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EQT Seeks to Build 3 Miles of Gathering Pipe in Lycoming County, PA

EQT Corporation wants to build three miles of gathering pipeline to a well pad in Cascade Township, Lycoming County, PA. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a notice in Saturday’s Pennsylvania Bulletin inviting comments on a Chapter 105 Encroachment permit for a three-mile-long, 8-inch natural gas gathering pipeline being constructed on a 50-foot-wide right-of-way. Read More “EQT Seeks to Build 3 Miles of Gathering Pipe in Lycoming County, PA”

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WV Bill to Attract Data Centers, Use Coal & Gas, Set to Become Law

In March, MDN told you about a legislative proposal from newly elected West Virginia Governor Pat Morrisey, a measure called the Power Generation and Consumption Act (House Bill 2014) to expand data center development in the state (see WV Gov. Backs Energy Bill to Attract Data Centers, Use Coal & Gas). The bill, sometimes called the “microgrid bill,” would allow companies to develop independent energy grids using natural resources, including coal and gas. It positions West Virginia as a prime location for data centers, AI processing, and cloud computing. Great news: The bill passed both chambers, and Morrisey is set to sign it into law. Read More “WV Bill to Attract Data Centers, Use Coal & Gas, Set to Become Law”

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Democrats Try to Demonize PJM Elec. Grid for THEIR Failed Policies

Democrat politicians, like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, are predictable. Shapiro, Murphy, and other Dem governors in the PJM Interconnection electric grid region, which includes all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., have ratcheted up their rhetoric blaming PJM for higher electricity prices, even though it is their own policies that are driving electric prices higher! Always blame someone else for your shortcomings; that’s their motto. Read More “Democrats Try to Demonize PJM Elec. Grid for THEIR Failed Policies”

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Antis Get the Band Back Together to Fight NY Constitution Pipeline

We spotted a couple of stories, one by PBS and another by the financial publication Barron’s, covering the “groundswell” of opposition to resurrecting the 124-mile Pennsylvania-to-New York Constitution Pipeline project. According to a letter signed by “233 environmental and community groups,” the proposed pipeline poses “a serious threat to state sovereignty.” Here’s the first thing to note: Enviro-lefties file paperwork to form a “group” of one or two people. It looks great on letterhead to list hundreds of organizations, implying thousands of people. However, it would be more accurate to say “233 individuals” instead of 233 groups of people. At any rate, we will repeat an observation we have made almost since beginning to write the MDN site in 2009: Many in the anti-fracking and anti-pipeline movement are old (sometimes young) hippies looking to relive the glory days of Vietnam protests. Read More “Antis Get the Band Back Together to Fight NY Constitution Pipeline”

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Indiana County, PA Locals LOVE New Data Center & Gas-Fired Plant

In early 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.). The site will be transformed into a more than 3,200-acre natural gas-powered data center campus, complete with a 4.5 gigawatt Marcellus-fired power plant. So, what do the locals think of this project? Nervous? Fearful? Not in my backyard? No! None of those reactions. The locals LOVE this project and the jobs and economic impact it will have in the Homer City area. They call it a “game-changer” and can’t wait for construction to begin. Read More “Indiana County, PA Locals LOVE New Data Center & Gas-Fired Plant”

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Texas Gas Project to Build ~180 Miles of Greenfield Pipe in OH Utica

Last week MDN brought you the great news that Boardwalk Pipeline Partners launched an open season to offer an extra 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of capacity along its 5,975-mile Texas Gas Transmission pipeline network that stretches from Ohio to Louisiana, running through Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas along the way (see Texas Gas Pipe Expanding to Flow Extra 2 Bcf/d of M-U Gas to La.). What we didn’t know at the time (not referenced in the Boardwalk announcement) is that the Borealis Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Project, as it is called, will include building roughly 180 miles of new greenfield pipeline that spans nearly the entire length of Southern Ohio. Read More “Texas Gas Project to Build ~180 Miles of Greenfield Pipe in OH Utica”

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April STEO Predicts U.S. NatGas Supply, Demand Hit New Highs in ’25

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook yesterday, the agency’s monthly best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. In this latest assessment, EIA boosted its estimates for the Henry Hub price. The agency now expects the HH price to average $4.30 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025, ten cents higher than last month’s forecast. EIA expects the annual average price in 2026 will be $4.60/MMBtu, also ten cents higher than last month’s forecast. The basis for the rise in the price forecast is lower storage levels. Inventories of stored gas are 4% below the five-year average. Read More “April STEO Predicts U.S. NatGas Supply, Demand Hit New Highs in ’25”

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Environmental Left Nervous that DRBC Frack Ban May be Overturned

A month ago, MDN told you about a meeting held in northeastern Pennsylvania between newly-appointed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Congressman Rob Bresnahan, several state elected officials, as well as labor and others (see Trump Admin Considers Strategies to Overturn DRBC Fracking Ban). Although several issues were discussed, the primary focus of the meeting was to discuss how to overturn the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) illegal ban on fracking that denies Wayne and Pike County (PA) landowners the right to extract gas from beneath their land. Read More “Environmental Left Nervous that DRBC Frack Ban May be Overturned”

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Trump Signs 2 More EOs, 1 Memo Repealing Energy, Environment Regs

Does Donald Trump ever sleep? He just keeps churning out the hits, day after day and week after week. Two days ago, President Trump signed two more executive orders (EOs) and a memorandum related to energy. On April 9, the President issued a new executive order requiring agencies to adopt one-year sunset dates on any existing regulations affecting energy. A second order requires agencies to identify regulations that limit competition. The President also signed a memorandum implementing a previous EO, directing the repeal of unlawful regulations under 10 recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including the Supreme Court decision overturning the “Chevron doctrine.” Read More “Trump Signs 2 More EOs, 1 Memo Repealing Energy, Environment Regs”

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How the Proposed Liberty/Range Gas-Power Plant in Pa. is Different

Yesterday, MDN told you about a newly announced data center (and gas-fired power plant) coming to Washington County, PA (see Another Data Center Announced for SWPA; Range to Provide NatGas). Liberty Energy Inc., Imperial Land Corporation, and Range Resources announced a strategic alliance to support the development of a state-of-the-art gas-fired power plant and data center within the Fort Cherry Development District in Robinson Township. The size of the power plant will depend on the demand for data center space. There’s something far different about this facility than other recently announced data center/power plant combos. Read More “How the Proposed Liberty/Range Gas-Power Plant in Pa. is Different”

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Microsoft Hits Pause Button on $1B Data Centers Near Columbus, OH

A number of data centers have been announced in Licking County, in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. They all will need enormous amounts of electricity to operate. MDN recently told you about three gas-fired power plants planned for New Albany, including one from PowerConneX and two from Williams subsidiary Will-Power (see Multiple Utica-Fired Power Plants Planned for New Albany, Ohio). Among those building data centers in Licking are Meta (i.e., Facebook), Cologix, and Amazon Web Services. Microsoft was supposed to invest $1 billion to build three data center campuses in Licking County, located in New Albany, Heath, and Hebron. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced it has indefinitely hit the pause button on all three projects. Read More “Microsoft Hits Pause Button on $1B Data Centers Near Columbus, OH”

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PA DEP Claims Slow Permit Backlog Reduced 88% from 2,400 to 300

Permitting in Pennsylvania, overseen by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), has been a hot mess for years. A Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation permit sometimes takes two, three, or even six months for approval — instead of the policy-mandated 14 days. According to a DEP press release from yesterday, that’s all behind us. Last November, DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley and Gov. Josh Shapiro said the agency had *eliminated* the backlog for oil and gas permits (see PA DEP Claims Permit Backlog for O&G Now Completely Eliminated). Yesterday, the DEP issued a new press release tooting its own horn to declare that the permit backlog has been reduced by 88%, from 2,400 backed-up permits down to 300. Read More “PA DEP Claims Slow Permit Backlog Reduced 88% from 2,400 to 300”

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MidOcean Partners with Energy Transfer on Lake Charles LNG Exports

Just as the pandemic began to unfold in early 2020, Shell pulled out of a 50/50 joint venture partnership with Energy Transfer (ET) to build a new LNG export facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana (see Shell Pulls Out of Lake Charles LNG Project, Energy Transfer Stays). A boneheaded move on Shell’s part, if you ask us. Since that time, ET has continued to build support for the project. Last December, ET announced a new customer for its LNG when/if the plant gets built: Chevron (see Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles LNG Still Alive – Deal w/Chevron). We have excellent news: ET announced it has a new partner, MidOcean Energy, that will cover 30% of the cost of building the plant. In return, MidOcean will receive 30% of the plant’s LNG. Read More “MidOcean Partners with Energy Transfer on Lake Charles LNG Exports”

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Will China’s 84% Tariffs Destroy U.S. Propane & Ethane Exports?

In what has to be the stupidest trade move in history, China will enact an 84% reciprocal tariff on imports of U.S. goods beginning today. The increase was in response to a 104% tariff that the U.S. placed on imports of Chinese goods, which President Trump raised to 125% yesterday. China will LOSE this trade war. However, if the Chinese want to self-immolate their economy and persist with the tariff war, it has the potential, according to RBN Energy, of “destroying” propane and ethane exports from the U.S. Why? Read More “Will China’s 84% Tariffs Destroy U.S. Propane & Ethane Exports?”

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It’s Time to Repeal the Inflation-Causing Inflation Reduction Act

In 2022, we reported the sad (and angering) news that then-U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a liberal Democrat from West Virginia, had betrayed his WV constituents and the entire country by secretly cutting a deal to vote for Joe Biden’s New Green Deal bill repackaged under the false and misleading name of the Inflation Reduction Act (see Tragedy: Joe Manchin Caves & Agrees to Big Green Build Back Better). Among one of the (many) ways the IRA aims to destroy fossil energy is by assessing a new methane tax (see Joe Manchin’s Green New Deal Cave Slaps O&G with Big Methane Tax). The bill also hands out $7,500 to rich people as an incentive to buy electric cars. Contrary to the lib Dems who declare the IRA is somehow benefitting “red” Republican states more than “blue” Democrat states (their justification for keeping this bloated pork law in place), it is time to repeal the entire thing. NOW. Read More “It’s Time to Repeal the Inflation-Causing Inflation Reduction Act”

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PA EQB Votes to Delay Consideration of Marcellus-Banning Setbacks

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) was scheduled to consider accepting a petition by radical green groups, including the Clean Air Council and Environmental Integrity Project, to “study” the issue of increasing setbacks for shale drilling so far it would ban ALL new Marcellus/Utica drilling in the Keystone State. Instead of voting to accept the petition, EQB commissioners voted 16 to 3 to table the petition for a future meeting. No doubt this matter will cycle around again, but we can all breathe a sigh of relief for now. Read More “PA EQB Votes to Delay Consideration of Marcellus-Banning Setbacks”