Marcellus

Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board on Wednesday ruled that it does not have “original jurisdiction” to approve orders for well spacing and drilling units — or requests for forced pooling — as they’re referred to in the state.

Pennsylvanians remain divided on the issue of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and are uncertain of how safely it can be performed in the Marcellus Shale. But the issue may not be at the forefront of voters’ minds in the 2014 gubernatorial election, according to a pollster from Mercyhurst University.

Net inflows of natural gas to the Northeast from all outside sources during the first nine months of 2013 decreased by 60% from the comparable 2008 period, displaced by internal production, according to a report Tuesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Spectra Energy’s Texas Eastern Transmission (Tetco) pipeline is holding an open season for its proposed TEAM-South Expansion Project, which would move up to 300,000 Dth/d of natural gas from Uniontown, PA, in the heart of the Marcellus and Utica shales, to delivery points in Tetco’s ELA Access Area Zone in Mississippi.

The North American natural gas and oil industry, responding primarily to surging production coming out of shale plays, will spend a total of $4.3 billion on new onshore pipelines this year, according to new research by energy adviser Douglas-Westwood (DW).

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Thursday that a Brazilian company, Odebrecht Organization, will explore the possibility of building a multibillion-dollar ethane cracker and three polyethylene plants in Wood County.

MarkWest Energy Partners LP reported weaker-than-expected profits in the third quarter, partly on continuing operational constraints in the Marcellus Shale, as well as weak results from the Utica Shale segment, issues that management expects to remedy once most of the 22 growth projects are completed in 2014.

Natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale continues to surge higher, with 12.9 Bcf/d expected to come out of the prolific play in December, a 3.3% increase from 12.5 Bcf/d in November, according to EIA’s second Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) for key tight oil and shale gas regions.

Property assessments in West Virginia have increased 49.5% in the last eight years — to $86.6 billion from $57.9 billion in 2005 — with the highest growth coming in counties that experienced natural gas development over the same period, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy (CBP).