SALEM, Ohio — The fallout of low oil and gas prices doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon, as the number of Utica shale permits issued continues to fall.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued only 13 permits in March.
That number is down from February when ODNR issued 17 permits. Last year, ODNR had issued 38 new drilling permits in March.
Monroe County
Monroe County led Ohio for the highest number of permits issued, at six permits. The permits were all issued to Gulfport Energy Corporation for a well site in Wayne Township. There are now 117 wells producing in Monroe County, and 77 wells either have been drilled or are in the process of being drilled.
Carroll County
In Carroll County, the ODNR issued four new permits. The permits were issued for a well site in Washington Township to be drilled by R E Gas Development. The ODNR report shows there are now 417 producing wells in Carroll County and 40 in some sort of drilling phase.
Belmont County
In Belmont County, the ODNR issued three permits. The permits were issued to the Gulfport Energy Corporation for the same well site in York Township.
In Belmont County, there are now 138 producing wells in the county and 104 are in a drilling phase.
Production numbers
Although the number of permits for new wells tapered off in March, the number of producing wells continues to grow.
In Belmont and Carroll counties, the number of producing wells increased by four, and the number of producing wells in Harrison County increased by five.
In Monroe and Noble counties, producing wells grew by one in each county.
The ODNR reported there are now 2,152 Utica shale wells permitted in Ohio. There are 1,704 wells drilled and 12 rigs are operating in Ohio.
In the Marcellus shale, there are 44 wells permitted and there are 29 wells drilled. There are no rigs operating in Ohio’s Marcellus shale.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued 128 permits in March. In the immediate circulation area, the DEP issued permits in Butler, Greene and Washington counties.
The DEP issued one permit in Butler, 35 in Greene and eight in Washington County.
In Bradford County, where the Marcellus shale boom began, the DEP issued two permits for shale wells.
Pennsylvania totals
During the first quarter of 2016, there were 413 shale permits issued in Pennsylvania.
The counties with the highest number of permits issued in the first quarter include Butler, with 13 permits; Greene, 101; and Washington, 100.
Other counties that received permits during the first quarter include Crawford and Lawrence, which each received one permit. There were two shale permits issued in Beaver and Mercer counties.
Drilling
Besides permit numbers, the number of wells drilled in Pennsylvania also continues to be lower than 2015. There were 288 permits issued during the first quarter of 2015, compared to the 121 wells drilled during the first quarter in 2016.
According to the DEP, there were 51 wells drilled in Washington County and 10 in Greene County. The DEP report also shows that 10 new shale wells were drilled in Susquehanna County, which is located south of Bradford County.
The Pennsylvania DEP reported there were 55 shale wells drilled in March. There were 24 wells drilled in Washington County during March and eight in Greene County.
The report also shows that 10 wells were drilled in Susquehanna County in the past month. Other counties that reported wells being drilled in March include Armstrong, Elk, McKean and Tioga.
West Virginia
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection also shows a slowdown in the oil and gas industry.
The only two counties with permits issued in March include Tyler and Ohio.
Tyler County
The DEP issued six new permits in Tyler County for wells to be drilled in the Marcellus shale.
Five of the permits were issued to Antero Resources Corporation on three different pieces of property.
Ohio County
In Ohio County, the DEP issued one permit for a well to be drilled in the Marcellus shale. The permit was issued to the SWN Production Company.
Please stop the fossil fuel industry from destroying any more property,jeopardizing the health,welfare,and lives of any more people or animals,or their livlihoods.