MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Sep 17, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Charleston quietly walks away from dismissed climate lawsuit; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas futures extend winning streak; Could Trump use national security measures to block offshore wind?; INTERNATIONAL: WTI tops $64 amid geopolitical strain; Canada approves West Coast LNG export project; The whole world has soured on climate politics. Read More “MDN’s Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Sep 17, 2025 [FREE ACCESS]”
Following three years of negotiations, Lycoming County Commissioners celebrated closing a deal with Range Resources to lease 1,350 acres in Jackson Township for shale drilling. The county is receiving a $5.4 million signing bonus, which works out to $4,000 per acre. Sweet. However, the county will receive just a 2% royalty for any oil/gas produced from the property. You read that right (not a typo)—just 2%, which has to be the lowest royalty rate we’ve ever seen negotiated, either with a private landowner or a municipality. 
Earlier this month, we brought you the bombshell news that Antero Resources, the country’s fifth-largest natural gas producer and largest producer in West Virginia, is preparing to market its Ohio Utica assets, hoping to fetch $900 million to $1 billion (see 
In June, we reported that the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court in PA that hears appeals of decisions made by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), had ruled in favor of CNX Resources to allow two previously permitted wells in Penn Township (Westmoreland County) to move forward with construction (see 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
EQT Corporation, at one time the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. (now #2 behind Expand Energy), recently signed its third deal to buy LNG from a Gulf Coast liquefaction plant, positioning the company as an LNG trader in addition to being the second largest natural gas producer in the country and a major midstream player (see 
A power project we’ve been tracking since 2017 is a 620-megawatt (MW) Marcellus-fired electric plant in Greene County, PA, called the Hill Top Energy Center (
MDN chronicled the rise and fall of Tellurian, founded by Charif Souki (who also founded Cheniere Energy), and Tellurian’s LNG export project, Driftwood. Tellurian’s primary focus was to build Driftwood LNG, a 27.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) facility that would cost $14.5 billion. Construction began on the project in March 2022, even without a final investment decision (see 
Finally, some good news to report on the U.S. and Marcellus/Utica rig count. Last week, the national rig count added two rigs after adding one the prior week, the first time we’ve added rigs for two weeks in a row since April of this year. We ended the week with 539 active rigs. In some even better news, the Utica Shale in Ohio added a rig last week, the first rig added to the M-U count since July 25. In fact, the combined count (37) has not been this high since May 23. Break out the party hats! 
Earlier this month, MDN told you that the “deep Utica” was a hot topic at the recent Hart Energy DUG Appalachia Conference held in Pittsburgh in late August (see 
On August 17, Eureka Resources’ Williamsport Second Street facility (one of the three previously operated by Eureka) leaked some of its stored untreated wastewater, which ended up in the nearby Susquehanna River via a storm drain (see 
On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed eliminating the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which mandates annual emissions reporting from over 8,000 facilities and suppliers. This move aims to save American businesses up to $2.4 billion in compliance costs. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin emphasized that the GHGRP, while established under the Clean Air Act, does not directly contribute to improving air quality or public health. The proposal aligns with President Trump’s executive orders and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which defers certain reporting obligations until 2034. The EPA will seek public comments before finalizing the rule. 
The oilfield is rapidly transforming as AI and automation replace many traditional roughneck roles, shifting work from mud-soaked rigs to remote data monitoring. So claims a new article appearing in Fortune magazine. Since 2014, the U.S. has lost 35% of its oil, gas, and mining jobs—about 270,000 positions—while companies like Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips remain profitable by cutting costs through technology. Autonomous drilling, AI-driven fracking, and data analytics enable longer wells, faster operations, and fewer rigs, thereby reducing labor needs.