PA’s Senators Intro Bill to Move Fossil Energy Office to Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators, Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, and John Fetterman, D-Braddock, have introduced Senate Bill 2044, which would move the federal Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) to Pittsburgh. It’s not an insignificant move. The DOE FECM employs approximately 750 federal employees, including scientists, engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. The federal government already employs around 20,000 people in the Pittsburgh region. This would add to that number. Read More “PA’s Senators Intro Bill to Move Fossil Energy Office to Pittsburgh”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Trump signs measure blocking California’s ban on new sales of gas-powered cars; LNG plant proposed for site near Port Canaveral, Florida; NATIONAL: Concerns grow on how ‘dirt sciences’ will keep attracting talent; IPAA seeking new CEO as Eshelman to take new role; U.S. natural gas storage improves, but long-term challenges remain; Natural gas power generation growth looks favorable for midstream; We’ve lost the culture war on climate; INTERNATIONAL: Oil steadies as traders weigh tariff threats against Iran risk; Israel strikes Iran nuclear sites; Australia could import LNG from 2027 with four projects underway along east coast; Egypt agrees to buy up to 160 LNG cargoes through 2026, sources say; Brussels, Washington, and the Kremlin’s oil-and-gas-for-war exports. 
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and its Regional Entities recently issued a report reviewing how the country’s Bulk-Power System performed well during successive cold weather events in January 2025. The report found that the system was a stellar performer, with no significant issues in either the natural gas or electric systems. The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was called out for its “crucial role” in helping to keep the lights on throughout the Atlantic Coast region during the coldest parts of winter. 
According to a former New Jersey Board of Public Utilities commissioner who was first appointed by Republican Gov. Chris Christie and later reappointed by Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey’s energy policy has “gone off the rails” due to the lack of fact-based planning. The former commissioner, Mary-Anna Holden, should know. She’s someone with a front-row seat to the state’s energy operations. In an op-ed, Holden says ratepayers in the Garden State are paying sky-high electricity prices due to an over-reliance on intermittent (unreliable) renewable energy sources, including solar and wind. 
The Japanese certainly want to stay on the good side of Donald Trump regarding trade. Yesterday, JERA Co., Inc., Japan’s largest power generation company, joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright (the Chair and Vice Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, respectively), along with Shigeo Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to the United States, to announce that the company has finalized several 20-year agreements to procure up to 5.5 million tonnes per year (MTPA) of LNG from the United States. 
Even though gas-fired power is the #1 source of electric power generation in the U.S., almost no new combined-cycle gas-fired power plants came online in the U.S. in 2024. That’s about to change. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that 4.3 gigawatts (GW) of new gas-fired power is currently under construction, and developers have announced plans to add 18.7 GW of combined-cycle capacity to the grid by 2028. However, gas-fired power still trails unreliable renewables in planned power additions, illustrating the power of mass brainwashing of the public. 
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently released production numbers for the first quarter of 2025. The top natural gas producer in the state, by far, was Ascent Resources, with 195,139,574 Mcf (or 195.14 Bcf) of production during the quarter, which works out to an average of 2.17 Bcf/d. Ascent’s production accounted for 40% of the state’s natural gas production. The top oil producer in the state, by far, was Encino Energy, with 5,360,199 barrels of oil during the quarter, which works out to an average of 59,557 barrels per day. Encino’s oil production was 49% (nearly half!) of Ohio’s entire oil production during 1Q25. Of course, Encino’s days as a standalone producer are numbered as EOG Resources is buying the company. 
This is funny, and sad. Yesterday, we brought you the news that Amazon has pledged to spend at least $20 billion to build multiple data centers in Pennsylvania (see 
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook yesterday, the agency’s monthly best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. In this latest assessment, EIA once again dropped its estimates for the Henry Hub spot price for 2025. The agency expects the HH price to average $4.00 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in 2025, $0.10 lower than last month’s forecast (and $0.30 less than the forecast from two months ago). However, EIA expects the annual average price in 2026 to be $4.90/MMBtu, which is $0.10 higher than last month’s forecast and $0.30 higher than the forecast from two months ago. An interesting dichotomy—that prices will trend lower this year but higher next year. 
Banks remain confident in long-term energy fundamentals despite significant trade policy turbulence, according to the Spring 2025 Haynes Boone Energy Bank Price Deck Survey (full copy below). The survey, now in its 12th edition, is a leading source of information for energy lenders and producers, providing crucial details on commodity price expectations. Based on internal data from 28 banks, the latest survey indicates that while oil and gas prices have fluctuated in the short term, long-term forecasts remain consistent with past projections, suggesting that banks view recent economic changes as temporary. Banks expect natural gas prices to stay strong, in the $3.50-$3.75/MMBtu range through 2026, due to high LNG export demand and growing energy needs from artificial intelligence infrastructure. 
Here’s a third natural gas price prediction, from Morningstar DBRS, a top company that gives independent credit ratings and opinions for businesses, governments, banks, and financial projects worldwide. Earlier this week, Morningstar published a commentary/report called: “Summer Heat Likely to Add to High LNG Export Demand, Tightening the North American Gas Market” (full copy below). In the report, Morningstar analysts write that they expect the North American natural gas supply and demand balance to tighten from summer heat-driven peak electricity demand and expanding LNG exports, supporting higher bids for spot gas prices. Analysts believe the average price for natural gas will hit $3.50/MMBtu both in 2025 and in 2026. 
U.S. LNG feedgas demand slipped last week to its lowest level since mid-December due to ongoing maintenance at the Sabine Pass and Cameron LNG export facilities along the Gulf Coast. Two trains were offline at Sabine Pass, and one train was offline at Cameron, resulting in feedgas demand of 13.28 Bcf/d for the week (down 7% from the previous week). In something of a miracle, Freeport LNG was online with all trains producing!