The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has regularly-updated maps of oil and gas drilling activity available on their website. They also have maps of permits issued and wells drilled with separate tabulations for the Marcellus Shale.

A Catholic cemetery association has leased over 1000 acres of land giving Huntley & Huntley a five year option to drill for natural gas. More at the Lebanon Daily News.

The proposed severance tax on Marcellus Shale gas production in Pennsylvania could be a campaign issue in the November governor’s race. More at wduqnews.com.

This article contains a “round up” of items relevant to the Marcellus Shale from country commissioners across Pennsylvania. Some are ready to use zoning to control natural gas drilling and transport. More at AmericanAgriculturalist.com.

West Virginia state government studies their options on opening their 42,000 acres of mineral rights beneath state forest lands to Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Those leases would bring hundreds of millions of dollars in lease and royalty payments. More at Forbes.com.

An article on Businessweek.com reports on a planned pipeline that will transport Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania into upstate New York. The drilling moratorium in New York opens markets for Pennsylvania gas.

Drillers are now starting fewer wells – but those wells are a lot more expensive. State revenues from natural gas drilling are increasing. Electric utilities are switching from coal to gas. An article at Herald-Dispatch explores these and more.

David Paterson, Governor of New York says that hydraulic fracturing will not be done in his state until there is “overwhelming evidence” that it will not damage water supplies. More at PressConnects.

BusinessWeek.com.When an oil or gas well is drilled it withdraws fluids from beneath lands surrounding the well. This gets more complicated when a well is deviated to horizontal below the ground and penetrates beneath many land parcels. Pennsylvania might have a bill this fall that requires groups of landowners to enter into certain extraction / compensation arrangements even if some do not agree. More at

Falling natural gas prices and an abundance of local production could result in significant rate cuts for lots of residential gas customers who live near developing gas fields. Customers of UGI Utilities, located in Reading, Pennsylvania could pay 16.3% less for their gas next winter.

The New York Senate passed a bill that will further delay the approval of permits for drilling the Marcellus Shale. The state assembly and the governor must approve before it would go into effect. More at Reuters.

Marcellus Shale landowners challenged Range Resources on deducing transportation and processing costs from the production value of natural gas before making royalty payments. More at OilPrice.com.

Talisman Energy is increasing its activity as a producer of natural gas from shale with growing production in the Marcellus Shale and several wells drilled in the Utica and Montney Shales.

A member of the Pennsylvania State Senate is concerned that gas companies might receive the ability to force landowners into “pools” as part of the proposed severance tax bill. More at The Times Tribune.

According to TradingMarkets.com, Reliance Industries has a new deal to buy $1.3 billion in Eagle Ford Shale assets and in April paid $1.7 billion for Marcellus Shale assets.