EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2026 Predicts Massive Growth in the M-U
The number crunchers in the bowels of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued their latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) for 2026 yesterday. And, wow! We didn’t expect this! The agency predicts that natural gas production will grow significantly, from 107 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2025 to between 133 Bcf/d and 151 Bcf/d by 2050. The growth is being driven by both domestic and international demand. But here’s the interesting part: The EIA sees the coming growth in production as strongest “in the East region, which includes the low-cost Appalachian Basin.” The EIA says that to grow production in the M-U, new pipeline infrastructure will be needed to transport it to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Read More “EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2026 Predicts Massive Growth in the M-U”
The Ohio Supreme Court issued a decision in a case we previously did not know about, one with the potential to affect landowners and drillers. In the case Faith Ranch & Farms Fund, Inc. v. PNC Bank, the Supremes ruled that a former Harrison County landowner did NOT reserve underground oil and gas rights in a 1953 deed that mentioned coal and “other minerals.” Using the phrase “other minerals” may refer to oil and gas, but that isn’t necessarily the case, the justices said in a 6-1 ruling. The phrase was considered in relation to how it’s contextualized in a deed, one of the justices wrote. 
Much as the Marcellus Shale boom revolutionized Pennsylvania’s economy, a wave of data center development is poised to drive Pennsylvania’s digital future. At a Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce panel, experts from PPL Electric Utilities, Amazon Web Services, and the government discussed the immense power demands of this transition. With AWS investing $20 billion in two Pennsylvania-based data centers, the state is racing to catch up to neighboring states in the lucrative data center market. Unfortunately, it has already fallen behind. 
In July 2024, EQT Corporation closed on a $5.4 billion deal to buy back the midstream division it had spun off in 2018 (see 
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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 revision to the agency’s prediction about the spot price (at the Henry Hub) for natural gas in 2026 and 2027. Just last month, EIA predicted the HH spot price would average $3.76 per million British thermal units (MMBtus) this year, and $3.85 next year (see 
The Trump administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget would establish four Centers of Excellence at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), focusing on oil and natural gas, coal, critical minerals, and geothermal energy. Pittsburgh’s South Park facility will house the oil and gas center, while Morgantown, West Virginia, will host the coal center. NETL’s infrastructure funding will rise 2% to $58 million, but research operations will face an 8% cut to $80 million. Programs supporting coal-impacted communities and clean hydrogen hubs would be eliminated. Industry groups, including the Marcellus Shale Coalition and Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, praised the administration’s energy-focused direction. 
Caturus has reached major milestones in its “wellhead-to-water” strategy, finalizing customer offtake agreements (new customer signups) for its $12.5 billion, 9.5 MTPA Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana. This commercialization milestone paves the way for imminent project financing and a final investment decision (FID) in the coming weeks. Key international partners, including EQT LNG Trading, Glencore, Mercuria, PETRONAS, and Aramco Trading Americas, have signed long-term Sale and Purchase Agreements. 
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), which began operations in 2024 through West Virginia and Virginia, is now slated for an extension, the MVP Southgate, into North Carolina. This expansion faces opposition from some residents and environmental groups who raise concerns about safety, environmental impact, eminent domain issues, and the need for increased natural gas infrastructure (they believe cataclysmic global warming comes from burning natural gas). Despite court challenges and past environmental violations, the project has received government approvals and is forging ahead. On March 23, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice to proceed with construction in Virginia.