West Virginia

Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 3rd Week @ 580
July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

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. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 3rd Week @ 580”
Antero Resources | Bradford County | Butler County | Carroll County | Energy Companies | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Guernsey County | Harrison County | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | Laurel Mountain Energy | Lycoming County | Ohio | Ohio County | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania General Energy | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Wetzel County

31 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 22 – 28
July 2, 2026July 2, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received 31 new drilling permits last week, June 22 – 28, the very same number issued two weeks ago! Can’t remember the last time that happened. Last week, Pennsylvania issued just 5 new permits. Ohio issued 13 new permits. West Virginia also issued 13 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Antero Resources, EOG Resources, EQT, Expand Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, Laurel Mountain Energy, and Pennsylvania General Energy. Read More “31 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 22 – 28”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Sand/Proppant | Trucking | West Virginia

FTAI Buys M-U, Gulf Coast Frac Sand Transloading Operator for $45M
June 30, 2026June 30, 2026

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. Read More “FTAI Buys M-U, Gulf Coast Frac Sand Transloading Operator for $45M”
Beaver County | Belmont County | Butler County | Energy Companies | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Gulfport Energy | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | JKLM Energy | LOLA Energy | Monongalia County | Noble County | Northeast Natural Energy | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Potter County | Sabre Energy | Sullivan County | Tuscarawas County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia

31 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 15 – 21
June 26, 2026June 26, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received 31 new drilling permits last week, June 15 – 21, up from the pathetic 2 permits issued two weeks ago. However, not all 31 permits reported last week were issued last week. Ohio, which is increasingly tardy in updating its public reports, included permits in last week’s report that should have been in the previous week’s. Last week, Pennsylvania issued 18 permits. Ohio issued 9 new permits, all of which should have been reported two weeks ago. West Virginia issued 4 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: EOG Resources, EQT, Gulfport Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, JKLM Energy, LOLA Energy, Northeast Natural Energy, PennEnergy Resources, and Sabre Energy. Read More “31 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 15 – 21”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 1 @ 563
June 22, 2026June 22, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the sixth week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count regained 1 rig last week (after losing it the week before), bringing the total back up to 563 rigs, the highest number the count has reached in a year. Baker Hughes said oil rigs held steady at 433 last week, while gas rigs rose by one to 122, their highest since early June, and other miscellaneous rigs held steady at eight. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 1 @ 563”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Data Shows West Virginia Bucks Trend, Uses More Gas Than Renewables
June 17, 2026June 17, 2026

Despite renewable energy growth across the globe, fossil fuels still dominate in the U.S. and West Virginia in particular, where EIA data shows natural gas production climbing nearly 20% over five years while renewables stagnate. GO-WV President-Elect Rebecca McPhail attributes this to abundant resources, established infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and surging demand from data centers and manufacturing. West Virginia, the nation’s fifth-largest oil and gas producer, faces topographic and climatic challenges that limit the use of unreliable renewable energy sources. In the PJM Interconnection, gas and nuclear lead, with renewables under 10%. Read More “Data Shows West Virginia Bucks Trend, Uses More Gas Than Renewables”
AI | Industrywide Issues | Mason County | Pipelines | Regulation | West Virginia

WV DEP Reviews Gas Pipe Permits for Data Center in Mason County
June 16, 2026June 16, 2026

In early May, MDN brought you details about a proposed NSCALE data center project in Mason County, WV (see Mason County, WV Data Center: 3 Bldgs, 984 NatGas, Diesel Engines). The owners filed an application (on April 20) for a construction permit. The first phase of the project will be a 2.16-gigawatt, natural gas-fired off-grid data center. It’s going to produce its own electricity, so pipelines are needed to transport gas to the site. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is currently reviewing a construction permit for the pipelines that will flow gas to the data center. Read More “WV DEP Reviews Gas Pipe Permits for Data Center in Mason County”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Down 1 @ 562
June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the fifth week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count lost 1 rig last week, bringing the total down to 562 rigs. Baker Hughes said the number of oil rigs rose by 2 to 433 last week, the highest total since June 2025, while gas rigs fell by 3 to 121, the lowest since October 2025. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Down 1 @ 562”
Doddridge County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Pennsylvania | Vickery Energy Partners | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County | Wyoming County (PA)

8 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 1 – 7
June 12, 2026June 18, 2026

Last week was a disappointing week for new permits issued to drill shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica. The M-U region received just 8 new drilling permits from June 1 – 7, down from 30 permits issued two weeks ago. The main reason for the disappointing low number is that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) reported no new permits issued, which it sometimes does (and then “catches up” in the following week). Last week, Pennsylvania issued 7 permits, and West Virginia issued just 1 new permit. The drillers who received new permits included EQT, Expand Energy, and Vickery Energy. Read More “8 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 1 – 7”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 1 @ 563
June 8, 2026June 8, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the fourth week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 1 rig last week, bringing the total to 563 rigs. That’s the seventh week in a row the national count has added rigs, driven by new oil-focused rigs. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by two to 431 last week, the highest since June 2025, while gas rigs fell by one to 124, the lowest since January 2026. Other miscellaneous rigs held at eight. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 1 @ 563”
Antero Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Bradford County | Carroll County | Clean Energy E&P | Energy Companies | EOG Resources | Expand Energy | Grenadier Energy | Harrison County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Tioga County (PA) | Tyler County | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia

30 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV May 25 – 31
June 5, 2026June 5, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received 30 new drilling permits last week, May 25 – 31, up from 15 permits issued two weeks ago. However, not all 30 permits reported last week were issued last week. Ohio, which is occasionally tardy in updating its public reports, included permits in last week’s report that should have been included in the previous week’s report. Last week, Pennsylvania issued 8 permits. Ohio issued 17 new permits, of which 9 were from last week, and 8 were from the week before but not reported until last week. West Virginia issued 5 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Antero Resources, Ascent Resources, Clean Energy E&P, EOG Resources, Expand Energy, Grenadier Energy, and Range Resources. Read More “30 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV May 25 – 31”
Brooke County | Energy Companies | Expand Energy | Hancock County | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation | Southwestern Energy | West Virginia

WV Supreme Court Upholds Some Local Zoning for Gas Drilling
June 4, 2026June 4, 2026

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. Read More “WV Supreme Court Upholds Some Local Zoning for Gas Drilling”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Ohio | Pennsylvania | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 4 @ 562
June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the third week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 4 rigs last week, bringing the total to 562 rigs. That’s the sixth week in a row the national count has added rigs, driven by new oil-focused rigs. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by four to 429 last week, their highest since June 2025, while gas rigs held steady at 125 and other miscellaneous rigs held steady at 8. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 4 @ 562”
Antero Resources | Butler County | Clean Energy E&P | Doddridge County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Greene County (PA) | PennEnergy Resources | Pennsylvania | Tioga County (PA) | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Wetzel County | Wyoming County (PA)

15 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 18 – 24
May 29, 2026May 29, 2026

The Marcellus/Utica region received 15 new drilling permits last week, May 18 – 24, down from 23 permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 7 of last week’s permits. Ohio issued no new permits. West Virginia issued 8 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Antero Resources, Clean Energy E&P, EQT, Expand Energy, and PennEnergy Resources. Read More “15 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 18 – 24”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Ohio | Pennsylvania | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558
May 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count maintained its cumulative count of 36 active rigs after dropping 1 rig two weeks ago in the PA Marcellus (see M-U Rigs Down 1 @ 36; Haynesville Down 2 @ 56; Nat’l Up 3 @ 551). The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, dropped 1 rig last week to land at 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 7 rigs last week, bringing the total to 558 rigs. That’s the fifth week in a row the national count has added rigs. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558”
Bradford County | Energy Companies | EOG Resources | EQT Corp | Expand Energy | Greene County (PA) | Guernsey County | Marion County | Ohio | Ohio County | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Susquehanna County | Washington County | Weekly Permits | West Virginia

23 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 11 – 17
May 21, 2026May 29, 2026

NOTE: MDN will not publish on Friday, May 22, and Monday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Therefore, we are publishing the weekly permits report a day early.

The Marcellus/Utica region received 23 new drilling permits last week, May 11 – 17, up from the 22 permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 14 of last week’s permits. Ohio issued 4 new permits. West Virginia issued 5 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: EOG Resources, EQT, Expand Energy, and Range Resources. Read More “23 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 11 – 17”