EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/4/26
PIPELINE NEWS
Cowboy State Daily: Economist: Trump Pipeline OK Could Mean High-Paying Jobs, Big Tax Revenues For Wyoming
Canadian Press: Alberta’s Smith lauds new major Canada-U.S. oil pipeline permit, citing advocacy
Canadian Press: Alberta oil pipeline is ‘more likely than not’ Carney says
Bloomberg: Canada’s Oil Firms Look to Scrap Carbon Tax Tied to New Pipeline
Reuters: TC Energy Approves $1.5 Billion Columbia Gas Project after Beating Profit Estimates
Staten Island Advance: Underwater pipeline construction off Staten Island’s shores to start this year
Canary Media: SoCalGas customers spared paying $266M for hydrogen pipeline project
WCVB: Massachusetts trims gas pipe spending again to help lower bills
WPXI: Peoples Natural Gas starting pipeline installation project in Monroeville
EHSLeaders: OSHA: NM Employer Must Reinstate Pipeline Inspector
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Trump bets on short Iran oil crunch. Experts see prolonged pain and rising costs.
Press release: Senator McCormick Introduces Legislation to Address Federal Permitting Chokepoints
E&E News: EPA offers exceptions to impending flaring deadline
STATE UPDATES
Times of San Diego: ‘Enjoy your new sunset.’ A California campaign against offshore oil drilling targets Trump
Bangor Daily News: Maine investigates oil spill along the Kennebec River
EXTRACTION
Financial Times: Exxon and Chevron defy Trump pressure to boost oil production
New York Times: Blockbuster Oil Company Profits Revive Calls for Windfall Tax
Tech Explore: Renewable energy is more cost effective than direct air capture at reducing carbon, study finds
CNN: ‘Oil is literally falling from the sky’: Russian town fears environmental disaster after Ukrainian drone strikes on refinery
OPINION
Pipeline Safety Trust: PST Statement: PHMSA Needs to Do More than Publish a Voluntary Advisory Bulletin to Make a Difference on Excavation Damage
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s outdated oil rules put taxpayers at risk. There’s a clear solution.
Defenders of Wildlife: Playing God in the Gulf and a Rare Whale’s Right to Exist
PIPELINE NEWS
Cowboy State Daily: Economist: Trump Pipeline OK Could Mean High-Paying Jobs, Big Tax Revenues For Wyoming
Renée Jean, 5/1/26
“Wyoming could see thousands of new construction jobs, long-term pipeline work, and millions in new tax revenue from a new cross-border oil pipeline approved Friday by President Donald Trump, even as environmental critics warn of spill risks and call it “Keystone Light,” the Cowboy State Daily reports, “...The Trump administration has pitched the Bridger Pipeline as a way to boost American energy security and jobs, while University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby told CSD the project is likely to bring a significant wave of high-paying construction work, long-term pipeline jobs, and higher tax revenues for Wyoming’s oil and gas industry. Environmental groups, meanwhile, told CSD the Bridger Pipeline is just a scaled-down version of Keystone XL, a controversial, massive Canada-U.S. pipeline that was cancelled on the first day of former President Joe Biden’s Biden administration in 2021… “The route of this new pipeline is far different from Keystone. It avoids critics in Nebraska, whose grassroots agricultural opponents and indigenous coalition proved to be a significant obstacle. It also bypasses American Indian reservations, which also protested Keystone XL… “Public filings do not yet contain specific figures for the jobs and tax revenues Bridger Pipeline will create. But it will be significant, University of Wyoming’s Robert Godby told CSD… “While the primary purpose of the pipeline is to carry Canadian crude oil, which is a heavier type that contains a lot of sulfur, its proximity to light-weight sweet crude from Bakken shippers is suggestive that the pipeline might not only carry heavy oil. Officials with Bridger Pipeline did not respond to Cowboy State Daily’s inquiries about the pipeline and the types of oil it might carry. But Bridger Pipeline’s spokesman Bill Salvin has told other media that the pipeline could carry various grades of crude oil… “McConnaughey told CSD the project does not currently have any interconnections on the books for Wyoming but added the company has continued expanding well connections in the Powder River… “But many environmental groups that opposed Keystone are already lining up to weigh in against the Bridger Pipeline. “The biggest concern we see right now is the concern inherent in all pipeline projects, which is the risk of spills,” the group Earthjustice said in a statement. “Pipelines rupture and leak, it’s just a fact of pipelines.”
Canadian Press: Alberta’s Smith lauds new major Canada-U.S. oil pipeline permit, citing advocacy
5/4/26
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a key approval for a cross-border oil pipeline project to deliver more of the province’s crude to the United States is coming after years of advocacy from her government,” the Canadian Press reports. “U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential permit authorizing the Bridger Pipeline expansion, considered a partial revival of the Keystone XL pipeline project. The Keystone XL pipeline proposal was repeatedly killed and resurrected, and at one point cost Alberta taxpayers $1.3 billion. Smith told CP the new joint venture between Calgary-based South Bow and U.S.-based Bridger, utilizing existing assets, would deliver more than half a million barrels per day of Alberta oil to facilities and refineries throughout the U.S… “This means Alberta producers will be able to produce more of the oil that the world needs. It’s incredible to see that work already paying off with announcements like this,” said Smith. “The U.S. is our most important trading partner and we will continue to deliver energy to help secure North American energy dominance.” Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries the pipeline could break and spill.”
Canadian Press: Alberta oil pipeline is ‘more likely than not’ Carney says
Nick Murray, 5/1/26
“Prime Minister Mark Carney says a new oil pipeline out of Alberta is “more likely than not,” the Canadian Press reports. “In his first sit-down interview with The Canadian Press since becoming prime minister more than a year ago, Carney said Friday that given the increased global demand for secure new sources of energy due to the war in Iran, and Canada’s need to diversify to Asian markets, a new pipeline is “more probable than possible.” “It’s all part of a bigger package. We’re making progress on that bigger package,” Carney told CP, referring to the memorandum of understanding his government signed with Alberta late last year. “Part of our job is to figure out ways to make that work, to make it work that’s combined with reducing the emissions associated with oil. “So all of that lines up to it’s more likely than not, which means more probable than possible. But none of that says it’s certain. Still a lot of work to be done.” “...And while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said repeatedly her preference is a new pipeline running to the north coast of B.C. — despite the objections of Coastal First Nations and B.C. Premier David Eby — Carney left the door open to alternative routes to get more Alberta oil to Asian markets. “Well, there are multiple routes where there could be a pipeline,” Carney told CP… “Carney also pointed to the recent U.S. approval of the Bridger Pipeline expansion in discussing options for other routes.”
Bloomberg: Canada’s Oil Firms Look to Scrap Carbon Tax Tied to New Pipeline
Robert Tuttle, 5/4/26
“Canada’s oil industry is pushing back hard on proposals to impose a higher carbon tax, arguing the policy adds costs at a time when the world needs more secure and affordable sources of energy,” Bloomberg reports. “Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith agreed to a higher carbon tax for industrial emissions and a carbon storage project as part of a deal for Ottawa backing of a new oil-export pipeline to the Pacific coast… “Some oil companies would prefer that price be zero, or at least as low as possible. If they can delay the date at which the C$130 price would come into effect well into the future, that would also reduce the cost to them. “Things like the industrial carbon tax are things that make us uncompetitive. And those are the things that need to be reformed or removed if we’re going to form capital in this industry and grow in a meaningful way,” Jon McKenzie, chief executive officer of Cenovus Energy Inc., told Bloomberg. Oil executives know that the situation has turned in their favor… “The negotiations on a carbon price are among the many issues still to be resolved. Another is the building of a C$16.5 billion ($12.1 billion) carbon capture and storage network called Pathways that would make Canada’s high-polluting oil sands projects cleaner… “It’s hard to see how that would all work when you look at other areas of the world where you don’t have the sequestration project, you don’t have the carbon tax,” Brian Schmidt, chief executive officer of Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd, one of Alberta’s biggest non-oil sands crude producers, told Bloomberg. “At the end of the day, I don’t think the consumers are paying any more for barrels that have less carbon intensity.” “...Adam Waterous, executive chairman of oil producer Strathcona Resources Ltd., told Bloomberg instead of a carbon tax on emissions, Canada would be better off emulating the US, where former President Joe Biden passed legislation that offers subsidies for carbon emissions cuts… “In today’s environment, however, there is little financial upside to the project, Strathcona’s Waterous told Bloomberg. His company is not part of the Oil Sands Alliance but has proposed its own carbon capture project. “There is no evidence anywhere,” he told Bloomberg, “that the market will pay a premium for decarbonized oil.”
Reuters: TC Energy Approves $1.5 Billion Columbia Gas Project after Beating Profit Estimates
5/4/26
“Canada’s TC Energy approved a $1.5 billion Columbia Gas expansion project on Friday after robust performance in its North American operations helped it narrowly surpass first-quarter profit expectations,” Reuters reports. “The Appalachia Supply Project – expected to start operations in 2030 – is backed by a 20-year contract with a financially strong utility, the company said, and will have the capacity to move up to 0.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to support new gas-fired power plants. Major pipeline operators like TC Energy are doubling down in anticipation of surging natural gas demand as liquefied natural gas export facilities expand and power-hungry AI systems, cryptocurrency miners and data centers ramp up electricity use… “The company’s adjusted core profit from the U.S. natural gas pipelines, its largest segment, rose about 10% to C$1.50 billion, while earnings from its Canadian natural gas pipelines increased about 3% to C$919 million in the reported quarter.”
Staten Island Advance: Underwater pipeline construction off Staten Island’s shores to start this year
Paul Liotta, 5/3/26
“Officials expect construction of a controversial underwater pipeline off Staten Island’s shores to be underway by year’s end,” the Staten Island Advance reports. “Set for completion late next year, the Northeast Supply Enhancement aims to improve the supply of energy-producing natural gas for National Grid customers in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, according to a November permit cover letter from the state Department of Environmental Conservation… “Piping improvements include the 17.4-mile underwater segment through the Raritan and Lower New York bays along Staten Island’s shores… “Energy security is national security, and energy affordability drives American prosperity,” said Chad Zamarin, President and CEO of Williams… “While the project off Staten Island’s shores seems like a done deal, a lawsuit environmentalists filed in federal court in November could prove a roadblock. The coalition of environmental groups, which includes the Staten Island-based Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, argues the state acted illegally in approving the project, particularly after denying it twice before… “Arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit are set for June 18.
Canary Media: SoCalGas customers spared paying $266M for hydrogen pipeline project
Jeff St. John, 5/1/26
“California regulators have denied utility Southern California Gas permission to collect $266 million from its customers to fund a sprawling hydrogen pipeline network it hopes to build across Southern and Central California,” Canary Media reports. “Environmental and consumer advocates are cheering the decision — and urging state policymakers to push for better options than costly hydrogen infrastructure projects to tackle the challenge of decarbonizing heavy industry. Thursday’s announcement from the California Public Utilities Commission represents a major setback for SoCalGas’ Angeles Link project. First proposed in 2022, the plan envisions a network of pipelines to carry hydrogen produced with clean electricity in the Mojave Desert and Central California to industrial and commercial customers seeking a carbon-free alternative to fossil gas in the Los Angeles Basin. Angeles Link came under immediate fire from environmental groups questioning its efficacy as a climate solution, given the enormous energy losses involved in using renewable electricity to produce the gas and the technical and safety challenges of transporting it in pipelines. And consumer advocates challenged the idea of forcing all the utility’s customers to pay for building a pipeline network for a gas that would serve only a subset of industrial and commercial users. Those cost concerns heightened as the utility’s forecast of expenses for the second phase of the project nearly tripled from $92 million to $266 million between 2022 and 2024… “The Commission is right to recognize that SoCalGas’ proposal would expose customers to significant financial harm — before even accounting for the potential environmental and safety concerns,” Julia Dowell, a Sierra Club senior campaign organizer, said in a Thursday statement.”
WCVB: Massachusetts trims gas pipe spending again to help lower bills
Ben Simmoneau, 5/1/26
“After another expensive winter for gas heating customers in Massachusetts, the state is taking new action to bring down bills. For the second year in a row, regulators are cutting the amount of money gas companies can charge for new pipes,” WCVB reports. “Gas companies charge Massachusetts customers nearly $1 billion every year for new gas pipes, despite the state’s plan to phase out natural gas by 2050. The cost of new gas pipes makes up a growing portion of the surging gas bills, and it comes as gas customers are also forced to help pay for Mass Save rebates to switch customers to electric heat… “In a statement, DPU Chair Jeremy McDiarmid said in part: “We’re continuing on this path to rein in costs and further reduce the burden of high gas bills. Massachusetts is ranked among the best for pipeline safety, and our actions build upon that strong foundation. In addition to the cost control measures we’re putting in place, we adopt clear guidelines so that utilities prioritize their work on the most critical pipes to make sure their existing infrastructure will be well-maintained, reliable, and safe.”
WPXI: Peoples Natural Gas starting pipeline installation project in Monroeville
5/3/26
“Peoples Natural Gas is starting an infrastructure modernization project in Allegheny County,” WPXI reports. “Starting on Sunday night, construction crews will begin a project to install 3,900 feet of pipeline along State Route 22 in Monroeville… “Peoples officials told WPXI this work is part of the company’s Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan and once done, the line with enhance the safety and reliability of the distribution system while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
EHSLeaders: OSHA: NM Employer Must Reinstate Pipeline Inspector
Guy Burdick, 5/4/26
“A New Mexico-based inspection company must reinstate and compensate a terminated employee who reported safety concerns during the installation of a natural gas pipeline in Watonga, Oklahoma, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced April 23,” EHSLeaders reports. “OSHA investigated a whistleblower complaint filed against Legacy Energy and Distribution LLC alleging that a construction crew installing a pipeline wasn’t following federal regulations. The terminated employee exercised their “stop work authority” to halt the installation and contacted an independent third-party testing company to verify the concerns, which Legacy later confirmed as valid. Legacy subsequently fired the inspector, alleging they failed to follow the established chain of command and complete a probationary period. OSHA determined that Legacy wrongfully terminated the inspector for engaging in activities protected under the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act… “OSHA ordered Legacy to reinstate the employee and pay back wages, interest, and compensatory damages, totaling more than $35,000.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Trump bets on short Iran oil crunch. Experts see prolonged pain and rising costs.
Scott Waldman, 5/1/26
“The Trump administration insists that its naval blockade is putting the squeeze on Iran and that the regime is just a “matter of days” away from an energy crisis unless it capitulates,” E&E News reports. “Energy experts are skeptical and told E&E the White House is misreading both the timing of the harm to the Iranian oil industry as well as the regime’s tolerance for pain… “Democrats, eager to press their advantage, are exploiting public anger at rising costs while a top Republican super PAC warned Thursday that the Senate majority was at risk because of voters’ cost-of-living concerns. Still, the White House officials insist that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s global oil and natural gas supplies are shipped — is crippling Iran and will soon leave the regime little choice but to meet President Donald Trump’s demands.”
Press release: Senator McCormick Introduces Legislation to Address Federal Permitting Chokepoints
5/1/26
“U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) today introduced the Unlock American Energy and Jobs Act, legislation designed to streamline the federal permitting process and bring greater certainty to the approval of energy infrastructure projects. More than $1 trillion in critical infrastructure projects are currently tied up in federal permitting, representing an estimated $2.4 trillion in unrealized economic activity and thousands of jobs. At a time of rising electricity demand and growing global competition, the bill establishes clear timelines, modernizes approval processes, removes unnecessary barriers, and reduces litigation-driven delays that have made it increasingly difficult to build in the United States. “Pennsylvania has the workers, resources, and infrastructure to power this region and the country for decades,” said Senator McCormick. ” What we’re missing is a federal permitting system with clear rules and predictable timelines… “The Unlock American Energy and Jobs Act targets four specific chokepoints: Water Permitting Reform: States have exploited the Clean Water Act’s water quality certification process to block energy projects through indefinite delay and unexplained denials, often for reasons that have nothing to do with water quality. This section sets a firm one-year deadline for state review, requires written explanations for any denial, and limits states to reviewing actual water quality concerns. LNG Export Deregulation: An outdated federal approval requirement forces American LNG exporters to seek case-by-case federal permission before selling gas abroad. This section cuts through the red tape that federal regulators have used to slow or block LNG terminal approvals, prevents regulators from imposing burdensome conditions unrelated to project safety, and ensures that environmental reviews cannot be used to second-guess whether American LNG exports serve the national interest, clearing the way for American gas to reach allies in Europe and Asia more quickly and reliably… “NEPA Litigation Reform: NEPA lawsuits have become the primary vehicle for stopping projects that have already cleared the regulatory process. This section limits what courts can do when projects are challenged, sets strict deadlines for resolving lawsuits, requires challengers to have been part of the original review, and prevents courts from vacating approved projects, keeping approvals in effect even while legal challenges are pending. “The solution to our affordability crisis and the global race for AI is the expansion of infrastructure, which can be unlocked through permitting reforms that support the efficient buildout of pipelines to deliver reliable American energy where it is needed. Senator McCormick’s bill is an important step toward unleashing Pennsylvania’s energy resources to lower costs for Americans and support growing energy demand. We appreciate the Senator’s leadership and look forward to working with him and other Members of Congress to build on his proposal and enact strong permitting reforms,” said Williams President and CEO Chad Zamarin.”
E&E News: EPA offers exceptions to impending flaring deadline
Jean Chemnick, 5/1/26
“EPA released a guidance Friday afternoon stating that next week’s deadline for newer oil wells to stop burning off associated gas does not apply in areas where pipelines are still being built,” E&E News reports. “The guidance, which came in the form of a letter from EPA Air Chief Aaron Szabo to regional EPA administrators, provides “a clarification” of the terms of the Biden-era methane oil and gas methane standards. In addition to allowing routine flaring to continue in areas where insufficient sale lines have been built — perhaps, the letter says, because gas supply exceeds demand in those areas and gas prices could be negative — the guidance also reminds operators of the rule’s provision for a temporary waiver to flare for up to 30 days if there is a disruption or maintenance problem downstream of the wellhead. One example of this that Szabo offered was in cases where multiple production sites are connected to the same gathering or sales line and it is temporarily at capacity. The four-page guidance document came after EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin promised lawmakers at a House budget hearing Tuesday that EPA would address concerns raised by some producers about a May 7 deadline to stop flaring outside of emergencies. The ban applies only to operations that came online after May 7, 2024.”
STATE UPDATES
Times of San Diego: ‘Enjoy your new sunset.’ A California campaign against offshore oil drilling targets Trump
Philip Salata, 5/2//26
“Two oil rigs sharply silhouetted by a golden sun plunging into the Pacific Ocean – that’s the image on a new billboard in Clairemont marking the launch of a new campaign to oppose offshore drilling along California’s coast. “Enjoy your new sunset,” the sign reads,” the Times of San Diego reports. “In response to escalating pressure from the federal government amid rising gas prices due to the war the U.S. and Israel launched in Iran, a coalition of California environmental groups, legislators and local leaders gathered in a parking lot below the sign on Friday afternoon to tell San Diegans about the costs and impacts of offshore drilling. The campaign launched by Wildcoast and the Sierra Club’s San Diego chapter with support from by U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, California state Sen. Catherine Blakespear and San Diego City Councilmember Joe LaCava, cautions that President Donald Trump’s call to open new operations after four decades could cause “severe economic, environmental and public health consequences.” “The Trump administration has made it very clear that they are going to drill anywhere and everywhere they feel that they can, and that really doesn’t exclude any part of California,” U.S. Rep. Levin told inewsource.
Bangor Daily News: Maine investigates oil spill along the Kennebec River
Lori Valigra, 4/30/26
“State and federal officials are investigating the source of a small weekend oil spill in the Kennebec River in Clinton that observers said covered up to a mile of shoreline,” the Bangor Daily News reports. “The Maine Department of Environmental Protection notified federal officials Sunday about the spill, according to a report obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The spill involved an industrial-grade lubricant called No. 6 oil, sources told the News…”The spill occurred downstream of Sappi’s Somerset Mill in Skowhegan. A spokesperson said the mill is cooperating with federal and state officials as they investigate the source.”
EXTRACTION
Financial Times: Exxon and Chevron defy Trump pressure to boost oil production
Stephanie Findlay, 5/3/26
“ExxonMobil and Chevron have defied calls from the White House to increase oil production, resisting pressure from an administration that is struggling to end the biggest energy crisis in decades,” the Financial Times reports. “Exxon’s chief financial officer Neil Hansen told the FT there had been “no change” to the company’s strategy in the Permian Basin, the dominant US oil and gas region, while Chevron’s finance chief Eimear Bonner said “the crisis has not prompted any change to any of our plans”... “There’s really no need for us to shift up because we’re already up, we’re already in high gear,” Hansen told FT. “That doesn’t mean we aren’t looking at the potential to expand that but there are limitations.” Bonner told FT “we could grow in the Permian but that’s not the strategy we have. Our strategy is to grow free cash flow, not grow production.” She added: “You wouldn’t expect us to be changing our plans significantly on the back of eight weeks of disruption.” “...Woods pushed back against the spectre of US export bans, adding: “I’ve been very encouraged by the comments made by [US energy secretary Chris Wright] and the recognition that something like that would be hugely detrimental to the industry and the supply.”
New York Times: Blockbuster Oil Company Profits Revive Calls for Windfall Tax
Patricia Cohen, 5/1/26
“For oil and gas companies, it has been a profitable war. The energy shock caused by the conflict in Iran, missile attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Persian Gulf and, most crucially, the halt on shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz have produced a spectacular bonanza as energy prices have soared,” the New York Times reports. “The British oil giant BP, citing an “exceptional” performance, more than doubled its profits in the first three months of this year over last. TotalEnergies, based in Paris, raised its dividends and doubled its share buybacks after announcing $5.4 billion in net profits for the first quarter. Around the world, the bumper returns have revived calls for taxes on oil and gas companies’ sudden jackpots. Finance ministers from Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain, as well as a raft of advocacy groups like Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund, have asked the European Commission to tax excessive profits. In a letter sent jointly to the European Union’s climate commissioner, the finance ministers wrote that a tax would “send a clear message that those who profit from the consequences of war must do their part to ease the burden on the general public.” The spike in prices has also prompted Australian lawmakers to discuss raising the tax on the country’s offshore deposits of oil and gas. The contrast between companies’ exceptional gains and the exceptional pain that soaring oil and gas prices are causing is stark. The debate over such a tax, though, involves difficult and complex questions. What is the best way to ease the economic strain on struggling households and businesses during an energy shock, while continuing to promote energy investment and combat climate change? How should gains and hardships from global developments be shared equitably between citizens and investors?”
Tech Explore: Renewable energy is more cost effective than direct air capture at reducing carbon, study finds
Boston University, 5/3/26
“The case for investing in direct air capture weakens substantially once it is directly compared against solar and wind, according to an analysis published in Communications Sustainability,” Tech Explore reports. “The paper is titled “Direct air capture has substantial health and climate opportunity costs.” Across nearly every U.S. region and every year through 2050, an amount of money spent deploying wind or solar delivers more combined climate and public health benefit than if it is spent on direct air capture, even under extremely optimistic assumptions of the development of direct air capture. Prior assessments of direct air capture, or DAC, have largely asked whether the technology removes more carbon than its operations emit, or whether the cost per ton clears a social-cost-of-carbon benchmark. Both tests implicitly compare DAC against doing nothing. The new study, led by researchers at PSE Healthy Energy with collaborators at Boston University School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, instead compares DAC against the renewable energy the same dollars could fund. This is a stricter and, the researchers argue, more policy-relevant bar. “Our study underscores that being carbon negative isn’t enough to make direct air capture a good investment,” noted Dr. Yannai Kashtan, lead author and Air Quality Scientist at PSE Healthy Energy… “Even in the ambitious progress scenario, a dramatic technological advance well beyond anything DAC has demonstrated, renewables still delivered several-fold more climate and health benefits per dollar nationally. Only under the more aggressive breakthrough scenario did grid-connected DAC do the best nationally, and even then, wind and solar continued to beat DAC across large portions of the country, including most of the Upper Midwest. Under today’s commercial performance, grid-connected DAC produced more greenhouse gases and air pollution damage through 2050 than it offset.”
CNN: ‘Oil is literally falling from the sky’: Russian town fears environmental disaster after Ukrainian drone strikes on refinery
Clare Sebastian, Anna Chernova, 4/30/26
“For the third time in 12 days, the Russian Black Sea town of Tuapse woke up Tuesday to apocalyptic scenes. Thick toxic fumes, and flames rising up from the latest Ukrainian drone attack on the Rosneft-owned Tuapse oil refinery, almost reached the heights of the surrounding Caucasus mountains,” CNN reports. “...Fires from the two previous attacks, on April 16 and 20, also took days to put out, with toxic substances pouring down in black rain and blanketing cars and streets in oily grime, leading to what experts are dubbing the worst environmental disaster in the region in years. “The city is choking on smoke,” one resident said on social media. Located around 70 miles northwest of Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, Tuapse is part of the subtropical resort area along the Black Sea coast, once known as the “Russian Riviera” thanks to its popularity among Russians as a summer holiday destination. The town’s refinery, attached to a marine terminal, is a key oil-processing and export hub for Russia, and has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine in recent months. “Oil is literally falling from the sky. We can’t breathe. The entire city reeks of fuel oil, dripping onto cars,” Elmira Ayrapetyan, an entrepreneur who runs a branding agency in nearby Krasnodar and came to Tuapse to help with the clean-up, told CNN.”
OPINION
Pipeline Safety Trust: PST Statement: PHMSA Needs to Do More than Publish a Voluntary Advisory Bulletin to Make a Difference on Excavation Damage
4/30/26
“A new Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Advisory Bulletin again chooses voluntary guidance over a rulemaking needed to close critical safety gaps and help prevent excavation damage,” the Pipeline Safety Trust writes. “In reaction to this bulletin, Pipeline Safety Trust issued the following statement: While PHMSA has issued a voluntary advisory bulletin for Safe Digging Month, operator compliance with the bulletin’s findings is not a requirement. The recent bulletin correctly acknowledges excavation damage as a leading cause of pipeline incidents, and provides recommended measures – but it does not create any binding obligation for operators. The bulletin expressly identifies one-call exemptions as a significant pipeline safety risk, citing over 2,000 incidents in one state alone as a result of this issue. PHMSA’s suggestion that operators improve public awareness programs rings hollow given that the agency has delegated the substance of those requirements to industry and has incorporating API RP 1162 by reference rather than developing its own public awareness regulations from a community protection perspective. PST recognizes that PHMSA’s authority on one-call exemptions is limited, but the agency could use its state program certification process to pressure states to narrow these exemptions rather than simply identifying the problem without acting upon it. PHMSA has a documented pattern of substituting non-binding guidance for rulemaking on the very issues their own data identifies as leading causes of incidents. The agency needs to focus on solutions that mandate operators to change behavior to improve pipeline safety outcomes. Excavation damage is a major cause of pipeline incidents, but for some reason PHMSA seems to believe that it cannot promulgate regulations to address this issue. PST calls on PHMSA to strengthen regulatory damage prevention program requirements, replace industry deference with public awareness standards written from a community-protection perspective, and mandate consistent operator reporting on excavation damage near-misses.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s outdated oil rules put taxpayers at risk. There’s a clear solution.
Steve Handy is a former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives and was co-chair of the Legislature’s bipartisan Clean Air Caucus; Patrice Aren is a former Democratic member of the Utah Senate and House of Representatives and was the founder and co-chair of the Legislature’s bipartisan Clean Air Caucus, 5/3/26
“Anyone who has encountered an uncollected mess on a neighborhood trail knows the basic rule: If you create a problem, you are responsible for cleaning it up. It is a simple expectation, and one that applies just as much to public policy as it does to everyday life. That principle is at the heart of a long-overdue effort underway in Utah: modernizing the state’s oil and gas bonding rules,” Steve Handy and Patrice Arent write for the Salt Lake Tribune. “...Updating bonding requirements is a practical, balanced step that protects taxpayers while supporting a stable and accountable energy sector. Bonding is a key safeguard for taxpayers. When an oil and gas company drills a well, it is required to post a bond, a financial assurance that the company will plug the well and restore the site when operations end. If the company fails to do so, the state can use the bond to cover those costs. When structured properly, bonding ensures that cleanup costs are borne by operators, not the public. But Utah’s current system has not kept pace with reality. The existing rules are decades old and no longer reflect the true cost of plugging wells… “Getting bonding right is not just about today. It is about preventing future liabilities and ensuring that Utah continues to manage its resources responsibly. With the right updates in place, we can protect taxpayers and strengthen confidence in the system for years to come.”
Defenders of Wildlife: Playing God in the Gulf and a Rare Whale’s Right to Exist
Daniel Moss, Senior Government Relations Representative, Defenders of Wildlife, 5/1/26
“One of the world’s most critically endangered whales is being forced onto an accelerated path toward extinction by our government’s reckless and unlawful policy decisions,” Daniel Moss writes for Defenders of Wildlife. “With all the advances of modern science in the Twenty-First Century, you’d think that one of the largest mammals in the world would be easy to identify. You would think. And yet, we didn’t officially classify Rice’s whale as its own distinct species until five years ago. But now, just as we are starting to better understand this beautiful, unique species — one of the world’s most critically endangered whales — it is being forced onto an accelerated path toward extinction by our government’s reckless and unlawful policy decisions. There are approximately 51 Rice’s whales left on the planet. They are the only baleen whale that resides year-round in Gulf waters; in effect, they could be called “America’s whale.” “...The Trump administration is seeking to aggressively expand oil and gas drilling off our coasts, including off Florida in the eastern Gulf, in the Rice’s whale’s core habitat. These activities will bring increased boat traffic, raising the risk of fatal vessel strikes, and the increased likelihood of oil spills. Vessel strikes and oil spills are the biggest threats to this whale… “Alarmingly, the administration just approved BP’s first new major ultra-deepwater oil drilling project since Deepwater Horizon… “It’s difficult to take the administration’s “national security” argument seriously, given that the Endangered Species Act has never stopped oil and gas companies from drilling in the Gulf.. “You would think that this administration’s officials — who are not shy about citing God’s word in justifying their actions, including the attacks on Iran that have caused global oil prices to spike — would think twice before playing God with innocent species’ very existence. But unfortunately, you would be wrong.”