Trump BLM Restarts O&G Leasing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest
Did you know that there are federal lands in the Marcellus/Utica? The Wayne National Forest (WNF) is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter of a million acres of the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and shale drilling in WNF. During the first Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auctions in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021, after Biden seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest). The long nightmare of Joementia is now over. The BLM in the second Trump administration recently announced it has restarted the leasing process in WNF. Read More “Trump BLM Restarts O&G Leasing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest”
The West Virginia Supreme Court was scheduled to hear two significant oil and gas royalty disputes during a morning session today. Both cases center on whether natural gas companies can deduct post-production costs from royalty payments and, if so, under what circumstances. The stakes are incredibly high for both landowners and drillers. The first case, Kaess v. BB Land LLC, we had not previously heard about. The second case, Romeo v. Antero Resources Corporation, we have heard about. We first reported on that case back in 2017 (see 
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and its Regional Entities recently issued a report stating that the country’s bulk-power system performed well during successive cold weather events in January 2025, without major issues in either the natural gas or electric systems. The system’s performance, according to the joint report, demonstrates the benefits of actions taken in response to recommendations from prior winter storm reports and the need for continued coordination between natural gas and electric systems in preparing for and responding to extreme cold weather. No word in the report on unreliable renewables because, well, they don’t matter. Natural gas power is what really matters. 
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) was created to help advance clean-energy infrastructure and technologies that allegedly had the potential to be adequate energy resources but struggled to secure private investment. In reality, LPO is a taxpayer-backed ATM for unreliable energy technologies and infrastructure that can’t compete without federal funding. It’s a Biden-era boondoggle, and it’s time to scrap it. 
Today is the annual day when environmental wackos demand fealty to Mother Earth. You WILL bow down and worship the creation (instead of the Creator) or risk being excommunicated from polite company. We thumb our noses at Earth Day worshipers and declare our love for the miracle of fossil energy on this Earth Day. We invite you to join us in celebrating the greatest invention of mankind–fossil fuels! 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA coal, coal-waste power plants exempted from Biden EPA regs for 2 yrs; Crews repair gas main along I-95 in Bucks County after officials believe it was purposely cut; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Equinor halts construction of NY wind project; NATIONAL: Front month Nymex natural gas fell 7.06% to settle at $3.0160; Macquarie strategists forecast USA crude inventory drop; Five petroleum product pipelines were completed in the United States in 2024; EPA mega-grant has Stacey Abrams’ fingerprints all over it; Trump’s climate pivot kills $8 billion of clean energy plans; Activists use AI to identify climate ‘deniers’ and pressure social media companies to censor them; INTERNATIONAL: Oil slips on risk-off mood, Fed uncertainty; N.S. committed to fracking despite pushback from Mi’kmaw chiefs; China’s CNOOC agrees LNG deal with UAE’s Adnoc amid tariff war with US; Taiwan says buying more US gas, oil is a focus in tariff talks.