US Steel abandons plans to drill Marcellus wells at steel mill near Pittsburgh
Monday, May 3, 2021
United States Steel Corp. has deserted its plan to drill Marcellus Shale wells on the 10 acres near its Edgar Thomson steel mill near Pittsburgh, according to Natural Gas Intelligence.
The decision to exit its lease agreement with New Mexico-based Merrion Oil & Gas Corp. was announced by spokesperson Amanda Malkowski. Merrion Operations Manager Ryan Davis also confirmed it would reassign its lease rights to U.S. Steel and scrap its drilling plans.
The lease agreement was signed in 2017 and plans were to drill 18 Marcellus wells to power the Edgar Thomson and Irvin steel mills, along with the Clairton coke works, which comprise the company’s Pittsburgh area operations — known collectively as the Mon Valley Works.
The project faced strong opposition from local residents. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection suspended it regulatory review of the project in December as Merrion failed to secure local zoning permits.
Learn more: Natural Gas Intelligence > U.S. Steel Scraps Plans for Marcellus Wells at Pittsburgh Area Steel Mill
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