EQT Grabs 31% of FERC-Approved Underground Gas Storage Project in MS
Yes, there is a direct connection between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the expansion of an underground salt-dome storage cavern project in Mississippi and the Marcellus/Utica. FERC has approved Leaf River Energy Center’s expansion of its New Home Salt Dome storage facility in Smith, Jasper, and Clarke counties, Mississippi, adding 19.18 Bcf of working gas capacity through new cavern development and facility upgrades. The project includes a new Cavern 5, expansion of Caverns 2 and 4, new compression, and pipeline additions, raising total working gas capacity from 36.0 to 55.18 Bcf. Read More “EQT Grabs 31% of FERC-Approved Underground Gas Storage Project in MS”
In April 2025, Knighthead Capital Management, Homer City Redevelopment (HCR), and Kiewit Power Constructors Co. announced a plan to convert the former Homer City Generating Station, previously the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania (Indiana County, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh) into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, designed to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (see 
We stumbled across an article by East Daley Analytics that is a real eye-opener for us. East Daley analyzed 13 major public G&P (gathering and processing) operators (i.e., pipeline companies). They found that Expand Energy (created by the merger of Chesapeake Energy with Southwestern Energy), with major assets in the Marcellus/Utica and the Louisiana Haynesville, accounts for 52% of DT Midstream’s gathering volumes, 32% of Williams’, and 21% of Energy Transfer’s throughput. Yikes! Just one company. 
If we had a nickel for every time we’ve read or heard the Democrats claim the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a tax on carbon dioxide emissions for coal- and gas-fired power plants, doesn’t raise electricity rates, we’d be millionaires! Not that it was ever in question that RGGI does raise rates; we now have a smoking gun. Connecticut’s carbon allowance auction prices under RGGI have risen from $3.07 per allowance in 2008 to $35 per allowance in June 2026, a jump of over 900%. Connecticut residents pay the third-highest (or second-highest, depending on the source) electricity rates in the entire country behind only Hawaii and California. Massachusetts, another RGGI member, is right behind Connecticut at fourth-highest. 
Last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul had the ignominious distinction of signing an Executive Order establishing the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, temporarily pausing state environmental permit issuance for up to 1 year (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: David McCormick set to lead Energy and Natural Resources Committee; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures settle little changed; Halliburton announces second quarter 2026 results; Solar for the soul or for the senses; Energy security and climate realism usher in coal’s rise; Shale trades go-go days of growth for output creep; EPA proposes changes to Biden-era environmental rules for heavy-duty trucks; INTERNATIONAL: Oil climbs as shipping threats grow; Saudi led coalition vows to protect ships from Houthis; Fossil fuels still generate 57% of the world’s electricity; Why the UAE is taking a bigger piece of America’s LNG crown jewel; India became world’s top long-term LNG buyer in 2025. 
Last November, New Jersey (and New York) issued a federal Clean Water Act permit to build the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project (see 
Amentum, a Chantilly, Virginia-based engineering and technology firm, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to enter negotiations for a phased lease to develop one of the nation’s largest integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and energy infrastructure projects at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Once finalized, the public-private project would establish a 1-gigawatt AI data center supported by approximately 2 gigawatts of on-site energy generation, initially powered by natural gas, with an eventual transition to advanced nuclear energy. The project aims to expand domestic AI computing capacity and strengthen U.S. energy resilience and national security. 
Despite rising Northeast gas demand from retiring coal plants and new data centers, plus added Appalachian pipeline capacity, production growth isn’t guaranteed—operators prioritize capital discipline, debt reduction, and shareholder returns over volume. Appalachia has held flat at roughly 33-36 Bcf/d since 2020. Can anything tempt Marcellus/Utica drillers to drill and produce more than they are now? According to RBN Energy, sustained Henry Hub prices above $4/MMBtu (versus the current $3.50-$3.60 long-dated curve) and better takeaway infrastructure could be enough of a temptation. 
Last week was (once again) noteworthy for the Baker Hughes rig count. Although the Marcellus/Utica count hasn’t budged for 10 weeks in a row, holding at a combined 36, the national count increased by 7 rigs, reaching its highest level since April 2025. The national count has risen over the last five weeks by a robust 25 rigs. The new national count was 588. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by seven to 452 last week, the highest since May 2025, while gas rigs held at 126 and other miscellaneous rigs held at 10. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U’s 36. 