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47 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 11-17

For the week of July 11-17, the three Marcellus/Utica states issued 47 permits to drill new shale wells, up 10 from the prior week. Pennsylvania issued the lion’s share with 35 new permits. CNX grabbed seven of those permits in Washington County, and Olympus Energy received six in Westmoreland County. Ohio issued 11 new permits, with four going to Ascent Resources in Jefferson County, and four to Hilcorp Energy in Columbiana County. West Virginia issued a paltry one new permit, which went to Southwestern Energy in Ohio County.
Read More “47 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 11-17”

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21 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 6-12

The Marcellus/Utica is still struggling to get permit numbers into higher brackets. Three weeks ago a pathetically low six new permits were issued to drill shale wells across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia (see 6 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 23-29). Two weeks ago the number improved–with 20 new permits issued (see 20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 30-Jun 5). Last week, for June 6-12, the number increased by one, to 21 new permits issued. Anemic, but improving.
Read More “21 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 6-12”

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Signing Bonuses, Royalties, New Leases Pick Up in Ohio Utica

It seems that the higher prices natural gas is fetching are finally translating into higher royalty checks for landowners–at least in the northern part of the Utica Shale in Ohio (likely everywhere). The Youngstown Business Journal spoke to landowners with leased and producing acreage in Columbiana County and found not only have their royalty checks increased, so too has new leasing activity and along with it, new lease bonuses.
Read More “Signing Bonuses, Royalties, New Leases Pick Up in Ohio Utica”

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Corrected: 25 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 2-8

We always wait a few days into a new week before grabbing new shale well permits data to give the folks at the various state agencies time to update their systems for the previous week. Last Wednesday we told you that Pennsylvania had issued 11 new permits, Ohio issued none, and West Virginia issued just one (see 12 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 2-8). In rechecking today, we discovered PA actually issued 13 new permits and OH issued 11 permits during that period (both states updated their data since last Wednesday). WV remained at one new permit. We include the revised and corrected reports below.
Read More “Corrected: 25 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 2-8”

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44 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 7-13

Last week the number of new shale permits issued for the three M-U states more than doubled from the previous week. Four weeks ago there were 61 new shale drilling permits issued in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Three weeks ago that number fell to 33. Two weeks ago the permit number fell again, to just 20. Last week? The number bounced back up to 44 new permits. PA issued 24 new permits, OH issued 18 permits, and WV issued 2 new permits.
Read More “44 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Feb 7-13”

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20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 31-Feb 6

My how the mighty permit count has fallen. Three weeks ago there were 61 new shale drilling permits issued in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Two weeks ago that number fell to 33. And last week? The permit number fell again, to just 20. PA issued 13 new permits while OH issued 7. WV got skunked last week: A big, fat 0 new permits.
Read More “20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 31-Feb 6”

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33 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 24-30

Our apologies that this latest weekly permit update is a day late. Normally we issued these updates on Wednesdays. Yesterday the Pennsylvania database we use to locate information on new permits issued was throwing an error. We alerted the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, which maintains the database, and they got it fixed sometime last night. So we’re back! Our thanks to the programmers at the DEP.

The total number of permits across PA, OH and WV last week were down by about half from the week before. There were 33 new permits issued last week vs. 61 two weeks ago.
Read More “33 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 24-30”

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61 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 17-23

Holy smokes! What just happened? For months (and months and months) the cumulative number of weekly permits issued to drill new shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica has fluctuated from the low teens to perhaps 30 total on the upper end. Last week, from Jan. 17-23, an amazing 61 permits were issued to drill new shale wells. Double the usual. Wow! Pennsylvania issued 24 new permits, Ohio issued 9, and blow-the-doors-off-we’ve-never-seen-so-many-permits-issued-in-one-week for West Virginia, the Mountain State issued 28 new shale permits.
Read More “61 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 17-23”

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18 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 10-16

Last week 18 permits were issued to drill new shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica, down from 24 the week before. Pennsylvania had the most new permits with 12, mostly in the northeastern part of the state in Lycoming and Susquehanna counties. Ohio had four permits evenly divided between Columbiana and Harrison counties. West Virginia had just two lonely permits, one in Lewis and one in Wetzel counties.
Read More “18 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 10-16”

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20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 8-14

Four weeks ago the total number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica was 22. Three weeks ago it fell to 9. Two weeks ago the numbers picked up somewhat, with 16 new permits. Last week? There was a combined 20 new shale permits. However, the usual order of things with Pennsylvania dominating the new permit numbers was turned upside down. Last week PA only had 2 new permits (can’t remember the number being that low for months, if ever). OH issued a whopping 11 new permits, and WV issued 7 new permits.
Read More “20 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 8-14”

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Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jun 21-27

All three Marcellus/Utica states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania issued 9 new permits, all but one of them for the same well pad in Greene County. Ohio issued 3 new permits, two on a single pad in Monroe County. And West Virginia issued just 1 new permit last week–to a company we had not previously heard of.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jun 21-27”

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Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jun 7-13

Two of three Marcellus/Utica states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania issued just 4 new permits, spread all around the state, all in different counties. Ohio issued 8 new permits, split equally between Encino Energy (EAP) and Southwestern Energy (Eclipse). West Virginia’s shale industry got skunked last week with no new permits for a second week in a row! We can’t remember that ever happening.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jun 7-13”

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Columbiana County, OH Sees Uptick in Utica Drilling Interest

Ohio Utica counties

Columbiana County, Ohio, located in the northern part of the Utica Shale play in the state, was an early target for Aubrey McClendon (then-CEO of Chesapeake Energy). Aubrey was right about the Utica being “the biggest thing to hit Ohio since the plow.” But he was wrong about where the most productive wells would be located, which is further south in the play. Still, there’s money to be made in the northern Utica, and companies like Encino Energy (which now owns Chesapeake’s Ohio assets) and Hilcorp continue to drill in Columbiana.
Read More “Columbiana County, OH Sees Uptick in Utica Drilling Interest”

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Hilcorp Energy Continues to Go Its Own Way in Northern Utica

Hilcorp is a major driller founded in 1989 by Jeff Hildebrand. It is one of the largest privately-held (stock not publicly traded) oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Houston, TX, Hilcorp has over 1,825 employees in multiple operating areas including the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alaska, and (yes) in the Marcellus/Utica. While they don’t have a huge presence here in the northeast, Hilcorp does actively drill shale wells in Lawrence County, PA and Columbiana County, OH. The Youngstown Business Journal reports Hilcorp is advancing its program in the northern portion of the Ohio Utica.
Read More “Hilcorp Energy Continues to Go Its Own Way in Northern Utica”

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Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 22-26

All three M-U states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania received 7 new permits. In something of a twist, Ohio received 15 new permits (two companies), far more permits than we’ve seen in some time. And West Virginia received 5 new permits.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 22-26”

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Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 15-19

All three M-U states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania received 10 new permits. Ohio received 6 new permits. And West Virginia received 3 new permits.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 15-19”