NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures pull back despite heat wave; Exxon’s top US gas trader to join Expand as exits hit oil giant; INTERNATIONAL: Oil rises as peace talks resume; Iran steps up talk of keeping control of Hormuz; Middle East producers push on with oil and LNG loadings despite ship attacks. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jun 30, 2026”
Last week was noteworthy for the Baker Hughes rig count. Although the Marcellus/Utica count didn’t budge, the national count increased by 10 rigs, the largest one-week increase since June 2022 (four years). The new national count, 573, is also the highest the combined count has been in well over a year. The combined M-U rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the seventh week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Way Up 10 @ 573”
Earlier this month, MDN brought you the news that Talen Energy would file an application to expand its power generation facility with two new gas-fired power units in Montour County, PA (see Talen Files with PJM to Add More Gas-Fired Power in Montour County). The new units would operate alongside Talen’s existing natural gas-fired plant, which was converted to run on gas from coal in 2023 (see Talen Energy’s Montour, PA Coal to Gas Power Conversion Nearly Done). However, the notice Talen sent to the Montour County Commission contained no specifics (such as how much power, etc.). We now have specifics. Read More “PA DEP Posts Details on Talen’s Proposed Montour Gas-Fired Plant”
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible, safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the June 27th Pennsylvania Bulletin that the SRBC approved and/or renewed 34 general water use permits in May for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, McKean, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties. Read More “SRBC Approved 34 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use Permits in May”
Last September, MDN told you that two major Kinder Morgan pipeline projects that will flow Marcellus/Utica molecules in the southeastern U.S. took a big step forward at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with FERC actively working on an environmental impact statement (EIS) for both projects (see FERC Begins Enviro Reviews for 2 Key Southeast Pipeline Projects). The two projects are Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s Mississippi Crossing (MSX) Project and Southern Natural Gas/Elba Express’ South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) Project. The 2.1-Bcf/d MSX and 1.3-Bcf/d SSE4 projects will move more Marcellus/Utica gas into Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Last week, FERC issued a favorable *Final* Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for both projects. Read More “FERC Issues Positive Final EIS for 2 Kinder Southeast Pipe Projects”
In mid-April, MDN brought you the great news that a major lawsuit had been filed against New York State, alleging a “taking” of private property by the state through its ban on fracking (see New Lawsuit Brought Against NY Claims State Frack Ban a “Taking”). The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Attorney General Leticia James were named as defendants in the initial filing. A couple of weeks later, NY Governor Kathy Hochul was added to the list (see NY Gov. Hochul Added as Defendant in Frack Ban “Taking” Lawsuit). Big Green is obviously VERY nervous that this lawsuit against the state may succeed, so they (and their foreign financial backers) want to join the lawsuit on New York’s side as “intervenors,” giving their high-priced attorneys a seat at the table. Read More “Nervous Green Groups Seek to Join NY Frack Ban “Taking” Lawsuit”
It never ends well for landowners who believe they can block pipeline surveyors from accessing their land. In April 2025, MDN told you about a new greenfield expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Elba Express pipeline into South Carolina to serve growing demand for natural gas in the state (see KM Pipes Update: Expand Elba to SC; SSE4 Survey Work Done. The $431 million Elba Express Bridge project is designed to provide 325 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of firm transportation capacity to a new gas-fired power plant in Colleton County, SC (see SC PSC Approves Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposed for Edisto River). Read More “Kinder Morgan Forced to Sue SC Landowners for Pipe Survey Access”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Fire extinguished at Monroe Energy’s Trainer refinery in Pennsylvania; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Texas data center to use Cummins natural gas generators; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures slip as July contract expires; USA oil, gas workforce rises from April to May; New name, new mission at the Justice Department; U.S. banking on ‘co-innovation’ for its trillion-dollar energy build; INTERNATIONAL: Crude falls on rising Gulf supplies; Hormuz traffic ebbs as attacks stoke fresh concerns; The IGU calls on EU to “urgently rethink” methane regs; Oil prices and lessons for the press from a failure of expertise. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jun 29, 2026”
The Marcellus/Utica region received 31 new drilling permits last week, June 15 – 21, up from the pathetic 2 permits issued two weeks ago. However, not all 31 permits reported last week were issued last week. Ohio, which is increasingly tardy in updating its public reports, included permits in last week’s report that should have been in the previous week’s. Last week, Pennsylvania issued 18 permits. Ohio issued 9 new permits, all of which should have been reported two weeks ago. West Virginia issued 4 new permits last week. The drillers who received new permits included: EOG Resources, EQT, Gulfport Energy, Infinity Natural Resources, JKLM Energy, LOLA Energy, Northeast Natural Energy, PennEnergy Resources, and Sabre Energy. Read More “31 New Shale Well Permits Reported for PA-OH-WV Jun 15 – 21”
In early May, Devon Energy completed its buyout of and merger with Coterra Energy, paying $21.4 billion in Devon stock (see Devon and Coterra Complete Merger, Launches $8B Buyback Program). After the merger, Devon CEO Clay Gaspar said his company was reviewing all of the combined assets with a view toward optimizing its portfolio. There was no specific timeline announced for the review, but analysts generally expected it to take up to a year. Scratch that. In comments made on Tuesday, Gaspar said the review would be “a month’s exercise, not a year’s exercise.” Read More “Devon Energy CEO: Asset Review to Finish in Months, Not a Year”
A new pipeline project to tell you about! That’s always a red-letter day here at MDN. The mighty Transco pipeline (subsidiary of Williams) is holding a binding open season (which ends today) for its proposed Leidy Access Expansion, which would add up to 175,000 Dth/d (roughly 175 MMcf/d) of firm capacity to move Marcellus/Utica gas east from Pennsylvania toward demand centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland by Nov. 1, 2027. The project would use existing Leidy Line infrastructure from the MARC I interconnect in Lycoming County, PA, to a new transfer point in Luzerne County, PA, limiting environmental impacts. Read More “Williams Open Season to Expand Transco Gas Eastbound to PA, NJ, MD”
The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) is set to vote on Monday to open roughly 23,000 acres of publicly owned wildlife preserves in eastern Ohio to fracking. The panel will weigh accepting bids on about 15,000 acres split between Jockey Hollow and Egypt Valley, plus opening another 8,000 acres of Egypt Valley. Approval would bring Ohio’s leased public land to more than 30,000 acres across Salt Fork State Park and six wildlife areas, mostly in the Belmont-Harrison-Guernsey region. Ohio has already collected roughly $57 million in signing bonuses, plus 18–20% royalties. Read More “Ohio Gets Ready to Open Another 23K Ac. of State Land for Fracking”
In October 2025, we reported that Ohio Republican Senators had introduced Senate Bill (SB) 219, the first significant update to Ohio’s oil and gas laws since the Kasich administration more than a decade ago (see Ohio Bill Makes Major Changes to Law Governing O&G Wells). SB 219, introduced by Sen. Al Landis, aims to reform Ohio’s orphaned oil and gas well program and other elements of Ohio’s O&G laws. The bill eventually passed both the Senate and House, and on Wednesday, Governor Mike DeWine signed it into law. Read More “OH Gov. DeWine Signs Bill Updating Law Governing Oil & Gas Wells”
In early 2024, we reported that Penn America Energy CEO Franc James, the potential builder of the proposed Penn America LNG export facility in the Philadelphia area, said that he “pumped the brakes” on the project but that it wasn’t dead yet (see Penn LNG CEO Says Philly Export Project on Hold, “Not Dead Yet”). This past February, MDN reported that the developer, Penn America Energy Holdings LLC, had reportedly been dissolved (see Potential Philadelphia LNG Export Facility Appears to be Dead). While some individual entities may still exist, the core organization responsible for advancing the project is no longer active in its original form. However, THE Delaware Riverkeeper held a webinar on Wednesday evening and made some wild claims: That Penn LNG is alive and kicking and has a “secret plan” to build in a new location along the Delaware River. Read More “Riverkeeper Claims Dead Philly LNG Project has Come Back to Life”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Allegheny Township gets donation from CNX for police fleet; Northeast gas demand down as summer starts; Data center ‘pause button’ bill passes PA House nearly unanimously; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: New York’s Climate Act façade is crumbling; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures gain on warming weather outlook; Trump buys back four more offshore wind leases; INTERNATIONAL: Oil rebounds after Hormuz ship attack; UN climate bureaucrats hold another useless meeting; US threatens to cut gas supplies to EU amid row over environmental rules. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Jun 26, 2026”
In January 2017, Clean Energy Future (CEF), based in Massachusetts, announced it would build a second Utica gas-fired power plant in Lordstown next to the Lordstown Energy Center (see Details on Newly Announced Trumbull Energy Center Electric Plant). In late 2022, the project finished securing its financing ($1.2 billion), and construction began (see Trumbull Energy Center Secures Financing, Construction Begins ASAP). The good news is that the plant, fed by Utica Shale gas, began operations earlier this year. However, the project’s owners celebrated its official launch yesterday. Read More “New 953-MW Utica-Fired Power Plant Goes Online in Lordstown, OH”