Antis Hold Out Hope to Block NESE Pipe Via Obscure NJ State Agency
As we reported last week, 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 (see Zombie Antis Fight to Block Williams NESE Pipeline in NY, NJ). Even though ground will break on construction *today* at a ceremony at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, antis are still doing their best to block this project. Their latest angle of attack is to demand (antis always demand) that a relatively obscure state agency in New Jersey reject issuing a license for the project. Read More “Antis Hold Out Hope to Block NESE Pipe Via Obscure NJ State Agency”
In March, South Carolina regulators approved Duke Energy’s proposal to build a 1.4-gigawatt (GW) natural gas-fired power plant in Anderson County, marking the utility’s first new generation project in the state in a decade (see 
PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest electric grid system serving 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C., is pursuing an emergency plan to secure 15 gigawatts (GW) of new power supply to avert electricity shortages driven by surging data center demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI). The grid operator looks to pair proposed data centers with new generation through bilateral negotiations running from September to March 2027. Let’s make a deal! 
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. 
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. 
The EPA has revised certain Biden-era oil and natural gas regulations, specifically aspects of the 2024 Clean Air Act rules (OOOOb/c, known as “Quad O”), to reduce compliance burdens and lower energy costs. Administrator Lee Zeldin states these changes aim to unleash domestic energy by providing flexibility to operators, saving an estimated $2.5 billion over 15 years. Key revisions include extending temporary flaring allowances from 24 to 72 hours and adjusting Net Heating Value (NHV) monitoring requirements, both expected to reduce unnecessary testing without affecting emissions. This action is part of a broader effort to make regulations more workable, promote American energy dominance, and ultimately benefit American families through lower energy costs. 
The ongoing saga of Eureka Resources’ now-closed frack wastewater treatment facilities in Pennsylvania — two in Lycoming County and one in Bradford County — continues to unfold. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently assessed two fines against Eureka for violations of cleanup deadlines at two of its facilities. One facility in Lycoming County was fined, and one in Bradford County. The fines were $60,000 and $40,000. 
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is spearheading what he calls the “50 by 50” energy initiative, a plan for the state to grow its electric energy production from a current 16 gigawatts (GW) of generation to 50 GW by 2050 (see 
Last year, MDN warned readers that the newly elected, incoming governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, is a radical left Democrat (see 
The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) voted on Friday to open more than 8,700 acres of public land, including an additional 513 acres under Salt Fork State Park and 8,236 acres under Egypt Valley Wildlife Area, for shale fracking. This move makes Egypt Valley the largest fracking project *under* (not on) state-owned land, despite vociferous public opposition from citizens and left-wing environmentalists. The next step in the process is to put the parcels out for bid. 
In a March 25, 2026, decision in the Omni Energy Group, LLC v. Ohio Department of Natural Resources court case, Judge Algenon L. Marbley from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio dismissed Omni’s amended complaint regarding Class II injection well permits. Omni alleged that the ODNR unlawfully set injection pressures too low, rendering its multimillion-dollar investment in two injection wells inoperable. This case goes back to events that began in 2019, events we previously covered in a 2024 post (see