Westmoreland County

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Wastewater | Westmoreland County

Upper Burrell Supervisors Adopt Regulation Banning Injection Wells
September 5, 2025September 5, 2025

Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County, PA) town supervisors have historically been receptive (or at least tolerant) to the Marcellus Shale industry that has so blessed their town and Westmoreland County. But attitudes seemed to change last December, at least with respect to wastewater injection wells (see Upper Burrell Twp Makes Moves to Ban Wastewater Injection Wells). The town’s Board of Supervisors instructed the town solicitor to draft an ordinance with stricter rules for the use of abandoned wells in the township. These wells could (theoretically) be used as wastewater injection wells. The board voted on Wednesday to adopt the new regs, which essentially block any injection wells in the town. Read More “Upper Burrell Supervisors Adopt Regulation Banning Injection Wells”
Berkshire Hathaway | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Westmoreland County

EGTS Gives Tour to Murrysville Officials of Future Pipeline Path
September 3, 2025September 3, 2025

Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company (Warren Buffett’s company), filed a new project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in July (see Eastern Gas Files with FERC to Expand Pipe Flows from PA to OH). The project, known as the Appalachian Reliability Project (ARP), is designed to transport more natural gas from Pennsylvania to Ohio. ARP will leverage the existing EGTS pipeline infrastructure while increasing its system capacity through pipeline additions and station upgrades, including the installation of four miles of new pipeline in the Municipality of Murrysville (in Westmoreland County). EGTS reps reached out to local officials and provided them with a tour of where the pipeline will go. Murrysville is supportive of the project. Read More “EGTS Gives Tour to Murrysville Officials of Future Pipeline Path”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Wastewater | Westmoreland County

Upper Burrell Continues to Tweak Plan to Block Injection Wells
August 11, 2025August 11, 2025

Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County, PA) town supervisors have historically been receptive (or at least tolerant) to the Marcellus Shale industry that has so blessed their town and Westmoreland County. But attitudes seemed to change last December, at least with respect to wastewater injection wells (see Upper Burrell Twp Makes Moves to Ban Wastewater Injection Wells). The town’s Board of Supervisors instructed the town solicitor to draft an ordinance with stricter rules for the use of abandoned wells in the township, wells that could (theoretically) be used as wastewater injection wells. It seems the board is putting some final tweaks on the proposed new ordinance, and it will come up for a vote “soon.” Read More “Upper Burrell Continues to Tweak Plan to Block Injection Wells”
Antero Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Bradford County | Carroll County | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Marion County | Marion Natural Energy | Monroe County | Noble County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Tyler County | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

34 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 28 – Aug 3
August 8, 2025August 8, 2025

For the week of July 28 – August 3, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica more than doubled from the previous week. There were 34 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, 20 more than the 14 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 15 new permits. Both EQT and Range Resources received six permits each for single well pads in Westmoreland and Washington counties, respectively. Expand Energy received three permits for a pad in Bradford County. Read More “34 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 28 – Aug 3”
Armstrong County | Berkshire Hathaway | Energy Services | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Westmoreland County

Eastern Gas Files with FERC to Expand Pipe Flows from PA to OH
July 31, 2025July 31, 2025

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Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company (Warren Buffett’s company), filed a new project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Monday. The project is called the Appalachian Reliability Project (ARP) and is designed to move more natural gas from Pennsylvania to Ohio. ARP will leverage existing EGTS pipeline infrastructure while increasing the capacity on its system through pipeline additions (4 miles of new pipe) and station upgrades. The project will create 550,000 dekatherms/day (550 MMcf/d) of extra transportation capacity from a new receipt point in Armstrong County, PA, for deliveries to Texas Eastern Pipeline in Westmoreland County, PA, and the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) in Monroe County, OH. Read More “Eastern Gas Files with FERC to Expand Pipe Flows from PA to OH”
Allegheny County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

EQT Seals the Deal, Completes Olympus Energy Purchase for $1.8B
July 7, 2025July 7, 2025

In April, MDN told you that EQT Corporation, the second-largest natural gas producer in the country (and the largest producer in the Marcellus/Utica) was buying out and merging in Olympus Energy for $1.8 billion (see EQT Buying Olympus Energy for $1.8 Billion; 90K Acres, 0.5 Bcf/d). The Olympus assets comprise what EQT described as a “vertically integrated” contiguous 90,000 net acre position, offsetting EQT’s existing core acreage in southwestern Pennsylvania with net production of approximately 500 MMcf/d (or 0.5 Bcf/d) and 717 active wells. The transaction was expected to close in the early part of the third quarter of 2025. Sure enough, it closed (on July 1, the first day of 3Q), and now, Olympus Energy is no more. Read More “EQT Seals the Deal, Completes Olympus Energy Purchase for $1.8B”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Apex Energy | CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

CNX Appeals EHB Extra Conditions Imposed on 2 Penn Twp Wells
July 7, 2025July 7, 2025

The special court established in Pennsylvania to hear appeals of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decisions, known as the Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), didn’t please anyone with a decision it rendered several weeks ago. We previously reported that the EHB had ruled in favor of CNX Resources to allow two previously permitted wells to move forward with construction (see Anti-Shale Group Loses EHB Appeal to Block CNX Wells in SWPA). A local anti-shale group, backed with Big Green money and lawyers, appealed the decision to the state’s Commonwealth Court. CNX has also appealed the EHB decision. Read More “CNX Appeals EHB Extra Conditions Imposed on 2 Penn Twp Wells”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Wastewater | Westmoreland County

Upper Burrell Plans to Block Injection Wells with New Policy
July 3, 2025July 3, 2025

Upper Burrell, PA

Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County, PA) town supervisors have historically been receptive (or at least tolerant) to the Marcellus Shale industry that has so blessed their town and Westmoreland County. But attitudes seemed to change last December, at least with respect to wastewater injection wells (see Upper Burrell Twp Makes Moves to Ban Wastewater Injection Wells). The town’s Board of Supervisors instructed the town solicitor to draft an ordinance with stricter rules for the use of abandoned wells in the township. At a board meeting on Wednesday, members of the community (Big Green shills?) lectured the supervisors that the proposed draft needs tightening to ensure absolutely no new injection wells are possible in the town. Read More “Upper Burrell Plans to Block Injection Wells with New Policy”
Carroll County | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Greene County (PA) | Lycoming County | Marshall County | Monroe County | Ohio | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Seneca Resources | Southwestern Energy | Tioga County (PA) | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 16 – 22
June 27, 2025June 27, 2025

For the week of June 16 – 22, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica rose from the previous week. There were 24 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, up six from 18 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 16 new permits. Olympus Energy received the most new permits, six, all of them in Westmoreland County (across two pads). Seneca Resources received five permits for one pad in Tioga County. Range Resources scored three permits for a single pad in Washington County. Read More “24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 16 – 22”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Apex Energy | CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Anti-Shale Group Loses EHB Appeal to Block CNX Wells in SWPA
June 23, 2025June 23, 2025

A leftist anti-fossil group calling itself Protect PT (Penn-Trafford), located in Westmoreland County, PA, backed with big money from Big Green groups, has for years challenged Penn Township ordinances that allow Apex Energy (now CNX Resources) to drill and operate shale wells. Protect PT finally struck out (legally) at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in May 2020 (see Penn Twp Frack Ban Case Strikes Out at PA Supreme Court). However, using Big Green money, Protect PT soldiered on even after its crushing defeat at the Supreme Court. Apex (later bought by CNX) proposed drilling two wells—the Drakulic Well project—on a pad in a rural part of Trafford, PA, a borough straddling Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Protect PT challenged the original permits and a time extension at PA’s special environmental court called the Environmental Hearing Board in early 2024 (see PA EHB Allows “Narrow” Appeal of 2 Apex Energy Well Permits). The EHB recently ruled against Protect PT’s appeal. Read More “Anti-Shale Group Loses EHB Appeal to Block CNX Wells in SWPA”
AI | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Strategy Revealed for Building 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center in SWPA
May 23, 2025May 23, 2025

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 Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Coming to Southwest Pa.). The site is the old Alcoa R&D campus and the surrounding real estate in New Kensington. The project will transform the shuttered office and industrial site into a state-of-the-art data center campus, with plans to deploy up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of gas-fired capacity over six years, using gas wells on the property (see Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center in SWPA to Use Local Wells). At the Appalachian AI Energy Conference held earlier this week, TECfusions COO Mark Hamilton laid out the company’s strategy for developing the site moving forward. Read More “Strategy Revealed for Building 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center in SWPA”
Arsenal Resources | Beaver County | Carroll County | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Harrison County | Ohio | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Susquehanna County | Tuscarawas County | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 21 – 27
May 2, 2025

For the week of April 21 – 27, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica was down nine from the previous week. Last week, 24 new permits were issued in the M-U. In the Keystone State (PA), 17 new permits were issued. Both Coterra Energy in the northeastern part of the state and EQT Corporation in the southwestern corner received six permits each. Coterra’s permits were all issued for the same pad. EQT received five permits for a single pad in Greene County, and one permit for a pad in Washington County. Range Resources received four permits for a single pad in Beaver County, and Olympus Energy scored one permit in Westmoreland County. Read More “24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 21 – 27”
AI | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center in SWPA to Use Local Wells
April 29, 2025April 29, 2025

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 Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Coming to Southwest Pa.). The site is the old Alcoa R&D campus and the surrounding real estate in New Kensington. The project will transform the shuttered office and industrial site into a state-of-the-art data center campus, with plans to deploy 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity over a six-year period. Put another way, some 3,000 megawatts of electricity will be required to power it! Where will all that electricity come from? Read More “Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center in SWPA to Use Local Wells”
Belmont County | CNX Resources | Columbiana County | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Fayette County | Guernsey County | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | HG Energy | Hilcorp Energy | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | Marshall County | Monongalia County | Monroe County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Southwestern Energy | Tuscarawas County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County | Wetzel County

36 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 7 – 13
April 17, 2025April 17, 2025

Last week was an interesting week for new permits issued to drill new shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica. For the week of Apr 7 – 13, the number of permits issued soared, up 15 from the previous week. Last week, 36 new permits were issued. The surprising thing is just how few of those new permits were issued in the Keystone State (PA). Just five new permits went to PA. CNX Resources had four of PA’s new permits, all for the same well pad in Westmoreland County. The other permit went to EQT in Fayette County. Read More “36 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 7 – 13”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Washington County | Westmoreland County

Massive 3 GW SWPA Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Builder to Speak at Conf
April 9, 2025April 9, 2025

MDN has written numerous posts about AI (artificial intelligence) and the data centers that provide the computing power AI requires. Why? AI data centers use enormous amounts of electricity, most of which is generated by natural gas-fired power plants. Some 25% of all the data centers currently operating in the country are located in northern Virginia, where they use Marcellus/Utica molecules. The entire data center sector is experiencing massive growth—much of it in the M-U. We previously told you about a must-attend event, the Appalachian AI Energy Conference, scheduled for May 21, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh in Southpointe. Now comes word that the builder of a previously announced data center project in Westmoreland County, TECfusions Keystone Connect, will speak at the AI Energy Conference in May. Read More “Massive 3 GW SWPA Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Builder to Speak at Conf”
Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Campbell Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Harrison County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Tioga County (PA) | Weekly Permits | Westmoreland County

19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 24 – 30
April 4, 2025April 4, 2025

For the week of Mar 24 – 30, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells dropped by three from the previous week. Last week, 19 new permits were issued, with 15 going to the Keystone State (PA). Seneca Resources received the lion’s share, 13 of the 15 permits, all in Tioga County spread across three different pads. One permit was issued to EQT (Rice Drilling) in Greene County, and one was issued to Campbell Oil & Gas in Westmoreland County. Read More “19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 24 – 30”