PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Pipeline Groups Say Enbridge Ruling Weakens Tribal Deals
DeSmog: Pathways Proponent Claims Carbon Capture Project Only ‘Slightly Smaller’ Despite Reduction by Half
Triangle Business Journal: North Carolina county risks million-dollar legal fight over pipeline, attorney warns
Proactive: Upland Resources says construction is underway on Wyoming gas pipeline
Gasworld: 26 member states face EU action over hydrogen pipeline regulation
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Permitting deal won’t get vote ahead of election
The Hill: White House seeks to pressure Democrats to move faster on permitting reform deal
Politico: Not dead yet: What’s next for permitting reform
Politico: ‘Let’s push prices down’: Wright asks oil industry to curb exports
Bloomberg: Trump’s Power Plant Air Rule Revives Old Carbon Capture Dispute
Politico: Democrats prep for oversight on Trump’s push for data centers on public lands
Reuters: US will either reform IEA on climate issues or leave the group, energy secretary says
STATE UPDATES
Lompoc Record: County supervisors ban new onshore oil, gas wells with split vote, heated debate
Press release: Enviro Groups Call on CARB to Reject Dangerous Carbon Capture
Oil & Gas Action Network: Public meetings to be held October 7 and 8 on draft permits for four carbon storage wells at River Parish Sequestration Hub near Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Press release: Surfrider Launches Billboard Campaign Against Offshore Drilling in Southern California
WGME: 30 Years Later: Remembering the Julie N oil spill in Casco Bay
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Canada to develop carbon removal market framework under Paris agreement
Carbon Herald: Austria Drafts CO2 Storage Act To End 2011 Underground Storage Ban
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Enbridge donates pickup truck to support Chawathil First Nation emergency response efforts
OPINION
Storm Lake Times Pilot: Meetings scheduled for Summit’s convenience
Idaho Statesman: Don’t turn Idaho’s public lands into a subsidy for the AI industry
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Pipeline Groups Say Enbridge Ruling Weakens Tribal Deals
Corey Rothauser, 9/24/26
“Two oil and gas industry groups have urged the Seventh Circuit to reconsider part of its ruling that Enbridge Energy is trespassing on Wisconsin tribal lands, arguing that the decision could make long-term pipeline agreements with tribes less reliable,” Law360 reports.
DeSmog: Pathways Proponent Claims Carbon Capture Project Only ‘Slightly Smaller’ Despite Reduction by Half
Taylor Noakes, 9/24/26
“The president of the industry group building Canada’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project has confirmed that the endeavour, still in its early phases, will be scaled back significantly, after previously advertising massive emissions reductions,” DeSmog reports. “...“It is slightly smaller than what had been initially spoke [sic], and over a slightly extended timeline,” Dilling, president of the Oil Sands Alliance (formerly called Pathways Alliance), said during a fireside chat at the Carbon Capture Canada conference, held in Edmonton from 14-17 September… “Earlier this year, Canada’s federal government and the government of Alberta agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in which Oil Sands Alliance committed to far less ambitious emissions reduction goals… “In an interview at the conference with DeSmog, Dilling said that “the first phase has been scaled now at six million tonnes a year, but the infrastructure is still being built to be expandable to the original capacity.” He added, “So it’s more just a question of timeline as opposed to the actual capacity of the project.” The timeline of the project has already shifted considerably, and construction hasn’t yet started. Environmental watchdogs told DeSmog it’s troubling that Canada’s oil industry is scaling back its ambitions at a time when the impacts of climate change, including a summer of out-of-control wildfires in Canada, are accelerating… “Ultimately, Dilling assured the audience at the carbon capture summit that Pathways is “supporting the national consensus to give us that license to grow the oil sands to build pipelines, to access the markets”.
Triangle Business Journal: North Carolina county risks million-dollar legal fight over pipeline, attorney warns
Ben Tobin – Reporter, 9/24/26
“A battle over a proposed pipeline in Chatham County could wind up in court,” the Triangle Business Journal reports.
Proactive: Upland Resources says construction is underway on Wyoming gas pipeline
9/25/26
“Upland Resources told investors that construction has started on Lost Soldier Oil & Gas’s 8-inch gas sales pipeline in Wyoming, advancing infrastructure needed to bring natural gas from the development to market ahead of first sales targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026,” Proactive reports. “Field crews have begun construction and welding operations on the pipeline, which is being developed alongside Phase Two of LSOG’s programme, where drilling is also underway.”
Gasworld: 26 member states face EU action over hydrogen pipeline regulation
Charlie Currie, 9/25/26
“The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against 26 EU member states after they failed to fully implement rules governing the bloc’s hydrogen infrastructure market,” Gasworld reports. “Only Italy notified Brussels that it had fully transposed the EU Hydrogen and Decarbonised Gas Directive by its 5 August deadline, leaving rules governing hydrogen pipelines, network access, tariffs, and infrastructure operators across the bloc unimplemented.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Permitting deal won’t get vote ahead of election
Josh Siegel, 9/24/26
“A bipartisan group of senators failed to close a long-sought deal on legislation to ease permitting approvals for energy projects, kicking consideration of the issue until after the midterm elections,” Politico reports. “A senior Democrat aide familiar with the negotiations and granted anonymity to discuss the matter told Politico on Thursday that Senate Democrats don’t think there’s enough time to get it done. “The goal here has always been to pass permitting reform, not just to introduce it,” the aide told Politico. Top negotiators — Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee and ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) — were unable to reach agreement on a package this week, despite recent overtures made by both sides. The lack of a deal now means a permitting bill likely won’t get a vote until after the elections, when lawmakers are expected to face a packed legislative agenda and the power dynamics in Congress will begin to shift… “Other elements of a deal would likely include easing approvals and limiting legal challenges against projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock procedural environmental law that is increasingly blamed for stalling projects of all types, as well as under the National Historic Preservation Act, a landmark law designed to protect Native American cultural treasures.”
The Hill: White House seeks to pressure Democrats to move faster on permitting reform deal
Rachel Frazin, 9/24/26
“As a key Democratic negotiator says a deal to speed up infrastructure projects could be months away, the Trump administration is saying it may not be willing to wait that long,” The Hill reports. “Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) told reporters Thursday that a permitting reform deal could pass in the lame duck, but the White House is indicating that the concessions it is offering Democrats could expire by that point. “The Administration and congressional Republicans agreed to a strong bipartisan offer. The Democrats have since refused to take yes for an answer. If they think that the administration is going to freeze these concessions until the lame duck, they are severely mistaken,” a White House official told The Hill… “Whitehouse, meanwhile, described the wait until after the midterms as necessary to give lawmakers enough time to digest the agreement and adequately campaign ahead of the November contest… “We are over the hump on the deal-breaker issues, so we’re in a very good place on the substance of the bill,” he told The Hill, adding that text could be finalized in “days, maybe even hours,” which could kick off the process of allowing senators to consider the bill and suggest changes.”
Politico: Not dead yet: What’s next for permitting reform
Josh Siegel, 9/24/26
“A bipartisan quartet of lawmakers say they are committed to finishing a deal on permitting reform this year despite Senate Republicans’ frustration with Democrats’ decision to kick a vote to after the election that deprived the GOP of a much-needed win on energy affordability,” Politico reports. “But by punting on passing a bill in the Senate before November, Democrats are betting that the concessions made by Republicans and the Trump administration to ease off attacks on renewable energy projects will still be part of the offer after the election. Those elements will be crucial to winning over the votes needed from the Democratic caucus to pass the bill… “Democratic negotiators contend the Trump administration is bluffing about pulling its concessions, and it ultimately won’t be able to resist a permitting deal in the lame-duck session that would offer it big wins in speeding the approval process for new fossil fuel and clean energy projects.”
Politico: ‘Let’s push prices down’: Wright asks oil industry to curb exports
Kelsey Tamborrino, Mike Soraghan, 9/24/26
“Energy Secretary Chris Wright is calling on the oil industry to voluntarily reduce diesel fuel exports in a bid to bring down prices domestically ahead of midterm elections,” Politico reports. “The former oil industry executive’s pitch in Pennsylvania comes a day after Politico reported the White House was preparing plans to impose a 90-day halt on exports of the fuel, which triggered an outcry in the U.S. oil industry and showed the pressure President Donald Trump’s administration is under from voters to address affordability issues… “Reduce a little bit your exports overseas,” Wright, speaking to reporters at an event here, said he told refining company executives. “Put some more diesel into the United States. Let’s grow our diesel inventories. Let’s push prices down.” “...Diesel prices have soared across the globe, and American refiners have been exporting record amounts of diesel since the Iran war started. That has some farm-state lawmakers saying that more of the fuel should be staying in the United States to ease the financial burden on farmers struggling to fill up the tanks in their tractors and combines in preparation for harvest.”
Bloomberg: Trump’s Power Plant Air Rule Revives Old Carbon Capture Dispute
Stephen Lee, 9/25/26
“Litigation over the EPA’s rollback of Biden-era power plant emission rules will likely put the Trump administration in the position of poking holes in a technology it has, at other times, incentivized and promoted,” Bloomberg reports. “The dispute over carbon capture and sequestration could also rehash highly technical, often speculative financial arguments that have been tabled before — except this time with the government arguing the technology isn’t economically feasible, rather than that it is, as the Biden administration did… “But carbon capture doesn’t meet the Clean Air Act’s definition of “best system of emissions reduction,” which requires that a technology be both effective at cutting emissions and available at a cost that doesn’t bring on extreme economic hardship, Matthew Leopold, who served as EPA general counsel in the first Trump administration, told Bloomberg… “Moreover, a large network of pipelines and sequestration facilities would have to be built, and that’s unlikely to happen before the Jan. 1, 2032 compliance date established by the Biden rule, the EPA said… “Despite its occasional support, the Trump administration’s decision to point to carbon capture as unfeasible in its justification for revoking the Biden rule is poised to be scrutinized. The Natural Resources Defense Council and Clean Air Task Force on Sept. 17 asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review the Trump administration’s rule.”
Politico: Democrats prep for oversight on Trump’s push for data centers on public lands
Pavan Acharya, 9/25/26
“Democrats are sharpening their oversight plans in anticipation of a midterm takeover — and the Trump administration’s moves to put data centers on public lands are their latest target,” Politico reports. “Democrats are hoping to use anti-data center sentiment to win key congressional races this fall and retake power in Washington. If they’re successful, deals cut to put data centers on public lands, and the companies cutting those deals, will face particularly intense scrutiny next year from Democrats who say the projects are being approved in secret… “Huffman and 15 other Democrats wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Thursday requesting documentation between Interior officials and developers involved in the potential deals. They also asked whether Interior would conduct environmental impact statements with a public comment period for certain data centers it is considering allowing on federal land… “Last week, Titus introduced legislation — first reported by POLITICO — that is meant to boost public engagement and environmental reviews of Trump’s push to put data centers on federal lands.”
Reuters: US will either reform IEA on climate issues or leave the group, energy secretary says
Nicole Jao and Valerie Volcovici, 9/23/26
“The US might consider leaving the International Energy Agency if there is no alignment on climate issues, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “We’re either going to reform the IEA or we will leave the IEA. My strong preference is that we reform it,” Wright said at an event in New York hosted by the Wall Street Journal. The Paris-based IEA has provided research and data to industrialized governments for more than half a century to help guide policy around energy security, supply and investment. The United States provides around a quarter of the group’s funding… “Wright said he wants to reform the agency to “focus on its core mission – and deliver it well and thoughtfully – not scenarios that are more politically popular.”
STATE UPDATES
Lompoc Record: County supervisors ban new onshore oil, gas wells with split vote, heated debate
Jennifer Best, 9/24/26
“After more than two hours of public comment, board discussion and sometimes heated debate, Santa Barbara County supervisors voted 3-2 last week to ban new onshore oil and gas wells and prohibit re-entering previously abandoned wells, a move some opponents claim could open Santa Barbara County to legal challenges over constitutionality,” the Lompoc Record reports. “We won’t undo the last 150 years of fossil fuel dependence with one vote, but every era has a moment when it stops digging a hole deeper and starts climbing out, and for this county on this question, that moment is now,” said 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann… “The ordinance, proposed last year by supervisors as a response to the County 2030 Climate Action Plan, does not immediately discontinue operation of existing facilities, including 1,039 active and 1,221 idle onshore wells. However, an anticipated second phase currently being developed by county staff is designed ultimately to shutter all existing oil and gas facilities and operations… “Why are we targeting the industry that helps disadvantaged communities pull their people out of poverty?” asked Lavagnino, after noting a representative of the Environmental Defense Center spoke out in favor of the ban while at the same time speaking about environmental justice.”
Press release: Enviro Groups Call on CARB to Reject Dangerous Carbon Capture
9/25//26
“Today, impacted community members and climate and environmental justice organizations called on the California Air Resources Board to reject carbon capture, use and storage projects (CCUS) at its board meeting. CARB is expected to finalize California’s first CCUS Program charged with evaluating and regulating CCUS in the state by the end of the year. “Carbon capture is a dangerous distraction from phasing out fossil fuels that will not help California reach its climate goals,” said Food & Water Watch Northern California Senior Organizer Isabel Penman. “Even worse, the pipelines and injection wells that come with these projects are inherently dangerous and lack adequate safety safeguards that are necessary to protect the public. We are disappointed that these dangerous carbon capture projects are included in CARB’s mandate to reach state climate targets and we urge the agency to thoroughly evaluate the impact and ultimately reject these projects.” “CARB’s continued focus on ‘silver-bullet’ technologies that are costly and ineffective (carbon capture and storage) or costly and unproven at scale (other carbon removal technologies) to reach California’s climate goals is harmful to our communities and economically unsound,” said Valerie Ventre-Hutton of 350 Bay Area Action… “You cannot call it climate progress if the people living next to these facilities are still breathing toxic, dirty air,” said Martha Dina Argüello, the Executive Director at Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles.”
Oil & Gas Action Network: Public meetings to be held October 7 and 8 on draft permits for four carbon storage wells at River Parish Sequestration Hub near Donaldsonville, Louisiana
9/23/26
“On September 1, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (LA DCE) proposed draft permits for four carbon storage wells at the River Parish Sequestration Hub in Assumption and Iberville Parishes. Each well would have the capacity to store up to 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and would operate for 20 to 30 years, depending on the well. The sequestration site is expected to have 7 wells total, one of which was already approved earlier this year, with a total capacity to store 380 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the project’s lifetime. LA DCE will accept comments on all four permits until October 9, 2026. LA DCE will also hold two public meetings on the draft permits.”
Press release: Surfrider Launches Billboard Campaign Against Offshore Drilling in Southern California
9/24/26
“Across the country, communities in Alaska, California, and the Gulf are facing a renewed push to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. California has not seen a federal lease sale in more than 40 years, but the federal government is now considering waters off Southern California for new leasing, with a potential sale as early as 2027. This is part of a federal government proposal that targets over 1.2 billion acres of U.S. ocean for new offshore drilling. While the Department of the Interior oversees the federal leasing program, Congress can play an important role in shaping its future by pressing the administration to remove proposed lease sales. That’s why, earlier this month, Surfrider joined local leaders and coastal advocates in Dana Point to launch a new billboard campaign urging members of the community to tell Congress: no new offshore drilling off the California coast. Surfrider has installed seven billboards in Orange and San Diego Counties for the month of September to raise public awareness and mobilize grassroots action.”
WGME: 30 Years Later: Remembering the Julie N oil spill in Casco Bay
Max Williams, 9/23/26
“It was a beautiful fall day on Casco Bay 30 years ago, but the scene quickly turned dark when an oil tanker slammed into Portland’s Million-Dollar Bridge,” WGME reports. “The Julie N, carrying more than 8 million gallons of oil, struck the bridge on Sept. 27, 1996, spilling more than 179,000 gallons into Casco Bay and the Fore River in what became the largest oil spill in Portland’s history… “The spill also created an immediate transportation problem. The Million-Dollar Bridge was the main commuter route between Portland, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, and it was closed for days for inspections while the current Casco Bay Bridge was still under construction… “But the bigger challenge was in the water: removing the oil quickly enough to limit damage to the surrounding environment… “More than 1,500 birds were oiled, and only a handful were saved… “The damage extended beyond the water. About 14 miles of shoreline along the Fore River were covered in oil, and the Fore River Marsh took years to clean up.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Canada to develop carbon removal market framework under Paris agreement
Amanda Stephenson, 9/24/26
“Canada is working to develop policies that will allow its domestic carbon removal companies to participate in international carbon markets, a move advocates say will help spur investment in new technologies and deepen the country’s economic links with the EU and Asia,” Reuters reports. “The government announced Thursday it will develop a policy framework under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which allows countries to cooperate in meeting their national climate targets through measures such international carbon markets and the trading of verified emissions reduction or removal credits… “The domestic pool of carbon removal buyers is small relative to the scale of investment the sector needs, according to industry group Carbon Removal Canada. An Article 6 framework would establish clear accounting and authorization rules so that Canadian carbon removal projects will be able to produce credits that become international assets, opening them up to more demand.”
Carbon Herald: Austria Drafts CO2 Storage Act To End 2011 Underground Storage Ban
Violet George, 9/25/26
“The government of Austria has published a draft CO2 Storage Act (Kohlenstoffdioxid-Speicherungsgesetz), officially ending its 12-year ban on underground carbon storage and aligning national law with the European Union’s CCS Directive,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The proposed legislation sets an annual domestic storage cap of 3 million metric tons of CO2 per year through 2029, scaling up to 7 million tons annually between 2030 and 2034… “The legislation repeals the 2011 ban, which previously limited domestic storage strictly to research activities under 100,000 tons. The new draft establishes a three-stage permitting procedure, guarantees third-party access to storage infrastructure, and prioritizes long-term environmental safety… “The legislative shift follows updated technical evaluations confirming the safety of geological storage, combined with rising demand for regional carbon management solutions across Austria’s hard-to-abate industrial sectors.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Enbridge donates pickup truck to support Chawathil First Nation emergency response efforts
9/24/26
“For eight years, Audrey George relied on her personal vehicle to support the Chawathil First Nation’s emergency response efforts,” according to Enbridge. “...On Sept. 4, 2026, Enbridge helped meet that need. The energy transportation company, which operates the Westcoast natural gas pipeline system running through the Nation’s traditional territory in the Fraser Valley, donated a trusted pickup truck to the Nation… “It’s important that we have the resources we need to do our work safely and effectively, and we’re grateful to have partners, like Enbridge, that are mindful of what we actually need,” said Chawathil First Nation Chief Aaron Pete… “The truck donation builds on Enbridge’s broader commitment to emergency preparedness in the Fraser Valley.”
OPINION
Storm Lake Times Pilot: Meetings scheduled for Summit’s convenience
Don Johanssen, 9/23/26
“On Sept. 14, at Summit Carbon Solution’s request, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) held a scheduling conference in Des Moines to expedite approval of a three-mile hazardous pipeline connecting the POET Arthur ethanol plant to Summit’s mainline,” Don Johanssen writes for the Storm Lake Times Pilot. “...According to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a rupture could release a CO2 cloud that could travel two miles on either side of the pipeline, injuring or killing people within that area. That distance would encompass all of Arthur. IUC scheduling conferences are held in Des Moines for the convenience of the commission and Summit’s lawyers and lobbyists. There were no Arthur residents present at this conference. The IUC, Summit and POET made no apparent effort to notify Arthur residents, denying those most affected an opportunity to voice their concerns… “The ability to participate should not be based on segment length… “Arthur residents should not be muzzled when their community bears the risk.”
Idaho Statesman: Don’t turn Idaho’s public lands into a subsidy for the AI industry
Bryan Clark, 9/25/26
“As the Statesman’s Mark Dee reported, Nevada-based Rhea Data has proposed to build a 4-million-square-foot data center, along with a natural gas power plant, near Blacks Creek Reservoir south of Boise. Apart from the massive size of the proposed project, it has only one unusual feature: It is proposed to be built on federal Bureau of Land Management land — that is, on our public lands,” Bryan Clark writes for the Idaho Statesman. “America’s public lands have created a legacy unlike any in the world,” Mayor Lauren McLean put it aptly. “They are held in trust for each of us, for our kids and their kids. Nearly every Boisean will tell you that easy access to open space is one of the most special things about living here.” Public land leasing often takes place at far below the rate such land could be leased in the private sector, amounting to a significant government subsidy to firms that are able to secure deals. There is absolutely no reason to provide a subsidy like that to AI… “Given that there’s so much money to be had, why give public handouts? Why not just let them buy some land on the private market like everyone else with a business idea has to do?... “Public lands were once treated as simply a store of resources for extraction. Those days must end… “So if Rhea has a good business opportunity, great. It can buy some land. But it shouldn’t come begging for a handout from the public.”