We leased 22 acres on the east side of Jacobs Road, just south of McGuffey Road in Youngstown. Is

We leased 22 acres on the east side of Jacobs Road, just south of McGuffey Road in Youngstown. Is there any drilling activity in that neighborhood?

The quick answer is no. But questions like this are becoming more common at Shale Sheet as oil and gas companies focus more on the northeastern part of the state.

In the early days of the Utica Shale play, oil and gas companies focused their attention on the southeastern part of the state and even the western fringes of the formation here.

Since then, areas south of Mahoning, as many people know, such as Columbiana, Carroll and Harrison counties have become the epicenter of Ohio’s drilling and production activity.

But like those early wildcatters exploring the western fringe of the Utica in Ohio, larger exploration and production companies, such as Hilcorp Energy, Halcon Resources Corp. and BP are turning their focus toward Northeast Ohio. Mahoning County, along with Trumbull County and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania, are witnessing a rush of companies buying up acreage across a region where the Utica and Marcellus Shale formations overlap. Given the geology, experts believe the area could hold a window of liquid rich oil and gas, which contains more energy and fetches a higher price.

In Mahoning County, 16 permits have been secured, but only five wells have been drilled, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Most of that drilling has occurred closer to Columbiana County in places such as North Jackson, Ellsworth and Milton. The only drilling operations close to Youngstown, at this point, are in Poland, where one well has been drilled.

The long answer, as you can see, is expect drilling operations to ramp up as seismic testing concludes in many parts of Mahoning County and as acreage is increasingly grabbed up by eager oil and gas companies.

Does a map of the Brinker Storage Field exist?

A simple search of the internet demonstrates that this is a coveted item. Unfortunately, obtaining a copy is not as simple as browsing the web.

The Brinker Storage field is a 25,000 acre oval inside Columbiana County. It’s made life hard for those living inside it to capitalize on the oil and gas boom taking place there. That’s because the storage field sits on top of a sandstone repository. The acreage is leased by Columbia Gas Transmission. Those leases date back to the 1940s when Columbia’s predecessor tapped the field to reach natural gas in the Berea Sandstone.

After the deposits were gone, the company piped gas back into the “storage field” and drained it when gas sold at peak prices.

A copy of the Brinker Storage Field map can be obtained through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Columbia Gas would have had to provide one that delineates the storage field’s outline when it applied for public certificates and documentation of the site. Interested parties can get a copy by filling out a freedom of information request with the commission at its website, by visiting www.ferc.gov/legal/ceii-foia.asp. Make sure when you fill the electronic request form out, that you’re as specific as possible, explaining exactly what you need, where it’s located and why you need it. Be brief and to the point.

You could also try contacting Columbia Gas of Ohio with your request. Try customer service at 800-344-4077 and they might be able to point you in the right direction.