Eastern & Southern Ohio Oil & Gas Pulse

Marketing Director
12 minutes ago
3 min read

Week of Dec. 8–15, 2025

A practical update for mineral owners, landowners, and Ohio operators.

Eastern and southern Ohio stayed steady on rigs, but the week delivered major repositioning in the Utica and continued pressure on waste, brine, and injection well policy. Here’s what matters, what it may mean for landowners, and what to watch next.

1) The Big Story: A New Power Player in the Ohio Utica

A major Ohio Utica package is changing hands.

Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil & Gas (NOG) announced a $1.2B acquisition of Antero’s Ohio Utica upstream and midstream assets.
Reuters separately reported Antero’s broader portfolio reshuffle (buying HG Energy’s WV Marcellus assets while divesting the Ohio Utica position), with all deals expected to close in early 2026.

Why this matters for Eastern Ohio landowners:When a big block of acreage and midstream infrastructure changes hands, you often see shifts in drilling cadence, unit design, surface use standards, and negotiation posture. Even if your lease stays the same, the operator’s playbook can change fast.

2) Permits & Rigs: A “Steady Engine,” Not a Sudden Boom

Rig counts look stable in Ohio and across the Utica footprint this week, more like disciplined development than a spike.

On permits: weekly permit reporting can include administrative lag (late-reported permits show up in later weekly totals), so weekly numbers can look jumpy even when the underlying pace is steady.

3) Regulatory Heat: Injection Wells and Brine Are Still in the Crosshairs

A) Washington County injection-well fight (Marietta area)

A lawsuit challenges ODNR’s approval of two Washington County injection wells, arguing the permits relied on older rules rather than updated standards.

Why this matters: If courts tighten expectations around permitting standards (or even force a redo), it could affect how injection wells are permitted and defended statewide, especially near water sources.

B) HB 439: Proposed statewide brine road-spreading ban

Ohio House HB 439 proposes prohibiting the surface application of brine from oil and gas wells. Ohio House communications have framed the bill as targeting brine (including commercial products cited in testimony/press materials).

Why this matters for townships and landowners: If road-spreading goes away as an outlet, more fluid handling may shift toward injection or treatment, which can raise costs and change traffic patterns, contracts, and local pressure points.

4) Local Risk Reminder: Waste Enforcement Has Teeth

Ohio’s Austin Master Services situation remains a cautionary tale: when waste operations fall out of compliance, ODNR can intervene, complete cleanup, and then pursue significant cost recovery. Public reporting has referenced ~$6.2 million in cleanup-related cost recovery.

Landowner takeaway: If someone proposes a waste-related use on your property (storage, processing, staging, disposal), pay close attention to financial assurance, indemnity language, and operational controls. Cheap rent isn’t cheap if it becomes your problem.

What This Means for Mineral Owners and Landowners

If you’re in Guernsey, Belmont, Harrison, Monroe, Tuscarawas, Noble, Jefferson, Carroll, or nearby counties, here are practical next steps:

Operator change = review time. If your operator is being acquired (or assets are being sold), pull your lease and check: assignment notice clauses, surface-use terms, and any deduction/royalty language that tends to become a flashpoint.
Don’t assume “same company” behavior. The lease may not change, but how it’s administered can. New owners often standardize processes, sometimes in ways that create friction (or opportunity).
If you’re near injection-well corridors or wastewater facilities: Watch for regulatory or litigation developments. These disputes can affect siting, permitting timelines, and community leverage.

Watch List: Next 2–8 Weeks

Deal integration signals: new permit patterns or public statements that hint at how Infinity/NOG will prioritize drilling and completions.
HB 439 movement: committee activity and any companion efforts in the Senate.
Injection well litigation milestones: early rulings, stays, or procedural decisions that indicate how hard courts will push ODNR on updated standards.

This post is for general information only and is not legal advice.