Nat’l Rig Count Down 2 @ 590; Marcellus Up 2 @ 25, Utica Down 1 @ 11
The Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count lost two rigs last week and now operates 590 active rigs. As for the Marcellus/Utica, the rig count was a combined 36 last week—the highest it has been since last August! Rigs focused on the Marcellus were up by two to a combined 25 across the three M-U states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Rigs focused on the Utica dropped one rig (after increasing by one the week before), now at a combined 11. PA had operated 15 rigs (or more) for 19 weeks straight. That streak was broken two weeks ago when PA lost a rig. PA picked it back up again and had 15 active rigs last week. OH had operated nine rigs for 16 weeks in a row but picked up one two weeks ago and kept it, meaning the dropped Utica rig from last week was in either PA or WV. Likely, the rig was repurposed from Utica to Marcellus in PA. OH currently operates ten active rigs. WV had operated 10 rigs for an astonishing 23 weeks in a row. Seven weeks ago, WV added (and has kept) one additional rig and continues to operate 11 active rigs. Read More “Nat’l Rig Count Down 2 @ 590; Marcellus Up 2 @ 25, Utica Down 1 @ 11”
On Friday, MDN reported that on the previous day (Thursday), Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum joined the CEOs of Range Resources and EQT Corporation and the President of Halliburton’s Western Hemisphere operations at a rally in Washington, PA, to cheerlead and promote the announcement about the country’s largest natural gas-fired power plant to be built in western Pennsylvania (see 
Last week, MDN brought you the exciting news that THE largest gas-fired power plant in the country, along with a MASSIVE data center complex, will be built at a former coal-fired power plant site in Indiana County, PA (see 
For at least a decade, MDN has brought you stories about refracs, also called re-entries and re-completions, where a driller re-enters an existing and declining well to access more rock and pump new life out of it (
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to limited government, free markets, and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States. Even though Pennsylvania is a natural gas haven, Pennsylvania ranks only 32nd in energy affordability according to ALEC’s recently-released Energy Affordability 2025 report (full copy below). ALEC says PA’s existing policies under Gov. Josh Shapiro, meant to wean the state off fossil fuels, have made affordability WORSE. 
After liquefying and exporting over 400 cargoes of LNG from March 1, 2022, through today, Venture Global says its Calcasieu Pass (CP) LNG export facility, located in Louisiana, is finally “ready” to begin “commercial” operations….on April 15th. Nearly three years after it began shipping LNG. Venture Global claimed the CP facility was not commercially ready until now. Last Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave its blessing to Venture Global to start commercial operations as of April 15, meaning the company will now have to ship cargoes to its *contracted customers.* Finally. 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Stonepeak to acquire interest in Woodside’s Louisiana LNG; NATIONAL: WTI sinks 14% in two days amid global unrest; DOE offers 16 locations for possible data center, energy infrastructure development; Renewable subsidies are poisoning the nation’s electricity grid; American energy dominance providing the backbone for fair trade; Weather and inventory build set bearish tone for natgas prices; INTERNATIONAL: LNG cargoes land at wider discounts in Europe; EU calls for new funding proposals for cross-border energy projects; Saudis slash oil prices to Asia after surprise output hike; Shell lowers first-quarter LNG production outlook; Europe could need extra $11 billion of gas to refill winter stores. 
We have an important update to share. On Feb. 19, MDN published a post about a Catalyst Energy wastewater injection well in Keating Township, McKean County, PA (see 
For the week of Mar 24 – 30, the number of permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica to drill new shale wells dropped by three from the previous week. Last week, 19 new permits were issued, with 15 going to the Keystone State (PA). Seneca Resources received the lion’s share, 13 of the 15 permits, all in Tioga County spread across three different pads. One permit was issued to EQT (Rice Drilling) in Greene County, and one was issued to Campbell Oil & Gas in Westmoreland County. 
An important decision was recently issued in a federal court case (in Ohio) that potentially affects landowners and drillers with shale leases throughout the Marcellus/Utica. At least, we believe it has broader implications. The case, The Grissoms, LLC v. Antero Resources Corporation, was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Circuit) on April 2, 2025. The case involves a dispute between a certified class of 370 Ohio landowners and Antero. The landowners alleged that Antero underpaid them $10 million in natural gas royalties by improperly deducting certain processing and fractionation costs from their royalty payments, violating their lease agreements. In 2023, the landowners won against Antero in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division (see 
Earlier this week, MDN told you about a mineral/royalty rights purchase made by WhiteHawk Energy, increasing its ownership interest in 475,000 gross acres in the Marcellus Shale for $118 million (see 
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) represent the largest source of natural gas demand growth this year. LNG gross exports are expected to increase by 19% to 14.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2025 and by 15% to 16.4 Bcf/d in 2026. The start-up timing of two new LNG export facilities—Plaquemines LNG Phase 2 (consisting of 18 midscale trains) and Golden Pass LNG—could significantly affect EIA’s forecasting because these facilities represent 19% of incremental U.S. LNG export capacity in 2025–26.