Ohio Approves 2 More Bids to Drill Under State Land, Advances 5 More
The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) approved two bids to drill for oil and gas under (not on) state-owned lands yesterday. Antero Resources was the sole bidder to drill under a Dept. of Transportation (DOT) property in Noble County. Southwestern Energy won its bid to drill under DOT land in Monroe County along the Ohio River. The OGLMC also advanced five other nominations to drill under state-owned properties to the bidding process. One nomination advancing is a request to drill under the 84-acre Keen Wildlife Area in Harrison County (see Drillers Nominate 2 More OH Wildlife Areas to Frack Under, Not On). However, the OGLMC disapproved five drilling nominations, including one to drill under the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County.
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We’ve read the canard a number of times in recent months that the Biden administration has been good for oil and gas. Why? Because (goes the Democrat line), O&G is producing more now than ever. Because O&G companies are more profitable now than ever. Because O&G shareholders are doing better now than ever. So the Dems believe O&G should love the Biden administration. But here’s the truth: O&G is doing OK now DESPITE the onslaught against it by the Biden administration. The health and well being of O&G companies today is NOT the result of Biden’s policies (which have sought to destroy fossil energy), but despite those policies. We are doing OK today because of the lingering benefits of the policies put into effect under Donald Trump, not because of anything Joe Biden has done.
American Environmental Partners (AEP) and its owner, Brad Domitrovitsch, are due in court today in Belmont County, OH, to address a motion by Ohio’s Attorney General, David Yost, to hold the company and Domitrovitsch in contempt for not complying with an order to clean up the Austin Master Services (AMS) facility owned by AEP. AMS is a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry ( in Belmont County) close to the Ohio River. Media accounts report that AMS has stored at least 10,000 tons of fracking waste (drill cuttings with low radioactivity) at the facility. The facility is rated and permitted to hold 600 tons. In March, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost asked the Belmont County Common Pleas Court to block AMS from receiving more waste and order it to clean up and comply with its rating. The court granted both requests with a deadline of April 17 to comply. The deadline came and went without compliance.
Two weeks ago, MDN told you about an odd situation in Ohio. DeepRock Disposal, an injection well company owned by a former member of the Ohio Oil & Gas Commission and current State Senator, Brian Chavez, leaked injected wastewater beyond its permitted boundary of a half mile into a non-functioning conventional well “miles away” (in Noble County) where the water came to the surface (see 
Fake research used by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) will be allowed in a hearing that appeals permits granted to Olympus Energy to drill shale wells at the Metis well pad in Penn Township, Westmoreland County. The PSR’s so-called research is a mish-mash accumulation of other people’s research that doesn’t apply specifically to the wells permitted by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). The so-called research is sprinkled with lots of scary words like PFAS and “forever chemicals,” implying such chemicals are being used by Olympus in drilling and fracking its wells — allegations with NO basis in fact. Protect PT, a radicalized group that receives funding from other Big Green groups, is challenging the DEP permits for the Metis pad, using SPR’s so-called research in its challenge. Olympus tried to have the SPR’s throw-enough-crap-against-the-wall-and-hope-some-of-it-sticks “research” tossed from being considered, but the Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), the special court in PA that hears appeals of DEP decisions, refused to toss the crap-throwing “research” out, saying Olympus should challenge said research during cross-examination.
The “sue-till-green” strategy sweeping the nation began in 2012 when the radicalized Climate Accountability Institute (CAI) hosted a conference in La Jolla, California. The gathering discussed a new approach to climate activism, mirroring the campaign against Big Tobacco — but this time targeting the oil and gas industry. The goal of the radicals is to effectively revoke the oil and gas industry’s “social license to operate.” Ultimately, this approach buries oil and gas companies with legal fees and, together with other “green” policies, artificially raises the cost of reliable energy and subsidizes the production of unreliable alternative energy sources. Disgusting. And now this strategy has come to Pennsylvania.
Although the weakened Bidenistas signaled they would consider lifting the political “pause” on approving new LNG export projects if Congress would vote to grant HUGE piles of money for the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and even though Republicans had the Bidenistas on the ropes, at the last minute the GOP didn’t press the advantage and voted in favor of the aid package without requiring Biden to lift the LNG pause. It is a shame and a wasted opportunity. So what happens now? The so-called LNG review goes forward, and new global warming criteria will be used (at least during the Biden administration) to evaluate new LNG export projects.
Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count added a single rig, now up to 604 active rigs. Since last October, the national count had gone as low as 616 and as high as 629, and that was it — a fairly narrow band. That is, until a month ago when it crashed through the floor and went lower, down to 613. Then, three weeks ago, it was down to 605. Two weeks ago, it went even lower, down to 603, the lowest since January 2022 (see 
We’re just a few weeks away from the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) going online, flowing 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of yummy FRACKED natural gas from the Marcellus/Utica to southern Virginia and beyond. And that fact is driving the insane, unhinged left even more insane and unhinged. Yesterday, a man (who refused to identify himself as a man) tied himself to two barrels full of concrete in the middle of the road in the Bent Mountain (Roanoke County), VA, area, blocking access to an MVP work yard. The protester was spewing anti-Israel statements (a bigot and anti-Semite), along with nonsensical statements about the oil and gas industry. Truly unhinged. State police arrived to deal with the situation.
Here’s a truism you can take to the bank. Anti-fossil fuel nutters need (crave) a public forum where they can prance around like peacocks making a spectacle of themselves. Deny them that forum, and they get grumpy — fast. Such was the case at an information session held Tuesday at the Athens (NY) Elementary School. A company hired to work on upgrading a compressor station in Athens for the Iroquois Gas Transmission pipeline tried to share important information about the project. However, protesters made it impossible, and the session was dismissed early due to the bad behavior of the petulant protesters.
Forced pooling is the practice of forcing landowners (rights owners) who don’t want to allow drilling under (not on top of) their land from blocking such drilling for their neighbors. Underground horizontal drilling used in shale wells often crosses borders into neighboring land. There’s no way around it. There is no surface disturbance for those who don’t want to lease. In Ohio, the practice of forced pooling is called “unitization.” At least 65% of landowners in a proposed unit must be leased in order to force the others in the unit to accept drilling under their land.
Wednesday evening, the supervisors of West Deer Township (Allegheny County), PA, held a regular monthly meeting. One item on the agenda was the potential adoption of revisions to the town’s oil and gas drilling ordinance. A number of (supposed) residents showed up to question the revisions and ask for stricter setbacks (a bigger distance from drilling to homes and other structures). Ultimately, the supervisors decided to delay a vote on the revisions, pushing it off until next month’s meeting.
Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May 2023, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines and “contributions” to benefit the local community (see