PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: TC Energy advances Coastal GasLink after LNG Canada decision
Reuters: Canada energy regulator approves Trans Mountain tolls settlement
The Tyee: Pump the Brakes on the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Washington Says
Calgary Herald: ‘Ready to rock and roll’ — Ford eyes Northern Shield pipeline investment, as governments get more involved in energy projects
Marcellus Drilling News: Chatham County, NC Commissioners Vote to Fight Enbridge Pipe
Press release: Hundreds take to PipeWalk route in mass protest against Peak Cluster Pipeline
Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia Has Restored Key Pipeline to Half Its Capacity
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Senate negotiators reach deal on permitting text
Politico: Alito bows out of blockbuster Supreme Court climate case
New York Times: The Coal Industry Asked for a Rescue. Trump Obliged.
Politico: Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers
STATE UPDATES
Politico: Why a diesel export ban could send California gas prices soaring
Source NM: New Mexico State Land Office finalizes increased bonding requirements for oil and gas operators
Colorado Sun: Feds order Craig coal plant open for another 3 months
Ethanol Producer: Valero, Indiana Corn Growers Association file comments in support of Class VI well permit
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Shell-led LNG Canada greenlights Phase 2 expansion, doubling export capacity
Oil Change International: Total Insecurity: How TotalEnergies’ LNG Trade Puts France and Europe at Risk
Agence France-Presse: In Brazil’s Amazon, the hunt for oil fuels hopes and fears
TradeWinds: Russia removes oil from wrecked tankers two years after disaster that infuriated Putin
OPINION
Wichita Eagle: Kansas GOP, you can’t hate Canada and love Keystone XL pipeline
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: TC Energy advances Coastal GasLink after LNG Canada decision
Katha Kalia, 9/29/26
“TC Energy said on Tuesday its Coastal GasLink Phase 2 project will proceed after LNG Canada and its joint venture partners made a positive final investment decision on the LNG Canada expansion project,” Reuters reports. “The company said Coastal GasLink (CGL) Phase 2 will nearly double the pipeline’s capacity through the addition of new compressor stations and upgrades along its existing 670-km route linking Dawson Creek and the LNG Canada export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia… “Earlier on Tuesday, LNG Canada partners led by Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab approved a multi-billion-dollar Phase 2 expansion of the Kitimat facility that will double its production capacity to 28 million metric tonnes a year from 14 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), strengthening Canada’s position in the global LNG export market.”
Reuters: Canada energy regulator approves Trans Mountain tolls settlement
Bipasha Dey, 9/28/26
“The Canada Energy Regulator on Monday approved Trans Mountain’s negotiated tolls settlement, finding the tolls just and reasonable and setting a new framework for tariffs and transportation services on the pipeline system,” Reuters reports. “The decision allows up to 90% of the pipeline’s capacity to be contracted to shippers, up from 80%, the regulator said… “The settlement resolves an 18-month dispute over tolls charged on the expanded pipeline, which began operations in 2024 after a C$34 billion ($23.98 billion) expansion. The expanded 890,000-barrels-per-day pipeline is Canada’s only east-west oil pipeline and gives producers direct access to China and other Asian markets.”
The Tyee: Pump the Brakes on the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Washington Says
Sarah Cox, 9/289/26
“The state of Washington is urging the Mark Carney government not to fast-track the new West Coast oil pipeline, saying shared waters are “too valuable” to expedite a project that could lead to a catastrophic oil spill and harm ecosystems and the maritime economy,” The Tyee reports. “In a Sept. 18 letter to the government, Casey Sixkiller, director of the state’s Department of Ecology, wrote that the proposed pipeline would double the volume of crude oil exported through the Salish Sea. “Not only would this increase the risk of an oil spill exponentially, but the spill response resources available on both sides of the border are not sized for the risks” posed by larger oil tankers travelling more frequently, Sixkiller wrote in the letter to Dominic LeBlanc, minister for Canada-U.S. trade, intergovernmental affairs, internal trade and One Canadian Economy… “Ottawa is expected to decide this week if the new pipeline will be designated a project of national interest, with streamlined approvals overseen by Canada’s Major Projects Office and an accelerated timeline. The Carney government has already removed pipelines from environmental impact assessments under Canada’s Impact Assessment Act… “Just one major oil spill would jeopardize livelihoods on both sides of the border, “pose irreversible harm to the ecosystems we have worked hard to protect” and threaten tribal treaty-protected resources in the United States, he told LeBlanc… “Sixkiller wrote that his department is especially concerned about endangered southern resident killer whales, which live in U.S. and Canadian waters.”
Calgary Herald: ‘Ready to rock and roll’ — Ford eyes Northern Shield pipeline investment, as governments get more involved in energy projects
Chris Varcoe, 9/29/26
“It’s clear the era of building new energy infrastructure in Canada is upon us — and government ownership will likely play an outsized role to make it happen,” the Calgary Herald reports. “Speaking to a Calgary audience on Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his government wants to see the proposed Northern Shield oil pipeline move ahead, and is prepared to put provincial money on the table for the initiative. “What I’m talking about is government providing the patient capital needed to invest in our future,” Ford told a luncheon held by Enserva, an industry group that represents energy services, supply and manufacturing firms… “The Ontario government wouldn’t own the entire project, but would put in a “small investment,” he said… “Asked if Alberta would consider investing any taxpayer money in Northern Shield, Smith was non-committal on Monday, telling the Herald she still needs to see what a feasibility study shows about the development and its costs. However, Smith noted a positive decision by the federal Major Projects Office to designate the West Coast line a project of national interest — expected by Oct. 1 — may cause “a bit of a recalibration for private sector companies” examining other energy infrastructure initiatives… “New pipelines like Northern Shield can also act as a “fulcrum” that leads to more production, triggers more exploration work, and creates more jobs across the energy industry, Tom Alford, president of well servicing with Precision Drilling, told the Herald.”
Marcellus Drilling News: Chatham County, NC Commissioners Vote to Fight Enbridge Pipe
9/28/26
“Chatham County, North Carolina’s Board of Commissioners last week unanimously passed a resolution opposing Enbridge Gas North Carolina’s proposed 28-mile natural gas pipeline from Siler City to Moncure,” Marcellus Drilling News report. “This isn’t a garden-variety “we don’t like it” resolution. It authorizes the county to actively fight the project by challenging environmental permits, teaming up with like-minded groups, working the media, organizing residents, and coaching landowners on how to resist condemnation.”
Press release: Hundreds take to PipeWalk route in mass protest against Peak Cluster Pipeline
9/29/26
“On Sunday, 27th September, close to a thousand residents across five counties took to the streets, fields, and lanes in a coordinated mass action to oppose the proposed Peak Cluster carbon capture pipeline. Dubbed the ‘PipeWalk’, local communities demonstrated along the entire 128 miles of the proposed route. Protesters covered the course on foot, by bike, in a tractor convoy, in a motorcade, and even on a rocking horse, sending a unified message to developers and policymakers: NO to the Peak Cluster pipeline. Organised by campaign group Action Against Carbon Capture and Storage, the event highlighted growing public opposition to the scheme, citing major unresolved concerns surrounding pipeline safety, emergency response planning, ecological damage, and taxpayer liability. Ruth George, one of the organisers of the PipeWalk, said: “People didn’t turn out today simply because of house prices or what might happen on their own doorstep. They came because they care about something much bigger: our environment, our ecology, our wildlife, and the species that cannot stand up and speak for themselves.” “...Despite corporate assurances, major questions remain unanswered regarding the long-term environmental impacts and financial risks of the Peak Cluster project to the public purse. Campaigners are demanding full transparency and rigorous scrutiny before granting any further approvals. Action Against CCS is calling on local councils, MPs, and government regulators to listen to the thousands who demonstrated and demand clear, verifiable answers to the safety and ecological risks posed by the pipeline.”
Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia Has Restored Key Pipeline to Half Its Capacity
Anthony Di Paola, Fiona MacDonald, and Salma El Wardany, 9/28/26
“Saudi Arabia has restored about half the flows through its cross-country oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, after drone strikes halted the key export route earlier this month,” Bloomberg reports. “Flows through the East-West pipeline to the Red Sea have reached at least 3.5 million barrels a day, people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information, told Bloomberg… “The East-West pipeline has served as a vital conduit for keeping oil flowing during the Iran war, allowing the kingdom to continue exporting without relying on perilous journeys through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the route has come under pressure in recent months, after Yemen’s Houthi militant group began threatening tankers and infrastructure. The pipeline halted operations after it was struck on Sept. 10.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Senate negotiators reach deal on permitting text
Nico Portuondo and Anthony Cruz, 9/28/26
“Senate negotiators said Monday they have reached a bipartisan deal on a permitting package, locking in the contours of long-sought legislation to speed up approvals for new energy projects in the U.S.,” Politico reports. “Democratic negotiators Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) were withholding their endorsements on text of a final deal as they discussed “the last five yards” of an agreement to reform the nation’s permitting structure, which advocates told Politico has stifled energy development. Senators found agreement and are aiming to release text of the deal this week, key negotiators and their staff told Politico… “A vote this week is unlikely… “A consistent hold-up of negotiations has been the White House’s blockade of wind and solar permitting approvals… “Republicans shared a version of the bill on Friday to stakeholders that includes provisions to stop the executive branch from revoking permits except under limited exceptions… “Republicans also included their own top priorities — including a 150-day statute of limitations on lawsuits under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. It also narrows the circumstances under which states can block projects under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.”
Politico: Alito bows out of blockbuster Supreme Court climate case
Lesley Clark and Alex Guillén, 9/28/26
“Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is stepping back from a major climate argument just a week before the court is scheduled to take up the case,” Politico reports. “Alito had faced calls to recuse himself from Suncor v. Boulder over his financial interests in energy companies. A Monday letter from Scott Harris, clerk of the court, informed the parties that Alito “has determined that he will not continue to participate in this case.” “...In the case, Colorado localities are seeking damages under state tort laws related to the effects of climate change. The suit named Suncor and ExxonMobil. While Alito does not hold stock in those companies, he is invested in several other fossil fuel companies, including oil giants ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. They are named in many lawsuits similar to Colorado’s that have been filed around the country. The future of those cases will be affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Suncor… “Alito had resisted calls to step aside from the upcoming climate argument, even as watchdog groups note that the entire oil industry is likely to be affected by the decision.”
New York Times: The Coal Industry Asked for a Rescue. Trump Obliged.
Brad Plumer and Claire Brown, 9/28/26
“Early last year, a top coal lobbyist sent a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright with a dire warning,” the New York Times reports. “Roughly one-third of the nation’s coal-burning power plants were scheduled to close within five years, according to the letter, dated Mar. 11, 2025, from a coal trade group. Many of the closures would occur during President Trump’s second term. But what if the plants didn’t have to shut down? The trade group, America’s Power, proposed an unusual remedy: The Energy Department could deploy rarely used emergency powers to force them to stay open longer. Two months later, the Trump administration began doing exactly that. The letter, which has not been previously reported, reveals some of the earliest known discussions about a move that experts have called an extraordinary intervention into the nation’s energy markets. Since May 2025, the Energy Department has repeatedly issued emergency orders to keep nine coal-burning units at six plants operating long past their scheduled retirement dates, saying the facilities are needed to prevent looming blackouts. The orders have sometimes come over the protests of the plant’s owners and are expected to cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars. A federal appeals court has already struck down one order, ruling that it overstepped the law.”
Politico: Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers
Chelsea Harvey, Lesley Clark and Corbin Hiar, 9/28/26
“Conservative organizations are filing open records requests by the dozens at public universities, demanding emails, research drafts, correspondence with law firms and other documents from academics studying climate change,” Politico reports. “Targets and their allies told Politico it’s all an effort to undermine the role climate research is playing in litigation against U.S. fossil fuel companies. It’s the latest strategy in a decades-long campaign by right-leaning groups to discredit scholars whose work could persuade judges and juries in the high-stakes climate cases… “A Politico investigation has uncovered more than 100 open records requests filed at 19 public universities across the country, targeting at least 30 researchers over the past five years… “But the current wave of requests constitutes a larger and more targeted campaign against researchers whose work could be used by lawyers to advance climate lawsuits… “At least nine nonprofits, law firms, consulting companies and other organizations have targeted climate researchers with records requests over the past five years, Politico’s analysis found. The majority of requests come from two conservative nonprofits focused on transparency in government: The Patriots Foundation and Government Accountability & Oversight. Neither responded to requests for comment.”
STATE UPDATES
Politico: Why a diesel export ban could send California gas prices soaring
Alex Nieves, 9/28/26
“President Donald Trump is considering banning diesel exports as fuel prices skyrocket — a move that oil companies and market researchers warn could push California’s already nation-high gasoline prices even higher,” Politico reports. “Forcing U.S. refiners to keep diesel at home could temporarily lower the price of the fuel that tractors, trucks and ships use to produce and transport goods around the country, according to market analysts… “In a state like California — which exports most of the diesel it produces — oil companies could be forced to store diesel in tanks and eventually cut back on refining. The resulting hit to gasoline supply would mean higher pump prices in a state where the average price of regular gas is $6.36 per gallon… “But the threat of an unprecedented diesel export ban has left oil companies publicly pushing back at the White House.”
Source NM: New Mexico State Land Office finalizes increased bonding requirements for oil and gas operators
Patrick Lohmann, 9/28/26
“The New Mexico State Land Office on Monday announced that it had finalized higher bonding requirements for oil and gas companies that lease state Trust lands,” Source NM reports. “...The prior rule enabled operators to post between $10,000 and $25,000 to cover potentially hundreds of wells. Those “nominal” bonds, the State Land Office said in a news release Monday, “provided no real protection for damage to state lands,” because plugging a single abandoned well, for example, tends to cost at least $100,000. The new rule raises the minimum bond for oil and gas lessees to $150,000, an amount that can increase if a company has a demonstrated track record of failing to address spills or other regulatory violations, according to the State Land Office.”
Colorado Sun: Feds order Craig coal plant open for another 3 months
Michael Booth, 9/29/26
“Federal officials ordered Tri-State Generation’s Craig coal-fired power unit open for another three months, nearly through December, extending the ‘emergency’ action despite successful challenges to the controversial policy in other states,” the Colorado Sun reports. “Tri-State had wanted to close the Craig unit for good at the end of December 2025, but Trump administration energy officials said the coal plant was needed in an ongoing emergency for power generation across the country. Friday’s action was the fourth 3-month emergency extension of Craig operations, and the orders now expire on Christmas Day… “Tri-State and environmental groups have both sued the federal government trying to lift the emergency orders and allow Craig to close as scheduled.”
Ethanol Producer: Valero, Indiana Corn Growers Association file comments in support of Class VI well permit
Erin Krueger, 9/28/26
“The U.S. EPA in mid-August opened a public comment period on its intent to issue a permit to Vault Alliance CCS for a Class VI injection well in Indiana,” Ethanol Producer reports. “...The project proposes to construct an injection well approximately 2.5 miles northeast of the Valero Renewable Fuels Linden ethanol plant in Montgomery County, Indiana. CO2 generated at the 140 MMgy ethanol plant would be captured and injected into underground rock formations at depths ranging from 4,184 to 5,900 feet underground… “According to information posted to the Regulatons.gov website, more than three dozen public comments were filed with the EPA ahead of the Sept. 24 deadline, including comments filed by representatives of Valero and the Indiana Corn Growers Association. Valero stressed that the project will help strengthen long-term demand for locally grown corn while supporting local jobs, agriculture and economic growth… “In its comments, the ICGA said it is the position of its member that CCS projects benefit Indiana’s 20,000 row crop farmers and the economic viability of the state’s rural communities… “The EPA’s Class VI permit dashboard currently indicates the agency expects to make a final decision on the Class VI permit application by Dec. 16.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Shell-led LNG Canada greenlights Phase 2 expansion, doubling export capacity
Yamini Kalia, 9/29/26
“Shell and its partners on Tuesday gave the green light to a LNG Canada Phase 2 expansion in Kitimat, British Columbia, a multi-billion-dollar bet that will double the facility’s production capacity to 28 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) and put Canada on a trajectory to become one of the world’s largest LNG exporters,” Reuters reports. “The expansion will add two additional liquefaction trains, increasing LNG Canada’s total export capacity from 14 mtpa to roughly 28 mtpa… “ LNG Canada, a joint venture led by Shell and backed by Malaysia’s Petronas PETR.KL, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corp and Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS), is Canada’s first large-scale LNG export terminal and one of the country’s largest private-sector investments.”
Oil Change International: Total Insecurity: How TotalEnergies’ LNG Trade Puts France and Europe at Risk
9/24/26
“French oil giant TotalEnergies’ LNG into Europe risks European security, affordability, and climate goals,” according to Oil Change International. “Total has imported three times as much LNG to Europe than any other company in recent years, and most of that LNG comes from the US and Russia. Europe’s best path to achieving security, affordability, and climate goals is to equitably phase out fossil fuels, accelerate energy efficiency, and transition to renewable energy.”
Agence France-Presse: In Brazil’s Amazon, the hunt for oil fuels hopes and fears
Louis Genor, 9/28/26
“Indigenous chief Wagner Karipuna gazes worriedly at the tranquil river flowing past his village in the Brazilian Amazon as he imagines the nightmare scenario of an oil spill being carried here by the tides,” Agence France-Presse reports. “His village, Manga, is located around 20 kilometres from the centre of Oiapoque, a town bordering French Guiana that has been buzzing since Brazilian oil giant Petrobras began offshore exploration in the region a year ago. Local fishermen are also concerned about the impact of a potential offshore oil spill on their livelihood. The state-run company announced in August that it had identified signs of oil in a well about 175 kilometers off the coast of northern Brazil’s Amapa state. Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking reelection on Oct. 4, promptly visited the area, calling the oil a “passport to the future.” “...While many residents are excited about a potential oil bonanza in their poverty-stricken town, Karipuna is far from convinced. “In the event of a spill, we will inevitably be affected. Water has no borders,” the 57-year-old chief told AFP. He fears an “immense disaster” if an oil leak off the coast is carried into the Curipi River, which runs alongside his village of 1,800 inhabitants.”
TradeWinds: Russia removes oil from wrecked tankers two years after disaster that infuriated Putin
Paul Peachey, 9/28/26
“Russia has finished pumping oil out of the wrecks of two tankers that foundered on the same day in the Kerch Strait nearly two years ago, according to state-owned news agency Tass,” TradeWinds reports. “The 4,800-dwt Volgoneft 239 (built 1973) and Volgoneft 212 (built 1969) both broke up and spilt their cargoes into the strait, which links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The Volgoneft 212 sank, killing one seafarer, while the other vessel stayed afloat and ran aground. The two ships were carrying a combined total of nearly 70,000 barrels of fuel oil, and just over one-quarter of that went into the Black Sea, according to Russian reports at the time… “It said that 185,000 tonnes of contaminated sand and soil had been removed from the shoreline along the affected areas, including the Krasnodar Region, Sevastopol and occupied Crimea.”
OPINION
Wichita Eagle: Kansas GOP, you can’t hate Canada and love Keystone XL pipeline
Dion Lefler, 9/29/26
“To be a good modern Republican, you have to be willing to believe several different, and contradictory, things at once,” Dion Lefler writes for the Wichita Eagle. “I was reminded of this over the weekend, when I noticed the same meme posted by the Kansas Republican Party and by Andy Hooser, Wichita right-wing talk radio host and vice-chairman of the state party. The meme says: “Gas is expensive, so I’m going to vote for the party that shut down the Keystone XL, opposes combustion vehicles, and pushed to ban fracking.” “...It was always an open and hotly debated question whether the pipeline would lower Midwest gas prices or raise them, but the one certainty was that no matter how it turned out, the prime beneficiary would be Canada and Canadian companies… “It’s been (checks calendar) almost five months since Trump issued an executive order seeking to revive the Keystone XL concept of a cross-border pipeline. With this administration, that’s an eternity. It seems pretty clear that sometime since April, pining for the Keystone XL pipeline has become as un-American as refusing to call the former Lake Ontario by Trump’s new name for it, Lake America.”