EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/6/26
PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: Canada and Alberta advance west coast pipeline project proposal and Pathways Project Carbon Capture Initiative – to build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy
Canadian Press: Who are the partners behind a proposed new West Coast oil pipeline?
Financial Post: ‘Less than 50 per cent chance’: Pipeline deal attracts hope, but also skepticism in oilpatch
My Prince George Now: B.C.-Ottawa deal gets mixed reactions from environmental advocates
The Hub: Canada’s carbon pricing wipes out Alberta oilsands’ edge in attracting investment dollars for new pipeline: Study
Washington State Standard: Proposed oil pipeline to B.C. coast spurs alarm in Washington state
DTN Progressive Farmer: Summit Pipeline Moves Forward in Iowa
Inside Climate News: California’s First Carbon Capture Project Is Up and Running. Environmentalists Are Still Trying To Stop It.
Unicorn Riot: Activists Drop ‘Stop Line 5’ Banner From Stone Arch Bridge, Urge Michigan to Block Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel Permits
Northern Express: Five Updates on Line 5
National Review: The Dutch Lawsuit That Could Undermine U.S. Energy Security
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court energy wins set up a blockbuster climate fight
Press release: Murray, Peters, Schumer, & Merkley Lead All Senate Democrats in Demanding OMB Rescind Rule Giving President Sweeping Power to Politicize Federal Grants
E&E News: EPA heads back to the drafting board on WOTUS rule
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: Vote canceled on New Jersey climate superfund bill, to progressives’ dismay
Press release: Reps. Blasdel, Peterson’s Carbon Capture Regulation Bill Heads to the Governor’s Desk
Louisiana Illuminator: Scrapped Air Products project could signal stiffer headwinds for CO2 storage
NOLA.com: Does Air Products’ decision foretell larger problems for Louisiana’s energy future?
Sacramento Bee: Are oil companies ‘profiteering’ during war? California bill aims to find out
KOB: New Mexico governor proposes $250 tax rebate from projected $825M oil windfall
Inside Climate News: New Florida Law Bans Local Net-Zero Emissions Policies
Press release: BLM seeks initial input for February 2027 sale of oil and gas leases in Arizona
Inside Climate News: New Power Plants for Data Centers Would Significantly Increase Pennsylvania’s Climate Pollution
Bay City News: Lake County emerges as promising target in race to tap naturally occurring hydrogen
Boyle Heights Beat: After Boyle Heights warehouse fire, residents take environmental testing into their own hands
EXTRACTION
E&E News: Utilities defer ‘net zero’ progress as AI data centers come calling
Axios: Google’s AI boom sends emissions, power use soaring
Press release: Commissioner Hoekstra brings industry together to accelerate implementation of carbon capture and storage across Europe
Financial Times: Shell alleged to have misled UK courts in Nigeria pollution case
CLIMATE FINANCE
Grist: Banks are financing the fossil fuel industry’s next growth strategy
OPINION
Islands Weekly: Surge in oil tanker traffic threatens Salish Sea, Southern Resident orcas and shoreline communities
Stand.earth: Smith’s short-sighted pipeline will only become a reality if taxpayers pay for it
Anchorage Daily News: A drilling plan that asks Alaska to forget its own history
Alabama Reflector: New oil spill money is a welcome boost for coastal Alabama
Common Dreams: Hey Trump, Our Ocean Isn’t for Sale
The Alpena News: Selling America’s soul for $2 per acre
PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: Canada and Alberta advance west coast pipeline project proposal and Pathways Project Carbon Capture Initiative – to build a stronger, more resilient Canadian economy
7/2/26
“...More than any other country, Canada is positioned to become the leading supplier of clean and conventional energy to ourselves and the world… “To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced that the Government of Canada will refer the Government of Alberta’s proposal for a west coast pipeline project to the Major Projects Office (MPO). This pipeline would transport one million barrels per day of oil toward global markets. The proposed route will largely follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor and will fully respect the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. Canada and Alberta will each share equal partnership in the project, and there will be a meaningful equity stake reserved for Indigenous Peoples… “Pembina Pipeline Corporation will be a private sector investor and will contribute its expertise to the project’s development, which will be led by Trans Mountain Corporation. With the governments’ stake in this project, we will act as catalysts creating additional opportunity for private investment as the project advances… “To ensure Alberta will export some of the lowest-carbon intensity oil in the world, the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, and the Oil Sands Alliance have reached an agreement to advance construction of the Pathways Project…”The Pathways Project will contribute more than $16 billion to Canada’s GDP, and support more than 40,000 jobs annually. Building on today’s announcement with Alberta, Prime Minister Carney and the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, signed the new Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, which will further accelerate the construction of major energy and trade corridors throughout the province while building the trade infrastructure we need to ship Canadian energy to new markets around the world.”
Canadian Press: Who are the partners behind a proposed new West Coast oil pipeline?
Lauren Krugel, 7/3/26
“Alberta’s pitch to the major projects office for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast is being billed as a public-private partnership, though its current structure skews almost entirely toward the public end of the spectrum,” the Canadian Press reports. “Ninety per cent of the proposal would be in the hands of provincial and federal Crown corporations — at least in the beginning. Energy infrastructure company Pembina Pipeline Corp. would be a minority partner… “It would largely follow the path of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline that runs from the Edmonton area to the B.C. Lower Mainland. Trans Mountain Corp., a federal Crown corporation, would be its developer, builder and operator… “The project ended up costing $34 billion, a stark increase from its 2017 estimate of $7.4 billion… “Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission: The commission is the “business arm” of Alberta’s energy department, Richard Masson, a former head of the provincial Crown corporation, told CP. A stake in a new pipeline falls within its mandate to “try to do things that are in the interest of Albertans as the owner of the resource,” he told CP… “In the meantime, under a “non-binding heads of agreement,” Pembina is to hold a 10 per cent interest in the new West Coast project during construction with the opportunity to double its stake once the pipeline starts up. It said its role would be “complementing, rather than replacing” Trans Mountain as the project’s lead partner… “But Masson doesn’t see Indigenous groups coming on board until the pipeline starts generating steady cash flow.”
Financial Post: ‘Less than 50 per cent chance’: Pipeline deal attracts hope, but also skepticism in oilpatch
Nykole King, 7/6/26
“A proposed $35-billion oil pipeline to the West Coast — backed by the federal and Alberta governments — signals the country is willing to produce and export more crude, industry insiders say,” the Financial Post reports. “Even as the deal reached by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith appeared like an improbable milestone, some insiders and observers worried it may not be enough to get the mega-project across the finish line… “Mark Parsons, the chief economist at the Alberta bank ATB Financial, told the Post many questions remain, including who exactly is going to foot the bill for the pipeline. “We’re still not building it into our economic forecast,” Parsons told the Post. “We just want to see a little bit more certainty that this is indeed going ahead.” “...Del Mondor, who runs a privately held producer in Weyburn, Sask., told the Post political factors are stacked up against the project. The same issues that led to other pipeline projects getting shelved could derail this one, he told the Post. “I’m giving this less than 50 per cent chance of happening.” “...But some experts told the Post they are not sure the line would offer producers the most cost-effective option to ship their oil, given the massive, $35.2 billion price tag.”
My Prince George Now: B.C.-Ottawa deal gets mixed reactions from environmental advocates
Emily Joveski, 7/4/26
“Environmental groups and coastal First Nations say a major economic agreement announced this week between British Columbia and the federal government protects the North Coast tanker ban, but leaves new concerns about a possible southern oil pipeline route,” My Prince George Now reports. “...B.C.’s agreement with the federal government said that while B.C. does not seek a new pipeline, it would participate in necessary routing and permitting discussions, as long as Ottawa maintains the tanker ban and engages meaningfully with First Nations… “The Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative, an alliance of several First Nations on the north Pacific coast, celebrated Carney’s commitment not to change the oil tanker ban. “British Columbians, Canadians and the First Nations who call this place home want this region to remain protected,” said a statement from Marilyn Slett, the group’s president and elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation. “There is no technology that can clean up an oil spill at sea, and a single oil spill could destroy our way of life. We remain steadfast in our position that oil tankers will never be part of our vision for a healthy, productive and sustainable North Coast,” said Slett… “Eby said Friday he shares concerns about the environmental impact of a new pipeline. “We are concerned about this pipeline project, and we also recognize the restricted world that we live in, in provincial jurisdiction,” said Eby. He said a goal of B.C.’s agreement with Ottawa was to get as many environmental protections as possible around the proposed pipeline project.”
The Hub: Canada’s carbon pricing wipes out Alberta oilsands’ edge in attracting investment dollars for new pipeline: Study
7/4/26
“Canada’s industrial carbon tax pushes the cost of producing a marginal barrel of oilsands crude to $75 USD (at $95/tonne carbon tax)—well above what new projects in Texas or New Mexico face—stripping away the tax advantage Alberta needs to attract energy investment, according to a new Fraser Institute study by Jack Mintz, president’s fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy,” The Hub reports. “The findings land as Ottawa and Alberta advance a one-million-barrel-per-day West Coast oil pipeline proposal under their November 2025 memorandum of understanding (MOU) and May 2026 implementation agreement. So far, Pembina Pipeline Corp. is the only private partner to sign on, taking a 10 percent stake during construction, and no oil producers have yet committed to shipping on the line… “Without carbon policies, Alberta wins on most fronts… “Carbon pricing reverses the picture. At the $95-per-tonne carbon tax in 2025, the maximum METC on oilsands hits 48.8 percent—roughly triple the U.S. states—and climbs to 76.4 percent under the $170-per-tonne price originally planned for 2030.”
Washington State Standard: Proposed oil pipeline to B.C. coast spurs alarm in Washington state
Tom Banse, 7/2/26
“The province of Alberta late Thursday announced a route for a new, one-million-barrel-per-day crude oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast that terminates within about a mile of Washington state waters. Environmental interests on the U.S. side of the border are worried,” the Washington State Standard reports. “...Oil-filled ships traveling from the port pass by the San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula as they head out to sea from Vancouver. A spill in Canadian shipping lanes could easily reach north Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington’s outer coast, threatening sensitive ecosystems and killer whale habitat. The new pipeline proposal could result in substantial additional oil tanker trips through the shared waters of the Salish Sea, warned Lovel Pratt, marine protection and policy director for the environmental group Friends of the San Juans. “This would significantly elevate the risk of catastrophic oil spills, vessel accidents, underwater noise pollution, and harm to endangered marine wildlife,” the group said in a press release that Pratt shared… “Northern Washington tribes, including the Lummi, Samish, Swinomish and Makah, strongly opposed a previous Canadian pipeline expansion and can be counted on to oppose this one as well. The tribes argue that the large increase in vessel traffic endangers their treaty rights and threatens vital fisheries… “It’s unclear how much Canadian decisionmakers care about what Americans think, but British Columbia’s ruling party and green groups in the province share some of the same concerns coming from the Evergreen State.”
DTN Progressive Farmer: Summit Pipeline Moves Forward in Iowa
Todd Neeley, 7/2/26
“While the Iowa Utilities Commission decided to keep a construction ban in place for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions carbon dioxide pipeline, the commission this week removed a state-specific condition on the ban that could pave the way for the eventual construction,” DTN Progressive Farmer reports. “...The Iowa Utilities Commission granted a pipeline permit on Aug. 28, 2024, which prohibited the company from starting construction in Iowa until it had obtained regulatory approval also in South Dakota and North Dakota. This week the commission removed state-specific language from the permit… “The commission will modify this condition to be that Summit Carbon cannot commence construction until it has obtained and provided proof to the commission of agency-level or substantially similar approvals for a route from Iowa to a sequestration area, as well as agency-level or substantially similar approvals for a sequestration site for the product to be shipped.” “...In addition, the original June 2024 permit order still is under review in the Polk County District Court. A ruling could determine whether the project can move forward. Even with the change by the commission this week, the order said the company has stated the upcoming reviews necessary to begin construction could take a while… “The Iowa Farm Bureau asked the commission to restrict Summit Carbon’s ability to use eminent domain until the project’s viability is determined. Farm Bureau told the commission there needs to be at least two separate hearings on the project, according to the order.”
Inside Climate News: California’s First Carbon Capture Project Is Up and Running. Environmentalists Are Still Trying To Stop It.
Emma Foehringer Merchant, 7/3/26
“California Resources Corporation, the state’s largest oil company, passed a long-targeted milestone in May: It had finally taken carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the atmosphere and injected it deep underneath its own oil field. It’s the first such project to become operational in California. This week, the state finalized regulations that could support many more,” Inside Climate News reports. “...The project is still caught up in litigation—after its approval, environmental groups sued, arguing that the county’s environmental review was inadequate. Yet the TerraVault is officially up and running, representing a test case not only for California, which has nearly a dozen similar projects in the works, but also different U.S. regions and other countries… “For developers, more good news arrived this week, as California finalized regulations governing carbon pipelines within the state, which were previously banned. The ability to transport carbon around the state should make projects removing the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere feasible in more locations, opening up new potential markets for CRC and other companies planning to store it… “The lawsuit alleges that Kern County did not properly evaluate potential pollution and other environmental impacts from speculative industrial projects that may be built to take advantage of TerraVault’s storage space… “Advocates are also worried that the storage site sits in a century-old oil field riddled with holes that could allow carbon to worm its way free; Elk Hills is punched with thousands of wells and still produces oil and gas… “Amanda McKay, the state policy adviser at the Pipeline Safety Trust, which participated in the workgroup, told ICN the rules “represent a major improvement” in carbon pipeline safety in California, but she hopes the state will strengthen them in future rounds of rulemaking. The rules do not require operators to use an odorant, for example, a substance that would make odorless and colorless CO2 gas detectable if a leak occurred.”
Unicorn Riot: Activists Drop ‘Stop Line 5’ Banner From Stone Arch Bridge, Urge Michigan to Block Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel Permits
Akičita Šuŋka-Wakaŋ Ska, 7/5/26
“Stop Line 5 activists dropped a huge banner that read “Stop Line 5” from the Stone Arch Bridge, which spans across the Mississippi River on Tuesday morning and called on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to “Deny the Line 5 tunnel permits,” Unicorn Riot reports. “One of Enbridge’s two contentious oil pipeline construction proposals for Line 5 includes tunneling across the Straits of Mackinac, a sacred land to the Anishinaabe people of the Bay Mills Indian Community, who’ve banned the project. The Line 5 permit would use horizontal directional drilling for a planned 21‑foot‑wide concrete tunnel beneath the straits, which split Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Originally agreed upon in 2018, this project has faced a wide range of opposition and environmentalists fear that if constructed, an oil spill into the Great Lakes would be disastrous. Groups present on Tuesday morning included Three Waters Pipeline Resistance, Sunrise Twin Cities, and Climate Defiance Minnesota. Activists standing on the bridge held various signs that connected to form sentences that read: “WHITMER DENY THE LINE 5 TUNNEL PERMIT, OR WE WILL HAUNT YOU” and “WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? THE GREAT LAKES? OR TRUMPS PIPELINE?” “The Midwest is choking on wildfire smoke from climate change every summer,” said Three Waters Pipeline Resistance activist Tom Hoy in a press release. “Gretchen Whitmer needs to grow a spine, stand up to Trump and deny the Line 5 permits. We’re sending a message that the community in Minnesota will fight this pipeline just like we fought Enbridge’s Line 3,” said Hoy.”
Northern Express: Five Updates on Line 5
Victor Skinner, 7/4/26
“More than six years after Canadian energy giant Enbridge submitted plans for a Great Lakes Tunnel Project to bury its Line 5 oil and gas lines deep under the Straits of Mackinac, folks fighting for and against may soon learn whether the project will become a reality,” Northern Express reports. “1. Government & Court Decisions Expected in July: In mid-June, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy held a final hearing on Enbridge’s request to discharge up to 5 million gallons of water per day into Lake Michigan as part of the construction process. A decision on the permit, one of three needed from the agency, is expected in early July…”2. Environmental Orgs Are Still in the Fight: In the meantime, coalitions backing and opposing the project are ramping up efforts to make their case, as litigation over the pipeline itself continues a years-long slog through state and federal courts. “The message is really about the state of Michigan standing up for the Great Lakes,” Liz Kirkwood, executive director of Flow Water Advocates, told NE. “I think this is a central moment in the public’s opportunity to ensure that the future of the Great Lakes is decided by the facts.” “...3. A Corporate Coalition Supports the Pipeline: A coalition that includes oil and gas industry associations, major business groups like the Michigan Chamber and Detroit Regional Chamber, tribal businesses, and several trade unions offer a different perspective…”
National Review: The Dutch Lawsuit That Could Undermine U.S. Energy Security
Michael Toth, 7/6/26
“For a snapshot of what has gone wrong in Europe, look no further than Amsterdam, where Greenpeace International sued the American pipeline company Energy Transfer last year,” the National Review reports. “Filed on the eve of a North Dakota jury trial that would culminate in a headline-grabbing nine-figure verdict against Greenpeace, the lawsuit encapsulates Europe’s defining pathologies: regulatory overreach, hostility toward energy development, and a growing willingness to weaponize the legal system against political opponents. The Amsterdam-based environmental group is, in effect, seeking damages for losing a case in the United States. If Greenpeace International succeeds, it would establish a troubling precedent for relitigating legal defeats abroad, eroding American sovereignty, chilling investment, and undermining transatlantic energy security… “The case relies on the European Parliament’s 2024 directive designed to deter litigation aimed at silencing free speech and public participation, otherwise known as “strategic litigation against public participation” or “SLAPP,” and was recently allowed to proceed under similar anti-SLAPP provisions in the Dutch Civil Code law. In May, the North Dakota Supreme Court ordered Greenpeace International to refrain from attacking the jury verdict while permitting a “narrowly tailored” argument in the Netherlands regarding other aspects of the dispute… “A ruling for Greenpeace would open the door to relitigating American verdicts in foreign courts. American legal sovereignty is weakened when foreign jurisdictions can effectively revisit domestic jury outcomes simply because one party dislikes the result.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court energy wins set up a blockbuster climate fight
Pamela King, Lesley Clark, 7/2/26
“The Trump administration and big business scored some notable Supreme Court wins on environmental and energy issues this term. But the next major test for the federal government and the oil industry on one of the defining environmental issues of our time — climate change — won’t come until next year,” E&E News reports. “...As soon as next fall, the justices are expected to hear oral arguments in a case that pits local officials in Boulder, Colorado, against some of the world’s leading oil producers. Boulder has claimed that Suncor and other fossil fuel companies should help foot the bill for response to drought, wildfires and other disasters worsened by rising global temperatures. More than two dozen other U.S. states, cities and counties have launched similar claims against the oil and gas industry in state courts across the country. In a preliminary win for the oil companies — and the Trump administration — the justices in February agreed to hear the industry’s argument in Suncor v. Boulder that federal law blocks local governments from suing in state courts for relief from climate change.”
Press release: Murray, Peters, Schumer, & Merkley Lead All Senate Democrats in Demanding OMB Rescind Rule Giving President Sweeping Power to Politicize Federal Grants
7/2/26
“U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader; and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in demanding Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought immediately rescind OMB’s proposed regulation on federal financial assistance. The senators warned the proposal exceeds OMB’s statutory authority, undermines Congress’s constitutional power of the purse, and would allow the President to weaponize federal grants for political purposes… “The proposed rule would dramatically expand agencies’ authority to terminate or suspend federal grants at any time and without notice. It would also require political appointees to make funding decisions without deferring to expert peer review. The senators warn this would inject partisan politics into grantmaking, threaten America’s leadership in scientific and medical innovation, and create chaos for communities and organizations that rely on federal funding to deliver critical services. “Rather than focusing on fulfilling the statutory purposes of a grant program, applicants and recipients will be forced to play an endless guessing game, trying to determine which of their activities may or may not run afoul of OMB’s ambiguous regulations or the president’s whims,” the senators wrote. The senators also argue that OMB’s proposal would force grant recipients to comply with vague, undefined, and political grant conditions that conflict with existing statutes. At the same time, it would weaken transparency and accountability requirements intended to safeguard taxpayer dollars. These changes could discourage qualified organizations from applying for federal grants and increase the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
E&E News: EPA heads back to the drafting board on WOTUS rule
Miranda Willson, 7/1/26
“The Trump administration is taking another stab at defining which waters qualify for Clean Water Act protections, seven months after unveiling a proposal that officials said would provide the ‘final word’ on one of the most contentious and litigated environmental regulations,” E&E News reports. “EPA on Tuesday sent a proposed supplement to its “waters of the U.S.” definition to the White House for review, signaling that the administration is amending some aspect of its original proposal from November… “The administration’s original draft rule would establish a strict two-part test for wetlands and streams to be federally regulated, based on their interpretation of a major 2023 Supreme Court ruling, Sackett v. EPA… “Some former Army Corps officials also told E&E the standard could be difficult for regulators to implement. Either way, the changes were projected to exempt millions of acres of wetlands and streams from federal protections.”
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: Vote canceled on New Jersey climate superfund bill, to progressives’ dismay
Joey Fox, 7/2/26
“The New Jersey Legislature has pushed off a vote on a far-reaching bill forcing fossil fuel companies to pay $50 billion for climate change adaptation projects, a blow to environmental groups and their Democratic allies in the Legislature,” E&E News reports. “The bill — officially titled the “Polluters Pay to Make New Jersey More Affordable Act,” but previously and more commonly known as the Climate Superfund Act — was originally slated to come up in the state Senate on Tuesday but was pulled from consideration. It was never posted on the Assembly bill list at all; legislators are set to head out for the summer at the end of Tuesday’s sessions, unlikely to return until September. While the bill has a huge number of Democratic co-sponsors — 62 in total, including 43 members of the 80-member Assembly — it has taken flak from both industry groups and some labor unions, softening the bill’s support from the more moderate Democrats it needs to pass. State Sen. Paul Sarlo, a powerful Democrat who chairs the Budget and Appropriations Committee, warned that the bill in its current form may be too vulnerable to lawsuits that would drive up state legal costs.”
Press release: Reps. Blasdel, Peterson’s Carbon Capture Regulation Bill Heads to the Governor’s Desk
7/3/26
“State Representatives Monica Robb Blasdel (R-New Waterford) and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) today announced that the Ohio House concurred with Senate amendments to House Bill 170, legislation that would give Ohio authority over the regulation of Class VI injection wells used for carbon capture and storage. House Bill 170 gives Ohio authority over Class VI injection wells, which are used to store carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground… “Today’s vote brings us one step closer to putting a clear framework in place that keeps decision-making here at home, ensures these projects are developed responsibly, and delivers meaningful benefits to Ohio communities,” said Rep. Blasdel… “For years, burdensome federal regulations have slowed investment and limited growth in this industry,” said Rep. Peterson. “House Bill 170 creates a more efficient path forward that strengthens Ohio’s energy future, supports responsible development, and positions our state to compete for new jobs and economic opportunities.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Scrapped Air Products project could signal stiffer headwinds for CO2 storage
Wesley Muller, 6/2/26
“Political hostility and public distrust are likely to blame for the recent cancellation of the massive Air Products & Chemicals Clean Energy Complex in Louisiana, according to industry analysts who see potential ripple effects for the petrochemical industry,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “...Since it was announced in 2021, the project faced increasing political headwinds, including the loss of clean energy tax incentives at the federal level and public resistance against carbon sequestration and industrial expansion at the local level, Baton Rouge-based economist David Dismukes told the Illuminator. “I’m not super surprised,” Dismukes told the Illuminator. “It became such a hot button political issue.” In Tuesday’s announcement, Air Products said it will record a $2.2 billion after-tax loss for the third quarter largely related to its decision to terminate the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex. “I think that speaks volumes about the project, too, that you’re willing to walk away from $2 billion,” Dismukes told the Illuminator… “But according to economist Loren Scott, the Air Products cancellation could have ripple effects across the state’s economy. Environmental groups will likely be emboldened to oppose other carbon sequestration projects in the state, he told the Illuminator… “That could be a lesson for the rest of the industry; people don’t like to see CO2 injected under public lands or lakes, Scott told the Illuminator.”
NOLA.com: Does Air Products’ decision foretell larger problems for Louisiana’s energy future?
Stephanie Riegel, 7/6/26
“On the same day last week that Air Products announced it was scrapping plans for its $4.5 billion “clean” hydrogen plant in Ascension Parish, which would have captured carbon emissions and stored them underground, ExxonMobil canceled offshore leases in the Gulf it had acquired for potential carbon-capture projects.” NOLA.com reports. “Two weeks earlier, Houston-based SunGas Renewables dropped its plans for a $2.4 billion plant in central Louisiana that also had a carbon capture and sequestration component… “Taken together, the projects totaled more than $15 billion in planned investments in the state and promised hundreds of permanent new jobs… “Still, the recent decisions raise questions about the future of an industrial boom in the state that was predicated, at least in part, on state and federal policies that incentivized companies to reduce their carbon footprint by capturing emissions and burying them underground… “I do think it will come back,” hTim Barfield, president and CEO of Baton Rouge-based consulting firm CSRS, which was working with the developers of the Grön Fuels project, told NOLA.com. “Maybe not with the same kind of vigor and blind optimism we had at one time but eventually.” “...Closer to home, Landry has given credence to concerns about the impact carbon injection wells could have on aquifers and communities near where they’re located, imposing a moratorium on new well permits in 2025. The combination of factors, experts told NOLA.com, is making some companies rethink decisions they made several years ago. “It’s fair to say that that regulatory uncertainty has been one of the factors that contributed to some of these projects maybe not moving forward,” Greg Upton, executive director of the LSU Energy Institute, told NOLA.com.”
Sacramento Bee: Are oil companies ‘profiteering’ during war? California bill aims to find out
Stephen Hobbs, 6/30/26
“A California bill that aims to stop gas price gouging during wars is facing stiff opposition from a broad range of business, housing and other groups who say the measure is too broad and could lead to widespread economic damage,” the Sacramento Bee reports. “Currently, it is a misdemeanor for businesses to sell gas, medical supplies, housing or other goods and services at more than 10% of the price they were offered before certain emergencies, including earthquakes, wildfires and pandemics, unless the companies can justify the spike. Violating the law can also result in jail time and a $10,000 fine. The proposal, authored by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, would add war to the list of events that can prompt the state’s anti-price gouging rules. He said it was inspired by the major increases in gas prices Californians have seen at the pump during President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, which began in February. “Californians should not become collateral damage in an international conflict,” Becker said during a news conference Monday.”
KOB: New Mexico governor proposes $250 tax rebate from projected $825M oil windfall
Jonathan Fjeld, 6/29/26
“New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is proposing a $250 rebate from a projected $825 million oil windfall to the state,” KOB reports. “The governor proposed the rebate in an op-ed published Saturday in the Albuquerque Journal. “It’s no secret that New Mexico’s finances rise and fall with oil prices — and right now, prices are high. That’s good news for state coffers and it should be good news for New Mexicans, too,” she wrote. The governor pointed to the war in Iran as the culprit for oil rising above $100 per barrel and prices at the pump going up “as much as $1.30 more” for a gallon of gas. She stated that totals to “an estimated $450 in additional fuel costs” she wants to give back to taxpayers. “That’s $450 in foregone groceries, stalled medical care and spent savings,” she wrote. “It’s a calculation that a nurse in Gallup now must make before her commute. It’s a bag of groceries a family in Las Cruces has to skip, it is the summer trip to Carlsbad Caverns an Albuquerque family can no longer afford.” The governor is calling on the state Legislature to approve a rebate of “at least $250 for every taxpaying New Mexican.” With at least a million taxpayers in the state, the rebate would cost at least $250 million. The governor said the state can afford it. “When the state’s good fortune comes at a direct cost to the people who live here, the appropriate response is to share what we’ve collected,” she wrote. “We can afford it. Moreover, it’s just plain good sense to reinvest in the hard-working New Mexicans who fuel this state’s economy.”
Inside Climate News: New Florida Law Bans Local Net-Zero Emissions Policies
Amy Green, 6/30/26
“A new state law limits Florida communities’ aims to offset greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the global climate and intensifying disasters such as hurricanes,” Inside Climate News reports. “Specifically, HB 1217 prohibits local governments from pursuing net-zero emissions goals. At least 10 cities and counties have implemented such policies, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando and Leon County, where Tallahassee, the state capital, is located. But the new law will not necessarily upend these policies, Bradley Marshall, senior attorney at Earthjustice, an advocacy group, told ICN. “It’s certainly meant to scare municipalities and local governments from trying to do things to further net-zero policies,” he told ICN. “Now, its exact impact and what it exactly prohibits is probably up for some debate. Things that are adjacent to it—emissions reductions and even climate change reduction policies—on their face will not run afoul at all of a ban on adopting a net zero policy.” “...Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the measure on April 22, Earth Day, and the law will take effect July 1. It states that “net zero policies, carbon taxes and assessments, and emission trading programs are detrimental to this state’s energy security and economic interests and inconsistent with the energy policy and the environmental policy of this state.”
Press release: BLM seeks initial input for February 2027 sale of oil and gas leases in Arizona
6/29/26
“The Bureau of Land Management today opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 92 oil and gas parcels totaling 208,576 acres that may be included in a February 2027 lease sale in Arizona. These parcels were nominated in September and October of 2025 and are distinct from the 40 parcels which may be offered for sale in December 2026. The scoping period for these 92 parcels ends July 29, 2026… “BLM lease sales are held online through Efficient Markets.”
Inside Climate News: New Power Plants for Data Centers Would Significantly Increase Pennsylvania’s Climate Pollution
Jon Hurdle, 7/2/26
“Data center developers in Pennsylvania plan to rely on at least seven new natural gas-fired power plants that would emit climate-warming gases equal to adding 14 million cars on the road every year, according to a new report,” Inside Climate News reports. “The report from the Environmental Integrity Project, an advocacy group, said the plants would together emit some 68 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, part of a national trend that would result in a huge rise in greenhouse gas emissions amid global efforts to slow climate change. That bump would mean a 24 percent increase in Pennsylvania’s emissions as of 2022. The planned power plants, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the United States, are so-called “behind-the-meter” plants that would supply electricity directly to data centers rather than to the grid, where data centers would have to draw energy alongside other users, such as homes and businesses. EIP’s report, titled “The Power Behind AI,” focused on larger power plants capable of generating 100 megawatts or more. The plants planned in Pennsylvania would produce about 14 gigawatts of power combined. As plans for data centers proliferate across the United States, and affected communities claim the rush toward development will damage the environment and public health, the report is the latest to warn of a national surge in greenhouse gas emissions in response to huge new demand for electricity from the industry.”
Bay City News: Lake County emerges as promising target in race to tap naturally occurring hydrogen
Roger Coryell, 6/29/26
“The ground that burned to the foundations during Lake County’s Valley Fire in 2015, on a fault the U.S. Geological Survey rates capable of a magnitude 7 earthquake, is now one of the most promising places in California to hunt for a fuel the state has almost no rules for,” Bay City News reports. “A Denver startup called Koloma — backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy organization and Amazon’s climate fund — has spent the past year quietly mapping the rock under Cobb and Kelseyville, in one of California’s poorest counties, for natural hydrogen. The roadside survey is finished. The company briefed two county supervisors out of public view. And so far, no one has said what it found… “Sometimes called “white” or “gold” hydrogen, it’s just what it sounds like: hydrogen gas the earth makes on its own, sitting underground waiting to be tapped like oil — clean energy to drill for instead of cooking up… “Whether the gas is actually down there in useful amounts, and whether it stays put rather than leaking through the same faults that made it, is the open scientific question… “The data is not public… “If Koloma decides to drill, the rules finally get real: a county permit, environmental review and a state drilling notice. That is the point at which the questions Lake County hasn’t had to answer come due — who writes the rules for a fuel the state hasn’t defined, on land that has burned twice in a decade and sits on a creeping fault?”
Boyle Heights Beat: After Boyle Heights warehouse fire, residents take environmental testing into their own hands
Alejandra Molina, 7/4/26
“Wearing gloves and a KN95 mask, Emmanuel Carrera Ruedas hunkered down near a storm drain, just steps away from the smoldering Lineage warehouse fire, as he filmed himself pointing to what he described as insulation and foam flowing into the drain,” Boyle Heights Beat reports. “The thing about this water is that it all gets dumped straight into the L.A. River,” Carrera Ruedas, of Cudahy, told his Instagram followers in a June 22 reel. In the past two weeks, Carrera Ruedas has spent evenings gathering water samples outside Lineage and from the L.A. River as he and other community scientists are partnering with experts from UCLA and Columbia University to learn what’s in the runoff. Samples will soon be sent to a lab in New York.”
EXTRACTION
E&E News: Utilities defer ‘net zero’ progress as AI data centers come calling
Jeffrey Tomich, 7/1/26
“When utility executives gathered for the same conference last month at the Fontainebleau hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, phrases such as energy transition, climate change and ESG were conspicuously absent. The focus instead was on the estimated $1.4 trillion in new grid investments needed by the end of the decade, partly to accommodate booming power demand growth from Big Tech,” E&E News reports. “...The consequences of the industry’s new focus are showing up in utility capital budgets and plans for how they’ll serve customers over the next 15 to 20 years. Accelerating energy demand has prompted companies to postpone coal plant retirements dates, plan dozens of new natural gas plants and delay or scrap interim goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… “There’s a certain cognitive dissonance associated with continued investment in new natural gas and meeting a 2050 net-zero goal,” he said. “By focusing on [2050 goals] and not on interim targets that are eminently achievable ... it’s kind of an easy way out of any accountability.”
Axios: Google’s AI boom sends emissions, power use soaring
Amy Harder, 6/30/26
“Google’s electricity, water use and greenhouse gas emissions all climbed to record levels last year as the company raced to build more AI infrastructure,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: Google has invested more aggressively than perhaps any other tech company in clean energy, yet its environmental report released Tuesday shows how difficult it has become to keep climate goals on track amid the AI buildout.”
Press release: Commissioner Hoekstra brings industry together to accelerate implementation of carbon capture and storage across Europe
7/2/26
“On 29 June 2026, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra brought together industry stakeholders for an Implementation Dialogue to identify practical solutions for scaling up carbon capture and storage (CCS) across Europe. The European Union has set a target of reaching 50 million tonnes of annual CO2 injection capacity in EU geological CO2 storage sites by 2030 to support the decarbonisation and competitiveness of Europe’s industry. The Commission reported in May that progress is well underway, with the first storage sites expected to come into operation this year. The meeting brought together senior representatives from heavy industry, infrastructure and transport operators, startups, trade unions and civil society organisations as well as regional and local authorities. Participants agreed that scaling up carbon capture and storage requires coordinated action across the entire value chain. A clear message from the Dialogue was that investment in CO2 transport and storage infrastructure is essential to unlock CCS projects across the continent. Stakeholders called for faster and more predictable permitting, stronger cross-border cooperation, greater transparency and data sharing, and open access to infrastructure to help projects move from planning to deployment… “Closing the Dialogue, Commissioner Hoekstra underlined the importance of building an integrated European market for CO2 transport and storage, based on close cooperation between industry, Member States and the Commission. The discussions will feed into the Commission’s work on future measures to support the development of CO2 transport infrastructure and markets, due by the end of 2026 as part of the Energy Union package.”
Financial Times: Shell alleged to have misled UK courts in Nigeria pollution case
Malcolm Moore and Rachel Millard, 7/6/26
“Shell has been accused of knowingly misleading the English courts in an attempt to avoid facing trial in the UK over oil pollution in Nigeria, according to newly amended legal documents filed at the High Court,” the Financial Times reports. “The allegations, which Shell denies, form part of a long-running legal battle brought by the Bille community in the Niger Delta seeking clean-up costs and compensation for decades of oil spills. The case is due to go to trial early next year and could become one of the most significant environmental claims faced by the UK-listed energy group. The UN has previously said remedying the oil pollution in the Niger Delta may require “the most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken”... “The newly amended pleadings, which have been filed by lawyers at Leigh Day who represent the Bille community, allege that Shell “knowingly gave and/or relied upon false and/or misleading evidence” during that jurisdiction fight in order to prevent the claims “from proceeding to trial”... “They allege Shell “acted in concert” with SPDC in managing and operating the pipelines that spilled oil.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Grist: Banks are financing the fossil fuel industry’s next growth strategy
Joseph Winters, 7/1/26
“For the past two years, more than a dozen major banks have been not only reneging on their climate commitments, they’ve been actively making the crisis worse,” Grist reports. “In 2024 and 2025, during the leadup to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, all six of the nation’s largest banks abandoned the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a voluntary climate coalition, precipitating the Alliance’s complete shutdown in October. Since then, others including Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, HSBC, NatWest, Santander, and JPMorgan Chase have either weakened or scrapped their decarbonization targets. Now, new evidence shows banks are ramping up spending on fossil fuels. Beyond helping companies extract more oil and gas, they are bankrolling the industry’s pivot to plastics, fertilizers, and other petrochemical products. Two reports released earlier this month illustrate the trend… ”Together, the reports suggest that large financial institutions are enabling a long-term viability strategy for the fossil fuel industry, one in which declining demand for oil and gas in energy systems and transportation is offset by a boom in petrochemicals. Indeed, in recent years oil majors including Exxon Mobil, Shell, and Saudi Aramco have invested heavily in that field by, among other things, acquiring majority stakes in plastics and chemical companies and retrofitting oil refineries to accommodate a shift in production. These investments reflect projections from the International Energy Agency that plastics, agrichemicals, and other petrochemical products will account for more than one-third of the growth in oil demand through 2030, and nearly half of it by 2050 — much more than other sectors like aviation and shipping.”
OPINION
Islands Weekly: Surge in oil tanker traffic threatens Salish Sea, Southern Resident orcas and shoreline communities
Friends of the San Juans, 7/2/26
“Friends of the San Juans is raising urgent concerns over a dramatic increase in oil tanker traffic in the Salish Sea driven by expanding Canadian tar sands pipeline projects and new proposals to fast-track oil export infrastructure to Canada’s Pacific coast,” Friends of the San Juans writes for Islands Weekly. “Canada is advancing plans to expedite permits for major infrastructure projects, including ports, pipelines and transportation corridors tied to oil exports. Plans to establish a new, 1 million barrel per day tar sands crude oil pipeline, in combination with the recent and proposed further expansions of Canada’s existing Trans Mountain Pipeline system, could result in more than 956 additional oil tanker transits per year through the Salish Sea. This would significantly elevate the risk of catastrophic oil spills, vessel accidents, underwater noise pollution and harm to endangered marine wildlife, including the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales… “This new pipeline proposal ignores the cumulative impacts and risks to endangered species, Sovereign Nation and Treaty-protected resources, and coastal communities and economies on both sides of the border,” Lovel Pratt, marine protection and policy director of Friends of the San Juans, stated… “According to the Washington Department of Ecology, the pipeline already poses serious environmental risks to watersheds and marine ecosystems in Washington state as it crosses the Nooksack River (twice), the Samish River, the Swinomish Channel and numerous creeks flowing into Padilla Bay. The increase in oil tanker traffic is especially alarming for the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, whose population currently numbers just 74 individuals. Additional tanker activity would intensify underwater noise and increase the risk of accidents and oil spills in the Southern Residents’ critical habitat in the Salish Sea, further threatening the already dwindling population… “Friends of the San Juans is asking its members and the public to ask Washington state and congressional representatives to oppose the proposed pipeline’s route to the Salish Sea and to urge Canada to retain endangered species protections in the permitting of major projects.”
Stand.earth: Smith’s short-sighted pipeline will only become a reality if taxpayers pay for it
7/2/26
“Prime Minister Mark Carney joined Alberta Premier Danielle Smith today to announce the Alberta government pipeline proposal to the federal government’s Major Projects Office for a million-barrel-a-day crude oil pipeline to British Columbia’s south coast. “The Trans Mountain expansion experience has proven that pipelines – particularly ones with no private backers – end up costing taxpayers billions of dollars,” Stand.earth Canadian Oil and Gas Campaign Director Sven Biggs said. “The reason Premier Smith can’t find a pipeline company willing to take on ownership of this misguided scheme is that the financial risks of the project outweigh the rewards. So the only way this pipeline will ever get built is if regular Canadians like you and I are forced to pay the costs.” The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project cost Canadian taxpayers at least $34.2 billion CAD due to massive cost overruns during the construction phase of the project. The federal government has still been unable to find a private sector buyer for the pipeline, even though it has been in operation for over two years… “Pembina Pipeline was referenced as part of Carney and Smith’s announcement, but the company’s own release clarifies that its participation is limited to a non-binding Heads of Agreement, and does not involve a financial investment at this time. While framed politically as a major breakthrough for Canadian energy exports, a deeper look reveals that this proposal is less binding and substantial than it is being billed… “The tar sands crude this pipeline would transport is some of the dirtiest, highest carbon oil in the world, which poses a grave threat to impacted communities and the climate,” Stand.earth Senior Oil and Gas Campaigner Kiki Wood said. “With a heatwave expected to sweep several provinces this weekend, and hundreds of wildfires already burning across Canada, we cannot afford to continue accelerating climate change by expanding fossil fuel projects like this pipeline, when we are all already suffering from the impacts.”
Anchorage Daily News: A drilling plan that asks Alaska to forget its own history
Jeffrey Short is a retired research chemist who led and published numerous scientific studies on the fate and effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill while employed by NOAA Fisheries through 2008, 6/30/26
“The seas around Alaska are among the most productive on Earth, supporting dozens of species of marine mammals, seabirds and commercial fisheries that produce more than half the fish caught in the United States. Many of these species are now threatened by the recent National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, or five-year plan,” Jeffrey Short writes for the Anchorage Daily News. “The draft program included almost all of Alaska’s waters. If those areas were actually drilled, it would endanger hundreds of species, as well as many Alaskans who depend on healthy oceans. I have seen firsthand the effects of oil spills in Alaska. I was one of the scientists who studied the effects after the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound in 1989, spilling about 11 million gallons of crude oil. An estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, 22 killer whales, and countless salmon and herring were killed by the oil spill. Four people died of causes connected to the cleanup efforts and thousands more experienced health problems. Tens of thousands lost their livelihoods, leading to suicide and widespread social trauma. Adverse effects lasted for decades, and oil still lingers on some shorelines. Expanded offshore oil and gas drilling would bring the risk of destructive oil spills to our coasts, and Alaska is unprepared… “There is still a chance for the Trump administration to remove Alaska from the possible leasing areas and protect our fisheries, seabirds, marine mammals and coastal communities. Let’s make our voices heard and protect Alaska’s coasts from more toxic drilling and spilling.”
Alabama Reflector: New oil spill money is a welcome boost for coastal Alabama
Catherine Dorrough, 7/1/26
“Sometimes, the news is good. Not long ago, I found myself trudging through a gloomy collection of headlines when a piece of good news indeed made me light up like a firefly: Gov. Kay Ivey had just announced that Alabama will receive a healthy infusion of $87 million in new RESTORE Act funding,” Catherine Dorrough writes for the Alabama Reflector. “The money will go toward a concise but ambitious set of coastal restoration projects, including the creation of 100 acres of wetland in upper Mobile Bay; replenishment of both Dauphin Island’s West End and Grand Batture Island; and the continuation of a water quality program that has brought better infrastructure to waterfront municipalities. This is Deepwater Horizon money, Alabama’s piece of a larger 2026 funding package totaling $403 million that will benefit all five Gulf Coast states. The money’s overseeing body, the RESTORE Council, earlier this month unanimously approved the funding package, which is itself just one slice of the mammoth $20.8 billion environmental damage settlement that emerged from the catastrophic oil spill. Quite a silver lining to a smoky, oil-soaked cloud. I still remember the sharp tang that laced the air in the spring of 2010.”
Common Dreams: Hey Trump, Our Ocean Isn’t for Sale
Miriam Goldstein is the executive director of the National Ocean Protection Coalition; Shantha Ready Alonso is the executive director of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, 7/2/26
“As the United States approaches its 250th year as a nation, the festivities are widespread in DC. But even as Americans prepare to celebrate, the Trump administration is quietly working to expose some of our most treasured ocean places to harmful activities like mining, drilling, and industrial fishing,” Miriam Goldstein and Shantha Ready Alonso write for Common Dreams. “We should be spending this anniversary lifting up our shared natural and cultural heritage. Instead, the Trump administration is spending this consequential year trashing the very idea of shared heritage by erasing history and selling out nature on land and sea. While there has been extensive coverage about how this erasure is playing out on land, the administration is also aggressively selling out our ocean heritage. Having worked in the Biden administration and now both leading national conservation coalitions, we hear from communities across the country every day, who are trying to protect the ocean and coasts they love and depend on. And what we hear is that communities don’t like what they are seeing from the Trump administration. They don’t want to be cut off from their own ocean backyards by corporate pollution. They don’t want dirty and destructive industry off their coasts. And they especially don’t want the Trump administration selling off public lands and waters to the highest bidder… “Collectively, we can push back on the Trump administration’s attack on the ocean. We’ve seen this administration abandon projects before, including the DOGE program. All of us who love the ocean have a chance now to be a part of the alliance to save its future. For the last 250 years, past generations fought to protect our coasts and waters. Now, it’s up to us to keep that tradition alive.”
The Alpena News: Selling America’s soul for $2 per acre
Greg Awtry, 7/3/26
“President Abraham Lincoln famously stated in the Gettysburg Address on November, 1863, that the nation would experience a new birth of freedom “and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”. Forty-five years later, President Theodore Roosevelt stated in his address Conservation is a National Duty “…that our majestic landscapes should remain unmarred so they could be kept for your children, your children’s children and for all those who come after you.” And now, the Trump Administration is attacking both of these previous presidential proclamations, as he opens up some our most precious public lands for drilling and mining, land that Roosevelt said, “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve upon it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it,” Greg Awtry writes for The Alpena News. “...Trump is thumbing his nose at Roosevelt who opened up five national parks, knowing these pristine lands should be left as is for all. Abraham Lincoln also knew the importance of government being directed by the people, the same people Trump is now trying to silence… “We have seen the Forest Service drastically cutting down comment and objection periods for environmental assessments and environmental impact statements; the BLM also expanded exemptions for oil and gas producers from environmental reviews. And in May, the Interior Department released guidance outlining a process for certain energy projects to circumvent environmental reviews… “Since the Trump Administration has taken office, they have opened up nearly 24.5 million acres of public land for oil and gas leasing much of leased for a whopping $2 per acre! Lincoln, “government by the people.” Roosevelt, “it’s our duty to protect public lands.” Trump, “notice and comment is unnecessary because I am ordering the repeal.” What’s left to be said? Whether you are an oil and gas executive or an environmentalist, we all know this is flat out wrong. Selling out the people’s most precious and sacred lands and our national forests is selling America’s soul.”