The 105-Yr-Old Jones Act Strangles U.S. Energy; Time to Repeal It
We’ve railed against the Jones Act for years. The Jones Act, passed in 1920, requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The problem is, big LNG tankers are all built, owned, and/or operated by foreign countries. You can’t fill up an LNG tanker in Sabine Pass or Cove Point and float it into Boston Harbor and unload it because the ship is not “U.S.-flagged.” It’s illegal under the Jones Act. We came close to repealing it during the first Trump administration, but ultimately failed (see Insider Bureaucrats Sunk LNG Jones Act Waivers During Trump Admin). We spotted a new column echoing our opposition to the Jones Act from the Cato Institute, saying the law is “strangling” U.S. energy, and it’s past time to repeal the law. Read More “The 105-Yr-Old Jones Act Strangles U.S. Energy; Time to Repeal It”
In June, we reported that the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court in PA that hears appeals of decisions made by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), had ruled in favor of CNX Resources to allow two previously permitted wells in Penn Township (Westmoreland County) to move forward with construction (see 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed eliminating the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which mandates annual emissions reporting from over 8,000 facilities and suppliers. This move aims to save American businesses up to $2.4 billion in compliance costs. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin emphasized that the GHGRP, while established under the Clean Air Act, does not directly contribute to improving air quality or public health. The proposal aligns with President Trump’s executive orders and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which defers certain reporting obligations until 2034. The EPA will seek public comments before finalizing the rule. 
On September 8, Blackhill Energy informed the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) of an “inadvertent return” that occurred during horizontal drilling for the Brad-Tenn Loop Pipeline in Granville Township, Bradford County. Blackhill reported that while drilling beneath Route 6 and Sugar Creek, they experienced a pressure issue. The company discovered that 18,000 gallons (approximately 430 barrels) of nontoxic bentonite drilling mud had been lost. The company stopped drilling ops at that point and reported it to the DEP. 
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. Both projects would be built in the same general area, starting at the same point near Chatham, Virginia, and ending near Eden, North Carolina. Both claim they have customers ready to take their gas. In a recent FERC filing, Williams said that its project could easily handle Southgate MVP’s capacity by adding meter tubes and regulation at an existing station (see 
In September 2022, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), a dysfunctional, hot mess of an organization, voted to extend a permit to build the special LNG export dock along the shoreline of the Delaware River in New Jersey by an extra three years (see 
In early August, MDN told you that someone had lit a fire under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the agency’s program to plug old wells. To date, the DEP has plugged a little over 300 old orphaned wells in the past three years under do-nothing Governor Josh Shapiro, but that Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has plugged over 700 wells in the same period (see 
Despite a “public outcry” (of 13 people), the Chesapeake City (Virginia) Council voted 6-3 in July to approve a compressor station for Virginia Natural Gas (see 
Newly elected Republican Congressman Rob Bresnahan defeated incumbent Democrat Matt Cartwright in last November’s election to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, located in the northeastern corner of the state. Bresnahan hit the ground running, particularly in addressing energy issues. His district includes Wayne and Pike counties, where landowners have had their right to drill for natural gas seized by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). Bresnahan introduced a bill in June that would heighten DRBC accountability and oversight. We call it putting the DRBC on a short leash (see 
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new guidance (a relaxation of regulations) to streamline its New Source Review (NSR) permitting process. The relaxed regs are designed to accelerate the construction of essential power generation and manufacturing facilities. EPA’s action provides flexibility to begin certain building activities that are NOT related to air emissions, such as installing cement pads, before obtaining a Clean Air Act (CAA) construction permit. More common-sense solutions from the Trump administration to address a completely screwed up regulatory state. 
Last November, Williams officially filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build an expansion of its mighty Transco pipeline system in the southeastern U.S., a project called the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (see 
A growing coalition representing America’s energy and manufacturing sectors is urging Congress to act swiftly to (finally) modernize the permitting system and unlock new energy investment. With Congress’s return to the swamp, a diverse group of business and energy organizations sent letters to House and Senate leaders calling for bipartisan permitting reform. In a letter to Congress signed by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Data Center Coalition, American Council on Renewable Energy, National Ocean Industries Association, and more, the business and energy groups wrote: “The time has come to modernize our nation’s permitting systems so that our communities can build the infrastructure necessary to grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, and meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.” It seems the message was received. Congress has scheduled hearings on permitting reform beginning today. 
Two weeks ago, Marietta, OH, officials, including the city’s Republican mayor, law director, water superintendent, and a majority of city council members, asked the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Oil and Gas Chief Eric Vendel to deny a permit application from DeepRock Disposal Solutions for the Stephan #1 injection well, which would be the company’s fifth injection well in the area (see