Anti-Fossil Fuelers Plan to Protest DEP Hearing for Homer City Pipe
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking public comment on an Individual Stormwater Permit for a 5.8-mile natural gas pipeline in Indiana County. Serving the proposed Homer City Generation LP 4.5 GW power plant and data center, the 30-inch pipeline will traverse Black Lick, Burrell, and Center Townships, involving several stream and wetland crossings. The DEP will host a public hearing on May 12 from 5 to 7 PM at the Indiana Theater regarding Homer City Generation’s proposed 5.8-mile natural gas pipeline in Center Township. In response to this new project, local anti-fossil fuel groups are actively mobilizing. So-called “Concerned Residents of Western PA” (CROW) is holding a preparation meeting this afternoon to help “citizens” draft their public comments and build speaking confidence. Read More “Anti-Fossil Fuelers Plan to Protest DEP Hearing for Homer City Pipe”
The Marcellus/Utica region received 22 new drilling permits last week, Apr. 13 – 19, down 15 from the 37 issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 11 of last week’s permits. Ohio issued no new permits. And West Virginia issued the other 11 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits last week included: Antero Resources, Arsenal Resources, CNX Resources, EQT, Expand Energy, JKLM Energy, Range Resources, Repsol Oil & Gas, and Seneca Resources. 
EQT Corporation delivered its latest quarterly update yesterday for the first quarter of 2026. EQT sees the materialization of “in-basin demand growth” improving Appalachian market conditions through the end of the decade. The company says it is positioned as a preferred partner for large-scale power, midstream, and data center projects in the region. EQT plans to continue drilling and completing a significant number of wells throughout 2026, indicating ongoing development in the Marcellus and Utica regions. However, the company is curtailing (restricting) 10-15 Bcf (billion cubic feet) of production during the second quarter due to current low prices. 
Range Resources issued its first quarter 2026 update yesterday. Range’s production averaged 2.21 Bcfe/d in 1Q, approximately 32% liquids and 68% natural gas. Range used one rig and one completion crew to drill ~143,000 lateral feet across 9 wells, while turning to sales ~267,000 feet across 17 wells. 1Q26 drilling and completion expenditures were $130 million. In addition, Range spent approximately $5 million in acreage and $4 million in infrastructure, pneumatic upgrades, and other investments. The company maintains it will push production to 2.5 Bcfe/d by the end of this year, even though it’s only using a single rig and frac crew. 
Williams has commenced construction of its Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, extending through northeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York (see 
The rumor mill is chattering once again. Bloomberg reports that Arsenal Resources, a private natural gas producer focused on the Marcellus Shale, is considering a potential sale of itself valued at approximately $1.5 billion. The company, owned by its creditors since emerging from bankruptcy in late 2019 (see 
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) informed the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee that it remains uncertain about the final contents of its plan to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations, which is due to the EPA in January 2027. That is, they don’t have a clue. This cluelessness follows an extensive public comment period on a proposed plan for onerous regulations (developed during the dark Biden years) that aims to satisfy federal obligations primarily through general permits and references to federal standards. 
Olympus Energy (now owned by EQT) drills in the Greater Pittsburgh region, in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. In 2021, Olympus applied to build a new well pad in a rural part of Allegheny County, in West Deer Township. So-called Concerned Residents of West Deer (CROWD) got amped up to oppose the project. They succeeded when town supervisors rejected the Dionysus well pad (see 
Here we go again with SSDD (same stuff, different day). We’re referring to the bullying talk coming from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his threats to pull the Keystone State out of the PJM grid, the largest electric grid in the U.S., covering all or parts of 13 states plus the D.C. swamp. Shapiro first made this same threat more than a year ago, in January 2025 (see 
Last week, the Marcellus/Utica combined count maintained the same number of 37 active rigs for the fourth week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, lost one rig and now runs 55 active rigs, some 18 rigs more than the M-U. The national count lost another two rigs last week and now operates 543 rigs. Baker Hughes said oil rigs fell by one to 410 last week, their lowest since late March, while gas rigs fell by two to 125, their lowest since January, and other miscellaneous rigs rose by one to eight. 
On April 5 (Easter Sunday), Coterra Energy reported that approximately 400,000 to 704,000 gallons of freshwater were released from an impoundment at the Brooks shale gas well pad in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The release began at 8:02 a.m. when all six stanchion valves opened simultaneously, flowing by gravity into a pasture and reaching Meshoppen Creek before being discovered by a landowner’s relative that evening. Coterra attributed the incident to a corrupted software configuration file, which also prevented remote valve closure and disabled electronic notifications. 
As we report in today’s lead story, Williams held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project in New York City yesterday (see Groundbreaking Ceremony for NESE Pipe in NYC an All-Star Event). One of the speakers at the event, the master of ceremonies, was Williams CEO Chad Zamarin. One of the comments he made at the event that deserves its own post here on MDN was news about the Constitution Pipeline project, a 124-mile greenfield pipeline from the Marcellus gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA, to Schoharie County, NY, to move Marcellus gas into New York State and New England. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC also tells shale drillers when to stop withdrawing if low water flow (i.e., drought) conditions exist. That’s what the SRBC did yesterday. The agency, via its Hydrologic Conditions Monitor, warned shale drillers that, at 15 listed locations (all in Pennsylvania), they must stop water withdrawals until streamflow reaches a specific “trigger flow” target (different for each location). Another 9 locations are approaching restrictions. 
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) announced a $14 million project to test enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) in Pennsylvania. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the initiative will leverage existing oil and gas infrastructure, specifically the Appalachian Utica Shale, to explore the efficacy and scalability of EGS in the eastern U.S. This project aims to convert a horizontal shale gas well for geothermal use, assessing optimal well placements and fracturing techniques. If successful, it could provide a replicable model for expanding reliable, cost-effective geothermal electricity nationwide, utilizing abundant underground heat resources.