Frack Check WV » Northeast Energy

Marcellus Shale Drilling Tests Involve WVU Near Morgantown, WV

Duane Nichols — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 08:10:44 +0000

Research on Marcellus shale drilling now underway in Monongalia County

Shale drilling tests to start in West Virginia this week

From an Article by Luke Torrance, Pittsburgh Business Times, December 24, 2018

Testing is set to begin this week in West Virginia as part of an effort to advance hydraulic fracturing techniques that would allow the extraction of natural gas to be done more efficiently.

The drilling tests are being carried out by the Marcellus Shale Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (MSEEL), a research partnership between West Virginia University, Northeast Natural Energy, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

The tests will seek to improve gas recovery from horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, a method in which rock is fractured by pressurized liquid, releasing the natural gas. They will be carried out near Core, W.Va., which is located about 15 miles northwest of Morgantown.

Previous research by WVU and Northeast Natural Energy led to the creation of stimulation zones that offered the best well sites around natural fractures in the shale. These sites were monitored using seismic and fiber optic distributed temperature and acoustic sensing, a method that is too costly to be used on all wells.

“Therefore, aided by advanced numerical modeling developed by WVU, the project team will compare the use and results of new completion/stimulation techniques at the Core site to the large array of relatively cost-prohibitive techniques used in the Morgantown Industrial Park wells,” according to NETL.

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Man dies from injuries sustained in explosion at MarkWest facility in Washington County, PA

From an Article by Luke Torrance, Pittsburgh Business Times, December 20, 2018

A man who was critically injured in an explosion at the MarkWest facility in Washington County, PA, last week has died, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner.

Jeffrey Fisher, 61, of Salem, W.Va., was one of four workers injured last week after an incident near two temporary tanks that were on-site for routine maintenance led to an explosion on December 13th. The men were working at the MarkWest facility in Houston, Pa., which is owned by Marathon Petroleum.

Morgantown Misses Deadline to Appeal Rejection of Fracking Ban by Circuit Court

Duane Nichols — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:48:00 +0000

: City of Morgantown

The City of Morgantown missed the deadline for notifying the WV Supreme Court that it would appeal the overturn of its ban on hydraulic fracturing, reports WTRF.com. The notification period expired on September 11^th some thirty days after the decision by Judge Susan Tucker.

“I think it’s safe to say we overlooked the recent amendment, and I take responsibility for that,” said legal advisor Professor Robert Bastress. The West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure were updated on December 1, 2010, requiring that a Notice of Appeal be filed within 30 days of entry of a judgment.

Morgantown City Council enacted the ban on horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing including a mile around the city in June of 2011. Northeast Energy contested the ban in the Monongalia County Circuit Court. On August 12th Judge Tucker ruled that the regulation of oil and gas activity is the responsibility of State government, not the City. So, a thirty day period would extend to September 11^th.

The company plans to begin hydraulic fracturing on Thursday of this week, September 29th, according to Northeast President Michael John, at the site which is adjacent to the Morgantown Industrial Park. This site is on the west side of the Monongahela River near the Skyview Elementary School and just upstream of the intake for the water supply of the Morgantown Utility Board, which serves the entire region.

Protesting at the Morgantown Industrial Park Underway, Fracking Scheduled for September 22nd

Duane Nichols — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:06:29 +0000

: Pickets March on Morgantown Drill Site

A number of Morgantown area residents associated with the West Virginia for a Moratorium on Marcellus drilling and fracking (WV4MOM) held two separate roadside protests Thursday near a Marcellus shale drilling site just a few miles from downtown Morgantown, according to Radio WAJR.

The group continues to call for a ban on Marcellus shale drilling. Protestor Kathy Cash says Northeast Energy plans to begin hydraulic fracking at the site September 22nd. “We are very deeply concerned about this issue and we are going to be monitoring what’s going on,” she said.

Morgantown City Council originally passed a fracking ban for areas inside and just outside the city limits, but a circuit judge threw out the ordinance saying the state DEP has the authority over drilling sites. Attorney Richard Cohen, who was at Thursday’s protest, said residents haven’t given up the fight. “We will hold them (Northeast Energy) to task. We intend to continue organizing,” he said. “They need to be very careful what they do. Because it’s our community they are going to effect.”

Morgantown resident Roz Becker says allowing fracking is a huge mistake. “I think it’s going to endanger our water supply and our air quality,” she said. “You can visit other communities and see the damage that it’s done.” The pickets were in place from 11 to 2 pm and from 4 to 6 pm. Limited television news coverage took place, by WDTV.

The company has maintained fracking has been taking place for years and is a safe process. It has gained all the required permits. The company says it has worked with several agencies to make sure the drilling project is a success. (However, the use of very high pressures, 10,000 pounds per square inch frequently used in fracking, is of great concern for its potential to result in blowouts that can contaminate ground water and the River as well as air pollution that could affect the local residents and local schools. DGN).