Monday, May 21, 2012

PA Marcellus News Digest 5/21/12

PA Marcellus News Digest
May 21, 2012

Releases

Marcellus Shale Coalition Launches New and Improved Online Headquarters
Wallaby
May 18
Canonsburg, Pa. – This week, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) – which represents approximately 300 companies with active operations across the Marcellus and Utica formations who are committed to responsible American natural gas development – unveiled a new and improved website, which will serve as the online home to the region’s largest trade association. The revamped site was built to incorporate the latest technologies aimed at improving user experience.
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012051884.HTM

PVR Partners Announces Completion Of Marcellus Shale Midstream Pipeline System Acquisition From Chief and Announces New Board Appointments
Wallaby
PRNewswire
May 17
RADNOR, Pa.-- Penn Virginia Resource Partners, L.P. (NYSE: PVR) ("PVR") today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Chief Gathering LLC ("Chief Gathering") from Chief E&D Holdings LP ("Chief").  William H. Shea, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of PVR's general partner, said, "We are very pleased to have successfully closed on the acquisition of Chief Gathering, and to welcome the Chief Gathering employees to PVR.  With the completion of this acquisition PVR has transformed its business to that of a predominantly midstream natural gas gathering and processing company primarily focused in the Marcellus Shale and Granite Wash regions."
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012051896.HTM

Shale-gas development creates demand for environmental graduates
Wallaby
May 18
The College of Agricultural Sciences' Environment and Natural Resources Institute recently held a Marcellus Shale Info-Fest for students.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Marcellus Shale natural gas play is having a significant impact on Pennsylvania's economy, and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is helping to position students to benefit from associated employment opportunities.
Recently the college's Environment and Natural Resources Institute held a Marcellus Shale Info-Fest for students in the College of Agricultural Sciences in environment-related majors to show them what the specialized industry has to offer in the way of jobs.
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012052160.HTM

PJM Capacity Auction Secures Record Amounts Of New Generation, Demand Response, Energy Efficiency
Wallaby
PRNewswire
May 18
With an unprecedented amount of electric generation retiring within the next three years, PJM Interconnection's capacity market secured record amounts of new generation, demand resources and energy efficiency to keep the grid reliable.
PJM today announced the results of its capacity market, the annual Reliability Pricing Model (RPM) auction, for resources to meet power supply needs between June 1, 2015, and May 31, 2016. The RPM auction procured a record amount of new generation in one year, 4,900 megawatts (MW). In addition, capacity imported from west of PJM increased about 8 percent from last year to 4,335 MW
Link:
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2012/2012052198.HTM

Articles

Pennsylvania firm announces $380M natural gas pipeline expansion
Patriot-News
AP
May 21
PITTSBURGH — A Pennsylvania company plans to invest $380 million to expand natural gas pipelines in the state, and ultimately link to markets in New Jersey and New York.
Penn Virginia Resource Partners, L.P., of Radnor, said Monday that some of the expansions to its Lycoming County pipeline in central Pennsylvania will begin in the next two weeks and be finished later this year. Other parts of the project will continue through 2018.
Link:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/05/pennsylvania_firm_announces_38.html

Waivers could OK drilling near water
Post-Gazette
Don Hopey
May 21
Concern about the state's ability or commitment to properly regulate the oil and gas industry is "misplaced," Pennsylvania's top regulator of Marcellus Shale gas drilling told the state House of Representatives Republican Policy Committee.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-west/waivers-could-ok-drilling-near-water-636790/

Pennsylvania drilling meets Corbett's goals
Post-Gazette
Brian O'Neill
May 20
We might have an interesting economic experiment brewing in fracking country.
John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, is doing something Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett wouldn't. Mr. Kasich has proposed boosting Ohio's severance tax on oil and gas drilling and would couple that with cuts in the state income tax.
Link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/brian-oneill/pennsylvania-drilling-meets-corbetts-goals-636707/

Scientists: Mud didn’t hurt water quality
Wilkes officials monitored Leonard Creek after drilling mud burst through ground.
Times Leader
Matt Hughes
May 19
The inadvertent release of drilling mud during boring beneath Leonard Creek for a natural gas pipeline did not appear to affect its water quality, according to Wilkes University scientists monitoring the creek.
Link:
http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Scientists-Mud-didnt-hurt-water-quality,152572?category_id=487&town_id=1&sub_type=stories

Foster gets $1K fine, jail time for dumping sludge in Warren Twp.
Daily Review
James Loewenstein
May 18
TOWANDA - Josh Foster of Temple, Ga., was sentenced Thursday to 14 days to 18 months in prison for dumping 800 gallons of a gas drilling waste on Dec. 1 in state Gamelands 219 in Warren Township.
Foster, 27, was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine as well as the costs of prosecution.
Link:
http://thedailyreview.com/news/foster-gets-1k-fine-jail-time-for-dumping-sludge-in-warren-twp-1.1316921

Shale-gas ventures lead to piggyback investments
Pitt Trib
Bill Vidonic
May 19
A Colorado energy company will spend more than $500 million to expand its presence in Western Pennsylvania, in part because of anticipated business opportunities from a proposed multibillion-dollar chemical plant in Beaver County, a company vice president said.
MarkWest Energy Partners will invest most of that money to expand and upgrade two gas-processing plants in Lancaster, Butler County, owned by Keystone Midstream Services, which Denver-based MarkWest bought this month.
Link:
http://triblive.com/news/1826993-74/county-shale-gas-plant-butler-beaver-president-adams-expand-markwest

Marusiak covers easements during Elk County Gas Task Force meeting
Ridgway Record
Victoria Stanish
May 14
Matt Marusiak of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy gave a special presentation on source water protection and conservation easements at Monday's meeting of the Elk County Gas Task Force.
Marusiak, a land protection specialist for the conservancy, has an office in Ridgway and a territory that covers the entire 12-county region of the PA Wilds. He has a degree in petrochemical engineering and has worked on the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission and for the planning department of Elk County.
Link:
http://www.ridgwayrecord.com/content/marusiak-covers-easements-during-elk-county-gas-task-force-meeting

Forum: Shale, health care bringing positive change
But the region needs to plan properly for negatives that may accompany advances.
Times Leader
Andrew M. Seder
May 18
SCRANTON – Dramatic changes in Northeastern Pennsylvania over the past few years – including the Marcellus Shale drilling, the landscape of local health care and the creation of a new medical school – have laid the groundwork for positive economic changes.
But the region needs to plan properly for negatives that could accompany those changes.
Link:
http://www.timesleader.com/stories/Forum-Shale-health-care-bringing-positive-change,152114

We stand behind our story about DEP secretary
Wayne Independent
Editorial
May 17
[...]At issue was a recent visit by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer. Krancer spoke to a gathering of these groups for about 45 minutes. During his talk, Krancer had a lot of things to say about the state of Delaware and the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Link:
http://www.wayneindependent.com/opinions/editorials/x1474278369/We-stand-behind-our-story-about-DEP-secretary

Geisinger seeks facts on Marcellus Shale gas drilling
Centre Daily Times
Kevin Begos, AP
May 20
Some people are absolutely sure gas drilling threatens public health, while others are absolutely sure it doesn't.
Geisinger Health Systems is looking for more facts on the debate.
"Our concern is getting reliable data so we know what to do for our patients," said David Carey, director of Geisinger's Weis Center for Research in Danville, Pa.
Link:
http://www.centredaily.com/2012/05/20/3202284/pa-health-care-company-seeks-gas.html

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