M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558
Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count maintained its cumulative count of 36 active rigs after dropping 1 rig two weeks ago in the PA Marcellus (see M-U Rigs Down 1 @ 36; Haynesville Down 2 @ 56; Nat’l Up 3 @ 551). The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, dropped 1 rig last week to land at 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 7 rigs last week, bringing the total to 558 rigs. That’s the fifth week in a row the national count has added rigs. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558”
Well, you knew this was going to happen. Last week, a group of disgusting Big Green groups and the New York State Attorney General both filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2nd Circuit), challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision to resurrect the Constitution Pipeline under the existing (but dormant) docket. NY AG Tish James, representing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), argues that a brand new review should be done by the state to evaluate the project for compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. You may recall that NY previously lost its right to evaluate the Constitution project by stretching out its review for years, causing FERC to overrule NY (see 
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued an emergency order on May 21 directing PJM Interconnection and Constellation Energy to keep Units 3 and 4 at Pennsylvania’s Eddystone Generating Station (near Philadelphia, in Delaware County) operational through the summer. Effective from May 25, 2026, to August 22, 2026, the mandate aims to ensure grid reliability. This directive follows four previous 90-day orders that have kept the aging, dual-fuel units online to support energy security. The DOE asserts that despite planned retirements, these 380-MW units remain essential for stabilizing the regional power supply. Big Green wants to close them down. 
Last Thursday (May 21), the commissioners of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously proposed significant changes to the agency’s natural gas blanket certificate program, the most substantial overhaul since 2006. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) aims to roughly double the cost thresholds for pipeline companies to build and modify infrastructure without extensive case-by-case approval. It also expands eligible project categories and, for the first time, extends streamlined authorization to certain LNG facility activities. 
NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas retreats as weather outlook cools; Climate change fearmongerers owe Gen Z an apology; Secretary Wright announces leadership changes at DOE; Why Democrats are abandoning climate-change agenda; INTERNATIONAL: Oil swings on Iran peace hopes; Trump issues upbeat signal on Iran talks; Qatar quietly ships LNG via Hormuz to key buyers; AI could unlock $500 billion for O&G producers by 2030. 
MDN will not publish on Friday, May 22, nor on Monday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. A shout out to all of our currently serving and former veterans, and remembrance for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. They are not forgotten.
NOTE: MDN will not publish on Friday, May 22, and Monday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Therefore, we are publishing the weekly permits report a day early.
Yesterday, MDN told you that Enbridge has launched an open season for customers to sign up for capacity along an expanded Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline in New England (see 
U.S. natural gas flows to LNG export facilities were set to hit a 16-week low of 15.1 Bcf/d on Tuesday, May 19, despite the anticipated return of QatarEnergy/ExxonMobil’s Golden Pass plant in Texas, according to LSEG data. Average flows dropped from a record 18.8 Bcf/d in April to 16.9 Bcf/d in May due to spring maintenance at multiple facilities, including Golden Pass and Freeport LNG. 
NextEra Energy, headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is gobbling up companies left and right. Earlier this week, NextEra announced it is buying out and merging with a fellow utility giant, Dominion Energy (see 
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church would happily sell you forgiveness of sins (if you paid), meaning you could keep right on sinning, as long as you could pay. It was called an indulgence. The modern environmental movement is doing the same thing. Big Green is all about Big Money. The scam they run is to convince people that planting a tree, not cutting down a tree, or maybe capturing a little bit of methane seeping out of a landfill, can make up for continuing to use (burn) natural gas. Georgia Natural Gas (GNG) is offering this scam to its customers. Why would anyone willingly pay more for the same thing? Just to feel better about themselves? Apparently so, because 100,000 GNG customers are doing it. 
Last week, the news broke that Enbridge is exploring a major expansion of its Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline into New England, and had briefed the Trump administration’s National Energy Dominance Council about its plans (see