Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Williams

Williams CEO Compliments PA Gov Wolf, Roasts NY Gov Cuomo
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

Williams CEO Alan Armstrong

On Friday Williams CEO Alan Armstrong addressed CEA’s Energy and Manufacturing Summit in Pittsburgh. Ahead of that address, Armstrong granted an exclusive interview to the Pittsburgh Business Times, an interview in which he had some flattering words for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (i.e. sucked up to him), and some rather unflattering words for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Read More “Williams CEO Compliments PA Gov Wolf, Roasts NY Gov Cuomo”
Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | NiSource | Pipelines

1,300 Workers Needed to Replace Columbia Pipes Near Boston
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

Columbia Gas of Massachusetts is in the process of rapidly replacing some 48 miles of local natural gas pipelines about 25 miles north of Boston following the recent explosion and disaster. They desperately need workers, some 1,300 of them, to do the work.
Read More “1,300 Workers Needed to Replace Columbia Pipes Near Boston”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kentucky | Kinder Morgan | NGLs | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Opposition to Kinder Morgan NGL Pipeline Plan Builds in Kentucky
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

Click for larger version

What is it about Kentucky? Is everybody in the Bluegrass State allergic to NGL (natural gas liquids) pipelines? Another government official, this time the mayor of Lexington, is the latest (in a long list) to oppose Kinder Morgan’s plan to convert part of their Tennessee Gas Pipeline to flow NGLs–called the Utica Marcellus Texas Pipeline (UMTP) project.
Read More “Opposition to Kinder Morgan NGL Pipeline Plan Builds in Kentucky”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines

Federal Judges in Richmond Hear 4 Anti Cases Against MVP, ACP
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

Line ’em up and knock ’em down. Last Friday a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in Richmond, VA) heard four cases against Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), one after another, bing bing bing bing. Both pipeline projects, very important to the Marcellus/Utica region, are in various states of litigation, brought on by the odious Sierra Club and co-conspirators like the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Read More “Federal Judges in Richmond Hear 4 Anti Cases Against MVP, ACP”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH

4 Companies Spending $6.9B to Replace Old NatGas Pipelines in OH
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

There’s no doubt the recent pipeline disaster in the Boston area (see Local NatGas Pipes Explode Near Boston Killing 1, Injuring 25) has spooked other states. Ohio is in the midst of a multi-year, $6.9 billion program to replace 11,000 miles of natgas delivery pipelines, not unlike the pipelines that exploded in Massachusetts.
Read More “4 Companies Spending $6.9B to Replace Old NatGas Pipelines in OH”
Calendar

Calendar of Marcellus/Utica Events for Oct 1 – Dec 31
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

Events related (or of interest) to the Marcellus and Utica Shale, primarily pro-drilling events. To have your event included (or if you are aware of a worthy event you believe should be on this page), please send the details and/or a link to have it included to the calendar@marcellusdrilling.com email address.
Read More “Calendar of Marcellus/Utica Events for Oct 1 – Dec 31”
Best of the Rest

Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Oct 1, 2018
October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

The “best of the rest”–stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading: Are West Virginians being hornswoggled again?; Vallourec ramps up hiring in area as gas market improves; Conneaut protecting roads from pipeline damage; Colonna’s Shipyard protests Virginia Natural Gas pipeline over safety concerns; Colorado’s Initiative 97 unwisely blocks oil and natural gas development; California is approaching $4 gasoline, but it has only itself to blame; Rockefellers use new front group to advance climate liability campaign; USCG division trains new LNG vessel inspectors; Natural gas – the latest EIA data sends the energy commodity to a new high; Natural Gas Weekly price forecast – market flashes a very bearish signal; The $800 billion investment opportunity you won’t want to miss; Predictions of $100 oil are just clickbait for the uninformed; Six new tech companies that can shape the future of oil and gas; PetroChina approves LNG Canada investment; Europe prepares for natural gas price hike.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Oct 1, 2018”
Berkeley County | Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide MD | TC Energy/TransCanada | West Virginia

FERC to Rehear Decision re Columbia Gas Pipeline Under Potomac
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

Anti-fossil fuelers are on a holy mission to stop a 3.5-mile, 8-inch pipeline from being built under the Potomac River by Columbia Gas (see Maryland Antis Oppose 13th Pipeline Under Potomac as “Dangerous”). The pipeline, from Maryland on one side of the river to West Virginia on the other side, will be built to feed a larger pipeline project from Mountaineer Gas called the Eastern Panhandle Expansion. The Mountaineer project is a pipeline to deliver Marcellus/Utica natural gas via local distribution channels to a new industrial facility in Berkeley County, WV, and to provide gas to other local businesses and residents in the Tri-State area. Mountaineer began building their project in March (see Mountaineer Gas Begins Work on Morgan County, WV Pipeline). Here’s the inconvenient truth that mainstream news organizations fail to report: This tiny 3.5-mile pipeline will be Columbia’s 13th pipeline under the Potomac! Yet antis insist THIS is the one pipeline that will explode and contaminate the Potomac and make the water flowing down the muddy Potomac undrinkable for millions. In July, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Columbia’s under-the-river pipeline project (see FERC Approves Pipeline Under the Potomac River from Md. to WV). At the time, Democrat Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur voted to approve it–but she did so grudgingly and made sure to express it. Democrat Commissioner Dick Glick voted to “dissent, in part,” meaning he sort of approved it, but he sort of didn’t (and would really rather it not get built). Antis immediately filed a request for “rehearing”–to have FERC revisit their decision to approve the project (something FERC rarely does). Sadly, FERC has agreed to rehear their decision on the project–two months after approving it. Now that FERC is down by one Republican member, it’s all too likely the Dem members will take the opportunity to vote no on the project a second time, creating a 2-2 split that will further delay the project…
Read More “FERC to Rehear Decision re Columbia Gas Pipeline Under Potomac”
Enbridge | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Spectra Energy

FERC OKs Atlantic Bridge to Begin Service in Connecticut
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

In January 2017 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted final approval for the $452 million Atlantic Bridge expansion project (see FERC Approves Atlantic Bridge Project for New England/Canada). The Spectra Energy/Enbridge project beefs up capacity along the Algonquin Pipeline, along with more capacity for Spectra Energy’s Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, to carry more Marcellus/Utica gas into New England and (eventually) all the way to Nova Scotia, Canada. Much of the project is now done–except in Massachusetts where a critical compressor station planned for Weymouth is stalled (see Massachusetts Blocking Atlantic Bridge Pipeline from Completion). Some good news to report on the project in neighboring Connecticut: FERC has given the green light for the Connecticut portion of the project to be placed into service…
Read More “FERC OKs Atlantic Bridge to Begin Service in Connecticut”
Economic Impact | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Stark County

Shell PA Cracker Already Attracting New Factories…to Ohio
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

Stark County, OH

The Stark County (OH) Economic Development Board has landed what is hopefully the first (of many) tenants from the plastics manufacturing industry. IML Containers was looking for a spot to locate a new plant near one of their big customers, Land O’Lakes (has a facility in Cleveland). Stark County offered a small tax break, and the big advantage of being close to the under-construction Shell ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA. It’s also close to a likely second cracker plant in Belmont County, OH. IML makes plastic shipping containers for Land O’Lakes, and plans to set up “research and development, die cutting, molding, production and warehousing for packaging use with a variety of food products” at their Stark facility. IML is beginning now, at a temporary location (70 new jobs!) and will build a new plant in the next two years. In addition to a cheap source of plastics from the crackers, another advantage is being located within a six-hour drive of most of IML’s North American customers…
Read More “Shell PA Cracker Already Attracting New Factories…to Ohio”
Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Transco

Marcellus/Utica Gas Heads South to the Sunshine State
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

Marcellus/Utica gas is powering natural gas-fired plants in Southeast Florida?! Yep. How? Through a series of pipelines. First the gas goes south from our region by hitching a ride through the mighty Williams Transcontinental Gas Pipeline (Transco)–all the way to Alabama. Then, the Sabal Trail Pipeline, a 1.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) pipeline, runs more than 500 miles from an interconnect with Transco in west-central Alabama to the Orlando, FL-area gas hub. Finally, a pipeline related to Sabal Trail called the Florida Southeast Connection delivers gas from the Orlando hub into South Florida. It’s a beautiful thing to behold. Our gas going all the way to the Sunshine State. The experts at RBN Energy do a deep dive to connect the dots and identify the gas-fired plants using our gas…
Read More “Marcellus/Utica Gas Heads South to the Sunshine State”
Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NiSource

Columbia Appoints Chief Restoration Officer After Boston Disaster
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

Pablo Vegas, NiSource’s new Chief Restoration Officer

Today we have another chapter in the unfolding story of the chain-reaction of explosions in local natural gas delivery pipelines owned by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts (NiSource) which happened about 25 miles north of Boston (see Local NatGas Pipes Explode Near Boston Killing 1, Injuring 25). The explosions and resulting fires tragically killed one teenager and injured 25 others. It left some 8,600 households and businesses without natural gas–for up to two months. Earlier this week MDN reported that Columbia/NiSource has appointed an outside-the-company “Chief Recovery Officer” at the prompting of Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker (see Columbia Gas Appoints Ret. Navy Captain to Oversee Disaster Recovery). Retired Navy Captain Joe Albanese, founder and CEO of Commodore Builders (construction management firm) is the new CRO attempting to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Assisting Captain Albanese is retired Rear Admiral Richard Cellon, president of Cellon and Associates. Columbia announced yesterday the creation of a new inside-the-company position called Chief Restoration Officer. Pablo Vegas will serve in the Chief Restoration Officer role. Vegas will “support the work” of CRO Albanese, and will be accountable “for executing the restoration program, including pipeline replacement, customer mitigation and house readiness” as well as “community and customer support efforts in the region.” Perhaps NiSource needs fewer “chiefs” and more Indians?…
Read More “Columbia Appoints Chief Restoration Officer After Boston Disaster”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

VA Anti Goes for 600-Mile Horseback Joy Ride to Protest Pipeline
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

What would happen if your faithful editor took to horseback to ride along the entire 600-mile route for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline as it travels from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina–in a campaign to *promote* the project? We’ll tell you what would happen in the media: Crickets. Nothing. No mentions. But when a young anti sets off to do just that, it’s heralded as a quest. Something akin to the Lord of the Rings–Frodo Baggins leaving on a mission to vanquish an evil foe, against all odds. Such is the case with Sarah Murphy, who left on horseback this week from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Television cameras were there to document her departure. Murphy says she is trying to call attention to the Atlantic Coast project, to whip up protesters to oppose it. She says the project will “corrupt” the mountains through which it passes. Perhaps like the Blue Ridge Parkway “corrupts” those same mountains? Here’s the story of a young lady and her horsey, off to rally faithful environuts…
Read More “VA Anti Goes for 600-Mile Horseback Joy Ride to Protest Pipeline”
About MDN

MDN Milestone: Over 17,000 Posts!
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

It’s not often we toot our own horn here at MDN. We recently hit a milestone and thought you may want to know about it. A few weeks ago MDN passed the 17,000 mark, as in there are now more than 17,000 posts here on the MDN website. Whew. That’s a lot of writing! We’d like to take a moment to thank YOU, our faithful readers. It is by your ongoing support that we are able to continue the MDN blog/news service.

How do you access all those articles? Two ways: (1) You can search our article database by enter keywords in the search box on the upper right. (2) Visit the Article Index page. Every time we post a new article, we tag it with one or more category names, to make it easy to locate articles on that particular topic (or geography). We have tags for each county we write about. We have tags for each main issue we write about. We even have a tag for stories that contain royalty and lease bonus payment details! It’s a long page, scroll all the way down, and locate a topic you’re interested in.

Again, our humble thanks, and please celebrate this milestone with us! You’re a part of it.
Best of the Rest

Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Sep 28, 2018
September 28, 2018September 28, 2018

The “best of the rest”–stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading: A pipeline construction moratorium would make Pa. less safe; Three Circuit Courts set up CWA application to groundwater for Supreme Court test; Searching for ‘data,’ anti-Exxon researcher taps blog that bragged about suppressing climate dissent; NYMEX Nov natural gas futures soar to $3.057/MMBtu on first day of trading on bullish injection; Scientific Drilling International introduces HALO rotary steerable system; Meet the machine that drives the environmental movement: Big Green, Inc.; Analysis: Europe set for tight winter in natural gas, power markets; China’s natural gas production has quietly surged; B.C. carbon tax now costs more than natural gas it is charged on.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Sep 28, 2018”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

OH Supreme Court Rules Independent Landmen Need Real Estate License
September 27, 2018September 27, 2018

Sometimes the law, and justice, is mysterious to us. Last November we told you about an Ohio Supreme Court case with profound implications for both landmen and for the drillers who employ and use them (see OH Supreme Crt Considers Whether Landmen Need Real Estate License). The case, Dundics v. Eric Petroleum Corp., was appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court by Dundics who was not happy with the outcome in lower courts that ruled landmen must have a real estate license in order to get paid for their valuable services. Even more to the point, if you don’t have a real estate licence, the company hiring you (like Eric Petroleum) can decide to not pay you–and it’s OK! The Supremes ruled at the end of August to uphold that principle. That is, if a landman is compensated via a commission and/or royalties for the deals he or she brokers, that person needs to have a real estate license. And if they don’t have such a license, they are considered (under the law) to be committing fraud. (It is our understanding that if the landman is paid a “day rate,” that is, paid a flat rate by the day, or if the landman is an employee of the drilling company, someone whose compensation is not directly tied to the number and value of deals, that landman does not need a real estate license. Please verify that!) The Ohio Supremes decided, in essence, that when you accept a commission or are paid a percentage of each deal, you must have a real estate license. In the case of Dundics v. Eric Petroleum, Mr. Dundics was repeatedly assured (according to the court documents we read) by Eric Petroleum that he (Dundics) would be compensated according to an agreed-on formula. But Dundics didn’t have a real estate license, so Eric Petroleum abrogated the agreement–with the court’s blessing…
Read More “OH Supreme Court Rules Independent Landmen Need Real Estate License”