This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would update Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, helping to accelerate and promote the construction of critical infrastructure projects. Across the country, New York and other states have misused Section 401 of the Clean Water Act as a means to block and delay oil and
U.S. District Judge William Young issued an opinion today on his March decision to remand Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil to state court. While some environmental activists touted today’s issuance of Young’s opinion as “another loss in court for Big Oil” (despite the ruling actually taking place several months ago), this narrow
It’s been five years since anti-energy activists created the “____ Knew” campaign attacking energy companies for allegedly conspiring to hide climate change from the public, and in that time they’ve managed to rack up a stunning losing streak in the courts. Their latest stunt attempts to flip the script, alleging that “BP Knew” about climate
Energy-related CO2 emissions declined by 2.8 percent from 2018 to 2019, according to data recently published by the Energy Information Administration. The emissions drops in 2019 are significant when looked at beside the broader U.S. context: despite an energy consumption decline of 0.9 percent in 2019, gross domestic product increased by 2.3 percent in the
The U.S. electric power sector has surpassed the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan emissions reduction targets 11 years ahead of schedule, according to a new report by the Carbon Tax Center. The CPP aimed to cut carbon emissions from electricity generation by 32 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. But in 2019, the power sector
Virginia has seen a nearly 40 percent jump in power generation over the past decade. Over that same period, thanks to increased reliance on natural gas, the state’s emissions have fallen. Unfortunately, a story published by Ben Storrow at E&E News falsely blames natural gas for increased emissions levels in the state through cherry-picked data
U.S. pipeline incidents have fallen more than 35 percent in the last five years, despite a 10 percent increase in miles of new pipelines constructed, according to a recent report by the American Petroleum Institute in collaboration with the Association of Oil Pipelines. During this time, oil and natural gas production was at an all-time
A new University of Rochester study claiming methane emissions from fossil fuel activities are higher than previously estimated is encountering criticism from the scientific community because of significant limitations and the fact that it is at odds with existing research. Contrary to headlines that gave the impression the study’s findings are written in stone, even
Global natural gas demand, increased supplies from U.S. producers, and investments in LNG capacity will continue to grow and generate additional environmental benefits, the recently released Shell LNG Outlook 2020 reports. The company’s fourth annual LNG outlook highlights key industry trends from the previous year and lays out LNG expectations spanning the next few decades.
Global emissions plateaued to 33 billion tons in 2019, according to a new International Energy Agency report. This positive development—which came on the heels of two years of emission increases—was largely driven by a switch to natural gas in advanced economies. Meanwhile, the report also indicates the vast opportunities that still exist for natural gas
EID’s Will Allison testified today on behalf of the Independent Petroleum Association of America before the Council on Environmental Quality. The Denver hearing is the first of two such events for CEQ to hear commentary on its proposal to update the National Environmental Policy Act. Below is Mr. Allison’s testimony: Testimony Delivered By William Allison On Behalf
On the same day that a handful of California municipalities seeking to revive their climate litigation crusade presented oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the non-profit public interest law firm Government Accountability and Oversight (GAO) filed a lawsuit on February 5th against the office of Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson for
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden made a statement at this week’s Democratic presidential debate that shows just how out-of-touch the former vice president is with the oil and natural gas workers that have transformed his home state of Pennsylvania into an energy powerhouse and helped achieve record U.S. energy security. Taking a line from fellow candidate,
As the weather turns colder, more Americans are relying on clean, affordable, reliable natural gas to keep their houses warm and cook family dinners during the holidays. That’s not what Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers were thinking about in a new report on what they consider an “uncertain role” for natural gas in a clean
The American oil and natural gas industry broke production and export records, redefined global energy markets, and helped American families save thousands of dollars – all while helping the United States continue to lead the world in reducing emissions. As 2019 comes to a close, let’s review the highlights from the oil and gas industry’s