Marcellus Shale

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has signed a $2.5 million contract with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to conduct additional research on the potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state.  The move comes in response to growing concerns in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties where unconventional natural gas development…

Equitrans Midstream Corp. has significantly cut its 2021 financial forecast as Appalachian natural gas producers continue to curb spending and output. Equitrans, the third largest natural gas gatherer in the United States with operations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, this month cut its net income guidance for next year to $540-610 million. That’s down…

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has finalized a supplemental environmental review of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a key step in resolving a permitting setback that has prevented construction on a small portion of the project routed through the Jefferson National Forest. Late last week, the USFS released a final supplemental environmental impact statement for…

U.S. explorers during October increased their oil and gas permit requests for the third month in a row, with an uptick in developing leaseholds on federal lands, according to Evercore ISI. The analyst firm each month provides data using state and federal sources regarding permits for oil and gas wells, plugging and abandoned (P&A) wells…

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has again curtailed natural production volumes that averaged 372 MMcf/d through the last two weeks of September as it continues to weather weak Appalachian prices.  Shut-in volumes have grown to average 450 MMcfe/d since Oct. 1 in anticipation of better prices soon. Cabot has lowered full-year production guidance to 2.300-2.350…

In keeping with an extensive history of persistent legal opposition to Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP), environmental groups have asked a federal appeals court to stay recently updated waterbody-crossing permits for the 303-mile, 2 million Dth/d natural gas conduit. In petitions filed Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, a coalition…

Construction of Royal Dutch Shell plc’s multi-billion dollar ethane cracker in western Pennsylvania is about 70% complete, while the 98-mile pipeline system that would feed the facility is 95% complete, a company executive said Tuesday, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic has complicated the project. “All of the major equipment is up, all of the modules…

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved Sunoco Pipeline LP’s requests to modify permits at three horizontal directional drill (HDD) sites for its Mariner East natural gas pipeline system. The DEP announced the approval earlier this week, which alters the pipeline developer’s erosion and sediment control, as well as the “water obstructions and…

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco) has agreed to pay nearly $1 million in penalties and environmental donations for violations that occurred during the construction of its Atlantic Sunrise expansion project, Pennsylvania regulators said Tuesday.  The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said it has collected a civil penalty of $736,294 from Transco for…