Oil and Gas Watch

October 22, 2026

War with Iran may lead to unexpected drop in greenhouse gas emissions

The International Energy Agency (IEA), in January forecasted a 2 percent increase in global natural gas consumption this year. But after the outbreak of war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in July IEA revised its prediction to a 0.6 percent drop in global gas consumption this year.

Victoria Zurner

October 15, 2026

New LNG terminal expansion projects in Louisiana and Texas boosted by wars

Over the last 14 months, liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies have proposed new expansion projects at seven gas export terminals along the Gulf Coast, encouraged in part by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine that have boosted the market for U.S. LNG shipments. Four of the expanding terminals are located in Texas, with another three in Louisiana.

Brendan Gibbons

October 8, 2026

In Idaho, company makes first move in massive Pacific Northwest gas pipeline expansion

A subsidiary of U.S. pipeline giant Williams began early stages of seeking a permit to build the Silver Spur Pipeline, an 88-mile connection between two major gas transmission pipelines in Idaho and Nevada. The project could be an opening move in an effort to build the largest gas pipeline expansion in the Pacific Northwest in two decades.

October 1, 2026

Controversial West Virginia chemical plastics ‘recycling’ plant gets permit over local objections

In response to lobbying by the industry, 24 states, including West Virginia, have passed legislation reclassifying chemical plastics "recycling" not as waste incineration but as a kind of manufacturing, which requires less strict environmental standards. The Trump Administration is working to exempt these plants from being subjected to Clean Air Act limits for cancer-causing air pollution.

Brendan Gibbons

September 24, 2026

In the wake of a petrochemical boom, companies now plan layoffs for thousands of workers

Chemical companies that are major U.S. plastics manufacturers – including Dow, Westlake, and Eastman – have said they are trimming their workforces by thousands of employees this year. All three of these petrochemical companies are laying off workers even as profits are up. Executies and stockholders are doing well while they terminate their workers, in part because technology allows companies to produce more chemicals with fewer employees.

Brendan Gibbons

September 17, 2026

U.S. quadruples production of natural gas liquids, the main ingredient in plastic

Over the past two decades, the U.S. has also seen a dramatic growth in production of lesser known “wet” varieties of natural gas. “Wet” gas is methane mixed with hydrocarbon liquids such as ethane and propane that are collectively known as natural gas liquids. Natural gas liquid production has more than quadrupled in the U.S. from 1.7 million barrels in 2005 to 7.5 million barrels per day in 2025, a 338 percent increase, according to a fact sheet on natural gas liquids compiled by the Environmental Integrity Project