Marcellus Drilling News

Best of the Rest

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, May 15, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
May 15, 2025May 15, 2025

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Cleveland-Cliffs shifts away from hydrogen project at Ohio steel mill; NATIONAL: U.S. electricity prices continue steady increase; Bearish storage build, weak demand weigh on market as natural gas futures crater; As hydrogen market evolves, best uses will focus on cost, sustainability; Liability for climate change – an inequitable economic disaster; US to speed up oil and gas land parcel reviews for federal leasing; Why the proposed “phaseout” of IRA subsidies is unacceptable; INTERNATIONAL: Crude slips after inventory surge; Aramco pens $90B deals with US companies; OPEC+ makes careful start to supply revival; Europe will struggle to wean itself off Russian gas; BP’s chief U.S. economist worries China is winning the global energy war; GALACTIC: Webb’s Titan forecast – partly cloudy with occasional methane showers. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, May 15, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”
Energy Companies | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

Infinity Natural Resources Adds Second Rig to Drill in PA Marcellus
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Infinity Natural Resources (INR), headquartered in Morgantown, WV, focuses 100% on the Marcellus/Utica. The company went public earlier this year with a $265 million ($20/share) initial public offering, giving INR a $1.18 billion market capitalization (see INR IPO Does Better than Expected, Stock Trading Pops 10% Higher). INR issued its second public quarterly update yesterday. Among the bits of news is that INR recently contracted a second drilling rig to drill four natural gas wells in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale, which are expected to be turned online to sales this summer. Read More “Infinity Natural Resources Adds Second Rig to Drill in PA Marcellus”
Earthquakes | Guernsey County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Noble County | Ohio | Regulation

ODNR Says Fracking in Noble County, OH Caused Series of Earthquakes
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

A series of earthquakes (low level, sometimes felt, most of the time not felt) have hit Guernsey and Noble counties in eastern Ohio. According to the latest news we can find, some five quakes have hit since April 22, and another couple of quakes hit earlier in the year, in January/February. There is an existing fault line in the area, near Cambridge, known as the Burning Springs-Cambridge fault zone, formed more than 4.6 million years ago. So, earthquakes in the region are not unknown. The question is, why this most recent flurry? The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) claims it’s tied to oil and gas activity in the area. Read More “ODNR Says Fracking in Noble County, OH Caused Series of Earthquakes”
Accidents | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Tioga County (PA) | Trucking | Wastewater

Truck Hauling Frack Wastewater Overturns in Tioga County, PA
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Tioga County, PA

On Monday, a tanker truck carrying fracking wastewater rolled 100 feet down an embankment in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, spilling about 2,000 gallons of flowback (brine) into a nearby stream. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the truck left the road and flipped onto its side into a small stream. About half of its load leaked out from the top hatch of the tank. The truck driver was not injured in the accident. Read More “Truck Hauling Frack Wastewater Overturns in Tioga County, PA”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments re RGGI Carbon Tax
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Yesterday, the seven members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (five Democrats and two Republicans) heard oral arguments in a lawsuit that attempts to force PA to accept the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an obscene carbon tax on coal- and gas-fired power plants. Former Democrat Governor Tom Wolf tried to force the state to join RGGI in 2019 (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax). His successor, Josh Shapiro (also a Democrat), doubled down and also wants to force PA into the RGGI carbon tax scheme. Republicans in the state Senate sued, claiming the legislature, not the executive branch, has the power to join or not join RGGI. Read More “Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments re RGGI Carbon Tax”
Industrywide Issues | M&A | Pipelines

ArcLight Capital Becomes Majority Owner of NGPL, KM Still Operator
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Investment firm ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC, announced it has acquired an additional 25% interest in Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL). As a result of the transaction, ArcLight will become the largest owner of NGPL with a 62.5% economic ownership interest, alongside partner Kinder Morgan, Inc., which continues to own a 37.5% economic interest and operates the pipeline. NGPL is the largest transporter of natural gas into the Chicago-area market, as well as one of the largest interstate pipeline systems in the country. It is also a major natural gas transporter to large LNG export facilities and other markets on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Most importantly, Marcellus/Utica molecules flow into NGPL. Read More “ArcLight Capital Becomes Majority Owner of NGPL, KM Still Operator”
CNG/LNG | Energy Services | Energy Transfer Partners | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

FERC Grants Request to Extend Lake Charles LNG Construction by 3 Yrs
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Energy Transfer’s (ET) Lake Charles LNG project is in the news again. In April, we told you that ET had landed a new partner to help pay for the project, MidOcean Energy, which will cover 30% of the cost of building the plant (see MidOcean Partners with Energy Transfer on Lake Charles LNG Exports). Not long after that news, ET filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to add an extra three years to the permit to get the facility built and online (see ET Asks FERC to Extend Lake Charles LNG Construction Extra 3 Years). FERC just responded in the affirmative. Read More “FERC Grants Request to Extend Lake Charles LNG Construction by 3 Yrs”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Commonwealth LNG Signs Deal to Sell 2 MTPA to Glencore
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Commonwealth LNG has finalized a binding agreement with Glencore LTD, one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies, to form a strategic LNG partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, Glencore will purchase 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG for 20 years from Commonwealth. Yes, there is a key link between Commonwealth LNG and the Marcellus/Utica. Read More “Commonwealth LNG Signs Deal to Sell 2 MTPA to Glencore”
Best of the Rest

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, May 14, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: EPA terminates $15M climate justice grant to Pittsburgh and Philly non-profits; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Aramco in talks with Woodside for Louisiana LNG stake; New York and New Jersey need natural gas; Could Trump make it easier for DTE to build natural gas plants?; NATIONAL: S&P Global says USA crude oil production now expected to decline in 2026; After more than a decade of little change, U.S. electricity consumption rising again; US oil output has peaked, but don’t expect a rapid decline; U.S. LNG feedgas demand dropped due to maintenance and outages; Navigating the diverging landscape of climate disclosure laws; INTERNATIONAL: Crude rebounds over 11% from lows; President Trump visits Saudi Arabia. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, May 14, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”
Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Ohio | Statewide OH

Gulfport Energy Signals It Wants to Buy Another Ohio Driller
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

Wow, what a difference four years can make! In May 2021, Gulfport Energy, the third-largest driller in the Ohio Utica Shale (by the number of wells drilled), emerged from bankruptcy with a new board and new management (see Gulfport Energy Emerges from Bankruptcy w/New Board, CEO/CFO Gone). Later in 2021, the rumors began to swirl that Gulfport was looking to sell itself (see Big News: OH Utica Driller Gulfport Energy Looking to Sell Itself). In the spring of 2022, the rumors centered on a combo with (sale to) fellow Ohio driller Ascent Resources (see Rumor: Gulfport Energy in Talks to Merge with Ascent Resources). None of the rumors came true. In last week’s first quarter update, Gulfport CEO John Reinhart indicated his company is now looking to DO the buying, rather than be bought. Read More “Gulfport Energy Signals It Wants to Buy Another Ohio Driller”
DT Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Millennium Pipeline | New York | Pipelines | Statewide NY | TC Energy/TransCanada

Millennium Pipe Open Season for Expanded Capacity in NY, New England
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

click for larger version

The Millennium Pipeline, which stretches 263 miles from Corning, NY, to just outside New York City, delivers Pennsylvania Marcellus and Utica gas to utility and power plant markets across New York State and New England. Several companies jointly own the pipeline, which operates under its own corporate structure. In 2022, DT Midstream became the majority owner with 52.5% (see DT Midstream Becomes Majority Owner of Millennium Pipeline). The minority owner, TC Energy (47.5%), is the pipeline operator. On a conference call with analysts to discuss first quarter results, DT Midstream discussed something we were unaware of: Millennium is conducting an open season to gauge interest in expanding the pipeline’s capacity to deliver more M-U molecules to New York and New England markets. UPDATE: We have a copy of the official open season document below.
Read More “Millennium Pipe Open Season for Expanded Capacity in NY, New England”
Belmont County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation

Ohio Delays Decision to Frack Under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

Earlier this year, an undisclosed shale driller asked the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to consider opening up an additional 4,360 acres of state-owned Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County for shale drilling under the land (see New Request to Frack Under Another 4,743 Acres of OH Wildlife Areas). At a meeting on Monday, May 5, the OGLMC decided to delay a decision on the proposal until a future meeting. However, the May 5 meeting was not without controversy. A Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter tried to confront commission members to ask questions and was turned back by a police officer. The reporter said the officer “grabbed her arm.” A video of the event shows no such thing happening. Read More “Ohio Delays Decision to Frack Under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area”
Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | M&A

WhiteHawk Prevails, Gets PHX Minerals Down the Aisle for $187M
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

WhiteHawk Energy is smitten with PHX Minerals. WhiteHawk has been trying to get PHX down the marriage aisle in any way it can for nearly two years. PHX has repeatedly given WhiteHawk the cold shoulder (see our WhiteHawk/PHX articles here). After begging, pleading, threatening, and appealing to shareholders, WhiteHawk has finally done it. WhiteHawk, one of the largest royalty owners in the Marcellus Shale, will acquire PHX Minerals Inc., a mineral rights owner with holdings in the Haynesville Shale and elsewhere, for $187 million ($4.35 per share). Read More “WhiteHawk Prevails, Gets PHX Minerals Down the Aisle for $187M”
Carbon Capture | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Surface Owners Join Forces with Enviros to Challenge CCS Primacy
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

A key issue has come about with the rapid increase in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects around the country, including here in the Marcellus/Utica region. Where does one store (sequester) all that carbon dioxide (CO2)? The answer is underground in a Class VI injection well. Class VI wells are a relatively new classification for injection wells, created by the federal EPA in 2010. Earlier this year, the federal EPA bestowed “primacy” on West Virginia, granting the WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the authority to approve new Class VI injection wells, bypassing the federal EPA (see EPA Bestows West Virginia with CO2 (Class VI) Injection Well Primacy). WV is only one of four states with Class VI primacy. The West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization (WVSORO) has joined forces with the Sierra Club, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, Inc., and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (three anti-fossil fuel organizations) to petition a federal appeals court to overturn WV’s Class VI primacy designation. Read More “WV Surface Owners Join Forces with Enviros to Challenge CCS Primacy”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Transco | Williams

Pipeline Giant Williams Getting New President/CEO
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

Chad Zamarin – Williams’ new CEO

Williams is arguably the biggest and most important pipeline company in the Marcellus/Utica. Williams is the owner of the 10,000+ mile Transco pipeline that carries M-U molecules to the South and Southwest. It owns a major gathering system in northeastern Pennsylvania. Williams continues to innovate, replacing compressor stations along its pipelines with more efficient, lower emissions technology. Much of the credit for these accomplishments goes to the company’s CEO, Alan Armstrong, who began his tenure with Williams some 40 years ago as an engineer. Armstrong announced he is leaving the day-to-day responsibility of running the company, stepping down (or is it up?) from CEO to become the chairman of the board. Read More “Pipeline Giant Williams Getting New President/CEO”
Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Trump Eliminates So-Called Social Cost of Carbon Used for Regs
May 13, 2025May 13, 2025

In his first two days in office, Joe Biden declared war on the oil and gas industry. One of the first things he did was to revive an interagency working group on the “social cost” of greenhouse gas emissions and directed the issuance of an “interim” cost (see What Biden’s First Two Days on the Job Mean for the O&G Industry). The social cost of carbon dioxide emissions is a metric that regulators use to assess the monetary impact of emissions increases. On his first day in office, Biden restored the so-called climate cost estimate to $51 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions after the first Trump administration reduced the figure to $7 or less per ton. Read More “Trump Eliminates So-Called Social Cost of Carbon Used for Regs”