MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Nov 5, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: $700M natural gas pipeline upgrade comes online in Wisconsin; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak; Democrats forget about energy affordability (again) and oppose expanded offshore leasing; COP 30 – Get U.S. out of this air travel UN offset scheme!; Bill Gates helps break the moral monopoly against fossil fuels; States must regulate renewable energy just like oil and gas; INTERNATIONAL: Oil retreats on strong greenback; To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070, India needs $21 trillion; ‘Green’ obsession feeds orthodoxy and starves growth; OPEC+ hit ‘pause, not stop’, HSBC highlights.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

$700M natural gas pipeline upgrade comes online in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio/Joe Schulz
A $700 million natural gas pipeline upgrade called the Wisconsin Reliability Project is now operational in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, aiming to improve reliability and meet a projected 45% increase in demand over the next decade. Led by TC Energy, the project involved replacing about 51 miles of aging pipeline and upgrading compression facilities, which the company claims will improve safety and reliability. While supporters like We Energies and lawmakers note the necessity for reliable baseload power, especially with the phasing out of coal and growing demand from data centers, critics raise concerns that the investment in gas infrastructure could lead to higher utility bills and worsen climate change by shifting from one fossil fuel to another. [MDN: This project increased the capacity of the ANR Pipeline. ANR interconnects with other pipelines, like Rover, meaning Marcellus/Utica molecules likely flow through the expanded ANR to points in Wisconsin.]

NATIONAL

U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak
Wall Street Journal
U.S. natural gas prices shake off early losses and end higher as midday weather models add demand for next week and the market remains wary of winter heating demand. Even if there’s mild weather in mid-November, as some forecasts suggest, “the market still has to respect the chance for it to be colder in December, January and February,” says Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics. “You have the risk of prices really escalating sharply several months from now. Because of that, I think it’s going to help support the front of the curve at least for the next four to six weeks.” Nymex gas for December delivery settles up 1.8% at $3.343/mmBtu. [MDN: We’re lovin’ these futures prices for natgas.]

Democrats forget about energy affordability (again) and oppose expanded offshore leasing
Energy in Depth/Mallory Smith
A group of Democratic lawmakers, led by Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, sent a letter to President Donald Trump opposing his administration’s plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. The article argues this opposition ignores the high energy costs faced by constituents in states like California and New Jersey, despite viable solutions like expanded leases being available. The opposition is framed as a politically-motivated action against the energy industry, contrasting with the Department of the Interior’s efforts under the current administration to use the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing program to boost domestic energy production and lower prices. The article concludes that energy development should not be subject to political whims and is essential for addressing consumer affordability concerns. [MDN: The Dems are lost. They no longer live in the land of reality. They oppose all fossil energy, even though they themselves use it for their very existence every day of their lives. Boggles the mind. There really is no fixing stupid.]

COP 30 – Get U.S. out of this air travel UN offset scheme!
Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)/Craig Rucker
The article vehemently urges the Trump administration to immediately withdraw the U.S. from the UN’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Described as a “useless redistribution scheme,” the program forces international air travelers to pay more for carbon offsets, which the author claims are entirely ineffective at reducing CO2 emissions but profitable for climate profiteers. The U.S. is currently in a voluntary phase, but the scheme becomes mandatory in 2027, necessitating prompt action. Critics view the costly program as mere corporate “greenwashing.” The author argues that exiting is a logical next step following the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accord, and asserts that despite procedural arguments, the lack of an international enforcement mechanism means the U.S. can effectively exit by having its carriers cease reporting and purchasing offsets. The piece concludes by urging the administration to withdraw the nation without further delay. [MDN: We agree 100%. Plus, it’s time to withdraw from all UN programs and kick that evil organization out of NYC. Stop funding it!]

Bill Gates helps break the moral monopoly against fossil fuels
Energy Talking Points by Alex Epstein
Alex Epstein’s article argues that Bill Gates’s recent memo, which proposes prioritizing “human welfare” over emission reduction as the climate success metric, is a major blow to the anti-fossil-fuel movement’s “moral monopoly.” Epstein contends that this is not a change of heart for Gates, but a calculated shift in incentive, driven by the immense, reliable energy demands of Artificial Intelligence, which benefits his business interests and those of other tech giants. Gates’s high-profile support for a “human-centric” approach will, according to the author, make it much easier for other influencers to challenge the anti-fossil-fuel position and ratify the “energy humanist” perspective. [MDN: Good article examining Gates’ apparent change of heart, or at least pivot of heart. Let’s hope others will have the courage to question climate orthodoxy.]

States must regulate renewable energy just like oil and gas
Washington (DC) Examiner/Curtis Schube
All energy facilities eventually wear out, requiring costly decommissioning, which is well-regulated in the oil and gas industry with required financial assurances. However, the rapidly growing renewable energy industry (like solar) lacks similar regulations, despite high decommissioning costs due to materials that are difficult to recycle affordably and often must be landfilled, posing toxicity and logistical challenges. This regulatory gap means taxpayers nationwide could be liable for over $50 billion (e.g., Texas: $8.791B) if companies fail financially. A study comparing regulations found oil and gas received a GPA of 3.40, while renewables scored a failing 1.18. Regulators must urgently mandate financial assurances and decommissioning plans before new renewable projects begin to protect taxpayers from massive clean-up liabilities. [MDN: These are the issues that those who promote unreliable renewables never want to talk about. What happens to old windmill blades and toxic solar panels when they’re worn out?]

INTERNATIONAL

Oil retreats on strong greenback
Bloomberg/A. Longley, M. Gindis, W. Kubzansky
Crude oil prices, with West Texas Intermediate falling below $61 a barrel, ended a four-session winning streak due to a stronger US dollar and persistent concerns about oversupply. The dollar’s climb made crude more expensive for international buyers, while analysts cited “dollar funding stress” and its effect on global liquidity as contributing factors. Despite OPEC+ holding off on production quota increases and US sanctions on Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil disrupting seaborne shipments, market observers still anticipate a global crude glut. However, some industry executives, including the CEOs of Gunvor Group and Eni SpA, remain skeptical that the sanctions will permanently curb Russian oil flow or that oversupply worries will last. [MDN: WTI for December delivery slipped 0.8% to settle at $60.56 a barrel. Brent for January settlement fell 0.7% to settle at $64.44. Still rockin’ it in the $60s.]

To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070, India needs $21 trillion
Institute for Energy Research
India’s draft plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070 is estimated to cost a massive $21 trillion and relies heavily on technologies that are not yet commercial, such as carbon capture and new nuclear energy. The plan expects renewables to supply 65% of the total energy mix by 2070, with nuclear accounting for 11%, a significant shift from 2023 when coal supplied 59% of India’s energy, which would drop to just 4%. Critics, like U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, argue that net zero is unachievable by practical means and has already imposed tremendous costs, suggesting the aggressive pursuit of this goal leads to industry export due to soaring energy prices, as seen in Europe. [MDN: This is nonsense. Why do rational adults pretend we can dump fossil energy anytime within the next 100 years in favor of unreliable renewables? It’s not going to happen, and the sooner the irrational left gets a grip on that, the more likely they are to avoid a complete psychotic breakdown. Burning fossil fuels is NOT toasting the Earth into oblivion. Deal with it. And stop brainwashing our children with that nonsense.]

‘Green’ obsession feeds orthodoxy and starves growth
CO2 Coalition/Vijay Jayaraj
The article argues that the global “climate orthodoxy” is flawed for insisting that developing nations use expensive and unreliable solar and wind energy, which delays vital economic prosperity and industrial growth. Real development, which lifts billions out of poverty, requires reliable, affordable, and abundant electricity, best supplied by coal and natural gas. The author notes that renewables are weather-dependent, cannot produce power on demand, and require insufficient backup systems. Historically, prosperous nations used stable hydrocarbon power—a valid formula today, especially with cleaner technologies. Citing contrarian scientists, the piece dismisses the core “green” agenda as based on a fallacious hypothesis, asserting that eliminating fossil fuels would have a negligible effect on global temperature. Forcing developing nations to reject these reliable sources is therefore viewed as an attempt to cripple their economies. [MDN: White, uppity liberals presume to tell the rest of the world what energy sources they can and can’t use. We sincerely hope those countries tell the white libs where they can get off.]

OPEC+ hit ‘pause, not stop’, HSBC highlights
Rigzone/Andreas Exarheas
OPEC+ announced a 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) quota increase for December 2025, followed by a three-month pause in further output increments from January to March 2026, citing seasonal demand weakness. HSBC’s analysis characterized the move as a “pause, not stop button,” driven by concerns over weaker first-quarter demand, while remaining skeptical that the group would reverse course and cut production unless Brent crude drops below $55. Despite the pause, HSBC still forecasts a large oversupply for 2026. BofA Global Research suggested the pause indicates OPEC+ recognizes the oversupply risk and is aiming to set a price floor to prevent oil from dropping below $50, aligning with the view of Saudi Arabia pursuing a long, shallow price war. [MDN: The problem with a thug cartel like OPEC is that one never knows if the “pause” will stay on or come off.]