EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/23/26
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Greens sue to block streamlined water permit for oil and gas pipelines
Bloomberg: Trump’s Fast Track Pipeline Permit Challenged by Green Groups
Waterkeeper Alliance: Army Corps Sued Again Over Pipeline Permit Threatening U.S. Waterways and Endangered Wildlife
WDET: Every tribe in Michigan opposes this pipeline. Michigan approved it anyway
Lakeland Today: Government says carbon capture project is ‘critical,’ while opponents say ‘not worth the risk’
Harvard Media: New front opens in carbon capture debate as environmental group challenges Pathways Project
Hill Times: The carbon capture deal and Carney’s ‘step back’ on climate, with Janetta McKenzie
Reuters: Kinder Morgan beats profit estimates on strong gas flows, raises outlook
Pipeline & Gas Journal: Cadiz, RIC Study California Hydrogen Pipeline Along 220-Mile Corridor
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Energy and Commerce chair offers permitting package
Press release: Chairman Guthrie Releases POWER Act to Lower Electricity Costs for American Families
E&E News: Judge approves agreement to remove ESA protections for Texas lizard
Reuters: Coal sector urges Trump administration to provide financing for existing, new power plants
STATE UPDATES
NM Political Report: “Chaco is not for sale”: NM lawmakers and Pueblo leaders fight to preserve protections
Colorado Sun: Keeping coal plants open in Colorado could cost $87M, with consumers paying the tab
EXTRACTION
New York Times: Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest
DeSmog: How Big Oil Spent Decades Selling the Myth of ‘Clean’ Natural Gas
Foreign Policy Journal: Environmental Groups Find New Purpose And Funding In Data Center Opposition Fight
Wall Street Journal: Utilities Join Trump Pledge to Limit AI-Driven Increases in Electricity Bills
OPINION
Rabble.ca: Clean power pathways beat carbon capture
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Greens sue to block streamlined water permit for oil and gas pipelines
Niina H. Farah, 7/22/26
“The Army Corps of Engineers is facing a new legal challenge to its streamlined process for approving oil and gas pipeline construction across rivers, streams and wetlands,” E&E News reports. “Environmental groups claim in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in a federal court in Washington that the agency’s latest version of its Nationwide Permit 12 violates federal protections for endangered species and requirements to conduct environmental reviews of federally backed projects. “The Army Corps is legally obligated to protect our wetlands and waterways from pollution and destruction,” said Daniel Estrin, general counsel and legal director for Waterkeeper Alliance, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit. “Instead, they’re using nationwide permits to streamline extremely destructive projects, such as giant oil and gas pipelines that stand to destroy natural habitats and devastate water quality across the country.” “We’re filing suit because our waterways, communities and wildlife deserve protection, not a rubber stamp,” he told E&E.”
Bloomberg: Trump’s Fast Track Pipeline Permit Challenged by Green Groups
Taylor Mills, 7/22/26
“Environmental groups say the latest permitting scheme set to fast track oil and gas pipeline construction will threaten drinking water supplies and protected habitats,” Bloomberg reports. “A Clean Water Act permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers will allow developers to build across rivers, streams, and wetlands without assessing cumulative environmental impacts or public comments, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The nationwide permit 12 went into effect this year and streamlines the approval process for lengthy pipelines, as an entity can use the permit repeatedly for each water crossing.”
Waterkeeper Alliance: Army Corps Sued Again Over Pipeline Permit Threatening U.S. Waterways and Endangered Wildlife
7/22/26
“Environmental groups, including Waterkeeper Alliance, are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the Trump administration’s plan to fast-track the construction of oil and gas pipelines through wetlands, streams, and rivers nationwide. The Corps’ latest issuance of Nationwide Permit 12, which was previously struck down by federal courts, would allow thousands of pipeline-related activities to proceed while threatening wildlife habitat and drinking water sources across the country. The lawsuit asserts that the Corps approved the permit in January without analyzing the environmental dangers of pipelines, including oil spills and the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of waterways that people and endangered wildlife rely on. The groups contend that the Corps violated the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to fully consider the significant environmental harm from pipeline construction and operation in waters and wetlands… “The groups argue that Nationwide Permit 12 abuses this program by allowing major oil and gas projects to avoid public scrutiny and a more complete analysis of their potential environmental impacts. “We’re not going to let the Army Corps abandon its obligation to protect our nation’s waters and imperiled wildlife in favor of dangerous pipelines,” said Meg Townsend, a senior freshwater attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity… “In addition to the Center for Biological Diversity and Waterkeeper Alliance, the other plaintiffs include The Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth U.S., and Montana Environmental Information Center.”
WDET: Every tribe in Michigan opposes this pipeline. Michigan approved it anyway
Robyn Vincent, 7/22/26
“Enbridge is a step closer to building a new oil tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac for its Line 5 after the state of Michigan approved permits for the project last week,” WDET reports. “,,,But the permit concedes some of what is at stake. Historic and cultural resources will likely be destroyed — the remains of tribal ancestors among them. Enbridge has to file a plan to lessen the damage. Environmental activists and Michigan tribal communities say that is not enough. The Straits are where the Bay Mills Indian creation story begins. They are also among the most productive fishing grounds for tribes exercising rights under an 1836 treaty. Whitney Gravelle is a federal Indian law attorney and president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, which has vowed to fight back. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why she calls the state’s decision a betrayal.”
Lakeland Today: Government says carbon capture project is ‘critical,’ while opponents say ‘not worth the risk’
Meredith Kerr, 7/22/26
“Opponents of the Pathways Project are alarmed by the announcement of a new memorandum of understanding signed by the Government of Alberta, Government of Canada, and oil sands producers,” Lakeland Today reports. “...In an interview with Lakeland This Week, Amil Shapka, co-founder of No CO2 Pipelines Alberta told Lakeland Today the lack of an environmental impact assessment shows “a total disregard for the public interest.” “It puts our groundwater at risk, it puts our land at risk, and for the people living next to it, it even puts our life at risk because this is a CO2 pipeline, not a gas or oil pipeline, and it has its own inherent risks,” Shapka told Lakeland Today… “Shapka told Lakeland Today he’s not denying the jobs will come and there will be some benefit, but he believes the risks are too high. “They’re going to be injecting this stuff for decades, and I think it’s really naive, or it’s just nonsensical, to think that you’re going to just put it underground for 40 years and it’s not going to come back and cause problems,” Shapka told Lakeland Today… “No CO2 Pipelines Alberta has presented to municipal councils in the region about their concerns.”
Harvard Media: New front opens in carbon capture debate as environmental group challenges Pathways Project
Jon Tupper, 7/22/26
“A new front is opening in the debate over Alberta’s carbon capture plans as environmental organizations begin raising concerns the technology could facilitate further oilsands development,” Harvard Media reports. “Keepers of the Water has released a report calling for greater transparency, independent oversight and community engagement as plans advance for the proposed Pathways Project, a carbon capture and storage network being developed by the Pathways Alliance… “It examines the proposed carbon capture system and outlines concerns related to water use, groundwater protection, pipeline safety and the potential for induced seismicity associated with underground carbon storage. The report also reviews the 2020 carbon dioxide pipeline rupture near Satartia, Miss., and summarizes feedback gathered during community engagement sessions across northeastern Alberta… “The organization is calling for greater transparency, accountability and independent assessment as the project moves through regulatory and planning processes.”
Hill Times: The carbon capture deal and Carney’s ‘step back’ on climate, with Janetta McKenzie
Peter Mazereeuw, 7/22/26
“On The Hot Room podcast, Peter Mazereeuw spoke with the Pembina Institute’s Janetta McKenzie about the deal between the Oil Sands Alliance and the governments of Canada and Alberta to build a carbon capture and storage system for the oil patch,” the Hill Times reports. “...‘We’re not very likely to see oil sands emissions go down, even if this emissions reduction project proceeds on time,” the Pembina Institute’s Janetta McKenzie told Hill Times.”
Reuters: Kinder Morgan beats profit estimates on strong gas flows, raises outlook
Varun Sahay, 7/22/26
“U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan raised its full-year outlook and beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter profit on Wednesday, driven by higher natural gas volumes and rising power demand,” Reuters reports. “U.S. pipeline companies are gaining from booming oil and gas output in the Permian Basin and rising natural gas demand amid record LNG exports and surging electricity demand from AI operations, cryptocurrency mining and data centers… “The company said the Gulf Coast Express expansion filled up quickly after launch, reflecting strong demand for pipelines to move gas out of the Permian Basin, and added that it was discussing additional takeaway options with customers.”
Pipeline & Gas Journal: Cadiz, RIC Study California Hydrogen Pipeline Along 220-Mile Corridor
7/22/26
“Cadiz Inc. and RIC Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate hydrogen transportation infrastructure along Cadiz’s existing 220-mile Northern Pipeline corridor as part of a broader green hydrogen development initiative in California’s Mojave Desert,” Pipeline & Gas Journal reports. “The agreement expands a partnership launched in 2024 by adding plans for on-site solar generation while advancing studies for future hydrogen production, storage and transportation infrastructure at Cadiz Ranch. Under the MOU, the companies will evaluate the feasibility of siting, permitting and constructing hydrogen transportation infrastructure, including dedicated hydrogen pipelines, within the Northern Pipeline corridor and other existing rights-of-way to supply regional markets and future off-site customers.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Energy and Commerce chair offers permitting package
Josh Siegel, 7/23/26
“Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie is looking to remind the Senate of the House’s role in permitting reform talks, issuing a proposal Wednesday that lays out a marker of his priorities,” E&E News reports. “The Kentucky Republican is releasing the Permitting Our Way to an Energy Resurgence (POWER) Act, which includes proposals that have already passed committee to ease construction of pipelines, power generation, electricity transmission and industrial projects… “The Senate is focused on some areas of overlap with House Republicans, such as easing the approval process for oil and natural gas pipelines… “Guthrie’s package — which focuses on bills in his committee’s jurisdiction — includes a measure that passed the full House that would make the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the lead agency in charge of pipeline approvals… “National Environmental Policy Act reforms are also part of the broader talks.”
Press release: Chairman Guthrie Releases POWER Act to Lower Electricity Costs for American Families
7/22/26
“Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, released a discussion draft of the Permitting Our Way to an Energy Resurgence (POWER) Act, a package of Energy and Commerce Committee bills, to address America’s broken permitting system and lower energy costs for hard-working families. Slow, burdensome, and unpredictable permitting reviews have produced an unreliable grid and higher electricity costs for hardworking families, while our nation’s manufacturers and other industry leaders also contend with longer construction timelines and higher project costs that put the United States at a competitive disadvantage… “LEGISLATION INCLUDED: Pipelines and Powerlines - Moving Energy: Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (Rep. Hudson) - Streamlines permitting for interstate natural gas pipelines at FERC… “Power Generation - Producing Energy: Ratepayer Protection Act (Rep. Evans) - Requires state PUCs to consider a strategy to make data centers pay their own way when it comes to electric grid infrastructure and upgrades, instead of passing costs onto hardworking families… “RED Tape Act (Rep. Joyce) - Ends double reviews of projects by EPA if already vetted under NEPA.”
E&E News: Judge approves agreement to remove ESA protections for Texas lizard
Ian M. Stevenson, 7/22/26
“A federal judge in Texas signed off on a settlement agreement Tuesday that will remove endangered species protections for a lizard whose habitat can conflict with oil and gas exploration in the Permian Basin,” E&E News reports. “The dunes sagebrush lizard, designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2024, will no longer receive protections as the Fish and Wildlife Service reevaluates the animal’s status over the next two years… “FWS in 2024 found the lizard’s habitat had contracted, often due to oil and gas drilling in its shinnery oak ecosystems. That determination followed more than 20 years of debate over the lizards and their status.”
Reuters: Coal sector urges Trump administration to provide financing for existing, new power plants
Timothy Gardner, 7/21/26
“A coal council that advises the Trump administration urged the U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday to provide financial support including loan guarantees and grants to help existing coal plants and get new ones built,” Reuters reports. “...Its membership includes executives from coal companies Peabody Energy, Warrior Met Coal, and Core Natural Resources. At a meeting in Washington, the council made 19 recommendations to the administration including financial support like DOE grants and loans for existing and new coal plants and supply chains. It also recommended that the federal government enter power purchase agreements and make investments in coal infrastructure… “U.S. coal production rose about 3% last year to about 528 million tons on increased power demand and higher gas prices.”
STATE UPDATES
NM Political Report: “Chaco is not for sale”: NM lawmakers and Pueblo leaders fight to preserve protections
Jesse Jones, 7/22/26
“Pueblo governors joined New Mexico’s entire congressional delegation Wednesday to defend federal protections around the Greater Chaco landscape, saying thousands of cultural sites could be at risk if the Trump administration rolls back the current safeguards,” according to NM Political Report. “All Pueblo Council of Governors Chairman Joey Sanchez and Pueblo governors from the council’s 20-member Pueblo nations in New Mexico and Texas joined Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez outside the U.S. Capitol to urge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to withdraw a proposal that would revoke Public Land Order 7923. Issued in 2023, the order withdrew about 336,000 acres of federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from new oil and gas leasing for 20 years.”
Colorado Sun: Keeping coal plants open in Colorado could cost $87M, with consumers paying the tab
Mark Jaffe, 7/21/26
“Colorado’s efforts to shut down its coal-fired power plants are being delayed by a shortfall in generation and a move by the Trump administration to keep old plants online,” the Colorado Sun reports. “The cost to Colorado customers to continue running those coal-fired plants will be somewhere north of $87 million, although analysts and utility officials say that the exact price is still difficult to determine. The bulk of the bill — almost $67 million — comes from the continued operation of Xcel Energy’s Comanche 2 plant in Pueblo, according to a company filing with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Repairing the pollution control equipment in one unit at the coal-fired Hayden Station, in Routt County, will cost up to $10 million… “Just keeping the plant open has cost at least $6.5 million, according to an estimate by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, or IEEFA, a research group focused on clean energy.”
EXTRACTION
New York Times: Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest
Hiroko Tabuchi, 7/21/26
“The oil and gas industry has known for decades that its wells were releasing far more planet-warming methane than companies acknowledged, according to industry documents identified by an environmental group,” the New York Times reports. “In a report on the findings released on Monday, the Center for Climate Integrity cited, among other examples, a 1979 report commissioned by the research arm of the American Gas Association, an industry group. That report said that major gas fields in the United States could be releasing far more planet-warming gases than was being officially reported… “Despite industry findings like these, the group said in its report, the industry publicly underplayed the concerns over methane. And as the natural gas industry faced increasing competition from electric stoves and heaters, industry groups worked on an advertising campaign that highlighted gas as a clean fuel, according to documents cited by the Center for Climate Integrity… “The American Petroleum Institute, the largest U.S. trade group for the oil and natural gas industry, called the report “the latest in a coordinated campaign” against an industry it said was vital to the American economy. It also criticized a recent effort by state and local governments to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role in accelerating climate change.”
DeSmog: How Big Oil Spent Decades Selling the Myth of ‘Clean’ Natural Gas
Sarah Hofmann, 7/20/26
“For the past 50 years, Americans have been told that natural gas was the clean fossil fuel, a climate-friendly choice for heating homes and cooking meals. But according to a new investigation, major oil and gas companies promoted that message while knowing all along that gas was a major source of air pollution and a contributor to climate change,” DeSmog reports. “A report released today by the Center for Climate Integrity shines a light on a decades-long public relations campaign by oil and gas companies to re-brand natural gas as “clean energy,” despite internal knowledge dating back to the 1960s that methane emissions from natural gas posed climate risks. Drawing on newly discovered industry documents, the report shows that gas companies deceived Americans by borrowing tactics from the tobacco industry to shape public opinion. It then funded favorable research, warded off regulation, and supported the expansion of gas use in American homes — a campaign whose effects persist today… “This investigation pushes back the timeline of what the industry knew by decades,” Leber said, by filling in gaps about how the industry “misrepresented the risks and impacts of methane coming from its operations for years.” Among the early evidence of that knowledge is a 1968 report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API), an oil industry trade group, which found that emissions from natural gas contributed to methane in the atmosphere. The report cited “oil field operations” as a factor, along with natural sources, which the authors said was the bigger contributor; they also referenced an earlier study that found elevated methane values in urban areas were caused in part by “distribution system leakage.”
Foreign Policy Journal: Environmental Groups Find New Purpose And Funding In Data Center Opposition Fight
David Prior, 7/22/26
“The nation’s largest environmental organizations have thrown their weight behind local fights against data centers, marking a significant strategic shift after 18 months of setbacks under the Trump administration,” Foreign Policy Journal reports. “Groups including the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and Food and Water Watch are scaling up national campaigns targeting the sprawling artificial intelligence facilities spreading across the country. Their strategy centers on engaging voters where concerns are most concentrated, tapping into community frustration over the rapid expansion of energy-hungry tech infrastructure… “There is not a better way to be relevant that is as prevalent as data centers,” Jane Kleeb, founder and director of BOLD Alliance, an organization that built its reputation rallying rural communities against pipeline projects, told Foreign Policy. The data center conflict has created a familiar adversarial dynamic for green groups, setting residents against powerful technology companies in much the same way past battles pitted communities against fossil fuel interests… “Veteran campaigners have drawn comparisons to the movement’s earlier battles against fracking in the 2000s and high-profile pipeline fights like Keystone XL, where national groups amplified existing local resistance to secure major wins.”
Wall Street Journal: Utilities Join Trump Pledge to Limit AI-Driven Increases in Electricity Bills
Meridith McGraw, Amrith Ramkumar, 7/21/26
“The nation’s largest utilities and developers of data centers have signed on to President Trump’s pledge to pay more for the electricity needed to run artificial-intelligence models, hoping to quell a backlash that has fueled protests and political proposals to halt the AI boom,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix and Digital Realty are among the nearly 200 entities committing to the president’s promise aimed at ensuring AI’s energy consumption doesn’t push up electric bills for consumers across the U.S., according to a White House list of signatories obtained by The Wall Street Journal. Trump is expected to announce the new commitments at a Thursday event at the Environmental Protection Agency, a White House official said. Republican governors including Louisiana’s Jeff Landry and Georgia’s Brian Kemp also signed the pledge and are expected to attend.”
OPINION
Rabble.ca: Clean power pathways beat carbon capture
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, 7/22/26
“Taking into account production and consumption, it’s clear that the Pathways Project will contribute to increased emissions, fuelling even more overheating and consequences,” David Suzuki writes for Rabble.ca. “...Does that mean using technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is a viable or necessary climate change solution? Oil and gas companies, and their government enablers, think so — and they’re betting your money on it. An agreement between the federal and Alberta governments and five oil companies includes significant incentives, including funding and investment tax credits, for the Pathways Project (costing up to $30 billion — or more) to capture, transport and store oilsands emissions… “The plan is part of range of incentives to boost oil production, and to use carbon captured from production emissions for “enhanced oil recovery” — injecting the CO2 into depleted oilfields to extract even more oil… “Taking into account production and consumption, it’s clear that the Pathways Project will contribute to increased emissions, fuelling even more overheating and consequences, from heat domes and wildfires to floods, droughts, species extinction and migration crises. Canada isn’t the only country asking taxpayers to subsidize this largely unproven, risky, energy-intensive and less-than-effective technology. The United States, United Kingdom and Australia are also funnelling public money into carbon capture projects… “It’s insane that obscenely profitable fossil fuel companies are allowed to continue putting all life at risk through unnecessary expansion of their deadly industry. That they and their government supporters expect us to help pay for it is unconscionable and suicidal!”