Previous Fossil Fuel News 2024
Booming Power Demand is Slowing Climate Progress For US Utilities 10-09-24
As climate goals creep closer, the U.S. utility sector remains far away from where it needs to be.
How Big Oil’s Big Money Influences Climate Research 09-06-24
A new study offers the first comprehensive look at the ties between fossil fuel companies and universities. Read more
University Funding From Fossil Fuels Slowing Switch to Green Energy – Report 09-05-24
Study’s authors say integrity of higher education ‘at risk’ upon finding lack of attention to role of oil and gas firms.
Why Mississippi Coal is Powering Georgia’s Data Centers 08-27-24
With electricity demand spiking, the Southern Company has opted to keep burning fossil fuels. Read more
Massive Methane Gas Buildout Puts Our Communities, Climate at Risk 05-24-24
The South is facing the one of the largest methane gas buildouts in the country, as utilities regionwide continue to propose new gas plants and gas pipelines that would lock us into yet another fossil fuel for decades, derailing the transition from coal to clean energy. Read more
In One of the US’s Hottest Deserts, Utilities Push Gas Rather Than Solar 05-23-24
In Fort Mohave, Arizona, even Republican voters are fighting gas power plants as utilities try to lock in fossil fuels Read more
Biden’s Truce With Oil Industry Collapses Over Gas Export Permits 05-23-24
This move has intensified oil and gas industry support for Trump, with major fundraising events and significant donations.
Inside a California Oil Town’s Divisive Plan to Survive the Energy Transition 05-15-24
Kern County is betting on carbon capture to replace oil jobs and tax revenue. But will the county’s new economy repeat the sins of the old one? Read more
Oil Companies or Climate Champions? 05-13-24
The Senate Budget Committee, led by climate champion, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), skillfully showed how a hearing on what oil companies do with their huge profits could expose the fossil fuel industry’s long-running and expensive disinformation campaigns about their impact on climate.
Oil Companies or Climate Champions? 05-05-24
The Senate Budget Committee, led by climate champion, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), skillfully showed how a hearing on what oil companies do with their huge profits could expose the fossil fuel industry’s long-running and expensive disinformation campaigns about their impact on climate.
Why a “fracking refugee” is Attending the Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations 04-26-24
“Fracking and building pipelines in order to create more poisonous plastic is ruining people’s lives.”
Jill Hunkler, an Ohio resident who considers herself a “fracking refugee,” is telling her family’s story at the global plastics treaty negotiations in Ottawa this week, where negotiators from about 175 countries are working to advance a treaty to address global plastic pollution. Read more
Plastics Production on the Gulf Coast is Exploding. Here’s How to Respond 04-15-24
Even as the world suffers a plastics glut, petrochemical companies are prolonging the ‘plasticene era.’ Read more
As Some Countries Spurn Cars, the U.S. Continues to Embrace Highways 03-30-24
Canada will no longer fund major road expansion, and other countries are looking at ways to lessen dependence on cars.
The Last Coal-Fired Power Plants in New England Are to Close 03-28-24
The company that owns the Merrimack and Schiller stations in New Hampshire plans to turn them into solar farms and battery storage for offshore wind. Read more
Emission Impossible 03-21-24
Here’s what happened when two climate reporters tried to ditch natural gas. Read more
New Lake Will Fuel Petrochemical Expansion on Texas Coast 03-08-24
Blocked in Louisiana, Formosa Plastics looks to grow around Lavaca Bay instead. But it and other interested industrial plants are waiting for more water. Read more
There’s a Reason Exxon’s CEO Says Its Emissions Are Your Fault 03-04-24
Activist investors want the company to trim its biggest source of emissions. Exxon sees that as a threat. Read more
California Towns Are Banning New Gas Stations. Big Oil is Paying Attention. 02-28-24
Some activists view the industry’s response as a badge of success. Read more
Hidden Subsidies Prop Up New York’s Fossil Fuel Industry 02-10-24
The state wants to phase out fossil fuels. Localities have given over a billion dollars in tax breaks to help keep them around. Read more
Why a Natural Gas Storage Climate ‘disaster’ Could Happen Again 02-03-24
A year after a major methane leak from underground gas storage, a new study identifies potentially thousands of similarly risky wells across the United States.
Amid Losses, Wood Pellet Company Enviva at Risk of Default 01-29-24
Enviva, a wood pellet producer with a huge economic and environmental footprint in North Carolina, is teetering on the edge of financial collapse. Read more
‘Control the narrative’: How an Alabama Utility Wields Influence By Financing News 01-21-24
A Floodlight investigation found Alabama Power runs a news service and its foundation bought a Black newspaper. Neither publishes critical stories about the utility. Read more
U.S. Carbon Emissions Fell in 2023 as Coal Use Tumbled to New Lows 01-10-24
The drop was big, but emissions will need to fall three times as fast for the rest of the decade if the country wants to meet its climate goals. Read more
