Oil and Gas Watch

Brendan Gibbons

December 18, 2025

Taxpayer-subsidized carbon capture is driving a backlash in Louisiana, Texas and other states

Driven by billions in taxpayer subsidies, companies are planning hundreds of projects across the U.S. intended to capture carbon dioxide emissions from industry and pump the pollution underground. The wave of carbon capture, transportation, and storage projects is triggering backlash in the form of lawsuits, grassroots activism, and regulatory changes. States in the Gulf Coast and Midwest have had public debates and court battles over some of these projects.

Alexandra Shaykevich

August 14, 2025

Dubious claims of chemical plastics ‘recycling’ industry run into reality

At least 38 projects involving the use of heat or chemicals to break down plastic waste have been proposed across the country, and three plants are currently under construction, two in Georgia and one in West Virginia. But the future of these projects is highly uncertain, as companies struggle with high costs, low output, and the loss of government subsidies. Only 9 chemical recycling plants are operating in the U.S. today after four facilities shut down because of technical and financial troubles.

Louisiana LNG terminal plans massive expansion – and neighbors are fearful

On July 15, the Arlington, Virginia-based Venture Global Capital announced plans to roughly double the size of Plaquemines LNG, asking FERC to approve an expansion to as much as 52 million metric tons per year, making it one of the largest LNG terminals in the world. The more than doubling of the plant’s capacity could more than double its pollution impact. Since the rise of the hydraulic fracturing boom in the U.S., eight LNG export terminals have been built, four more are under construction, and 28 more projects to build or expand export facilities are proposed.

Brendan Gibbons

Facing gag order, Louisiana scientist resigned in protest. The support came pouring in.

Facing a gag order imposed on her by university leadership because her study on racial discrimination in petrochemical industry jobs reportedly angered Louisiana’s governor, Dr. Kimberly Terrell of Tulane University’s Environmental Law Clinic could remain silent and sacrifice her scientific integrity. Or she could resign in protest, speaking out publicly about an important issue and shining a light on the pressure campaign to keep her silent. She chose the second option.

Courtney Bernhardt

With 14 ethane cracker projects looming, analysts wonder whether companies are overbuilding

Market analysts are pointing to overbuilding an uncertainty caused by trade disputes as a reason for a cooling global market for ethylene, derived from oil and gas production. Despite this turbulence, as of June 2025, at least 14 projects to build new or expand U.S. ethylene production have been announced or are moving ahead,

In Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ bill, ugly contradictions and giveaways to industry

President Donald Trump campaigned on lowering energy costs, but his "Big Beautiful" spending bill is expected to raise energy costs for households by $280 per year. Rather than cutting carbon capture subsidies, it increases them, as long as that carbon is used to force more oil and gas out of the ground. It also lowered royalty rates paid by oil and gas companies to the federal government, increasing the national debt, along with opening up more public lands for drilling.