Philly’s Former Mayor (Democrat) Says PA Cities NEED Natural Gas
Oh, for the days when there were at least *some* Democrat politicians who were reasonable (able to be reasoned with). Those days are now long gone. The party is populated almost exclusively with leaders who are either leftist Communists or those afraid to stand up to them. There are a few exceptions, such as U.S. Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania. But he’s rare, like a unicorn in the wild. Here’s a Democrat politician we wish were still in office: Michael Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016. These days, Nutter co-hosts “How To Really Run A City” podcast with former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and he serves on the leadership council and is an advisor to Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future. Nutter recently published an op-ed titled, “PA Cities Can’t Get Smarter Without Natural Gas.” Read More “Philly’s Former Mayor (Democrat) Says PA Cities NEED Natural Gas”
Cayuga Station, owned by Duke Energy, is a three-unit coal-fired power plant built between 1970 and 1993 in Vermillion County, Indiana. The existing plant produces up to 1,040 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Earlier this year, Duke filed a request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) for permission to build two new gas-fired units at the Cayuga site to replace the coal-fired units (see 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Judge reduces Standing Rock verdict against Greenpeace to $345 million; DOE announces new collaboration ‘to build largest DOE AI supercomputer’; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures gains on cooler weather; What happened to climate change, the “existential threat” of our time?; US has only ‘scratched the surface’ of its oil potential; INTERNATIONAL: Oil holds steady ahead of OPEC+ talks; Solar overloads Europe’s electricity system; USA Energy Sec says USA is ready to sell more oil, gas to China. 
During the third quarter, Expand Energy, formed by the merger of Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy in late 2024, significantly expanded its portfolio by acquiring 82,500 new acres across the Marcellus and Haynesville shale plays for approximately $235 million. The company added approximately 7,500 acres in the Marcellus in Ohio and West Virginia for $57 million, which can accommodate over 40 well locations. The larger acquisition involved 75,000 acres in the western Haynesville for $178 million, with the potential for over 200 locations. Expand, which produced 7.33 Bcfe/d (92% natural gas), reported strong financial results for the quarter, including nearly $3 billion in revenue and a profit of $547 million. The company produced 7.2 Bcfe/d in 2Q25. Expand is the largest natural gas producer in the country. 
Yesterday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and JobsOhio (a private nonprofit economic development corporation) launched the $100 million JobsOhio Energy Opportunity Initiative, a five-year fund to bolster economic development through energy production. The initiative will provide grants and low-interest loans to qualifying companies to offset costs related to natural gas, power generation, and nuclear power, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). 
The Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE), part of the mighty Transco pipeline system, is alive once again. A decade after Williams Cos. first proposed the $1-billion-plus natural gas pipeline and a year after the company scrapped it, the 400 MMcf/d capacity expansion for New York City and Long Island has been revived. This revival, primarily attributed to a shift in Washington’s political climate, resulted in a new FERC approval. Now, state regulators in New York and New Jersey are deliberating on the necessary water-quality permits. Once both NY and NJ issue those permits, it will be (more or less) smooth sailing to the construction and completion of the project. 
Representatives from Clean Air Council, Earthworks, Environmental Health Project, Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), and Protect PT, some of the worst of the worst radical “green” groups in the Keystone State, rallied at the Pennsylvania State Capitol yesterday to demand (they always demand) that Pennsylvania’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB) accept their petition to consider drafting a new setback regulation in the state that would effectively ban all new shale drilling. 
The Penn State Extension has developed a helpful reference guide listing common water testing parameters for well owners. This resource helps owners determine if contamination from oil and gas drilling, pipelines, and related infrastructure is affecting their water quality. Key parameters include: alkalinity, arsenic, barium, bromide, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene), chloride, gross alpha radiation, methane/ethane, and strontium. The reference also provides sources for additional information. 
LNG exports continue to be an exceptional (and very hungry) customer for domestic U.S. natural gas. Over the past week, feedgas flowing to LNG facilities set a new all-time high record. We achieved a new record of 17.4 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) of feedgas for LNG last Sunday, surpassing the previous record set the day before at 17.3 Bcf/d. Another record, the monthly average, is also set to fall. April 2025 is the current reigning champ for average LNG feedgas use at 16.0 Bcf/d. October is on track to surpass it, averaging 16.6 Bcf/d as of October 27 (with just a few days left in the month). 
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), along with Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), introduced the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act to significantly streamline the federal approval process for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). The legislation aims to expedite non-free trade agreement (FTA) export permits by treating them the same as FTA countries, ensuring faster approval. According to Senator Cruz, the bill will enhance American energy dominance, create jobs, and drive investment by ensuring Texas-produced gas can be sent to allies globally. 
The current king of U.S. data centers is Virginia. As we wrote about earlier this month, Pennsylvania has the opportunity to grab that title away from Virginia, IF PA doesn’t screw it up (see 
Here’s a neat company we haven’t written about in 4 1/2 years: