A Recent Conversation with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin Featured in this Report Law firm Babst Calland today published its 11th annual energy industry report: The 2021 Babst Calland Report – Legal & Regulatory Perspectives for the U.S. Energy Industry(…)
The law firm of Babst Calland published its 10th annual energy industry report: The 2020 Babst Calland Report – The U.S. Oil & Gas Industry: Federal, State, Local Challenges & Opportunities; Legal and Regulatory Perspective for Producers and M(…)
On Friday, March 27, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Amended Substitute House Bill Number 197 (“House Bill 197”), passed by the 133rd General Assembly of the State of Ohio. The purpose of House Bill Number 197 is to provide emergency relief to Ohioan(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court accepted the appeal of the owners of a severed royalty interest in West v. Bode, Case No. No. 18 MO 0017, 2019-Ohio-4092. The sole issue before the Court is whether the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act supersedes and controls over the O(…)
Ohio recently passed HB 166, effective October 17, 2019, amending Section §1509.28 of Ohio’s statutory unitization statute. The prior version of Section §1509.28 did not specify whether all mineral owners in a tract must be leased to be included in t(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court accepted mineral owner Timothy Gerrity’s appeal in Gerrity v. Chervenak, a Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”) case from Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals. The Fifth District upheld the summary judgment granted by the Guernsey Coun(…)
Since the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., et al, 149 Ohio St.3d 512, 2016-Ohio-5796, many have questioned the interplay and availability of the Ohio Marketable Title Act (“MTA”) and the Ohio Dormant Mineral A(…)
Ohio’s Seventh District Court of Appeals recently ruled that Ohio’s Marketable Title Act (the “MTA”) does not conflict with the Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”), and that both statutes can be utilized by a surface owner to claim ownership of severed minera(…)
The law firm of Babst Calland today released its annual energy industry report: The 2019 Babst Calland Report – The U.S. Oil and Gas Industry: Federal, State and Local Challenges & Opportunities; Legal and Regulatory Perspective for Producers and(…)
Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals recently ruled that Ohio’s Marketable Title Act (the “MTA”) extinguished restrictive covenants on a parcel located in a residential subdivision due to a gap in excess of 40 years without being identified in the p(…)
Ohio’s Seventh District Court of Appeals recently issued three separate opinions involving Ohio’s Marketable Title Act (the “MTA”) and Dormant Mineral Act (the “DMA”): Miller v. Mellott, 2019-Ohio-504 (Ct. App.); Soucik v. Gulfport Energy Corp., 2019—(…)
On December 13, 2018, the Ohio Supreme Court in Blackstone v. Moore, 2018-Ohio-4959, affirmed the Seventh District Court of Appeals decision preserving a severed royalty interest from extinguishment under the Marketable Title Act (the “MTA”) because o(…)
On November 26, 2018, Ohio’s Seventh District Court of Appeals in Sharp v. Miller, 7th Dist. Jefferson No. 17 JE 0022, 2018-Ohio-4740, affirmed the abandonment of oil and gas interests pursuant to the Dormant Mineral Act (O.R.C. §5301.56) (the “DMA”).(…)
Babst Calland today released its annual energy industry report: The 2018 Babst Calland Report – Appalachian Basin Oil & Gas Industry: Forging Ahead Despite Obstacles; Legal and Regulatory Perspective for Producers and Midstream Operators. This an(…)
A federal district court in Ohio recently upheld the constitutionality of Ohio’s forced pooling statute (R.C. § 1509.28) in Kerns v. Chesapeake Exploration, LLC, et al., N.D. Ohio No. 5:18 CV 389 (June 13, 2018). R.C. § 1509.28 establishes the procedu(…)
On March 6, 2018, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor (WHD) announced a new pilot program, the Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program, which is intended to encourage employers to identify and correct potentially(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court recently rejected a constitutional challenge to Ohio’s forced pooling statute in State ex rel. Kerns v. Simmers, Slip Opinion No. 2018-Ohio-256. A group of landowners (the “Landowners”) sought a writ of mandamus compelling the C(…)
The Supreme Court of Ohio recently ruled in Alford v. Collins-McGregor Operating Company, Slip Opinion No. 2018-Ohio-8, that Ohio does not recognize an implied covenant to further explore, separate and apart from the implied covenant of reasonable dev(…)
A federal court recently addressed two contentious issues affecting calculation of royalty payments from production of shale gas in Ohio: (1) whether operators may deduct post-production expenses (costs for gathering, compression, treatment, processin(…)
On June 20, 2017, Babst Calland released its seventh annual energy industry report entitled The 2017 Babst Calland Report – Upstream, Midstream and Downstream: Resurgence of the Appalachian Shale Industry; Legal and Regulatory Perspective for Producer(…)
On June 1, 2017, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a provision in an oil and gas lease requiring the lessee to pay a minimum rental/royalty does not automatically invoke a termination provision in an unrelated delay rental clause and is not void as ag(…)
The Court of Appeals of Ohio, Seventh Appellate District, recently held that (i) heirs had standing to challenge a surface owners’ notice of abandonment under the Dormant Mineral Act (DMA), and (ii) an affidavit of preservation constitutes a valid cla(…)
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States denied certiorari in Walker v. Shondrick-Nau, Exr. (Slip Opinion No. 2016-Ohio-5793). As more fully explained in our Blog post discussing Walker, in September the Ohio Supreme Court held that, if a su(…)
In Lutz et al. v. Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C., Slip Opinion No. 2016-Ohio-7549, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to answer the certified question submitted by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio as to whether Ohio follows the “a(…)
Today, the Ohio Supreme Court issued three written opinions interpreting the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (O.R.C. §5301.56) (the “ODMA”) and decided 10 related cases based upon its decisions set forth in the written opinions. Notably, in Corban v. Chesape(…)
The Tenth District Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Simmers v. City of North Royalton, affirming the decision of the Oil and Gas Commission which overturned a mandatory pooling order of the Chief of the Division of Oil & Gas Resources Managemen(…)
On April 7, 2016, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) announced a public comment period for a package of draft general permits for oil and natural gas midstream compressor stations. Applicants seeking coverage under a general permit would(…)
Senate Bill 257 was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly on December 30, 2015. The Bill, introduced by Senators Bill Seitz and Michael Skindell and co-sponsored by Senator John Eklund, would revise current Ohio Revised Code Section 5301.07. The cur(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court definitively decided a case that at one time threatened the validity of thousands of Ohio oil and gas leases. As previously reported in April of 2014, the Seventh District Court of Appeals overturned the decision of the Monroe C(…)
In Chesapeake Exploration v. Buell, the Ohio Supreme Court held that oil and gas leases constitute “title transactions” under Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”). Under the DMA a “title transaction” constitutes a saving event to preclude severed minera(…)
As reported by Oil and Gas Investor, Rice Midstream Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Rice Energy Inc., and Gulfport Energy Corporation have teamed up to build a pipeline gathering and water line system in Ohio’s Utica Shale. Over the next six years, th(…)
The Medina County Court of Common Pleas issued a decision allowing surveys to be completed on tracts of land along the proposed NEXUS pipeline route. In Nexus Gas Transmission, LLC v. Houston, the Court ruled that the plain language of Chapter 163 of(…)
The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission issued its first decision under R.C. 1509.28 to provide for the compulsory pooling of property for oil and gas unit operations. In Gary L. Teeter Revocable Trust v. Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management, the Oh(…)
On August 14, 2015, the Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals issued a decision in Armstrong v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., deciding that the plaintiffs may not pursue an action seeking lease forfeiture based on the nonpayment of oil and natural g(…)
The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission rendered a decision on August 12, 2015, affirming two orders of the Chief of the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management that suspended operation of an injection well operated by American Water Management Services(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management has adopted rules requiring the approval of plans for horizontal well sites prior to the construction or material modification of the sites. The rules, codi(…)
Ohio’s biennial budget legislation, House Bill 64, signed by the Governor on June 30, 2015, includes changes and additions to Ohio’s oil and gas regulatory program appearing in Chapter 1509 of the Revised Code. The changes and additions take effect o(…)
In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court held that under the 2006 Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”), the filing of a claim to preserve a mineral interest from being deemed abandoned is sufficient to preserve the mineral interest if it was recorded wi(…)
As reported by the Wheeling Intelligencer, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (“ODNR”) recently released production data for the first quarter of 2015 for oil and gas wells drilled in Ohio’s Utica Shale formation. The report found that natural(…)
In Hoop v. Kimble, the Seventh District Court of Appeals upheld a trial court ruling that forfeiture was not an appropriate remedy for the breach of an anti-assignment provision in an oil and gas lease. In the case, the original lessee of the lease di(…)
The City of Broadview Heights will not appeal the ruling of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court overturning the city’s voter-approved ban on new oil and gas drilling. The trial court relied on a recent decision from the Ohio Supreme Court in State(…)
The Seventh District Court of Appeals has reaffirmed its prior decision in Hupp v. Beck Energy Corp. In Belmont Hills Country Club v. Beck Energy Corp. and Bentley v. Beck Energy Corp., the appeals court relied on Hupp in holding that a conditional se(…)
Relying on the recent authority in State ex rel. Morrison v. Beck Energy Corp., the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court struck down a local Ohio drilling ban. In Bass Energy, Inc. v. City of Broadview Heights, the court held that a charter amendment pr(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of Beck Energy, holding that Ohio Constitution’s home rule amendment does not allow a municipality to enforce its own oil and gas permitting scheme on top of the state system. In the case, the city of Mu(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court scheduled oral argument in two significant Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”) cases. Oral argument has been scheduled on Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C. for May 6, 2015. As previously reported on ShaleEnergyLawBlog, the Corban(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court accepted jurisdiction over Hupp v. Beck Energy, an important Ohio case involving the interpretation of oil and gas leases. The case involves a challenge by landowners in Monroe County to a standard form oil and gas lease. The la(…)
The Fourth District Court of Appeals held in Marshall v. Beekay Company that continuous production from shallow wells pursuant to two oil and gas leases holds the deep rights to the property. The landowners in the case claimed that an assignment of th(…)
The Oil & Gas Financial Journal reported on January 14, 2015 that Jeffrey A. Fisher has been named CEO of newly created American Energy Appalachia Holdings, LLC (“AEA”). AEA was recently created through the combination of American Energy Partners(…)
Ohio landowners are opposing the use of eminent domain in the construction of a 76 mile pipeline between Columbiana County and Monroe County. The OPEN pipeline would connect to the Texas Eastern Pipeline and was recently approved by the Federal Energy(…)
The Ohio legislature has clarified that oil and gas leases create an interest in real property. Ohio’s Substitute House Bill 9 includes a provision amending Ohio’s lease recording statute (R.C. 5301.09) as follows: In recognition that such leases and(…)
The Fifth District Court of Appeals issued a ruling addressing several issues concerning the interpretation of oil and gas leases. The lessee of several oil and gas leases created a 145-acre drilling unit utilizing a small portion of one of the leases(…)
Ohio EPA, the Ohio Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management, and the Ohio Department of Health, on November 17, 2014, jointly issued a four-page guidance letter on how Ohio regulates the landfill disposal of oil and gas production waste. The lett(…)
Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals recently held that the 1989 version of Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act applies to current disputes concerning ownership of severed mineral estates. The court in Wendt v. Dickerson followed previous rulings from the Se(…)
The Seventh District Court of Appeals decided two additional legal issues concerning application of the 1989 version of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”) in Tribett v. Shepard. The two issues were whether application of the 1989 DMA in the lawsuit(…)
The Seventh District Court of Appeals overturned the Monroe County trial court’s decision in Hupp v. Beck Energy Corporation finding that a standard oil and gas lease form was void as against public policy. The appeals court found that the delay renta(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has opened the comment period on its draft rules for the construction of horizontal well sites. All interested parties may submit comments in writing by the close-of-business on Monday, October 06, 2014 to dogr(…)
As reported on Bloomberg.com, Spectra Energy Corporation, a Houston-based pipeline operator, and Northeast Utilities, a Connecticut-based utility provider, have partnered in proposing a $3 billion pipeline expansion that will increase natural gas supp(…)
Ohio Governor John Kasich increased his rhetoric regarding a new severance tax on shale oil and gas production. So far, the legislature has opposed any additional increase in the severance tax that was passed in House Bill 375 in May of this year. Gov(…)
A recent decision from the Seventh District Court of Appeals, Eisenbarth v. Reusser, adds a new wrinkle to the ongoing legal battles concerning the applicability and scope of Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”). The Seventh District previously ruled in(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court will review a key question of state law concerning application of the Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”). In Corban v. Chesapeake Exploration, LLC, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio certified the follow(…)
Oil and gas production increased by 640% from 2012 to 2013 according to a report published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The one year increase was the largest in Ohio history and is the most natural gas that Ohio has produced since 1982(…)
The State Journal reports that American Energy – Marcellus LLC, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City based American Energy Partners LP, has agreed to acquire 48,000 leasehold acres in Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, Tyler and Wetzel Counties in West Virginia fr(…)
The Sixth Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment granted to Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C. by the Southern District of Ohio court, holding that Chesapeake could extend its oil and gas lease with the plaintiffs on the same terms in the original leas(…)
“The 2014 Babst Calland Report – Appalachian Shale Industry in Transition: Evolving Challenges for Producers and Midstream Operators” comments on key issues facing producers and midstream operators from a legal and regulatory perspective, including: G(…)
The Seventh District Court of Appeals issued a decision concerning the automatic termination of an oil and gas lease. The case involved an oil and gas lease which required two wells to be put into production by November of 1989 or the lease would auto(…)
On May 9, 2014, the Ohio Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management announced changes in the procedure for obtaining orders approving drilling units. The procedure, established by R.C. 1509.28, authorizes the Division to approve drilling units that(…)
As part of his off-year budget bill, Ohio governor, John Kasich, has proposed a top severance tax rate increase on horizontal drilling to 2.5% as part of a tax package designed to lower income-tax rates. The bill, which is expected to be supported by(…)
The Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services released its quarterly report on the shale industry last Friday. The report shows a 79% increase in core shale-related industry employment in Ohio over the last two years, with an additional 1.5% increas(…)
The Belmont County Court of Common Pleas ruled that a recorded will is a title transaction for purposes of Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act. In Albanese v. Batman the trial court held that a will recorded in the county recorder’s office qualifies as title t(…)
A Harrison County trial court issued a decision in a Dormant Mineral Act case addressing the issue of whether a release of an oil and gas lease is a title transaction affecting and preserving a severed mineral interest from being abandoned. The trial(…)
An Ohio trial court issued a decision in Marshall v. Beekay Company. The case involved an action seeking declaratory judgment as to leasehold rights for formations below the Germantown Sand Formation. The court ruled that there was no breach of the im(…)
The Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in Trico Land Company, LLC v. Kenoil Producing LLC, upholding the right to have and enforce a change of ownership clause in an oil and gas lease. The case involved a property subj(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has changed permitting requirements after finding a probable connection between horizontal drilling activity near a previously unknown microfault and recent seismic activity in the Mahoning County area. Moving(…)
Ohio House Bill 490, which would strengthen penalties for violating Ohio’s oil and gas regulations, is now pending before the Ohio House agriculture committee. The bill was introduced in response to illegal dumping of oil field waste. Industry offic(…)
The Seventh District Court of Appeals issued a ruling concerning application of the Ohio Dormant Mineral Act. In Walker v. Noon, the appeals court upheld the ruling of a Noble County trial court finding that the 1989 version of the Dormant Mineral Act(…)
As reported by the Akron Beacon Journal Online on April 4, 2014, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued revised general permits for the installation and operation of air contaminant sources at oil and gas horizontal well sites to address meth(…)
TransCanada Corporation’s ANR Pipeline system has secured nearly 2.0 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas transportation commitments for the movement of oil and gas produced from the Utica and Marcellus formations through its Southeast Main Line.(…)
Utica East Ohio Midstream (“UEO”) recently purchased two buildings in downtown Salineville, Ohio. The company owns natural gas processing plants in nearby Kensington and Leesville. UEO plans to use the buildings for administrative offices for its oil(…)
Gateway Royalty, LLC, a royalty acquisition company based in Carrollton, Ohio, has raised $58.5 million to pay Utica shale play landowners for rights to their future royalty payments. Gateway’s goal is to invest in a broad range of oil and gas royalti(…)
The Supreme Court of Ohio has agreed to hear a question certified from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, regarding the Ohio Dormant Minerals Act (the “ODMA”), in Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C. v. Kenneth Buell. The tw(…)
As reported by Pittsburgh’s NPR News Station, 90.5 WESA, three advocacy groups, Leaders of Policy Matters Ohio, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, and the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, sent a letter to the governors of Ohio, Pen(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court has accepted jurisdiction of a discretionary appeal in Dodd v. Croskey, which involves Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”). Under the DMA there are several “savings events” which may occur in the previous twenty years that will p(…)
The Ohio Department of Health has issued guidelines for sampling and analysis of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) commonly found in drilling wastes. The guidelines were issued in conjunction with Ohio House Bi(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, on February 21, 2014, published several draft rules concerning horizontal well site construction and an update to the industry standards referenced in its rules on oil and gas well drilling, permitting and sa(…)
The Ohio House Ways and Means Committee updated House Bill 375, which proposes changes to the severance tax on natural resources. Among the updates are an increase in the proposed severance tax to 2.25% from 2% for horizontal wells, a reduction in the(…)
Consol Energy has announced that it expects to spend $1.5 billion this year to further its natural gas exploration and production activities. The company also announced that it has selected the former vice president of the Appalachia South Business U(…)
Two Ohio trial courts issued new decisions on Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”) addressing an unsettled issue of law concerning whether the 1989 or 2006 version of the DMA should apply to current disputes over the ownership of severed mineral rights.(…)
A third, 160-foot demethanizer tower was completed January 11th at the Utica East Ohio Kensington Plant in Columbiana County, Ohio. The plant serves as a collection and compression point for harvested natural gas from the Utica Shale. The tower, whic(…)
The director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Nally, abruptly resigned yesterday after three years on the job. Nally departed his position on short notice and did not give a specific reason for his resignation. Craig Butler, a senior(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources released its first quarterly production update thanks to a new law that requires production to be reported on a quarterly versus annual basis. The report showed that Ohio’s 245 horizontal wells produced a total(…)
Ohio legislation enacted earlier this year imposes new requirements on facilities that store, recycle, treat, process or dispose of brine or other waste substances associated with the exploration, development and operations of oil and gas wells. Under(…)
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP) announced that its subsidiary, Kinder Morgan Cochin LLC, signed a letter of intent with NOVA Chemicals Corporation to develop a new $300 million products pipeline for the Utica Shale, coined Kinder Morgan Utic(…)
The State of Ohio issued nearly than double the amount of Utica shale drilling permits than first expected for 2013. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources initially predicted that it would issue 525 permits for 2013. According to ODNR’s most recent(…)
A bill to increase the severance tax on oil and gas drilling has been proposed in the Ohio House of Representatives. House Bill 375 would increase the severance tax for horizontal shale wells to 1% for the first five years of production, and to 2% aft(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources released its annual oil and gas summary for 2012. The summary provides a comprehensive review of oil and gas permitting, drilling and production activity across the entire state of Ohio. The report can be acces(…)
An Ohio trial court issued a key ruling on Ohio’s Dormant Mineral Act (“DMA”). The Carroll County Court of Common Pleas in Dahlgren v. Brown Farm Properties, LLC departed from a series of trial court decisions adopting the legal theories of surface ow(…)
The Akron Beacon Journal reports that Gulfport Energy Corp. of Oklahoma and Chesapeake Energy Corp. are producing increasing amounts of natural gas from Utica wells in Ohio and anticipate continued growth in 2014. Gulfport’s operations are led by it(…)
Several counties in the southern end of Ohio’s Utica Shale play, including Guernsey, Noble, Harrison and Belmont counties are showing big gains in the number of drilling permits filed by oil and gas companies. More specifically, drilling permit activ(…)
America Energy – Utica, headed by Aurbrey McClendon, recently completed a purchase of 24,000 acres in Guernsey County, Ohio. According to paperwork filed in the Guernsey County Recorder’s Office, America Energy – Utica aquired the lease holdigs from S(…)
State officials are considering new rules to regulate storage of wastewater used to stimulate wells for the production of oil and gas. The new rules would potentially create new options for shale well producers to store millions of gallons of water in(…)
Two Ohio groups recently issued a press release regarding a lawsuit which has been filed against the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District over its oil and gas leasing practices and its sale of water for hydraulic fracturing. The MWCD, tasked with(…)
Aubrey McClendon, former CEO of Chesapeake Energy, is planning to close on $1.8 billion in equity and debt financing to fund American Energy Utica, his new exploration and production company, as reported by CNBC. American Energy Utica will buy and de(…)
Ohio officials notified companies that a federal chemical disclosure law trumps a 2001 state law requiring that information regarding chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process only be filed with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, a law(…)
The Bowling Green City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning “fracking” and the disposal of waste fluids within the city limits. In an apparent move to side-step the authority of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which maintains auth(…)
In one example of how development of the Utica and Marcellus shale formations are contributing to the Ohio economy, one expanding business has recently been awarded approval to use microbes to rehabilitate soil contaminated by petroleum products. Lon(…)
William Kinney of the Twinsburg-based Summit Petroleum Inc. was the winner of the 2013 Oilfield Patriot Award given by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. The award recognizes individuals who “protect, promote and advance the common interests” of Ohio’s(…)
Essroc Cement Corporation, with locations scattered across the Midwest and Northeast, has filed a federal lawsuit in Pittsburgh, seeking to stop a planned pipeline from crossing property in Lawrence County. The pipeline is a joint venture operation be(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has released information regarding oil and gas permitting and drilling activity, indicating that 32 drilling rigs are currently operating in the state and that 832 total horizontal well permits have been issued(…)
EnerVest announced details of the sale of over 22,500 acres in Harrison, Guernsey and Noble counties. EnerVest did not identify the buyer of the acreage, but confirmed the sale amount of $284.3 million or $12,900 per acre. The publicly held portion of(…)
A midstream joint venture between Houston-based Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP and Denver-based MarkWest Utica EMG LLC announced Wednesday that it has plans to build Ohio’s sixth natural gas-processing plant and a new pipeline to carry liquids from(…)
A newly constructed natural gas processing and fractionation complex is now online in Columbiana County. The plant was constructed by M3 Midstream and includes an extensive gathering system, a 200-million cubic-feet-per-day cryogenic processing facili(…)
Rockies Express Pipeline LLC, owners of the 1,698 mile long Rockies Express Pipeline, announced that it has executed an agreement for the transmission of processed gas from the Utica Shale formation, adding significant natural gas supply to the pipeli(…)
The Akron Beacon Journal has profiled the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline, a proposed pipeline that would deliver gas from the Utica and Marcellus gas fields to processing facilities on the gulf coast. The pipeline would be constructed by Williams and Pi(…)
Ohio’s biennial budget was signed into law on June 30. The new budget legislation does not include an increase to the oil and gas severance tax, which would have only applied to operators of horizontal wells. The budget also includes several changes t(…)
The Ohio Supreme Court accepted jurisdiction over the closely watched “home rule” case State ex rel. Morrison v. Beck Energy Corp. At issue are the state laws which give the Ohio Department of Natural Resources sole and exclusive authority to regulate(…)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has published guidelines for the unitization application process. The guidelines clarify the application process that is required before the division chief of ODNR’s Oil and Gas Resources Management can make(…)
Consol Energy, a company that has roots in coal mining in Columbiana County, Ohio since the 1860s, now sees a promising future in natural gas production in the area. Speaking at the 5th annual Columbiana Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast on June(…)
The Fifth District Court of Appeals held in a recent decision that a general disclaimer of implied covenants in a lease effectively disclaims any implied covenants to reasonably develop the leased property. In Bilbaran Farm, Inc. v. Bakerwell, Inc., t(…)
Ohio’s drilling rig count currently stands at 32 according to Ohio Oil and Gas Association Executive Vice President Tom Stewart. That is up from 19 in 2012 and now surpasses the 23 drilling rigs in West Virginia. According to Stewart, it will take man(…)
On Friday, June 7th, twelve energy-producing states, including Ohio and West Virginia, signed a letter to the EPA defending the industry practice of hydraulic fracturing. The letter was in response to recent threats to sue the EPA for not assuming reg(…)