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Nat’l Rig Count Down 3 @ 563; Marc. Even @ 24, Utica Drops 1 @ 12
Last week, for the fifth week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count dropped, down another three rigs to its lowest level since November 2021. There were changes among the Marcellus/Utica states, too. The combined M-U count dropped by one to 36 active rigs. The Pennsylvania Marcellus gained one rig, now at 18 rigs. The Ohio Utica dropped one of the two rigs it picked up two weeks ago and now stands at 11 rigs. West Virginia also dropped a rig and now runs only seven rigs. Read More “Nat’l Rig Count Down 3 @ 563; Marc. Even @ 24, Utica Drops 1 @ 12”
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its less functional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the May 31 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC renewed 45 general water use permits in April for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Blair, Bradford, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Tioga counties in Pennsylvania. The director also approved new water withdrawals for the 146-megawatt gas-fired Hunlock Creek power plant in Luzerne County. 
For the week of May 19 – 25, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica was down seven from the previous week. Last week, 24 new permits were issued in the M-U. In the Keystone State (PA), just four new permits were issued, all of them going to Expand Energy (Chesapeake) for a pad in Sullivan County. The Buckeye State (OH) received 13 new permits, with most (five) going to Encino Energy (EAP) in Columbiana County. EOG Resources received four permits for Carroll County, and Gulfport Energy received four permits for Belmont County. The Mountain State (WV) scored seven new permits. Six of the seven went to Antero Resources for a single pad in Tyler County. One permit was issued to Marion Natural Energy in Marion County. 
Electricity bills across Pennsylvania (and elsewhere in the PJM grid) are due to increase on June 1, when utilities reset a portion of their charges to reflect the current cost of energy. The increases reflect the rising cost of power on the regional transmission grid. Electric grids are complex to understand, but at their core, the grid manager (in this case, PJM) coordinates the flow of electricity within the grid and operates a wholesale power market where utilities purchase the electricity they deliver to their customers. Wholesale electric prices have spiked, and now utilities need to pass along those costs to ratepayers (don’t be mad at the local utility). The question is, why have wholesale electric prices spiked? Is someone (is PJM) at fault? 
In 2021, PennEnergy Resources made a request to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to withdraw up to 3 million gallons of water a day from Big Sewickley Creek (Beaver County) and one of its tributaries for shale fracking (see 
Big Green, particularly the New Jersey chapter of the odious Sierra Club, persists in trying to convince the general public that unreliable renewables (solar and wind) are less expensive than alternatives like natural gas. That’s simply a lie (see 
The Baker Hughes U.S. rig count dropped like a rock last week, down 10 rigs to its lowest level since November 2021. It is the first time the count has slumped for four consecutive weeks since 2024. On a happier note, the combined Marcellus/Utica count rose by two rigs to 37 active rigs. However, there was a change between the plays (and states) in the M-U. The Pennsylvania Marcellus lost one rig, now at 17 rigs, while the Ohio Utica picked up two rigs, now at 12 rigs. West Virginia remained the same with eight active rigs. 
The editors of the Pottsville, PA, Republican Herald newspaper in northeastern Pennsylvania raise an important issue that should be considered in light of the flurry of announced (and rumored) data centers planned for northeastern PA. The editors look forward to the massive economic boom such centers would create. However, as with any industry, there are drawbacks, negatives to be aware of and plan for. In the case of data centers, the lack of zoning ordinances may bite municipalities on the backside. It’s time to address these issues now, before these massive facilities are built. 
In December 2022, MDN brought you the great news that Coterra Energy (formerly Cabot Oil & Gas) would be allowed to restart drilling in a nine-square-mile area in Dimock, PA (Susquehanna County) following a “no contest” plea deal with PA’s then-Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, on a misdemeanor charge (see 
According to opinion researchers at Pennsylvania’s Franklin & Marshall College, the issue of fracking has deepened the schism between Democrats and Republicans in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania’s voter registration statistics have shifted rightward (from Democrat to Republican), which has been traced to shifts in the affiliation of working-class communities, particularly those located in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the state. New research offers a more direct cause for the shift: the decline of coal mining and the rise of shale gas development. 
In January, MDN brought you the news that TECfusions, based in Tampa, Florida, had purchased 1,395 acres in Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County), PA, for a groundbreaking data center project called TECfusions Keystone Connect (see 
Yesterday, the first of what will no doubt be many such events, the Appalachian AI Energy Conference (sponsored by Shale Directories) was held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Pittsburgh/Southpointe. Event speakers explored why Appalachia is uniquely suited to meet AI’s massive energy needs. CNX’s VP of sustainable development, Brent Bobsein, spoke about the region’s “massive opportunity.” 
The Marcellus/Utica region is the United States’ top natural gas production area, accounting for about one-third of the country’s daily output. Natural gas production in the M-U has soared from 2 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) to over 33 Bcf/d today in the past 15 years. Growth has slowed in recent years due to pipeline constraints, but new pipeline projects, rising Gulf Coast LNG demand, and in-basin data center development could drive a resurgence. Despite past challenges like canceled pipelines and a focus on the Permian, our region’s vast potential and improving infrastructure suggest a breakout, according to RBN Energy. However, low gas prices and regulatory hurdles remain big concerns, though data centers and LNG exports could boost demand significantly. 
Gas-fired power plants in the Marcellus/Utica region (and beyond) continue to change hands at a dizzying pace. Last week, MDN brought you the news that NRG Energy agreed to acquire LS Power’s portfolio of natural-gas power plants in a deal valued at roughly $12 billion, including debt, that will expand NRG’s footprint in Texas and along the East Coast (see