Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in a closed-door meeting with the fossil fuel industry the agency’s plans to roll back safeguards finalized in 2024 to limit methane pollution from the oil and gas sector. This dangerous reversal would, if finalized, allow bad-actor corporations to release more climate-disrupting compounds and other pollutants into our atmosphere, jeopardizing the health and wellbeing of our families and communities.
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Capito,
Lee, Heinrich, and Whitehouse introduced the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026,” a bill intended to speed the permitting of infrastructure and
energy projects.
In reaction, Sierra Club’s
Chief Program Officer Holly Bender released the following statement:
A new report released today by Senate Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee puts a dollar figure on the greed and corruption of the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration. According to the report, fossil fuel interests and affiliated groups spent an estimated $201 million supporting Trump and allied Republicans through direct contributions and advertising, along with $19 million for the presidential inaugural fund. In return, the industry has received special treatment through the hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks, subsidies, and regulatory rollbacks.
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will markup H.R. 8330, a bill that would shield fossil fuel companies from laws or lawsuits that would hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis and related disasters.
Washington, DC - More than 110 national, state, and local organizations joined a letter urging Congressional leaders to reject the inclusion of protest criminalization language in legislation reauthorizing the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) pipeline safety programs. The letter comes as Congressional leaders prepare to negotiate a final pipeline safety reauthorization package by reconciling differing pipeline safety bills that have passed through the Senate and through House Committees.
Reporting today indicates that Donald Trump plans to host oil industry executives at the White House tomorrow, even as the average gas price is over $4 a gallon and Big Oil companies reported $85.2 billion in combined Q2 profits.
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas — After years of organizing by residents and community groups based in Freeport, Surfside, Jones Creek, and surrounding Gulf Coast communities, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has vacated a critical federal approval for the Texas GulfLink crude oil export terminal, dealing a major blow to the controversial project.
RICHMOND, Va. — On July 16, the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company signed a proposed consent order by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that would levy a $179,068 fine against the company for failure to comply with erosion and sediment control regulations. DEQ is accepting public comments on the proposed order until Sept. 9.
Albuquerque, N.M. — Today marked the conclusion of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) scoping period in which it sought input on what the agency should consider when conducting its environmental review as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Energy Transfer Partner’s Desert Southwest Pipeline.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has authorized two dangerous and unnecessary pipelines in the Southeast.
BROOKFIELD, Conn. – On Friday afternoon, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced it will reopen the permit application process for the proposed expansion of the Brookfield Compressor Station. The decision was issued in response to an amended application submitted by developers Berkshire Hathaway and TC Energy that would increase the amount of carbon monoxide emitted at the site.
Washington, DC - Sierra Club submitted more than 3,000 comments opposing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposal to expand use of its “blanket certificate” program. FERC’s proposal would more than double the automatic approval cost limit from $14.5 million to $30 million, and the "prior notice" cap from $41 million to $86 million, allowing fossil fuel companies to fast track larger-scale new and expanded methane gas infrastructure without necessary environmental review, full oversight, or community input.