EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/27/26
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: NY Department of Environmental Conservation sues FERC over pipeline
KABC: Cleanup continues after 2,400 gallons of oil spill and spread into LA River, impacting wildlife
KSBY: Sable Offshore Pipeline fight moves to federal court
Bloomberg: US Urges High Court to Deny Attorneys’ Fees in Pipeline Dispute
U.S. Energy Industry Administration: Most planned natural gas pipeline capacity additions in 2026 and 2027 originate in Texas
Juneau Independent: Special session resumes in Anchorage, where House Finance will consider gas pipeline bill
KWCH: Carbon Capture Pipelines [VIDEO]
Pipeline & Gas Journal: 683-Mile Ruby Pipeline Eyed for Utah AI Data Center Project
Journal ND: Proposed Williams County pipeline moves into public comment period
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad City Council approves oil and gas pipeline linking to Permian Resources wells
Canadian Press: No Pathways, no pipeline: How the massive carbon storage project would work, if built
Canadian Press: Pembina Pipeline going ahead with $570M Heartland extraction project
South Dakota Searchlight: Standing Rock anniversary event to include music, speakers, celebrity visitors
Drilled: Season 15 Episode 2: The Ethanol Kingpin of Iowa
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Wright meets with Republicans on permitting — but deal remains elusive as ever
E&E News: DOE goes quiet on carbon capture task forces
E&E News: EPA’s power plant repeal could leave some rules in place
E&E News: House Dems look to unwind ‘God Squad’ ruling
E&E News: Republicans propose emissions carve-out for small oil producers
Press release: Interior Streamlines Administrative Appeals Process to Improve Efficiency and Deliver Faster Decisions
STATE UPDATES
Morning Ag Clips: Ohio Senate Passes Substitute Bill on Carbon Capture and Storage Activity
Carbon Herald: California Launches First Operational Carbon Storage Project
CNBC: California Resources CEO discusses Kern County carbon capture project [VIDEO]
KTLA: Garden Grove chemical tank cools, risk of catastrophic explosion eliminated
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Global oil price gains 3% as US military strikes on Iran add to peace deal uncertainty
New York Times: Canada Strikes Landmark Deal to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Germany
New York Times: Why Scientists Retired the Dire Climate Scenario Used for Over a Decade
Bloomberg: Northern Oil & Gas Reaches First Deal for Canadian Energy Assets
Heatmap: Nvidia’s Case for Why AI Will Cut Emissions
OilPrice.com: Germany Puts €5 Billion Behind Carbon Capture Push
OPINION
Financial Post: Joe Oliver: We can’t afford a $20-billion Pathway to nowhere
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: NY Department of Environmental Conservation sues FERC over pipeline
Mona Zhang, 5/26/26
“The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is challenging a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision over a proposed natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to upstate New York,” E&E News reports. “The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, comes alongside a similar challenge filed by environmental organizations last week. The DEC and green groups are contesting a decision by FERC to dismiss their requests for a rehearing on the Constitution Pipeline. The pipeline project was all but abandoned by developer Williams Co. before being revived by the current Trump administration’s support for fossil fuels. DEC is challenging FERC’s decision to continue proceedings under the original docket — despite a court order that the commission dismiss the proceedings after Williams said in 2020 that it would not move forward with the project. DEC declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. However, the agency has previously expressed opposition to Williams’ bid to restart the project.”
KABC: Cleanup continues after 2,400 gallons of oil spill and spread into LA River, impacting wildlife
Rob Hayes, 5/26/26
“A crude oil spill that began with a ruptured pipeline in East Los Angeles has now spread miles down the L.A. River, prompting an extensive multi-agency cleanup effort and concerns from nearby residents,” KABC reports. “California wildlife officials said more than 2,000 gallons of crude oil released from a pipeline that ruptured near Cesar Chavez Avenue and Eastern Avenue on Friday entered storm drains that spill into the river. Cleanup operations at both the pipeline site and the riverbank remained active on Monday… “Efforts to contain the spill in the L.A. River have been underway over the past several days. So far, trained wildlife volunteers have treated more than two dozen oil-soaked birds found along the river… “AIR7 video shows crews in hazmat suits cleaning up oil along the shoreline, while oil-obsorbing containment booms were deployed in Long Beach to prevent the spill from reaching the ocean… “Residents living near the pipeline break reported strong fumes since Friday… “No one is telling us anything. No one’s telling us, ‘Hey, you know what, keep the windows closed. This is going on.’ How long is it going to be going on? No one says anything... because I’m asthmatic and I have a low immune system,” Aculco told KABC.
KSBY: Sable Offshore Pipeline fight moves to federal court
Gianella Ghiglino, 5/27/26
“The legal fight over the future of the Sable Offshore pipeline is now playing out in federal court,” KSBY reports. “...But California regulators and environmental groups argue the company bypassed state environmental protections, leading to multiple lawsuits aimed at stopping operations. “We all remember the oil leak in Refugio, and that’s all because the pipeline is not up to standard,” Kimberly Ray, founder and CEO of the Marine Conservation Network, told KSBY. On May 18, the legal dispute shifted to federal court. Santa Barbara County sued Sable Offshore, claiming the company resumed pipeline operations without complying with local permitting requirements. The federal government then moved the case to federal court, arguing the pipeline falls under federal energy jurisdiction… “Environmental advocates told KSBY moving the case to federal court could make it more difficult to halt pipeline operations during the ongoing legal battle.”
Bloomberg: US Urges High Court to Deny Attorneys’ Fees in Pipeline Dispute
Shayna Greene, 5/26/26
“The US Supreme Court should hear a petition from North Dakota ranchers asking how compensation should be handled in condemned land cases, the US Solicitor General said in a brief requested by the court,” Bloomberg reports. “Upon granting the petition, the high court should affirm the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit’s decision rejecting a judge’s award of more than $383,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses, the solicitor general said in the brief filed May 22.”
U.S. Energy Industry Administration: Most planned natural gas pipeline capacity additions in 2026 and 2027 originate in Texas
5/26/26
“Developers plan to bring approximately 44.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of new pipeline capacity online in the United States in 2026 and 2027, according to our latest Natural Gas Pipeline Projects Tracker,” the U.S. Energy Industry Administration reports. “Approximately 70% (31.6 Bcf/d) of this new capacity is already under construction. More than 66% (29.7 Bcf/d) of the capacity additions originate in Texas. Louisiana is second with 19% (8.4 Bcf/d) of total capacity additions. The projects in Texas will provide additional takeaway capacity out of the Permian Basin and debottleneck the Waha Hub, supplying natural gas to LNG export terminals, as well as residential, power, and industrial users. The largest of the pipeline projects currently under construction and projected to enter service by the end of this year include: Rio Bravo Pipeline Project: A 138-mile pipeline originating in Texas with a capacity of up to 4.5 Bcf/d, which will deliver feedgas to NextDecade’s under construction Rio Grande LNG export terminal. NextDecade is targeting an in-service date in the second half of this year. Blackcomb Pipeline: A 365-mile, 2.5 Bcf/d pipeline currently under construction and slated to enter service in the third quarter 2026. The pipeline originating in Texas will deliver Permian supply from the Waha hub to the Agua Dulce hub, further clearing the Waha bottleneck. Hugh Brinson Pipeline: A total 2.2 Bcf/d project increasing takeaway capacity from the Permian Basin in Texas. The developer expects phase 1 of this project to begin flowing in the fourth quarter of 2026, and phase 2 to begin operations in the first quarter of 2027. In Louisiana, the Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector is expected to begin service in the second half of 2026 with 2.0 Bcf/d of capacity. By the end of 2027, Pelican Pipeline is expected to come online in Louisiana, bringing the total additional capacity to 8.4 Bcf/d. Virginia has the third most capacity additions over the next two years, with 1.6 Bcf/d expected to come online in 2027 via Williams’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, an expansion of its exiting Transcontinental Pipeline from Virginia to Alabama.”
Juneau Independent: Special session resumes in Anchorage, where House Finance will consider gas pipeline bill
Mark Sabbatini, 5/26/26
“Senate and House members have said they’ll work cooperatively with their respective morning and afternoon committee meetings to consider gas pipeline legislation, but they won’t be working close together,” the Juneau Independent reports. “...A further consideration is whether any legislation passed will be acceptable to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who ordered the special session when work on a gasline bill stalled during the final days of the regular session. He is seeking more generous tax breaks and other incentives for the proposed gasline’s developers than legislators, who say the governor’s proposal will come at the cost of revenue to the state and municipalities affected by the pipeline’s infrastructure.”
KWCH: Carbon Capture Pipelines [VIDEO]
5/26/26
“Farmers and landowners in Iowa are dealing with the path of a new carbon capture pipeline,” KWCH reports.
Pipeline & Gas Journal: 683-Mile Ruby Pipeline Eyed for Utah AI Data Center Project
5/26/26
“The Ruby Pipeline, a 683-mile natural gas system crossing the western U.S., is drawing renewed attention as developers look to use the line to support a proposed AI-focused data center and energy campus in northern Utah, according to The Salt Lake Tribune,” Pipeline & Gas Journal reports. “Project supporters say the pipeline’s available capacity could help supply natural gas for on-site power generation tied to the large-scale development in Box Elder County. The project, backed in part by investor Kevin O’Leary and Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, has sparked debate over energy use, environmental impacts and long-term infrastructure demands… “Ruby Pipeline LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2022 under roughly $475 million in debt before Tallgrass Energy acquired the asset later that year, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. Energy analysts say the Utah data center proposal could help increase utilization on the pipeline, which has operated below capacity in recent years.”
Journal ND: Proposed Williams County pipeline moves into public comment period
Avonlea Brown, 5/26/26
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment regarding a proposed 17-mile natural gas pipeline south of Ray,” Journal ND reports. “The pipeline will be owned by WBI Energy Transmission Inc., adding infrastructure in Williams County as well as upgrading an existing pipeline connection with McKenzie County… “The FERC notice states preliminary issues already identified by the commission include ag land, prairie remnants and wetlands or water bodies… “According to the notice, comments must be made by June 10 at 5 p.m. Eastern time and should reference specifically the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the pipeline, and alternatives and measures to avoid impacts.”
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad City Council approves oil and gas pipeline linking to Permian Resources wells
Adrian Hedden, 5/26/26
“An oil and gas pipeline will run through a portion of Carlsbad, feeding into a 10-well drilling project on western edge of city limits,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “...Known as the Water Buffalo Project, the program sought to extract crude oil and natural gas from beneath Carlsbad, targeting the Bone Spring and Wolfcamp shale formations within the greater Permian Basin region. In the months since Permian Resources’ 10 wells were approved for drilling the City Council approved multiple pipelines connecting to the wells to processing facilities outside of Carlsbad, crossing in and out of city limits along the way.”
Canadian Press: No Pathways, no pipeline: How the massive carbon storage project would work, if built
Lauren Krugel, 5/25/26
“There’s no pipeline without Pathways and no Pathways without a pipeline,” the Canadian Press reports. “...But the “grand bargain” with Ottawa to help clear the way for the pipeline calls for a meaningful offset to the carbon emissions it would enable. Enter Pathways: a multibillion-dollar plan to transport and store 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the oilsands by 2035. The project has been in the works for around four years, but the companies proposing it, the province and federal government have yet to figure out how they’ll share the costs and the risks. The Alberta-Ottawa agreement set an April 1 deadline to reach a three-way deal, but the matter remains unresolved… “We can pay for some of Pathways,” Cenovus CEO Jon McKenzie said in an interview in April. “We can’t pay for the entire burden.” “...Analysis from Clean Prosperity found carbon prices between $130 and $150 should be enough to make some, if not all, of Pathways viable, Frank told CP. “I’d say the implementation agreement represents material progress toward making the Pathways project economic,” he told CP. “It offers a lot more certainty than market actors had previously.”
Canadian Press: Pembina Pipeline going ahead with $570M Heartland extraction project
2/25/26
“Pembina Pipeline Corp. says it’s going ahead with its $570-million Heartland extraction plant project,” the Canadian Press reports. “The 750-million-cubic-feet-per-day straddle plant will extract natural gas liquids under Pembina’s extraction rights on the Yellowhead Pipeline. It is expected to enter service in late 2029. Pembina has also signed a long-term agreement at the Heartland project to supply Dow with ethane beginning in late 2029, scaling to 22,500 barrels per day by the end of 2030.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Standing Rock anniversary event to include music, speakers, celebrity visitors
John Hult, 5/26/26
“Climate activists and Indigenous and cultural leaders will join A-list celebrities and musicians for a festival and conference Sept. 16-18 on the Standing Rock Reservation to mark the 10th anniversary of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “People of the Sun” is a ticketed celebration organizers aim to hold each year near Cannonball, North Dakota, the site of what became a massive encampment of opponents to the pipeline. The camp drew visitors from across the globe and inspired a host of environmental and community activism in the years that followed… “The lineup for the inaugural “People of the Sun” event includes actors Mark Ruffalo and Shailene Woodley, the latter of whom was arrested at the protest camp in 2016, as well as the band Mumford and Sons, and Taboo, of the Black Eyed Peas. The event is a presentation of Indigenized Energy – a Native American-led, nonprofit solar energy company that got its start in 2017, in the wake of the protests. Its founder, Cody Two Bears, was the elected representative for Cannonball on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council at the time of the protests. “After No DAPL happened, people went out there and started taking those seeds from the movement and planting them in different parts of the world,” Two Bears said. “You’re starting to see a lot of great things flourishing out there now.” “...The idea is to celebrate “what we’ve been doing, but also what comes next,” he said, and to “realign” the various groups involved initially or spawned since the protests with the values that animated them.”
Drilled: Season 15 Episode 2: The Ethanol Kingpin of Iowa
5/22/26
“Bruce’s venture in Brazil isn’t the first time he tried to go global. What an earlier attempt tells us about him, his business, and what’s ahead for both Iowa and “the Brazilian Midwest,” Drilled reports. “..Jess Mazour: So since 2012, since that big land grab attempt in Africa, he has become a dirty word in, in Iowa. I think anyone who remotely follows politics or agriculture, you say Rastetter, you’re gonna get a response… “Kathy Carter: And in August of 2021, I got this letter from Summit Carbon Solutions saying that they were going to do this CO2 pipeline, and it was going to go across my property west of town, that old pasture area where Lou goes hunting, that ground. It’s not a big piece of ground, but it’s my ground, and they’re gonna put a CO2 line across it? What? Amy: Kathy said she felt like she’d left one part of the state to escape Bruce’s hog farms, only to have him try to take her land for his [00:11:00] carbon pipeline in another part of the state. For its part, Summit says its preference is to work out voluntary easements with landowners, but it’s also trying to build over 1,000 miles of pipeline, and it argues that giving too much power to holdouts would make it impossible for any big infrastructure project to be built. In July 2025, Summit Carbon Solutions brought in a new CEO, Joe Griffin. Griffin previously ran a natural gas company that was backed by one of Summit’s primary investors, Harold Hamm. His first order of business was repairing the company’s relationships with landowners, especially after both South Dakota and Iowa passed statewide bans on eminent domain… “Under Griffin’s leadership, they’ve had at least a dozen public meetings to try to repair relationships, and even drafted a community and land ownership partnership program and a series of commitments. They might have had an easier time had they not been named Summit and had Rastetter not been doing business a particular way [00:13:00] in Iowa for decades… “Thanks to his early involvement in confined hog farms and industrial-scale corn and ethanol, Rastetter is connected with the state’s shift from family farming to industrial agriculture for a lot of Iowans. One neighbor of Bruce’s who asked to remain anonymous and have his voice disguised for fear of retaliation described Bruce as more of a businessman than a farmer.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Wright meets with Republicans on permitting — but deal remains elusive as ever
Josh Siegel, 5/22/26
“Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tuesday had dinner with a group of Republican lawmakers to discuss changes to the nation’s permitting laws. That followed a dinner Monday between top Senate committee leaders engaged in negotiations toward a bipartisan overhaul,” E&E News reports. “But despite signs of momentum and a goal among senators of reaching a deal by summer, permitting reform — for the moment — remains something that enjoys wide support and never a clear path to enactment. That’s because for all the common ground in both parties around encouraging more energy production and accelerating projects of all types, permitting also touches on thorny issues for congressional Republicans, Democrats and this White House.. “Grid issues were a major obstacle. Republicans have long been skeptical of giving the federal government more power to decide when and where to build big power lines — especially if it’s to carry wind and solar energy across rural states… “Miller-Meeks, who worked last year to help save some renewable energy tax incentives from repeal, told E&E, “Both parties want permitting reform, perhaps for different reasons.”
E&E News: DOE goes quiet on carbon capture task forces
Carlos Anchondo, 5/27/26
“The Department of Energy has gone silent on two task forces created under the first Trump administration to speed construction of carbon capture and storage projects, sidelining groups set to provide advice around a sector the oil industry has backed with big money,” E&E News reports. “Multiple members of the task forces — created under the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies (USE IT) Act in 2020 — told E&E they haven’t heard from DOE in months, expressing frustration over how much work has been done to date only for things to stall. The ghosting goes against what has been strong government support for an industry that had also enjoyed rare bipartisan backing to help cull greenhouse gas emissions from a host of sectors. Since an inaugural meeting in 2024, the task forces spent more than a year working pro bono to put together a report that includes a wide range of recommendations, including around how to make permitting more efficient and comprehensive, the offshore storage of carbon dioxide, CO2 pipelines and more. The task forces were tentatively set to meet in November and December to discuss and then finalize a draft report, but those meetings didn’t take place. Some members told E&E the last time they heard from DOE was in September, while one person said November.”
E&E News: EPA’s power plant repeal could leave some rules in place
Jean Chemnick, 5/27/26
“EPA’s efforts to undo Biden-era climate rules for power plants could get a major overhaul before they clear White House review, according to some insiders watching the process,” E&E News reports. “The White House Office of Management and Budget is currently reviewing EPA’s rollback of Biden-era standards that would have required coal- and some new gas-fired power plants to capture and store most of their carbon emissions… “But lawyers tracking the action — many of whom were granted anonymity because they’re either advising or suing EPA — told E&E that when it is released they expect to see that it has undergone a makeover. In the months since EPA released last year’s proposal, experts have come to believe that EPA will repeal only the Biden-era rules and issue a supplemental proposal on broader questions of regulatory authority. That supplemental would do a better job of incorporating the agency’s recent repeal of the “endangerment finding,” the keystone climate science determination that underpins all Clean Air Act climate rules.”
E&E News: House Dems look to unwind ‘God Squad’ ruling
Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, 5/22/26
“House Democrats are spearheading legislation to restore Endangered Species Act protections in the Gulf of Mexico, in the latest bid to walk back exemptions for oil and gas drilling projects handed out by the ‘God Squad’ earlier this year,” E&E News reports. “The Trump administration convened the committee in March for the first time in more than three decades, when it opted to exempt 600,000 square miles worth of drilling projects from ESA protections citing ‘national security’ concerns. Those concerns were centered largely on lawsuits that the Defense Department asserted were ‘beginning to chill oil and gas development.’ “...Opponents of the Trump administration’s ruling argue that the waiver could impact 20 endangered species in the Gulf, including sea turtles, manta rays, certain sharks and the Rice’s whale, which already faces the risk of extinction.”
E&E News: Republicans propose emissions carve-out for small oil producers
Amelia Davidson, 5/22/26
“Congressional Republicans introduced legislation in both chambers Thursday that would exempt small oil and natural gas producers from emissions tracking requirements,” E&E News reports. “The ‘Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act’ is the latest in a flurry of Republican bills seeking changes to the Clean Air Act. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) are sponsoring the proposal. The bill would create a Clean Air Act carve-out for ‘marginal wells’ — low-producing onshore oil and gas wells — so they would not need to comply with federal reporting requirements for emissions such as methane.. “Oil and gas groups are hailing the legislation, with the Independent Petroleum Association of America saying it would “bring regulatory clarity to small producers.” Green groups, meanwhile, balked at the high pollution potential for such a carve-out.”
Press release: Interior Streamlines Administrative Appeals Process to Improve Efficiency and Deliver Faster Decisions
5/22/26
“The update strengthens Interior’s ability to resolve disputes more efficiently across a wide range of matters affecting public lands, energy development, grazing, tribal matters, and other Departmental decisions ... The Office of Hearings and Appeals plays a critical role in adjudicating disputes involving Interior decisions, including matters related to energy production, public lands management, grazing authorizations, and Indian affairs. By improving procedures and reducing administrative friction, the Department is making the appeals process more accessible and efficient for those who rely on timely outcomes ... A more efficient appeals system benefits permit holders, businesses, tribes, land users, and other stakeholders by reducing uncertainty, improving procedural clarity, and allowing important decisions to move forward more predictably.”
STATE UPDATES
Morning Ag Clips: Ohio Senate Passes Substitute Bill on Carbon Capture and Storage Activity
5/26/26
“Legislation introduced over a year ago to allow for carbon capture and storage (CCS) activity in Ohio has progressed through the Senate, but in a different version than passed by the House. Deliberation in the Senate Energy Committee led to a substitute bill that unanimously passed the Senate on May 20,” Morning Ag Clips reports. “Like the House-passed version of the bill, Sub H.B. 170 authorizes CCS activity in Ohio, which is the process of injecting carbon dioxide into the “pore space” of a sub-surface storage facility through a permitted Class VI underground injection well… “The bill also authorizes statutory consolidation or “pooling” of pore space interests, sets fees and penalties, and addresses project closure and liability for injected carbon dioxide… “Statutory consolidation or “forced pooling” applications. Requires a CCS project operator to make three separate attempts to contact all known pore space owners, to engage in good faith negotiations to obtain pore space rights, to obtain the consent of at least 75% of pore space owners within a proposed project prior to applying for statutory consolidation of pore space interests. The House version contains a lower requirement of 70%.”
Carbon Herald: California Launches First Operational Carbon Storage Project
Violet George, 5/26/26
“California Resources Corporation (CRC) has announced the first CO2 injection at Carbon TerraVault I (CTV I), marking the launch of California’s first operational carbon capture and storage (CCS) project,” the Carbon Herald reports. “Located at the Elk Hills Field in Kern County, the project captures CO2 from CRC’s cryogenic gas plant and stores it in depleted oil and gas reservoirs more than one mile underground… “CRC CEO Francisco Leon said the project demonstrates that large-scale carbon management can play a practical role in California’s climate strategy while supporting energy resilience… “California Governor Gavin Newsom described the project as an example of the infrastructure needed to support the state’s climate goals and clean energy transition… “As part of the project’s community commitments, CRC said it will invest more than $1 million into local initiatives in Kern County and establish a Community Advisory Council later this year to help guide regional engagement and support programs.”
CNBC: California Resources CEO discusses Kern County carbon capture project [VIDEO]
5/26/26
“Francsico Leon, California Resources CEO, joins ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss the company’s carbon capture project, the company’s plan for lower emissions and much more,” CNBC reports.
KTLA: Garden Grove chemical tank cools, risk of catastrophic explosion eliminated
Tony Kurzweil, Erin Myers, 5/25/26
“Orange County Fire Authority officials said Monday morning that the temperature of a chemical tank in Garden Grove has cooled, eliminating the risk of a catastrophic explosion,” KTLA reports. “We are happy to report that the threat of a BLEVE is now off the table,” Orange County Fire Authority officials said in a post on X Monday morning. BLEVE stands for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion… “OCFA Chief TJ McGovern spoke with KTLA Monday morning about the continuing risk for smaller blasts and how that will affect the 50,000 residents under evacuation orders… “The incident began Thursday afternoon at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems facility on Western Avenue, where a 34,000-gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable industrial chemical used to make acrylic plastics, overheated and began venting vapors… “Tens of thousands of residents remain under evacuation orders, with many shelters already reaching capacity.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Global oil price gains 3% as US military strikes on Iran add to peace deal uncertainty
Alex Lawler, 5/25/26
“Brent crude rose by 3% on Tuesday after the U.S. military carried out strikes in Iran, adding to uncertainty over whether a deal will be imminently reached to end the war and open up shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz,” Reuters reports. “U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiating a deal with Iran could “take a few days,” quashing hopes for an imminent end to the conflict a day after U.S. forces conducted what Washington called defensive strikes in southern Iran… “Global benchmark Brent was up $2.95, or 3.07%, to $99.09 a barrel as of 1313 GMT, after settling 7% lower on Monday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down $3.78, or 3.91%, from Friday’s close, at $92.82… “While differences between the parties have narrowed, any eventual peace deal would likely lead only to a gradual reopening, meaning the current tight supply outlook could take months to normalize,” Ole Hansen at Saxo Bank told Reuters.”
New York Times: Canada Strikes Landmark Deal to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Germany
Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Ian Austen, 5/26/26
“Canada has struck an important agreement to export liquefied natural gas to Germany, two senior officials with direct knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday, a breakthrough for both nations trying to diversify their strategic trade alliances away from the United States,” the New York Times reports. “Under the agreement, Canada will commit to exporting up to one million metric tons of liquefied natural gas a year from a terminal on its Pacific Coast in British Columbia to Germany, starting in the early 2030s, for a two-decade horizon… “Publicly and privately, German officials have said they need to find a diverse set of suppliers for imported gas, to avoid overreliance on a single country, like the United States… “The Ksi Lisims LNG project, which is set to be used for the Germany exports, has been approved for operation by the government but not yet fully financed.”
New York Times: Why Scientists Retired the Dire Climate Scenario Used for Over a Decade
Brad Plumer and Eric Niiler, 5/26/26
“It’s rare for technical papers about climate modeling to kick off a heated public debate, or attract attention from the White House. But that’s what happened recently after an international team of researchers published a major revision of the emissions scenarios used to study global warming,” the New York Times reports. “...In this latest update, the researchers abandoned a dire — and often criticized — high-emissions scenario known as RCP8.5 that has been prominently cited in thousands of climate studies over the past decade. The authors said the scenario was now “implausible” given recent energy trends. That provoked online arguments among scientists. For years, critics of the high-emissions scenario had argued that it was always unrealistic, in part because it envisioned that countries would burn coal at absurdly high rates. They argued that any studies or news reports relying on that scenario exaggerated the risks of climate change. Why, those critics now asked, did the course correction take so long? Other researchers, however, noted that scientists still can’t rule out extreme warming, even if the odds might be low, and that there are good scientific reasons for studying high-emissions scenarios. Last weekend, President Trump weighed in, suggesting that the revision showed that global warming wasn’t a threat and that “the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” The majority of climate scientists still say global warming is a serious problem, and that even more plausible, medium-emissions scenarios can carry grave dangers. But the new paper has raised questions about whether some of the risks of climate change have been poorly communicated or overstated in years past and how best to think about those risks going forward.”
Bloomberg: Northern Oil & Gas Reaches First Deal for Canadian Energy Assets
Iain Boekhoff, 5/26/26
“US energy firm Northern Oil & Gas Inc. agreed to acquire a stake in Canadian oil and gas properties, its first foray into international assets,” Bloomberg reports. “Northern will pay Parallax Energy Operating Inc. C$350 million ($254 million) in cash and stock for a 25% interest in oil-producing properties and tens of thousands of acres in the Duvernay shale basin in Alberta, according to a statement Tuesday, confirming an earlier report from Bloomberg News… “Foreign energy companies are beginning to look to Canada again after years of divestitures. The country opened an expanded oil pipeline to the west coast two years ago, and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has agreed to loosen a number of environmental rules on the fossil-fuel sector to spur development.”
Heatmap: Nvidia’s Case for Why AI Will Cut Emissions
Robinson Meyer, 5/26/26
“America’s tech companies are transforming the electricity system — building entirely new fleets of new solar panels, batteries, and gas turbines — in order to power what are essentially warehouses filled with cutting-edge chips,” Heatmap reports. “Almost all of those chips are made by Nvidia. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob is joined by Josh Parker, Nvidia’s head of sustainability. They discuss the climate and electricity impacts of artificial intelligence, why Josh is incredibly bullish on AI’s ability to cut carbon emissions and whether it has done so so far, and the company’s work with clean energy and fossil fuel companies.”
OilPrice.com: Germany Puts €5 Billion Behind Carbon Capture Push
Leon Stille, 5/26/26
“...Because Germany has now launched something that could fundamentally reshape industrial decarbonization across Europe: a new €5 billion Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) scheme that finally gives CCS and CCU projects a serious economic pathway,” OilPrice.com reports. “And taken together with Denmark’s recent CCS tender victory for Aalborg Portland, something much larger is starting to emerge across Europe: Carbon capture is moving from climate theory into industrial policy… “The real problem has always been investment risk… “At its core, Carbon Contracts for Difference are relatively simple. The government effectively compensates industries for the additional costs associated with low-carbon production compared to conventional production methods. If decarbonized production remains more expensive than the market can support, the state covers part of the difference… “Perhaps the most significant aspect of Germany’s new framework is not the money itself, but what it signals politically. CCS is no longer being treated as an uncomfortable exception. It is increasingly being integrated into mainstream industrial policy.”
OPINION
Financial Post: Joe Oliver: We can’t afford a $20-billion Pathway to nowhere
Joe Oliver was minister of natural resources and finance in the Harper government, 5/27/26
“Given its massive debt and never-ending deficits, Ottawa should not waste tens of billions of dollars in tax credits and cash on a project that has no chance of achieving its public policy objective, even if it does give the prime minister political cover,” Joe Oliver writes for the Financial Post. “The boondoggle in question is the Pathways Project, a $16- to $24-billion (excluding cost overruns) carbon capture and storage (CCS) network in northeastern Alberta sponsored by the six largest oilsands companies. Its mission is to capture greenhouse gas emissions from over 20 oilsands sites and transport them via pipeline to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake. Prime Minister Mark Carney has made Pathways a condition for approving any major oilsands pipeline project, on the grounds it would eliminate emissions from drilling, processing and flaring. But such upstream emissions are only 15 per cent of the total… “CCS projects have a troubled history around the world, with chronic underperformance, ballooning costs and technical failures… “Even hard-line green NGOs oppose CCS. Environmental Defence called it a billion-dollar scam based on junk science, with associate director Julia Levin saying: “Carbon capture is unnecessary, ineffective and expensive… “Then there are the safety risks, which have not been adequately addressed… “In 2020, the rupture of a CO2 pipeline in Mississippi resulted in dozens of hospitalizations and the evacuation of an entire town… “Unfortunately, Mark Carney is unlikely abandon Pathways. He is using CCS to justify pipeline construction on the false pretence it will make energy projects carbon-neutral. He may even delude himself that purchasers will pay more for “net-zero” fossil fuels, which they never have and likely never will… “Abandoning Pathways would help Canada catch up with the rest of the world. Too bad it won’t happen under Carney’s leadership.”