The Marcellus Isn’t Slowing Down, It’s Getting Better at Drilling
There’s been a change in the Marcellus/Utica. Despite fewer visible rigs and water trucks across Pennsylvania, the Marcellus Shale isn’t declining—it’s maturing. Counting wells or permits no longer measures success, because fifteen years of learning have made modern wells dramatically more productive. Longer laterals, better geologic mapping, and refined completion techniques enable operators to produce more gas from fewer wells, reducing land disturbance, road construction, and traffic while improving economics. This shift from expansion to optimization arrives as demand surges from manufacturing, LNG exports, and AI data centers. For Appalachian communities, the takeaway is clear: the Marcellus isn’t slowing down—it’s getting better. Read More “The Marcellus Isn’t Slowing Down, It’s Getting Better at Drilling”
Northeast natural gas demand could rise by up to 10 Bcf/d by the early 2030s, supported by power generation, LNG, industrial growth, and advancing pipeline projects. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. (TPH) says regional operators increasingly expect 5–8 Bcf/d of growth by 2030, although the firm models only 3 Bcf/d. The interesting aspect of TPH’s prediction is *where* the increase in gas supply will come from, and which drillers will most likely provide it. 
The Marcellus/Utica region received 28 new drilling permits last week, June 29 – July 5, down 3 from two weeks ago. Last week, Pennsylvania issued 18 new permits. Ohio issued 4 new permits. And, West Virginia issued 6 new permits. The drillers who received new permits included: Antero Resources (6), CNX Resources (10), EOG Resources (4), EQT (1), Expand Energy (3), and Range Resources (4). 
EQT Corporation, the largest driller in the Marcellus/Utica (based on M-U production), recently achieved two records with the same Marcellus well. EQT drilled not only the “deepest” shale well in the continental U.S. (by “measured depth”), but also the longest horizontal shale well (by lateral length). EQT’s Longwell 9H well, located in Wetzel County, West Virginia (near the Pennsylvania border), eclipses a record set by Expand Energy in 2025 in Marshall County, WV. 
Last week was (once again) noteworthy for the Baker Hughes rig count. Although the Marcellus/Utica count didn’t budge, the national count increased by another 7 rigs. The national count has risen over the last three weeks — by 18 rigs! The new national count, 580, is also the highest the combined count has been since May 2025. The combined M-U rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the eighth consecutive week. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. 
We love a good railroad story, and at its core, that’s what this story is. Investment firm FTAI Infrastructure has completed its acquisition of Tidewater Logistics, a barge-and-rail transloading company operating in Ohio, West Virginia, and Texas, for about $45 million in cash. Tidewater serves producers, shippers and industrial customers in Appalachian Basin and Gulf Coast shale and energy markets, making it complementary to FTAI’s Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway. Tidewater’s facilities include frac sand transloading in Steubenville, OH; Fairmont, WV; and Allenport, PA. 
In early May, MDN brought you details about a proposed NSCALE data center project in Mason County, WV (see 
Here’s a West Virginia court case we were not previously aware of, one that affects the entire state regarding local zoning for shale gas drilling. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that municipal zoning laws are not entirely preempted by state environmental regulations, reversing an intermediate court decision and siding with the City of Weirton against SWN Production Company (Southwestern Energy, now part of Expand Energy). The 4-1 decision found no conflict between the state Department of Environmental Protection’s authority over drilling processes and municipalities’ power to regulate land use under the Land Use Planning Act.