Belmont County

Belmont County | Energy Companies | Hess | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Ohio | Utica Shale

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.

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Belmont County | EMG | Energy Services | Guernsey County | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Utica Shale

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.

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Antero Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Landowner Coalition News | Lease & Royalty Payments | Monroe County | Noble County | Ohio

Antero Pays Record Rates in Eastern Ohio Utica Lease Deal
February 13, 2012February 13, 2012

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.

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

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.

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Belmont County | Chesapeake Energy | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale

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.

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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).

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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.

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Belmont County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Belmont County, OH Landowners Sign Utica Shale Leases
September 19, 2011September 19, 2011

A number of landowners from Belmont County, Ohio made the trip to Wheeling, WV last week to sign leases to allow drilling in the Utica Shale on their property. The leases were signed with XTO Energy, now a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. The price landowners got for Utica leases rivals the highest prices MDN has heard of for any Marcellus Shale lease, in no small part because of Chesapeake Energy’s recent discovery of natural gas liquids and even oil in the Utica Shale in Ohio.

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

Landowners in Belmont & Monroe Counties (OH) Receive $60 Million in Lease Payments from Wishgard; Tri Star Inks 127 New Leases
August 3, 2011August 3, 2011

Ohio continues to be red hot with respect to leasing mineral rights for shale gas (and now oil) drilling. Some counties, like Belmont, can’t keep up with the lawyers and researchers who pour over property records at the County Recorder’s office:

Read More “Landowners in Belmont & Monroe Counties (OH) Receive $60 Million in Lease Payments from Wishgard; Tri Star Inks 127 New Leases”
Belmont County | Jefferson County (OH) | Monroe County | Ohio | Statewide OH

Marcellus Shale Drilling Heats Up in Ohio – “Few Thousand Wells” to be Drilled in Next Several Years
March 30, 2011March 30, 2011

Drillers who have been active in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia are now turning their sites on Eastern Ohio where a slice of the Marcellus Shale formation sits.

"The economies around us are benefiting from drilling. You see it in Pennsylvania, it’s real; you see it in West Virginia, it’s real. Now it’s here, and we have to grasp the opportunity," said state Sen. Wilson, D-Columbiana. "I think this is the biggest opportunity for job growth for eastern Ohio we have seen in a generation."

"This is really an enormous opportunity for us," said Wilson, who represents Belmont, Jefferson, Harrison and Columbiana counties. "I know we could be looking at a few thousand wells being drilled over the next several years – that creates a lot of work and economic activity.*

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