Politics

December 19, 2024

Why climate-skeptical Republicans may protect billions in taxpayer funding for a climate program

Funded by billions of dollars in new taxpayer subsidies approved by the Biden Administration, more than 160 projects have been proposed across the U.S. to capture carbon dioxide pollution from industry and bury it underground as a strategy to address climate change. But Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, is returning to the White House, and climate-skeptical Republicans are taking control of Congress. The politics within the Republican Party and the economic interests of the oil and gas industry make Congress unlikely to eliminate subsidies for carbon capture. More than 90 percent of taxpayer-supported carbon capture projects in recent years have been run by fossil fuel companies.

Brendan Gibbons

November 21, 2024

Trump’s pick for Interior Secretary likely to increase drilling on federal public land 

To run the U.S. Department of the Interior and supervise drilling on federal land, President-elect Donald Trump last week selected Doug Burgum, a billionaire former software executive and real estate developer who has served as North Dakota’s governor since 2016. If confirmed by the Senate, Burgum would oversee the federal agency most in charge of oil and gas leasing and development in federal coastal waters and on federal lands. Project 2025, often seen as a playbook for the next Trump Administration, calls for a rollback of Biden’s efforts to reduce leasing on federal lands, as well as to “conduct offshore oil and natural gas leases to the maximum extent possible.” 

Tom Pelton

November 14, 2024

Why Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ policies will not reduce U.S. oil and gasoline prices

Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by convincing American voters that he would unleash more oil and gas production, which would reduce fuel prices, curb inflation and cut grocery prices. But petroleum industry experts doubt this will work in a global market. Energy experts say American companies will not simply produce more petroleum and sell fuel at a lower price because competing nations like Saudi Arabia could simply reduce their own production and keep global prices high for their own financial or political reasons.

Courtney Bernhardt

October 24, 2024

Chronic failures in Texas’ management of oil & gas wells raise alarms about the state’s request to run carbon capture

With billions of dollars in incentives on the line, companies across the U.S. are planning wells intended to permanently dispose of carbon dioxide, or CO₂. In most states, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for permitting these wells. However, the EPA has handed over that authority to three states -- North Dakota, Wyoming, and Louisiana. Texas now wants to join that list. Critics question whether the state's oil and gas regulator is fit for the job and competent enough to handle a major expansion of its authority into a new area of growth.

Preet Bains

October 17, 2024

Leaks at Illinois carbon injection project cast a shadow on the future of taxpayer-subsidized carbon capture

An ethanol plant in central Illinois has stopped injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ground after a potential leak was discovered on the property for the second time this year. The problems at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) plant raise questions about the safety of about 150 other carbon capture wells proposed across the U.S., most with taxpayer funding.

Brendan Gibbons

September 26, 2024

A debate over $100 billion in taxpayer subsidies could set the fate of the U.S. hydrogen industry

When hydrogen is burned, it releases only water vapor and no greenhouse gases, making it a potentially climate-friendly fuel for uses like steel production and cement manufacturing depending on how the hydrogen is made. But hydrogen is expensive to produce, which is why the Biden Administration and Congress provided up to $100 billion in taxpayer subsidies for hydrogen production in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Those proposed rules have ignited a debate over how strict those rules should be, with some energy companies lobbying for subsidies for hydrogen made from natural gas.

Ari Phillips

September 19, 2024

Latest version of energy permitting fast-tracking bill has environmental movement balking

In late July, senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso, who represent two of the U.S.'s biggest fossil-fuel producing states (West Virginia and Wyoming) announced the latest iteration of their long-sought bill that would accelerate the permitting process for energy projects—including LNG plants, electricity transmission lines, clean energy and fossil fuel power plants. Called the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, the senators said the legislation would, “strengthen American energy security by accelerating the permitting process for critical energy and mineral projects of all types.” But environmental groups criticize the bill for giving away too much to polluting industries and fast-tracking a review process meant to protect public health and the environment.

Brendan Gibbons

September 12, 2024

The outlook for the oil and gas industry under President Harris vs. President Trump

Under a Democratic administration led by Vice President Kamala Harris, federal climate policy would likely continue down the Biden Administration’s path – which has meant both billions of dollars invested in clean energy while also allowing for record-breaking oil and gas production. By contrast, former President Donald Trump and his allies have vowed to repeal Biden’s clean energy policies, abandon the country’s climate goals, slash regulations, and speed up oil and gas permitting and leasing. In short, “drill, baby, drill!” as Trump frequently proclaims on the campaign trail.

Brendan Gibbons

August 15, 2024

Texas program that subsidizes fossil-fuel electricity turbo-charges 72 power plant applications

The state’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) received the applications for loans under the Texas Energy Fund Program, the agency announced in late July. Following widespread power outages during a winter storm in 2021, Texas voters in November 2023 approved the low-interest loan program proposed by the Texas Legislature in an effort to increase generation capacity and avoid blackouts. However, many environmentalists question whether new gas generators are the right answer because they contribute to climate change, and some consumer advocates and energy analysts say it will not address the need to modernize the Texas grid to prevent more outages.

Ari Phillips

August 8, 2024

Oil refinery waste is a major source of air and water pollution

Two hours north of Oklahoma City outside a small town named Kremlin, billionaire William “Bill” Koch owns a plant that processes oil refinery waste. The 60-year-old Oxbow petroleum coke plant occupies enough land to cover 250 football fields. But it has an even larger environmental footprint. The plant’s sulfur dioxide emissions create haze and reduce visibility in several downwind states. A national report reveals that the “petcoke” industry releases large amounts of pollution at sites like this across the country, but that EPA has neglected to require it to install modern air and water pollution control systems, as are required for many other industries.

Brendan Gibbons

August 1, 2024

Environmental Integrity Project launches updated Oil & Gas Watch database and news site

The Oil & Gas Watch database and news site are being re-launched today (Aug. 1) with new features to make it easier for users to track oil and gas developments in local areas and gather national data on the growing industry. The database features a new “alerts” function to highlight new projects, updates, and public hearings. It also has new search tools; the projected greenhouse gas and related health impacts of projects; new maps; and sharable summary pages for industries. We also redesigned the Oil & Gas Watch News site and email newsletter. We are hosting a free virtual webinar at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 21 to explain how to use the new database.

Ari Phillips

April 11, 2024

Opposition mounts to aging oil & gas pipeline threatening Great Lakes drinking water

The Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline, which carries oil beneath Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, is notorious for a 2010 accident that was one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history. More than 20,000 barrels of heavy crude oil spilled into a tributary of the Kalamazoo River near Marshall, Michigan. This messy history weighs heavily on the future of the old pipeline, which is facing lawsuits from the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Michigan Attorney General's office.

Brendan Gibbons

April 4, 2024

A new EPA rule is meant to prevent chemical disasters, but safety advocates say loopholes remain

The U.S. experiences a chemical disaster on average once every two days, including at least 45 so far in 2024, according to the nonprofit Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters. However, a new safety rule the Biden administration recently released is meant to avoid such catastrophes. Advocates also say EPA should have done more, such as required air monitoring at the fence lines of major facilities and adding ammonium nitrate, an explosive material used in fertilizer, to the hazardous chemical list.

Brendan Gibbons

February 22, 2024

As Mountain Valley Pipeline races to completion, construction leaves muddy mess in Virginia waterways

As construction crews rush to complete the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia, advocates are calling on state and federal authorities to stop work on the project, citing evidence that the company has again caused erosion that polluted springs and waterways with sediment. One recent example includes a spring in Giles County, west of Roanoke, that began flowing with muddy water after the company's construction work nearby.

Brendan Gibbons

February 6, 2024

Biden’s LNG pause won’t slow the flow of U.S. natural gas abroad

The Biden Administration's decision to temporarily halt a review of new liquified natural gas (LNG) export permits will do little in the short term to stop the U.S.'s export boom. It will not block exports from the seven LNG terminals currently exporting from the U.S., nor the 16 projects that have already been authorized or are under construction—including 12 new terminals and four major expansions at existing plants.

Brendan Gibbons

January 18, 2024

The U.S. dominated the global oil and gas industry in 2023 despite pledges about clean energy

Overall, 2023 was a year of opposing trends in the U.S. oil and gas industry under a Biden Administration that both launched unprecedented policies to speed the transition to cleaner energy and also opened the door for record-setting fossil fuel production. Last year, the country became the world’s largest producer of oil and maintained its status as the top producer of natural gas, while also becoming the world’s largest gas exporter.

Ari Phillips

January 11, 2024

New Mexico wants to recycle fracking wastewater for clean energy. Who stands to gain?

Last month, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a “first-of-its-kind strategic water supply” program that would invest $500 million in treating produced water, an extremely salty byproduct of oil and gas extraction that can include toxic fracking chemicals, oil droplets, sand, rock fragments, and other gunk picked up along the way. Water experts and environmentalists wonder if the enterprise will do much to address the state’s water woes, or if it will primarily provide more government support for fossil fuel production that is worsening global warming.

Brendan Gibbons

January 5, 2024

LNG terminal opens in Puerto Rico without required federal approval

A New York-based company under fire from local groups in Puerto Rico after building a liquid natural gas (LNG) import facility in San Juan Bay without obtaining authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The LNG terminal also makes the territory more dependent on natural gas, even though Puerto Rico has passed legislation urging a move to 100 percent renewable power by 2050. Recent federal studies show renewables would be more cost-effective and reliable than continuing to shore up existing fossil fuel-fired power plants.

Preet Bains

December 19, 2023

Report shows oil and gas companies are rushing to establish taxpayer-subsidized carbon storage projects with little monitoring

A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project shows that federal authorities fail to independently verify that “captured” carbon actually stays underground after companies receive their taxpayer subsidies. The analysis of 21 carbon capture monitoring, reporting, and verification plans approved so far by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that the agency allows fossil fuel companies to write their own rules and plans, does not require specific monitoring strategies or technologies, and requires no third-party verification of data self-reported by companies.

Brendan Gibbons

December 7, 2023

Biden Administration proposes to allow disposal of carbon waste beneath national forests

The Biden Administration’s U.S. Forest Service recently proposed a regulatory change related to carbon capture and sequestration, a technology meant to remove or keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Critics of the proposal say that the Forest Service would be granting fossil fuel and carbon disposal companies access to public property for decades, possibly forever, in support of a technology that has not been proven on a large scale and which some call a false solution.

Brendan Gibbons

December 1, 2023

Houston smog worst in 12 years, hitting Latino, Black and lower-income neighborhoods hardest

Air monitoring data show that Houston’s air quality violated health-based standards on 55 days in 2023, more than any other year since 2011. Scorching temperatures combined with emissions, in part from vehicles, oil refineries, chemical plants, and other sources, triggered a rise in ozone across the region. Although smoggy air affects almost everyone, Houston air monitoring data show that Latino and Black neighborhoods and low-income communities were hit the hardest.

Brendan Gibbons

November 21, 2023

Report calls chemical recycling a ‘dangerous deception’ meant to shield the plastics industry

A new report by the environmental group Beyond Plastics takes aim at chemical plastics recycling. It's a rapidly-spreading industry with 11 facilities operating across the U.S. that turn plastic waste into fuel or raw ingredients for new plastics. At least 31 more of these facilities are now planned. Chemical recycling leads to energy waste and toxic air and water pollution, often in minority neighborhoods and low-income areas already struggling with a heavy industrial presence, the report states.

Brendan Gibbons

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

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.

Lottie Mitchell

August 29, 2023

Despite Biden climate promises, oil production on federal lands is rising

After a campaign pledge of "no more drilling on federal lands," the Biden Administration approved 8,072 drilling permits on public lands from the month after the president’s inauguration through July 2023, nearly as many as the 8,293 under former President Donald Trump for a comparable period. The total amount of oil produced with these permits is higher so far under President Biden than Trump.

Alexandra Shaykevich

August 22, 2023

What causes long-delayed 'zombie' projects? The market, not government permit reviews

At least seven oil and gas mega-projects across the U.S. have delayed construction as a result of bankruptcy, financing delays, or market forces. All of these projects -- including an LNG terminal and two fertilizer plants -- were issued permits to allow construction more than seven years ago but have failed to move forward. The reality that often it's economics -- not slow government reviews of environmental permits -- that creates long-stalled "zombie" projects undercuts arguments that Congress needs permitting reform to fast track permit approvals.

Brendan Gibbons

August 2, 2023

New EPA report: Plastics chemical found in drinking water poses elevated cancer risk

1,4-Dioxane is a colorless liquid with a faint sweet odor used as an industrial solvent, ingredient, and byproduct in the production of plastics and consumer products since the 1950s. The chemical is also found in hydraulic fracturing fluid and at plastic plants that produce polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a common plastic used to make bottles, food packaging, and clothing. The EPA is accepting public comments on its findings on 1,4-Dioxane until Sept. 8, 2023.

Tom Pelton

July 18, 2023

Temperatures rise over whether EPA should allow Louisiana to permit carbon waste burial projects

This summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to rule on a petition by Louisiana for state authority to issue permits for carbon dioxide waste disposal wells that would allow petrochemical companies to capture the climate-warming pollutant from their smokestacks and bury it underground. Encouraged by billions of dollars in public subsidies offered by the Biden Administration, oil and gas companies and other industries are proposing at least 27 carbon capture and sequestration projects in Louisiana, including beneath the Gulf of Mexico.

Brendan Gibbons

July 12, 2023

The U.S. LNG export boom is spreading to Mexico, creating new environmental threats

Developers are planning six LNG terminals capable of liquefying and exporting natural gas from Mexico, including three planned for highly sensitive areas of the Gulf of California in the country’s northwest. The LNG terminals would rely on U.S. natural gas, mostly from West Texas, and would export most of their gas to Asian countries. The Mexican terminals could compete for customers with 30 new or expanding U.S. LNG terminals either under construction or proposed but not yet built, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ari Phillips

May 30, 2023

Biden/McCarthy compromise would approve Mountain Valley Pipeline and limit national environmental reviews

To avoid the possibility of the U.S. defaulting on its debts, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday endorsed compromise legislation that requires the federal government to issue all permits needed to “expedite” completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The 303-mile natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia has been stalled by court challenges but is championed by Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) The bill would also limit environmental reviews of major projects like pipelines, dams, and electric transmission lines across the U.S.

Brendan Gibbons

April 19, 2023

Texas lawmakers aim to exempt oil & gas projects from school property taxes, but not clean energy

Texas legislators are considering a bill that would give fossil fuel companies – but not clean energy – huge breaks on the property taxes they pay to local school districts, narrowing a previous tax incentive program for energy projects that expired last year. Under the old program, called Chapter 313, almost three quarters of the $12.3 billion in tax benefits went to manufacturing projects, including for the oil and gas and petrochemical industry, while 26 percent went to clean energy projects.

Brendan Gibbons

April 11, 2023

Permitting reform could still rise from the ashes of 'dead on arrival' House GOP energy package

With Democrats in control of the Senate and White House, most of the provisions in the energy package passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. House won’t make it into law anytime soon. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats have signaled that they could be open to a narrower discussion on “permitting reform” to streamline the process of approving major energy projects such as pipelines, fuel export terminals, and electrical transmission lines.

Ari Phillips

March 15, 2023

After East Palestine, the slow-moving train wreck of petrochemical pollution deserves more attention nationally

Following the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical fire in East Palestine, Ohio, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz blasted President Biden for not visiting the scene of the accident. Cruz claimed that “Democrats don’t give a damn about East Palestine." He failed to mention a similar chemical catastrophe outside his own city, Houston. On Nov. 27, 2019, a series of explosions ripped through the Texas Petrochemicals Port Neches plant, spewing carcinogens into the air and requiring the evacuation of thousands of people. Cruz never demanded that then-President Trump make an appearance in Texas to show his concern for petrochemical pollution, which is a serious national issue.

Ari Phillips

March 8, 2023

Wave of new oil export terminals looms over Gulf Coast

The approval off the Sea Port Oil Terminal 35 miles off the coast of Texas marks the beginning of what could be a wave of five massive new deepwater oil export terminals along the Gulf Coast that service oil tankers over 1,000 feet in length. In the eight years since Congress lifted a long-time ban on crude oil exports, the U.S. has gone from barely exporting any fossil fuels to offloading millions of barrels of oil per day.

Brendan Gibbons

February 21, 2023

Ozone drifting into small-town New Mexico from Texas oil & gas industry

A new analysis by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) shows that when air quality monitors in Carlsbad show spikes in pollution, it’s often because the wind is blowing in from Texas. The monitors record levels of ozone, a key component of smog that’s linked to chronic conditions such as asthma and heart disease. Texas does not have any official monitors on its side of the Permian Basin, despite having a much larger population in harm’s way.

Brendan Gibbons

January 17, 2023

What House Republicans have planned for the oil and gas industry

After a messy confirmation process for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican leadership signaled a plan to introduce bills that would boost oil and gas production and speed the permitting process for pipelines and other large facilities. In an event last week with the American Petroleum Institute, House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said legislators are working on a “package of bills” that would “secure American energy.”

Brendan Gibbons

January 11, 2023

Stalemate at FERC could stall Biden clean energy plan, landowner rights reform

Willie Phillips, who’s served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since December 2021, will become the new acting chair of the commission, or FERC, an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of gas and electricity. Advocates say FERC need reforms to strengthen landowner rights and accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels. However, Phillips' nomination and the departure of former chair Richard Glick mean the commission is split 2-2 among Republicans and Democrats.

Brendan Gibbons

December 14, 2022

Mitsubishi seeks tens of millions in Louisiana tax breaks for largest plastics plant of its kind

The more than $1 billion methyl methacrylate plant, which could receive up to $168 million over 10 years in local property tax breaks alone, would emit hundreds of tons per year of air pollution in an area where cancer risk from toxic air pollution is already three times the U.S. average. The company has said its decision to build in Geismar, Louisiana, was influenced by the availability of natural gas, a key ingredient in the manufacturing process.

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.”

Tom Pelton

August 31, 2022

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.

Tom Pelton

August 17, 2022

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.

Alexandra Shaykevich

July 26, 2022

The market can't handle fast-tracking LNG. Neither can the climate.

In response to Russia’s war on Ukraine and soaring fuel prices, some U.S. politicians have been advocating for faster environmental review and approval of permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals. But there is no need to rush. Neither the market nor the climate can handle a glut of LNG. And building all 20 LNG projects already authorized in the U.S. would consume 37 percent of U.S. natural gas, worsening gas prices and inflation for Americans.

Tom Pelton

July 14, 2022

Welcome to Oil & Gas Watch News

Greenhouse gases are driving profound changes to the Earth’s climate, contributing to record-breaking heat waves and millions of acres of wildfires, among many other problems. Some industry advocates have tried to position natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to a green future. Oil & Gas Watch News examines the data and public records and sets the record straight.