Gulfport Energy, a major operator in the Ohio Utica Shale, has announced that they are cutting oil and gas production until at least 2016. The operator has drilled 209 wells in the Ohio Utica Shale. The 209 wells drilled by Gulfport Energy accounts for roughly 40% of all the wells drilled in Ohio, which ranks second most among any other operator. With such a prevalent operator backing off and holding off on production, this will undoubtedly result in slower oil and gas production for Ohio. Gulfport cited low commodity prices as a major reason for halting production. With many industry experts believing the current prices of oil will continue to hover around $50 per barrel for the foreseeable future, as well as natural gas prices dropping nearly 40% over the past few weeks, this will only increase the delay in any possible royalty payments for mineral owners in Ohio.