EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/3/25
PIPELINE NEWS
Anchorage Daily News: Top Trump officials visit Prudhoe Bay, vowing to see a ‘big beautiful’ pipeline built
MyCentralJersey.com: Trump paves way for revival of natural gas pipeline through New Jersey, under Raritan Bay
Milwaukee Independent: Advocates warn fast-tracking of Line 5 tunnel project threatens Wisconsin’s Lake Superior watershed
WV News: Report: Mountain Valley Pipeline played ‘crucial role’ during arctic weather
Bloomberg: Carney Open to New Canada Oil Pipeline Tied to Carbon Capture
Financial Times: Mark Carney courts oil industry in bid to Trump-proof Canada’s economy
Canadian Press: Carney discusses “partnerships” with oil and gas executives in Calgary
Bloomberg: FERC Under Fire During Arguments for Pipeline Expansion Approval
Law360: FERC 'Never' Considered Costs Of NW Pipeline, 5th Circ. Told
WASHINGTON UPDATES
New York Times: Trump Administration to Open Alaska Wilderness to Drilling and Mining
E&E News: Mike Lee seeks to reinstate public lands sales in megabill
E&E News: Trump’s DOE budget plan details department overhaul
Heatmap: The Supreme Court Just Started a Permitting Revolution
Inside EPA: CEQ Releases Detailed Plan To Use Technology To Speed NEPA Reviews
E&E News: House DOGE panel to probe environmental groups
STATE UPDATES
KERO: Federal government withdraws $500 million grant for carbon capture project in Lebec
Smile Politely: Rep. Carol Ammons discusses protecting the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon capture
My San Antonio: Conservative Texas think tank targets Calif. landmark near popular national park
E&E News: Judge nixes suit over Colorado oil and gas leasing permits
Louisiana Illuminator: Red Alert: A Louisiana refinery spilled toxic waste into the community and knew about it for months
WHYY: ‘Boiler failure’ at Delaware City Refinery releases toxic air pollutants
E&E News: Houston is one hurricane away from an oil and gas disaster
EXTRACTION
Chemical & Engineering News: Carbon capture is struggling just as big projects start
Montel News: Germany pivots to carbon capture and storage to cut emissions
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Trump Rides to the Northeast’s Energy Rescue
Capital Gazette: Trump’s big, ugly, environmentally destructive bill
NOLA.com: What is Louisiana really getting for its love of oil and gas?
Center for International Environmental Law: False Solutions Face Real Resistance: Air Products’ Retreat Reveals Cracks in the Carbon Capture Market
PIPELINE NEWS
Anchorage Daily News: Top Trump officials visit Prudhoe Bay, vowing to see a ‘big beautiful’ pipeline built
Alex DeMarban, 6/3/25
“Top members of President Donald Trump’s administration visited one of the largest oil fields in North America on Monday and met with dignitaries from Asian countries that are eyeing investments in the $44 billion Alaska LNG project,” the Anchorage Daily News reports. “The trip to Prudhoe Bay, off Alaska’s northernmost coast, included Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. They were joined by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, oil company executives who are pursuing large oil discoveries and Alaska LNG officials. The Cabinet members’ visit to the North Slope, part of a multiday trip to the state, showed Trump’s commitment to developing Alaska’s oil and gas resources in a state that has often faced high hurdles to drilling, mining and logging, many of the officials said. It’s also drawing protests from conservation groups and some tribal groups, which are holding “Alaska Is Not For Sale” protests outside the governor’s Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference that the cabinet members will attend starting Tuesday at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. The long-sought Alaska LNG project, which would sell vast quantities of liquefied natural gas from the North Slope, also faces skepticism, with some critics saying that its already-steep price tag is likely an underestimate and that taxpayers could be on the hook for federal subsidies for the project. That criticism was nowhere in sight on the North Slope, where Trump’s energy team led an energetic and lengthy pep rally for Alaska’s oil and gas resources, despite finger-numbing winds… “The Cabinet officials said they would fight to see development of the Alaska LNG project, which would build another 800-mile pipeline starting near the trans-Alaska pipeline… “The poster child of that American energy to be unleashed is right here in Alaska,” Wright said, referring to Alaska LNG and more oil production.”
MyCentralJersey.com: Trump paves way for revival of natural gas pipeline through New Jersey, under Raritan Bay
Mike Deak, 6/3/25
“The fight is back on. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco), citing executive orders signed by President Trump on his inauguration day, has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the reissuance of permission to construct and operate the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, which calls for about 23 miles of a natural gas pipeline that would pass through Central Jersey then under Raritan Bay to Long Island,” MyCentralJersey.com reports. “...But Transco has asked FERC to reauthorize the project by Aug. 29 so the company can begin construction by the end of the year… “Transco said it has already begun talks with officials in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania to obtain the permits… “The executive order also directs federal agencies to "use all relevant lawful emergency and other authorities available to them to expedite the completion of all authorized and appropriated infrastructure." Transco's petition also argues "the need for the project still remains," adding "the need for energy supply in the Northeast has become even more urgent." “...The news that Transco has revived the plan also reignited the opposition. “We’re prepared to stop the unneeded, expensive and dangerous polluting Transco project which was denied previously – in New York,” Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and a Franklin Township councilman, told MyCentralJersey.com. "The denial was unequivocal 'with prejudice' for failing to meet public health and safety requirements." "...This is all part of Trump’s plan to enrich his billionaire friends and campaign donors," he told MyCentralJersey.com. "Any elected official or agency who approves of the construction of the expensive and unneeded NESE pipeline project is supporting lining the pockets of oil and gas CEOs and do not care about the health and safety of the communities that they serve.” "We're ready to fight," Taylor McFarland, communications program manager for the Sierra Club, New Jersey Chapter, told MyCentralJersey.com.”
Milwaukee Independent: Advocates warn fast-tracking of Line 5 tunnel project threatens Wisconsin’s Lake Superior watershed
Todd Richmond, 6/3/25
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to fast-track permits for building a protective tunnel around an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, stoking environmentalists’ fears that the project will escape scrutiny, damage the sensitive region, and perpetuate fossil fuel use,” the Milwaukee Independent reports. “...The corps had initially planned to make a permitting decision early next year. Corps officials were vague during a conference call with reporters on April 16 about how quickly the process may move forward. The Detroit District’s regulatory chief, Shane McCoy, said that the timeline will be “truncated” but did not elaborate beyond saying no steps would be skipped and the process will result in “a very legally defensible, very well-informed decision.” Multiple groups lined up to criticize the fast-track decision, including the Sierra Club, environmental law firm Earthjustice and the Great Lakes Business Network, a coalition of businesses that works to protect the Great Lakes with sustainable business practices. “The only energy ’emergency’ the American people face is Trump’s efforts to disregard clean air and water safeguards in order to rush through dirty, dangerous fossil fuel projects,” Mahyar Sorour, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy, told MI.”
WV News: Report: Mountain Valley Pipeline played ‘crucial role’ during arctic weather
Charles Young, 5/30/25
“A recently published report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission found that the Mountain Valley Pipeline played a ‘crucial role’ in helping keep the lights on as arctic weather impacted the eastern United States earlier this year,” WV News reports. “The pipeline reached its full capacity of 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day for the first time in January, just as the electrical grid powering much of the eastern region was being tested by increased demand during the brutal cold. Electrical systems in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina “indicated that the pipeline played a crucial role in maintaining reliable electric supply during this high demand period by sustaining stable pipeline pressure,” according to the report.” The report — written by FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and its regional entities — examined how the country’s bulk power system performed during successive cold weather events in January. The report found no “major issues in either the natural gas or electric systems” and called for the “continued coordination between natural gas and electric systems in preparing for and responding to extreme cold weather.”
Bloomberg: Carney Open to New Canada Oil Pipeline Tied to Carbon Capture
Brian Platt and Thomas Seal, 6/2/25
“Mark Carney said he sees opportunity for Canada to build a new pipeline to ship more oil to foreign markets, if it’s tied to billions in green investments to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint,” Bloomberg reports. “The prime minister, speaking after a summit with provincial leaders on Monday, said it’s “absolutely in our interest” to de-carbonize Canada’s oil and consider a new conduit to allow more crude exports without having to sell it to the US, which already buys some 4 million barrels a day from its northern neighbor. He said there was support around the table for creating western and northern trade corridors in Canada to help export resources, including the potential “for an oil pipeline to get to tidewater.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, whose province produces most of Canada’s oil, described the broad outline of what she called a “grand bargain” during a press conference after the meeting in the western city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. That deal would include rapid approval of a new pipeline alongside large investments from Canadian oil sands companies into technology that offsets or captures planet-warming emissions. The question is how to pay for it. Smith said a new pipeline that would ship 1 million barrels a day to the west coast — which she said should be privately funded — could yield revenues of C$20 billion ($14.6 billion) a year, which might also be the potential cost of a massive proposed carbon-capture project in western Canada known as Pathways… “Any new pipeline would also be likely to pass through the territories of indigenous First Nations, who may oppose it. All that could lead to court challenges.”
Financial Times: Mark Carney courts oil industry in bid to Trump-proof Canada’s economy
Ilya Gridneff, 6/2/25
“Mark Carney has vowed to work with Canada’s oil industry to boost production and reduce emissions, as the new prime minister touts an economic agenda to face down Donald Trump’s tariff threats,” the Financial Times reports. “...Carney offered tentative backing for new pipelines and a multibillion-dollar project to capture carbon from Alberta’s oil sands, describing a “grand bargain” to support new energy exports while reducing emissions… “The overture to the oil sector marks a shift for Carney, who warned of the climate risks associated with fossil fuel production while governor of the Bank of England… “We have recognised and appreciate the significant change in tone from prime minister Carney’s new federal government,” Lisa Baiton, chief executive of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told FT. Baiton told FT they were also “very encouraged” by the appointment of energy minister Tim Hodgson, who was formerly at Goldman Sachs and MEG Energy, another oil producer in Alberta… “A C$20bn project, called Pathways Alliance, has been pushed by oil companies in western Canada as a way to reduce the emissions associated with producing crude that is considered among the most carbon-intensive in the world. Alberta’s conservative premier Danielle Smith has sought to link federal government support for new export pipeline projects to the plan to capture carbon from the oil sands. “It would cost anywhere from C$10bn to C$20bn to get this built,” Smith said, referring to the carbon-capture project. “If we had a million barrels a day pipeline going to the north-west British Columbia coast, that would generate about C$20bn a year in revenue.”
Canadian Press: Carney discusses “partnerships” with oil and gas executives in Calgary
Bill Graveland, 6/1/25
“Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down with oil and gas executives in Calgary Sunday to discuss partnerships and to get their input for his plans to make Canada an energy superpower,” the Canadian Press reports. “Carney, in his first visit to Calgary since being sworn in as prime minister, held a closed door roundtable with more than two dozen members of the energy sector. Attendees included Tourmaline Oil CEO Michael Rose, Pathways Alliance President Kendall Dilling, ATCO CEO Nancy Southern, Imperial Oil President John Whelan and Jon McKenzie, president of Cenovus Energy… “The CEOs want an overhaul of the Impact Assessment Act, which sets out the process for assessing major projects, and of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which bans oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude from stopping along parts of British Columbia’s coastline… “Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was asked on her weekend radio show if she was concerned that the federal throne speech didn’t include a mention of pipelines. “He may not have said the words ‘oil and gas’ and he may not have said the word ‘pipeline,’ but conventional energy means oil and gas, and the only way to get it to market efficiently is through pipelines,” Smith, who says she’s hoping for a one-on-one with Carney at Monday’s First Ministers conference in Saskatoon, told CP.”
Bloomberg: FERC Under Fire During Arguments for Pipeline Expansion Approval
Shayna Greene, 6/2/25
“The Fifth Circuit had to navigate arguments on Monday from states, environmental groups, and a pipeline company challenging different aspects of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders approving a natural gas expansion project,” Bloomberg reports. “The pipeline case was up first on the schedule, which Judge Carl E. Stewart during arguments referred to as “everybody versus FERC.” Stewart summarized all of the arguments from the consolidated cases as boiling down to similar themes when questioning FERC’s representations. The different parties before the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit essentially said that the commission was “asleep at the switch”...”
Law360: FERC 'Never' Considered Costs Of NW Pipeline, 5th Circ. Told
Catherine Marfin, 6/2/25
“The state of Washington told a Fifth Circuit panel Monday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission " never rationally considered what the true costs" were for a TC Energy Corp. pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest,” Law360 reports.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
New York Times: Trump Administration to Open Alaska Wilderness to Drilling and Mining
Lisa Friedman, 6/2/25
“The Trump administration said on Monday that it planned to eliminate federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness, a move that would allow drilling and mining in some of the last remaining pristine wilderness in the country,” the New York Times reports. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Biden administration had exceeded its authority last year when it banned oil and gas drilling in more than half of the 23 million-acre area, known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The proposed repeal is part of President Trump’s aggressive agenda to “drill, baby, drill,” which calls for increased oil and gas extraction on public lands and the repeal of virtually all climate and environmental protections. “We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track,” Mr. Burgum said in a statement… “The announcement came as Mr. Burgum traveled to Alaska, accompanied by Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Chris Wright, the secretary of the Energy Department. The three were expected to encourage companies to drill in sensitive areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to support a liquefied natural gas pipeline in the state. The plan to allow drilling in the petroleum reserve drew praise from the oil industry… “Alaska is warming at a rate two to three times as fast as the global average, resulting in thawing permafrost and melting sea ice. It is also disrupting the hunting, fishing and food-gathering practices of Indigenous communities… “Others told the Times opening up the reserve threatened to destroy habitat for caribou and thousands of migratory birds, and would put communities that depend on subsistence hunting at risk. “This is very concerning to us,” Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, a former mayor of the predominantly Inupiaq city of Nuiqsut, told the Times. Matt Jackson, the Alaska State senior manager at The Wilderness Society, an environmental group, called the repeal of environmental protections an outrage.”
E&E News: Mike Lee seeks to reinstate public lands sales in megabill
Garrett Downs, 6/3/25
“Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee wants to revive public lands sales axed last month from the Republican tax, energy and security spending megabill,” E&E News reports. “E&E asked the Utah Republican Monday whether he intended to bring back public lands provisions that were cut from the House package. Lee, who was on his way to a procedural vote on a Defense department nominee, responded, “I gotta go vote, but yes.” Last month, following a protracted intraparty battle, House leaders stripped the sale or transfer of nearly half a million acres in Nevada and Utah from the “one, big, beautiful bill.” “...Public lands sales are caustic to some members of the Senate like Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who has vowed to never vote for the sale of public lands… “The return of public lands sales would also reignite anger from Democrats and public lands advocates, who have long worried about Lee’s intentions… “The language was stripped by House leadership just hours before the vote after a push from Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), Trump’s first Interior secretary. He had threatened to vote against the whole bill unless the provision was removed.”
E&E News: Trump’s DOE budget plan details department overhaul
Christa Marshall, Brian Dabbs, 6/3/25
“The Trump administration is fleshing out a budget proposal to support an overhaul of the Department of Energy, proposing steep cuts to most clean energy technology programs and a hefty funding boost for maintaining and upgrading America’s fleet of nuclear weapons,” E&E News reports. “In a “budget in brief” document for fiscal 2026 posted Monday, DOE said it is looking to zero out funding for solar, wind and hydrogen offices and slash spending by more than 30 percent for offices focused exclusively on electricity and fossil fuels. Trump’s $46.3 billion proposal also directs DOE’s new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, designed to help cut industrial emissions, to “wind down operations.” And it calls for cutting the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) by more than 70 percent… “The proposal also may work in tandem with the rolling back of clean energy tax credits under the Republican’s budget reconciliation package before the Senate.”
Heatmap: The Supreme Court Just Started a Permitting Revolution
Robinson Meyer, 6/2/25
“On Thursday, the Supreme Court transformed the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, an environmental permitting law that affects virtually every decision that the federal government makes,” Heatmap reports. “The quasi-unanimous ruling limits the law’s scope and cuts off future avenues for challenging energy and infrastructure projects under the law. It could reshape the scale of legal challenges that projects could face in the future, giving the Trump administration — and any successive administration — greater leeway to approve energy projects… “In other words, an agency need only study the environmental impact of a project itself — be it a pipeline, a solar farm, or, in the case at issue, a railroad — and not its metaphorically downstream consequences. That remains the case even if a given project might indirectly make it much easier to do something with a big environmental footprint, such as drilling for oil or natural gas… “But Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the court’s conservative majority, went much further than that summary alone suggests. In a broad and forceful ruling, he told lower courts that they should stop nitpicking the environmental studies that federal agencies must publish under NEPA to justify their own decision-making. Courts should, instead, defer to federal agencies as much as is reasonable when reviewing a NEPA study… “Kavanaugh’s ruling is “pretty striking for just how strident it is, and how assertively it tries to shut the door on further NEPA litigation,” Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor who studies the permitting system, told Heatmap… “At the very least, the ruling suggests that a new phase in the effort to reform the country’s permitting laws has arrived. Now that movement has, in essence, been blessed by the Supreme Court.”
Inside EPA: CEQ Releases Detailed Plan To Use Technology To Speed NEPA Reviews
5/30/25
“Responding to a 2023 congressional mandate, the White House is releasing a detailed plan to use technology to speed permitting under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a measure that could speed environmental reviews as policymakers and the Supreme Court criticize the law for delaying infrastructure projects,” Inside EPA reports. “The strategy “will guide the government-wide implementation of 21st-century technology to eliminate needless delays to important infrastructure projects, protecting the economic well-being and welfare of the American people,” the White House says in an introduction to its May 30 Permitting Technology Action Plan. The White House in a press release argues the plan “provides a government-wide strategy to optimize technology to effectively and efficiently evaluate environmental permits, allowing for seamless information exchange between agencies, simplified interactions for applicants, and greater transparency and predictability on environmental review and permitting schedules for sponsors and stakeholders.” The plan includes near-term requirements for agencies as well as longer-term goals to improve the ‘performance’ of their environmental review systems.”
E&E News: House DOGE panel to probe environmental groups
Timothy Cama, 6/2/25
“The House panel focused on government efficiency will hold a hearing this week on environmental groups and whether Democrats have funneled taxpayer money to them,” E&E News reports. “The Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing is titled ‘Public Funds, Private Agendas: NGOs Gone Wild.’ The DOGE panel, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), is meant to complement Elon Musk’s government-slashing initiative. The hearing comes as environmental groups and other nonprofits worry about their future under the Trump administration. That includes protecting their tax-exempt status. “Radical, left-wing Democrats have bankrolled NGOs to advance their destructive agenda at the expense of American taxpayers,” Greene said in a statement about the hearing. “From the Green New Deal scam to facilitating mass illegal immigration and the resettlement of illegal aliens across the United States, NGOs have expended billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars in pursuit of agendas that most Americans oppose.” “...The hearing is Wednesday, June 4, at 2 p.m. in HVC-210 Capitol and via webcast. Witnesses: Mark Krikorian, executive director, Center for Immigration Studies. Daniel Turner, founder and executive director, Power the Future. Scott Walter, president, Capital Research Center.”
STATE UPDATES
KERO: Federal government withdraws $500 million grant for carbon capture project in Lebec
Sam Hoyle, 6/2/25
“The Dept. of Energy announced the Lebec Net-Zero Project, and 23 others, would lose federal funding accounting for $3.7 billion dollars,” KERO reports. “The prpject was a collaboration between National Cement of California and Carbon TerraVault, a branch of the California Resources Corporation. A half-billion dollars in matching funds for a carbon sequestration and capture project outside of Lebec has been pulled by the federal government… “The project named Lebec Net-Zero Project project, a collaboration between the National Cement Company of California and Carbon Terravault, a branch of the California Resources Corporation, had three main components according to a release from National Cement describing the project: Producing a blended cement that uses a "less carbon intensive alternative"; Using alternatives to fossil fuels like bio-mass, the release mentions pistachio shells; Carbon capture and sequestration… “As of this moment it is unclear whether the project will move forward.”
Smile Politely: Rep. Carol Ammons discusses protecting the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon capture
Ryan Boyd-Sharpe, 6/2/25
“...There have been a number of proposals to store carbon near or under the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies water to about one million people in Central Illinois, including residents of Champaign-Urbana,” Smile Politely reports. “The Mahomet Aquifer is a sole-source aquifer, meaning that there are no viable alternative sources of drinking water for the residents currently receiving water from it. And were a company to store CO2 under it, they would be running the risk of CO2 seeping upward into the aquifer — which would be catastrophic. Central Illinois has already seen a failed attempt to capture carbon in a leak that occurred at Archer Daniels Midland’s (ADM) facility in Decatur. ADM had been injecting CO2 under the facility — next to the footprint of the Mahomet Aquifer — for over a decade when company officials discovered that the carbon had seeped through a corroded pipe beyond where they were legally allowed to store carbon. Though this instance, thankfully, did not pose a threat to the aquifer, it demonstrated why carbon sequestration should be kept away from our water sources: leaks happen. To prevent this risk to the Mahomet Aquifer, Senators Paul Faraci and Chapin Rose sponsored a bill (Senate Bill 2317) that would protect the Mahomet Aquifer and its recharge zones from carbon sequestration (recharge zones being spots where the aquifer is naturally replenished after its water is removed for human use)... “The bill to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, though steadfast in its protections of the aquifer itself, has undergone changes that some, including Rep. Ammons, has expressed disappointment with. These revisions, made to appeal to those in opposition to the bill (including energy labor unions), include the removal of recharge zones under its protection… “Carol Ammons: I led the effort to protect the Mahomet Aquifer in the House because every single human being deserves access to clean, safe drinking water… “The ADM leak in Decatur is a look into the future we could face if the legislation we passed isn’t signed by the governor.”
My San Antonio: Conservative Texas think tank targets Calif. landmark near popular national park
Priscilla Aguirre, 6/1/25
“A conservative Texas think tank is pushing back against the creation of California’s newest national monument, the Chuckwalla National Monument,” My San Antonio reports. “The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, claiming the federal government made the land less accessible for recreation and mining. Former President Joe Biden established the 624,270-acre Chuckwalla National Monument on January 14, 2025, through the Antiquities Act, which allows the U.S. to provide general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on federal lands, according to the National Park Service. TPPF argues that presidents have pushed the limits of the Antiquities Act over the years, according to a news release from the group on May 1. The organization stated, “This lame duck land grab by the federal government makes public lands less accessible for recreation, amateur mining, and other uses; creates more red tape; and prevents new roads from being opened.”
E&E News: Judge nixes suit over Colorado oil and gas leasing permits
Niina H. Farah, 6/2/25
“A federal judge in Colorado has dismissed a conservation group’s challenge to federal drilling permits for extracting publicly owned oil and gas from wells on adjacent private and state lands,” E&E News reports. “Judge Daniel Domenico on the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado said the Center for Biological Diversity lacked standing to bring its case challenging the Interior Department’s approval of so-called Fee/Fee/Fed wells in Colorado’s Pawnee National Grassland. The type of extraction associated with these wells involves boring horizontally beneath the surface of state or private land — sometimes across miles — to tap federal oil and gas. The Center for Biological Diversity had alleged that the proliferation of oil and gas development in northeastern Colorado — without the federal government imposing measures to mitigate environmental harm — impaired its members’ enjoyment of the grassland. Although other suits successfully raised similar claims to establish standing, in this case the Center for Biological Diversity “has not shown enough of a geographic nexus between that injury and the claims asserted here to carry its burden to show the two other features mandated by the doctrine of standing: causation and redressability,” Domenico wrote in an order Thursday.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Red Alert: A Louisiana refinery spilled toxic waste into the community and knew about it for months
Wesley Muller, 6/2/25
“For several months, a River Parishes refinery unlawfully discharged industrial toxic waste containing arsenic, cadmium, chromium and other toxic heavy metals into public areas and waterways, state records show,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “The company, Atlantic Alumina, also known as Atalco, has so far racked up 23 violation notices from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality after inspectors first discovered the pollution in August. It involves a slurry of industrial “red mud” byproduct that has eroded through the giant levees surrounding the facility’s waste containment lakes and spilled onto public property. The toxic sludge has killed vegetation and contaminated the land along its path to a local drainage system that flows to the Blind River Swamp of Lake Maurepas, according to a 606-page LDEQ inspection report finalized in March. The incident marks the first known case of red mud levee breaches at an American bauxite refinery. When asked for details, LDEQ spokesman Gregory Langley had little information to share about the prolonged discharge other than to say it is currently under investigation with the agency’s enforcement division. The only enforcement action taken as of May 29 is a warning letter LDEQ sent to Atalco. A review of thousands of pages of state and federal documents and interviews with scientists and area residents indicate that Atalco polluted public land and state waterways with the most toxic non-radioactive elements on the planet and allowed that pollution to continue for months — never notifying the outside community.”
WHYY: ‘Boiler failure’ at Delaware City Refinery releases toxic air pollutants
Sophia Schmidt, 5/30/25
“A hazardous air pollutant has been leaking from the Delaware City Refinery for several days,” WHYY reports. “Early Monday morning, an alert sent through Delaware’s Environmental Release Notification System described a “mechanical issue” that started late Sunday night, causing the release of several chemicals into the air, including carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen cyanide, noted as “HCN.” The report said repairs “were being made.” A similar report the next day described the incident as a “boiler issue” that caused a larger release of sulfur dioxide, and repeated that “repairs are being made to the boiler.” By mid-week, the issue had apparently worsened, with a report Wednesday morning describing a “boiler failure” and a release of sulfur dioxide at a rate of 500 pounds per hour. The release of sulfur dioxide grew to a rate of 1,450 pounds per hour by Thursday morning, according to the notification system… “Sulfur dioxide can be life-threatening when breathed in at very high concentrations, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… “The reports in Delaware’s Environmental Release Notification System mark the release as “extremely hazardous,” and say the chemical “may cause death or permanent injury after very short exposure to small quantities.” The reports do not specify whether workers or people living or working near the site could be exposed. They indicate that the public was notified, but that no precautions were recommended.”
E&E News: Houston is one hurricane away from an oil and gas disaster
Shelby Webb, 6/3/25
“The Gulf Coast — and its multibillion-dollar oil industry — is no stranger to hurricanes,” E&E News reports. “...But all those storms would pale in comparison to the major hurricane experts say will one day hit the nation’s most critical oil refining and petrochemical processing hubs. A Category 3 hurricane hitting just south of Houston could send a two-story storm surge through the city, becoming what experts and local leaders told E&E could be one of the most catastrophic events in history… “Researchers and scientists at Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters — or SSPEED — Center have studied what could happen if a major hurricane were to hit the region and its massive petrochemical and energy complex. In their worst-case scenario, a Category 4 or 5 storm would hit the Freeport area, which is located about 60 miles south of downtown Houston. That level of storm could create a 20-plus-foot storm surge, sending it up through Galveston Bay into the Houston Ship Channel, Blackburn said. An estimated 2,000 tanks — storing everything from unrefined crude to petrochemicals — would be flooded with a 22- to 24-foot storm surge, according to modeling by Rice University researchers. The contents of the tanks would spill out into the gushing water and eventually be sucked out to sea by way of Galveston Bay… “In short, it would mean unprecedented chemical releases into the air and water and mind-numbing damage to one of the country’s largest energy and petrochemical hubs. The death toll could be in the hundreds or thousands, depending on the evacuation orders and the ability to get people out ahead of the storm, Blackburn told E&E. On top of that, widespread damage to refineries and petrochemical plants could take months or years to repair. Some facilities may never reopen in that worst-case scenario.”
EXTRACTION
Chemical & Engineering News: Carbon capture is struggling just as big projects start
Alex Scott, 6/2/25
“An array of 12 cigar-shaped steel holding tanks connected to a sleek concrete dock is all that can be seen of Northern Lights, Europe’s newest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project,” Chemical & Engineering News reports. “...If all goes as planned, within weeks the site’s owners—the oil companies Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies—will begin pumping the first shipments of liquid CO2 into the void. The hope is that this project will mark the start of a growth phase for CCS after years of delays and project cancellations due to technology glitches, high costs, and lack of funding. But CCS has a new challenge: a retreat in both industry and government from ambitious goals for CO2 emissions cuts. This growing resistance to reaching net-zero emissions means that some carbon capture technology pioneers are suffering financially and paring back plans. The market for carbon reduction credits is growing but is still small, and the buyers are mostly a handful of software giants and other large companies. Experts warn that CCS needs to be supported more widely because it is the only technology that can be scaled fast enough to prevent catastrophic climate change. “First-of-a-kind technology challenges continue to contribute to delays in some projects, and reliance on subsidies and offtake agreements continues to play a critical role in project viability,” Thilo Trabner, business development manager for ABB, a Zurich-based provider of CCS technology, told CEN… “In all cases, technologies are still developing—and costs are still high… “Projects being executed now rely heavily on subsidies. For example, Northern Lights is rolling out the first ships to carry liquid CO2 to storage sites; the Norwegian government has provided about 80% of the $400 million cost of building this first phase… “Other CCS projects rely even more on government money… “The government funds are designed to bridge the gap between the price of carbon in the UK’s emissions trading scheme and the cost of CCS… “High costs have led some European oil and gas companies—at the behest of their shareholders—to pull back on their investments in CCS and other low-carbon technologies.”
Montel News: Germany pivots to carbon capture and storage to cut emissions
Nathan Witkop, 6/3/25
“Germany's new government has different energy priorities from its predecessor,” Montel News reports. “Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right Christian Union campaigned on preserving energy security and keeping costs down. It shares the prior center-left government's aim to make Germany carbon neutral by 2045. But unlike its predecessor, it is more open to which technologies should pave the way there. One of these is carbon capture and storage – or CCS. Whether this is always economical, however, is another matter.”
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Trump Rides to the Northeast’s Energy Rescue
Editorial Board, 5/30/25
“President Trump’s energy policy has been an economic bright spot. Even New Englanders who didn’t vote for President Trump might cheer if he strikes a mooted deal with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul that would let more cheap natural gas flow to her own state and the Northeast,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “Interior Secretary Doug Burgum hinted at a quid-pro-quo last week when he lifted a pause on a wind project off the coast of Long Island… “Enter Ms. Hochul, who has an opportunity to deliver the gas that New York and New England desperately need. After Mr. Burgum withdrew his pause on the Long Island wind project, she cagily said she’d work with the Trump Administration and companies on “new energy projects.” Mr. Burgum’s tweet suggests a deal on gas pipelines could be in the works, though she denied a quid-pro-quo. Ms. Hochul no doubt doesn’t want to further anger the climate lobby, which is seething that she delayed the state’s cap-and-trade plan because of its costs. But press reports this week say that Williams energy company plans to resurrect two long-stalled pipeline projects in New York, which suggests it’s confident that state permits will be forthcoming. If the Governor were smart, she’d take the gift the Trump team is handing her and try to ride it to re-election next year.”
Capital Gazette: Trump’s big, ugly, environmentally destructive bill
Gerald Winegrad represented the greater Annapolis area as a Democrat in the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate for 16 years, 5/30/25
“President Donald Trump has earned the sobriquet as the most virulently anti-environmental president in history,” Gerald Winegrad writes for the Capital Gazette. “His contempt for conservation measures is embraced in his ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ that he forced through the House of Representatives on May 22 by one vote. This legislation has drawn intensive coverage for the huge deficit created and the trillions of dollars added to the national debt and in its massive cuts to Medicaid, depriving millions of health care. However, its paralyzing ecological impacts have been ignored. In reality, this legislation is one big and extremely ugly bill… “Let’s call this what it is: One Big Bailout for Billionaires, paid for by gutting our environmental protections, auctioning off our public lands, and dragging us back to the days when rivers caught fire, the air choked our lungs, and polluters ruled unchecked… “If Big Oil, Wall Street, and MAGA cultists locked themselves in a room to write a wish list, this bill would be it.”
NOLA.com: What is Louisiana really getting for its love of oil and gas?
Bob Marshall, 6/1/25
“What if I told you that most of your politicians in Baton Rouge and Washington are supporting measures that increase the odds your children will contract terrible diseases just to protect a business sector that ranks only 15th in state employment? And what if I told you that fading sector was oil, gas and petrochemicals?,” Bob Marshall writes for NOLA.com. “I know what you would be thinking. I thought the same thing when I first saw those facts. After all, for 50 years, Louisiana politicians have been claiming those industries are so important to the state’s economy that voters (and reporters) should excuse the growing scientific evidence of their major role in destroying our coastal ecosystems and making this state one of the most polluted in the nation… “But as the rigs on state lands began to play out, the industry moved offshore into federal waters and that income began to drop, then plunge. So did its employee rolls. The extent of that fall is clearly outlined in a report from the Research Lab at the nonprofit American Public Media titled “Recent History Suggests That ‘Drill Baby Drill’ is unlikely to spark economic revival in Louisiana.” Two of its key findings: The percentage of the state’s total income from oil and gas has dropped from 60% in the 1960s to just 4.5%. And while those sectors made up one-third of Louisiana’s economy as late as 1999, they now create less than one-seventh. Further data from a 2023 Louisiana Workforce Commission report shows the mining sector — which includes oil, gas and petrochemical — ranks only 15th in employment with just under 28,000 employees. That’s dwarfed by the almost 300,000 working in the state-leading health care and social assistance sector. Yet despite those unimpressive numbers, Louisiana politicians — including almost every Republican — continue to treat the sector like the economic powerhouse it once was while simultaneously holding back development of clean energy such as solar and wind. This would be bad enough if the favored treatment meant only unjustified tax breaks. But it has risen to political malpractice, as those politicians support two of President Donald Trump’s biggest initiatives.”
Center for International Environmental Law: False Solutions Face Real Resistance: Air Products’ Retreat Reveals Cracks in the Carbon Capture Market
Jessi Parfait, Senior US Carbon Capture Campaigner, and Lindsey Jurca, Senior Communications Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law, 6/2/25
“In a major win for frontline communities in Cancer Alley, industrial gas giant Air Products announced a significant retreat from its so-called “Louisiana Clean Energy Complex,” Jessi Parfait and Lindsey Jurca write for the Center for International Environmental Law. “While the company insists the project is not yet canceled and they are still seeking permits for it, Air Products is actively seeking to offload the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and ammonia components of the complex — a clear signal that these parts of the project are too risky, too costly, or both. This backpedal is a warning sign for investors still betting on CCS and ammonia as climate solutions — or on the complacency of nearby communities threatened by the construction of these facilities… “To understand the significance of this shift from “landmark megaproject” to a tentative facility now for sale in pieces, let’s look back at the history of the project, the power of community resistance, and why the fight is far from over. The Louisiana Clean Energy Complex would have been Air Products’ largest US investment, and, if the company finds a buyer, is intended to be the world’s largest carbon sequestration project… “Marketed as “safe and effective,” CCS’ track record tells a different story. In 2020, a CO2 pipeline leak hospitalized 49 people in Satartia, Mississippi. The gas — an asphyxiant — stalled rescue vehicles and complicated emergency response… “Meanwhile, Air Products continues to claim the project would capture 95 percent of its carbon emissions, an ambitious claim considering experts at the Institute for Energy Economic Financial Analysis (IEEFA) have found that no CCS facility has ever even approached that level of emissions capture. What Air Products pitched as a climate solution is, in fact, a gamble on risky, unproven technology that has proven to do little more than endanger already overburdened communities… “The announcement came as Air Products attempts to stabilize its profits and salvage investor confidence, but seems to indicate that false solutions like CCS and blue hydrogen are losing credibility… “Powerful grassroots organizing directly impacted Air Products’ retreat. Groups like Rise St. James, Concerned Citizens of St. John, the Lake Maurepas Preservation Society, and Earthworks have mobilized communities, spoken out at public hearings, and raised awareness about the risks this project posed, from toxic emissions to pipeline ruptures… “Beyond preventing immediate harm, community resistance has exposed the broader flaws in carbon capture schemes and plays a pivotal role in shifting the political and financial calculus for investors.”