White House Announces It May Grant 30-Day Jones Act Waivers for O&G
Finally! The White House is seriously considering (and will likely sign) a temporary waiver suspending the Jones Act for 30 days. The Trump administration is considering a temporary suspension of the Jones Act to help lower gasoline prices, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming a formal review of the policy. According to reports from Bloomberg and Reuters, the plan involves issuing 30-day waivers that would allow foreign-flagged tankers to transport fuel from the Gulf Coast and other U.S. hubs to East Coast refiners, a move that shipping and oil companies have already been advised to prepare for. Read More “White House Announces It May Grant 30-Day Jones Act Waivers for O&G”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that surging electricity demand, primarily driven by data center expansion and industrial growth, could significantly increase fossil fuel power generation through 2027. In a high-demand scenario, incremental power needs would likely be met by natural gas- and coal-fired plants, as generating capacity remains fixed in the short term. Consequently, natural gas generation could rise by 7.3%, while the projected decline of coal would slow significantly. This increased demand is expected to raise wholesale electricity prices nationwide. 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Energy Secretary backs restart of Indian Point nuclear plant in NY; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas little changed in rangebound trade; “These people are crazy” – climate science and the cult of self-loathing; Mixed results for Trump’s fossil energy permitting sprint; INTERNATIONAL: Brent closes above $100 amid Gulf crisis; Oman evacuates oil port as ships hit in Gulf; China is affected by the Iran conflict in multiple ways; King Penguins vote for climate change, have more babies; Iran has laid about a dozen mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say; Report claims India-flagged tankers pass through Hormuz. 
In its 2025 year-end results released yesterday, Infinity Natural Resources (INR) provided a bullish outlook for the coming year. The company, which focuses solely on the Marcellus/Utica, is targeting roughly 70% year-over-year production growth, fueled by the integration of the Ohio Utica assets it recently acquired from Antero (see 
The West Virginia Senate approved House Bill (HB) 4983 on Wednesday, establishing the certification process for new data centers and the gas-fired microgrids intended to power them. This is a key piece of the “gas-to-data-center” story we’ve been following. The final version includes new language requiring developers to study water usage, addressing local concerns while still providing a regulatory pathway for the “behind-the-meter” generation projects that are currently the primary bridge solution for the AI industry. 
The Golden Pass LNG terminal is a liquefied natural gas terminal and regasification facility in Sabine Pass (Port Arthur), Texas. It is among the largest LNG facilities in the world. It can accommodate up to 15.6 million metric tons (MT) of LNG per year, the equivalent of approximately 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (Bcf/d). QatarEnergy, Qatar’s state-owned petroleum company, owns 70% of the Golden Pass LNG project. ExxonMobil owns the other 30%. Sabine Pass sees a tremendous amount of Marcellus/Utica molecules flowing to the region via a couple of pipelines, namely Transco (which flows M-U molecules). Hence, our interest in this major natural gas user’s start-up. We have good news… 
Patterson-UTI is a leading North American oilfield services company (OFS company) based in Houston, specializing in high-spec land drilling, pressure pumping, and directional drilling. Patterson operates one of the largest fleets of APEX® rigs, focusing on advanced, technology-driven solutions for oil and natural gas exploration. Patterson operates roughly half of the active rigs in the Marcellus/Utica. Patterson CEO Andy Hendricks made a prediction in a recent interview: Rising US natural gas exports and domestic demand from AI data centers will lead to a shortage of fracking equipment later this decade. 
White House officials, including the legislative affairs team and the National Energy Dominance Council, are ramping up engagement in bipartisan congressional talks to reform energy permitting processes (“permitting reform”). Although negotiations recently stalled when Senate Democrats boycotted over a halt on offshore wind projects, formal discussions have, according to super secret sources, resumed following the administration’s progress on onshore wind and solar permits. The White House seeks legislative action to streamline environmental reviews, bolster domestic production, and lower energy costs amid rising electricity demands. 
It’s time to make a LOT of noise with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) if you care about Marcellus drilling continuing in the Keystone State. In December, the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) accepted a petition by radical green groups, including the Clean Air Council and Environmental Integrity Project, to “study” the issue of increasing setbacks for shale drilling so far that it would ban ALL new Marcellus/Utica drilling in the Keystone State, which is no exaggeration (see 
Yesterday, March 10, 2026, Repsol held its Capital Markets Day at its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, where the company unveiled its new Strategic Plan for 2026–2028. Repsol is leaning into its U.S. natural gas assets, even as its total company-wide spending is slowing. Repsol reiterated that the United States is a “core country” for its Upstream (Exploration and Production) business. Repsol is specifically “high-grading” its portfolio to focus on high-value areas like the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. 
We’ve recently begun to highlight flow restrictions along pipelines that carry Marcellus/Utica molecules. When flows slow or stop (because they can’t reach other markets), the price typically falls because local supply exceeds local demand. In the middle of Winter Storm Fern in January, outages and freeze-offs led to significant stress with production dropping 10-12% due to pipeline and well issues (see 
Wastewater injection wells are an essential, safe, and highly regulated component of Southeast Ohio’s fracking industry. Banning these wells would trigger an economic catastrophe, leading to job losses and reduced public funding, without providing any actual environmental benefits. Yet that’s exactly what the political leaders of Marietta, OH, in collusion with virulent anti-fossil fuel groups, are attempting to do. Opposing injection wells while supporting fracking (as Marietta’s “leaders” are doing) is contradictory, as the two are inseparable for regional energy production and the area’s continued economic stability. 
Wow! What a difference a month makes. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) yesterday. The STEO is the agency’s monthly best estimate of where energy prices and production will head over the next 12 months. There was a major revision to the agency’s prediction about the spot price (at the Henry Hub) for natural gas in 2026. Just last month, EIA predicted the HH spot price would average $4.31 per million British thermal units (see