MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jan 5, 2026 [FREE ACCESS]
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: DEP seeks comments on Marcus Hook Power Plant air permit renewal; Pa. receives OK to spend $112 million in federal funds for electric charging stations; DEP invites comments on Chapter 105 permit for daylighting 3 CNX pipelines; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Gas release at natural gas pipeline hub causes evacuations; Illinois dairy and beef farms make raising methane-belching cows part of the climate solution; Law firm leading latest climate lawsuit accused of “misconduct bordering on criminal”; University of North Dakota to introduce students to energy-sector careers; NY’s City Council members are just begging for blackouts; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures kick off 2026 with a loss; Public ownership won’t cure power market volatility; Green hydrogen’s uncertain future; AI data centers are forcing dirty ‘peaker’ power plants back into service; Climate change perceptions; INTERNATIONAL: Oil fluctuates as traders weigh surplus, geopolitical risks; Oil stuck in tug of war; Argentina’s shale boom propels it past Colombia in oil output; Energy transition meltdown could mean global bifurcation; Anti-energy threats still abound. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jan 5, 2026 [FREE ACCESS]”
The combined number of new permits issued to drill shale wells across the Marcellus/Utica region was 12 for the week of Dec. 15 – 21. Pennsylvania issued 8 new permits, while Ohio issued 4. West Virginia issued no new permits for that period. Among the companies receiving new permits were Seneca Resources, CNX Resources, Gulfport Energy, and EOG Resources. 
The venerable Baker Hughes rig count turned in its weekly report early last week, on Dec. 23 (Tuesday instead of the usual Friday) due to the holiday. The Marcellus/Utica rig count gained 1 rig three weeks ago in the Ohio Utica, bringing the total to 39 rigs. For the past three reports in a row, the M-U has maintained that count—the most rigs it has operated in more than a year. Pennsylvania has held at 18 active rigs for six consecutive weeks. Ohio has operated 14 rigs for three straight weeks (its highest in over a year). And West Virginia maintained 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30. There were 24 rigs targeting the Marcellus and 15 targeting the Utica. The national count picked up 3 rigs, bringing the total to 545 active rigs. 
The EOG Resources-owned Wehr Spring Valley Farm well in Ellsworth may signal a resurgence in the oil and gas industry in Mahoning County, Ohio. Producing 40,489 barrels of oil in its first quarter, the well significantly outperformed neighboring sites, validating predictions that the Utica play would yield oil as it moves north. Regional leaders and attorneys attribute this success to advanced drilling technologies, specifically improved surfactant chemistry and closer fracturing stages. This production spike in the Wehr well has revitalized local interest in mineral rights and spurred infrastructure investments, such as Vallourec’s $48 million pipe mill expansion, highlighting the region’s growing economic potential. 
A big announcement from the Trump Department of the Interior (DOI). Yesterday, the DOI announced an immediate pause on all large-scale offshore wind project leases currently under construction in the United States. There are five such projects along the East Coast, including one off the coast of New York State. The DOI said the decision stems from “national security risks” identified by the Department of War in classified reports, specifically concerning radar interference known as “clutter” caused by massive turbine blades. Trump previously negotiated a deal with NY Governor Kathy Hochul to allow two pipeline projects—the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project and the Constitution Pipeline—in return for building the offshore Empire Wind 1 project (see 
Back in February, MDN told you that a company called PowerConneX had pre-applied to build a 120-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant at a 49-acre site in New Albany, Licking County (near Columbus) that will host a data center (see 
The Ohio Tax Commissioner is facing a lawsuit from Rover Pipeline over an aggressive property tax assessment that inflates the project’s market value. The dispute centers on the state treating $2.2 billion in weather-related construction overruns and an unrealistic “infinite lifespan” assumption as value-adding assets. Critics argue that this approach violates constitutional principles of fair market valuation, under which taxes should reflect what a willing buyer would pay rather than total development costs. 
On July 25, 2025, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act to streamline federal environmental reviews for energy and infrastructure projects, addressing delays blamed for hindering U.S. construction (see 
A big, fat, red flag has just been waved by researchers at Auburn University and Stanford University regarding the future of hydrogen as a nirvana energy source. 
We wish you a Merry Christmas…and a Happy New Year! MDN will take off (i.e., no new stories posted) between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2, the day after New Year’s Day, in observance of the holiday season. Don’t worry; we’ll keep an eye on the news, and if anything earth-shattering happens, we’ll post about it. However, we intend to take a break from writing for an entire week. We will see you again on Monday, January 5th.
Two weeks ago, MDN brought you the news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, had cut a deal to buy WV driller and midstreamer HG Energy II for a combined (upstream & midstream) $3.9 billion (see 
In 2018, Equitrans Midstream, the builder of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), proposed extending the MVP pipeline (after completion) by an additional 75 miles from the current terminus in Pittsylvania County, VA, to Alamance County, NC, to provide natural gas for heating and electric power generation. The 75-mile extension was called MVP Southgate. In December 2023, Equitrans announced it was significantly changing the project, cutting it by more than half and increasing the amount of gas flowing through it (see 
Natural gas liquids (NGLs) include “heavier” hydrocarbons that come out of the ground along with methane (CH4). The most prevalent NGL by volume is ethane (C2H6). Another common NGL is propane (C3H8). And yet another is butane (C4H10). Depending on the location, all of those NGLs are produced in abundance in the Marcellus/Utica region. So, it should not come as a surprise that manufacturing plants that use NGLs as feedstock would decide to locate facilities in the region to leverage low-cost NGLs. India-based Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd. (TCL) is moving into pre-commissioning and startup activities at its new manufacturing facility in West Virginia (near Moundsville, Marshall County) and is progressing toward startup operations.