News Articles
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Plastics industry boom brings flood of new ethylene “cracker” plants, despite frequent environmental violations
The plastics industry in the U.S. has grown significantly in recent years, including a massive buildout of chemical plants called ethane crackers that turn fracked gas into ethylene -- one of the primary building blocks of plastics and petrochemicals. By the end of 2022, ethylene will be made at 34 facilities in the U.S., up from 27 in 2015. Eighteen of these 34 plants have been designated by EPA as “high priority violators” of the Clean Air Act.
EPA will restore an Obama-era chemical disaster safety rule halted by Trump Administration
The EPA is planning to reinstate a rule meant to prevent fires, leaks, spills, explosions, and other disasters at more than 12,000 facilities nationwide, including many oil and gas and petrochemical plants. The rule was first proposed by the Obama Administration in 2017 and later rolled back in 2019 under the Trump Administration. It would require more facilities to plan for natural disasters and strengthen public notice requirements. But many safety advocates say it does not go far enough.
Proposed 'green gasoline' plants raise questions about pollution from natural gas fuels
A company called Nacero Inc. plans to build multi-billion-dollar plants in Pennsylvania and Texas to produce vehicle fuels marketed as “blue” and “green” gasoline. What is "green" gasoline? Is it an oxymoron, like "clean" coal? The company argues their liquid fuel, made from natural gas, emits less air pollution than conventional gasoline. But critics say it is far from carbon neutral or Earth friendly.
Investigation: Carbon capture tax credits in climate bill riddled with verification failures and other problems
The landmark climate bill signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 13 includes billions of dollars in tax credits to encourage carbon capture and sequestration projects. But an IRS investigation of the carbon credit program found that more than half of the $1 billion in credits claimed by oil and gas companies and other industries for carbon capture projects over the last decade were revoked by IRS because the companies failed to verify that the greenhouse gas was actually captured, as required by EPA.
On the Texas Gulf Coast, a race to build desalination plants to serve a thirsty oil & gas industry
At least six desalination plants are planned around Corpus Christi, Texas, to serve a rising demand for fresh water from a rapidly growing petrochemical industry and planned LNG export terminals. Local residents fighting the desalination plants say believe the projects will hike residents’ water bills to serve a massive industry expansion, while dumping highly concentrated saltwater with heavy metals into local bays and estuaries, threatening marine life. All told, the six desalination plants – if built – could discharge more than 362 million gallons of brine per day.
Behind the climate bill: the high price of Manchin's pipeline deal in Appalachia
The landmark climate bill signed by President Biden yesterday passed because of a political compromise with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia that will impose a burden on Appalachia. Manchin says he struck a deal with Democrats to also approve the once-dead Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline, which requires the condemnation of hundreds of farms, the clearcutting of woods and the blasting of rock. Among those hurt by the deal is the family of Fred Vest, a Vietnam veteran who died last year during the "invasion" and blasting of his farm.
