PIPELINE NEWS
Wisconsin Public Radio: Enbridge estimates gas leak on Line 5 in northern Wisconsin will cost $15M
Detroit News: EPA administrator pushes Line 5 tunnel plan safety during Michigan stop
WXPR: The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board hears public comment amidst Line 5 clean up
Enbridge: Line 5 Construction Advances in Northern Wisconsin While Workers Become Part of the Community
WBNG: Women’s Water Walk protests pipeline proposal
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Press release: Heinrich, Whitehouse Joint Statement on Permitting Deal to Deliver Lower Energy Costs, Good-Paying Jobs, and Responsible Growth
Canary Media: The Senate wants to pass a permitting reform bill. So what’s the holdup?
Politico: White House eyes diesel fuel moves that fall short of export ban
Politico: Trump’s diesel threat risks burning US credibility
Politico: Trump slashes Biden-era fuel economy standards for cars
Washington Post: Trump administration considers building baseball park in Grand Teton National Park
Carbon Herald: Wyoming Carbon Storage Hub Gains Federal Approval
STATE UPDATES
New York Times: A Second Judge Strikes Down New York’s Climate ‘Superfund’ Law
WHYY: New Jersey activists push lawmakers to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damage
Guardian: Gavin Newsom condemns Democrats’ ‘climate hushing’, predicts Trump’s downfall and expects AOC to run in 2028
Politico: ‘Love letter’: California AG takes aim at Trump’s links to Big Oil
KSBY: “Hands Across the Sand” event protests offshore drilling
NJ.com: N.J. hit data center with record $1M fine — but angry activists say it’s nowhere near enough
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: Where carbon capture stands in Louisiana after Landry’s executive order
Louisiana Illuminator: Cheniere Energy closing in on $138M tax break for LNG expansion in Cameron Parish
EXTRACTION
Politico: Climate’s new messaging rift
Reuters: EU to delay methane emissions rules after pushback from governments
Guardian: The truth behind Donald Trump’s ‘biggest oil deal in world history’
Reuters: Rio Tinto commissions carbon-capture trial at China’s Shougang steel plant
Euronews: New map shows how oil slicks are smothering our oceans - with one hotspot in Europe
CBC: Severe dust pollution blowing into Alberta community downwind of the oilsands, study warns
OPINION
CT Mirror: It’s time to act on fossil fuels
Canadian Dimension: Stop the West Coast pipeline. Not even the oil companies are asking for it
Food & Water Watch: Data Centers and Carbon Capture: A Dangerous Alliance
St. Mary Now: Florida should follow Louisiana’s example on oil exploration
PIPELINE NEWS
Wisconsin Public Radio: Enbridge estimates gas leak on Line 5 in northern Wisconsin will cost $15M
Danielle Kaeding, 9/25/26
“A report filed with federal regulators estimates an August gas leak on Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin will cost at least $15.1 million,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. “An accident report filed by Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership Thursday to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration shows emergency response makes up the bulk of costs, which are estimated at nearly $9.9 million. The company estimated the cost of public and private property damage and repairs would run about $5 million. Environmental remediation and lost product account for the remainder of estimated expenses… “But WPR obtained a corrective action order issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, that states preliminary findings indicate “the tractor trailer was left temporarily unattended and placed in neutral transmission on a gradient slope prior to the failure.” “...Environmental advocates and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa have called on Gov. Tony Evers and the DNR to do more in response to the leak, including calls to issue a disaster declaration and revoke permits for Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute.”
Detroit News: EPA administrator pushes Line 5 tunnel plan safety during Michigan stop
Beth LeBlanc, 9/26/26
“U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin argued in support of the environmental safety of a planned tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac while visiting an Enbridge site in southern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 26,” the Detroit News reports.
WXPR: The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board hears public comment amidst Line 5 clean up
Maria Peralta-Arellano, Report for America, 9/25/26
“While not on the agenda, Line 5 was a prominent point of discussion during this week’s Wisconsin Natural Resources board meeting, with public comments both supporting and opposing the pipeline,” WXPR reports. “...The DNR said the following work was being done: Soil in the excavation pit and one sample each from two surface water bodies were collected on Sept. 14 for analysis. Enbridge is splitting samples with the DNR for independent analysis at different labs. Both sets of samples will be analyzed for full volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)... “The DNR said additional site investigation by Enbridge as the responsible party will be necessary. Enbridge will continue to provide newly collected data to the DNR within 24 hours of Enbridge’s receipt of the laboratory results. Public comment was heard on the matter, with comments being made both supporting and criticizing the pipeline, and DNR approval for the project’s permits.”
Enbridge: Line 5 Construction Advances in Northern Wisconsin While Workers Become Part of the Community
Enbridge, Inc (Sponsored Content), 9/27/26
“The workday begins early on the Line 5 Wisconsin Segment Relocation Project,” Enbridge writes for the Ashland Daily Press. On this particular day hundreds of workers gather for an all-hands construction meeting before heading out across the project… “It’s a reminder that a project of this scale depends on every person understanding their role and looking out for one another. Today they’re also collecting donations for the regional food shelf… “Line 5 construction is creating more than 700 family supporting jobs. Here hundreds of workers gather for an early morning “all-hands” meeting… “I am very proud of the work I do,” John told Enbridge. He and his sharp-eyed team, are the beating heart of quality control for the project, helping to ensure that this critical energy infrastructure will serve the community and region for generations to come.”
WBNG: Women’s Water Walk protests pipeline proposal
Kayla Hutt, 9/27/26
“A group of Indigenous grandmothers, community members and other advocates are walking more than 100 miles to protest a proposed pipeline,” WBNG reports. “Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo joined them along the way. The Women’s Water Walk began Sept. 19 in Sidney. The group is following the proposed route of the Constitution Pipeline, walking 108 miles through the Southern Tier and Catskills. The pipeline was rejected by the state in 2016 over concerns about its impact on water quality. Opponents say they’re fighting to keep that decision in place. Ruffalo WBNG 12 News the current fight is bringing people together across political lines. “We have rivers and fishing and hunting and all of the places that people like to gather. And so it ends up transcending the political divides that are so prevalent today,” Ruffalo told WBNG.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Press release: Heinrich, Whitehouse Joint Statement on Permitting Deal to Deliver Lower Energy Costs, Good-Paying Jobs, and Responsible Growth
9/25/26
“Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, issued the following statement on the status of a permitting reform deal: “To be clear: permitting negotiations are ongoing, many of the major hurdles have been overcome, and we believe there is a good deal to be had. We’re focused on getting Americans cheaper energy, good-paying jobs, and responsible growth. To get that right, we need good, strong, legislative text and deliberation. “Our goal is to deliver for Americans struggling to pay their utility bills. And to do that, we must give Senators the opportunity to read and engage with legislation before they’re asked to vote on it. Rushing that process isn’t just unhelpful, it could sabotage the entire effort. “We are talking about major changes to how America builds energy and infrastructure. Getting that right has to matter more than election-year deadlines. We are committed to doing what’s needed to get this across the finish line in this Congress, and we look forward to working with the White House and our fellow Members to do that.”
Canary Media: The Senate wants to pass a permitting reform bill. So what’s the holdup?
Austin Corona, Grist, 9/28/26
“...A bipartisan group of senators says it has come closer than ever before to reaching a long-desired permitting reform bill, which would make it easier to build new energy projects,” Canary Media reports. “...But the bill’s reception among the public is uncertain due in part to a PR problem: Data centers are a “toxic” subject for voters, according to Alex Lundry, president of D.C.-based public opinion research firm Redbud Consulting. In recent polls, Democrats, Republicans, and independents strongly oppose data centers being built in their communities. “If you phrase permitting reform as serving data centers, the polling results get way worse,” Lundry told Canary… “The potential bill represents one of the few points of agreement for Republicans and Democrats in Washington, which is that energy permitting is broken... “There is another reason legislators in both parties are keen to build, build, build: Many are anxious that hobbling data centers, and the AI systems they enable, will allow China to become economically and militarily stronger than the United States… “But Lundry, the pollster, warned that these sentiments are losing popularity among voters. “Being competitive with China used to be an effective message, but it isn’t anymore,” Lundry told Canary.”
Politico: White House eyes diesel fuel moves that fall short of export ban
Ben Lefebvre and Meredith Lee Hill, 9/25/26
“Trump administration officials are weighing alternatives to imposing a ban on diesel exports to bring prices for the fuel down from record highs — including passing the issue down to the state level, three people familiar with the negotiations told Politico. “...Among the evolving set of options under consideration by Trump officials are measures to boost distribution of “dyed diesel,” a red-colored fuel used in agriculture, construction and for other off-road vehicles that is exempt from state and federal taxes, three people with direct knowledge of the plan told Politico. The White House would also encourage more states to eliminate their state-level excise taxes on diesel ahead of the midterms, these people told Politico… “Suspending any federal-level taxes on fuel would require Congress’ action — which is very unlikely to take place before the midterms given that GOP leaders have canceled remaining votes in the House. Key GOP senators have previously dismissed calls for a federal tax holiday on gasoline, and an intense internal fight among Republicans over whether to suspend the federal gas tax died in the House before the chamber left earlier this month.”
Politico: Trump’s diesel threat risks burning US credibility
Zack Colman and Ben Munster, 9/26/26
“President Donald Trump’s threat to curtail diesel shipments abroad comes with a risk: the perception that he’s reneging on his promise to shower the world with U.S. fuels,” Politico reports. “That move would inflame tensions between the U.S. and Europe while jeopardizing American credibility as a trading partner, energy experts and administration allies told Politico. And it could compel nations to seek other suppliers, limiting Trump’s ability to wield energy as a negotiating tool in the future, they added. “This is going to damage our reputation,” an external adviser to the Trump administration, who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, told Politico. “The whole premise of energy dominance was that the United States would be able to supply our allies around the world. Curtailing that is going to raise question marks.”
Politico: Trump slashes Biden-era fuel economy standards for cars
Jean Chemnick, 9/26/26
“President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he has approved new fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles, in another move meant to take aim at Biden-era policies supporting electric vehicles,” Politico reports. “Trump said in a Truth Social post that he “just approved new Fuel Economy Standards that TERMINATE Sleepy Joe Biden and Pete Boot-EDGE-EDGE’s ridiculous EV Mandate. The Dumocrats cost our Great Auto Manufacturers $Billions, forced Americans into cars they never wanted, and wasted Billions on Chargers that were never built.” “...These new Standards will take the waste out of building cars in America. That means LOWER PRICES, saving families thousands on a new, beautiful, and safe car — Far better than the Environmental Monsters that we were building heretofore. Every Manufacturer, from General Motors to Ford to Stellantis, has called me wanting to build here, and now they can!” Trump wrote… “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed redo of so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars and light-duty trucks would require the sector to average about 34.5 miles per gallon through model year 2031. The rule replaces Biden-era standards, which demanded fleetwide averages of 50.4 mpg.”
Washington Post: Trump administration considers building baseball park in Grand Teton National Park
Jake Spring and Stephanie Apstein, 9/26/26
“Major League Baseball has approached the Trump administration about hosting a game at a national park, officials from the White House and MLB confirmed Saturday,” the Washington Post reports. “The administration has scouted locations in Grand Teton National Park to build a baseball park to host an MLB game, two other people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told the Post… “An MLB official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told the Post the league approached the administration after the success of MLB’s other stand-alone events, such as the recurring Field of Dreams game in Iowa. The idea of playing a game in a national park is one of several that MLB is exploring… “A prized national park like Grand Teton is not an appropriate place for a baseball park, Betsy Buffington, Northern Rockies regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group, told the Post.
Carbon Herald: Wyoming Carbon Storage Hub Gains Federal Approval
Violet George, 9/28/26
“The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has offered Tallgrass Energy a right-of-way grant for its Southeast Wyoming Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Project in Laramie County, advancing the commercial use of federally managed underground pore space,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The right-of-way grant authorizes Tallgrass to utilize approximately 480 acres of federal pore space for permanent CO2 storage once final state authorizations are secured. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality is responsible for permitting and regulating the Class VI injection wells required for operation… “The initial project design relies entirely on subsurface federal pore space, avoiding the need for surface infrastructure on public lands managed by the agency… “The Laramie County hub positions Tallgrass to offer permanent sequestration services to industrial emitters and regional point-source carbon producers looking to connect into Wyoming’s growing carbon pipeline network.”
STATE UPDATES
New York Times: A Second Judge Strikes Down New York’s Climate ‘Superfund’ Law
Karen Zraick, 9/24/26
“A second federal judge in New York has ruled that the state’s new climate “superfund” law is unconstitutional, dealing a blow to the nascent effort to popularize such measures around the country,” the New York Times reports. “The groundbreaking law would require fossil fuel companies to pay billions of dollars to cover the costs of climate change. A handful of other states are considering similar laws, which the energy industry and Republican states have vigorously opposed. Judge P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled on Wednesday that the law was pre-empted by the federal Clean Air Act and on the grounds that it interfered with foreign affairs. The decision on Wednesday came from a challenge by the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. It followed a similar ruling last month by a judge in the federal court for the Northern District of New York in a parallel case brought by a coalition of Republican-led states and business groups. Vermont and New York are the only states to have passed climate superfund laws, but they have been proposed in several other states. A legal challenge to Vermont’s law is also pending. The plaintiffs in the cases have argued that the laws illegally encroach on the role of the federal government and its ability to balance environmental, energy and economic considerations.”
WHYY: New Jersey activists push lawmakers to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damage
Jaysa Dold, 9/24/26
“Climate activists rallied outside the New Jersey State House on Thursday as lawmakers returned from summer recess, urging them to pass legislation that would require fossil fuel companies to help fund the state’s climate recovery efforts,” WHYY reports. “...From 2011 to 2014, the state experienced 14 disasters that cost taxpayers $7.9 billion, according to Rebuild by Design… “The “Polluters Pay to Make New Jersey More Affordable Act” would apply to companies that have contributed more than 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases globally since 1995 and operated or sold fossil fuels in New Jersey. The bill aims to raise $50 billion for infrastructure and grid updates, flood protection projects and preventative health care programs… “Critics of the legislation say it will raise energy costs and take away jobs from New Jerseyans.”
Guardian: Gavin Newsom condemns Democrats’ ‘climate hushing’, predicts Trump’s downfall and expects AOC to run in 2028
Mark Hertsgaard, 9/24/26
“It’s a mistake for Democratic politicians not to talk about climate change, and the reason they don’t is “because they don’t know how to talk about it”, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said on Wednesday in an interview with the Guardian and the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. “...Commenting on Covering Climate Now and the Guardian reporting that 80% to 89% of the world’s people and 74% of Americans want their governments to take stronger climate action, Newsom condemned the “climate hushing” most Democrats have practiced since Trump returned to the White House in 2025. “I talk about [climate change] all the time,” he told theGuardian. He agreed that Democrats must be “laser-focused” on voters’ affordability concerns, but the key is to “connect the dots” between those concerns and the economic impacts of extreme heat, droughts, floods, and other consequences of overheating the planet. “My biggest frustration during the Biden years,” he added, was that the Biden administration passed strong climate policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act, but then didn’t communicate that to the public. “Democrats fall prey to the Enlightenment Fallacy, that somehow good ideas sell themselves,” Newsom told the Guardian. “We have to deliver not just good policy, we’ve also got to connect that policy to people’s lived experience and sell the hell out of it.”
Politico: ‘Love letter’: California AG takes aim at Trump’s links to Big Oil
Zack Colman, 9/28/26
“California Attorney General Rob Bonta is angling for a high-profile legal fight with the president that he says could derail the administration’s sweeping effort to gut climate regulations,” Politico reports. “The Democrat has led lawsuits to stop the Trump administration from canceling offshore wind projects, withholding clean energy funding and eliminating hallmark climate pollution rules. His biggest test is a likely Supreme Court matchup. Bonta is gearing up to argue against the administration’s attempt to undercut federal responsibility for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. “Can we guarantee it? No,” Bonta said on the Politico Energy podcast, referring to a Supreme Court win. “But we are confident because we have the facts and the law on our side.” California is leading the multistate lawsuit against the EPA’s move to revoke the endangerment finding, which determined that greenhouse gases are a danger to human health… “Bonta dismissed concerns that California’s climate policies are at odds with voters’ concerns about cost of living… “Instead, Bonta argued that Trump’s policies have stoked affordability problems… “.Bonta also challenged Trump’s relationships with the fossil fuel industry and corporations, accusing him of failing to enforce antitrust laws. “Trump has been writing an ongoing love letter, or at least attempting to, to the fossil fuel industry, writing different chapters and different verses and trying to provide them giveaways time and time again,” he told Politico.”
KSBY: “Hands Across the Sand” event protests offshore drilling
Makayla Richardson, 9/26/25
“San Luis Obispo County residents are gathering in Grover Beach for the Hands Across the Sand event,” KSBY reports. “Participants are voicing concerns about offshore drilling and the future of fossil fuel use. Organizers said the demonstration is part of a broader movement happening across California, while others in the community support offshore energy production for economic and energy needs… “From San Francisco to San Diego, branches of the nonprofit Surfrider Foundation gathered on beaches in California to protest offshore drilling. Participants say this “Hands Across the Sand” event is also meant to stop the use of fossil fuels and encourage clean energy. Varni said bringing offshore drilling to the Central Coast would do more economic harm than good.”
NJ.com: N.J. hit data center with record $1M fine — but angry activists say it’s nowhere near enough
Nyah Marshall, 9/25/26
“Environmental advocates want New Jersey’s largest artificial intelligence data center shut down after the state found developers illegally operated dozens of natural gas generators that release harmful air pollution,” NJ.com reports. “Activists say the Vineland facility should be forced to halt operations until it gets the required air permits. The state Department of Environmental Protection fined DataOne $1.07 million Tuesday for installing and operating 62 generators at its Cumberland County campus in violation of the state’s Air Pollution Control Act… “We are glad that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection issued a record-breaking fine,” Anjuli Ramos-Busot, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, told NJ.com. “However, DataOne must be required to cease operations, and can only be allowed to resume if it has its proper and necessary permits.” The Sierra Club called DataOne a “bad actor,” saying the unpermitted generators put nearby residents at risk from air pollution… “For months, neighbors have complained about a low hum coming from the site at all hours, saying it makes their once-quiet neighborhood feel like it’s next to an airport. Several residents have sued the developers, alleging the noise has disrupted their lives and depreciated their home values.”
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: Where carbon capture stands in Louisiana after Landry’s executive order
Jeremy Alford and David Jacobs, 9/25/26
“Almost a year has passed since Gov. Jeff Landry used an executive order to pause consideration of new permits for carbon capture and sequestration wells. Asked what happens next, Department of Conservation and Energy Secretary Dustin Davidson tells LaPolitics the order is still in place,” according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. “...At the time of the executive order in October 2025, Louisiana had almost half the amount of projects in the entire country… “Now we’ve gotten to the point where a lot of those projects have either fallen off because the financing wasn’t there or the project wasn’t really as promising as the applicant had hoped. We’ve also denied an application because we did not feel comfortable that it will be able to move forward and in a responsible manner.” As such, Davidson says the state now has more resources in place to review the remaining applications in its queue. “We’re at a point now where we’re getting close to having roughly eight projects approved with an additional five or six to be reviewed.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Cheniere Energy closing in on $138M tax break for LNG expansion in Cameron Parish
Elise Plunk, 9/28/26
“A company that’s expanding its liquified natural gas facility in Cameron Parish is one step away from getting a $138 million break on its local property taxes,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry, whose members are appointed by the governor, approved Cheniere Energy’s “mega-project” status application Wednesday for its $6 billion plans to expand the Sabine Pass liquified natural gas export facility, where the fuel is converted for shipping overseas. If Gov. Jeff Landry gives his approval, the company will be exempt from paying 93% of its property taxes over at least the next five years.”
EXTRACTION
Politico: Climate’s new messaging rift
Sara Schonhardt, 9/25/26
“...Many Democratic lawmakers in the U.S., including climate champions, have shifted gears to emphasize the need to lower energy costs instead of reducing carbon emissions,” Politico reports. “But some officials and environmentalists argue that climate hushing is wishful thinking at a time when the world is on the cusp of breaching temperature limits and irreversible impacts. “If we don’t talk about it, others will, and they’ll use the space to pedal lies and disinformation,” Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, which organizes Climate Week, said in her opening remarks… “In Europe, many leaders continue to acknowledge the continent’s vulnerability to climate change, but they now talk about acting on it for different reasons… “McKenna argued that leaders need to stop side-stepping the issue. “They need to actually talk about climate as a massive risk,” McKenna said Thursday on a Climate Week panel about climate diplomacy. “So how are we going to adapt, and how are we going to actually do the real things to tackle it and put it in the frame of opportunity and costs.”
Reuters: EU to delay methane emissions rules after pushback from governments
Kate Abnett, 9/28/26
“The European Commission plans to postpone the European Union’s landmark law to reduce methane emissions, a spokesperson said on Monday, following calls from governments including France and the United States to pause or roll back the policy,” Reuters reports. “...EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said Brussels is exploring a one-year postponement of the law’s rules for imported fuels, in an interview with Bloomberg News on Friday. The rule is supposed to enter into force on January 1, 2027.”
Guardian: The truth behind Donald Trump’s ‘biggest oil deal in world history’
Aram Roston, 9/26/26
“Donald Trump has long coveted the oilfields of other nations and declared an agreement with Venezuela to be “the biggest oil deal in world history”,” the Guardian reports. “But the agreement, reached after the US seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, is almost certainly doomed to collapse amid a wide array of legal and logistical issues, a Guardian investigation has found. “...But virtually everything Trump and his cabinet have said about the deal is false and misleading, according to the experts and officials who spoke with the Guardian. The Venezuelan law governing oil development does not allow for 100-year deals, or anything longer than 25 years. The OSC isn’t authorized by US law, experts say, to own shares in companies. Moreover, they say, the deal as structured won’t bring new capital to Venezuela’s oil sector. And contrary to Trump’s claims, the Venezuelan oil will not help refill the US strategic petroleum reserve any time in the near future… “Experts are ultimately skeptical the oil deal can hold together. “The deal is like the big beautiful wall that Mexico will pay for,” former US diplomat John Feeley told the Guardian.”
Reuters: Rio Tinto commissions carbon-capture trial at China’s Shougang steel plant
Aamir Shaik Khalid, 9/28/26
“Mining major Rio Tinto said on Monday it had commissioned a trial facility to capture carbon dioxide from blast-furnace gas at Chinese steelmaker Shougang Group’s operations,” Reuters reports. “...The facility is designed to capture carbon dioxide contained in blast furnace gas produced during iron-making. The facility, located at Shougang’s Jingtang base in China, can process up to 3,000 cubic metres of blast furnace gas per hour and capture up to 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.”
Euronews: New map shows how oil slicks are smothering our oceans - with one hotspot in Europe
Craig Saueurs, 9/25/26
“Oil slicks cover an estimated 1.58 million square kilometres of the world’s oceans each year, according to a new satellite analysis that exposes the scale of pollution at sea,” Euronews reports. “That amounts to an area about three times the size of Spain. Yet, unlike headline-grabbing spills such as the Deepwater Horizon crisis, much of the pollution appears as smaller oil slicks that draw little public attention. The analysis by conservation technology nonprofit SkyTruth found that ships were linked to around 81 per cent of the oil slicks whose likely source could be identified. Oil tankers and cargo ships were the most common culprits, while offshore oil and gas infrastructure accounted for another 18 per cent of them… “Some of the highest concentrations were seen in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and Black Sea, as well as waters off West Africa and around Indonesia… “Researchers repeatedly saw the same 16 vessels alongside oil slicks…”Although around 75 per cent of marine protected areas had lower concentrations of oil slicks than their surrounding waters, pollution was still detected in sensitive habitats – including the critically endangered Rice’s whale habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. The researchers also warn that the true picture remains unclear, as satellite coverage is limited over the high seas and leaves large expanses of the ocean poorly monitored.”
CBC: Severe dust pollution blowing into Alberta community downwind of the oilsands, study warns
Wallis Snowdon, 9/28/26
“When Jean L’Hommecourt looks out over her home in Fort McKay towards the banks of the Athabasca River, thick dust often clouds the horizon,” the CBC reports. “...New peer-reviewed research published in Atmospheric Pollution Research shows that Fort Mckay faces disproportionately high levels of dust pollution, with levels frequently exceeding regulatory guidelines for air quality. Researchers found that the Indigenous community is plagued by severe dustfall events driven by large particles of dust— thick, coarse grit that settles over the community in short-lived but intense peaks that are missed by conventional monitoring… “When it comes to particulate matter pollution in Alberta, the province regulates and monitors PM2.5 levels — tiny dust particles that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller. This fine particulate matter, which includes pollution from smoke and exhaust fumes, is small enough to penetrate deep into a person’s lungs and enter their bloodstream. However, the province doesn’t have specific rules for particles larger than 10 micrometres (PM10), coarse particulate matter that can get trapped in the nose or throat… “Other local sources in the oilsands include land clearing, haul road traffic, limestone quarrying and tailings ponds — a problem expected to grow more severe, as mines continue to expand their footprint and climate change dries the local landscape, she told CBC.”
OPINION
CT Mirror: It’s time to act on fossil fuels
Syed Noorwez is a student at Wesleyan University, 9/25/26
“In less that two weeks, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will host a public hearing about a methane gas compressor station in Oxford, Connecticut. This is the same station that had an accident earlier this summer and released a significant amount of pollution into local air. Enbridge must be held accountable, and this hearing is our opportunity to weigh in and make our voices heard,” Syed Noorwez writes for the CT Mirror. “Just over two months ago, on Sunday, July 12th around midnight, residents of Middlebury, Oxford, and Naugatuck were awoken by a loud, jet-engine-like noise, when a blowdown (a large release of methane gas into the air) occurred at this Enbridge-owned compressor station, a site where methane gas is pressurized to be transported along pipelines. These stations emit toxic pollutants, which are linked to a number of health conditions like asthma, heart disease, and certain cancers… “Enbridge’s blatant disregard for regulations meant to keep us safe is emblematic of the fact that fossil fuel corporation interests are not in our best interest… “Study after study tells us that fossil fuel emissions cause irreparable damage to our health and our planet. Coupled with individuals in power who don’t care to look past financial incentive, fossil fuel usage has led us into a crisis that becomes increasingly difficult and costly to rectify. Stronger public health is in the interest of the public, while Enbridge’s interest is its own private profit… “Please join me in making your voice heard and demanding stricter regulation and air monitoring of the Oxford Compressor Station.”
Canadian Dimension: Stop the West Coast pipeline. Not even the oil companies are asking for it
Seniors for Climate Action Now, 9/28/26
“...By October 1, your government must decide whether to fast-track that pipeline as a project of national interest,” Seniors for Climate Action Now write for Canadian Dimension. “The climate breakdown occurring around the world is not a biblical event. By scientific consensus, it is human-caused—driven primarily by fossil fuels, responsible for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions… “We are seniors. We watched it happen. The horizon you described has arrived, and what we can already see from here horrifies us. Many of us will not live to see the worst of it. Our children and generations to come will. Pipelines and LNG terminals built now will still be seeking returns in the 2060s. That is the tragedy of the horizon made concrete—in public money, by your own government. And there is no case for it. There is no economic case… “There is no moral case… “There is no reconciliation case. First Nations along the route say they were not properly consulted—a legal liability and a moral failure. Free, prior, and informed consent is not a procedural hurdle; it is the law. A project crossing Indigenous lands without consent is not reconciliation—it is its reversal. And there is no climate case. Not only will this pipeline increase emissions in Canada, but it will also make a major contribution to global emissions, given that 70 to 80 percent of lifecycle emissions come from burning the fuel itself, not extracting it. There is no such thing as decarbonized oil.”
Food & Water Watch: Data Centers and Carbon Capture: A Dangerous Alliance
Jim Walsh, Hailey Duncan, 9/25/26
“Carbon capture and storage is an expensive failure. So why is Big Tech teaming up with Big Oil to add it to data center projects?,” Jim Walsh and Hailey Duncan write for Food & Water Watch. “Communities across the country are fighting against the pollution, water demands, climate emissions, and higher energy bills driven by data centers. Many are successfully grinding data center projects to a halt. In response, Big Tech is teaming up with the fossil fuel industry to promote carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a way to paint themselves as “clean.” This self-serving corporate greenwash opens additional lines of profit and harms at the expense of frontline communities, giving anyone fighting one of these industries a reason to fight both. It’s a match made in hell. Combining data centers and CCS won’t save the climate or make projects less harmful. It’ll only mean less water, dirtier air, higher electricity bills, and more money for Big Oil. Both the carbon capture industry and Big Tech have expanded rapidly in recent years by threatening local democracy and forcing projects on communities. Both industries have claimed they’re helping us fight climate change, while in reality propelling us further into climate chaos. AI data centers are incredibly energy-hungry; by 2028, they may command as much electricity as 55 million households. Already, 40% of data center energy comes from dirty gas… “The fossil fuel industry has a different problem. They need new customers to justify massive new pipelines, new power plants, and fracking. CCS is the bridge between these two destructive industries. It’s providing Big Tech a new fig leaf and the fossil fuel industry a massive new customer base… “Ultimately, we need to put a halt to new data center construction, phase out fossil fuels, and reject climate scams like CCS that worsen the climate crisis and threaten our limited water supplies.”
St. Mary Now: Florida should follow Louisiana’s example on oil exploration
Jim Brown, 9/25/26
“The price of a gallon of gas is off the charts across America,” Jim Brown writes for St. Mary Now. “...An obvious place to begin in order to lower the price. More domestic production. More drilling off our coast. Heads began shaking, or I received blank stares. “Drill off our coast? Have all that pollution and major oil spills? No way!” I’ve heard these sentiments repeatedly… “These areas, primarily on the Outer Continental Shelf, hold an estimated 115 billion barrels of oil and 633 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. This leaves America’s energy needs increasingly at the mercy of foreign autocrats, despots and maniacs. Of the roughly 3,700 offshore oil production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, some 3,200 lie off the Louisiana coast. Yet Louisiana produces one-third of America’s commercial fisheries and no major oil spill has ever soiled its coast. On the other hand, Florida, which zealously prohibits offshore oil drilling, had its gorgeous “Emerald Coast” Panhandle beaches soiled by an ugly oil spill in 1976. .. “All fishermen and scuba divers out there should plead with their states to open up offshore oil drilling posthaste because of the fabulous fishing and the explosion of marine life that accompanies the erection of offshore oil platforms… “Or the nation can follow Louisiana’s lead, reduce the price of gasoline, continue an abundance of quality fishing, and dramatically reduce our oil dependence on countries of questionable allegiance. Congress needs to step in.”