A Brief Editorial Note on Today’s “Political” Stories
As it happens, today’s lineup of stories is largely focused on politics. This note is to let you know this is not a new direction for MDN, but rather a one-off. We have always responded to the news of the day to bring you the latest items that impact the Marcellus/Utica shale industry. As it so happens, today’s news largely revolves around politics. We try to keep the political talk to a minimum, other than where politics intersects with energy and (in particular) shale drilling.
What we are saying is that you don’t have to worry that you will “suffer” through endless political stories from now until November (or even after November). We will cover election-related stories on occasion, as the situation warrants. Politics DO have a direct impact on the oil and gas industry. Our interest, from a political perspective, is in promoting the politicians and legislation that is favorable to the shale industry. We won’t bore you to death (or, in some cases, anger you) with political stories! We promise.
NATIONAL: Employees sue American Airlines, don’t want 401(k)s in ESG; AI, robotics leading transformative changes in oil and gas; Offshore wind energy scandal is even worse than you think; Trump’s proposed tariffs spark concerns for oil industry; INTERNATIONAL: Russia plans compensation cuts after pumping above OPEC quota; Houthis attack oil tanker in Red Sea.
A MAJOR victory for Pennsylvania Republicans that is not getting the attention it should. For years, PA State Sen. Gene Yaw and others have lobbied for review by qualified third parties to speed up the turnaround time to approve relatively simple permits issued by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), including earth disturbance/erosion permits, known as Chapter 102 permits, and water obstruction and encroachment permits, known as Chapter 105 permits (see 
According to Public News Service (PNS), a Big Green propaganda outfit funded (in part) by the Fresh Water Accountability Project, the CEO of Austin Master Services (AMS), a frack waste storage facility in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, was supposed to attend a Belmont County court hearing by phone. He faces contempt-of-court charges for failing to clean up 10,000 tons of waste. However, it wasn’t the hearing that caught our attention; it was a comment made by the Mayor of Martins Ferry.
Anti-fossil fuel zealots from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and from an Indian tribe as far away as Nova Scotia (Canada) are opposing a $12 billion plan by Washington Gas to fix leaky (very old) natural gas pipelines that cross under the streets of our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. An article from the Big Green propaganda outfit Public News Service (PNS) opens with this line: “Washington D.C. residents are pushing back on a plan to build out existing fossil fuel infrastructure.” There’s no mention of how many D.C. residents object. And as if there aren’t enough residents who object, the article quotes an anti from Nova Scotia! What do antis from N.S. have to do with this?
Natural gas traders are predicting (more like warning) that Europe’s natural gas storage tanks will be filled to the tippy top during the third quarter (which ends in September), ahead of the normal schedule. At the start of the second quarter, Europe’s tanks were 59% full. As of July 12, they were 80% full. If European storage closes early, that will put downward pressure on prices here in the U.S. Less demand with the same supply equals lower prices.
Over the past seven-plus years, BKV Corporation (Banpu Kalnin Ventures), the American arm of Banpu (96% owned by Banpu, Thailand’s largest coal mining company), has become one of the top 20 gas-weighted natural gas producers in the U.S. BKV originally entered the American shale sector by investing $500 million in 2016-2017 to buy existing Marcellus wells and acreage in northeast Pennsylvania. Then the company went wandering into other shale plays (see 
In December 2022, Rice Acquisition Corp II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) started by the Rice brothers (Danny, Toby, and Derek), announced a deal to acquire NET Power — an electric power developer with revolutionary new technology to capture every last molecule of carbon dioxide from natural gas-fired power plants (see 
We’ve covered the Pennsylvania state budget negotiations and passage in years gone by when PA’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf (far-left Democrat) requested a Marcellus-killing severance tax every year he was in office (eight loooong years). We’ve largely ignored the PA budget this time around under PA’s do-nothing dud of a governor, Josh Shapiro, as his proposed budget didn’t include a severance tax proposal. The budget passed last Thursday (two weeks late). We happened to spot a comment by the Marcellus Shale Coalition offering words of praise for the budget, so that got our attention. What is in this budget the MSC likes?
Refracs, also called re-entries and re-completions, re-enter an existing and declining well to access more rock and pump new life out of it. Refracs are becoming a much more common practice for operators. There are two main types of refracs. While refracs are mainly used in oil wells, there are times when they are used in gas wells. Is a refrac coming to a well near you?
CleanTechnica, a leftist pseudo-science website that caters to mind-numbed robots, is warning its readers that Donald Trump “intends to assemble an army to deconstruct the administrative state & the environment.” Cue screaming. The article details the horrors of a second Trump administration and what it will mean to the environment. Actually, the concern is what it will mean to the parasites who suck public money for scam renewable energy projects. The article is equal parts funny and accurate. It accurately outlines the approach Trump will take to dismantle the administrative state that currently exists and is completely controlled by leftist Democrats. What’s funny is that we agree! The article, while horrifying for leftists, brings us great hope and comfort that we can rescue this country from the disaster it has become under the left.
The U.S. national oil and gas rig count lost ground again last week for the fifth time in six weeks, albeit by a small amount. The national combined Baker Hughes oil and gas rig count lost one rig and now stands at 584 active rigs. The Marcellus/Utica stayed the same last week, for the sixth week in a row, with a combined 36 active rigs. Pennsylvania continued to operate 21 rigs. Ohio remained steady with ten active rigs. And West Virginia kept five active rigs. The M-U’s primary competitor, the Haynesville, held stead with 37 active rigs.