Ohio

CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio

CNX Gas Starts Utica Well in Meander Reservoir Watershed
September 14, 2012September 14, 2012

The third Utica Shale well to be drilled in Mahoning County, Ohio is set to begin any day now. The well is being drilled by CNX Gas (subsidiary of CONSOL Energy). While the fact that a new well is being drilled may not seem like news (it’s the third well to be drilled in Mahoning County), where it’s being drilled in the county is big news: in the watershed of the Meander Reservoir, which provides drinking water to 300,000 people in the Mahoning Valley.

When completed, this will be a great example of the fact that drilling and fracking is safe—even in watershed areas (pay attention New York):

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Coshocton County | Energy Services | Enterprise Products Partners | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines

ATEX Express Ethane Pipeline Begins Construction in Ohio
September 14, 2012September 14, 2012

Earlier this year, Enterprise Products Partners announced a 1,230 mile ethane pipeline called the ATEX Express (Appalachia to Texas) that will run from Pennsylvania to the Gulf Coast (see this MDN story). Part of the pipeline repurposes an existing pipeline from Cape Girardeau, Missouri south to Texas. But part of the line is new construction through Ohio.

Not long after the new pipeline was announced, there was a dispute over whether or not Enterprise would need permission from the Ohio Power Siting Board to build new line through the state (see this MDN story). Apparently the issue is now resolved because construction in Ohio is beginning in Coshocton County:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio

“Nationwide” Day of Fracking Protest a Gigantic Flop
September 13, 2012September 13, 2012

It was grassroots, a phenomenon of social media sites like Facebook. The word went out to the anti-fracking faithful, and yesterday (trumpets blaring) was ta da da da: Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day – a day when the masses would rise up and protest against the nasty, dirty, polluting practice of fracking. Wait, what? You didn’t know? You didn’t see any protests “across the nation” or even in your own city or town? That’s right—Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day was a massive flop because no one protested.

Well, almost no one protested. We did find one media reference that “at least 30 protestors” gathered in Youngstown, Ohio (an area with a population of over a half million people). The keynote headliner for the rally? Former president of Pittsburgh City Council (and rabid anti-driller) Doug Shields, peddling his view that fracking should be banned everywhere and for everyone. He said he’s pursuing legal means to try and do just that:

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Ohio | Statewide OH

Utica Shale Permits/Drilling Update for Ohio – August 2012
September 12, 2012September 12, 2012

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) releases updates on Utica Shale permits and drilling each week. The numbers for August permits, along with cumulative totals for all permits issued and wells fracked and drilled, is shown in the handy table below. What do the latest numbers say? Of the 21 counties where there either has been or is permitting and drilling, the hot spot is Carroll County. Last month Carroll County saw 25 new permits issued for Utica wells, all of them issued to Chesapeake Energy.

Here’s a rundown on the latest numbers, telling you where, and how much, Utica Shale drilling is happening in Ohio:

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Antero Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Utica Shale

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):

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CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

CONSOL Exec Says Utica Pipelines are Critical Need
September 10, 2012September 10, 2012

Harry Schurr, general manager of Utica operations for CONSOL Energy’s CNX Gas, puts pipelines at the top of his wish list for what he needs in the Utica Shale. Schurr made the following comments a day after the NEXUS Gas Transmission was announced last week:

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CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Mahoning County | Ohio

CNX/CONSOL to Drill Second Well in Mahoning County, OH
September 10, 2012September 10, 2012

CNX Gas, the wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy, was just granted a second permit to drill a horizontal well in Mahoning County, Ohio:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Statewide OH

Interesting News from YOUNG for OH Landowners, Job Seekers
September 7, 2012September 7, 2012

The Youngstown Ohio Utica and Natural Gas Conference and Expo (or the “YOUNG Expo” as it’s called), held yesterday and today at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, OH, has become a major regional event in the Utica Shale. With more than 1,500 people attending yesterday and more than 100 vendors, YOUNG is not only a great place for businesses to connect and job seekers to find work, it’s also a news generator.

The Youngstown Business Journal picked up on the following revelation during a presentation from Nisource that will interest landowners in Mahoning County:

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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Supply Chain

New Marcellus/Utica Shale Supply Chain Website Launches
September 6, 2012September 6, 2012

The Youngstown Business Journal and Farris Marketing today launch a new Marcellus and Utica Shale supply chain connection website called ShaleLink.com. The website offers free listings for businesses interested in in selling (or buying) services related to the shale oil and gas industry. But there’s a catch: Your business has to be located in either Ohio or Pennsylvania to be listed for free.

Here’s the press release/story from the ShaleLink.com website describing the new service:

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BP | Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

BP Landmen Very Active in Columbiana County, OH
September 5, 2012September 5, 2012

More evidence of BP expanding their lease purchases in Ohio: Gunter Land Services, a landman agent for BP, has set up offices in Lisbon, Canton and Poland, OH. BP has also set up offices in Warren, OH. The landmen are actively canvassing landowners in the area in hopes of stringing together a new large block of acreage that BP can begin drilling “sometime next year.”

From the Youngstown Business Journal:

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Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Another Gulfport Utica Well in Harrison County Coming Online
September 5, 2012September 5, 2012

Gulfport yesterday reported initial peak results for its Utica Shale well called Boy Scout 1-33H, located in Deersville (Harrison County, OH). Although the flow rates are not as great as Gulport’s recently reported “alpha dog” well, the Wagner 1-H, also in Harrison County (see this MDN story), the new Boy Scout 1-33H is turning in respectable numbers:

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BP | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

An Update on Ohio’s Utica Shale – Facts & Figures
September 5, 2012September 5, 2012

An article in Crain’s Cleveland Business yesterday takes a look at the pattern of investment in the Utica Shale play in Ohio. According to the article, the Utica follows the same model found in other areas of the world: First smaller independent oil and gas companies invest doing the “retail” work of going house to house to get leases signed. They may even drill a few wells. But soon after, larger o&g companies, the “majors” descend and buy up many of those investments.

The article shares some interesting facts and figures about the current status of investment and development of the Utica in Ohio, among them:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Ohio Home Rule Movement to Regulate Drilling Picks up Steam
September 4, 2012September 4, 2012

The Akron Beacon Journal reports there’s a new movement gaining steam in Ohio to return “home rule” to local municipalities when it comes to oil and gas drilling. Home rule, for those unfamiliar, grants municipalities a say in whether, and where, drilling for natural gas and oil can occur within a township. Think of it as zoning, which is precisely what it is. The home rule debate is currently red hot in New York State where, similar to Ohio, the state previously passed a law removing the right of local municipalities to regulate drilling in any way (including bans). It’s also a hot topic in Pennsylvania where zoning provisions in the newly passed Act 13 law are now in PA Supreme Court awaiting a final decision.

Ohio passed a law in 2004 taking the right away from municipalities to regulate drilling. Now, some residents are trying to get the state legislature to reconsider it:

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Devon Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Roads | Wayne County (OH)

Devon Signs Road Repair Agreement with Wayne County, OH
August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

Devon Energy has signed an iron-clad agreement with Wayne County, Ohio to repair any damage caused by heavy trucks to roadways and bridges in the county from their drilling activities. A meeting on Tuesday night in Fredericksburg, OH was standing-room only as officials and local residents assembled to hear about the agreement.

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Athens County | Ohio

Athens County, OH to See First Utica Shale Well Soon
August 30, 2012August 30, 2012

Drilling interest is heating up in Athens County, Ohio. The first of three planned Utica Shale gas wells will be drilled in the next few months. In addition, hundreds of landowners have recently signed leases to allow drilling. Are good things on the way for Athens County landowners? Perhaps!

On the location and timing of the first well to be drilled:

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Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

PA Drilling Rig Count Sinks to Lowest in 2 1/2 Years
August 29, 2012August 29, 2012

If you kick around the oil and gas industry for any length of time, you’ll hear about something called “the rig count.” Rig counts are the number of drilling rigs in use by energy companies to drill (or “spud”) new wells. If the rig count falls, that means new leasing is likely to fall and eventually, natural gas production will fall. But in the case of the Marcellus, falling rig counts don’t mean falling production—quite the opposite. It just means there’s a whole lot of wells already drilled, waiting to be completed and hooked up to pipelines.

Still, a falling rig count does give you a feel for where new drilling will (or won’t) take place—valuable for landowners and businesses to know. The latest numbers for Pennsylvania show the rig count in that state falling to its lowest level in years:

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