EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/15/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• Successful Farming: A Look at the History and Safety Regulations Behind Carbon Pipelines

• North Dakota Monitor: 2 carbon pipeline lawsuits against Summit, North Dakota PSC merged

• Forbes: Natural Gas Gets A Political Jolt—But Pipeline Gaps Risk The Payoff

• Financial Times: Inside Mark Carney’s ‘grand bargain’ with the Canadian oil industry

• DeSmog: Fast Tracking a Pipeline to BC’s Coast Will Undermine Canada’s Security

• Latin Lawyer: Vaca Muerta pipeline gets US$1.7 billion financing

• Press release: Tallgrass Announces Commencement of Open Season for New Natural Gas Pipeline from the Permian Basin to Multiple Markets

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: House releases Interior-EPA spending bill with deep cuts

• E&E News: Trump megalaw will increase emissions, slow clean energy growth

• E&E News: Gas industry sees big savings from rewriting LNG rules

• Reuters: Biofuel demand to soak up more than half of US soyoil production next year, USDA says

STATE UPDATES

• Daily Montanan: Montana leads coalition of states pushing to join federal climate change lawsuit

• San Francisco Chronicle: Trump administration eyes California for new oil and gas drilling — including Bay Area

• Engineering News-Record: Chevron Makes Plans for $5B Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Project in Texas

• Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Environmentalists sue EPA to reassess a toxic chemical used at a Pa. oil refinery

• Las Vegas Sun: Fight over public land sales in Nevada shifts to Cortez Masto proposal

• Mountain State Spotlight: Officials touted a bill that will help plug orphaned gas wells, but it leaves taxpayers, not the drillers, covering the cost

• E&E News: Sage grouse blink out in Burgum’s North Dakota

• Inside Climate News: Why Calling the Texas Flooding ‘An Act of God’ Is a Dangerous Form of Political Denial

• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Refinery closures present risk for higher gasoline prices on the West Coast

EXTRACTION

• Bloomberg: EU to Outline What Tech Can Be Used for Permanent CO2 Removal

• Hydrogen Insight: CF Industries starts CO2 capture for retrofitted blue hydrogen-based ammonia plant — with a controversial storage option

• Heatmap: Meta’s AI Buildout Will Require More Than 2 Gigawatts of New Gas-Fired Electricity — At Least

• Reuters: Venture Global Starts LNG Production from Plaquemines Phase 2, Sources Say

• Peoples Gazette: Bonga Oil Spill: Fishermen beg FG to compel Shell to pay $3.5 billion compensation

• NPR: When old oil wells become 'orphans,' that's a problem

• Newswise: Cyclic CO2 injection: a promising approach for unconventional reservoirs

OPINION

• NOLA.com: Let's not pretend market is demanding carbon capture

• National Post: A surefire way to increase oil production and lower emissions

• Toronto Star: Premiers Ford and Smith plans for new oil pipelines may just be a pipe dream

• Wall Street Journal: A Second Push for Mike Lee’s Federal Land Sales

• PennLive: Why Pennsylvanians must speak up for methane safeguards

• The Hill: Big Oil has been lying to us for decades: Don’t let it off the hook
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Successful Farming: A Look at the History and Safety Regulations Behind Carbon Pipelines
Alex Gray, 7/14/25

“As the ethanol industry seeks to decarbonize, so as to meet tax credit requirements, pipeline companies are planning to establish routes across the Midwest,” Successful Farming reports. “Those pipelines will transport and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) generated during ethanol production, allowing ethanol plants to take advantage of tax credits… “The first large-scale CO2 pipeline in the U.S. was the Canyon Reef pipeline, established in the 1970s for use during the enhanced oil recovery process in the Permian Basin in Texas. Pipeline infrastructure grew to around 3,000 miles during the early 2000s. Now there are over 5,300 miles of carbon pipelines in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the country will need an increase of up to 20 times the existing carbon pipeline mileage by 2050. Several studies have attempted to optimize the required pipelines. based on varying estimates of CO2 that will need to be transported, with an estimated 30,000 to 96,000 miles of additional carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) pipelines required by 2050, according to the Department of Energy… “While carbon pipelines haven’t noted a fatality since reporting began in 1988, like any project of this magnitude, landowners and advocacy groups have voiced concerns about safety… “In the final days of President Biden’s administration, PHMSA proposed new, comprehensive requirements for CO2 and other hazardous liquid pipelines. It was withdrawn days later when President Trump took office, and issued a sweeping order freezing all pending regulations by executive departments and agencies… “Pipeline regulations are in further doubt following Trump’s executive order in February that targeted regulations deemed “unconstitutional” or that would “impose significant costs upon private parties that are not outweighed by public benefits.” Despite changes to regulations, MonteShaw, of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, told SF he expects the Trump administration to continue supporting carbon pipeline projects moving forward. “Trump is the godfather of the carbon pipelines — he’s the one that signed 45Q in the law in such a way that it was actually economically viable to do these projects,” Shaw told SF.”

North Dakota Monitor: 2 carbon pipeline lawsuits against Summit, North Dakota PSC merged
Jeff Beach, 7/14/25

“Two lawsuits involving pipeline company Summit Carbon Solutions and the North Dakota Public Service Commission have been combined,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “The PSC, which approved a route permit Iowa-based Summit last year, requested that the two lawsuits be merged. One lawsuit is led by Burleigh County, the other by a group of landowners who oppose Summit’s proposed five-state carbon capture pipeline that would end at an underground storage area northwest of Bismarck… “Attorneys for Burleigh County and Summit Carbon Solutions did not object to the consolidation. Among the issues raised in the cases is a challenge to the PSC’s ruling that states zoning rules trump county zoning ordinances on pipelines. Plaintiffs also argue the agency did not give enough consideration to the safety of residents along the pipeline route. Another pending lawsuit involves a landowner challenge to the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s approval of permanent underground storage permits for Summit… “In another case, the North Dakota Supreme Court heard arguments in April in a challenge to a state law related to underground storage of CO2.”

Forbes: Natural Gas Gets A Political Jolt—But Pipeline Gaps Risk The Payoff
Ken Silverstein, 7/14/25

“President Trump’s July 4th signing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” delivered a political jolt to fossil fuels—complete with sweeping tax incentives and expanded access to federal lands. But while the law spotlights natural gas as a clean, reliable workhorse, it may overpromise and underdeliver without infrastructure to match,” Forbes reports. “Natural gas already fuels 43% of the U.S. grid and plays a critical balancing role alongside renewables. Yet, the bill pares back support for wind and solar projects that typically complement gas plants—potentially leaving the grid more exposed, not less. The political message was clear: fossil fuels are back. But the market—and the grid—aren’t so sure. Without new pipelines, faster permitting, and support from clean energy partners, the strategy will increase volatility rather than stability, especially as electricity demand rises and coal plants continue to retire… “Undermining green energy growth removes one of gas’s most important allies—and, paradoxically, could constrain its future… “People are looking at CCS and hydrogen-ready designs to future-proof gas plants,” Michael Caravaggio of the Electric Power Research Institute, told Forbes, referring to carbon capture and hydrogen integration as possible ways to square gas with climate goals. Still, he admitted, the transition is anything but simple. The federal push for natural gas also clashes with more ambitious domestic and international climate agendas. In California, for example, natural gas still powers more than half the grid—but the state is working to cut emissions by 48% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2045. That goal is likely incompatible with a long-term reliance on gas, Austin Hastings, PG&E’s vice president of gas engineering, told Forbes.”

Financial Times: Inside Mark Carney’s ‘grand bargain’ with the Canadian oil industry
Tom Wilson and Ilya Gridneff, 7/15/25

“...Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s effort to reset Ottawa’s relationship with Alberta’s oil industry is off to a rocky start, with a stand-off brewing over climate policy and who will pay for so-called decarbonised oil,” the Financial Times reports. “...Calgary-based Jeff Lawson, an executive vice-president at Cenovus Energy, one of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies, told FT he was “cautiously optimistic” about the government reset but numerous challenges are ahead. “There needs to be a prudent sharing of costs between governments and industry,” he told FT. “We believe in decarbonising our [oil] barrels but it has to be done in a way that keeps investors interested. Otherwise, there won’t be any capital.” “...In early June, Carney touted a “grand bargain” when meeting oil and gas executives. He offered tentative backing for new pipelines and a multibillion-dollar project to capture carbon from Alberta’s oil sands as a way to neutralise emissions and produce “decarbonised oil”... “Canada’s energy minister, Tim Hodgson, a former Goldman Sachs banker and ex-board member at MEG Energy, has signalled support for increasing oil production via CCS but has not said who will finance the project, in particular the ongoing operational costs of decarbonising oil… “Kevin Birn, chief analyst of Canadian oil markets at S&P Global, warned that without significant public investment in CCS, Canada risks missing its next oil boom. “It’s a costly but necessary abatement technology,” he told FT. Kendall Dilling, president of the Pathways Alliance, told FT the group “continues to work with governments to obtain sufficient levels of fiscal support and the required regulatory approvals to make the . . . [CCS] project a reality”... “But the costly decarbonisation process via the proposed Pathways project is a bill no one wants to pay at a time when Canada faces a widening budget deficit after increasing Nato defence spending and border security, in response to pressure from Trump. In early July, Hodgson announced a C$21.5mn investment in an Alberta-based CCS project, however, critics said the spending needs to be billions — not millions — of dollars… “An Enbridge spokesperson told FT: “Any new pipeline project would require careful consideration and real provincial and federal legislative change.”

DeSmog: Fast Tracking a Pipeline to BC’s Coast Will Undermine Canada’s Security
Mitch Andersono, 7/14/25

“Now the real work starts.” These words from Prime Minister Mark Carney marked the rapid passage of Bill C-5, which grants sweeping powers to his cabinet to fast-track infrastructure projects,” DeSmog reports. “While his recent meeting with Canada’s premiers was described as a love-in, the love may be short lived if certain powerful industries don’t get the pony they thought they were promised. I speak of course of the oil patch and their relentless demands for more pipelines, whether they are needed or not. The long-dead Northern Gateway proposal to B.C.’s north coast seems to be top of the fossil fuel wish list, backed up by recent comments from Carney… “Pipelines on the other hand present an expensive and vulnerable military target to hostile foreign powers as seen in recent conflicts… “Do oil pipeline projects “have a high likelihood of successful execution”? This could be a straight line in a Canadian comedy routine. The original Northern Gateway pipeline proposal failed due to botched Indigenous consultation. Energy East was cancelled by the proponent before the environmental assessment was complete due to deteriorating economics… “Oil enthusiasts might want to debate nuances within the phrase: “the interests of Indigeous peoples.” Or you could just ask First Nation leaders on the northern coast. “There is no project or proponents that would be acceptable to us on the North Coast,” Marilyn Slett, elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council and President of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative (CFNGBI), told DeSmog regarding a new pipeline through their traditional territories. “Anything that proposes to send oil through the coast is a non-starter.” “...Any talk of decarbonized oil should be greeted by the derision it deserves.”

Latin Lawyer: Vaca Muerta pipeline gets US$1.7 billion financing
Maya Kendall Shah, 7/15/25

“Bruchou & Funes de Rioja in Buenos Aires has helped Vaca Muerta Oleoducto Sur (VMOS) – a special-purpose entity (SPE) formed by oil giants Chevron, Shell, YPF, Vista Energy, Pampa Energía and Pan American Energy – obtain US$1.7 billion in financing for its pipeline project in western Argentina,” Latin Lawyer reports.

Press release: Tallgrass Announces Commencement of Open Season for New Natural Gas Pipeline from the Permian Basin to Multiple Markets
7/14/25

“Tallgrass today announced the launch of a binding open season, commencing July 21, 2025, to solicit commitments for firm transportation service on its previously announced pipeline project from multiple points of receipt in the Permian Basin to Rockies Express Pipeline markets and point(s) of delivery specified in accordance with the open season terms. The new pipeline project is unique in that it will enable affordable and plentiful natural gas to access markets broadly across the U.S., including multiple major markets that are key hubs of activity for industrial, agricultural, and data center development.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: House releases Interior-EPA spending bill with deep cuts
Kevin Bogardus, Garrett Downs, Michael Doyle, 7/14/25

“House Republican appropriators unveiled their fiscal 2026 funding legislation for the Interior Department and EPA, with steep cuts proposed for both agencies,” E&E News reports. “The bill would approve about $38 billion for agencies under its purview, nearly $3 billion below the fiscal 2025 amount. Interior would get about $14.8 billion and EPA would be funded at $7 billion, a 23 percent cut for the environment agency. The legislation is, however, more generous than the president’s budget request. The bill would appropriate about $9.2 billion above what the White House requested. The Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee will meet Tuesday to mark up the bill as lawmakers race to fund the government before the Sept. 30 deadline… “Democrats, however, pounced on the bill’s cuts for EPA and Interior, suggesting that a bipartisan agreement is still a long way away… “The bill contains troves of policy riders, mostly aimed at rolling back Biden-era environmental actions and blocking funding for culture war issues like diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental justice… “The House bill’s $1.6 billion for the Fish and Wildlife Service, for instance, is $109 million below the fiscal 2025 enacted level but $430 million above President Donald Trump’s budget request. In a similar vein, the $3.1 billion proposed for the National Park Service is $213 million below the fiscal 2025 level but $1 billion above Trump’s request… “The bill also includes myriad familiar policy riders, including a ban on listing the greater sage grouse as well as a handful of Texas freshwater mussels under the Endangered Species Act… The Senate has yet to release its Interior-EPA bill but is proceeding with fiscal 2026 bills on a bipartisan basis, setting up a clash between the chambers and the White House.”

E&E News: Trump megalaw will increase emissions, slow clean energy growth
Benjamin Storrow, 7/14/25

“The sweeping budget bill signed by President Donald Trump will lead to higher electricity bills, fewer renewable installations and more planet-warming pollution, according to modeling released Friday by the Rhodium Group,” E&E News reports. “The economic consulting firm’s results are among the bevy of energy models put out in the wake of the law’s passage earlier this month. Rhodium predicts average household energy expenditures will increase between $78-$192 by 2035, largely due to fewer electric vehicles on the road and consumers paying more for gasoline. Installations of new clean electricity projects, such as wind and solar, are expected to fall 57-62 percent over the next decade. The result is an increase in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. When Rhodium estimated America’s emissions trajectory last year, it predicted the U.S. was on track to cut emissions between 38-56 percent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. Now, it thinks the U.S. is on pace to reduce emissions 27-44 percent below 2005 levels. For context, U.S. emissions were 20 percent below 2005 levels last year. The broad ranges reflect scenarios that assume differences in economic factors, such as the price of natural gas, renewables or electricity demand growth.”

E&E News: Gas industry sees big savings from rewriting LNG rules
Mike Soraghan, 7/11/25

“Oil and gas industry groups outlined regulatory changes that could save natural gas export terminals millions of dollars each year in comments they filed with federal safety regulators this week,” E&E News reports. “But environmental and safety groups criticized the Trump administration for focusing its effort to rewrite the rules for handling liquefied natural gas on cost-cutting instead of safety. It "focuses largely on the costs and benefits to industry and fails to consider the appropriate scope and contents of updated safety regulations for LNG facilities," the Environmental Defense Fund and Earthjustice said in joint comments on the notice the administration issued seeking input on the rewrite. The Pipeline Safety Trust, a safety advocacy group, said the administration’s approach should not be so "obviously biased" in favor of reducing regulatory burdens. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has been accepting public comments as part of a renewed effort to update the decades-old rules. The comment period closed earlier this week.”

Reuters: Biofuel demand to soak up more than half of US soyoil production next year, USDA says
Karl Plume, 7/11/25

“U.S. biofuel makers will consume more than half of all soybean oil produced in the United States next year as a recent flurry of federal policy moves has transformed the sector, including higher blending mandates and curbs on foreign biofuel imports and feedstocks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday,” Reuters reports. “In a monthly supply-and-demand report, the USDA sharply raised its outlook for soybean oil use by biofuel producers in the 2025/26 marketing year, which begins October 1, to a record 15.5 billion pounds, up 11.5% from its forecast a month ago and 26.5% higher than the current marketing year. U.S. soyoil exports were seen tumbling to 700 million pounds in 2025/26 as more oil is consumed domestically, down from 2.6 billion pounds in the current season. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month proposed to increase the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the nation's fuel mix in 2026 and 2027, driven by a surge in biomass-based diesel mandates, along with measures to discourage biofuel imports. The moves were welcomed by the nation's fast-growing biofuels industry after months of policy uncertainty that had hobbled output of fuels made from vegetable oils like soyoil, canola oil and used cooking oil… “Additional incentives via state biofuel mandates and the federal 45Z clean fuel production tax credit in U.S. President Donald Trump's recently enacted budget law further fueled the outlook for soyoil use in biofuel, the USDA said.”

STATE UPDATES

Daily Montanan: Montana leads coalition of states pushing to join federal climate change lawsuit
Micah Drew, 7/11/25

“Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed a motion for the state to intervene in a federal climate change lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Montana last year,” the Daily Montanan reports. “Knudsen is leading a coalition of 18 other Republican state Attorneys General, and the Territory in Guam, in filing as defendants in the lawsuit that alleges three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders to “unleash” the fossil fuel industry, and remove climate protections, threaten the constitutional rights to life and liberty of the plaintiffs. The lawsuit, filed in May, centers on 22 young plaintiffs, led by 19-year-old Eva Lighthiser, from Livingston. Lighthiser is one of several Montana plaintiffs who also filed the landmark Held v. Montana lawsuit, alleging several state policies violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment… “Knudsen, whose office lost its case defending Montana in the Held lawsuit, said in court documents that Montana, and the additional states, “have unique interests in this case because it threatens their economies, the use of their properties, and their state budgets.” “...The motion says that the plaintiffs in the case are “discontent with the policy positions of the new Administration when it comes to unleashing American energy-and the ensuing creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs and economic security for the State Intervenors and all Americans,” and made their complaint “based on alleged violations of “unenumerated liberty interests.” “...Knudsen’s brief states that if the states are allowed to join the lawsuit, they will file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit by Aug. 4… “Representatives from Our Children’s Trust, one of the law firms representing the plaintiffs, told the Montanan that the decision for the states to intervene in this case — out of more than 450 that have been filed challenging executive orders or federal actions — indicates the significance, and threat, the lawsuit carries.”

San Francisco Chronicle: Trump administration eyes California for new oil and gas drilling — including Bay Area
Kurtis Alexander, 7/12/25

“The Trump administration has taken a first step toward opening more of California for oil and gas development, launching reviews of potential extraction in such mineral strongholds as Kern County as well as in less explored places like the Bay Area,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “The federal government hasn’t issued a drilling lease in California for years, largely because of environmental hurdles. While oil and gas wells still operate under older leases in parts of the state, officials say their new reviews will address the standstill and could clear the way for fossil fuel companies to operate on additional federal lands. They say there’s the possibility for hundreds of new wells in the state… “The state has increasingly turned to alternative power sources to divorce itself from the problems of oil and gas, which include driving health-harming pollution and climate change as well as disturbing public lands and wildlife. The Sierra Club called the administration’s latest actions in the state a “massive drilling expansion (that) would be a huge loss to Californians.”

Engineering News-Record: Chevron Makes Plans for $5B Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Project in Texas
Bryan Gottlieb, 7/14/25

“Chevron plans to develop a $5-billion blue ammonia and hydrogen facility in Port Arthur, Texas, designed to produce lower-carbon hydrogen and ammonia through steam-methane reforming paired with carbon capture,” Engineering News-Record reports. “...The plant is set to break ground in 2027 and begin commercial operation by 2032 as part of the state's federally backed HyVelocity hydrogen hub. Called Project Labrador, the start date for the facility has become a critical element following the passage of the federal budget reconciliation package and its enactment on July 4… “The revisions now require these types of cleaner energy projects to begin construction before Jan. 1, 2028, according to the Congressional Record. In filings to Jefferson County, Texas, Chevron requested a 10-year, 100% property-tax abatement, an incentive package that comparable southeast Texas energy projects suggest could exceed $50 million in foregone local taxes, according to regional analysts… “HyVelocit's website explained how Project Labrador will capture and sequester CO₂ emissions through the company’s Bayou Bend carbon storage initiative, although specific capture rates and storage locales remain undisclosed. As a founding member, Chevron was set to be able to tap into up to $1.2 billion in federal cooperative-agreement funding for HyVelocity, of which an initial $22 million was disbursed in November 2024 for early engineering and carbon‑capture activities, according to the hub’s website… “Chevron did not respond to an ENR query on the amount of federal money allocated to Project Labrador funding.”

Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Environmentalists sue EPA to reassess a toxic chemical used at a Pa. oil refinery
Peter Hall, 7/14/25

“Sandwiched between the Delaware River and closely spaced homes, the Monroe Energy oil refinery in Trainer exemplifies the need for better regulation of a dangerous chemical used around the country to produce high-octane gasoline, environmental groups said,” the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports. “If highly reactive hydrofluoric acid (HF) was released from the Delaware County refinery, it could form a ground-hugging cloud extending up to 17 miles and affecting as many as 1.9 million people in addition to delicate ecosystems nearby. HF attacks the human body causing burns, organ damage and death, a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claims. The Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council and California-based Communities for a Better Environment are suing the EPA in federal court, asking a judge to order the agency to reassess its regulations on the chemical. Filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the suit follows the EPA’s rejection of a petition by the groups asking the agency to eliminate unreasonable risks from the use of HF at oil refineries. An EPA spokesperson said the agency has a longstanding practice of not commenting on pending litigation… “Needlessly risking release of this extremely hazardous chemical in our densely-packed region where so many people could be injured or killed is reckless. All the other refineries in Pennsylvania manage to use safer alternatives,” Clean Air Council Executive Director Alex Bomstein said in a statement.”

Las Vegas Sun: Fight over public land sales in Nevada shifts to Cortez Masto proposal
Kyle Chouinard, 7/13/25

“Recent proposals by congressional Republicans to sell off vast stretches of Nevada’s public land united environmentalists, local leaders and residents across party lines in opposition to stop the effort in its tracks,” the Las Vegas Sun reports. “With those efforts to sell public land now defeated, attention has turned to how those proposals unfolded — and what’s next. Congress is considering a Nevada-focused land bill, resurfacing old tensions over growth, conservation and community priorities. When the Senate was negotiating the contents of President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wanted to make millions of acres of federally owned land in Nevada eligible for sale. If the provision had passed, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service would have been directed to sell 3.3 million acres across 11 states in the West. Backlash to the provisions in Nevada was overwhelming. Kristee Watson, executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, noted that opposition was bipartisan despite Republicans putting up both plans. Protecting that land is “just part of the state’s culture,” Watson told the Sun.”

Mountain State Spotlight: Officials touted a bill that will help plug orphaned gas wells, but it leaves taxpayers, not the drillers, covering the cost
Sarah Elbeshbishi, 7/10/25

“In May, state officials and lawmakers gathered at the Heritage Port Amphitheater in Wheeling to celebrate passage of a bill that updated the standards governing how natural gas wells can be cleaned up, approving a less costly alternative,” Mountain State Spotlight reports. “But the measure doesn’t curb the growth of the state’s responsibility for orphaned wells or prevent the costs from falling onto West Virginians. In his speech, Gov. Patrick Morrisey spoke of the risks to “surface and groundwater drinking water sources, land and air quality” posed by unplugged, nonproducing wells. “So, plugging these wells safely and effectively is critical to protecting these resources,” he said. Morrisey also acknowledged that increased funding to clean up these wells over recent years hasn’t been enough to fix the problem. If the operator of an abandoned well is unknown or files for bankruptcy, it becomes ‘orphaned,’ and the cleanup falls to the state.”

E&E News: Sage grouse blink out in Burgum’s North Dakota
Scott Streater, 7/11/25

“North Dakota’s greater sage grouse population appears to have gone extinct, the latest setback in the ongoing battle to save the iconic Western bird and its dwindling sagebrush habitat,” E&E News reports. “State wildlife officials confirmed this week that they did not count a single male sage grouse during annual spring surveys at dozens of grouse breeding grounds, called leks. Male attendance at active leks is an accurate barometer of grouse populations because the males eschew taking cover from predators as they perform an elaborate mating dance, making them easier to count. “This is the first time ever we were not able to find any male sage grouse at active leks in North Dakota,” Jesse Kolar, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s upland game management supervisor, told E&E. Unless grouse migrate into North Dakota from neighboring states, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s home state will be the first one in decades to completely lose its sage grouse population.”

Inside Climate News: Why Calling the Texas Flooding ‘An Act of God’ Is a Dangerous Form of Political Denial
Kiley Bense, 7/11/25

“In the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding in Texas last week, government officials from President Donald Trump to the governor of Texas to county representatives have sought to deflect blame and shift public focus away from questions of responsibility,” Inside Climate News reports. “The White House press secretary called the flooding “an act of God”: “It’s not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did,” Karoline Leavitt said. Gov. Greg Abbott said that asking about blame was for “losers.” And Trump himself told the media that “nobody expected it, nobody saw it.” To understand more about how governments communicate with the public in the wake of a tragic loss of life, and how to interpret the Trump administration’s messaging on Texas, Inside Climate News spoke to Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist and the author of the book “Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago.” “...It’s a strategy that political officials have used for ages to deny accountability after failing to do their jobs. We know by now that there’s no such thing as a natural disaster. First of all, the weather is no longer natural in our climate-changed world. Second, the reason some people are especially vulnerable has far more to do with social and political factors than with Mother Nature. And this is by now so well known, it’s a cliche, but if you’re a political official, calling a disaster “natural” absolves you of responsibility, makes it seem inevitable. BENSE: Especially the phrase, “an act of God.” “...My concern is that by calling this “an act of God,” and obfuscating the social and political causes of the disaster, they make the next one inevitable. It’s especially sad because so many young people lost their lives, and it’s been a horrific week to track their stories and to learn about the families, unsure of their children’s fate. It’s been a terrifying week, and I don’t know a single climate scientist who believes that we’ll have less of this in the future, right? Everyone knows we’re just going to see more dangerous weather systems like this one, and as long as we deny the ways that we’re making them worse, we’re doomed to repeat them.”

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Refinery closures present risk for higher gasoline prices on the West Coast
7/9/25

“California is set to lose 17% of its oil refinery capacity over the next 12 months because of two planned refinery closures. If realized, the closure of the facilities is likely to contribute to increases in fuel price volatility on the West Coast,” according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. ”Phillips 66 announced plans last October to close its 139,000-barrel-per-day (b/d) Wilmington refinery in the Los Angeles area later this year. Valero submitted a notice in April to end refining operations at its 145,000-b/d Benicia refinery in the Bay Area by the end of April 2026. The refinery closures continue a trend of decreasing refinery capacity on the West Coast, following the end of petroleum refining operations at Phillips 66’s Rodeo refinery early last year and the closure of Marathon’s Martinez refinery in 2020. California usually has higher retail gasoline prices compared with the national average. One reason is the relative lack of logistical connectivity on the West Coast to other refinery hubs in the United States, such as the Gulf Coast. Although the Los Angeles and Benicia refineries make up less than 2% of current U.S. refining capacity, they account for 17% of California refinery capacity and 11% of West Coast (PADD 5) capacity. The supply shortfall left by their exit is therefore likely to have an outsized impact on the region because it cannot be easily filled by other refineries elsewhere in the country. Given the limited connectivity to other U.S refining hubs, the most likely source of replacement fuels will be imports from Asia, particularly imports of jet fuel and gasoline. California’s unique specification gasoline blendstock, known as CARBOB, can only be manufactured by properly equipped refineries… “Importing petroleum products presents certain risks for fuel supplies on the West Coast. Shipments of petroleum products across the Pacific Ocean will take longer to respond to market demands, meaning that unexpected shortfalls could contribute to temporary price increases or heightened volatility.”

EXTRACTION

Bloomberg: EU to Outline What Tech Can Be Used for Permanent CO2 Removal
John Ainger and Ewa Krukowska, 7/15/25

“The European Union is set to define what technologies can be used to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it pursues its goal of being climate neutral by 2050,” Bloomberg reports. “The European Commission will outline rules for certifying tools such as Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage, Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage and biochar, according to a document seen by Bloomberg News. All are deemed “permanent” removal solutions, unlike nature-based fixes like reforestation, which rely on careful management over hundreds of years and can suffer from extreme weather events like fires… “While controversial, removing CO2 from the atmosphere is set to be a key pillar of the EU’s climate ambitions. Earlier this month, the commission proposed cutting net emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, and said that a review of its carbon market scheduled for next year should help build a business case for carbon-removal technologies… “Some climate activists say that removals distract from the more pressing issue of cutting emissions from the most-polluting sectors.”

Hydrogen Insight: CF Industries starts CO2 capture for retrofitted blue hydrogen-based ammonia plant — with a controversial storage option
Polly Martin, 7/14/25

“CF Industries has announced the start of operations for its new CO2 dehydration and compression facility at its Donaldsonville fertiliser complex in the US state of Louisiana, allowing it to produce around 1.9 million tonnes of low-carbon or “blue” ammonia per year,” Hydrogen Insight reports. “However, the fertiliser company’s partner on the carbon capture and storage project, ExxonMobil, has not yet secured final permits for dedicated geological sequestration at its Rose CCS site in the neighbouring state of Texas. Instead, ExxonMobil will use CO2 captured from Donaldsonville for enhanced oil recovery, where the gas is injected into wells to extract oil that would otherwise be inaccessible, “on an interim basis”, according to a press statement from CF Industries.”

Heatmap: Meta’s AI Buildout Will Require More Than 2 Gigawatts of New Gas-Fired Electricity — At Least
Matthew Zeitlin, 7/14/25

“Meta is going big to power its ever-expanding artificial intelligence ambitions. It’s not just spending hundreds of millions of dollars luring engineers and executives from other top AI labs (including reportedly hundreds of millions of dollars for one engineer alone), but also investing hundreds of billions of dollars for data centers at the multi-gigawatt scale,” Heatmap reports. “Meta is on track to be the first lab to bring a 1GW+ supercluster online,” Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote on the company’s Threads platform Monday, confirming a recent report by the semiconductor and artificial intelligence research service Semianalysis. That first gigawatt-level project, Semianalysis wrote, will be a data center in New Albany, Ohio, called Prometheus, due to be online in 2026… “Citing information from the natural gas company Williams, Semianalysis reported that Meta “went full Elon mode” for the New Albany datacenter, i.e. is installed its own natural gas infrastructure. Specifically, Williams is building two 200-megawatt facilities, according to the gas developer and Semianalysis, for the Ohio project… “The Louisiana project, Hyperion, will also be served by new natural gas and renewables added to the grid. Entergy, the local utility, has proposed 1.5 gigawatts of natural gas generation near the Meta site and over 2 gigawatts of new natural gas in total, with another plant in the southern part of the state to help balance the addition of significant new load.”

Reuters: Venture Global Starts LNG Production from Plaquemines Phase 2, Sources Say
7/14/25

“Venture Global has started producing liquefied natural gas from Phase 2 of its Plaquemines export facility in Louisiana, according to two people familiar with its operations as well as LSEG ship tracking data and federal filings,” Reuters reports. “In the last six months, the United States' second-largest LNG producer has exported LNG from Phase 1 of its Louisiana facility, and has now begun producing the superchilled gas from Phase 2, allowing it to sell the LNG at higher spot market prices for the next two years, two people familiar with the project told Reuters. Plaquemines has two phases with different customers and timelines for delivery of LNG. The Phase 2 customers include ExxonMobil, Chevron, EnBW, New Fortress Energy, China Gas, Petronas and Excelerate Energy. They are not expected to receive their LNG until the company completes its commissioning in the middle of 2027, Venture Global has previously said. By producing LNG from Phase 2 now, Venture Global should be able to export the gas for two years at higher liquefaction fees before it is required to provide its long-term customers with LNG at lower fees.”

Peoples Gazette: Bonga Oil Spill: Fishermen beg FG to compel Shell to pay $3.5 billion compensation
Tosin Ajuwon, 7/13/25

“The Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria in Niger Delta have called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to compel the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited to pay $3.6 billion awarded to them as compensation for the 2011 Bonga oil spill,” the Peoples Gazette reports. “The fishermen, in a petition titled, ‘Save Our Soul,’ said it was the resolution of the group that President Tinubu should help to intervene in ensuring Shell fulfils the financial obligation… “They lamented that the oil spill had contaminated kilometres of fishing coastline of Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Balyesa, Delta, and Ondo states. The fishermen, who noted that they pledged their support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu in re-building the nation for development, stated that the oil spillage foisted further hardship, forcing them to suspend fishing activities and trade on the coastal waters… “The fishermen reminded the President that a public hearing was conducted by the National Assembly where an award of $3.6 billion by way of compensation was made directing Shell Petroleum to pay the affected people. They, however, further pleaded with President Tinubu to compel the Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited to pay them the sum of $3.6 billion as awarded.”

NPR: When old oil wells become 'orphans,' that's a problem
7/11/25

“All across the U.S., there are aging oil and natural gas wells no longer in use. A lot of them don't have anyone on the hook to seal them up. Some estimate over a million such "orphan wells" still exist,” NPR reports. “Because they haven't been plugged, they're still leaking greenhouse gases and other chemicals into the atmosphere and into the land around them.What would it take to plug them — or even just one of them? This episode was produced by Vincent Acovino, based on reporting from Camila Domonoske.”

Newswise: Cyclic CO2 injection: a promising approach for unconventional reservoirs
Jinzhou Zhao et al., 7/14/25

“A new study published in Engineering explores the potential of cyclic CO2 injection in unconventional reservoirs. This research focuses on the complex processes of CO2 utilization and geological storage, aiming to enhance oil recovery while reducing carbon emissions,” according to Newswise. “As the world seeks ways to mitigate climate change, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies are becoming increasingly important. Among them, CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) shows great potential. However, in unconventional reservoirs like tight and shale oil, the mechanisms of CO2-EOR and storage are distinct from traditional ones. The research teams, led by Bing Wei and Valeriy Kadet, established a reservoir model using CMG-GEM software. They integrated various factors such as CO2 solubility, molecular diffusion, geochemical reactions, and rock stress sensitivity into the model. The model was calibrated with experimental data to ensure its accuracy… “Through numerical simulations, the researchers investigated the performance of CO2 utilization and geological storage during cyclic injection… “The results show that after ten cycles of CO2 injection, the oil recovery of the reservoir increased by 3.4% of the original oil in place (OOIP), and 48.3% of the injected CO2 was stored underground. However, the CO2 storage process reduced the CO2–oil interactions, leading to a 25.9% reduction of the CO2–oil mixing zone and a 2.2% decline in cumulative oil production. The researchers also analyzed the migration and transformation of CO2 in the reservoir. They found that different forms of CO2 storage, such as dissolved in oil, water, and mineralized carbonate, were affected by the cyclic injection process. For example, the dissolved CO2 in oil accounted for over half of the total storage but had the potential to be released during production.”

OPINION

NOLA.com: Let's not pretend market is demanding carbon capture
State Rep. Charles Own, District 30, 7/14/25

“In a guest column on the future of Louisiana and its tie to carbon capture, utilization and storage, Spencer Martin says global markets demand cleaner energy solutions. Respectfully, I would ask for some evidence of that assertion. This is a mantra, but no one can produce a receipt,” Charles Owen writes for NOLA.com. “There may be hard left ideologues who want American subjugation via “cleaner energy,” but no market is demanding it… “As to geological advantages: While Louisiana may have some great geologic formations to bury carbon, we also have some that are uniquely unsuitable and dangerous for burying carbon. We need to be wise… “We shouldn’t bend our knee to climate ideologues who want to take our liberties and land… “At the end of his article, Martin gets to the issue of billions of dollars. On this front, he is completely correct. Billions of U.S. tax dollars are creating a synthetic demand for an activity that is unproven and probably very risky. No rational market or consumer wants or cares about burying carbon. If the U.S. tax credits disappear, burying carbon will, as well.”

National Post: A surefire way to increase oil production and lower emissions
Patrick Lennox is the author of “At Home and Abroad: The Canada-US Relationship and Canada’s Place in the World” (UBC Press). He ran as the Liberal candidate in Edmonton Griesbach in the 2025 federal election, 7/14/25

“...Remarkably, one of the distinctive features of Bill C-59 was that it took pains to specifically exclude a tested and proven method of carbon sequestration that has the added benefit of extracting hard-to-reach oil and delivering it to the surface in a way that’s significantly cleaner than oilsands development,”Patrick Lennox writes for the National Post. “The Trudeau government chose to exclude CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a process in which CO2 is pumped into oil reservoirs to increase production, from being eligible for its Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Investment Tax Credit scheme because it did not want to support increased oil production with tax credits designed to incentivize emissions reductions. In the oil and gas industry in western Canada, this approach is seen as the application of a “purity test” against an industry that, while responsible for roughly a third of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, remains vital to the Canadian economy. The Carney government could easily remove this small exclusionary clause, which could unleash billions in investments in EOR and contribute massively to its energy superpower ambitions… “Canada not only has the know-how and wherewithal to use these complex carbon-sequestration methods to further exploit depleted reservoirs, it is also home to some of the world’s most amenable geology for it… “Especially considering that EOR leverages existing wells, roads and infrastructure connected to legacy oil reservoirs and delivers low-carbon oil… “While it may be optimal if we could depend entirely on clean sources of energy, the reality is that we live in a world that’s still addicted to oil. Given that this isn’t likely to change any time soon, we need to look for pragmatic ways to produce that oil more cleanly and store the carbon it emits safely. CO2-enhanced oil recovery is a way to do both.”

Toronto Star: Premiers Ford and Smith plans for new oil pipelines may just be a pipe dream
Gillian Steward, 7/15/25

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford came to Calgary last week and turned Canada upside down. He was here to loudly promote more oil and gas pipelines to the west, north and east. And beside him, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, was Alberta Premier Danielle Smith,” Gillian Steward writes for the Toronto Star. “It was almost the first time Ontario had stood beside Alberta when it comes to more pipelines, advocating for them instead of opposing them. The two premiers even signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of pushing pipelines and railroads across Canada… “But it doesn’t yet have a private sector proponent, although Smith is out beating the bushes for one. And there is still her list of demands to be met. They include: lifting the tanker ban on the West Coast; and dropping the carbon emissions, clean electricity regulations, and Environmental Assessment Act. No pipeline company would place a bet on a new venture until those conditions are met, according to Smith… “And what’s the math for building new oil pipelines? Ford talked about one going to James Bay in Ontario. But no First Nations have been properly consulted. And besides, the water may not be deep enough for a port. And then there’s a pipeline to B.C., where there is still a tanker ban and Premier David Eby doesn’t seem keen to lift it. And there’s the pipeline directly to southern Ontario so it could skip the need to rely on Line 5, which detours into the northern U.S… “And despite Doug Ford’s best efforts in Calgary and Danielle Smith’s Cheshire Cat smile it won’t be built overnight. No matter what they say.”

Wall Street Journal: A Second Push for Mike Lee’s Federal Land Sales
Editorial Board, 7/11/25

“Getting the GOP’s disagreeing factions to yes on the final ‘big beautiful bill’ was no easy feat, and negotiations always involve trade-offs. But a good policy idea that Republicans shouldn’t leave on the cutting room floor forever was Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s plan to sell a sliver of federal land to states and developers who commit to build homes,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “Maybe there’s a deregulatory approach. Mr. Lee’s proposal was axed, making the reconciliation package less big and less beautiful, after a group of GOP Senators came out against it. “We do NOT support the sale of our public land to the highest bidder,” fumed Idaho Sen. Jim Risch. Like Mr. Risch, most of the critics are from Western states where the federal government owns between 29% and 80% of the land, though Mr. Lee is also from out West. In any case, the complaints don’t match the modest scope of Mr. Lee’s proposal. Only up to 0.5% of federal land could be sold under his plan, none of which would be from protected areas like national parks, forests and wildlife preserves. States and cities would have the right to bid first on any auctioned land, before private developers.”

PennLive: Why Pennsylvanians must speak up for methane safeguards
Kim Anderson is a member of the Evangelical Environmental Network, and writes from Ebensburg, Pa., 7/12/25

“As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of God’s creation and to care for our neighbors. Yet here in Pennsylvania, methane pollution from oil and gas operations is threatening both our environment and families—especially the health of our children and the elderly,” Kim Anderson writes for PennLive. “In 2023 alone, Pennsylvania oil and gas operators released more than a million metric tons of methane—wasting over $178 million worth of natural resources. That’s enough energy to power nearly every household in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia combined. Instead of serving our families, it’s being lost to the atmosphere, releasing along with it harmful air pollutants that can trigger asthma, worsen heart conditions, and increase cancer risks. But we have a chance to do better—and now is the time to act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized long-overdue methane protections, and now it’s Pennsylvania’s turn. The Department of Environmental Protection is developing a state plan to implement these safeguards. But for them to truly work—for them to be meaningful and lasting—we need public voices, especially from the faith community. I encourage my fellow Pennsylvanians to participate in this process. Public hearings will be held throughout the commonwealth, including a virtual option on July 10 at 12 p.m. and written comments are also welcome… “The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 31:8: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” That includes children who struggle to breathe on bad air days. It includes creation itself, groaning under the weight of pollution and poor stewardship. We are grateful to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for moving forward with a methane rule. But we must ensure it is durable—resilient in the face of future political changes—so that no matter who is in office, we continue defending the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians.”

The Hill: Big Oil has been lying to us for decades: Don’t let it off the hook
Kathy Mulvey is the accountability campaign director for the climate and energy team at the Union of Concerned Scientists, 7/15/25

“Summer only just began last month, yet 96 percent of the U.S. population has already faced at least one extreme weather alert this “danger season” — the warm months when climate-driven weather extremes in the U.S. tend to concentrate and do greatest harm,” Kathy Mulvey writes for The Hill. “Simultaneously, during last month’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach urged Congress to rewrite the Clean Air Act to block states from regulating fossil fuel emissions. Kobach also joined a group of 16 state attorneys general on a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking the Department of Justice to create a “liability shield” exempting fossil fuel companies from being held accountable for their deliberate climate deception and the worsening climate crisis. All signees are members of the Republican Attorneys General Association, to which the American Petroleum Institute is a top 10 donor. These blatant attempts to grant polluters nationwide immunity show just how far some officials will go to deny communities their day in court… “As climate accountability campaign director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, I have spent years documenting Big Oil’s “Decades of Deceit,” which is the title of our May report. Currently, one in four people in the U.S. resides in a city, state or Tribal Nation suing fossil fuel companies for climate deceit, disinformation or damages. These cases threaten the fossil fuel industry’s business model, and Big Oil knows it. That’s why they are seeking to undercut the judicial system and evade legal responsibility… “Underpinning these cases is robust evidence highlighted in our report, which reveals the extent to which major fossil fuel companies have misled people and sowed doubt about relevant science to delay climate action while continuing to profit at the public’s expense… “Big Oil doesn’t want this damning evidence to be presented in court. That’s why it is seeking help from several states’ highest law enforcement officials, who are attempting to create an extrajudicial avenue for their allies while sacrificing their own constituents’ ability to access justice… “Our elected representatives must stand strong against liability waivers and preserve the rights of states and communities to make polluters pay.”