34 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 4 – 10

For the week of Nov 4 – 10, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica came roaring back with a total of 34 permits issued (up from 13 issued the prior week). There were some VERY interesting things to note about some of the permits issued. The Keystone State (PA) issued 16 new permits, with five going…

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13 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 28 – Nov 3

For the week of Oct 27 – Nov 3, there were 13 permits issued to drill Marcellus/Utica wells, down from 17 permits issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had just three new permits, one each for EQT, Range Resources, and Snyder Brothers (three different counties). The Buckeye State (OH) issued no new permits…

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History Lesson: Discovery of Marcellus Gas Tied to Yom Kippur War

How, exactly, did the Marcellus Shale come to be? What spurred early interest to spend millions of dollars to sink a well in the Marcellus with the hope (gamble) that natural gas would flow from it? We all know that Range Resources sunk that first well in 2004, but there was a LOT that happened…

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MSC Pushes Back Against Cecil Township’s 2,500-Ft Setback Law

Earlier this week, three of five supervisors in Cecil Township (Washington County), PA, voted to ban all new fracking via a new setback (distance from well to nearest structure) requirement of 2,500 feet (see Cecil Twp Supervisors Pull the Trigger on Frack Ban Via Setbacks). We told you the new setback distance bans virtually all…

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MPLX to Build New Harmon Creek III Gas Processing in PA Marcellus

In late 2015, MPLX (i.e., Marathon Petroleum) bought out and merged in the Utica Shale’s premier midstream company, MarkWest Energy, for $15 billion (see MarkWest Energy Investors/Unitholders Approve Merger with Marathon). The “new” MarkWest, aka MPLX, plays on a much larger stage now, including ownership and operation of major assets in the Permian Basin and…

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Cecil Twp Supervisors Pull the Trigger on Frack Ban Via Setbacks

Cecil Township, PA Let the lawsuits begin. Last night, three of five supervisors in Cecil Township (Washington County), PA, voted to ban all new fracking via a new setback (distance from well to nearest structure) requirement of 2,500 feet (see Cecil Twp About to Ban New Fracking – Will Other PA Towns Follow?). Contrary to…

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Cecil Twp About to Ban New Fracking – Will Other PA Towns Follow?

In September, the Board of Supervisors for Cecil Township in Washington County, PA, caved to pressure from radical leftists and, by a vote of 3-2, instructed the town’s solicitor to prepare a new zoning ordinance that increases setbacks from “protected structures” from 500 feet to 2,500 feet (half a mile), and add a setback of…

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Range Resources Celebrates 20th Anniv. of Very First Marcellus Well

What seemed like a failed exploration in the early 2000s turned into a global economic and geological treasure that helped turn the U.S. into the largest natural gas producer in the world. Thanks to the grit, determination, and belief that there was more to explore, the Range Resources team of 2004 successfully completed the first…

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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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28 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 23 – 29

There were 28 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 23 – 29, down slightly from the 32 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had 15 new permits, with seven of them going to Range Resources, most of them in Washington County. Three permits were issued…

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3 More Drillers Dinged by PA DEP for Not Disclosing Frack Chemicals

According to Pennsylvania regulation 25 Pa. Code § 78a.122(b)(6)(iv), a drilling company must provide a list of the chemicals intentionally added to the stimulation [fracking] fluid by name and chemical abstract service (CAS) number in a Completion Report. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says three drillers, including EQT, Range Resources, and Greylock Energy,…

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History of 1st Marcellus Well Drilled by Range in Washington County

For years, MDN has told you that the very first Marcellus well to be drilled and fracked was done by Range Resources Corporation in Washington County, PA. Beyond that, we didn’t know much. Thanks to an article appearing in the Washington Observer-Reporter, we now know the full story—or at least a lot more of the…

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32 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 16 – 22

There were 32 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 16 – 22, more than doubling the 15 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had nine new permits, with five of them going to EQT in Greene County. The Buckeye State (OH) had 20 new permits….

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Cecil Twp Posts Proposed New Ordinance Banning Shale Drilling

Cecil Township, Washington County, PA Last week the Board of Supervisors for Cecil Township in Washington County, PA, caved to pressure from radical leftists and, by a vote of 3-2, instructed the town’s solicitor to prepare a new zoning ordinance that increases setbacks from “protected structures” from 500 feet to 2,500 feet (half a mile),…

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Appalachian Hydrogen & CCS Conf – Projects Coming in 2025

As you know, last year at about this time, the Bidenistas announced seven winners of the Hydrogen Hub Hunger Games contest (see Hydrogen Hub Winners Announced – WV Takes Prize in M-U Region). The West Virginia-led Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), a project that will use Marcellus/Utica natural gas as the feedstock to produce “blue” hydrogen,…

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