The Marcellus Shale | July 2021
Field Overview
The Marcellus Shale is the largest gas play onshore in the US. Located in the Northeast, it supplies the high-demand markets along the East Coast. Most of the basin’s gas is produced through unconventional methods, while the little oil produced is mostly by conventional means. Some of the top formations include the Onondaga and the Huntersville.
State Drilling Statistics
Active Drilling Rigs in Basin- 29
Total Rigs in Pennsylvania- 19
Total Rigs in United States- 479
Total U.S. Rigs up 86% YTD
State Permitting Data
Permits Approved (PA) – 110
Marcellus Top Producers
Top Producer By BOE – EQT
Basin Highlights
Spending Policies Redefined
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the state government violated the constitution when it transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from leasing large tracts of state forest for Marcellus Shale gas drilling to fill state budget gaps in 2009 and 2010. The 4-3 decision effectively ends governors’ and the Legislature’s use of natural gas wealth beneath publicly owned conservation lands for general government spending.
Testing Radioactivity
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that all landfills that accept solid fracking waste will now be required to test their leachate, or liquid waste, for radioactive materials common in oil and gas waste. Landfills frequently send leachate, a liquid waste formed when rainwater seeps through waste piles, to treatment plants. They examine it for a variety of potential pollutants. However, they have never had to test it for radium, a radioactive material commonly found in oil and gas waste.
Testing Radioactivity
Despite the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, drillers in Pennsylvania produced the most natural gas in a single year on record in 2020. Last year, unconventional wells produced 7.1 trillion cubic feet of gas, despite national and regional natural gas prices falling in response to the pandemic. Last year, 476 of the 527 new wells drilled in Pennsylvania were unconventional. From 787 new wells in 2019, the total number of new wells is down.
Operators with Most Permits in PA
| Rank | Company | Permits Approved |
| 1 | Wilmoth | 9 |
| 1 | Range | 9 |
| 1 | Antero | 9 |
| 1 | Southwestern | 9 |
| 5 | Tug Hill | 8 |
Top Producers By BOE (2021 cum)
| Rank | Company |
| 1 | EQT |
| 2 | Chesapeake |
| 3 | Cabot |
| 4 | Range Resources |
| 5 | Southwestern Energy |
Rig Count
PA Oil Production
PA Natural Gas Production
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