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Ari Phillips
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January 24, 2023
Direct air carbon capture sets up shop in the oilfields of Texas
A subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum – one of the largest oil producers in the country – is taking advantage of billions of federal decarbonization dollars up for grabs under new government subsidy programs to invest in climate tech solutions to global warming. Meanwhile, Occidental will still be pumping out oil and gas responsible for heating the atmosphere. It is simultaneously profiting from both fossil fuel extraction and carbon capture.
Brendan Gibbons
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January 17, 2023
What House Republicans have planned for the oil and gas industry
After a messy confirmation process for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican leadership signaled a plan to introduce bills that would boost oil and gas production and speed the permitting process for pipelines and other large facilities. In an event last week with the American Petroleum Institute, House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said legislators are working on a “package of bills” that would “secure American energy.”
Brendan Gibbons
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January 11, 2023
Stalemate at FERC could stall Biden clean energy plan, landowner rights reform
Willie Phillips, who’s served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since December 2021, will become the new acting chair of the commission, or FERC, an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of gas and electricity. Advocates say FERC need reforms to strengthen landowner rights and accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels. However, Phillips' nomination and the departure of former chair Richard Glick mean the commission is split 2-2 among Republicans and Democrats.
Brendan Gibbons
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January 4, 2023
Houston Ship Channel dredging for oil, chemical industry includes plan to dump toxic sediment in minority neighborhoods
Massive disposal areas for material dredged from the ship channel are common sights in the industrial neighborhoods in east Houston. Another million cubic yards of sediment – enough to fill one and a half football stadiums – is headed to the area because of Project 11, the latest plan to deepen and widen the channel to make room for more cargo ships, including oil and chemical tankers. Recent sampling shows the dredge material is loaded with contaminants, raising concerns about residents' exposure to toxic sediment.
Brendan Gibbons
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December 14, 2022
Mitsubishi seeks tens of millions in Louisiana tax breaks for largest plastics plant of its kind
The more than $1 billion methyl methacrylate plant, which could receive up to $168 million over 10 years in local property tax breaks alone, would emit hundreds of tons per year of air pollution in an area where cancer risk from toxic air pollution is already three times the U.S. average. The company has said its decision to build in Geismar, Louisiana, was influenced by the availability of natural gas, a key ingredient in the manufacturing process.
Alexandra Shaykevich
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December 7, 2022
No plastics panacea: chemical recycling causes pollution, promotes waste
Global plastic waste more than doubled from 2000 to 2019 and global plastics production is expected to increase by 40 percent over the next decade, as the fossil fuel industry rushes to build new petrochemical plants that turn fracked gas into plastic. While the public grows increasingly concerned about plastics pollution, the fossil fuel industry and its allies are marketing a false solution: chemical recycling. Despite serious health and safety concerns, states have approved 14 chemical recycling projects across the U.S. since 2016.
Brendan Gibbons
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November 30, 2022
Why the EPA says new oil and gas regulations will cut methane emissions 87%
Earlier this month, the U.S. announced sweeping new restrictions on methane from the oil and gas sector. The proposal would require equipment upgrades, better monitoring at all well sites, and a program that would allow third parties to report 'super emitters.' The agency says the proposal will yield $3.1 to $3.2 billion per year in net economic benefits because of avoided climate disruption and is accepting comments on the proposals until Feb. 23, 2023.
Dante Mack
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November 15, 2022
Chemical plants in TX, LA exceed EPA action level for cancer-causing benzene
Air pollution monitors outside a pair of chemical manufacturing plants in Louisiana and Texas suggest that they have been releasing benzene, a known carcinogen, into nearby communities above an EPA action level that is supposed to trigger investigations and cleanup. Monitors at ExxonMobil's chemical plant in Beaumont, Texas, and a Shell Chemical facility in Norco, Louisiana, show levels significantly higher than the EPA's action level for benzene. More than 32,000 people live within three miles of these facilities.
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Project Updates
Updates for the week of Jan. 23, 2023
Environmental impact statement released for southwest Louisiana LNG terminal
Chevron to increase ethylene production at Port Arthur, Texas, facility
Gas processing plant planned north of Lake Charles, Louisiana
Reports
Malfunctions at Colorado refinery could be to blame for benzene pollution
January 21, 2023
The offshore oil business is gushing again
January 21, 2023
Colombia announces halt on fossil fuel exploration for a greener economy
January 21, 2023
Playing with Fire: The Climate Impact of the Rapid Growth of LNG
June 9, 2022
Benzene Pollution at Oil Refinery Fencelines
May 12, 2022
Recent Media
Malfunctions at Colorado refinery could be to blame for benzene pollution
January 21, 2023
The offshore oil business is gushing again
January 21, 2023
Colombia announces halt on fossil fuel exploration for a greener economy
January 21, 2023
Playing with Fire: The Climate Impact of the Rapid Growth of LNG
June 9, 2022
Benzene Pollution at Oil Refinery Fencelines
May 12, 2022
authors
Brendan Gibbons
Oil & Gas Watch Reporter
Courtney Bernhardt
Director of Research
Tom Pelton
Director of Communications
Alexandra Shaykevich
Oil & Gas Research Manager
Eric Schaeffer
Executive Director
Lisa Graves-Marcucci
PA Community Outreach Coordinator
Paul MacGillis-Falcon
Research Assistant
Louisa Markow
GIS Analyst
Lottie Mitchell
Research Analyst
Dante Mack
Legal Assistant
Ari Phillips
Senior Writer and Editor
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