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Nat’l Rig Count Drops 4 @ 555; Marc. Even @ 24, Utica Even @ 12

Free falling

Last week, for the seventh week in a row, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count dropped, down another four rigs to its lowest level since November 2021. The national rig count is in free fall at this point, with no end in sight. However, the Marcellus/Utica count remained the same, at a combined 36 active rigs. The Pennsylvania Marcellus operated 18 rigs. The Ohio Utica operated 11 rigs. And West Virginia operated seven rigs. Read More “Nat’l Rig Count Drops 4 @ 555; Marc. Even @ 24, Utica Even @ 12”

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PA Commonwealth Court Overrules Town Approval of Olympus Wells

Olympus Energy wants to drill six wells on a single pad in rural Elizabeth Township, a borough in Allegheny County, on the east bank of the Monongahela River. The pad would sit about 2,400 feet (nearly half a mile) away from Elizabeth Forward High School. Some parents of students and members of the administration pushed back against Olympus’ drilling plan, using the children as an excuse (see School Near Pittsburgh Pushes Back Against Olympus Plan to Drill). However, in January 2023, Elizabeth Township’s board of commissioners voted to approve the plan by a 5-2 margin (see Olympus Plan to Drill Wells Near Elizabeth High School Approved). Big Green went to work challenging the approval and just won their lawfare case in PA’s usually conservative Commonwealth Court. Read More “PA Commonwealth Court Overrules Town Approval of Olympus Wells”

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Williams NESE Project to Build 10-Mile Loop in Lancaster County, PA

Following President Trump’s quid pro quo deal with New York Governor Kathy Hochul in which Trump is allowing a $5 billion offshore wind project to proceed in return for Hochul allowing two Williams gas pipeline projects, Williams has restarted one of the two projects, the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project (see Williams Files Request Asking FERC to Reissue NESE Cert in NY, NJ). We’ve always concentrated on the main aspect of NESE in our coverage, a new 23-mile pipeline from the shore of New Jersey into (on the bottom of) the Raritan Bay, running parallel to the existing Transco pipeline before connecting to the Transco pipeline offshore. However, there is another part of the project located in Lancaster County, PA. Read More “Williams NESE Project to Build 10-Mile Loop in Lancaster County, PA”

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PA’s Community Colleges Big Winners re Data Center Buildout

Pennsylvania’s community colleges stand to be big winners in the data center sweepstakes. In January, MDN brought you the news that TECfusions, based in Tampa, Florida, had purchased 1,395 acres in Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County), PA, for a groundbreaking data center project called TECfusions Keystone Connect (see Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Coming to Southwest Pa.). In April, MDN brought you the exciting news that THE largest gas-fired power plant in the country, along with a MASSIVE data center complex, will be built at a former coal-fired power plant site in Indiana County, PA (see Largest Gas-Fired Power Plant in the U.S. Coming in Western Pa.). Both projects are in the southwestern part of the state. However, last week, Amazon announced that it will invest $20 billion (or more) to build at least three massive data centers in the eastern part of the state (see Amazon Investing $20 Billion to Build AI Data Centers in Eastern PA). Some of the biggest winners are likely to be Pennsylvania’s community colleges in the eastern part of the state, which will train people to build and then operate these data centers. Read More “PA’s Community Colleges Big Winners re Data Center Buildout”

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Can Amazon’s $20B Investment Survive Pennsylvania’s Red Tape?

We’ve reported, with some excitement, the recent news about a host of new AI data centers coming to the Keystone State (Pennsylvania), including several large projects in southwestern PA and Amazon’s big announcement last week about spending $20 billion on at least three data centers in the eastern part of the state (see Amazon Investing $20 Billion to Build AI Data Centers in Eastern PA). Most of these facilities will use electricity generated by Marcellus gas-fired power plants. After years of no new gas-fired power plant announcements due to concerns over the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax being imposed by Democrat governors, suddenly, power plant (and data center) builders either believe RGGI won’t happen, or they’re willing to pay obscenely high taxes. Whatever the case, it’s good news for PA. However, there’s something else besides a carbon tax that may block some of these recently announced projects from ever getting built: PA’s massive red tape. Read More “Can Amazon’s $20B Investment Survive Pennsylvania’s Red Tape?”

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Trump Trade Deal Lifts Ethane Export Ban to China; Cargo to India

MDN recently brought you the news that the Trump U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) was blocking at least three (possibly more) cargoes of ethane by rejecting permits to export to Enterprise Products Partners (see U.S. Denies Permit for Enterprise to Export Ethane Cargoes to China). Ethane is a raw feedstock used to create plastics. Denying China access to our ethane will hurt the Chinese economy. We later reported that it appears the export ban to China was just a bargaining position and was unlikely to remain in place (see Trump Using Ethane Exports to China as Bargaining Chip in Trade War). That observation was prescient. On June 10, U.S. and Chinese negotiators reached a tentative framework that removed the export ban. Read More “Trump Trade Deal Lifts Ethane Export Ban to China; Cargo to India”

MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jun 16, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Trump to headline PA energy and AI summit at Carnegie Mellon next month; Amazon wants to install 72 diesel generators in Bucks County, PA; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Trump overturns California phaseout of fossil fuel cars; NATIONAL: NRG expects to line up new US data center deals this quarter; U.S. natural gas storage capacity increased in 2024; U.S. natural gas storage improves, but long-term challenges remain; INTERNATIONAL: Oil spikes as Israel’s attacks on Iran stoke fears of wider war; European gas prices rise on Middle East supply risks. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jun 16, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”