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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.”
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Project Updates

Updates for the week of Jan. 23, 2023

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Recent Media

Malfunctions at Colorado refinery could be to blame for benzene pollution

January 21, 2023

The offshore oil business is gushing again

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Colombia announces halt on fossil fuel exploration for a greener economy

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Playing with Fire: The Climate Impact of the Rapid Growth of LNG

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Benzene Pollution at Oil Refinery Fencelines

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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

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