EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/5/26

PIPELINE NEWS

• The Tyee: Carney Fast-Tracks Oil Pipeline, Promises Environmental Protection

• Washington State Standard: Washington state governor ‘disappointed’ Canada is fast-tracking new oil pipeline to B.C.

• Edmonton Journal: How a new oil pipeline could open new markets for Canada — and deepen U.S. ties

• Canadian Press: Another oilsands boom? Smith, Carney say this time Canada will be ready

• Canadian Press: Indigenous communities given just two months to consult on West Coast Pipeline

• Press release: UBCIC Rejects “National Interest” Designation for Toxic West Coast Oil “Pacific Link” Pipeline

• Raincoast Conservation Foundation: Fast-tracking an oil pipeline to the Fraser River Estuary gambles with salmon and killer whales

• WBUP: Enbridge Line 5 reroute breaches groundwater aquifer outside U.P., escalating environmental tensions

• Trentonian: Upper Makefield pipeline cleanup shows ‘deficiencies’ according to DEP

• Oil Change International: Senate permitting bill would be a gift to data centers and their massive gas buildout

• KDLY: WDEQ: Over 5K gallons of crude oil discharged during Oct. 2 pipeline leak between Riverton and Kinnear

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to consider whether suit may go forward seeking to hold energy companies liable for climate change

• Politico: Greens are agonizing over the Senate permitting deal

• Bloomberg: Trump rules out U.S. diesel export ban after G7 release

• Utility Dive: Cities, states sue EPA over power plant emissions rollback

• Politico: Green groups widen legal fight over Trump’s endangered species rollback

• Politico: EPA to roll out methane revision as soon as next week

• Reuters: Trump says US deal with South Korea includes $8.4 billion for oil recovery

• Reuters: South Korea says $8.4 billion oil project mentioned by Trump not part of deal with US, Yonhap reports

• Reuters: Trump says he did not ‘jump the gun’ on South Korea Alaska LNG investment announcement

• New York Times: U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies

• Politico: Alito’s climate recusal exposes new Supreme Court pressure point

STATE UPDATES

• Inside Climate News: New Jersey’s Middlesex County Sues Big Oil Over Escalating Climate Impacts

• NOLA.com: Louisiana is capturing carbon emissions with Exxon’s help — but shipping them to other states

• Truthout: Trump’s “Drill, Baby, Drill” Regime Is Now Targeting California’s Coastline

• Reuters: Alaska LNG could cost more than double Gulf Coast rivals, raising questions over economics

• PolitiFact: Byron Donalds overstates David Jolly’s offshore drilling lobbying, ignores anti-drilling record

EXTRACTION

• Reuters: Cenovus strikes $4 billion deal for Athabasca to expand in Canada’s oil sands

• Reuters: ConocoPhillips signs 20-year LNG deal with Venture Global

• Agence France-Presse: Sweden probing suspected Baltic Sea oil spill

OPINION

• Forbes: A $390 Million Pipeline Rule Leans On Inspection Data Vouched For Mostly By Industry
  

PIPELINE NEWS

The Tyee: Carney Fast-Tracks Oil Pipeline, Promises Environmental Protection
Sarah Cox, 10/1/26

“Ending months of speculation, today the Carney government designated the West Coast oil pipeline a project of national interest, sidestepping environmental safeguards that have been in place for decades and charting a course that could irrevocably alter the Salish Sea,” The Tyee reports. “…While details about the project remain sparse, the oil would be loaded onto very large crude carriers — supersized tankers the length of three football fields that are unprecedented in the wildlife-rich Salish Sea… “Yet the government’s environmental assessment of the already approved Roberts Bank Terminal 2 port expansion project — a separate project scheduled to begin construction in 2028 — concluded that the second container port would cause severe and permanent adverse effects on the struggling killer whale population… “Scientists, conservationists, legal experts, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the state of Washington are raising significant concerns about the impacts of the new pipeline, terminal and boost in tanker traffic in the increasingly busy Salish Sea. Georgia Lloyd-Smith, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, called the decision “financially and legally risky,” while Katisha Paul, the women’s representative for the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, told The Tyee that it is “inappropriate” for Carney to talk about addressing environmental impacts when they aren’t fully known, in the absence of a thorough environmental assessment.”

Washington State Standard: Washington state governor ‘disappointed’ Canada is fast-tracking new oil pipeline to B.C.
Jerry Cornfield and Tom Banse, 10/3/26

“A proposed Canadian oil pipeline to a supertanker terminal at the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia is raising hackles among Washington state’s political leaders,” the Washington State Standard reports. “…In response, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Friday sounded alarms about increased oil spill risk to the Salish Sea in his first public comments on the massive project… “Ferguson said Friday that he was “disappointed” at the decision because resources needed to respond to a major spill are insufficient today. “If a project of this scale is going to proceed, it needs to come with a corresponding commitment to also increase our region’s capacity to prevent and respond to a catastrophic spill,” he said in a joint statement with Casey Sixkiller, director of the state Department of Ecology. Ferguson said the size of the oil supertankers envisioned for the route are unprecedented, and have been barred from Washington ports since the 1970s. Their capacity of 92 million gallons of oil is eight times the volume of oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, he noted… “San Juan County council members, northern Washington tribal representatives and others have been pushing Ferguson since July to speak out and engage with the Canadian provincial and federal governments about the crude pipeline and tanker traffic. On Tuesday, Ferguson met with Mark Wiseman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. in Seattle. It is not known if the two discussed the pipeline and Ferguson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting. Sixkiller dispatched a lengthy letter to Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc in mid-September in a vain bid to forestall the fast-tracking of the Alberta pipeline permitting. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen of Everett, whose 2nd Congressional District includes the state waters through which the supertankers would travel, was equally vexed.”

Edmonton Journal: How a new oil pipeline could open new markets for Canada — and deepen U.S. ties
Graison Foster, 10/5/26

“…Mark Carney last week declared a new oil pipeline to the West Coast, now called Pacific Link, a project of national interest. Filling the line, however, will take a lot more condensate to dilute sticky, tar-like crude from the oilsands, and Canada already uses more of it than it makes,” the Edmonton Journal reports. “…Taylor Lee, vice-president of Canadian upstream research at Rystad, told the Journal record oilsands output this year has pushed condensate imports from the U.S. closer to 300,000 barrels a day. Imported condensate travels on two pipelines that start near Chicago… “But the same pipeline could deepen Canada’s reliance on American condensate. If the U.S. stopped sending condensate north, “there really wouldn’t be an immediate alternative source that could fill that void that quickly,” Lee told the Journal. Oilsands operations would likely shut in, he told the Journal, because “that crucial element of blending for transporting bitumen really wouldn’t be able to resolve itself within Canada.” Lee does not expect it to come to that. U.S. refineries rely on Canadian oil, he told the Journal, and “we don’t think a scenario like that would play out.” “…We’re going to be in a diluent crunch, in my view, for years to come,” Masson, a long-time industry watcher, told the Journal.”

Canadian Press: Another oilsands boom? Smith, Carney say this time Canada will be ready
Lauren Krugel, 10/2/26

“It’s been a relatively quiet decade in Alberta’s oilsands, but the federal and provincial governments believe a new West Coast pipeline coupled with policy shifts might help turn up the volume,” the Canadian Press reports. “…The pipeline’s economic fate hinges on oilsands companies being willing to spend on expanding their output. At a news conference, Carney was asked whether he expected a return to boom times in the northeastern Alberta oilsands hub city. “I wouldn’t use the term ‘boom,’” he replied. “I would use ‘sustained growth.’” “…Oilsands companies have for years shied away from the multibillion-dollar megaprojects of more than a decade ago. The last mine to be built from scratch was Fort Hills, operated by Suncor Energy Inc. From when it got the final go-ahead decision in 2013 to its startup in 2018, its cost ballooned to more than $17 billion from $13.5 billion. Lately, instead of so-called “green field” projects, companies have opted to instead tweak their existing operations to squeeze out more bitumen or add to their existing footprints… “He also cited “another phase of technical innovation” in the industry that didn’t exist previously. At the news conference, Smith noted the autonomous oilsands haul trucks in the backdrop. Previously, human drivers for those gargantuan vehicles would have received six-figure salaries and might have been flown in and out of the site from elsewhere in Canada, living in work camps, for a week or two at a time. “(Companies) have managed to find a way to increase production without having the kind of dramatic pressure that we saw in the past of a large number of people moving here, not able to find homes,” Smith said.”

Canadian Press: Indigenous communities given just two months to consult on West Coast Pipeline
10/1/26

“Indigenous communities along the newly-announced West Coast Oil Pipeline route were given just two months for consultations, and that was still more than the government initially planned,” the Canadian Press reports. “The consultations were to only take place over one month but was extended to two after Indigenous leaders raised concerns about the tight timeline. A summary of those consultations says Indigenous groups decried the lack of information about the project which prevented them from fully assessing its impact. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised his major projects agenda would not interfere with the Canada’s obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. That declaration outlines the need for free, prior and informed consent before decisions are made that can adversely affect the rights and lands of Indigenous communities and people.”

Press release: UBCIC Rejects “National Interest” Designation for Toxic West Coast Oil “Pacific Link” Pipeline
10/1/26

“Today, the federal government announced designation of the West Coast Oil “Pacific Link” Pipeline (Pacific Link pipeline) as a project of national interest, despite an incomplete consultation process that ignored First Nations inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights, and that ignored the dangerous impacts of increased fossil fuel extraction and transmission. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) reiterates that First Nations’ title and rights cannot be set aside to meet a political timeline, and that opposition from affected Nations must be respected. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, stated “We demand that the legal principle of ‘free, prior, informed consent’ enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act be fully engaged in ‘all’ fast-tracked projects sponsored by the Major Projects Office pursuant to the so-called Build Canada Act. The Pacific Link pipeline is unique in that it has tossed aside the fundamental pillars of our relationship in terms of respect, in terms of shared communication, and taking up lands in our territories without any form of credible consultation. We all know that this is a template approach for many other projects to come if it goes as smoothly as Canada hopes. We have a duty and an obligation to protect our rights to the fullest extent of the law and we have every intention of doing that. This is not a cake walk, this is not a ‘gimme’, this will be hard-fought in the court rooms, and if necessary, with boots on the ground.” UBCIC opposes advancing the pipeline and associated tanker traffic at the expense of First Nations’ territories, livelihoods, and future generations. The risks of spills, harm to watersheds and marine ecosystems, and increased fossil fuel production require comprehensive review before decisions are made. Claims of economic urgency cannot justify proceeding without a thorough assessment of the project’s cumulative environmental, climate, cultural, and human rights impacts.”

Raincoast Conservation Foundation: Fast-tracking an oil pipeline to the Fraser River Estuary gambles with salmon and killer whales
10/1/26

“Today the Government of Canada designated the West Coast Oil Pipeline a Project of National Interest under the Building Canada Act. The pipeline would carry up to one million barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta to a new deepwater port on Roberts Bank, in the Fraser River Estuary. Contrary to the Prime Minister’s assurances, this is truly the worst location for a project of this scale, risk, and consequence… “The terminal would then load oil onto VLCC tankers for transit through the Salish Sea, placing both the facility and tanker traffic into the feeding grounds of endangered killer whales. The PONI designation has been made despite the absence of a site plan identifying key infrastructure, access, construction areas and safety zones, as well as a vessel movement schedule and details of the crude products to be handled. The Fraser River estuary has previously been rejected as a terminal location due to its geophysical instability, the global significance of its habitats, and its vulnerability in an earthquake zone… “The $1.2-billion ocean protection package announced September 29 does little to reduce the suite of threats facing this endangered population. Monitoring and spill readiness can help Canada respond to accidents and more harm, but they do not prevent more underwater noise, the destruction of salmon rearing habitat, and increased spill risk in habitat that is already under stress. “Eighty-five per cent of the Fraser’s historical floodplain is already inaccessible to juvenile salmon. We cannot keep sacrificing the habitat that remains. This site was rejected for the TMX pipeline because of geophysical risk, its earthquake vulnerability, and the global significance of its habitat. No political designation can make this estuary a safe place for an oil terminal,” said Misty MacDuffee, Director, Wild Salmon Program.”

WBUP: Enbridge Line 5 reroute breaches groundwater aquifer outside U.P., escalating environmental tensions
Andrew Lorinser, 10/3/26

“A contentious 41-mile pipeline reroute in northern Wisconsin has hit another major environmental hurdle after construction crews breached an aquifer near the Marengo River,” WBUP reports. “The incident compounds a turbulent two-month stretch for Enbridge that includes a massive natural gas spill, suspected arson, and ongoing legal battles with tribal nations. While Enbridge characterized the incident in a statement to Duluth ABC affiliate WDIO as a “flow of water” observed following pipe installation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission — an inter-tribal natural resource agency — identified the discharge as an aquifer breach. The breach occurred 47 miles southwest of the Upper Peninsula border in Ashland County. Enbridge confirmed the incident did not occur at a horizontal directional drill site, a specialized trenchless method meant to minimize surface disruption… “The Marengo River aquifer puncture is the latest in a rapid succession of operational and security crises for the Calgary-based energy company, escalating concerns from environmental advocates and tribal leaders who have long warned that heavy trenching threatens the region’s sensitive Lake Superior watershed… “The Wisconsin DNR has not yet publicly outlined potential fines, enforcement actions, or specific remediation demands associated with the Marengo River aquifer breach.”

Trentonian: Upper Makefield pipeline cleanup shows ‘deficiencies’ according to DEP
Greg Vellner, 10/4/26

“A pilot test of the process being used to clean up jet fuel that leaked from an underground pipeline in Upper Makefield Township is predicted to conclude next month, but two elements recently have thrown a twist into the development of the crisis that has seen contamination of residential water wells — a “letter of deficiency” related to the cleanup process, and township officials seeking a get-together with top state officials,” the Trentonian reports. “….But a Sept. 29 letter from the state Environmental Protection Department to Energy Transfer details “deficiencies” found in the process. According to the letter, the work plan “does not include information detailing which residential potable supply wells will be monitored,” and following further explanation, said the plan “should identify these technical criteria so it can be reviewed by both DEP and the public.” “…As work proceeded, Upper Makefield supervisors on Sept. 22 contacted Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Department Secretary Jessica Shirley about setting an in-person meeting with Mt. Eyre residents. “This has been an ongoing concern for the affected residents,” wrote Bem Wrldon, supervisor chairman, in a letter to Shirley. “An in-person meeting would provide an important opportunity for DEP to hear directly from the community. Your presence will demonstrate DEP’s commitment to holding Energy Transfer accountable for their actions.” “…Supervisor Weldon has said cleanup has “moved too slowly” and that identifying a long-term water source would expedite the process.”

Oil Change International: Senate permitting bill would be a gift to data centers and their massive gas buildout
10/2/26

“Senators announced a bipartisan bill to deregulate federal infrastructure permitting. Some Democrats framed the deal as good for clean energy, citing provisions that could speed up permitting for transmission lines and grid connections for renewable energy. But the bill would more likely support an unprecedented buildout of gas power plants linked to the AI data center boom,” according to Oil Change International. “This bill has a lot wrong with it. It would gut bedrock laws that protect Tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, clean water, and endangered species, among other things. Some of the bill’s supporters seem to believe that sacrificing these things is a price worth paying for renewable energy. While that is clearly misguided, it also ignores the reality of energy development in the U.S. today… “Part of their strategy is to bypass federal permitting altogether by building in the gas basins themselves (indicated by the red circles on the map above), so they can access gas not only where it’s cheapest, but where they won’t need interstate pipelines that require federal permitting… “Take, for example, the planned Desert Southwest Expansion project, a $5 billion, 520-mile, 48-inch gas pipeline proposed to run from Texas through New Mexico to Arizona, where several large data centers are planned. The project is meeting resistance along its route. This bill would take away communities’ ability to participate in the permitting process, including the crucial Clean Water Act 401 permit that states use to protect their water resources, a vital issue in the arid Southwest, and to challenge the project in court… “Across the country, pipeline developers are planning expansions to supply gas to new data centers. Some of these projects will cross state lines and require federal certificates and permits, which this bill will only make easier and faster by removing states’ ability to protect their water resources, land, and communities.”

KDLY: WDEQ: Over 5K gallons of crude oil discharged during Oct. 2 pipeline leak between Riverton and Kinnear
Vince Tropea, 10/4/26

“On Friday, October 2, an oil pipeline leak was reported off Highway 26 between Riverton and Kinnear, which was ultimately contained hours after the first report, around 4:30 PM, according to response crews on scene,” KDLY reports. “Jillian Scott, the Public Information Officer at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, has since confirmed with KDLY that the total discharge volume was 5,040 gallons (120 barrels) of crude oil, and that it occurred on Bureau of Land Management land… “The pipeline company, Silver Creek (Operations), were helping manage environmental measures as well,” Smith added. While some concerns were raised about the leak’s proximity to Ocean Lake, no waterways or watersheds were impacted, the WDEQ reported, and Silver Creek used machinery to prevent oil from entering any drainages or canals.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to consider whether suit may go forward seeking to hold energy companies liable for climate change
Amy Howe, 10/1/26

“When the justices return to the courtroom on Monday after their summer recess, they will hear argument in one of the biggest cases currently on the Supreme Court’s docket – and certainly one of the most significant business cases of the 2026-27 term,” SCOTUSblog reports. “In Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, the court will consider whether a lawsuit filed in a Colorado state court, seeking to hold energy companies responsible for their alleged role in climate change and its impact, can go forward, or whether federal law instead bars such claims. The stakes in the case are high, not only because Boulder is seeking millions of dollars in compensation but also because there are dozens of similar lawsuits pending around the country that could be affected by the court’s decision. The energy companies contend that Boulder and others like it are trying to “impose an enormous ‘carbon tax’ that could ‘bankrupt[]’ the energy industry.” But Boulder insists that its case should be allowed to proceed, telling the justices that the energy companies are in the wrong place “at the wrong time with the wrong arguments.”

Politico: Greens are agonizing over the Senate permitting deal
Miranda Willson, Zack Colman, Amelia Davidson, 10/2/26

“The Senate’s bipartisan deal to speed permitting for new energy projects has triggered a reckoning for the country’s leading environmental groups,” Politico reports. “…Environmental groups see it as imperative to have as much of that energy as possible come from clean sources to help tame planet-warming emissions and avert the worst consequences of climate change. But in the process of clearing the path, the deal would make significant changes to bedrock environmental laws that greens have long held sacred — and that have been crucial tools for fighting everything from coal mines to data centers… “But groups on the movement’s progressive flank are already angling to kill the bill. The bill’s provisions apply equally to all forms of energy, and they fear fossil fuel projects could score more victories under it. Of particular concern is language changing the process for challenging permits in court and sending more challenges back to agencies for reconsideration instead of letting courts decide,”

Bloomberg: Trump rules out U.S. diesel export ban after G7 release
Jennifer A. Dlouhy, 10/2/26

“President Donald Trump said he won’t ban U.S. diesel exports, after Group of Seven nations and their partners agreed to release some of their emergency fuel stockpiles in a bid to bring down soaring prices,” Bloomberg reports. “Europe has a lot of diesel and they’re going to be making a major world contribution — and so are we,” Trump told reporters Oct. 2 at the White House. “And we’re not going to be doing the export ban.” The bloc, which includes major economies from Europe, North America and Asia, agreed to release as much as 100 million barrels of emergency oil and diesel stocks Oct. 2, after an intense pressure campaign from the Trump administration. “I did ask them, and we’re going to have a lot of oil,” Trump added. “They did a great job.” “…Yet oil industry leaders and energy experts warned that limiting foreign diesel sales would at most provide only short-term price relief followed by a rapid upswing in costs as swelling domestic inventories prompt U.S. oil producers and refiners to cut production.”

Utility Dive: Cities, states sue EPA over power plant emissions rollback
Robyn Griggs Lawrence, 10/2/26

“A coalition of 25 cities, counties and states on Thursday sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for repealing the majority of the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements for U.S. power plants,” Utility Dive reports. “The coalition also filed a notice of intent to sue the EPA for failing to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from existing gas-fired power plants. These include “peaker” plants that operate during high-demand periods and are often located in low-income communities… “The City and County of Denver, the Pennsylvania governor and the mayors of Chicago and New York City joined attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia in filing yesterday’s lawsuit and intent-to-sue notice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. “The president’s actions won’t unleash American energy, but they will lead to record profits for polluters — all while our air gets dirtier and our bills stay just as high,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement. “The cost of these rollbacks is our health, and we look forward to fighting this in court and seeing these commonsense regulations restored.”

Politico: Green groups widen legal fight over Trump’s endangered species rollback
Ian M. Stevenson, Carlos Anchondo, 10/2/26

“A coalition of environmental groups this week expanded a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s moves to curtail wildlife protections to include the administration’s new interpretation of what counts as illegally harming or killing imperiled species,” Politico reports. “Nine environmental groups argued in a Thursday court filing that directives from the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA to agency leaders issued last month violate the Endangered Species Act. They want a federal judge to block the agencies from applying the reasoning in the memos. The same groups sued the administration this summer over its decision to narrow what it means to ‘harm’ a plant or animal under the Endangered Species Act, removing habitat destruction from what it considers covered by the law. The Thursday filing amends the organizations’ initial lawsuit.”

Politico: EPA to roll out methane revision as soon as next week
Jean Chemnick, 10/3/26

“EPA is expected to propose an overhaul of Biden-era methane rules for oil and gas as soon as Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the plans granted anonymity to discuss the rollout,” Politico reports. “The upcoming draft would revise Biden-era standards that require new and existing oil and gas facilities to monitor their operations and make repairs to avoid leaking methane — a powerful greenhouse gas and the primary component of natural gas … Some independent producers have also pushed EPA and Congress to create a regulatory carveout for so-called marginal wells, or oil and gas wells that produce less than 15 barrels per day… “ MethaneStat, an advanced methane monitoring satellite launched by EDF, has shown that upwards of 60% of the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions comes from wellheads that only produce about 5% of U.S. oil and gas.”

Reuters: Trump says US deal with South Korea includes $8.4 billion for oil recovery
Timothy Gardner and Katharine Jackson, 10/2/26

“President Donald Trump said on Friday that a US trade deal with South Korea now includes $8.4 billion for an oil recovery project,” Reuters reports. “The Republic of Korea Deal keeps getting BETTER! 8.4 Billion Dollars for an enhanced Oil Recovery Project. Producing more Oil and Gas means American Energy Dominance and Energy Security in the World for the Future!” Trump wrote on Truth Social… “South Korea’s government, however, said the pipeline project would only go forward if certain commercial and legal conditions are met. The Alaska LNG project will be reviewed to assess its commercial viability and compliance with legal procedures, Seoul’s industry ministry said in a statement.”

Reuters: South Korea says $8.4 billion oil project mentioned by Trump not part of deal with US, Yonhap reports
Hyunsu Yim, 10/2/26

“A $8.4 billion oil recovery project mentioned by US President Donald Trump is not part of a strategic investment agreement between the US and South Korea, Yonhap reported on Friday, citing an industry ministry official,” Reuters reports. “The official said an inquiry has been sent to the US side through communication channels, according to the report. Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that a US trade deal with South Korea includes $8.4 billion for a project to pump gases into an aging oilfield to push out remaining crude.”

Reuters: Trump says he did not ‘jump the gun’ on South Korea Alaska LNG investment announcement
Nandita Bose, Daphne Psaledakis and Timothy Gardner, 10/2/26

“US President Donald Trump said on Friday he did not “jump the gun” on announcing a South Korean investment in Alaska LNG, a liquefied natural gas project that has been planned for decades but still lacks binding commitments,” Reuters reports. “Trump unveiled plans on Wednesday for South Korea to invest $200 billion in US projects, but Seoul quickly suggested one key element, a $54 billion pipeline for a long-planned LNG project in Alaska, was not yet set in stone. “I didn’t jump the gun. I mean, they were there and they were represented. And let’s see, if they don’t want to do it, that’s okay with me. I’ll just charge them more,” he told reporters at the White House.”

New York Times: U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies
Anton Troianovski and Eric Lipton, 10/3/26

“The Trump administration’s talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the two main U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” the New York Times reports. “The deal, which is contingent on approval from the U.S. government and the Kremlin, is for a sprawling set of oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the world owned by Lukoil, one of Russia’s biggest energy companies. The leading group seeking the deal includes an American investor, Todd Boehly, who has donated $2 million to President Trump’s political causes; two Middle Eastern groups that have done business with Mr. Kushner or Mr. Witkoff’s family; and an arm of the U.S. government itself… “But the deal is also a lucrative one for the buyers: U.S. approval for the sale would release the assets from American sanctions, instantly increasing their value… “The administration has recently signaled it is open to deals with Russia even before the war ends, as a way of showing it is serious about resetting the United States’ relationship with Moscow. The Lukoil sale, people familiar with the matter told the Times, is one of those deals.”

Politico: Alito’s climate recusal exposes new Supreme Court pressure point
Alex Guillén, 10/5/26

“…Justice Samuel Alito’s eleventh-hour recusal from the case highlights how parties in lawsuits are increasingly trying to disqualify justices who might rule against them,” Politico reports. “Litigants across the ideological spectrum are capitalizing on withering public trust in the Supreme Court as an institution — which has reached an all-time low, according to recent Gallup polling — to push justices out of cases as a way to get a more favorable makeup on the bench… “The climate case opening the Supreme Court’s new term — Suncor v. Boulder, which turns on the question of whether state courts can hold oil companies financially liable for contributing to climate change — saw similar calls from both sides for justices to drop out… “If that were to happen, the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to let the Boulder case move to trial would stand, but no national precedent would be set. With Alito likely unable to hear any similar appeal for the reason he stepped aside from the Boulder case, that could mean the high court would be unable to resolve the underlying question in the entire body of climate liability lawsuits. There are dozens of such cases working their way through state courts nationwide.”

STATE UPDATES

Inside Climate News: New Jersey’s Middlesex County Sues Big Oil Over Escalating Climate Impacts
Dana Drugmand, 10/2/26

“A New Jersey county has become the latest local government to sue major oil and gas companies, seeking to recover costs from damage caused by worsening flooding and other climate change impacts,” Inside Climate News reports. “ The filing comes just days before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up Boulder, Colorado’s climate case against Big Oil in a proceeding whose outcome could stop these types of lawsuits in their tracks. Middlesex County is suing ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute, following climate deception lawsuits filed by the state of New Jersey and the city of Hoboken. The county’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a New Jersey state court, alleges that the defendants’ “decades of climate deception” have exacerbated climate change impacts that are taking a severe toll on the community and costing hundreds of millions of dollars. “This lawsuit is a necessary step forward to help protect our communities from further damage from extreme weather events,” Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios said in a statement. “Our residents are not only bearing the costs of damage from flooding and other natural disasters, but also the rising everyday costs of protecting their homes and families from extreme heat and cold. We are taking action to seek compensation.” County officials told Inside Climate News that the looming Supreme Court ruling did not deter them from moving forward with the lawsuit.”

NOLA.com: Louisiana is capturing carbon emissions with Exxon’s help — but shipping them to other states
David J. Mitchell, 10/5/26

“One of the world’s largest companies has begun employing carbon capture at Louisiana plants — but it is shipping those emissions by pipeline to Texas and Mississippi for now rather than store them here amid local opposition to the technology,” NOLA.com reports. “The move by ExxonMobil comes as the landscape shifts in Louisiana for carbon capture and storage, once promoted as a promising industry for the state. A movement opposing carbon storage underground has gained steam and includes a broad spectrum of viewpoints, from rural conservatives worried about the effects on their land to environmentalists arguing it is not a responsible way to address climate change… “Two months ago, Exxon began siphoning off carbon emissions from Nucor Steel’s iron purification plant in St. James Parish, the third such carbon capture project that the oil major has started in Louisiana in the past year and a half, company officials told NOLA.com… “Nearly three years after buying out Denbury and its interstate carbon dioxide pipeline along the western Gulf coast for close to $5 billion, Exxon has moved steadily into the decarbonization business. It is offering capture and long-term storage services to big industrial clients with heavy emissions. But Exxon’s efforts to build big, underground storage sites in Louisiana have been among the projects facing fierce opposition. That opposition has helped trigger Gov. Jeff Landry’s state moratorium on new injection applications. Exxon has taken customers’ CO2 and shipped it through the former Denbury line to recover oil fields in Texas and Mississippi. CO2 helps push out oil in wells with otherwise played-out or reduced yields. Exxon officials told NOLA.com, however, they are now closing in on a new permit from Texas regulators for a permanent underground storage area near Beaumont, which would mean the company could greatly expand its business along the Gulf Coast, and especially in Louisiana… “But Genetti told NOLA.com Exxon is working on multiple additional storage permits in Texas and Louisiana, adding that Louisiana has “great geology” for CCS… “Amid controversy in Louisiana, Exxon has withdrawn or halted some of its proposed storage sites. No remaining ExxonMobil projects that predated the state moratorium are near the top of the list of those seeking a state permit, a state listing shows.”

Truthout: Trump’s “Drill, Baby, Drill” Regime Is Now Targeting California’s Coastline
Sasha Abramsky, 10/3/26

“Earlier this year, as the Trump administration ramped up pressure on California to agree to increased oil and natural gas drilling permits up and down the Pacific Coast, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick took to the social media platform X to berate the California Coastal Commission, and the Coastal Zone Management Act’s system for maintaining the coast in line with California regulations, for its “obstructionist” and extreme environmental tendencies,” Truthout reports. “In an unprecedented move, Lutnick ordered the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s auditors — who are in charge of reviewing the regulatory systems of each of the more than 30 coastal and Great Lakes states — to conduct a new audit. This summer, after a series of in-person and Zoom hearings in which the public expressed overwhelming opposition to increased offshore drilling, it became clear that Lutnick’s audit is intended to reach a predetermined conclusion: that California’s coastal management system — which has been in place since the Nixon era and has successfully interacted during that time with the federal government via the Coastal Zone Management Act — should be defunded to the tune of millions of dollars annually and decertified. It appears that ultimately Lutnick’s audit aims, for the first time in history, to strip states of their right to control their own coastlines. What made Lutnick’s move even more shameful was that in 2024 the NOAA had completed an audit of the California Coastal Commission and had, according to those who saw the 2025 draft of its findings, given it the equivalent of an A+, praising its work and only finding two minor areas in which it sought improvements. “If the administration wants to reopen pipelines or do oil and gas drilling off the coast of California, it has been the coastal commission that has been able to ensure environmental safeguards,” a former federal official in the Department of Commerce, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about retribution being aimed at them and their colleagues who are still with the federal government, told Truthout. In other words, California was doing its job and doing it well.”

Reuters: Alaska LNG could cost more than double Gulf Coast rivals, raising questions over economics
Curtis Williams, 10/1/26

“US President Donald Trump’s push to steer $54 billion of South Korean investment into Alaska LNG is putting a fresh focus on a 20 million-ton-a-year export project that would cost more than twice as much as a comparable US Gulf Coast plant,” Reuters reports. “…Seoul quickly said it had not yet decided whether to fund Alaska LNG and would first review the project’s commercial viability. “The question is whether Asian buyers are willing to pay a premium in exchange for security of supply. So far, we have not seen evidence of that,” Jason Feer, head of business intelligence at Poten & Partners, told Reuters. Lead developer Glenfarne Group estimates Alaska LNG will cost $44.5 billion to $54.5 billion. That works out to roughly $2.2 billion to $2.7 billion per million metric tons per annum of capacity, by far the highest of any US export project ever proposed. By comparison, the wave of US LNG projects approved since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has generally been built at an average cost of about $1 billion per mtpa or less.”

PolitiFact: Byron Donalds overstates David Jolly’s offshore drilling lobbying, ignores anti-drilling record
Samantha Putterman, 10/2/26

“Florida’s governor race has a new battleground: offshore drilling,” PolitiFact reports. “In a new ad, GOP gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds said Democratic nominee David Jolly lobbied for more offshore drilling in Florida waters after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico… “Jolly, who was a lobbyist before he was elected to public office in 2014 as a Republican, says he is against drilling off Florida’s coast and as a former congressman advocated for keeping the practice away from the state… “Donalds’ ad inaccurately linked Jolly’s firm’s total billings across all clients and issues exclusively to offshore drilling. The ad also ignores Jolly’s congressional efforts to keep drilling away from Florida’s shores; today he doesn’t support offshore drilling anywhere. The statement contains an element of truth, but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.”

EXTRACTION

Reuters: Cenovus strikes $4 billion deal for Athabasca to expand in Canada’s oil sands
Pranav Mathur, 10/5/26

“Cenovus Energy said on Monday it would buy Athabasca Oil in a C$5.7 billion ($4 billion) cash-and-stock deal, expanding ​its presence in Alberta and cementing its position as one of ‌Canada’s largest oil sands producers,” Reuters reports. “The acquisition builds on Cenovus’ purchase of MEG Energy last year, adding thermal assets as it seeks to improve efficiency, lower costs and generate stronger ​cash flows… “The deal will add about ​45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to Cenovus’ production and give it ​more long-life oil sands assets near its existing operations… “Cenovus said Athabasca’s Leismer and Corner assets have more than 75 years of proved and probable reserve ​life and could help lift thermal oil production to ​115,000 barrels ⁠per day by 2032.”

Reuters: ConocoPhillips signs 20-year LNG deal with Venture Global
Varun Sahay, 10/1/26

“Venture Global and ConocoPhillips said on Thursday they had signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement under which ConocoPhillips will buy 1 million tonnes a year of LNG starting in 2030,” Reuters reports. “…Under the agreement, ConocoPhillips will purchase 1.0 million tonnes a year of LNG from Venture Global for 20 years, with deliveries beginning in 2030… “The company’s first three LNG projects, Calcasieu Pass, Plaquemines LNG and CP2 LNG, are located in Louisiana.”

Agence France-Presse: Sweden probing suspected Baltic Sea oil spill
10/2/26

“Sweden’s coast guard said on Thursday it was investigating a suspected oil spill in the Baltic Sea off the island of Gotland,” Agence France-Presse reports. “The spill was discovered on Wednesday in the shipping lane southeast of Gotland by European satellite monitoring. A coast guard aircraft later confirmed there appeared to be oil floating in the water, it said… “No oil had been detected on or near the shore. An investigation had been opened by the coast guard, but there was “currently no suspect”.

OPINION

Forbes: A $390 Million Pipeline Rule Leans On Inspection Data Vouched For Mostly By Industry
Dara-Abasi Ita, 10/4/26

“America’s pipeline regulator, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, published a proposed rule on July 8 that changes when operators must fix flaws found inside oil and gas pipelines,” Dara-Abasi Ita writes for Forbes. “The rule relies on calculations of burst pressure rather than flaw depth to set repair deadlines, which PHMSA estimates will save the industry about $390 million annually. For natural gas lines, the immediate repair threshold for cracks moves from 50% to 70% of wall thickness, while hazardous liquid lines adopt an engineering approach. PHMSA cites technological improvements in inspection tools and artificial intelligence to justify more flexible deadlines. However, most of the sources supporting tool accuracy come from industry vendors and operators rather than independent, peer-reviewed studies… “The rule leans on one proposition. Inspection tools, and the software that reads their output, are now good enough to justify more flexible repair deadlines. I went through every source PHMSA cites for that proposition in the part of the proposal devoted to it. Of 25 citations, 16 come from the pipeline industry or the firms that supply it. None is a peer-reviewed study… “For natural gas transmission lines, a crack would no longer demand immediate repair once it reaches half the thickness of the pipe wall. The immediate threshold would move to 70%. Cracks between 50% and 70% would go into a new “near-term” category, with one year to respond in high-consequence areas and two years elsewhere… “Crack-detecting tools, it says, have gone from 480 sensors in 2000 to more than 1,000 today. Depth accuracy has improved from plus or minus 10% of wall thickness to plus or minus 0.03 inch, and the probability of detecting a flaw has risen from 80% to 90%. Every one of those figures comes from a single 2025 comment by Colonial Pipeline, an operator with an obvious stake in the outcome. The sizing certainties PHMSA quotes for crack and corrosion tools come from product sheets published by Rosen, an inspection company. Citing industry in a rulemaking is normal, and nothing improper is suggested. Operators hold most of the inspection data, and vendors understand their own tools. But a regulator asking the public to accept looser deadlines on the strength of better data might be expected to show some of it tested by someone without a commercial interest. On this evidence, the industry is largely marking its own homework… “A good workman, the proverb might add, tests his tools before he trusts them. PHMSA should ask to see that testing done.”