Chestnut Ridge map shows Cheat Lake in lower left corner, Lake O' Woods at lower center

Underground Natural Gas Storage Services Proposed for Summit Gas Field in Fayette Co., PA, Monongalia & Preston Co., WV

From an Article of PRNewswire, Houston, TX, July 31, 2015

Interstate Natural Gas Storage Services – Chestnut Ridge Storage, LLC, owned by affiliates of eCORP International, LLC and financial partners, is conducting a non-binding Open Season for natural gas storage capacity and deliverability that will be offered at the Junction Natural Gas Storage Facility that is currently under development.

The Open Season for the initial 15 BCF of working gas capacity will begin on August 3, 2015 and will end at 5:00 pm CDT September 15^th, 2015. After evaluating open season submissions, Chestnut Ridge will seek to execute definitive precedent storage service agreements with successful bidders.

The proposed facility is to be constructed within the West Summit Field that is located in Fayette County, PA and the counties of Monongalia and Preston in West Virginia.

Junction Storage will be a multi-cycle, high deliverability facility with up to 25 BCF of working gas capacity and 500,000 dth/day of peak injection and withdrawal capabilities.

The project scope includes interconnects with the Columbia Gas Transmission, Dominion Transmission, Equitrans and Texas Eastern pipeline systems near the town of Waynesburg, PA.

Chestnut Ridge will seek authorization to construct the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and will request market-based rate treatment for this new interstate storage facility. The proposed in service date for this facility is the 2^nd Quarter of 2018, with the potential for limited commercial operations in the 4^th quarter of 2017.

The Junction Natural Gas Storage Facility will be strategically located to provide service to the expanding pipeline networks that are being built to transport the Marcellus and Utica natural gas production to the most valuable markets in the United States. Because of the facility’s design it will be unnecessary to impose restrictions that typically limit the use of conventional gas storage in the region.

Junction Storage will provide highly flexible services that can be specifically tailored to each customer’s needs. This flexibility will provide customers with a valuable new “on-demand” asset to help manage strategic and operational gas requirements, including supply, demand and transportation imbalances, basis, and seasonal price spreads. These services can be particularly useful when the requirements are the result of unplanned circumstances.

About eCORP International, LLC – eCORP International, LLC is a Houston, Texas, based privately held energy company, that is engaged in the development of natural gas storage facilities, natural gas pipelines and unconventional resource plays through its subsidiaries and affiliates.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Decker's Creek Rail Trail

ENERGY CORPORATION OF AMERICA

501 56th Street, S.E.,  Charleston, W.Va.

For Immediate Release: April 18, 2014

ECA elects not to pursue “injection well project” in Preston County

This week, Energy Corporation of America (ECA) determined not to pursue an injection well the company has been exploring near Masontown in Preston County.

A number of different factors led to this decision.  It is a complicated and involved process, which took nearly a year to complete.  Throughout this process we considered all of the factors necessary to determine if the project would be practical to pursue.  These factors included well integrity, ease of site access, environmental sensitivities, and many others.  In the end, our exploration simply concluded this well is not a good candidate for conversion to a Class II injection well at this time.

While we had hoped the project would come to fruition, our approach was responsible and produced the most comprehensive decision possible.  We will continue to operate as we have for more than 50 years, focusing on the wellbeing of our employees, safety of the environment, and ongoing commitment to the communities where we operate.         -30-

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WV DEP Issues Cease Operations Orders to Antero at Sites in Harrison & Doddridge Counties

From an Article by Kim Freda, WBOY News 12, Clarksburg, April 18, 2014

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Office of Oil and Gas have issued violation notices to Antero Resources in relation to an April 11 tank rupture at a well pad located in Doddridge County and an April 15 tank rupture at a well pad in Harrison County.

Two storage tanks at the Antero’s Marsden Well Pad in Doddridge County ruptured due to a build up of pressure, said DEP spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater. The first notice of violation was issued for the imminent danger to people on or around the pad and issued a cease operations order that will remain in effect until the order is complied with.

A second notice of violation was issued for pollution, due to an undetermined amount of produced water that spilled onto the well pad during the rupture, said Gillenwater. As a result of the violations, Antero is required to produce information to help determine the cause of the rupture, to sample and analyze soil, and to develop and submit a plan to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. Remediation may be required upon completion of the soil analysis.

Additionally, the DEP issued an imminent danger notice of violation to Antero in connection to an April 15 tank rupture at the Varner-West well pad in Harrison County. The notice of violation also requires Antero to cease operations at the well pad until detailed information related to the cause of the rupture and an accident prevention plan are provided. In this incident, the DEP said no produced water spilled onto nearby soil. Similar to the Marsden well pad incident, the tank rupture occurred due to a build up of pressure inside the tank, said Gillenwater.

No injuries or fires were reported as the result of either incident.

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See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

The lower Cheat River watershed is now challenged by an influx of Marcellus shale natural gas development.  An article and map have been prepared by the Friends of the Cheat (FOC) to illustrate how these sites are concentrated, many on quality streams.  As of early April, there have been over 50 Marcellus related gas permits issued in Preston County.

Also, construction has commenced on a natural gas gathering pipeline running south from the WV/PA line northeast of Bruceton Mills. Superior Appalachian Pipeline Company of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, broke ground for a 16-mile natural gas project on March 1^st.  Superior said the area has had limited ability to transport natural gas, and the new pipeline will make that easier. 

Further, rumors of a commercial solid waste facility to accept the dried byproduct of produced water swirled last summer.  An article in the Morgantown Dominion Post on July 28, 2010 said that the rumors of a new landfill for Marcellus drilling wastes near Bruceton Mills had raised concerns among local citizens. And, on April 29, 2011 this same newspaper reported that a meeting was underway with the WV-DEP in Charleston to discuss such a landfill with an unidentified company.  It was reported that the WV Public Service Commission would not approve a landfill without the approval of the Preston County Solid Waste Authority. 

This region’s oil and gas inspector has over 5,000 wells on his roster and the development of many new wells is just getting started.  FOC works each day to remediate the impacts of pre-regulatory coal mine pollution. Over $50 million has been spent cleaning up these impacts in the Cheat River watershed and some 14 treatment systems have been installed.  The progress that has been made to clean up the Cheat River and Cheat Lake is now at stake.  “Let’s take our time and do it right this time,” said Amanda Pitzer, Executive Director of the Friends of the Cheat.  She said that “We can all wait. The gas will still be 8,000 feet under our beautiful mountain homes in the mean time.”