SALEM, Ohio — The shale industry continues to make its impact in counties across Ohio and Pennsylvania, as 50 new well permits were issued last month in Ohio alone.

Ohio well reports

Carroll County again leads the state with the number of Utica shale permits issued, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

In October, there were 18 permits issued in Carroll County. All but one of them were issued to Chesapeake Exploration LLC. The remaining permit was issued to R.E. Gas Development, LLC.

Thirteen permits were issued in Harrison County, with seven of them being issued to Chesapeake Exploration, LLC. Five were issued to Gulfport Energy Corporation and one was issued to Hess Ohio Developments LLC.

In Columbiana County, nine permits were issued for Utica shale wells. All of the permits were issued to Chesapeake Exploration.

Two permits were issued in Tuscarawas County in Bucks Township to CNX Gas Company, LLC.

Single permits were issued in Mahoning County to Hilcorp Energy Company; in Portage County to Mountaineer Keystone, LLC; and in Belmont County to Hess Ohio Developments, LLC.

Wells in production

To date, 432 horizontal permits have been issued in Ohio and 178 wells have been drilled. Of those 178 wells, only 35 currently producing wells in the state’s Utica shale formation.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has changed some of the information it makes public, and the department no longer states the fracking status of the wells. In the September report, there was a backlog of wells waiting to be fracked, which delayed production from those wells.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process commonly used in oil development. It is a technique that cracks open rock layers to free natural gas.

Higher numbers in Pa. In Pennsylvania, there were 181 permits issued to drill and operate gas wells, and another 19 permits were issued allowing existing wells to be able to drill deeper.

Bradford County

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bradford County continues to lead the state’s shale drilling with a total of 39 permits issued during October.

A total of 22 permits were issued in Susquehanna County and 20 were issued in Washington County. Other counties with over 10 permits issued were Lycoming, 19; Fayette, 18; and Greene with 11 permits issued.

Spud report. The SPUD report, released by the Department of Environmental Protection, states there were 126 wells actually drilled during September in Pennsylvania.

SPUD, according to the definition in the oil and gas industry, means the process of beginning to drill a well.