Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | West Virginia
M-U Rig Count Stays @ 39 for 6th Week; Nat’l Count Adds 1 @ 544
The Marcellus/Utica rig count gained 1 rig seven weeks ago in the Ohio Utica, bringing the regional total to 39 rigs. For the past seven reports in a row, the M-U has maintained that count—the most rigs it has operated in more than a year. Pennsylvania has held at 18 active rigs for ten consecutive weeks. Ohio has operated 14 rigs for seven straight weeks (its highest in over a year). And West Virginia maintained 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30, 2025. There were 24 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 15 targeting the Utica last week. The national count regained 1 rig last week, bringing the total back up to 544 active rigs. Read More “M-U Rig Count Stays @ 39 for 6th Week; Nat’l Count Adds 1 @ 544”
In December, MDN brought you the great news that a long-dead natural gas-fired power plant project in Moundsville (Marshall County, WV) was back from the dead (see 
Last November, Accomack County, Virginia, secured a $6.5 million state grant to expand piped natural gas to the Eastern Shore, a move aimed at stabilizing the local economy (see 
Last Thursday, the Trump administration announced it is restructuring or terminating approximately $84 billion in clean energy projects (boondoggles) initiated during the Biden era, reflecting a sharp pivot toward “energy dominance” through fossil fuels and nuclear power. Rebranded as the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), the agency has canceled $30 billion in “green” loans, including major wind and solar transmission projects, while revising another $53 billion in loans. Under Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the office—which holds $290 billion in lending power—will prioritize coal, oil, and gas over renewables, marking a significant reversal of previous climate-focused infrastructure investments. 
Enverus
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: US DOE issues order allowing PJM power plants to run without regard to air quality; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Will Governor Spanberger return to common sense and moderation?; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas adds to gains in choppy trade; Winter weather to disrupt U.S. gas production, increase prices; INTERNATIONAL: Crude closes higher on Iran, cold weather; SLB predicts worst is behind global oil market. 
A nice bump up in permit numbers last week, mainly due to Pennsylvania. The Marcellus/Utica region received a combined 27 permits last week, Jan. 12 – 18. Pennsylvania issued 21 new permits, Ohio issued 5, and West Virginia issued just 1. Among the drillers receiving new permits last week: Antero Resources, Coterra Energy, EQT, Expand Energy, Gulfport Energy, and Seneca Resources. 
Last Friday, MDN reported that the rumor mill was in overdrive with chatter that Devon Energy and Coterra Energy are exploring a potential merger “that would be among the biggest oil and gas deals in years” (see 
As we point out in a companion post today, potential merger talks between Devon Energy and Coterra Energy are in an “advanced” stage (see Devon Energy/Coterra Energy Said to be in “Advanced Merger Talks”). One of the reasons (perhaps THE reason) why Coterra is considering a merger is ongoing pressure from “activist” investor Kimmeridge, which launched a public campaign last November to force Coterra to split the company, to sell off its Marcellus (and Anadarko) assets, and focus 100% on oil drilling in the Permian (see 
As we predicted may happen in a post yesterday, the NYMEX “front month” natural gas futures price closed above $5 yesterday (see 
On January 22, Mount Pleasant Township Police (in Washington County, PA) reported that extreme winter temperatures caused an aboveground water pipeline serving Range Resources’ shale gas operations to freeze and rupture near the Yonker Tank Pad. In response to the infrastructure failure, the Township Zoning Officer granted a temporary permit modification, allowing the company to bypass the damaged pipeline by hauling water via dozens of trucks over the next two weeks. 
There’s just no other way to say this: Pennsylvania is on the cusp of flushing $92 billion down the toilet because resistance is preventing new data centers from being built. We’ve been warning about this danger for months (see 
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass (CP) LNG export facility in Louisiana began operations in March 2022 (see