Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2nd Quarter PA Natural Gas Production Declines Slightly Again; Price Of Natural Gas For Residential Customers Increased By 7.3% From Prior Year

On September 2, the
Independent Fiscal Office reported second quarter 2026 natural gas production of 1,925 billion cubic feet in Pennsylvania, a slight decline for the second quarter in a row and lower than any quarter since the fourth quarter of 2024.

The IFO reported 89 new shale gas wells were spud [drilled] in the second quarter, the first annual decline for a quarter since the first quarter of 2025.

The average Pennsylvania hub price for natural gas was $2.11, a decrease of $0.27 (11.3%) from the prior year. 

This was a notable reduction from the first quarter, which was heavily impacted by January ($9.99), as prices surged in response to Winter Storm Fern

The IFO estimates that the average spot price will decline further in 2026 Q3 to $2.02, a 7.2% decrease from the prior year.

The IFO said spot prices will not reflect contemporaneous prices paid by residential consumers. 

US Energy Information Administration data show that the average price of natural gas sold to Pennsylvania residential customers increased by 7.3% in 2026 Q2 from the prior year. 

Click Here for the IFO report.


PA Oil & Gas Industry, Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - August 29 to September 4  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Another $15 Million In Penalties For Latest Air Pollution Violations In Beaver County; Air Pollution Penalties Total $27.6 Million Since Plant Opened  [PaEN] 

     -- Inside Climate News: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Files Lawsuit To Preempt Criminal Charges By PA Attorney General In Bucks County Jet Fuel Pipeline Spill, Asks For State Clean Streams Law To Be Declared Unconstitutional   [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: An Estimated 336,000 Gallons Of Fracking Flowback Water Was Released During An Uncontrolled Shale Gas Well Incident At The INR OPR LLC Cooper Well Pad In Young Twp., Indiana County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP - Day 1,331: Big Dog Energy LLC Shale Gas Well Pad Lacks Secondary Containment To Contain Spills, Has No Emergency Response Plan In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP - Day 2,447: American Natural Resources LLC Fails To Comply, Does Not Respond To Order To Plug 6 Conventional Wells It Abandoned In Allegheny County  [PaEN]

     -- DEP - Day 221: HR McClure Fails To Plug 3 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells It Abandoned  In Greene County; Failed To Submit Production, Waste, Well Integrity Reports For 5 Years  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Contaminated Reuse Water Used In Fracking Overtopped Containment; Tank Truck Carrying Contaminated Water Rolls Over At Range Resources Appalachia Shale Gas Well Pad In Lycoming County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP - Day 545: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc Failed To Finish Cleanup Of Conventional Oil Well Spills Or Respond To DEP Violations In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP: Wilmoth Interests Inc. Improperly Disposed Of Oil-Contaminated Soil From A Spill At An Allegheny National Forest Conventional Well Site In Warren County  [PaEN]

     -- 88 Abandoned Conventional Wells Inspected For Federal Well Plugging Program

     -- Click Here for violations issued

     -- Click Here for inspection entries

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - September 5 [PaEN] 

      -- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For Coterra Energy 18.4 Mile, 20-Inch Aboveground Shale Gas Water Pipeline In Susquehanna County  [PaEN]  

     -- DEP Restarts Comment Period On MarkWest Project To Daylight 4 Natural Gas Pipelines To Prevent Damage From Coal Mining In Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 60 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In September 5 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

     -- DEP To Hold Oct. 15 Hearing On Stormwater Permit For SINC Construction LLC Greenwood Acres Residential Community In Tobyhanna Twp., Monroe County  [PaEN]   

Related Articles This Week:

-- New State Budget Forces DEP To Take Money From 7 Other Environmental Programs To Keep The Oil & Gas Regulatory Program Running  [PaEN]

-- Organizations Defend Delaware River Basin Commission Shale Gas Fracking Ban  [PaEN] 

-- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Another $15 Million In Penalties For Latest Air Pollution Violations In Beaver County; Air Pollution Penalties Total $27.6 Million Since Plant Opened  [PaEN] 

-- Inside Climate News: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Files Lawsuit To Preempt Criminal Charges By PA Attorney General In Bucks County Jet Fuel Pipeline Spill, Asks For State Clean Streams Law To Be Declared Unconstitutional   [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports 2nd Quarter PA Natural Gas Production Declines Slightly Again; Price Of Natural Gas For Residential Customers Increased By 7.3% From Prior Year  [PaEN] 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - September 7  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- PennLive/Tribune News: Massive 7,200 Acre PPL Utilities Joint Venture Land Deal In Lackawanna County Paves Way For More Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Purchases 500 Acres In Luzerne County For 2 Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants; No Agreements Signed With Customers Yet [Not For The Public]  

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra Energy Picks 700 Acre Site In Luzerne Twp.,  Fayette County For 3.75 GW Natural Gas Data Center Power Plant Complex  [Entire Township Over Known Mined Out Coal Mines Subject To Subsidence Risk (DEP)]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra’s $13 Billion Natural Gas Data Center Power Plant Complex In Luzerne Twp., Fayette County To Be A Game Changer For Region 

-- TribLive: Oversized Equipment Deliveries To Homer City A.I. Data Center/Power Plant Site In Indiana County To Bring Rolling Closures To Heavily Traveled Routes In Armstrong, Westmoreland Counties From An Allegheny River Terminal 

-- Post-Gazette: Homer City A.I. Data Center/Power Plant Complex In Indiana County Fueled By 1,800 contractors And Tradespeople

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Don’t Pull The Plug On Our Energy Industry - Natural Gas - By John Otto, Citizens Energy Council   

--  Financial Times: The Missing Piece Of The US Oil And Gas Boom - Jobs; Production And Profits Are Rising Strongly, Employment Has Fallen

[Posted: September 2, 2026]  PA Environment Digest

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