PA DEP to Host Virtual Hearing for Lycoming County Gathering Pipe
Last week, MDN told you that two Big Green groups in Pennsylvania, Trout Unlimited and the Mid State Trail Association, are attempting to block a project by Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) to install a tiny 3.7-mile gathering pipeline to connect several PGE wells to the Transco pipeline system, along with two 8-inch water pipelines of about the same length, in Lycoming County (see Lycoming County Gathering Pipe in the Crosshairs of Anti Groups). The aim is to block the pipelines from being built (and consequently block shale wells from being drilled) on state-owned land by forcing a longer, much more expensive route. The groups and their minions made enough noise that the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is going to hold a virtual hearing on the plan on July 2 at 6 p.m.
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Who doesn’t love a good Top 10 (or, in this case, Top 100) list? Yesterday, Hart Energy published a list of the Top 100 private oil and gas producers in the Lower 48 states. The list is based on information provided by Enverus and Oil and Gas Investor. The article’s point was to call attention to the dramatic change in the list given the consolidation (mergers and acquisitions) over the past 18 months — changes which are “reshaping the landscape,” according to Hart Energy. When perusing the list, the first thing we noticed is that four of the Top 10 in the list of Top 100 are major gas and oil producers operating in the Marcellus/Utica.
Three weeks ago, 31 new permits were issued to drill in the entire Marcellus/Utica region. Two weeks ago, the number dropped (dramatically) to just seven new permits. And then last week, the number of permits issued soared once again — all the way up to 46. Bam! We just kicked it up a notch. Seneca Resources took the top spot for new permits, receiving a total of nine permits, all in Tioga County, PA. Chesapeake Energy and Antero Resources tied for second place with seven new permits each, with Chessy’s permits coming in Bradford County, PA, and Antero’s in Doddridge County, WV. Coming in third was Jay-Bee Oil & Gas with six permits issued in Pleasants County, WV. State by state, PA issued 24 new permits, OH issued 9, and WV issued 13 permits.
Yesterday, MDN told you about a very small lease deal on offer for North Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County, PA (see 
We’re always interested in lease signing bonuses and royalty rates. We don’t see as many references today as we did five and ten years ago. Typically, we learn about lease rates when municipal-owned land is leased, as is the case for a small parcel in North Huntingdon, PA (Westmoreland County). Apex Energy is offering North Huntingdon $1,500 per acre in a signing bonus to lease 4.5 acres of town land for a grand total of $6,760. It ain’t much, but it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye, right?
Chesapeake Energy has gone through some major changes over the past four years. In June of 2020, Chessy declared bankruptcy (see 
Radicalized environmental groups, including Trout Unlimited and the Mid State Trail Association, have devolved into trying to block gathering and water pipelines in Pennsylvania. Driller Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) wants to install 3.7 miles of a gathering pipeline to connect several wells to the Transco pipeline system, along with two 8-inch water pipelines of about the same length, in Lycoming County. Nearly all of the pipeline projects are located on state-owned land.
Two weeks ago, 31 new permits were issued to drill in the Marcellus/Utica region. Last week, June 3 – 9, the number dropped (dramatically) by 77% to just seven new permits. And that seems to be the pattern: Way up one week, way down the next. Last week, for the second week in a row, Ohio issued ZERO new shale permits. The top permit receiver for last week was HG Energy, which had five permits for a single pad in Doddridge County, WV. The other two permits were issued in PA: one to CNX in Greene County, and the other to Range Resources in Washington County.
Coterra Energy CEO Tom Jorden sat for an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Mad Money program Tuesday evening. During the interview, Jorden had an interesting comment and insight that has the power to change the natural gas market. Jorden said that data center operators (big computer server facilities) may cut supply agreements directly with natural gas companies to meet the growing power demands of the artificial intelligence boom. And it may happen a lot sooner than you think.
In January 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in THE most consequential lawsuit for Marcellus Shale drilling we’ve seen, a case called Briggs v Southwestern Energy (see 
In July 2022, MDN brought you news of a possible frac-out, or “inadvertent return” that happens when drilling mud pops out of places where it’s not supposed to — places outside the borehole being drilled (see 
We have been tracking and reporting on the drama surrounding Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), Ohio, located close to the Ohio River, since the Ohio Attorney General lodged charges against the company back in March (
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility received FERC authorization to place the final three liquefaction blocks (7-9) into service last fall (see