2012 seemed to be the year that the much hyped growth in oil and gas exploration finally started to take hold. Based on analysis of data from the Department of Natural Resources, 405 permits were issued for hydraulic well sites during 2012 compared to just 102 from 2006 through 2011. In 2012, the overwhelming majority of drilling permits were granted to developers wishing to drill into the Utica shale. As you can see in table one, and on the Innovation Ohio fracking map, the vast majority of drilling is happening in eastern Ohio but some counties as far west as Medina, Muskingum, and Wayne also saw wells receive permits. Carroll County led all counties with 146 wells receiving permits in 2012. This amount is more than double the number of wells that received permits in Harrison County, 62, during the same time period. [Read more…]