Ohio may need more natural gas pipelines

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 11 (UPI) -- Ohio may need additional natural gas pipelines to cope with the boom in the Utica shale play but trucking should meet short-term requirements, a spokesman said.

Ohio hosts portions of the Marcellus and Utica plays, two of the richest shale deposits in the United States.

Anadarko Petroleum, one of the more active energy companies in Ohio, said it delivered 9,500 barrels of crude oil and 12 million cubic feet of natural gas from one well in the Utica play.

The Coshocton (Ohio) Tribune reports there are more than 200 wells approved in the Utica shale play in the state.

Marathon spokesman Shane Pochard said his company relies on road transit to deliver natural resources produced from Ohio.

"We're in the pretty early stages of (the Utica shale) coming online, so the fastest and quickest way to begin running it is by truck," he told the newspaper. "Ideally, as the play grows and matures, pipe would be preferred."

The Tribune reports there are no plans for large transmission pipelines, state and federal regulators said.