EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/15/26

PIPELINE NEWS

• KSFY: CO2 pipeline company keeps route to South Dakota border

• KCCI: Summit Carbon Solutions scales back Iowa pipeline route, removing 8 counties from project

• KCCI: Iowa farm owner relieved by CO2 pipeline route change but vows to keep fighting

• WOI: Summit Carbon Solutions changes route of proposed pipeline

• KMTV: Neighbors in Shelby and Montgomery Counties see revised pipeline route as a win

• Dakota Scout: Summit Carbon Solutions Turns CO2 Pipeline West Through Nebraska to Wyoming Oil Fields

• The Center Square: Arizona governor backs proposed natural gas pipeline

• Globe and Mail: West coast oil pipeline con­di­tional on car­bon-cap­ture ini­ti­at­ive, Car­ney says

• Wall Street Journal: Canada, Alberta to Unveil Pipeline Pact Friday

• Reuters: Carney to visit Calgary on Friday to announce industrial carbon pricing deal, sources say

• GlobalNews.ca: Poilievre raises doubt about pipeline after Carney’s Alberta deal to raise industrial carbon prices

• Energy Intelligence Group: Canada’s Midstream Looks South, Not West, for New Capacity

• Enbridge: Stable, secure North American energy: Enbridge continues to advance Mainline Optimization liquids initiative

• Farmtario: Enbridge’s Line 5 still a vulnerability for Ontario farms

• Drilled: S15, Ep 1 | The Carbon Goldrush

• Lincoln Parish Journal: Pipeline explosion forces evacuation just south of Choudrant

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Latitude Media: Burgum: DOI will fight judge’s ruling lifting renewable energy blockade

• Heatmap: Burgum Doubles Down on Renewables Permitting Freeze

• E&E News: Murkowski to Zeldin: ‘I do not support’ steep EPA cuts

STATE UPDATES

• KJZZ: BLM opens public comment on 1st oil, gas drilling bidding in Arizona since 2018

• Bakersfield Californian: State offers minimum of $2.5M each for carbon ‘direct air capture’ projects

• New York Times: A Texas Fight for a Powerful Oil Job Tests the Strength of the Hard Right

EXTRACTION

• New York Times: Cuba Says It Has Run Out of Oil

• Bloomberg: US Says China Wants More Of Its Oil to Cut Middle East Reliance

• Reuters: Exxon Mobil not liable to investors over Canadian oil sands, gas assets, jury says

• Canadian Press: ‘Extraordinarily innovative’ oil sector can weather increased carbon price: ATCO CEO

• University of Colorado Boulder Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute: To capture carbon from the environment, we need to first decarbonize the grid

• BBC Science Focus: The world’s largest oil spill is still leaking 17 tonnes every day

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Winchester Sun: TC Energy partnership expands STEM opportunities

OPINION

• Daily Press: Virginia’s delegation in Congress should reject gift to Big Oil

• Toronto Sun: Ottawa should scrap unnecessary offshore tanker ban for sake of Canada’s economy
  

PIPELINE NEWS

KSFY: CO2 pipeline company keeps route to South Dakota border
Beth Warden, 5/14/26

“South Dakota landowners have gained some assurance over the last year about their property rights regarding CO2 pipelines, but neighbors in Iowa, Nebraska, and other states could be facing more uncertainty,” KSFY reports. “...And you know, that is a huge victory for people who’ve been working for five years relentlessly to protect their land. You know, the fight’s not over yet,” Sierra Club representative Jess Mazour told KSFY. Laws are stronger now regarding property rights following the recent legislative session in Pierre. Despite this, attorney Brian Jorde cautions South Dakotans to be vigilant. “The thing that you need to know is that the route leaving Iowa, going northwest to the South Dakota border, was not one of the routes that was dropped. And so while they’re saying they’re the route will go, or the main line essentially will go through Nebraska, they’re not saying that it won’t go also into South Dakota now or in the future,” Jorde told KSFY… “Multiple summit executives, under oath, told me this is exclusively for sequestration. I wanted to pin them down on that. If it’s going into enhanced oil recovery, they need to reapply and start over in Iowa,” Jorde told KSFY… “Shelli Meyer, Director of Bold’s Nebraska, is watching the route map going up their state line and said, “Nebraskans are not willing to expose our families and farms to the risks of a CO2 pipeline rupture, like what happened in Satartia, Mississippi, in 2020, with some experiencing negative health impacts to this day.”

KCCI: Summit Carbon Solutions scales back Iowa pipeline route, removing 8 counties from project
Pepper Purpura, 5/14/26

“...Summit Carbon Solutions announced Wednesday that it plans to significantly scale back portions of its proposed carbon capture pipeline route in Iowa — removing entire counties from the project and reducing the number of landowners potentially impacted by eminent domain,” KCCI reports. “... Opponents say the move reflects mounting legal, political and regulatory pressure after years of backlash across the Midwest… “Under conditions attached to Summit’s Iowa permit approval, construction in Iowa could not begin until the company secured approvals needed in other states. South Dakota’s resistance had become a major hurdle. “With this revision, they should be able to start construction and start to use their right of eminent domain if they need to,” Drake University Agricultural Law Center director Jennifer Zwagerman told KCCI… “Opposition groups across Iowa and neighboring states say they are not treating the changes as a final victory… “Bold Nebraska, which opposes carbon pipelines and eminent domain, says it is already preparing for potential fights over the new Nebraska route. The group warned that any effort to use eminent domain there would likely face legal challenges. The organization also pointed to the 2020 carbon dioxide pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi, which hospitalized dozens of people and raised national questions about CO2 pipeline safety… “Zwagerman told KCCI Summit’s latest move appears focused on getting a smaller version of the project approved and built first. “They want to still service all of those original plants and refineries they were going to,” Zwagerman told KCCI. “This is, to me, a temporary refinement in order to get approval, to get construction going.” She told KCCI once a core system is built, future expansion proposals could still emerge later.”

KCCI: Iowa farm owner relieved by CO2 pipeline route change but vows to keep fighting
Todd Magel, 5/14/26

“A proposed carbon capture pipeline in Iowa has shifted its route, sparing some landowners while leaving others still in its path,” KCCI reports. “Cynthia Hansen, a farm owner in Shelby County, told KCCI her century-old family farm appears to be saved after Summit Carbon Solutions announced Wednesday that it would remove eight counties from the pipeline’s path. “Hallelujah. Thank God. I mean, it’s, it’s been a long fight for five years. But we’ve never given up, and we still are in the fight,” Hansen told KCCI… “While Hansen’s farm is no longer affected, other landowners remain in the pipeline’s path, including Kathy Stockdale of Hardin County. “I’m happy for my fellow landowners that are no longer on the route,” Stockdale told KCCI… “We need to let the population know that this is not just a landowner fight. It is for property rights. It’s for everyone in the town and the city. I mean, it, it will affect every single person who owns property,” Stockdale told KCCI. Hansen told KCCI she plans to continue supporting other landowners who are still impacted by the project… “Stockdale told KCCI she plans to take her fight to the voting booth during the June primary and November general election to make her voice heard with political leaders.”

WOI: Summit Carbon Solutions changes route of proposed pipeline
Rachel Wente, Mack Swenson, Emily Carlson, 5/13/26

“Summit Carbon Solutions announced Wednesday it is changing the route of its proposed pipeline in Iowa,” WOI reports. “The new route will no longer go through Shelby, Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Adams, Page, Fremont, Mitchell and Worth counties. The company also plans to lay less pipeline in Crawford, Floyd, Sioux and Dickinson counties… “However, Marty Maher, a landowner in Page County, does not support the project. He is one of the approximately 400 landowners taken out of the pipeline’s plan. “It feels glorious. It’s a relief that’s been hanging over your head the past five years,” he told WOI. “I feel relief for my children and grandchildren.” “...If there was a leak or a rupture we would be in what they call the kill zone. At 300 feet and the pipeline ruptures, there’s no chance of survival. You can see why I’m extremely jubilant and grateful and relieved to have this good news,” Maher told WOI. Maher told WOI that while he’s positive today, he’s not naive enough to think the new pipeline route has solved all landowners’ problems. “We don’t know what’s coming down the line next week, next month, next year,” Maher told WOI. “There will be other projects, and Summit can sell and assign and transfer the easements they do have to someone else, so we can be doing this again a year from now.”

KMTV: Neighbors in Shelby and Montgomery Counties see revised pipeline route as a win
Katrina Markel, 5/14/26

“Summit Carbon Solutions is revising its carbon dioxide pipeline plan, removing the route from Shelby County and parts of Montgomery County — two southwest Iowa communities where the project had faced significant resistance from landowners,” KMTV reports. “...Neighbors who had opposed the original route view the change as a victory, though Summit Carbon Solutions is still proposing an extensive pipeline through the state.”

Dakota Scout: Summit Carbon Solutions Turns CO2 Pipeline West Through Nebraska to Wyoming Oil Fields
Cory Allen Heidelberger, 5/14/26

“Summit Carbon Solutions isn’t just rerouting its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline; it’s derouting, cutting 200 miles of its project in Iowa,” the Dakota Scout reports. “...In total, the refinements will remove more than 400 landowners from the project footprint and reduce the overall scope of the project by approximately 200 miles. The Iowa developers say the three northern states “provide valuable optionality for future phases” (a string of words never uttered by any normal human interlocutor), but SCS’s focus now is to extend their route west through Nebraska into Wyoming, where they plan to sell their CO2 to oil drillers: Now, Summit says its new plan is to instead attempt to obtain a pipeline route directly across the entire state of Nebraska, to an alternate underground CO2 waste dump site in Wyoming. The company will also switch focus from offering ethanol plants a way to improve their “carbon scores,” to “enhanced oil recovery” as a potential use for the captured CO2 – erasing whatever climate benefits the company and its ethanol plant partners are claiming from the project, if the CO2 will instead be utilized to extract and burn more oil.”

The Center Square: Arizona governor backs proposed natural gas pipeline
Zachery Schmidt, 5/14/26

“Gov. Katie Hobbs announced her support for a pipeline that will bring more natural gas into Arizona,” The Center Square reports. “The Democratic governor told TCS a top priority of her administration is ensuring Arizona families and businesses have “reliable and affordable energy.” “With existing pipelines fully subscribed, securing additional natural gas capacity is critical to supporting Arizona’s long-term prosperity,” she told TCS. “The Desert Southwest Pipeline will significantly increase our state’s energy capacity and diversify our energy resources.” “...She added that the Desert Southwest Pipeline project “ensures that during periods of high demand, we have the energy we need to meet it.” Vicki Granado, vice president of public relations and corporate communication for Energy Transfer, told TCS the company is pleased to have the governor’s support of its pipeline, which is in the planning stage. Energy Transfer, one of America’s biggest pipeline companies, expects to begin construction in the second quarter of 2028 and complete it by the fourth quarter of 2029, Granado told TCS… “With the new pipeline coming in, the ACC approved converting certain coal plants to natural gas plants, Myers told TCS. Without the pipeline, Myers told TCS, these coal plants would have been shut down in the “early to mid 2030s.” According to Myers, keeping these plants open allows energy to remain on the state’s electrical grid and keeps “communities functioning.”

Globe and Mail: West coast oil pipeline con­di­tional on car­bon-cap­ture ini­ti­at­ive, Car­ney says
Emma Graney, 5/15/26

“A potential new oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast remains conditional on the construction of a massive carbon-capture project in the oil sands, Prime Minister Mark Carney says, despite waning support for the plan among the province’s energy sector,” the Globe and Mail reports. “...But on Thursday, Mr. Carney was unequivocal: “No Pathways, no pipeline.” The Pathways initiative is a 400-kilometre-long pipeline that would be funded largely by industry. It would transport carbon trapped at oil-sands facilities to an underground hub near Cold Lake, Alta., with the aim of reducing emissions by 22 megatonnes a year… “But the massive project requires “supportive regulatory and fiscal frameworks, not an uncompetitive industrial carbon tax that no other major heavy oil producing jurisdiction faces, which would limit our industry’s ability to attract investment and grow,” it added… “Jon McKenzie, the CEO of Calgary-based Cenovus Energy Inc., said Wednesday…it will have to pay an estimated $1.5-billion to capture each tonne of emissions through carbon capture and storage, or CCS, as well as operating costs and sustaining capital. Industry “will do some of this,” he told the Globe and Mail, but it must be able to maintain global competitiveness… “Stretching out that timeline to 2040 gives oil companies an extra decade before they are paying the full amount, thereby making the future of Pathways more uncertain, Janetta McKenzie, the director of Pembina’s oil and gas program, told the Globe and Mail.”

Wall Street Journal: Canada, Alberta to Unveil Pipeline Pact Friday
Paul Vieira, 5/14/26

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he will unveil on Friday an agreement with the oil-rich province of Alberta that sets the stage for federal support for a new crude-carrying pipeline,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “However, the Canadian leader said this did not mark a final deal. “There are multiple preconditions for that pipeline moving forward,” Carney said at a press conference related to electricity policy. Those conditions include the pipeline having a private-sector backer, a more stringent industrial-carbon pricing regime in Alberta and the building of a carbon-capture project known as Pathways.”

Reuters: Carney to visit Calgary on Friday to announce industrial carbon pricing deal, sources say
Amanda Stephenson, 5/13/26

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Calgary on Friday to announce details of a new deal with Alberta on industrial carbon pricing, a provincial government source and an industry source with knowledge of the plan told Reuters on Wednesday. “...The sources told Reuters he will announce the new industrial carbon pricing plan, aimed at strengthening Alberta’s pollution pricing regime while also clearing the path for Alberta’s plan to propose a one-million-barrel-per-day crude oil pipeline to British Columbia’s northwest coast… “The federal government has said its approval of a new pipeline depends on Canadian oil companies making investments in emissions reduction through carbon capture technology. Adam Waterous, executive chair of Canada’s fifth-largest oil company, Strathcona Resources, told Reuters on Wednesday companies will not make those investments until the government drops an existing ban on oil tankers off Canada’s northwest coast and addresses other barriers to pipeline construction.”

GlobalNews.ca: Poilievre raises doubt about pipeline after Carney’s Alberta deal to raise industrial carbon prices
5/14/26

“A day after the federal government struck a deal with Alberta to raise industrial carbon prices, clearing a major hurdle toward building a new crude oil pipeline to B.C., Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre raised doubt if the pipeline will actually be built,” GlobalNews.ca reports. “As for a pipeline, we want to see it happen. We’re holding out hope. We want one built, but so far there’s no permit, no route, no indigenous consultation, no starting point, no end point, no construction date, no nothing. Just a lot of announcements and reannouncements,” Poilievre said on Thursday while speaking in Concord, Ont.”

Energy Intelligence Group: Canada’s Midstream Looks South, Not West, for New Capacity
Frans Koster, 5/14/26

“...Positive signals out of Ottawa have given fresh hope to Alberta’s oil sector that a pipeline to the West Coast could soon get on the fast track,” Energy Intelligence Group reports. “But interest in a westbound pipeline from Canadian midstream players remains muted, as they instead direct capital toward smaller-scale expansion projects headed south toward the US Gulf Coast, where Canadian barrels can be refined or reexported to global markets. While political rhetoric in Canada continues to focus on a potential new pipeline to British Columbia’s (BC) coast, the industry is moving forward with plans to add incremental capacity aimed at accommodating 1 million barrels per day in planned production growth. While the US is still by far Canada’s largest export market, to the tune of over 4 million b/d, Canadian supplies to countries outside North America have surged since the Mideast war began on Feb. 28, particularly from the West Coast.”

Enbridge: Stable, secure North American energy: Enbridge continues to advance Mainline Optimization liquids initiative
5/14/26

“From the streets of Venezuela to the Strait of Hormuz, geopolitical conflicts have mightily shaken the global energy market in 2026. All of which makes one thing clear,” according to Enbridge. “North America’s role in the global energy system has become increasingly critical,” said Enbridge President and CEO Greg Ebel said May 8, as Enbridge released our 2026 Q1 financial results… “Recent geopolitical developments, including the conflict involving Iran, have reinforced the importance of energy security, positioning both Canada and the United States to increasingly supply reliable energy to global markets.” “...And on May 8, as part of our Q1 results, we discussed further advancements in our Mainline Optimization (MLO) program—initiatives that could move up to 430,000 bpd of growing Canadian production to American refineries… “An open season for 200,000 bpd on our Flanagan South Pipeline, also using the Seaway Crude Pipeline for delivery to the Seaway Jones Creek Terminal in Brazoria County, TX; An open season for 50,000 bpd on the Southern Access Extension (SAX) Pipeline, also using the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline (ETCOP) for delivery to Nederland, TX… “Mainline volumes averaged about 3.2 million barrels per day in Q1 2026, indicating high utilization of existing pipeline infrastructure.”

Farmtario: Enbridge’s Line 5 still a vulnerability for Ontario farms
Matt McIntosh, 5/14/26

“It’s been almost six years since Enbridge’s 1953 authorization to operate Line 5 through the Straits of Mackinac came under threat, with no resolution yet in sight and still no plan to address the issue of the line’s potential closure. Canada’s agricultural community, fearing loss of its main propane source, highlighted that there are no viable alternatives for those relying on fossil fuels for grain drying and heating,” according to Farmtario. “...Despite legal disputes, Ontario and Eastern Canada remain dependent on Line 5, underscoring a lack of alternative energy solutions and the potential consequences of a shutdown… “Transport Canada resources provided no information about potential alternatives should Line 5 be shut down in the near term, instead reiterating that the line is considered “vital to Canada’s energy security and economic prosperity.” “...On either side of the border, no propane would mean no heat for many barns, greenhouses and grain dryers, let alone homes and other structures. Canada’s agricultural community is concerned that those who rely on fossil fuels for grain drying and heating have no viable alternative if Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline closes.”

Drilled: S15, Ep 1 | The Carbon Goldrush
5/11/26

“An American ethanol kingpin got the corn ethanol industry going in Brazil and now he’s poised to bring carbon capture to the country, too. Who is this guy and what’s this business venture all about?,” Drilled reports. “...In early September 2025, a handful of Brazilian government officials headed to North Dakota on a mission. It was a technical mission. They were there to see a shiny new green technology in action. The idea behind this new technology was simple. When you turn corn into ethanol, it generates carbon dioxide, and that’s a problem if you’re trying to be a green fuel. But now, people from Iowa to North Dakota were capturing that carbon dioxide, storing it, and selling it. Never mind that they were selling it to people who would inject it underground to get more oil out. Some of it would surely still stay underground, and if you tilted your head and squinted a bit, that made it a climate solution. The American company selling the Brazilians on this idea had a lot riding on these officials believing that carbon capture connected to ethanol was a great green success story, win-win for industry and the environment, an American dream they could take home to Brazil. But had the visiting bureaucrats scanned the local newspapers, they might have found a different story.”

Lincoln Parish Journal: Pipeline explosion forces evacuation just south of Choudrant
Wes Harris, 5/15/26

“A gas pipeline explosion has prompted an evacuation of a neighborhood in northern Jackson Parish just south of Choudrant,” the Lincoln Parish Journal reports. “...Several families were evacuated from the area by deputies… “The cause of the explosion and the extent of damage to the area has not been provided by authorities. Numerous people in Lincoln, Jackson, and Ouachita Parishes took to social media to report hearing a loud roaring sound after the explosion.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Latitude Media: Burgum: DOI will fight judge’s ruling lifting renewable energy blockade
Catherine Boudreau, 5/13/26

“Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Wednesday that the administration will appeal a federal judge’s ruling blocking his department from enforcing a handful of policies that have stalled permits for solar and wind projects,” Latitude Media reports. “ Burgum told the House Natural Resources Committee that the administration rejected the “whole premise” of an April decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Chief Judge Denise Casper issued a preliminary injunction striking down five DOI memos that renewable energy developers argued created a de facto blockade to their projects on public and private lands… “Burgum’s comments dim the chances of bipartisan permitting reform in Congress this year. Last month, two key senators said their support for legislation was conditional on DOI approving solar and wind projects following the preliminary injunction. Senate rules require most bills to pass with 60 votes, and the GOP currently has a 53-seat majority — making Democratic support key. Lee said as much on Wednesday, stating that DOI’s enforcement of that July memo is standing in the way of broader permitting reform in Congress. “If you would just rescind that memo, we could get permitting reform passed this Congress, and we can start to talk about permitting all forms of energy,” Lee said to Burgum in the hearing.”

Heatmap: Burgum Doubles Down on Renewables Permitting Freeze
Emily Pontecorvo, 5/13/26

“The Trump administration is not backing down from its discriminatory policies for approving wind and solar projects. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum testified to Congress on Wednesday that his agency would appeal a recent district court ruling blocking it from enforcing these policies,” Heatmap reports. “...Last July, it issued a memo requiring that nearly all approvals in the wind and solar permitting process be subject to additional reviews by the secretary’s office. A subsequent order required the agency to prioritize permitting projects with greater energy density, meaning ones that produce more power per acre of land, and deemed wind and solar “highly inefficient” compared with coal, nuclear, and natural gas projects… “By the end of last year, Democrats saw no point in negotiating on permitting reform if the executive branch could simply make up its own permitting rules. They insisted on limits to executive power before they’d agree to a deal… “At the end of her questioning, Lee reaffirmed that the July 15 memo was the single thing stalling a permitting reform deal in Congress. “If you would just rescind that memo, we could get permitting reform passed this Congress, and we can start to talk about permitting all forms of energy.”

E&E News: Murkowski to Zeldin: ‘I do not support’ steep EPA cuts
Alex Guillén, 5/14/26

“Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Senate’s top Republican EPA appropriator, rejected steep budget cuts to the agency sought by the Trump administration, again signaling on Wednesday that the agency is in for a spending haircut rather than a halving,” E&E News reports. “The resistance from the Alaska Republican follows a warning last month from top House EPA appropriator Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) that EPA will not be seeing “steep cuts” to its budget. During a hearing with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Murkowski said that “there’s good and bad within” the budget proposal for the agency, noting it would “target inefficiencies, overlap and waste at the agency.” But the steep cuts to certain programs are untenable, she concluded. “It kind of feels like we’re in the same place that we were last year,” said Murkowski. “So my approach is going to be the same. We take the president’s budget request as a suggestion, we work together to produce a good bill that allows EPA to fulfill its core missions and meet the needs of our communities.” “...Zeldin proposed a 52 percent slash to EPA’s budget, a $4.6 billion reduction from this year. Much of that cut is driven by nearly eliminating the categorical grants that flow to states to pay for environmental work, and the multibillion-dollar state revolving funds that pay for water infrastructure projects. Murkowski was clear that she opposes cutting either program.”

STATE UPDATES

KJZZ: BLM opens public comment on 1st oil, gas drilling bidding in Arizona since 2018
Greg Hahne, 5/14/26

“The Bureau of Land Management has opened the process for companies to bid on public lands for oil and gas drilling in Arizona for the first time since 2018,” KJZZ reports. “The agency just opened a public comment period, which goes through June 11. BLM is taking public input on potentially leasing 78,708 acres of land over 40 parcels near the Nevada and Utah borders… “A report from the federal Energy Information Administration says Arizona has no significant oil or gas reserves.”

Bakersfield Californian: State offers minimum of $2.5M each for carbon ‘direct air capture’ projects
John Cox, 5/14/26

“Kern County’s ambitions for becoming a carbon management hub could get a financial boost from a state program offering up to $11 million in cap-and-invest money in support of demonstration projects that would pull greenhouse gas directly from the atmosphere,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “The California Energy Commission is asking for proposals by July 31 that would meet certain performance thresholds while also committing to work closely with local disadvantaged communities that could be impacted by the projects… “Several direct air capture projects have been proposed in Kern, but their future was clouded last year by Trump administration moves to claw back millions of federal taxpayer dollars that had been committed locally under the Biden administration… “She called the commission’s solicitation for proposals sequestering at least 500 metric tons per year “not a lot.” “That carbon footprint is equivalent to about 10 households of four family members, which is not a significant number,” Larson wrote. The solicitation stems from the state Legislature’s approval of Assembly Bill 209 in 2021 calling for financial incentives in support of certain DAC technologies… “The local leader in carbon management, Kern County oil producer California Resources Corp., has proposed a DAC hub in Kern County in partnership with a host of other companies and organizations. But the Trump administration appears to have frozen almost $12 million in federal money that would have helped fund the initiative.”

New York Times: A Texas Fight for a Powerful Oil Job Tests the Strength of the Hard Right
Lauren McGaughy, 5/14/26

“...With the support of a couple of billionaire oilmen, Bo French has become a viable candidate for a powerful statewide job overseeing the Texas oil and gas industry, a cornerstone in the nation’s energy portfolio,” the New York Times reports. “Attorney General Ken Paxton headlined Mr. French’s campaign kick off party. Steve Bannon, a former close aide to President Trump, has boosted his candidacy. On the other hand, Mr. French is opposed by Gov. Greg Abbott and other top Republican officials, along with some of the biggest companies in the energy business. They have all thrown their considerable conservative weight and campaign cash behind Jim Wright, the staid incumbent chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission who is facing Mr. French in a May 26 runoff. The contest, mostly overlooked outside of Texas, offers a clear test of the power of a traditional business-backed conservative incumbent against a self-described “America First” upstart challenging his own party’s boundaries of decency… “Mr. French, 56, frequently posts anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media, claiming the state of Texas is being taken over by Muslims… “Mr. Wright has argued that Mr. French’s comments have nothing to do with the job of being an oil and gas regulator — a position that is even more important now as the fallout from the Iran War continues to shock world oil markets. “Texas needs a workhorse in this position, not a show pony,” Mr. Wright told a small crowd eating fried chicken and mashed potatoes at a country club in Bryan, Texas, last week.”

EXTRACTION

New York Times: Cuba Says It Has Run Out of Oil
Frances Robles, 5/14/26

“After months of a debilitating energy crisis that has caused widespread power outages, Cuba’s oil reserves have run dry, the government said, which is likely to plunge the country into even more frequent, bigger and longer nationwide blackouts,” the New York Times reports. “...We have absolutely no fuel oil, absolutely no diesel,” Mr. de la O Levy told the Times. “In Havana, the blackouts today exceed 20 or 22 hours.” “...Venezuelan fuel stopped flowing to Cuba entirely in January, after the United States seized Venezuela’s leader and took control of Venezuela’s oil industry. Later, the Trump administration imposed an effective blockade barring all foreign oil from reaching Cuba, which had also received shipments from Mexico… “In recent months, many Cuban cities beyond Havana have been hit with prolonged daily blackouts. The lack of oil has forced people to rely on charcoal or even wood to cook, and some people have taken to the streets, banging on pots and pans to express their frustration… “President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the energy situation was “particularly tense.” “This dramatic worsening has a single cause: the genocidal energy blockade to which the United States subjects our country,” he said on X.”

Bloomberg: US Says China Wants More Of Its Oil to Cut Middle East Reliance
5/14/26

“A White House official said that Chinese President Xi Jinping opposes efforts to charge a toll to navigate the Strait of Hormuz and is interested in purchasing more US oil to reduce its dependence on the waterway in the future,” Bloomberg reports. “...China’s official readout of the meeting didn’t include energy in the list of topics the two presidents discussed, although it did say they talked about the Middle East… “Both Xi and Trump agreed the strait must remain open to support the free flow of energy, the US official told Bloomberg.”

Reuters: Exxon Mobil not liable to investors over Canadian oil sands, gas assets, jury says
Natalia Bueno Rebolledo, ​Jonathan Stempel, 5/14/26

“A Texas jury on Wednesday found Exxon Mobil not ​liable on claims it defrauded ‌investors through disclosures tied to its Canadian oil sands and Rocky ​Mountain gas operations,” Reuters reports. “The 2016 ​lawsuit alleged Exxon concealed that ⁠its Canadian bitumen operations were ​losing money, failed to properly ​incorporate carbon-cost assumptions into reserve valuations, and delayed recognizing impairment charges tied to ​Rocky Mountain dry gas assets… “The ​investors said they bought ​Exxon ⁠shares at artificially inflated prices because the company concealed material information ⁠about ​its reserve valuations ​and accounting practices.”

Canadian Press: ‘Extraordinarily innovative’ oil sector can weather increased carbon price: ATCO CEO
Lauren Krugel, 5/14/26

“The chief executive of ATCO Ltd. says she believes the energy sector can weather an increase in the carbon price, a move some business leaders have said would hurt Canada’s competitive position on the world stage,” the Canadian Press reports. “None of us want to have additional tax imposed on us,” Nancy Southern told reporters following her company’s annual general meeting on Wednesday. “However, we — and especially our Canadian oil industry — have been extraordinarily innovative.” The “energy superpower” that Canada is striving to become needs to be able to endure decades from now, Southern added. “Imagine 2040, and we are the place in the world that knows how to do carbon capture and that is important to the world again, to actually have clean fuels… I believe that all of us in industry will find ways to make ourselves just as competitive as we have been in the past with a new carbon price.” “...Leaders in the oil and gas industry have said recently the carbon policy puts Canada at a competitive disadvantage compared to other oil exporters… “One of the results of the heightened global concern for energy security is that we are seeing a change in attitudes toward conventional energy,” Bob Myles said. “In addition to being positive for our natural gas storage business, it’s also good for our gas-fired generation, and we are actively seeking opportunities to grow our generation portfolio.”

University of Colorado Boulder Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute: To capture carbon from the environment, we need to first decarbonize the grid
Daniel Morton, 5/14/2026

“Most carbon capture research focuses on the chemistry. A new study from CU Boulder takes a big-picture look and asks hard questions about the whole system: what does it cost, at scale, and under real-world conditions? “...Researchers are exploring a number of ways to pull CO2 directly from the environment, and this comparative study looks at two of them side-by-side. The first, direct air capture (DAC), draws air from the atmosphere through a liquid solution that absorbs CO2, analogous to a large-scale filter… “The second approach examined in this study, direct ocean capture (DOC), is less developed but works with a natural advantage: it is estimated that the oceans absorb around 30% of the CO2 that human activity produces each year, meaning seawater is already rich in dissolved carbon that originated in the atmosphere. By extracting that carbon directly from seawater, DOC bypasses the need to process enormous volumes of air. In fact, this advantage is one of the main reasons why many researchers are evaluating the feasibility of DOC as a CO2 removal solution. Both approaches share a common challenge: once you have captured the CO2 from air, you need to do something with it. The regeneration process releases concentrated CO2 in a usable form, while also recovering the capture solvent. In most current DAC systems, this process requires heating the captured material up to around 900 oC, typically by burning natural gas. This process is energy-intensive and creates its own greenhouse gas emissions, somewhat undermining the overall carbon capture process… “For a plant capturing 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, and connected to the current California electricity grid, the modeled cost of capture via DAC-BPMED came in at around $470 per tonne of CO2 in the baseline case. For DOC-BPMED, the equivalent figure was around $1,500 per tonne, roughly three times higher. This is driven largely by the upfront cost of all the additional equipment, and not the energy use.”

BBC Science Focus: The world’s largest oil spill is still leaking 17 tonnes every day
Luis Villazon, 5/13/26

“In 1941, the battleship USS Arizona sank during the attack on Pearl Harbour, along with nearly 5,000 tonnes of oil in its fuel tanks,” BBC Science Focus reports. “This has been slowly leaking out over the past 84 years, and the tanks are still half full. While this is the longest duration man-made spill, it’s dwarfed both in volume and duration by the Coal Oil Point seep field off the coast of California. This natural leak from an undersea oilfield releases about 17 tonnes of oil into the sea every day and has been active for at least half a million years!”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Winchester Sun: TC Energy partnership expands STEM opportunities
5/14/26

“...TC Energy is helping expand hands-on STEM learning across the district in partnership with Kid Spark Education, a national nonprofit focused on STEM,” according to the Winchester Sun. “This partnership has been transformational for our students,” Dr. Lindsay Hale, CCPS director of innovation and alternate programs, told the Sun. “What makes this so powerful is that students are seeing themselves as innovators, communicators, and future problem-solvers.” Part of TC Energy’s community investment program mission is to “improve access to education and strengthen the future talent pipeline.” “We want to catch kids at a time where they’re just trying to determine what kind of things they are interested in,” Rebecca McElhoes, manager of programs/community investment at TC Energy, told the Sun. “If we’re not investing in those programs now with younger students, we’re missing the boat.”

OPINION

Daily Press: Virginia’s delegation in Congress should reject gift to Big Oil
Victoria Higgins of Richmond is the Virginia director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), 5/14/26

“...U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wants to take away a right that Texas has used for decades: the ability of states to hold corporations accountable when they cause harm. His proposal would strip Virginia — and every other state — of that authority when it comes to oil and gas companies. That’s a dangerous move for Virginia,” Victoria Higgins writes for the Daily Press. “Every state has laws that allow individuals and governments to take corporations to court or pass legislation when those corporations cause damage. These tools aren’t theoretical — they’ve been used time and again. Take tobacco. Companies knew the risks, misled the public, and left taxpayers footing billions in healthcare costs. States responded by suing — and winning… “The same approach has been used in cases involving opioids, data privacy and even toxic “forever chemicals.” The principle is simple: States have the right to act in the best interest of their residents. And here in Virginia, the legislature has contemplated a policy to require Big Oil companies responsible for worsening extreme weather to contribute to disaster relief… “Cruz’s proposal would carve out a special exemption from liability for oil and gas companies, and even their trade associations — the umbrella companies that deploy corporate lobbyists to shape public policy to pad CEOs’ pockets. Under this framework, Virginia would be blocked from utilizing a well-established tool to hold corporations accountable on behalf of the health and wellness of its residents. This proposal is so boldly corrupt it’s almost not worth asking the obvious question: Why should one industry be above the law?... “Changing the rules to protect the powerful is a classic Cruz move, and one Virginia’s elected representatives must reject.”

Toronto Sun: Ottawa should scrap unnecessary offshore tanker ban for sake of Canada’s economy
Kenneth P. Green, Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute, 5/13/26

“...The biggest reason to repeal the ban is that there was never a legitimate reason for it in the first place,” Kenneth P. Green writes for the Toronto Sun. “Oil, fuel and large vessels with large fuel tanks have been transiting the waters of northern British Columbia, moving to and from Alaska to the U.S. mainland and points farther south for many decades, with great safety. As we noted in a study published by the Fraser Institute in 2017 (just a couple of years before the Trudeau government enacted the tanker ban), there has not been a single major spill from oil tankers or other vessels in Canadian waters, east coast or west, since the mid-1990s (and that was a fuel leak, not an oil spill). There have been a few smaller fuel and oil spills, but nothing large or damaging by international standards… “That’s why the tanker ban (officially known as Bill C-48) was actually never about environmental protection. It was about stopping pipelines. Back then, the target was the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline project—now, it’s a potential million-barrel-per-day pipeline from Alberta to B.C. Indeed, under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last November by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the new pipeline would allow Canadian oil to be exported to Asia and points west, breaking the buyer’s monopoly currently enjoyed (but increasingly unneeded) by the United States… “So, there was never a good reason to institute the tanker ban, but there’s good reason to kill it.”