EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/8/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• E&E News: Pipeline safety group urges PHMSA to restart regulatory updates

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Ames senator calls for special session to override veto of eminent domain bill

• Michigan Advance: Activists call attention to Line 5 concerns as Michiganders head north for the holiday weekend

• Texas Tribune: Texas coastal town in “David and Goliath” fight against planned ammonia plant

• North Dakota Monitor: Federal government appealing $28M award to North Dakota for pipeline protest costs

• Nikkei Asia: Alaska natural gas pipeline project eyes start for Asian customers

• Cardinal News: Agenda Danville: Health collaborative meeting on pipeline expansion

• Bloomberg: East Coast Gasoline Stockpiles Swell as Key Pipeline Adds Volume

• DBusiness: Consumers Energy Upgrading Natural Gas System with 135 Miles of New Pipeline

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• New York Times: Trump Executive Order Creates Commission to Open Protected Public Land

• Reuters: US proposes rules that could boost oil, gas output in US West

• Billings Gazette: Senate bolsters oil and gas lease sales; environmentalists say it locks up public lands

• E&E News: Supreme Court’s NEPA ruling: Needed fix or new headache for courts?

• E&E News: Bipartisan ‘abundance’ caucus sets sights on NEPA

STATE UPDATES

• American Press: ExxonMobil sues Allen Police Jury over C02 permit ordinance

• Arctic Today: Trump’s budget bill criticized for ‘heist’ of Alaskan wildlife refuge

• WHYY: A Pennsylvania fracking report had 8 recommendations. 5 years later, few have been implemented

• Colorado Newsline: After coal, a debate in Colorado over proposed new natural gas electricity generation

• Inforum: ND likely to see more AI ‘factories’ as report calls state the ‘epicenter’ for industry infrastructure

• Canary Media: N.C. governor vetoes bill that would have delayed clean energy goal

• Corpus Christi Caller Times: What are tar balls on Texas beaches, and when do they require cleanup? Here's what to know

EXTRACTION

• iPolitics.ca: ‘It’s too late’: David Suzuki says the fight against climate change is lost

• NPR: Defunct oil wells are a national problem. Finding them is the first step

• Associated Press: Carbon capture

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Santa Cruz Sentinel: California’s former insurance commissioner wants oil and gas companies to pay for the home insurance crisis

OPINION

• The Review: Against carbon capture

• Mississippi Clarion Ledger: STEM education is the key to a stronger Mississippi
  

PIPELINE NEWS

E&E News: Pipeline safety group urges PHMSA to restart regulatory updates
Mike Soraghan, 7/8/25

“Federal pipeline safety regulators are pursuing President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda, but safety advocates say they haven’t been updating the public as required by law,” E&E News reports. “Now, those advocates are pushing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to resume posting updates. The Pipeline Safety Trust, a Bellingham, Washington-based group, sent a letter Monday to PHMSA acting Administrator Ben Kochman urging the agency to provide the information. The safety trust told E&E PHMSA’s failure to post updates ignores the law, obstructs transparency and undermines public trust. “PHMSA is hindering the public and Congress’ ability to effectively monitor its progress in implementing critical safety reforms,” Erin Sutherland, policy and program director and counsel for the Pipeline Safety Trust, told E&E. “We respectfully urge PHMSA to come back into compliance with the law and to provide a timeline on when it plans to do so.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Ames senator calls for special session to override veto of eminent domain bill
Cami Koons, 7/7/25

“Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, announced Monday he submitted a request to Senate leadership, calling for a special session to override the governor’s veto of a bill pertaining to eminent domain and carbon dioxide pipelines,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Quirmbach joins 70 members of the House, from both parties, who signed a petition in June, calling for a special session to override the veto. Two-thirds of senators would have to agree with Quirmbach for a special session to be called. Quirmbach told Dispatch he’s not sure if his request, submitted July 3 to Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, will be effective in mobilizing enough senators for a special session, but said he “personally felt it was important to make (his) opposition clear.” “I think we should do something about eminent domain this year,” Quirmbach said in a call with Iowa Capital Dispatch… “If the pipeline would generate such large financial gains to Summit, it should offer landowners prices generous enough to secure voluntary sales,” Quirmbach told Dispatch. “Use the voluntary market, not government force.” “...Quirmbach told Dispatch he submitted the request as a “personal desire” and said he had not spoken with any of his Democratic colleagues. Iowa Senate Democrats did not respond to requests for comment on their willingness to support a petition for a special session.”

Michigan Advance: Activists call attention to Line 5 concerns as Michiganders head north for the holiday weekend
Kyle Davidson, 7/7/25

“As residents throughout the state made their annual pilgrimages north in celebration of Independence Day weekend, a group of activists posted their first billboard along the Interstate 75 corridor into northern Michigan, raising concerns about the 72-year-old pipeline’s continued operations in the Great Lakes,” the Michigan Advance reports. “...Transporting more than 22 million gallons of light crude oil and natural gas liquids daily, activists have called the pipeline a ticking time bomb, pointing to a July 2010 spill, where Enbridge’s Line 6B ruptured, releasing 840,000 gallons of crude oil into Talmadge Creek, which flows into the Kalamazoo River. Watershed Aware, a limited liability corporation that says it was founded by a group of concerned citizens, on July 3 placed along I-75 in Gaylord the first of what it says will be several billboards in an effort to “help Michigan citizens understand more clearly the impacts and costs of Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 Tunnel Project.” “...The billboard posted in Gaylord calls attention to the permit’s request to discharge 5 million gallons per day of various wastewaters associated with tunnel construction and drainage as well as groundwater seepage, and storm water into Lake Michigan… “Watershed Aware said in its statement that they are working to raise funds for billboards along the I-75 corridor, which leads up through Mackinaw City across the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula. Alongside concerns about the tunnel project’s environmental impacts, members of Michigan’s Tribal Communities raised concerns on how the construction process will impact cultural sites and ancestral remains.”

Texas Tribune: Texas coastal town in “David and Goliath” fight against planned ammonia plant
Clare Carlile and Sara Sneath, DeSmog, 7/3/25

“Chris Carlton built his house in Ingleside in 2008, back when it was a sleepy fishing town,” the Texas Tribune reports. “We were this little pocket of paradise. This area was known for fishing long before it was known for petroleum,” Carlton told the Tribune. Since then, more than a dozen oil and chemical facilities have sprung up along the coastline, drawn to the area by access to transatlantic shipping routes, the cheap supply of fossil fuels and lenient local regulators… “In 2023, Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara teamed up with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge, announcing plans to build the first ammonia plant in Ingleside. Yara claimed that the chemical — a key ingredient in fertilizers — would “significantly contribute to our strategy of decarbonizing agriculture” and provide a “clean” fuel for shipping and power production. The new plant would produce up to 8,000 metric tons of “low-carbon” ammonia every day by 2030, making it one of Yara’s largest-ever facilities. The chemical is likely to be exported to Europe, Asia and elsewhere. The project’s success is contingent on gaining support from the local city council, which has so far backed concerned residents opposing the plant. Over the past two years, the companies have launched numerous social initiatives touching on nearly every aspect of town life, from opening a food bank to gifting free baseball tickets and children’s shoes — in what some residents describe as a “charm offensive.” The project has dubbed itself “YaREN” in reference to the Norwegian word “ren” meaning “clean.” But many locals, alongside experts and campaigners, told the Tribune that the plant could have devastating impacts on the environment and human and marine health… “Analysis by DeSmog indicates that Ingleside’s new plant could require more gas than is consumed by Switzerland, Bulgaria or Denmark each year. Yara and Enbridge say they will decarbonize ammonia production through carbon capture and storage (CCS) — where emissions from industrial processes are captured and stored underground, producing so-called “blue ammonia.” But many residents and experts are sceptical of these claims. Carbon capture has been widely criticised for failing to meet its promised potential. It does nothing to tackle emissions from gas extraction or ammonia use, which currently accounts for the largest share of emissions from the gas, once it’s spread on fields as fertilizer.”

North Dakota Monitor: Federal government appealing $28M award to North Dakota for pipeline protest costs
Mary Steurer, 7/7/25

“The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a federal judge’s decision to award North Dakota $28 million in damages for the executive branch’s response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “The case now heads to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for review… “The state filed suit in 2019 against the federal government, arguing that the Corps unlawfully allowed, and at some times encouraged, protesters to use its land at the state’s expense… “In an April ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor sided with North Dakota’s claims, finding the Army Corps at fault for negligence, public nuisance and civil trespass claims… “North Dakota sought to recoup $38 million from the federal government, though Traynor lowered this amount to $28 million since the U.S. Department of Justice previously gave the state $10 million as compensation for the protests. The state can’t get any of the money until the appeals process wraps up, according to the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget. The award would also have to survive review by other judges.”

Nikkei Asia: Alaska natural gas pipeline project eyes start for Asian customers
Ryosuke Hanafusa, 7/8/25

“A 1,300-kilometer natural gas pipeline project in Alaska connecting the northern and southern regions of the resource rich U.S. state is expected to be up and running in about three years, a top executive told Nikkei Asia. Adam Prestidge, president of Glenfarne Alaska LNG, told Nikkei Asia in a recent interview that the joint venture is planning to make its final financial commitment to the pipeline by the end of this year and start supplying gas drilled in the north to the city of Anchorage by the end of 2028. Glenfarne Alaska LNG holds a 75% stake in the project, with the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., a state-owned entity, holding the remaining 25%. Glenfarne Group, based in New York, has experience in developing energy infrastructure projects in the U.S. and South America… “The gas will be liquefied near the coast and shipped to Asian customers, with Japan and South Korea seen as the most promising buyers because of their proximity. The challenge of the project is the pipeline. The construction cost alone is estimated to be $11 billion, about a fourth of the total estimated project cost of $44 billion… "We are confident that the pipeline is financially viable as an independent project," Prestidge told Nikkei Asia. "We are building this very feasible infrastructure through an existing infrastructure corridor that has been operating for 50 years," he added, stressing that the gas pipeline will mostly be built along the existing oil pipeline and railroad which were built decades ago. Once the pipeline is constructed, he believes it will pave the way for the liquefaction plant to be completed, and the first cargo of the super chilled gas can be transported in 2030 or 2031.”

Cardinal News: Agenda Danville: Health collaborative meeting on pipeline expansion
Grace Mamon, 7/8/25

“The Dan River Region Health Collaborative is hosting an information session about the Transco pipeline expansion in Pittsylvania County at its monthly meeting in Danville on Thursday at noon,” Cardinal News reports. “...Owned by the Williams Companies, a natural gas pipeline developer, the pipeline is part of a larger system that extends more than 10,000 miles from the Gulf Coast to New York. The Williams Companies plans a further extension of the existing pipeline in Virginia, running north from Pittsylvania. This expansion will serve “the power-hungry Virginia market,” Williams’ President and CEO Alan Armstrong said in May on a quarterly earnings call… “Jessica Sims with Appalachian Voices, a grassroots environmental protection group, gave a presentation about the pipeline’s extension. This month, Michael Atchie, a representative from the Williams Companies, will be speaking about the expansion project.”

Bloomberg: East Coast Gasoline Stockpiles Swell as Key Pipeline Adds Volume
Nathan Risser and Jack Wittels, 7/7/25

“The operator of the largest US fuel pipeline system has raised shipments on a key gasoline line, increasing supplies for East Coast drivers in the peak summer travel season,” Bloomberg reports. “Colonial Pipeline Co.’s Line 1, which primarily transports gasoline, boosted capacity 5% to 7% above typical summer volumes, according to a notice to shippers seen by Bloomberg. Colonial expects the increase to last through the shipping cycle that starts in late August. The company confirmed the notice. The increased flows are the result of changes Colonial made earlier this year to the types of fuel and minimum quantities that can be sent on the line, which has run near maximum capacity for years. Shippers including Trafigura, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. protested the changes, saying they’d raise costs and contribute to operational hurdles. Line 1 transports 1.5 million barrels of gasoline a day from Texas to North Carolina.”

DBusiness: Consumers Energy Upgrading Natural Gas System with 135 Miles of New Pipeline
Tim Keenan, 7/7/25

“Consumers Energy in Jackson says it’s updating its statewide natural gas system with 135 miles of major construction projects in 15 Michigan communities this summer,” DBusiness reports. “The ongoing construction work will replace existing cast iron and steel pipelines, some of which are more than a century old… “We focus on work that will have the most impact, ensuring that our natural gas system will be reliable for many more years,” Holly Bowers, vice president of natural gas engineering and supply at Consumers Energy, told DBusiness.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

New York Times: Trump Executive Order Creates Commission to Open Protected Public Land
Ashley Ahn, 7/3/25

“President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday establishing a Make America Beautiful Again Commission to ‘promote responsible stewardship of natural resources while driving economic growth’ on historically protected public land,” the New York Times reports. “The commission, to be chaired by Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, and composed of top federal officials and cabinet secretaries, will expand access in parks and forests “while promoting a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities like hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, climbing, boating, off-roading, and wildlife viewing,” the order says. It notes that in 2023, the recreation economy supported five million jobs. The action comes as the Trump administration has pushed to open vast areas of public land and federal waters, reversing climate policies enacted by the Biden administration that restricted drilling, mining and other activities across public lands and federal waters. The administration announced plans in June to eliminate federal protections across millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness, which would allow drilling and mining in some of the last remaining pristine wilderness in the country. In April, the administration opened thousands of acres of land in Nevada and New Mexico to oil and gas drilling and hard-rock mining.”

Reuters: US proposes rules that could boost oil, gas output in US West
7/7/25

“The U.S. Interior Department on Monday proposed rule changes to allow energy companies to more easily combine oil and gas output from multiple leases using the same well pad, which could save the industry as much as $1.8 billion per year, it said,” Reuters reports. “The proposed rule change, which would mostly affect onshore oil and gas drilling in the U.S. West, would ease limits on so-called commingling, which the department said would make operations more efficient… “The change would allow oil and gas operators to more accurately track production and calculate the royalties drillers pay to the federal government and to tribes for fossil fuels produced on public and tribal lands, the department said… “The Western Energy Alliance has pushed for greater access to commingling, saying it is one of the quickest ways to increase production onshore, and that many projects have been held up for years by the Interior's Bureau of Land Management not approving federal and private oil and gas in consolidated projects.”

Billings Gazette: Senate bolsters oil and gas lease sales; environmentalists say it locks up public lands
Alex Mitchell, 7/3/25

“As Montana’s congressional delegation played an influential part in stripping federal land sales from the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ environmental groups accused Republican senators of passing provisions that would lock up millions of acres of public land for oil and gas development,” the Billings Gazette reports. “In part of the Senate’s 51-50 approval of the sweeping policy bill, Republican senators approved measures initially led by Sen. Steve Daines around bolstering oil and gas production. A provision in the bill would require the Bureau of Land Management to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales for Montana and eight other states on public land. Quarterly sales of federal oil and gas leases are technically already required by law, but largely didn’t happen under President’s Joe Biden’s administration. Another provision would reduce royalties charged on oil and gas companies on federal leases from 16.67% to 12.5% — reversing it back to the rate that was imposed for nearly a century until the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act increased it to 16.67%.”

E&E News: Supreme Court’s NEPA ruling: Needed fix or new headache for courts?
Niina H. Farah, 7/7/25

“The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has promised a ‘course correction’ for how judges consider environmental reviews for federally backed projects. But legal experts are split on how much the decision will shift rulings in the lower courts,” E&E News reports. “The high court ruled 8-0 in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County to limit National Environmental Policy Act reviews to the environmental effects directly linked to the project under review and to focus on the potential harms the agency has the power to influence. The ruling this term was an unusual example of the Supreme Court weighing in on the landmark environmental law. NEPA directs agencies to ‘look before they leap’ and consider how a new project might affect the surrounding environment. But critics have said this procedural statute has been wrongly reinterpreted by federal judges to require more and more analysis, and in the process has significantly delayed projects and increased their costs. “The biggest takeaway is that agencies gain a greater amount of certainty about their ability to defend the scope of their review in court,” Brandon Tuck, a partner at the firm Vinson & Elkins, told E&E.”

E&E News: Bipartisan ‘abundance’ caucus sets sights on NEPA
Andres Picon, 7/8/25

“Congress’ big push to streamline environmental reviews for new energy projects ended last December with an impasse and a senior senator storming out of a Capitol meeting room,” E&E News reports. “Six months later, lawmakers have launched a bipartisan caucus they hope will bring fresh ideas and momentum to the stalled negotiations. The House’s new Build America Caucus is taking on permitting reform — one of Capitol Hill’s thorniest policy issues in recent years — and hoping to generate legislative proposals that could make it easier to build energy infrastructure, manufacturing plants, transit, housing and more. “We’re going to put the full force of our members to try and make sure that this gets done,” Rep. Josh Harder, the California Democrat chairing the caucus, told E&E.”

STATE UPDATES

American Press: ExxonMobil sues Allen Police Jury over C02 permit ordinance
Doris Maricle, 7/7/25

“ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions Onshore Storage is suing Allen Parish officials over local efforts to require a parish permit for carbon capture sequestration and injection wells,” the American Press reports. “ExxonMobil filed a 22-page lawsuit on July 1 in the U.S. District Court Western District in Lake Charles against the Allen Parish Police Jury and Sheriff Doug Hebert III. The lawsuit challenges the legality and enforceability of a local ordinance requiring a parish permit for carbon capture sequestration and injection well projects, arguing it is inconsistent with state law and delays state-permitted activities. ExxonMobil currently has state approval for two Class V stratigraphic test wells in the parish. If the test wells are successful, the company plans to capture industrial CO2, transport it via pipeline, and store it underground. However, police jurors and local residents are concerned these projects threaten the Chicot Aquifer, a vital drinking water source. The police jury adopted the injection well ordinance (Ordinance No. 6656) in May, aiming to establish local oversight for carbon capture sequestration and injection wells, a matter typically under state jurisdiction… “Police jurors are expected to call for a public hearing next month to rescind the ordinance. The lawsuit seeks to declare the ordinance invalid and unenforceable, asserting that it exceeds state laws that the company has already met or will meet. It also requests declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the enforcement of what it deems an unlawful ordinance.”

Arctic Today: Trump’s budget bill criticized for ‘heist’ of Alaskan wildlife refuge
Elías Thorsson, 7/3/25

“A sweeping budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday mandates massive oil and gas lease sales across Alaska’s public lands—including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR–A)—a move environmental advocates are calling one of the most aggressive land sell-offs in modern U.S. history,” Arctic Today reports. “This bill is a heist—plain and simple,” Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League, told AT. “It would sell out our most ecologically significant public lands in the Arctic to the highest bidder … It’s reckless, it’s shortsighted, and it’s an insult to the Indigenous communities who have stewarded these lands for generations.” The bill requires four lease sales in ANWR over the next decade, each covering at least 400,000 acres, including the ecologically vital Coastal Plain, calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou and sacred to the Gwich’in Nation. It also mandates five sales in NPR–A, each offering around 4 million acres and includes six offshore lease sales in Cook Inlet. The Alaska Wilderness League warns that more than 20 million acres of public lands are now at risk—calling it a direct attack on Indigenous sovereignty, biodiversity and climate progress.”

WHYY: A Pennsylvania fracking report had 8 recommendations. 5 years later, few have been implemented
Susan Phillips, 7/3/25

“Five years after a landmark Pennsylvania grand jury report slammed the Department of Environmental Protection for failing to protect the public from the health effects of fracking, advocates, including those living near fracking sites, say little has changed,” WHYY reports. “The 2020 report, released by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and based on testimony from residents, made eight recommendations to fix what it said went wrong during the state’s fracking boom. “We took a risk testifying there,” Jodi Borella, who appeared before the grand jury and lives about 1,200 feet from a well pad in Washington County, told WHYY. “And we feel that we were disrespected by these recommendations not being moved further.” Borella called on Gov. Shapiro, who was elected to that office in 2022 and began his term in 2023, to do more to implement the following recommendations made by the grand jury.”

Colorado Newsline: After coal, a debate in Colorado over proposed new natural gas electricity generation
Allen Best, 7/3/25

“Coal-burning for electrical generation will end in Craig before New Year’s Day of 2028 arrives. Will a new gas plant arrive in 2029 to partially replace the lost generation?,” Colorado Newsline reports. “Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association says it needs a 307-megawatt gas plant there to ensure electricity will be available for its members across its four-state service territory, but particularly western Colorado. Three conservation groups argue strenuously that Tri-State can keep the lights on without the gas plant — and at a cost that is $288 million less and with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. They instead recommend more battery storage in lieu of the gas plant. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to make a decision on July 10. However, the PUC commissioners must first decide whether to order Tri-State to conduct additional modeling, as the conservation groups want. New modeling, however, would take time. “Time is of the essence,” Tri-State said in a PUC filing on June 25. It warned of “serious risk of cost escalation” if procurement of renewables is delayed, citing snarled supply chains and rising prices caused by the tariffs imposed on imports by President Donald Trump, and a reshaped tax landscape in the budget reconciliation bill before Congress. For example, nearly all battery cells come from China. Many photovoltaic solar components also come from China. And the budget bill would strip tax credits for most renewable projects.”

Inforum: ND likely to see more AI ‘factories’ as report calls state the ‘epicenter’ for industry infrastructure
Peyton Haug, 7/7/25

“Data center builders are taking a liking to the northern Plains as the demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure surges in the United States, with one developer signaling North Dakota should expect to see more facilities in the coming years,” Inforum reports. “There’s this feeling, this general consensus in the industry, that we’re entering this phase where, similar to the industrial revolution, AI is going to have a dramatic, positive impact on all of our lives,” Todd Gale, chief development officer for Applied Digital, told Inforum. The company is a data center builder with one facility in Jamestown, a full campus in Ellendale, and plans to expand into South Dakota. It released a report on June 17 touting the northern Plains as “the epicenter for AI infrastructure,” saying its cold climate and access to power can make for more efficient data centers — facilities Applied Digital is now calling “AI factories.” “...Computers in data centers heat up quickly. According to Gale, cooling them takes far less energy in North Dakota’s cold climate compared to southern states. The June report found North Dakota can “free cool” its facilities for more than 220 days out of the year. Free cooling is essentially natural air conditioning; cold, outside air circulated to lower internal temperatures.”

Canary Media: N.C. governor vetoes bill that would have delayed clean energy goal
Elizabeth Ouzts, 7/2/25

“State legislators pushing to unravel North Carolina’s climate law say their bill will give utility Duke Energy more leeway to build new gas and nuclear power plants and save its Tar Heel customers billions of dollars,” Canary Media reports. “But Gov. Josh Stein disagrees: He vetoed Senate Bill 266 on Wednesday, prompted by data showing that the legislation would cost households and slow the state’s energy buildout. The GOP-sponsored measure would repeal a requirement that Duke slash carbon pollution 70% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, while leaving a 2050 carbon-neutrality deadline intact. “This summer’s record heat and soaring utility bills has shown that we need to focus on lowering electricity costs for working families — not raising them,” Stein, a Democrat, said in a statement. ​“My job is to do everything in my power to lower costs and grow the economy. This bill fails that test.” In issuing his veto, Stein pointed to a new study from researchers at North Carolina State University, which builds on projections from the state customer advocate, Public Staff. That modeling showed SB 266 could cause Duke to build less generation capacity over the next decade, just as electricity needs are expected to surge. That means Duke would have to lean harder on aging plants and burn almost 40% more natural gas between 2030 and 2050, experts at N.C. State University say. Under a worst-case but plausible scenario for gas prices, customers could pay $23 billion more on their electric bills by midcentury as a result. “As our state continues to grow, we need to diversify our energy portfolio so that we are not overly reliant on natural gas and its volatile fuel markets,” Stein said.”

Corpus Christi Caller Times: What are tar balls on Texas beaches, and when do they require cleanup? Here's what to know
Katie Nickas, 7/7/25

“Beachgoers have noticed tar balls washing up onto the shores of Corpus Christi and Padre Island this spring and summer,” the Corpus Christi Caller Times reports. “...Tar balls are dark-colored pieces of oil that originate from releases of oil into the environment as remnants of oil spills or through natural seeps that escape from the earth surface above petroleum reservoirs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration… “The Gulf of America, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico, has more than “600 known oil seeps,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and tar balls can happen naturally or result from a man-made source, such as an oil spill. For most people, occasional brief contact with a small amount of oil, while not recommended, will do no harm, NOAA says, though some people are especially sensitive to chemicals and may have an allergic reaction. Someone who comes in contact with oil should wash the area with soap and water, baby oil, mineral oil, vinegar or cleaning paste sold at auto parts stores.”

EXTRACTION

iPolitics.ca: ‘It’s too late’: David Suzuki says the fight against climate change is lost
Davis Legree, 7/2/25

“...In our first edition, iPolitics caught up with David Suzuki, noted environmentalist and longtime host of ‘The Nature of Things’ on CBC,” iPolitics.ca reports. “At 89-years-old, Suzuki remains a fierce advocate for global climate action, but he spoke about recently coming to the conclusion that humanity has lost the fight against climate change, as well as the need to begin preparing for more severe and destructive natural disasters… “At the end of that conference, they said global warming represented a threat to humanity, second only to global nuclear war. If the world had followed the conclusions from that conference, we would not have the problem we face today and we would have saved trillions of dollars and millions of lives. Now, it is too late. I’ve never said this before to the media, but it’s too late. I say that because I go by science and Johan Rockström, the Swedish scientist who heads the Potsdam Institute, has defined nine planetary boundaries. These are constraints on how we live. As long as humans, like any other animal, live within those nine constraints, we can do it forever, and that includes the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, the pH of the oceans, the amount of available fresh water, the nitrogen cycle, etc. There are nine planetary boundaries and we’ve only dealt with one of them — the ozone layer — and we think we’ve saved ourselves from that threat. But we passed the seventh boundary this year, and we’re in the extreme danger zone. Rockström says we have five years to get out of the danger zone. If we pass one boundary, we should be shitting our pants. We’ve passed seven! And, if you look at those boundaries, like the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, we’ve had 28 COP meetings on climate change and we haven’t been able to cap emissions. We’re on our way to more than a three-degree temperature rise by the end of this century, and scientists agree we shouldn’t rise above one and half degrees. You say we’re too late to address climate change? That’s a pretty stark quote. Does that mean you’re giving up on the fight? I’m not giving up on the immediate years, but the focus on politics, economics, and law are all destined to fail because they are based around humans. They’re designed to guide humans, but we’ve left out the foundation of our existence, which is nature, clean air, pure water, rich soil, food, and sunlight. That’s the foundation of the way we live and, when we construct legal, economic and political systems, they have to be built around protecting those very things, but they’re not.”

NPR: Defunct oil wells are a national problem. Finding them is the first step
Camila Domonoske, 7/7/25

“A knee-high pipe sticking out of the ground not far from a school. A gurgle in a pond on rolling farmland. A patch of forest undergrowth hiding a long-forgotten, leaking oil well. Relics like these dot the country from California to Pennsylvania: unused, unplugged oil and gas wells,” NPR reports. “They're called orphan wells. They should have been plugged when their useful life was over. But many weren't. These unplugged wells can leak oil, natural gas and toxins into waterways and air. Because natural gas, also known as methane, is a potent greenhouse gas, these wells are adding to climate change. "It is entirely possible that we have a million or more undocumented wells in the United States," Mary Kang, an associate professor at McGill University who has extensively researched methane emissions from these old wells, told NPR. This old problem is attracting new scrutiny, and a multibillion dollar effort to fix it… “More than 100,000 orphan wells have been documented, but everyone in the industry knows the problem is much bigger than that. Arthur and his stepsons have found wells in the middle of the Arkansas River in Tulsa, actively leaking pollutants into the river. They've found old wells in urban parks… “But Adam Peltz, of the Environmental Defense Fund, told NPR they are only half the problem. "We have a million active wells that all eventually need to be plugged — and in the absence of policy change, a lot of them will become orphan too," he told NPR.”

Associated Press: Carbon capture
Tammy Webber, 7/7/25

“Power plants and industrial facilities that emit carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global warming, are hopeful that Congress will keep tax credits for capturing the gas and storing it deep underground,” the Associated Press reports. “The process, called carbon capture and sequestration, is seen by many as an important way to reduce pollution during a transition to renewable energy. However, it faces criticism from some conservatives, who say it is expensive and unnecessary, and from environmentalists, who say it fails to capture as much pollution as promised and is simply a way for producers of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal to continue their use… “The most commonly used technology allows facilities to capture and store about 60% of their carbon dioxide emissions during the production process. Anything above that rate is much more difficult and expensive, according to the IEA. Some companies forecast carbon capture rates of 90% or more, but “in practice, that has never happened,” Alexandra Shaykevich, research manager at the Environmental Integrity Project’s Oil & Gas Watch, told AP. That’s because it’s difficult to capture carbon dioxide from every point where it’s emitted, Grant Hauber, a strategic adviser on energy and financial markets at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told AP… “The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis told AP one of the world’s largest carbon capture utilization and storage projects, ExxonMobil’s Shute Creek facility in Wyoming, captures only about half its carbon dioxide, and most of that is sold to oil and gas companies to pump back into oil fields. Environmentalists cite potential problems keeping the captured carbon in the ground. For example, last year, agribusiness company Archer-Daniels-Midland discovered a leak about a mile underground at its Illinois carbon capture and storage site. That prompted the state legislature this year to ban carbon sequestration above or below the Mahomet Aquifer, an important source of drinking water for about a million people… “A 2021 study also found the carbon capture process emits significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that’s shorter-lived than carbon dioxide but traps over 80 times more heat.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Santa Cruz Sentinel: California’s former insurance commissioner wants oil and gas companies to pay for the home insurance crisis
Ethan Varian, 7/5/25

“As destructive wildfires have ravaged California over the past decade, the insurance industry has dropped hundreds of thousands of homeowners statewide, raised their premiums, and, in some cases, stopped writing new home policies anywhere in the state,” the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. “Few understand the crisis better than Dave Jones, the former California insurance commissioner who oversaw the industry’s regulation from 2011 to 2018. Now head of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, Jones is a frequent commentator on the state’s insurance challenges and advocates for policies to protect homeowners… “Severe-weather events are more common and extreme because we’re not doing enough, fast enough, to transition from fossil fuels and other greenhouse gas-emitting industries. And that’s landing on insurers through increased insurance payouts. What is also contributing to the problem is more people and more businesses in harm’s way — we’ve expanded real estate development in areas that are being hard hit by climate change… “Insurers have the right to sue any third party whose actions or inactions cause damages to their policyholders. It’s called the right of subrogation. California home insurers sued PG&E, the major Northern California gas and electric utility, for having started the Camp Fire in Paradise. And they can and should bring lawsuits to recover money associated with the oil and gas companies’ contributions to climate change. Why are they not bringing these lawsuits? I suspect it’s because they have over half a trillion dollars invested in the oil and gas industry. And that raises another question: Why is the insurance industry — which is telling Californians, look, we’ve got to dramatically increase your price of insurance — at the same time investing over half a trillion dollars in the very industry whose emissions are the major contributors to the insurers’ inability to write insurance? It makes no sense.”

OPINION

The Review: Against carbon capture
Tommy Ogden, Hancock County Commissioner, 7/8/25

“...Personally, I want to ensure Hancock County landowners are aware of the risks associated with signing carbon capture leases with Tenaska and their CO2 sequestration “plans,” Tommy Ogden writes for The Review. “If the process of capturing carbon and putting it back into storage cavities in our earth sounds like a really bad idea, that’s because it is. Please research the proven and documented environmental issues associated with CO2 sequestration wells, either in the storage cavities themselves or the pipelines carrying the waste… “Even if it can be proven that this process is safe and reliable, which it isn’t, it’s still a bad deal for Hancock County. From a financial perspective, we will not be able to harvest our natural resources in the future. The shallow Marcellus and the deeper Utica will be off limits… “In my opinion, carbon capture could cause serious, substantial environmental issues. And it critically hinders, if not outright eliminates, our future prosperity that our natural resources give us. The small financial gain they are offering is less than 1% of what oil and gas leases were at their peak. If we want a thriving Hancock County with all options on the table, the possibility of a natural resource hub with our oil and gas under our control, and to attract companies with their jobs and subsequent increased tax base with them, we’ll need the ability to harvest our natural resources. Please study Tenaska’s lease, and/or take it to an attorney. Is the small, up front, 1% gain worth all the long term environmental risks and the jeopardizing of our future financial prosperity? In my opinion…NO.”

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: STEM education is the key to a stronger Mississippi
Chris Bell is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, serving the people of District 65, 7/8/25

“Investing in STEM education and developing a skilled workforce are crucial for Mississippi's future competitiveness. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of visiting an educational experience full of promise at the Jackson State University STEM summer camp focused on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS),” Chris Bell writes for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. “...The 2025 Carbon STEM Summer Camp gave students entering grades 9–12 an immersive, week-long experience exploring science, technology, engineering and math — with a special focus on carbon capture and its critical role in a lower-carbon future… “Two groups even created a short rap to explain carbon capture — a brief but memorable reminder that when young people connect with material in meaningful ways, they bring it to life in their own creative voices. Carbon capture is one of the most practical and scalable solutions we have for reducing emissions while continuing to meet the world’s growing energy needs… “States in our region are already moving quickly to prepare. With our strong geology, available land and skilled workforce, Mississippi is well-positioned to lead in this space — if we make the right moves now… “I’m deeply grateful to ExxonMobil for continuing to invest in our students and our communities, and to the faculty and staff at Jackson State and Rice University for delivering a world-class, hands-on learning experience.”