PA Marcellus News Digest
April 11, 2012
Special: TELL AQUA AMERICA NO FRACKING EVICTIONS, COME TO THE VIGIL IN BRYN MAWR ON APRIL 18TH (additional information attached).
Articles
Judge orders new gas-drilling law delayed 120 days
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
HARRISBURG -- A state judge has granted a 120-day halt to provisions in the new Marcellus Shale drilling law that would override local zoning ordinances for industry activity.
That order, released hours after a Commonwealth Court hearing in Harrisburg on the matter, prevents the land-use portions of that law from going from going into effect on Saturday.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/court-hearing-on-municipal-challenge-to-new-drilling-laws-ends-without-a-ruling-630882/
Judge halts zoning limits in Pa. gas drilling law
Press Connects
Marc Levy
AP
April 11
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A state judge is ordering a temporary halt to portions of Pennsylvania's new Marcellus Shale law that limit the power of municipalities to regulate the booming natural gas exploration industry.
Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Keith Quigley issued a 120-day injunction Wednesday after hearing arguments earlier in the day.
Link: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20120411/NEWS11/204110333/Judge-halts-zoning-limits-Pa-gas-drilling-law?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Press Connects
Marc Levy
AP
April 11
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A state judge is ordering a temporary halt to portions of Pennsylvania's new Marcellus Shale law that limit the power of municipalities to regulate the booming natural gas exploration industry.
Commonwealth Court Senior Judge Keith Quigley issued a 120-day injunction Wednesday after hearing arguments earlier in the day.
Link: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20120411/NEWS11/204110333/Judge-halts-zoning-limits-Pa-gas-drilling-law?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
What You Need To Know About Today’s Impact Fee Hearing
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
April 11
This morning, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit aimed at stopping Pennsylvania’s new natural gas drilling impact fee from taking effect.
Here’s what you need to know about the case.
The Players: Seven municipalities from three counties have filed the lawsuit, along with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and a doctor named Mehernosh Kahn.
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/04/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-todays-impact-fee-hearing/
NPR State Impact
Scott Detrow
April 11
This morning, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit aimed at stopping Pennsylvania’s new natural gas drilling impact fee from taking effect.
Here’s what you need to know about the case.
The Players: Seven municipalities from three counties have filed the lawsuit, along with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and a doctor named Mehernosh Kahn.
Link: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/04/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-todays-impact-fee-hearing/
Commonwealth Court hearing on Act 13 adjourns
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
Attorneys for the commonwealth and for the municipalities challenging the state's new Marcellus Shale law are in the Commonwealth Court hearing room, and proceedings are underway before Judge Keith Quigley.
Most of the courtroom seats are filled -- Scott Perry, who is DEP's top oil and gas official, is here, as is several top House and Senate Republican aides who were involved in negotiating the final drilling legislation and some gas industry lobbyists.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24460
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
Attorneys for the commonwealth and for the municipalities challenging the state's new Marcellus Shale law are in the Commonwealth Court hearing room, and proceedings are underway before Judge Keith Quigley.
Most of the courtroom seats are filled -- Scott Perry, who is DEP's top oil and gas official, is here, as is several top House and Senate Republican aides who were involved in negotiating the final drilling legislation and some gas industry lobbyists.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24460
Court to hear appeal of shale drilling law
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
HARRISBURG -- The judicial showdown over the state's new natural gas drilling law begins this morning in Commonwealth Court, where municipal officials will be making their case as to why the statute's provisions regarding zoning rules and chemical confidentiality are unconstitutional.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/court-to-hear-appeal-of-shale-drilling-law-630807/?p=0
Post-Gazette
Laura Olson
April 11
HARRISBURG -- The judicial showdown over the state's new natural gas drilling law begins this morning in Commonwealth Court, where municipal officials will be making their case as to why the statute's provisions regarding zoning rules and chemical confidentiality are unconstitutional.
Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/marcellusshale/court-to-hear-appeal-of-shale-drilling-law-630807/?p=0
Franklin Forks family sues driller
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
April 11
A Susquehanna County family whose well water contains high levels of methane and metals filed suit against a natural gas drilling company in federal court Monday alleging drilling damaged their water and property.
Tammy and Matthew Manning of Franklin Twp. said WPX Energy and two associated companies contaminated the aquifer through spills and poorly constructed gas wells in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/franklin-forks-family-sues-driller-1.1298360#axzz1rkqbI7op
Times-Tribune
Laura Legere
April 11
A Susquehanna County family whose well water contains high levels of methane and metals filed suit against a natural gas drilling company in federal court Monday alleging drilling damaged their water and property.
Tammy and Matthew Manning of Franklin Twp. said WPX Energy and two associated companies contaminated the aquifer through spills and poorly constructed gas wells in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/franklin-forks-family-sues-driller-1.1298360#axzz1rkqbI7op
Council tables vote on impact fee
Citizens Voice
April 11
WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County Council decided Tuesday to postpone a vote to adopt an ordinance that would give the county a share of natural gas revenue until after a state judge rules whether to temporarily stop it from taking effect.
Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/council-tables-vote-on-impact-fee-1.1298269#axzz1rkpre4l0
Citizens Voice
April 11
WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County Council decided Tuesday to postpone a vote to adopt an ordinance that would give the county a share of natural gas revenue until after a state judge rules whether to temporarily stop it from taking effect.
Link: http://citizensvoice.com/news/council-tables-vote-on-impact-fee-1.1298269#axzz1rkpre4l0
Survey shows "fracking" is a dirty word
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
Anti-drilling activists love using “fracking” as a double entendre ("Don't frack with us") because it bears a resemblance to one of George Carlin’s seven dirty words.
Link: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#label/Marcellus+Digest/136a1b5d912aa583
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
Anti-drilling activists love using “fracking” as a double entendre ("Don't frack with us") because it bears a resemblance to one of George Carlin’s seven dirty words.
Link: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#label/Marcellus+Digest/136a1b5d912aa583
Chesapeake Energy sells assets worth $2.6 billion
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
[...]BloombergBusinessweek has a breakdown of the transaction and the reasons behind it:
The company sold shares in a new subsidiary to an investment group led by a Blackstone Group LP-led affiliate that includes TPG Capital and EIG Global Energy Partners LLC, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake said in a statement today. The agreement gives the buyers a share of royalties from oil wells in the Cleveland and Tonkawa plays in Oklahoma and a 6 percent annual distribution.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24457-chesapeake-energy-sells-assets-worth-26-billion
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
[...]BloombergBusinessweek has a breakdown of the transaction and the reasons behind it:
The company sold shares in a new subsidiary to an investment group led by a Blackstone Group LP-led affiliate that includes TPG Capital and EIG Global Energy Partners LLC, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake said in a statement today. The agreement gives the buyers a share of royalties from oil wells in the Cleveland and Tonkawa plays in Oklahoma and a 6 percent annual distribution.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24457-chesapeake-energy-sells-assets-worth-26-billion
White House fracking rules puts gas industry on edge
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
The Department of the Interior is planning to propose new guidelines for fracking on public lands, which is shaking up leaders in the gas industry.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24458-white-house-fracking-rules-puts-gas-industry-on-edge
Post-Gazette
Amy Friedenberger
April 10
The Department of the Interior is planning to propose new guidelines for fracking on public lands, which is shaking up leaders in the gas industry.
Link: http://shale.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/news/archives/24458-white-house-fracking-rules-puts-gas-industry-on-edge
Pa. firm buys midstream operator to move Marcellus gas
E&E News
Colin Sullivan,
April 11
(full text below)
Penn Virginia Resource Partners yesterday inked a $1 billion deal to acquire natural gas processor Chief Gathering LLC in a move meant to capitalize on the need to move product out of the Marcellus Shale.
E&E News
Colin Sullivan,
April 11
(full text below)
Penn Virginia Resource Partners yesterday inked a $1 billion deal to acquire natural gas processor Chief Gathering LLC in a move meant to capitalize on the need to move product out of the Marcellus Shale.
Chief Gathering is based in Dallas but owns pipes and gathering systems that connect into one of the shale's richest areas in northeastern Pennsylvania. Penn Virginia, or PVR, from Radnor, Pa., has been looking to acquire assets to expand its presence in the region.
The shale extends beneath Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. In a statement, PVR CEO William Shea called the deal "a transformational transaction" for the company, saying the midstream gathering and pipe side will soon account for most of its business.
"These assets ... position us well to capture significant midstream opportunities in six of the most prolific counties in the northeastern area of the Marcellus Shale," he said.
Chief's gathering systems connect to both the Transco and Tennessee interstate pipelines. The company provides smaller links and processing services, including compression, from the wellhead to interstate pipelines.
All of Chief's services are paid for through fee-based agreements with active Marcellus producers like Chesapeake Energy Corp., Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Statoil ASA, Mitsui, EXCO/BG Group, Exxon Mobil Corp., Enerplus and Chevron Corp.
Along with existing assets, PVR through the agreement gets a planned 750 million-cubic-feet-per-day trunk line to be completed in the third quarter of 2012.
Overall, Chief's infrastructure serves about 300,000 acres in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
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