MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Sep 12, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: North Dakota part of 12-state coalition urging Supreme Court to take up property rights case; NATIONAL: Oil, gas growth banking is coming back in vogue; “Green” movement in retreat; INTERNATIONAL: Oil drops as OPEC floods market; Saudis set to boost oil exports; Global warming exaggerated, say soaring number of Britons; Trump energy tsar accuses Britain of ‘strangling’ North Sea; Canada announces major projects to offset bite of Trump’s tariffs; US official sees Greece as hub to boost American natural gas exports.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

North Dakota part of 12-state coalition urging Supreme Court to take up property rights case
North Dakota Monitor/Mary Steurer
North Dakota and 11 other Republican-led states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a dispute between North Dakota ranchers and WBI Energy over eminent domain. WBI used federal eminent domain under the Natural Gas Act in 2018 to take ranchers’ land for a pipeline, compensating them in 2021 but excluding legal fees. A federal judge initially awarded $380,000 for attorney costs, but the 8th Circuit overturned it, citing federal authority. The ranchers argue that state law should apply when federal law is silent. The states’ brief warns the ruling could expand federal power and undermine property rights, urging Supreme Court review. [MDN: An interesting case for all landowners everywhere who feel aggrieved and sue. The lawyers are ALWAYS the winners in these cases, with obscenely high legal fees. However, it’s hard for landowners on their own or as a group to go up against big companies due to the cost of those legal fees. If someone wins, why shouldn’t the other side have to pay the legal fees? That’s what this case is about.]

NATIONAL

Oil, gas growth banking is coming back in vogue
Hart Energy/Chris Mathews
Bank capital is flowing back into U.S. oil and gas, with lenders offering larger commitments on more favorable terms than in recent years. Traditional reserve-based lending remains active, while new regional and super-regional banks are targeting the middle market. Previously conservative, banks are now competing for quality natural gas deals, enabling growth loans rather than just working capital financing. Equity markets are returning cautiously, with fewer investors than during the shale boom, but renewed focus on capital discipline and shareholder returns has attracted institutional and family-office capital. Overall, both debt and equity markets show a measured resurgence in U.S. energy investment. [MDN: You can thank Donald Trump for the turnaround in banking attitudes toward O&G.]

“Green” movement in retreat
The Empowerment Alliance/Gary Abernathy
The article “The Renewables Movement is Making Itself Wholly Unappealing” by Gary Abernathy discusses challenges facing the renewable energy sector. It highlights political setbacks, such as the election of Donald Trump and the passage of the “Big, Beautiful” domestic legislation, which have undermined climate initiatives. Legal issues are also prominent, with Greenpeace facing a $670 million lawsuit and the Sierra Club experiencing leadership changes and budget deficits. Additionally, the sector is grappling with a workforce shortage, attributed to a lack of specialized expertise and declining enthusiasm among potential workers. The article also critiques exaggerated climate claims, suggesting they undermine public trust in the movement. [MDN: This was a quote in the article…“The morale is destroyed,” Ramon Cruz, a former president of the Sierra Club, recently told the New York Times. “I won’t try to sugarcoat it. This is a generational loss.” Music to our ears! Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of the end of Big Green. We pray it’s so.]

INTERNATIONAL

Oil drops as OPEC floods market
Bloomberg/Alex Longley, Mia Gindis
Oil prices fell after a three-day rally, with WTI dropping 2% to $62.37 a barrel and Brent slipping 1.7% to $66.37, as market fundamentals outweighed geopolitical concerns. The International Energy Agency projected a record surplus next year due to rising OPEC+ output and rival supply, echoing the U.S. EIA’s warning of a growing glut. Weak U.S. jobless data added economic pressure, while Trump’s criticism of Israel and Russia briefly spiked futures. Analysts see a tug-of-war between bearish fundamentals and geopolitical risks, with Citigroup forecasting Brent to slide into the low $60s by year-end as inventories continue to build. [MDN: Although couched as a devastating event, yesterday was just another day sittin’ pretty in the $60s. Nothing to see here.]

Saudis set to boost oil exports
Bloomberg/Anthony Di Paola
Saudi Arabia’s oil exports are poised to climb as production rises and domestic demand eases from summer highs, freeing an extra 500,000 barrels per day for export in September, according to Kpler. Local crude use for power surged to the highest since 2009, but is set to fall sharply this autumn. With OPEC+ boosting supply despite surplus forecasts, analysts expect global demand to have peaked in August and to decline modestly. Prices have weakened, with UBS predicting $62 per barrel by year-end and Goldman Sachs forecasting lows in the $50s next year, though Saudi Arabia remains bullish, supported by Asia’s demand and its expanding Jafurah gas project. [MDN: We constantly see “experts” saying oil is heading into the $50s, yet it never happens. Just sayin’.]

Global warming exaggerated, say soaring number of Britons
London (UK) The Times/O. Wright, A. Vaughan, S. Bradley
New research for The Times shows rising climate scepticism in Britain, with one in four voters now believing global warming dangers are exaggerated, up from 16% in 2021, and only 16% accepting higher gas bills for net zero. Support for bans on petrol cars and gas boilers has sharply declined, while confidence in meeting 2050 climate goals has halved to 15%. The shift reflects growing concerns about the costs of achieving net zero, fears of job losses in traditional energy sectors, and politicization similar to that in the US. Experts warn that organized opposition and affordability issues are eroding public backing for climate action. [MDN: What’s happening is that our Brit friends are growing brains and rejecting the hysterical rantings of the left. It’s heartening to see!]

Trump energy tsar accuses Britain of ‘strangling’ North Sea
London (UK) The Telegraph
Donald Trump’s U.S. Energy Secretary has sharply criticised the UK government, accusing British ministers of “strangling” the North Sea oil and gas sector by imposing high windfall taxes and banning new drilling licences. He argues that these policies are deterring investment, reducing production, and undermining energy security, even as the UK pursues an accelerated transition towards renewable power. He also suggests that tax burdens and regulatory restrictions risk pushing companies out of the region or discouraging further development. [MDN: While the article takes the attitude of being righteously offended that an American dares criticize the mighty UK, Wright’s actual words reflect sorrow (and blunt truth-telling) more than criticism: “The UK example is heartbreaking — to see the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution export almost all of its energy-intensive industry, its steel-making, its petrochemical-making, its aluminium fabrication. Historically, there has been a lot of investment but not [producing] a lot of energy. Where penetration has gotten high, like in the UK, it’s massively driven up electricity prices, leading to the departure of most energy-intensive industries to Asia. I don’t think that’s green. I don’t think that’s a climate policy.” Is that harsh or “sharp” criticism? We don’t think so.]

Canada announces major projects to offset bite of Trump’s tariffs
New York (NY) Times/Ian Austen
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a slate of major infrastructure projects aimed at reducing Canada’s reliance on U.S. trade amid economic disruption from President Trump’s tariffs. The first phase emphasizes fossil fuels and mining—expanding a liquefied natural gas plant, developing copper mines, a nuclear reactor, and a container port—drawing sharp criticism from environmentalists and Indigenous groups over land rights and climate commitments. While Carney pledged respect for Indigenous rights and highlighted emissions efficiency, critics accused him of backsliding on climate promises. Future projects include high-speed rail and wind power, though controversial carbon capture plans tied to oil sands are also proposed. [MDN: Interesting how lefties like Carney are willing to dump their opposition to fossil fuels if it will somehow harm Trump. They are truly deranged. He’s going to have a tough time going up against the Big Green left in his country and the Indians. Good luck, Marky.]

US official sees Greece as hub to boost American natural gas exports
Associated Press
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized Greece’s potential role in expanding natural gas exports to Europe during a visit to an LNG terminal near Athens, linked to a pipeline network reaching Ukraine. Burgum highlighted U.S. goals of energy abundance and reducing Europe’s reliance on adversaries’ energy. Over half of the EU’s LNG imports come from the U.S., with volumes expected to increase under a recent EU-U.S. trade deal. Burgum’s visit coincided with Chevron and Greek partner Helleniq Energy announcing offshore gas exploration off western Greece and Crete, a plan Libya opposes, claiming it infringes on its maritime territory. [MDN: Go Greece! Let’s get more LNG to Greece, and from there, into Europe.]