MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Democrat-led northeast now has highest electricity prices in nation; NATIONAL: Kelcy Warren’s dual impact of building energy infrastructure while championing philanthropy; What the media still won’t tell you about the energy transition; Natgas prices sink on the outlook for cooler us temps and higher gas production; INTERNATIONAL: Oil slides amid demand concerns; EU lifts sanctions against three LNG tankers formerly working for Russia; Spain’s gas demand soars as power plants burn more since blackout. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”
We finally saw some relief last week for the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count, which added rigs for the first time in three months (12 weeks). The U.S. count added seven rigs and now stands at 544 active rigs. However, it was gas-focused rigs that saved the day. The number of oil-focused rigs continued to fall last week (down another two) while gas-focused rigs had a massive increase (up by nine). The Marcellus/Utica count stayed even last week (after falling by one three weeks ago) at a combined 35 active rigs. There were 23 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 12 rigs targeting the Utica last week. 
Two years ago, Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline Company (aka TETCO) filed to build the Appalachia to Market II Project (A2M II) and the Entriken HP Replacement Project (see 
The Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project is designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets. Following some intense conversations between President Trump and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, she caved (according to the White House). She agreed to allow two long-stalled pipeline projects—the Constitution and NESE—to get built in NY in return for Trump allowing her to continue to sink $5 billion into an offshore wind project (see 
Anti-fossil fuel zealots, led (and funded) by the odious Sierra Club, made silly horse’s rear-ends of themselves yesterday at Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky. A small group (under 20 judging by photos) engaged in a fake funeral procession with a box shaped like a black coffin with the words “DIED FROM FOSSIL FUELS” written on the side of it to object to the construction of a tiny, 12-mile pipeline in the area. Here’s the thing: The people engaging in these theatrics were all wearing clothes made FROM fossil fuels, wearing hats made from fossil fuels, sporting sneakers made from fossil fuels, most with glasses made from fossil fuels, carrying banners and signs made from fossil fuels, speaking into a PA system that was made with fossil fuels, and carrying a fake coffin that was painted with paint that comes from fossil fuels. Do they know just how stupid they looked? 
Danskammer Energy, which had operated a gas-fired peaker power plant along the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY, worked on a project to upgrade the plant since 2018. In June 2024, Danskammer Energy withdrew its permit application with the fossil fuel-hostile state, formally ending attempts to expand after nearly seven years of frustration in trying and receiving rejections from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Let the idiots who keep the Dems in power sit in the dark and see how that feels. Now, the idiots (and leftist politicians who want to keep their jobs) are waking up and saying, “Oh crap. We might need those gas-fired plants after all.” It sounds so sweet to say: WE TOLD YOU SO! 
For the week of July 7 – 13, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica remained the same as the previous week. There were 21 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week. The Keystone State (PA) issued seven new permits. Range Resources secured three permits, spread across Beaver and Washington counties, in the southwestern part of the state. Seneca Resources received two permits in Tioga County, in the northeastern part of the state. Greylock Energy and Coterra Energy each received a single permit, in Potter and Susquehanna counties, respectively. 
As we reported on Wednesday, a truly mind-blowing event was held in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit organized by PA Senator Dave McCormick (see 
Talen Energy, a leading energy producer in the U.S., which owns and operates approximately 10.7 gigawatts (GW) of power infrastructure, has announced the acquisition of two gas-fired power plants: one located near Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania, and the other in Guernsey County, in eastern Ohio, for $3.8 billion. The PA plant is fed by Marcellus molecules, and the OH plant is fed by Utica molecules. We have followed both projects from inception through commissioning and operation. 
After returning from the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation summit held on Tuesday of this week in Pittsburgh, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin published an op-ed highlighting steps his agency is taking to reduce burdensome regulations, unleash American energy dominance, and make America the AI capital of the world. The EPA is working on clearing away red tape on the federal level, while GOP legislators in Pennsylvania are working on clearing away red tape on the state level. It will take both efforts to ensure the $92 billion pledged for energy projects in PA actually happens.