Clean Energy E&P | CNX Resources | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | Tioga County (PA) | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County | Wetzel County
22 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 26 – Feb 1
The Marcellus/Utica region received a combined 22 new drilling permits last week, Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, up significantly from the 10 issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 15 new permits; Ohio issued none; and West Virginia issued 7. The drillers receiving new permits last week included: Clean Energy Exploration & Production, CNX Resources, Coterra Energy, and EQT. Read More “22 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 26 – Feb 1”
In a report coming from Luzerne County, PA (northeastern part of the state), rural landowners in Hollenback Township are allegedly being offered $175,000 per acre to sell their property for a massive artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus. This “data center takeover” has alarmed some Luzerne County residents who fear the project will destroy the area’s rural character and strain local utility resources. The high-value offers follow months of community pushback led by State Representative Jamie Walsh (a Republican), who has criticized the secrecy surrounding these large-scale developments. 
Yesterday, Shell’s chemical division reported a $66 million fourth-quarter loss, driven by weak margins and operational hurdles at its $14 billion Beaver County ethane cracker plant complex. Shell CEO Wael Sawan acknowledged the chemicals business is underperforming, making a turnaround a “top priority” for 2026. Although Shell is exploring a sale or joint venture for the Monaca facility due to its geographic isolation and high costs, no specific updates were shared during the latest earnings call. 
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Senate approved Senate Bill (SB) 704, known as the Grid Stabilization and Security Act, sponsored by Republican State Senator Gene Yaw. This legislation directs the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to collaborate to identify suitable sites for natural gas-powered electricity generation. By streamlining site preparation, the bill aims to address critical shortfalls in electricity generation on the PJM grid and attract new investment in baseload power, which has stagnated since 2019. 
On February 3, 2026, Pennsylvania’s Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) denied a motion by CNX to dismiss an appeal from James and Barbara Ullom regarding significant water loss on their Washington County property. The Ulloms allege that fracking operations at CNX’s NV110 well pad, located approximately 890 feet from their well, caused their water supply to fail (loss of water). Although the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) initially found no link, the EHB, a special court that hears appeals of DEP decisions, ruled that the Ulloms had established a prima facie case. A central legal issue remains: whether the Oil and Gas Act’s “rebuttable presumption” of liability applies to water loss or strictly to contamination. 
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (far-left Democrat) has a plan to address rising electricity costs by “increasing oversight” of investor-owned utilities, which he claims generate “excessive profits” at the expense of Pennsylvania ratepayers. That’s code for take them over and have the government (liberal Dems) run them. Last time we checked, we still live in the USA, land of the free and home of the brave. We don’t live in the USSR. 
Winter Storm Fern left a historic chill on the energy market, driving natural gas stocks in the Lower 48 down by 360 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ending January 30, 2026—the largest weekly withdrawal ever recorded in the history of the report. This massive dip, fueled by a “perfect storm” of surging heating demand and weather-related production freezes, exceeded the five-year average by a staggering 89% (170 Bcf) and pushed current inventories 1.1% below the five-year average for this time of year. 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce partners with Expand Energy; Groups demand PA action on 8-year-old greenhouse gas petition; WV House of Delegates forms Natural Gas Caucus; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Colorado regulators may force Civitas to leave Aurora oil in the ground; California lawmakers push new climate lawsuit bill as refiners exit state; New England suffers the cold front of green energy extremism; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures settle higher; Overreliance on renewables leaves Americans out in the cold; Federal science manual – how climate charlatans fool the smartest; Google parent Alphabet spells out spending spree; INTERNATIONAL: Oil settles lower as Iran-US talks ease risk; UK newspaper editorial opposition to climate action overtakes support for first time.