EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/25/26
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Ocasio-Cortez leads push to strip pipeline bill of protest provision
New York Post: Sable Offshore lashes out after ruling — threatens to escalate legal fight over oil pipeline repair to California Supreme Court
Inside Climate News: A Pipeline Company Says It Will Protect the Environment in North Carolina. Its Record in Tennessee Says Otherwise.
WKBW: Elmwood Village residents face unexpected costs in National Fuel pipeline project
World Pipelines: Linewatch: Complacency causes 9% increase in pipeline incidents in 2025
SOMO: How Shell turned a leaking pipeline into profit
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Associated Press: Trump is frustrated gasoline prices don’t mirror oil’s decline. Experts say it’s not that simple
Reuters: Trump calls out Exxon and Chevron in probe over alleged gasoline price ‘gouging’
Heatmap: Key House Democrat Calls for a National Data Center Moratorium
E&E News: Data center energy bill hits speed bump
E&E News: Why Republicans are worrying about high gas prices ahead of the midterms
Third Way: Prices at the Pump: How Every State is Paying for Trump’s Iran Gamble
Pensacola News Journal: Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz appointed to Triumph Gulf Coast Board
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles tries again to phase out urban oil production
KSLA: GOP candidates trade attacks, differ on carbon capture in Louisiana Senate race
KATC: Carbon capture concerns discussed in Kaplan at Save My Louisiana meeting
EXTRACTION
Pro Publica: Beyond Denial: How Oil Execs Shaped a Landmark Climate Study
Pro Publica: False Promises: Why carbon capture and storage won’t fix our climate crisis.
Fraser Institute: Industrial carbon tax and carbon capture requirements increase the cost to produce energy, making Alberta uncompetitive with U.S. counterparts
S&P Global: Canadian Oil Sands Greenhouse Gas Intensity Continues a 17-year Decline -- Down Nearly One-third Since 2009
CBC: ‘Mayday to Ottawa’: $400M carbon capture facility could be cancelled after changes to Alberta’s carbon tax
Press release: Declining U.S. Refining Capacity Threatens American Energy Dominance and Economic Independence
E&E News: Oil and gas activity picks up despite Iran uncertainty, Dallas Fed says
New York Times: A Solution to A.I.’s Growing Power Demand: Homes
OPINION
The American Prospect: Lessons From an Arctic Gas Pipe Dream
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Ocasio-Cortez leads push to strip pipeline bill of protest provision
Nico Portuondo, 6/25/26
“A contentious provision targeting protesters is emerging as a major obstacle to Congress’ long-awaited effort to reauthorize the federal pipeline safety agency,” E&E News reports. “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is leading a Democratic push to remove or modify language from Texas Republican Rep. Randy Weber’s Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026, H.R. 9338, which would broaden the Justice Department’s authority to prosecute people accused of interfering with pipeline operations. “Many of these projects are highly controversial in the local communities in which they’re supposed to be sited,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We want to make sure that we are protecting people’s First Amendment ability while, of course, respecting existing federal law.” The debate unfolded during an Energy and Commerce subcommittee markup Wednesday, where lawmakers advanced Weber’s bill to reauthorize programs at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration through fiscal 2031. Congress has not enacted a full PHMSA reauthorization since 2020.”
New York Post: Sable Offshore lashes out after ruling — threatens to escalate legal fight over oil pipeline repair to California Supreme Court
Zain Khan, 6/23/26
“Sable Offshore Corp. is refusing to back down in its escalating legal war with California after suffering a major courtroom setback, signaling it may take its fight all the way to the state’s highest court while continuing to move oil through its Santa Barbara pipeline,” the New York Post reports. “...Sable is disappointed by the ruling of the Court of Appeal,” company attorney Jeffrey Dintzer told the California Post, adding that “significant issues” still must be resolved before any final determination is made regarding the legitimacy of the Coastal Commission’s cease-and-desist orders and financial penalties… “Despite the ruling, Dintzer told the Times that oil production and transportation operations remain ongoing… “There are several options,” Dintzer told the Times. “One is that we can appeal to the California Supreme Court. Another is that we could ask for a rehearing in the Court of Appeal.” “...The company is also pinning hopes on a broader collection of lawsuits pending in state and federal courts.”
Inside Climate News: A Pipeline Company Says It Will Protect the Environment in North Carolina. Its Record in Tennessee Says Otherwise.
Lisa Sorg, 6/25/26
“An 85-year-old widow stood before a panel of Enbridge Gas representatives perched above her on a stage at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center. She had fire in her eyes,” Inside Climate News reports. “I’m usually a courteous person but you bring out the worst in me,” she said. “I’m going to fight you to the death.” In mid-June she and hundreds of Chatham County residents attended two community meetings, hosted by Enbridge, to voice their opposition to a proposed 28-mile natural gas pipeline that would stretch from Siler City to Moncure in southern Chatham County. Construction could begin as soon as fall 2027, with a service date of spring 2028. Enbridge has not announced the final route, but as company surveyors begin canvassing private properties along the general corridor, residents are analyzing maps that show the pipeline could not only rob them of land through eminent domain, but also cut through forests, wetlands, streams, rivers and a historic Black cemetery… “But federal records show Chatham residents’ concerns about Enbridge’s environmental performance are valid. Over the past seven months, an Enbridge subsidiary has amassed a dozen non-compliance events related to its Ridgeline Expansion Project in central Tennessee, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)... “During the pipeline construction, East Tennessee Natural Gas contractors damaged wetlands and streams after driving heavy equipment across stream beds and outside a “designated travel lane,” FERC found. They encroached on private property. Contractors spilled more than 3,000 gallons of drilling mud, known as an “inadvertent return,” while boring beneath waterways, FERC records show.”
WKBW: Elmwood Village residents face unexpected costs in National Fuel pipeline project
Eileen Buckley, 6/24/26
“Residents in Buffalo’s Elmwood Village are telling 7 News they were blindsided by unexpected repair costs after National Fuel discovered gas leaks inside their homes during a neighborhood pipeline replacement project,” WKBW reports. “Homeowners living at Brantford Place received a letter in February from National Fuel explaining that the company is upgrading old, underground pipelines in the area. National Fuel spokesperson Karen Merkel told WKBW the company is required by the Public Service Commission to replace more than 100 miles of aging pipe every year. But some residents told WKBW the letter did not prepare them for what came next. “None of us knew that we were going to have to have service work done in our homes as a result of this,” George Olmsted told WKBW… “Merkel also clarified the boundary of National Fuel’s responsibility. The company is responsible for piping from the main line in the street to the customer’s meter. “The customer is then responsible for the service line, or we call it the house line, that goes from the gas meter inside the house to all of the customers’ gas appliances and equipment,” Merkel told WKBW.”
World Pipelines: Linewatch: Complacency causes 9% increase in pipeline incidents in 2025
Elizabeth Corner, 6/25/26
“There were 311 incidents of workers putting themselves at risk by digging too close to a high-pressure fuel pipeline in 2025, according to Linewatch, the leading pipeline safety awareness group,” World Pipelines reports. “Data from the inaugural Linewatch Infringement Report shows a 9% increase in the overall number of infringements reported last year. Just under half (49%) of these occurred even though the person responsible for digging knew of the pipeline’s existence. This highlights a concerning trend of complacency amongst those working near high-pressure underground pipelines… “Looking at the people responsible, landowners and their contractors were at fault for more than half of all pipeline infringements last year, a 10% increase from 2024. This makes the UK’s agriculture industry the biggest risk to pipeline safety for the ninth year running… “Developer-related infringements fell by 60%, a success attributed to earlier engagement, which sees developers involve pipeline operators during the initial planning and design stages, rather than reacting during construction.”
SOMO: How Shell turned a leaking pipeline into profit
Audrey Gaughran, 6/25/26
“For years, Shell pumped oil through a 97 km pipeline in the Niger Delta that it knew was riddled with leaks, and which it was unable to protect from tampering. The environmental impact was devastating,” SOMO reports. “In 2014, the oil giant sold the pipeline and the oil fields it served to newly created companies. However, Shell remained financially linked to the oil flowing through the pipeline for years after the sale. Meanwhile, the new buyers faced debt and operational problems. In early June 2026, the BBC revealed that “Shell continued operating a major oil pipeline in Nigeria for years even though it knew it was causing widespread pollution – despite a warning from its own staff.” The pipeline in question is the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL). Commissioned by Shell in 2010, it was, until recently, one of the main routes used to transport crude oil to Shell’s export terminal on the coast. Despite being new, Shell admitted it was struggling to address pollution from the NCTL as early as 2012.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Associated Press: Trump is frustrated gasoline prices don’t mirror oil’s decline. Experts say it’s not that simple
Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Cathy Bussewitz, 6/24/26
“U.S. gasoline prices decreased an average of 49 cents a gallon in the last month as expectations rose for an end to the war with Iran. But they’re not falling fast enough for President Donald Trump,” the Associated Press reports. “Trump, who wants to stave off the economic fallout of the war ahead of midterm elections, is now pointing at oil companies as the culprit. The president said on social media early Wednesday that he had tasked the Justice Department with investigating whether “customers are being ’gouged.” “...Even after crude prices come down, it can take weeks or longer for market changes to reach refineries and eventually consumers, experts told AP. “It sounds a bit like political theater to me,” Karen Young, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, said when asked during a CNBC interview about Trump’s price-gouging allegation. “That’s not really how gasoline prices work in the U.S.” “...But beyond how markets are feeling, analysts warn it could take months, if not longer, for supply chains to return to pre-war levels. Earlier this week, S&P Global Energy said it did not expect Persian Gulf oil production to rebound fully until at least the first quarter of 2027.”
Reuters: Trump calls out Exxon and Chevron in probe over alleged gasoline price ‘gouging’
Anusha Shah, 6/24/26
“U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he has instructed the Department of Justice to look into oil companies for not lowering gasoline pump prices in line with falling crude costs, accusing the companies of “gouging” customers,” Reuters reports. “The Trump administration posted a video clip on X later on Wednesday in which Trump named U.S. oil producers Exxon Mobil and Chevron as part of the probe. “Oil prices have come down so much and we are not seeing anything at the pump,” Trump said in the clip… “The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil. Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being “gouged”,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this,” he added… “Gasoline prices don’t move in lockstep with crude oil, especially during a major global disruption that is still affecting supply, refining and inventories,” Bethany Williams, a spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group that represents oil producers including Exxon and Chevron, told Reuters.”
Heatmap: Key House Democrat Calls for a National Data Center Moratorium
Matthew Zeitlin, 6/24/26
“...The Democratic ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, New Jersey Representative Frank Pallone, called for a national data center moratorium before the Wednesday afternoon markup of a series of data center-related bills, the Ratepayer Protection Act among them,” Heatmap reports. “Pallone described the proposals being discussed at the markup as a “useful first step,” but that “compared to the challenges the American power grid is facing, they are not nearly enough.” Instead, he called for “a national AI data center moratorium until we can find a way to ensure they don’t harm our nation’s air, water, and power bills.” “...This simply cannot continue,” Pallone said of the pace of data center development… “Pallone was skeptical that any intermediate steps have or could work to protect ratepayers. “Promises by the data center industry and Big Tech that these facilities will bring down costs have fallen flat,” Pallone said at Wednesday’s markup… “Americans across the country have expressed concern and opposition to the rampant construction of AI data centers, and Congress should take this political groundswell seriously with a data center moratorium,” Pallone concluded. “That’s what we need.”
E&E News: Data center energy bill hits speed bump
Josh Siegel, Nico Portuondo, 6/25/26
“A call from a powerful House Democrat to impose a nationwide moratorium on new data center development exposed new divisions in Congress over how aggressively to regulate the fast-moving industry — and whether to act at all,” E&E News reports. “The surprise call from Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) overshadowed a vote Wednesday on bipartisan legislation to make sure ratepayers don’t foot the bill for energy infrastructure associated with data center expansion… “Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida — the top Democrat on the subcommittee and Ratepayer Protection Act co-sponsor with Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) — told E&E she was not supportive of the moratorium but understood Pallone’s position… “But I don’t think you can say, “We’re going to just stop everything now.” Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) through a spokesperson told E&E the moratorium idea “not the answer” and argued it risks “slowing innovation” in AI to compete with China, even as Republicans seek to “work through legitimate concerns from constituents.” “...And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) formally introduced legislation to instill a national moratorium… “I was surprised and very encouraged to hear the ranking member come out and say that,” Ocasio-Cortez told POLITICO about Pallone. “It takes a lot of courage, but it’s also a testament to a lot of the organizing that is happening in communities across not just the state of New Jersey, but the country as well.”
E&E News: Why Republicans are worrying about high gas prices ahead of the midterms
Pavan Acharya, Catherine Allen, 6/25/26
“President Donald Trump’s focus on gasoline prices is a sign the White House is keenly attuned to a political reality: Prices at the pump are a key indicator for voters of the state of the economy heading into election season,” E&E News reports. “That’s just one of many reasons Republicans have privately stressed about gasoline price spikes ahead of the midterm election in November — concerns that are lingering as Trump ordered the Justice Department in a social media post Wednesday to investigate big oil companies he accused of gouging drivers. There’s a history lesson in past midterm races: On average, the party in power stands to benefit when gas prices go down and faces a higher political risk when pain at the pump is more prevalent… “Gasoline prices are up nearly 90 cents per gallon nationally since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — even with the drop of around 60 cents over the past month as crude prices have declined. The U.S. average retail price for gasoline increased 26 percent from the start of Trump’s second term to June of this year. And even with a tentative peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran shaving off more than 10 cents per gallon, depleted oil reserves could continue to have an impact on gas prices for months. Those increases come as Republicans are hoping to protect narrow majorities in Congress this November — a goal that the spike in gasoline prices could make far harder to achieve, as historical political patterns illustrate.”
Third Way: Prices at the Pump: How Every State is Paying for Trump’s Iran Gamble
John Hebert & Dr. Florian A. Schneider, 6/25/26
“The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has become, in effect, a tax on the entire American economy,” according to Third Way. “...Based on Third Way’s analysis, the war in Iran has cost the average American car owner an extra $156 and the average truck or SUV owner an extra $232 in gasoline costs. If gas prices stay high for a full year, the war could cost American car owners $446 more and truck drivers $662 more—or roughly $1,100 for the standard two-vehicle household. High gas prices have prompted some policymakers to float a gas tax suspension as one way of blunting the impact of these increases on consumers. This would be an expensive band-aid solution that wouldn’t meaningfully lower costs for consumers… “On top of President Trump’s failure to justify the war in the first place, he has also failed to put forward any serious policies to provide relief to Americans. At times, he has fully disregarded the financial pain they’re experiencing… “Gasoline prices are still up more than 30 percent—an increase of roughly $1 per gallon—since the war with Iran began in late February 2026. Prices are now at the highest levels seen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”
Pensacola News Journal: Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz appointed to Triumph Gulf Coast Board
Jim Little, 6/23/26
“Matt Gaetz is once again a Florida public official with his appointment to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board,” the Pensacola News Journal reports. “Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez appointed the controversial former Florida congressman to a four-year term to the board that is charged with distributing $1.5 billion in settlement funds from BP over the 2010 oil spill for economic development projects in eight Panhandle counties… “I am returning to public service!,” Gaetz wrote. “Thank you, Speaker Perez, for this appointment. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue improving the lives of Northwest Floridians.”
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles tries again to phase out urban oil production
Hayley Smith, 6/23/26
“The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously advanced an ordinance to halt new oil and gas drilling and phase out all existing production over the next 20 years,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “L.A. is home to more than 2,000 active oil wells. The measure revives a similar ban passed in 2022, which was struck down by a judge following legal challenges from the oil and gas industry. It must pass a second vote before final adoption later this summer, and would make L.A. the largest city in the United States to phase out existing oil wells. “Today, Los Angeles is making a decision that aligns with our need to turn the page on urban oil drilling,” Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said during Tuesday’s council meeting. “The absence of an enforceable oil ordinance has had real consequences for our communities.” “...Many wells in the city operate near schools, homes and parks. Most are concentrated in low-income areas and communities of color, such as Wilmington and the harbor district, West L.A. and South L.A., where residents have long reported respiratory issues, headaches, throat irritation and other health problems. Studies have found oil wells can emit carcinogens and are linked to adverse health effects.”
KSLA: GOP candidates trade attacks, differ on carbon capture in Louisiana Senate race
Jeff Horchak, 6/24/26
“Attack ads aimed at Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow have been running for weeks as the two Republicans compete in the race for Louisiana’s open U.S. Senate seat,” KSLA reports. “...I’ve had $15 million dropped on my head in negative ads, and I understand that’s why people won’t run,” Letlow told KSLA. Carbon capture has also been a major issue in the race… “Fleming said he opposes carbon capture. Letlow said claims about her position have been misrepresented. “I want a good economy for Louisiana, but there are things we have to do like lowering taxes, reducing insurance rates to get better business — not by a toxic dump of carbon dioxide,” Fleming told KSLA, referencing what he called “Julia Letlow and Jeff Landry’s method” of pursuing economic growth. Letlow told KSLA she does not support projects that are not safe or lack community support. “If the project is not safe, if it does not have community finance, I believe it should not move forward,” Letlow told KSLA. She also told KSLA she appreciates “the governor’s moratorium on the projects until they can be fully vetted,” and told voters not to believe what they read on social media.”
KATC: Carbon capture concerns discussed in Kaplan at Save My Louisiana meeting
Chloe Franklin, 6/24/26
“Carbon capture has been an ongoing discussion for years, with many Louisiana residents strongly opposing it,” KATC reports. “Geoscientist Brad LeBlanc said, “The CO2 was going to come into contact with some of these old wells that had no cement integrity behind the casing as the wells are apt to do, which they will degrade overtime, and that CO2 would use that well bore as a migration pathway back to the surface.” “...LeBlanc said the risks of storing CO2 in Louisiana are too high. “What you won’t be able to see is if the Chicot aquifer becomes contaminated, and you begin drinking some of that toxic water that’s coming up,” he said.”
EXTRACTION
Pro Publica: Beyond Denial: How Oil Execs Shaped a Landmark Climate Study
Maddie Stone, Amy Westervelt, Katie Worth, 6/25/26
“BP sponsored an elite Princeton research center to address the climate problem without getting off fossil fuels, handpicking scientists aligned with their interests,” Pro Publica reports. “Princeton scientists who wrote a climate paper criticized as making solutions seem “easy” coordinated with the oil company’s executives and showed them multiple drafts. Researchers depicted technology to capture carbon and store it underground as being proven and in use at industrial scale, a characterization that stretched the facts… “One fix that “Wedges” leaned especially hard on was carbon capture and storage, a technology that promised to grab carbon pollution from smokestacks and other sources and trap it forever underground. Do that enough, and climate change could be curtailed without upending the world as we know it… “For a generation, people learning how to address global warming were taught the ideas in the “Wedges” paper. What they didn’t learn was this: “Wedges” was significantly shaped by the British oil giant BP — one of the single global entities most responsible for causing climate change. In 1997, BP abandoned climate change denial. Instead, the company quietly launched a far-reaching effort to intertwine oil company interests and climate science, in part by using its vast resources to shape the research that major universities undertook.”
Pro Publica: False Promises: Why carbon capture and storage won’t fix our climate crisis.
Katie Worth, Lucas Waldron, Amy Westervelt, Maddie Stone, 6/25/26
“For more than 40 years, oil companies have been funding research at prestigious universities into climate change “solutions” that would not require the public to stop using oil and gas. Among their favored fixes is carbon capture and storage,” Pro Publica reports. “An investigation by ProPublica and Drilled has found that boosters of CCS have ignored evidence of the technology’s limitations, or overstated its potential, and convinced the world it could be effective. They’ve promoted this idea despite the fact that for CCS to work at the scale now envisioned, the world would need to devote almost unimaginable resources. Even if that were done, it might still prove impossible to trap so much carbon dioxide inside the earth. Optimism has reigned, however, because small tests have worked and because slow global response to climate change has left few other options… “Climate experts know about the costs, technical troubles and failures of CCS test projects. Yet many of them have continued to boost the technology, even as they have downplayed solutions showing greater progress. For example, the same modelers who overestimated the potential of geological carbon storage repeatedly underestimated solar power — one of the energy technologies that would allow more oil to remain in the ground.”
Fraser Institute: Industrial carbon tax and carbon capture requirements increase the cost to produce energy, making Alberta uncompetitive with U.S. counterparts
6/25/26
“The $140 per tonne industrial carbon tax and carbon capture regulations agreed to by Ottawa and Alberta will increase the costs of producing energy in Alberta, and as a result will make the province less competitive than energy-producing U.S. states for investment, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “By increasing the marginal costs to produce energy in Alberta, federal and provincial policymakers are in effect encouraging investors to look at other energy-producing jurisdictions where costs are lower and returns on investment are higher,” said Jack M. Mintz, the president’s fellow of the school of public policy at the University of Calgary, and author of Impact of Carbon Policies on Competitiveness in Oil, Natural Gas and Electric Power: An Alberta-US Comparison. The study finds that in addition to corporate, royalty and fuel taxes, Alberta’s industrial carbon tax on large emitters (under the Technological Innovation and Emissions Reduction Regulation), as well as the costs to industry to comply with mandatory carbon capture, utilization and sequestration requirements will significantly increase the cost to produce energy in Alberta. Critically, these costs do not apply to energy in US energy-producing states, such as Texas and New Mexico, putting Alberta at an uncompetitive disadvantage… “Specifically, by 2040, under Alberta’s corporate level taxes, carbon capture requirements, and the industrial carbon tax of $140 per tonne agreed to by the federal and Alberta governments in the recent Memorandum of Understanding: Conventional oil: The cost to produce a barrel of conventional oil increases from US$43 to $54, a 25.6 per cent increase; Oil sands: The cost to produce a barrel of oil sands oil increases from US$51 to $61; a 19.6 per cent increase.”
S&P Global: Canadian Oil Sands Greenhouse Gas Intensity Continues a 17-year Decline -- Down Nearly One-third Since 2009
6/24/26
“The greenhouse gas intensity of Canadian oil sands production has declined for a 13th straight year, according to a new analysis by S&P Global Energy. Since 2009, annual emissions intensity has declined every year but one (2012). The annual S&P Global Energy analysis finds that the benchmark average GHG intensity of oil sands production declined 2% to 59 kilograms of “carbon dioxide equivalent” per barrel (kgCO2e/bbl) in 2025, the most recent calendar year available. Since 2009, the average GHG intensity of oil sands production has declined by 31%, or nearly 27 kgCO2e/b of marketable product… “While GHG intensity continues to decline, absolute emissions from oil sands have continued to rise, but at a slower rate. Between 2024-2025, absolute emissions rose 2% on account of a 150,000 b/d rise in overall production.”
CBC: ‘Mayday to Ottawa’: $400M carbon capture facility could be cancelled after changes to Alberta’s carbon tax
Kyle Bakx, 6/25/26
“...The national industrial carbon price was supposed to rise to $170 a tonne by 2030, but a revised deal last month by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith means the price would instead reach $130 a tonne by 2040,” the CBC reports. “...Without further government policy changes over the next few months, Varme Energy chief executive Sean Collins warns the company may have to pull the plug on the project. “Unfortunately, nobody has runway forever,” Collins told CBC. He now describes the company as facing a “very challenging” financial situation… “Some large industrial companies had pushed for a lower carbon price to avoid higher costs and remain competitive compared with counterparts in the United States, which do not have to pay a carbon tax… “We’re calling a mayday to Ottawa and we hope they listen,” Collins told CBC… “Varme Energy is not alone in facing financial pressure following the changes to Alberta’s industrial carbon price, with other carbon capture companies pushing both levels of government for additional support… “The carbon capture sector is hopeful the federal government will make other policy changes that would allow companies to sell carbon credits into different markets to get a better price, including in the United States, internationally or through Canada’s own market linked to the Clean Fuel Regulations… “If the right fiscal policies are introduced to support the sector, he told CBC construction on the proposed project could begin. However, if the status quo remains, he will likely have to cancel the project this fall.”
Press release: Declining U.S. Refining Capacity Threatens American Energy Dominance and Economic Independence
6/24/26
“America’s refining sector — a critical pillar of economic strength, military readiness, and global energy security — is facing mounting structural challenges that threaten U.S. energy security, according to a new report from the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF). The report, Challenges Facing U.S. Refining: Risks to American Energy Dominance and Economic Independence, authored by ACCF President and CEO George David Banks and submitted to the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, finds that while the United States remains one of the world’s leading crude oil producers, its downstream refining capacity is eroding in ways that could leave consumers, industry, allies, and national defense increasingly exposed to foreign leverage. “Energy dominance is more than just producing crude oil. It is about turning that resource into the fuels, petrochemicals, and strategic materials that power the economy and strengthen national security,” said Banks. “America’s refining system is one of our greatest strategic assets, but that advantage is no longer guaranteed. Without policy recalibration, the United States risks ceding supply resilience and geopolitical influence to foreign competitors.” “...The report also highlights a structural mismatch in U.S. energy markets: roughly 70% of U.S. refining capacity is optimized for heavy, sour crude, while domestic shale production is overwhelmingly light, sweet crude. As a result, the United States exports large volumes of domestic light crude while importing heavier grades needed to keep complex refineries operating efficiently… “Policy pressures are accelerating decline. Layered regulations, permitting barriers, infrastructure constraints, and demand uncertainty are deterring investment and making new refinery construction unlikely. To protect U.S. energy security and preserve downstream industrial strength, the report calls for: Securing reliable access to heavy sour crude that matches existing U.S. refinery configurations, including expanded flows from strategically important suppliers.”
E&E News: Oil and gas activity picks up despite Iran uncertainty, Dallas Fed says
James Bikales, 6/25/26
“Oil and gas companies started to heed the Trump administration’s calls to ramp up production in the second quarter but were challenged by the uncertainty caused by the White House’s frenetic approach to the war in Iran, according to a survey by the Dallas Federal Reserve released Wednesday,” E&E News reports. “The survey — which was taken before the U.S. and Iran signed a peace framework last week — indicates a mixed picture for the oil industry, which has been buoyed by higher prices caused by the war but buffeted by massive swings in prices, driven in part by sudden announcements from the Trump administration… “The Dallas Fed survey found business activity for oil and gas firms in its district of Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Louisiana — the heart of the U.S. energy industry — picked up markedly in the second quarter. Its measure of overall business activity jumped from 21.0 in the first quarter to 46.1 in the second quarter, the highest level since mid-2022.”
New York Times: A Solution to A.I.’s Growing Power Demand: Homes
Ivan Penn, 6/24/26
“The artificial intelligence boom has a big problem. Technology companies say they need to quickly build lots of new power-hungry data centers to develop A.I., but the energy industry typically needs years to construct power plants, solar farms and battery installations,” the New York Times reports. “Three companies involved in installing and managing rooftop solar panels, home batteries, smart thermostats and other devices say they can solve the problem by tapping into devices — largely those that control, produce or store energy — in millions of American houses and apartments. The companies are Tesla, the electric vehicle and battery maker; Sunrun, the country’s largest rooftop solar and battery installer; and Renew Home, a Google spin off that manages home thermostats and other devices. On Wednesday, they plan to announce that they are working together to free up enough electrical capacity to meet the needs of 17 large data centers during periods of high demand. For example, after getting individuals to opt in, the companies could use software to direct thousands of the consumers’ home batteries to charge when there is an abundance of solar energy and then release that power after the sun has set. Making more energy available in the evening, when demand rises, would reduce or eliminate the need to add large power plants alongside new data centers.”
OPINION
The American Prospect: Lessons From an Arctic Gas Pipe Dream
Hannah Story Brown, 6/25/26
“...Are state and federal politicians dreaming up transformative investments in new infrastructure, enabled by tens of billions in subsidies, that will blaze a new trail for Alaska’s future? Yes, they are!,” Hannah Story Brown writes for The American Prospect. “Oh, wait—they just want another pipeline. The same pipeline, in fact, that has been a pipe dream of Alaskan officials since the 1980s, but was never built because of its ballooning costs. Alaska LNG would be a massive gas infrastructure project involving a new gas treatment plant and 807-mile pipeline cutting across the state to transport methane gas from near Prudhoe Bay to a new liquefaction plant and export terminal in the south, west of Anchorage. Dropped a decade ago by BP, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil because of its price tag and remote location, it has been kept nominally alive by the state-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. Now, the proposed pipeline has a new developer in Glenfarne, which is also behind yet-unbuilt LNG facilities in Texas and Louisiana. By Glenfarne’s projection, construction of Alaska LNG could cost up to $55 billion. The real cost, if built, is likely to be much higher… “Then there is rapidly escalating competition from renewables… “Glenfarne’s CEO has been complaining that Alaska LNG is—surprise!—not economically viable unless the state of Alaska gives the company a $16 billion property tax cut, meaning that Alaskans agree to get less revenue from the project… “In a rational world, waiving most of the economic benefit to Alaskans in order to enable an ecologically destructive carbon bomb that primarily serves foreign markets would be a political nonstarter. But Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, has adopted the industry’s pipe dreams as his own… “Alaska LNG luridly illustrates that far from being the market’s choice, fossil fuels are heavily publicly subsidized, even before we consider the additional health costs Americans bear from air pollution and a warming climate.”