ODNR Issues New Drilling Permit for Mahoning County

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has issued a new horizontal drill permit for Mahoning County and three more permits for Columbiana County, the agency reports.

ODNR approved a new permit for Chesapeake Exploration LLC June 20 for the Mahar 7 well in Green Township. The well is the 11th for Mahoning County, records show.

Chesapeake was also approved for two other wells in Columbiana County, one in Unity Township at the Fowler property June 21, the other June 18 in Hanover Township at Jan Paul Farms.

Also in Unity Township, Swepi LP, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, was issued a new permit June 20 to begin operations on the Dalton property, records show.

The Swepi permit is the first horizontal permit issued to Shell in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Shell is active in Lawrence County in western Pennsylvania.

ODNR also issued four new permits to Chesapeake for sites in Carroll County, the most active region for oil and gas exploration in the Utica shale. Permits were issued for sites in Fox, Augusta, Union and Loudon townships, the agency reported.

Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.