Former Chair of PA Democrat Party Makes the Case for More Pipelines
Here’s something you don’t hear about often: A Democrat who supports fossil energy and pipelines. It’s especially noteworthy when the Democrat is the former head of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. In an eloquent guest editorial published in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, T.J. Rooney, former Chairman of the PA Democratic Party and a former member of the PA House, discusses (bemoans the fact) that it’s next to impossible to build a new natural gas pipeline in the Keystone State. He makes a full-throated plea for permitting reform to change that. Read More “Former Chair of PA Democrat Party Makes the Case for More Pipelines”
Fervo Energy and Youngstown, OH-based Vallourec announced a five-year supply agreement, potentially worth up to $800 million, to scale domestic geothermal infrastructure in the United States. Vallourec will exclusively supply Fervo with U.S.-manufactured tubular solutions (pipelines) and pipeline connectors, creating a fully domestic supply chain for critical geothermal well infrastructure. This collaboration aims to reduce supply chain risks, improve project timelines, and ensure cost certainty for Fervo’s deployment of standardized 50 MW geothermal units, leveraging Vallourec’s expertise in tubular solutions. Here’s the cool part: the pipelines and connectors Vallourec will manufacture for Fervo’s geothermal work were originally developed for shale energy applications. 
In July 2024, EQT Corporation closed on a $5.4 billion deal to buy back the midstream division it had spun off in 2018 (see 
In Antero Resources Corp. v. Stonewall Gas Gathering LLC, the Texas Business Court resolved a contract dispute over a 2014 gas gathering agreement following a bench trial. The court denied Antero’s claims for $200 million in past and future monetary damages. However, it granted Antero “declaratory relief” and specific performance, ordering Stonewall to reduce Antero’s service fees in accordance with the affiliate agreements and to produce the requested contract documents. The court awarded Antero $1 in nominal damages for discovery breaches, while a ruling on attorney’s fees was deferred pending further proceedings. 
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), which began operations in 2024 through West Virginia and Virginia, is now slated for an extension, the MVP Southgate, into North Carolina. This expansion faces opposition from some residents and environmental groups who raise concerns about safety, environmental impact, eminent domain issues, and the need for increased natural gas infrastructure (they believe cataclysmic global warming comes from burning natural gas). Despite court challenges and past environmental violations, the project has received government approvals and is forging ahead. On March 23, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice to proceed with construction in Virginia. 
National Grid New York is upgrading its 50-year-old Grasmere Gate Station on Staten Island, a critical piece of natural gas infrastructure serving approximately 80,000 customers. This two-phase project, which began in March 2025 and is expected to finish by June 2026, involves a complete rebuild of mechanical equipment and components to enhance safety, strengthen physical structure, and improve efficiency. The work was crucial during a winter with record-breaking natural gas demand and is part of National Grid’s ongoing investment in modernizing infrastructure across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to meet current and future energy needs. Here’s our question: How in the world did lunatic anti-fossil fuel fanatics not notice this upgrade was happening and protest to stop it? 
Anti-fossil fuel fanatics haven’t given up on trying to block construction of the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline, a $1 billion+ project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets. Last November, the states of New York and New Jersey issued federal Clean Water Act permits for their respective states, allowing NESE to be built (see 
On Tuesday, seven radicalized Big Green groups filed a court challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authorization for Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, to construct the MVP Southgate gas pipeline. The petition for review, filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Appalachian Mountain Advocates, and Sierra Club in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit), asks the court to vacate the amended certificate of convenience and public necessity issued by FERC in December 2025. 
The Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) investment group 2PointZero, via its subsidiary ePointZero, has agreed to acquire U.S. natural gas infrastructure firm Traverse Midstream Partners for $2.25 billion. This acquisition includes stakes in the Rover Pipeline and Ohio River System, which connect the productive Utica/Marcellus shale region to major demand centers and export hubs. Despite escalating Middle East geopolitical tensions and global energy disruptions, the deal underscores the UAE’s commitment to commercial partnerships with the United States. 
The Rockwood Area School District in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $570,084 state grant to extend natural gas service to its facilities. The project will install around 15,100 feet of natural gas pipeline. Announced by State Representative Carl Walker Metzgar and Senator Pat Stefano (both Republicans), the funding comes from the Pipeline Investment Program (PIPE). The project is designed to replace the district’s current heating system (an old coal-fired boiler), effectively resolving the environmental issues caused by coal burning.