Belmont County 27 - Marcellus Drilling News

Barnesville, OH Signs Lease with Antero, Receives $6M

September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

The Village of Barnesville, OH (Belmont County) just signed a lease with Antero Resources to allow shale drilling on 1,047 village-owned acres. The village now has an additional $6 million in revenue because of it.

Here’s the details about the deal, including the per-acre price and royalty percentage (some of the highest we’ve seen):

New OH/WV “Shale Play” Publication Debuts

August 27, 2012August 27, 2012

For those living in eastern Ohio and along the border in West Virginia, be on the lookout for a new free publication called Shale Play, published by the Warren (OH) Tribune Chronicle and its sister publications.

Chesapeake’s Construction Investment in Ohio Continues

August 20, 2012August 20, 2012

More jobs and more economic activity are on the way in eastern Ohio courtesy of Chesapeake Energy’s investments to build a new office complex near St. Clairsville (Belmont County) and their investment in a natural gas processing plant (Harrison/Columbiana counties). The new office complex is due to open in November while the processing plant is due to come online in 2013.

Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Would Drillers be Interested in a Half Acre? Yep

August 13, 2012August 13, 2012

You may not get rich as a landowner of a small plot of ground by leasing it for gas drilling, but depending on where you live, even if you own just a half acre of land, you may be able to participate in Marcellus or Utica Shale drilling. That’s what happened with Belmont County when they recently discovered the county owns a half acre plot of land they previously didn’t know they owned. Gulfport Energy made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

The Permits Keep Coming for New OH Utica Shale Wells

July 31, 2012July 31, 2012

According to the Daily Jeffersonian, Ohio’s Utica Shale drilling shows no signs of diminishing based on the number of new permits issued for horizontal wells in June:

Belmont County | Energy Companies | Hess | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Belmont, OH Attorney Sues Hess to Dissolve Lease

July 9, 2012December 19, 2012

An attorney in Belmont County, Ohio—Rebecca Bench—is suing to end a lease deal she and her husband signed in 2008, originally with Mason Dixon Energy for $100 per acre. Mason Dixon later sold the lease to Hess Corp.

The $100 per acre Bench and her husband were paid is a fraction of recent transactions, some as high as $5,900 per acre. Bench says Mason Dixon was never registered to do business in Ohio, meaning the original contract was fraudulent.

Gulfport Drills Longest Horizontal Utica Wells to Date

June 22, 2012June 22, 2012

Gulfport Energy reports it has just completed drilling the two longest horizontal Utica Shale wells—ever. The horizontal portion for one of the wells, located in Harrison County, Ohio, went over 1.5 miles.

Here’s the particulars:

MarkWest/EMG Finalize Deal with Gulfport Energy in OH Utica

June 4, 2012June 4, 2012

MarkWest’s joint venture with EMG, called MarkWest Utica, has finalized their deal with Gulfport Energy to provide midstream infrastructure services (pipelines and gas processing) in Harrison, Guernsey and Belmont counties in Ohio. The deal was initially announced in early March (see this MDN story). No word on the price tag for the deal.

Belmont County | Economic Impact | Housing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio

RV Park for Shale Workers in OH Sees Strong Demand

May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

In an indication of things to come, pipeline construction firm Price Gregory has requested 50 RV spaces for its workers in a new RV/camper park located in Morristown, OH (Belmont County)—by June 1st!

Belmont County, OH Landowner Sues Hess Over $100/Acre Lease

March 8, 2012March 8, 2012

Rebecca Bench, a landowner in Belmont County, Ohio is representing herself in a lawsuit she has brought against Hess. The lawsuit alleges that Mason Dixon Energy, whom she signed a lease with (that lease was eventually purchased by Hess) had no legal standing to conduct business in Ohio at the time they convinced Rebecca and her husband Kevin Bench to sign a lease in 2008 for $100 per acre. By comparison, recent lease agreements for Utica Shale leases in the county have gone as high as $5,200 per acre.

New MarkWest Deal to Develop Infrastructure in OH Utica Shale

March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

A joint venture between MarkWest Energy and The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG), called MarkWest Utica EMG, has just signed a deal with Gulfport Energy to build new gathering pipelines for Utica wells in Harrison, Guernsey and Belmont counties (Ohio). The deal also includes MarkWest Utica processing the gas produced by Gulfport, including natural gas liquids, at its Harrison County processing complex.

Antero Pays Record Rates in Eastern Ohio Utica Lease Deal

February 13, 2012February 13, 2012

prices going higher The Utica Landowner Group of eastern Ohio has just cut a deal with Antero Resources for what is believed to be the highest amount paid yet for a lease deal: $5,900 per acre for a signing bonus, and 21 percent royalties. The deal covers land in Belmont, Monroe and Noble counties in Ohio.

Exxon to Drill First Ohio Utica Shale Well in Belmont County

February 7, 2012February 7, 2012

According to press reports, XTO Energy—a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil—will drill its first Ohio Utica Shale well in Belmont County.

Chesapeake Real Estate Purchases in Ohio Signal Expansion

December 20, 2011December 20, 2011

Chesapeake Energy has just paid $630,000 for two pieces of real estate in Belmont County, Ohio—ground zero for Utica Shale drilling in eastern Ohio. Chesapeake will not officially comment on the purchases, but there’s little doubt they will build a new satellite office at one location for their Ohio drilling operations, and perhaps use the other parcel (land and warehouse) for storage and operations. It shows the serious commitment Chesapeake is making in Ohio and signals their further expansion in the area.

Belmont County | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Utica Shale

OH Landowner Group Seeks Driller for 45K Utica Shale Acres

November 28, 2011November 28, 2011

The Smith-Goshen Landowners Group in Belmont County, OH currently has 600 members and 45,000 acres of Utica Shale land available for lease. But they’re taking it slow and looking for a lease that will guarantee the safety of their farms and water supplies, according to Larry Cain, chairman of the group. They’re also looking for an even better deal than other landowners in Belmont County recently got from XTO Energy (a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil).

Belmont County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Ohio | XTO

Exxon Pays for After Hours Access to OH Property Records

November 21, 2011November 21, 2011

Interest from drilling companies in Eastern Ohio continues to be red hot with respect to the Marcellus and Utica Shales, as proven by how local county offices are overrun with researchers wanting access to property deed records. One such place is the Belmont County Recorder’s office in Belmont, Ohio. One company, Permian Oil (acting as an agent for XTO Energy, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil) has gone so far as to pay for after hours access.