MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, May 19, 2026
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Glenfarne, ConocoPhillips sign agreement for Alaska LNG; Virginia’s carbon market is a wealth transfer the Democrats are trying to hide; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures gain as weather heats up; The left is outspending us, outworking us, and outthinking us; Time to end the injustice of ‘environmental justice’; U.S. LNG is becoming the backbone of global gas supply; INTERNATIONAL: Oil settles higher on Iran doubts; Trump delays planned strike after Gulf allies appealed; Canada strikes deal to start building oil pipeline in 2027; The United Arab Emirates is playing its own game; Why oil hasn’t hit $150, yet. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, May 19, 2026”
Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count dropped by 1 rig in the PA Marcellus, leaving 36 active rigs across the three-state M-U region, down from 37 it had operated for 7 weeks in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, dropped 2 rigs to land at 56 active rigs, operating 20 more than the M-U. The national count added 3 rigs last week and now operates 551 rigs. That’s the fourth week in a row the national count has added rigs. 
This is HUGE and breaking news… NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced this morning that they will combine in an all-stock transaction, creating the world’s largest regulated electric utility business serving approximately 10 million customer accounts across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The combined entity, operating under the NextEra Energy name, will be over 80% regulated and benefit from enhanced scale, efficiency, and diversified growth. How much is NextEra paying for Dominion? 
If you live in Auburn Township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, it’s a pretty safe bet that either there is or soon will be shale well drilling going on near you. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published notice in the May 16 Pennsylvania Bulletin announcing it has issued a permit for one aboveground water pipeline for one driller and is seeking comments on a request for a second aboveground water pipeline for a second driller, both in Auburn Township. 
In 2015, MPLX (i.e., Marathon Petroleum) bought out and merged with the Utica Shale’s premier midstream company, MarkWest Energy, for $15 billion (see 
The left and many on the right are banking on hydrogen as the next BIG THING in energy. Hydrogen fuel cell cars and burning hydrogen to heat your home are just two applications people dream will come true in the next 25 years. Of course, they’ve been dreaming about hydrogen for more than 50 years, but the history of hydrogen is for another post. We pay attention to hydrogen because 95% of all hydrogen today is produced by steam cracking natural gas. Ergo, hydrogen has the potential to be a big, important, new customer for our molecules. Everyone and his brother continues to make predictions about the hydrogen market over the next 35 years. Norwegian company DNV has its own crystal ball prediction, the “Hydrogen Forecast to 2060.” 
The Marcellus/Utica region received 22 new drilling permits last week, May 4 – 10, up from the 19 permits issued two weeks ago. Pennsylvania issued 10 of last week’s permits. Ohio issued 8 new permits. West Virginia issued 4 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: Ascent Resources, EOG Resources, EQT (including subsidiary Rice Drilling), Expand Energy, and Northeast Natural Energy. 
Yesterday was the day. The third AI Energy Conference (which sold out) was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe in Canonsburg, PA. One of the speakers, Travis Wright, Vice President of Energy and Sustainability for QTS, said that everyday smartphone use depends on data centers. They are essential infrastructure for modern life. Blackstone-owned QTS, which operates major facilities nationwide and is planning a 1,700-acre data center campus in Luzerne County (Wilkes-Barre area), sees Appalachia as a promising market due to its workforce, energy resources, and suitability for AI-focused facilities. 
In March, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the results of a two-year study that found radium levels in landfill wastewater (leachate) from landfills with drill cuttings do NOT pose a risk to human health (see 
Good news! The Public Service Commission (PSC) of South Carolina approved a joint application by Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper to build Canadys Station, a natural gas combined-cycle facility in Colleton County. The plant will generate approximately 2,200 megawatts (2.2 GW) — enough to power over one million homes — addressing the state’s growing energy demand. It will be built on the site of a former Dominion Energy coal plant, roughly 40 miles northwest of Charleston (the “Lowcountry” region), eliminating the need for new land clearing. 
Virginia is officially rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme this July after a liberal court deemed its previous withdrawal under former Governor Glenn Youngkin unlawful. This reentry forces utilities like Dominion Energy to resume purchasing carbon credits—modern-day indulgences for the “sin” of emitting carbon dioxide. The cost will be passed on to ratepayers through monthly bill increases (see 
Infinity Natural Resources (INR) shared its first quarter 2026 update yesterday. CEO Zack Arnold said during an earnings call with analysts, “The first quarter was pivotal for Infinity.” How so? INR successfully closed the Antero, Ohio Utica acquisition in late February and added working interest in the company’s Pennsylvania assets through the Chase acquisition. These acquisitions immediately increased INR’s scale (dramatically) by boosting the company’s operated well count from 154 to 395 (more than 1.5 times) and by boosting its midstream system to over 250 miles of gathering and water pipelines.