14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 17 – 23
For the week of Feb 17 – 23, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells fell back to earth. Three weeks ago, 24 new permits were issued. Two weeks ago, the number increased to 36 new permits. Last week the number deflated, going down to 14. The Keystone State (PA) issued six new permits last week, with all six going to Blackhill Energy for a single pad in Bradford County. Read More “14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 17 – 23”

Earlier this month U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani dismissed the Wayne Land and Mineral Group (WLMG) v. Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) lawsuit that argued the DRBC had “taken” the property rights of landowners in eastern Pennsylvania, robbing them of their right to allow shale drilling on and under their land. It’s a sad and bitter end for landowners in PA’s Wayne and Pike counties where there is bountiful Marcellus shale waiting to be extracted.
Expand Energy, formed by the merger of Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy, is the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. with approximately 1.9 million leased net acres. Expand drills and operates in three distinct regions: Northeast Appalachia (Pennsylvania), Southwest Appalachia (mostly West Virginia, but also Pennsylvania and Ohio), and the Haynesville (Louisiana). The company issued its fourth quarter and full-year update yesterday. In 4Q24, Expand operated an average of twelve rigs to drill 44 wells and turned 41 wells in line, resulting in net production of approximately 6.41 Bcfe per day (91% natural gas).
In late 2022, MDN told you that Canadian-based Enerplus, with sizable non-operated assets in the northeast Pennsylvania Marcellus, had sold certain Canadian assets so it could concentrate most of its activity on drilling in the North Dakota Bakken (see
Two weeks ago, MDN brought you the exciting news that President Trump pledged to get the long-dead Pennsylvania Marcellus to New York State Constitution Pipeline built (see
After the shocking news in 2022 that then-U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (from West Virginia) had sold out his state and the entire country by agreeing to support the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) bill, the details began to come out about just how bad the bill (now law) really is for the oil and gas industry. First and foremost, it slapped a new methane tax on oil and gas activities (see
Wow! What a difference 10 years and the election of Donald J. Trump can make. In May 2015, MDN reported that HSBC Bank (otherwise known as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) circulated a note to investors telling them they should divest from fossil fuel companies. HSBC said if they didn’t divest from fossil energy, they “may one day be seen to be late movers, on ‘the wrong side of history’”. We told you then that fossil fuel supporters should consider divesting from HSBC (see
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community launches Eyes On Air webpage; Chris Kendall appointed to Range Resources board of directors; NATIONAL: USA crude oil inventories drop; After a month of Trump’s pro-oil and gas moves, Dems target his energy emergency; Natgas markets have long been challenging, a new level of wildness may be on the horizon; U.S. natural gas exports soar to new highs as additional LNG supply hits the water; INTERNATIONAL: Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs to take effect, adds new China duty; WTI jumps above $70 on Canada & Mexico tariff plan.