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OH Landowners Say Injection Wells Leaked, Ruined 55 Oil Wells

Two conventional oil producers in Southeast Ohio say dozens of their wells have been flooded with industrial waste (brine) from the fracking industry. They claim that nearby injection wells that handle frack waste/brine are leaking. State regulators agree that injection wells, at least at some locations, are leaking. Not only have these leaks (if true) affected oil wells, but there’s a concern they may be contaminating area water wells. Read More “OH Landowners Say Injection Wells Leaked, Ruined 55 Oil Wells”

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Trump BLM Restarts O&G Leasing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest

Wayne National Forest units (click for larger version)

Did you know that there are federal lands in the Marcellus/Utica? The Wayne National Forest (WNF) is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter of a million acres of the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and shale drilling in WNF. During the first Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auctions in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021, after Biden seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest). The long nightmare of Joementia is now over. The BLM in the second Trump administration recently announced it has restarted the leasing process in WNF. Read More “Trump BLM Restarts O&G Leasing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest”

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3 Conv. Drillers Sue Multiple OH Injection Wells for Contamination

In April, the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission upheld a regulatory order from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) suspending operations of three wastewater injection wells located in Torch (Athens County), OH, owned by K&H Partners, a subsidiary of Tallgrass Energy (see Ohio O&G Commission Votes to Shut Down 3 Athens Injection Wells). K&H subsequently applied to plug and abandon the wells (see Owner of 3 Athens, OH Injection Wells Applies to Permanently Plug). It appears that the situation has resulted in a flood of lawsuits by conventional drillers in the region, not only against K&H but also against a number of other injection wells and their owners.
Read More “3 Conv. Drillers Sue Multiple OH Injection Wells for Contamination”

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Ohio Roundtable with Lt Gov Tackles Critical Role of Fossil Energy

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was in Marietta, OH on Thursday for a roundtable discussion regarding the oil and gas industry. The meeting was held at Artex Oil Company and included Energy Transfer, Nine Energy Service, Oil Well Shares (OWS), Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA), Reno Oil and Gas, DeepRock Disposal Solutions, Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP), and Marietta College. The meeting began as a closed-door session but opened to the public (and the press) after a half hour.
Read More “Ohio Roundtable with Lt Gov Tackles Critical Role of Fossil Energy”

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Ohio Landowner Wins Case Against Protégé Energy re Restoring Land

An interesting case recently decided by Ohio’s Fourth District Court of Appeals has a significant impact for both surface landowners and drillers. The case is Zimmerview Dairy Farms, LLC v. Protégé Energy III LLC and establishes, under Ohio law, that a general release of damages contract (typically signed by landowners when they lease land for drilling or pipelines) does not release a driller or pipeline company from its ongoing obligation to remediate (fix) and restore damage to a landowner’s property.
Read More “Ohio Landowner Wins Case Against Protégé Energy re Restoring Land”

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Leaking Ohio Injection Well Not Contaminating Nearby Water Wells

Washington County, OH

In September 2020 MDN brought you the news that the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) is investigating the possibility that shale wastewater pumped into an injection well in Washington County, OH was migrating and coming out of producing conventional natural gas wells some five miles away (see OH Injection Well Said to Leak Wastewater into Wells 5 Miles Away). A sudden increase in brine–naturally occurring water with lots of minerals from thousands of feet below the surface–began in late 2019. Indeed, it looks like the injection well *is* leaking–via natural cracks underground. However, the leaks do not reach up thousands of feet into the water aquifer–that’s the good news.
Read More “Leaking Ohio Injection Well Not Contaminating Nearby Water Wells”

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DarkPulse Teams with Grae-Con to Bring Laser Sensing to M-U

Actual System Image Showing Pipe Wall Corrosion

DarkPulse, a company that manufactures, sells, installs, and monitors laser sensing systems for the oil and gas industry, is partnering with Grae-Con Construction in Marietta, OH to offer DarkPulse’s unique products to Marcellus/Utica drillers and pipeline companies. DarkPulse uses dark-pulse sensor technology to monitor drilling activities (in the upstream) and the thickness of pipelines (in the midstream) to provide early detection of problems.
Read More “DarkPulse Teams with Grae-Con to Bring Laser Sensing to M-U”

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OH Injection Well Said to Leak Wastewater into Wells 5 Miles Away

Washington County, OH

Officials with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) are investigating a claim that shale wastewater pumped into an injection well in Washington County, OH is migrating and coming out of producing conventional natural gas wells some five miles away.
Read More “OH Injection Well Said to Leak Wastewater into Wells 5 Miles Away”

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WV to OH Short Line Railroad Growing Thx to Marcellus/Utica

We’re always suckers for railroad story. Not sure why, but we love reading about short line railroads that do well because of the shale industry. We spotted such a story about the 48-mile short line Belpre Industrial Parkersburg (BIP) Railroad between Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Relief, Ohio (via Marietta). BIP expects to double its traffic over the next year to 18 months thanks to the Marcellus/Utica Shale industry and the business it’s generating.
Read More “WV to OH Short Line Railroad Growing Thx to Marcellus/Utica”

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Barging Shale Wastewater on Ohio River Back on the Radar

In a piece of stellar investigative journalism and reporting, MDN friend Bob Downing (at Kallanish Energy) has broken a story that barging Marcellus and Utica Shale wastewater (brine) on the Ohio River is once again under active consideration. Downing discovered applications recently filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build three barge terminals in Ohio, all of them located near injection wells to handle barged shale wastewater.
Read More “Barging Shale Wastewater on Ohio River Back on the Radar”

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Diversified May Monetize Some EdgeMarc OH Utica Assets

In August MDN told you that Diversified Gas & Oil was the high (and only) bidder for Ohio Utica assets owned by EdgeMarc Energy, buying those assets out of bankruptcy court (see Bankrupt EdgeMarc Sells Ohio Utica Assets to Diversified for $50M). In a recent interview EdgeMarc CEO Rusty Hutson said the company may (underscore may) look to monetize, or sell, some of those undeveloped assets recently purchased.

UPDATE: Please note that this article was modified from a previous version. A representative alerted us that our original take, in which we said Diversified was “flipping” the EdgeMarc assets, was incorrect and misleading. We do sincerely regret that error.
Read More “Diversified May Monetize Some EdgeMarc OH Utica Assets”

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Bankrupt EdgeMarc Sells Ohio Utica Assets to Diversified for $50M

EdgeMarc Energy, headquartered in Canonsburg, PA (with 50,000 acres of Marcellus/Utica leases), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, looking to sell all of the company’s assets (see EdgeMarc Energy Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Revolution Pipe). Diversified Gas & Oil placed a bid on EdgeMarc’s Ohio Utica assets, offering $50 million. Nobody else bid, so the bankruptcy court has just approved the sale to Diversified. How many Utica wells and how much acreage? We tell you below.
Read More “Bankrupt EdgeMarc Sells Ohio Utica Assets to Diversified for $50M”

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Pin Oak Already Planning 1st Utica Well on Protege Acreage in OH

Yesterday MDN told you that Pin Oak Energy Partners has purchased Protégé Energy’s 10,000 acres of Utica Shale leases (and other assets) located in Washington and Noble counties in Ohio, and Wood County in West Virginia (see Pin Oak Buys Protege Energy’s Utica Assets in Ohio, W.V.). It didn’t take long for Pin Oak to form their first drilling unit in Washington County, called Big Red. We have the details on where it is, and which properties are included.
Read More “Pin Oak Already Planning 1st Utica Well on Protege Acreage in OH”

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Pin Oak Buys Protege Energy’s Utica Assets in Ohio, W.V.

Listen up landowners in Washington County, OH: For some of you, your shale lease may now be owned by someone else. Pin Oak Energy Partners, a relatively young Marcellus/Utica driller based in Akron, OH, has purchased all of Protégé Energy’s Utica Shale leases (and other assets) located in Washington and Noble counties in Ohio, and Wood County in West Virginia. The vast majority of the lease transfers are in Washington County.
Read More “Pin Oak Buys Protege Energy’s Utica Assets in Ohio, W.V.”

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EdgeMarc Energy Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Revolution Pipe

EdgeMarc Energy, headquartered in Canonsburg, PA (with 45,000 acres of Marcellus/Utica leases), is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, looking to sell all of the company’s assets. The reason? They can’t move their production to market because their main pipeline partner, Energy Transfer’s Revolution Pipeline, exploded last September and ET has not been able to get the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to allow them to restart it.
Read More “EdgeMarc Energy Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Revolution Pipe”

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XTO Selling 9,400 OH Utica Acres in Monroe & Washington Counties

XTO Energy, the shale drilling arm of Exxon Mobil, wants to sell ~9,400 Ohio Utica Shale acres in Monroe and Washington counties. Have no fear, XTO isn’t going anywhere. According to XTO’s website, the company currently owns 82,000 acres of Utica Shale leases in Belmont and Monroe counties. The tiny 9,400-acre sale appears to us to be selling off acreage in areas that don’t fit with XTO’s future drilling plans. XTO maintains a regional office in Belmont County. According to the sale announcement appearing on Oil & Gas Asset Clearinghouse, there are potentially 40 drilling locations on the 9,400 acres. The acreage has dry gas potential. The sale is not exactly an auction, but it is timed and uses bids. XTO is accepting sealed bids on the property through May 17. Here’s a copy of the listing, along with a flyer…
Read More “XTO Selling 9,400 OH Utica Acres in Monroe & Washington Counties”