MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Nov 3, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA DEP solicits bids on 2 contracts to plug 25 abandoned conventional wells; Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s race to the bottom; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Wind and solar blackouts threaten New England; Connecticut and Maine team up to fast-track renewables; Unitil completes purchase of Maine Natural Gas Company; Oregon judge calls out ‘gob smacking’ failure of climate litigation attorneys; Can NY Democrats even DELAY the energy crisis their laws are creating?; NATIONAL: Trump says Canada trade talks won’t resume, contradicting Energy Sec; Trump administration announces $100 million in funding to upgrade coal plants; U.S. coal exports declined 11% in the first half of 2025 due to reduced exports to China; Plastics “Pact” harms consumers; INTERNATIONAL: Oil steadies ahead of OPEC+ talks; OPEC+ 8 decide to implement output adjustment; The global tug-of-war that sets oil prices; China buyers shun Russian oil amid sanctions; Is the IEA now telling us that we need more oil for longer?

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION

PA DEP solicits bids on 2 contracts to plug 25 abandoned conventional wells
PA Environment Digest Blog/David Hess
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) posted two contracts on October 31 to plug a total of 26 abandoned conventional wells using taxpayer funds, primarily sourced from the federal well plugging program. The first contract covers 25 wells in Erie County (Millcreek, Fairview, Girard, and Harborcreek Townships), estimated to cost between $1 million and $5 million, with mandatory pre-bid conferences on November 5 and 6. The second contract addresses a single conventional gas well in Huston Township, Clearfield County, within Moshannon State Forest, estimated at $200,000 to $299,000, with its pre-bid conference on November 12. This Clearfield well, drilled to a deep 7,000 feet in 1959, was inspected and found to be leaking gas on August 14, 2025. This adds to DEP’s ongoing efforts, including a separate open bid for 44 wells in Elk County and several closed solicitations throughout 2025 across multiple counties. [MDN: The money is coming from taxpayers, but from the federal government pocket of taxpayers. This is money that was allocated during the reign of President Autopen.]

Pennsylvania and New Jersey’s race to the bottom
Broad + Liberty/Frank Ryan
A former Pennsylvania Republican state representative criticizes New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli for holding up Pennsylvania as a model for the Garden State. The author argues that both states face dire fiscal disasters, citing the “Financial State of the States 2025” which grades New Jersey last (“F”) and Pennsylvania (“D”) with massive per-taxpayer deficits and declining populations. The article contends that Pennsylvania is plagued by a property tax crisis, poor business climate, and energy issues, contrary to Ciattarelli’s assertions. Drawing on his experience, the author highlights failed attempts to enact fiscal reforms in Pennsylvania, such as measures to control spending and link it to inflation, and criticizes the state’s budget impasse and ineffective education spending, concluding that both states are on a “road to nowhere.” [MDN: A sobering assessment of the Keystone State, and the Garden State. Both are heading for rock bottom (although you can argue NJ is already there). PA’s saving grace is the Marcellus industry providing abundant power to the state.]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

Wind and solar blackouts threaten New England
National Review/Andrew Follett
New England faces a high risk of energy rationing and blackouts this winter due to the region’s overreliance on intermittent green energy and a substantial shortfall in conventional electrical generation capacity. Gordon van Welie, president of Independent System Operator (ISO) New England, warns that the power grid cannot function in winter without a dependable energy source to balance unpredictable wind and solar power. While natural gas provides 55 percent of the region’s electricity (solar and wind account for only 7 percent combined), environmental opposition has actively blocked the construction of necessary natural gas infrastructure. This forced reliance on natural gas imports and the lack of readily available alternatives, like small modular nuclear reactors, leaves the deep-blue states vulnerable to a cold and dark winter, making the power grid more fragile. [MDN: See the next story we found about New England doubling down on wind and solar.]

Connecticut and Maine team up to fast-track renewables
Canary Media/Sarah Shemkus
Maine and Connecticut are collaborating on renewable-energy procurements to accelerate development and secure expiring federal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). With incentives for wind and solar projects phasing out, requiring construction by mid-2026 or service by the end of 2027, states with ambitious goals like Maine and Connecticut (100% clean power by 2040) are streamlining efforts. The partnership began with Connecticut issuing a request for proposals, which Maine officially joined to evaluate shared bids. This regional coordination, described as a “preview of what’s to come,” aims to pool demand and information, resulting in more cost-effective and viable projects for both states’ residents. [MDN: We classify this one under the “you can’t fix stupid” department. Solar and wind have led to extremely high energy prices and rolling blackouts, so, hey, let’s double down on even more renewables! That’s really dumb, folks.]

Unitil completes purchase of Maine Natural Gas Company
Unitil Corporation
Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) announced the completion of its $86.0 million purchase of Maine Natural Gas Company (Maine Natural) from Avangrid Enterprises, Inc., following necessary regulatory approvals. Maine Natural serves approximately 6,300 natural gas customers in nine communities, including Greater Portland and Augusta, with a system of about 230 miles of distribution mains. Unitil’s CEO, Thomas P. Meissner, Jr., called the deal “highly complementary” to existing operations, noting a shared dedication to safe, reliable service. The purchase price, plus $7.1 million for working capital, was largely funded by a term loan. This acquisition expands Unitil’s total customer base to approximately 213,300 across Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. [MDN: The notable thing here is that Unitil, an American-based company, is buying Maine Natural Gas from Avangrid, a Spain-based company. We think that’s good and appropriate. We don’t like foreign-based companies owning critical infrastructure assets in the USA.]

Oregon judge calls out ‘gob smacking’ failure of climate litigation attorneys
Energy in Depth – Climate & Environment/Mandi Risko
An Oregon Circuit Court judge sharply criticized Multnomah County’s attorneys in a climate lawsuit for an “unacceptable” and “gob smacking failure” to disclose their involvement in funding and preparing two key climate studies presented as independent evidence. During a hearing on a motion to strike the studies, Judge Benjamin Souede denied the motion on narrow legal grounds but condemned the lack of transparency. The County’s counsel eventually conceded they “probably should have identified” the funding connection. The article suggests this undisclosed funding and lack of candor are indicative of a broader “climate lawfare” campaign that uses local courts and “dark money” to circumvent the traditional policymaking process, resulting in a public loss of credibility for the Multnomah case. [MDN: Even an Oregon judge is appalled by the corruption of the environmental left and is calling it out in his courtroom.]

Can NY Democrats even DELAY the energy crisis their laws are creating?
New York (NY) Post/Editorial Board
Governor Kathy Hochul is considering modifying New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which mandates steep cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions (40% by 2030, 85% by 2050), due to concerns over rising utility bills, construction costs, and the threat of blackouts. Some Assembly Democrats are also seeking to delay the state’s impending ban on natural gas hookups. The article argues that the law’s reliance on solar and wind is unrealistic and jeopardizes power reliability, a concern shared by the New York Independent System Operator. Hochul, who faces a 2026 reelection campaign focused on “affordability,” is reportedly ignoring deadlines for enacting CLCPA rules while seeking legislative changes, yet faces difficulty convincing progressive lawmakers to roll back the climate mandates. [MDN: NY Democrats own the current (and coming) power crisis. They created with their laws and policies. And now they’re running away from it as fast as they can. Typical.]

NATIONAL

Trump says Canada trade talks won’t resume, contradicting Energy Sec
Bloomberg/D. Bochove, L. Dhillon Kane, M. Shin
President Donald Trump confirmed he received an apology from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney regarding a controversial anti-tariff television ad aired in the U.S., which had caused Trump to call off trade negotiations last week. Despite their “very good relationship,” Trump suggested that trade talks between the two countries would not immediately restart, stating “what they did was wrong.” Conversely, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright expressed the goal of getting the U.S. and Canada back to the negotiating table to enhance cooperation on oil, gas, and critical minerals, acknowledging the existing “friction.” Before the breakdown, the countries had been progressing on steel, aluminum, and energy deals, including the possible revival of the Keystone XL pipeline. Trump currently seems satisfied with the existing trade arrangement and tariffs. [MDN: Let the Canuck’s stew in their own juice for a while. That’s what Trump is doing. Of course, we’ll return to the negotiating table at some point, as Chris Wright has indicated. That is the end goal. There is no contradiction between Trump and Wright, as lamestream media is attempting to portray.]

Trump administration announces $100 million in funding to upgrade coal plants
Reuters/Nichola Groom, Timothy Gardner
The U.S. Department of Energy, under the Trump administration, announced $100 million to refurbish and modernize existing coal-fired power plants, supplementing a prior $625 million commitment to expand coal power. This action is an attempt to reverse the industry’s decline, which has been driven by environmental concerns and competition from natural gas. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated the policy ends the “war on American coal” and is crucial for delivering reliable power, specifically to fuel growing U.S. data centers and the AI market. The funds will target advanced wastewater management and co-firing systems with natural gas. Environmentalists, however, criticize the move for undermining global efforts to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. [MDN: There are technologies that make coal cleaner. We like the bit about the funds targeting co-fired with gas installations.]

U.S. coal exports declined 11% in the first half of 2025 due to reduced exports to China
U.S. Energy Information Administration – Today in Energy
The United States exported $46.8$ million short tons (MMst) of coal in the first half of 2025, an $11%$ decline from the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This reduction included a $10%$ drop in steam coal and a $13%$ decline in metallurgical coal exports. The main driver of this overall decrease was a significant reduction in exports to China, which accounted for $73%$ of the total decline after China imposed reciprocal tariffs on U.S. coal in early 2025. Furthermore, the global market saw declining coal prices due to high supply and soft demand, contributing to the lower export volumes. However, domestic U.S. coal consumption in the power sector increased due to greater demand and higher natural gas prices. [MDN: Coal and natgas do compete in the domestic power gen market. Hence our interest in monitoring coal from time to time.]

Plastics “Pact” harms consumers
Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)/Craig Rucker
The article asserts that ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria are a coercive tool used by environmental activists to force businesses into adopting radical climate agendas, despite the resulting high costs and lack of consumer demand. Activists establish “voluntary” groups, like the U.S. Plastics Pact, to set radical priorities and then pressure corporations to comply through coordinated boycotts and damaging PR campaigns, aiming for “systemic change.” However, resistance is building. A coalition of state Attorneys General, led by Florida A.G. James Uthmeier, is demanding to know if the use of these pacts to suppress business operations violates antitrust laws. The AGs argue these actions unreasonably restrain trade, lead to higher costs for consumers, and represent a left-wing tactic to implement policy outside of democratic legislative processes. [MDN: It is critically important that we continue to fight back against the radicalized environmental left and their campaigns to pressure business. Kudos to the AGs fighting this Big Green corruption.]

INTERNATIONAL

Oil steadies ahead of OPEC+ talks
Bloomberg/Staff
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil steadied, rising 0.7% to settle at $60.98, while Brent was up slightly, 0.6% at $64.77, as the market balanced a looming crude glut against geopolitical tensions. OPEC+ is expected to approve a modest output increase of 137,000 barrels a day at its upcoming meeting, matching market expectations. Futures briefly climbed on initial reports of planned US military strikes on Venezuela but retreated after President Trump denied the claims; traders had already priced in curtailed flows from Caracas. Separately, the market is assessing the impact of US sanctions on major Russian oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, which has caused some Indian crude importers to pause buying. Despite an overall crude oversupply that has seen WTI fall 10% this year, refined fuels like diesel are showing strength, which is bolstering refining margins. [MDN: Contrary to the doom and gloomers at Bloomberg and other places, oil has remained strong in the $60s. The bottom has not fallen out of the price. We remain in the sunny $60s.]

OPEC+ 8 decide to implement output adjustment
Rigzone/Andreas Exarheas
Eight OPEC+ nations, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced a two-part oil production strategy in a virtual meeting. First, they will implement a modest production adjustment of 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) in December 2025. Second, they decided to pause any further production increments for the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March) due to seasonality. Analysts view the Q1 2026 pause as a “calculated move” to stabilize prices, project unity, and assess the impact of sanctions on Russian barrels. While a market surplus is still projected, the action confirms OPEC+’s commitment to price support, signaling that 2026 will not see a drastic price crash and the group is maintaining market control. [MDN: Seems to us that traders already planned on this announcement and factored it in to their strategies.]

The global tug-of-war that sets oil prices
Forbes/Robert Rapier
Oil prices are the product of a global tug-of-war driven by market share and psychology, not a single entity. OPEC+ recently made the strategic move of modestly increasing production to challenge the dominance of record-high U.S. shale output. This action, a tactic seen before, aims to tolerate lower prices, potentially near $75 per barrel, to squeeze out marginal, higher-cost producers. Although U.S. shale can quickly adjust supply, its independent nature leads to self-defeating oversupply. OPEC+ holds leverage by being able to endure lower prices longer than many U.S. independents. Furthermore, prices are heavily influenced by trader expectations, adding to volatility. The current energy market is thus defined by the high-stakes contest between the established cartel and the flexible U.S. shale industry. [MDN: The challenge we face is that we have a free market economy (individual companies) competing against a corrupt cartel of governmental thug dictators. It’s an unfair fight, but it is what it is, and we must deal with it the best we can.]

China buyers shun Russian oil amid sanctions
Bloomberg/Staff
Chinese oil refiners, including state-owned Sinopec and PetroChina, are shunning Russian crude shipments following escalated US, UK, and EU sanctions targeting Moscow’s top producers and their customers. This buyer strike, affecting widely-used ESPO crude and an estimated 400,000 barrels a day (45% of China’s Russian imports), aims to choke off Moscow’s oil revenues, despite Russia’s position as China’s largest foreign supplier due to heavily discounted oil. Private “teapot” refiners are particularly cautious, fearing blacklisting like Shandong Yulong Petrochemical. While this constraint could benefit other suppliers, such as the US following a recent trade truce, other factors complicate the situation: blacklisted firms may turn more to Russian oil, and import quota shortages are impeding teapot purchases regardless of sanctions willingness. [MDN: It’s hard to see how this will all play out, but an encouraging sign that at least some Chinese refineries are boycotting Russian oil. Sanctions are working.]

Is the IEA now telling us that we need more oil for longer?
RealClearEnergy/Neil Atkinson
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reversed its controversial 2021 stance, now stressing that hundreds of billions must be invested annually to keep global oil and gas output steady due to accelerating field decline rates. Despite a massive 78% surge in clean energy spending, which hit $2.2 trillion in 2025, upstream oil and gas investment has concurrently dropped by 35%. This fall is alarming because fossil fuels still account for nearly 82% of global energy supply, and demand is at record levels. The IEA calculates that 45 million barrels a day from new fields are required to maintain current production levels by 2050. The article concludes that the oil and gas sector is far from a “sunset industry” and requires an urgent, fast pickup in investment to meet the world’s ongoing energy needs. [MDN: The IEA has changed its tune because Trump is threatening to defund it (it SHOULD be defunded!). We don’t believe a thing uttered by the corrupt IEA. It’s interesting to us that this article was written by the former head of the IEA’s oil industry and markets division.]