Whether it moves by pipeline, by rail, or by tanker, tar sands and other oil is polluting, highly combustible, and dangerous to communities and our climate. In order to avert the worst of the climate crisis and protect our communities from devastating explosions and oil spills, we must stop the industry from building any new oil infrastructure. After more than a decade of advocacy, legal challenges, and organizing in partnership with local communities along the pipeline route and across the country, we successfully blocked the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Now we are continuing to apply those same tools to winning fights against other pipelines, oil train terminals, and oil export facilities across the country.
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MONROE COUNTY, OH - Yesterday, the US Geological Survey reported an earthquake in Monroe County with the epicenter located at 39.6663º N, 81.244º W. The 3.0 magnitude earthquake was located in the Marietta Unit of the Wayne National Forest. Approximately 40,000 acres of the forest are slated for hydraulic fracturing (fracking) by the Bureau of Land Management.
Anchorage, AK -- Over the weekend, Hilcorp, the company responsible for an ongoing three-month long methane leak, announced that it had spilled oil in the Cook Inlet. The cause of the spill continues to be investigated, and the layer of ice over the Inlet makes it difficult to investigate and impossible to fully clean up.This spill comes as Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans are looking at ways to circumvent President Barack Obama’s designation to permanently protect the Arctic Ocean from offshore drilling.
Oklahoma City, OK -- Today, the Western Oklahoma District Court announced, after the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC), the state agency tasked with regulating oil and gas operations, took several steps towards tackling the earthquake epidemic, that it planned to dismiss without prejudice a landmark lawsuit against three of the largest fossil fuel companies in Oklahoma. The week after the notice of intent to sue was filed, the OCC announced a volume reduction plan for several dozen disposal wells in western Oklahoma.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Environmental Protection Agency has made available on its website the plan for the first tranche of Volkswagen’s National Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Investment sp
Deadhorse, Alaska -- A British Petroleum (BP) oil and gas well on Alaska’s Northern Slope that blew out on Friday continues to spill crude oil and gas uncontrollably. No one was injured when the well blew out. This disaster comes on the heels of two spills in Alaska’s Cook inlet and less than a week before the seven year anniversary of BP’s Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.
Sacramento, CA -- Today, the California State Lands Commission announced that will begin the process of decommissioning Platform Holly, an oil and gas infrastructure in the Pacific Ocean.The news comes as Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, is set to give a speech in Santa Barbara amid speculation that the Trump administration is planning on opening up offshore drilling operations in previously banned waters.
Columbus, OH -- Yesterday, it was revealed that Energy Transfer’s Rover pipeline has had two major spills of drilling fluids into Ohio’s wetlands in just the past week. Construction began on the project on in mid-March 2017. On April 14th, 50,000 gallons of drilling fluids were spilled into a wetland in Richland County, Mifflin Township.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Two days before thousands and thousands of people are expected to march for climate action in Washington, DC and across the country, the U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will meet with the board members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers -- a trade group representing General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and others --to discuss dismantling lifesaving fuel and emissions saving protections.
Washington, DC -- Today, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to review the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Oil and Gas leasing program. According to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, the process will take two years. Trump will also order a review of marine monuments and existing offshore drilling regulations including the blowout preventer rule, put into place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
York, NE -- Today, the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) is holding its lone public comment meeting along the proposed path of the Keystone XL pipeline. The meeting is offering Nebraskans the opportunity to debate whether it should grant TransCanada the permit necessary to construct the pipeline. While hundreds showed up to the meeting today, the Public Service Commission is only allowing fewer than 150 Nebraskans to speak.