The Trenton Limestone:



The Trenton Limestone and accompanying Black River rocks are important in that they serve as the source for much or all hydrocarbon formation in the Appalachian basin. Generally speaking, the Trenton Limestone serves as a cap rock for the underlying Black River source rocks. Because it is not as thick here in Ohio, it has allowed hydrocarbons formed by the Black River group to migrate naturally into the Utica/Pt. Pleasant. To the East, in West Virginia…

Almost without exception, today’s shale wells are stimulated using water-based fracturing fluids (slickwater).  This technique is popular due to its ability to transport proppant effectively at a relatively inexpensive cost.  However, it is a magnet for criticism from environmentalists, who are concerned about the incredible volume of water needed as well as the resulting contaminated wastewater which must be treated and disposed of properly.   Water use is often cited as one of the…

Hi - Received an offer from Rice Energy which shows 1/2 bonus paid in 75 days and balance paid one-year from signing. Does anyone know if Rice Energy is normally agreeable to other bonus payment schedules that would better benefit the landowner (like maybe 1/2 in 75 days + 1/2 in 3 months)? Am worried they would not pay the second installment when it comes due. Any advice on this is welcomed!

Houston and the rest of the U.S. Gulf Coast have more crude oil than the region can handle.

Stockpiles in the region centered on Houston and stretching to New Mexico in the west and Alabama in the east rose to 202 million barrels in the week ended April 4, the most on record, Energy…

Chesapeake released some quite interesting news during their first quarter 2012 conference call.  Apparently they discovered, entirely by accident, another factor impacting production numbers on their OH Utica completions.  When the Buell Well was drilled in Harrison County, a minor problem prohibited them from immediately completing it.  The unintended resting period allowed much of the water and frack fluid to dissipate prior to completion.  Their Carroll County wells, drilled…

On November 4, 2011, Chesapeake announced a joint venture agreement whereby they agreed to sell part of its holdings in the Utica Shale for $2.3 B.  The announcement claimed that CHK would get $649 M from an undisclosed buyer in exchange for a 25% interest in 650,000 acres in Ohio's wet gas and volatile oil window.  It's partner, Enervest, would receive $90 M in cash.  Further, the buyer, now disclosed as France's TOTAL SA, agreed to pony up $1.5 B toward Chesapeake's drilling…

CEO Frank Tsuru of Houston-based M3Midstream is investing over $1B across Eastern Ohio in a rush to get into the Utica ballgame. His enthusiasm is generated by the incredible profit …

Drillers like Ohio for more than just geological reasons. Ohio is ideally located to take advantage of development and commercial networks in both the Midwest and on a national scale. Ohio is within 600 miles of 60% of the US population and more than half of the Canadian population. It has considerable existing infrastructure and one of the most favorable tax/business climates in America. Ohio has zero tax on inventory or corporate income, no tax on investments for inventory or equipment, no…

The Point Pleasant formation has been described as marking the end of Middle Ordovician time.  The Ordovician Period is characterized as the greatest submergence of the North American plate because shallow seas covered such an extensive area, including all of Ohio.  In this environment, the Acadian mountain-building event occurred whereby sediments high in kerogen were shed from the highlands into a somewhat enclosed basin,…

Admittedly the Utica has come with great hype and promise. Upon the release of Ohio’s 2012 production figures, many pundits were disappointed.  Seems many are convinced that it has not lived up to its billing.  They apparently had hopes for a huge oil bonanza here and were quite disappointed at the purported oil/gas ratios.  But is there really enough data to definitively form opinions, and is the data being interpreted correctly?  Let the debate…

Ever since billionaire Carl Icahn bought in last year, speculation has been that he would eventually force a sell-off of Chesapeake.  He has already forced a number of divestitures including the recent sell of their pipeline, processing and mid-stream divisions.  He is almost single-handedly credited with forcing the reluctant resignation of Aubrey McClendon and has a track record of controlling the company's leadership and…

By Davis Powell and Daniel Simpson

with SHALETRAK ONLINE Royalty Management Software

www.shaletrakonline.com

ShaleTrak often works with owners who are new to the process of receiving revenue from oil and gas production.  Below are a few basic tips to help oil and gas royalty owners with the management process:…

Northeastern Shale Joint Venture

We are an oil and gas company in a joint venture with a mid-level operator with extensive, successful drilling operations in the northeast Marcellus. We are seeking to work with a single landowner or group of landowners who can form a drilling unit. The individual or group must meet the following criteria:

1. Landowners must NOT be under existing oil & gas leases.

2. The size of the proposed unit must be at least 400 acres. Up to 1200…

Pipeline Easement and Right-of-Way Agreements:

A Landowner’s List of Terms to Negotiate

Eric C. Camp

Decker Jones, PC

Burnett Plaza, Suite 2000

801 Cherry Street, Unit #46

Fort Worth, Texas 76102

(817) 336-2400…

 Recently , I talked to our land man for about an hour-I was a little surprised that he had that much time to talk. My mother is still living and is the real owner until she passes it on to my brother, sister and to myself. With her will and the language in the oil/gas lease this will happen with-out probate which is how we want it. This original agreement was made on April 16TH 1897 . Since then the oil/gas laws have changed and our contract with HG ENERGY LLC has improved since they…

Energy In Depth's Shawn:

"UPDATE (5/31/12, 10:00 am ET):  MarkWest has come a long way since they announced their plans to build natural gas processing facilities in Cadiz last August. MarkWest has been processing 60 million cubic feet of gas per day (Mmcf/d), removing the wet gas components of ethane, butane, propane and pentane since late last year from their temporary facility. Just this month, MarkWest completed…

War, religion, politics, and guns have been hotly contested topics for decades, even millennia. It hasn’t been until the last decade or so when families, friends, and communities starting debating each other on the steps of state capitols and at dinner tables across the country over all aspects of energy, especially natural resource development.



It’s become an emotional debate, with two sides that feel like the other is not listening. Companies are frustrated,…

Dr. Robert W. Chase, Chair and Professor at Marietta College, gives background on Ohio production data:

"After at least an extra month of guarded anticipation, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) finally released oil and gas production data on 86 wells producing from the Utica shale during 2012.  Oddly enough, an article from Reuters appearing in Friday’s papers dismisses the Utica play as a bust.  To quote the…