Environment
Louisiana energy companies wasted $82 million in natural gas, study finds
A new environmental advocacy group analysis released Thursday found Louisiana’s oil and gas industry wasted over $82 million worth of natural gas in 2019, which is more than two-thirds of the state’s yearly residential consumption. Commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund, the analysis drew gas production data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and fed […]
Federal judge temporarily blocks new Biden WOTUS rule in two dozen states
A federal judge in North Dakota on Wednesday blocked in 24 states the Biden administration’s newly effective definition of waters that can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland, a George W. Bush appointee on retired status in the North Dakota District, issued a preliminary injunction in a case two […]
This company has hired 25 lobbyists for the Louisiana legislative session
A Pennsylvania company and global leader in carbon capture technology hired 25 lobbyists ahead of the Louisiana Legislature’s regular lawmaking session this year as the business faces a slew of bills meant to push back on its “blue hydrogen” plant proposed for Ascension Parish. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. has active contracts with all but […]
EPA sued over failure to set, update pollution limits
More than a dozen environmental groups are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to set water pollution limits for some industrial contaminants as well as its reluctance to update decades-old standards for others, arguing that the agency’s inaction amounts to a “free pass to pollute” for hundreds of chemical and fertilizer plants, […]
Louisiana looks at uses for wasted methane from drill site leaks
Last June, a team of Spanish scientists from the Polytechnic University of Valencia used a European Space Agency satellite to uncover a huge methane leak at an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the published findings, the rig released 40,000 tons of methane into the atmosphere over a 17-day “ultra-emission event” […]
EPA wants to require fenceline monitoring for air toxins at chemical plants
LA PLACE — The nation’s top climate official came to a section of Louisiana known as “Cancer Alley” Thursday to announce the Biden administration’s proposed rules meant to reduce harmful industrial emissions and the risk they pose to communities that neighbor the sites that produce them. This was a return trip for U.S. Environmental Protection […]
Oil and gas worker survey sheds light on unstable, unsafe working conditions
As a carpenter for a contractor company, Cullen Boudreaux worked in oil refineries throughout Louisiana. “I think a lot of regular people don’t realize how dangerous it really is,” he said of his experience in the oil and gas industry. Boudreaux described a time when he halted work on a project because he smelled a […]
These global banks made emission pledges. They still invest billions in Gulf Coast LNG exports.
America’s massive gas export boom is about to get bigger. By the end of the decade, the Gulf Coast could see as many as 12 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals built along its shores. This expansion would triple the amount of gas the U.S. currently exports to be burned around the world, adding more […]
Inside the battle over who gets to build the grid of the future
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a draft report in February that found a “pressing need” for new electric transmission infrastructure across the country to improve reliability, connect a rapidly growing number of solar, wind and battery storage projects, supply increasing electric demand and alleviate scattered pockets of consistently high prices across the country. To […]
Nuns trying to build New Orleans solar garden want fair price for power
An order of nuns wants to build a community solar plant in New Orleans, but pesky city regulations are getting in the way of helping low-income families save money on their power bills. The Sisters of the Holy Family, a Catholic order established by free women of color in 1842 in defiance of then-racist Louisiana […]
Feds add toxic Capitol Lakes cleanup to priority list
The long-contaminated Capitol Lakes area in Baton Rouge is being moved to the front of the line for remediation money, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday. The 60-acre site near the Louisiana Capitol and Governor’s Mansion has been placed on the EPA’s National Priorities List, which means the remediation project is poised to receive […]
U.S. House passes sweeping energy bill pushing back against Biden climate policies
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill packed with Republican energy priorities meant to counteract the Biden administration’s approach and boost U.S. oil and gas production. Numbered H.R. 1 as a signal that energy policy is the House majority’s top legislative priority, the bill includes a package of GOP proposals, ranging from […]