Natural gas production again broke records last year in Pennsylvania even as activity declined amid a weak market.

Unconventional natural gas volumes reached 6.8 Tcf in 2019, up from 6.1 Tcf in the prior year. Conventional gas production continued slipping as it has for years now to 71.4 Bcf in 2019 from 102.2 Bcf in 2018, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) annual oil and gas report.  

Even still, the agency said last year’s production represents “the largest volume of natural gas on record that has been produced in Pennsylvania in a single year.” 

Production growth has decelerated since then. Natural gas producers have faced their share of headwinds over that time, including a supply glut that has kept prices consistently low and...