dirty-fuels

February 3, 2025

Washington, DC - Today, the United States Senate voted to confirm Chris Wright as the Secretary of the Department of Energy. Wright is an outspoken critic of policies aimed at curbing climate change and the transition to renewable energy sources. He is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, a leading oil and fracked gas company.

January 22, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC -- After months of requests from state and local officials, as well as dozens of advocacy organizations, asking for a detailed Environmental Impact Statement for Transco's proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project in Virginia and North Carolina, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice stating that it would instead prepare a less comprehensive analysis that falls far short of what community advocates have argued is required.

January 17, 2025

Today, more than 150 environmental organizations sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary Granholm thanking them for releasing the final Department of Energy (DOE) studies on the impacts of liquefied methane gas (LNG) exports. Given scientific conclusions, the groups urge the Biden administration to use this analysis to reject pending LNG export authorizations as not in the public interest.

January 21, 2025

Last week, U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) alongside U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R-TX-11) introduced companion bills to repeal the Waste Emission Charge of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, a critical program created by the Inflation Reduction Act that will help protect our families and communities from harmful oil and gas pollution. The charge is a commonsense measure to cut excessive methane emissions from corporations that are the largest polluters, secure American energy, and create jobs.

January 15, 2025

Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nomination of Chris Wright, an outspoken critic of policies aimed at curbing climate change and the transition to renewable energy sources, to run the Department of Energy. Wright is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, a leading oil and fracked gas company.

January 3, 2025

Today, the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service released the final rule that will determine tax credits for clean hydrogen production. Section 45V, the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, was created by the Inflation Reduction Act in order to support the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program and create investment certainty within the nascent industry that has the potential to reduce emissions in several hard-to-decarbonize sectors.

December 20, 2024

Today, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency announced $850 million in funding to reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas industry through the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). The awards are for projects led by agencies, tribes, states, communities, and industry to track and mitigate methane leaks.

December 17, 2024

Nearly a year after the historic decision by President Biden and Department of Energy Secretary Granholm to pause consideration of new and pending liquefied methane gas, known as LNG, export applications, the DOE has released updated analysis underpinning the criteria used to make a public interest determination for these applications. The studies were released as final, and there will be a 60-day public comment period that will inform the implementation of the studies.

December 2, 2024

A new report details the extent to which the export industry for liquefied methane gas, known as LNG, benefits from billions of dollars in tax breaks, also called tax abatements, in Louisiana and Texas, with local communities suffering as a result. As the incoming Trump administration threatens to lift pollution safeguards and offer giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, this report brings much-needed scrutiny to the true harm LNG export projects cause by depriving communities of valuable tax revenue for critical infrastructure and services such as bridges, hospitals, schools, and climate resiliency.

November 20, 2024

A report from Politico today indicates that President-elect Trump would attempt to resurrect the long-dead Keystone XL pipeline project, despite the decade-plus-long fight against the pipeline that brought together a broad range of opponents, including Tribes, landowners, and environmental and public health advocates.

October 4, 2024

The United States Supreme Court rejected an effort by industry polluters and their political allies to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) comprehensive Clean Air Act standards to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from the oil and gas industry. The Court’s ruling is a victory for our families and communities, particularly those living on the front lines of oil and gas development. EPA’s methane safeguards —which include the first-ever standards for existing equipment as well as strengthened protections for new equipment— are a major win for climate and public health. As parties to the case, Sierra Club and its allies filed a brief opposing the industry’s legal claims. In declining their applications for a stay, the Supreme Court will allow EPA’s critical methane standards to take effect while the lower court reviews the rule’s legal merits.

September 4, 2024

Today, Gulf Coast and environmental groups filed petitions for review challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of Venture Global’s proposed CP2 LNG. In a 2-1 vote, FERC voted to approve the controversial liquified methane gas export project at its June meeting despite significant flaws in its analysis and information gaps in its review.