In a major victory for environmentalists in their battle to stop the expansion of oil drilling in California, Aera Energy, an oil corporation co-owned by Exxon and Shell, on May 27 announced that they would be withdrawing their Cat Canyon oil project in Santa Barbara. By Dan Bacher Aera said they were “ongoing permit uncertainty with respect to oil and […]
Currently, over 300,000 of Pennsylvania’s children attend 1,118 schools within a half mile of oil and gas facilities, exposing them to methane and other toxins. As pro-life Christians, defending children’s health remains at the core of who we are. That’s why we are pleased that Pennsylvania’s Department of Environment Protection just released its standard for […]
The targets become ever more tempting as antiquated coal plants age out and become ever more financially ruinous for their owners. Which ones are they working on where you are? Are we having fun yet? In a First, Renewable Energy Is Poised to Eclipse Coal in U.S. The coronavirus has pushed the coal industry to […]
In the wake of California oil and gas regulators approving 7.8% more new oil wells during the first quarter of 2020 than during the first quarter of 2019, Consumer Watchdog today urged Governor Gavin Newsom to prevent oil companies from receiving approvals for new oil wells without first requiring full bonding for their clean-ups. By […]
This action alert from the Sunflower Alliance reveals that a new application for exploratory oil and gas drilling in unincorporated Brentwood, in east Contra Costa County in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, is being submitted during the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic as oil prices have plummeted to below zero and dozens of oil tankers […]
Long before the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit and oil prices collapsed, the U.S. fossil fuel industry and its workers were vulnerable. Threats included increasing cost-competitiveness of renewable energy compared to fossil fuels, investor concerns about financial risks and stranded assets, and a changing policy landscape (at state and local levels at least) seeking to meet decarbonization […]
Some might say that the only thing worse than being (deliberately) stupid is being lazy. Fortunately, we don’t have to decide, because climate change deniers are both. Case in point: As you may recall, Nicolas Loris of the industry-funded Heritage Foundation, recently argued that harmful indoor air pollution from gas stoves is no reason to replace them with electric […]
A coalition of 100 labor and environmental groups has sent a letter asking California Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Legislators to “protect people and not polluters” during this unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. By Dan Bacher The letter was issued at time when Newsom has showed increasing signs of caving to the fossil fuel industry. As oil prices crashed to below zero at one point […]
This is just the latest chapter in an ongoing saga [sic] involving trolls and fire giants. By Mokurai Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund Divests Itself Of Climate-Destroying Stocks Worth $3 Billion The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund has sold $3 billion worth of energy stocks and other companies it finds are seriously harming the environment. Most of […]
Tuesday, May 19, marks the fifth anniversary of the massive Plains All American Pipeline spill near the Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. The collapse of the severely corroded pipeline resulted in 140,000 gallons of crude oil spilling into the ocean, killing hundreds of birds and marine mammals, halting recreational and commercial fishing and fouling four “marine […]
Big Oil is reaping major benefits from the large corporate tax cuts that were passed as part of the coronavirus stimulus, according to a recent report from Friends of the Earth. At least 12 oil and gas companies are expected to claim a total $1.5 billion in tax breaks, according to a review of over 40 quarterly filings. By […]
It’s nice to hear that groups protecting vulnerable populations during the coronavirus pandemic could potentially build on legal tactics employed in climate litigation, and (conversely) for those bringing climate lawsuits to learn from coronavirus litigation. By Climate Denier Roundup Last week, Dawn Reeves at InsideEPA reported that ExxonMobil’s lawyers attempted to convince the 10th Circuit Court of […]
What are we doing to keep our planet habitable? Well, the oil industry certainly wants you to think that its continued existence is perfectly compatible with a non-deadly atmosphere, but is it? No, not really. By Climate Denier Roundup That’s a simplified description of findings from a new report from the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which […]
No! Really? We had to find out all over again that soot kills, and that it especially kills those with lung diseases? [sigh] Yes, we had to. And even the unborn. So where are all those Pro-Lifers when we could use their help? Oh. Sorry. Silly me. By Mokurai Placentas Are Caked in Soot from […]
The COVID-19 pandemic and economic shutdown have temporarily produced clearer skies across the U.S. Meanwhile, however, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been busy finding reasons not to pursue long-lasting air quality gains. By H. Christopher Frey, North Carolina State University The Conversation On April 30, 2020, the agency published a proposed new rule that […]