Utica Could Transform Ohio Rust Belt into Diamond Belt

Rig Zone ^ | September 23, 2011 | Karen Boman

[Oatka]

The latest whine from the environmentalists is that while we are seeing lots of economic activity now, it will be over in 20-30 years creating ghost-towns throughout Pennsylvania.

Twenty to 30 years? That's one generation at least that would live well. Ghost towns? We have 'em all over the West. When the gold mines gave out, people moved on and created wealth somewhere else. Some places became wealth producers in other areas of production and prospered.

The enviros protests, as usual, are ludicrous.

[thackney]

That would be similar to what has been found in the Eagle Ford Shale.

http://www.eia.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shaleusa9.pdf

[JoeFromSidney]

The latest whine from the environmentalists is that while we are seeing lots of economic activity now, it will be over in 20-30 years creating ghost-towns throughout Pennsylvania.

Well, the West is littered with ghost mining towns. The part of Ohio I grew up in has several not-quite-ghost former steel towns (when I go back "home" for high school reunions, I nearly cry at what has happened to where I grew up).

So, we may end up with some gas and oil ghost towns a few decades hence. Is that worse than not having oil and gas during those decades?

[Alas Babylon!]

Well, by supressing business and the economy, the democrats are reducing demand.

[tomkat]

Drill baby Drill !

Economic benefits aside, it makes heads explode amongst the watermelon morons  

[thackney]

I found another piece of information to tell you how little is known about this formation.

But according to Wachovia Securities analysts, only 16 wells for production have been drilled into the Utica so far. That's a small number in a geologic formation that covers some 170,000 square miles.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204010604576592783750697202.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[headstamp 2]

Thanks!

[nascarnation]

Thank God there are now some Republicans in charge in my state of birth! I suspect under the previous Dem regime they would be passing laws at a furious rate to prevent this.

[thackney]

I was close. Rather than “up to”, it was “as much as”.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. produced as much as 1,425 barrels a day of oil and petroleum liquids at one of its first four wells in Ohio’s Utica Shale

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/09/28/chesapeake-reports-production-from-first-utica-shale-wells/

[crusty old prospector]

Yeah, I wonder what Day #2 and #3 were like. I know enough about the geology of the Northeast to be dangerous. From what I remember of the Utica, it is the equivalent to the Sylvan Shale of the Mid-Continent and Permian Basin. In those areas, it is thin and not much of a source rock. If if does work as they advertise, their stock should double in the next few months.

[thackney]

The Utica Shale is thicker than the Marcellus.