RBN Energy Blogcast

U.S. rules around decommissioning offshore oil and gas platforms were rewritten in 2024, but the Trump administration paused their implementation in 2025. Today, we examine the proposed revisions, which aim to reduce regulatory costs without shifting decommissioning liabilities to taxpayers.

Efforts to move more natural gas into gas-starved New England are picking up steam. Enbridge said Project Beacon's open season was better than expected, while DT Midstream is moving ahead with one Millennium Pipeline expansion and considering a much larger one.

There has been no 11-figure upstream M&A since Devon Energy and Coterra Energy announced their $21.4 billion merger in early February, just a few weeks before the war on Iran started and the Strait of Hormuz was closed. But other, somewhat smaller — but still noteworthy — deals continue to happen.

It has been a volatile spring and summer for global natural gas markets as the war in Iran has dragged on, seemingly causing prices to jump — or falter — with every headline. Today, we discuss Europe's gas storage woes and the potential ramifications as its time runs out to refill inventories.

Over the past 16 years, BP has undergone multiple restructurings of its upstream portfolio, interrupted by a shift to — and then from — one of the sector's most ambitious energy transition strategies. Today, we chronicle the evolution of one of the industry's most significant integrated companies.

The Haynesville is the nation's #3 natural gas producer, and close to most of the U.S.'s LNG export capacity. That makes gas pipelines from the Haynesville to the Gulf Coast critically important — and valuable — assets, a reality Williams Cos. just affirmed with its plan to buy Momentum Midstream.

Refined product prices have remained elevated this summer even as crude oil prices have fallen from their 2026 highs set just a few months ago. In today's RBN blog, we look at several factors that help explain the seeming disconnect between product prices and crude oil prices.

Louisiana's refineries process vast amounts of domestic crude oil — much of it from the offshore U.S. Gulf — and imported oil from Canada and other countries. The refineries also play a critically important role in supplying refined product to the Southeastern U.S and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Since early 2026, disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz and shifts in Venezuelan exports have shifted crude oil and product flows from their historical norms. On the U.S. domestic front, closures of West Coast refineries and proposed new pipelines to that region suggest more changes are coming.

Crude oil — often mistakenly described as a single, standardized commodity — is anything but uniform. Every stream has its own chemical fingerprint, including differences in density and sulfur content. Today, we'll dig into why crude quality matters and how it can make a real difference to the bottom line.

One of the seminal energy-related controversies of the past decade was the construction of Mountain Valley Pipeline, but much of its capacity is unused in the shoulder season. Now, three projects aim to debottleneck MVP: Transco's Southeast Supply Enhancement as well as MVP Southgate and MVP Boost.

Geopolitical developments have resulted in perhaps the most chaotic and unstable energy market in the last 50 years, but sharply lower global crude oil prices and a rollback in U.S. production could be just ahead, two forecasts at the heart of our newly available Future of Fuels report.

Each of Louisiana's three refining regions has its own sources for crude oil and its own way of delivering that oil to refineries. Today, we look at crude oil flows and supply/demand balances in the southwestern and northwestern parts of the Bayou State — and how the status quo may be in for changes.

The first half of 2026 was a tale of two commodity markets as crude oil prices surged during the spring while natural gas prices retreated after an exceptionally strong winter rally. Today, we examine which oil and gas producers outperformed and why investors rewarded certain business models over others.

Natural gas-fired generation is king in the realm of data center development, at least for the near term. Still, hyperscalers are taking a variety of steps to mitigate the climate impact of their expanding gas use. These include adding CCS, building renewables and supporting new nuclear.

Several projects in the works would expand crude oil pipeline takeaway capacity out of Western Canada. But, given the pace of production growth there, will enough takeaway space come online in time to prevent pipeline capacity shortages and the price dislocations that come with them?

Natural gas prices in the Permian spent the first half of the year in the red. Then, in mid-June, Kinder Morgan flipped a switch and now Waha prices are back above zero. The “switch” was a compression expansion on Gulf Coast Express, which added a desperately needed 570 MMcf/d of takeaway capacity.

Over the past 18 months, Gulf Coast dock capacity capable of handling either LPG or ethane has grown significantly. It's something relatively new called “flex capacity,” and it's a darned good thing it's online. Without it, both LPG and ethane export capacity would already be maxed out.

Demand for natural gas in Northeast and pipeline capacity out of Appalachia are poised to grow in the coming years, but will production follow suit? Even if market conditions improve, it's not a done deal. Today, we look at which producers are best positioned to grow if conditions warrant.

Crude oil sourcing for the three refining regions in Louisiana couldn't be more different from each other. In today's RBN blog, we examine crude oil flows into and out of the Bayou State, assess supply/demand balances, and explore why is could be increasingly important to understand those balances.

The U.S. energy industry is continuously evolving. Unlike the previous era of unconventional supply growth, demand is increasingly determining where capital will be deployed, reshaping investment priorities. That's today's subject and the focus of our upcoming School of Energy: Foundations.

There are several approaches hyperscalers can take to mitigate the climate-related impacts of their increasing gas consumption for data centers. These include buying and retiring environmental credits; capturing and sequestering gas-plant CO2; and developing more renewables and nuclear capacity.

Efforts to develop a new LNG export terminal along the Delaware River near Philadelphia appeared to be going nowhere. But now it seems that Penn America Energy's moribund plan for such a project has gained new life with a new company name and a new site — in Eddystone Borough, PA.

The price of the D4 Renewable Identification Number has increased 130% so far in 2026, a response to a 70% increase in the minimum bio-based diesel volume mandate and a higher price premium for soybean oil. Today, we analyze the additional factors at play, from theoretical and practical standpoints.

M&A activity in the oil and gas minerals/royalty space had quieted during a prolonged wave of major E&P consolidation. As that activity winds down, rising realizations for both oil and gas have spurred a major consolidation among royalty trusts as well as a recent successful initial public offering.

A number of states have been early movers in the data center world, but several in the Northeast — while not yet major data center hubs — are laying the groundwork for a much bigger role. Today, we examine the plans of several states and how they could impact the region's natural gas market.

Many hyperscalers now acknowledge that they will rely heavily on natural gas-fired generation to power their new data centers, at least for the near term. But that conflicts with “net zero” goals, so many AI giants are moving to mitigate the environmental impact of their fast-rising gas use.

Louisiana refineries don't pipe in all the crude oil they need from the Houston and Nederland areas or the U.S. Gulf, or ship it in from abroad. Some depend on crude that is piped in from Longview, TX, and others get at least some of their oil from Capline, which moves crude south from Illinois.

For decades, the major integrated oil companies have been judged by their global scale, diversified business models and shareholder returns. But are their U.S. upstream businesses competitive? Today, we provide answers that may surprise many investors.

Liquids pipelines operate quite differently from their gas-pipeline cousins. They are regulated under a different law than gas pipelines, plus they face broader competition. As a result, they enjoy more flexibility in some respects but less in others than gas systems.

One of the biggest stories in the energy world right now is the rise of data centers and the massive amounts of electricity they require. Today, we zero in on their rise in the Northeast and preview our latest Drill Down Report on the changing dynamics in the regional gas market. 

The sourcing of crude oil for the 14 refineries in Louisiana has been shifting over the past few years and the pace of that shift is picking up as more U.S. Gulf production flows to Texas (and less flows to the Bayou State), new pipeline projects come online, and refineries modify their crude slates.

The price of the D4 Renewable Identification Number (RIN) has increased by 130% so far in 2026, accompanied by a 60% increase in the price of soybean oil and other renewable feedstocks. Today's blog gives a high-level view of what is behind this year's bull run in the D4 RIN and related commodities.

As anyone who drives a car that requires premium gasoline will surely tell you, the large difference between the prices of regular and premium grades shows no signs of going away. Today, we look at how the two were once priced, when they diverged, and what it likely means for future prices.

Midwestern states are important markets for natural gas producers in the Marcellus/Utica, as are states in the Mid-South, like Kentucky and Tennessee, and states in the Deep South. But expanding gas sales in those markets will require a lot more pipeline capacity, and that's exactly what's in the works.

Open seasons are a key part of marketing capacity for gas pipeline and storage projects, but they can also raise several regulatory questions. And the answers depend on what kind of open season it is. Today, we take a deep dive into the ins and outs of a gas project open season.

After years of prioritizing balance sheet repair and shareholder returns, upstream E&Ps are facing a dramatically different commodity environment. With cash flows rising, producers faced pressures to reassess priorities as hydrocarbon prices increased. Today, we look at how they responded.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on applying its “blanket authorization” rules to a lot more gas pipeline projects than in the past. In today's RBN blog, we discuss the proposal and what the planned change would mean for pipeline owners and developers.

With a line of sight to expanding pipeline capacity from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, producers plan to grow crude oil production. Today, we go through all the Alberta oil sands growth projects planned over the next several years.

Rising demand for natural gas in the U.S. Northeast and regions to its south and west is spurring the development of gas pipeline projects that collectively will enable Marcellus/Utica E&Ps to ratchet up their production into the 2030s. In today's RBN blog, we continue our review of these projects.

The NGL business is one of the most logistically complex segments of the energy industry. To really make sense of it you need to step back and look at the big picture. That's exactly what our new U.S. NGL Infrastructure Map provides — a comprehensive view of the entire NGL value chain.

Three new U.S. LNG projects have reached a positive final investment decision this year: Venture Global's CP2 Phase 2, Caturus's Commonwealth LNG, and now, most recently, Delfin Midstream's Delfin LNG, which will be the U.S.'s first floating LNG project. 

The early signs of a rebound can be seen in Venezuela, where crude oil production and exports are on the rise, although plenty of unknowns remain. Today, we look at how much Venezuelan crude is reaching the U.S., how the U.S. import slate has changed, and preview our latest Drill Down Report.

There's an interesting aspect to the buildout of new Permian gas processing capacity, NGL pipelines, fractionators and NGL export terminals, namely that virtually all of the projects are being undertaken by midstream companies that handle NGLs along their entire value chain, from wellhead to water.

The Marcellus/Utica still has vast amounts of natural gas to supply the ongoing surge in demand from power generators and LNG exporters. But there's a catch: A significant step-up in Appalachian production can only occur if new pipeline infrastructure is built to transport that gas to where it's needed.

The U.S. is at the tail end of an incredible wave of LNG expansion that has so far seen nine new projects across seven terminals reach a final investment decision in a little over a year. Today, we take a closer look at the Commonwealth LNG project and what comes next for U.S. LNG development.

Given that the Iran war-driven surge in oil prices doubled Q1 E&P profits, a surge in capex to capture fatter cash flows seemed like a sure thing, but that would have been a losing bet. Today, we review oil and gas producers' investment and production guidance and analyze potential future strategy.

The rapid buildout of Permian gas processing plants and other NGL-related infrastructure in Texas and southeastern New Mexico isn't just continuing, it's accelerating. In today's RBN blog, we discuss the latest project announcements and why gas and NGL production in the Permian are still rising.

The U.S. propane market typically follows predictable trends. With much of domestic demand occurring in the colder months, storage builds in the summer and is withdrawn in the winter. But since mid-April, storage levels have increased by only 1.2 MMbbl. Today, we explore what is going on and why.

One of the most discussed and often misunderstood aspects of the midstream world is the pipeline open season. It is how midstreamers go out to the market to test shipper interest and lock in commercial commitments for new projects and can effectively determine whether a project will get built. 

As the Marcellus/Utica became the U.S.'s premier natural gas production region in the 2010s, a larger portion of its output headed out of the Northeast. An increasingly important part of the story has involved greater demand for gas from within the Northeast, especially the power sector.