Big Green Sues to Block Drilling Under (Not On) Ohio State Parks
Anti-fossil fuel fanatics in Ohio (and beyond) still can’t accept that they lost a battle to block drilling under (not on) Ohio state-owned land, including some Ohio state parks. Several weeks ago, the Ohio Oil & Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) met in a public forum and voted to allow shale drilling under three state-owned tracts of land: (1) all 20,000 acres of Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County, (2) more than 300 acres of Valley Run Wildlife Area in Carroll County, and (3) 66 acres of the Zepernick Wildlife Area in Columbiana County (see OGLMC Votes to Allow Fracking Under Ohio’s Salt Fork State Park). The vote precipitated a panic attack among the environment left. Earthjustice and the Ohio Environmental Council (disgusting leftwing green groups) filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court last Thursday appealing the OGLMC’s action.
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In March 2022, MDN brought you news of a bold new plan by EQT CEO Toby Rice to “unleash” American LNG exports to not only help our friends in Europe but also to reduce the amount of coal use across the world, thereby lowering coal-related emissions including carbon dioxide (see 
Columbiana County, OH, located in the northern portion of the Utica Shale play in the Buckeye State, has recently come roaring back to life. In 2022, there were 41 permits issued to drill in the Utica in Columbiana County. So far, in 2023, there have been 35 permits issued to drill in Columbiana County. But here’s the thing: 16 of this year’s 35 permits (half!) were issued in November! It’s like Columbiana had been asleep for most of this year, and then it suddenly came alive.
In November 2021, Northeast Natural Energy (NNE), a West Virginia driller, announced all of its gas produced in West Virginia had achieved Equitable Origin’s EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development (see 
Hope Gas provides natural gas service to approximately 131,000 residential, industrial, and commercial customers in thirty-five West Virginia counties. In October, Hope closed on the acquisition of the West Virginia division of Peoples Gas for an undisclosed amount, giving the company another 13,000 customers (see 
While the rig count remains anemic, it shows signs of life. Last week, the U.S. rig count added rigs for the third week in a row. The rig count hit a new low for 2023 one month ago (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: CNX Resources names new chief legal officer; NATIONAL: Climate activists interrupt opera performance, angers audience; INTERNATIONAL: Brazil to join OPEC+; The central problem for COP28: where will money come from?
In July 2022, MDN brought you news of a possible frac-out, or “inadvertent return” that happens when drilling mud pops out of places where it’s not supposed to — places outside the borehole being drilled (see 
Last week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that he will appeal a decision by the Commonwealth Court that blocks PA’s entrance into the obscene Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme (see 
Almost every major (and most minor) drillers in the Marcellus/Utica have, over the past couple of years, signed on to one or more of the responsible gas certification authorities. Just yesterday, we told you that PennEnergy Resources had its full operations certified by MiQ, the second such certification the company has sought and received (see 
Three New York City pension funds — the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the Teachers’ Retirement System, and the Board of Education Retirement System — were sued in May by four NYC employees for breaching their fiduciary duty and divesting from fossil energy companies (see 
The American Gas Association (AGA) is a trade organization founded in 1918 that represents and advocates for local energy companies that deliver natural gas throughout the United States. With more than 200 members (BIG companies), the AGA educates the public about the importance of natural gas, supports natural gas utilities in their efforts to make their operations safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly, and serves as a resource for local, state and federal policymakers when it comes to regulating the natural gas industry. The AGA is one of the country’s premier natural gas associations. The AGA recently published an article titled “American LNG is Critical for Global Prosperity.” The article says two new U.S. LNG export terminals are due to come online in 2024: Golden Pass in Texas and Plaquemines in Louisiana.
The Rockefeller Foundation was established in 1913 by Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. In an ironic twist, the Foundation, which got its massive amount of money from oil drilling, announced on Tuesday that it aims to make its $6 billion endowment “net zero emissions by 2050.” That makes it the largest private foundation in the U.S. with such a target. How will they do it? By pressuring the money managers it works with to divest from fossil fuel companies.
New shale permits issued for Nov 20 – 26 in the Marcellus/Utica was anemic but better than the prior pathetic report of just a single new permit (see