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Brendan Gibbons
/
March 27, 2024
Thousands of abandoned wells in Louisiana threaten to leak carbon dioxide from storage projects
Louisiana is one of the hotspots int he U.S. for sequestration projects that trap carbon dioxide (CO2) underground to protect the climate. Companies are planning 58 storage wells at 24 sites across the state. However, experts say a century of oil and gas drilling has left thousands of pathways for CO2 to squeeze its way back out into the atmosphere, potentially eroding any climate benefits and creating a safety threat for nearby residents in the event of a massive rupture or leak. Two recent reports examine the threat from the more than 186,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in Louisiana.
Ari Phillips
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November 14, 2023
Biologist encounters oil-spewing pipe while researching biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s not an isolated incident.
A group of researchers was on a boat returning from a biodiversity monitoring outing in the Mississippi Delta’s Barataria Bay just south of New Orleans on Saturday, Oct. 21, when they noticed a unplugged well spewing oil into the bay. They reported the spill. Unfortunately, unplugged or abandoned wells like this are common in the Gulf of Mexico, where the number of abandoned or broken wells exceeds 14,000.
Brendan Gibbons
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November 1, 2023
Texas voters to decide whether to funnel $10 billion in taxpayer money to natural gas power plants
Next week, Texas voters will decide whether to amend the state’s constitution to provide $10 billion in taxpayer money to build more natural gas-fired power plants – a new subsidy for fossil fuels in a state that already gets most of its electricity from natural gas. The measure on the ballot on Tuesday, known as Proposition 7, would create a “Texas energy fund” that would be used to provide grants and low-interest loans to companies building natural gas plants. Critics say the program would create a never-ending flow of taxpayer money to the natural gas industry.
Ari Phillips
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October 25, 2023
Major carbon pipeline is cancelled as opposition grows and regulations remain elusive
Carbon dioxide accumulation is a big problem in the atmosphere. But increasingly, pipelines carrying CO2 underground are also raising objections, including from state governments, creating a roadblock to a major Biden Administration climate strategy. South Dakota and North Dakota recently denied permits for carbon pipelines, triggering the cancellation last week of a 1,300-mile carbon pipeline across five Midwestern states. Meanwhile, a dozen Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden demanding a moratorium on all new carbon pipelines until federal safety regulations are updated.
Alexandra Shaykevich
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October 18, 2023
World’s largest fertilizer factory plans major expansion, despite record of pollution and chemical accidents
The Donaldsonville Nitrogen Complex in southeastern Louisiana is the largest fertilizer plant in the world. It is also the state’s largest source of greenhouse gases and toxic air and water pollution. The plant is responsible for 185 accidental releases of chemicals since 2006 into a neighborhood that is three quarters Black or Latino. Despite the harm to the local community, CF Industries is planning a major expansion.
Brendan Gibbons
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October 12, 2023
Oil & gas companies and investors placing big bets on federally-subsidized carbon capture projects
The world’s largest energy financiers – including oil and gas majors like ExxonMobil and Chevron – are investing billions of dollars in technology intended to capture carbon dioxide. Many supporters of carbon capture and storage see the technology as a path to lessen the climate impact of major industries and to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from major companies whose shareholders are pushing them towards carbon neutrality. But it remains unclear how many of these projects will become a reality or work.
Brendan Gibbons
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October 4, 2023
Startup of Texas plastics plant by ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia followed by wave of air and water pollution violations
Nearly two years after one of the largest plastics plants ever built in the U.S. began operations north of Corpus Christi, Texas, some residents here say they have seen none of the promised benefits from the plant, which is jointly owned by ExxonMobil and the Saudi Arabian government. However, neighbors have seen the Gulf Coast Growth Ventures plant consume vast amounts of water in a drought-stricken region, suck up a half billion dollars in local tax breaks, and commit 63 air and water pollution violations, according to state records.
Ari Phillips
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September 27, 2023
Chinese ammonia plant in Louisiana could receive U.S. taxpayer subsidies
Louisiana's Ascension Parish, located along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is becoming a focal point of the fast-growing, federally-subsidized carbon capture industry. One proposed plant that would manufacture ammonia from natural gas and inject its waste underground is being developed by a partnership majority owned by the Chinese government.
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Project Updates
Updates for the week of March 25, 2024
Grand Isle LNG withdraws deepwater port application off Louisiana coast
Union Carbide plans to more than double wastewater discharge from Texas plant
Public meeting planned April 23 on proposed Lake Charles, Louisiana, methanol plant
April 25 public meeting planned on Plaquemines LNG wastewater permit
Company applies to expand natural gas storage site near Jackson, Mississippi
Reports
The surprising reasons why Big Oil may not want a second Trump term
March 26, 2024
When natural gas prices cool, flares burn in the Permian Basin
March 26, 2024
Environmental ruling threatens Wyoming oil and gas drilling leases
March 25, 2024
Carbon capture and storage in Texas
October 25, 2023
The Fertilizer Boom: America's Rapidly Growing Nitrogen and Fertilizer Industry and its Impact on the Environment and Public Safety
April 17, 2023
The Polluter's Playbook: How Loopholes and Lax Enforcement Harm Air Quality in Texas
March 23, 2023
Oil's Unchecked Outfalls
January 27, 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
The Advocate’s Guide to Effective Participation in Environmental Permit Proceedings
April 22, 2022
Recent Media
The surprising reasons why Big Oil may not want a second Trump term
March 26, 2024
When natural gas prices cool, flares burn in the Permian Basin
March 26, 2024
Environmental ruling threatens Wyoming oil and gas drilling leases
March 25, 2024
Carbon capture and storage in Texas
October 25, 2023
The Fertilizer Boom: America's Rapidly Growing Nitrogen and Fertilizer Industry and its Impact on the Environment and Public Safety
April 17, 2023
The Polluter's Playbook: How Loopholes and Lax Enforcement Harm Air Quality in Texas
March 23, 2023
Oil's Unchecked Outfalls
January 27, 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
The Advocate’s Guide to Effective Participation in Environmental Permit Proceedings
April 22, 2022
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Brendan Gibbons
Oil & Gas Watch Reporter
Ari Phillips
Senior Writer and Editor
Tom Pelton
Director of Communications
Alexandra Shaykevich
Oil & Gas Research Manager
Lottie Mitchell
Research Analyst
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