Ohio Bill Updating Law Governing O&G Wells Gets Pushback
One month ago, we reported that Ohio Republican Senators had introduced Senate Bill (SB) 219, the first significant update to Ohio’s oil and gas laws since the Kasich administration more than a decade ago (see Ohio Bill Makes Major Changes to Law Governing O&G Wells). SB 219, introduced by Sen. Al Landis, aims to reform Ohio’s orphaned oil and gas well program. The bill proposes establishing the Oil and Gas Resolution and Remediation Fund, funded by filing fees and penalties, to protect orphan well funds from being raided by the state legislature (as often happens now). The bill also streamlines notification procedures for abandoned wells, accelerates drilling by eliminating the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) discretion to deny expedited project reviews, and makes road-use agreements with local governments voluntary and capped at three years. It won’t surprise you that anti-fossil fuel nutters are pushing back. It may surprise you that some county leaders and landowners are also pushing back. Read More “Ohio Bill Updating Law Governing O&G Wells Gets Pushback”
EOG Resources, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in the U.S. (with international operations in several other countries), issued its third quarter update last week. EOG closed on its purchase of Utica driller Encino Energy in August (see 
Ascent Resources, founded as American Energy Partners by Aubrey McClendon, a gas industry legend, is a privately held company that focuses 100% on the Ohio Utica Shale. Ascent, headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, is Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S. The company issued its third quarter 2025 update yesterday. Net production for the quarter averaged 2,247 MMcfe/d (2.25 Bcfe/d), consisting of 1,900 MMcf/d of natural gas, 16,130 bbls/d of oil, and 41,652 bbls/d of natural gas liquids (NGLs), putting liquids at 15% of the overall production mix for the quarter. 
Gulfport Energy is the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled). Gulfport released its third quarter update yesterday. The company is going full steam ahead in its natgas drilling in the Ohio Marcellus. Gulfport is aggressively expanding its future drilling potential. The company nearly tripled its Marcellus inventory, adding roughly 125 gross locations. Concurrently, Gulfport successfully finished two Utica U-development test wells, a move that proves drilling feasibility and unlocks an additional 20 gross Utica dry gas locations. 
In January 2023, Ohio House Bill (HB) 507 became law with the signature of Gov. Mike DeWine (see 
Antero Resources, the largest Marcellus/Utica (M-U) driller in West Virginia, released its Q3 2025 update with two significant announcements. One is that newly appointed CEO Michael Kennedy is “excited” for the company to return to dry gas drilling after “more than a decade,” with the first new dry gas well specifically intended to service the data center market. Second, we can confirm our prior speculation to say that Antero is officially marketing its Ohio Utica assets for sale. We previously brought you that rumor in early September (see 
Yesterday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and JobsOhio (a private nonprofit economic development corporation) launched the $100 million JobsOhio Energy Opportunity Initiative, a five-year fund to bolster economic development through energy production. The initiative will provide grants and low-interest loans to qualifying companies to offset costs related to natural gas, power generation, and nuclear power, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). 
Proposed Ohio legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 294, seeks to redefine “clean energy” to include natural gas, a fossil fuel, and, according to lefties, a major contributor to mythical global warming. At the same time, the bill would declare renewable sources like wind and solar “unreliable.” SB 294 would compel the Ohio Power Siting Board to favor energy projects it deems both clean and reliable, effectively prioritizing natural gas power plants. The bill’s sponsors argue this leverages Ohio’s substantial shale gas reserves and provides a cleaner alternative to coal. 
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed new permitting processes in West Virginia and Ohio that would allow certain fossil fuel projects to be built through wetlands and streams without a public comment opportunity. The proposals would allow mines, natural gas pipelines, hydropower dams, and other energy infrastructure projects in WV and OH to proceed using two simplified permits: “letters of permission” and “regional general permits.” For these projects, water pollution impacts must be limited to 2 acres or less for a letter of permission and 1 acre or less for a regional general permit. This action has the potential to speed up new natural gas pipeline projects in the Marcellus/Utica region. 
Earlier this morning, National Fuel Gas Company, a large utility company headquartered in the Buffalo, NY area with both upstream and midstream subsidiaries (Seneca Resources and NFG Midstream), announced a deal with CenterPoint Energy to acquire CenterPoint’s Ohio natural gas utility business (CNP Ohio) for $2.62 billion. The deal includes 5,900 miles of distribution and transmission pipelines and serves approximately 335,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation customers that consume approximately 60 Bcf of natural gas per year. The deal significantly increases NFG’s gas utility customer base, from roughly 750,000 to well over 1 million. 
Ohio Democrat House members have introduced a bill to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. House Bill (HB) 399 would ban fracking under Lake Erie (which has NEVER been proposed or even thought of), and ban fracking under state-owned parks, which is now happening. With respect to drilling under (not on) state-owned parks, when it happens, nobody knows it’s happening (see 
Earlier this month, we brought you the bombshell news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, is preparing to market its Ohio Utica assets, hoping to fetch $900 million to $1 billion (see 
Wow! Here’s a bombshell rumor. Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, is preparing to market its Ohio Utica assets, hoping to fetch $900 million to $1 billion. That’s according to an exclusive report by Hart Energy, which spoke to “multiple sources” who requested anonymity. Antero owns 82,000 acres of leases in the Utica/Point Pleasant shale of eastern Ohio, in “the most prolific part of the play,” according to the company’s website.