SWN “Rigging Up” in WV, Plans to Drill 50-70 Wells in 2015
In February, West Virginia passed a new law "fixing" an old law. The old law, which was itself a new law just a few years ago, stipulated if oil and gas leases/operations change hands, the new owner must apply for permits to drill all over again, even if the previous owner had already been awarded those permits. This was a really big problem for Southwestern Energy that had just purchased $5 billion worth of leases and operations from Chesapeake Energy, most of it in WV. So the WV legislature passed, in record time, a law to fix the problem--and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed it (see WV Gov Tomblin Signs “We Love You Southwestern” Bill into Law). And none too soon. We're now six weeks later and Southwestern says they're now "rigging up" and beginning to drill in WV, with plans to drill 50-70 wells this year in northern WV. Southwestern is very happy with WV's quick action and is giving them a big, sloppy kiss right back...
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