Marcellus Drilling News

Accidents | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Washington County (OH)

5 People Critically Injured Plugging Old Well in Ohio Wayne NF
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

A crew from Monroe Drilling Operations, LLC, was working on an abandoned well located in Wayne National Forest (in Washington County, OH) on Monday morning when natural gas and crude oil traveled up through the well to the surface and ignited, causing an explosion. In addition to the five members of Monroe Drilling, a mineral resources inspector from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) was also on-site. All six people on-site were injured by the blast, with five of the six “critically injured.” Please offer a prayer for those who were injured. Read More “5 People Critically Injured Plugging Old Well in Ohio Wayne NF”
Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Ohio | Statewide OH

Fresh Legal Look at Ohio Royalty Post-Production Deductions
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

Back in April, MDN brought you news about an important decision issued in a federal court case (in Ohio) that potentially affects landowners and drillers with shale leases throughout the Marcellus/Utica (see 6th Circuit Upholds OH Landowner Claims Against Antero re Deductions). The case, The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corporation, was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Circuit) on April 2, 2025. The case involves a dispute between a certified class of 370 Ohio landowners and Antero. According to a law firm writing about the decision, “This case is more than just a win for those plaintiffs. It sets the stage for future mineral owners in their efforts to fight royalty deductions by clarifying a commonly used oil and gas lease provision.” Read More “Fresh Legal Look at Ohio Royalty Post-Production Deductions”
CNG/LNG | Industrywide Issues

S. Korea Building 2 Jones Act LNG Carriers at Philly Shipyard
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

A Hanwha-built LNG carrier at sea, equipped with advanced propulsion technology

Donald Trump, the dealmaker, has been hard at work attempting to restore balance to our trade with other countries. One of the countries with a significant imbalance in trade with the U.S. is South Korea. To avoid Trump’s threatened tariffs (and wrath), South Korea’s business lobby group announced yesterday that South Korean companies would invest $150 billion (a staggering number) in areas such as artificial intelligence, chips, biotechnology, shipbuilding, and nuclear power. While no specific breakdown or timeframe for the investments was announced, we are aware of one of the investments. Hanwha Group announced a $5 billion infrastructure plan for the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, where the company will complete (we hesitate to say “build”) two new LNG export ships that are U.S. Jones Act compliant. Read More “S. Korea Building 2 Jones Act LNG Carriers at Philly Shipyard”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Rep. Wants More Drilling on State Land to Replace School Tax
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

PA State Rep. Jason Ortitay

Just because something has been done for decades and decades doesn’t mean it can’t change. Case in point: Pennsylvania Republican State Representative Jason Ortitay is proposing a new bill for the Keystone State that establishes the Pennsylvania Education Endowment Fund, utilizing expanded natural gas drilling on state lands and other innovative revenue sources to replace all the money taxpayers currently pay ($16 billion) to support public schools. Brilliant! Read More “PA Rep. Wants More Drilling on State Land to Replace School Tax”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Produces More Carbon-Free Power Than Any RGGI State
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

It’s hard to believe we’re still talking about (and waiting for) the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to weigh in on whether or not it was legal for former Governor Tom Wolf to unilaterally sentence all Pennsylvanians to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme—with no vote by the legislature. The Supremes collected briefs on RGGI a whole year ago (see PA Supreme Court Lib Dems Collecting Briefs on RGGI Carbon Tax). And still no decision. When the state constitution is followed, it gives ONLY the legislature the right to impose new taxes on the citizenry. Wolf ignored that law and decided to do it himself. Calling RGGI a “fee” instead of a “tax” doesn’t change the fact that it’s a tax. Read More “PA Produces More Carbon-Free Power Than Any RGGI State”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

FERC Grants Texas LNG Brownsville Extra 5 Years to Come Online
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

Glenfarne’s Texas LNG facility in Brownsville, Texas, will have the capacity to export 4 MTPA. EQT Corporation, the largest natural gas producer in the Marcellus/Utica, signed two agreements with Glenfarne to liquefy 2.0 million tons per annum (MTPA) of EQT-extracted shale gas at the facility when it’s built (see EQT Signs Contract to Ship 264 MMcf/d to LNG Export Plant in Texas). That works out to be roughly 264 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of EQT’s M-U molecules hitching a ride to South Texas. The Texas LNG facility cleared a legal hurdle a month ago when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a court-ordered revised environmental impact statement (see Texas LNG Brownsville Receives Positive Final FERC Enviro Review). FERC is back with two more green lights for the Texas LNG project… Read More “FERC Grants Texas LNG Brownsville Extra 5 Years to Come Online”
Best of the Rest

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Aug 27, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
August 27, 2025August 27, 2025

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Commonwealth LNG orders BH compressors to power next-gen LNG export facility; JEA Board approves plan to build natural gas plant to meet future energy needs; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures mixed in choppy session; Oil price settles lower after rally; The U.S. now exports 30% of the energy it produces; Drilling improvements allow oil, gas production to rise as rig count falls; U.S. and Canadian markets ‘completely and inextricably intertwined’; INTERNATIONAL: OPEC+ may unwind 1.65mm bpd of cuts at next meeting, analyst warns; Japan’s utilities cut fossil fuel electricity share to new lows; Britain’s net-zero scheme is being derailed by opposition to solar and wind projects. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Aug 27, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”