West Virginia

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    Gastar Exploration’s 42,000 Acres in the Marcellus – No Development Until a Partner is Found

    Energy company Gastar Exploration reports the following about their Marcellus commitment in a recent quarterly financial filing:

    In the Marcellus Shale we hold approximately 42,000 net acres in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. To date, we have drilled 10 shallow wells, which will allow us to hold the related leases with production. Currently, we are seeking a joint venture partner to help us further develop this play. We do not expect to drill additional shallow wells until we secure a joint venture partner or until natural gas prices improve. We will continue to maintain our leases through renewals, extensions and renegotiations of drilling commitments.

    Read the press release: Gastar Exploration Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Financial and Operational Results

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    Drilling in the Monongahela National Forest Put on Hold

    Recently the U.S. Bureau of Land Management stopped a proposed auction for new oil and gas leases in the Monongahela National Forest (W. Va.) after protests from the Friends of Blackwater Canyon and The Wilderness Society. However, just because the auction is canceled for now, it doesn’t mean there won’t be an auction in the future, according to Bureau spokesman Terry Lewis. An article in The Charleston Gazette reports:

    There are an estimated 280 billion cubic feet of federally owned natural gas beneath the forest. When combined with privately held resources, there could be as much as 860 billion cubic feet, according to the forest’s latest land and resource management plan.

    Forest officials say there are 17 production wells on forest property, 16 of them tapping federally owned gas deposits.

    For the past 50 years, drilling has focused on the Oriskany and other formations. It’s unknown how much gas is held in the Marcellus shale, which stretches from New York to West Virginia and is thought to hold trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. There are no Marcellus wells in the forest.

    Read the full article: Monongahela drilling debate continues

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    West Virginia Professor Touts Benefits of Shale Gas

    A positive opinion article by Donald W. Lyons, professor of engineering at West Virginia University, recently ran in the Huntington, W.Va. Herald-Dispatch. Among the points he makes are these:

    The United States needs to greatly reduce the amount of imported oil. To achieve this, we need more energy conservation, more wind, solar and nuclear energy and more bio-fuels. But even as we work to increase all of these, we also need more domestically produced natural gas. The failure to diversify our energy policy will lead to further consumer pain and a continued dismantling of key portions of our economy.

    The economy of West Virginia can benefit by the production of Marcellus shale natural gas. West Virginia is fortunate that the state will continue to be a major contributor to the “fuels of the future” and the good jobs associated with energy production.

    Read the full article: Shale gas could move U.S. toward energy independence