PA Promises to Keep the Lights on for Its Neighbors Post-RGGI
Last week, the Pennsylvania legislature drove the final nail in the coffin of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax in the state (see VICTORY! PA Budget Deal Kills RGGI Carbon Tax for Good). Dumping RGGI frees up a growing list of gas-fired power plants to begin construction in the Keystone State. In a post-mortem analysis of the attempt to force RGGI on the state, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) says that RGGI is primarily a tax revenue generator that serves as a barrier to investment and an unconstitutional regulatory tax. MSC cites a state study that projected a net reduction of only 0.169% in carbon emissions over eight years. Furthermore, the MSC highlights that RGGI would have cost Pennsylvania ratepayers approximately $1.558 billion a year. It was nothing more than a money grab to pad the pockets of Big Green donors. Read More “PA Promises to Keep the Lights on for Its Neighbors Post-RGGI”
In July, MDN told you that Talen Energy, a leading energy producer in the U.S., which owns and operates approximately 10.7 gigawatts (GW) of power infrastructure, had announced the acquisition of two gas-fired power plants: one located near Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania, and the other in Guernsey County, in eastern Ohio (see 
Last week, MDN warned you that the enviro-left that opposes fracking and shale energy in Pennsylvania (because they have an irrational hatred of fossil fuels) has morphed into opposing data centers, because data centers need lots of electricity and the only practical way of providing that power is via natural gas-fired power plants (see 
Bridger Photonics, the self-proclaimed “industry leader in methane emissions data,” announced expanded capabilities that enable both source-level (Level 4) and site-level (Level 5) methane measurement under the UN’s OGMP 2.0 framework. Bridger is headquartered in Montana and has developed a methane detection technology that is used by some of the biggest drillers in the Marcellus/Utica, including EQT, Expand Energy, Ascent Resources, Diversified Energy, and Repsol (
Finally! For years, going back to the administration of Lord Obama, the radical left has tried to redefine the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). See our 
The NYMEX “front month” futures price for natural gas took a dive yesterday, down 20.5 cents (4.5%) in a single day. The price remains firmly in the $4 range, closing at $4.361 per million British thermal units (MMBtus). We thought it would be a good time to check in on the price—what the futures price has been doing, and what the spot/physically traded price in the Marcellus/Utica region has been doing. We can sum up why the price tanked yesterday in a single word: weather. Expanding on that just a bit, NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) released its 6-10 Day and 8-14 Day Temperature Outlook graphics yesterday, showing most of the country (in particular the Northeast) will experience warmer than average temperatures for 6-10 days, with the Northeast experiencing warm temperatures all the way through the end of this month and into December. 
On Monday, nine so-called “climate defenders” (we call them wackadoodles) from the Don’t Destroy Our Future and youth activists from Sunrise Movement were charged with obstruction of free passage after holding a sit-in protest inside Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s office. Approximately 30 protesters were demonstrating against what they call the governor’s plan to approve new methane gas construction, specifically citing opposition to a natural gas compressor station expansion in Brookfield and a plan to update the Capitol Area System with methane boilers. From the images we observed, most of the protesters were old hippies. 
Net Power, backed by the Rice brothers (of Rice Energy and EQT fame), is on a mission to develop and deploy revolutionary new technology to capture every last molecule of carbon dioxide from natural gas-fired power plants (see 
Despite past difficulties in building new pipelines, the midstream sector is aggressively expanding, committing to over 34 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of new pipeline capacity by 2029, mainly in the Permian and Gulf Coast. However, some 5.6 Bcf/d of additional capacity is expected to come to the Marcellus/Utica region by 2029. This new supply, driven by anticipated demand from LNG exports and power for data centers, significantly exceeds the most bullish demand growth projections (18–27 Bcf/d by 2030). Analysts suggest this could lead to a temporary capacity surplus, or “overbuild.” Are we on the cusp of having too much of a good thing? 
The average number of active oil and natural gas rigs in the U.S. Lower 48 dropped sharply from 750 in late 2022 to 517 in October 2025, driven by lower prices and efficiency improvements. Despite this 31% decline, crude oil and natural gas production reached record highs as operators focused on the most productive areas, utilizing longer lateral lengths and advanced completion techniques. The Permian and Marcellus/Utica (Appalachia) regions exemplify this, with production growing significantly even as rig counts fell by 29%. For 2026, EIA forecasts a slight decline in oil production, constrained by lower WTI prices (predicted at $51/barrel). Natural gas output, however, is expected to increase slightly, supported by rising Henry Hub prices (predicted at $4.02/MMBtu) that will encourage gas-directed drilling. 
Existing pipelines in the Marcellus/Utica region are testing the market for expansion. Two weeks ago, we told you that DT Midstream (50% owner of NEXUS Pipeline) is eyeing the growing AI data center market in northwestern Ohio as a customer for M-U molecules that flow through NEXUS (see 
Last week, we brought you the fantastic news that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme in Pennsylvania is officially dead with the adoption of the 4-month late state budget (see 
In August, MDN told you that Black Bear Transmission (BBT), the owner of nine regulated short pipeline transmission systems in the Southeastern U.S. totaling approximately 1,700 miles of pipeline, with a throughput capacity of about 2.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), was selling itself to Enstor Pipeline Holdings, LLC, for an undisclosed sum (see 