EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/24/26
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Enviros challenge federal permit for Southeast gas pipeline
Reuters: Canada approves $4 billion natural gas pipeline expansion
San Diego Union-Tribune: Pipeline project to boost gasoline supplies in Southern California, will start in St. Louis
KSAZ: New Western Gateway pipeline project aims to lower Arizona gas prices
1012 Industry Report: Air Liquide is investing $350M in Louisiana
Derby Telegraph: Residents hit out at claims by MP over carbon capture pipeline
KAVU: Pipeline explosion in Edna kills one, injures two in Wednesday afternoon incident
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Burgum rallies behind permitting talks: ‘This is the moment’
Inside Climate News: Cuts to Renewable Energy Research in Energy Department’s Budget Irk Senate Democrats
Bloomberg: Burgum Draws Senators’ Ire Over Park Staffing, ‘Vanity’ Projects
E&E News: Burgum gets heat over offshore agency reorganization
New York Times: A New Bureau Will Oversee Both Offshore Drilling and Seabed Mining
Jacobin Magazine: Trump’s EPA Has Made It Harder to Track Toxic Chemical Plants
E&E News: US official: No hope for global carbon tax
Wes Siler: National Park Service Maintenance Backlog Now Totals Over $35 Billion
Aspen Public Radio: The Trump administration cut research funding. Now, a scientist researching rocks in Bears Ears National Monument is turning to GoFundMe
STATE UPDATES
The Center Square: Energy companies move closer to another major win in lawsuit fight
Houma Today: One of more than 60 seafood samples tests positive for oil in Gulf
Reuters: Chevron refinery in Pasadena, Texas reports crude oil spill
Reuters: BP lockout at Indiana refinery stretches into second month as union talks stall
EXTRACTION
WDIV: Earth Day turns 56: How a 1969 oil spill launched a global movement
E&E News: The world is searching for oil. This summit is looking to get rid of it.
Reuters: Traders place $430 million bet on lower oil price before Trump ceasefire extension
Canadian Press: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says fracking opponents are drowning out other voices
Latitude Media: Is heavy industry the future of carbon removal in the US?
Discover Estevan: Estevan’s Boundary Dam carbon capture draws praise as global first
Energy Intelligence Group: Exxon, Shell Pursue CCS Project Offshore Germany
Mongabay: Oil spill continues in Gulf of Mexico vulnerable habitats, while Pemex admits fault
OPINION
WyoFile: Dismantling the US Forest Service harms public lands and communities
Forbes: The Carbon Removal Market Was Built On One Customer. Now What?
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Enviros challenge federal permit for Southeast gas pipeline
Carlos Anchondo, 4/22/26
“A coalition of environmental groups is taking the Army Corps of Engineers to court over a water permit the agency issued for a Southeast gas pipeline project, asking a federal appeals court to toss out the authorization,” E&E News reports. “The five groups — represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and Appalachian Mountain Advocates — are challenging a Section 404 water permit the Army Corps issued in February for the Southeast Supply Enhancement project (SSEP), which involves building 55 miles of new natural gas pipeline in parts of Virginia and North Carolina. In granting the 404 permit for the SSEP, the Army Corps has “failed in its vital mission, threatening great harms to the waters and the communities that would be affected by this destructive project,” said David Sligh, director of the water quality program at Wild Virginia, in a statement released with the lawsuit Monday. Wild Virginia is one of the groups behind the lawsuit, a cohort that also includes the Sierra Club. The groups took issue with the pipeline installation technique the project would use, asserting it could “permanently damage aquatic ecosystems,” according to a Sierra Club news release.”
Reuters: Canada approves $4 billion natural gas pipeline expansion
Katharine Jackson and Katha Kalia, 4/24/26
“Canada has approved a $4 billion natural gas expansion of an Enbridge pipeline in British Columbia, Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson said on Friday,” Reuters reports. “The Sunrise Expansion Program is designed to add about 300 million cubic feet per day of natural gas transportation capacity to the southern portion of the Westcoast pipeline system, Enbridge said. Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2026, with a targeted in-service date in late 2028.”
San Diego Union-Tribune: Pipeline project to boost gasoline supplies in Southern California, will start in St. Louis
Rob Nikolewski, 4/23/26
“Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan have announced plans to move forward with a pipeline project that would provide Southern California a much-needed connection to gasoline and other refined products via fuel terminals in other parts of the country,” the San Diego Union-Tribune report. “In a joint statement, the two companies said there’s been more than sufficient interest from investors and shippers to proceed with the Western Gateway Pipeline -- designed to run 1,300 miles from St. Louis to California. If completed, the pipeline will be the first-ever pipeline system to deliver motor fuels into California… “Meanwhile, the flow on an existing pipeline that currently runs from the San Bernardino County community of Colton to Arizona would be reversed, allowing more fuel to remain in California… “Gov. Gavin Newsom, through a spokesperson, reacted favorably to the Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan decision -- with a caveat. “The Western Gateway project is a promising opportunity to bring additional gasoline supply into the state and bolster resilience,” Anthony Martinez, deputy communications director for the governor’s office, told the Union-Tribune. “At the same time,” Martinez added, “we’ll continue pursuing every solution that reduces the state’s dependence on oil -- a volatile product that is tied to the global oil market, including foreign conflicts that raise prices on Americans in all states.”
KSAZ: New Western Gateway pipeline project aims to lower Arizona gas prices
Brian Webb, 4/23/26
“High gas prices are hitting drivers hard currently, but some experts believe relief may be on the horizon, as a major new pipeline project gains steam,” KSAZ reports. “Currently, there are no refineries in Arizona, and there are also only two major pipelines in the state. Meanwhile, Phoenix currently has one of the most expensive fuel markets in the nation… “The Western Gateway pipeline project just went from proposal stage into active development. It would add another fuel source to Arizona, and it could stabilize or even lower prices at the pump. The project would add a new stretch from the Texas panhandle to Phoenix that is capable of delivering 200,000 barrels a day of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The fuel would come from cheaper markets in the Midwest and Gulf Coast, and should lower gas prices… “The pipeline is being developed by Philip 66 and Kinder Morgan. It could cost those companies more than $5 billion. And be complete by 2029… “There are several remaining risks and uncertainties, including environmental and regulatory approvals, construction costs, and political opposition to remaining reliant on oil.”
1012 Industry Report: Air Liquide is investing $350M in Louisiana
4/22/26
“Air Liquide, a global leader in industrial gases, technologies and services, announced it will invest more than $350 million in Louisiana to expand production capacity and pipeline infrastructure — its latest major bet on the state as a hub for next-generation American manufacturing,” according to 1012 Industry Report. “The centerpiece of the expansion is a new Air Separation Unit (ASU) to be built at the existing Koch Methanol facility in St. James Parish. The unit will produce the oxygen, nitrogen and argon required by Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel (HPLS), a new low-carbon steel facility that represents a landmark in domestic industrial decarbonization efforts. Air Liquide will also extend its pipeline infrastructure along the Mississippi River corridor, increasing capacity and efficiency at the current site… “Governor Jeff Landry welcomed the news, framing it as a validation of Louisiana’s business climate… “State officials also highlighted the broader economic ripple effects of large industrial anchors attracting supplier ecosystems.”
Derby Telegraph: Residents hit out at claims by MP over carbon capture pipeline
Zena Hawley, 4/24/26
“Opponents to plans for a 121-mile CO2 pipeline that crosses parts of north Derbyshire have hit out at “misinformation” claims made by High Peak MP Jon Pearce,” the Derby Telegraph reports. “If approved, the pipeline would transfer CO2 from the county’s quarries and lime works to Morecambe Bay where it will be stored, but Mr Pearce has criticised a consultation held by the developer, Peak Cluster… “But he added: “As a result of Peak Cluster not engaging as well as I would have liked, this has led to a great deal of misinformation (deliberate or otherwise) being spread. “I am deeply concerned about this as it is causing unnecessary anxiety for some residents. I am therefore keen to use this opportunity to provide reassurance where I can. “I want to be absolutely clear that I will not back anything that I am not convinced is safe.”
KAVU: Pipeline explosion in Edna kills one, injures two in Wednesday afternoon incident
Amaya Norman, 4/23/26
“A pipeline explosion south of Edna killed one person and injured two others Wednesday afternoon,” KAVU reports. “The explosion happened around 3 p.m. on County Road 310 near FM 1822 while a contract crew was performing maintenance on a Kinder Morgan pipeline, officials said… “One person was pronounced dead at the scene. Two others were transported to area hospitals for treatment of burn injuries. A fourth member of the crew was not on site at the time of the incident. Jackson County Sheriff Rick Boone told KAVU the crew members were from out of state, and none were local residents.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Burgum rallies behind permitting talks: ‘This is the moment’
Ian M. Stevenson, 4/22/26
“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum rallied behind efforts in Congress to make changes to permitting laws Wednesday, despite actions by agencies within his department that have gummed up those negotiations,” E&E News reports. “It’s absolutely essential that this permitting bill goes forward,” Burgum said during a Senate Appropriations hearing on the Interior Department’s budget request ... In response to questioning from Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) — who has been a leading player in the negotiations — Burgum said changes to laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act are necessary to stop their ‘weaponization’ and to return to Congress’ original intent ... Democrats have dinged Burgum for trying to stop offshore wind projects that are already under construction and putting additional burdens on renewable energy projects that do not apply to other energy types, like oil and gas ... Capito, who grumbled about the stop-work orders hurting the permitting talks, cited figures Wednesday that around $1.2 trillion in investment is ‘waiting on the sidelines because of outdated federal permitting policies.”
Inside Climate News: Cuts to Renewable Energy Research in Energy Department’s Budget Irk Senate Democrats
Gabriel Matias Castilho, 4/23/26
“Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee have challenged the Department of Energy’s proposal that would divert funds from solar and wind while keeping fossil fuel plants online past their retirement dates,” Inside Climate News reports. “ At an April 21 hearing on the fiscal year 2027 budget, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) was strident in his disapproval of Secretary Chris Wright’s prioritization of fossil fuel plants over cleaner technologies. “We have a role [for wind and solar power], the clean energy tax credit, and the private sectors loved the fact that they were technologically neutral,” Wyden said. “They were voluntary, there were no mandates, and you all pulled it out by the roots, over the opposition of people in natural gas—of all industries—who said, ‘Look, we love gas, but we also need renewable clean energy to hold it up.’” While Congressional Democrats have defended a transition to renewable sources, some Republicans have argued those sources are not as reliable as fossil fuels. The conflict in Iran has raised fuel prices and disabled key energy infrastructure, making the issue more pressing.”
Bloomberg: Burgum Draws Senators’ Ire Over Park Staffing, ‘Vanity’ Projects
Bobby Magill, 4/22/26
“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum argued for the ‘continued beautification’ of the agency’s ‘assets’ and selling ‘energy to our allies’ in a hearing before Senate lawmakers Wednesday, while also saying federal environmental laws must be reined in to promote development on federal lands,” Bloomberg reports. “Burgum said during the Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act have been “weapons used to stop development in America.” Promoting fossil fuels is central to the Trump administration’s agenda, including exempting oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico from the ESA.”
E&E News: Burgum gets heat over offshore agency reorganization
Ian M. Stevenson, 4/22/26
“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum faced skepticism from a Democratic senator Wednesday about the department’s plans to merge two agencies that oversee offshore energy, as well as allegations that the department failed to properly notify Congress about its decision in advance, E&E News reports. “Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said a provision in a budget bill passed earlier this year requires “advance notification and approval” from the House and Senate appropriations committees before funding can be “reprogrammed.” Earlier this month, Interior announced it would combine two agencies into a new one called the Marine Minerals Administration… “Management of offshore oil and gas development was split between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, which killed 11 people. During the hearing, Merkley also said that he was worried recombining the agencies would ‘undermine’ their oversight functions, which is what led them to be separated in 2011.”
New York Times: A New Bureau Will Oversee Both Offshore Drilling and Seabed Mining
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, 4/23/26
“The Trump administration is creating a new office that critics say could weaken the environmental oversight of oil drilling and seabed mining in territorial waters,” the New York Times reports. “The new agency, the Marine Minerals Administration, will be formed by reunifying two offices that had been split up after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in an effort to increase environmental oversight of the energy industry and prevent future oil disasters. After the split, the Interior Department’s oil-leasing activities were separated from environmental regulation and financial management. The move is “worrisome because it has the potential of bringing things back where they were, where there was this inherent conflict of interest between promotion of offshore oil and gas, and oversight safety,” Donald Boesch, emeritus professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, told the Times… “Seabed mining is environmentally controversial because of the risks to ocean ecosystems, and no company holds a commercial license to mine. Some 40 governments have called for a mining moratorium or ban… “Ms. Klein, who is now the director of domestic policy programs at Penn Washington, the University of Pennsylvania branch in the capital, told the Times the newly created office at the Interior Department might not have the capacity to take on the difficulties of overseeing a new industry operating in distant territories in addition to its existing responsibilities. The office’s staff and expertise was already insufficient to responsibly oversee deep sea mining, she told the Times, and the staff reductions caused by extensive layoffs early in the Trump administration very likely make the situation worse. A new budget document indicates the department’s plans to reduce those numbers further as it creates the new bureau.”
Jacobin Magazine: Trump’s EPA Has Made It Harder to Track Toxic Chemical Plants
Katya Schwenk, 4/22/26
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just hid data that mapped out the locations of thousands of dangerous chemical facilities, after chemical industry lobbyists demanded that the Trump administration take down the public records,” Jacobin Magazine reports. “The webpage was quietly shut down late Friday, according to records viewed by the Lever — stripping away what advocates say was critical information on the secretive chemical plants at highest risk of disaster across the United States. The data was made public last year through the EPA’s Risk Management Program, which oversees the country’s highest-risk chemical facilities. These chemical plants deal with dangerous, volatile chemicals — like those used to make pesticides, fertilizers, and plastics — and are responsible for dozens of chemical disasters every year. A spokesperson for Coming Clean, an environmental health group focusing on the chemical industry, told the Lever that the organization was “surprised” to see the webpage taken down and that its staff had accessed the data as recently as Friday morning. “We know that industry had suggested it, so it seems like [regulators] are following industry’s lead,” the spokesperson added… “This is information that the public deserves to know — what the facilities are that are near them, what types of chemicals they deal with,” Adam Kron, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, an environmental advocacy group, told the Lever in February… “But the chemical lobby fiercely opposed making the data public — and has been fighting for the EPA to take it down.”
E&E News: US official: No hope for global carbon tax
Sara Schonhardt, 4/24/26
“A Trump administration official told international negotiators this week that American efforts to derail a global initiative to lower shipping industry climate pollution are gaining traction,” E&E News reports. ”Rear Adm. Wayne Arguin, a career Coast Guard official who leads the American delegation to the U.N. International Maritime Organization, suggested that the so-called Net-Zero Framework would fail to be adopted if it’s brought up for a future vote. He was speaking at a technical meeting of the IMO ahead of broader talks next week in London. “We can say at this point there is a clear, strong and sizable bloc of countries opposed to the NZF and no prospect of achieving consensus around that proposal,” Arguin told the group, according to a meeting participant who was granted anonymity to describe the closed-door session.”
Wes Siler: National Park Service Maintenance Backlog Now Totals Over $35 Billion
4/22/26
“Testifying in front of the House of Representatives on Monday, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum revealed that the maintenance backlog in national parks now totals over $35 billion,” Wes Siler reports. “This is the first time we’ve gotten an estimate on the increase to the backlog caused by the Trump administration’s first year in office. The backlog stood at around $23 billion at the end of FY2024. Republicans have been forcing a fail-by-design plan onto the park service for decades. That agency manages 85 million acres of our nation’s most valuable, visited, and fragile public lands, and our most important historic sites, yet the administration’s budget for FY2027 proposes slashing over $1 billion from its already inadequate $3.3 billion annual budget… “System-wide, there’s 17,000 miles of trails in need of work, 5,500 miles of road, and thousands of buildings and water systems that are slowly crumbling. All of this reduces the quality of the visitor experience, creates traffic and falling hazards, and results in environmental degradation as wastewater leaks into park water sources.”
Aspen Public Radio: The Trump administration cut research funding. Now, a scientist researching rocks in Bears Ears National Monument is turning to GoFundMe
Caroline Llanes, 4/22/26
“In the face of massive budget cuts across many federal agencies, scientists can no longer rely on traditional funding mechanisms to complete their research. Jonathan Stine, a postdoctoral geology researcher at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, has turned to an untraditional method: he’s using crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to raise money to pay for his research,” Aspen Public Radio reports. “For the past couple of years, he’s been studying a rock formation called the Cutler Group in Bears Ears National Monument in Southern Utah.For the past couple of years, he’s been studying a rock formation called the Cutler Group in Bears Ears National Monument in Southern Utah… “They ended their grant program entirely,” he told APR. “You can go on the EPA website, like I just checked it this morning. You can click ‘research funding opportunities.’ When you click it, it just says, ‘there are no research funding opportunities at this time.’ It’s been that way since January 2025.” So, Stine made the decision to make a GoFundMe page, to raise money for things like lab costs to analyse the rock samples, as well as living expenses. The main reason for crowdfunding? “My desperation,” he told APR, adding that his funding was rapidly running out.”
STATE UPDATES
The Center Square: Energy companies move closer to another major win in lawsuit fight
Nolan Mckendry, 4/23/26
“Lawmakers in Louisiana advanced a bill that would make it far more difficult to sue energy companies for claims related to personal and economic damages from climate change, bringing energy companies even closer to guarding against what they say are unjustified and harmful lawsuits,” The Center Square reports. “House Bill 804, authored by Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, sets a very high bar. Among other provisions, the state, a parish, or another public body could not bring this kind of lawsuit unless they first got written approval from the governor, attorney general and two legislative committees. Further, those who bring the lawsuit would have to specifically identify the emissions, join all responsible parties, and prove that the defendant caused more than half the damage and that the plaintiff did not contribute to the emissions. “We’re not taking away the rights of the people at all,” Geymann said, assuring committee members that claims can still be brought for violations of permits or Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, as well as the Clean Air Act… “In support of the bill, the American Petroleum Instititute called the bill “common sense.” “I’ve noticed a trend, particularly with this committee,” John West, a Vernon Parish resident, told the committee. “It’s very clear that considering people is last, considering economics is first.”
Houma Today: One of more than 60 seafood samples tests positive for oil in Gulf
Colin Campo, 4/22/26
“More than 60 samplings of Gulf aquatic life have been tested for oil, and samples have come back negative,” Houma Today reports. “Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, known as LOOP, learned Feb. 26 of a leak from one of its offshore facilities about 18 miles out from Port Fourchon. About 750 barrels of heavy crude oil were spilled into the Gulf, according to news releases from the company. The U.S. Coast Guard reported in a March 17 news release that roughly 95 barrels of the oil remained uncollected in the Gulf of Mexico, which was renamed the Gulf of America by the U.S. Government. Samples were taken from blue crabs, oysters, Spanish mackerel, black drums, spotted sea trout, red drum, as well as brown and white shrimp… “One sample, a blue crab from March 26, is marked with an asterisk. This is because when the crab was initially tested for the petroleum it was positive.”
Reuters: Chevron refinery in Pasadena, Texas reports crude oil spill
Nicole Jao and Anushree Ashish Mukherjee, 4/22/26
“Chevron said on Wednesday a crude oil spill occurred at its 118,750 barrel-per-day oil refinery in Pasadena, Texas,” Reuters reports. “The refinery experienced a spill from a crude-oil tank at its Red Bluff Tank Farm on Wednesday, the company said in a statement. The spill was contained on-site and cleanup was underway, the company said. Chevron added that no injuries or offsite impacts had been reported and enhanced environmental monitoring was being deployed.”
Reuters: BP lockout at Indiana refinery stretches into second month as union talks stall
Nicole Jao, 4/22/26
“A lockout at BP’s 440,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Whiting, Indiana, enters its second month as the British oil major and hundreds of union workers remain at odds,” Reuters reports. “BP locked out about 800 workers represented by the United Steelworkers union on March 19, after months of negotiations failed to produce a new labor contract. The Whiting facility is the largest refinery in the Midwest and a major supplier of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. It has continued to operate during the lockout after BP brought in temporary workers… ”DellaFranco disputed the union’s claim that the company’s proposal would eliminate 100 union jobs… “The Steelworkers have previously accused BP of pressuring workers into accepting concessions. The union said they were informed by the company the lockout would not be lifted unless workers accepted BP’s demands, which include job cuts, wage reductions across most classifications and limits on collective bargaining rights.”
EXTRACTION
WDIV: Earth Day turns 56: How a 1969 oil spill launched a global movement
4/22/26
“Wednesday will be the 56th Earth Day, an event celebrated by more than one billion people in 193 countries worldwide, currently coordinated by the Earth Day Network,” WDIV reports. “Earth Day traces its roots to Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who was inspired to organize the event after the Jan. 28, 1969, Santa Barbara oil spill. More than three million gallons of oil spilled into the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, killing more than 10,000 animals. Nelson enlisted Stanford University graduate Denis Hayes to assist in coordinating and organizing the event. The first Earth Day was held April 22, 1970. The New York Times estimated the gathering in New York City had crowds of 20,000 people and more than 100,000 over the day. Since New York City was home to most television networks and several large publications, coverage of Earth Day was spread nationally. Across the country, approximately 2,000 colleges and universities and approximately 10,000 schools participated in the first Earth Day, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The first Earth Day was said to bring 20 million Americans together, pressuring the United States to prioritize environmental issues.”
E&E News: The world is searching for oil. This summit is looking to get rid of it.
Sara Schonhardt, 4/24/26
“A new climate world order is taking shape — without the Earth’s biggest emitters,” E&E News reports. “A group of some 60 countries is meeting this week on the Colombian coast to figure out how to phase out fossil fuels, after three decades of United Nations-led talks have struggled to produce a clear path for battling climate change. A lot of big emitters — the European Union, the United Kingdom and Brazil — will be there, as will fossil fuel producers like Canada and Nigeria. Also attending: import-dependent nations like the Philippines and Pakistan, which have been roiled by the Iran war’s effects on oil markets. But one thing that will make the conference in Colombia different is that it won’t include countries that have historically tried to hold back climate action. “It is hugely important that the Colombians and the Dutch and others have set this up, because we all see how wrecked the COP process is, how vulnerable it is to naysayers and those who want to derail it,” Wopke Hoekstra, the European Union’s climate commissioner, told E&E. “What unites this group is the need to find an alternative. And if anything, world events of the last six weeks have proven them right.” “...Organizers told E&E the conference is for countries that are committed to clean energy, not those that deny climate change. “We are not unhappy because the U.S. is not here,” Colombia’s environment minister, Irene Vélez Torres, told E&E. “We knew that they weren’t going to be here. We weren’t expecting them to be here because their energy policy and their economic policy is to ‘drill, baby, drill.’ So this is not the place for them. Also, we didn’t want to have anyone boycotting our conversations.” “...Some countries want a binding treaty to halt and reverse fossil fuel expansion, while others think it should be voluntary. Those disagreements could lead to mangled messaging from the conference, or a split among nations about how to move forward on climate change.”
Reuters: Traders place $430 million bet on lower oil price before Trump ceasefire extension
4/22/26
“Traders placed a series of bets worth $430 million on a drop in crude prices just 15 minutes before U.S. President Donald Trump said he would extend a ceasefire with Iran on Tuesday, Reuters reports. “It is the third time this month, and the fourth in total, that large, well-timed directional bets on the oil price have been made shortly before major announcements on the Iran war. One combined wager in March was worth $500 million, while April’s bets have together totalled some $2.1 billion.”
Canadian Press: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says fracking opponents are drowning out other voices
Lyndsay Armstrong, 4/22/26
“Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says some opponents of fracking are drowning out voices who want to have a conversation and learn more about new fossil fuel production,” the Canadian Press reports. “...The provincial government kicked off the consultations more than a year after lifting a ban on fracking that was in place for over a decade. Houston told CP the consultations should provide a space where all Nova Scotians can speak, not just the loudest voices in the room. He also told CP the actions of opponents could prevent the province from pursuing an important discussion about jobs, energy production as well as environmental concerns. Badia Nehme, an energy coordinator with Halifax’s Ecology Action Centre, told CP those protesters represent just some of the many Nova Scotians who are concerned about the environmental risks tied to fracking.”
Latitude Media: Is heavy industry the future of carbon removal in the US?
Maeve Allsup, 4/22/26
“After what seemed like a quiet year for carbon removal in the U.S., it’s been a noisy few weeks,” Latitude Media reports. “...The center of CDR gravity has been shifting in the last few years: away from massive, standalone projects like the DAC hubs, and toward approaches that deploy within existing, scaled industries like waste treatment, mining, and agriculture. At this point, industrial partnerships are no longer niche, they’re the default, explained Eli Cain, deputy director of policy at the Carbon Removal Alliance who led the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s carbon removal portfolio during the Biden administration. Essentially all of CRA’s member companies today work with industrial partners, he added, and that’s not just a reflection of the Trump administration’s agenda. Rather, it’s because investing in infrastructure upgrades and industrial efficiency solutions is an opportunity that’s “too large to pass up.” “...The two clearest examples of this shift, Cain told Latitude, are the mining and waste sectors, which enjoy political durability and relatively strong economics… “I really think that wastewater treatment is low hanging fruit for carbon removal,” Cain told Latitude, pointing to the regulatory requirements that wastewater treatment facilities must comply with for things like the pH of their discharge… “The early support of tech companies — especially Microsoft — have made a material difference in CDR adoption by large industrial customers, she added.”
Discover Estevan: Estevan’s Boundary Dam carbon capture draws praise as global first
Vincent Dupuis, 4/23/26
“The carbon capture project at Boundary Dam is being described as a success and a point of pride for Saskatchewan, according to MLA Travis Keisig,” Discover Estevan reports. “Carbon capture is the process of removing carbon dioxide from emissions from a coal-fired power station,” Keisig, the elected member for Last Mountain–Touchwood and legislative secretary to the minister of Crown Investment Corporations, told DE. “Boundary Dam was literally the tip of the spear of the very first industrial carbon capture unit on a coal plant ever done globally. It’s something to be very proud of.” “...While acknowledging early challenges, Keisig told DE the technology has delivered results… “The project has also created downstream opportunities for the province’s energy sector, particularly through enhanced oil recovery. “One of the things that I’m really excited about is the opportunities it opens up for Saskatchewan energy producers with using that captured carbon from the power station in enhanced oil recovery at Weyburn,” he told DE… “He added that using captured carbon to improve production from existing oil fields can reduce environmental impacts.”
Energy Intelligence Group: Exxon, Shell Pursue CCS Project Offshore Germany
Marc Roussot, 4/23/26
“Exxon Mobil and Shell are looking at developing a CO2 storage site in the central North Sea, off the coast of Germany, following recent landmark regulatory changes that now enable commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the country,” Energy Intelligence Group reports.
Mongabay: Oil spill continues in Gulf of Mexico vulnerable habitats, while Pemex admits fault
Caitlin Cooper, 4/22/26
“An oil spill has contaminated 933 kilometers (about 580 miles) of shoreline along the western Gulf of Mexico, impacting the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Campeche and Tabasco in eastern Mexico,” Mongabay reports. “After two months of contradictory theories about what could have caused the spill, Mexico’s national oil company, Pemex, admitted the spill was caused by a leak in one of its pipelines. Local communities have had to reduce or stop their fishing and ecotourism activities due to a lack of information from authorities about the risks of coming into contact with the water, and despite a government-led cleanup, residents continue to document damages to the environment, such as oil-slicked vegetation and intoxicated or dead fauna. Conservationists say the containment of the spill is urgent for the protection of more than 1,000 marine species, among them, endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles whose nesting season is underway on the beaches of northern Veracruz and Tamaulipas… “To remove the oil that has [washed up] on these beaches … let’s be honest, the coastline is too long,” Yepez Gerón told Mongabay in a video interview. “You need one person for every 10 meters [33 ft].” “...For 67 days, the government denied any wrongdoing as various scenarios circulated regarding the source of the oil spill. Then, on April 16, the state-owned oil company, Petroleos de México (Pemex), announced at a press conference that the spill’s origin had been identified in a pipeline leak that started on Feb. 6 from within its own platform in the Cantarell oil field in the southern Gulf of Mexico.”
OPINION
WyoFile: Dismantling the US Forest Service harms public lands and communities
Tracy Stone-Manning is president of The Wilderness Society, 4/23/26
“When I led the Bureau of Land Management under President Joe Biden, the hardest part of my job was reassembling the agency after the first Trump administration had scattered its headquarters from our nation’s capital. The move crippled the agency — as intended,” Tracy Stone-Manning writes for WyoFile. “That experience led me to understand that the current Trump administration’s unpopular plan to move the U.S. Forest Service headquarters will be every bit as destructive. It will hurt forests, wildlife and communities that rely upon our public lands and waters… “There are inevitable repercussions to this radical attack on our public land management agencies: Campgrounds will close. Trails won’t be maintained. High fuel loads near communities will go unaddressed. Wildfires will become even harder to fight. More sawmills will close. The health of our land, waters and wildlife will decline. With things going wrong on the ground, some will demand that these lands be transferred to states or sold to private industry … “Americans overwhelmingly support public lands and want future generations to enjoy the freedoms found in them. Our public forests, rivers and deserts deserve to be treated better, and the federal land managers who work tirelessly deserve better. It’s up to us to demand it.”
Forbes: The Carbon Removal Market Was Built On One Customer. Now What?
Phil De Luna, 4/223/26
“There’s a particular kind of panic that runs through a nascent industry when its biggest customer blinks. A few weeks ago, that panic hit the carbon dioxide removal sector like a freight train,” Phil De Luna writes for Forbes. “News broke that Microsoft, responsible for roughly 80% of all carbon removal credit purchases, would be pausing its procurement. LinkedIn lit up, and founders pinged each other in group chats. The existential dread that startup founders carry as background noise suddenly moved to the foreground… “But here’s the thing about ambiguity in a market held together largely by hope and venture capital: it doesn’t matter if the giant meant to blink. The blink already happened. Around the same time, the U.S. Department of Energy quietly restored funding to Direct Air Capture Hubs it had previously cancelled, a lifeline for projects that had stalled mid-development. A reprieve, yes. But to many in the industry, it felt like arriving at the hospital after the patient had already coded. Hannah Bebbington, head of deployment at Frontier, the advanced market commitment backed by Stripe, Google, and others to accelerate carbon removal, put it plainly in a recent LinkedIn post: the voluntary carbon market was never supposed to be the destination. It was the bridge. The role of corporate buyers, she argued, is to prove promising technologies at scale, “so that governments can confidently spend taxpayer money when it’s time to ‘pass the baton.’” “...The CDR companies best positioned to survive this transition won’t be the ones who can produce the cheapest tonne. They’ll be the ones who can embed their technology directly into industrial supply chains, co-locating with cement kilns, steel plants, and refineries, and selling decarbonized product rather than intangible credits. The voluntary market was the training wheels. The real race is integration with physical goods. Whether enough companies survive to run that race is the question that’s keeping a lot of founders up at night, including some of the smartest ones I know.”