In researching this subject, I discovered a January 16, 2011 article featured in OilOnLine which provides an interesting alternative to conventional fracking techniques.  Virginia based PDN Mountaineer, LLC announded that they have partnered with Utah based Purestream Technology in incorporating their Trilogy system to treat and purify wastewater from their Marcellus operations.  Purestream claims to be able to alleviate the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing by…

Almost without exception, today’s shale wells are stimulated using water-based fracturing fluids (slickwater).  This technique is popular due to its ability to transport proppant effectively at a relatively inexpensive cost.  However, it is a magnet for criticism from environmentalists, who are concerned about the incredible volume of water needed as well as the resulting contaminated wastewater which must be treated and disposed of properly.   Water use is often cited as one of the…

As early as 2011, Range Resources CEO John Pinkerton was already being quoted trying to control his enthusiasm for what he calls a “triple play” in Ohio. Mr.…

In May of 2011, I read the first article about some shale gas being more valuable due to its specific mineralogy. Most LNG’s are sent to a cracker plant to be processed into ethane and used for the vast myriad of plastic products that our society seem unable to do without. There has been much competition and speculation for several years now regarding building just such a facility here in Appalachia.

However, some apparently think the mineral content and DNA of our LNG’s may be…

The Trenton Limestone:



The Trenton Limestone and accompanying Black River rocks are important in that they serve as the source for much or all hydrocarbon formation in the Appalachian basin. Generally speaking, the Trenton Limestone serves as a cap rock for the underlying Black River source rocks. Because it is not as thick here in Ohio, it has allowed hydrocarbons formed by the Black River group to migrate naturally into the Utica/Pt. Pleasant. To the East, in West Virginia…

Drillers like Ohio for more than just geological reasons. Ohio is ideally located to take advantage of development and commercial networks in both the Midwest and on a national scale. Ohio is within 600 miles of 60% of the US population and more than half of the Canadian population. It has considerable existing infrastructure and one of the most favorable tax/business climates in America. Ohio has zero tax on inventory or corporate income, no tax on investments for inventory or equipment, no…

CEO Frank Tsuru of Houston-based M3Midstream is investing over $1B across Eastern Ohio in a rush to get into the Utica ballgame. His enthusiasm is generated by the incredible profit …

On November 4, 2011, Chesapeake announced a joint venture agreement whereby they agreed to sell part of its holdings in the Utica Shale for $2.3 B.  The announcement claimed that CHK would get $649 M from an undisclosed buyer in exchange for a 25% interest in 650,000 acres in Ohio's wet gas and volatile oil window.  It's partner, Enervest, would receive $90 M in cash.  Further, the buyer, now disclosed as France's TOTAL SA, agreed to pony up $1.5 B toward Chesapeake's drilling…

Chesapeake released some quite interesting news during their first quarter 2012 conference call.  Apparently they discovered, entirely by accident, another factor impacting production numbers on their OH Utica completions.  When the Buell Well was drilled in Harrison County, a minor problem prohibited them from immediately completing it.  The unintended resting period allowed much of the water and frack fluid to dissipate prior to completion.  Their Carroll County wells, drilled…

Houston and the rest of the U.S. Gulf Coast have more crude oil than the region can handle.

Stockpiles in the region centered on Houston and stretching to New Mexico in the west and Alabama in the east rose to 202 million barrels in the week ended April 4, the most on record, Energy…

The Point Pleasant formation has been described as marking the end of Middle Ordovician time.  The Ordovician Period is characterized as the greatest submergence of the North American plate because shallow seas covered such an extensive area, including all of Ohio.  In this environment, the Acadian mountain-building event occurred whereby sediments high in kerogen were shed from the highlands into a somewhat enclosed basin,…

Ever since billionaire Carl Icahn bought in last year, speculation has been that he would eventually force a sell-off of Chesapeake.  He has already forced a number of divestitures including the recent sell of their pipeline, processing and mid-stream divisions.  He is almost single-handedly credited with forcing the reluctant resignation of Aubrey McClendon and has a track record of controlling the company's leadership and…

Admittedly the Utica has come with great hype and promise. Upon the release of Ohio’s 2012 production figures, many pundits were disappointed.  Seems many are convinced that it has not lived up to its billing.  They apparently had hopes for a huge oil bonanza here and were quite disappointed at the purported oil/gas ratios.  But is there really enough data to definitively form opinions, and is the data being interpreted correctly?  Let the debate…

Joe Drake (Abrahm  Lustgarten  for Propublica)

This story was co-published  with The Daily Beast.

At the end of 2011, Chesapeake  Energy, one of the nation's  biggest oil and gas companies,  was teetering  on the brink of failure.  Its legendary  chief executive  officer, Aubrey  McClendon,  was being pilloried for questionable  deals,  its stock price was getting  hammered  and the company  needed to raise billions of dollars  quickly.

The money could be…