A regional approach to siting drilling infrastructure in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale is needed to help minimize development in core forest and productive agricultural lands and to decrease potential risk to waterways, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University. A study conducted by the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences found that shale gas development is causing rapid landscape change. “The development of new roads to support drilling could affect forest ecosystem integrity via increased fragmentation,” said Patrick Drohan, assistant professor of pedology. Drohan estimated that slightly more than half of the well pads in Pennsylvania are on agricultural land and most of the rest are on forestland. The study found that drilling is competing with food production for space on the landscape.
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Baker Hughes Building Shale-Focused Ohio Facility
Baker Hughes Inc. is planning to open a regional headquarters in Massillon, OH, in 2013 to take advantage of the business opportunities generated by the growing shale gas resources in the Utica and Marcellus formations.
Pennsylvania Cataloging Marcellus Emissions
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is asking natural gas companies to provide information about air emissions from their facilities in the state.
West Climate Change, Cap-and-Trade Waning
As perhaps a harbinger of climate change and cap-and-trade efforts aimed at greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Arizona formally pulled out of the regional Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a once-promising multi-state effort involving seven states and four Canadian provinces. California and the provinces now appear to be leading the charge alone.
Transmission Project Gets Oklahoma Regulators’ Nod
The three-member Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) on Friday gave public utility status for a regional $3.5 billion natural gas and wind power-related transmission project, calling it a means of making the oil/gas-dominated state a “literal powerhouse” for other states. Oklahoma’s action is just a very preliminary step for a project that has yet to outline its multi-state route eastward to Tennessee.
Shale Gas Production Seen Climbing Worldwide
The United States is the undisputed leader in the development of unconventional natural gas resources. However, much of the rest of the world is on to the shale gas promise and will soon be exploiting its reserves, according to a new analysis by Douglas-Westwood.
Kodiak Adds More Bakken Acreage, Sixth Drilling Rig
Kodiak Oil & Gas Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase 13,500 net acres in the Bakken Shale play from an undisclosed private oil and gas company for about $235 million in cash. It also agreed to assume the terms of a contract for its sixth drilling rig.
Shale Called ‘Source of Uncertainty’ for U.S. Gas Market
Shale gas production is projected to increase to the point where it becomes the dominant domestic gas supply over the next two decades, but it brings with it the “greatest source of uncertainty” facing North American gas markets, according to the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions.
Shell: Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia Are Cracker Finalists
Royal Dutch Shell said it expects to decide by the end of the year where it will build a “world-scale” ethylene cracker in the Marcellus Shale region, and it said the three states where it is considering construction of the facility are Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Pitt Study: One Marcellus Well Adds Millions to Economy
A single Marcellus Shale well in southwestern Pennsylvania directly adds $7.6 million to the economy, on average, according to a new study released Tuesday.