Cove Point LNG Offline for Annual Maintenance Until Mid-October
Each fall in the September/October timeframe, Cove Point LNG shuts down for a few weeks (typically around three weeks) for annual maintenance. That time has arrived. According to a notice posted on the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Informational Postings website, reductions in flows to the Cove Point facility will happen between Monday, September 15, and Friday, October 10 (a whole month). Having said that, feedgas flows will not be zero during all of that period, but will be significantly reduced. Read More “Cove Point LNG Offline for Annual Maintenance Until Mid-October”
A new group, the 
Last week, MDN told you that there was a disagreement brewing between those who operate the PJM Interconnection power grid and Big Tech, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and others, regarding the issue of adding data centers to the PJM grid (see 
We’ve railed against the Jones Act for years. The Jones Act, passed in 1920, requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned, and operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The problem is, big LNG tankers are all built, owned, and/or operated by foreign countries. You can’t fill up an LNG tanker in Sabine Pass or Cove Point and float it into Boston Harbor and unload it because the ship is not “U.S.-flagged.” It’s illegal under the Jones Act. We came close to repealing it during the first Trump administration, but ultimately failed (see 
The American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) yesterday released a new study (full copy below) analyzing the upstream oil and natural gas sector’s profound impact on the U.S. economy. The study found that upstream, onshore independent producers supported 3.1 million jobs nationally, contributed to $277 billion in labor income, and paid $129 billion in taxes — accounting for 87% of the sector’s total economic contributions in 2024. As vital contributors to America’s energy security, independents accounted for over 85% of onshore crude and condensate production and over 90% of onshore gas production from 2022 to 2024. 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Charleston quietly walks away from dismissed climate lawsuit; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak; Could Trump use national security measures to block offshore wind?; INTERNATIONAL: WTI tops $64 amid geopolitical strain; Canada approves West Coast LNG export project; The whole world has soured on climate politics. 
Following three years of negotiations, Lycoming County Commissioners celebrated closing a deal with Range Resources to lease 1,350 acres in Jackson Township for shale drilling. The county is receiving a $5.4 million signing bonus, which works out to $4,000 per acre. Sweet. However, the county will receive just a 2% royalty for any oil/gas produced from the property. You read that right (not a typo)—just 2%, which has to be the lowest royalty rate we’ve ever seen negotiated, either with a private landowner or a municipality. 
Earlier this month, we brought you the bombshell news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, is preparing to market its Ohio Utica assets, hoping to fetch $900 million to $1 billion (see 
In June, we reported that the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court in PA that hears appeals of decisions made by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), had ruled in favor of CNX Resources to allow two previously permitted wells in Penn Township (Westmoreland County) to move forward with construction (see 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
EQT Corporation, at one time the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. (now #2 behind Expand Energy), recently signed its third deal to buy LNG from a Gulf Coast liquefaction plant, positioning the company as an LNG trader in addition to being the second largest natural gas producer in the country and a major midstream player (see 
A power project we’ve been tracking since 2017 is a 620-megawatt (MW) Marcellus-fired electric plant in Greene County, PA, called the Hill Top Energy Center (
MDN chronicled the rise and fall of Tellurian, founded by Charif Souki (who also founded Cheniere Energy), and Tellurian’s LNG export project, Driftwood. Tellurian’s primary focus was to build Driftwood LNG, a 27.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) facility that would cost $14.5 billion. Construction began on the project in March 2022, even without a final investment decision (see 
Finally, some good news to report on the U.S. and Marcellus/Utica rig count. Last week, the national rig count added two rigs after adding one the prior week, the first time we’ve added rigs for two weeks in a row since April of this year. We ended the week with 539 active rigs. In some even better news, the Utica Shale in Ohio added a rig last week, the first rig added to the M-U count since July 25. In fact, the combined count (37) has not been this high since May 23. Break out the party hats! 