Impact

Natural gas is mostly methane, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas, especially in the short term, with 105 times more warming impact pound for pound than CO2, said Cornell ecologist Robert Howarth. He added that “even small leaks make a big difference” and estimated that as much as 8% of the methane in shale gas leaks into the air during the lifetime of a hydraulically fractured shale gas well, which is up to twice what escapes from conventional gas production.

The deadline for New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to complete work on a supplemental generic environmental impact statement (SGEIS) on hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) may not be as rigid as some observers previously believed.

The deadline for New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to complete work on a supplemental generic environmental impact statement (SGEIS) on hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) may not be as rigid as some observers previously believed.

The Allegheny County (PA) Council has scheduled a hearing for 5 p.m. EST Thursday in Pittsburgh to hear public comment regarding Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling within the county.

As promised, the Corbett administration is rolling back restrictions on leasing Pennsylvania parks and forests for natural gas development.

Trans Energy Inc. has begun drilling the Lucey #1H well, its seventh horizontal Marcellus Shale well in Marshall County, WV, the company said. The drilling of the Keaton #1H well, which was begun by the independent exploration and production company in November (see Shale Daily, Nov. 23, 2010), has been completed. St. Marys, WV-based Trans Energy said it completed the 11-stage hydraulic fracture (frack) of Stout #2H in Marshall County last week and this week will begin the process of drilling out the frack plugs; fracking is scheduled in March for Keaton #1H and in February for Groves #1H, the company said. Trans Energy is moving to a development phase from an exploration phase as it develops its acreage position in northern West Virginia.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has lifted suspensions on 45 oil and natural gas leases in Montana that were caught up in the controversy over the impact of drilling on climate change (see Daily GPI, April 13).

The Colcom Foundation of Pittsburgh, PA, has launched the $1 million Marcellus Environmental Fund to distribute grants to nonprofit organizations “to address the accelerating environmental impact of shale drilling in western Pennsylvania through public education, community engagement, best practices, baseline data collection, ongoing monitoring, land owner guidance and collaborative projects.”

Atlanta-based AGL Resources and Naperville, IL-based Nicor Inc. said last week they plan a merger that would create a holding company with seven regulated gas distribution companies serving 4.5 million customers in Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee and Maryland and with a rate base of $3.8 billion. The combined company would be one of the nation’s largest gas-only distributors.