Northeast

A federal judge has halted oil and gas development in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF) after a ruling last year found the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) failed to adequately consider the impact of unconventional development when they opened the land for drilling. The U.S. District Court for the…

Pennsylvania unconventional natural gas production surpassed 7 Tcf last year, up 3.9% from 2019, the lowest growth rate on record for a full year of production, according to the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). Fourth quarter production increased 2.9% year/year to 1.8 Tcf, flat with the annual growth level in the third quarter. Quarterly production…

Despite a volatile year marred by the Covid-19 pandemic, CNX Resources Corp. said it finished strong, delivering on a more cautious approach implemented early in 2020 when the virus spread across the world and weighed on energy demand.  “2020 marked the most successful year we’ve seen as an” exploration and production company, “and frankly, as…

FERC in its monthly meeting Tuesday failed to pass three draft orders for Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP), a move that could augur poorly for the developer’s expectations to quickly complete construction amid the transition to Democratic leadership at the agency. In recent months, MVP has sought the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s blessing to continue…

West Virginia’s leading oil and natural gas trade groups have merged in a sign of how the Appalachian Basin has changed in recent years. The merger between the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia (IOGA) and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association is set to take effect Jan. 1, when the…

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has signed a $2.5 million contract with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to conduct additional research on the potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state.  The move comes in response to growing concerns in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties where unconventional natural gas development…

Equitrans Midstream Corp. has significantly cut its 2021 financial forecast as Appalachian natural gas producers continue to curb spending and output. Equitrans, the third largest natural gas gatherer in the United States with operations in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, this month cut its net income guidance for next year to $540-610 million. That’s down…

The voluntary bankruptcies by U.S. exploration operators have continued to mount, with Lower 48 oil production by the insolvent companies set to decrease from current volumes by around 25%, or 200,000 b/d, at the end of 2021, according to a Rystad Energy analysis. “Operated oil production from the recent Chapter 11 filings is heavily weighted…

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. has again curtailed natural production volumes that averaged 372 MMcf/d through the last two weeks of September as it continues to weather weak Appalachian prices.  Shut-in volumes have grown to average 450 MMcfe/d since Oct. 1 in anticipation of better prices soon. Cabot has lowered full-year production guidance to 2.300-2.350…