Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PUC Distributes $244M of Impact Fees (Up 48%) to PA Communities
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced the distribution of $243,877,400 in natural gas impact fees collected from producers for the 2025 reporting year, a whopping 48% increase over 2024. The reason for the big increase was the higher price that natural gas fetched last year and a significant uptick in the number of new wells drilled. This year’s distribution brings the cumulative total of impact fees collected and distributed since 2012 to more than $3.12 billion! Read More “PUC Distributes $244M of Impact Fees (Up 48%) to PA Communities”
AI | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

NEPA Landowners Line Up to Become AI Millionaires by Selling Land
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Three months ago (March 2026), MDN reported on a northeastern Pennsylvania landowner from Luzerne County who sold his farm to an AI data center project and overnight became a multimillionaire (see NEPA Landowner Sells Small Farm to Data Center for $17.8 Million). Other landowners in the same township (Salem) have banded together, some 194 landowners, and are on the cusp of doing the same thing for a new/different AI data center project that wants to build in the township. In our research for the March story, we found landowners being offered $60,000 to $175,000 *per acre* to sell. This new deal that the 194 landowners are contemplating blows that out of the water! Chump change. Read More “NEPA Landowners Line Up to Become AI Millionaires by Selling Land”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Tioga County (PA)

Seneca Finding Success with Upper AND Lower Utica on Same Pad
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Tioga County, PA

Based on recent industry reporting from Hart Energy (published June 15, 2026, by veteran energy journalist Nissa Darbonne) and corporate commentary from National Fuel Gas (NFG), Seneca Resources has made a major geological discovery in its north-central Pennsylvania Utica shale acreage in Tioga County. Seneca Resources has identified a unique geological feature—a “seismite” frac barrier—located precisely between the Upper and Lower Utica shale intervals in north-central Pennsylvania. What does it mean? Read More “Seneca Finding Success with Upper AND Lower Utica on Same Pad”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | EQT Corp | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Virginia

Virginia Business Leaders Make Strong Case for Expanded MVP Boost
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

With all the recent news about EQT moving forward with an extension of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) into North Carolina by an extra 31 miles, called Southgate, it’s easy to overlook and forget that EQT has a plan to expand the capacity of the existing MVP by an extra 600 MMcf/d, called MVP Boost. EQT filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in October of last year to build Boost, which includes building a new compressor station in Montgomery County, VA (see MVP Asks FERC to Approve Expanded Capacity by Extra 600 MMcf/d). The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, with a combined membership of over 1,000 businesses, are pushing hard for MVP Boost. Read More “Virginia Business Leaders Make Strong Case for Expanded MVP Boost”
AI | Industrywide Issues | Mason County | Pipelines | Regulation | West Virginia

WV DEP Reviews Gas Pipe Permits for Data Center in Mason County
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

In early May, MDN brought you details about a proposed NSCALE data center project in Mason County, WV (see Mason County, WV Data Center: 3 Bldgs, 984 NatGas, Diesel Engines). The owners filed an application (on April 20) for a construction permit. The first phase of the project will be a 2.16-gigawatt, natural gas-fired off-grid data center. It’s going to produce its own electricity, so pipelines are needed to transport gas to the site. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is currently reviewing a construction permit for the pipelines that will flow gas to the data center. Read More “WV DEP Reviews Gas Pipe Permits for Data Center in Mason County”
Energy Companies | Greylock Energy | Pennsylvania | Potter County

Greylock Energy Opens New Field Office in Potter County, PA
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

Greylock Energy hosted an open house on June 3 at its new Potter County field office in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, giving residents a chance to tour the facility, meet employees, and learn about local operations. President and CEO Kyle Mork said the office signals Greylock’s long-term commitment to Potter County and responsible community partnership. The company highlighted local support efforts, including educational partnerships, scholarships, charitable giving, sponsorships, flood recovery assistance, equipment replacement for Galeton’s water system, and sponsorships of Independence Day events. Greylock also invested nearly $1.5 million with PennDOT to repave and upgrade 3.5 miles of Loucks Mills Road. Read More “Greylock Energy Opens New Field Office in Potter County, PA”
Best of the Rest

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jun 16, 2026
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Venture Global gets enlarged contract to supply LNG to Greece; Woodside Energy’s Louisiana LNG president abruptly departs; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas future inch higher in rangebound trade; Politico’s climate news site shutters a year after gov’t turned off taxpayer spigot; INTERNATIONAL: Crude extends slide on Iran accord; Woodside says no takeover offer from ExxonMobil; Trump insists Iran deal will hold; Indian LNG carrier safely crosses Hormuz, first since US-Iran ceasefire. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jun 16, 2026”