Oil and Gas Watch

Brendan Gibbons

Bills that target the public's right to monitor air pollution are popping up in state legislatures

In 2024, the Louisiana legislature passed a bill that effectively bans community groups from using their own air monitoring to warn residents about pollution or publicly advocate for cleanup action. Industry advocates are pushing similar bills to restrict air pollution monitoring around the country, with Kentucky passing a similar law this year. Legislators in Ohio and West Virginia have also considered bills that would restrict the use of data from local groups doing their own independent air monitoring.

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

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

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.

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.”

Courtney Bernhardt

September 20, 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.