The Henry Hub surpassed $3 gas for the second straight week amidst a steadily growing rig count, but oil prices dropped since our last report and gas prices in the Marcellus continue to underwhelm at just slightly over a dollar per MMBtu. Although things are relatively quiet beyond Appalachia this week, a busy Ohio Supreme Court issued its much anticipated decisions on the Dormant Mineral Act, the Ohio Court of Appeals rejected another bid to claim that an oil and gas lease creates an unlawful “no-term” lease, and Governor Wolf endorsed acting DEP Secretary Pat McDonnell to fill the spot permanently. Here’s your week in review: About The Author

The rig count continues to climb while the Henry Hub flirted with $3 gas for the first time in months. However, spot prices in the Appalachian region dropped significantly since our last report and oil prices fared only slightly better, posting a decline of a couple of dollars per barrel since last week based on the Brent Crude and West Texas benchmarks. In Appalachia, there’s a new attorney general in town following Kathleen Kane’s perjury conviction who will preside until the voters elect a new chief for the embattled office in November. Also, the Commonwealth Court denied a bid to stop PADEP from considering the effect of proposed wells on public resources under a part of the Oil and Gas…