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41 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 13 – 19

Wow! Is this the Trump effect? For the week of Jan 13 – 19, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells achieved levels we haven’t seen in, oh, about four years. There were 41 new permits issued last week, up significantly from 27 issued the week before and 30 issued two weeks before. The Keystone State (PA) issued a whopping 25 new permits, with 17 (!) going to EQT spread across Greene and Washington counties. Another six permits went to Chesapeake Energy (now Expand Energy) in Bradford County. One permit each went to Range Resources and Apex Energy in Beaver and Westmoreland counties, respectively. Read More “41 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jan 13 – 19”

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With the Rise in Natural Gas Prices, M-U Drillers Go DUC Hunting

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) stopped publishing its monthly Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) last June (see Biden EIA Dumps Detailed Monthly U.S. Shale Drilling Report). Since then, we’ve included some of the missing DPR data when we report on the EIA’s monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). However, one of the metrics we used to like to follow in the DPR (but haven’t since June) was the drilled but uncompleted well (DUC) count. Tracking DUCs fell off our radar. Today, we go DUC hunting! Read More “With the Rise in Natural Gas Prices, M-U Drillers Go DUC Hunting”

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Power Generators Oppose PA Gov. Shapiro’s Threats Against PJM

In December, PA’s Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro, filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) alleging the PJM electric grid is being mismanaged and using inflated numbers that will cause economic pain for the 65 million customers who buy electricity in the PJM region—in particular the residents of PA. What’s causing the high prices in PJM, a region rich in natural gas? The policies of Shapiro and his predecessor in proposing a carbon tax have scared away new gas-fired power plants from building in the Keystone State. As we reported yesterday, Shapiro has increased his menacing and threats against PJM (see PA Gov. Shapiro Gets Uppity with PJM, Threatens to Leave the Grid). Businesses are finally joining the battle, pushing back against Shapiro and his wild claims and menacing. Read More “Power Generators Oppose PA Gov. Shapiro’s Threats Against PJM”

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Trump Cancels the Cancelers of So-Called “Environmental Justice”

President Donald J. Trump, with the sweep of his pen, canceled the cancel culture that has been deeply embedded in the federal government, attempting (under the banner of alleged racism called “environment justice”) to end fossil energy infrastructure projects like pipelines. In an executive order on his first day in office, Trump terminated all so-called “environmental justice” positions and offices across the federal government. Brilliant! Read More “Trump Cancels the Cancelers of So-Called “Environmental Justice””

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Biden PHMSA Adopted Expensive Pipe Leak Detection Reg Last Minute

In May 2023, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a new rule that would slap onerous and very expensive new requirements on pretty much all natural gas pipelines in the country, including 2.7 million miles of gas transmission, distribution, and gathering pipelines; 400+ underground natural gas storage facilities; and 165 liquefied natural gas facilities (see Biden DOT Issues New Partisan Methane Rules for All Gas Pipelines). It is yet another attempt by the left to strip away the power to regulate oil and gas from the individual states and concentrate it in unelected bureaucracies in the DC swamp. Last Friday, as the Bidenistas at the Department of Transportation (of which PHMSA is a part) were turning the lights off for the last time, they submitted the onerous rule for publication in the Federal Bulletin to make it official. Read More “Biden PHMSA Adopted Expensive Pipe Leak Detection Reg Last Minute”

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Hydrogen Energy is Promising, but Widespread Use Decades Away

As Joan Rivers used to say: Can we talk? In other words, can we have an honest and open conversation…about hydrogen energy? There’s a lot of hype around the topic of hydrogen. Some promising early innovations around hydrogen and its use in applications like gas-fired power plants exist. However, as a sobering new commentary by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy makes clear, the future of hydrogen “is not imminent.” Even fracking wasn’t an overnight hit. It took from the early 1980s until the early 2000s (about 20 years) before fracking *began* to take off in a major way. It took another decade or so before fracking went big time. Call it 30 years. So why would we expect hydrogen to be some spectacular overnight success? That’s just not how energy revolutions happen. Read More “Hydrogen Energy is Promising, but Widespread Use Decades Away”

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EIA Predicts Higher Natural Gas Prices in 2025/26

We sometimes poke fun at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predictions, accusing the analysts of using a dart board to generate the estimates they issue, especially with the future price of natural gas. But honestly, they have a tough job. Price is a complex issue with a lot of factors. Even though the EIA’s track record has sometimes been off by a lot, it remains the one source most quoted by the media and experts worldwide regarding future price predictions. In yesterday’s Today in Energy web publication, EIA says it “expects higher wholesale U.S. natural gas prices as demand increases.” Its latest forecast for the U.S. benchmark Henry Hub natural gas spot price is that the overall average for all of 2025 natgas will average $3.10 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). EIA expects that number to increase in 2026 to an average of $4.00/MMBtu. Is that realistic? Read More “EIA Predicts Higher Natural Gas Prices in 2025/26”

Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Jan 24, 2025

NATIONAL: BMI says Trump orders poised to have profound implications for energy; Trump US energy emergency order should withstand court challenges; Senate panel approves Trump’s picks to run energy, interior departments; INTERNATIONAL: Trump browbeats Davos elite to curb oil prices, interest rates; Crude falls as Trump calls for cheaper oil; Trump says US will guarantee LNG supplies for Europe. Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Jan 24, 2025”