The Daily Digger

From the Akron Beacon Journal: It took 11 months to build a cryogenic natural gas-processing plant in southern Columbiana County. But the natural gas from Ohio’s nearby Utica shale wells zips through the sprawling state-of-the-art complex in perhaps five minutes. Welcome to Utica East Ohio Buckeye Midstream’s Kensington complex off state Route 644. Once a hilltop farm, the 60-acre complex is a maze of oversized pipes, valves, tanks and meters. It is an engineer’s wonderland. It is full of hustle and bustle, hundreds of workers, heavy construction equipment and, in places, ankle-deep mud where construction continues. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Nally said after touring the facility: “I learned scale.” Read the rest of the story here. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter! Follow @EnergyNewsBlog

Last week we linked to an article written by Richard Levick for Forbes which said that the recent bans of fracking by communities showed that activists were winning the PR battle over the industry through more skillful use of the internet and social media. Tom Wilber has a thoughtful post about that article's premise on his Shale Gas Review blog.  Here is a portion: I found Levick’s points relevant enough to merit posting on my  own Facebook Page , with this comment: “PR & the fracking war. Big Oil & Gas $ versus anti-fracking organization. Media expert Richard Levick explains natgas industry’s failure in Forbes.” A reader, perhaps interpreting my post as an endorsement of Levick’s industry coaching, responded that the article was misguided, as the anti-fracking battle transcends a PR contest. She left this query. “He thinks it just comes down to a pr battle. What do you think?” Fair question, and one that – given it was posted on facebook and I am now responding...

From POLITICO: Now, “energy independence” is back in vogue, not as a joke but as a serious topic of political discussion. It’s not likely that the United States will actually become energy independent in the foreseeable future, but it will certainly become energy a-lot-less-dependent.  The surge in production and the fall in imports would in themselves call for recasting the political discourse. But the economic impact of this revolution is broader even than those numbers suggest. A recent  study  by IHS, the energy consulting firm where I work, estimates that 2.1 million jobs were supported by this energy boom in 2012, and we project that to rise to 3.3 million jobs by 2020. It meant an additional $74 billion in federal and state revenues in 2012, and, owing to lower energy costs, an increase of $1,200 in average household disposable income across the United States. With U.S. natural gas prices a third of those in Europe, it is also making the United States a much...

From Seeking Alpha: After a run-up that lasted 12 months and was primarily fueled by speculation and hype associated with its Utica properties,  Gulfport Energy ( GPOR )  is prohibitively expensive. There is so much air and hype priced currently into Gulfport Energy that it reminds me of Halcon Resources ( HK ) at $9. Gulfport has been banking on the Utica's oil hype since late 2012. That hype was strengthened by the company's press releases that were touting its 24 hour IP results which are media's darlings. After all, Gulfport's tremendous price appreciation is highly disconnected from its fundamentals. This is why, when the stock was at $67.5, I noted in my article in early October 2013 that Gulfport was primed for a sell-off. The stock has dropped 16% since then and closed at $56.35 Monday. My bearish  article is here . In late October 2013, when Gulfport's stock was at $61.5, I also noted in another bearish article that Gulfport has already hit a turning...

From The Marietta Times: Washington State Community College will begin two new programs next year, and may also see an increase in state funding. During the college board of trustees meeting Monday in the main building on campus, the board unanimously approved the purchase of equipment for a welding program, heard the description of a more integrated transfer program with Ohio University and received an update on the new state funding model for community colleges. The college will spend $93,306 along with a $50,000 grant from the Bernard McDonough Foundation and $89,300 from the Governor's Office of Appalachia to build and equip an eight-station welding laboratory where the ag lab is now located. Read the whole story by clicking here. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter! Follow @EnergyNewsBlog

From Energy in Depth: A national poll released today by  Robert Morris University  shows strong support for hydraulic fracturing and the responsible development of oil and natural gas from shale. This comes just one month after a poll from the  University of Texas  showed overwhelming (more than 80 percent) support for natural gas development. Respondents in the RMU poll were given a presentation on the fracturing process from the perspective of both environmental groups and the energy industry.  The results speak for themselves: 56.4 percent  support hydraulic fracturing 43.6 percent  oppose the process What does the poll portend?  Read the entire article to find out more.  Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter! Follow @EnergyNewsBlog

From TheHill: The House on Tuesday set up debate and votes on two bills that Republicans say will help encourage energy development and create jobs. Members voted 222-196 in favor of a single rule that covers both bills. One is H.R. 1965, the Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act, which would set shorter deadlines for approving drilling permits on federal land. The House was originally planning to pass this bill today, but House Republicans said in the early afternoon that a final vote would come Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the GOP said the vote would be delayed due to "a significant amount of committee activity this afternoon and evening." You can read that whole article by clicking here. Here is how EcoWatch reported the story: Now that House Republicans have moved beyond closing national parks , stalling environmental safeguards and canceling research in places like Antarctica with the government shutdown, they’re scheduled to pass three wildly misguided ene...