Trumble County, OH Update: Drilling Won’t Start for 18 Months

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According to Terry Fleming, executive director for the Ohio Petroleum Council, Trumbull County is “at least” 18 months away from any active drilling for oil and gas.

Fleming’s update for Trumbull County:

The executive director of the Ohio Petroleum Council said Trumbull County is at least 18 months away from any drilling or oil and gas production.

But not to worry – the Utica Shale will likely be producing for as long as 300 years, he said.

"If this thing were a baby, it’d be about six months old. This thing is really in its infancy," Terry Fleming said.

Some geologists say there could be at least 20 to 60 years worth of production in the Utica, while other experts cite much longer periods of time, he said. He also said there is an estimated 4 billion barrels worth of oil in the Utica Shale.

But it will be a while before any energy sources are coming out of the ground. The process from permit to fracking can take up to three years, Fleming said.*

Who are the first drillers in Trumbull likely to be?

Currently, two drilling companies have permits to operate in Trumbull County.

CONSOL Energy subsidiary CNX Gas Company was permitted on April 16 to drill at the Wollam Farm property along Warner Road and Warren Sharon Road in Vienna Township. CNX signed a road maintenance agreement with Trumbull County, posted a $100,000 road bond and certified $1 million in liability insurance. The road improvements concluded two weeks ago.

Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas was permitted in May in Hartford for the Brugler property along Hayes Orangeville Road across from Joseph Badger Meadows church camp.

Also, BP signed highly publicized lease deals in recent months with more than 1,000 Trumbull County landowners covering more than 84,000 acres. BP is still verifying the leases and no activity is expected until next year.*

*Warren (OH) Tribune Chronicle (Jul 1, 2012) – State official says county process just beginning