8 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 24 – 30
The number of new permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica from November 24 – 30 was a paltry 8, down from 23 issued the prior week. We typically issue these weekly permit updates on Fridays, but last Friday, the PA DEP website, where we extract information, threw an error, so we delayed until today. This morning the PA DEP site shows only a single permit was issued during that period, so we don’t know whether there are still data problems. For now, we’re going with the information as it is (and will recheck it later this week). So, given that proviso, Pennsylvania issued 1 new permit, down 22 from the prior week. Ohio got skunked, issuing no new permits for the second week in a row. Hey ODNR, wake up! West Virginia issued 7 new permits, down from issuing 10 permits the prior week. Read More “8 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 24 – 30”
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the December 6 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC approved and/or renewed 76 general water use permits from September 1 through October 31 for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Blair, Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Huntingdon, Lycoming, McKean, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Tioga counties in Pennsylvania and one permit to withdraw water in Steuben County, New York. 
Coterra Energy, formed by the merger of Cabot Oil & Gas (drills for natural gas in the Marcellus) and Cimarex Energy (drills for oil in the Permian and Anadarko basins), issued its third quarter 2025 update yesterday. What stood out to us is just how little new drilling the company did in the Marcellus during 3Q. Coterra spud (began to drill) 15 new Marcellus wells during 3Q, while it spud 68 wells in the Permian and 11 in the Anadarko basins. The company brought online to sales (called turned-in-line, or TIL) 4 wells in the Marcellus, 64 TILs in the Permian, and 8 TILs in the Anadarko. That about says it all. 
On October 22, Coterra Energy reported a well control incident during fracking the 12H well on the Lauer pad in Susquehanna County to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A loss of control resulted in the high-pressure release of an unknown quantity of fracking and production fluids, along with natural gas, causing the fluid to “spray” on and off the well pad. Coterra, which was fracking five wells simultaneously, called in Cudd Well Control Services and did not regain control until 49 hours later on October 24, after installing a second bridge plug. 
Our friend Bill desRosiers, Manager of Government and External Affairs at Coterra Energy, has authored an excellent article and white paper addressing the topic of how the oil and gas industry can use virtual reality (VR) to attract new blood to the industry. The oil and gas industry is facing a significant workforce challenge: nearly 400,000 U.S. energy workers are nearing retirement, while younger generations remain hesitant to enter the field. In spring 2025, Coterra partnered with Xalter to deploy a multi-state pilot VR program to prepare the next generation of energy workers. Bill draws back the curtain to discuss the company’s experience in using VR for training and to attract new talent to the company. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the September 20 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC approved and/or renewed 40 general water use permits in August for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Centre, Clearfield, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties in Pennsylvania. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional 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 also tells shale drillers when to stop withdrawing if low water flow (i.e., drought) conditions exist. And that’s what the SRBC did earlier today. The agency, via its Hydrologic Conditions Monitor, warned shale drillers that, at 47 listed locations (all in Pennsylvania), they must stop water withdrawals until streamflow reaches a specific “trigger flow” target (different for each location). 
Leatherstocking Gas Company, a subsidiary of Corning Energy Corporation, runs gas mains to residents and businesses in small, mainly rural communities in northeastern Pennsylvania (see 