New Permit Issued for Kibler Well in Lordstown
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has issued a second permit to Halcon Resources so it can drill a new horizontal well at its Kibler pad in Lordstown, according to agency data.
ODNR issued the second permit Sept. 24, and is the 10th horizontal permit issued this year in Trumbull County and the 12th overall in the county since 2012.
An earlier well drilled on the Kibler pad is a source of contention between the company and the residents of a nearby mobile home development. Residents who live in Westwood Lake Park have complained of noise, bright lights, and have said they are concerned about their health.
The well is located just across Westwood Lake, and about 530 feet away from the nearest resident.
Residents of the park are worried that the process of hydraulic fracturing -- a method that injects sand, water and chemicals into the well at high pressure to fracture shale rock -- could lead to contamination of water supplies and the environment.
Earlier this year, about 20 of those living at Westwood Lake voiced their opposition before Trumbull County commissioners about the company's practice of "flaring" the well. Flaring is a common method used in the industry that burns off excess gas from a well during its testing phase in order to relieve pressure.
Halcon has said that the practice is standard procedure and usually lasts two weeks. The company also stated that ODNR officials inspected the site this summer and found no problems there.
No new permits awere warded to sites in Mahoning or Columbiana counties during the week.
ODNR issued 13 new permits last week, including the new Kibler well.
Chesapeake Exploration LLC, the largest leaseholder by acreage in eastern Ohio's Utica shale, secured six new permits, one in Carroll County, another in Harrison County, and four in Guernsey County, according to ODNR.
Triad Hunter LLC was awarded three new permits in Monroe County, while Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC secure two permits to drill in Muskingum and Noble counties. Also, EQT Production Co. received a single permit to drill a horizontal well in Guernsey County.
In western Pennsylvania, a new horizontal permit was issued to Hilcorp Energy Co. for a well in Mercer County at the Radowski farm in Shenango Township, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Hilcorp has partnered with NiSource Midstream to form Pennant Midstream LLC, and is constructing the $300 million Hickory Bend gas gathering and processing system. The pipeline network originates in Mercer County, crosses the state line, and will connect with a cryogenic plant under construction in Springfield Township in Mahoning County.
NiSource and Hilcorp recently announced plans to build another pipeline leg to connect with M3 Midstream's cryogenic plant near Kensington in Columbiana County, which could then pump natural gas liquids to a fractionation plant under development in Harrison County.
No new permits were issued for Lawrence County, Pa., according to the DEP.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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