Independent Fiscal Office Reports 3rd Quarter Natural Gas Production Down 0.5% Over 3rd Quarter 2022, But Increased Over Last 12 Months

On December 4, the Independent Fiscal Office reported third quarter natural gas production in Pennsylvania was down 0.5% from the third quarter of 2022, but has increased slightly over the past 12 months.

From July to September 2023, production was 1,870 billion cubic feet, up from 1,857 billion cubic feet in 4th quarter 2022, 1,845 billion cubic feet in first quarter 2023 and 1,864 billion cubic feet in second quarter 2023.

There were 102 new horizontal wells spud, a decrease of 56 new wells (-35.4%) from the prior year. If the current pace holds, there will be fewer wells drilled in 2023 than any year in the last decade. 

The average Pennsylvania spot price was $1.31, a decrease of $5.61 (-81.1%) from the prior year. Regional prices reached the lowest level since 2020 Q3, when mitigation efforts related to COVID-19 caused energy prices to plummet. 

Click Here for a copy of the report.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 2 to 8 -- 9 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Failure To Restore Shale Gas Pad; No Progress In Spill Cleanups  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - December 9  [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets Jan. 23 Hearing On Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Frazer Compressor Station In Chester County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 68 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In December 9 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles:

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Senate Republican Leaders Urge DEP To Withdraw Environmental Justice Policy Saying They Lack Statutory Authority, And Out-of-State Groups Not Actual Residents Express EJ Concerns  [PaEN]

-- PA Business Report: Senate Republicans Urge DEP To Withdraw Updated Environmental Justice Policy

-- DEP Expects $44 Million To Plug Conventional Wells Leaking Methane; $76 Million For 2nd Year Of Federal Conventional Abandoned Well Plugging Program  [PaEN]

-- DEP Plugs 132 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells So Far;  DEP Issued 490 NOVs For New Conventional Well Abandonments So Far In 2023  [PaEN] 

-- Roulette Oil & Gas LLC Withdraws Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well Application In Potter County  [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 3rd Quarter Natural Gas Production Down 0.5% Over 3rd Quarter 2022, But Increased Over Last 12 Months  [PaEN]

-- PA Senate Hearing Focuses On Minimizing Risk And Harm In Development Of PA’s Hydrogen Infrastructure  [PaEN] 

-- House Environmental Committee To Hold Dec. 11 Hearing On Bill To Expand Renewable Energy Mandates In Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards  [PaEN] 

-- Hydrogen Tax Credit Changes, Riparian Buffers, Light Pollution On House Environmental Committee Agenda For Dec. 13  [PaEN] 

-- PennEnvironment, Three Rivers Waterkeeper Sue Styropek USA To Stop Plastic Pollution In Raccoon Creek, Ohio River In Beaver County  [PaEN] 

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission: Low Stream Flows Trigger Shutdown Of 4 Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawals In Bradford, Tioga County  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- TribLive: MAX Environmental Yukon Hazardous Waste Landfill Could Pay $275,000 To Settle Pollution Claims In Class Action Lawsuit By Residents  [75% Of Waste Comes From Shale Gas Industry]

-- TribLive: Natural Gas Smell Causes Evacuation At Plum Boro Middle School, Allegheny County  [Plum Boro Natural Gas Home Explosion Killed 6 People In August]  

-- The Derrick Editorial: Reliable Power Means Shoring Up Natural Gas Infrastructure

-- EQT Joins The Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter To Reduce Methane Emissions

-- TribLive: Murrysville Council OKs Lease For Gas, Oil Rights Under 2 Public Parks

-- Scranton Times: Landfill Gas Processing Plant Holds Public Information Session In Throop About Storing Carbon Dioxide Deep Underground

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Concerns Grow Over Perceived Viability Of Hydrogen Hubs

-- PA Capital-Star: Hydrogen Hubs Face Scrutiny At PA Senate Dems Hearing

-- Williamsport Sun Guest Essay: Hydrogen Hubs Won’t Create Jobs - By Commonwealth Foundation

-- TribLive: Rain Fails To Ease Concerns Over Falling Water Level At Beaver Run Reservoir In Westmoreland 

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA May See Biggest Drop In Decade For New Shale Gas Wells

-- TribLive: Southwest PA Enjoying Low Natural Gas Prices After Large Drop From Last Year

-- Tribune-Democrat: Peoples Gas Says Credit Offsets 149% Natural Gas Price Hike

-- Interfaith Partners For The Chesapeake Bay: Dec. 7 Screening Of ‘A Plastic Wave’ - How To Reduce Your Plastic Waste, 7:00 p.m.

-- The Allegheny Front: Lawsuit Claims Ohio Approvals To Frack State Lands Violated Law

-- Inside Climate News: Massachusetts Public Utilities Agency Sets Framework For Reducing Natural Gas Use For Heating

-- Inside Climate News: From Fracked Gas In PA To Toxic Waste In Texas, Tracking Vinyl Chloride Production In The US

-- Bloomberg: Europe’s Winter Natural Gas Price Slump Shifts Focus To Summer Storage

[Posted: December 4, 2023]  PA Environment Digest