Oil and Gas Watch

After surviving brush with death, pastor fights to save his community from industrial 'MegaPark'

Twenty-two years after being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease and given three years to live, Pastor Harry Joseph is not only still alive and strong but more inspired than ever to fight to save his community. He and his daughter are leaders in a David vs. Goliath legal battle by the small, historically Black community of Modeste, Louisiana, to stop a proposal by developers to replace their neighborhood with a massive industrial park called the RiverPlex Mega Park. “When God healed me, he healed me to put me in the position that I am now – to help other people with their struggles,” the Rev. Joseph said.

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.

Lisa Graves-Marcucci

August 10, 2022

Natural gas development transforms Pennsylvania farmland

A 40-fold growth in natural gas production in Pennsylvania over the last 12 years has triggered a massive buildout of wells, tanks, and gas processing plants on what was once farmland. The state has issued permits for at least 29 new large gas and petrochemical projects. These include a pair of cryogenic fractionation plants surrounding the Duran family farm in Smith Township, west of Pittsburgh. These plants use extreme cold to separate natural gas into butane and other fuels.

Brendan Gibbons

In East Texas, organizers fight massive oil export pipeline planned for popular fishing grounds

Energy Transfer Partners, one of the nation’s largest pipeline companies, plans to build a pipeline to carry oil from the northern U.S. and Canada to a terminal near Port Arthur, TX, where ships could carry that oil abroad. The project is part of an explosive growth in U.S. oil exports, which rose from an average of 42,000 barrels per day in 2010 to 3.3 million barrels per day in 2022.

Alexandra Shaykevich

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.

Brendan Gibbons

At least 20 major oil and gas plants proposed in flood zones

Despite the growing risk of flooding due to climate change and rising sea levels, a review of new energy projects shows that energy companies are proposing to build major facilities in flood-prone areas. At least 20 upcoming oil- and gas-related projects are planned in floodplains, many along the Gulf Coast.