60 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 1 – 7
After a pathetic showing two weeks ago (just 8 permits), last week was a barnstormer—the most permits we’ve seen issued in a single week since we’ve been chronicling permits here on MDN. But, there’s a catch. Last week’s report for the combined three states shows 60 (!) permits issued, with 22 going to Pennsylvania, 24 to Ohio, and 14 to West Virginia. However, Ohio’s numbers are inflated because the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) reported numbers last week that stretch back three weeks in time. You may recall Ohio didn’t issue permits for two weeks in a row. They actually issued permits but didn’t report them. So, this report includes 6 permits for the two missing weeks. Still, removing six from the total means 54 permits were issued last week, which remains a record high. Could the spike in the spot price for natural gas in the M-U be the reason? Read More “60 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 1 – 7”

ECA Marcellus Trust I, the royalty interest holder in some of the wells drilled and maintained by Greylock Energy in Greene County, PA, announced yesterday that it will issue a 2-cent per unit dividend to unitholders for the third quarter of 2025. The company continues to hold back some profits ($90,000 in 3Q25) to build a cash reserve for “future known, anticipated or contingent expenses or liabilities.” ECA Marcellus Trust I, traded over-the-counter on the Pink Sheets, canceled distributions to investors for the first three quarters of 2020 due to the pandemic and the crash in oil and gas prices. The company restarted paying dividends in 4Q20. Since then, the Trust has paid out something in most quarters, floating from under a penny to as high as 18 cents/unit in 3Q22.
EQT Corporation self-reported a wastewater spill at its Secretariat Well Site in Gilmore Township (Greene County), PA, on October 3. Multiple spots were found after the completions crew removed its containment apparatus from the pad. EQT immediately got to work remediating the site and has (so far) removed 340 barrels of wastewater (14,280 gallons) and 21.5 roll-off boxes of dirt. EQT reported the spill to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as soon as it was observed on October 3. A DEP inspector finally showed up on October 10.
Recently, two neighboring towns in Greene County, PA, declared a Disaster Emergency related to a “frac-out” at the EQT Lumber well that happened three years ago, in July 2022 (see
A power project we’ve been tracking since 2017 is a 620-megawatt (MW) Marcellus-fired electric plant in Greene County, PA, called the Hill Top Energy Center (
Last week, MDN brought you the news that Freeport Township, located in Greene County, PA, declared a Disaster Emergency on June 23, 2025 (see 