Westward Ho! Utica gas is Chicago bound

The Rockies Express Pipeline begins in Colorado and terminates in in Clarington, Ohio, a small village in Monroe County but that is about to change. Soon the Rookies Express, if it keeps it present moniker, will begin in Clarington, Ohio and terminate in Colorado if one pays attention to the direction the gas flows. That's a bit of an exaggeration. Gas from the Utica and Marcellus shales will flow westward and then be diverted  into the Chicago area and points north where the pipeline company will seek new contracts.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director recently announced a near doubling of natural gas production from 2012 to 2013. The state’s total oil production increased by 62 percent and natural gas production increased by 97 percent.
In the first quarter of 2014, a total of 418 wells produced 1.9 million barrels of oil and 67 billion cubic feet of natural gas. While 418 may sound like a large number of well there is enough land under lease to drill 1000 well per year for the next 19 years. That's exciting!