News Briefs

February 3, 2026
U.S. to begin allowing companies to produce Venezuelan oil

The Trump Administration will soon begin allowing companies to pump oil in Venezuela, according to Bloomberg News.

February 3, 2026
Controversial natural gas pipeline expansion approved in Virginia, North Carolina

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has authorized a 55-mile natural gas pipeline expansion through Virginia and North Carolina, despite community opposition.

February 3, 2026
Florida considers bill blocking local governments from cutting fossil fuel use

The Florida legislature is weighing a bill that would prohibit local governments from adopting or implementing policies meant to draw down greenhouse gas emissions.

See More Briefs

News Articles

Brendan Gibbons
/
January 22, 2026

In Trump’s first year, fuel prices and energy jobs fall far short of campaign promises

Since Trump took office in January 2025, gasoline prices have declined about 6 percent to an average of $3.02 at the end of December, far short of Trump's campaign promises to cut fuel prices in half and bring the price at the pump down to $2 per gallon. Low fuel prices are a result of persistently low oil prices, which is causing pain for oil and gas workers as companies cut thousands of jobs.

Tom Pelton
/
January 15, 2026

U.S. oil refinery investors, not consumers, will benefit from seizure of Venezuelan oil

The U.S. military’s seizure of Venezuela’s oil exports is unlikely to lower gasoline prices for consumers – as President Donald Trump has claimed – but could funnel billions of dollars to American oil companies that donated to Trump’s election, according to industry analysts. Among the oil refinery owners who could benefit is billionaire Trump donor Paul Singer, founder of an investment management company that is buying Citgo Petroleum, a refining firm owned by Venezuela’s state oil company. Also positioned to potentially cash in are ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Chevron, which also gave millions to Trump’s political campaign.

Brendan Gibbons
/
January 8, 2026

The top Oil & Gas Watch News stories of 2025, according to readers

In 2025, Oil & Gas Watch News chronicled the first year of President Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill,” agenda, and many of our most popular articles examined the reality behind the rhetoric of his energy promises. Other top stories of 2025 covered massive but little-known energy projects in Alaska and Louisiana, as well as on federal public lands across the West.

Brendan Gibbons
/
December 18, 2025

Taxpayer-subsidized carbon capture is driving a backlash in Louisiana, Texas and other states

Driven by billions in taxpayer subsidies, companies are planning hundreds of projects across the U.S. intended to capture carbon dioxide emissions from industry and pump the pollution underground. The wave of carbon capture, transportation, and storage projects is triggering backlash in the form of lawsuits, grassroots activism, and regulatory changes. States in the Gulf Coast and Midwest have had public debates and court battles over some of these projects. 

See More Articles

Videos