Devon and Coterra Shareholders Approve Merger; Happening May 7
Devon Energy and Coterra Energy shareholders have approved all proposals needed to complete the companies’ previously announced all-stock merger, which is expected to consummate on May 7, 2026. More than 98% of the votes cast by Devon shareholders and more than 99% by Coterra shareholders supported the deal. Executives said the merger will create a larger shale operator with complementary assets, improved scale, enhanced margins, free cash flow growth, and stronger shareholder returns. Read More “Devon and Coterra Shareholders Approve Merger; Happening May 7”
Yet another rankly hypocritical move by the Democrats in the Pennsylvania legislature. Yesterday, every single Democrat in the PA House voted in lockstep (as they typically do, under the leadership’s complete control) to pass House Bill (HB) 2076, titled “Advancing Geothermal Energy Development.” The Dems were assisted by 16 Republicans who were (charitably) hoodwinked. No matter. The bill won’t pass in the Senate. But why point out this vote? Because the “advanced” geothermal energy that the House wants to promote and regulate uses the very same drilling rigs and fracking as is used to drill in the Marcellus shale, revealing the hypocritical lies of the Democrat left in demonizing fracking. But there’s another reason we’re highlighting this news: The environmental left (including House Democrats) is seeking to increase drilling setbacks in the state from 500 feet to 3,281 feet (and, in some cases, 5,280 feet). Do the House Dems realize the new setbacks would not only ban ALL shale fracking in the state but also all geothermal fracking? 
President Donald Trump’s proposal for a $33 billion, 9.2-gigawatt gas power plant in Ohio—funded by Japanese investment, including SoftBank—aims to address soaring energy demands from data centers (see 
Last week, CNX Resources issued its first quarter 2026 update. During 1Q26, CNX drilled 14 Southwest PA Marcellus wells, frac’d 6 wells (3 SWPA Marcellus and 3 Central PA Utica wells), and turned-in-line (TIL’ed) 12 wells (6 SWPA Marcellus, 3 CPA Marcellus, and 3 CPA Utica wells). Included in that activity were three of the company’s longest Marcellus laterals to date, all of which exceeded 22,000 feet, including a company record lateral that reached 23,369 feet (4.4 miles!), and a company daily drilling record of 9,252 feet of lateral in 24 hours. Production in 1Q26 was 1,693.0 MMcfe/d, up from 1Q25 (1,642.3) and up from 4Q25 (1,654.8). 
What happens on the other side of the world sometimes affects the Marcellus/Utica. So far, the Iran war has not affected prices (or demand) in the M-U for natural gas. However, if the war continues to drag on for months, it could potentially affect us by affecting the price of LNG on the world market. About one-fifth (20%) of global LNG trade depends on the Strait of Hormuz, with effectively no other way to get it out. Oil can, potentially, find other pathways out of the Persian Gulf (via overland pipelines). But such is not the case with LNG from Qatar. 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: N.J. senator says we can’t lower energy costs without natural gas; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures settle higher; Trump II vs. Biden – energy policy reversal; Treasury’s 990 overhaul – major implications for dark money networks fueling climate lawfare; INTERNATIONAL: Oil surges on Middle East attacks; Shipping freeze deepens in Strait of Hormuz; Chevron CEO says shortages in oil supply will begin appearing; Qatar extends force majeure on LNG supply through mid-June; OPEC report shows oil demand reached over 105MMBpd in 2025; OPEC+ decides to boost output; What about Earth’s threatened and endangered PEOPLE?; Gulf oil production could be restored quickly.