7 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 6 – 12
For the week of October 6 – 12, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica dropped significantly from the previous week. There were only seven new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, down from 32 issued two weeks ago. The bottom fell out of the new permits issued. In fact, only one state, Pennsylvania, issued new permits last week. Both Ohio and West Virginia issued no new permits. Last week marked the third consecutive week with no new permits issued in WV. Is someone asleep at the switch in the Mountain State? Read More “7 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 6 – 12”

Yesterday, West Virginia and Diversified Energy unveiled a new public-private partnership to solve one of the most persistent environmental problems in oil- and gas-producing regions. WV Governor Patrick Morrisey and Diversified CEO Rusty Hutson, Jr., announced the creation of the Mountain State Plugging Fund, a unique, non-taxpayer-funded approach designed to retire an estimated 20,000 abandoned oil and gas wells permanently. By capping this old infrastructure, the state will significantly reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and stop the release of methane.
Pennsylvania is aggressively positioning itself as a leader in the AI data center race with an ambitious $92 billion, state-level initiative (see
Earlier this week, a seven-member, all-Democrat group of Pennsylvania House of Representatives members announced a six-bill legislative package aimed at regulating the “responsible development” of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the state. “Responsible development” is code for “no development” of new AI data centers. The proposed onerous legislation focuses on environmental and community impacts related to the centers’ water and energy use, emergency preparedness, community standards, and transparency. Don’t be fooled. This is an attempt to throttle new data centers to prevent more natural gas from being used to power them.
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass (CP) LNG export facility in Louisiana began operations in March 2022 (see
If all of the announced LNG export projects in North America get built (a big “if”), our LNG exports will double between 2024’s 11.4 Bcf/d and a projected 28.7 Bcf/d in 2029. Already in 2025, U.S. exports have grown to a capacity of 15.4 Bcf/d (the largest in the world), so we’re well on our way. A small portion of the total increase will come in Canada (2.5 Bcf/d) and Mexico (0.6 Bcf/d). The vast majority will come from new facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has the details of the coming buildout in LNG exports… 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Gov. Jeff Landry halts new Louisiana carbon capture applications; Maryland’s new energy rules will drive up costs for consumers; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas falls on mild weather, ample storage; Increasing power prices are being wrongly blamed on the Trump administration; To beat China, stop wasting time and money on green fantasies; Fueling data centers – and keeping energy costs steady; In-region northeast gas demand flat, but LNG feedgas returns; President Trump is fixing FERC; INTERNATIONAL: Oil drops as potential Trump-Putin meeting eases supply fears; Oil chiefs see $60 oil as breaking point for shale growth; BofA sees oil price floor ‘likely forming at $55’; SEB expects OPEC to cut production soon; Tropical forests in Indonesia ravaged by push for EV batteries; ‘Outraged’ Trump tells nations to ‘vote no’ on UN carbon tax on shipping.