Fed Judge Upholds NY Law Banning New Gas Hookups Starting 2026
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 NY Gov. Hochul Loses Her Mind – Wants to Ban Gas in New Buildings). She even wanted to ban gas in existing homes, but that was too much to stomach even for NY’s leftwing Democrats (see New York Legislators Block Hochul NatGas Ban for Existing Homes). As part of the 2023-2024 budget deal, Hochul got her way (see NY State has Fallen – Gas Stoves & Peaker Plants Banned in Budget). So, beginning in 2026, new homes (or businesses) in New York State will not be allowed to connect to an existing natural gas pipeline system. You will be banned from installing a gas (or propane) stove in the house. It’s complete madness, and people are starting to push back (see Panic Sets In with NY’s 2026 Deadline Banning NatGas in New Homes). Read More “Fed Judge Upholds NY Law Banning New Gas Hookups Starting 2026”
You know the old phrase “All talk and no action”? Donald Trump and his administration are the opposite—or at least, a variation. Trump does talk…a lot. But he’s also a man of action. Last week, Trump visited Pittsburgh to announce $92 billion worth of investments in the Keystone State related to AI and data centers (see 
In September 2022, EQT announced a deal to buy privately owned Tug Hill Operating’s West Virginia shale assets (90,000 acres and 800 MMcf/d of production in West Virginia) for roughly $5.2 billion (see 
One of the environmental left’s favorite tactics to defeat fossil fuel projects is to challenge every single infrastructure project (pipeline or otherwise) connected to fossil energy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As soon as a company files an application to build a new project, and FERC approves it, Big Green will challenge it, first at FERC, and eventually via the courts. FERC has an internal rule, called Order No. 871, that states a company cannot begin construction (even though FERC has approved the certificate) until all such legal challenges are resolved. Which can take YEARS. Which is the point—delay, and eventually some of the projects will give up and won’t build. Run out the clock. 
In an interview with the Financial Times, EQT Corporation CEO Toby Rice stated that onerous permitting rules are hindering President Trump’s ambitions for energy dominance. Rice said Congress needs to cut project approval times to compete with Russian LNG exports and to win the AI race against China. His message was clear: Permitting reform, NOW. We’ve danced around permitting reform long enough (for years). It’s time to act. Republicans control Congress and the White House. If we can’t get permitting reform done now, it will never get done. 
On July 8, PA State Senator Art Haywood (Democrat from Philadelphia) introduced PA Senate Bill (SB) 910, which slaps a 6.5% severance tax on the gross production of all oil and natural gas produced in the state (see 
Freeport LNG, located near Galveston, Texas, currently exports roughly 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from three trains—when it’s actually up and running. The Freeport facility has been plagued with outages, the most spectacular of which happened in June 2022, taking the facility offline for 10 months (see 
In December 2017 (7.5 years ago!), MDN told you about the bastardization of our justice system by Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg funneled money to the New York University (NYU) School of Law, which in turn pays to hire radical (Democrat) attorneys to work inside the offices of the attorneys general in Democrat-controlled states, including Pennsylvania (see 
Danskammer Energy, which had operated a gas-fired peaker power plant along the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY, worked on a project to upgrade the plant since 2018. In June 2024, Danskammer Energy withdrew its permit application with the fossil fuel-hostile state, formally ending attempts to expand after nearly seven years of frustration in trying and receiving rejections from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Let the idiots who keep the Dems in power sit in the dark and see how that feels. Now, the idiots (and leftist politicians who want to keep their jobs) are waking up and saying, “Oh crap. We might need those gas-fired plants after all.” It sounds so sweet to say: WE TOLD YOU SO! 
As we reported on Wednesday, a truly mind-blowing event was held in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit organized by PA Senator Dave McCormick (see 
After returning from the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation summit held on Tuesday of this week in Pittsburgh, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin published an op-ed highlighting steps his agency is taking to reduce burdensome regulations, unleash American energy dominance, and make America the AI capital of the world. The EPA is working on clearing away red tape on the federal level, while GOP legislators in Pennsylvania are working on clearing away red tape on the state level. It will take both efforts to ensure the $92 billion pledged for energy projects in PA actually happens. 
Despite a “public outcry” (of 13 people), the Chesapeake City (Virginia) Council voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to approve a compressor station for Virginia Natural Gas (VNG). The City Council previously voted, on June 17, to deny permission. This was a reconsideration vote. The proposed site is already zoned industrial and has other VNG operations already in place. It’s not like it’s being constructed in the middle of a neighborhood. 
The Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project is designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets. Following some intense conversations between President Trump and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, she caved (according to the White House). She agreed to allow two long-stalled pipeline projects—the Constitution and NESE—to get built in NY in return for Trump allowing her to continue to sink $5 billion into an offshore wind project (see 
Here’s an important update for a project we haven’t discussed since last October. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is building a $2.1 billion state-of-the-art natural gas plant in Cumberland City, Tennessee (see