Natural gas prices are at $6.94/MMBtu. They hit a high of $7.31 and a low of $5.47. Most of that movement has been weather related. Gas storage is at 3,412 Bcf, right about the five year average. Drilling rigs are at 780, having hit 784 for a couple weeks. That’s only one higher than last month.

The cracker plant in PA has finally, officially, commenced operations! While it has been operating, it hasn’t been at full capacity until now. Even now, we’ve seen statements that it won’t hit full capacity until sometime next summer.

Use of natural gas increased during 2021, due mainly to exports and industrial use.

Frac sand mines have seen an increase in demand, but like the rest of the drilling industry they are remaining disciplined, not opening new mines or increasing capacity. Maybe we really are seeing the last of the boom/bust cycle. At least, while the current generation of entrepreneurs and investment bankers is in charge.

The new lawsuit against the West Virginia forced pooling law is being litigated, with the plaintiffs responding to the defendants’ motion to dismiss. A motion to dismiss is pretty standard at this point in litigation, as is a response.

RBNEnergy’s short write up on the new cracker plant up in PA is worth the read.

This is interesting. Someone is studying the feasibility of using old oil and gas wells for geothermal heating. Not generating electricity, just heating homes, barns, and greenhouses using hot water from the wells. Seems like a worthwhile study.

Judge Hummel, the judge who pulled out a gun during a hearing involving EQT lawyers, has resigned from the bench.

This article is poorly named, but it includes some interesting data regarding DUCs and drilling rigs.

The cracker plant up in PA has had a “flaring episode“.

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey has introduced a bill to help the Mountain Valley Pipeline get permitted. That effort comes from an unexpected source, but it’s still welcome.

OPEC+ cut oil production by 1 million bpd in November. Surprisingly, oil prices mostly went down in November.

Democrats are trying to put Senator Manchin’s permitting bill in a defense spending bill.

The court challenge against the new pooling law has run into a snag. The federal judge has remanded the case to State court, saying that there were State law issues that needed to be determined at that level.

RBNEnergy analyzes the “frac spread” or the difference between the price of gas coming out of the ground and the price of a barrel of NGLs. Don’t read this while sleepy.

That was quick. Manchin’s permitting bill language was removed from the defense spending bill.

The U.S. is going to double the amount of LNG it sends to the U.K.

Two oil and gas companies are suing the Biden Administration to try to force the leasing of federal land out west.

West Virginia really needs to jump on this train. CNX is talking about using natural gas here where it’s produced. This is something I’ve mentioned in the past, something that would be great for West Virginia. It’s never good to be the place where other people come to take things away. You have to add value to the product or you’ll never become a stable economy.

West Virginia’s first natural gas fired power plant will be in Doddridge County. If it gets built. There have been others announced in the past. We’ll see if this one gets past the coal baron old guard.

If you’d like to read a lot more about hydrogen as a power source, here’s the article for you.