Energy Companies

Arsenal Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Blackhill Energy | Bradford County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Greene County (PA) | Guernsey County | Infinity Natural Resources | Monroe County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Taylor County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Wetzel County

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 2 – 8
February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received a combined 24 new drilling permits last week, Feb. 2 – 8, up 2 from the permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 10 new permits, Ohio issued 10, and West Virginia issued 4. The drillers receiving new permits last week included: Arsenal Resources, Ascent Resources, Blackhill Energy, EQT, Expand Energy, and Infinity Natural Resources. Read More “24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 2 – 8”
Antero Resources | Energy Companies | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Antero 4Q: HG Energy Purchase Propels Co. from 3.4 to 4.2 Bcfe/d
February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

Antero Resources, the largest Marcellus/Utica (M-U) driller in West Virginia, released its Q4 2025 update yesterday. In 2025, Antero Resources underwent a “transformational expansion” highlighted by the acquisition of HG Energy, the largest acquisition in Antero’s history, which the company closed on just last week (see Antero Closes on Buying HG Energy for $2.8B, Borrows $1.5B from RBC). CEO Michael Kennedy noted that this move, along with increased well interests, significantly increases the company’s scale and dry-gas exposure in West Virginia. Read More “Antero 4Q: HG Energy Purchase Propels Co. from 3.4 to 4.2 Bcfe/d”
CNX Resources | Energy Companies

Victory! CNX Resolves Defamation Lawsuit with Capital & Main
February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

Capital & Main is a left-leaning news outlet based in California. The publication has repeatedly targeted CNX Resources to smear the company and its Radical Transparency initiative. In September, we brought you Capital & Main’s latest hit piece alleging CNX’s operations are polluting and causing ill health for those who live nearby. The article also said CNX’s drilling program is anything but transparent (see Leftists Rattled by CNX’s Real Science and Radical Transparency). That article, CNX said, crossed the line and defamed the company. So, CNX filed a lawsuit against Capital & Main (see CNX Files Lawsuit Against Capital & Main for Defamation re Article). Both sides have now settled, with Capital & Main printing a statement that amounts to a retraction. Victory! Read More “Victory! CNX Resolves Defamation Lawsuit with Capital & Main”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Marion County | Monongalia County | Northeast Natural Energy | West Virginia

Northeast Natural Energy Taps Evolution’s E-Fracking Solution for WV
February 12, 2026February 12, 2026

Evolution Well Services, headquartered in Houston with a regional office in Pittsburgh, specializes in “electric” fracking — using natural gas from the well pad (instead of diesel fuel) to power turbines to create electricity that drives fracking pumps. We’ve written about Evolution’s e-fracking work in the Marcellus/Utica for years (see our stories here). The company does work for many of the largest drillers in the M-U. Evolution can add another customer to the list: Northeast Natural Energy, which drills and fracks on 60,000 contiguous acres in north-central West Virginia, primarily in Monongalia and Marion counties. Read More “Northeast Natural Energy Taps Evolution’s E-Fracking Solution for WV”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania General Energy | Regulation

Antis Flood PA DEP Hearing Against Drilling in Loyalsock Forest
February 11, 2026February 11, 2026

In December, MDN told you that three anti-shale drilling groups—the PA Council of Trout Unlimited, the Keystone Trails Association, and the Responsible Drilling Alliance—requested the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hold a hearing on the Chapter 105 permit requested for a 3.9-mile shale gas access road and staging area proposed by PA General Energy (PGE) in the Loyalsock State Forest (see PA Antis Want DEP Hearing on 3.9-Mile Rd to Shale Pad in Loyalsock). The antis kept up the pressure. The DEP held a virtual public hearing on February 3 regarding PGE’s proposal to construct the shale gas access road. The hearing centered on Chapter 105 water quality permits. The PGE plan includes drilling 90 new shale wells in Loyalsock State Forest (Lycoming County). Read More “Antis Flood PA DEP Hearing Against Drilling in Loyalsock Forest”
Energy Companies | Expand Energy

Earthquake at Expand Energy: CEO Nick Dell’Osso Fired by the Board
February 10, 2026February 10, 2026

Yesterday, Expand Energy announced it is moving its corporate headquarters from Oklahoma City, OK, to Houston, TX. That was the headline and lead in the announcement. And oh, by the way, the company’s very successful CEO, the guy who guided the merger of Chesapeake Energy with Southwestern Energy and has made the resulting Expand Energy *the largest* natural gas producer in the country, Nick Dell’Osso, has “stepped down” effective immediately. Talk about burying the lede! The press release and just about every news story you will read imply that Nick didn’t want to move to Houston, so he’s cashing in. Not so. What the press release doesn’t tell you is that the board terminated (fired) Dell’Osso last Friday. The question is, why? Read More “Earthquake at Expand Energy: CEO Nick Dell’Osso Fired by the Board”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Pennsylvania | XTO

Long-running Lawsuit Against XTO Energy Over Royalties in W. Pa.
February 10, 2026February 10, 2026

We stumbled across a mention of a lawsuit (Kriley v. XTO Energy) that we previously were not aware of—a lawsuit that had its beginning back in 2019 and involves seven landowners in Butler County, PA. The landowners claim that XTO Energy (a subsidiary of ExxonMobil) systematically underpaid natural gas royalties. Over the past six years, the lawsuit has evolved and was certified as a class action in late 2025, meaning it has expanded from affecting seven landowners to potentially hundreds. XTO, in its latest court filing, is attempting to limit the class action. Read More “Long-running Lawsuit Against XTO Energy Over Royalties in W. Pa.”
BKV/Banpu | Blackhill Energy | Bradford County | Clearfield County | Clinton County | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | EXCO Resources | Expand Energy | Formentera Operating | Frontier Natural Resources | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania General Energy | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Repsol | Seneca Resources | Sullivan County | Susquehanna County | Tioga County (PA) | Wyoming County (PA) | XPR Resources | XTO

SRBC Approved 74 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use Permits in Dec & Jan
February 9, 2026February 9, 2026

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 February 7 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC approved and/or renewed 42 general water use permits in December and 32 general permits in January (74 combined) for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Clearfield, Clinton, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties. Read More “SRBC Approved 74 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use Permits in Dec & Jan”
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
February 6, 2026February 6, 2026

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”
Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell Weighs PA Cracker Plant Future as Chemical Losses Hit $66M
February 6, 2026February 6, 2026

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. Read More “Shell Weighs PA Cracker Plant Future as Chemical Losses Hit $66M”
CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Washington County

PA EHB Denies CNX Motion to Dismiss Fracking Well Water Case
February 6, 2026February 6, 2026

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. Read More “PA EHB Denies CNX Motion to Dismiss Fracking Well Water Case”
CNX Resources | Electrical Generation | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues

Nick Deiuliis: 7 Days in January That Exposed PJM Grid Truths
February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

Nick Deiuliis

One of our favorite Marcellus drilling CEOs has been Nick Deiuliis, CEO of CNX Resources from 2014 until he retired at the end of 2025. Nick remains on the Board of CNX. He has been and continues to be an active author, writing about energy issues. Nick has a brilliant post on LinkedIn about the recent Winter Storm Fern and what it reveals about the energy sources powering the PJM Interconnection grid. Nick points out that the PJM grid survived record-breaking demand through the reliability of traditional energy. Natural gas, nuclear, and coal provided over 90% of total generation, with gas acting as the primary workhorse and nuclear providing a steady baseload. Conversely, solar and wind struggled, contributing less than 5% combined due to weather-induced failures like snow-covered panels and erratic winds. Read More “Nick Deiuliis: 7 Days in January That Exposed PJM Grid Truths”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Industrywide Issues

Antis Ignore Huge Natural Methane Leaks to Focus on Tiny M-U Leaks
February 5, 2026February 5, 2026

Anti-fossil fuelers, using one of their favorite mainstream media sources (the Financial Times of London), claim that satellite data revealed over 20 massive methane “super-emitter” plumes linked to EQT Corp. and Expand Energy in the Appalachian Basin between 2024 and 2025. These events, which exceed 100kg per hour, challenge the companies’ claims of low emission intensity and effective mitigation. EQT rightly disputes the findings. So-called environmental “experts” emphasize that actual emissions often surpass industry reports. The antis say that given methane’s potency in trapping heat, these recurring leaks from major U.S. producers underscore the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades and more transparent monitoring to meet global climate goals. The thing is, these same antis ignore 79% of global methane emissions (40% of which is natural, from the Earth itself) to focus on just 21% of the “problem,” illustrating the hypocrisy of the environmental left. Read More “Antis Ignore Huge Natural Methane Leaks to Focus on Tiny M-U Leaks”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Devon Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Analysts Speculate About the Future of Coterra’s Marcellus Assets
February 4, 2026February 4, 2026

Yesterday, MDN brought you the big news that Devon Energy is buying out and merging with Coterra Energy, paying $21.4 billion in Devon stock (see Devon Energy Buying Coterra Energy for $21.4B in All-Stock Merger). The focus of the merger is the two companies’ complementary acreage in the oil-rich Delaware Basin, a subbasin in the Texas Permian. Analysts are now discussing what a post-merger company will look like in terms of assets. Will the combined company (keeping the Devon name) keep or sell its prolific Marcellus assets in Susquehanna County, PA? Read More “Analysts Speculate About the Future of Coterra’s Marcellus Assets”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A

Coterra Energy CEO Tom Jorden’s “Golden Parachute” Worth Millions
February 4, 2026February 4, 2026

Not that he isn’t already a very rich man, but Coterra Energy CEO Tom Jorden stands to rake in an additional $6 million to $9 million (possibly much more) from a “golden parachute” if the proposed merger between Coterra and Devon Energy goes through. Based on the reports following the merger announcement between Coterra and Devon, Coterra’s upper management (in particular, Jorden) is protected by substantial “golden parachute” (change-in-control) agreements. These agreements were specifically updated just before the deal was made public to ensure executive retention and fair treatment during the transition. Read More “Coterra Energy CEO Tom Jorden’s “Golden Parachute” Worth Millions”
Antero Resources | Energy Companies | HG Energy | Industrywide Issues | M&A | West Virginia

Antero Closes on Buying HG Energy for $2.8B, Borrows $1.5B from RBC
February 4, 2026February 4, 2026

In December, MDN brought you the news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, had cut a deal to buy WV driller and midstreamer HG Energy II for a combined $3.9 billion, paying $2.8 billion for upstream and $1.1 billion for midstream (see Antero Resources Buys HG Energy II in Deal Worth $3.9 Billion). The deal will add a massive 385,000 net acres to Antero’s existing ~475,000 net core Marcellus acreage position, bringing with it another 850 MMcfe/d in production. The deal closed yesterday. HG Energy is no more. Read More “Antero Closes on Buying HG Energy for $2.8B, Borrows $1.5B from RBC”