EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/23/25

(Note to readers: The next edition of “Extracted” will be published on Monday, Jan. 29.)

PIPELINE NEWS

• Pipeline & Gas Journal: MVP Southgate Pipeline Secures FERC Approval for Revised Route, Capacity

• E&E News: Army Corps outlines path to keep Dakota Access running

• Savannah Morning News: A pipeline will cut through Georgia. Whose land will be taken?

• Alaska Public Media: Is the Alaska gasline a pipe dream? Skeptics flag concerns

• Press release: North Carolina DEQ Approves Water, Air Permits for SSEP

• Minnesota Public Radio: Enbridge, DNR reach $2.8M agreement to resolve Line 3 aquifer breach

• Grist: The Bad River Band is suing to protect its wild rice from an oil pipeline

• WLUK: Evers extends Wisconsin energy emergency amid pipeline issues, high demand

• OK Energy Today: STACK Pipeline eminent domain case returns to Oklahoma court

• Resource Works: What are the odds of a pipeline through the American Pacific Northwest

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Senate Democrats threaten permitting talks over offshore wind

• Inside EPA: House Approves NEPA Overhaul Bill, But Senate Future Remains In Doubt

• Inside EPA: Environmentalists Sue DOI Over NEPA Rule Repeal Curbing Public Input

• E&E News: Enviros sue Interior, alleging NEPA violations on energy projects

• E&E News: Trump administration reopens territory in NPR-A to oil drilling

• Carbon Herald: New Treasury And IRS Guidance Addresses 45Q Carbon Capture Credit Risks

• Deseret News: Utah senator pulls amendment that caused stir over national parks management

• Courthouse News Service: New sage grouse plans trigger legal threat from conservationists

• Press release: BLM extends regulatory deadlines for oil and gas leases

STATE UPDATES

• Bloomberg: States Struggle to Echo Vermont, New York Climate Superfund Laws

• Louisiana Illuminator: Environmentalists sue Louisiana officials over reissued Commonwealth LNG permit

• E&E News: Judge indicates she’ll likely restore California hydrogen funding

• Alaska Beacon: Dunleavy administration may divert federal oil revenue from North Slope

• Capital B News: Roseland Fights for Relief After a Billion-Dollar Oil Disaster

• Texas Tribune: One year after a deadly train wreck, a West Texas town awaits help to avoid more tragedy

• KERA: Texas environmental agency struggles with backlogs after years of budget cuts, study finds

• Colorado Sun: Colorado air quality protections cut greenhouse gases by 70%, new study from environmental group shows

• Canary Media: Georgia’s lame-duck utility commission OKs massive, pricey gas buildout

• Inside Climate News: In Murphy’s Final Weeks, NJ Climate Advocates Race to Lock in 100 Percent Clean Power

• Gothamist: NY climate advocates celebrate rare good news after Gov. Hochul nixes gas hook-up rule

EXTRACTION

• Journal of Petroleum Technology: Exxon Eases Up on Low-Carbon Push

• E&E News: Green fuel company slashes workforce as tax credits dwindle

• Brandon Sun: Carbon-capture project ‘very exciting,’ but community buy-in needed: Kinew

CLIMATE FINANCE

• E&E News: Betting on climate failure, these investors could earn billions

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• WV News: Mountaineer Food Bank Receives $40,000 Grant from TC Energy for Veterans Program

OPINION

• Common Dreams: Trump and Congress Just Gifted Big Oil a Multimillion Dollar Stocking Stuffer

PIPELINE NEWS

Pipeline & Gas Journal: MVP Southgate Pipeline Secures FERC Approval for Revised Route, Capacity
12/22/25

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved an amendment to modify the route, pipe diameter and gas-carrying capacity of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate, a project that would extend the Mountain Valley Pipeline into North Carolina,” Pipeline & Gas Journal reports. “…The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is expected to issue a decision on a Clean Water Act Section 401 permit within the next two months, followed by a review from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Opponents of the project have argued that the changes approved by FERC are significant enough to require a new application rather than an amendment to the certificate originally issued in 2020. They also point to competing pipeline proposals in the region, including Williams Companies’ Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, which is undergoing a separate FERC review… “FERC got it wrong, and Southgate will harm Virginia and North Carolina waterways and communities,“ said Jessica Sims, Virginia Field Coordinator at Appalachian Voices. “For years, MVP Southgate has not moved forward and has been denied multiple permits, resulting in developers abandoning their original plans and proposing what can only be considered a totally new project,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Co-Founder of 7 Directions of Service… “Other critics raised concerns about permitting processes, project costs and potential impacts on ratepayers, while reiterating opposition to new natural gas infrastructure in the region.”

E&E News: Army Corps outlines path to keep Dakota Access running
Carlos Anchondo, 12/23/25

“The Army Corps of Engineers has released a final environmental review for a segment of the embattled Dakota Access pipeline, providing a path for keeping the oil conduit operating,” E&E News reports. “In an environmental impact statement, the Army Corps’ Omaha District last week recommended an option in which an easement is granted for Energy Transfer’s Dakota Access pipeline to continue crossing below Lake Oahe. It includes additional conditions meant to protect the reservoir’s environmental resources. While Dakota Access has been operational since 2017, a federal judge in 2020 said the Army Corps needed to prepare a more robust environmental analysis, later vacating the easement for the Lake Oahe crossing and ordering the line drained of oil. While a federal appeals court declined in 2021 to halt the flow of oil through the pipeline, the court affirmed the order vacating the easement. Now, the final environmental review for the Lake Oahe crossing has identified one of five options as the Army Corps’ “preferred alternative.” Under that alternative, the Army Corps would grant the requested easement to “cross federal property at Lake Oahe with additional conditions and modifications that intend to further reduce the likelihood, intensity, and duration of a release” of oil, the review said.”

Savannah Morning News: A pipeline will cut through Georgia. Whose land will be taken?
Jillian Magtoto, 12/23/25

“For 30 years, Perry Wells has overseen 200 acres of forested land in the rural community of Bolingbroke, Monroe County, Ga.,” the Savannah Morning News reports. “…But some of the land isn’t quite stable. Bare strips of orange-tinged dirt run through the trees, cleared for two gas pipelines buried before he arrived. Decades of rains have carved the earth into trenches and gullies that move water quickly through the property. To his dismay, soils slide over hills and settle into swamp… “Now, another challenge looms: another gas pipeline that may cut a mile through 10 acres of his land and uproot more trees holding the soil together. The proposed pipeline is the South System Expansion 4 (SSE4), a $3 billion joint project between Southern Natural Gas (SNG) and Elba Express Company (EEC), both owned by energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan that transports nearly half of the nation’s natural gas… “About a third of 1,800 land tracts have already been acquired, according to Kinder Morgan Vice President of Public Affairs Allen Fore… “And like other pipelines, the SSE4 project defers to FERC’s land-taking rules. Once approved, the project can acquire land via eminent domain… “The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has stepped in as an intervener to SSE4 on behalf of Alabama Rivers Alliance, Black Belt Women Rising, Energy Alabama, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and a local landowner… “Wells makes clear his desire not to escalate the issue. He notes that some landowners are pursuing legal challenges, but said simply, “I haven’t joined in with that group.“ He is reluctant to take a stance against the project. “I’m already resigned that the pipeline will go through,” Wells told SMN. “But I don’t want to create any issues and stand as an adversary.”

Alaska Public Media: Is the Alaska gasline a pipe dream? Skeptics flag concerns
Wesley Early, 12/22/25

“For decades, Alaska officials have dreamed of a pipeline that would ferry natural gas hundreds of miles from the North Slope to an export terminal in Cook Inlet,” Alaska Public Media reports. “Over the years, the state has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into designing and permitting for the project, which is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars to construct. While President Trump has framed the pipeline as a centerpiece to his plans for “unleashing” the country’s energy, there are many questions surrounding the mega project, including whether there’s a large enough market for the gas it would carry and what kind of environmental impact it could have. Reporter Lois Parshley recently wrote about the project for the nonprofit news outlet Grist. She says despite many backers saying the time to build the pipeline is now, there’s still a lot of skepticism… “Lois Parshley: The short answer is, there isn’t yet much hard evidence that this project will pay off at the scale that’s being promised. To start, there are no binding, long term contracts with overseas buyers. Costs for steel and construction have continued to rise, and global LNG markets are becoming more competitive and uncertain as countries accelerate a transition away from fossil fuels. So there’s a big question about whether this project is economically viable, and if it does move forward anyway, if Alaska will face cost overruns that leave both state ratepayers and federal taxpayers on the hook.”

Press release: North Carolina DEQ Approves Water, Air Permits for SSEP
12/20/25

“Today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has approved the water and air permits for Transco’s proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline. The NCDEQ approved the air permit on Dec. 18 and the water permit on Dec. 19. The SSEP project includes 55 miles of new pipeline proposed by Williams Transco that would run through Virginia and North Carolina, and also includes compressor station expansions. The pipeline would cross more than 150 streams and wetlands in North Carolina, using methods that can degrade water quality, pollute drinking water sources and harm habitat for aquatic species. The proposed route crosses both Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake watersheds, which together supply drinking water to more than 1 million North Carolinians and serve as a recreational area for residents across the state. The decision to approve these permits ignored the input from five impacted municipalities, which passed resolutions expressing concern and opposition to the SSEP over the past six months. These include the town of Midway, Guilford County, Forsyth County, the city of Greensboro, and Davidson County. In response, the Sierra Club and partners released the following statements: “At every opportunity, North Carolinians have spoken out against SSEP,” said Chris Herndon, Director of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club. “More than 750 people urged NCDEQ to deny the water permit for this project — and several of the impacted counties and towns have passed resolutions opposing it. NCDEQ has chosen to ignore this clear opposition to this unnecessary and dangerous pipeline that would damage our streams, rivers, and air, putting the profits of companies like Transco ahead of the wellbeing of North Carolinians… “Environmental harm is already high in the communities where Transco proposes to construct its Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, a proposal which puts our air, clean drinking water, rivers, and streams at risk for generations,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck of 7 Directions of Service. “NCDEQ’s decision to grant SSEP’s air and water permits ignores widespread public opposition and concern for health and safety. We’ll keep raising our voices against SSEP, and the dangerous policies that put corporate profit over community wellbeing.”

Minnesota Public Radio: Enbridge, DNR reach $2.8M agreement to resolve Line 3 aquifer breach
Kirsti Marohn, 12/22/25

“Canadian company Enbridge has agreed to a nearly $3 million settlement for piercing a groundwater aquifer while building the Line 3 oil pipeline in northern Minnesota,” Minnesota Public Radio reports. “The state Department of Natural Resources said it reached the agreement with Enbridge over the aquifer breach that was discovered in 2022 near Swatara in Aitkin County. It was one of several places along the Line 3 route where pipeline workers pierced aquifers, causing groundwater to flow to the surface… “As part of the resolution, Enbridge agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties, $100,000 for ongoing monitoring and $1.2 million toward environmental projects to benefit natural resources. The company will also set aside $1.2 million in financial guarantees to address any future impacts of the breach… “Enbridge also paid more than $11 million to address three other breach sites, near Clearbrook in Clearwater County, LaSalle Creek in Hubbard County and the Fond du Lac Reservation in St. Louis County.”

Grist: The Bad River Band is suing to protect its wild rice from an oil pipeline
Miacel Spotted Elk, 12/23/25

“…But those ricing waters are under threat as the Canadian oil transport company Enbridge looks to reroute its controversial pipeline, Line 5, through prime harvesting areas,” Grist reports. “Now, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, one of six Ojibwe bands in northern Wisconsin, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, to stop construction. “For hundreds of years, and to this day, the Band’s ancestors and members have lived, hunted, fished, trapped, gathered, and engaged in traditional activities in the wetlands and waters to be crossed by the project,” the lawsuit says… “In 2019, the Bad River Band sued Enbridge to cease operations on their land, ordering the company to remove its pipeline from the reservation. In 2023, a federal judge backed the nation, ruling that the company had three years to remove its property from the reservation and pay a $5.1 million fine for trespassing. The tribe said the proposed 41-mile addition would impact at least 70 different waterways as Enbridge will need to use explosives and horizontal drilling to build the extension. “Oil and gas contribute to pollution in a number of ways, and the Trump administration is focused on energy dominance,” Gussie Lord, a member of the Oneida Nation and an attorney at Earthjustice, told Grist “It’s cut out renewable energy from the equation to the extent it can, and it just really feels like a backward-looking playbook to me.” “…Gussie Lord of Earthjustice told Grist litigation is going to be an uphill battle, but adds that the Bad River Band believes it’s their responsibility to protect the area’s watershed and environment. “We need people who are going to be thinking about what makes sense, for the future, not just 10 years from now, but 50 years, 100 years from now.”

WLUK: Evers extends Wisconsin energy emergency amid pipeline issues, high demand
Ashley Kaster, 12/22/25

“Governor Tony Evers extended the energy emergency in the state of Wisconsin,” WLUK reports. “Earlier this month, Evers signed an executive order to waive certain state and federal restrictions amid a pipeline disruption coupled with high demand for residential heating fuel, including heating oil and propane. According to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s Office of Energy Innovation, multiple suppliers continue to report challenges with having to drive further distances to collect needed products.”

OK Energy Today: STACK Pipeline eminent domain case returns to Oklahoma court
12/22/25

“Eight years after two major energy firms created an oil pipeline company to transport crude oil from northwestern Oklahoma to the Cushing hub, the LLC struggled first in a Logan County District Court over its use of eminent domain to acquire the land and second with a state appeals court,” OK Energy Today reports. “The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals recently ruled in the lengthy court battle involving Stack Pipeline LLC and more than a dozen landowners who fought the eminent domain. The Court eventually upheld some of the decisions by Logan County District Court Judge Phillip C. Corley but reversed others and sent the fight back to district court.”

Resource Works: What are the odds of a pipeline through the American Pacific Northwest
Geoff Russ, 12/22/25

“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is signalling she will look south if Canada cannot move quickly on a new pipeline, saying she is open to shipping oil to the Pacific via the U.S. Pacific Northwest,” Resource Works reports. “In a year-end interview, Smith said her “first preference” is still a new West Coast pipeline through northern British Columbia, but she is willing to look across the border if progress stalls. “Anytime you can get to the West Coast it opens up markets to get to Asia,” she told RW. Smith also said her focus is building along “existing rights of way,” pointing to the shelved Northern Gateway corridor, and she said she would like a proposal submitted by May 2026… “If Smith is floating an American outlet, it is partly because Pacific Northwest ports are already drawing Canadian exporters… “But the political terrain in Washington and Oregon is unforgiving for fossil fuel projects, even for natural gas… “Even when a project clears regulators, economics can still kill it… “For Smith, the U.S. corridor talk may be leverage, but it also underscores a risk, the alternative could be tougher than the Canadian fight she is already waging.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Senate Democrats threaten permitting talks over offshore wind
Kelsey Brugger, Nico Portuondo, 12/22/25

“Top Senate Democrats assailed the Trump administration’s decision to halt five offshore wind projects, charging that the “illegal attacks” on renewable energy projects must be reversed for high-stakes permitting talks to continue,” E&E News reports. “Democrats have made similar threats in the permitting discussions before, but a statement Monday from Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) may be the strongest yet. “There is no path to permitting reform if this administration refuses to follow the law,” said the senators, who are working with EPW Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and ENR Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) on a broad permitting and grid deal by next year. The Interior Department’s announcement it will pause and review projects already under construction, citing national security risks, comes a week after House GOP leaders struck a deal with conservatives and offshore wind foes to pass bipartisan permitting legislation… “The administration defended the new pause as necessary to protect “the national security of the American people” because of potential radar interference from wind turbines… “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told E&E, “Trump’s obsession with killing offshore wind projects is unhinged, irrational, and unjustified. At a time of soaring energy costs, this latest decision from DOI is a backwards step that will drive energy bills even higher.”

Inside EPA: House Approves NEPA Overhaul Bill, But Senate Future Remains In Doubt
12/18/25

“The House has approved legislation aiming to speed National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, though its fate in the Senate faces serious doubts as only a handful of Democrats supported the bill after conservatives secured provisions that would enable Trump officials’ continued attacks on renewable energy projects,” Inside EPA reports. “…More broadly, a social media account for the House Natural Resources Democrats reflects broad concerns with the bill. The Democrats argue the legislation would ‘gut’ NEPA protections, ‘rig the game for oil, gas and mining companies, and limit communities’ ability to challenge projects.”

Inside EPA: Environmentalists Sue DOI Over NEPA Rule Repeal Curbing Public Input
12/19/25

“Environmentalists are suing the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its sub-agencies over their actions to repeal longstanding National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules allowing public participation in environmental reviews for projects on public lands, charging the action, which itself did not allow for public comment, is unlawful,” Inside EPA reports. “…The July 3 interim final rule rescinded most of DOI’s NEPA regulations including procedures on public involvement in the preparation of environmental assessments (EAs) and environmental impact statements (EISs), the suit says. The rule cited as its basis President Trump’s Jan. 29 ‘Unleashing American Energy’ Executive Order, which said, ‘all agencies must prioritize efficiency and certainty above all other objectives.’ “…DOI sub-agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, with 245 million acres of land and 30 percent of the nation’s minerals; the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with 1.76 billion acres of federal offshore land; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with more than 96 million acres of land including more than 570 wildlife refuges and more than 760 million acres of submerged lands; and the National Park Service, which manages 433 national parks and monuments over 85 million acres.”

E&E News: Enviros sue Interior, alleging NEPA violations on energy projects
Heather Richards, 12/19/25

“Environmental groups sued the Trump administration Thursday over an interim Interior Department rule for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, arguing that a hard look at environmental impacts required by the landmark 1970 law is being squelched as energy projects advance,” E&E News reports. “The lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accuses the department of cutting public input long required under NEPA and violating the Administrative Procedure Act by advancing its interim rule for NEPA… “Under the Interior interim rule, the Bureau of Land Management has assessed the environmental impacts of coal leasing in Wyoming and Montana, as well as oil drilling in Nevada, without giving the public an opportunity to weigh in, the lawsuit argues.”

E&E News: Trump administration reopens territory in NPR-A to oil drilling
James Bikales, 12/23/25

“The Interior Department on Monday approved a plan that would reopen more than 80 percent of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to oil and gas leasing,” E&E News reports. “The status of the so-called Integrated Activity Plan for the reserve has ping-ponged between administrations over the last decade. Monday’s move restores a plan issued in 2020 under the first Trump administration that opened much of the 23-million-acre petroleum reserve to drilling. As part of the process, Interior’s Bureau of Land Management published a new environmental assessment and held a 14-day comment period to evaluate any “new circumstances and information that had emerged since 2020.” “This updated plan is a major step forward in restoring the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to the purpose Congress intended,” acting BLM Director Bill Groffy said in a statement.”

Carbon Herald: New Treasury And IRS Guidance Addresses 45Q Carbon Capture Credit Risks
Vasil Velev, 12/22/25

“The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have released new guidance aimed at keeping the federal carbon capture tax credit functioning smoothly through a period of regulatory uncertainty, offering a temporary compliance pathway for companies claiming the incentive in 2025,” the Carbon Herald reports. “…If the EPA does not launch its electronic reporting system for 2025 data by June 10, 2026, taxpayers will be permitted to prepare an annual report and submit it instead to a qualified independent engineer or geologist. That third party must certify that the carbon capture and storage activity complies with greenhouse gas reporting requirements as they stood at the end of 2025. Industry organization Carbon Capture Coalition welcomed the announced by saying: “We are pleased to see Treasury and IRS act with urgency to issue a safe harbor to allow taxpayers who capture and store carbon in dedicated saline geologic formations to claim the tax credit for the taxable year 2025… “The safe harbor applies only to carbon oxide that is disposed of in secure geological storage and not used for enhanced oil or gas recovery. Treasury said taxpayers may rely on the notice until more detailed regulations are issued, including new rules governing measurement and verification standards… “The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of the 45Q program itself. Earlier this week, two policy groups, Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Heartland Institute, urged the IRS to tighten oversight of the credit, warning that weak verification could expose taxpayers to rising costs without proven climate benefits. The groups pointed to past audits showing that most credits were claimed by a small number of taxpayers and that large sums were paid out without sufficient proof that carbon dioxide remained securely stored.”

Deseret News: Utah senator pulls amendment that caused stir over national parks management
Kevin Lind, 12/19/25

“Congress is haggling over appropriation bills this week for federal departments like the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior. Those bills create annual budgets, but also include a variety of language that can have significant effects as they become law. Which is why there was some uproar this week when Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, proposed an amendment to the Interior’s 2026 appropriation bill that would strike language stipulating that all National Park Service land remain as part of the park service,” Deseret News reports. “…Lee’s amendment would have stripped that section from the bill. But after two days of consideration and misconceptions, he removed the amendment late Thursday — allowing Collins’ language to stand — so that the bill had more time to be considered and colleagues’ concerns could be addressed… “This is a blatant and tone-deaf attack on America’s public lands. With this amendment, Mike Lee is telling President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that even our national parks can be sold to the highest bidder,” Aaron Weiss, the deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, told Deseret News. “Our parks are the legacy that we pass along to our kids and grandkids, not lines on a balance sheet.”

Courthouse News Service: New sage grouse plans trigger legal threat from conservationists
Monique Merrill, 12/22/25

“The Trump administration on Monday released final land-use plans concerning imperiled sage grouse habitat across eight western states to criticism from conservationists,” Courthouse News Service reports. “Trump’s reckless actions will speed the extinction of greater sage grouse by allowing unfettered fossil fuel extraction and other destructive development across tens of millions of acres of public lands,” Randi Spivak, public lands policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told CNS. The conservationists told CNS the new plans strip protections from 4.3 million acres of sage grouse habitat and eliminate a warning system designed to detect declines in local populations… “The Center for Biological Diversity says it intends to sue the Trump administration over the new plans.”

Press release: BLM extends regulatory deadlines for oil and gas leases
12/19/25

“The Bureau of Land Management has extended two regulatory enforcement deadlines to provide relief and predictability to operators with oil and gas leases on public lands. These deregulatory actions are intended to provide additional time for operators to meet requirements included in oil and gas regulations finalized in April 2024, while further deregulation by the BLM is considered. Under the previous administration’s Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process Rule, the statewide minimum bonding requirement for operators was increased from $25,000 to $500,000. The BLM has extended the phase-in deadline for compliance with the minimum amount for statewide oil and gas bonds by one year. The deadline for compliance will now be June 22, 2027. This one-year extension aligns the statewide bonds deadline with individual lease bond phase-in date, simplifying implementation, reducing confusion, and giving operators additional time to adjust to the new financial assurance requirements. Earlier this week, the BLM extended the Biden administration’s deadlines for the measurement and sampling of flaring volumes and the filing of leak detection and repair programs for applicable leases. The BLM is providing operators with an additional year to have measurement devices and sampling in place for flares flowing between 1,050 and 6,000 mcf/month. The rule extends the compliance deadline to Dec. 10, 2026, allowing operators additional time to implement necessary equipment and procedures to meet these requirements. These actions reflect the Department of the Interior’s commitment to providing regulatory certainty, supporting economic growth, and advancing the American Energy Dominance Agenda.”

STATE UPDATES

Bloomberg: States Struggle to Echo Vermont, New York Climate Superfund Laws
Allison Prang, 12/22/25

“States’ efforts this year to force major polluters to pay for climate change damages were largely unsuccessful, with some lawmakers running up against oil producers or waiting for lawsuits against New York and Vermont, the first states to pass such laws, to get resolved,” Bloomberg reports. “Around 10 states proposed some type of climate superfund legislation in 2025, according to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. Most of the activity took place in Democratic-led states including California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Maine. None of the bills that would make polluters pay for their emissions advanced far, which some of the bills’ sponsors attribute to different factors. The lack of advancement of the legislation adds to an already tough year for climate superfund policies. The Trump administration and others have sued New York and Vermont over their climate superfund laws passed in 2024. And in at least one instance, those legal challenges are weighing on efforts to pass climate superfund legislation elsewhere. “What we’re seeing is a little hesitancy to jump out ahead of the active litigation,” Massachusetts State Rep. Steven Owens (D), who’s sponsored a climate superfund bill multiple times, told Bloomberg… “Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C., are all working on climate superfund bills, Cassidy DiPaola, communications director for Fossil-Free Media’s Polluters Pay campaign, which has been pushing the legislation across states, told Bloomberg.

Louisiana Illuminator: Environmentalists sue Louisiana officials over reissued Commonwealth LNG permit
Elise Plunk, 12/18/25

“Environmental groups are yet again challenging Louisiana regulators in their decision to reissue a previously suspended permit for a liquified natural gas export facility in Cameron Parish,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “The Sierra Club, Turtle Island Restoration Network and Louisiana Bucket Brigade filed a lawsuit in Louisiana’s 38th Judicial District against the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy. The environmental groups say that the agency “violated its constitutional, statutory and regulatory duties,” as well as the court’s previous judgment when it reissued a permit for the construction of Commonwealth LNG’s export facility on the coast of Cameron Parish. ​​“We are objecting to this permit because it was hastily reissued and did not give the judge’s valid concerns the genuine scrutiny they deserved,” Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, told the Illuminator. “The communities who would be impacted by Commonwealth LNG have made it very clear that this project is not needed and not wanted,” Eric Huber, Sierra Club managing attorney, told the Illuminator. Huber told the Illuminator the Department of Conservation and Energy “is attempting to shrug off its responsibility” by relying on studies done by other agencies— the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission— rather than doing its own analysis.”

E&E News: Judge indicates she’ll likely restore California hydrogen funding
Alex Nieves, Eric He, 12/19/25

“A federal judge indicated during a hearing Thursday that she was leaning toward restoring canceled federal funding for hydrogen energy and other climate-related projects awarded to University of California researchers,” E&E News reports. “U.S. District Judge Rita Lin, of the Northern District of California, told attorneys for the University of California and the Trump administration that the university system’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking Department of Energy funding cuts mirrored an earlier request to restore other lost research grants that she approved. Lin in September ordered the administration to restore over $500 million in research funding to UC campuses, writing that the decision was “likely arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of federal law that dictates how federal agencies must operate. She said Thursday that DOE’s October move to slash energy grants, including those through the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems program, followed the same pattern.”

Alaska Beacon: Dunleavy administration may divert federal oil revenue from North Slope
James Brooks, 12/19/25

“Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration is proposing to divert money from a program intended to compensate North Slope communities for the side effects of oil and gas drilling on federal land near them,” the Alaska Beacon reports. “…The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Impact Mitigation Grant Program sends millions of dollars from the federal government to North Slope communities each year… “More important for the short term, the Act contains a clause stating that ‘for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2033, 50 percent (of federal-land oil revenue) shall be paid to the State of Alaska.’ “…As a result, the Alaska Department of Law is determining whether the state may choose to keep that money for direct uses instead of sending it to communities, the OMB official told the Beacon.”

Capital B News: Roseland Fights for Relief After a Billion-Dollar Oil Disaster
Adam Mahoney, 12/17/25

“Four months have passed since a Louisiana oil facility burst apart, spewing a dense black sludge that drifted across homes, farms, and waterways as far as 50 miles away,” Capital B News reports. “Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice and Louisiana environmental regulators have filed a sweeping lawsuit against Smitty’s Supply, the company that ran the facility storing oil and vehicle lubricants. But residents in the majority-Black town are skeptical that they’ll benefit from the $1 billion federal lawsuit. Much of that belief stems from the fact that despite repeated calls for help, the black goo still clings to walls, roofs, and soil of more than half of the town’s properties, according to Van Showers, the mayor of Roseland, Louisiana. “People want to know when they’re going to receive help, and there is nothing to make them think that this process would lead to that,” Showers, who works at a local chicken processing plant and has struggled financially through the clean-up process, told Capital B. That skepticism is rooted in hard experience — and in a broader history of environmental racism that has left Black communities shouldering disproportionate burdens. The gap has left residents in a state of prolonged uncertainty about their water, their health, and whether the legal action unfolding in distant courtrooms will ever reach their homes. It is a familiar pattern, particularly in Louisiana, where environmental disasters have consistently hit Black and low-income communities hardest while leaving them last in line for recovery. Initially, residents in the town, where the average person earns just $17,000 per year, were told to clean up the mess themselves… “As far as the lawsuit, I don’t think it’s going to benefit the community,” Showers told Capital B.”

Texas Tribune: One year after a deadly train wreck, a West Texas town awaits help to avoid more tragedy
Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Casandra Martin, 12/18/25

“…By the time the three came to, the frenzy of the aftermath had begun to set in. People in nearby downtown trickled out of stores. First responders, police officers, the sheriff and his deputies swarmed the scene. Two train workers were dead. And the busy oil field traffic, unable to drive through the crossing, turned to their only alternative: residential neighborhoods. Within minutes, Pecos had been engulfed in crisis,” the Texas Tribune reports. “A year after the collision, resident and local government officials said they remain vulnerable to more crashes and deaths. What’s worse, these same West Texans spent nearly two decades warning state officials that such incidents were bound to occur — a premonition that became true last year. To be sure, this is only the second train derailment in Pecos since 1973. But the oil business in Pecos has boomed since then. The amount of traffic has ballooned. The local officials who’ve spent the last two decades trying to avoid a major accident like the one on Dec. 18, 2024, told the Tribune the state should provide them with more support and equip Pecos. They argue the town is a key to the industry that contributes to the state’s wealth through oil and gas production taxes. More specifically, county and city government officials had been campaigning for an alternative bypass, called a relief route, to redirect the spiking industrial traffic. They also appealed to Union Pacific, a railroad company operating roughly 7,700 locomotives across 32,000 miles in the U.S., to consider lowering speed limits and spending less time stopped at the town’s railroad crossing. The town hasn’t gotten either concession.”

KERA: Texas environmental agency struggles with backlogs after years of budget cuts, study finds
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela, 12/18/25

“The Texas Commission for Environmental Quality has struggled to keep up with enforcement claims amid years of cuts to the state environmental agency’s budget, according to a recent study,” KERA reports. “When adjusted for inflation, TCEQ’s budget was cut by roughly one-third between 2010 and 2024, even as the number of regulated industrial facilities in the state increased, according to an analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project. The agency in 2010 had a budget of $539 million. The agency most recently worked on a $407 million budget in 2024. That reduction coincides with a case backlog TCEQ faces. As of August, the agency reported a backlog of 1,480 enforcement cases. In some cases, claims remain untouched for several years, Kathryn Guerra, a former TCEQ employee who now works as an agency watchdog with the nonprofit group Public Citizen, told KERA. “Historically, the agency’s own enforcement policy was to hold enforcement cases for several years,” Guerra, who also worked with EIP for their Texas analysis, told KERA. “And that unfortunately created for the TCEQ a really extensive backlog of pretty complex cases. In one instance, very recently, we saw an enforcement case go before the commissioners for approval, that was 10 years of enforcement action.” According to the TCEQ, of the 9,198 complaints filed in 2025, just 6% of claims were investigated within five days. Nearly 55% of claims took a month or more to address. That could leave some communities without recourse, Andrew Quicksall with SMU’s environmental health and compliance quality program, told KERA.”

Colorado Sun: Colorado air quality protections cut greenhouse gases by 70%, new study from environmental group shows
Michael Booth, 12/22/25

“State oil and gas regulations meant to cut leaks of the highly damaging greenhouse gas methane slashed the unwanted emissions 70% after Colorado launched a series of first-in-the-nation compromises with the industry in the 2010s, says a new study by an environmental group,” the Colorado Sun reports. “ Methane emissions from Colorado’s oil and gas production fell sharply from 2010 to 2017, according to the Environmental Defense Fund study. Researchers used data from the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, and the findings were backed by results from aircraft-based analysis in flights over the high oil production Denver-Julesburg Basin. EDF advocates credit hard-fought collaborations among regulators, oil and gas trade groups and environmentalists beginning with 2014 legislation under then-Gov. John Hickenlooper. Another important methane law passed in 2017, and six more legislative compromises moved forward during Gov. Jared Polis’ administration, EDF officials said. “The timing and magnitude of the decline closely align with Colorado’s methane regulations, suggesting they played a central role in driving reductions,” EDF said. The nonprofit advocacy group noted that Colorado’s oil and gas production actually increased during the time that methane emissions dropped, further evidence of the laws’ efficacy. Rigorous, carefully negotiated rules like Colorado’s leadership on methane will be more important than ever for continuing gains on greenhouse gases and local pollution as the federal government rolls back mandates under President Donald Trump’s and the GOP’s direction, the EDF said.

Canary Media: Georgia’s lame-duck utility commission OKs massive, pricey gas buildout
Jeff St. John,12/19/25

“The Georgia Public Service Commission on Friday approved a controversial plan that will allow the state’s biggest utility to commence one of the largest new fossil-fuel buildouts in the country — a move that critics fear will raise utility bills for most Georgia residents over the coming years,” Canary Media reports. “The last-minute settlement was approved unanimously by the five commissioners, all Republicans. The vote came just weeks before two of those commissioners are set to be replaced by Democrats who won upset victories in the November election by running on the issue of energy affordability. Back in November, staff at the PSC recommended that the commission allow Georgia Power to build only about one-third of the nearly 10 gigawatts of new gas-fired power plants and batteries the utility had requested. Friday’s decision instead gives it the go-ahead to move forward on building the full total. The utility has justified that scale by pointing to forecasts of booming electricity demand due to new data-center construction. In recent weeks, however, even Georgia Power has reduced its data-center demand projections. And across the state and the country, concerns are rising that the boom in artificial intelligence that is driving data-center investments may be a bubble about to burst. That’s why PSC staff deemed the utility’s full buildout plan too risky — and why energy experts and consumer and environmental advocates oppose it. Should Georgia Power build all of that infrastructure while data-center demand fails to materialize, its customers would be forced to pay higher bills for the unnecessary power plants. “It is a massive financial gamble,” Jennifer Whitfield, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, one of several groups protesting Georgia Power’s gas-heavy buildout plan, told Canary. ​“The bottom line is that we don’t need this much energy based on the data that’s been provided.”

Inside Climate News: In Murphy’s Final Weeks, NJ Climate Advocates Race to Lock in 100 Percent Clean Power
Rambo Talabong, 12/20/25

“In the final weeks of Gov. Phil Murphy’s tenure, New Jersey climate advocates are trying to do something governors rarely manage on their way out the door: bind their successors to an ambitious climate promise,” Inside Climate News reports. “A sweeping measure, known as the New Jersey Clean Energy Act of 2024, would write into law Murphy’s goal of running the state on 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, a target he first set by executive order in 2023. If it passes before the lame-duck session ends in January, the bill would outlast Murphy and would land on the desk of Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, who campaigned on lowering utility bills but has not said whether she backs locking the 2035 deadline into statute. “This is a priority piece of legislation … to codify Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 315, which is the 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 into law,” Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, told ICN. “So that the next governor … and beyond, are required to move the state in that direction.” “…Starting in 2030, at least half of the renewable energy certificates used for compliance would have to come from projects inside New Jersey, steering more investment and jobs in-state instead of paying for credits from out-of-state wind and solar… “For the small number of fossil-fuel peaker plants that fire up only on days of high demand, the bill gives an extra decade, until 2045, to fully transition to clean power.”

Gothamist: NY climate advocates celebrate rare good news after Gov. Hochul nixes gas hook-up rule
Rosemary Misdary and David Giambusso, 12/30/25

“Climate advocates in New York are celebrating some rare positive news after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that will likely curb the proliferation of new gas hook-ups statewide,” Gothamist reports. “Lawmakers in Albany sent Hochul a bill this session ending the “100-foot rule” — a state regulation that required all utility customers to pay for new residential gas hook-ups within 100 feet of an existing natural gas service line. It meant developers of new homes could pass the cost of gas hook-ups to all utility customers, rather than pay for it themselves. Those developers will now have to take on that cost or forgo gas altogether — a key goal for lawmakers and clean energy advocates hoping to phase out the use of fossil fuels. “Kathy Hochul just gave New Yorkers a $600 million Christmas present by signing our bill to repeal the 100-foot rule,” state Sen. Liz Krueger told Gothamist. “This is a massive win for New York’s gas customers, and for clean air and a livable climate.”

EXTRACTION

Journal of Petroleum Technology: Exxon Eases Up on Low-Carbon Push
12/23/25

“ExxonMobil recently released its corporate plan through 2030, and it has lowered the amount it says it plans to invest in low-carbon technologies,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. “According to the most recent corporate plan, the company plans to invest about $20 billion in low-carbon technologies between now and 2030. That’s $10 billion less than it said it planned to spend in last year’s corporate plan… “The plan also touted the company’s past low-carbon and carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts, citing approximately 9 mtpa of CO2 it says is under contract with third parties for storage. “The first CCS project began operations this year, and additional projects with partners like Linde, Nucor, and New Generation Gas Gathering (NG3) will start up in 2026,” the plan said. “The company is also advancing integrated CCS-enabled low-carbon data center projects, targeting a final investment decision by late 2026, reinforcing its ability to unlock new markets through CCS.”

E&E News: Green fuel company slashes workforce as tax credits dwindle
Corbin Hiar, 12/23/25

“A sustainable aviation fuel startup backed by some of the world’s largest tech companies and airlines has laid off 170 employees in less than a year — a total that accounts for nearly half its workforce,” E&E News reports. “…The layoffs come as the decade-old company is struggling to complete its first commercial production facility and amid a series of policy changes during the Trump administration that have undercut Twelve’s business model. It is among a handful of startups seeking to convert captured carbon dioxide into low-emissions jet fuel and other green products at a price competitive with their fossil-fuel-based alternatives… “Then on July 4, Trump signed a tax code rewrite that will make it harder for Twelve to profitably produce and sell sustainable aviation fuel. The law the president described as his ‘one, big beautiful bill’ slashed funding for climate incentives and eliminated the $0.75 tax credit premium for CO2-based jet fuel. Now all producers — regardless of the feedstock they use — collect $1 per gallon of SAF… “The One Big Beautiful Bill has made the incentives for sustainable aviation fuel significantly weaker,” Nemet, author of the book “How Solar Became Cheap: A Model for Low-Carbon Innovation,” told E&E.”

Brandon Sun: Carbon-capture project ‘very exciting,’ but community buy-in needed: Kinew
Alex Lambert, 12/22/25

“The financial impact of a proposed carbon-capture facility in southwestern Manitoba could be “very exciting,” Premier Wab Kinew told the Brandon Sun. In a wide-ranging year-end interview, the premier told the Sun the province wants to see economic development in the province, but added that companies like Deep Sky need to make sure communities are on side with their projects. “For me, the idea that Manitoba could be a leader in a new industry, and it could be a very sizable investment in southwestern Manitoba, that’s all very exciting,” Kinew told the Sun. But companies moving into the province also need to protect the environment and have a solid business plan, he told the Sun… “Montreal-based Deep Sky plans to build a $200-million facility capable of storing up to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year in either the Rural Municipality of Pipestone or the Municipality of Two Borders. Open houses in the community of Pipestone in the last two months brought out hundreds of people keen on hearing about how the project works. The last two meetings finished with unanswered questions for residents and with many people opposed to the company locating in the area.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

E&E News: Betting on climate failure, these investors could earn billions
Corbin Hiar, 12/23/25

“Venture capitalist Finn Murphy believes world leaders could soon resort to deflecting sunlight into space if the Earth gets unbearably hot. That’s why he’s invested more than $1 million in Stardust Solutions, a leading solar geoengineering firm that’s developing a system to reduce warming by enveloping the globe in reflective particles,” E&E News reports. “Murphy isn’t rooting for climate catastrophe. But with global temperatures soaring and the political will to limit climate change waning, Stardust “can be worth tens of billions of dollars,” he told E&E… “Murphy is among a new wave of investors who are putting millions of dollars into emerging companies that aim to limit the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth — while also potentially destabilizing weather patterns, food supplies and global politics. He has a degree in mathematics and mechanical engineering and views global warming not just as a human and political tragedy, but as a technical challenge with profitable solutions. Solar geoengineering investors are generally young, pragmatic and imaginative — and willing to lean into the adventurous side of venture capitalism. They often shrug off the concerns of scientists who argue it’s inherently risky to fund the development of potentially dangerous technologies through wealthy investors who could only profit if the planet-cooling systems are deployed… “More than 50 financial firms, wealthy individuals and government agencies have collectively provided more than $115.8 million to nine startups whose technology could be used to limit sunlight, according to interviews with VCs, tech company founders and analysts, as well as private investment data analyzed by E&E.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

WV News: Mountaineer Food Bank Receives $40,000 Grant from TC Energy for Veterans Program
12/22/25

“Mountaineer Food Bank announced Monday it has been awarded a $40,000 grant from TC Energy to support its Veterans Table Program, a statewide initiative designed to provide nutritious food to veterans and their families,” WV News reports.

OPINION

Common Dreams: Trump and Congress Just Gifted Big Oil a Multimillion Dollar Stocking Stuffer
Rick Steiner is a conservation biologist in Anchorage, retired professor with the University of Alaska, and author of Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril, 12/19/25

“As Congress recesses this week without reauthorizing the Affordable Care Act subsidies needed by millions of Americans, it also quietly gave the oil industry a multimillion dollar tax break by allowing the 9 cent-per-barrel oil tax (on domestic and imported oil) into the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to expire as well on December 31. The OSLTF, administered by the Coast Guard’s National Pollution Funds Center, is the nation’s central financial instrument for oil spill prevention and response, earning about $500 million per year from the nominal excise oil tax—about 0.1% of annual US oil industry revenue, Rick Steiner writes for Common Dreams. “…In our current political climate prioritizing industry over public interest, many feared that Congress and the Trump administration might simply allow the oil spill tax to expire, as a “Return on Investment” for industry contributions made to their political campaigns. Congress did just that. As they increase costs for millions of Americans, the Republican congress and administration are decreasing costs for some of the richest companies in the world. Further, while the Trump administration recently proposed opening virtually the entire US Outer Continental Shelf (more than 1 billion acres of the nation’s offshore waters) to oil and gas drilling, it slashed the budget for the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) by roughly 35%, from $220 million to just $143 million. As a fundamental cause of the 1989 Exxon Valdez and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disasters was inadequate government oversight, expanding drilling while cutting oversight is as reckless as it gets. Thus, an important use for the federal oil spill fund should be to expand BSEE’s budget, as it is largely focused on preventing catastrophic oil spills from the nation’s several thousand offshore oil rigs. There are countless other cost-effective pollution prevention measures as well that need OSLTF funding.”