Through June 15, Ohio has approved 731 Utica shale permits.

Of that total, 358 wells have been drilled, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Natural Rresources.

CLEVELAND: Storage and treatment of liquid drilling wastes, air emissions of methane, water withdrawls for drilling and site construction are among the biggest problems facing shale gas drilling in Ohio and other states.

Those four problems were at the top of a list put together by researchers Nathan Richardson and Hal Gordon of Resources for the Future, a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C.

From Bloomberg News:

By Benjamin Haas - Jun 19, 2013 4:49 AM ET

Not everyone wants to see the United States lead the world in affordable energy production, writes Thomas Pyle at RealClearEnergy.

Anti-energy extremists are trying to undermine the current energy renaissance, Pyle writes.

Is the U.S. shale boom over already? Kurt Cobb at Oilprice.com says beware optimism as he lays out the case to be skeptical of the long-term prospects for shale energy.

Cobb: "First, in the United States, home of the hydraulic fracturing 'miracle,"'domestic natural gas production has been flat since January 2012.

Tight water supplies in parts of the U.S. hit by drought threaten the water-intensive process needed to frack shale, reports online news site Politico.

Politico: " ... as energy companies vie to exploit vast reserves west of the Mississippi, fracking’s new frontier is expanding to the same lands where crops have shriveled and waterways have dried up due to severe drought.

You will be shocked -- shocked!! -- at what The Fiscal Times reports in a story about the North Dakota oil boom fueled by the fracking and horizontal drilling of the Bakken shale.

Or maybe not. But the story is chock full of statistics and numbers showing the impact shale energy has had on the state.

Michael Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations takes an excellent first stab at making sense of America’s new energy resources in his new book, "The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity and the Battle for America’s Future" writes The Economist magazine.

The Economist: "The book’s main strength is the clarity with which the author explains the development of shale exploitation and assesses the implications of the shale boom. Fracking remains controversial among environmentalists, who say the process may contaminate groundwater or cause earthquakes. Concerns over possible long-term effects have led to a ban on the technology in New York and some other states. But there is scant evidence that the process is dangerous.

From the Associated Press:

 A company whose oil well sprayed out 84,000 gallons of hydraulic fracturing flowback water near Greeley, Colo., in February has agreed to pay $35,000.

From the Associated Press:

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed into law the nation's strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling.

From the Associated Press:

About 2,000 opponents of a natural-gas drilling process that involves blasting chemical-laden water deep into the ground rallied outside New York's Capitol on Monday as a new statewide poll showed a slight increase among voters who are against it.

From the Associated Press:

 Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by six this week to 1,771.

From Chesapeake Energy Corp.:

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 17, 2013-- Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) today announced that Patrick K. Craine, a partner with the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, will join Chesapeake as Chief Compliance Officer. In this capacity, he will report to Chesapeake’s General Counsel, Jim Webb, and the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors.

A lawsuit brought under Ohio’s Public Records Act was filed today in the Fifth District Court of Appeals in New Philadelphia, Ohio against the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) for withholding records requested by Southeast Ohio Alliance to Save Our Water (SOASOW). SOASOW has repeatedly asked the Conservancy District for the addresses of cottage owners who lease land around reservoirs controlled by the MWCD. SOASOW seeks the information in order to communicate directly with residents around the reservoirs and to counter misinformation disseminated by MWCD about the dangers associated with unconventional shale drilling, known as "fracking."

From Bloomberg News:

By James Paton

CONSOL Energy on Friday offered its view of Ohio's Utica shale  --  with drillers most interested in Belmont, Noble, Harrison, Guernsey and BHelmont counties.

The company's assessmernt came from Harry Schurr, general manager of Utica operations, in a speech on Friday.

From the Associated Press:

DAMASCUS, Pa. (AP) — Standing on a hilltop above his Wayne County cattle farm, Bob Rutledge surveys rolling hills and a sea of green grass.

From the U.S. Energy Information Administration:\

Shale oil is now producing 10 percent of the world's crude oil ajd 32 percent of its natural gas.

From the Associated Press:

 North Dakota drillers continue to produce oil and natural gas at a record pace, data from the state Department of Mineral Resources show.

From the Associated Press:

By GARANCE BURKE

The new Pittsburgh-based Center for Sustainable Development is again in the news, according to reporter Rachel Morgam of The Shale Reporter.

The center organized in March came under fire from some unhappy with the plan to have eco-groups work together with drillers to establish voluntary drilling standards.

From Chesapeake Energy Corp.:

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 14, 2013-- Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) announced preliminary voting results from its Annual Meeting of Shareholders held earlier today at the company’s Oklahoma City headquarters. The preliminary results are as follows:

The Center for Environmental Health has released a new report outlining the health risks to pregnant women and young children from harmful chemicals used in fracking, reports EcoWatch.

The report, "Toxic and Dirty Secrets: The Truth About Fracking and Your Family's Health," shows how chemicals related to the oil and gas industry when conducting fracking operations can pollute the air and water in communities around fracking sites and pose health risks especially to pregnant women and children, who are most vulnerable to chemical exposures.

From the Freshwater Accountability Project Ohio on Thursday:

The FreshWater Accountability Project Ohio (www.FWAPOH.com) today released a report on the presence and dangers of radiation present throughout the horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) industry that is extracting minerals in Ohio.

From Bricker & Eckler's Shale Task Force:

On May 29, 2013, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the federal district court’s decision in Lutz v. Chesapeake, allowing a class of landowners to pursue their claims against Chesapeake Appalachia for the underpayment of royalties.

From Antero Resources:

From Vallourcec:

Youngstown, Ohio, and Boulogne-Billancourt, June 12, 2013

From Denver-based Antero Resources on Thursday:

From the Associated Press:

By Kevin Begos

From the American Petroleum Institute on Thursday:

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania- June 13, 2013 – The Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania (API-PA), a division of the American Petroleum Institute, welcomed the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) announcement today detailing how local governments are benefiting from the local impact fee revenues collected from natural gas operations in their communities.

“Shale energy production has been generating huge revenues for Pennsylvania – in addition to driving double-digit job growth,” said Stephanie Catarino Wissman, executive director, Associated Petroleum Industries of PA. “This year alone Pennsylvania has collected more than $200 million dollars in impact fees related to shale development. This is benefiting families and communities across the state.”

Under Act 13 of 2012, natural gas producers are required to pay a local impact fee which is deposited into the Unconventional Gas Well Fund. More than $406 million have been collected in 2012 and 2013. According to information posted on the PUC’s website, the revenues have supported housing initiatives, highway and bridge improvements, and environmental programs.

“Shale energy development, made possible by hydraulic fracturing, has been a game-changing opportunity for Pennsylvanians,” said Wissman. “And it’s going to be good news for our economy for many years to come.”

API-PA is a division of API, which represents more than 500 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America's energy, supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers more than $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested more than $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

From the Associated Press:

A company seeking to build a liquefied natural gas terminal near the mouth of the Columbia River has filed for a federal permit.

From the Associated Press:

The U.S. Energy Secretary says he will move "expeditiously" to review about 20 applications to export liquefied natural gas and will make decisions by year's end.

From the Associated Press:

Pensylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary resigned at the governor's request Thursday, but the reason was not immediately disclosed.

From MapLight, a non-profit group, on Proposed California drilling bills:

From the Enjvironmental Defense Fund, a national eco-group, on Thursday:

Yesterday, Governor Matt Mead unveiled draft regulations that would establish a groundwater testing program for oil and gas operations in Wyoming. These draft rules would require oil and gas operators to conduct tests establishing the quality of groundwater around sites before drilling begins and to follow up later with tests to monitor for potential impacts.

From Oklahoma-based Devon Energy on Monday:

A naturally occuring "eternal flame" in New York state could change the world's assumptions about how much natural gas is available, says a research report published at the NASDAQ stock exchange website.

Wyatt Investment Research: "One eternal flame located just south of Buffalo, NY could change every assumption about energy in America. 

From Bloomberg News on Tuesday:

By Rebecca Penty

From Bricker & Eckler's OhioShale blog:

An article featured in the latest issue of the online publication Ohio State Law Journal Furthermore addresses problems of proof in hydraulic fracturing contamination claims, methods for avoiding these problems and a procedure courts use "in an effort to quickly resolve cases in which plaintiffs lack evidence to support an essential element of their claim."

Ohio has gotten most of the attention regarding tapping the Utica shale. But the Utica shale is much, much larger and extends well into Pennsylvania, New York and other states. Much of the Utica is underneath the well-publicized Marcellus shale, reports RealClearEnergy.

RealClearEnergy: "To date most of the attention has been focused on development of the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania while exploration of the Utica Shale has been limited to Ohio. What is not generally realized is that the Utica Shale is actually a much larger formation lying mostly BENEATH the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and the far western portion of Maryland."

A Texas-based energy company has received the first Utica shale permit for Ohio's Ashtabula County.

Beusa Energy LLC got a permit from the Ohio Department of Natural resources to drill in Wayne Township.

Ohio's Utica shale boom is starting to impact Noble County, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Noble is the third smallest of Ohio's 88 counties with 14,579 residents.

Pipeline easements will be the subject of a public meeting on June 20 in Portage County.

The meeting, organized by Concerned Citizens Ohio, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Hiram Christian Church, 6868 Wakefield Road, Hiram.

Ohio and 11 other states are standing up to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on its plan to investigate the threat from methane or natural gas.

The news actually occurred last month, according to the Marcellus Drilling News.

Electric producers in the eastern United States are increasingly switching from coal to natural gas.

PJM Interconnection is the 14-state agency that coordinates whoelsale electric markets and it is seeing increasing evidence of that switch, according to Pennylvania NPR's StateImpact and reporter Susan Phillips.

More than 20 percent of the FracFocus reports filed in 2012 by drillers in Colorado and Oregon were submitted late under state rules, EnergyWire reports.

Neither state penalized the drillers for late submissions.

From the Environmental Defense Fund's Energy Exchange Blog: Methane Research: The Data Pursuit Continues

From Texas-based Halcon Resources Corp. in a 2013 operational update released on Monday.

Here is what the company had to report on the Utica shale in Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania:

From Magnum Hunter Resources last week::

HOUSTON, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 05/07/13 -- Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation (NYSE: MHR) (NYSE MKT: MHR.PRC) (NYSE MKT: MHR.PRD) (NYSE MKT: MHR.PRE) (the "Company") announced today that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Alpha Hunter Drilling, LLC ("Alpha Hunter") has taken possession of a new Schramm T500XD robotic drilling rig. The Company plans to utilize the Schramm T500XD drilling rig to drill exclusively Company owned wells planned in the Utica formation located in Southeastern Ohio for the next three years. With the addition of this new drilling rig, Alpha Hunter's fleet has now grown to five rigs.

From the Associated Press:

West Virginia state regulators plan to conduct more water tests near an injection well in Fayette County that pumps oil and gas drilling waste underground.

From Bloomberg News:

Centrica Plc (CNA) (CNA) is close to buying a stake in shale gas fields in England, a person with knowledge of the matter said, placing the U.K.’s largest energy supplier at the center of efforts to start producing the fuel.

From Bloomberg News (last month):

By Prabhudatta Mishra

From Bloomberg News:

Technological advances to harness shale resources will curb OPEC’s influence in the oil market and cap crude prices at $120 a barrel, said Nansen Saleri, former head of reservoir management at Saudi Arabian Oil Co.

From the Associated Press:

Arif Mahmood, Petronas vice-president of corporate planning, says the company will invest between $9 billion and $11 billion to construct two LNG liquefaction plants near British Colombia's west coast.

You can learn about methane, the main ingredient of natural gas, and how natural gas development is impacting coal.

Both stories are available at NPR's Allegheny Front.

From Vorys legal counsel with offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Akron:

The Ohio Attorney General recently  issued an opinion concluding that a board of county commissioners has the authority to sell water to oil and gas operators. See OAG Opinion 2013-019.

From Bloomerg News

The shale boom that’s putting the U.S. on course for energy independence is providing little comfort for liquefied-natural gas consumers in Asia.

From the U.S. Energy Information Administration today:

From the Associated Press:

Chevron Corp. (CVX), Williams Cos. and WPX Energy Inc. (WPX) face a lawsuit by six Pennsylvania families who claim nearby gas wells are a nuisance that have diminished their ability to make use of their property.

From Sterne Agee analysts:

Energy & Industrials
Analysts: Peter Arment / Michael S. Dudas, CFA / Stephen D. Gengaro / Michael Ward, CFA / Tim Rezvan, CFA / Todd Vencil, CFA / Sal Vitale / Kevin Bennett, CFA / Grant Fox / Truman Hobbs / Satyadeep Jain, CFA / Josh W. Sullivan / Patrick Uotila, CPA
Energy and Industrials Weekly -- Rig Count Activity Update

Our Call
The U.S. rig count has started creeping higher since the April trough despite headwinds from lower gas activity. Overall, the rig count has advanced 27 rigs from the early April trough (1,738) and is basically unchanged year-to-date at 1,765 rigs with oil rigs up 79 (6.0%) and gas rigs down 77 (17.9%). We expect rig count growth to improve throughout 2H13 and 2014 driven by rising oil drilling near term and higher gas activity in late 2013/2014.

• United States Rig Count: The United States total rig count stands at 1,765 rigs, down from 1,771 last week and has declined 11% year-over-year (1,984 rigs). The decline is largely attributed to the drop in gas rigs which were 588 a year ago while oil rigs were 1,386; currently, there are 1,406 oil rigs (+1.6%) and a mere 354 gas rigs, down 39.8% from a year ago.

• Oil Rigs on the Rise: Oil rigs currently make up 79.6% of the United States total rig count (latest data June 7th from Baker Hughes) versus 71.2% a year ago. The up-tick stems from operators continuing to seek out oily basins as oil prices offer a more compelling return versus natural gas resource plays. Oil rigs averaged 1,407 for the month of May, up 2.4% from an average of 1,374 in April 2013, which were almost the same as last year's May average of 1,373.

• Gas Rigs Bottoming and Stagnant: The gas rig count in the United States appears to be bottoming as gas rigs have stood around 354 for the past four weeks. Gas rigs have declined significantly from a year ago averaging 600 for May last year and now currently stand at 353, down over 40% on the year. Month-over-month gas rigs have dropped 5.9% from the 374 average in April. The improving natural gas backdrop will likely lead to rising gas drilling in 2H13 and 2014.

• International Rigs Slowly Rising: The international rig count for May totaled 1,283 rigs, down 1.4% or 25 rigs sequentially, and up marginally (0.4%) year-over-year to 1,203 from 1,198 excluding Iraq (80 rigs) in May 2013 and Syria (27 rigs) in May 2012. All regions declined sequentially excluding the Middle East which grew 2.3% led by an 8 rig increase in Iraq. Sequentially rigs in Latin America (-1.2%), Europe (-8.8%), Africa (-0.8%), Asia Pacific (-3.1%) all experienced a pullback in activity. Year-over-year Europe improved 5.1% to 124 rigs, Asia pacific remained flat at 249 rigs, and Africa grew 49.4% to 124 rigs from 83 last May. Latin America dropped 7.2% on the year to 424 rigs and the Middle East declined 3.1% to 282 rigs, excluding Iraq (80 rigs in May 2013) and Syria (27 rigs in May 2012).

• Favorite Names: Our favorite large cap stock in Oilfield Services is Halliburton (HAL – $43.01 – Buy PT $45); Superior Energy (SPN – $27.27 – Buy PT $34) and TETRA Technologies (TTI – $10.98 – Buy PT $12) are our preferred mid-cap and small-cap names, respectively. All three companies stand to benefit from the likely rise in the U.S. land rig count in 2H13 and 2014 and the associated completions work. Also, these three companies have exposure to the growing deepwater and international markets.
 

Ohio-based IGS Energy plans to build the first compressed natural gas filling station in the Youngstown area.

Work is slated to begin by Dec. 31.

Utah-based Savage Services is taking over rail operations at the Ohio Commerce Park at Lordstown.

The company intends to move bulk materials by rail to drillers in the Utica shale. Later oil could be hauled away by the rail line.

From the Associated Press:

The University of Tennessee is officially seeking bidders who want to drill natural gas wells on land it owns on the Cumberland Plateau.

From the Associated Press:

Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. dropped by six this week to 1,765.

According to The Hannah Report, one township in Carroll County is the Ohio epicenter of Utica drilling.

Rick Simmers, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management, identifed Loudon Township.

From the Associated Press:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General plans to investigate what actions are being taken to reduce methane leaks from natural gas pipelines.

A Colorado doctor has tested some residents for exposure to drilling chemicals.

Dr. John Hughes of the Aspen Integrative Medicine tested 10 residents of carbondale where only a few wells have been drilled.

A New York City theater is staging a musical that focuses on fracking and Dostoyevsky.

Paul Zimet's "Marcellus Shale" is being held at the La MaMa Theater in the East Village. That is, as they say, off Broadway.

From the Associated Press:

A bill clearing the way for oil and gas drilling in North Carolina passed the state House Friday, despite calls from Democratic lawmakers to slow down permitting.

Energy companies are taking advantage of Amish religious beliefs in the Utica and Marcellus shale regions of Ohio, reports Molly Redden at the New Republic.

Redden: "The Amish interpretation of the Christian bible prohibits the use of the courts: Except in rare circumstances, the Amish do not sue. This has created a unique problem in the region.

From the Associated Press:

By JULIE CARR SMYTH

From Bloomberg News:

Chris and Stephanie Hallowich were sure drilling for natural gas near their Pennsylvania home was to blame for the headaches, burning eyes and sore throats they suffered after the work began.

From GreenHunter Resources:

From Oklahoma-based Devon Energy on Thursday:

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 6, 2013-- Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) announced today that its board of directors has approved a plan to form a publicly traded midstream master limited partnership (MLP). The MLP is expected to initially own a minority interest in Devon’s U.S. midstream business. This business includes natural gas gathering and processing assets located in Texas , Oklahoma, and Wyoming .

From the American Petroleum Institute:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2013 – Erik Milito, API director of upstream and industry operations, acknowledged the BLM’s 60 day extension for comments related to the proposed hydraulic fracturing rule released in May and said that many questions remain unanswered:

“Industry will need the time to effectively review and comment on all of the existing various state and federal agency regulatory activities that overlap with much of what BLM is proposing. States have led the way in regulating hydraulic fracturing operations while protecting communities and the environment for decades.

“Many questions still remain as this new rule has the potential to significantly slow domestic energy production, as well as damage national, state, and local economies. An additional layer of regulation must be carefully scrutinized and the last thing we need are rules that create confusion in the regulatory process.”
 

From the Associated Press:

Colorado officials are reviewing a Utah company's proposal for an 800-acre oil and gas waste disposal facility southeast of De Beque.

From the Associated Press:

 In Colorado, the Boulder City Council members have unanimously approved a one-year fracking moratorium.

From the Associated Press:

A bill clearing the way for oil and gas drilling in North Carolina is headed to the state House floor after clearing an environmental committee Thursday.

From the Associated Press:

Companies that drill for oil and natural gas — and their critics — will have 60 more days to comment on a new rule regulating hydraulic fracturing operations on public lands.

From the Associated Press:

Federal investigators are releasing more than 1,400 pages of documents about a natural gas pipeline explosion in Sissonville, but they won't provide any analysis or identify the probable cause of the near-disaster last December.

From Bloomberg News:

By Tara Patel

From the Associated Press:

COLUMBUS: Gov. John Kasich is working to line up support in Ohio’s drilling heartland for his proposed tax increase on oil and gas drillers by offering to send a quarter of proceeds back to Appalachia.

Mike Ludwig of Truthout asks if Ohio will become a radioactive dumping ground for drilling wastes.

Click  here  to read the full story.

From Food & Water Watch:

Columbus, OH – “Today’s news that yet another company allegedly dumped oil and gas waste directly into a private pond should raise a red flag for legislators considering an amendment to the budget bill regulating the disposal of radioactive waste from fracking. The proposed amendment would allow the industry to self-police, monitoring wastes on-site for radioactivity. What’s more is that according to radiation experts, the monitoring likely to be implemented will be inadequate to accurately determine the concentration of radioactivity in oilfield wastes.

The Business Journal in Youngstown reports that Cheaspeake Energy Corp. has sold nearly 1,100 leases in Ohio's Columbiana County to Hilcorp Energy Co.

The transfers in six townships were filed last February with the county recorder's office.

A proposal by the U.S. Forest Service to ban hydraulic fracturing or fracking in a Virginia national forest has triggered new debate.

The ban would affect the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.

From the Associated Press:

Physicist Ernest Moniz won unanimous Senate confirmation to be the nation's new energy secretary.

A press release from the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program:

Ohioans seeking training and employment opportunities in Ohio’s natural gas and crude oil industry now have a trusted source when seeking industry approved education and training programs.

A rail yard in Trumbull County could become a major shipping point for oil and liquids from Ohio's Utica shale.

Local and state officials have been working with consultant Jonathan Gemmen of Austin Consulting in Cleveland on revitalizing the old rail yard in Lordstown.

Texas-based EV Energy Partenrs is intent on selling its Utica shale acreage in Ohio, although no deals have yet come together.

The investor site Seeking Alpha looks at the company and its plans.

The number of drilling rigs working in Ohio's Utica shale has taken a big jump.

It has grown from 30 to 37 rigs, as of June 1, reports the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

From the Youngstown Vindicator:

A quote about Ohio's Utica shale:

From MarkWest Energy Partners:

From the Ohio Department of Natural Resources:

COLUMBUS, OH – Today, in response to an order from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Harch Environmental Resources has ceased operations in the state after evidence was found that the company was illegally disposing of oil field waste in Ohio. Gulfport Energy Corporation contracted with Harch Environmental to dispose of the oil field waste that was illegally dumped, indicating that Gulfport Energy Corporation failed to meet its responsibility to monitor oil field waste from inception to injection. ODNR is consulting with the Ohio Attorney General’s office regarding any civil or criminal penalties both against Harch Environmental and Gulfport Energy. 

The use of toxic chemicals and the volume of water needed in hydraulic fracturing or fracking gets the most headlines.

Yet the most troubling issue may the radioactive waste that comes from the wells and what happens to it, according to some critics.

A group of business leaders and politicans is marketing Northeast Ohio for new drilling infrastructure.

The group, known as Mahoning Valley Midstream, even has a site in mind for an ethane cracker.

Utica Resources Inc. has drilled in its Utica shale well in Pennsylvania's Erie County.

The well must still be fracked or hydraulically fractured.

The buzz over Ohio's Utica shale continues, despite new reports that indicate that oil prodiction will not be as lucrative as energy companies had hoped.

The Utica shale is producing natural gas and natural gas liquids.

The Utica shale has been hampered by delays in constructing pipelines and processing plants.

But the development of the Utica shale will soon speed up, says the Motley Fool blog.

From the Pennsylvania Departemtn of Environmental Protection:

DEP Fines PVR Marcellus Gas Gathering LLC $150,000 for Illegal Discharges During Lycoming County Pipeline Construction

From the Associated Press:

A dairy farmer who wants to profit from the natural gas is asking the New York state's highest court to hear an appeal of lower court rulings that upheld local drilling bans.

From the Associated Press:

More than 500 people packed a public hearing at Lycoming College to voice their opposition to drilling in Loyalsock State Forest.

From the U.S. Geological Survey:

 ECOS is the national, nonprofit association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders. Its conference will provide a forum for state and federal government officials, business and industry, environmental groups, and others to build bridges and learn from one another.

 Panels will cover: the appropriate balance among environmental protection, energy security, and economic gain; state regulatory approaches; the methane challenge; water quality; and best practices.

A public meeting on the proposed Nexus pipeline that would cross northern Ohio is scheduled for June 11 in Medina County.

The session, organized by Concerned Citizens Medina County, will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at Unity of Medina @ Williams on the Lake, 787 Lafayette Road, Medina.

As shale hydrocarbons development surges, redrawing the U.S. energy map, so has construction of pipelines and processing infrastructure, says EnergyWire.

Most of the cash that is financing the enormous capital projects comes from tax-favored investments called master limited partnerships.

From the Associated Press:

By KEVIN BEGOS

From the Associated Press:

Attempts to place a moratorium on fracking failed as the Legislature hit its first bill-passing deadline.

From the Associated Press:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois came a giant step closer to approving the nation's strictest regulations for oil and gas drilling.

Here are some interesting Utica shale tidbits from last month’s teleconferences with major energy companies:

1. Gulfport Energy is testing different fracking sands at two of its adjoining wells.