Fossil Fuels

The Biden Administration's Ambiguous Position on Drilling in Alaska
The administration's support of a Conoco-Phillips project is at odds with its suspension of Trump-era oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Louisiana Legislature Moves to Slow Solar Development
The proposed bill and house resolution would create stricter rules for solar leases and make solar projects ineligible for a commonly used tax exemption.

U.S. Automakers Have Been Undermining Climate Science Since the 1960s, Investigation Reveals
It's been 50 years since researchers at General Motors and Ford Motor Co. warned the automakers about the effects of auto emissions on the planet's climate.

2020 Energy Infrastructure Predictions
Planners can expect changes in the energy industry to influence preparations for the future of cities and communities.

New Jersey Has a Plan to Shift to Clean Energy, but Questions Remain
The state’s energy plan focuses on the move to renewable energy, but specifics about how that will happen and what the costs will be need to be pinned down.

Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines
The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda depends, in part, on growing the energy distribution network, namely pipelines, rail facilities, and ports. However, states can use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and coal terminals.

The Climate Change Lawsuit That Won't Go Away
The now-famous children's lawsuit, featured on 60 Minutes last Sunday, was not filed against President Trump—he just inherited it from his predecessor. Both administrations have tried to have the case dismissed.

L.A. Collects Green Bonafides By Canceling Plans for Natural Gas Power
The bell tolls for the Scattergood, Harbor, and Haynes power plants, after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti promises a transition to renewable energy. The city was going to spend $5 billion to transition to natural gas.

Transportation Priorities of the New Democratic Leadership in the House
With Democrats rising to power in the U.S. House of Representatives and the government recently reopened (temporarily at least), it's time to plot the legislative ambitions of the coming session in Congress.

West Texas Drilling Boom Bodes Ill for Residents, the Planet
Driven by foreign demand, a surge in West Texas oil production is having adverse effects on the local populace, and contributes to climate change at a crucial moment.

Another Major Climate Win for Big Oil in Federal Court
A New York federal district court rules on a climate change lawsuit like its West Coast counterpart did last month: Don't hold oil companies accountable for climate change and sea level rise. Baltimore and Rhode Island file climate change lawsuits.
Pipeline Politics Ruffle NATO Summit
At the NATO Summit in Brussels last Wednesday, President Trump charged that Germany was captive to Russia because of its dependence on Russian natural gas, and a new, controversial pipeline from Russia to Germany will exacerbate its dependency.

Big Oil Wins Climate Change Lawsuits
The courts are no place to be deciding on the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, ruled a Northern California federal district court judge in a "stinging defeat" to San Francisco and Oakland that wanted Big Oil to pay mitigation costs.

Battle of the Bay: S.F. and Oakland Sue Oil Companies Over Sea Level Rise
Two California cities are going after oil companies with a legal argument that recalls the legislation against big tobacco companies in the 1990s.

Global Subsidies for Fossil Fuels: $5 Trillion a Year
A new study from researchers at the International Monetary Fund finds the cost of doing fossil fuel business.

California Counties, City Sue Fossil Fuel Industry Over Sea Level Rise
Faced with "mounting costs" due to the impacts of climate change, a collection of coastal communities in California have taken legal action against the fossil fuel industry.

The Geography of Oil and Gas Pipeline Accidents [Updated]
Safety is one trigger in the heated debate over whether fossil fuels should be transported by pipeline. While the industry insists the method is safer than others, the spread of accidents since 1986 is substantial.

Peak Coal: China's Carbon Emissions Drop as the Use of Coal Slows
In the long struggle to reduce the impacts of climate change, we may have finally hit a positive milestone, as China's use of coal peaked in 2014.

Op-Ed: The Texas Miracle Won't Last
As economic migration continues to swell its population, Texas has been heralded by some as a new California. But Johnny Sanphillippo argues that the Lone Star State's boom just isn't sustainable.

Interior Department Secretary Jumps Into Fossil Fuel Debate
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell expressed a surprisingly pro-industry viewpoint in response to the growing "keep it in the ground" environmental movement.
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