Eastern & Southern Ohio Oil & Gas Activity Pulse

Marketing Director
28 minutes ago
3 min read

Week of Jan. 12–19, 2026

1) Executive Snapshot

Permits (Utica/Ohio): Ohio issued ~2 new shale well permits during the Jan. 5–11 reporting window, with Marcellus/Utica regional totals at ~21 permits across PA‑OH‑WV.
Rigs: The Marcellus/Utica rig count remains at ~39 rigs (with Ohio contributing ~14 rigs), holding stable week‑to‑week; the broader U.S. rig count is slightly lower than recent peaks.
M&A / Corporate: Ascent Resources remains a focal corporate narrative with ongoing bidding‑war complexities and governance disputes highlighted in Ohio energy press.
Regulatory / Local Policy: Multiple Ohio regulatory and legal items (waste‑water handling fines and expanded drilling acreage management) surfaced in regional coverage.
Market Signals: Broader drill counts across the U.S. and shale basins show modest movement without a strong directional impulse; downstream natural gas pricing pressures have been reported in past cycles.

2) Permits (Ohio / Utica Shale)

New permits: Ohio recorded approximately 2 shale well permits issued from Jan. 5–11.
Permits were granted to established operators including Antero, Ascent, CNX, EQT, HG Energy, Repsol, and Seneca Resources under the regional tally.

Trend: This level of permit issuance reflects continued drilling authorization activity, but not a sharp acceleration.

3) Rigs & Field Activity

Marcellus/Utica rigs: The regional rig count is stable at ~39 rigs, with Ohio’s portion steady at ~14 rigs for multiple reporting cycles in a row.
U.S. rig count: Broader data show the U.S. active rig count fluctuating in the mid‑540s to low‑540s range in recent weeks, consistent with a disciplined upstream environment.

Interpretation: Rig activity in Eastern & Southern Ohio remains consistent, maintenance mode rather than active expansion.

4) M&A / Corporate Developments

Ascent Resources: Continued market reporting points to competing bid dynamics, board‑related conflict, and strategic repositioning around the operator, a thread that carries implications for future activity.
No new confirmed deal closures specific to the Ohio Utica were surfaced in this week’s available public sources.

Pulse: Corporate narrative remains active, but without a fresh public transaction announcement this week.

5) Regulatory & Local Developments

Waste management legal action: News on regulatory enforcement and fines tied to waste handling and compliance has been prominent in Ohio reporting.
Oil & Gas Land Management: State decisions on drilling under specific wildlife areas and associated contract awards were noted.
No new statewide drilling‑specific rule changes were identified for this week.

Regulatory Pulse: Ongoing compliance and zoning/resource management issues remain relevant; new drilling‑regulation shifts were not reported this week.

6) Market & Economic Indicators

Drill count context: National cold‑hard data on rig movements continue from weekly Baker Hughes reports, total U.S. active rig counts have edged modestly lower, which often reflects broader energy pricing and operator discipline signals.
Downstream prices: General market signals have shown soft natural gas pricing and retail fuel variability, though this week’s Ohio‑specific pricing data is not in the permits/rigs sources.

Market Takeaway: Operators maintain a measured pace; no sharp upstream signal tied directly to Ohio this cycle.

7) County / Region Highlights

Active / Core Utica

Core counties (e.g., Belmont, Monroe, Carroll) continue to dominate permit and rig activity, consistent with structural inventory and infrastructure focus.

Regulatory Watch

Washington and other counties have surfaced in recent regulatory/legal headlines around waste handling and land use.

8) Forward Watch

ODNR weekly permit report: The next ODNR weekly drilling permit recap will clarify mid‑Jan activity.
Rig trends: Upcoming Baker Hughes rig count releases will show whether the regional rig count holds or shifts.
Corporate developments: Any formal update on the Ascent Resources bid/governance situation will materially affect sentiment and potentially activity planning.

Bottom Line: This week’s pulse demonstrates measured permit flow, stable rig counts, and ongoing corporate/regulatory narratives rather than sharp directional change. Eastern & Southern Ohio’s oil and gas landscape remains in a disciplined phase, operators pacing activity, market signals steady, and corporate/legal developments yielding the most noteworthy headlines.