN would call it an “accident”) on Jan. 17th at its drilling operation in Tioga County, PA, in the Tioga State Forest. According to Talisman, there were no injuries and the fluid was contained at the well site.
Late last year, Chesapeake Energy asked landowners in Donora and Carroll, PA (near Pittsburgh) who had received royalty checks from Chesapeake, to give the money back.
Read More “Chesapeake Backs Down, Will Not Make PA Landowners Near Pittsburgh Return Royalty Checks”
An article discussing the potential impacts of shale gas drilling in the area around Erie, PA does a good job in exploring the benefits of shale gas drilling that have already occurred in Tioga County, PA. Tioga County is one of the most densely populated drilling regions in the entire Marcellus Shale play. A few facts from the article:
Read More “Some Landowners in Tioga, PA Area Receive Six-Figure Royalty Checks – Each Month”