News
About
Oil & Gas Watch
Environmental Integrity Project
Contact
Ari Phillips
/
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
/
November 8, 2022
How a woman of faith stopped the world's biggest plastics factory
Despite having little money and struggling with the death of close friends to illness in a part of Louisiana known as “Cancer Alley,” Sharon Lavigne has fought tenaciously against Formosa Plastics' “Sunshine Project.” In September, a Louisiana judge ruled in her favor in one of the biggest David vs. Goliath court battles in American history. A woman of strong Catholic faith, Lavigne says the decision to fight wasn’t hers, but God’s.
Lottie Mitchell
/
November 1, 2022
Drilling for digital dollars? Oil and gas sites catching on with crypto miners
Wyoming legislators earlier this year passed a law to provide tax incentives for cryptocurrency mines next to oil and gas drilling sites. Texas and other states may follow. The idea is for the centers to burn waste gas to supply their vast energy needs, instead of venting or flaring climate-warming methane. But critics warn that tax breaks for cryptocurrency mining at drilling sites would provide a financial incentive for drilling in more marginally productive areas. This would mean yet more drilling and more air and water pollution and more methane leaks.
Courtney Bernhardt
/
October 25, 2022
Is hydrogen fuel worse for the climate than coal? It all depends on how it’s made
Hydrogen fuel can be produced by using only water as a basic ingredient and energy from wind and solar. In theory, when it is made this way, hydrogen is a clean fuel -- although a very expensive one -- that emits no carbon dioxide when burned, only water. But most hydrogen fuel today is not so clean, because it is produced using natural gas or coal. Companies are planning to build or expand at least 29 of these kinds of fossil-fuel hydrogen plants across the U.S., and one recent study concluded this kind of fuel is worse for the climate than coal or oil.
Louisa Markow
/
October 18, 2022
Pipeline routes now available on Oil and Gas Watch database
There are over 3 million miles of pipelines for natural gas, oil, and other petroleum products in the U.S., and over 7,000 miles of new pipelines are planned or under construction. In recent years, community groups, driven by concerns about oil spills, water pollution, explosions, and eminent domain, have challenged several pipeline projects. To make public information about pipeline projects more accessible, Oil & Gas Watch is now providing maps and public records about proposed pipeline routes in our online database.
Brendan Gibbons
/
October 11, 2022
Houston’s Parras family has made the pursuit of environmental justice their lives’ work
For more than 30 years, Juan and Ana Parras have been working to draw attention to the disproportionate share of pollution sites located in minority communities. First getting their start as union organizers, they founded their organization, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, or t.e.j.a.s., after a campaign in Louisiana that altered the course of their work forever.
Brendan Gibbons
/
October 4, 2022
Study: Air pollution from oil and gas flares severely underestimated
Flaring is the process of burning away natural gas and contaminants by energy companies eager to harvest the more valuable associated crude oil. A new study estimates that flares are releasing 43 million more tons per year of methane than currently estimated – the greenhouse gas equivalent of almost 3 million cars and trucks. A stark example of how much air pollution can come from flares can be found near the West Texas town of Crane.
Eric Schaeffer
/
September 27, 2022
Sen. Manchin pulls environmental permitting 'reform' bill from stopgap funding legislation
With the clock ticking on a possible government shutdown on Friday, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin late today pulled from a stopgap funding bill his proposed legislation that would fast-track permitting reviews of major energy projects. Manchin made the move after failing to receive support from Republicans and some Democrats for his “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022.”
Previous
2 / 4
Next
Explore the database
Oil and Gas Watch Database
Subscribe To our NEWSLETTER
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
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
tags
Air Quality
Chemical Feedstocks
Climate
Energy Markets
LNG
Natural Gas Liquids
Oil Refineries
Pipelines
Water Quality
Natural gas
Oil
Environmental Justice
Politics
Plastics
Oil and Gas Watch
Newsletter
Articles
News Roundup
Project Updates
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.