MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Aug 15, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: New law focused on energy production takes effect; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: New York ignores consumer costs for climate goals—and pays the price; New York’s official energy plan is no plan; Wave of LNG FIDs and data center mania spur a flood of gas pipelines projects; NATIONAL: Kelcy Warren among energy leaders who transformed American oil and gas; To win the AI race, we need to build out American transmission; INTERNATIONAL: Oil climbs from two-month lows; Choosing the positive reality of hydrocarbons over ‘green’ fantasies.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION
New law focused on energy production takes effect
Spectrum News
House Bill 15, effective as of Thursday, August 14, 2025, introduces significant changes to Ohio’s energy landscape by ending subsidies tied to scandal-linked coal plants and streamlining the construction of new gas plants to meet rising electricity demand. The bill accelerates approval processes with the Public Utilities Commission and adjusts tax provisions to ease developer burdens, according to Greg Lawson of the Buckeye Institute. John Patrick Blackwood, spokesperson for the Office of Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, supports the measure, noting that Ohioans have paid roughly $500 million over the past five years to sustain two uneconomical coal-burning power plants—one located in Indiana—and that the law may benefit consumers and increase generation capacity. However, environmental law expert Victor Flatt warns the law raises concerns about fracking near state parks—highlighting potential disturbances such as noise, visual impacts, construction traffic, road congestion, and water runoff issues. [MDN: This is good news that HB 15 is now in effect. We previously told you all about this important new law (see OH Passes Bill (Now Law) to Encourage More Gas-Fired Power Plants).]
OTHER U.S. REGIONS
New York ignores consumer costs for climate goals—and pays the price
Energy in Depth/Mallory Smith
New York’s aggressive climate policies, particularly the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act mandating 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040, are driving up consumer costs—Con Edison’s plan to raise electricity bills by over 11% in the New York City area next year is a direct consequence of these mandates rather than business decisions. Utility companies warn that spending on green initiatives may be the first cut if consumers push back. Con Edison’s CEO acknowledged that investments in clean energy and resilience disproportionately burden lower- and moderate-income customers. These costs stem from New York’s history of restricting affordable and reliable energy—through pipeline blockades, denied permits, and litigation—resulting in canceled projects and limited natural gas supply, contributing to the Northeast having the highest regional electricity rates in the nation. Although Governor Hochul has recently signaled a shift toward affordability by supporting diverse energy sources and infrastructure investments, the article argues that her rhetoric must be matched by tangible policy—such as streamlining permitting and backing new natural gas pipelines—to ensure affordable, reliable energy for all. [MDN: The people the lefty Democrats say they love and protect, low-income, poor, people of color, are the ones paying more (percentage-wise) out of pocket for the Dems’ stupid energy policies. Yet they keep returning them to power. You get the government you deserve.]
New York’s official energy plan is no plan
Manhattan Contrarian/Francis Menton
New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act set ambitious goals—70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% zero-carbon by 2040—but six years in, progress has stalled. Closure of the 2 GW Indian Point nuclear plant, replaced by natural gas, reduced zero-carbon power, while large-scale wind and solar—especially offshore wind—have faltered after federal support was withdrawn. Despite looming deadlines, the state lacks a credible, detailed plan, offering instead voluminous, jargon-filled reports like the Draft 2025 Energy Plan from the New York State Energy Planning Board, which contains no concrete project lists, feasibility studies, or cost estimates. The NYISO’s 2025 Power Trends report is shorter but equally cautious, burying a key admission: until advanced nuclear or hydrogen is commercialized, fossil fuels remain essential for grid reliability. This understated warning underscores the gap between political aspirations and practical realities, leaving New York with lofty rhetoric but no viable roadmap to meet its climate mandates. [MDN: As we have said for years, NY is screwed. There is NO WAY the climate plan is going to work. At some point, it will be abandoned, or the Democrats in Albany will be thrown out of office, and then it will be abandoned. It will be interesting to watch as this plays out.]
Wave of LNG FIDs and data center mania spur a flood of gas pipelines projects
RBN Energy/Housley Carr
Construction is underway or imminent at seven Gulf Coast LNG export terminals totaling 16 Bcf/d, while booming data-center development in Texas and Louisiana—such as Meta’s planned $10 billion campus in Richland Parish, LA, fueled by 2,200 MW of gas-fired power (~330 MMcf/d of gas demand)—is driving further demand. Yet, existing pipeline networks are maxed out, even as U.S. LNG feedgas flows have recently topped 15 Bcf/d and are expected to double within six to seven years. Production from the Permian, Haynesville, and Eagle Ford will supply much of this, but to match growing needs, a wave of pipeline projects is being fast-tracked. Key pipelines reaching FID include Woodside’s Louisiana LNG and its Line 200, Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Midscale trains 8 and 9, and Venture Global’s CP2 Phase 1 and CP Express. Additional projects—from Haynesville to Gillis, Permian-to-South Texas, and beyond—will come online through 2027, with even more capacity expected into the early 2030s. [MDN: It’s a good time to be a pipeliner along the Gulf Coast. Wish we could say the same for the northeast.]
NATIONAL
Kelcy Warren among energy leaders who transformed American oil and gas
ABC Money
Kelcy Warren, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Energy Transfer, has played a pivotal role in reshaping the American oil and gas industry through bold, strategic leadership. Since launching the company in 1996 with just 200 miles of pipelines and 20 employees, he transformed it into a midstream powerhouse controlling nearly 125,000 miles of infrastructure across the United States. His agility in responding to market upheavals—such as during the 2008-09 gas price collapse—led to decisive moves like the rapid $2 billion acquisition of Louis Dreyfus midstream assets in 2011, securing a strong foothold in natural gas liquids and creating a “naturally hedged” energy portfolio. Under his stewardship, Energy Transfer became a major exporter, repurposing import infrastructure into export terminals and now ships approximately 20 percent of the world’s natural gas liquids to 93 countries, while also becoming the largest global exporter of ethane. [MDN: Energy Transfer has built and operates major pipelines in the M-U, including the Mariner East pipelines and Rover. ET exports ethane from Marcus Hook, near Philadelphia.]
To win the AI race, we need to build out American transmission
RealClearEnergy/Sarah Rosa
President Trump’s AI Action Plan highlights the urgent need to expand and modernize the U.S. electric grid to meet surging demand from AI, manufacturing onshoring, and electrification, with electricity use projected to rise 25% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. Experts, including DOE’s National Transmission Planning Study, warn the grid must at least double in size, yet new high-voltage line construction has sharply declined while China vastly outpaces U.S. buildout. Permitting remains a major barrier, with approvals often taking 7–18 years, and aging infrastructure from the 1960s–70s needing upgrades. Solutions include deploying grid-enhancing technologies to boost capacity by up to 30%, reforming NEPA and CWA processes, granting FERC backstop siting authority, resolving cost allocation issues, and using capacity contracting to de-risk financing. Without streamlined approvals and investment in both new and upgraded lines, rising demand will drive up electricity costs, threatening U.S. competitiveness in the AI race and energy affordability. [MDN: Unless we get permitting reform and stop the left’s lawfare, we will lose the AI race to China. It’s really that simple.]
INTERNATIONAL
Oil climbs from two-month lows
Bloomberg/Julia Fanzeres, Alex Longley
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rebounded from a two-month low, settling at $63.96 a barrel, while Brent closed at $66.84, in thin summer trading. Market attention is focused on Friday’s planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, with investors weighing the potential impact on U.S. sanctions against the OPEC+ member. Trump warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin fails to agree to a ceasefire, but analysts expect neither a decisive ceasefire nor aggressive new sanctions. Despite the rebound, oil prices remain down over 10% this year as OPEC+ completes the reversal of output cuts begun in 2023. Expectations of a record supply glut in 2026 and weaker crude balances for the rest of the year are weighing on sentiment. RBC analysts noted supplies are already “primed to back up” in the Atlantic Basin, reinforcing the bearish supply outlook even as price volatility remains muted in the quiet northern hemisphere summer. [MDN: In other words, the longer-term outlook is to remain in the $60s where it is now, which is fine with us.]
Choosing the positive reality of hydrocarbons over ‘green’ fantasies
CO2 Coalition/Vijay Jayaraj
BP has announced its largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years in Brazil’s Santos Basin, projecting daily production of 2.3–2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent by 2030, reaffirming its commitment to hydrocarbons after briefly promoting renewables. Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, once expected to prioritize environmental restrictions, vetoed stricter licensing laws, enabling stalled energy projects to move forward in the interest of economic growth. Globally, nations like China, India, and Norway publicly pledge climate goals while expanding fossil fuel development, from China’s record coal plant openings to Norway’s continued offshore drilling. Emerging economies view hydrocarbons as essential for lifting populations out of poverty, treating green targets as aspirational rather than binding. Critics argue the “energy transition” narrative oversimplifies realities, as fossil fuels remain indispensable. The article frames BP’s discovery and global energy policies as evidence that economic priorities and energy security keep oil, gas, and coal central to the world economy despite net-zero rhetoric. [MDN: Vijay’s point is that fossil fuels aren’t going anywhere. They certainly aren’t being replaced by unreliable renewables. Anyone with half a brain can see that.]