Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Statewide PA

PennFuture Wages War Against Fossil Fuel Jobs in PA re HB 1100
July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

Last week we brought you the rumor that a bill to allow incentives for petrochemical plants willing to build new facilities in Pennsylvania (generating hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of investment in the state) appears to be back on after the bill was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this year (see Bill to Bring Cracker-Type Investment to Northeast PA Resurrected). The radicals at PennFuture, a profoundly partisan/leftist organization fueled with Big Green donations, is raising the alarm that House Bill (HB) 1100 is back on and that Wolf is ready to sign a revised version.
Read More “PennFuture Wages War Against Fossil Fuel Jobs in PA re HB 1100”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Ohio | Statewide OH

What is “Due Diligence” in Severed Mineral Rights Cases in Ohio?
July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

How much of an effort is “enough” when a surface landowner in Ohio tries to locate the owner(s) of the belowground mineral rights under his or her land using the Dormant Mineral Act (DMA)? Is it enough to search the public record archive in the county where the land is located? The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled in a case to say no, it’s not enough to run a quick search in one county when attempting to locate mineral rights owners.
Read More “What is “Due Diligence” in Severed Mineral Rights Cases in Ohio?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines

After Killing ACP, Antis Attempt to Do Same to MVP Southgate
July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

click for larger version

Anti-fossil fuel nutters, emboldened by the cancelation of the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline project (see Dominion Cancels Atlantic Coast Pipe, Sells Pipe Biz for $9.7B), have turned their hopes and dreams and desires on defeating a much smaller project–the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate pipeline.
Read More “After Killing ACP, Antis Attempt to Do Same to MVP Southgate”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Biden Speaks from Both Sides of Mouth on Fracking to Buy Votes
July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

Joe Biden is not only corrupt and senile, he’s now trying the same old ruse politicians always pull when trying to get elected: He’s outright lying in order to buy votes. All through the primary Biden has promised to kill off fracking and eliminate the use of oil and natural gas in the United States. Those are his words (see Biden Promises to End All U.S. Oil Drilling, Fracking in CNN Debate). It’s crazy. It’s the utterings of a lunatic. But that’s what the irrational left demands from its candidate. And yet in an interview with a northeastern PA TV station last week, Biden said: “Fracking is not going to be on the chopping block.” If you believe that, we have a great deal on a bridge we’d like to sell ya…
Read More “Biden Speaks from Both Sides of Mouth on Fracking to Buy Votes”
Best of the Rest

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jul 13, 2020
July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Pandemic, politics threaten Marcellus jobs; Riverkeeper says it wants a DRBC of unlimited power; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Lebanon-Hanover natural gas project no longer in the pipeline; NATIONAL: In 2019, the United States produced and consumed record volumes of natural gas; U.S. drilling rig count lowest since 1975 as shale boom fades; Activist judges increasing risk to oil and gas companies.
Read More “Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jul 13, 2020”
Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Gulfport Energy | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Ohio | Rice Energy | Statewide OH | XTO

OH Landowners Sue Rice, Ascent, XTO, Gulfport for Drilling Too Deep
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

Do you remember the child’s game called “Simon Says”? That’s what we were thinking when we read about a lawsuit in Ohio by landowners against a group of shale drillers. The lawsuit, initiated by several landowners in Belmont County, OH, claims the drillers drilled too deep–into the Point Pleasant rock layer–when the leases signed only mention the Utica rock layer. The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, claims “unjust enrichment” by the drillers.
Read More “OH Landowners Sue Rice, Ascent, XTO, Gulfport for Drilling Too Deep”
Accidents | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

NJ DEP Stops Construction of Southern Reliability Link Pipe
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

Southern Reliability Link map (click for larger version)

New Jersey Natural Gas’ (NJNG) $130 million, 22-mile natural gas pipeline project called the Southern Reliability Link (SRL) pipeline project to connect NJNG’s distribution system serving customers in Ocean, Burlington and Monmouth counties (in NJ) has been under construction for a year. Construction has continued even during the virus pandemic (see Pipeline Thru NJ Scrub Pines Continues Building During COVID-19). The odious Sierra Club (anti-fossil fuel nutters) has finally succeeded in convincing the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection to shut down construction on the project–at least temporarily.
Read More “NJ DEP Stops Construction of Southern Reliability Link Pipe”
Enbridge | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Spectra Energy

Weymouth Compressor Continues Construction Despite Judge’s Ruling
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

Weymouth compressor station construction (credit: Patriot Ledger)

The Weymouth compressor station is the last piece of Spectra Energy/Enbridge’s Atlantic Bridge pipeline project–a project which took years to build. In July 2019 the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) granted an air permit for the final piece, the Weymouth compressor station (see Mass. DEP Issues Air Permit for Weymouth Compressor Station). Last month (a full year later!), Obama Judge William Kayatta from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit overturned the state permit, telling the DEP to do it all over again (see Obama Judge Overturns Air Permit for Weymouth, MA Compressor Stn). We’re delighted to see the judge’s ruling has not stopped construction on the project.
Read More “Weymouth Compressor Continues Construction Despite Judge’s Ruling”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WVU Launches Water Quality Portal to Gauge Impact of Shale Wells
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

West Virginia University (WVU) has created a new “water quality impact portal” website that allows people to investigate water quality in shale gas regions of West Virginia. The portal contains data for more than 1.3 million surface and groundwater samples from 14 counties where most Marcellus Shale gas development has occurred. The data comes from federal and state agencies.
Read More “WVU Launches Water Quality Portal to Gauge Impact of Shale Wells”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Leftist “Investors” Demand PA DEP Clamp Down on Methane Leaks
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

Last December the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Environmental Quality Board approved onerous new regulations that supposedly will capture every last molecule of stray methane that leaks from shale drilling operations (see PA DEP Goes WAY Too Far in Approving New Methane Regulations). The new regs are unnecessary and will shut down even more shale drilling operations in the state. Perhaps sensing the DEP is wavering on adopting these nonsense regs, a group of woke lefty investors representing trillions of investment dollars are pressuring the DEP to get the new regs live. More leftist bullying.
Read More “Leftist “Investors” Demand PA DEP Clamp Down on Methane Leaks”
Crude Oil | Industrywide Issues

Onshore Rig Count Drops Another 3 to New Record Low of 276
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

In our weekly tracking of the Enverus rig count, the numbers from the latest report (as of Wednesday) show a new record low of 276 active rigs. Quite disturbing for us is that comparing Wednesday of this week with Wednesday of last week, the Marcellus/Utica rig count is down by a whopping six. Ouch. The rig apocalypse continues.
Read More “Onshore Rig Count Drops Another 3 to New Record Low of 276”
Best of the Rest

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Jul 10, 2020
July 10, 2020July 10, 2020

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA’s gas producers become a political football in new AG report; Crozier Welding, LLC plans $2.5M investment, creation of 15 new jobs in Coshocton; PennEast Pipeline partners still determined to build $1 billion pipeline project; Chesapeake Utilities announces Maryland PSC approval of Elkton Gas acquisition; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Energy Transfer not yet shutting down Dakota Access crude pipeline as it renews stay request; NATIONAL: Electrification is a misguided approach to tackle climate change; Oil went below $0. Some think it will rebound to $150 one day.; Activists not only slow oil pipelines, but also power lines needed for renewable energy; Undone – U.S. LNG export demand unravels; INTERNATIONAL: OPEC Secretary General: “No objective whatsoever” to drive U.S. shale out of business; False Alarm: Bjorn Lomborg’s $69,000 reveal book; For power generation, U.S. LNG emits significantly less greenhouse gases.
Read More “Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Jul 10, 2020”
Energy Companies | EV Energy Partners | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Ohio | Statewide OH

Former EV Energy Partners Sells Appalachian Assets for $20.5M
July 9, 2020July 9, 2020

In June 2018, EV Energy Partners (EVEP), the drilling subsidiary of EnerVest, emerged from bankruptcy court a mere two months after entering with $355 million of debt erased and sporting a new name: Harvest Oil & Gas Corp. (see EV Energy Partners Emerges from Bankruptcy with New Name). Harvest’s drilling and assets are focused in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia where they own/operate 9,787 conventional wells on 916,832 gross leased acres. The company announced yesterday it’s selling off its Appalachian assets for $20.5 million (and no, that’s not a typo).
Read More “Former EV Energy Partners Sells Appalachian Assets for $20.5M”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Statewide PA

Bill to Bring Cracker-Type Investment to Northeast PA Resurrected
July 9, 2020July 9, 2020

In April 2019, Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Turzai, Speaker of the House (who has since resigned and left), along with a group of conservative Republicans, announced a plan for the future of PA (see PA Republicans Launch “Energize PA” to Counter Wolf’s “Restore PA”). Called Energize PA, the plan as codified in eight bills would “make it easier for companies to get environmental permits, encourage development on abandoned industrial sites, and make it cheaper to run natural gas lines to businesses.” One of the eight bills is House Bill (HB) 1100, a bill offering a tax incentive, a reduction in taxes, IF a company builds a new petrochemical plant in the state–particularly in the northeast “dry gas” area of the state.
Read More “Bill to Bring Cracker-Type Investment to Northeast PA Resurrected”
Energy Companies | MDS Energy

Marcellus Shale Development (MDS) Floats $150M in New Units
July 9, 2020July 9, 2020

A small Marcellus-focused drilling company based in western Pennsylvania is once again looking for investors. MDS Energy was established in 2005 by Michael D. Snyder. By 2006 the company offered its first investment partnership. Drilling companies today are as much about investments and finance as they are about sinking holes in the ground. MDS quickly grew and in 2007 founded a sister company to concentrate on oilfield services (drilling, construction, etc.) called First Class Energy. First Class has gone on to drill over 1,000 wells, mostly for MDS competitors since MDS itself has not drilled all that many wells–as of the end of 2017 (going by our Marcellus & Utica Shale Upstream Almanac) MDS had eight permits and had drilled four wells–all in Armstrong County, PA.
Read More “Marcellus Shale Development (MDS) Floats $150M in New Units”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Huge Bipartisan Majority in PA House Votes to Block Carbon Tax
July 9, 2020July 9, 2020

Yesterday the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 130 to 71 (with overwhelming bipartisan support) to pass House Bill (HB) 2025 which would block Gov. Wolf’s attempt to force PA into a northeast carbon tax scheme. We’ve written plenty about Wolf’s plan to force the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax).
Read More “Huge Bipartisan Majority in PA House Votes to Block Carbon Tax”