PA Senate Approves Bill to Make Plugging Old O&G Wells Easier
The Pennsylvania Senate (controlled by Republicans) recently approved Senate Bill (SB) 712, sponsored by Senators Gene Yaw and Camera Bartolotta, to streamline the plugging of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells. By clearly defining “reasonable effort” and “attainable bottom,” the legislation eliminates regulatory ambiguity that has previously caused costly delays and inconsistent inspections from the Department of Environmental Protection. This clarity ensures Pennsylvania can efficiently utilize nearly $400 million in federal funding to address legacy wells, many of which are located near residential areas and schools. Read More “PA Senate Approves Bill to Make Plugging Old O&G Wells Easier”
Despite claims by anti-fossil fuelers that the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station in southwestern PA would spread disease and death if built, it’s been up and running since 2018, producing power and generating revenue for both its builders and the community. Oh, and everyone is in good health. However, the plant has been operating under a state permit since it opened. It needs a federal Title V permit for long-term operation. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency that issues such a permit and is proposing to do so, which (of course) has antis’ knickers in a twist. In particular, antis complained that no public complaint sessions were scheduled. They got their wish yesterday. 
In January 2023, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a leftist Democrat, floated a plan to ban natural gas hookups in every single new home and business across the “Empire” State (see 
Yesterday, MDN brought you the big news that Devon Energy is buying out and merging with Coterra Energy, paying $21.4 billion in Devon stock (see 
Not that he isn’t already a very rich man, but Coterra Energy CEO Tom Jorden stands to rake in an additional $6 million to $9 million (possibly much more) from a “golden parachute” if the proposed merger between Coterra and Devon Energy goes through. Based on the reports following the merger announcement between Coterra and Devon, Coterra’s upper management (in particular, Jorden) is protected by substantial “golden parachute” (change-in-control) agreements. These agreements were specifically updated just before the deal was made public to ensure executive retention and fair treatment during the transition. 
In December, MDN brought you the news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, had cut a deal to buy WV driller and midstreamer HG Energy II for a combined $3.9 billion, paying $2.8 billion for upstream and $1.1 billion for midstream (see 
Last July, President Trump and PA U.S. Senator Dave McCormick attended a meeting in Pittsburgh to announce an amazing $92 billion of private (no taxpayer funding) investment in the Keystone State, mainly in the data center sector (see 
In December, MDN reported that pipeline giant Williams, through its new subsidiary, Will-Power, plans to build a third gas-fired power plant to power a Meta (Facebook) data center complex in Bowling Green, OH (see 
Natural gas futures suffered a historic 26% collapse—the steepest one-day percentage drop since 1995 (over 30 years!)—as the most-active “front month” contract plunged over a dollar to close at $3.237/MMBtu. This dramatic retreat was fueled by forecasts of “well above normal” temperatures across the Eastern U.S. and a recovery in production following recent freeze-offs, both of which point toward a looming inventory buildup. Although analysts at NatGasWeather.com suggest the market may have overshot the actual data, the combination of a thawing climate and stabilizing supply clearly spooked investors enough to trigger this record-breaking slide. 
Two pipeline kingpins are engaged in a deathmatch with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to get their competing pipeline projects approved. One is Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SESE), the other is EQT’s MVP Southgate project (see 