Connecticut Gov Signs Net-Zero Law, Then Promotes Gas Pipelines
Connecticut’s Democrat Governor, Ned Lamont, is beginning to drift from the hardline leftist position of opposing all fossil energy. It’s interesting to watch the environmental left go out of its mind over the change in the otherwise spineless Lamont as he changes his position on whether to allow (even build!) pipelines in his state to flow “fracked” gas to its residents. Yesterday, Lamont signed two far-left climate bills into law—complete with enviro wackos in the background. However, no sooner had he laid down his signing pen, Lamont declared he supports pipelines flowing more fracked gas into his state. You could see the lefties’ heads exploding. Read More “Connecticut Gov Signs Net-Zero Law, Then Promotes Gas Pipelines”
Once again, the NYMEX natural gas front-month contract (for August) took a plunge, going down 32.40 cents (8.67%) over the last two trading sessions. On the bright side, the price, which closed at $3.4150/MMBtu yesterday, is 40% higher than this time last year. At least there’s that. The question is, why is it heading lower, and how low will it go? We went looking for answers in the usual places. It’s important to note that most of the loss came in Monday trading, when the price “collapsed” by 28.3 cents (7.6%). Yesterday, the price declined a modest 4.10 cents (1.19%). 
We are finally seeing a return to sanity and real science following four years of out-of-control edicts during the Biden autopen administration. (The old fool likely didn’t even know a tenth of the things signed under his name.) On Monday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), along with the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, the Interior, and Transportation, revised regulations to eliminate all references to considering climate change, environmental justice, and other so-called environmental issues in their permit reviews. The left under Biden had introduced such nonsense in a bid to block new fossil energy projects. No more! The pendulum has swung back to the common-sense middle. 
The climate change hoaxers of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), along with other Big Green groups, are attempting another headfake of oil and gas companies and the financial institutions that help fund them. The Methane Finance Working Group, an initiative launched at the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit in 2023, released guidance to “deliver and deploy market-tested finance mechanisms that facilitate decarbonization across the oil and gas sector, while expanding the opportunities to achieve measurable methane emission reductions,” according to EDF. What the heck does that even mean? 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Industry bodies look at Texas upstream employment in May; Cuomo blew it by shutting down Indian Point Nuclear plant with no “plan B”; NATIONAL: Fracking is America’s (not so) secret weapon; Natural gas becoming preferred power method among data center operators; Senate delivers pro-energy tax reforms; One Big, Beautiful Bill remains a win for American energy; INTERNATIONAL: Oil gains as Mideast tensions reignite; Quiet archipelago’s embrace of hydrocarbons speaks loudly; The Iranian threat to global oil supply chains remains. 
MDN previously brought you the news that the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) approved a plan by Catalyst Energy to convert an existing conventional gas production well on Route 646 in Cyclone (Keating Township, McKean County, PA) into a shale wastewater injection well (see 
Fox Tank Company, a Texas-based provider of steel storage tanks and pressurized separation vessels for the oil and gas industry, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Coshocton County, OH, at the former site of Crozier Welding. Fox has pledged to invest $7.9 million and create 89 new jobs at the facility. Fox chose the site due to its proximity to the growing Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling for oil and gas, as well as its proximity to the company’s existing customers. 
We’ve pointed out (for years) the relative success the anti-drilling left has had in blocking new pipeline projects to carry Marcellus/Utica molecules to other regions, stifling new drilling in our area as a result. Although it has been and will continue to be a challenge to build new pipeline projects, the Trump administration is making it easier. Trump’s policies encourage new pipelines and more access to natural gas. We spotted an article from Reuters that provides an overview of eight pipeline projects that are actively being pursued to carry M-U molecules to other regions. We’ve covered all of these projects in previous posts. The Reuters article compiles the most likely candidates for new pipeline projects into a single, convenient article. 
The number crunchers at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analyzed proved reserves data for 2023 (the most recent year available) and determined that proved reserves of U.S. natural gas decreased 12.6% year over year, from 691.0 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) to 603.6 Tcf. This was the first annual decrease in U.S. natural gas reserves since 2020. Looking at the numbers for Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, natural gas proved reserves decreased by 4% (PA), 13% (OH), and 6% (WV) from 2022 to 2023. The report shows that Marcellus gas reserves dropped 5.9% in 2023. 
Last week, a new company entered the U.S. LNG export market. Coastal Bend LNG, a privately held energy infrastructure development company, announced it has initiated the development of a 22.5 million ton per annum (MTPA) natural gas liquefaction and export facility on the Texas Gulf Coast. The company plans to file an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) this year. If the full vision is realized (22.5 MTPA), it will become the second-largest LNG export plant in the U.S., behind Cheniere Energy’s 29.5 MTPA Sabine Pass facility. 
The 2025 Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy was published on June 26, 2025, covering full-year 2024 data on global energy and emissions statistics. Global energy supply reached an all-time high with natural gas contributing the most incremental supply additions of any single energy source in 2024. Nearly 87% of global energy consumption was accounted for by fossil fuels (much of it gasoline and diesel for vehicles). The natural gas share of the global energy supply is 25%. Natural gas accounted for 33% of the incremental increase in global energy supplies in 2024, the largest share of any fuel source. So much for the renewables-are-taking-over fairy tale. Fossil fuels remain king of the energy market.
It’s bloody. It’s brutal. Last week, for the ninth consecutive week, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count declined (by seven rigs) to its lowest level since October 2021, ending the week at 547 active rigs. The national rig count continues in a free fall. For the fifth week in a row, the Marcellus/Utica count remained the same, at a combined 36 active rigs. The Pennsylvania Marcellus operated 18 rigs. The Ohio Utica operated 11 rigs. And West Virginia operated seven rigs. So, at least there’s some good news with respect to the M-U. 
Following President Trump’s quid pro quo deal with New York Governor Kathy Hochul in which Trump is allowing a $5 billion offshore wind project to proceed in return for Hochul allowing two Williams gas pipeline projects, Williams wasted no time in restarting one of the two projects, the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project (see 
One day before Constellation Energy’s Eddystone Generating Station in Delaware County, PA, was due to close its remaining two units, the Trump Department of Energy (DOE) stepped in and ordered the plants to remain active based on Trump’s declaration of an energy emergency across the country (see