People, Media, Companies – Quick update

Marcellus related media items have made for good discussion as I visited with townships and counties in the region over the last several weeks. It wasn’t so much the quantity that was different but the sources.

I am a graduate of Cornell University, much to my mother’s relief and surprise, and was glad to see a brief overview of the opposing research that exists relative to the environmental impact of fracing and other sources of energy. After offering many comments on this topic in online discussions, I get a headache whenever I hear or read “peer reviewed”. So here is a nice item in The Cornell Daily Sun by Bob Hackett entitled Two Cents: To Frack or Not to Frack. It brings some powerful research folks together for Q&A, so you can consider both sides.

Last month the National Review stopped by TerrAqua Resource Management’s facility in Williamsport for a tour and chat. Author Kevin D. Williamson was on an extended tour of Marcellus operations and wanted some insight on water recycling. Kevin’s article entitled The Truth about Facking offers some good points while pushing a couple of hot buttons. I read the National Review, well actually I read my father-in-law’s National Review. I found his treatment of the industry to be fair and I liked how he described my views. Simple and clear. I have gotten some interesting and useful phone calls and emails from across the nation as a result.

Rolling Stone magazine did not stop by TerrAqua Resource Management, but I probably would have helped them out if they had called. I found this article to be a bit hurtful. There are ways to make the point without using the terms “bubble” and “ponzi scheme”. I have an acquaintance in NYS who believes this industry will fall on its face. We have to adjust for sure, but I would rank the probability of failure as low. In any event, this is worth a read. You’ll get a quick lesson in how some people seem to hate, that term may be mild, what is going on with shale gas. It is hard to be open to truth, if you hate so much. I read Rolling Stone and have my own subscription. Now how is that for being open to truth? Rolling Stone and National Review in the same household! Here is a link to Jeff Goodell’s article entitled The Big Fracking Bubble: The Scam Behind the Gas Boom. I never made a dime as a journalist. But I did learn not to tell your story in the headline. Fewer people bother to read.

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Quick update–

MIT has released results of a study, co-authored by Sergey Paltsev, which follows up on the work at Cornell University relative to methane emissions from shale development. This would indicate that well completions in Hayneville and Barnett seem to have less impact than some at Cornell thought.

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/NaturalGas/6846479

Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Andy Maykuth has been following shale development for years. In his November 26, 2012 article entitled Natural Gas Producers Turn To “Green Completions”, he explains a new technique that would reduce methane and CO2 emissions further. He highlights EQT Corporation’s process that captures methane instead of flaring.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-11-26/business/35348948_1_natural-gas-shale-gas-marcellus-shale

Comment by Marty Muggleton on December 3, 2012 at 12:59 pm

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