EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/24/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• Press release: South Dakota landowners sue Summit Carbon for trespass

• South Dakota Searchlight: Aberdeen-area couple sue carbon pipeline company for trespassing

• KCAU: South Dakota couple sues Iowa pipeline company

• Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline seeks approval to expand capacity

• Staten Island Advance: Staten Island residents rally against proposed Raritan Bay gas pipeline

• WPLN: A gas pipeline will cross 120 miles of Tennessee. Enbridge just started construction.

• CBC: Alberta throne speech pledges new pipelines and a boost for artificial intelligence

• Bloomberg: Alberta Seeks to Use Gas Reserves to Become AI ‘Superpower’

• DeSmog: The Methane Hunters of Melendugno

• Press release: Greenpeace Canada reacts to documents showing close relationship between CSIS and oil giant TC Energy on intelligence sharing

• National Law Review: The D.C. Circuit Recognizes Seven County’s Abrogation of Sabal Trail

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Guardian: US imposes sanctions on Russian oil over Putin’s ‘refusal’ to end war in Ukraine

• E&E News: Trump offshore drilling plan faces fierce opposition in Congress

• E&E News: Green groups gird for life in Trump’s crosshairs

STATE UPDATES

• Inside Climate News: Gulf South Residents and Green Groups Sue Trump and EPA Over Toxic Air Pollution Exemptions

• Leesville Leader: Vernon residents express concern with carbon capture proposals

• State Affairs: LaPolitics Q&A: Loren Scott

• WHYY: Pennsylvania legislation aims to protect ratepayers from data center energy strain

• WFSB: Remembering the BP spill that killed 11, devastated the coast 15 years ago

EXTRACTION

• Reuters: Super-warming methane gas is being tackled too slowly, UN says ahead of COP30

• Associated Press: What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI, according to a new poll

• Reuters: ConocoPhillips to lay off Canada employees in November, company memo shows

• Press release: JERA to Acquire Interest in Haynesville Shale Gas Asset in Louisiana

• Carbon Herald: EU Carbon Storage Targets Face Major Shortfall, Wood Mackenzie Warns

OPINION

• The Hill: Shouldn’t polluters, not taxpayers, pay for disaster assistance?
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Press release: South Dakota landowners sue Summit Carbon for trespass
10/23/25

“It was a balmy afternoon on June 6, 2023, when Summit Carbon’s entourage descended on Jared and Tara Bossly’s Brown County South Dakota home. Summit dispatched its armed security guards, public relations team, drilling crew, surveyors, and others. Sherriff’s department personal were also on site. Jared, however, was prevented from directly monitoring what was occurring on his land and was relegated to watching from a distance. Supporting Jared and Tara were neighbors and farmers familiar with Summit and its tactics. “It was a terrible day. I was a hostage on my own property. There was nothing I could do. I would never want anyone else to feel that way on their own land. We are bringing this case in hopes a Brown County jury will do justice by finding Summit and the other defendants liable for what they did,” said Plaintiff Jared Bossly. Prior to Summit’s trespass, in a letter to Jared it claimed a “need to have access” to Jared’s land “for the purpose of surveying and examining said properties, including conducting civil, environmental and archaeological/cultural surveys and examinations, including any necessary geotechnical/soil borings … and deep dig surveys and examinations” and that their activity could include the use of a “track mounted drilling rig” and “continuous flight augers, hollow stem augers, wet rotary drills, or rock coring drills.” Summit claimed it was legally vested with the authority to take Bossly’s land for public use. However, Bossly fought back challenging that claim in circuit court and along with other landowners ultimately won his appeal to the South Dakota Supreme Court on August 21, 2024. Because Summit did not have the right to enter the Bossly land without their permission, they bring this lawsuit to address issues not previously before the Supreme Court including damages incurred due to Summit’s surveys, trespasses, and acts of negligence and nuisance. “Summit has left a lot of damage in its path here in South Dakota and I am proud of Jared and Tara for having the courage to bring this case and we need the community to stand behind them,” said Ed Fischbach, a farmer who was present during Summit’s activities on the Bossly land.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Aberdeen-area couple sue carbon pipeline company for trespassing
John Hult, 10/23/25

“A South Dakota couple want an Iowa carbon pipeline company to pay them for surveying their land against their will,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “Jared and Tara Bossly, of rural Aberdeen, filed a trespassing lawsuit this week in Brown County against Summit Carbon Solutions and a handful of affiliated companies they say acted as agents of the company… “The family was among several to sue Summit in an attempt to block it from using eminent domain to survey land or use it for the pipeline project. The landowners won at the South Dakota Supreme Court level in August of 2023. Two months before that, however, Summit arrived at the Bossly property to survey it. At that point, a circuit court judge had twice issued rulings allowing such surveys to take place, but the landowners had an appeal pending before the state’s high court. In the Bosslys’ new lawsuit, the family says Summit’s actions on the day of the survey amounted to trespass because the company knew of the pending appeal. The lawsuit says Jared Bossly was a “prisoner on his own land” as the surveying took place in June of 2023, because private security guards and sheriff’s deputies prevented him from being within 300 feet of the surveyors… “The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the June 2023 surveying, for what the case says was permanent property damage from drilling and surveying. The Bosslys are alleging the company trespassed, acted as a nuisance, and was negligent in training its employees.”

KCAU: South Dakota couple sues Iowa pipeline company
Reilly Mahon, 10/23/25

“A South Dakota couple is suing an Iowa carbon pipeline company for surveying their land against their will. Jared and Tara Bossly of rural Aberdeen entered the lawsuit this week in brown county,” KCAU reports. “They claim Summit Carbon Solutions trespassed on their land to do survey work for a CO2 pipeline. The survey work on the Bossly’s land reportedly happened a little over two years ago. At that time, other landowners had an appeal pending before the South Dakota Supreme Court for similar claims… “The suit claims that Summit knew about the pending appeal when the survey of the Bossly’s land was done.”

Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline seeks approval to expand capacity
Laurence Hammack, 10/24/25

“An expansion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s capacity to carry natural gas — plus a compressor station to be built in Montgomery County to help it do that — were proposed Thursday to federal regulators,” the Roanoke Times reports. “MVP, a joint venture of five energy companies, filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for what it calls the MVP Boost project. If approved, construction would start in the winter of 2026-27 and be completed in mid-2028… “The project faced fierce opposition, triggered by its adverse environmental impact, its contribution to climate change by transporting a greenhouse gas, and its use of eminent domain to take private land needed for the pipeline. More than a decade ago, the company considered building a compressor station in either Montgomery or Roanoke County, drawing concerns from opponents about noise and air pollution. Those plans were dropped — at least until now — before construction began in 2018. Now, the controversy will likely be renewed… “As a demand-driven project, MVP Boost is fully subscribed by investment-grade utilities in North Carolina and Virginia through binding, long-term contracts that ensure reliable offtake,” the company said in its announcement Thursday.”

Staten Island Advance: Staten Island residents rally against proposed Raritan Bay gas pipeline
Scott R. Axelrod, 10/23/25

“Several dozen protesters gathered on the steps of Borough Hall in St. George Thursday evening to oppose the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline — a project they say would raise utility bills while threatening Raritan Bay’s fragile environment,” the Staten Island Advance reports. “Representatives from several organizations attended the rally, including New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Food and Water Watch, New York Communities for Change and the Climate Revolution Action Network. The rally reflected growing local resistance to the proposed pipeline, which has drawn bipartisan opposition from Staten Island leaders… “Staten Islanders are forced to front the cost of this project even though we won’t directly receive any of the gas,” said Daniel Baer, chair of the NYPIRG board of directors at the College of Staten Island, who emceed the rally. “This is a flat-out dangerous, expensive, and just a stupid deal for Staten Islanders.” According to critics, Staten Island customers would face a 3.5% increase in National Grid bills to help pay for the project — despite receiving none of the added gas supply. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has already rejected the proposal three times for failing to meet clean water standards. Borough President Vito Fossella, who met with National Grid representatives in August, has also voiced strong opposition.”

WPLN: A gas pipeline will cross 120 miles of Tennessee. Enbridge just started construction.
Caroline Eggers, 10/23/25

“Construction began this week on a gas pipeline that will stretch more than 120 miles across Tennessee,” WPLN reports. “Enbridge is building the pipeline to carry methane from rural Middle Tennessee to Kingston, where the Tennessee Valley Authority is building a large gas plant. The pipeline project has been controversial, drawing scrutiny from citizens, environmental groups and federal agencies, and it started years before it was finalized… “Project details have been opaque — literally. The Southern Environmental Law Center brought a suit against the utility to challenge the gas investment and probe the deal with Enbridge. TVA shared the agreement document with a lot of blacked-out text after the center requested the information through FOIA. Litigation is ongoing. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called TVA’s environmental review for the project “misleading” and “inadequate.” EPA suggested that TVA choose a cheaper and cleaner option like solar and battery to reduce air pollution and emissions that cause climate change. TVA’s then-CEO Jeff Lyash finalized the project a week after EPA’s criticism — after the TVA Board handed decision-making power to him.”

CBC: Alberta throne speech pledges new pipelines and a boost for artificial intelligence
Janet French, 10/23/25

“Alberta’s government will “end the landlocking” of the oilsands by working with partners to build pipelines to B.C.’s northwest coast and Ontario, Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani says in the speech from the throne,” the CBC reports. “Kicking off a new legislative session on Thursday, the speech outlining the provincial government’s agenda says it has been successful at convincing the rest of Canada of the importance of selling Alberta’s natural resources and recommits the province to doubling oil and gas production by an unspecified timeline. The speech says Alberta’s diplomatic approach to dealing with U.S. tariff threats was a fruitful tack… “Earlier this month, Premier Danielle Smith announced a $14-million effort to lead a technical advisory group studying a possible oil pipeline route from Alberta to the north coast of B.C. She said she hopes private proponents and First Nations stakeholders would later invest in the project… “Lakhani’s speech says lower oil and gas royalty revenues have put Alberta in a deficit position this year, but the province’s plan to bolster the value of the Heritage Fund and foster economic diversification will leave the province less dependent on those revenues in the future.”

Bloomberg: Alberta Seeks to Use Gas Reserves to Become AI ‘Superpower’
Robert Tuttle, 10/23/25

“Alberta’s government kicked off a new legislative session pledging to build new pipelines and deploy its vast natural gas reserves to become a major player in artificial intelligence,” Bloomberg reports. “The government of Premier Danielle Smith laid out ambitions to build new oil pipelines running to the Pacific coast, Ontario and Hudson Bay in Canada’s north, taking advantage of more energy-friendly policies of Prime Minister Mark Carney. The province will also aim to attract more AI data centers to lessen its economic reliance on resource exports. “Alberta is already an energy superpower. Alberta will now also become an AI superpower, making our province a world leader in arguably the world’s two most important commodities — energy and computing power,” the government said in the prepared text of the so-called throne speech, to be delivered by Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani… “This government has driven back the anti-energy movement in our country and helped to turn the tide of national public opinion from anti-oil and gas sentiment into a national consensus that Alberta’s energy resources are a national treasure that can and must be developed,” the government said in the speech.”

DeSmog: The Methane Hunters of Melendugno
Teresa Di Mauro and Vittoria Torsello, 10/20/25

“…Beyond the fences, framed by a few remaining ancient olive trees, sits the Melendugno Reception Terminal — the western endpoint of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP),” DeSmog reports. “TAP is a natural gas pipeline, 878 kilometres (545 miles) long, that forms the final segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, a pipeline bringing natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, and a key part of the European Union’s effort to lessen its dependence on natural gas from Russia… “Despite assurances from its backers that TAP is committed to minimizing leaks, data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P satellite has revealed a worrying trend: Since the pipeline opened in 2020, concentrations of planet-heating methane — the main component of natural gas — have been increasing near key infrastructure points along its route… “Morigi found that since the gas began to flow, there have been significant increases in methane concentrations in proximity to all three locations, jumping from 1,800-1,900 parts per billion (ppb) before 2020, to often exceeding 2,000 ppb since… “While Melendugno’s operators say they are complying with the new rules, Cova Contro and other environmental groups told DeSmog they have detected significant emissions from various vents at Melendugno, which raises questions over how much more methane may be leaking from TAP.”

Press release: Greenpeace Canada reacts to documents showing close relationship between CSIS and oil giant TC Energy on intelligence sharing
10/23/25

“Documents obtained under Access to Information legislation by The Narwhal confirm that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) embraced a proposal from pipeline giant TC Energy to create a formal information-sharing alliance between Canada’s spy agency and the country’s biggest corporations… “Canada’s spy agency should be protecting people, not cutting deals with Big Oil,” said Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist at Greenpeace Canada. “This intelligence sharing blurs the line between public security and corporate interests and risks putting Indigenous land defenders and climate activists under increasingly invasive surveillance for peacefully opposing fossil fuel expansion.” The documents, a copy of which were obtained by Greenpeace Canada, confirm the level of cooperation and also show CSIS senior officials celebrating the speed with which Bill C-70 was passed, highlighting their success in expanding disclosure powers to include “any person or entity” — meaning private corporations like TC Energy. Greenpeace Canada warns that the Carney government’s Strong Border Act (Bill C2), which was supposed to be debated by Parliament this fall but has since been delayed due to concerns of “overreach”, would further expand surveillance powers without warrants, raising the possibility of even more information gathered through invasive means being shared directly with multinational oil companies like TC Energy. “Instead of focusing on the real threat to Canadians — climate change — our security agencies are building alliances with the very corporations fueling the crisis,” added Keith Stewart. “Canada needs to be moving away from fossil fuels to protect Canadians from climate change, not deepening relationships with Big Oil.”

National Law Review: The D.C. Circuit Recognizes Seven County’s Abrogation of Sabal Trail
Deidre G. Duncan, Nathan R. Menard, Hunton Andrews Kurth, 10/23/25

“On September 30, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (D.C. Circuit) issued Sierra Club v. FERC, which upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authorization of a 32-mile pipeline that will supply natural gas to a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) project at which TVA is replacing a coal-fired power unit with a natural gas turbine,” the National Law Review reports. “The opinion is significant because the D.C. Circuit recognized, for the first time, that its controversial Sabal Trail opinion was abrogated by the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Guardian: US imposes sanctions on Russian oil over Putin’s ‘refusal’ to end war in Ukraine
Andrew Roth, 10/22/25

“The US has sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil companies, as the Trump administration increased pressure on the Kremlin to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine,” the Guardian reports. “…The British government sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil last week. The EU has sanctioned Rosneft, the Russian state-owned oil company, but not Lukoil, which is privately owned, largely due to exemptions for Hungary and Slovakia, which buy Russian oil… “Rosneft was the most important Russian firm not yet under full US sanctions,” wrote Edward Fishman, a former senior state department sanctions official. A big question that remained was whether the US would threaten foreign traders, banks and refineries that continue to facilitate the sale of Russian oil, he added.”

E&E News: Trump offshore drilling plan faces fierce opposition in Congress
Garrett Downs, 10/24/25

“Lawmakers are girding for a fight against President Donald Trump’s apparent plans to open up the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines to offshore drilling,” E&E News reports. “In interviews Thursday, Democrats called the idea “not lawful,” a “huge mistake” and “absolutely ridiculous.” Coastal Republicans, for their part, told E&E they would also oppose any offshore drilling, though at least one East Coast Republican was open to the idea — albeit with a caveat. Trump faced bipartisan opposition when he attempted a similar move in 2020, during his first term. He eventually backed down following widespread outcry amid his reelection effort. It’s unclear this time around whether lawmakers, especially coastal Republicans, will be able to stop him as intraparty opposition has largely evaporated in his second term. Moreover, any new drilling effort is likely to be met with multiple lawsuits. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida told E&E on Thursday he was opposed to new drilling off the coast of his state… “Coastal Republicans in the past have mounted stiff opposition to drilling off their coastlines, especially in states like Florida and South Carolina, where tourism is a major draw. Opposition only grew after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, which spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf. The Atlantic coast currently has no offshore oil and gas, while the Pacific has greatly scaled back its production in part due to state and federal laws to phase out or ban new offshore drilling… “Merkley’s counterpart, former Environment and Natural Resources Chair and current Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), was more terse: “We’ll do everything we can to block them,” he told E&E.”

E&E News: Green groups gird for life in Trump’s crosshairs
Scott Waldman, 10/24/25

“Bring burner phones on overseas trips. Use encrypted apps for communication. Don’t cross international borders with laptops. Beef up office security. Hire more lawyers. These are just some of the precautions that environmental groups have taken following threats by the Trump administration to investigate them — all under the auspices that organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity are part of an anti-fascist network that’s fomenting political violence,” E&E News reports. “Every environmental group contacted by E&E News denounced the use of political violence in all its forms. But at least three organizations told E&E they felt compelled to take additional safeguards in response to moves by the Trump administration against its ideological rivals and perceived political opponents… “These misguided and dangerous attacks on our First Amendment rights will ultimately fail and backfire,” Denae Ávila-Dickson, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement, told E&E… “President Donald Trump recently encouraged the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to probe groups it perceives as anti-fascist, including environmental groups… “The Riot Inc. document attempts to link dozens of left-leaning groups to what report author Seamus Bruner has called the “protest industrial complex.” “…Among the groups the Riot Inc. report claims as having links to Arabella Advisors are the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, 350.org, the Sunrise Movement, the Center for Biological Diversity and NextGen Climate.”

STATE UPDATES

Inside Climate News: Gulf South Residents and Green Groups Sue Trump and EPA Over Toxic Air Pollution Exemptions
Keerti Gopal, 10/22/25

“Frontline community groups teamed up with national environmental organizations Wednesday to sue the Trump administration for letting chemical manufacturing plants off the hook for toxic, carcinogenic air pollution,” Inside Climate News reports. “The lawsuit targets an executive action from July that gave 50 plants a two-year exemption from a Biden-era U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that tightened restrictions on cancer-causing air toxics like ethylene oxide and chloroprene. After years of fierce grassroots advocacy from communities harmed by chemical plants, the EPA enacted the 2024 HON rule—Hazardous Organic NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants)—and projected that it would reduce air pollution-related risks for communities living near these facilities by about 96 percent while cutting the industry’s emissions by more than 6,200 tons annually. The plaintiffs—which include Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Concerned Citizens of St. John and RISE St. James—say President Donald Trump’s exemption is unlawful and will increase health risks for communities in Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Illinois and other states. “For him to bring it back two more years, that means two more years of toxic pollution, two more years of us getting sick,” Sharon Lavigne, founder and CEO of the grassroots Louisiana group RISE St. James and a leading environmental justice activist, told ICN. The goal of the lawsuit is both to protect the pollution restrictions in the HON rule and to show the Trump administration that it can’t make unilateral decisions to overturn progress won through the democratic process, NRDC senior attorney Sarah Buckley told ICN.”

Leesville Leader: Vernon residents express concern with carbon capture proposals
Ashlyn Little, 10/23/25

“The wolf is at your door. What are you going to do about it?” Col. Mark Guillory, director of the Save My Louisiana Advisory Council, asked attendees of Monday night’s carbon capture and storage informational meeting in Leesville,” the Leesville Leader reports. “The meeting room was packed with concerned residents eager to hear information from speakers and learn the reasoning behind CCS — and how to stop it from coming to Vernon Parish. Gov. Jeff Landry last week signed an executive order targeting carbon capture and storage limits in a new memorandum. State Rep. Charles “Chuck” Owen, District 30, spoke at the meeting saying the state should not be able to make the decisions; the people should. Owen said he has sent multiple letters to the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Defense trying to alert them. “It concerns me deeply because I think this puts Fort Polk in danger,” Owen said. “You do not know what goes on below the ground and it’s putting Fort Polk and other federal lands in danger. State Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn, District 24, encourage residents to express their concerns with their representatives. He said in addition to the bills that were run last year, he will be trying to pass a bill to “cut the head off the snake.” “…Do not let the Police Jury make a decision to have our public hearing for these wells, if and when they come in Baton Rouge like what happened in St. Landry and do not let our police jurors make that decision. We will have it here and they will hear us,” Jon West, a scientist and member of The People of Louisiana Against Carbon Capture Sequestration.”

State Affairs: LaPolitics Q&A: Loren Scott
David Jacobs, 10/23/25

“Gov. Jeff Landry has paused consideration of new applications for carbon capture wells, though six priority projects are moving forward. How big a deal are these projects to Louisiana’s economy?,” State Affairs reports. “Louisiana economist Loren Scott: There are about $119 billion worth of projects that have been announced to be built in Louisiana, but the companies have not made a final investment decision. A non-trivial amount of that $119 billion in projects have a carbon capture and sequestration component.”

WHYY: Pennsylvania legislation aims to protect ratepayers from data center energy strain
Zoë Read, 10/23/25

“As developers and tech companies seize the potential to build power-hungry data centers in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers are considering legislation that aims to protect ratepayers from increased energy bills,” WHYY reports. “Several data centers have been planned or proposed in Pennsylvania, including a 1 million-square-foot Amazon facility in Bucks County, but the state has yet to adopt standards for the facilities. Data center proponents are touting the prospect of increased tax revenue and job creation. However, as utility bills continue to soar in the region, residents are concerned a strain on the power grid could mean higher electric bills… “The proposed legislation, HB1834, sponsored by state Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Beaver, would direct the commission to draft regulations that aim to protect ratepayers from soaring energy costs associated with data center development.”

WFSB: Remembering the BP spill that killed 11, devastated the coast 15 years ago
John Snell, 10/22/25

“On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and then sank in the Gulf about 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana,” WFSB reports. “It would later be recognized as the worst oil spill in U.S. history. It took 87 days to cap the BP-operated well, during which time millions of barrels of crude poured into the Gulf and coated miles of Louisiana’s coast. Among the hardest-hit areas was Cat Island, a string of small land masses about 30 miles south of Baton Rouge. Once a vital nesting ground for birds, including Louisiana’s state bird, the brown pelican, the island chain has now all but disappeared beneath the waves. Reporter John Snell takes an in-depth look at the impact of the spill and the solutions that helped revitalize the Gulf Coast.”

EXTRACTION

Reuters: Super-warming methane gas is being tackled too slowly, UN says ahead of COP30
Alison Withers, 10/22/25

“Almost 90% of satellite-detected methane leaks flagged to governments and oil and gas companies are not being acknowledged, the UN said Wednesday ahead of the COP30 climate talks next month,” Reuters reports. “The International Methane Emissions Observatory, which integrates over 17 satellites to observe plumes, got a 12% response rate from 3,500 alerts from leaks detected across the oil and gas sector, the report said, marking limited progress from last year’s response rate when only 1% of alerts resulted in action to prevent them… “Actions remain too slow,” Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, which oversees the observatory’s Methane Alert and Response System that remotely detects leaks of the colourless gas, told Reuters… “The report said it has documented 25 instances where a notification led to a large emissions event being fixed.”

Associated Press: What Americans think about the environmental impact of AI, according to a new poll
Jennifer McDermott, Linley Sanders, 10/23/25

“As the United States rapidly builds massive data centers for the development of artificial intelligence, many Americans are concerned about the environmental impact,” the Associated Press reports. “Worries about how AI will affect the environment surpass concerns about other industries that worsen climate change, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago… “About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the environmental impacts of AI. That’s higher than the share of Americans who are highly concerned about the environmental impact of the cryptocurrency, meat production and air travel industries, all of which contribute to climate change and cause environmental harm… “But while about half of Democrats are “extremely” or “very” concerned, so are about one-third of independents and Republicans… “Americans are more likely to think that over the next decade, artificial intelligence will do more to hurt than help the environment, the economy and society as a whole… “Americans are divided on whether AI will do more to help or hurt them personally. About one-quarter say AI will do more to help them, and about the same share say it will do more to hurt them. About half say that it won’t make a difference in their lives or that they are unsure.”

Reuters: ConocoPhillips to lay off Canada employees in November, company memo shows
Amanda Stephenson, Georgina Mccartney and Arathy Somasekhar, 10/23/25

“U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips will begin layoffs at its Canadian operations in the first week of November, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday. “…ConocoPhillips employs 950 people in Canada, according to the company’s website. “We will not be sharing area-specific workforce numbers for current or impacted employees and contractors,” ConocoPhillips spokesperson Dennis Nuss told Reuters.”

Press release: JERA to Acquire Interest in Haynesville Shale Gas Asset in Louisiana
10/23/25

“JERA Co. Inc., a global energy leader and Japan’s largest power generation company, today announced that it has — through its subsidiary JERA Americas Inc. — reached agreement with Williams and GEP Haynesville II, LLC to acquire 100% of their respective interests in the South Mansfield upstream asset located in western Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale basin. JERA will acquire its interest in the Haynesville asset, which currently produces more than 500 MMscfd and includes 200 undeveloped locations, through an upfront investment of $1.5 billion. The transaction includes a future investment plan under which JERA will increase total production to 1 Bscfd. The Haynesville Acquisition’s strategic value is supported by robust current production and proven reserves, established gathering, treating and transport infrastructure, and proximity to Gulf Coast LNG and data center hubs. The Haynesville Acquisition builds on JERA’s substantial and growing presence in the United States, including its recent announcement of the largest offtake of U.S. LNG from a single buyer — 5.5 million tonnes per year for 20 years — and the Blue Point low-carbon ammonia development project. JERA also owns, in whole or in part, 10 power generation assets across the country. “The U.S. energy sector is leading the way in the global LNG market and JERA’s investments have lined up accordingly,” said John O’Brien, JERA Americas’ chief executive officer.”

Carbon Herald: EU Carbon Storage Targets Face Major Shortfall, Wood Mackenzie Warns
Violet George, 10/24/25

“Independent analysis reveals regulatory and economic barriers could leave the EU 40% below 2030 underground carbon storage capacity goals,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The European Union’s ambitious carbon storage targets under the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) are unlikely to be met, according to new research from Wood Mackenzie. The study, commissioned by ExxonMobil, OMV Petrom, Shell, and TotalEnergies, but conducted independently, finds that Europe’s available CO2 injection capacity by 2030 will reach only 28.5 million tons per year, well below the NZIA’s 50 million ton goal. Wood Mackenzie’s analysis highlights mounting delays, permitting challenges, and weak investment signals, all of which threaten to slow the scale-up of carbon capture and storage (CCS) across the continent… “With project delays averaging over 1.5 years and EU carbon prices still well below CCS costs/tonne for capture projects, we’re seeing policy running ahead of market fundamentals and what the industry can deliver,” said Jon Story, Vice President of Energy Consulting and Head of CCS Consulting at Wood Mackenzie… “Many proposed facilities are also distant from storage sites, adding infrastructure costs that further erode feasibility.”

OPINION

The Hill: Shouldn’t polluters, not taxpayers, pay for disaster assistance?
William S. Becker previously served as a senior official in the Wisconsin Department of Justice and is currently executive director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, 10/23/25

“More than 40 U.S. cities and states have sued oil companies in recent years, attempting to recover the costs of climate-related weather disasters and mitigation measures. Eleven states have passed “climate superfund laws” with the same goal. President Trump calls these actions “ideologically motivated” and has told the Justice Department to fight them,” William S. Becker writes for The Hill. “He also wants to eliminate federal disaster programs and shift the costs of weather catastrophes to states. He apparently believes that if we ignore climate change, it will go away. It won’t. And whichever level of government takes responsibility for uninsured disaster damages, taxpayers ultimately foot the bill. There is a more equitable approach based on the “polluter-pays principle” — a sensible idea in international environmental law that says that polluters, not their victims, should pay for the damage their products cause. In the case of fossil fuels, the polluters producers, consumers and governments that subsidize them… “The polluter-pays principle is a less litigious solution that mobilizes market forces against climate-altering pollution, whose effects are expensive. The federal government currently authorizes approximately $60 billion for annual disaster relief… “Instead, Trump and Congress should redesign federal disaster relief by attaching a user fee to the price of fossil fuels and dedicating the revenues to disaster prevention, response and recovery… “The nation cannot cope with intensifying weather disasters without the federal government’s backing. Trump’s response is badly out of step with the American people and their needs.”