EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/15/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• E&E News: Trump administration cancels pipeline safety research

• E&E News: House passes pipeline permitting legislation

• Reuters: US House passes bill to fast-track natural gas pipeline permitting

• Florida Politics: Committee rejects Debbie Wasserman Schultz language protecting Everglades from pipeline fast-track

• Davidson Local: Commissioners pass resolution urging federal and state regulatory commissions to address pipeline concerns

• KCLU: The battle over some Santa Barbara County oil facilities returns to the county for a major decision

• Energies Media: Blackcomb Pipeline, a 2.5 Bcf/d Permian–South Texas connector, aims for 2026 commissioning

• RBN Energy: Plan to Expand Eiger Express Gas Pipeline Shows Confidence in Growth Scenario

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Westerman’s permitting bill nears its moment of truth

• Associated Press: Lawsuit challenges the approval of an exploratory drilling program in Alaska petroleum reserve

• E&E News: Republican bid to overhaul ESA returns to spotlight

• Associated Press: Trump administration delays decision on federal protections for monarch butterflies

• New York Times: The Oilman Who Pushed Trump to Go All In on Fossil Fuels

STATE UPDATES

• Bloomberg: Toxic water from Texas oil production is set to be treated and pumped into rivers

• Colorado Public Radio: State regulators delay approval of 32 new oil and gas wells near the Aurora Reservoir

• Los Angeles Times: L.A. County sues oil companies over unplugged oil wells near Baldwin Hills

• E&E News: California releases initial corporate climate disclosure rules

• Omaha World-Herald: New OPPD study says coal is safe in North Omaha but experts raise doubts

• Wisconsin Public Radio: Lawsuit seeks release of expected energy demand from Meta data center in Beaver Dam

• Oklahoma Farm Report: Texas Spotlight: Carbon Capture and EOR Gain Momentum in the Permian Basin

• Inside Climate News: Phillips 66 is Closing its LA Refinery this Month. Neighbors Still Don’t Know if the Company Will Pay for the Cleanup.

• Louisiana Illuminator: Before Trump slashed EPA, Louisiana pared back staff, funding at its environmental agency: report

EXTRACTION

• Financial Times: Mark Carney’s fossil fuel pivot bewilders climate experts and business leaders

• Canadian Press: Alberta-Ottawa agreement on methane targets stokes dismay for some, relief for others

• Agence France-Presse: France updates net-zero plan, with fossil fuel phaseout

• Texas Geosciences: Optimal Incentives for Carbon Capture and Enhanced Oil Recovery

• The Times of London: Drax plans up in smoke as it chops carbon capture unit in half

• Globe and Mail: U.S. start-up teams up with Canadian producer to launch carbon capture study in Alberta’s oil sands

OPINION

• Inforum: Eco-terrorists, Doug?

• Utility Dive: CCS generation projects are coming. New ways to track and claim their emissions must follow.

• Guardian: Carbon capture was spruiked as a way of limiting our emissions – but has Australia been greenwashed?

PIPELINE NEWS

E&E News: Trump administration cancels pipeline safety research
Mike Soraghan, 12/15/25

“Federal officials have quietly canceled research into the dangers of pipelines carrying carbon dioxide and hazardous substances, according to a safety watchdog group,” E&E News reports. “Researchers at Texas A&M University had been looking into how far people should be from ruptured pipelines to be safe. But in September, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which was funding the work, canceled the research. It was one of nine safety-related projects PHMSA canceled this year, according to the watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust. The projects, which cost a combined $7 million, included not just research on pipelines’ potential impact radius, but also on the safety of hydrogen pipelines and corrosion, a leading cause of pipeline accidents. “It’s hard to understand why these projects were killed,” Bill Caram, executive director of the Bellingham, Washington-based nonprofit, told E&E. “PHMSA is a safety agency and each of these projects would have improved public safety.” The cancellations mean the public won’t see research that appeared mostly done and that taxpayers already paid for, he told E&E… “…Paul Blackburn, an attorney for the pipeline opposition group Bold Alliance, told E&E he suspected PHMSA canceled the safety research because it looked bad for the pipeline industry. “What is PHMSA hiding?” he told E&E in a phone interview. “We don’t know how far the CO2 is going to travel. In Satartia, people were dropping to the ground a mile away.” The Pipeline Safety Trust told E&E canceling the research projects leaves people living near various types of pipelines in the dark about the hazard they face. “PHMSA’s own language says these were canceled due to a change in priorities — not cost, not performance, not completion,” Caram told E&E. “PHMSA needs to fulfill its mandate to the American people and resume this life-saving work.”

E&E News: House passes pipeline permitting legislation
Andres Picon, 12/12/25

“The House approved legislation Friday morning intended to speed up approvals for interstate natural gas pipelines,” E&E News reports. “The “Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act,” H.R. 3668, from Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), passed 213-184. Sponsors say the bill would empower the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to accelerate pipeline reviews by making FERC the lead agency in charge of pipeline approvals and promoting collaboration among agencies in considering permits. Hudson said on the House floor that his bill “would guarantee we protect the environment, ensure we protect public health and lower energy costs.” Democrats opposed the bill in committee, arguing that it would undermine the process for considering natural gas project applications at the expense of private property owners, state and tribal interests. House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) criticized the legislation before the vote, saying it would do nothing to lower electricity costs and calling it “an outright assault on our nation’s environmental laws.”

Reuters: US House passes bill to fast-track natural gas pipeline permitting
Valerie Volcovici, 12/12/25

“The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted 213-184 to pass a bill that aims to speed up federal permitting of interstate natural gas pipelines by designating the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency in the process,” Reuters reports. “The Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act gives the agency the authority to weigh water quality assessments in its environmental review process instead of having to wait for a separate certification under the Clean Water Act from states, which has prolonged the permitting process. The bill is one of several pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up permitting in Congress. Another bill called Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today also passed with bipartisan support… “These bills help unlock the infrastructure America needs to meet growing demand for affordable, reliable energy,” American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers told Reuters.”

Florida Politics: Committee rejects Debbie Wasserman Schultz language protecting Everglades from pipeline fast-track
Jacob Ogles, 12/12/25

“Legislation streamlining pipeline approvals will head to the House floor without any exemptions for Florida waterways,” Florida Politics reports. “Florida Democrats say an amendment shot down by the U.S. House Rules Committee could have protected the Everglades from energy exploration. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, pushed for a change in language in the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (HR 3668) during Committee proceedings. That bill, filed by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, would expedite review of natural gas or liquified gas pipelines by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Wasserman Schultz’s amendment to the bill would have excluded the Everglades and other Florida navigable waters from that change, still requiring extensive review to put a pipeline through Florida’s largest national park. However, the Rules Committee did not allow the amendment to come to a vote.”

Davidson Local: Commissioners pass resolution urging federal and state regulatory commissions to address pipeline concerns
Sharon Myers, 12/12/25

“The Davidson County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution urging federal and state regulatory commissions to address concerns about the proposed expansion of the Transcontinental natural gas pipeline through Davidson County,” Davidson Local reports. “The resolution, which was passed on Dec. 8, urges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to “meaningfully address safety and environmental concerns” regarding the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project… “Several people spoke at the commissioners’ meeting in support of the resolution. “Thank you for passing a resolution of concern and asking that it be done responsibly, environmentally safer,” said Jeneen Orioli, who lives near the compressor station near Lexington. “We, the residents, bear the biggest burden in our health, in our quality of life and our property values being reduced and our utility bills being increased. Do not add insult to injury by supporting this project without taking into consideration safer alternatives. Expansion is inevitable but let’s do it in a way that protects the people and the planet.” “I stand with the concerned citizens who are voicing their opinion on the Transco pipeline and the dangers to air quality in particular the danger to those individuals who have already compromised immune systems, as well as, our children who deserve to play in a safe environment without toxins going out affecting their breathing,” said Rev. Alan Suber, president of the Davidson County NAACP. The resolution asked the state and federal regulatory agencies to conduct “comprehensive environmental reviews” and determine whether proposed projects are in the public interest including the health, safety, environmental, economic, and quality-of-life concerns raised by Davidson County residents. It also asked for a comprehensive Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act that evaluates all potential risks and alternatives to the proposed pipeline project, including a “no action” alternative… “Davidson County is the fifth governing body to adopt a resolution of concern on this project, following Midway, Guilford County, Forsyth County and Greensboro.”

KCLU: The battle over some Santa Barbara County oil facilities returns to the county for a major decision
Lance Orozco, 12/12/25

“The battle over a company’s efforts to restart a shuttered oil pipeline and some oil platforms in Santa Barbara County will be back in the spotlight on Tuesday,” KCLU reports. “The fight is over efforts by Sable Offshore Corporation to reopen the pipeline, which ruptured on the Gaviota Coast in 2015, resulting in an oil spill of more than 140,000 gallons. Sable bought the pipeline and the platforms from ExxonMobil. The county must approve the ownership transfer because it involves the transfer of key county operating permits for the facilities… “In October, Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to deny the ownership change. They asked staff to come back with the wording for the decision. A final vote is set for Tuesday… “In its federal filings, Sable officials have stated that if they cannot obtain approval to use the pipeline, they may use ocean tankers to transport the oil to facilities for processing.”

Energies Media: Blackcomb Pipeline, a 2.5 Bcf/d Permian–South Texas connector, aims for 2026 commissioning
12/14/25

“…With the increased output expected in the US market due to the new focus from the federal government, 2026 is looking good for the US energy market,” Energies Media reports. “The Blackcomb Pipeline project was specifically designed to transport up to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day through an astonishing estimated 365 miles of 42-inch pipeline that will run from the Permian basin to processing facilities in South Texas. The supply of gas that will run through the Blackcomb Pipeline will be sourced from several operations in the Permian Basin. Notably, WhiteWater, a US-based energy company, has formed a joint venture that already owns and operates the Whistler Pipeline to develop the Blackcomb Pipeline. The WPC Joint Venture brings WhiteWater together with Targa Resources to hopefully reach a final investment decision on the planned Blackcomby Pipeline next year… “The plan, according to the joint venture, is to reach a final investment decision on the Blackcomb Pipeline project after it has secured a number of agreements with predominantly investment-grade shippers, including: Devon Energy Corporation; Diamondback Energy Inc; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Targa Resources.”

RBN Energy: Plan to Expand Eiger Express Gas Pipeline Shows Confidence in Growth Scenario
Housley Carr, 12/15/25

“If you have any lingering doubt that Permian natural gas production and Gulf Coast LNG exports will continue rising, consider this: Between late August and late November, a WhiteWater Midstream-led team received enough incremental shipper interest in its planned 2.5-Bcf/d Eiger Express Pipeline that it upsized the project’s capacity to a whopping 3.7 Bcf/d,” RBN Energy reports. “ In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the expansion plan — which includes a rare long-haul run of 48-inch-diameter pipe — and the extraordinary gas supply and demand growth that’s driving it. It was only three months ago that we looked at the then newly announced plan for Eiger Express (dashed dark-blue line in Figure 1 below), which at the time was expected to add 2.5 Bcf/d of takeaway capacity from the Waha Hub and Midland Basin to the Katy, TX, area by mid-2028. That plan still stands, but the team developing the greenfield pipeline alongside the existing 490-mile, 42-inch, 2.5-Bcf/d Matterhorn Express Pipeline (dark-green line) said on November 24 that, due to a new round of long-term commitments from shippers, they plan to swap out Eiger Express’s previously planned 42-inch pipe for 48-inch pipe, install more compression, and add 1.2 Bcf/d to the facility’s capacity between mid-2028 and mid-2029.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Westerman’s permitting bill nears its moment of truth
Kelsey Brugger, 12/15/25

“House Republican leaders are barreling ahead with taking up Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman’s big permitting legislation even as a handful of detractors threaten to tank the effort,” E&E News reports. “The ‘SPEED Act,’ which would overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act project approval process, is supposed to be part of broader bipartisan negotiations on permitting. It includes demands the GOP has been making for decades … Westerman has relentlessly argued H.R. 4776, the ‘Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act,’ is technology-neutral, and proponents say the bill may do much more for oil and gas projects than a handful of wind projects… “The conservatives and offshore wind opponents, meanwhile, want to do the exact opposite: strike the language added in committee. They also want to exempt offshore wind from provisions meant to limit NEPA lawsuits.”

Associated Press: Lawsuit challenges the approval of an exploratory drilling program in Alaska petroleum reserve
Becky Bohrer, 12/11/25

“Conservation groups and an Iñupiat-aligned group sued Thursday to overturn the recent approval of an exploratory drilling program in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, saying it was improperly analyzed by the federal government and could harm caribou and important habitat areas,” the Associated Press reports. “The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved a one-year program proposed by ConocoPhillips Alaska last month that included seismic surveys aimed at helping identify oil and gas reserves and plans to drill four exploration wells. Activities would occur near existing ConocoPhillips Alaska developments, including the large Willow oil project, the lawsuit states… “There has been longstanding debate over how much of the petroleum reserve — which covers an area roughly the size of Indiana — should be open for development. President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to roll back limits on drilling and protections enacted during the Biden administration, and a law passed this year calls for the first lease sales in the reserve since 2019.”

E&E News: Republican bid to overhaul ESA returns to spotlight
Jennifer Yachnin, 12/15/25

“The House Natural Resources Committee will push forward this week with its effort to reform the Endangered Species Act,” E&E News reports. “…Westerman will offer an amended version of his proposal, which would update the 50-year-old landmark environmental law to address GOP criticisms that the law is used to block mining and drilling… “Among its major changes, Westerman’s proposal would also make it more difficult to demonstrate a project would cause harm, or ‘jeopardy,’ for an affected species… “The bill would require an analysis of the economic impact or impacts to national security on any proposal to designate or revise ‘critical habitat’ for listed or threatened species.”

Associated Press: Trump administration delays decision on federal protections for monarch butterflies
Todd Richmond, 12/12/25

“President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed a decision on whether to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies indefinitely despite years of warnings from conservationists that populations are shrinking,” the Associated Press reports. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced during the waning days of then-President Joe Biden’s term in December 2024 that the agency planned to add the beloved backyard pollinator to the threatened species list by the end of 2025, calling the insect “iconic” and “cherished across North America.” But the Trump administration quietly listed the effort as a “long-term action” in a September report on the status of federal regulatory initiatives from the Office of Management and Budget. The designation does not mean the administration has blocked the fish and wildlife service from making the decision, only that it will not come within the year that began in September… “His administration moved in November to roll back blanket protections for threatened animals and plants, requiring government agencies to instead craft species-specific rules, a potentially lengthy process. Other proposals call for bypassing species protections for logging in national forests and on public lands.”

New York Times: The Oilman Who Pushed Trump to Go All In on Fossil Fuels
Eric Lipton and Rebecca F. Elliott, 12/12/25

“The executives dining at the White House to celebrate President Trump’s $300 million ballroom — and their role in financing it — were a who’s who of American industry. Many hailed from companies that are household names, like Microsoft, OpenAI and Comcast. Seated among them was Harold G. Hamm, the 13th child of Oklahoma sharecroppers and founder of an oil company, Continental Resources, that is little known outside of energy circles,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Hamm is a wildcatter, an oil prospector who drills wells in unproven areas, taking big bets that can turn into black gold or financial ruin… “But with Mr. Trump back in power, Mr. Hamm is, too. The alliance between the two — a soft-spoken oilman with no college degree and a onetime New York real estate developer — is now playing a big role in American energy. Together, they have remade federal policy to benefit oil and gas companies, including Mr. Hamm’s Continental, and put off the transition to greener alternatives like solar power and batteries. Mr. Hamm was among Mr. Trump’s earliest oil industry backers, and that loyalty — paired with more than $2 million in campaign contributions — has earned him outsize influence. Mr. Hamm, who turned 80 this month and recently adopted the title of chairman emeritus as he stepped back at Continental, has used that influence to position loyalists for top administration jobs. They include Chris Wright, a longtime fossil fuel executive and a former director of an oil-industry lobbying group that Mr. Hamm co-founded. Mr. Wright is now Mr. Trump’s energy secretary. The Interior secretary job went to Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor and close ally of Mr. Hamm’s whose family has leased land to Continental for drilling. Mr. Trump’s return to the White House is paying off handsomely for Continental, which has said it expects to benefit from expanded tax breaks. The company also recently secured long-sought permits from the Trump administration to drill for oil and natural gas in Wyoming… “Other oil and gas executives share many of Mr. Hamm’s priorities. But unlike those who have invested in renewables to some degree, Mr. Hamm is a proud oil and gas fundamentalist. Now, his black-and-white view of energy — which puts fossil fuels at the center of the American story — has become mainstream again.”

STATE UPDATES

Bloomberg: Toxic water from Texas oil production is set to be treated and pumped into rivers
David Wethe and Kevin Crowley, 12/13/25

“Texas is about to deploy a potential solution to the oil industry’s toxic wastewater problem — but it’s a move that carries environmental risks of its own.” Bloomberg reports. “State regulators are working to issue permits that would let four companies, including major landowner Texas Pacific Land Corp. and pipeline operator NGL Energy Partners LP, release treated wastewater from the Permian Basin into the Pecos River near New Mexico, regulatory filings show. At least one could be granted as soon as the first quarter of 2026, according to Texas Pacific. Oil and gas wells in the Permian, the largest U.S. shale basin, generate 21 million barrels per day of water laden with salt, chemicals and heavy metals. Drillers have been disposing of most of that fluid by pumping it back underground, a practice that has triggered earthquakes and leaks. The proposed projects would be the first in a new generation of Permian treatment plants that would clean the industry’s wastewater, allowing it to be jettisoned above — rather than below — the ground. If successful, they could reduce underground disposal and provide water to irrigate crops and cool data center equipment… ”Regulators have yet to prove such releases are safe amid growing concern about their effects on human health and ecosystems. “It’s really dangerous,” Virginia Palacios, executive director at the Texas government watchdog Commission Shift, told Bloomberg. She doubts whether oil companies and state regulators can be trusted to fix an environmental liability they created in the first place. “The main problem has been that the industry is always looking for shortcuts,” she told Bloomberg. A Bloomberg News investigation in September found that Texas allowed oil and gas companies to increase the volume of wastewater pumped into shallow underground reservoirs, even though state regulators were warned by their own staff that the fluid could leak to the surface from old wells.”

Colorado Public Radio: State regulators delay approval of 32 new oil and gas wells near the Aurora Reservoir
Ishan Thakore, 12/10/25

“State regulators voted to delay a plan to drill 32 new oil and gas wells near the Aurora Reservoir on Wednesday, after nearly a year of sustained community opposition,” Colorado Public Radio reports. “Colorado’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) voted 4-1 to postpone approving the State Sunlight/Long development plan, proposed by the oil company Civitas and its subsidiary Crestone Peak Resources. The delay, known as a “stay,” followed months of public comments, as well as several days of testimony and deliberations. Residents cited health and safety impacts, proximity to schools and homes, climate change and other concerns in nearly 900 public comments. More than 250 people attended a public meeting in September, where residents and their children urged regulators to modify or deny the plan. “Please move it, protect us and keep harm away,” said one 10-year-old from an Aurora elementary school in September. The plan originally proposed building a new well pad less than a mile from the nearest homes in Aurora. But after Wednesday’s vote, the commission directed Crestone to analyze a different location for the well pad, which could be further away from homes. Crestone seemed optimistic that after submitting additional information, they’d be able to win state approval.”

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County sues oil companies over unplugged oil wells near Baldwin Hills
Hayley Smith, 12/11/25

“Los Angeles County is suing four oil and gas companies for allegedly failing to plug idle oil wells in the large Inglewood Oil Field near Baldwin Hills,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court charges Sentinel Peak Resources California, Freeport-McMoran Oil & Gas, Plains Resources and Chevron U.S.A. with failing to properly clean up at least 227 idle and exhausted wells in the oil field. The wells ‘continue to leak toxic pollutants into the air, land, and water and present unacceptable dangers to human health, safety, and the environment,’ the complaint says… “The goal of this lawsuit is to force these oil companies to clean up their mess and stop business practices that disproportionately impact people of color living near these oil wells,” County Counsel Dawyn Harrison said in a statement.”

E&E News: California releases initial corporate climate disclosure rules
Alex Nieves, 12/11/25

“California air regulators released draft regulations for the state’s nation-leading climate disclosure laws Tuesday that would require companies to start reporting their carbon emissions in August and establish a fee structure to fund the programs,” E&E News reports. “The California Air Resources Board published narrow rules that would mandate corporations with at least $1 billion in annual revenue to start reporting carbon emissions connected directly to their operations and energy purchases — known as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions — by Aug. 10, 2026. The initial reporting requirement does not include emissions related to global supply chains, a component of SB 253 that the agency has delayed to 2027. And CARB reiterated that companies won’t face penalties for incomplete data in their initial reports. The draft regulations also propose a flat fee that CARB would divide evenly among businesses subject to SB 253 and SB 261, which requires corporations with at least $500 million in global revenue to publish their climate-related financial risks.”

Omaha World-Herald: New OPPD study says coal is safe in North Omaha but experts raise doubts
Julie Anderson, 12/15/25

“Shortly after publicly proposing to continue burning coal at its North Omaha power plant, the Omaha Public Power District released a health risk assessment indicating that the station does not pose a significant risk to human health or to the environment,” the Omaha World-Herald reports. “The study separately notes that air quality in the Omaha area — like Nebraska as a whole — meets or exceeds federal ambient air quality standards for pollutants, including ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, and a newly revised standard for tiny airborne particles. Utility officials told OWH they commissioned the study to make sure they — and the utility’s eight elected board members — have the best possible information about potential impacts of the plant’s operations on the plant’s employees and neighbors. The proposed delay in converting the North Omaha units to natural gas-fired plants, however, has sparked objections from some residents and others over the past several months. And some researchers who have studied health risks from coal-burning recently questioned some aspects of the study that OPPD commissioned… “A vote on the proposal could come as soon as Thursday’s monthly board meeting. The board has delayed phasing out coal once before. Coal-burning at the plant was to have ended in 2023. But the board voted in 2022 to put off the conversion until at least 2026, in large part because it faced a regional backlog in getting replacement power connected into the grid… “Residents and other concerned citizens in recent months have urged OPPD to stick to its promise to end coal generation at the North Omaha plant… “Residents have long been concerned about the area’s higher-than-average rate of asthma deaths. On Wednesday, four researchers who have studied health risks from coal-burning questioned several parts of the OPPD-commissioned study.”

Wisconsin Public Radio: Lawsuit seeks release of expected energy demand from Meta data center in Beaver Dam
Joe Schulz, 12/10/25

“An environmental group is trying to force state utility regulators to release records showing the expected energy demand from a data center campus being developed in Beaver Dam by social media giant Meta,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. “Midwest Environmental Advocates, a nonprofit law center, filed a lawsuit against the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Wednesday after the agency denied an open records request seeking unredacted documents. The lawsuit argues that the Public Service Commission, or PSC, unlawfully denied the records request and is withholding public records. An agency spokesperson declined to comment, saying it’s the PSC’s policy not to comment on pending litigation. The suit comes as data center developments across the state have environmental groups concerned that skyrocketing energy demand from those projects could derail efforts to move away from fossil fuel-generated power plants. A recent analysis by nonprofit Clean Wisconsin found that Microsoft’s data center campus in Mount Pleasant and a data center campus being developed in Port Washington would use more power than all of the homes in Wisconsin.”

Oklahoma Farm Report: Texas Spotlight: Carbon Capture and EOR Gain Momentum in the Permian Basin
12/15/25

“Kyle Haustveit, assistant secretary for the hydrocarbons and geothermal energy office at the U.S. Department of Energy, urged attendees at the annual. CO2 Conference to continue their work,” according to the Oklahoma Farm Report. “Your work keeps the U.S. strong and prosperous and raises standards of living,” he said during his virtual appearance at the conference. He urged attendees to continue collaborating and navigating challenges to find solutions to carbon capture and storage issues and bring their expertise before policymakers… “Chuck McConnell, executive director at the University of Houston Center for Carbon Management in Energy, sees this as a pivotal moment for carbon capture and its use in enhancing oil recovery. “The interest in EOR has never been stronger than it is today. This conference bears that out — it’s an exciting time. There will be business opportunities in West Texas and other parts of the world,” he said. Utilizing captured CO2 to improve oil production has a business purpose as well as an environmental purpose. “Without both, you don’t have a winning proposition,” he said. That carbon dioxide should be utilized, not buried or stored, and using it to increase oil production is the most obvious, productive solution, McConnell said. For those concerned about the environmental footprint, he pointed out that “oil produced from CCUS-EOR is the lowest carbon intensity oil produced in the world. It will be better oil than anywhere else from an environmental standpoint. EOR will advance American security and affordability.”

Inside Climate News: Phillips 66 is Closing its LA Refinery this Month. Neighbors Still Don’t Know if the Company Will Pay for the Cleanup.
Blanca Begert, 12/9/25

“When Morgan Gonzalez first learned, in October 2024, that the Phillips 66 refinery in Wilmington, California, would close at the end of this year, he felt a mix of emotions. For almost 100 years, Gonzalez’s family has lived in the Wilmington community near the Port of Long Beach, suffering from asthma and other respiratory issues that they attribute to truck traffic and the five refineries that surround the small neighborhood,” Inside Climate News reports. ““I don’t want to understate the impact that this refinery closure will have for our health,” Gonzalez, an advocate with the environmental justice group Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), told ICN. “It’s a big change for the community.” But his excitement has been largely overshadowed by concerns about how the cleanup will proceed. The refinery sits atop a subterranean “lake of hydrocarbons,” buried hazardous waste and groundwater contaminated with toxic chemicals like benzene, tertiary butyl alcohol and PFAS that have seeped into nearby aquifers. Phillips 66 has yet to disclose the full costs for water and soil remediation and whether it has set aside the funds to cover them… “Owners of other energy infrastructure, like nuclear reactors, oil wells and wind farms, are required by their regulators to formulate decommissioning plans in order to operate, Ann Alexander, an environmental consultant who released a new report Tuesday on the risks posed by Phillips 66 and other California refineries as they shut down, told ICN. In many cases, they’re required to provide financial assurances up front to cover cleanups. “Refinery closures are badly regulated compared to other industries,” Alexander, who was previously a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council for 17 years, told ICN. “The extent of the contamination, the magnitude of the cost of cleanup and the source of funds to pay for it are pretty black boxed right now.”

Louisiana Illuminator: Before Trump slashed EPA, Louisiana pared back staff, funding at its environmental agency: report
Elise Plunk, 12/12/25

“As the Trump administration sheds staff and funding at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a new analysis places Louisiana among states that have notably slashed their pollution regulation resources even as industry expands,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “The report from the Environmental Integrity Project evaluated staffing and changes in operating budgets at Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality and comparable agencies in other states. From 2010 through 2024, the numbers show the agency’s personnel count decreased 24% with 222 positions eliminated from the agency. The department’s budget shrank 26% over the 14-year period, pulled from an analysis of public records provided by the department. “These cuts increase the risk that residents will face higher levels of pollution, especially if the EPA lacks the funding and capacity to do its job,” Environmental Integrity Project executive director Jen Duggan said Wednesday during a news conference for the report’s release. “In Louisiana, we feel them deeply,” said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade who also took part in the news conference… “The staffing cuts at Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality are “among the most of any state,” according to the report. Other standouts included Mississippi, which reduced its environmental agency funding 71% from 2010 to 2024. On the other end of the spectrum is California, which increased its environmental operating budget by 364% over the same 14 years.”

EXTRACTION

Financial Times: Mark Carney’s fossil fuel pivot bewilders climate experts and business leaders
Ilya Gridneff in Toronto and Kenza Bryan, 12/13/25

“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s embrace of fossil fuels to counter US trade hostilities is undoing his legacy in sounding an early alarm on climate change, say those once aligned with the former UN climate envoy,” the Financial Times reports. “Since taking office this year, Carney has scrapped Canada’s consumer carbon tax, courted the oil and gas sector and axed a scheme to boost electric vehicle sales in response to US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. In recent weeks, Carney has also signed a deal to produce an extra million barrels of crude oil a day after pledging to double Canada’s liquefied natural gas production for new markets in Asia. Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault quit Carney’s cabinet in protest, while two founding members of the federal government’s Net Zero Advisory Body also resigned. “I could not compromise anymore and I fear we are heading in the wrong direction,” Guilbeault told the Financial Times. Climate experts and figures from business and finance told FT Carney’s decisions show how far national sovereignty and short-term energy concerns in the Trump era now outweigh action on global warming… ““Betting heavily on unproven massive-scale CCS [carbon capture and storage] and a cleaner-oil narrative while accelerating production . . . seems like a gamble with global emissions targets, and with the credibility of net zero by 2050. Gambling with firm science does not seem smart to me,” Paul Polman, the former Unilever chief executive who champions responsible capitalism, told FT. “

Canadian Press: Alberta-Ottawa agreement on methane targets stokes dismay for some, relief for others
Lauren Krugel, 12/14/25

“The prospect of building a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast has garnered most of the attention since Ottawa and Alberta announced their sweeping energy accord late last month, but another item has left environmentalists dismayed and energy industry players pleasantly surprised,” the Canadian Press reports. “The federal and provincial governments have agreed to extend by five years the timeline for the oil and gas sector to reduce its methane emissions. Draft federal regulations had called for a cut of 75 per cent from 2012 levels by 2030… “The existing draft methane proposed laws put down by the federal government are completely unworkable. They’re not even close to being practical or realistic,” Tristan Goodman, president of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, told CP… “Alison Bailie, a senior research associate with the Canadian Climate Institute’s 440 Megatonnes policy progress tracker, told CP she was “puzzled” by the change. She has previously written that finalizing the federal government’s regulations released in draft form in 2023 would be an “easy win for climate progress.” “…Alexandra Mallett, associate professor at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, was also wondering why Ottawa and Alberta saw the need to lengthen the timeline, especially since there was so much consultation around the draft regulations. “One could say, ‘Of course, the election of (U.S. President Donald) Trump — that’s a change,’” she told CP.”

Agence France-Presse: France updates net-zero plan, with fossil fuel phaseout
12/12/25

“France released on Friday a revamped roadmap to become carbon neutral by 2050, with an ambitious plan to phase out oil and gas,” Agence France-Presse reports. “The updated strategy was unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the landmark climate accord designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep global warming well below 2C, with efforts toward 1.5C… “France’s updated National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC-3) foresees the end of oil use between 2040 and 2045. Fossil gas would be phased out by 2050. It also aims to boost electricity’s share of energy consumption to 55 percent by 2050, up from 37 percent in 2023, largely through renewables. While the government released the updated strategy, Greenpeace activists dumped orange paint on the cobblestone roundabout of the Arc de Triomphe, with one protester holding a sign reading “10 years of climate sabotage”… “The government hopes 15 percent of cars will be electric by 2030 and that aeroplanes will be the only mode of transport emitting CO2 in France by 2050.”

Texas Geosciences: Optimal Incentives for Carbon Capture and Enhanced Oil Recovery
12/13/25

“Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) combined with enhanced oil recovery can help energy production and reduce carbon emissions. But new research shows that it is unlikely to be economically viable and environmentally beneficial without the right economic incentives,” Texas Geosciences reports. “The practice involves using anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) to inject into oil fields to help extract oil and store the carbon dioxide underground. Researchers found that uniform incentive systems, such as the current 45Q tax credit system, don’t lead to the best environmental outcomes. This study focused on the interplay between economic and environmental outcomes and found that a tiered, performance-based incentive that was sensitive to oil prices and the cost of acquiring CO2 offered the best results.“

The Times of London: Drax plans up in smoke as it chops carbon capture unit in half
Jim Armitage, 12/13/25

“Drax, the owner of Britain’s biggest power station, is cutting more than half of its global division specialising in the controversial green technology known as carbon capture and storage,” The Times of London reports. “The company, which switched its North Yorkshire power plant from burning coal to wood pellets in the 2010s, is scaling back its carbon capture operations as critics have become increasingly sceptical about their viability. A cull of about 100 staff will hit jobs at both the main Drax group and its Elimini carbon capture business in the UK and America. It marks a significant climbdown from Drax’s hopes that by now it would be the world leader in the technology. In 2022 the company said it could be creating “tens of thousands” of jobs in carbon capture from 2024… “The company claims that, if it can capture the carbon it emits and bury it permanently underground, it would become “carbon negative” — removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits. However, many experts doubt carbon capture can be done economically at anything like the scale needed. Environmental research group Ember, which has long been opposed to burning biomass, recently calculated that Drax would require subsidies of £30 billion to fund the carbon removal technology it requires. It argued that the money would be better spent on heat pumps, wind and solar power and upgrading the National Grid.”

Globe and Mail: U.S. start-up teams up with Canadian producer to launch carbon capture study in Alberta’s oil sands
Emma Graney, 12/15/25

“A Boston-based start-up, whose technology can cut the cost of carbon capture in half, is targeting Alberta’s oil sands, launching an engineering study for a commercial-scale project with an unnamed Canadian producer,” the Globe and Mail reports. “Mantel Capture Inc.’s foray into the oil and gas sector comes at a time of renewed interest in carbon capture and storage. The technology received a significant boost under the energy accord signed last month by Ottawa and Alberta that included a plan for construction of the Pathways Project. The massive CCS effort would create a 400-kilometre pipeline to transport carbon emissions to an underground storage hub. The accord aims to have the project built by 2040… “The company’s new partnership in the oil and gas sector is a significant step-up in scale, designed to capture roughly 60,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. While that represents only a fraction of the 70 megatonnes of emissions produced by Alberta’s oil sands each year, it would, if successful, demonstrate how CCS could be used in the sector.”

OPINION

Inforum: Eco-terrorists, Doug?
Rob Port, 12/12/25

“…I’m very supportive of the data centers being constructed in North Dakota — I think Burgum is right that our state is well-situated to alleviate the impact on power prices with our abundant capacity to produce power from coal, gas and even wind — but it is wildly unfair to refer to people concerned about rising power prices, who aren’t convinced that the answer to increased demand is more fossil fuel power, as terrorists,” Rob Port writes for Inforum. “They may be wrong, but they’re not extremists… “Do data center companies want their issue to be another abortion or gun rights, where Democrats are automatically opposed and Republicans are automatically in favor? And while the fossil fuels industry has largely already achieved that status, do they really want to make it worse? Our country is already suffering because our politics are so polarized that policies on things like energy, abortion, gun rights, and perhaps now data centers, swing wildly depending on which political party won the last election… “Burgum’s sort of hateful bombast may be great for cable news ratings, and it may further endear him to Trump, and maybe that’s all he cares about any more. Whether that’s the case or not, it’s bad leadership, though, unfortunately, many Americans, including millions and millions of voters from both ends of the political spectrum, define good leadership simply as the red team beating the blue team, and vice versa. They reward this stuff with their approval, and their votes, even as we all suffer the side effects of the resulting discord.”

Utility Dive: CCS generation projects are coming. New ways to track and claim their emissions must follow.
Iain Kaplan is a partner and Gustaf Michaelson is a senior analyst at the NorthBridge Group consulting firm, 12/12/25

“Many climate experts believe that new technologies are needed to achieve deep electric sector decarbonization, whether carbon capture and storage, new nuclear, advanced geothermal, long-duration energy storage or other emerging sources. In particular, CCS-equipped power plants may be an appealing decarbonization option, given their dispatchable nature, support from federal incentives like the 45Q tax credit and ability to scale,” Iain Kaplan and Gustaf Michaelsen write for Utility Dive. “The recently announced Broadwing project in Decatur, Illinois, as well as those in Baytown, Texas, and southeastern Wyoming are among those that could usher in a wave of new CCS generation. Given projections for AI-related demand growth, this would be a welcome development. Because carbon capture and disposal entail significant costs, CCS projects will not advance without regulatory mandates that create greater value for their low emissions output. While federal 45Q tax credits provide significant contributions toward CCS project economics, to date this has not proven sufficient to spur widespread adoption of CCS. Clean energy buyers who are willing to pay a premium for low-carbon, firm electricity may be a key force in enabling the viability of CCS projects, but these buyers will need a way to claim the low-carbon attributes of this electric supply… “Nonetheless, a standardized attribute for CCS-equipped electricity generation will allow clean energy buyers to engage with new forms of low-carbon, dispatchable electricity, and developers can monetize these attributes in support of project economics. We are hopeful that this work can meaningfully advance the viability of projects that contribute to the deep decarbonization of an electric grid.”

Guardian: Carbon capture was spruiked as a way of limiting our emissions – but has Australia been greenwashed?
Adam Morton, 12/13/25

“The US energy company Chevron describes it as the world’s largest industrial carbon dioxide injection project of its kind. But it has a problem. It still isn’t working as promised and the results are getting worse,” the Guardian reports. “The $3bn Gorgon carbon capture and storage (CCS) development, on Barrow Island off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, was supposed to start operating in 2016, backed by $60m in federal government funding. Chevron and its partners in the project, including Shell and ExxonMobil, said it would capture up to 4m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from an underwater gas field each year and inject it in a reservoir more than 2km beneath the island. It was supposed to cut the direct greenhouse gas emissions from the Gorgon liquified natural gas (LNG) development by 40%. Nearly 10 years on, this is yet to happen… “Data released by Chevron last month revealed only 1.33m tonnes was injected under Barrow Island last financial year, down from 1.59m tonnes in 2023-24, and 1.72m tonnes the year before. Critics say it is further evidence that CCS is not delivering, despite billions of dollars in funding commitments over decades, and even as industry and political leaders – including the Australian government and opposition – back it as an answer to limiting heat-trapping emissions from fossil fuels… “Kevin Morrison, an analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told the Guardian whatever the cause, the development is now only half as effective as it was five years ago and is getting “worse by the year”. “The results are obviously underwhelming. It just calls into question the viability of all CCS projects at scale,” he says… “But experts have doubts about how effective it can really be. Climate advocates and some analysts say CCS has in practice been little more than greenwashing – used to justify fossil fuel expansion despite only a tiny proportion of emissions being captured and stored. According to a recent report by the Global CCS Institute, there are 77 CCS projects in operation. About half are for “enhanced oil recovery”, which means the greenhouse gas is pumped underground to help extract more oil, a process that further adds to the climate crisis.”