PA EHB Rejects Request to Dismiss McKean Co. Injection Well Appeal
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 PA DEP Approves Shale Wastewater Injection Well in McKean County). The DEP approved the plan on Jan. 11, 2024. Residents who live nearby and are opposed to the decision appealed it to the PA Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court established to hear appeals of DEP decisions. The EHB issued an opinion on Dec. 27, 2024, that allowed the well to move forward (see PA EHB Allows Wastewater Injection Well in McKean County to Open). Catalyst commenced injections on Jan. 22 of this year. Given that the EHB allowed the well to finish work and come online, both the DEP and Catalyst filed a motion with the EHB to dismiss the appeal from residents. Read More “PA EHB Rejects Request to Dismiss McKean Co. Injection Well Appeal”
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.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Pa.’s muddled leadership loses to Ohio, W.Va.; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: California’s net-zero emissions plan is a ‘national security’ risk for America; Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk on energy dominance; NATIONAL: Fueling defense – the future of the United States Airforce; With ethane as a bargaining chip, energy becomes a weapon in talks with China; Senate adds two-year extension of hydrogen tax credit to budget bill; What Alex Epstein told Thom Tillis about terminating new solar/wind subsidies using “placed in service”; INTERNATIONAL: LNG Canada dispatches first cargo; Oil slips as traders weigh OPEC+ hike; CO2 sustains greenhouse farming revolution. 
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 
A new poll of registered Massachusetts voters shows they are fed up with the liberal policies of the Democrats running the state when it comes to the sky-high cost of energy. Natural gas prices have increased 93 percent over the last decade, while electricity costs have risen 65 percent. For many families, energy bills now consume a disproportionate share of household income. Massachusetts households paid 76.34 percent more than the U.S. average for electricity and 71.45 percent more than the national average for natural gas. The poll showed nearly 6 in 10 voters (59 percent) support building the Constitution Pipeline, which would deliver affordable natural gas from Pennsylvania to New England. Another 28 percent are neutral or have no opinion on the Constitution. Only a tiny 13 percent are against building the Constitution Pipeline. 
How much longer will gullible Americans continue to believe the FICTION that somehow solar and wind are taking over electricity generation and displacing natural gas and other fossil energy sources? How much longer before we DEMAND that crooked mainstream media come clean and tell the truth? The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that electricity demand in the Eastern United States surged during the heat wave last week, reaching multi-year highs. ISO-NE, the grid covering New England, hit peak load last Tuesday. On Tuesday, 47% of ISO-NE’s electricity generation came from natural gas, 12% from electric imports (Canada), 13% from nuclear, 12% from petroleum, 1% from coal, and 4% from renewable sources, including wind, batteries, and solar. Yes, just 4% of electricity came from so-called renewables, while burning oil (petroleum) produced 12% of the region’s electricity, keeping the lights from going out. 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Mark Christie says grid operators, including those along the East Coast (PJM and ISO-NE), dodged a blackout bullet last week (our words, his sentiment). Christie warned that we are not building new power generation fast enough, and blackouts are on the horizon. With respect to the extreme heat last week, Christie said, “Some of our systems really came close to the edge.” He also said, “You never know about the next time, and there’s going to be a next time.” Unfortunately, Christie is being replaced (see 
For the week of June 16 – 22, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica rose from the previous week. There were 24 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, up six from 18 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 16 new permits. Olympus Energy received the most new permits, six, all of them in Westmoreland County (across two pads). Seneca Resources received five permits for one pad in Tioga County. Range Resources scored three permits for a single pad in Washington County.