EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/16/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• KCAU: Iowa House Republicans, candidates describe Gov. Reynolds pipeline veto as ‘betrayal’

• The Iowa Standard: Pautsch: Reynolds’ veto a betrayal of the people, ‘government-sanctioned theft’

• Chicago Tribune: BP postpones carbon pipeline project indefinitely

• Roanoke Times: One year later: A look at the Mountain Valley Pipeline

• E&E News: Mountain Valley executive disputes pipeline safety concerns

• The Volokh Conspiracy: Did Justice Barrett Flip in PennEast Pipeline?

• CBS News: New Jersey towns fighting natural gas pipeline proposal [VIDEO]

• The Reporter: Energy Transfer is continuing process of cleaning up pipeline leak in Upper Makefield

• Lancaster Online: Natural gas pipeline project coming to southern Lancaster County will pass through East Drumore

• Alaska Beacon: GAO report says Alaska pipeline regulation office should revitalize, update operations

• Energy Intelligence Group: Pipeline Build-Out Unlikely Without Permitting Reform: Industry

• Gasworld: Pipeline delays, weak demand cost risks cast shadow over Canadian LNG project

• Prince George Citizen: Regional district board to hear about proposed coal mine, pipeline expansion

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: 22 climate activists request emergency injunction to stop Trump EOs

• New York Times: A G.O.P. Plan to Sell Public Land Is Back. This Time, It’s Millions of Acres

• E&E News: Rule-busting language may return to GOP megabill

• E&E News: Reconciliation could stymie lawsuits against Trump

• E&E News: White House reviewing NEPA plans across agencies

• CNN: The Trump EPA is telling some staff to stop policing the oil and gas industry

• E&E News: Fossil fuel booster was ‘enormous’ help in megabill talks

• Midland Reporter-Telegram: EPA backs Texas bid to regulate Class VI carbon injection wells

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: EPA proposes historic renewable fuel blending standards

• Inside Climate News: Biofuels Policy, a Mainstay of American Agriculture, Has Been a Failure for the Climate, a New Report Claims

STATE UPDATES

• E&E News: Alaska youth file appeal in bid to block LNG project

• E&E News: 9th Circuit allows Willow project to proceed but gives the agency homework

• E&E News: Oil drilling critics urge DeSantis to block state permit

• Island Free Press: Outer Banks leaders issue calls opposing drilling plans as comment period ends Monday

• Pensacola News Journal: SRIA officials oppose new oil, gas plans for the Florida Gulf

• Navajo Times: New Mexico lawmakers demand halt to Chaco Canyon policy reversal

• E&E News: Venture Global ditches planned Louisiana LNG terminal

• WyoFile: Trump cancels $49M Wyoming coal carbon capture project

• Marcellus Drilling News: Tenaska Set to Dig Test Well for Carbon Capture Storage in WV

• Inside Climate News: Fourth Power Plant Approved in Newark Despite Tearful Protests From Ironbound Residents

• Tennessee Lookout: Groups petition EPA to act as ozone levels in Memphis exceed national health standards

• DeSmog: In Texas, AI gold rush helps spur demand for over 100 new gas plants

• WHYY: Delaware City residents seek accountability from Delaware City Refinery, regulators

EXTRACTION

• New York Times: Oil Prices Waver After Israel Strikes Iran’s Energy Assets

• Canadian Press: Canadian premiers turn to New England governors for support on Trump tariffs

• Offshore Energy: Quadruple or quicksand? DNV report flags CCS at ‘critical’ juncture

• Canada’s National Observer: Could Canada’s carbon capture ambitions catch a chill from Iceland’s struggling Mammoth project?

• Reuters: Petronas CEO says carbon capture and storage a potential revenue source

• The Cool Down: Shell faces historic trial years after devastating oil spills: 'It is shameful that it has taken so long'

OPINION

• Sioux City Journal: Reynolds' ties to Summit pipeline are numerous

• The Iowa Standard: GOP county central committees should censure Gov. Reynolds over HF639 veto

• The Iowa Standard: Speaker Grassley: HF639 would have provided landowners ‘monumental protections’

• The Iowa Standard: Sen. Green: New eminent domain bill should focus only on carbon pipelines

• Dakota Scout: South Dakotans should reject costly carbon capture schemes

• Anchorage Daily News: Can an Alaska gas pipeline be built by 2028 or 2029 like the governor says? Time for a reality check.

• Tallahassee Democrat: Gov. DeSantis: Sign HB 1143, protect Apalachicola, secure your legacy

• Deseret News: Testing the limits of monuments in the West
  

PIPELINE NEWS

KCAU: Iowa House Republicans, candidates describe Gov. Reynolds pipeline veto as ‘betrayal’
Zach Fisher, 6/13/25

“It’s been just over 24 hours since Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced she was vetoing a bill that would add restrictions around building pipelines in the state, but the gloves are already off for some elected lawmakers in the party,” KCAU reports. “It’s a betrayal of the Republican party platform, it’s a betrayal of those landowners who fought for four years and she didn’t even speak with them until recently,” State Representative Steve Holt (R) District 12 from Denison told KCAU, when discussing if Reynolds had talked with his constituents. “So it was very, very unfortunate. Puts us in a very bad position and it, I think, it will forever tarnish her legacy.” “...To let Iowans down the way she has, it just, it kind of breaks your heart to see that,” State Representative Charley Thomson (R) District 58 from Charles City told KCAU when responding to Reynolds’ concerns about insurance and voluntary easements. “It’s not credible for her to say that. And we all kind of get it, wink, wink, nod, nod, it’s not about insurance, it’s about sum.” “...The pair do not have high hopes for a special session to be called, but they won’t completely rule it out. Two gubernatorial candidates both told KCAU that this decision from Governor Reynolds was something they were disappointed in, but not surprised… “Both Sherman and Andrews told KCAY that if they are elected they will sign a bill that bans the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines outright.”

The Iowa Standard: Pautsch: Reynolds’ veto a betrayal of the people, ‘government-sanctioned theft’
6/13/25

“Republican congressional candidate David Pautsch blasted Governor Kim Reynolds for vetoing a bipartisan bill that would have protected Iowa landowners from private eminent domain abuse — calling the move a “direct assault on the U.S. Constitution,” The Iowa Standard reports. “This is a betrayal of the people,” Pautsch told the Standard. “The Governor slow-walked this bill while lobbyists swarmed Terrace Hill. In the end, she sided with powerful pipeline interests over Iowa farmers. It’s government-sanctioned theft — plain and simple.” – “This isn’t just bad policy — it’s government-sanctioned theft.” The Governor’s veto, delivered at the last possible moment, clears the way for private corporations to seize farmland — a clear violation of the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” “Backbone is missing in Des Moines,” he told the Standard. “We may not have faced a test like this before, but now we have — and too many so-called leaders have failed it. Iowans must stop electing politicians who trample our freedoms to serve the highest private-interest bidder.” Pautsch is calling on the Iowa Legislature to override the veto and is encouraging national voices to join the fight.”

Chicago Tribune: BP postpones carbon pipeline project indefinitely
Maya Wilkins, 6/13/25

“As a Whiting resident, Lisa Vallee is happy to no longer worry about BP’s proposed carbon sequestration project,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “It seems, on the surface, like it’s such a great idea,” Vallee, who is also the organizing director for Just Transition Northwest Indiana, told the Tribune. “But it’s been proven globally that these projects don’t actually reduce carbon emissions, and then they’re much more dangerous than they are worth.” BP has indefinitely paused its carbon sequestration project, which would have required a pipeline to run through hundreds of miles in six Indiana counties to store carbon emissions underground… “The company told the Tribune “many factors” went into the decision, including uncertainty created by current economic conditions; focus on the company’s core businesses; a slow-developing hydrogen market in the Midwest; lack of an identified carbon storage facility; and lack of certainty for long-term federal support for low carbon hydrogen… “Gary Advocates for Responsible Development was relieved to see BP put the pipeline project on pause, board member Carolyn McCrady told the Tribune. “However, pause does not mean gone, and we will remain vigilant about any future attempts to reinstate a pipeline,” McCrady told the Tribune. “And (we) will continue to insist that they initiate advanced and available technologies to reduce their heavily polluting tar sands emissions.”

Roanoke Times: One year later: A look at the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Laurence Hammack, 6/15/25

“One year after the Mountain Valley Pipeline was completed, scars on the landscape along parts of its route through Southwest Virginia remain fresh,” the Roanoke Times reports. “From the top of Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, a strip of bare earth can be seen cutting a swath up and down a wooded slope — marking the path of a buried pipeline that began transporting natural gas to East Coast markets on June 14, 2024. Construction crews have spent the past year working on final restoration. That entails grading of a 125 foot wide right-of-way to return the land to its original contours, then planting grass and other vegetation to curb erosion. In its most recent construction status report, filed May 13 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Mountain Valley said final restoration has been completed on the approximately 100 miles of pipeline that run through the New River and Roanoke valleys. Bare stretches remain along the Mountain Valley Pipeline, despite efforts to grow grass to mitigate runoff, as seen Friday where the pipeline crosses Honeysuckle Road atop Poor Mountain… “Pipeline opponents question when — or if — that will happen. “It was always a fiction, told by both MVP and the Virginia DEQ, that MVP would or could ‘restore’ a stable environment on this pipeline path,” David Sligh told the Times. Sligh is a former environmental engineer for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. He now serves as conservation director for Wild Virginia, one of the groups that fought the pipeline in court during a decade of intense and often bitter opposition. “By removing forest, ripping and blasting through the terrain, and trying to replace those habitats with grass, they created a wound that can never be really healed,” he told the Times… “Many of the streams affected by MVP have been assaulted multiple times by sediment discharges, sometimes with the habitats covered in mud hundreds or thousands of feet,” Sligh told the Times. “Such pollution of streams can have long-term or even permanent negative effects on the aquatic organisms and the ecosystems.”

E&E News: Mountain Valley executive disputes pipeline safety concerns
Carlos Anchondo, 6/16/25

“Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline pushed back last week against renewed safety concerns, saying the natural gas project was pressure tested and frequently inspected during construction,” E&E News reports. “Jeffrey Klinefelter, vice president of construction and engineering for Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, defended the integrity of the 303-mile natural gas pipeline after a recent lawsuit alleged that an inspector of the project was fired after raising safety concerns. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a joint venture of energy companies, including gas producer EQT. In his complaint, welding inspector Michael Barnhill claimed he discovered corrosion on three separate sections of pipeline joints. He also said that, after he contacted his supervisor about their state and refused to approve them, he was moved to a different section of the pipeline and they were “later approved and welded into the pipeline.” Barnhill’s complaint also concerns a pipeline weld that he said was done without an inspector present. While the weld was later cut out and replaced with one Barnhill approved, he was let go that same day, according to his suit.”

The Volokh Conspiracy: Did Justice Barrett Flip in PennEast Pipeline?
Jonathan H. Adler, 6/15/25

“...Soon after Justice Barrett arrived at the court she began surprising her colleagues. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. assigned her to write a majority opinion — among her first — allowing the seizure of state property in a pipeline case, according to several people aware of the process. But she then changed her mind and took the opposite stance, a bold move that risked irritating the chief justice,” The Volokh Conspiracy reports. “The case in question was PennEast Pipeline Co. v. New Jersey. At the time I speculated that Justice Barrett may have lost the majority in that case. What the NYT reports, however, is that she did not lose the majority so much as she abandoned it by changing her position (and, in the process, getting it right)... “For those who forget, Justice Barrett's dissent began: A straightforward application of our precedent resolves this case. Congress passed the Natural Gas Act in reliance on its power to regulate interstate commerce, and we have repeatedly held that the Commerce Clause does not permit Congress to strip the States of their sovereign immunity. Recognizing that barrier, the Court insists that eminent domain is a special case. New Jersey has no sovereign immunity to assert, it says, because the States surrendered to private condemnation suits in the plan of the Convention. This argument has no textual, structural, or historical support. Because there is no reason to treat private condemnation suits differently from any other cause of action created pursuant to the Commerce Clause, I respectfully dissent.”

CBS News: New Jersey towns fighting natural gas pipeline proposal [VIDEO]
Christine Sloan, 6/13/25

“Residents from two New Jersey towns are fighting a natural gas pipeline proposal they say would put a compressor station near their communities,” CBS News reports.

The Reporter: Energy Transfer is continuing process of cleaning up pipeline leak in Upper Makefield
Greg Vellner, 6/15/25

“Energy Transfer is continuing process of cleaning up pipeline leak in Upper Makefield,” according to The Reporter.

Lancaster Online: Natural gas pipeline project coming to southern Lancaster County will pass through East Drumore
Brenden Curry, 6/13/25

“A natural gas pipeline expansion project will include some activity in the township, Mike Atchie of Williams Companies told the board,” Lancaster Online reports. “Background: The project, known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement, also includes the construction of two new compressor stations, one in Chester County and one in New Jersey, as well as new pipelines in northern New Jersey and two New York City boroughs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in 2019. Williams paused the project due to a delay in permissions from a neighboring state. The company recently asked the federal government to reinstate the permit, and it hopes to get the state approvals soon, Atchie said… “Atchie said he hoped construction would begin during the third quarter of this year and would last about six months. The project is expected to be in service by the fourth quarter of 2027.”

Alaska Beacon: GAO report says Alaska pipeline regulation office should revitalize, update operations
Yereth Rosen, 6/14/25

“The multiagency group that coordinates oversight of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System needs an update to better operate in changing conditions, said a federal report released on Thursday,” the Alaska Beacon reports. “The Joint Pipeline Office, a consortium of federal and state agencies with various regulatory duties, has scaled back its operations over the past several years, leading to possible gaps in oversight of the system that has delivered North Slope crude oil since 1977, said the report, issued by the Government Accountability Office, an independent nonpartisan agency that conducts audits and investigations for Congress. To meet current conditions, the joint office should clarify its desired outcomes and resume what was once communication with the public about regulation, enforcement and other issues, the GAO report said… “North Slope oil production has dwindled. Pipeline throughput that averaged nearly 1.8 million barrels per day in 1990, close to the peak of 2 million barrels a day hit in 1988, is at an average daily flow of 482,495 barrels for the year to date, according to Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., the consortium that operates the system. Lower oil volume affects Alyeska operations because the oil flowing through the line cools faster, moves slower and drops more solids, leading to more corrosion risks, the report noted. Permafrost thaw, which undermines infrastructure through much of Alaska, has also affected the system’s integrity and prompted Alyeska to do some special maintenance and protective projects in slumping areas… “There are now concerns about oversight gaps, particularly at the Valdez terminal.”

Energy Intelligence Group: Pipeline Build-Out Unlikely Without Permitting Reform: Industry
Bridget DiCosmo, 6/13/25

“The Trump administration's "energy dominance" strategy may not be enough to revive a pipeline build-out in the gas-squeezed US Northeast, with industry officials and analysts arguing that Congress still must revamp the permitting process to remove lingering bottlenecks,” Energy Intelligence Group reports.

Gasworld: Pipeline delays, weak demand cost risks cast shadow over Canadian LNG project
Anthony Wright, 6/13/25

“A planned LNG export project in Western Canada faces delays and cost risks due to infrastructure gaps and weak global demand, a report said on 11 June,” Gasworld reports. “The Ksi Lisims LNG project, located in British Columbia, has yet to secure a pipeline to transport feed gas to the terminal site, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The project partners have purchased the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline project – a proposed 900 km gas pipeline first approved in 2014 to serve the Pacific Northwest LNG project but abandoned due to unfavourable market conditions and indigenous opposition. The partners intend to adapt and reroute the pipeline to serve as the project’s main feed gas line. However, this is fraught with costly logistical and regulatory challenges… “Similar issues were responsible for the Coastal GasLink Pipeline – built to transport natural gas to LNG Canada and other projects – exceeding its budget from an initial estimate of $4.5bn to a final tally of $14.5bn. Projected costs for the PRGT pipeline have already doubled from an initial estimate of $5bn to between $10 and $12bn today.”

Prince George Citizen: Regional district board to hear about proposed coal mine, pipeline expansion
Colin Slark, 6/15/25

“Representatives from energy company Enbridge and mining company CTI Plus Resources are scheduled to give presentations to the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s board of directors at their next meeting on Thursday, June 19,” the Prince George Citizen reports. “Enbridge community and Indigenous relations advisor Jennifer Prochera will give an update on a proposed expansion to the company’s Westcoast natural gas pipeline while CTI Plus’s manager of regulatory affairs and engagement will discuss a proposed metallurgical coal project roughly halfway between Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge… “Presentation slides attached to the meeting’s agenda say that the Sunrise expansion program would add a 42-inch diameter pipeline and additional compression to add capacity to transport 300 million cubic feet of natural gas a day on the part of the line that goes from Chetwynd to the U.S. border. This pipeline made news in the Prince George area in 2018, when it suffered an explosion northeast of the city in Shelley, near a Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Reserve. The First Nation sued Enbridge in February 2019 to have the pipeline rerouted away from the reserve before the lawsuit was dropped in July 2022.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: 22 climate activists request emergency injunction to stop Trump EOs
Lesley Clark, 6/16/25

“A coalition of young people is seeking an emergency injunction to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders that call for boosting the production of oil, gas and coal,” E&E News reports. “Twenty-two people who last month sued the administration filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on Saturday, asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana to immediately halt three executive orders issued by Trump earlier this year. The plaintiffs in Lighthiser v. Trump noted that the move came as thousands of people across the country took to the streets Saturday to protest the administration’s policies on immigration and other issues. The motion argues that the youth will face immediate and widespread harm if the energy orders are allowed to proceed. The filing included declarations from 11 experts and 13 witnesses. “Plaintiffs face a range of irreparable physical and psychological injuries from the executive orders, which threaten to accelerate the climate emergency, slow the necessary transition to renewable energy, and dismantle critical climate science programs, and warning systems,” the motion says.”

New York Times: A G.O.P. Plan to Sell Public Land Is Back. This Time, It’s Millions of Acres
Brad Plumer, 6/12/25

“Senate Republicans are resurrecting a plan to sell millions of acres of federal lands as part of President Trump’s giant tax and spending bill, setting up a fight within the party,” the New York Times reports. “The proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to identify and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to build housing. Past efforts to auction off public land have enraged conservationists and have also proved contentious with some Republicans. A smaller proposal to sell around 500,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the tax bill last month after opposition from Representative Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana and a former interior secretary. “This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,” Mr. Zinke said last month… “This is a shameless ploy to sell off pristine public lands for trophy homes and gated communities that will do nothing to address the affordable housing shortage in the West,” Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, told the Times.”

E&E News: Rule-busting language may return to GOP megabill
Amelia Davidson, 6/16/25

“After weeks of back-and-forth over a Republican proposal to dramatically expand Congress’ veto power over federal regulations, the provision was left out of the Senate’s initial version of the GOP’s party-line megabill,” E&E News reports. “But advocates fighting the deregulatory provision, based on the “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS) Act,” say they are not yet out of the woods. The language could still return via amendment as final negotiations continue ahead of a floor vote. A senior Republican Senate staffer, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told E&E talks about the deregulatory provisions remain ongoing and that, should a version of the “REINS Act” be deemed sufficiently budgetary to be eligible, it will be added into the megabill. The GOP is looking to pass its tax, energy and border security bill through budget reconciliation. It’s a process that allows certain fiscal legislation to bypass the Senate filibuster, but it must follow certain rules.”

E&E News: Reconciliation could stymie lawsuits against Trump
Lesley Clark, 6/16/25

“An effort by House Republicans to curb the ability of federal courts to enforce compliance with orders is absent from the Senate version of the party’s megabill,” E&E News reports,. “In its place, Senate leaders added a provision that courts can only issue nationwide orders like injunctions or temporary restraining orders against if the challenger posts a bond. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — who had opposed the House language — told E&E his version would enforce an existing rule that requires courts to impose a bond when parties challenge the government. Republicans and President Donald Trump have complained for months about courts slowing down his agenda… “The Supreme Court is poised to decide on such orders, many of which have involved spending freezes on climate change initiatives and the purging of workers in energy and environmental agencies. Critics told E&E the new Senate requirement would make it harder — and in some cases impossible — for affected parties to challenge government action. The amount of the bond could be as much as the cost posed to the federal government by the lawsuit. “Just imagine, for instance, that during Covid, courts could not stop executive orders closing down houses of worship unless millions of dollars were posted in bonds,” Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick wrote in a blog post. “Or an executive order confiscating guns.” Bolick, co-founder of the libertarian Institute for Justice, said the Senate language “could make it all but impossible to obtain a preliminary injunction or restraining order against the government in the first place.”

E&E News: White House reviewing NEPA plans across agencies
Hannah Northey, 6/13/25

“The White House is reviewing proposed rules from a host of federal agencies that would dictate how the government implements the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation’s magna carta of environmental laws,” E&E News reports. “The Office of Management and Budget received proposed interim final rules from agencies including the departments of Energy, Interior and Defense, and one final rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for NEPA ‘implementing procedures,’ according to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs dashboard. The reviews mark another step in the Trump administration’s bid to overhaul how the federal government conducts environmental reviews at a quick pace, a move that’s drawing criticism from environmental groups… “According to the OIRA dashboard, the White House is also now reviewing guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality on ‘emergencies’ and NEPA that was submitted last month.”

CNN: The Trump EPA is telling some staff to stop policing the oil and gas industry
Rene Marsh and Ella Nilsen, 6/16/25

“The Environmental Protection Agency has told staff overseeing the country’s industrialized Midwest — a region plagued by a legacy of pollution — to stop enforcing violations against fossil fuel companies, multiple sources told CNN. The directive, which sources told CNN was issued verbally to stunned staff in recent months, comes as EPA insiders say there is broad pressure within the agency to ease scrutiny of the industry… “The companies are scoffing at the cops,” one EPA enforcement staffer quipped. “EPA enforcement doesn’t have the leverage they once had.” “...Managers told enforcement officials “that energy-sector cases are being handled differently and less likely to be moved ahead,” one official told CNN… “Four sources with knowledge of the situation at the EPA’s Region 5 office, which oversees six Midwestern states, told CNN that enforcement officials were informed that “there is a pause on oil and gas enforcement” at staff meetings. “That is how our regional management is interpreting signals from the president,” the EPA enforcement staffer told CNN. Officers stopped being able to issue notices of violation or send information requests to fossil fuel companies suspected of polluting, the sources told CNN… “In neighboring EPA Region 6, which includes oil and gas powerhouses such as Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico, enforcement has also “effectively been paused,” another source with knowledge of the situation there told CNN… “While fossil fuel violation notices are still being issued in the region, “no direction is [being] given to move forward” on those cases, the source told CNN. Even asking for information from oil and gas companies suspected of violations has drawn scrutiny, the person told CNN. In one instance, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter, a lawyer for a fossil fuel company directly called the office’s political appointee — a non-career official installed by the Trump administration — about a request to the company. Within weeks, the appointee was “questioning the motives” of EPA officials seeking the information, the source told CNN, adding that staff interpreted the reaction as a warning for probing the industry.”

E&E News: Fossil fuel booster was ‘enormous’ help in megabill talks
Robin Bravender, Timothy Cama, 6/13/25

“Fossil fuel advocate Alex Epstein is prodding GOP lawmakers to demand drastic cuts to green energy tax credits as Republicans wrestle over how deeply to slash incentives for renewables,” E&E News reports. “Epstein, an author and founder of a for-profit think tank that promotes fossil fuels, has been influential in House conservatives’ push to secure deeper cuts to renewable energy subsidies in the Republican megabill, GOP lawmakers said in a recent podcast interview. Epstein is also working to push Senate Republicans to go even further to eliminate incentives for renewables… “Epstein told E&E he’s been talking to various groups, including the Republican Study Committee, where he’s made “the case for full termination.” “...He also thinks he’s helped inoculate Republicans against arguments from renewable energy advocates… “Epstein, author of “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels,” has met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin this year.”

Midland Reporter-Telegram: EPA backs Texas bid to regulate Class VI carbon injection wells
Mella McEwen, 6/10/25

“Texas’ multi-year effort to receive primacy over Class VI underground injection wells is nearing its conclusion,” according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. “The Environmental Protection Agency this week announced its proposed approval of the state’s request to administer permitting under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for Class VI underground injection wells in the state. Texas already has primacy to administer underground injection control programs for Class I-V wells. Class VI primacy would let the state — through the Railroad Commission — oversee injection of carbon dioxide for sequestration. The EPA has scheduled a virtual public hearing for July 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central. Registration for the hearing is available at the EPA's website… “I applaud the EPA’s proposed approval of Texas’ application to permit Class VI injection wells. This announcement underscores a greatly improved relationship between the Railroad Commission and our partners at the federal level. Working together, we will continue to strengthen our efforts to regulate responsibly while ensuring Texas remains a global leader in energy and economic growth,” Railroad Commissioner Chair Christi Craddick told the Reporter-Telegram.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: EPA proposes historic renewable fuel blending standards
Cami Koons, 6/13/25

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday released its renewable fuel standards draft rule which, if finalized, would set record high levels of biofuels to be blended into U.S. transportation fuels,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw told the Dispatch the draft rule, which proposes a total 24.02 billion gallon blending level in 2026, is a “very strong starting point for further discussions.” Shaw told the Dispatch the association will need time to evaluate the proposal, specifically as it relates to changes in credits for imported fuels and feedstocks… “The EPA program sets overall standards and specific standards for different types of biofuels. The draft rules propose biomass-based diesel standards equivalent to 5.61 billion gallons in 2026 and 5.86 billion gallons in 2027. These figures are a significant jump from 2025 targets from EPA, which set an annual volume requirement of 3.35 billion gallons for biomass-based diesel… “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told the Dispatch USDA and EPA have “never been more aligned” on the demand for domestically grown biofuels. “This is the highest ever Renewable Volume Obligation and it sends a strong signal to the U.S. biofuels industry that President Trump has their backs and gives them the incentive to invest in American products for American consumers and to export around the world,” Rollins told the Dispatch.”

Inside Climate News: Biofuels Policy, a Mainstay of American Agriculture, Has Been a Failure for the Climate, a New Report Claims
Georgina Gustin, 6/13/25

“The American Midwest is home to some of the richest, most productive farmland in the world, enabling its transformation into a vast corn- and soy-producing machine—a conversion spurred largely by decades-long policies that support the production of biofuels,” Inside Climate News reports. “But a new report takes a big swing at the ethanol orthodoxy of American agriculture, criticizing the industry for causing economic and social imbalances across rural communities and saying that the expansion of biofuels will increase greenhouse gas emissions, despite their purported climate benefits. The report, from the World Resources Institute, which has been critical of U.S. biofuel policy in the past, draws from 100 academic studies on biofuel impacts. It concludes that ethanol policy has been largely a failure and ought to be reconsidered, especially as the world needs more land to produce food to meet growing demand. “Multiple studies show that U.S. biofuel policies have reshaped crop production, displacing food crops and driving up emissions from land conversion, tillage and fertilizer use,” the report’s lead author, Haley Leslie-Bole told ICN. “Corn-based ethanol, in particular, has contributed to nutrient runoff, degraded water quality and harmed wildlife habitat. As climate pressures grow, increasing irrigation and refining for first-gen biofuels could deepen water scarcity in already drought-prone parts of the Midwest.” “...But a growing body of research—much of which the industry has tried to debunk and deride—suggests that ethanol actually may not provide the benefits that policies require. It may, in fact, produce more greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels it was intended to replace. Recent research says that biofuel refiners also emit significant amounts of carcinogenic and dangerous substances, including hexane and formaldehyde, in greater amounts than petroleum refineries… “The new report concludes that not only will the expansion of ethanol increase greenhouse gas emissions, it has also failed to provide the social and financial benefits to Midwestern communities that lawmakers and the industry say it has… “The benefits from biofuels remain concentrated in the hands of a few,” Leslie-Bole told ICN. “As subsidies flow, so may the trend of farmland consolidation, increasing inaccessibility of farmland in the Midwest and locking out emerging or low-resource farmers. This means the benefits of biofuels production are flowing to fewer people, while more are left bearing the costs.”

STATE UPDATES

E&E News: Alaska youth file appeal in bid to block LNG project
Lesley Clark, 6/13/25

“Eight young Alaskans are urging the state’s Supreme Court to take up their lawsuit against a proposed liquefied natural gas project, arguing it violates their constitutional right to a livable climate,” E&E News reports. “The brief in Sagoonick v. State of Alaska II comes three months after a Superior Court judge dismissed the case, finding that the court lacked the authority and the ability to weigh the competing economic and environmental issues raised by the proposed project, which would ship LNG from the North Slope to Asian markets. In their appeal, the youth argue the ruling undermines the courts’ constitutional role. They also say it would make it more difficult to challenge government actions that threaten the livelihoods of young people. The youth have asked for a reversal of the ruling and the chance to present evidence supporting their claims. They say in their brief that a constitutional challenge to the project presents “precisely the kind of ‘actual controversy’ arising from specific actions by Alaska’s legislative and executive branches” that previous Alaska Supreme Court decisions have found suitable for a court to review.”

E&E News: 9th Circuit allows Willow project to proceed but gives the agency homework
Niina H. Farah, 6/13/25

“A federal appeals court is largely upholding the Interior Department’s approval of ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow project in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, even as it ordered some supplemental environmental reviews,” E&E News reports. “In a 2-1 decision, a panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Interior’s Bureau of Land Management failed to fully explain its rationale for selecting a scaled-back project design that included three drilling areas in the remote Arctic region. “BLM’s lone error is at heart a procedural, not a substantive violation,” said Judge Ryan Nelson, a Trump appointee, writing the majority opinion for the court in the consolidated case. “And while some procedural errors could be “serious,’’ Nelson continued, “this one is not.” He also noted that tossing out the agency’s record of decision for the project would have severe disruptive consequences and did not make sense given the agency’s minor error.“

E&E News: Oil drilling critics urge DeSantis to block state permit
Bruce Ritchie, 6/12/25

“Critics of a proposed oil drilling operation along the Apalachicola River say they urgently want Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign a bill that should block a state permit for the operation,” E&E News reports. “Environmentalists, local elected officials and shellfish farmers are among those backing a bill that passed the Legislature and would ban drilling in four counties along the river. But some opponents say there are loopholes in the bill and timing elements that still could allow a permit to be issued. Bill supporters say the governor needs to take action now to help ensure the state Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t issue a permit to Clearwater Land and Minerals for the Calhoun County drilling site as it proposed last year. The Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association this week invited DeSantis (R) to Apalachicola to sign the bill, FL HB1143 (25R). The governor has seven days to sign the bill once he receives it from the Legislature. “Our urgency is based on the importance of the bill and its impact on the rural coastal communities of Franklin, Wakulla and Gulf Counties and the working watermen and women who reside there,” Adrianne Johnson, the association’s executive director, told E&E.”

Island Free Press: Outer Banks leaders issue calls opposing drilling plans as comment period ends Monday
Sam Walker, 6/14/25

“Dare County, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Southern Shores leaders have reaffirmed their opposition to the Trump administration’s plans to open leasing of offshore sites for oil and natural gas drilling as a comment period on the proposal comes to a close on Monday,” Island Free Press reports. “The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management published in the Federal Register on April 30 a request for comments on the preparation of the 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The publication initiated a 45-day public comment period and served as the initial step in the multi-year planning process, according to the Interior Department… “There has been considerable bipartisan pushback from local, state and federal elected officials against attempts by the previous administrations to allow offshore drilling along the North Carolina coast. In 2019, nearly all of the state’s coastal counties, with the exception of Brunswick, passed resolutions opposing East Coast offshore oil and gas leases and leaders from Outer Banks towns and Dare County also actively lobbied in Raleigh and Washington. The Dare County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution Monday opposing the inclusion of North Carolina’s coast in the federal government’s proposed 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program… “The Nags Head Board of Commissioners approved a resolution on Wednesday also voicing their opposition.”

Pensacola News Journal: SRIA officials oppose new oil, gas plans for the Florida Gulf
Edward Bunch III, 6/13/25

“The Santa Rosa Island Authority is looking to pass a resolution opposing plans for new oil and gas operations in the Gulf of America, renamed from the Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. government, under the eleventh National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program,” the Pensacola News Journal reports. “The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, under the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced earlier this year that the entire Gulf, including the eastern Gulf off Florida, is under consideration for new offshore oil and gas lease sales in the next program… “SRIA officials raised concerns about potential ecological damage and negative impacts to local tourism. They called on District 1's federal representatives to oppose the Florida Gulf’s inclusion in the upcoming program… “The bureau is taking information and comments from stakeholders in areas that the eleventh National OCS Program plans to utilize until June 16. The SRIA hopes its resolution, along with assistance from District 1 representatives, will lead federal officials to reconsider new lease sales in the Florida Gulf in order to protect the wellbeing of the area… “Officials cited the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill in the resolution, which caused over $2 billion in lost tourism industry dollars for northwest Florida as well as over $17 billion in ecological damage to the Gulf and its wildlife.”

Navajo Times: New Mexico lawmakers demand halt to Chaco Canyon policy reversal
Krista Allen, 6/12/25

“New Mexico’s congressional delegation is calling on the U.S. Department of the Interior to halt its efforts to revoke federal protections around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, warning that the action threatens one of the most culturally significant landscapes in the United States,” the Navajo Times reports. “In a June 6 letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury, and Gabe Vasquez expressed ‘deep concern’ over the agency’s move to reconsider Public Land Order No. 7923, a 20-year administrative withdrawal of federal lands within a 10-mile buffer zone surrounding Chaco Canyon.”

E&E News: Venture Global ditches planned Louisiana LNG terminal
Carlos Anchondo, 6/13/25

“Natural gas exporter Venture Global has pulled an application with federal regulators for a liquefaction terminal in southeast Louisiana, citing plans to focus on a planned expansion of an existing export facility,” E&E News reports. “In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week, a Venture Global executive said the Virginia-based company has decided “that pursuing the Delta LNG Project at this particular time would not be the best use of its corporate resources” or those of the agency. The project would have been located in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. The Venture Global subsidiaries behind the project are “withdrawing the Delta LNG Project from the Commission’s Pre-filing review process,” Fory Musser, Venture Global’s senior vice president of development, said in the Tuesday letter to FERC. Venture Global is also the developer in Louisiana of the Plaquemines LNG terminal; the Calcasieu Pass LNG facility; and the CP2 LNG project, which launched some on-site work earlier this month. The CP2 LNG facility is the company’s third liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility and was caught up in the Department of Energy’s LNG permitting pause last year under former President Joe Biden.”

WyoFile: Trump cancels $49M Wyoming coal carbon capture project
Dustin Bleizeffer, 6/16/25

“Both the Trump administration and Wyoming lawmakers appear to be losing enthusiasm for advancing research and seeding commercial-scale carbon capture at existing coal-fired power plants — a key component of Gov. Mark Gordon’s coal-inclusive “decarbonizing” energy strategy,” WyoFile reports. “The U.S. Department of Energy in May cancelled some $3.7 billion in federal grants to support “clean energy” demonstration projects across the nation, including $49 million for a “large-scale” carbon capture pilot project at the Dry Fork Station coal-fired power plant north of Gillette. Also in May, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee decided to look into repealing the state’s controversial coal carbon capture mandate, House Bill 200, “Reliable and dispatchable low-carbon energy standards,” passed in 2020. Gordon has hailed the mandate, also known as “Low-Carbon Energy Standards,” as an important tool in his “best-of-all-of-the-above” energy strategy, as well as his “Decarbonizing the West” initiative, which touts the importance of keeping coal-burning power plants open by retrofitting them with carbon capture technologies. But the state law doesn’t appear likely to produce a carbon capture retrofit anytime soon, Wyoming lawmakers noted, though ratepayers in the state have already paid millions of dollars to support technical feasibility studies imposed by the mandate… “TDA did not respond to WyoFile’s inquiries about the project’s future… ”Though the premise of advancing coal carbon capture has always been more of a long-term preservation strategy for the industry, some Wyoming lawmakers find it difficult to continue to justify passing the costs on to ratepayers and their constituents — particularly since some coal units in Wyoming have been converted to natural gas rather than being slated for a carbon capture retrofit.”

Marcellus Drilling News: Tenaska Set to Dig Test Well for Carbon Capture Storage in WV
6/13/25

“In October of last year, MDN told you that both EQT Corporation and Tenaska are "dipping their toes" in the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) space,” Marcellus Drilling News reports. “Tenaska is one of the country's largest privately held companies, with its fingers in several energy pies, including natural gas marketing, power marketing, and power generation. Although "still years away" from the full operation of a new CCS project, Tenaska is about to drill its first test well in West Virginia.”

Inside Climate News: Fourth Power Plant Approved in Newark Despite Tearful Protests From Ironbound Residents
Emilie Lounsberry, 6/13/25

“The Ironbound neighborhood in Newark, N.J., has two distinct sections: an immigrant-rich area of rowhouses, ethnic restaurants and shops, and a clogged industrial zone with three power plants, the state’s largest incinerator and biggest sewage facility, a slew of factories and a near-constant parade of diesel trucks. And now, there will be a fourth power plant,” Inside Climate News reports. “The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission gave the green light to the plant late Thursday in spite of passionate and even tearful objections of dozens of current and former residents, public officials, clergy, physicians and health care workers and people who live and work nearby. For more than five hours, the opponents expressed dismay about the harmful health impacts of living with so much pollution. They urged the commission to reject the proposal of a gas-powered plant for cleaner sources such as solar and battery power. The project was approved 6-2, with commissioners agreeing that the plant was a needed backup to avoid the kind of power outage that happened during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which made landfall in New Jersey and caused widespread flooding… “The commission vote comes amid a court battle over the state permitting process of the same plant. The Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC), a nonprofit that provides educational, environmental and housing support to residents, filed an appeal last month in the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court. The legal action challenges the state Department of Environmental Protection permit, finalized in April, that allowed the commission to consider the gas plant. Opponents who for four years have argued against the plant, tried again Thursday to persuade the commission. They raised legal issues, cited public health risks and made clear they will remember those who voted “yes” if any commissioner runs for future elected office.”

Tennessee Lookout: Groups petition EPA to act as ozone levels in Memphis exceed national health standards
Cassandra Stephenson, 6/13/25

“Memphis and surrounding communities have ozone emissions levels that are too high to comply with national health standards, according to data published by the Environmental Protection Agency,” the Tennessee Lookout reports. “A coalition of environmental groups is saying it's long past time for the federal agency and local regulators to tighten restrictions and require better emission controls for sources of air pollution. The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency on June 5, asking the EPA to formally recognize that the Memphis metro area is failing to meet federal requirements – a move that would trigger stricter requirements for future air permits… “The Shelby County Health Department, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment are responsible for enforcing federal Clean Air Act requirements for the greater Memphis area. The environmental law center – along with partners Memphis Community Against Pollution, Young Gifted and Green and the Sierra Club – criticizes the local regulators' efforts to reduce ozone emissions as inadequate… “Should the EPA change the Memphis area's designation, more stringent air quality permit requirements would impact Elon Musk's xAI (also known as the Colossus data center in South Memphis), "among many other facilities that are emitting ozone-forming pollution," Cress told the Lookout.”

DeSmog: In Texas, AI gold rush helps spur demand for over 100 new gas plants
Joe Fassler, 6/12/25

“In the past two decades, new demand for electricity in Texas has largely been met by wind and solar, making it by far the leader in renewable energy development among U.S. states. But the AI gold rush, combined with a new, statewide subsidy system that prioritizes fossil fuel power, threatens to upend that longstanding dynamic,” DeSmog reports. “A new report from the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) shows a dramatic surge in permit applications for natural gas power plants in Texas — a shift driven in part by the rise of power-hungry data centers linked to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. And fossil fuel companies are salivating at the opportunity to sell into what amounts to a brand-new market for quick, dirty energy, even as scientists warn about the urgent need to drop carbon emissions.”

WHYY: Delaware City residents seek accountability from Delaware City Refinery, regulators
Zoë Read, 6/16/25

“When a mechanical failure caused toxic air pollutants to emit from the Delaware City Refinery for almost three weeks, nearby residents expressed their frustration. The refinery, located in New Castle County, has violated their permit on multiple occasions,” WHYY reports. “I’d like to see somebody stand up to the oil company and say, ‘If you can’t operate this plant safely, move to Texas — but in Delaware, you must meet a standard,’” Steven Michael, who lives three miles from the refinery, told WHYY. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is investigating the incident, which officials told WHYY will likely lead to a violation. The agency assured nearby residents there was no public health threat, and the failed equipment was repaired last week. Still, residents told WHYY the latest incident was the last straw. They are now calling for tougher environmental laws, and want regulators to evaluate what could have been done differently. “There’s a lot of things about Delaware that I love,” Michael told WHYY. “I don’t love living next to a refinery that is allowed to continue to pollute.” “...Residents also voiced concerns about the cumulative effects of the emissions, particularly for vulnerable populations like those with respiratory health problems. At high levels, sulfur dioxide can cause breathing difficulties. More than 86,000 people live within a 5-mile radius of the refinery, more than half of whom are people of color, and 20% live in low-income households, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data.”

EXTRACTION

New York Times: Oil Prices Waver After Israel Strikes Iran’s Energy Assets
Rebecca F. Elliott, 6/15/25

“American consumers are likely to start feeling the impact of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as more expensive oil causes prices at the gas pump to rise,” the New York Times reports. “Global oil prices were choppy on Monday, hovering around $74 a barrel, after Israel struck several Iranian oil and gas facilities over the weekend. Those included one of the world’s largest natural gas fields, known as South Pars; Tehran’s main gas depot; and an oil refinery. But the strikes have not yet meaningfully affected the flow of oil in the region, which is a key energy transit hub, Tom Kloza, chief market analyst for Turner, Mason & Company, an energy consulting firm, told the Times. Oil prices gained about 11 percent last week. That alone could cause gasoline prices to rise about 20 cents a gallon in the coming weeks, according to ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington research firm… “If Iran were to close the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman for even a short time, oil prices could rise anywhere from $8 to $31 a barrel, according to ClearView Energy Partners… “And although the United States has been buying less and less oil from the Persian Gulf, the commodity is traded globally, leaving consumers and businesses exposed to price increases. Should U.S. oil companies respond to higher prices by drilling more, it would still take many months for that oil to start flowing.”

Canadian Press: Canadian premiers turn to New England governors for support on Trump tariffs
Hina Alam, 6/13/25

“A group of Canadian premiers appear to be setting high expectations as they pursue negotiations with American governors to mitigate the impacts of United States-imposed tariffs on their economies,” the Canadian Press reports. “Premiers from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Quebec’s economic minister are scheduled to meet with New England governors on Monday in Boston. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told CP the premiers look to the New England governors for insights on how to deal with the White House and U.S. President Donald Trump… ““I think 90 per cent of the cars in Boston are driving with gas that comes from the Irving refinery and us. They are keen to make sure we will continue to be a reliable supplier of energy to them,” she told CP. “We see the U.S. as a market to sell energy in a way that is profitable and beneficial to New Brunswick.” Healey told CP an analysis showed that tariffs on Canadian energy would raise gas and heating oil prices by over 30 cents a gallon and could cost nearly $1.4 billion a year for people in Massachusetts, and $3.4 billion for those in the New England area.”

Offshore Energy: Quadruple or quicksand? DNV report flags CCS at ‘critical’ juncture
Sara Kosmajac, 6/13/25

“The carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector is approaching a ‘decisive’ turning point, with global capacity on track to grow fourfold by 2030, Norway’s classification society DNV has highlighted in a new report,” according to Offshore Energy. “Up to the end of the decade, DNV has shared in its “Energy Transition Outlook: CCS to 2050” report, cumulative investment in carbon capture and storage is projected to reach $80 billion. North America and Europe are expected to push this short-term scale-up forward, with natural gas processing still the main application for the technology. Europe, in particular, could gain more headway due to policy support and strong price incentives, the report shared. However, as noted in the report, worldwide economic instability and budgetary pressures could pose a risk to CCS deployment, having placed it at a ‘critical’ crossroads going ahead. This could shift priorities and cause a realignment of financial decisions that could affect the status quo of carbon capture—a technology seen as ‘crucial’ for tackling decarbonization challenges in sectors such as steel and cement production, and maritime transport… “As the technologies mature, the average costs could also drop by an average of 40% by 2050. That said, even though capture from natural gas production is set to continue, DNV’s report spotlights that its share could drop from 34% in 2030 to 6% of total capture in 2050, falling “significantly short” of what is required for any net-zero outcome. Representatives from the Oslo-headquartered classification society have noted here that numbers like these suggest CCS would need to scale to six times this level to reach the Pathway to Net Zero Emissions… “But for all this advancement, the trajectory of CCS deployment remains a long way off where it must be to deliver net zero by 2050. Economic headwinds in recent years have put pressure on this capital-intensive technology and corrective action will need to be taken by government and industry if we are to close the gap between ambition and reality.”

Canada’s National Observer: Could Canada’s carbon capture ambitions catch a chill from Iceland’s struggling Mammoth project?
Darius Snieckus, 6/16/25

“Iceland and Canada lie over 4,500 kilometres apart on a world map, yet news that a pioneering carbon removal project near Reykjavik is falling well short of expectations a year after its launch has hit home with some North American sector skeptics closely watching the climate technology’s progress,” Canada’s National Observer reports. “Switzerland’s Climeworks, which has raised US $800 million, opened the world’s largest operational direct air capture (DAC) plant, known as Mammoth, to global fanfare in May last year. But the facility, which uses what look like walls of giant fans to capture CO2 directly from the air and then pumps it deep underground, has not measured up to expectations… “But the slow start at Mammoth has sparked discussion in clean energy circles over the wisdom of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in similar CO2 removal projects in Canada. “We don’t need a billion-dollar vacuum cleaner for the sky,” Barnard said in a LinkedIn post. “We need heat pumps, EVs, and clean electricity. DAC might serve as niche cleanup after 2050 — maybe.” “...The Trudeau government supported DAC development through tax credits covering 60 per cent of construction costs, a $10 million commitment to carbon removal service purchases, and a draft federal offset protocol allowing DAC companies to generate tradeable carbon credits… “In the current geopolitical climate, with the US Trump administration cutting DOE funding for key DAC projects, there are understandably some concerns about development of the technology,” Phil De Luna, Deep Sky's chief carbon scientist and head of engineering, told Canada’s National Observer… “One issue is that Canadian companies are reluctant to pay the price of carbon credits… “Without wider public support, Merchant warned, DAC risked becoming a 'fig leaf' that allows fossil fuel companies to continue business as usual.”

Reuters: Petronas CEO says carbon capture and storage a potential revenue source
Ashley Tang, 6/16/25

“Malaysia state oil firm Petronas views carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a potential revenue source, chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz told an energy conference on Monday,” Reuters reports.

The Cool Down: Shell faces historic trial years after devastating oil spills: 'It is shameful that it has taken so long'
Mandy Carr, 6/14/25

“Nigeria was devastated by two oil spills in 2008, and it's still trying to clean up the mess. It may finally recover with a trial to hold those responsible accountable,” The Cool Down reports. “ According to Amnesty International, in October 2024, "the  Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Nigerian communities over alleged pollution by oil giant Shell." In December, the court gave the trial a green light. Back in 2008, Shell had a subsidiary in Nigeria called Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). Two of its pipelines in the Bodo community located in the Niger Delta area leaked oil continuously for five weeks into local waterways. Shell admitted responsibility and settled with the community in 2014, but it has yet to clean up the mess left in the waterways. Even the mediation process, started in 2015, didn't help the situation. Shell sold its subsidiary in March 2025, and it's now Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (RAEC). "Ahead of the sale, Amnesty International called for Shell to be held accountable for the environmental damage they had caused," per Amnesty International… “Unfortunately, according to the International Oil Spill Conference, "vast areas of the Niger Delta of former mangroves are completely or nearly completely dead and retain highly contaminated base sediments."

OPINION

Sioux City Journal: Reynolds' ties to Summit pipeline are numerous
Tim Getty, Hinton, Iowa, 6/14/25

“As of Aug. 4, Gov. Reynolds had accepted donations from Summit's Bruce Rastetter. Meanwhile, Navigator executives have made their own cash contributions. In 2022, Summit spent $36,000,” Tim Getty writes for the Sioux City Journal. “Jake Ketzner, Summit’s current VP of Governmental and Public Affairs, was Reynolds' chief of staff. Jeffrey Boeyink, a registered lobbyist for Summit, was the chief of staff and campaign manager for Iowa’s previous governor, Terry Branstad. Branstad worked as chief policy advisor for Summit Carbon Solutions… “Two of the three-person IUB members were appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad. One IUB member, Richard Lozier, was a lawyer for a lobbying group that urged support for the Dakota Access pipeline. Simply put, if it quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck-it's probably a duck. Reynold's veto looks like a 100% predetermined decision that defies her citizen's concerns and Iowa's legislative body's decision to support those citizens.”

The Iowa Standard: GOP county central committees should censure Gov. Reynolds over HF639 veto
Dusty Westbrook, 6/13/25

“If Rob Sand becomes identified with any override of the Governor’s veto of HF639, he WILL become the next Iowa Governor,” Dusty Westbrook writes for The Iowa Standard. “This political issue will be a central campaign issue. This GOP boondoggle will turn Iowa blue unless the county central committees take positive action quickly to censure the Governor and clearly communicate both support of constitutional eminent domain and ridicule of CO2 being a “poison”... “The Iowa GOP has to hold the Iowa Party Platform with higher respect than having legislative majorities. The public is tired of partisanship. “We oppose federal or state government taking private property away from the owner for the use of another private party. Eminent domain should be used only for public use.” 2018 platform currently published on IowaGOP.org. Our integrity (to the electorate) is at stake.”

The Iowa Standard: Speaker Grassley: HF639 would have provided landowners ‘monumental protections’
Pat Grassley, 6/13/25

“On Wednesday, Governor Reynolds vetoed House File 639, a bill that would have been monumental in protecting Iowa landowners’ rights from the threat of Eminent Domain,” Pat Grassley writes for The Iowa Standard. “In response to this I have sent a request to all members of the House to sign a petition to reconvene the legislature in a special session to override the Governor’s veto. I have had several constituents reach out asking what steps need to be taken to override the Governor’s veto, so I thought it would be helpful to give you a simple breakdown of what could happen next… “If a special session is convened, the legislature could then vote to override the veto of HF639. The constitution outlines that in order to override a Governor’s veto, it requires 2/3rds of the House and 2/3rds of the Senate to vote in favor of the override, in which case her veto would be overturned and the bill would become law.”

The Iowa Standard: Sen. Green: New eminent domain bill should focus only on carbon pipelines
Jesse Green, 6/13/25

“HF639 has just been vetoed by Governor Reynolds. Before we jump to conclusions, we should try to understand her reservations. Many people have characterized this issue as either “pro-pipeline” or “anti-pipeline” but this oversimplification does not do the topic justice,” Jesse Green writes for The Iowa Standard. “...If signed into law, the new commodity definition alone would shut down a project by Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy that has reportedly received 100% voluntary easements to move forward with construction. While many may agree with this heavy-handed approach, one can see why there would be more political opponents pressuring the Governor to veto this bill than just Summit Carbon Solutions. Many legislators do not feel it is responsible for us to step in between the contract of two private entities and this feeling is obviously shared by the Governor in her response… “I believe we should create a new bill that would just concern carbon, give carbon companies more room to find voluntary easements, and remove their option for eminent domain. This more tactful approach would result in a responsible bill that the vast majority can support… “ If we call a special session to pass a new bill, I’m optimistic there would be 2/3 support in both chambers. If nothing is done, I’m afraid landowners will have to needlessly sit and wait in uncertainty until next session for their leaders to all humble ourselves to address this issue.”

Dakota Scout: South Dakotans should reject costly carbon capture schemes
Autumn Hanna and Rick Bonander, 6/15/25

“Across the Northern Great Plains, opposition to carbon capture projects is growing — nowhere more so than in South Dakota, where lawmakers recently blocked carbon capture companies from using eminent domain,” Autumn Hanna and Rick Bonander write for the Dakota Scout. “The backlash to these projects is driven by concerns about the impact on farmers and ranchers, public safety, private property rights and the billions in taxpayer dollars being funneled into unproven technology. Let’s be clear: oil and gas and ethanol companies want to use public subsidies to bury millions of tons of pollution underground — threatening South Dakota’s land, water and communities. To protect our communities and prevent waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds, South Dakotans should continue to reject carbon capture schemes. We deserve better.”

Anchorage Daily News: Can an Alaska gas pipeline be built by 2028 or 2029 like the governor says? Time for a reality check.
Larry Persily is a longtime Alaska journalist, with breaks for federal, state and municipal public policy work in Alaska and Washington, D.C., 6/15/25

“...But sometimes, elected officials make statements that are so false, so misleading, so harmful to public discussion that they deserve stronger language. Such is the case with Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s enthusiasm for a mega project to pipe North Slope natural gas across hundreds of miles of tundra, permafrost, fault lines, mountains, valleys, rivers and streams to Cook Inlet, where the gas could generate power and heat for Southcentral Alaska homes and businesses,” Larry Persily writes for the Anchorage Daily News. “But gas for Alaskans is a side benefit. The main purpose, the longstanding dream, the financial underpinning of the entire immense project is to sell more than 90% of the gas to Asian nations, particularly Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Without overseas customers paying almost all of the mortgage and operating costs, no Alaskan could afford the gas. Setting aside whether Asian buyers are willing to take a gamble on the project — which the state is promoting at an old construction estimate of $44 billion — the biggest falsehood in Dunleavy’s promotional speeches is that gas could start flowing through the pipe in 2028 or 2029. The Alaska endeavor would be among the largest and most expensive liquefied natural gas export projects in the world — and probably the most complicated gas pipeline construction job in the world. Promising an operating pipeline before the end of the decade is as dishonest as pushing $3,900 Permanent Fund dividends, which the governor does too… “If you believe that can get done in a few years, then I guess you believe in fairy tales. It’s a nicer word.”

Tallahassee Democrat: Gov. DeSantis: Sign HB 1143, protect Apalachicola, secure your legacy
Jeff Wren is the owner-operator of Rattlesnake Cove Oyster Co. in Apalachicola, 6/15/25

“I am an oyster farmer in Apalachicola, and I’ve spent all my life along the water in northwest Florida. I am one of hundreds of watermen and women who currently work across Franklin, Wakulla and Gulf counties, the main areas that will be protected by HB 1143 which prevents oil drilling upriver in the Apalachicola River Basin,” Jeff Wren writes for the Tallahassee Democrat. “This bill, championed by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, passed the Florida House and Senate unanimously this session. Now it’s waiting on Gov. DeSantis’ signature ensuring that the water I depend on for my livelihood is protected. This bill is a huge win for rural coastal communities that are often forgotten or sold out by people not invested in our way of life… “Apalachicola is special and it's no stranger to the threat of oil which devastated our coastal economy and oyster industry after the BP Oil Spill. As a Floridian and an oysterman, I take seriously my responsibility to be a steward of our natural resources. Apalachicola Bay is home to one of the most productive estuaries in the world and living amongst it represents a way of life that is uniquely Florida. A way of life worth fighting for. I would like to invite the governor to an historic signing ceremony in Apalachicola to celebrate HB 1143, securing his legacy as the governor who protects our wild Florida and the working men and women who depend on it.”

Deseret News: Testing the limits of monuments in the West
Jay Evensen is the Opinion Editor of the Deseret News. 6/12/25

“When President Trump served his first term in the White House, he decided to shrink two monuments in Utah — Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante. That resulted in a lawsuit, but before the courts could settle anything, Joe Biden became president and expanded them again. So, naturally, Trump’s next move, in his second term, might be to un-declare monuments altogether. Whether that includes the ones in Utah remains to be seen,” Jay Evensen writes for the Deseret News. “Frankly, if you’re an environmentalist, you should be loving this. No oil well driller or miner would want to come near investing money in a project on land that will probably be declared a monument again the next time a Democrat takes office. The extraction business, like any other business, thrives on certainty. The never-ending Hatfield-McCoy-like feud over public lands and monuments in the West has been anything but certain in recent years… “Congress could do much more, of course. It could expressly forbid presidents to do away with monuments. More realistically, it could require Congress to ratify any declaration of a monument within a certain period — say, three years. That would give people enough time to decide if they like what was done. Or it could support Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy’s bill that would take away the power of presidents to declare monuments altogether.”