PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: Lawsuit Challenges Second Trump Administration Permit for California Coastal Oil Pipeline
Politico: Pipeline developer appeals court ruling vacating key permit
KBJR: State and federal crews continue to investigate Line 5 pipeline break for environmental impacts
Salt Lake Tribune: Here’s what we know about the fuel pipeline project proposed for Emigration Canyon
Syracuse.com: County agency to pay nearly $13 million to run gas pipeline to Micron site in Clay
Perry News-Herald: Pipeline expansion to benefit Taylor
Oil Sands Magazine: Pipeline Capacity Revisited: Timing the next export bottleneck
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Trump will green-light wind energy projects to strike permitting deal
Politico: To Permit, or Not to Permit
Politico: Trump says decision on possible diesel export ban to come ‘fast’
Politico: The world laps America on climate
New York Times: The Former Fracking Executive Selling Trump’s ‘Energy Dominance’ Vision
Wyo4News: BLM advances two Southwest Wyoming carbon storage projects
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): A new study investigates oil-degrading microbes a year before Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
STATE UPDATES
Politico: Federal judge blocks Michigan’s ‘climate conspiracy’ lawsuit
Michigan Advance: Carbon capture proposals draw mixed responses from environmental groups in Michigan House committee
ExxonMobil: Building trust among Gulf Coast communities as CCS expands
ESG Dive: ADM to enter the voluntary carbon market
Putnam County Post: POET, DTE Vantage working to build carbon capture and sequestration facility in Shelby County
Reuters: California clears sales of higher-ethanol fuel to lower gasoline costs
Louisiana Illuminator: Fishermen question LNG industry’s efforts to boost Louisiana fisheries
Big News Network: Oil leases on Wyoming big game migration corridors headed to court
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: The UN Says Carbon Removal Is Necessary. Who Will Cover the Cost?
Carbon Pulse: Data centres emerging as key drivers for new power with CCS, carbon credit buying -consultancy
Reuters: Canada aims to slash time needed to review major projects
Canadian Press: Feds approve FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG expansion under ‘one project, one review’
Straits Times: Shell charged over 2 incidents involving ‘oily mixture’ discharged into S’pore waters in 2024
OPINION
Washington Examiner: America’s next oil boom is floating in thin air
PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: Lawsuit Challenges Second Trump Administration Permit for California Coastal Oil Pipeline
9/222/6
“Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for issuing a second permit allowing oil to flow through the Las Flores Pipeline System near Santa Barbara. The permit waives certain federal pipeline safety regulations for the onshore pipeline, which ruptured and caused a massive oil spill in 2015. “Trump officials have doubled down on a dangerous game of letting their oil industry friends play by different safety rules. That’s completely unacceptable and we’re going to court to hold them accountable,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If there’s another oil spill, ocean wildlife and Californians will be the ones paying the price. The federal government shouldn’t be barging in with lax oversight and unfairly squashing California’s efforts to protect its own coast.” This was the second special permit that the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued to Sable Offshore Corp., the pipelines’ owner, since December. The groups also sued over the first one, but the court ruled the new permit moots that lawsuit… “Today’s lawsuit says the new special permit violates the Pipeline Safety Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act by failing to conduct the necessary environmental reviews or make the required findings about pipeline safety. It also says PHMSA unlawfully took jurisdiction over the pipeline away from California… “Today’s lawsuit was filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by the Center for Biological Diversity on behalf of itself and Wishtoyo Foundation and the Environmental Defense Center on behalf of itself and Get Oil Out!, Santa Barbara County Action Network, Sierra Club and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.”
Politico: Pipeline developer appeals court ruling vacating key permit
Mona Zhang, 9/22/26
“The developer behind the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline that would bring natural gas from Pennsylvania to downstate New York is appealing a decision from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals that vacated a key permit for the project issued by New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection,” Politico reports. “...A delay “will jeopardize the delivery of natural gas that is urgently needed by National Grid for the 2027-2028 winter heating season.’ Attorneys for Williams filed a petition for rehearing by the original three-judge panel or for a rehearing en banc, which would include all 14 active Third Circuit judges. The company, which is an intervenor in a case filed by environmental organizations against NJ DEP, is arguing the decision to vacate the water quality certification goes against legal precedent.”
KBJR: State and federal crews continue to investigate Line 5 pipeline break for environmental impacts
Marisa Ornat, 9/22/26
“Nearly a month after a natural gas liquid release at a Line 5 pipeline construction site, officials are providing an update on potential environmental impacts,” KBJR reports. “...The Wisconsin DNR provided an update, saying state and federal crews are investigating. They are sampling soil and nearby waterways. The truck and the damaged portion of the pipeline have been removed from the site… “The DNR says it continues to evaluate options in response to Enbridge performing unpermitted construction at the site in the wake of the spill.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Here’s what we know about the fuel pipeline project proposed for Emigration Canyon
Samantha Moilanen, 9/23/26
“The last time a major oil spill hit one of the waterways near Emigration Canyon in 2010, it took years to clean up and even longer to sort out in court. That history, along with other environmental concerns, has some Emigration Canyon homeowners worried about the prospect of putting an expanded fuel pipeline through the area,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports. “The concern comes as oil refiner HF Sinclair studies potential routes in and around the canyon to expand its Pioneer Pipeline, which carries refined fuel from Wyoming into Utah… “At an Emigration Canyon City Council meeting last Tuesday, resident and environmental and bankruptcy attorney Brian Rothschild was among several people who pushed back against the proposal. “We, I think, are in a little bit of too sensitive an area,” Rothschild said. If the project moves forward, he added, it should undergo an “unbelievably thorough” environmental review… “Survey crews and land agents began collecting data and talking with property owners Friday as the company studies potential routes, Price said… “It’s already operating at capacity, Price said, moving about 60,000 barrels of fuel a day. HF Sinclair wants to add another 35,000 barrels a day, he said, bringing the total capacity to about 95,000 barrels. The Dallas-based company said in a statement Friday that the project is still in the evaluation stage.”
Syracuse.com: County agency to pay nearly $13 million to run gas pipeline to Micron site in Clay
Rick Moriarty, 9/23/26
“The Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency has agreed to pay almost $13 million to extend a natural gas pipeline to the Micron Technology semiconductor factory site under construction in Clay,” Syracuse.com reports. “The board voted unanimously Sept. 10 to pay $12.6 million to reimburse National Grid for running a gas line into the Micron site at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road. Construction of the 16-inch gas main extension is scheduled to start in the fall of 2027 and be completed in the summer of 2029… “The money will come from the $30 million that Micron paid the agency in April for the land needed for the first phase of the semiconductor factory’s construction.”
Perry News-Herald: Pipeline expansion to benefit Taylor
9/23/26
“...The proposed $1.22 billion “Phase IX Project” would boost capacity by adding about 95 miles of mainline looping across 14 counties in Mississippi and Florida — including a 14.85-mile Loop 5 segment ending in Taylor County — plus added horsepower at existing compressor stations such as Taylor County’s Station 15,” the Perry News-Herald reports. “Construction is proposed to begin in late 2027. Florida Gas Transmission (FGT), the Houston, Texas-based company that operates a local compressor station here, has asked federal regulators for permission to expand the interstate system that runs through Taylor County.”
Oil Sands Magazine: Pipeline Capacity Revisited: Timing the next export bottleneck
9/22/26
“...Total Western Canada crude production is expected to reach a record 4.8 million bbl/day in the fourth quarter of this year, up about 100,000 bbl/day from Q4/2025,” Oil Sands Magazine reports. “Assuming 100% pipeline utilization rates, Western Canada’s six export pipelines had an estimated 150,000 bbl/day of spare takeaway capacity in Q2/2026, down from a first-quarter surplus of about 120,000 bbl/day. Much of that remaining slack is likely to disappear this upcoming winter, as oil sands production volumes are expected to return to record levels. The start of Trans Mountain’s DRA Project and continued debottlenecking of Enbridge’s Express-Platte and Mainline should free up space for most of next year and well into 2027. At a 2.5% annualized growth rate, export pipelines are expected to become constrained at the end of 2028. While neither Trans Mountain’s MOP or South Bow’s Prairie Connector projects have been formally sanctioned, both expansion projects are needed to meet growing egress demand post-2030. If long-term oil production growth slows to just 1% post-2030, a new pipeline won’t be required until the end of 2035. However, if production growth continues at a robust 2.5% annualized rate, total Western Canadian oil production will rise to 6 million bbl/day by the fourth quarter of 2035. Pipeline egress becomes tight by the end of 2032, and completely runs out of space by mid-2033. Enbridge says it still has 250,000 bbl/day of expansion capacity left in Mainline, while Prairie Connector, if constructed, will have at least 300,000 bbl/day of expansion capacity. This additional 550,000 bbl/day of egress capacity can provide enough egress headroom until 2035, after which a new pipeline will be required.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Trump will green-light wind energy projects to strike permitting deal
Josh Siegel, 9/22/26
“President Donald Trump signaled he would ease his administration’s blockade on renewable energy projects to entice Democrats to agree to a permitting deal,” Politico reports. “Trump told aides he would agree to direct the Defense Department to start clearing its queue of long-delayed onshore wind projects to strike a deal, two people familiar with the talks and granted anonymity told Politico. He told advisers, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in a briefing on the negotiations Monday that he would be OK with easing off his attacks on his least favorite energy source in order to close the deal… “Democrats have been holding firm in demanding the Trump administration stop its attacks on renewable energy projects to reach a deal, most prominently the Defense Department’s ongoing refusal to issue normally routine onshore wind national security reviews.”
Politico: To Permit, or Not to Permit
Benjamin Storrow, 9/22/26
“The prospects of a breakthrough on a congressional permitting deal loomed large over Climate Week on Tuesday,” Politico reports. “It was the first question Jarrod Agen, executive director of the White House National Energy Dominance Council, received when he appeared at a panel hosted by Axios. “We talked to the president about it yesterday,” Agen told Axios’ Amy Harder. “This has been a top priority of the administration. I know we’ve been working with our partners in the Senate on it, and we have some bottom lines of what we want to see in permitting.” “...Agen did not say whether the president had blessed the deal. Instead, he said judicial certainty is one of the administration’s top priorities… “But Agen was pressed on whether such certainty extends to areas like offshore wind, after the administration halted five projects under construction. Agen did not reconcile those positions, but sought to cast wind as unreliable.”
Politico: Trump says decision on possible diesel export ban to come ‘fast’
James Bikales, 9/22/26
“President Donald Trump said Tuesday his administration would issue a decision “fast, one way or the other” on whether to ban diesel exports,” Politico reports. “Trump’s remarks at the U.N. in New York came as diesel prices have risen to record highs amid wars in the Middle East and Russia that have choked fuel supplies and driven up the costs of road fuel, groceries and other everyday goods. Several Republicans in tough reelection battles have come out in favor of staunching exports in recent days as the midterms near with diesel prices at record levels. The U.S. oil and gas industry strongly opposes any export restrictions and the Trump administration has previously opposed such a move, but is facing a strong lobbying push from its allies in the farm sector. Any ban would be the first restrictions on U.S. energy exports since former President Barack Obama in 2015 lifted a decades-old restriction on selling U.S. oil abroad… “I’ve said let’s not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel,” Trump added. The president acknowledged, however, that limiting diesel flows abroad could lead U.S. refiners to produce less fuel of all kinds, including gasoline. U.S. oil and gas producers, as well as Energy Secretary Chris Wright, have made that case in recent days… “Energy experts have warned that an export ban would drive prices lower only temporarily, but would force oil producers to stop drilling as the export market disappears.”
Politico: The world laps America on climate
Sara Schonhardt, 9/22/26
“Leave the United States behind. That’s the message Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz is sharing with global leaders at Climate Week, a sharp recognition that volatile U.S. politics are leaving America’s role in international efforts to temper rising temperatures more unclear than ever,” Politico reports. “His comments to Politico mark a stark reversal for Democrats. During President Donald Trump‘s first term, the party sought to reassure the world that America remained committed to climate action, despite Trump openly rejecting the scientific field of global warming research. Schatz is providing no such assurances this time. “I am not going to tell them that we’re still in,” Schatz told Politico. “I’m telling them that we’ll be back, but I don’t know how soon, and that they should move without us,” he told Politico. “The United States will catch up as soon as we can, but I don’t think it is in anyone’s interest to be naive about the damage that Trump is trying to do to international climate action.” Not every Democrat agrees. When five House Democrats met with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday, “that certainly was not our message,” California Rep. Mike Levin told Politico. “Our message was the president of the United States does not speak for the vast majority of Americans when he says that climate change is a hoax,” he told Politico, predicting that Trump’s Republican Party will suffer a drubbing in the November midterm elections… “Hoekstra told Politico he’s using Climate Week to promote “radical electrification.” That includes investing in renewable energy, nuclear power, grid capacity, storage and interconnections between EU nations.”
New York Times: The Former Fracking Executive Selling Trump’s ‘Energy Dominance’ Vision
Brad Plumer, 9/23/26
“With oil and gasoline prices spiking amid President Trump’s war with Iran, it was an awkward moment for optimism about the world’s energy situation. But Energy Secretary Chris Wright brought a sunny message to Houston last week at a gathering of energy ministers from the G20 nations,” the New York Times reports. “The Trump administration, he said, was ushering in an era of energy abundance by expanding oil and gas supplies in places like Alaska and Venezuela. That pitch was often overshadowed by the effects of the conflict in the Middle East. Between lauding oil and gas deals, Mr. Wright fielded questions about a damaged Saudi oil pipeline and sparred on social media with Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, over surging gasoline costs. Mr. Wright acknowledged some tension, though he insisted it was temporary. “Everyone’s frustrated with higher energy prices,” he said of the mood at the meeting. “But I’ve not met one person who’s comfortable with a nuclear-armed Iran. So everyone gets what we’re doing and this is a critically important mission. It creates dislocations in the short term. But the only answer to short-term dislocations is the energy abundance agenda… “Whereas Mr. Trump speaks bluntly about energy — chanting “drill, baby, drill,” calling wind turbines ugly, or claiming that global warming is a hoax — Mr. Wright gives his arguments an intellectual gloss. He cites figures on how solar panels underperform during winter storms. Or he argues that global warming is not as big a problem as energy poverty, which he says can only be alleviated with more oil, gas and coal, even if that means more planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions.”
Wyo4News: BLM advances two Southwest Wyoming carbon storage projects
9/21/26
“The Bureau of Land Management has offered right-of-way grants for two carbon storage projects covering nearly 650,000 acres of federally managed underground pore space in southwest Wyoming,” Wyo4News reports. “The BLM offered Moxa Carbon Storage LLC a right-of-way grant covering approximately 605,091 acres of federal pore space in Lincoln, Uinta and Sweetwater counties. The project spans lands administered by the BLM Kemmerer and Rock Springs field offices and is part of a larger project area of approximately 1 million acres that also includes state and private lands. The grant would authorize Moxa Carbon to use federal subsurface pore space for the permanent geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. The BLM also offered Pond Field LLC a right-of-way grant covering approximately 44,347 acres of federal pore space in Lincoln, Uinta and Sweetwater counties for the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub. The Kemmerer Field Office administers the project. “These milestones demonstrate how responsible management of federal resources can support innovative projects while ensuring development moves forward through the appropriate state and federal processes,” said BLM Kemmerer Field Manager Brandon Teppo.” “These projects put federally managed pore space to productive use while supporting carbon management infrastructure in Wyoming.”
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): A new study investigates oil-degrading microbes a year before Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Chris Malanuk, 9/21/26
“The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) lasted three months and released 134 million gallons of oil across the Gulf of Mexico – the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Greater than 108,000 square miles of fishing area were shut down for almost a year. Oil blanketed coastlines and an estimated 770 square miles of deep-sea mesophotic ecosystems – an area the size of Houston, Texas – impacted all marine life in the region. Chemical dispersants were applied to areas off the coast of Louisiana and Texas to break up the oil, but much of the actual degradation relied on something else – the microbiome… “A new study led by scientists at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Mississippi State University’s Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) captured the metabolic potential of the microbial community at a mussel-fringed brine lake deep within Green Canyon lease area one year before the DWH oil spill… “Comparing these findings against 55 existing metagenomic libraries, the team was able to gain new insights into how the microbial diversity changed before, during, and immediately after the DWH spill… “This indicates that microbes capable of mounting a massive response to hydrocarbon releases can lie nearly undetectable when a large oil spill is absent and dramatically increase in response to a surge… “Differences in environmental conditions across vast and complex deep-sea ecosystems may also influence the diversity and function of microbial communities in bioremediation.”
STATE UPDATES
Politico: Federal judge blocks Michigan’s ‘climate conspiracy’ lawsuit
Lesley Clark, 9/22/26
“A federal judge Tuesday dismissed a Michigan lawsuit that accused the oil and gas industry of deceiving the public about climate change,” Politico reports. “Judge Jane Beckering of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan rejected the first-of-its-kind complaint that claimed four of the largest fossil fuel producers and the American Petroleum Institute broke federal and state antitrust laws by acting as a ‘cartel’ to boost prices and restrict development of renewable energy and electric vehicles. Beckering wrote the “distance is too great between the alleged conspiracy” and high energy prices for Michigan residents… “The loss is the latest blow to dozens of climate lawsuits that have been filed by local governments against energy producers, seeking compensation for the rising costs of climate change. It’s a win for the Trump administration, which had sought to prevent the lawsuit from being filed, and for Michigan Republicans, who last spring passed a budget that prevents the attorney general from engaging in lawsuits against the federal government or an oil or gas entity without legislative approval.”
Michigan Advance: Carbon capture proposals draw mixed responses from environmental groups in Michigan House committee
Kyle Davidson, 9/23/26
“As Michigan continues to examine its options for meeting its 100% clean energy goal, members of the state House gathered to consider a slate of bills to give the state authority over efforts to capture and store carbon emissions,” the Michigan Advance reports. “The House Energy Committee heard testimony from Reps. Parker Fairbairn (R-Harbor Springs) and Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan) on House Bills 6247–6249, which aim to establish a state-based framework for carbon capture, utilization and sequestration efforts… “Fairbairn also noted that DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, two of the state’s largest energy utilities, support the proposals because they would provide the state with the regulatory framework needed to ensure their natural gas plants comply with Michigan’s clean energy law… “Wibke Heymach, senior midwest regional policy manager for Clean Air Task Force, offered support for the bills… “Ben Poulson, the state government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, stood in opposition to the proposals, questioning whether they created the proper framework for the growing carbon capture industry… “If we are to store carbon here in Michigan, Michiganders deserve to know that the storage process is actually reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon, and that the process of capturing and storing is not creating more carbon than it stores,” he said. “And they also deserve to know that we are prioritizing pollution that could not easily be reduced otherwise.”
ExxonMobil: Building trust among Gulf Coast communities as CCS expands
9/22/26
“The Texas Railroad Commission voted to approve our Rose carbon storage project, marking an important milestone after years of review and engagement,” according to ExxonMobil. “We have spent years engaging with local officials, landowners, first responders, and residents throughout the Gulf Coast, educating and answering questions, listening to feedback, and supporting community priorities… “We’ve spent time building relationships with incredible people who call these communities home. Since 2024, our CCS team has engaged with more than 10,000 people at 450+ events across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Just in Jefferson County, Texas, which is home to our Rose and Sunflower projects, we’ve: Brought neighbors together through community meetings, advisory panels, a community picnic, and a safety fair to talk about CCS; Provided CCS and CO2 education through dozens of demonstrations and presentations; Maintained multiple ways for residents to ask questions and stay informed, including one-on-one conversations with residents and landowners; a website, hotline and email address; and a community liaison hosting weekly office hours at the town hall in Nome, which is in the heart of Sunflower and less than 8 miles from Rose; Met regularly with the Railroad Commission, local and statewide elected officials, first responders, educators, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses… “Since 2019, 786 first responders have completed the ExxonMobil-sponsored HazMat Liquid and CO2 Pipeline and Industrial Fire Emergencies training program at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) in College Station, Texas. We also sponsor similar programs at the Mississippi State Fire Academy and Louisiana Fire & Emergency Training, which have graduated an additional 162 first responders. Through more than 111 “Pipeline 101” mobile training events, we’ve helped nearly 2,600 first responders, public officials, emergency management personnel, and community stakeholders better understand pipeline safety and emergency response… “We know CCS is new to many communities. But it isn’t new to us… “Because we don’t just measure success in CCS advancement, but in our ability to be a good neighbor for the long haul.”
ESG Dive: ADM to enter the voluntary carbon market
Lamar Johnson, 9/22/26
“Archer Daniels Midland, an agricultural supply chain manager and processor, announced Monday that it is planning to join the voluntary carbon market using credits generated by carbon capture at one of its corn processing plants,” ESG Dive reports. “ADM said the carbon capture and storage operations at its Columbus, Nebraska, corn processing facility will allow the company to enter the carbon market with an annual estimated capture capacity of over 800,000 tons, according to a press release. ADM began capturing carbon dioxide at its Columbus plant in November 2025 in a partnership with energy infrastructure company Tallgrass. The plant captures biogenic carbon dioxide during the ethanol fermentation process before being purified, compressed and transported for underground sequestration in… “The credits will be verified and issued by carbon removal registry and certification infrastructure company Puro.earth, which is reviewing the credits for issuance under its methodology for Geologically Stored Carbon, according to the release… “Once the certification and verification process is finalized, ADM plans to issue carbon credits from the facility over 15 years, according to the release.”
Putnam County Post: POET, DTE Vantage working to build carbon capture and sequestration facility in Shelby County
Jeff Brown, 9/22/26
“The Shelbyville Common Council approved annexing land adjacent to POET Biorefining on first reading Monday night,” the Putnam County Post reports. “...More than two dozen people spoke up Monday during the Shelbyville Common Council meeting to oppose the annexation of approximately 97 acres of land adjacent to POET Biorefining. Shakespeare Sequestration, LLC, intends to use the property for carbon capture storage over a 12-year period. Working in conjunction with POET, who is currently expanding to double bioethanol production capabilities, carbon dioxide typically released into the atmosphere will be captured and compressed into a liquid that will be transferred via an 1,800-foot pipeline to the neighboring property where it would then be injected into a 4,000-foot well underground… “Following Monday’s presentation, a total of 19 people came to the podium to address concerns to the council. The list of speakers included Michael Potter, who is a candidate for House District 47, which includes a portion of Shelby County that includes POET, and Allen Miller, who is running for State Representative for District 73 (Shelbyville). Potter, who is a licensed professional geologist, encouraged the council to do more due diligence on the project before passing the annexation. Miller also cited the need to see all the information regarding the project, including EPA files that have redactions.”
Reuters: California clears sales of higher-ethanol fuel to lower gasoline costs
Siddharth Cavale, 9/21/26
“California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation allowing the immediate sale of a higher-ethanol fuel blend in the state, as it seeks to rein in skyrocketing costs at the pump in the country’s largest auto market,” Reuters reports. “The signing of Senate Bill 795 on Saturday removed the final regulatory hurdle for the sale of E15, a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol, more than a year after state Senators unanimously voted to allow the move. California had been the only US state where the fuel could not be sold… “Eric McAfee, chief executive of Cupertino, California-based renewable fuels producer Aemetis, estimated the change could add about 650 million gallons of annual ethanol demand in the state.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Fishermen question LNG industry’s efforts to boost Louisiana fisheries
Elise Plunk, 9/23/26
“Two major players in the liquified natural gas industry in Louisiana covered part of the cost of a recent restocking of redfish in coastal waters, but fishermen are skeptical about whether it will be effective,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “...The releases were funded in part by the joint venture Cameron LNG, which operates a large export terminal along the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and Sempra Infrastructure, the company that has a controlling interest in the facility. Restocking costs amounted to about $6 per fish, according to The Times-Picayune, which would total $900,000. The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana and the nonprofit Recreational Fisheries Research Institute organized the restocking, which also had financial support from Air Products, the American Fishing Tackle Co. and Jefferson Parish, according to the report. Commercial and charter fishermen who traverse Calcasieu Lake and surrounding marsh for their living told the Illuminator that while the release is a nice gesture from Cameron LNG, efforts from the industry to improve the environment near the export facilities should go further… “Justin Lyons, a fishing guide from Cameron Parish told the Illuminator more investment in coastal restoration in the area would help young fish from restocking efforts survive and grow.”
Big News Network: Oil leases on Wyoming big game migration corridors headed to court
Eric Galatas, 9/22/26
”Conservation groups are taking the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to court for leasing 179 square miles in Wyoming for oil and gas development,” Big News Network reports. “They claim the agency broke the law when it approved leases in June in areas identified as key migration routes for struggling mule deer and pronghorn populations… “Julia Stuble, Wyoming state director for The Wilderness Society, said the lawsuit is an effort to defend Wyoming’s migrating big game and the hunters who rely on them. Stuble noted more than 81% of BLM-managed lands across the West are already open for oil and gas leasing. She argued the agency has prioritized drilling over all other uses, which goes against the BLM’s legal obligation to balance multiple uses of public lands. She believes balance is what most people in Wyoming want to see.”
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: The UN Says Carbon Removal Is Necessary. Who Will Cover the Cost?
Alastair Marsh, 9/21/26
“...As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and the annual Climate Week NYC, a critical question remains unanswered: Who will pay to remove the CO2?,” Bloomberg reports. “Carbon removal can’t offer the economic upside of technologies such as electric vehicles, Adair Turner, co-chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, a coalition of executives from companies including ArcelorMittal SA, HSBC Holdings Plc and Shell Plc, told Bloomberg. “When you get to removals, it’s never gonna be a win-win,” Turner, also the former head of Britain’s financial regulator, told Bloomberg. “You’re doing it to take emissions out, and so somebody has got to pay.” Scaling up carbon dioxide removal is among four major environmental ambitions that have fallen short, in a world that’s blowing past targets for limiting global temperature rise, according to a report from the Energy Transitions Commission… “To bring temperatures back down to 1.5C, some amount of carbon removal is now necessary, the UN said, a comment seen by industry proponents and project developers as an official acknowledgment of the importance of drawing down CO2… “With regard to carbon removal, Turner told Bloomberg governments, companies and philanthropists need to step in to fund the effort — with governments taking the lead. “I don’t exclude the possibility that we’ll get there, but at the moment we’re a long way from that.”
Carbon Pulse: Data centres emerging as key drivers for new power with CCS, carbon credit buying -consultancy
Bryony Collins, 9/22/26
“Data centres seeking low-carbon power and companies buying carbon removals to compensate for their CO2 emissions are emerging as key sources of demand for new power plants fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to a consultancy,” Carbon Pulse reports.
Reuters: Canada aims to slash time needed to review major projects
David Ljunggren and Amanda Stephenson, 9/21/26
“Canada on Monday unveiled draft legislation that would speed up the approval process for major natural resource projects, a goal Prime Minister Mark Carney says is necessary to help deal with US tariffs,” Reuters reports. “Carney says Canada has to cut back on obstacles to growth, in particular streamlining a complex approval process for major projects that can drag on for a decade or more. The bill says the time can be cut to a year, in part by conducting federal impact assessments and permit reviews simultaneously instead of one after another… “In recent years, major Canadian oil pipelines have faced years of regulatory delay and legal challenges, leading to cancellations for some projects and spiraling costs for others, like the Trans Mountain expansion. The government stressed that achieving the one-year timeline was not wholly dependent on the regulatory process, but would also require project proponents to provide data and project information in a timely manner.”
Canadian Press: Feds approve FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG expansion under ‘one project, one review’
9/21/26
“The federal government has approved expansion of the Tilbury LNG facility in Delta, B.C., saying potential adverse effects are justified by the project’s benefits,” the Canadian Press reports. “Monday’s approval under the “one project, one review” principle came immediately after the B.C. government issued an environmental assessment certificate to FortisBC for the project on Tilbury Island in the Fraser River. The province says the project could generate 6,200 full-time-equivalent years of employment during construction and 100 permanent jobs, and contribute up to $1.7 billion to provincial GDP during construction… “But it has faced opposition from within the B.C. government, with Kelly Greene, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, saying in July she was “disappointed” by FortisBC’s decision to move forward with the project, citing safety concerns… “The province said in a statement on Monday that the environmental assessment certificate included “18 legally binding conditions related to air quality, wildlife protection, greenhouse-gas reduction, health and emergency planning, and ongoing monitoring of impacts to First Nations.” It said the Environmental Assessment Office sought consensus with 12 Indigenous nations, while 13 other Indigenous groups were informed of key milestones.”
Straits Times: Shell charged over 2 incidents involving ‘oily mixture’ discharged into S’pore waters in 2024
9/22/26
“Shell Singapore was handed four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act on Sept 22 over two incidents involving “oily mixture” discharged into the country’s waters in 2024,” the Straits Times reports. “Both incidents were allegedly linked to the oil company’s energy and chemicals park on Pulau Bukom Kechil. In the first incident, around 40 tonnes of the mixture was purportedly discharged through a hole in a 10cm slop pipeline at the company’s oil refining facility on Oct 20, 2024. Shell Singapore is also accused of failing to report the matter to the port master when the incident took place at around 8am that day… “In the second incident, around 485kg to 956kg of an “oily mixture” was allegedly discharged through a fixture within the facility between Dec 26 and 28, 2024.”
OPINION
Washington Examiner: America’s next oil boom is floating in thin air
Charles Cadieu is CEO and co-founder of Spiritus, an energy technology company developing a new source of CO2 to increase production from existing U.S. oil fields, 9/23/26
“...The next American oil boom may depend less on finding new fields than on recovering more from the fields we already drilled,” Charles Cadieu writes for the Washington Examiner. “A new University of Houston analysis estimates that approximately 137 billion barrels of U.S. oil are technically recoverable using carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery, or CO2-EOR. Texas and the Gulf Coast contain more than half of the nation’s resources considered technically favorable for the process… “Producers have used CO2-EOR commercially for more than 50 years… “The constraint has often been the CO2 supply… “Capturing CO2 from ambient air, known as direct air capture, is difficult because CO2 makes up only about 0.04% of the atmosphere. But air has one enormous advantage over a natural CO2 deposit: it is everywhere. If CO2 from the air can be produced economically at or near an oil field, a CO2 supply can potentially be built around the oil resource rather than dictated by geology or pipelines built decades ago. That could change the economics of both EOR and direct air capture… “That scale is one reason Spiritus, the direct air capture company I co-founded around carbon removal, is adding EOR to our commercial strategy… “The national opportunity is larger than either industry. Increasing recovery from existing fields can produce more domestic energy from assets America already controls, extend infrastructure already built, and sustain the jobs, royalties, and tax revenues surrounding those fields… “America has already found the oil. The CO2 to unlock more of it is all around us.”