SALEM, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued 75 new permits for horizontal drilling in the Utica or Point Pleasant shales between the first of the year and March 4, 2017. That’s compared to just 43 permits in January and February 2016.
Belmont County sites received the most permits to date this year, at 32, followed by Monroe County with 16, and Noble County, 15 permits. Other 2017 permits were issued in Coshocton, Jefferson, Wayne and Carroll counties.
Belmont County
In January, there were 17 permits issued in Belmont County, and in February, there were 14 new permits issued.
Gulfport Buckeye LLC received five permits in January, all for the Yankee well sites in York Township. In January, the Gulfport Energy Corporation received four permits, three on the Hogston units in Washington Township, and one on the Neal unit in Wayne Township. One of the Hogston units is listed in the drilling stage.
September/October 2016 permitting update.
November/December 2016 permitting update.
The company also received five permits in February, including two for the Neal wells in Wayne Township and three on the Starr well sites in Somerset Township. Of those, they are currently drilling one of the Neal sites in Wayne Township.
Rice Drilling received seven permits in January, five on a well site they’re calling “Rammunition,” and two on the “Sergeant Smash” well unit, which are also listed in the drilling phase. All are in Smith Township. Rice Drilling also received five permits in February, all in Smith Township for wells they’re calling “Dominator.”
Ascent Resources Utica received one permit in January, and a second permit on March 1, both on the Oliver well sites in Colerain Township. In February, the company received three permits for the Bakos wells in Colerain Township and another permit for the Prosser well in Union Township.
Belmont County now has 260 producing horizontal wells, and another 36 that have been drilled but are not in production.
Noble County
In January, Antero Resources received eight permits, including three on the Dale Yoder unit in Beaver Township that are currently in the drilling phase, and five on the Quinn units in Wayne Township. Antero Resources also received three permits in February on the Dingus unit in Beaver Township in Noble County, and is drilling one of those legs now.
Eclipse Resources received two permits in January for the Duane Weisend units in Stock Township and is currently in a drilling phase on both. Eclipse also received a permit on the Dale Yoder well in Beaver Township.
CNX Gas Company received a February permit for the Reserve well site in Marion Township, and has already drilled there.
Since 2011, there have been 129 wells put into production in Noble County, and there is another 31 either being drilled or already drilled and waiting to go online.
Monroe County
There were 16 new permits issued in February 2017 in Monroe County. Gulfport Energy Corporation received five permits, all on the Paulus well sites in Center Township. One of those has been drilled, and two are in the drilling stage.
Antero Resources Corp. received four in Malaga Township, two on the McChesney unit and two on the Carlin unit. CNX Gas Co. also received four permits, two on the Detweiler unit in Switzerland Township, and two on the Followay site, and are drilling three of the four.
Eclipse Resources received three permits to drill in Lee Township, two on the Herrick lease and one on the Stalder lease, and are drilling one of the Herrick sites.
Monroe County has 150 producing wells, and another 99 that have been drilled or are in the drilling stage, and have yet to start active production.
Jefferson County
Ascent Resources received two permits in Mount Pleasant Township in January, both on the Phillips well sites, and are in the process of drilling one of those legs. In February, Chesapeake Exploration LLC received two permits in Jefferson County’s Island Creek Township, one at the Acton well site and one at the Bozich well site. Neither have been drilled. Ascent also received three permits on March 3 for the Piergallini units in Smithfield Township.
Other counties
Enervest Operating received three permits on the Ocel unit in Carroll County’s East Township in January. Carroll County remains the county with the most producing wells, at 434. Harrison County, where there was no permitting activities so far this year, has 288 producing wells.
In Coshocton County, Devon Energy Production Company received a permit in February to drill on the Hill well site in Oxford Township, and that well has already been drilled. And in Wayne County, Devon Energy Production Company received a permit in February to drill on the Hershberger well site in East Union Township, and that well has already been drilled.
Marcellus play in Ohio
There was only one permit issued in the Marcellus Shale so far this year, to Eclipse Resources, for the David Stalder unit in Monroe County’s Lee Township. In 2016, there were only two permits issued in the Marcellus play the entire year, and one of those was another permit on the Stalder unit, issued in late December.
Pennsylvania permitting activity
Washington County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, received the bulk of the unconventional well drilling permits in Pennsylvania so far in 2017. The Department of Environmental Protection issued 196 permits through March 4, and drillers in Washington County received 76 new or renewed permits to drill or operate a well. Greene County, just to the south of Washington County, received 58 permits.
Washington County
There were 14 permits issued in Amwell Township. EQT received seven new permits; Range received six, and Rice Drilling renewed one permit there. In Buffalo Township, Range Resources Appalachia received five new permits. The company also received two new permits for sites in Donegal Township. Also in Donegal Township, SWN Production renewed three drilling permits.
EQT Production received five new permits in East Finley Township and six modified permits. CNX Gas Co. received one new permit in East Finley Township.
Range Resources received five new permits in Hanover Township, 12 new permits in Robinson Township, four new permits in Smith Township and three modified permits in Somerset Township. Also in Somerset Township, Rice Drilling five new and one renewal permits. The company also received a new permit for a site in West Pike Run Township.
In West Finley Township, SWN Production Co. received one new and four renewed permits. EQT Production received three new permits for units in Nottingham Township.
Greene County
EQT Production Co. received 45 of the 58 permits issued so far this year in Greene County. In Washington Township, EQT received 13 new permits and 8 modified permits; in Center Township, 13 new and three modified permits; in Franklin Township, seven modified permits; and a new permit in Aleppo Township.
Rice Drilling received six new drilling permits, all in Center Township. Vantage Energy Appalachia II also received six permits, including a renewal in Franklin Township, four new permits in Gray Township, and a new permit in Whiteley Township. Energy Corporation of America renewed a permit in Cumberland Township.
Other counties
EQT Production Co. received two permits to drill in Forward Township in Allegheny County. On the Rostosky unit, the permit includes a permit to drill deeper. The other new permit is for the Fetchen unit.
A single permit was issued in Butler County’s Center Township to R.E. Gas Development, and a single permit was renewed in Clearfield County to Exco Resources Pa., for a well site in Pine Township.
CNX Gas Co. renewed one permit for a well unit in Indiana County’s North Mahoning Township, and Campbell Oil & Gas Inc. received a new permit to drill at the Duff unit in Westmoreland County’s Derry Township.
Hilcorp Energy Co. renewed four permits in Lawrence County’s North Beaver Township.
PennEnergy Resources renewed two permits to drill in Armstrong County’s West Franklin Township, and Snyder Bros. Inc. received three new permits to drill in East Franklin Township.
PennEnergy Resources received three renewed permits for drilling in Beaver County, one each in Economy Boro, Marion Township and New Sewickley Township. Laurel Mountain Production received six new drilling permits in Clarion County, all in Perry Township.
It’s unfortunate that we have people in our State basically selling the “soul of our Land” to the takers….smh…. This state is becoming awful