Industry News

Force Pooling in Pennsylvania A local uproar is beginning due to Hilcorp force pooling in Pennsylvania. With some mineral owners deciding they do not wish to a sign an Oil & Gas lease, Hilcorp has force pooled these owners by continuing to drill without a signed lease. On first glance this seems unfair for mineral owners but a closer examination shows why this practice takes place. Force Pooling in Pennsylvania Before looking at force pooling in Pennsylvania, it's important to note [...]

Marcellus Shale Severance Tax Senator Vincent Hughes of Pennsylvania has a plan to generate $375 million for local school districts.  This new plan would tax Oil and Gas operators in Pennsylvania by 5% on all natural gas drilling.   Hughes estimates that this would provide over $1 Billion for education by 2020.   However, only a portion of the money generated would actually go toward benefiting schools.  A little over half would be designated for schools with the remaining amounts being [...]

Falcon Drilling Adds Three New Rigs Falcon drilling company, which provides drilling services in the Marcellus Shale, has announced that they purchased three new drilling rigs.  These rigs will be operated in the Marcellus and Utica plays which brings additional drilling capacity to the region. When Falcon Drilling adds three new rigs, this is a positive sign for the oil and gas industry in the Marcellus Shale.  An investment by a drilling rig company shows that there is increasing demand for [...]

Consol Energy Picks Deluliis as CEO On Friday March 21st 2014, Consol Energy (CNX) named Nick Deluliis as CEO to replace J. Brett Harvey.  Delullis has worked for Consol for 23 years and has been considered the natural selection for some time.   At 45 years old, he will be replacing previous CEO J Brett Harvey who is 63. J Brett Harvey Mr Harvey was CEO as Consol Energy for 15 years and was focused on bringing Oil and Gas exploration [...]

Pennsylvania favors natural gas industry There are a number of stories out there about the environmental impacts of Oil and Gas.  While the PA department of environmental protection works hard to ensure that oil and gas companies are being environmentally conscious, it's also important to consider the citizens of the state. Majority Support Oil and Gas Companies While there are a number of concerns about he industry, in general Pennsylvania citizens support oil and gas with 64% holding a favorable view. [...]

Best Oil and Gas Marcellus Shale News Sources There are a number of different sources for news around the Marcellus Shale.  Marcellus Mineral Owners focuses on articles, news, and topics that are relevant to mineral owners but there are other news outlets that provide more general coverage.   Below are some of the best oil and gas Marcellus Shale news sources with links to each websites.   Are there other places you get your Marcellus Shale news? Drop us a line and let [...]

Natural Gas Prices Reach 5 Year High With the cold weather continuing in the Northeast and natural gas inventory continuing to decline, natural gas prices have been pushing upwards and recently reached a 5 year high.  When natural gas prices reach a 5 year high, this is excellent news for Marcellus Shale mineral owners as higher gas price and continued high oil prices will lead to sustained or increasing oil and gas activity in the area.  With oil and gas prices [...]

Marcellus Shale Production Impacting Pipelines The Marcellus Shale has been a large producer of natural gas in the last few years.  In Texas and other southern states where gas production was previously used to supply the Northern states, the demand for their gas from the North has been declining.   With the Marcellus Shale producing plenty to provide natural gas for the entire region, the gas previously moved from the South to the North is no longer needed.  This shift has [...]

Chevron Pizza and Soda Apology One of the more bizarre oil and gas stories recently involves an explosion at a natural gas well operated by Chevron.  The well in question was in Bobtown, Pennsylvania and tragically took the life of one worker on site.   While Oil and Gas operators do take many precautions and are actively working toward a safe work environment, accidents happen due to the dangerous nature of the business.  After the explosion occurred, it took nearly a week [...]