EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/11/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• KGMI: State lawmakers grill BP over Olympic Pipeline leak

• WUNC: Davidson County passes resolution of concern over pipeline expansion project

• Washington Informer: Local Activists Speak Out Against Washington Gas Pipeline Replacement Plan

• Bakersfield Californian: Pipeline owner asks CPUC for quick action to avoid shutdown

• Engineering News-Record: $28B Louisiana LNG Project Advances After Court Review, Fed Greenlight of Pipeline

• Press release: Trans-Alaskan Pipeline To Be Made-in-Korea Steel — CPA Raises Concern and Alarm

• Deutsche Welle: Crude oil shoots from damaged pipeline in eastern Germany

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Inside EPA: Key Senators Express Willingness To Strike Bipartisan Deal On Permitting

• Reuters: US power use to reach record highs in 2025 and 2026, EIA says

• Reuters: EIA lifts 2025 US oil output forecast to a record high as supplies swell

• Guardian: US senator calls for insider trading inquiry over Trump donors buying $12m worth of shares

• E&E News: Interior’s Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale attracts strong interest

• NBC News: Environmental group seeks to get Trump’s image removed from park passes

STATE UPDATES

• E&E News: Montana youth return to court to preserve historic climate victory

• KESQ: San Diego County Supervisors OK resolution opposing offshore drilling

• KTUU: ConocoPhillips confirms up to 12.5% North Slope layoffs as workers seek union

• E&E News: Fracking waste threatens Permian Basin water supplies, imperils oil industry plans

• Midland Reporter-Telegram: Texas carbon management roadmap takes shape with safety, permitting focus

• North Dakota Monitor: Controversial oil refinery under consideration for possible Legacy Fund investment

• E&E News: Most states slashed environmental budgets long before Trump

EXTRACTION

• Enlit: Landmark carbon capture facility at UK cement plant advances

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Brant Beacon: Alarm donation strengthens Brant’s fire safety efforts

• Milton Now: Enhanced firefighter training coming to BWG thanks to Enbridge Gas Ontario

OPINION

• Utility Dive: Permitting reform is critical to meeting our AI moon shot

• Corporate Knights: Mark Carney trades climate allies for controversial oil-patch solutions

• Resource Works: The pipeline deal is done, now industry must step up

PIPELINE NEWS

KGMI: State lawmakers grill BP over Olympic Pipeline leak
Jason Upton, 12/10/25

“State lawmakers are demanding answers following a nearly two-weeklong shutdown on the Olympic Pipeline,” KGMI reports. “U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen was among eight members of Congress who wrote a letter to BP’s North America CEO Wednesday, Dec. 10. They voiced their concerns over the latest incident in what’s been a “decades-long history” of spills along the pipeline… “BP says it recovered nearly 2,300 gallons of fuel, though there still isn’t a full estimate of how much leaked. That’s among the many questions lawmakers have for BP, along with how it plans to address any contamination and prevent it from happening again in the future. They’re asking BP to respond to the questions by Jan. 8, 2026.”

WUNC: Davidson County passes resolution of concern over pipeline expansion project
DJ Simmons, 12/10/25

“Davidson County adopted a resolution this week opposing a controversial natural gas pipeline project unless environmental concerns are addressed,” WUNC reports. “The Board of Commissioners had previously approved a resolution in 2024 supporting Transco’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. The company is seeking a permit from the state to build 10 miles of pipeline in Davidson County and expand a pumping station in Lexington. Davidson County Board Chair Karen Watford told WUNC the reversal came after residents raised environmental concerns. “We decided that, you know, not that we’re against them putting a pipeline to connect to the world that needs it beyond just North Carolina, but we just felt like we needed to stress, especially, the area of safety,” Watford told WUNC… “Davidson joins several other counties that have passed similar resolutions, including Guilford and Forsyth.”

Washington Informer: Local Activists Speak Out Against Washington Gas Pipeline Replacement Plan
Mya Trujillo, 12/10/25

“Since 2014, Washington Gas (WGL) has been working to modernize the District’s natural gas distribution system by replacing older pipelines throughout the region. Although the company claims to do so for ensured safety and reliability across the area, local climate advocates disapprove of the plan, deeming it more harmful than beneficial to residents and the environment,” the Washington Informer reports. “Washington Gas is doubling down on fossil fuel infrastructure because it helps their bottom line, despite D.C residents and leaders making it clear [that] we want to invest in the future– clean, affordable energy, not the past of dirty methane gas,” said D.C. Campaign Manager for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), Claire MIlls, at a Nov. 18 rally dissenting Washington Gas’s proposed plan… “Still under review by DCPSC, District SAFE is intended to run through December 2027 and replace or fix approximately 12 miles of mains and 3,600 service lines, costing an estimated $215 million… “While the DCPSC evaluates the plan, considering factors such as cost impacts on ratepayers and alignment with the city’s climate goals, residents and environmental advocates feel it’s unsustainable and won’t keep the city safe, unlike its name suggests, crediting this disapproval to the surcharge in energy bills and an increase in hazardous gas leaks throughout the area. “I feel that my utility bills have been getting higher,” Silver Spring resident Lauren Gygax told The Informer at the Nov. 19 rally. “My neighbors, my community and friends in D.C have been struggling with their utility bills, and I feel that continuing on with these costly gas infrastructure projects [is] not what people want. It’s not what we need.”

Bakersfield Californian: Pipeline owner asks CPUC for quick action to avoid shutdown
John Cox, 12/10/25

“The owner of the only pipeline carrying crude oil from Kern to Bay Area refineries is warning it may have to close the conduit within three months, potentially boosting imports and costing local producers tens of thousands of dollars per day, unless state regulators act fast,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “CEO Robert Waldron of CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust Inc. told the Californian California’s continuing lack of oil permits has slowed in-state production to the point the company’s San Pedro Bay Pipeline is taking six-figure losses monthly… “Waldron said Wednesday a solution is to increase the rate it charges refiners to use the pipeline, and so the company has asked the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to do so. But because the usual regulatory process can take more than two years, CorEnergy asked in June for an emergency, 59.2% rate increase that’s still under consideration… “A CPUC spokeswoman told the Californian the agency is considering the company’s emergency request. But she noted the matter may have to be resolved through other processes still going through dispute resolution after Bay Area refiners opposed rate increases CorEnergy proposed earlier.”

Engineering News-Record: $28B Louisiana LNG Project Advances After Court Review, Fed Greenlight of Pipeline
Bryan Gottlieb, 12/10/25

“Federal regulators have advanced the $28-billion CP2 LNG project in Cameron Parish, La., completing a court-mandated environmental review and authorizing construction of a key compressor station, as developer Venture Global begins work on one of the largest liquefied natural gas export terminals ever built on the U.S. Gulf Coast,” Engineering News-Record reports. “The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s early-December determination approved construction of the Moss Lake Compressor Station—an essential component of the CP Express pipeline—after the agency found that the company had satisfied all outstanding pre-construction conditions.”

Press release: Trans-Alaskan Pipeline To Be Made-in-Korea Steel — CPA Raises Concern and Alarm
12/10/25

“A proposed 807-mile natural gas pipeline intended to bring gas from Alaska’s North Slope to a new export terminal in the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska will be fabricated in Korea despite the Administration’s headline “fifty percent” steel tariff… “The Coalition for a Prosperous America is reiterating its call for the Trump administration to prioritize domestic metal fabricators, and not allow the outsourcing of critical infrastructure supply chains to foreign suppliers, putting our national security perilously at risk. The news that the trans-Alaskan pipeline will be imported from Korea further drives home the weakness of all ad valorem tariffs, as Korean large diameter welded pipe is also subject to ad valorem anti-dumping and countervailing duties. “The Glenfarne-POSCO deal for a Made-in-Korea Alaskan pipeline underscores exactly what CPA warned about: America’s industrial backbone can be hollowed out even while building out American energy infrastructure,” said Jon Toomey, President of CPA. “With the Administration limiting itself to weak ad valorem tariffs, we lose jobs, capabilities, and national-security resilience.” CPA argues that infrastructure projects, from pipelines to data centers, should drive growth in domestic steel and aluminum output, not imports.”

Deutsche Welle: Crude oil shoots from damaged pipeline in eastern Germany
Mark Hallam, 12/10/25

“Brandenburg’s state Environment Ministry warned of a “large oil spill” after a pipeline accident,” Deutsche Welle reports. “It said that emergency services were on site and that details on the size and cause of the spill were not yet available. State authorities in Brandenburg reported a major oil spill north of Berlin late on Wednesday, saying there had been an accident affecting a pipeline connecting a major oil refinery to the Baltic Sea port of Rostock… “The fire department later estimated that roughly 200,000 liters (about 52,835 gallons) of oil had escaped from the pipeline at a pumping station in Gramzow… “Trenn told DW around 100 fire department officers and some 25 company employees were working on site.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Inside EPA: Key Senators Express Willingness To Strike Bipartisan Deal On Permitting
12/10/25

“Two key Senate energy committee leaders are expressing a willingness to reach a permit streamlining deal that aids both renewable and fossil fuel projects, and are indicating lawmakers in both parties will soon exchange specific provisions, even as some Democrats are criticizing a House bill that would overhaul environmental review mandates,” Inside EPA reports. “The appraisals look beyond expected House approval as soon as next week of the so-called SPEED Act that would significantly update the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), though the timing of the chamber’s consideration is somewhat unclear as the Christmas holiday draws near… “Lee and Heinrich both expressed interest in a joint bill to encourage geothermal energy on public lands, as well as the goal of aiding permitting of power transmission lines.”

Reuters: US power use to reach record highs in 2025 and 2026, EIA says
Scott DiSavino, 12/9/25

“U.S. power consumption will hit record highs in 2025 and 2026, the Energy Information Administration said in its short-term energy outlook on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “The EIA projected power demand will rise to 4,199 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025 and 4,267 billion kWh in 2026, up from a record 4,110 billion kWh in 2024. The demand increases come in part from data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency and as homes and businesses use more electricity and less fossil fuel for heat and transportation… “The EIA said the share of power generation from natural gas would slide from 42% in 2024 to 40% in 2025 and 2026. Coal’s share will rise from 16% in 2024 to 17% in 2025 before sliding back to 16% in 2026 as renewable output rises.”

Reuters: EIA lifts 2025 US oil output forecast to a record high as supplies swell
Liz Hampton, Arathy Somasekhar, Scott DiSavino, 12/9/25

“U.S. oil production is expected to hit a larger record this year than previously expected, the Energy Information Administration said on Tuesday, as expectations mount of a global supply glut,” Reuters reports. “The agency raised its forecast for 2025 oil production by 20,000 to average 13.61 million barrels per day in 2025, the highest on record. However, the EIA lowered its forecast for total output in 2026 by 50,000 to 13.53 million bpd. The step up in this year’s U.S. production forecast adds to expectations that the oil market is heading for a supply overhang after the International Energy Agency said last month that the global oil market faces an even bigger surplus next year of as much as 4.09 million barrels per day. The Department of Energy’s statistical arm also raised its oil demand estimate by 100,000 bpd to 20.6 million bpd for 2025 and forecast that demand would be flat for 2026.”

Guardian: US senator calls for insider trading inquiry over Trump donors buying $12m worth of shares
Nina Lakhani and Joseph Gedeon, 12/10/25

“A senior Democratic senator is calling for an investigation into potential insider trading by fossil-fuel billionaires close to the Trump administration, after a Guardian investigation raised questions about an unusual share buying spree. Robert Pender and Michael Sabel, the founders and co-chairs of Venture Global, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company headquartered in Virginia, bought more than a million shares worth almost $12m each, just days after meeting with senior Trump officials in March. The meeting included Chris Wright, the energy secretary, who days later granted the company an export license essential for its expansion plans in Europe, the Guardian reported last week. “Dirty oil and gas bucks are fueling the Trump Administration, which should outrage all of us. This latest reporting portrays a pattern of pay-to-play donations and favorable actions by the administration,” Jeff Merkley, senator for Oregon and senior member of the Senate appropriations and budget committees, told the Guardian. “The timing of the stock trades certainly merits investigation for potential conflicts of interest and insider trading.” The Guardian reported the unusual share-buying spree by the billionaire Republican donors, who took the company public three days after Trump’s inauguration in January.”

E&E News: Interior’s Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale attracts strong interest
Ian M. Stevenson, 12/11/25

“An auction of U.S. offshore oil and gas leases brought in more than $279 million on Wednesday, illustrating continued interest in production in the Gulf of Mexico despite global economic uncertainty,” E&E News reports. “In all, 30 companies sent in more than 200 bids on 181 tracts in the Gulf, which President Donald Trump previously renamed the Gulf of America. Some of the world’s biggest energy companies, including BP and Chevron, were among the bidders. The day’s total for winning bids landed in the top 10 of Gulf oil and gas lease sales over the last 15 years, according to data from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Since 2016, one other sale has brought in more revenue — and it came in 2023. “The strong bidding we saw today reflects sustained industry confidence in the long-term potential of the U.S. outer continental shelf and the clear direction of this Administration to expand responsible offshore development,” Matt Giacona, acting director of BOEM, said in a news release Wednesday.”

NBC News: Environmental group seeks to get Trump’s image removed from park passes
Gary Grumbach, 12/10/25

“An environmental group wants President Donald Trump’s image removed from next year’s national park passes, and it’s suing to try to make that happen,” NBC News reports. “The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., by the Center for Biological Diversity, cited the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), saying the law, first enacted in 2004, requires the secretaries of the interior and agriculture to hold an annual photography contest to determine which photo appears on the Annual America the Beautiful Pass. But on Nov. 25, the federal lawsuit said, the Interior Department announced that next year’s pass would bear an image of Trump instead of the winner of this year’s contest: an image of Glacier National Park in Montana… “The Interior Department’s bait-and-switch betrays the expectations of the thousands of people who participate in the contest and is directly at odds with the public participation mandates of the statute. It also undermines the stability of this well-established program and the conservation, recreational, and educational outcomes FLREA provides,” they added.”

STATE UPDATES

E&E News: Montana youth return to court to preserve historic climate victory
Lesley Clark, 12/11/25

“Young Montanans who successfully sued the state for violating their right to a clean climate have reignited the legal battle by asking the Montana Supreme Court to strike down several new state laws,” E&E News reports. “In a motion filed Wednesday, the youth argue that the laws signed this spring by Gov. Greg Gianforte undermine a 2024 court decision saying that young people in the state have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. “The Legislature and the governor enacted laws not to conform to this court’s interpretation of the Constitution … but in direct contradiction of this court’s ruling,” the petition stated. The youth — represented by the Oregon-based public interest law firm Our Children’s Trust — filed the motion as a petition for original jurisdiction — which would mean the high court would be the first to hear the case.”

KESQ: San Diego County Supervisors OK resolution opposing offshore drilling
12/9/25

“The San Diego County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution today opposing oil drilling off the coast of Southern California, following the Trump administration’s plans to expand the practice,” KESQ reports. “Put forward in a board letter by Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer, the resolution states that the board “opposes any new or expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, and deep seabed mining, and urges federal and state decision-makers to permanently prohibit offshore drilling and deep seabed mining in all U.S. waters, including the Pacific Ocean off California.” The proposal also calls for Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton “to express the county’s support for (United States) House of Representatives Bill 2862, the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act,” according to a board letter. Shelton would coordinate with Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Southern California counties on a “unified, regional response needed to keep new oil drilling out of our coastal waters and protect our San Diego communities and local economy.”

KTUU: ConocoPhillips confirms up to 12.5% North Slope layoffs as workers seek union
Augusta McDonnell, 12/9/25

“ConocoPhillips has laid off 10 to 12.5 percent of its North Slope workforce, the company confirmed Tuesday, as employees at three oil fields move to form a union,” KTUU reports. “243 ConocoPhillips employees at the Kuparuk, Alpine and Willow fields have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to join United Steelworkers, citing recent staffing changes that organizers say threaten employee safety and reduced pay… “In September, ConocoPhillips confirmed plans to reduce 20 to 25 percent of its global workforce after merging with Marathon Oil Corporation… “Based on the company’s statement, that means roughly 10 to 12.5 percent of employees on the North Slope have been laid off.”

E&E News: Fracking waste threatens Permian Basin water supplies, imperils oil industry plans
Shelby Webb, 12/11/25

“There’s one thing you won’t find at the Antina Ranch: cows. That’s because test showed Antina’s main water well was tainted with contaminants such as benzene, chloride, sulfate and salt, according to the ranch’s manager. So all 150 head of cattle were moved elsewhere — and eventually sold at auction,” E&E News reports. “Visitors will find hundreds of active and inactive oil wells across 22,000 acres at Antina, about an hour southwest of Midland, Texas. Some wells were drilled decades ago, while others that no longer produce are plugged with cement. In recent years, a number of those inactive wells and others nearby have roared back to life. Geyser-like blowouts have erupted in West Texas, and underground pressures beneath the abandoned wells have swelled. The culprit — state regulators, the industry and environmental groups agree — is water, and lots of it… “Oil production in the Permian Basin of West Texas is churning out record-breaking amounts of briny, chemically laced “produced water” that comes out of the ground during fracking operations… “So much wastewater is coming up that, in some pockets of the Permian, operators are running out of places to put it. After injecting the wastewater deep underground resulted in earthquakes, Texas regulators have approved disposal wells in more shallow formations. But with record numbers of produced water being injected in the Permian, the shallower injections have come with a host of new issues, including well blowouts and ground deformation. “While a shift to shallow injection has reduced seismicity concerns, shallow injection alone is not a viable long-term solution,” said Jim Wright, chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, in an emailed response to questions from E&E. The Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas in Texas, has taken action to address concerns in recent years. Still, residents and water managers told E&E they could see more tainted groundwater and drinking water in the desert if wastewater injections continue at a high rate.”

Midland Reporter-Telegram: Texas carbon management roadmap takes shape with safety, permitting focus
Mella McEwen, 12/10/25

“Texas has numerous advantages — from power and industrial facilities to geography and a skilled workforce — that make it a prime state for carbon capture and its resulting economic and environmental benefits,” according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram. “The question is: What policies are needed to help Texas reach its potential? The Great Plains Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping develop pragmatic energy solutions, is helping develop the Texas Carbon Management Roadmap. Ryan Kammer, research manager for carbon management at the institute, detailed the efforts going into developing the roadmap, which is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of next year. He told those attending the CO2 Conference that stakeholder engagement is a vital part of the process. Those stakeholders include industry representatives, state agencies, academic and legal experts, environmental groups and community representatives… “Recommendations already include strengthening competitiveness through international export opportunities and ensuring permitting certainty and readiness. The third recommendation involves building public confidence through safety and transparency.”

North Dakota Monitor: Controversial oil refinery under consideration for possible Legacy Fund investment
Jacob Orledge, 12/11/25

“A long-stalled oil refinery proposed near Theodore Roosevelt National Park recently appeared on a short list of projects being considered for North Dakota Legacy Fund investment,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “…Now a firm responsible for investing $150 million of the state’s Legacy Fund is considering an investment in the project. Voters created the fund, recently valued at more than $13 billion, to invest state oil and gas revenue and create a lasting revenue source for the state… “GCM Grosvenor, a New York investment firm hired to manage the Legacy Fund’s investments in North Dakota projects, said in an Oct. 22 presentation to lawmakers it was considering a $10 million investment into the Meridian project… “Meridian CEO William Prentice told the Monitor the company plans to break ground on the estimated $1 billion facility in 2026… “Scott Skokos, executive director of the Dakota Resource Council that has opposed the Davis Refinery’s location 3 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, told the Monitor he thinks it would be a bad idea for the state to invest in the project that has spent a decade trying to raise the necessary funding. “That’s enough to say this is a bad investment,” Skokos told the Monitor. “They’re ignoring all the red flags.”

E&E News: Most states slashed environmental budgets long before Trump
Adam Aton, 12/10/25

“States were downsizing their environmental watchdogs long before the Trump administration began unraveling federal rules, according to a new report,” E&E News reports. “Two-thirds of states have cut staffing levels at environmental agencies over the past 15 years, and more than half have cut those agencies’ budgets, according to a report published Wednesday by the Environmental Integrity Project, a group that advocates for less pollution. That includes seven states that have cut their environmental budgets by at least one-third, adjusted for inflation, led by Mississippi (71 percent cut), South Dakota (61 percent), Connecticut (51 percent) and Alabama (49 percent). Iowa, Wyoming and Texas cut their budgets by about 33 percent. Those cuts could have profound effects on efforts to cut pollution, especially as the Trump administration cancels climate grants and rolls back environmental regulations.”

EXTRACTION

Enlit: Landmark carbon capture facility at UK cement plant advances
Pamela Largue, 12/11/25

“Engineering services firm Worley has announced that the Padeswood Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in Flintshire, UK, has officially entered the execution phase,” Enlit reports. “The project forms part of the UK’s HyNet North West cluster, and will enable Heidelberg Materials to produce evoZero – a pioneering carbon captured near zero cement – at commercial scale. The CCS facility will be delivered together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It’s designed to capture around 800,000 tonnes of CO2 annually and will eliminate nearly all of the plant’s emissions. Construction is set to begin this year, with the carbon capture facility set to be operational in 2029… “Captured CO2 will be transported via pipeline for permanent storage in depleted gas fields under Liverpool Bay.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Brant Beacon: Alarm donation strengthens Brant’s fire safety efforts
Kimberly de Jong, 12/10/25

“Members of the County of Brant Fire Department, along with representatives from Enbridge Gas Ontario and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, gathered at Paris Fire Station #1 to announce a partnership for the Safe Community Project Zero on Wednesday, December 10, 2025,” the Brant Beacon reports. “Project Zero is a public safety program backed by Enbridge Gas that aims to bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths in Ontario down to zero through education and by distributing free alarms to local residents who are most vulnerable… “This year, Enbridge Gas has made a $450,000 investment into the program, helping deliver more than 14,200 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to residents in 75 communities across the province, of which the County of Brant received 264.”

Milton Now: Enhanced firefighter training coming to BWG thanks to Enbridge Gas Ontario
Cameron Wilkinson, 12/10/25

“Enbridge Gas Ontario is helping Bradford West Gwillimbury enhance firefighter training through a contribution to the Safe Community Project Assist program,” Milton Now reports. “The program is run jointly by the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and Enbridge Gas. It provides funding to volunteer and composite fire departments for training materials. Enbridge Gas says safety is a core value for the company and that supporting emergency training helps firefighters stay prepared. This year’s $125,000 provincial investment will be shared among 25 fire departments, including Bradford West Gwillimbury, which will use its $5,000 allotment to purchase life-saving training resources.”

OPINION

Utility Dive: Permitting reform is critical to meeting our AI moon shot
Tim Tarpley is the president of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, a trade association for the energy technology and services sector, 12/10/25

“…To put it simply, we’ll need to generate enough new electricity in the next five years to power half of all U.S. homes. That herculean task will require laying thousands of miles of new gas pipelines, building transmission lines and substations, and constructing new generation facilities across the country,” Tim Tarpley writes for Utility Dive. “And we shouldn’t kid ourselves, if we don’t get it done, somebody else will. Probably China. To the winner go the spoils, and if the AI boom lives up to the hype, that winner could dominate the 21st century both economically and militarily. Right now, it takes longer to permit an energy project in America than it does to build one, thanks to overlapping reviews and endless litigation that bog down every step of the process. We’ve already ceded ground to competitors like China and Russia. They’re building and exporting energy infrastructure while we’re tied up in paperwork and waiting on signatures. The National Environmental Policy Act, passed more than 50 years ago, was meant to protect the environment. But decades of red tape have turned it into a political weapon. What was once a decision-making tool is now used to stall projects until investors walk away. That dysfunction translates directly into lost paychecks, idled rigs and higher costs for American energy. Energy service companies, the backbone of U.S. production, sit idle while projects die on the vine. Some in Washington call this a necessary tradeoff for environmental protection. But that’s a false choice. In reality, modernizing permitting helps the environment. Stalled liquefied natural gas projects push allies toward higher-emitting Russian alternatives while safer technology sits waiting for approval. That’s why the bipartisan Standardized Permitting and Expediting Development Act, also known as the SPEED Act, matters… “The choice before Congress is simple. Stick with the status quo: paralysis by paperwork, idled workers and ceded ground to our adversaries. Or pass meaningful reform, unleash American energy, workers and technology and prove we still fight for us. We can still do what others think is impossible.”

Corporate Knights: Mark Carney trades climate allies for controversial oil-patch solutions
Mark Mann, 12/10/25

“On November 27, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to try to get a pipeline built from the oil sands to the coast of British Columbia,” Mark Mann writes for Corporate Knights. “The “grand bargain,” as Smith dubbed it, introduces two sets of promises: Ottawa commits to opening every door it can to pump heavy diluted bitumen to tidewater, so long as a private backer and Indigenous partners get on board; and oil companies will spend billions to reduce upstream greenhouse gas emissions and earn their barrels the moniker “low carbon” – something climate experts say is little more than a pipe dream… “Asked if the federal government should invest in decarbonization in high-emitting industries, Carney said, “I’m suggesting we should run towards that, because that, in the end, is going to have the highest impact on the climate.” As promised, Carney has now stamped his approval, and his reputation, on so-called decarbonized oil and the infrastructure to move it… “So-called decarbonized oil hinges on the deployment of expensive technology to snatch carbon from smokestacks and pump it underground, known as carbon capture and storage, or CCS. While there are many CCS projects already operating around the world, albeit mostly for methane gas processing rather than oil, the technology has not been proven at scale as a reliable climate solution. Critics point out that it is costly, inefficient and unlikely to ever exist independently of government subsidies. Whether CCS turns out to make sense economically, the marketing belies the fact that oil cannot be decarbonized. It is made of carbon, and you still need to burn it to use it, which is when most of the pollution is released. The word “decarbonization” exists to set the widest possible frame around what reducing carbon dioxide emissions can mean. In this case, it means roughly 10% to 20% of the full life-cycle emissions of a barrel, and those reductions come at such a high price that any market for it is conjectural at best.”

Resource Works: The pipeline deal is done, now industry must step up
Geoff Russ, 12/10/25

“Last month, Ottawa and Edmonton finally did their part. With Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith signing a landmark MOU that ties a new West Coast pipeline to the Pathways carbon capture network, the remaining uncertainty now sits with private industry,” Geoff Russ writes for Resource Works. “The agreement is intentionally blunt. The bitumen pipeline to a deep-water British Columbia port, designed to move about one million barrels a day to Asian markets, will proceed only if the Pathways Plus carbon capture and storage system is built… “In recent years, the Pathways Alliance has edged towards a final investment decision while Ottawa and Alberta sweetened the pot with a 50 per cent federal investment tax credit and a 12 per cent provincial grant, as detailed in both government statements and Calgary business coverage on the project’s “fish or cut bait” year. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has warned it is time to move, and former oilsands executive Martha Hall Findlay has called Pathways “by far the largest emissions-reduction success story in Canadian history” that is “at risk.” “…The Fraser Institute notes that Alberta is signing on to an ambitious net-zero 2050 agenda while accepting higher carbon costs and an expensive technology whose track record at scale remains uncertain… “If this package cannot get a pipeline and CCUS network built, it is hard to imagine what will. That is why the biggest variable now is private industry… “If the Pathways partners now inflate the complexity of their own commitments, chase gold-plated designs or insist on still richer subsidies, they risk collapsing the bargain they spent years lobbying to achieve. The smarter strategy is simpler. Meet the obligations clearly on the table, design the first phase of Pathways to be robust but not extravagant, and lock in the regulatory certainty and market access that this deal offers, as legal observers at McCarthy Tétrault have noted. Perfectionism is the enemy here. In a world of tight LNG markets and rising data-centre demand, doing the minimum required to honour this deal would be more than enough to finally get another West Coast pipeline built.”