AXPC, EQT, Halliburton, and Range Resources Welcome Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to Pennsylvania Site Showcasing American Energy Leadership and Innovation

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 4, 2025--

The American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC), in partnership with EQT Corporation (EQT), Halliburton Company (Halliburton), and Range Resources, on Thursday hosted Department of the Interior Secretary and Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council Doug Burgum for a Marcellus shale field visit in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

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Secretary Burgum visited a hydraulic fracturing site highlighting modern energy development and the vital role of Pennsylvania oil and gas in meeting America’s growing energy needs. The event emphasized the importance of smart energy policies that unleash American energy and featured Halliburton’s Zeus® intelligent electric fracturing platform at a Range Resources site, demonstrating how innovation is boosting domestic supply while lowering emissions and costs.

“AXPC is proud to bring together industry leaders and policymakers to see firsthand how American innovation is driving record energy production,” said AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury. “With the right policies in place, we can continue to grow production, support good-paying jobs, and lower costs for families across the country — all while reducing emissions and enhancing our energy independence.”

“EQT is proud to have joined energy leaders, local officials, our community, and employees in welcoming Secretary Burgum to Western Pennsylvania — home to one of the world’s richest natural gas reserves,” said Toby Z. Rice, President and CEO of EQT. “The Administration’s decision to visit Appalachia within its first 100 days highlights its recognition of this region’s key role in securing America’s energy future. We look forward to further working with Secretary Burgum and the Interior Department to ensure a secure, reliable, and sustainable energy future for all Americans.”

“Over the last 70 years, Halliburton developed and continues to evolve hydraulic fracturing, while proudly manufacturing our equipment in Duncan, Oklahoma,” said Mark Richard, President, Western Hemisphere, Halliburton. “It’s through collaboration and our spirit of innovation that we have advanced fracturing operations to an intelligent, autonomous platform. The Zeus® platform increases efficiency, maximizes production and helps unleash energy across the United States and around the world.”

“The blue-collar spirit is why Pennsylvanians have always rolled up their sleeves when the world needed them — and we’re ready to do it again to help the U.S. meet its energy needs,” said Dennis Degner, CEO, Range Resources. “By leveraging American energy, we can drive American excellence and lead the way in powering innovation, strengthening national security, and advancing the next generation of manufacturing and technology.”

The site visit and discussion highlighted the opportunity for American energy producers to meet growing demand at home and abroad as well as drive emissions reductions and support local communities. Achieving these goals depends on domestic energy policies that promote continued investment and production.

Full event remarks here.

About AXPC

AXPC is the voice of the leading independent U.S. energy producers. We promote the inherent value of American-made oil and natural gas. We educate and advocate for responsible upstream development and constructive federal solutions with policymakers, industry partners, and the media. We actively support our members’ commitment to continuous improvement.

About EQT Corporation

EQT Corporation is a premier, vertically integrated American natural gas company with production and midstream operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. We are dedicated to responsibly developing our world-class asset base and being the operator of choice for our stakeholders. By leveraging a culture that prioritizes operational efficiency, technology and sustainability, we seek to continuously improve the way we produce environmentally responsible, reliable and low-cost energy. We have a longstanding commitment to the safety of our employees, contractors, and communities, and to the reduction of our overall environmental footprint. Our values are evident in the way we operate and in how we interact each day – trust, teamwork, heart, and evolution are at the center of all we do.

About Halliburton Company

Halliburton is one of the world’s leading providers of products and services to the energy industry. Founded in 1919, we create innovative technologies, products, and services that help our customers maximize their value throughout the life cycle of an asset and advance a sustainable energy future. Visit us at halliburton.com; connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

About Range Resources

Range Resources Corporation (NYSE: RRC) is a leading U.S. independent natural gas and NGL producer with operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. More information about Range can be found at www.rangeresources.com.

Secretary Burgum visited a hydraulic fracturing site highlighting modern energy development and the vital role of Pennsylvania oil and gas in meeting America’s growing energy needs.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the rivals' tense border on Tuesday, South Korean officials said, the first known border intrusion by North Korea in nearly a year.

Violent confrontations and bloodshed have occasionally happened at the Koreas’ heavily fortified border, called the Demilitarized Zone. But Tuesday's incident won't likely escalate, as it didn't cause any casualties on either side and North Korea hasn't returned fire.

About 10 North Korean soldiers — some carrying weapons — violated the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the DMZ at 5 p.m. They returned to North Korea after South Korea broadcast warnings and fired warning shots, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korea’s military said it is closely monitoring North Korean activities. It said North Korea didn't return fire.

In June last year, North Korean troops violated the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots. The incidents occurred when the Koreas were embroiled in Cold War-style campaigns like balloon launches and propaganda broadcasts, but they didn't develop into a major source of tensions.

South Korea's military assessed at the time that the North Korean soldiers didn’t deliberately commit the border intrusion and the site was a wooded area where military demarcation line signs weren’t clearly visible. Observers said the North Korean soldiers might have accidently crossed the border while adding anti-tank barriers, planting mines or engaging in other works to boost border defenses.

The motive for Tuesday's border crossing by North Korean soldiers wasn't immediately clear.

South Korea's military said in late March that North Korea was resuming front-line works such as reinforcing barbed wire fences. South Korean media, citing the military, reported that North Korean soldiers might have unintentionally intruded into South Korea's territory on Tuesday during a patrol mission ahead of unspecified front-line works.

In October, North Korea said it would build defense structures at the border to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces. That was seen as an effort to beef up its front-line security posture and prevent its soldiers and citizens from defecting to South Korea.

The 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide DMZ is one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. It’s a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Animosities between the Koreas are running high now as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his military nuclear capabilities and align with Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kim is also ignoring calls by Seoul and Washington to resume denuclearization negotiations.

Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim again to revive diplomacy. North Korea has not responded to Trump’s remarks and says U.S. hostilities against it have deepened since Trump’s inauguration. Experts say Kim could eventually return to talks with Trump, hoping that his advancing nuclear program would help North Korea win greater U.S. concessions.

South Korea, meanwhile, is experiencing a leadership vacuum after the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his ill-fated imposition of martial law. Yoon's push to expand military drills with the U.S. had infuriated North Korea. __

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

FILE - South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)