Early indications are that "sweet spots" remain economical and that riskier, more exploratory areas will see increasingly less activity. And with oil bearing the brunt of commodity price decline, gas bearing areas look to be favored. Fracking in oil rich areas also appears to be more of a challenge. A well-written article on the topic of the challenges of tapping the more oil rich regions can be found here.
Harrison County lead all counties with 13 permits issued for the week, followed by Belmont (7), Noble (6), Guernsey and Monroe (4), Carroll (3). Chesapeake led all operators with 12 new permits, followed by Eclipse (8), American Energy (6), Gulfport (3), Carriz (3), Rice (3), Antero (2)
Belmont County (7)
Goshen Township (3), Rice Drilling
Washington Township (3), Gulfport Energy
Richland Township (1), American Energy
Carroll County (3)
Fox Township (2), Chesapeake Exploration
Lee Township (1), Chesapeake Exploration
Guernsey County (4)
Richland Township (3), Carrizo
Millwood Township (1), Chesapeake Exploration
Harrison County (13)
North Township (8), Chesapeake Exploration
Nottingham Township (5), American Energy
Monroe County (4)
Adams Township (2), Eclipse Resources
Franklin Township (2), Antero Resources
Noble County (6)
Marion Township (6), Eclipse Resources
Map showing new permits, red indicates wells already drilling.
