The shale slowdown that lasted all of 2015 will likely continue this year, according to  Crain’s Cleveland Business. However, oil and gas industry leaders believe that drilling will pick back up again in the Utica shale.

In Ohio’s Utica shale, producers are able to drill more quickly for less money than in other shale regions. And drillers say that the Utica and Marcellus plays alone could support the country’s natural gas needs.

Crain’s Cleveland Business says Ohio may be better off than other shale-producing regions of the U.S. since pipelines are still being constructed and prices will eventually rise. Industry experts predict that drilling may pick up in the second half of this year, but at a slower rate than when drilling first began.

Via: Crain’s Cleveland Business > ‘Brutal’ times for shale industry likely will continue in 2016