EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/3/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• North Dakota Monitor: North Dakota judge rules in favor of landowners, finds law unconstitutional

• E&E News: Landowners challenge laws that encourage carbon capture

• OK Energy Today: Congressmen propose big fines for oil pipeline leaks

• E&E News: New England is on the brink of clean energy victories. Why are Democrats embracing gas?

• Santa Barbara Independent: Sable Offshore Looking for Way Around State Fire Marshal to Restart Oil Pipeline

• Capitol Pressroom: State environmental regulators flip flop on gas pipeline project

• Globe and Mail: AFN chiefs pass resolution rejecting changes to oil tanker ban

• Guardian: There’s no monitoring of earthquakes’: new British Columbia pipeline could spell catastrophe, experts warn

• Canada’s National Observer: Environment minister won’t say whether new pipeline would increase or decrease emissions

• Journal of Commerce: Industry speaks on West Coast pipeline pact: B.C. ‘needs to be part of Team Canada’

• DeSmog: ‘Utterly Abusive’: First Nations United Against Mark Carney’s Alberta Pipeline Plans

• Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge forecasts higher 2026 core profit

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Moderate Democrat would go tougher on permitting

• E&E News: Greens, states and builders all plead for more time on ESA rules

• E&E News: House Dems to Rubio: Walking away from climate talks helps China

• Courthouse News Service: Oil groups push for voluntary lease review in long-running sage grouse dispute

• E&E News: One green group’s legal mess has other nonprofits worried

STATE UPDATES

• E&E News: Utah youth launch climate lawsuit over oil and gas permitting

• CT Examiner: Exxon Heads to Trial on Claims of Campaign of Deception on Climate Change

• E&E News: Alaska Republicans push back on Trump offshore drilling plan

• Alaska Public Media: Conoco workers aim for union representation on North Slope

• WROC: Exxon Mobil to investigate contamination at former Rochester refinery

EXTRACTION

• E&E News: Climate change is worsening microplastic pollution

• E&E News: EU rolls out grand plan to replace fossil fuels with trees

• Press and Journal: St Fergus carbon capture remains a pipe dream as £200m on hold

• Carbon Credits: TotalEnergies Bets $167M on Brazil’s Carbon Capture Potential

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• The Intelligencer: Enbridge Gas Ontario helps fund training materials for Belleville firefighters

OPINION

• Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho deserves a BLM director who won’t sell our public lands

• The Conversation: Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works
  

PIPELINE NEWS

North Dakota Monitor: North Dakota judge rules in favor of landowners, finds law unconstitutional
Jacob Orledge and Amy Dalrymple, 12/2/25

“A district court judge on Tuesday sided with a landowner group and found a North Dakota law related to underground storage of carbon dioxide to be unconstitutional,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “The ruling from Northeast Judicial District Judge Anthony Swain Benson could have implications for the controversial Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project, which has a carbon dioxide storage permit from the state. The Northwest Landowners Association in 2023 sued North Dakota and the state Industrial Commission, which approves permits for permanent underground storage of carbon dioxide. The landowner group challenged a state law that requires landowners to allow carbon dioxide storage beneath their property if at least 60% of the affected landowners agree to the project. Benson writes in his order that the state law is unconstitutional because it allows a government-authorized taking of property without an avenue for “just” compensation determined by a jury. In this case, the property is pore space – cavities in underground rock formations where emissions can be trapped. “The court is basically saying the constitution trumps that law, so that law can’t be enforced,” Derrick Braaten, attorney for the landowner group, told the Monitor… “Braaten told the Monitor he believes the judge’s decision voids all orders issued by the Industrial Commission to require the participation of landowners in a carbon storage facility, a process known as amalgamation… “Braaten told the Monitor he anticipates the state and Summit will likely appeal to the state Supreme Court.”

E&E News: Landowners challenge laws that encourage carbon capture
Corbin Hiar, 12/3/25

“A landowners’ rights group is challenging Louisiana laws that support carbon capture projects in a case that could upend a nearly two-decade bipartisan effort to attract the growing industry,” E&E News reports. “Save My Louisiana claims that six bills related to CO2 pipelines and storage wells, signed by Republican and Democratic governors between 2008 and 2024, are unconstitutional. The nonprofit was founded in July by landowners who live near planned carbon storage wells or pipelines and is part of a broader network of anti-carbon capture groups that have sprung up in Louisiana. The civil suit against Gov. Jeff Landry (R) and his secretary of Conservation and Energy was filed last month in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court. The landowners, including Save My Louisiana directors Robert Maddox and Mike Slocum, are asking the court to block state officials from implementing or enforcing the carbon capture laws and declare the statutes “unconstitutional, void, and of no effect,” the 21-page suit said.”

OK Energy Today: Congressmen propose big fines for oil pipeline leaks
12/2/25

“A jet fuel leak from the 66-year-old Twin Oaks pipeline in Pennsylvania—owned by Sunoco, a subsidiary of the Dallas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer—has triggered a bipartisan push in Congress to increase federal penalties on oil pipeline leaks,” OK Energy Today repots. “The incident, which occurred earlier this year, led Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) to introduce legislation aimed at raising civil fines and strengthening federal oversight of aging liquid pipelines across the country. Fitzpatrick said the Twin Oaks incident made clear that federal enforcement must be stronger. “I refused to accept slow-walking, half-measures, or excuses. From the very first day, we pressed every agency together, demanding action, transparency, and full accountability,” Fitzpatrick said. “This legislation turns that collective effort into permanent protections. And the courage of this community will now strengthen federal law and protect families across the country.”

E&E News: New England is on the brink of clean energy victories. Why are Democrats embracing gas?
Benjamin Storrow, 12/3/25

“New England’s clean energy aspirations have survived a tumbling turbine blade, a ballot referendum and a stop-work order from a president who’s hostile to wind power. The question now is whether the region’s green dreams can endure a pivot to natural gas by its political leaders,” E&E News reports. “…But even as the finish line comes into sight, some of the region’s leaders are considering plans that are antithetical to the climate goals that sprung those projects to life. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, has openly embraced the idea of building gas pipelines. Massachusetts lawmakers briefly considered, then rejected, a plan to water down the state’s climate targets. And the whole region has effectively pressed pause on offshore wind development… “But the political shift highlights how a region that spent almost 10 years building two massive offshore wind projects and a transmission line carrying hydropower from Canada is increasingly focused on cutting electricity prices — not carbon… “Lamont has signaled his openness to new pipelines as part of a push to address Connecticut’s sky-high energy costs… “When the Trump administration halted Revolution Wind, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) indicated that he was open to permitting gas pipelines in exchange for keeping the wind project moving.”

Santa Barbara Independent: Sable Offshore Looking for Way Around State Fire Marshal to Restart Oil Pipeline
Nick Welsh, 12/2/25

“Seeking its way to a speedy restart blocked by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the Sable Offshore oil company is now claiming that federal pipeline regulators should have jurisdiction over whether the company’s pipelines should be allowed to restart and not the State Fire Marshal,” the Santa Barbara Independent reports. “At issue is the seemingly arcane question of whether the company’s pipelines qualify as “interstate” vessels, an intuitively obscure term of art meaning they carry oil from California into other states. Sable is stating that they are and is asking the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) — presumably more friendly with the “energy dominance”–focused Donald Trump than state regulators — to make the same determination. Should PHMSA do so and that action withstand all the inevitable legal challenges that would ensue, it would mean PHMSA and not the State Fire Marshal would have the last word on whether the pipelines — shut down since 2015 when extensive corrosion problems gave rise to Santa Barbara’s worst oil spill since the 1969 disaster — can restart.”

Capitol Pressroom: State environmental regulators flip flop on gas pipeline project
David Lombardo, 12/2/25

“State environmental regulators have breathed new life into a gas pipeline proposal, which was previously stopped in its tracks during the same permitting process. We explore this reversal by the Hochul administration with Samantha Maldonado, a senior reporter with The City,” Capitol Pressroom reports.

Globe and Mail: AFN chiefs pass resolution rejecting changes to oil tanker ban
Emily Haws, 12/2/25

“First Nations chiefs from across Canada passed an emergency resolution Tuesday morning rejecting any proposed exemptions to the federal ban on oil tankers off the northern coast of British Columbia, after Ottawa and Alberta reached an agreement that could see the prohibition modified if a pipeline is approved,” the Globe and Mail reports. “…The AFN resolution also calls for the “immediate withdrawal of the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding and any project contemplated or designated under the agreement that may infringe First Nations’ rights, including the right to self-determination.” Chief Donald Edgars from Old Massett Village in Haida Gwaii told the assembly that the province’s Oil Tanker Moratorium Act is vital legislation that recognizes B.C.’s north and central coast as “some of the most dangerous waters in the world.” “The MOU enables the government to do business as usual, despite legal requirements to uphold the UN Declaration. This MOU sets us back decades,” he said… “Responding to the AFN’s resolution, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson told the Globe and Mail that the country’s economy is under attack and Canadians expect the government to respond to it… “Now is the time to come together and figure out how we can develop our energy and our natural resources in partnership with affected jurisdictions and in partnership with Indigenous peoples, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Guardian: There’s no monitoring of earthquakes’: new British Columbia pipeline could spell catastrophe, experts warn
Leyland Cecco, 12/3/25

“When an earthquake in 2002 struck in a remote pocket of Alaska, the shock was the strongest ever recorded in the interior of the state. But, miraculously, an oil pipeline that crossed directly over the fault line was unscathed,” the Guardian reports. “…Knowing the high likelihood of seismic activity along the route, which bisected the Denali fault, they constructed sections where the pipeline rested on rail girders, allowing it to sway and shear without snapping… “The problem for Canada is that there’s nothing like that in British Columbia, where a pipeline has been proposed. There’s never been a study as detailed as they one they did for the pipeline in Alaska and as a result, there’s just so much we don’t know,” Edwin Nissen, a seismologist at the University of Victoria, told the Guardian… “But amid fierce debate over the political, environmental and economic implications of the project, experts warn that the multibillion-dollar project faces immense – and poorly understood – geological hazards… “So far much of the public debate has focused on the immense risk of a maritime disaster, but Nissen warns the geography of the landscape itself presents fresh and troubling risks… “This part of the world, where we’re talking about a pipeline, is very poorly instrumented and as a result, we actually know very little about it,” he told the Guardian. A large earthquake – or even smaller earthquakes triggering landslides – could unleash environmental disaster.”

Canada’s National Observer: Environment minister won’t say whether new pipeline would increase or decrease emissions
Natasha Bulowski, 12/1/25

“Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin would not say whether she supports a new oil pipeline, nor acknowledge that a new pipeline would increase planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, at a federal committee meeting Monday morning,” Canada’s National Observer reports. “…Bloc Québécois environment critic Patrick Bonin asked Dabrusin point blank whether a new pipeline would increase or reduce emissions. Dabrusin, echoing Major Projects Office head Dawn Farrell, dodged and declined to give the yes or no answer Bonin sought. Instead, Dabrusin gestured to the memorandum of understanding’s commitment to advance carbon capture and storage and negotiate with Alberta to strengthen the industrial carbon price. The Alberta-based Pembina Institute ran the numbers in October and found a “grand bargain” to build the Pathways Alliance carbon capture megaproject alongside a million-barrel-per-day pipeline would result in more oilsands emissions, not less.”

Journal of Commerce: Industry speaks on West Coast pipeline pact: B.C. ‘needs to be part of Team Canada’
Grant Cameron, 12/2/25

“Contractors, unions and open shop construction associations in B.C. and Alberta are solidly behind a deal that opens the door for more pipelines to be built to transport oil to the West Coast.” the Journal of Commerce reports. “While environmental groups and First Nations argue the impacts of a new oilsands pipeline would be severe, construction stakeholders in both provinces maintain the deal will generate much-needed jobs for the building industry and strengthen the country’s energy sector. “This federal-provincial collaboration is an encouraging signal for long-term energy infrastructure investment — an area that supports thousands of high-quality construction careers across our province,” said Alberta Construction Association (ACA) executive director Warren Singh. “It is also an important investment signal to the business community that we are open for business.” “…Terry Parker, executive director of the Building Trades of Alberta (BTA), commended the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for signing the agreement… “The BTA’s affiliated union locals represent a combined workforce of roughly 60,000 construction trades workers, said Parker, and they are eager to get to work and deliver the project on time and on budget… “The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), which represents open shop contractors in B.C. and Alberta, is wholeheartedly supporting the deal and urging Premier David Eby to be a constructive partner in making the important nation-building projects a reality… “British Columbia needs to be part of Team Canada, not on the outside looking in trying to block other provinces getting their resources to world markets through ports on the West Coast.”

DeSmog: ‘Utterly Abusive’: First Nations United Against Mark Carney’s Alberta Pipeline Plans
Mitch Anderson, 12/2/25

“Prime Minister Mark Carney’s once-vaunted climate credibility appears to be in free-fall. After eliminating the carbon tax and rolling back vehicle emissions standards, his government announced fast-track support for two liquified natural gas projects and exactly zero renewable energy developments,” DeSmog reports. “…Carney’s disrespect to coastal First Nations is particularly galling. Despite his practiced word salad about Indigenous rights and economic reconciliation, First Nations that would be devastated by a bitumen spill are united in enraged opposition to yet another oil pipeline proposal through unceded lands and waters. Some legal observers feel that Carney may be cynically setting up First Nations to take the blame (and pay the enormous legal bills) when this so-called “project without a proponent” dies in the courts. By signing this memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta for the pipeline, Carney is forcing the hand of First Nations on the BC coast who need to promptly challenge any infringement of their constitutional rights. “If I were their lawyer, I’d be saying, ‘I know this is a pain in the ass. I know you don’t want to spend the money on it, but my advice to you is go ahead and sue now,’” Amir Attaran, professor of law at University of Ottawa told Desmog… “He also stresses that a bitumen pipeline would need an Indigenous equity partner to move forward. And where would First Nations borrow billions in required capital? The federal government has set aside $10 billion in loan guarantees. “I think that what we’re seeing now is the federal government and the provincial governments to a smaller degree … laundering money through indigenous people to provide fossil fuel subsidies,” Tara Marsden, Gitanyow Wilp sustainability director previously told DeSmog.”

Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge forecasts higher 2026 core profit
Pranav Mathur and Yagnoseni Das, 12/3/25

“Enbridge on Wednesday forecast higher core profit for 2026, as the Canadian pipeline operator expects to benefit from strong demand and new projects entering service,” Reuters reports. “The company projected an adjusted core profit of C$20.2 billion ($14.49 billion) to C$20.8 billion, compared with expectations of between C$19.4 billion and C$20 billion for this year. Surging demand for AI-fueled data centers and accelerating electrification are expected to push U.S. power demand to record levels in 2025 and 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Moderate Democrat would go tougher on permitting
Kelsey Brugger, Garrett Downs, 12/2/25

“Maine Blue Dog Democrat Jared Golden is chasing the permitting white whale during his last year in the House, but he doesn’t seem to care if many other Democrats join him,” E&E News reports. “Golden is the primary co-sponsor of the ‘Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,’ H.R. 4776 from Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), which would overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act review process, including enacting new litigation limits. It could reach the House floor as soon as next week… “Golden told E&E he would support immediately “deeming projects approved if the government can’t get their ducks in a row in a certain amount of time.” “…Such thinking has separated Golden from most other Democrats, who want to either preserve NEPA scrutiny of projects or only make modest changes. Golden is not spending too much time on them.”

E&E News: Greens, states and builders all plead for more time on ESA rules
Michael Doyle, 12/1/25

“News flash: Environmentalists and builders have found something they agree on with regard to Endangered Species Act regulations,” E&E News reports. “Perched on a tiny piece of common ground, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Associated General Contractors of America both urged two federal agencies to extend a public comment period that has drawn more than 7,000 comments and that still has another three weeks to go. “We have already begun the legwork required to talk to our members and gather their input,” Spencer Phillips, counsel for the Associated General Contractors of America, advised the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, adding that “an extension would give stakeholders the additional time and bandwidth required to provide quality.” Phillips noted that the association and its 28,000 member firms are simultaneously delving into four Trump administration ESA regulatory packages, as well as a separate and equally significant EPA proposal concerning regulations for the “waters of the United States.”

E&E News: House Dems to Rubio: Walking away from climate talks helps China
Ian M. Stevenson, 12/1/25

“Two House Democrats last week challenged the U.S. withdrawal from international climate negotiations during the Trump administration, arguing it has ceded influence to China,” E&E News reports, “The letter from members of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party comes after the Trump administration declined to send a delegation to this year’s COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil — the first time the U.S. has not formally participated in the talks’ three-decade history. “This move undermines our national interests and opens the door for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to dictate the international agenda on advanced energy manufacturing, energy cooperation, and environmental standards,” said Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Kathy Castor of Florida in the letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and shared with E&E… “In their letter, Krishnamoorthi and Castor asked Rubio to explain why the U.S. did not participate in the climate talks, how it will meet its international climate obligations and what offices are now responsible for coordinating those efforts.”

Courthouse News Service: Oil groups push for voluntary lease review in long-running sage grouse dispute
Monique Merrill, 12/1/25

“Oil leaseholders joined the Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management on Monday in urging a federal judge in Montana to allow the agency to reassess six leasing decisions on imperiled sage grouse habitat before the court moves to the next phase of the complicated environmental case,” Courthouse News Service reports. “…In 2015, the Bureau of Land Management created a prioritization scheme for leasing in or around sage grouse habitat. The bird species is native to the western U.S. and Canada and has been in decline for decades due to habitat loss. But after President Donald Trump took office for his first term the following year, the Bureau of Land Management issued new guidance rolling back those priorities… “In the seven years since the case was first filed, 10 appeals have been opened in the Ninth Circuit regarding various court decisions. The most recent decision from the Ninth Circuit held that the Bureau of Land Management violated its own plans to protect sage grouse and found that the Montana federal court properly vacated a Wyoming lease sale.”

E&E News: One green group’s legal mess has other nonprofits worried
Robin Bravender, 11/26/25

“One of the world’s best-known green groups is duking it out against a Texas energy company in a multi-pronged legal drama that has legal nerds, environmentalists and other companies watching closely,” E&E News reports. “…I think it’s very important, not just for Greenpeace but for other organizations who are looking at this lawsuit, that this kind of abusive tactic is not successful,” Marco Simons, Greenpeace USA’s interim general counsel, told E&E. “We’re going to continue fighting it as long as necessary.” Energy industry advocates hope the lawsuit will send a message to environmental activists. Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, has been keeping tabs on the dispute dating back to the “mischief” Greenpeace “created and caused during the Dakota Access pipeline protests,” he told E&E. “The left seems to think that the ends justify the means, that they’re righteous in their causes,” Pyle told E&E. “But people’s lives were impacted. People got hurt. We were very pleased that Energy Transfer took a stand here.” “…For cases like this, it’s never about the money — it’s really about an attempt to silence organizations and individuals who are choosing to either shed light on corporate practices or to advance citizens’ concerns,” Sushma Raman, Greenpeace’s interim executive director, told E&E… “What makes this case stand out “is both the aggressiveness and persistence of the company and the magnitude of the damages claimed,” Nikki Reisch, director of the climate and energy program at the Center for International Environmental Law, told E&E.”

STATE UPDATES

E&E News: Utah youth launch climate lawsuit over oil and gas permitting
Lesley Clark, 12/2/25

“Ten young climate activists sued the state of Utah on Monday over its recent approval of fossil fuel projects that they say violate their constitutional rights to life, health and safety,” E&E News reports. “…The new complaint names several state permitting agencies and argues that Utah regulators have “continued to issue permits for unnecessary fossil fuel development, worsening Utah’s air pollution and climate crisis, and harming plaintiffs’ health, safety, and longevity in violation of their fundamental rights.” “…The state cannot continue issuing fossil fuel permits that put children’s lives and health in jeopardy,” lead attorney Andrew Welle told E&E. “This case is about holding Utah accountable to its constitutional obligations to protect youth from serious harm caused by air pollution, climate impacts and unsafe fossil fuel development.”

CT Examiner: Exxon Heads to Trial on Claims of Campaign of Deception on Climate Change
Daniel Tepfer, 12/1/25

“Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. is heading for trial on claims the company marketed fossil fuel products in Connecticut that have contributed to climate change in the state,” CT Examiner reports. “In a 69-page decision issued late last week, Superior Court Judge John Farley ruled a state jury can consider a lawsuit brought by Attorney General William Tong claiming an ongoing, systematic campaign of lies and deception by Exxon Mobil to hide from the public that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change. In his decision Judge Farley denied all of Exxon Mobil’s motions to strike the case, stating that the lawsuit is not precluded or preempted by federal law and “sufficiently alleges unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of [the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act].” “…Connecticut is one of six states, including Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota, Hawaii and Colorado, who have sued the oil company in state courts claiming deceptive advertising… “Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, called Judge Farley’s ruling a win for communities seeking to hold Big Oil companies accountable for climate deception.”

E&E News: Alaska Republicans push back on Trump offshore drilling plan
Amelia Davidson, 12/3/25

“Alaska’s Republican senators are splitting with the Trump administration over an expansive offshore lease plan that would open large swaths of the state’s waters to drilling,” E&E News reports. “Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan have both contacted the Interior Department after it proposed a new five-year lease schedule that would mandate 21 sales in Alaska waters, as well as expanded drilling in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, also known as the Gulf of America. The duo is particularly concerned with plans to drill in the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Bering Strait and High Arctic, which the U.S. has recently claimed. They want the administration to instead focus on expanding drilling in Cook Inlet, in southern Alaska. Sullivan told E&E he has already talked to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and requested that lease sales not proceed in Arctic waters. The Alaska Republican told E&E that he was particularly concerned that offshore drilling could hurt communities in the area that depend on fishing and whaling… “Murkowski, similarly, told E&E she had reached out to the Interior Department to share “concerns” with their plan.”

Alaska Public Media: Conoco workers aim for union representation on North Slope
Liz Ruskin, 12/1/25

“A union organization campaign is underway among ConocoPhillips workers on the North Slope,” Alaska Public Media reports. “If it’s successful, the United Steelworkers would represent 243 electricians, mechanics and others at three fields — Alpine, Kuparuk and Willow… “United Steelworkers western states director, Gaylan Prescott, told APM a union can protect workers if the company announces future reductions… “We believe that we can best meet the needs of our employees through a direct relationship, as it allows us to quickly and efficiently collaborate with and gather feedback from our employees and provides for a workplace where everyone feels supported, heard, and valued,” ConocoPhillips Director of Media Relations Dennis Nuss told APM.”

WROC: Exxon Mobil to investigate contamination at former Rochester refinery
George Gandy, 12/2/25

“The Exxon Mobil Corporation has reached an agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate the former Vacuum Oil Refinery in Rochester,” WROC reports. “The DEC announced an ‘order of consent’ with Exxon to investigate the extent of the contamination within the remaining areas of the historic 33-acre facility’s footprint. Exxon must also reimburse New York $250,000 for the previous costs of investigation and clean-up… “The facility closed in 1935, but the DEC says crude oil, kerosene, and other pollutants being stored there resulted in “historical” chemical and oil contamination. In 2016, a judge ordered Exxon to clean up the property.”

EXTRACTION

E&E News: Climate change is worsening microplastic pollution
Chelsea Harvey, 12/2/25

“Greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere. Plastic pollution is proliferating in the environment. Both are bad for the planet — and global warming could be making plastic pollution worse, scientists say,” E&E News reports. “A new paper, published Thursday, reviewed the existing scientific studies on climate change and microplastics, the tiny particles that form as plastic breaks down over time. It presents an alarming set of conclusions. Global warming can cause plastics to break down faster and disperse more easily into natural ecosystems, such as oceans, rivers and soils. Meanwhile, studies are beginning to reveal the negative ways plastic pollution can affect life on Earth. This field of research is still in its infancy, the researchers note. Scientists are just scratching the surface on all the ways plastics can affect human health and the natural environment. But the findings so far are concerning.”

E&E News: EU rolls out grand plan to replace fossil fuels with trees
Leonie Cater, 12/2/25

“The European Commission has unveiled a new plan to end the dominance of planet-heating fossil fuels in Europe’s economy — and replace them with trees,” E&E News reports. “The so-called Bioeconomy Strategy, released Thursday, aims to replace fossil fuels in products like plastics, building materials, chemicals and fibers with organic materials that regrow, such as trees and crops. “The bioeconomy holds enormous opportunities for our society, economy and industry, for our farmers and foresters and small businesses and for our ecosystem,” EU environment chief Jessika Roswall said Thursday, in front of a staged backdrop of bio-based products, including a bathtub made of wood composite and clothing from the H&M “Conscious” range. At the center of the strategy is carbon, the fundamental building block of a wide range of manufactured products, not just energy. Almost all plastic, for example, is made from carbon, and currently most of that carbon comes from oil and natural gas.”

Press and Journal: St Fergus carbon capture remains a pipe dream as £200m on hold
Liza Hamilton, 12/3/25

“Six months ago, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband put on a hard hat and stood at St Fergus Gas Terminal promising £200 million for the long-awaited Acorn carbon capture project with “thousands of jobs” to follow,” the Press and Journal reports. “…National Gas – the company tasked with building the crucial pipeline feeding CO2 into St Fergus – has confirmed that not a penny of the money pledged by the UK government has yet been released… “Adding to the uncertainty are the closures of the two biggest anchor emitters, originally underpinning the project. ExxonMobil’s petrochemical plant at Mossmorran in Fife will shut in February, with the company blaming a “non-competitive future” due to lack of government support. Meanwhile, Grangemouth refinery is closing due to lack of demand, high costs and lack of global competitiveness. Ian Radley, chief commercial officer with National Gas, has been working on plans for the SCO₂T Connect onshore pipeline, which would link emitter sites such as Grangemouth to St Fergus before CO₂ is transferred offshore for storage via Acorn… “What we need is political and economic certainty to allow this cluster to progress and for investment of scale to be made,” he told the Journal. “The uncertainty that’s surrounded carbon capture storage in the UK is something that’s prohibited some of these clusters advancing in recent years…So us and the other parties are really at a stage now where we need financial commitment from the government to allow this cluster to advance.” Mr Radley told the Journal National Gas and partners are now focused on unlocking the £200m promised in the summer with the other partners, working closely with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).”

Carbon Credits: TotalEnergies Bets $167M on Brazil’s Carbon Capture Potential
12/2/25

“TotalEnergies has committed about US$167 million to study offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Brazil,” Carbon Credits reports. “The funding will support mapping and analyzing deep-sea geological formations along the Brazilian coast… “This investment comes as Brazil works on developing regulations for CCS… “TotalEnergies is also active in CCS projects worldwide, using international experience to support its work in Brazil. Key examples include: Northern Lights (Norway): Phase 1 operations started summer of 2025 with a capacity of 1.5 million tons of CO₂ per year, aiming to expand to 5 million tons by 2028; Aramis (Netherlands): Planned to store CO₂ captured from industrial sources under the North Sea, building experience in transport and injection technologies; North Sea Projects (Europe): TotalEnergies plans to repurpose depleted oil and gas fields for CO₂ storage.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

The Intelligencer: Enbridge Gas Ontario helps fund training materials for Belleville firefighters
12/3/25

“Enbridge Gas Ontario is helping purchase educational materials for Belleville firefighters to assist in life-saving training,” The Intelligencer reports. “On Tuesday, Enbridge said it was providing $125,000 to 25 fire departments across Ontario that works out, on average, to $5,000 per fire department If dispersed evenly.”

OPINION

Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho deserves a BLM director who won’t sell our public lands
John Robison is the Idaho Conservation League’s public lands and wildlife director and has been working on public lands issues since 2002, 12/2/25

“In terms of national treasures in the United States, we don’t have much in the way of crown jewels, but what we do have are our public lands. And our public lands are not some inert relics in a museum. Public lands are living and breathing parts of our communities. Public lands are the living source of family stories and traditions, home for abundant native fish and wildlife, and economic force multipliers for our communities. Public lands mean freedom,” John Robison writes for the Idaho Capital Sun. “…So Idahoans might be surprised that the latest nominee to serve as the national BLM director, Steve Pearce, is an ardent supporter of selling off public lands. Steve Pearce is an oil executive and former Congressman from New Mexico (2003-2009 and 2011-2019). In a 2012 letter to then U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, Mr. Pearce made the following recommendation to reduce the defici… “Our BLM lands are already in enough trouble — understaffed, underfunded, and under increased pressure from invasive species, wildfires, and development and other risks. We do not need an auctioneer to hold a fire-sale of our public lands to the highest bidder or transfer them to the states (where they would inevitably be sold off).”

The Conversation: Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works
Ramesh Agarwal, 12/2/25

“…When the power for these data centers comes from fossil fuels, they can become major sources of climate-warming emissions in the atmosphere – unless the power plants capture their greenhouse gases first and then lock them away,” Ramesh Agarwal writes for The Conversation. “Google recently entered into a unique corporate power purchase agreement to support the construction of a natural gas power plant in Illinois designed to do exactly that through carbon capture and storage… “I am an engineer who wrote a 2024 book about various types of carbon storage. Here’s the short version of what you need to know… “Depleted oil and natural gas reservoirs have plentiful storage space and the added benefit that most are already mapped and their limits understood. They already held hydrocarbons in place for millions of years. Carbon dioxide can also be injected into working oil or gas reservoirs to push out more of those fossil fuels while leaving most of the carbon dioxide behind. This method, known as enhanced oil and gas recovery, is the most common one used by carbon capture and storage projects in the U.S. today, and one reason CCS draws complaints from environmental groups… “The Google project plans to use an existing injection well site that was part of the first large-scale carbon storage demonstration in the Mount Simon formation. Food producer Archer Daniels Midland began injecting carbon dioxide there from nearby corn processing plants in 2012.”