"One morning the salamanders in their pond, where the water was 'pristine' according to tests done prior to drilling, began to die...."
The following article by Cheryl Clarke appeared in the Sun Chronicle on July 2, 2011:
A Charleston Township family's experience with natural gas drilling has become the latest story of contaminated well water associated with nearby drilling, in the ongoing Marcellus Shale saga, according to family member Jeremiah Gee. Gee and his parents, Denise and Jerry, live next door to land that has been leased to Shell Appalachia for drilling, and last winter, a gas drilling site appeared about 100 yards from a pond on their property. It now is known as the "Vandegrift 290" well site.
Gee, a doctorate candidate at Penn State University, said shortly thereafter the family noticed a change in its well water. "We noticed that early on our faucets were sputtering, and the water was milky looking," Gee said. The reason it looked like milk, he said, is "because there were a billion tiny gas bubbles in it, and if you set it on the counter, it clears up." The gas bubbles also can be heard and seen in the Gee's water well, he said. "If you open the casing you can see the gas bubbling in the well," he added. Though there are no other contaminates in the well water-yet "we are not drinking the well water at this time," Gee said. "If you took a match out and dropped it in the well casing right now you would get a boom."
Gee said six natural gas wells have been drilled from the one pad, and "we noticed this after the completion activities began. They call the whole process of completion activities a cycle," he said he was told by Shell officials. "They go to the end of a horizontal hole, perforate it, frack it, plug it and then move back and repeat the process a dozen or more times so," he added. Shell had just started perforating two of the bores when the Gees noticed a difference in their water. "Gas started bubbling in the 'cellars,' a deep culvert put around each well head to prevent gravel from collapsing the hole," Gee said. "It is not supposed to do that; the gas is supposed to be in the casing," he added.
DEP informed
Gee said Shell did not stop operations on the wells until the fact that his family could light their tapwater on fire was brought to the attention of the state Department of Environmental Protection. Shell began taking steps to "mitigate" the problem last week. Gee said the family has spoken to everyone involved with Shell from "the average Joe on up to the operations manager," with less than satisfactory results.
To read the remainder of the article in its entirety, please click HERE.
Showing posts with label Shell Oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shell Oil. Show all posts
Monday, July 4, 2011
Monday, June 7, 2010
Crude awaking? A call for real change.
A gas pipeline in rural TX exploded in spectacular fashion today, killing at least 3 and severely burning and injuring numerous others. Click HERE for story. So why am I posting a Texas explosion on a blog devoted to natural gas drilling in PA? Because PA has had their share of explosions already --see the post from this past weekend and previous posts on Dimock.
And yes, this is a blog on natural gas but the fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico has huge repercussions for the gas industry. Now that there is at least a temporary moratorium on new offshore drilling permits, guess where the oil companies have set their sights? On natural gas. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how the Gulf oil spill would effect what's going on in our backyards. Would the "D" word become anathema and things slow down until the newscasts were no longer dominated by the Gulf story? Or would people finally get the message, realize the full breadth of what ONE accident could do to our world and decide to transition over to renewable energy sources? Granted, Exxon had already purchased XTO last year. But last week Shell Oil announced it was buying East Resources. I've heard financial wizards placing their bets on natural gas as the next big ticket for investors. And today I read how oil companies and their subsidiaries are making campaign donations in record numbers. Was I idealistic? I guess I was. No one could have foreseen the nightmare now playing out before our eyes on the evening news. But now that it has, the Powers-That-Be still don't get it.
Admittedly and thankfully, spills and explosions aren't the norm but guess what?
It only takes ONE.
The Gulf oil spill is going to get a lot worse before it ever gets any better. All it takes is ONE accident and in this case, the ocean, marshes, beaches, wildlife, entire ecosystems and foodchains, and the livelihoods of a large portion of Louisiana's residents are irreparably damaged or changed. But wait, it gets better. Just this ONE accident and this catastrophe has already started to play itself out in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and who knows how far up the east coast.
So am I missing something? If the pictures of birds choking in oily goop; the images of dead dolphins washed up on shores; the hundreds of thousands of people who will no longer enjoy their livelihoods or life as they knew it--if all of this is not enough to cause a change--then what is?
We have the brightest minds in the world. We can put a man on the moon, but we can't figure out how to transition to renewable energy? I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that. Renewable sources like wind and solar power don't pollute wells; they don't explode; they don't kill people; they don't pollute entire oceans. In fact, they don't pollute at all. You want REAL clean energy? We have endless supplies of it and it's just waiting to be harnessed.
We once led the entire world with an Industrial Revolution; why can't we do the same with a Green Revolution? The Industrial Revolution helped make this country the superpower it once was, but I fear no longer is. We have the opportunity to effect real, meaningful change here. It would take an enormous amount of effort, ingenuity, and inspiration. It would not come without great difficulties as not only energy sources but entire workforces are transitioned. We can do this. Didn't someone once say, "Yes We Can?"
And yes, this is a blog on natural gas but the fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico has huge repercussions for the gas industry. Now that there is at least a temporary moratorium on new offshore drilling permits, guess where the oil companies have set their sights? On natural gas. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how the Gulf oil spill would effect what's going on in our backyards. Would the "D" word become anathema and things slow down until the newscasts were no longer dominated by the Gulf story? Or would people finally get the message, realize the full breadth of what ONE accident could do to our world and decide to transition over to renewable energy sources? Granted, Exxon had already purchased XTO last year. But last week Shell Oil announced it was buying East Resources. I've heard financial wizards placing their bets on natural gas as the next big ticket for investors. And today I read how oil companies and their subsidiaries are making campaign donations in record numbers. Was I idealistic? I guess I was. No one could have foreseen the nightmare now playing out before our eyes on the evening news. But now that it has, the Powers-That-Be still don't get it.
Admittedly and thankfully, spills and explosions aren't the norm but guess what?
It only takes ONE.
The Gulf oil spill is going to get a lot worse before it ever gets any better. All it takes is ONE accident and in this case, the ocean, marshes, beaches, wildlife, entire ecosystems and foodchains, and the livelihoods of a large portion of Louisiana's residents are irreparably damaged or changed. But wait, it gets better. Just this ONE accident and this catastrophe has already started to play itself out in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and who knows how far up the east coast.
So am I missing something? If the pictures of birds choking in oily goop; the images of dead dolphins washed up on shores; the hundreds of thousands of people who will no longer enjoy their livelihoods or life as they knew it--if all of this is not enough to cause a change--then what is?
We have the brightest minds in the world. We can put a man on the moon, but we can't figure out how to transition to renewable energy? I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that. Renewable sources like wind and solar power don't pollute wells; they don't explode; they don't kill people; they don't pollute entire oceans. In fact, they don't pollute at all. You want REAL clean energy? We have endless supplies of it and it's just waiting to be harnessed.
We once led the entire world with an Industrial Revolution; why can't we do the same with a Green Revolution? The Industrial Revolution helped make this country the superpower it once was, but I fear no longer is. We have the opportunity to effect real, meaningful change here. It would take an enormous amount of effort, ingenuity, and inspiration. It would not come without great difficulties as not only energy sources but entire workforces are transitioned. We can do this. Didn't someone once say, "Yes We Can?"
Monday, May 31, 2010
Oil giant Shell acquires company with Northern tier gas leases
BY DAVID FALCHEK (STAFF WRITER)
Published: May 29, 2010
Royal Dutch Shell PLC is the latest petroleum giant to acquire a company with substantial holdings in the Marcellus Shale, buying the Warrendale, Pa.-based East Resources Inc. for $4.7 billion.
A small company, but one of the biggest players in the Marcellus region, East Resources has control over 1.25 million acres from West Virginia to New York. Most of its holdings are in Pennsylvania, including large tracts in Tioga and Bradford counties.
The entree of global giants could alter the pace and character of the development of the Marcellus Shale in the state. At the same time, some observers say having larger companies involved could offer a layer of security for property owners who leased mineral rights to a smaller company that have since become acquired by multibillion-dollar companies.
ExxonMobil, with annual revenues in excess of $300 billion, is putting the final touches on its $31 billion acquisition of XTO Energy, another independent oil and gas producer. As recently as 2008, global petroleum giants showed little interest in unconventional sources of natural gas such as shale.
"The scale of this has surprised Big Oil," said Kenny DuBose of www.MineralWeb.com, an online resource for mineral rights owners.
Mineral leases convey to the acquiring company, so a corporate takeover should be seamless to the property owner, said Steven Saunders, a Scranton-based environmental and oil and gas attorney. Most agree the only visible difference may be the source of the royalty checks.
New York-based Hess Corp., which has more than $30 billion in annual revenue, has partnered with Newfield Exploration Co. to invest about $100 million so far on roughly 126,000 acres of leaseholds in north- ern Wayne County.
Acquisitions, buyouts and other types of partnerships are not unusual in the energy development industry, analysts said.
"Leases are traded all the time, and the only thing that should change is the source of your check," said landowner consultant Earle Robbins of R & R Energy Consulting. "A good lease will require that the company notifies you when that happens."
A large corporation has greater resources to honor lease obligations, particularly if something goes wrong. They also have greater ability to drill and start paying royalty checks.
"With a small company you worry if they can indemnify you, but that's less of a concern with a behemoth corporation," Mr. Saunders said. "You don't want things going the other way, where your lease ends up with a guy working at the 7-11 and drilling on nights and weekends."
The initial leasing and development of Marcellus Shale has been pioneered by smaller companies specializing in unconventional sources of natural gas. Increasingly, these companies have found themselves needing financing.
Having laid out so much money in leasing, exploration and initial drilling, they still have little opportunity to sell gas without pipeline systems. Many have had to turn to outside investors for the funds needed to develop wells before the expiration of the first wave of leases.
Last year, East Resources turned to a private-equity firm for $350 million.
Mr. Robbins said one subtle change may be the way the new company interacts with landowners.
"East has been a good company to work with and they are responsive," said Mr. Robbins, who has a lease with East Resources. "One thing that may change is the relationship and how a bigger company will handle things."
In Tioga County, the number of companies with leases consolidated from 25 to 30 to about five or six as companies swapped and traded leases, Mr. Robbins said. He expects continued consolidation and petroleum giants in the Marcellus region which will hasten drilling and development.
In 2007, East Resources was one of the first companies to up the ante on lease prices, offering $80 and $100 per acre lease at a time when most were accustomed to $2 to $5 an acre, Mr. Robbins said. Recent leases have been signed for $5,700 per acre.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com
Published: TheTimesTribune.com
http://tinyurl.com/32pmhc7
Published: May 29, 2010
Royal Dutch Shell PLC is the latest petroleum giant to acquire a company with substantial holdings in the Marcellus Shale, buying the Warrendale, Pa.-based East Resources Inc. for $4.7 billion.
A small company, but one of the biggest players in the Marcellus region, East Resources has control over 1.25 million acres from West Virginia to New York. Most of its holdings are in Pennsylvania, including large tracts in Tioga and Bradford counties.
The entree of global giants could alter the pace and character of the development of the Marcellus Shale in the state. At the same time, some observers say having larger companies involved could offer a layer of security for property owners who leased mineral rights to a smaller company that have since become acquired by multibillion-dollar companies.
ExxonMobil, with annual revenues in excess of $300 billion, is putting the final touches on its $31 billion acquisition of XTO Energy, another independent oil and gas producer. As recently as 2008, global petroleum giants showed little interest in unconventional sources of natural gas such as shale.
"The scale of this has surprised Big Oil," said Kenny DuBose of www.MineralWeb.com, an online resource for mineral rights owners.
Mineral leases convey to the acquiring company, so a corporate takeover should be seamless to the property owner, said Steven Saunders, a Scranton-based environmental and oil and gas attorney. Most agree the only visible difference may be the source of the royalty checks.
New York-based Hess Corp., which has more than $30 billion in annual revenue, has partnered with Newfield Exploration Co. to invest about $100 million so far on roughly 126,000 acres of leaseholds in north- ern Wayne County.
Acquisitions, buyouts and other types of partnerships are not unusual in the energy development industry, analysts said.
"Leases are traded all the time, and the only thing that should change is the source of your check," said landowner consultant Earle Robbins of R & R Energy Consulting. "A good lease will require that the company notifies you when that happens."
A large corporation has greater resources to honor lease obligations, particularly if something goes wrong. They also have greater ability to drill and start paying royalty checks.
"With a small company you worry if they can indemnify you, but that's less of a concern with a behemoth corporation," Mr. Saunders said. "You don't want things going the other way, where your lease ends up with a guy working at the 7-11 and drilling on nights and weekends."
The initial leasing and development of Marcellus Shale has been pioneered by smaller companies specializing in unconventional sources of natural gas. Increasingly, these companies have found themselves needing financing.
Having laid out so much money in leasing, exploration and initial drilling, they still have little opportunity to sell gas without pipeline systems. Many have had to turn to outside investors for the funds needed to develop wells before the expiration of the first wave of leases.
Last year, East Resources turned to a private-equity firm for $350 million.
Mr. Robbins said one subtle change may be the way the new company interacts with landowners.
"East has been a good company to work with and they are responsive," said Mr. Robbins, who has a lease with East Resources. "One thing that may change is the relationship and how a bigger company will handle things."
In Tioga County, the number of companies with leases consolidated from 25 to 30 to about five or six as companies swapped and traded leases, Mr. Robbins said. He expects continued consolidation and petroleum giants in the Marcellus region which will hasten drilling and development.
In 2007, East Resources was one of the first companies to up the ante on lease prices, offering $80 and $100 per acre lease at a time when most were accustomed to $2 to $5 an acre, Mr. Robbins said. Recent leases have been signed for $5,700 per acre.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com
Published: TheTimesTribune.com
http://tinyurl.com/32pmhc7
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)