Williams Files Request Asking FERC to Reissue NESE Cert in NY, NJ
President Trump’s version of his conversations with New York Governor Kathy Hochul was correct: She caved. Yesterday, pipeline giant Williams filed a 246-page request (below) with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expedite the reissuance of a certificate for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, a billion-dollar-plus project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets. NESE is one of two projects, along with the Constitution Pipeline, on which Hochul “caved” in a deal with Trump (see White House Claims NY Gov. “Caved” on Pipelines, Hochul Says No). He gave her the right to continue blowing $5 billion on a horrible offshore wind project. In return, Trump secured an agreement to allow two Williams pipeline projects, including NESE. Read More “Williams Files Request Asking FERC to Reissue NESE Cert in NY, NJ”
In February, MDN told you about a proposed new bill in Ohio, House Bill (HB) 15, which makes significant changes to state energy policy to encourage the development of more in-state electric generation by making it easier (and more cost-effective) to build gas-fired power (see 
Electricity bills across Pennsylvania (and elsewhere in the PJM grid) are due to increase on June 1, when utilities reset a portion of their charges to reflect the current cost of energy. The increases reflect the rising cost of power on the regional transmission grid. Electric grids are complex to understand, but at their core, the grid manager (in this case, PJM) coordinates the flow of electricity within the grid and operates a wholesale power market where utilities purchase the electricity they deliver to their customers. Wholesale electric prices have spiked, and now utilities need to pass along those costs to ratepayers (don’t be mad at the local utility). The question is, why have wholesale electric prices spiked? Is someone (is PJM) at fault? 
The effort by the Trump administration to build both the Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project continues to pick up steam. Just yesterday, we told you that there was a public disagreement between the White House and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul regarding whether she agreed to a quid pro quo deal to allow the two pipelines in return for restarting an offshore windmill project (see 
In 2021, PennEnergy Resources made a request to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to withdraw up to 3 million gallons of water a day from Big Sewickley Creek (Beaver County) and one of its tributaries for shale fracking (see 
One of the significant stories of 2024 in the Ohio Utica was about Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry, Ohio, that handles fracking waste by transporting it for disposal. AMS ran into trouble when it ran out of money. The Martins Ferry facility in Belmont County, where waste is temporarily stored, had exceeded its permitted maximum of 600 tons of stored waste, resulting in a violation of its permit. The Ohio Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against the company in March 2024 to force compliance and to force the cleanup of the facility. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) stepped in to do the cleanup work. As of today, cleaning and testing are done. 
We’ve got a “he said, she said” situation between President Donald Trump and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Last week MDN brought you the news that, following several conversations over the previous weekend between Trump and Hochul, that the President had agreed to allow New York to restart a $5 billion windmill project off the coast of Long Island, in return for allowing two pipeline projects to get built in the state, one of them the long-stalled Constitution Pipeline (see 
Last November, the East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), a nonprofit power generation and transmission electric utility with headquarters in Winchester, Kentucky, announced plans to build two new natural gas-fired power plants and convert its two existing coal-fired power plants to burn natural gas (see 
The editors of the Pottsville, PA, Republican Herald newspaper in northeastern Pennsylvania raise an important issue that should be considered in light of the flurry of announced (and rumored) data centers planned for northeastern PA. The editors look forward to the massive economic boom such centers would create. However, as with any industry, there are drawbacks, negatives to be aware of and plan for. In the case of data centers, the lack of zoning ordinances may bite municipalities on the backside. It’s time to address these issues now, before these massive facilities are built. 
With heavy doses of false statements littered throughout, there is (somehow) new news in a New York Times article appearing on Saturday. The article proclaims, “E.P.A. Wants to Erase Greenhouse Gas Limits on Power Plants.” The Times says it got its hands on internal documents (someone at the EPA needs to be fired) that show the agency has crafted a draft plan that says carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution” and they don’t contribute to so-called climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions. 
The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin approved the We Energies plan to build a $1.2 billion gas-fired power plant at its Oak Creek Power Plant location (Oak Creek is a suburb of Milwaukee). Plans call for converting the facility from a coal-fired power plant to a natural gas plant that will generate 1,100 megawatts (MW) of electricity on demand (a “peaker” facility). The aim is to start the gas turbines when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. The PSC also approved a much smaller We Energies peaker plant in the Kenosha County town of Paris. 
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is looking to overhaul repair requirements for natural gas and carbon dioxide pipelines. The PHMSA is asking the industry (and the public) how to make standards that have remained unchanged for more than 40 years more cost-effective. This effort marks the second in a series of high-priority PHMSA actions to implement the President’s “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order. 
It is “The Art of the Deal” with Donald J. Trump. Only DJT could pull off such a miracle. We are referring to a deal just struck (on Monday) with New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Trump will allow New York to blow $5 billion on an idiotic offshore wind project (off the coast of Long Island) in return for Hochul allowing the construction of two long-stalled pipeline projects: The Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project, part of the Transco pipeline system. We had no idea NESE was on the table as part of a potential deal! 
In early April, President Trump signed four executive orders (EOs) dealing with energy issues (see 
In January 2024, the sleazeballs that operated Joe Biden’s autopen slapped a “pause” on allowing the Department of Energy (DOE) to review and issue export approvals for any new LNG export facilities (see