EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/9/25
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Surprise House recess delays action on energy, water
Press release: Chairmen Guthrie and Latta Announce Hearing to Strengthen Pipeline Safety
Bucks County Courier Times: DEP town hall set for next week regarding the Upper Makefield pipeline leak
Pipeline & Gas Journal: Columbia Gas Transmission Brings West Virginia Pipeline Expansion Online
Canadian Press: Ontario Premier Doug Ford pitches railway to Ring of Fire, Alberta is on board
Press release: Sovereign Wealth Fund Supports Carbon Dioxide Pipeline
OilPrice.com: Negative Prices, Rising Flaring Signal Pipeline Gridlock in Permian
POWHR: Burying Evidence?
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: US carbon removal seen backsliding under Trump — report
New York Times: Trump Hires Scientists Who Doubt the Consensus on Climate Change
E&E News: Supreme Court shakes up NEPA, role of lower courts
KNPR: What’s next for public lands after land sale efforts were removed from GOP Tax Bill?
New York Times: Trump Wants to Kill a Chemical Safety Board. Chemical Makers Object.
E&E News: ‘Political retaliation’: Backlash mounts over EPA handling of dissent letter
Washington Post: U.S. to ban Chinese purchases of farmland, citing national security
STATE UPDATES
KALB: ExxonMobil lawsuit pushes Allen Parish to pause local CCS rules
East Central Reporter: Carbon capture project near Indiana border raises concerns for Illinois residents
Pro Publica: Utah Sen. Mike Lee Says Selling Off Public Lands Will Solve the West’s Housing Crisis. Past Sales Show Otherwise
Colorado Newsline: Colorado AG Weiser weighs challenge to Trump’s ‘energy emergency’
Reuters: Venture Global cashes in on exports from Plaquemines LNG plant, SEC filing shows
Collaborative for Health and the Environment Alaska: Carbon Capture & Storage: A dangerous distraction
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta natural gas expected to see a bump next year thanks to LNG exports: Deloitte
Trellis: McKinsey, Google and others make $41 million credit purchase from Louisiana carbon removal project
Reuters: India's Kerala state seeks $1.1 billion in compensation from MSC over oil spill
CLIMATE FINANCE
Corporate Knights: How a billionaire fossil fuel investor became a climate crusader
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Calgary Herald: Calgary Stampede Powwow expected to host more than 800 performers
OPINION
The Hill: Limiting environmental review, the justices put development ahead of communities
Common Dreams: Why Save for Retirement If You'll Be Living in a Climate Hellscape?
Wall Street Journal: A Fossil-Fuel Boom in the Americas
National Post: A Carney pipeline means an angry Liberal base
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Surprise House recess delays action on energy, water
Manuel Quiñones, 7/8/25
“The House’s decision to cancel most of its work in Washington this week is delaying action on energy and water permitting legislation,” E&E News reports. “The chamber is on recess this week after passing the Republicans’ tax cut, energy and border spending budget reconciliation package before Independence Day. Both chambers were planning to be out all last week. Before House leaders announced the new schedule Thursday afternoon, they were planning to take up the ‘Promoting Cross-border Energy Infrastructure Act,’ H.R. 3062, which would ease approvals for pipeline or grid connections with Canada and Mexico. The House was also eyeing debate on H.R. 3898, the ‘Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act,’ a sweeping plan to ease a number of Clean Water Act reviews. It’s unclear when the bills will be back on the agenda. Committees were also planning a robust week on energy and environment issues… “The Energy and Commerce Committee was planning to look into pipeline safety.”
Press release: Chairmen Guthrie and Latta Announce Hearing to Strengthen Pipeline Safety
7/2/25
“Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, announced a hearing titled Strengthening American Energy: A Review of Pipeline Safety Policy. “Safe and secure pipeline infrastructure is a vital part of ensuring our nation’s energy dominance,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Latta. “This hearing will provide us with the opportunity to discuss priorities for pipeline safety reauthorization and examine what steps need to be taken to build and operate pipelines safely and effectively. It’s critical that these pipelines can continue to operate reliably and meet the energy demands of communities across our country.” Subcommittee on Energy hearing titled Strengthening American Energy: A Review of Pipeline Safety Policy WHAT: Subcommittee on Energy Hearing on pipeline safety policy and examine reauthorization of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) pipeline safety program. DATE: July 8, 2025.”
Bucks County Courier Times: DEP town hall set for next week regarding the Upper Makefield pipeline leak
Jess Rohan, 7/9/25
“It's been nearly six months since a leak was discovered in a Sunoco pipeline running under an Upper Makefield neighborhood near Washington Crossing. Local residents still don't know how long the pipeline was leaking. They don't know how big the spill is, either,” the Bucks County Courier Times reports. “But they'll soon have a public forum to ask these questions, as DEP employees have scheduled a town hall meeting in Upper Makefield at 7:30 p.m. July 15 at the township building along Eagle Road. "The plume must be delineated without further delay," state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks, wrote in a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last month. "This should have been one of the primary efforts from the first moment the release was identified." Residents of the Mount Eyre Road neighborhood reported an unusual odor in their water as early as September 2023. Sunoco LP and its parent company Energy Transfer then dug just yards away from where the leak was ultimately discovered, but failed to detect it. Additional residents near the pipeline, which carries jet fuel, reported water taste and smell changes in 2024… “But some residents have been frustrated by Gordon's response, Kat La Hart, a local resident who helps coordinate the community's response to the leak, told the Times. While Gordon's letter suggested that the plume was not likely spreading, residents told the Times that private wells that were previously clear of jet fuel have recently tested positive for jet fuel components such as benzene.”
Pipeline & Gas Journal: Columbia Gas Transmission Brings West Virginia Pipeline Expansion Online
Mary Holcomb, 7/8/25
“Columbia Gas Transmission, a subsidiary of TC Energy, has officially placed its Eastern Panhandle Expansion Project into service, enhancing natural gas delivery capacity in the tri-state region,” Pipeline & Gas Journal reports. “...It connects to the local distribution company, Mountaineer Gas, and is part of TC Energy’s broader Columbia Gas Transmission system, which supplies critical energy across the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Appalachia… “The pipeline is expected to play a key role in supporting economic development and maintaining system reliability in the region. Columbia Gas emphasized in its FERC filing that all regulatory procedures were followed and that the contents of the notice were accurate to the best of the company’s knowledge.”
Canadian Press: Ontario Premier Doug Ford pitches railway to Ring of Fire, Alberta is on board
Liam Casey, 7/7/25
“Ontario signed an agreement with Alberta to build infrastructure and energy corridors that include a possible railway to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, the premiers of both provinces announced on Monday,” the Canadian Press reports. “Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed two non-legally binding memorandums of understanding about increasing trade and building energy corridors, including commitments to build oil and natural gas pipelines to northern and southern Ontario… “Lately, Ford has been pitching mining the Ring of Fire region as another tool to fight U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war… “Both Ford and Carney want to see the Ring of Fire mined for its critical minerals and say they will respect First Nations’ rights in the process. But the two new laws have sparked outrage from First Nations who say they weren’t properly consulted about the legislation and their concerns are being ignored. First Nations have threatened blockades of highways, railways and mines in response.”
Press release: Sovereign Wealth Fund Supports Carbon Dioxide Pipeline
7/8/25
“The National Wealth Fund has announced a £28.6 million equity investment in Peak Cluster Ltd to support the development of a planned carbon dioxide transport pipeline. NWF says the investment is the cornerstone of a £59.6 million equity raise, which also includes investment through a joint venture vehicle between Summit Energy Evolution Ltd…”
OilPrice.com: Negative Prices, Rising Flaring Signal Pipeline Gridlock in Permian
Alex Kimani, 7/8/25
“Previously, we reported that natural gas at the Waha hub was selling for near-zero or sub-zero prices for much of 2024 thanks in large part to excess natural gas production in the Permian Basin coupled with limited takeaway capacity due to a shortage of gas pipelines,” according to OilPrice.com. “Indeed, prices at the hub spent half the year in negative territory, sinking to all-time low -$7/mmbtu at the end of August. This has become a recurrent challenge in recent years ever since the Permian Shale boom led to a surge in associated gas production. Consequently, Permian gas infrastructure became saturated, sometimes forcing producers to pay for someone to take their gas so that they can focus on something more valuable: crude oil. Unfortunately, the Permian continues to struggle with a deluge of gas in the current year, despite the startup of the pivotal Matterhorn Express in 2024. And now the Permian Basin has to contend with a major environmental hazard: gas flaring. June 2025 saw the third consecutive monthly uptick in natural gas flaring across the basin as production continues to outpace existing pipeline takeaway capacity. While the mid-2024 startup of the Matterhorn Express pipeline provided short-term relief, regional growth now signals renewed constraints… “Meanwhile, upcoming projects like the Palo Duro Oklahoma pipeline and the Blackcomb will take time to take effect while pipeline operators such as Kinder Morgan and Targa Resources are racing against rising environmental scrutiny and Texas Railroad Commission leniency on flaring permits.”
POWHR: Burying Evidence?
7/8/25
“On June 3, 2025, reporter Mike Tony of the Charleston Gazette-Mail broke the story of a federal wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a welding inspector formerly employed by Mountain Valley Pipeline. The complaint, originally filed in Monroe County Circuit Court, claims the inspector, Michael Barnhill, “was terminated, in whole or in part, for raising concerns with and making complaints to Defendants related to safety issues including improperly welded pipelines and quality of pipes as well as other PHMSA regulations.” Considering the 303 mile length of the pipeline, now pumping methane gas under high pressure, and the steepness and instability of the route terrain, Mike Tony’s ongoing coverage again sets off alarm bells about the integrity of the entire pipeline,” according to POWHR. ““In his complaint, Barnhill says he discovered corrosion in three separate sections of pipeline joints on Nov. 15, 2023, that was significant enough to make them noncompliant with construction specifications and federal regulations.” These revelations did not surprise longtime MVP construction monitors, advocates, and directly impacted landowners, and only served to escalate ever present concerns about pipeline safety and the lack of meaningful enforcement our communities have experienced throughout the long saga of MVP opposition. While this is a civil matter aimed at addressing the alleged wrongful termination, it surely comes at great personal risk to the complainant, Michael Barnhill. Taking on powerful and wealthy fracked gas corporations and their armies of lawyers is challenging and commendable. The question is, will anyone at the federal oversight level actually do anything about these allegations?... “Tina Badger, a longtime MVP opponent and relentless pipeline construction monitor had this reaction when the news of this lawsuit broke: “We watched and fought for a decade knowing it was up to us to protect the land, ourselves, and our neighbors. This lawsuit is just one more piece that may join the stack of evidence that this project should never have been approved much less completed and put in service. Hearing about this lawsuit was no surprise to those of us that have witnessed this boondoggle over the years. Infuriating but not surprising. We hope justice prevails as it should have from the start.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: US carbon removal seen backsliding under Trump — report
Corbin Hiar, 7/9/25
“The United States is squandering its lead in carbon dioxide removal and leaving an opening for other countries to win the race to commercialize the most promising technologies for pulling CO2 from the sky, according to a new report from a pair of top British universities,” E&E News reports. “The report published Wednesday analyzed global patents related to direct air capture (DAC) and bio-energy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) from 2000 until 2020, the most recent year for which complete data was available, and found that the U.S. was responsible for more than a quarter of all patents during that period. The U.S. is one of only four countries worldwide that has existing or planned DAC and BECCS plants, along with the United Kingdom, France and Canada. But President Donald Trump’s hostility to federal research and climate programs is creating “policy uncertainty” for the nation’s carbon removal industry and creating “an opportunity for other countries,” said the report from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Oxford. “Our research shows that countries with longstanding oil and gas industries are uniquely positioned to take the lead on carbon dioxide removal, if public investment is prioritised now,” said Siyu Feng, a researcher at Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, in a press release. “Well-targeted policy support for carbon removal can accelerate deployment in the right sectors and, if designed carefully, will complement rather than compromise broader climate goals.”
New York Times: Trump Hires Scientists Who Doubt the Consensus on Climate Change
Maxine Joselow, 7/8/25
“The Energy Department has hired at least three scientists who are well-known for their rejection of the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, according to records reviewed by The New York Times. “...They are Steven E. Koonin, a physicist and author of a best-selling book that calls climate science “unsettled”; John Christy, an atmospheric scientist who doubts the extent to which human activity has caused global warming; and Roy Spencer, a meteorologist who believes that clouds have had a greater influence on warming than humans have. Their hiring comes after the Trump administration dismissed hundreds of scientists and experts who had been compiling the federal government’s flagship report on how climate change is affecting the country. The administration has also systematically removed mentions of climate change from government websites while slashing federal funding for research on global warming. In addition, Trump officials have been recruiting scientists to help them repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which determined that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, and which now underpins much of the government’s legal authority to slow global warming, two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly told the Times.”
E&E News: Supreme Court shakes up NEPA, role of lower courts
Niina H. Farah, Lesley Clark, 7/8/125
“The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority in several narrow but critical decisions gave the Trump administration wide latitude on its efforts to pare back environmental and climate protections,” E&E News reports. “A year after the high court limited deference to agency decision-making, the court this term issued key rulings clarifying or even constraining the role of lower court judges to evaluate agency actions. The Supreme Court’s emergency, or “shadow,” docket also emerged as a high-profile player in justices’ decision-making process. “It looks to me like this court really believes in executive power and is somehow thinking that the separation of powers is out of whack,” Pat Parenteau, professor emeritus at the Vermont Law and Graduate School, told E&E. “They don’t trust agencies, they’re critical of Congress, but they seem to be bent on reinforcing the power of the presidency.” For the first time in about two decades, the Supreme Court ruled on the National Environmental Policy Act, affirming that agencies have discretion over the level of detail in their analyses and that the environmental law does not require them to consider far-reaching environmental effects of projects.”
KNPR: What’s next for public lands after land sale efforts were removed from GOP Tax Bill?
Paul Boger, 7/7/25
“President Trump signed an executive order late last week establishing what he’s calling the ‘Make America Beautiful Again Commission.’ Their job? To ‘promote responsible stewardship of natural resources while driving economic growth’ on historically protected public land,” KNPR reports. “It’s the latest chapter in the saga over how best to manage public lands in the West. And while this latest order from the president seems to emphasize expanding access to parks and national forests, ‘while promoting a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities like hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, skiing, climbing, boating, off-roading, and wildlife viewing.’ However, it comes on the heels of an effort to sell millions of acres of public lands across the West for development, most notably affordable housing, which is desperately needed in many communities, especially in Nevada. So, what does this latest executive order mean for our public lands, and how has the debate over public lands management shifted in recent years? Guests: Kirk Sigler, correspondent, NPR; Ed Lawson, mayor, City of Sparks; Aaron Weiss, deputy director, Center for Western Priorities.”
New York Times: Trump Wants to Kill a Chemical Safety Board. Chemical Makers Object.
Hiroko Tabuchi, 7/8/25
“In January 2021, after a nitrogen leak at a poultry plant in Georgia killed 6 workers and injured scores more, federal investigators arrived at the scene. The team, from a small federal agency called the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, traced the fatal leak to a freezer part that had been bent out of shape. A series of recommendations to improve safety followed. Now, the White House is planning to eliminate the agency, allocating $0 for its budget starting in 2026. Even industry groups are opposed,” the New York Times reports. “The board has a reputation for working collaboratively with companies, Shakeel H. Kadri, executive director of the Center for Chemical Process Safety, an industry-funded organization that works on safety issues, told the Times, adding that it also doesn’t penalize companies or issue new regulations. “It has a unique mandate to do independent investigations,” Mr. Kadri told the Times, that’s invaluable particularly at small- and medium-sized companies, where a lot of chemical accidents tend to happen but also where companies have fewer resources to investigate root causes themselves. The board’s findings are also used in other countries and in academia, he told the Times. The plan to dissolve the safety board is another blow to workplace safety at a time President Trump has already moved to make cuts at other federal agencies that protect workers.”
E&E News: ‘Political retaliation’: Backlash mounts over EPA handling of dissent letter
Kevin Bogardus, 7/7/25
“EPA’s push to quash dissent within its ranks is rippling in and outside the agency,” E&E News reports. “On Thursday, EPA placed 139 employees on administrative leave for signing onto an open letter criticizing the Trump administration’s policies on climate change and science and for instilling an intimidating workplace. The widespread targeting of dissenters has angered employees, sparked a backlash on Capitol Hill and likely will result in litigation from EPA’s unions. “It’s almost unprecedented for such a large group of employees, including some very senior current and former EPA employees, to sign an open letter like this,” John Logan, professor and chair of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, told E&E. He told E&E those staffers must have believed they would be shielded from pushback from the agency by going public with their concerns. Yet in President Donald Trump’s second term, his appointees have stripped civil servants’ job protections and fired those who don’t fit with the administration’s goals, such as EPA environmental justice and diversity staffers, Logan told E&E.”
Washington Post: U.S. to ban Chinese purchases of farmland, citing national security
Cate Cadell, 7/8/25
“U.S. Department of Agriculture chief Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that the U.S. government will move to ban sales of farmland nationwide to buyers tied to China and other foreign adversaries, citing threats to national security and food security — an effort that casts uncertainty over property currently held by China-linked investors,” the Washington Post reports. “Asked whether the U.S. government would seek to take back existing land owned by Chinese investors, Rollins said they are looking at “every available option” as part of a clawback effort and that an executive order from the White House will probably follow “very soon.” In a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, Rollins said that the USDA will also work with state legislators to quickly push through laws that will ban further purchases, with a particular focus on parcels of land near U.S. military bases… “China-linked investors currently own 265,000 acres of U.S. land, according to USDA data, much of which is tied to a single company — Smithfield Foods, which was acquired in 2013 by WH Group, a Chinese conglomerate led by tycoon Wan Long… “Rollins also said the Agriculture Department has removed 70 individuals and 550 entities tied to countries of concern from its contracts and research partnerships. The USDA did not provide further details about the entities and individuals.”
STATE UPDATES
KALB: ExxonMobil lawsuit pushes Allen Parish to pause local CCS rules
Jay McCully, 7/8/25
“A legal battle between ExxonMobil and the Allen Parish Police Jury has stirred up strong reactions from local residents and led to the suspension of a controversial ordinance regulating carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects,” KALB reports. “At the start of July, ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit against the police jury over Ordinance No. 6656, a measure that would have created local oversight for CCS developments. On July 7, the police jury met in a packed room at its Oberlin administration building to discuss the lawsuit. After over two hours of public comments, jurors voted to suspend enforcement of the ordinance… “Police Juror Joe Perkins expressed frustration with state leaders for failing to pass any legislation that would give parishes control over CCS… “Many in attendance voiced anger at the jury’s decision. Robert Maddox believes the lawsuit is Exxon’s way of scaring other parishes from taking action. “Either we let them do that, or we stand against them,” Maddox said. “Louisiana has to come together, one parish after another.” Keith Guillory said that by suspending the ordinance, the police jury is turning its back on the people it serves. “I’m disappointed in any official that doesn’t support the people they’re supposed to represent,” Guillory said… “Residents shared growing fears about CO2 leaks into water aquifers and possible eminent domain seizures to build CCS pipelines. Hollins warned that if the community is shut out of the process, voters will remember legislators’ actions… “The Allen Parish Police Jury will hold a public hearing on August 4 to decide whether to officially repeal Ordinance 6656. Residents will be allowed to speak at the meeting.”
East Central Reporter: Carbon capture project near Indiana border raises concerns for Illinois residents
7/8/25
“There is a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project proposed near the Illinois-Indiana state line, which may affect land use rights for residents in Edgar County, Illinois,” according to the East Central Reporter. “The project, led by Wabash Valley Resources, plans to inject carbon into two wells located a few miles from the Illinois border. Concerns have been raised about whether either Wabash Valley Resources or the state of Indiana has consulted with Edgar County residents or the Illinois government regarding potential impacts. An Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hearing on this matter and on proposed carbon sequestration rules is scheduled for July 11th. Residents can attend in person or participate online via the Indiana DNR website. Comments can also be submitted through the same platform.”
Pro Publica: Utah Sen. Mike Lee Says Selling Off Public Lands Will Solve the West’s Housing Crisis. Past Sales Show Otherwise
Abe Streep, 7/8/25
“A measure to sell public land to build affordable housing was cut from Trump’s policy megabill, but key officials and interests say they’ll continue pursuing the idea,” Pro Publica reports. “Nevada’s Experience: While the idea has support from both liberals and conservatives, the biggest existing attempt to do so, in Nevada, has so far created little affordable housing. What’s Worked: Some experts see promise in targeted sales of federal land at low cost instead of big sell-offs at market rates. Such sales are allowed in Nevada, but little understood… “On Monday, June 23, a crowd of about 2,000 people surrounded the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet had come for a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association. “Not for sale!” the crowd boomed. “Not one acre!” There were ranchers and writers in attendance, as well as employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory, all of whom use public land to hike, hunt and fish. Inside the hotel ballroom where the governors had gathered, Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico governor, apologized for the noise but not the message. “New Mexicans are really loud,” she said. On the street, one sign read “Defend Public Lands,” with an image of an assault rifle. Others bore creative and bilingual profanities directed at Trump, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who oversees most of the country’s public acreage, and Sen. Mike Lee, the Republican from Utah, who on June 11 had proposed a large-scale selloff of public lands.”
Colorado Newsline: Colorado AG Weiser weighs challenge to Trump’s ‘energy emergency’
David O. Williams, 7/8/25
“Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office will consider joining a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s declaration in January of a national energy emergency, he told Newsline in an exclusive interview on Saturday,” Colorado Newsline reports. “Last week, the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management invoked the emergency declaration to complete an accelerated environmental review of a permit to expand a loading facility near Price, Utah for oil coming out of the nearby Uinta Basin. The expansion could increase oil capacity on the main rail line through Colorado by up to 80,000 barrels a day… “In a June 27 letter to Jerry Davis, acting Utah state director for the BLM, Weiser wrote that an expedited environmental assessment for the proposed Wildcat right-of-way expansion would be a “violation of applicable laws and regulations” that would block proper public input and “subject Colorado communities to significant economic, environmental, and health and safety risks.” Weiser argued there is no national energy emergency given the United States produced more oil last year than any nation in history, and he urged the BLM to follow standard, legally required procedures in reviewing the project. An attorney for Eagle County and an environmental group that successfully sued the federal government to delay the rail project, also sent letters.”
Reuters: Venture Global cashes in on exports from Plaquemines LNG plant, SEC filing shows
Curtis Williams, 7/7/25
“Venture Global exported more liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from its Plaquemines export facility in Louisiana and earned more than double in fees compared with its other U.S. plant, a company filing showed on Monday,” Reuters reports. “The LNG company exported 51 cargoes from Plaquemines at an average liquefaction fee of $7.09 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for the second quarter of 2025, the SEC filing showed. During the same period, it exported 38 LNG cargoes from its Calcasieu Pass facility at an average liquefaction fee of $2.66 per mmBtu. The lower second-quarter liquefaction fees at Calcasieu Pass come as Venture Global started to sell LNG under long-term contracts there, rather than on the spot market. The Plaquemines facility which is being commissioned while parts remain under construction, has been able to sell on the spot market for higher prices during this period. In just three years Venture Global has become the second-largest U.S. LNG producer, playing a key role in keeping the country as the world’s top LNG exporter.”
Collaborative for Health and the Environment Alaska: Carbon Capture & Storage: A dangerous distraction
7/8/25
“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process designed to collect carbon dioxide generated by high-emission activities, such as coal or gas power production or plastics manufacturing, and transport it for industrial use or underground storage. While CCS has gained traction as a possible climate solution, there are concerns about its effectiveness and long-term impacts. In this CHE Alaska webinar, speakers will explain how carbon capture and storage is a false climate solution that prolongs our reliance on fossil fuels and enables industry to continue polluting. Adrienne Blatchford and Panganga Pungowiyi of the Indigenous Environmental Network will explain how CCS continues a legacy of extractive harm in Alaska and beyond. Marlee Goska, attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, will explain the legal, environmental, and policy challenges of CCS implementation and how communities are organizing to stop it. CCS does not remove existing CO₂ from the atmosphere; it attempts to prevent some carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. Infrastructure such as pipelines and underground storage sites creates significant health and environmental risks, and in some cases, captured carbon is used to fuel additional carbon extraction. These threats are disproportionately imposed on communities already overburdened by industrial pollution, perpetuating environmental injustice. July 16, 2025, 2:00 pm US Eastern Time.”
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta natural gas expected to see a bump next year thanks to LNG exports: Deloitte
7/7/25
“A new report from advisory firm Deloitte is forecasting a big jump in Alberta natural gas prices next year, with the country’s first West Coast export facility now up and running,” the Canadian Press reports. “The Alberta benchmark AECO price is expected to average $2.20 per mmBTU in the second half of this year and then rise to an average of $3.50 per mmBTU in 2026. It averaged $1.36 per mmBTU last year. By the end of the forecast in 2032, the average AECO price is expected to hit $4 per mmBTU. Alberta producers now have an outlet for their gas to markets beyond the United States with LNG Canada shipping its first cargo of ultra-chilled gas across the Pacific to Asia from Kitimat, B.C., last week… “Deloitte partner Andrew Botterill told CP that will give producers the confidence they need to invest in new drilling, while consumers who use natural gas to heat their homes can expect to see their bills go up… “For oil, Deloitte is predicting West Texas Intermediate, the main U.S. crude benchmark, to average US$72 a barrel in the second half of this year, dipping to US$67.30 next year and rising to US$74.65 by 2032.”
Trellis: McKinsey, Google and others make $41 million credit purchase from Louisiana carbon removal project
Jim Giles, 7/8/25
“A carbon removal buyers coalition founded by McKinsey, Google and others has backed a new approach to biomass energy that promises to provide always-on electricity while sequestering carbon dioxide deep underground,” Trellis reports. “The Frontier coalition announced this week that it would spend $41 million on 116,000 removal credits from Arbor, a startup founded by a former SpaceX engineer that’s developed a more efficient process for what’s known as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). The startup will generate the credits with a facility close to Louisiana’s Gulf Coast that is expected to be operational in 2028… “Rather than burning biomass directly, the company uses a new gasifier design to convert it into syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The gas is then sent to a specialized furnace that burns it in pure oxygen instead of air. This creates a stream of CO2 in a liquid “supercritical” state, which is used to drive the turbine. (Conventional BECCS uses steam to do so.) Once used, the CO2 stream is captured and piped to a geological reservoir for permanent storage.”
Reuters: India's Kerala state seeks $1.1 billion in compensation from MSC over oil spill
Arpan Chaturvedi, 7/8/25
“India's southern state of Kerala has sued Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Company and sought $1.1 billion in compensation after one of its container vessels sank and leaked fuel into the Arabian Sea in May,” Reuters reports. “The high court in Kerala issued an order late on Monday asking port authorities to effect "the arrest, seizure and detention" of another MSC ship anchored in the Vizhinjam Port in the state until it deposits securities for the claim amount… “The incident "has resulted in massive pollution of Kerala's marine ecosystem, with oil slicks and floating cargo causing serious detriment to the environment, coastal fisheries and public health," the state government said in its court filing, which is not public but was reviewed by Reuters. After the May incident, the state government asked local fishermen to avoid going into the sea and distributed cash and food relief to around 105,518 families involved with fishing industry.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Corporate Knights: How a billionaire fossil fuel investor became a climate crusader
Rick Spence, 7/8/25
“Tom Steyer is on a mission. It began in 2006, when the San Francisco hedge-fund manager flew his family to Alaska to show them a glaciated valley he’d fallen in love with 25 years earlier. But summers had changed in Alaska. There was no ice on the mountains, no snow in the valley,” Corporate Knights reports. “On that day, Steyer changed, too. The company he’d founded, Farallon Capital, had long invested in fossil fuels. But Steyer realized climate change was “happening much faster than most of us imagined,” he wrote of the experience. He started speaking out, lobbied politicians and established a family foundation to support alternative systems, such as organic agriculture… “Soon after, he founded NextGen America, a political action committee that mobilizes young people to vote. Steyer himself became the biggest donor in Democratic party history and helped convince Barack Obama to veto the northern section of the Keystone oil-sands pipeline. Disillusioned by politicians’ reluctance to act, he ran for president in 2020, promising to use executive power to enact a green new deal… “But Steyer returned to his roots and founded Galvanize Climate Solutions, to use the power of finance to accelerate new climate technologies. The firm has raised more than US$1 billion. But Steyer still worries that Americans aren’t listening. Last year, he released a book, Cheaper, Faster, Better, that reframes this crisis as an opportunity. With renewable energy now cheaper than fossil fuels, he says, climate solutions aren’t just a last hope but our best bet.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Calgary Herald: Calgary Stampede Powwow expected to host more than 800 performers
Daniel Gonzalez, 7/8/25
“...Presented by TC Energy, the powwow will take place Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m.,” the Calgary Herald reports. “...Jaimie Harding, vice-president of communications for TC Energy, also highlighted the TC Energy Community Day on Tuesday, which allowed visitors to enjoy the Stampede for free from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m… “I’m thankful to the partnership of the Calgary Stampede, with the First Nations Treaty 7 people and the sponsorship of TC Energy,” Stampede Powwow co-ordinator Cheryl Crowchief told the Herald.”
OPINION
The Hill: Limiting environmental review, the justices put development ahead of communities
Diego Tovar is the director of campus and civic engagement at the Rachel Carson Council, 7/8/25
“The Supreme Court’s decision in May to narrow the scope of environmental reviews under the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act is a dangerous concession to short-term development interests at the expense of long-term public and environmental health. Far from simply “streamlining” federal reviews, the ruling opens the door to projects with massive ecological and climate consequences, all while silencing the voices of the frontline communities that NEPA was designed to protect,” Diego Tovar writes for The Hill. “...Yet under the high court’s new interpretation, federal agencies are no longer obligated to assess these broader downstream impacts. This decision effectively hollows out NEPA’s foundational purpose and establishes a dangerous precedent that accelerating industrial development now takes priority over environmental responsibility, climate foresight and public health protection. On the surface, the court’s ruling may sound like a pragmatic effort to reduce bureaucratic delay. In reality, it unleashes unchecked development with minimal public accountability… “When environmental reviews are weakened, public participation erodes. And, like a landslide, the erosion of credible science, fairness of the process and the legitimacy of the final decision crumbles. This ruling does not simply just greenlight a single oil rail project, it sets a sweeping legal precedent that could allow infrastructure projects nationwide to bypass or dramatically curtail meaningful environmental review. From pipelines proposed in coastal wetlands to mining operations in wildfire-prone regions and energy corridors near indigenous lands, the decision weakens the federal government’s obligation to fully assess long-term ecological and community impacts… “Lawmakers can act decisively to reaffirm NEPA’s original intent by mandating that climate and cumulative health impacts be central to environmental reviews. Federal agencies, in turn, must reestablish that meaningful public engagement is not a procedural formality, but a fundamental requirement. And states, many of which maintain their own environmental assessment frameworks, can step up where federal oversight falters, implementing more rigorous localized protections.”
Common Dreams: Why Save for Retirement If You'll Be Living in a Climate Hellscape?
Jessye Waxman is a campaign adviser for the Sierra Club’s Sustainable Finance campaign, 7/3/25
“Every spring, Larry Fink, CEO of the world's largest asset manager BlackRock, publishes his annual letter to investors, often heralded as an indicator of where the financial industry is headed. This year, Fink focused on the need to "democratize" investing by giving regular people more access to invest in private markets, meaning businesses outside of stock exchanges,” Jessye Waxman writes for Common Dreams. “Fink argued this move would not only help more people save more money for retirement, but that these investments are necessary to help meet the growing need for financing for the infrastructure and energy needs of the future. Unfortunately, his take on the energy needs of the future is concerning, emphasizing fossil fuel pipelines and infrastructure and AI data centers, while casting doubt on renewables. Democratizing investing is a noble goal, but Fink's annual letter misses a key point: A secure retirement isn't just about the money you save, it's about retiring into a world you want to live in, with healthy communities and a livable climate. By failing to encourage investments that help facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy and create green jobs, BlackRock's efforts will undermine the long-term success of our financial markets and threaten the ability of everyday Americans to retire with dignity. If asset managers like BlackRock truly want to help people retire, they must uplift investments that increase returns for individuals AND help build a future where everyone thrives… “To truly democratize investing, asset managers like BlackRock must direct their investment strategies to support climate resilience and the clean energy transition and provide prosperity for all Americans, within individual portfolios and beyond.”
Wall Street Journal: A Fossil-Fuel Boom in the Americas
Walter Russell Mead, 7/7/25
“Of all the goals President Trump has set in his norm-shattering second term, the goal of restoring what he calls America’s “energy dominance” may be the closest to realization. Global progress toward what the Biden administration hailed as the energy transition to a net-zero future has been largely derailed, and, as the Journal reported Monday, developments in the U.S.-dominated Western Hemisphere are increasingly shaping global energy markets,” Walter Russell Mead writes for the Wall Street Journal. “The result won’t be exactly what Mr. Trump expected. More new oil and gas production is likely to come from Canada, Guyana, Argentina and Brazil than from the U.S. Nevertheless, the geopolitics of energy are shifting in Washington’s direction even as fossil fuels appear poised to play a larger role than green climate campaigners hoped… “The hemispheric energy boom will also delay any global transition away from fossil fuels… “For now prices, not politics, will limit hemispheric production. It costs less to pump oil out of the ground in Saudi Arabia than to frack for it in Patagonia. Price wars may slow the new production, but they won’t stop it. Energy abundance is headed our way. Mr. Trump wanted to derail the push against fossil fuels and enhance America’s influence in world energy markets. With unexpected support from Canada, Argentina, Guyana and Brazil, his chances of success look good.”
National Post: A Carney pipeline means an angry Liberal base
Tasha Kheiriddin, 7/8/25
“For months, Prime Minister Mark Carney has spoken about making Canada an energy superpower,” Tasha Kheiriddin writes for the National Post. “...While he usually inserts the qualifier of “both clean and conventional energy,” in an interview Saturday he stated that it’s “highly, highly likely” that at least one oil pipeline will make the government’s list of national strategic infrastructure projects. Those words aren’t a dog whistle — they’re a bugle call to western premiers, notably Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. At a press conference with Ontario Premier Doug Ford this week, Smith waxed enthusiastic about a “grand bargain” involving pipelines and the Pathways Alliance, a group of energy producers promoting carbon capture as a means of “decarbonizing” fossil fuel production… “Second, the Liberal Party’s green flank is likely to see red. Former and current environment ministers Steven Guilbault and Julie Dabrusin are part of the anti-oil crowd, as are many rank and file members of the party in urban Ontario, Quebec, and B.C… “Third, there are potential roadblocks that are out of Carney’s control. Opposition is brewing among environmental and indigenous groups to his recently passed Bill C-5, the “One Canadian Economy Act,” which promises to streamline approval for resource projects. Canada has seen civil disobedience before, when members of the Wet’suwet’en band blocked railways in early 2020 to protest pipeline construction: a sequel could be coming to a rail line near you, and it’s not clear how Carney would respond.”