14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 14 – 20

For the week of Oct 14 – 20, there were 14 permits issued to drill Marcellus/Utica wells, up from 10 permits issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had just four new permits (down from six the previous week), with three going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy) in Susquehanna County and one for…

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EIA: Utica Shale Gas Production Dropped 10% First 9 Mos. of 2024

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that U.S. natural gas production from shale and tight formations declined by about 1% from January through September 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Most of the decline comes from two shale plays—the Haynesville in Louisiana and Texas (down 12%) and the Utica Shale in Ohio,…

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DOE Spending $44M on Drilling Two CO2 Injection Wells in WV & OH

The Biden-Harris administration continues to spend money like drunken sailors. They can’t hand it out fast enough ahead of November 5th. We can’t even count how much has been doled out just this week—certainly several billion dollars. Some of the money flowing out of D.C. this week ($44 million) will go to a project that…

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Big Tech Not Happy with OH Utility Counterproposal re Data Centers

Last week, MDN brought you a story about a developing issue of who, ultimately, should pay to build out new electricity sources for data centers (and AI) that increasingly use huge amounts of power (see Big Tech and Big Utility Tangle in Ohio re Data Center Electricity). A large utility company in central Ohio, AEP…

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Encino Looks to Expand Drilling Under & Around Leesville Lake, OH

Encino Energy wants to establish new oil and gas wells on Leesville Lake lands owned by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) in Carroll County. The conservancy district’s board of directors is expected to consider a lease agreement with the company’s Ohio affiliate at its meeting tomorrow. The left is apoplectic. The MWCD manages over…

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Ohio Delays Decision on More Fracking Under Salt Fork State Park

The Ohio Oil & Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) met yesterday to consider whether to allow fracking under (not on) two Ohio state-owned lands, including the Leesville Wildlife Area in Carroll County and Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County. Commissioners approved moving forward to the next step with Leesville, which is to accept bids….

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OH Lawmakers Asked to Waive Competitive Bids to Plug Orphaned Wells

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) asked a panel of lawmakers called the Ohio Controlling Board to waive the need for competitive bidding for $11.2 million in contracts to plug orphaned oil and gas wells around the state. Yesterday, the Controlling Board approved the request. The contracts were awarded to two companies: Next LVL…

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PA Rig Count Stays Down, M-U @ 32; National Count Drops 1 @ 585

Two weeks ago, Pennsylvania lost two rigs, down to just 13 active rigs, the lowest PA’s rig count has been since July 2016 (see PA Craters, Drops 2 Rigs, M-U @ 32; National Rig Count Adds 1 @ 586). That’s the lowest rig count for PA in more than eight years. Last week, PA and…

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10 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 7 – 13

Ten permits were issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Oct. 7 – 13, half the number issued the prior week (see 20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 30 – Oct 6). The Keystone State (PA) had just six new permits, with three going to Range Resources…

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Former Carrizo O&G Team Forms New Company to Drill in Ohio Utica

We always get a small thrill when we notice a new company working in the Marcellus/Utica. This is one of those occasions. Tiburon Oil & Gas Partners, LLC, headquartered in Houston, TX, is headed by four former Carrizo Oil & Gas executives. Tiburon was formed in 2022 “to responsibly acquire, develop, and operate upstream oil…

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Big Tech and Big Utility Tangle in Ohio re Data Center Electricity

We’ve been talking a lot lately about data centers and AI (artificial intelligence) because these facilities use enormous amounts of electricity, and electricity must be generated somehow. Most often, electricity is generated by burning natural gas. Gas-fired plants are important customers for Marcellus/Utica gas. A situation in Ohio in the Columbus area related to gas-fired…

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PJM Winter Outlook: Enough Power Available, Fingers Crossed

PJM Interconnection is the largest U.S. power grid operator, serving 65 million people in 13 states plus the District of Columbia (including PA, OH, and WV). PJM supplies power to more than 20% of the U.S. economy. The organization issued its annual Winter Outlook yesterday. The analysis says PJM and its members have adequate resources…

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20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 30 – Oct 6

There were 20 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, down eight from the 28 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had eight new permits, with five going to Southwestern Energy (now Expand Energy following a merger with Chesapeake) in both Susquehanna…

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Critical (Energy) Election for Ohio Supreme Court Judges This Nov.

The stakes in this November’s election are incredibly high—for the country as a whole and for shale energy everywhere, including here in the Marcellus/Utica. Pennsylvania has been the focus this election season due to the presidential race. However, there is another M-U state, Ohio, where the outcome of a statewide race is also very important:…

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