MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Oct 7, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: The math does not support New York’s climate plan; Record Waha gas price crash as outbound flows constrained; NATIONAL: Natural gas futures rise amid forecasts of cold snap; Stable crude oil prices, increasing refinery margins in third quarter of 2025; Together, power plants and greenhouses can feed humanity; Wind, solar projects can stick taxpayers with the tab coming and going; INTERNATIONAL: Oil rises after modest OPEC+ output hike; European Union’s US gas use set to soar, increasing price volatility; Undersea bacteria feast on methane.

OTHER U.S. REGIONS

The math does not support New York’s climate plan
Empire Center/Richard Ellenbogen
The author argues that New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) is based on unrealistic math: the state’s plan to phase out fossil fuels and rely predominantly on renewables within a decade ignores enormous costs, storage challenges, transmission losses, and insufficient existing technology to meet demand reliably. He draws on decades of empirical data from his own industrial facility to show that renewable systems alone cannot support baseline loads, and contends that Albany’s approach excludes more practical emissions-reducing technologies. In sum, he claims the CLCPA is an ideological ambition, not a scientifically or mathematically grounded strategy. [MDN: Fantastic post that reveals the truth that NY’s climate plan will not work. The author says, “I am not anti-renewable and I am not a climate denier. What I am is an engineer who lives by numbers. The numbers underpinning the CLCPA—namely the belief that New York can replace most of its natural gas-fired electricity generation with renewables in the next six or even nine years—are a fantasy.” That about says it all.]

Record Waha gas price crash as outbound flows constrained
RBN Energy/John Abeln
The Waha natural gas market collapsed to record lows in early October as major pipeline maintenance severely restricted capacity. Waha cash prices averaged negative $5.30/MMBtu for the week ending October 6, plunging to as low as minus $8.79/MMBtu on Friday—over $2 below any previous daily record. The outage on the Permian Highway Pipeline, which began on October 3 and cut capacity by about 1 Bcf/d, compounded existing bottlenecks from other pipeline maintenance, driving prices sharply negative while Henry Hub stayed above $3/MMBtu. With multiple pipeline constraints, Waha prices are expected to remain below zero until the restrictions end on October 16. [MDN: Yikes! Producers paying customers $8.79/MMBtu to take their gas? That’s crazy! These are oil producers who need to get rid of the gas in order to produce oil.]

NATIONAL

Natural gas futures rise amid forecasts of cold snap
Wall Street Journal
Natural gas futures try to recover from last week’s decline, as weather forecasts point to a cool shot that would increase demand for heating in the U.S., at least for a couple of days this week. Europe is also reported as demanding more U.S. LNG exports, adding support to prices. U.S. natgas inventories are expected to have lower-than-average build this week, but remain on track to enter the winter season at relatively high levels. The front-month contract rises 1% to $3.357/mmBtu. [MDN: The current front-month contract (November) began above $3 and has stayed there. Thank God.]

Stable crude oil prices, increasing refinery margins in third quarter of 2025
U.S. Energy Information Administration – Today in Energy
Crude oil prices remained stable in the third quarter of 2025, with Brent averaging between $67–70 per barrel as OPEC+ production increases offset geopolitical tensions from conflicts involving Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Despite supply growth, global inventories stayed near five-year lows. The U.S. and EU imposed new tariffs and sanctions related to Russian crude, further heightening uncertainty. Refinery margins rose to their highest levels of the year, driven by strong diesel crack spreads in July and recovering gasoline margins later in the quarter as inventories declined, pushing both diesel and gasoline margins above five-year averages by September. [MDN: As we so often point out, crude prices have remained firmly in the $60s range, with infrequent and brief trips out of that range.]

Together, power plants and greenhouses can feed humanity
America Out Loud News/Ronald Stein, Sid Abma
The article argues that by pairing natural gas power plants with greenhouses via combined heat and power (CHP)/cogeneration systems, we can drastically boost efficiency and crop yields. Instead of venting heat and CO? as waste, these by-products are redirected to warm greenhouses and fertilize plants — while even the water in exhaust is used for irrigation. One real-world example is in Utah, where a power plant heats 30 acres of greenhouses. The author claims this closed-loop “waste recovery” model can reduce energy costs, feed humanity, and support job creation. [MDN: Instead of closed-minded “must shut down all fossil energy” roboticism from the left, the right is proposing real-world, inventive and creative solutions to handle a little extra CO2. Notice the stark difference between the left and the right?]

Wind, solar projects can stick taxpayers with the tab coming and going
The Empowerment Alliance/Gary Abernathy
The article critiques the expansion of wind and solar energy in Wyoming and the U.S., highlighting hidden long-term costs often overlooked by media and politicians. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s promotion of renewables has faced local opposition, with complaints about turbines disrupting hunting lands and night skies. Across the country, nearly 1,400 wind farms and 6,700 solar farms exist, but many turbines are nearing end-of-life, and solar panel waste could reach 10 million tons by 2050. With bankruptcies among solar companies and inconsistent state oversight, taxpayers risk footing decommissioning costs, making subsidies and “green” energy potentially expensive and unsustainable. [MDN: The environmental left never tells you the FULL cost of so-called renewables. If not for heavy subsidies by taxpayers (you and me), renewables would not exist. They just aren’t feasible economically.]

INTERNATIONAL

Oil rises after modest OPEC+ output hike
Bloomberg/Mia Gindis, Veena Ali-Khan
Oil prices rose after OPEC+ agreed to a modest 137,000-barrel-per-day production increase, easing fears of a larger supply boost. West Texas Intermediate climbed to $61.69 a barrel, helped by news that Russia’s Kirishi refinery halted output after a drone attack. Brent for December settlement added 94 cents to end the session at $65.47 a barrel. Traders remain focused on potential Russian disruptions amid Ukraine’s strikes. Saudi Arabia kept its Asian crude prices unchanged, defying expectations of a small increase. Despite the brief OPEC+ meeting showing differing Saudi and Russian priorities, the group continues to unwind prior cuts. Analysts warn that rising supply and weakening demand could push crude into surplus and pressure prices through 2025. [MDN: This is the new normal, prices in the $60s. Get used to it.]

European Union’s US gas use set to soar, increasing price volatility
Reuters/Nora Buli, Alban Kacher
Europe is preparing to import up to 160 extra liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes this winter as low storage levels and reduced pipeline flows from Russia and Algeria push the EU deeper into reliance on U.S. gas. LNG is expected to account for 48% of EU gas supplies this year, up from 23% in 2021. As U.S. LNG becomes increasingly central, Europe’s exposure to volatile spot-market pricing rises, especially given falling output from other suppliers and already low storage rates. [MDN: There is an easy fix to this so-called volatility. Europe can lock in pricing on long-term contracts and quit paying the spot/cash price.]

Undersea bacteria feast on methane
New York (NY) Times/Raymond Zhong
Beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea near Italy’s Montecristo Island, scientists are studying methane-eating microbes that could help combat climate change. These ancient methanotrophs consume methane, a potent greenhouse gas, before it reaches the atmosphere. Researchers from the Two Frontiers Project are exploring extreme environments worldwide to find and cultivate new strains capable of large-scale methane absorption. Their recent expedition collected microbial samples from underwater mud volcanoes and seafloor seeps, including promising algae-bacteria symbioses. While current methane reduction focuses on preventing leaks, scientists hope these microbes might someday provide a biological tool to reduce emissions and cool the planet. [MDN: Methane-eating microbes at the bottom of the sea. Someday, future generations will look back at the asinine things “scientists” did in our times, people who operate under the delusion of catastrophic global warming. How silly to research methane-eating microbes as a “solution” to global warming.]