MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Sep 16, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Natural gas helps power Massachusetts’ economic growth; The green agenda turned New England into an energy price punchline; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas price gains on warmer weather outlook; Exxon, other oil companies defeat climate lawsuit by Puerto Rican towns; Per capita energy-related CO2 emissions decreased in every state 2005-2023; Rising bills, bad blame – what’s really driving electricity prices; National Clean Energy Week…re-education please; INTERNATIONAL: Oil gains on Russian tensions; Europe provoked its own destruction — with crises that threaten the entire West; India LNG demand set to fall in 2025; Poland delivers 14 Bcf of US LNG to Ukraine; Cheap Russian LNG keeps flowing despite EU promises.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

Natural gas helps power Massachusetts’ economic growth
Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette/Jeannie Hebert
Massachusetts faces an energy crisis driven by surging electricity demand, particularly from AI-powered data centers, while grappling with high energy costs and stalled renewable projects. Natural gas, which already supplies about half the state’s electricity and much of New England’s heating, is seen as critical to ensuring reliability and economic growth. Projects like a $4 billion Westfield data center promise major investment and jobs, but face obstacles from strict emissions targets and infrastructure constraints. Governor Maura Healey has acknowledged the need for an “all-of-the-above” energy approach, including pipeline expansions, to maintain grid stability, attract development, and keep costs competitive. [MDN: This op-ed was written by the president and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce. She’s a voice crying in the leftist universe in the Bay State. Will anyone listen? Doubtful.]

The green agenda turned New England into an energy price punchline
RealClearEnergy/Daniel Turner
New England faces some of the nation’s highest electricity prices, a burden critics blame on political leaders who celebrated the shutdown of coal, oil, and natural gas plants in favor of unreliable renewable energy. Since President Biden took office, regional electricity costs jumped over 36%, squeezing families already hit by inflation. Nearly 400 fossil fuel plants have closed nationwide since 2010, leaving fewer megawatts of reliable power and a strained grid, now pressured further by rising demand from AI data centers. The article argues the solution lies in treating grid reliability as a national security issue, halting premature closures, expanding existing fossil fuel capacity, and building new natural gas and coal plants to restore affordable, dependable energy. [MDN: This column, written by the founder and executive director of Power The Future, is spot on. Unreliable renewables are the reason for soaring electricity prices across the country.]

NATIONAL

U.S. natural gas price gains on warmer weather outlook
Wall Street Journal
U.S. natural gas futures gain ground with hotter near-term temperature outlooks adding demand. “Forecasts point to above-normal temperatures persisting through the next two weeks,” Andy Huenefeld of Pinebrook Energy Advisors says in a note. The late-season heat should lift cooling demand and trim storage injections, although “September heat waves are not near as impactful as peak-summer events, so the overall impact on the fundamental picture is likely to be muted,” he adds. Nymex natural gas settled up 3.5% at $3.043/mmBtu as the front month continues to waver around the $3 level. [MDN: Hey, the price closed above $3. That’s a good day.]

Exxon, other oil companies defeat climate lawsuit by Puerto Rican towns
Reuters/Mike Scarcella
A U.S. District Judge, Silvia Carreño-Coll, has dismissed a lawsuit by 37 Puerto Rican municipalities against Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron, and others for misleading the public about climate change and suppressing clean energy, finding that the claims are time-barred under the four-year statute of limitations for antitrust cases. The plaintiffs had alleged that the oil companies conspired to deny climate science and undermine alternative energy, contributing to damage from hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017. The judge dismissed the claims with prejudice for most defendants, although plaintiffs may amend their case against some others. [MDN: We need to ensure these idiots bringing the lawsuits are forced to pay the legal fees of the companies being falsely accused. It’s time to shut this garbage down once and for all.]

Per capita energy-related CO2 emissions decreased in every state 2005-2023
U.S. Energy Information Administration – Today in Energy
From 2005 to 2023, U.S. per capita CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption fell 30% as total emissions dropped 20% despite population growth. The decline was driven by reduced coal use in power generation, replaced by natural gas and renewables like wind and solar. Maryland led with a 49% per capita emissions reduction, largely due to coal plant retirements and rising solar and gas use, achieving the nation’s lowest state emissions. By 2023, transportation was the largest emissions source in most coastal states, while coal-heavy states remained power-sector dominated. Industrial emissions were concentrated in energy and agriculture-heavy states. [MDN: Frankly, we don’t give a hoot whether CO2 emissions go up or down. But for those who do, they went down, significantly, thanks to shale gas replacing coal in power plants. Unreliable renewables played a minor role, but the big news is that natural gas (from FRACKED shale, take that antis) is the cause for a DECREASE in CO2 emissions.]

Rising bills, bad blame – what’s really driving electricity prices
Institute for Energy Research
The article argues that recent increases in U.S. electricity bills are being incorrectly blamed on new federal policies (like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA) and that, in fact, prices were already rising well before those policies could have taken effect. Key drivers cited are surging demand—especially from AI and data centers—and the costs required to build out capacity, balancing, transmission, and reliability to support intermittent renewables. Even though wind and solar generation have grown notably, system-wide costs dominate, so falling fuel costs alone haven’t translated into lower retail rates. The piece also notes that offshore wind remains far more expensive than onshore alternatives. [MDN: The left is quick to blame Trump and blame AI data centers (that haven’t yet been built) for a run-up in electricity prices. We’re still suffering from the hangover of Joementia’s administration. It takes time to undo all of the damage done by the left. A year from now, if prices are still high, THEN you can blame Trump’s policies. But not right now.]

National Clean Energy Week…re-education please
Master Resource/Robert Bradley Jr.
The article argues that “National Clean Energy Week” functions more as political theater than substantive environmental policy, with expensive clean-energy industries yet to deliver major public benefits. Bradley critiques proclamations in several states recognizing the week, noting support from both parties, and accuses clean energy sectors—such as solar, wind, batteries, and efficiency—of being under scrutiny for broken promises (citing over 1,100 delayed or cancelled projects). He urges skepticism about claims of environmental benefit, calling for debate over climate alarmism and deeper consideration of the hidden ecological costs of “green” energy. [MDN: This is how it works in a free society with freedom of speech. One side gets to point out the obvious flaws in the thinking of the other side. Typically, the other side will respond with a defense. In the case of the radicalized left, they respond by either throwing you in jail to shut you up or shooting you (like poor Charlie Kirk). The left is the violent party here in America, not the right. Is that not obvious?]

INTERNATIONAL

Oil gains on Russian tensions
Bloomberg/Alex Longley, Mia Gindis
Oil prices rose as geopolitical tensions offset bearish fundamentals, with West Texas Intermediate climbing 1% to $63.60 a barrel and Brent up 0.7% to $67.44. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s Kinef refinery and Primorsk port pressured supply, while President Trump urged Europe to halt Russian oil purchases and threatened major sanctions if NATO allies joined. However, U.S. officials clarified sanctions hinge on European action. Meanwhile, OPEC+ is restoring production ahead of schedule, with the IEA forecasting a record surplus next year. Traders remain cautious, eyeing the Federal Reserve’s expected rate cuts, which could support demand amid slowing economic signals. [MDN: We bring you the latest crude prices, for WTI and Brent, each day. It’s rare that the price is outside of the $60s range.]

Europe provoked its own destruction — with crises that threaten the entire West
New York (NY) Post/Victor Davis Hanson
The article argues that Europe and the broader West face self-inflicted crises driven by four “horsemen” of decline: radical green energy mandates, collapsing family structures, unchecked immigration, and identity-based tribalism. It contends that utopian net-zero policies have crippled industry, raised energy costs, and weakened economies, particularly in Germany. Falling fertility rates, promoted by elites dismissing traditional family models, threaten demographic sustainability. Mass illegal immigration, coupled with weak assimilation, has fueled welfare burdens and social unrest. Finally, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies foster division rather than unity. The author calls for pride in Western traditions, family renewal, controlled legal immigration, and rejecting victimhood narratives. [MDN: While this excellent column is about more than just energy policies, Victor Davis Hansen begins with energy and illustrates the intellectual bankruptcy of Euro weenies that is now threatening the world.]

India LNG demand set to fall in 2025
Bloomberg/Rakesh Sharma, Rajesh Kumar Singh
India’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand is set to shrink in 2025 for the first time in years, as buyers wait for new global supply that could lower prices. Imports fell 10% in the first eight months of 2025 due to high spot prices, cooler monsoon weather, and weaker industrial demand. Analysts view the decline as temporary, with imports expected to rebound in 2026 as projects from the U.S. to Qatar boost global supply. Despite short-term pressures, India remains a key growth market, with demand projected to exceed 40 million tons by 2030, supported by government efforts and new infrastructure. [MDN: This is a blip on the radar screen—a temporary decrease. India is one of the world’s fastest-growing energy markets.]

Poland delivers 14 Bcf of US LNG to Ukraine
Rigzone
Ukraine’s Naftogaz has received 400 million cubic meters of U.S. LNG under a supply agreement with Poland’s ORLEN SA, with deliveries routed through terminals in Poland and Lithuania for storage ahead of the 2025–26 heating season. In total, 450 mcm of U.S. LNG has been contracted, strengthening Ukraine’s energy security and diversifying supply sources amid war-related risks. ORLEN and Naftogaz also agreed to expand gas deliveries, pursue joint oil, gas, and biofuel projects, and repair damaged infrastructure. Support includes a €500 million EBRD loan guaranteed by the EU, bringing EBRD’s total financing for Naftogaz since 2022 to €1.6 billion. [MDN: Interesting how our LNG gets routed and rerouted around the world. In this case, Ukraine gets our gas via Poland.]

Cheap Russian LNG keeps flowing despite EU promises
OilPrice.com/Irina Slav
The European Union faces a dilemma as it seeks to phase out Russian natural gas while balancing cost, supply security, and political commitments. Despite sanctions and vows to end Russian energy imports, EU purchases of Russian LNG hit record highs in 2024 due to significantly lower prices compared to U.S. supplies. While U.S. LNG now makes up 55% of EU imports, the bloc remains Russia’s biggest LNG and pipeline gas buyer. Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen reaffirmed the EU’s 2028 cutoff deadline, prioritizing price stability over speed. However, reliance on U.S. LNG risks costly dependence, while Qatari supplies face regulatory hurdles. [MDN: Like a smoker with a bad habit it can’t kick, the Euro weenies refuse to give up their cheap (and extra-dirty) Russian natural gas. That’s the secret mainstream media doesn’t like to talk about.]