A judge dismissed a federal lawsuit over a law the West Virginia Legislature passed in 2022 that changed the share of oil and gas production to which a royalty owner is entitled. The judge dismissed the lawsuit over Senate Bill 694, finding the Northern West Virginia mineral interest owners who challenged it lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.
There were 23 new permits issued to drill in the Marcellus/Utica during the week of Jan. 8-14, versus 18 permits issued for the prior week. Pennsylvania issued 13 new permits last week. Ohio issued just 2 new permits. West Virginia issued 8 new permits - for the second week in a row. EQT scored the