PA Charges $12,500 for a New Shale Drilling Permit; ND Charges $100

North Dakota’s regulatory framework is a model of simplicity. Companies pay a modest $100 fee for drilling permits, compared to $12,500 in Pennsylvania, and typically receive approval in 20 to 30 days. That efficiency has proven pivotal since 2010, when horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing significantly expanded the Bakken Formation's potential for commercial-scale production. Of course, there's a big difference between PA and ND---companies drill for oil in ND and natural gas in PA. So it's not like a driller would say, "Screw it, we'll leave PA and go drill in ND where it's easier, faster, and cheaper." However, drillers can/are leaving PA for Ohio and West Virginia, where it's easier, faster, and cheaper. We bring you this masterclass on how ND makes drilling better, so perhaps, just perhaps, someone at the PA DEP (and the politicians involved in approving permit fees) will wake up and improve the experience in the Keystone State.

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