MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Oct 15, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: $250K available to help PA fire, rescue & EMS prepare for gas well incidents; Energy and conservation is a win-win for Pennsylvania’s game lands; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: In some CT towns, clouds form over new solar developments; Hawaii enters agreement with top Japanese buyer of liquefied natural gas; NATIONAL: Weaker demand outlook and milder weather push US natural gas futures lower; US oil futures backwardation narrows to 20-month low on mounting fears of a glut; Trump gets it right on AI; How Baker Hughes is gearing its business for the age of gas; INTERNATIONAL: Crude near $59 on surplus fears; Oil tankers avoid sanctioned China port.

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION

$250K available to help PA fire, rescue & EMS prepare for gas well incidents
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook announced that applications are now open for the 2025 Act 13 Unconventional Gas Well Fund (UGWF) grant, available until November 30, 2025, at 4:00 PM. The program provides funding for volunteer and career fire, EMS, and rescue companies in 40 Pennsylvania counties with unconventional gas wells, and 11 bordering counties. Grants support training, certification, and specialized equipment to improve emergency response to gas well incidents. Eligible projects include professional certification, firefighting or monitoring equipment purchases, and gas well emergency training. More information and application details are available on the State Fire Commissioner’s website. [MDN: Find out more about this grant here.]

Energy and conservation is a win-win for Pennsylvania’s game lands
Marcellus Shale Coalition
Pennsylvania’s State Game Lands demonstrate how responsible natural gas development can fund and enhance conservation. Managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), which receives no taxpayer funding, these lands benefit from lease agreements with gas companies that generated nearly $100 million last year and over $1 billion total. The revenue supports road and bridge improvements, forest management, habitat restoration, and land acquisition. In contrast, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) maintains a moratorium on new gas leases, limiting its funding for 2.2 million acres of state forests. Advocates argue that DCNR should follow PGC’s model to sustainably finance conservation. [MDN: PA’s State Game Lands show the way. The DCNR is led by a radical leftist who used to be the head of PennFuture, explaining why the agency refuses to lease more land for shale drilling.]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

In some CT towns, clouds form over new solar developments
Hartford (CT) Connecticut Mirror/John Moritz
Support for Connecticut’s largest solar project — the 120 MW Gravel Pit Solar array in East Windsor — has soured as critics say it has expanded beyond its original quarry footprint, consuming farmland, altering rural character, generating noise complaints, and even sparking a brush fire. The state’s Siting Council, which can override local control, has approved more than 80% of large array proposals in recent years, prompting calls for reforms to give municipalities more say. Meanwhile, developers are pushing new expansions, citing clean-energy mandates and looming federal tax deadlines. [MDN: Ever notice how anti-fossil fuel nutters demand towns have the right to block any and all natural gas wells, even though you can’t even see them once they’re installed. Yet the very same people demand huge, ugly, destructive solar farms be installed over the concerns of the local residents. Funny how that works.]

Hawaii enters agreement with top Japanese buyer of liquefied natural gas
Hawaii Public Radio/Savannah Harriman-Pote
Hawai?i Governor Josh Green signed an agreement with Japan’s largest energy company, JERA, to explore importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power O?ahu’s grid, following recommendations from the state’s Alternative Fuels and Energy Transition study. The plan aims to reduce oil dependence while requiring over $2 billion in infrastructure investments capable of later converting to zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen. Although the deal doesn’t commit Hawai?i to purchase LNG, JERA will help secure financing. Critics argue the proposal conflicts with Hawai?i’s legal mandate to end fossil fuel use by 2045, but state officials insist it can align with renewable goals. [MDN: At some point, blue states like Hawaii will have to overturn their idiotic laws requiring no fossil energy by such-and-such a date. NY is in that boat, too. It just won’t work, and with each passing year, it becomes more obvious. Stupid that Hawaii has to buy LNG from a foreign company because the Jones Act prevents an American company from shipping LNG to another American port. The Jones Act must go!]

NATIONAL

Weaker demand outlook and milder weather push US natural gas futures lower
Reuters/Baird Maritime
U.S. natural gas futures fell over 2% on Tuesday to a more than two-week low of $3.05 per mmBtu amid forecasts for milder weather and lower demand. Analysts said prices are under pressure as late-season heat in the central U.S. fades, reducing power sector demand. LSEG projected U.S. gas demand to dip from 100.7 to 99.5 bcfd this week, with production averaging 106.5 bcfd in October. Analysts expect weather to remain the main price driver before the upcoming shoulder period narrows price ranges. Separately, Shell approved a new offshore gas project in Nigeria with partner Sunlink Energies. [MDN: We’re keeping our nose just above the $3 waterline. Let’s hope the NYMEX price doesn’t sink below $3 again.]

US oil futures backwardation narrows to 20-month low on mounting fears of a glut
Reuters/Georgina Mccartney
U.S. oil futures’ backwardation—where near-term contracts trade at a premium over later ones—has shrunk to a roughly 20-month low, signaling investors see an abundant short-term supply. The spread between November and May contracts narrowed to 47 cents, the tightest since January 2024. The flattening curve comes amid OPEC+ output increases (adding ~2.7 million barrels/day this year) and seasonal U.S. refinery maintenance, raising concerns of a looming supply glut. [MDN: All signs point to an abundance (overabundance) of oil hitting the market. That’s what these signals appear to indicate.]

Trump gets it right on AI
Washington (DC) Examiner/Gary Shapiro
Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, boosting productivity, and reshaping the global economy, with the U.S. currently leading thanks to its innovation-friendly policies and strong investment ecosystem. The article argues that AI leadership is essential not only for economic growth but also for national security and global influence. It credits President Donald Trump’s administration with recognizing AI’s strategic importance through its AI Action Plan, which promotes private-sector leadership, streamlined regulation, energy infrastructure development, and workforce training. The piece criticizes excessive state-level regulation and advocates for a unified federal AI policy to ensure continued American dominance and long-term prosperity. [MDN: Trump is getting it right on AI. Many of the blue states are getting it wrong. OH and WV are red states. PA? That remains to be seen.]

How Baker Hughes is gearing its business for the age of gas
Upstream/Davide Ghilotti
Baker Hughes is expanding its natural gas operations, positioning the fuel as a core element of a resilient, low-carbon global energy system. Speaking at the BloombergNEF Summit 2025, government affairs director Stuart Testar said global energy demand is expected to rise 20% by 2030, driving the company’s growth across upstream and midstream gas infrastructure. With equipment in over 60 LNG projects totaling 440 mtpa capacity, Baker Hughes anticipates about 100 new LNG investment decisions by 2026. Recent contracts include major U.S. LNG projects with Venture Global and Sempra. Testar emphasized pairing natural gas with renewables and integrating carbon capture technologies. [MDN: The future is natural gas, and Baker Hughes is preparing for that future. Smart company.]

INTERNATIONAL

Crude near $59 on surplus fears
Bloomberg/Paul Burkhardt, Veena Ali-Khan
Oil prices fell as renewed U.S.–China trade tensions and a forecasted record crude surplus weighed on markets. West Texas Intermediate dropped 1.3% to $58.70 a barrel, the lowest since May, while Brent settled at $62.39. The International Energy Agency projected a global oversupply of nearly 4 million barrels per day in 2026, up 18% from last month, as OPEC+ boosts production. Despite dovish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell supporting risk sentiment, analysts warned of continued bearish fundamentals. Traders expect further price declines, with some forecasting a return to the $50s amid signs of weakening demand and a contango market structure. [MDN: We’ve seen this picture before. Oil briefly drifts into the $50s before going up to the $60s again. Watch and see what happens.]

Oil tankers avoid sanctioned China port
Bloomberg/Rong Wei Neo
Three supertankers originally bound for China’s Rizhao port are rerouting after the U.S. sanctioned the Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal for handling Iranian crude. The terminal, partly owned by Sinopec, processes about 10% of China’s oil imports and connects to several Sinopec refineries via a major pipeline. Two tankers—the Spherical with 2 million barrels of Brazilian oil and the New Vista carrying 1.8 million barrels from Abu Dhabi—are diverting to Ningbo Zhoushan near Shanghai, while the Habshan with 1.9 million barrels from Africa is heading to Tianjin. Some oil may also be offloaded to smaller ships for delivery to inland refineries. [MDN: Sanctions work. Tariffs work. The rest of the world now respects the U.S. once again with DJT in charge.]