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23 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 17 – 23
The number of new permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica from November 17 – 23 was 23, down from 31 issued the prior week. Pennsylvania issued 13 new permits, down 1 from the prior week. Ohio got skunked, issuing no new permits. Must be the ODNR staffers went on vacation early for Thanksgiving. West Virginia made up for Ohio’s poor performance by issuing 10 permits, down 2 from the prior week. Read More “23 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 17 – 23”
It’s time to revisit a topic we’ve covered many times before — philanthropy in the Marcellus/Utica region. Drillers and pipeline companies in the M-U region already contribute to the region through the generous lease bonuses and royalties paid to landowners. In addition to the billions that flow to landowners, M-U companies cumulatively donate millions of dollars to local communities and nonprofit organizations. Here’s the latest example of that in action: The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) says its members (and their employees) have embraced this Thanksgiving season by giving back through food drives, volunteering at local charities, and supporting community initiatives. 
In October 2021, one of the Marcellus’ premier drillers, Cabot Oil & Gas, merged with/into Cimarex Energy, an oil driller focused on the Permian and Anadarko basins (see 
Coterra Energy, formed by the merger of Cabot Oil & Gas (drills for natural gas in the Marcellus) and Cimarex Energy (drills for oil in the Permian and Anadarko basins), issued its third quarter 2025 update yesterday. What stood out to us is just how little new drilling the company did in the Marcellus during 3Q. Coterra spud (began to drill) 15 new Marcellus wells during 3Q, while it spud 68 wells in the Permian and 11 in the Anadarko basins. The company brought online to sales (called turned-in-line, or TIL) 4 wells in the Marcellus, 64 TILs in the Permian, and 8 TILs in the Anadarko. That about says it all. 
On October 22, Coterra Energy reported a well control incident during fracking the 12H well on the Lauer pad in Susquehanna County to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A loss of control resulted in the high-pressure release of an unknown quantity of fracking and production fluids, along with natural gas, causing the fluid to “spray” on and off the well pad. Coterra, which was fracking five wells simultaneously, called in Cudd Well Control Services and did not regain control until 49 hours later on October 24, after installing a second bridge plug. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the October 11 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the commission voted to approve 11 water withdrawal requests related to shale gas development and two for gas-fired power plants. 
Our friend Bill desRosiers, Manager of Government and External Affairs at Coterra Energy, has authored an excellent article and white paper addressing the topic of how the oil and gas industry can use virtual reality (VR) to attract new blood to the industry. The oil and gas industry is facing a significant workforce challenge: nearly 400,000 U.S. energy workers are nearing retirement, while younger generations remain hesitant to enter the field. In spring 2025, Coterra partnered with Xalter to deploy a multi-state pilot VR program to prepare the next generation of energy workers. Bill draws back the curtain to discuss the company’s experience in using VR for training and to attract new talent to the company. 
EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational professional services network (i.e., consulting firm) based in London. EY is also one of the “big four” largest accounting firms in the world. EY published a new study last week titled “US Oil and Gas Reserves, Production and ESG Benchmarking Study” (full copy below). The study found that due to mergers and acquisitions in 2024, the largest publicly traded oil and gas companies in the U.S. went from 50 down to 40, and that those 40 companies produced a staggering 41% of all O&G production in this country. It’s probably no surprise that many in the list produce natural gas (and oil) in the Marcellus/Utica. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC also tells shale drillers when to stop withdrawing if low water flow (i.e., drought) conditions exist. And that’s what the SRBC did earlier today. The agency, via its Hydrologic Conditions Monitor, warned shale drillers that, at 47 listed locations (all in Pennsylvania), they must stop water withdrawals until streamflow reaches a specific “trigger flow” target (different for each location).