EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/7/26

PIPELINE NEWS

• Bloomberg: Trump’s Tariffs Give Carney Cover to Fast-Track Canada Building Push

• Georgia Public Broadcasting: 500 miles of pipeline to serve data center demand faces legal battle

• Source NM: New Mexico AG challenges federal commission’s review of proposed Project Jupiter gas pipeline

• WBNG: Women’s water walk against Constitution Pipeline ends with rally at state Capitol

• Spectrum News: Pressure on Gov. Hochul to ‘stand strong’ against Trump admin. over Constitution Pipeline

• North Dakota Monitor: Minnkota plans gas-fired power plant in Cass County, adding to energy development

• Reuters: Energy Transfer to buy Vaquero Midstream for $2.63 billion in cash and stock

• EHS Leaders: Car Wash, Pipeline Contractor Facing Six-Figure OSHA Fines

• Durango Herald: Pipeline explodes, leads to wildfire near Colorado-New Mexico border

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Politico: ‘Minimal relief’: Trucking groups pan Trump’s diesel executive order

• South Dakota Searchlight: Chance of dyed diesel lingering in tanks makes some farmers hesitant to accept Trump’s help

• Politico: Senate Democrats probe former Trump official’s connections to oil company

• Inside Climate News: New Documents Add to Evidence in Climate Deception Case Against ExxonMobil

STATE UPDATES

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Reynolds appoints former Rep. Jon Dunwell to Iowa Utilities Commission

• Deseret News: Utah still runs on coal. The rest of the Southwest moved on

EXTRACTION

• Heatmap: Data Center Cancellations Top $260 Billion in 2026

• Guardian: ‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms

• Reuters: EU to delay methane emissions rules for one year and no more, energy chief says

• Journal of Petroleum Technology: S&P Predicts Canadian Oil Sands Production To Set Record

• Globe and Mail: Energy sector must plan ahead to avoid cost overruns that marked last oil sands boom, RBC says

• Canary Media: Gas stoves put restaurant cooks’ health at risk, new study finds

• Maritime Executive: Tanker Catches Fire, Spills Oil off Russian Resort Town of Sochi

OPINION

• NOLA.com: ‘Pelican Thrasher’ pipeline’s name adds insult to injury
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Bloomberg: Trump’s Tariffs Give Carney Cover to Fast-Track Canada Building Push
Nojoud Al Mallees, 10/7/26

“President Donald Trump’s trade war against Canada is allowing Prime Minister Mark Carney to press the gas pedal on an industrial agenda that would have been deeply divisive just a few years ago,” Bloomberg reports. “…Carney’s top target has been a new oil pipeline to the west coast, which was designated a project of national interest last week, effectively deeming it pre-approved, subject to a number of conditions… “Critics argue Carney’s new legislation risks fraying Indigenous relations, degrading the environment and further politicizing the project approval process by allowing the government of the day to pick and choose the projects it wants to green light. “It’s a tectonic change in the way the federal government engages with review and approval of major projects. And overall, it’s mostly significant steps backwards on numerous fronts from an environmental protection perspective,” David Wright, an associate professor of law at the University of Calgary, told Bloomberg… “I just don’t think you can actually have an effective review of a proposal within six months,” George Vegh, the former board chair of the Canada Energy Regulator, told Bloomberg. Vegh told Bloomberg one challenge with a shorter review is that it can take time to consult Indigenous communities, which often want to hire their own experts to assess the proposals… “This bill helps clear the way for massive oil and gas projects that will only worsen the extreme weather already harming our health and threatening our communities,” Charlie Hatt, director of climate at Ecojustice, an environmental law charity, told Bloomberg.”

Georgia Public Broadcasting: 500 miles of pipeline to serve data center demand faces legal battle
Jillian Magtoto, 10/6/26

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved 500 miles of pipelines this summer from Mississippi to Georgia. Now, it’s being sued for its decision,” Georgia Public Broadcasting reports. “One of North America’s largest petroleum transportation companies, Kinder Morgan plans to build two pipelines across the Southeast. Combined, the $5.2 billion projects will add 3.4 billion cubic feet of methane gas daily for utilities including Dominion Energy and Southern Company… “But a suit filed last week by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) on behalf of several nonprofits and landowners argues this demand is grossly overestimated, according to an analysis by Toronto-based consulting firm London Economics International. The report estimates the pipelines will dole out over four times more than what the utilities’ publicly available forecasts show, largely driven by speculative demand from future data center projects… “We think FERC authorized these projects unlawfully,” SELC Senior Attorney Megan Gibson told GPB. “There is evidence of plausible self-dealing with a lot of these contracts that perhaps were not … subject to [FERC’s] standard arm’s length negotiations that would demonstrate a market need.”

Source NM: New Mexico AG challenges federal commission’s review of proposed Project Jupiter gas pipeline
Joshua Bowling, 10/6/26

“New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is pushing back against the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s review of a proposed gas pipeline intended to power the Project Jupiter data center, calling it “inadequate,” Source NM reports. “Texas-based Energy Transfer early this year asked federal regulatory officials to approve construction of a gas pipeline, known as the “Green Chile Project,” to serve the Oracle and OpenAI Project Jupiter data center under construction in Doña Ana County. In a Monday filing with the commission, Torrez argued that federal regulatory officials have not adequately assessed the proposed pipeline’s environmental impact because their assessment did not include the environmental impacts of Project Jupiter itself. Source NM previously reported that the data center’s power system could emit more greenhouse gases annually than New Mexico’s largest cities combined. “The commission is asking us essentially to consider the fuel line from a car’s gas tank to its engine wholly separate from the rest of the vehicle and to completely ignore the emissions coming out of the tailpipe,” Torrez wrote… “Torrez also wrote that regulatory officials aren’t meeting their responsibilities as described in the National Environmental Policy Act, which says that officials can only conduct an environmental assessment of a proposal like this — rather than a more exhaustive environmental impact statement — if the proposal does not have “a reasonably foreseeable significant effect” on the environment.”

WBNG: Women’s water walk against Constitution Pipeline ends with rally at state Capitol
Kayla Hutt, 10/6/26

“The Women’s Water Walk against the Constitution Pipeline wrapped up Sunday, but the fight continued Tuesday in Albany,” WBNG reports. “Indigenous grandmothers and activists brought water to Gov. Kathy Hochul in Albany to raise awareness and make their case against the pipeline. The Women’s Water Walk began Sept. 19 in Sidney as a walk and prayer to raise awareness for the fight against the Constitution Pipeline, which would run from Schoharie County into northeastern Pennsylvania. Advocates and Indigenous grandmothers walked the route of the pipeline, more than 100 miles, ending the walk on Sunday. Bethany Yarrow, lead organizer of the Women’s Water Walk, told WBNG the walk is not an end but a beginning… “Yarrow told WBNG the goal of the walk was to alert communities along the route of the proposed pipeline that the federal government and fossil fuel companies are trying to get through the permitting process without talking to communities this time… “Karenna Gore and Mark Ruffalo joined the walk along the route. “I’m basically here to send a message to Governor Hochul that we don’t want this, and if you want to stand up for state rights like you say you do, then honor our state,” Ruffalo told WBNG. Along the way, participants collected water from rivers and streams to bring to Albany to show Hochul and the federal government what clean water should look like and how it should remain… “The group announced the New York Women’s Water Alliance, a new coalition of women fighting to protect New York’s water and stop the Constitution Pipeline.”

Spectrum News: Pressure on Gov. Hochul to ‘stand strong’ against Trump admin. over Constitution Pipeline
Nicole Neuman, 10/6/26

“After finishing a 108-mile walk along the route of the proposed Constitution Pipeline in New York, advocates rallied Tuesday at the state Capitol,” Spectrum News reports. “It was to pressure Gov. Kathy Hochul to “stand strong” against the Trump administration’s attempts to force the pipeline through. The project is a 125-mile, 30-inch natural gas pipeline designed to run from Pennsylvania’s fracking fields through New York counties to connect with regional networks. Advocates at Tuesday’s rally say they don’t want it. “My fear is that not enough people love water or understand the importance of water,” Cheryl Angel told Spectrum. “So, we created this walk to cherish water and show people how valuable it is.” Advocates say their concern is the pipeline will harm the “rivers, lakes and streams” along its route in New York if it’s built. To further highlight this concern, the group walked through the Capitol to deliver water collected from the bodies of water from their walk to the governor’s office.”

North Dakota Monitor: Minnkota plans gas-fired power plant in Cass County, adding to energy development
Jeff Beach, 10/6/26

“Minnkota Power Cooperative plans to add a natural gas-fired power plant in Cass County, taking advantage of a planned pipeline to supply the gas from western North Dakota,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “Mac McLennan, president and CEO of Grand Forks-based Minnkota, said Tuesday that the co-op has purchased land in Harmony Township, north of Mapleton… “He told the Monitor the project is possible because of the Bakken East Pipeline project that will take natural gas from McKenzie County in the heart of the Bakken oil producing region to eastern North Dakota… “The state of North Dakota created financial incentives to spur development of the pipeline. McLennan told the Monitor the area north of Mapleton is an ideal site because it is the end point for an existing WBI gas pipeline. The Bakken East Pipeline will tie into the existing WBI pipeline… “During public testimony in front of the committee Tuesday, Harmony Township landowner Perry Rust said the energy development is taking valuable farmland out of production that will have ripple effects across that ag industry.”

Reuters: Energy Transfer to buy Vaquero Midstream for $2.63 billion in cash and stock
Pranav Mathur, 10/6/26

“Energy Transfer said on Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Vaquero Midstream in a deal valued at about $2.63 billion in cash and stock, expanding its midstream operations,” Reuters reports. “…It said the assets, which are linked to its existing natural gas and natural gas liquids infrastructure, would provide additional volumes for its transportation, fractionation, terminalling and export businesses.”

EHS Leaders: Car Wash, Pipeline Contractor Facing Six-Figure OSHA Fines
Guy Burdick, 10/6/26

“A Sicklerville, New Jersey, car wash and an Orlando pipeline installation contractor both face six-figure Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for recently cited safety violations, OSHA announced on September 23,” EHS Leaders reports. “…OSHA also cited an Orlando-based pipeline installation contractor for willfully exposing employees to safety hazards after an incident claimed the life of a worker at a New Smyrna Beach, Florida, worksite. Investigators determined that on March 17, T & T Pipeline Co. Inc. employees were replacing a drill bit on a horizontal drilling machine when the pipe stem began to rotate and fatally struck an employee. The agency cited the employer for a willful violation for exposing employees to struck-by hazards when working on a horizontal directional drilling machine and proposed $165,514 in penalties.”

Durango Herald: Pipeline explodes, leads to wildfire near Colorado-New Mexico border
Debra Mayeux and Shane Benjamin, 10/6/26

“A gas pipeline exploded Tuesday afternoon sending 100-foot flames into the air in San Juan County, N.M., near the Colorado border,” the Durango Herald reports. “The explosion was reported about 2 p.m. in the La Boca, N.M., area, Jerrod T. Jones, a spokesman with Harvest Midstream Co., told the Herald… “The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. He told the Herald no injuries had been reported, and all crew members were accounted for. Los Pinos Fire Protection District responded to the scene, where the explosion sparked a wildland fire… “Dave Valdez told the Herald he was in his garage when he heard the explosion. “It wasn’t just a pop; it sounded like somebody just turned on an F-16 right next to me and left it running,” Valdez told the Herald. “It was loud, intense. I felt the ground shake a little bit right before my electricity went off.” Valdez walked to the front of his house where he saw flames shooting into the sky.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Politico: ‘Minimal relief’: Trucking groups pan Trump’s diesel executive order
James Bikales, 10/6/26

“The nation’s largest trucking groups said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at easing diesel prices would do little to increase availability of the key transportation fuel,” Politico reports. “The statements from groups representing both major trucking companies and independent truckers — typically close Trump allies — cast doubt on the president’s claims Monday that the move would save truckers hundreds of dollars and help bring down the cost of goods across the economy. The high cost of diesel — averaging $6.31 a gallon, or about $2.64 higher than last year — is dragging on Republicans going into next month’s elections… “But expanding dyed diesel use “does not create additional fuel or address the underlying supply crunch that is driving prices higher,” Henry Hanscom, chief advocacy and public affairs officer at the American Trucking Associations, told Politico… “Todd Spencer, president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, echoed that “allowing the wider use of red-dyed diesel will provide minimal relief.” “Every $1 increase per gallon in fuel costs our members around $400 more per week, and sustained high prices will put many truck drivers out of business,” Spencer told Politico… “But analysts ClearView Energy Partners said in a note Tuesday that the order relies on retailers being willing to sell dyed diesel without collecting taxes, despite uncertainty about whether — and how — those taxes would need to be collected later.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Chance of dyed diesel lingering in tanks makes some farmers hesitant to accept Trump’s help
Meghan O’Brien, 10/6/26

“President Donald Trump is allowing broader use of a federally tax-exempt fuel that powers farm equipment, in an attempt to ease the burden of rising diesel prices. But some farmers are hesitant to accept the help,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “…Some farmers are worried about expanding their use of red-dyed diesel, saying the dye could linger in fuel tanks and expose them to potential future fines… “Because it takes a long time for that to work through, and there still would be traces of the dyed diesel in a truck as much as a year or so later, Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau told Searchlight.” “…Violations can be punished by fines, civil penalties and prosecution for failure to pay, so taking a chance and driving on public roads with dyed diesel has traditionally been considered “just not worth it,” South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke told Searchlight… “We’re going to save a few cents per gallon,” Sombke told Searchlight. “It’s a Band-Aid on a bleeding artery, is what it is.”

Politico: Senate Democrats probe former Trump official’s connections to oil company
Ian M. Stevenson, Scott Waldman, 10/7/26

“California congressional Democrats are seeking details about a former White House official and the government support she gave to an oil company shortly before she took a job there, according to a letter Politico obtained. Brittany Kelm left the White House in August to take a job as Sable Offshore Corp.’s vice president of policy and commercial. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, along with Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal sent the letter Wednesday to Kelm, a former oil industry employee who spent more than a year at the White House as a senior energy adviser on the National Energy Dominance Council. One of Kelm’s responsibilities was helping Sable restart production its oil platforms off the coast of Santa Barbara, a project the Trump administration lauded but that California government officials have opposed after an oil spill… “Your new role, considering your prior close relationship with Sable while serving as a White House Senior Policy Adviser for Oil and Gas, raises serious questions about your compliance with federal ethics laws, compounding the many existing legal issues with the federal government’s unilateral grant of approval of pipeline rights to Sable,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.”

Inside Climate News: New Documents Add to Evidence in Climate Deception Case Against ExxonMobil
Nicholas Kusnetz, 10/7/26

“…And, just weeks before the U.N. vote, Frank Sprow of Exxon’s corporate research department warned his colleagues in an internal memo, “If a worldwide consensus emerges that action is needed to mitigate against Greenhouse gas effects, substantial negative impacts on Exxon could occur,” Inside Climate News reports. “Sprow’s memo is part of a batch of previously undisclosed documents released earlier this year without fanfare as part of an ongoing lawsuit Massachusetts filed against ExxonMobil in 2019. While the memo was quoted in a 2023 article by The Wall Street Journal, it has not been published in full. Several other documents included in the filings are being reported on here for the first time, including more recent statements from Exxon scientists challenging the company’s climate-solution claims about its work on biofuels and carbon capture and storage… “Aaron Regunberg, director of climate accountability at the advocacy group Public Citizen, told ICN the documents from the Massachusetts case underscore why Exxon and other companies are fighting to block the lawsuits from even proceeding to the discovery phase… “With governments poised to negotiate an international climate agreement in Kyoto, the steering group would recommend that API “continue to question the scientific basis and cite the high economic cost” of policies to address climate change and “avoid pressures to negotiate a compromise.”

STATE UPDATES

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Reynolds appoints former Rep. Jon Dunwell to Iowa Utilities Commission
Cami Koons, 10/5/26

“Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday she was appointing former Iowa Rep. Jon Dunwell, a Republican from Newton, to serve on the Iowa Utilities Commission,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Dunwell fills the spot after the Sept. 4 resignation of Erik Helland, who was appointed to the role in May 2023… “The IUC has faced increased public attention in recent years due to its role in approving a controversial carbon sequestration pipeline… “Earlier this year, the House voted to ban the use of eminent domain for carbon sequestration pipelines. According to the roll call, Dunwell was one of 28 representatives to vote no on the bill, which did not advance to the floor in the Senate. Dunwell was among yes votes the previous year for a similar bill and another that would have restricted carbon sequestration pipelines in the state.”

Deseret News: Utah still runs on coal. The rest of the Southwest moved on
Leah Bowers, 10/6/26

“The Trump administration’s recent emission regulation rollbacks could be the push Utah leaders need to maintain coal power generation — or it could accelerate the state’s move away from it entirely,” the Deseret News reports. “No other state in the Southwest uses coal as a main energy producer — almost all have made the switch to natural gas or hydroelectric. In the last 25 years, Utah has reduced coal power generation by almost half. In 2000, the state’s energy mix was made up of 94% coal. Last year, the mix consisted of 48% coal, 31% natural gas and 15% solar (among other sources). Although the state has been slow to move away from coal, Utah maintains one of the cheapest rates in the region — about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour — compared to California’s 28 cents. Cyrus Western, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, believes the low cost is exactly why coal is a valuable commodity.”

EXTRACTION

Heatmap: Data Center Cancellations Top $260 Billion in 2026
Robinson Meyer, 10/6/26

“…At least $260 billion of data center investments were canceled this year after sustained local opposition, according to new Heatmap Pro data. The pace and size of those cancellations is picking up. About $130 billion in data center investment — or about half of the total — was canceled in the three months ending on September 30. And in dollar terms, the size of canceled projects in the third quarter of 2026 exceeded the size of all data center projects canceled last year. Roughly $1 trillion in data center investment now faces some kind of sustained or meaningful local opposition, according to Heatmap Pro data. About half of all projects that have met local backlash this year were ultimately canceled, our data suggests… “But the totals show that the surging backlash to data centers is beginning to kill a sizable share of large computing projects… “The number of canceled data centers speaks to the vast and growing grassroots opposition to these projects in communities across the country. The fact that many of these projects were defeated in just the past few months speaks to the upward trajectory of this opposition movement,” Mitch Jones, a policy director at Food and Water Watch, an environmental group that opposes AI data centers, told Heatmap.”

Guardian: ‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms
Robert Booth, 10/6/26

“In a bar below Waterloo Bridge, a cell of a fast-growing anti-AI protest movement met last week to plot their latest move: disrupting a tech industry dinner being addressed by a senior executive from the chip maker Nvidia,” the Guardian reports. “Emma, a 28-year-old bartender, had never before taken direct action and was the most nervous of the four plotters from Pull The Plug, one of a growing number of AI-focused campaign groups around the world… “As darkness fell they crossed the Thames to the Claremont hotel where Emma filmed while two others unfurled a banner in a function room, shouting “Pull the plug on Nvidia” and “Pull the plug on Palantir”. Hundreds of protesters also staged a rally in front of Palantir’s London HQ last Thursday. “We did not consent to the kind of build-out that you are planning here,” the activists yelled as they were wrestled out of the door. They edited a video clip – “activist disrupts elite AI network dinner – Nvidia edition” – and uploaded it to Instagram… “Pull The Plug advocates direct action – a tactic other AI campaigns have rejected. Last month, one of its members climbed on to a chair in a packed AI conference in London addressed by speakers from OpenAI and Amazon and delivered an impassioned speech. “Best case scenario: the men handling this technology are completely incompetent,” the female activist said in an outburst that garnered 153,000 Instagram likes and was picked up by the Washington Post. “Worst case scenario: we are all being led into a disaster.” Other AI protest movements are gaining momentum after a torrent of news about AI dangers.”

Reuters: EU to delay methane emissions rules for one year and no more, energy chief says
Kate Abnett, 10/6/26

“The European Union plans to delay methane emissions rules for oil and ‌gas imports by one year, but no longer than that despite calls from some member states for a bigger reprieve, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “…The EU’s ​methane law, the first of its kind globally, was designed to tackle those emissions, but has ​faced growing political pressure after the Iran war disrupted global energy supplies and heightened concerns about fuel availability this winter… “French ​President Emmanuel Macron ⁠last month called for a one-year delay, arguing the rules could create legal risks for importers as energy supplies tighten. Around a dozen other EU ​countries, along with the US, Europe’s biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas, ​have urged ⁠the bloc to pause or roll back the law.”

Journal of Petroleum Technology: S&P Predicts Canadian Oil Sands Production To Set Record
10/7/26

“Canadian oil sands production is expected to average a record 3.5 million B/D in 2026, a 100,000 B/D (3%) increase from the previous year, according to the latest S&P Global Energy 10-year production outlook,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. “Production is expected to reach 3.9 million B/D by the early 2030s… “The bulk of 2026 production growth is again expected to come from the optimization of existing facilities… “Most of today’s installed oil sands production capacity is the result of construction between 2009 to 2018, with construction of new facilities being rare since then… “The question today is not whether the oil sands will continue to grow, but rather how much additional growth could come should new projects once again come forward,” Kevin Birn, chief Canadian oil markets analyst at S&P Global Energy, told JPT… “The current S&P Global Energy outlook expects production levels to roughly plateau after reaching 3.9 million B/D in the early 2030s. The growing optimism, however, creates the potential for an acceleration of growth should new projects advance. “Looking at past proposed projects that did not advance, and how they have likely evolved, S&P Global Energy estimates that there is nearly half a million barrels per day of incremental production capacity that could come forward beyond what is currently in the outlook,” Celina Hwang, director for Canadian crude oil markets at S&P Global Energy, told JPT.”

Globe and Mail: Energy sector must plan ahead to avoid cost overruns that marked last oil sands boom, RBC says
Emma Graney, 10/7/26

“Canada’s oil and gas sector faces risks of a return to painful cost overruns unless it co-ordinates the necessary supply chains and labour availability for more than $100-billion in proposed energy infrastructure construction, the country’s largest bank warns,” the Globe and Mail reports. “…The last oil sands construction boom ran between 2006 and 2014. Labour and materials costs soared as several projects were built at once, leading to overruns and delays on everything from mines to pipelines… “But construction stimulus “is a double-edge sword” that will require Canada to optimize economic benefits while minimizing strain on infrastructure, and manage demands on raw materials, logistics and labour. Otherwise, the country risks a repeat of the recent megaprojects in Western Canada, which were slower to build and wildly more expensive than planned. The report pointed to the last oil sands building boom, which cost far more than an Alberta report had forecast, but boosted production by less than expected, and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which ballooned in cost from an original estimate of $5.4-billion to $34-billion.”

Canary Media: Gas stoves put restaurant cooks’ health at risk, new study finds
Alison F. Takemura, 10/6/26

“…A new peer-reviewed study backs the experiences of Galarza and other cooks with data. Published Tuesday in Environmental Research Letters, the analysis is, the authors believe, the first in the U.S. to quantify just how different conditions are between commercial kitchens using fossil fuels — gas and propane — and those harnessing only electricity,” Canary Media reports. “The top-line finding: Fossil-fueled equipment generates dangerous amounts of air pollution and heat in kitchens, despite their commercial-grade ventilation… “The majority of gas- and propane-fired kitchens reached maximum temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That exceeds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s stalled proposal of an 80°F indoor high-heat threshold, which would trigger 15-minute breaks every two hours… “Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic byproduct of combustion that inflames the lungs and increases the risk of asthma, was also in the air. Seventy percent of fossil-fueled kitchens had NO2 concentrations that surpassed what’s considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization… “Gas stoves kept pumping out pollution even when turned off: About a third of fossil-fueled kitchens produced NO2 levels outside of business hours that exceeded health standards. The culprit was pilot lights.”

Maritime Executive: Tanker Catches Fire, Spills Oil off Russian Resort Town of Sochi
10/6/26

“A large tanker has caught fire off the coast of the resort city of Sochi, Russia, according to local media accounts and satellite sensing data,” Maritime Executive reports. “ The vessel is readily visible from shore, and multiple videos depicting the fire have appeared on Russian social media channels. The bystander-image sequence begins with a substantial fire centered on cargo tanks amidships, followed by obvious signs of burning oil spreading aft down the starboard side. Later videos and photos show a large pool of burning oil on the water aft of the vessel and a towering column of smoke. Initial reports indicate that the vessel is likely the Aframax Rio, previously sanctioned by Ukraine for alleged involvement in Russian oil exports… “Ukraine’s government added it to its “shadow fleet” sanctions list in February 2026. It is operated by Western firms, and has a typical profile for a compliant tanker dealing in price cap-approved Russian oil.”

OPINION

NOLA.com: ‘Pelican Thrasher’ pipeline’s name adds insult to injury
Robyn Thigpen is executive director, FISH (Fishermen Involved In Sustaining Our Heritage); Michael Tritico is president, RESTORE (Restore Explicit Symmetry to our Ravaged Earth), 10/6/26

“Louisiana’s state bird is the brown pelican. So perhaps someone should explain how a pipeline being built to feed yet another massive LNG export facility on Louisiana’s coast ended up carrying the name “Pelican Thrasher,” Robyn Thigpen and Michael Tritico write for NOLA.com. “Maybe the people who chose the name never stopped to consider how it sounds. Maybe they did. Either way, the symbolism is impossible to ignore. WhiteWater’s proposed Pelican Thrasher Lateral would stretch approximately 65 miles through southwest Louisiana to deliver enormous volumes of natural gas to Commonwealth LNG in Cameron Parish. And the communities being asked to live with the pipelines, industrial construction, wetlands disturbance, vessel traffic, dredging, emissions and cumulative impacts are supposed to casually accept a project carrying a name that sounds like something that thrashes Louisiana’s own state bird. Who thought that was appropriate? For coastal Louisiana, the pelican is more than a logo. It represents our state. It represents the coast, the wetlands and the wildlife intertwined with the culture and livelihoods of the people who live here… “Louisiana has already watched enough of its coast get thrashed, trashed, used and abused. The people of Louisiana have watched our way of life be destroyed by multi-billion-dollar corporations. We have watched our wildlife, fisheries and environment be catastrophically harmed for a select few to become filthy rich.”