Independent Fiscal Office: Quarterly PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% From Last Year; Natural Gas Price Up 51.4%

On December 3, the Independent Fiscal Office reported natural gas production in Pennsylvania from shale gas wells increased 5.1% in the third quarter over the third quarter a year ago and the number of new wells drilled in the quarter-- 53-- increased 84.1% over a year ago.

The IFO said "the increase in drilling is likely related to strong year-to-date spot prices" which increased 51.4% from the prior year.

The price of natural gas went from $1.44 per million Btus in the third quarter last year to $2.18 in the third quarter this year.

Pennsylvania production went from 1,841 billion cubic feet in the third quarter of last year to 1,934 billion cubic feet in the third quarter this year.

“This would be the strongest increase in annual production since calendar year (CY) 2021 (6.9%) if it holds for the rest of the year.”

However, production since the first quarter in 2025 declined slightly from 1,943 billion cubic feet to 1,934 billion cubic feet in the third quarter of this year.

Click Here for the complete report.

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 29 to Dec. 5 - Eight New Shale Gas Well Casing/Cementing Failures; 329,900 Gallons Of Pipeline Drilling Fluid Lost To Mine Voids; Violations Sent For Not Reporting On 988 Conventional Wells  [PaEN]   

     -- DEP: CNX Gas Suffers Shale Gas Well Casing Failure While Zipper Fracking 3 Wells In West Finley Twp., Washington County; CNX Waited Over 10 Hours To Notify DEP  [PaEN]  

     -- DEP Issued Violations To Repsol Oil & Gas For Casing/Cementing Failures In 4 Shale Gas Wells After A 34-Hour Uncontrolled Wastewater Release At The Broadleaf Well Pad In Bradford County  [PaEN]  

     -- DEP Issued Violations To Chesapeake Appalachia For Casing/Cementing Failures In 4 Shale Gas Wells At The Linski Well Pad In Bradford County  [PaEN]

     -- DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Pipeline Construction Results In 36,000 And 29,000 Gallon Spills Into Coal Mine Voids Under Washington County; Total Of 329,900 Gallons Lost So Far On This Project  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP Issued 13 Conventional Oil & Gas Well Owners Violations Covering Up To 988 Wells For Failing To Submit Annual Production, Waste Generation/Disposal Or Well Integrity Reports; A Step To Well Abandonment  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - December 6  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Revised Oil & Gas Erosion & Sedimentation, Stormwater Management Technical Guidance  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP Accepting Comments On Air Quality Permit For Hill Top Energy Center Natural Gas Power Plant In Greene County To Feed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Invites Comments On Air Permit To Uprate 3 Natural Gas Turbines At Hummel Station Power Plant In Snyder County To Feed A.I. Data Centers  [PaEN]

     -- DEP Proposes To Renew Air Quality Permit For Constellation Energy Oil-Fired Falls Generation Station In Bucks County  [PaEN] 

     -- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 76 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In September & October; 398 In 2025  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 75 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In December 6 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Article This Week: 

-- Registration Open!  PA League Of Women Voters, Duquesne University Host Shale Gas & Public Health Conference Feb. 19 In Pittsburgh, Online  [PaEN]

-- PA Trout Unlimited, Keystone Trails Assn., Responsible Drilling Alliance Request DEP To Hold Hearing On Permit For PA General Energy 3.9 Mile Shale Gas Access Road/Staging Area In Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County  [PaEN] 

-- EPA's Delay Of Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emissions Reductions Harms Pennsylvanians; Reactions From PA, Related Groups  [PaEN]

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Quarterly PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% From Last Year; Natural Gas Price Up 51.4%  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Approves Reduced Columbia Gas Rate Hike Of 6.05%, And A Per Month Residential Customer Charge Increase Of 33%  [PaEN] 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - December 8  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- PA Capital-Star: Watchdog For PJM Electric Grid Wants A Pause On A.I. Data Centers

-- The Guardian: Cooking With Natural Gas Gets More Expensive As Americans Face Rising Prices Into 2026: 4% For Residential Users, 21% For Industrial, 37% For Power Generators 

-- Reuters Opinion: High And Rising Natural Gas Costs May Spur Fresh Climb In US Coal Use

-- Bloomberg: There’s Too Much Oil: Who Are The Winners And Losers?  

-- Broad & Liberty Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs More Energy And Sensible Regulation To Lure A.I. Data Centers - Gordon Tomb, Commonwealth Foundation [PA Is Already Flooded With Proposals, Electric Bills, Natural Gas Bills Surging As A Result]

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Landfills Take Shale Gas Drilling Waste, But Don’t Track Or Test Much Of It  [PA Info Included]

[Posted: December 3, 2025]  PA Environment Digest