Eastern & Southern Ohio Oil & Gas Activity Pulse

Marketing Director
3 days ago
2 min read

Week of Dec. 29, 2025

1) Executive Snapshot

Permits: Ohio’s Utica permitting remained light but ongoing; 4 new shale permits were issued for Ohio in the week ending Dec. 21.
Rigs: The Marcellus/Utica rig count stayed at 39 rigs for a third consecutive report, with Ohio holding about 14 rigs.
M&A / Corporate: No major new confirmed transactions were reported this week; corporate continues to influence outlook from existing discussions and activity.
Regulatory: No fresh statewide regulatory headlines specific to Ohio oil & gas this week, though background permitting and local issues persist.
Markets: Broader rig counts moved modestly higher nationally earlier (to ~545 rigs), reflecting seasonal adjustments and broader energy price influences.

2) Permits

Ohio issued ~4 new shale permits during the Dec. 15–21 period, per regional drilling summaries.
These permits sit within the broader Appalachian permit count but reinforce that permitting continues at a measured pace without dramatic weekly shifts.

Implication: Operators are maintaining drilling authorization momentum into year‑end without a sharp spike in new activity.

3) Rigs & Field Activity

Marcellus/Utica: Rig count held steady at ~39 rigs, with Ohio consistently reporting ~14 active rigs over recent reports.
National context: A slight uptick in the U.S. rig count to the mid‑540s reflects a modest broader uptick in drilling.

Interpretation: Regional drilling activity is stable; there’s no indication of contraction or aggressive expansion this week.

4) M&A / Corporate Moves

This week did not yield new confirmed M&A headlines specific to Eastern or Southern Ohio.
Corporate attention remains focused on operator positioning and asset optimization, reflecting broader Appalachian basin dynamics.

Operational takeaway: While quiet on announced deals, ongoing capital and asset repositioning at operator and private‑equity levels continues to shape strategic outlook.

5) Regulatory & Local Developments

No Ohio-specific regulatory headlines emerged over the past week that materially change permitting or operations.
Background issues around injection well scrutiny and brine/disposal rates remain active but without week‑specific escalations reported publicly.

Regulatory pulse: Stable, with persistent themes from prior weeks carrying over without new headline changes.

6) Markets

Permitting and rigs: Measured permit issuance and stable rigs suggest operators are balancing inventory with disciplined capital deployment.
National drill trend: Modest national rig increases (to 545) may reflect seasonal or pricing effects rather than structural shifts in upstream capital.

Market takeaway: Operators appear to be pacing activity in response to market signals and year‑end planning.

7) County / Region Heat Map

Active / Stable

Belmont, Monroe, Noble, Carroll: Continue to show underlying permit flow and rig activity.

Quiet / No New Signals

Non-core counties and regulatory fronts saw no fresh weekly developments in public reporting.

8) Forward Watch (Next 1–2 Weeks)

Next ODNR weekly permit publication: A new permit summary will cover late‑December activity and help clarify trends into early January.
Rig count updates: New Baker Hughes rig counts (typically released Friday) will show whether regional stability persists into 2026.
Corporate positioning: As investor and operator planning for 2026 firms up, look for deal or strategy announcements tied to budget resets.

Bottom line: This past week’s activity in Eastern and Southern Ohio’s oil and gas space remains steady rather than shifting; modest permit flow, stable rig counts, and an absence of dramatic new regulatory or M&A headlines. It’s a classic “inventory management plus strategic positioning” week going into the new year.