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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Today, the Environmental Protection Agency released critical new draft rules to curb methane emissions and other pollution from the oil and gas industry. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Methane emissions are also emitted alongside other harmful pollution that puts communities at risk of serious negative health effects.
Today, Governor Newsom announced that the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) has issued new draft health and safety rules requiring that newly constructed oil and gas extraction sites must be at least 3,200 feet from California homes, schools, and public parks. This first of its kind draft rule is one of the longest setback distances in the nation, and will help guard Californian communities from toxic pollution from oil and gas wells.
This week, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed 46 counts of environmental crimes against Energy Transfer for violations during their construction of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline. A grand jury added two more counts based on a criminal referral from the Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection. The charges stem from the company’s releasing industrial waste at 22 sites across the state that contaminated a number of streams and rivers.
A pesar de la oposición de camaroneros, pescadores y otros grupos comunitarios locales, la Comisión de Calidad Ambiental de Texas aprobó el 6 de octubre un permiso de contaminación del aire que permitiría la construcción de la refinería Jupiter en el puerto de Brownsville, Texas. Sin embargo, la comisión impuso dos requisitos importantes de control de la contaminación, los cuales mitigarían la polución de aire causado por la instalación— si es que se construye.
Despite opposition from local shrimpers and fisherman and community groups, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Oct. 6 approved an air pollution permit that would allow construction of the Jupiter refinery in the Port of Brownsville, Texas. The commission, however, imposed two important pollution control requirements that will mitigate the dangerous air pollution from the facility if it is eventually built.
Today, the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery had a massive oil spill from one of its storage tanks. The spill spurred prolonged road closures and will require extensive clean-up in the surrounding marshlands that have been polluted with oil and associated chemicals. The oil spill occurred just a few blocks from Texas City’s local high school and near the sensitive waters of Galveston Bay.
Harrisburg, PA -- Today, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced a slew of criminal charges against Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Mariner East II pipeline and other controversial projects including Dakota Access.
A major oil spill off the Orange County coast has reportedly spilled at least 126,000 gallons of oil into coastal waters and local wetlands.
Washington, D.C. — The EPA has announced the withdrawal of guidance from the Trump Administration that allowed states to create loopholes that permit industrial facilities, such as coal plants and oil refineries, to release unlimited amounts of dangerous air pollution during startup, showdown, and malfunction (SSM) events without facing legal consequences under the Clean Air Act. The announcement reinstates EPA’s 2015 policy prohibiting those loopholes and requiring 36 states to correct those illegal provisions.
Today, Canadian oil company Enbridge announced that tar sands oil will start flowing through the Line 3 pipeline this Friday.