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Reposted by Fieldnotes

Center for Climate Integrity @climateintegrity.org · 10d

At #ClimateWeekNYC, CCI Political Director Iyla Shornstein (@iylas.bsky.social) joined a panel of experts at Columbia University to discuss the state of fossil fuel accountability.

Here are some highlights from that discussion 🧵

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 15d

Be sure to check out this panel happening today if you are attending #ClimateWeekNYC! Our own @kellyemitchell.bsky.social will be there along with these other incredible voices - don't miss it!

Center for Climate Integrity @climateintegrity.org · 17d

Wednesday at #ClimateWeekNYC: "Fossil Fuel Accountability in the Trump Era"

Moderated by NPR's @michaelcopley1.bsky.social and
featuring @iylas.bsky.social, Kelly Mitchell of @fieldnotes.co, former congressional investigator Aria Kovalovich, and Ben Franta of Oxford Sustainable Law Programme.

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Center for Climate Integrity @climateintegrity.org · 17d

Wednesday at #ClimateWeekNYC: "Fossil Fuel Accountability in the Trump Era"

Moderated by NPR's @michaelcopley1.bsky.social and
featuring @iylas.bsky.social, Kelly Mitchell of @fieldnotes.co, former congressional investigator Aria Kovalovich, and Ben Franta of Oxford Sustainable Law Programme.

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Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · Sep 4

"Over 40 months — from May 2021 to September 2024 — oil companies applied for more than 12,000 flaring and venting permits, while the Railroad Commission rejected just 53 of them, a 99.6% approval rate, according to the data."

www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.

The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

www.propublica.org

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Karin Kirk @karinkirk.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is awesome work and such an important story.

Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

Bombshell reporting by @propublica.org & @insideclimatenews.org describes massive flaring and venting from Texas oil wells, discrediting the oil & gas industry’s claim that natural gas and LNG are “clean” energy. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.

The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

www.propublica.org

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

Just weeks after sending the above email, Pruett helped lead a Permian oil field tour for the EPA R6 administrator, where he claimed U.S. gas is cleaner than other countries' gas and that drilling companies (like his) were taking steps to reduce emissions.
www.mrt.com/news/article...

EPA administrator tours local oil and gas facility

EPA Region 6 Administrator Earthea Nance visited Midland-Odessa, and local officials hope...

www.mrt.com

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

One group behind the deregulatory push is IPAA, an oil & gas lobbying org. Records obtained by @fieldnotes.co reveal that a Texas oil company led by IPAA’s then-chair, Steve Pruett, increased flaring by 692% in 2023. At the same time, IPAA was crusading against methane regs.

$An email sent by Steve Pruett to University of Texas School of Law Professor Melinda E. Taylor, along with others, reads: “The quantities are all by EPA’s spreadsheet formulas except for the flared volumes, produced volumes and sold volumes which are metered. The high level of flaring was undersized gathering compression which is P66’s, our gas purchaser’s responsibility. Elevation provided P66 increasing gas forecasts but they failed to get the capital approved in time to expand their gathering compression facility. The plant had adequate capacity and all of or separation facilities were tied into the gathering system prior to the wells coming online.Well “venting” from HF (hydraulic fracturing) is improperly labeled by the EPA. We do not vent wells during flowback-that’s not legal without a permit and it is a frowned upon practice. Operators cannot do that in NM and permits should be hard to obtain in TX. We have a temporary flare until the new wells produce enough gas to flow to the production separation facility. If the facility is already in place with other wells, we do not flare the new wells at all as they are flowed to the prod. facility day one.I hope that helps. Not sure about other operators’ capabilities, but most operators do not file a subpart W report as they are either below 25,000 mt/yr of CO2e emissions, they don’t know what their emissions are as they don’t measure or complete the form, or they are simply out of compliance. Audit and enforcement is a big open question for the EPA and the state agencies like the TCEQ.”$

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

The Trump admin is taking a sledgehammer to methane regulation. Republicans repealed the first ever fee on methane emissions and the EPA has delayed implementing rules requiring industry to reduce emissions/monitor for leaks. Now the agency is working to revoke the endangerment finding.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

The industry brags about the progress it’s made reducing emissions in the Permian Basin—the country's largest oil field—which spans western TX and southeastern NM. But a 2024 study found it emits the second-most methane of any oil field in the world. acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/...

Automated detection of regions with persistently enhanced methane concentrations using Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite data

Abstract. Methane (CH4) is an important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, and its rising concentration in the atmosphere contributes significantly to global warming. A comparatively small number of highly...

acp.copernicus.org

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

Flaring is when drillers burn off gas they don't capture, converting most of the methane to CO2. Venting is when gas is released without burning it. The permit apps showed oil companies requested to flare/vent more than 195 *billion* cubic ft of gas per year.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

The story includes an analysis of data gathered by @oilfieldwitness.bsky.social that found TX Railroad Commission, Texas’s oil & gas regulator, received over 12,000 applications from oil corporations to flare or vent methane and approved all but 53 of them between 2021 and 2024.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Sep 3

Bombshell reporting by @propublica.org & @insideclimatenews.org describes massive flaring and venting from Texas oil wells, discrediting the oil & gas industry’s claim that natural gas and LNG are “clean” energy. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.

The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

www.propublica.org

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Aug 29

But it's also worth noting that @exxonmobiloil.bsky.social *knew* AXPC was fighting methane regulations long before the Washington Post story came out. The oil giant chose not to leave the lobbying group until after that knowledge became public and a risk to its reputation.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Aug 29

Back in Oct. 2024, @evanhalper.bsky.social and Josh Dawsey reported on the docs, which detailed the AXPC's strategy for a Trump presidency and how the group planned to dismantle the Biden administration's climate rules—particularly on methane. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trump has vowed to gut climate rules. Oil lobbyists have a plan ready.

As companies fall short on methane emission reductions, a top trade group has crafted a road map for dismantling key rules.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Aug 29

🚨 from Argus Media: @exxonmobiloil.bsky.social ends its membership with AXPC b/c of the group's "aggressive" opposition to environmental regs.

This comes after @washingtonpost.com reported on internal docs obtained by @fieldnotes.co exposing AXPC 's efforts.

www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-...

Exxon blames oil group exit on climate principles | Latest Market News

ExxonMobil says it has ended its membership with the US oil lobbying group American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) because of the group's "aggressive" opposition to environmental regulations, though oil industry leaders with knowledge of AXPC's advocacy question that justification.

www.argusmedia.com

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Aug 15

Great reporting from @emdashsanders.bsky.social highlighting the hypocrisy from the oil & gas industry around methane rules. Industry has publicly claimed to support the rules while working behind-the-scenes to weaken measures that would hold them accountable. www.exxonknews.org/p/with-metha...

With methane rules on the chopping block, where does Big Oil stand?

The Trump EPA could do away with methane regulations that major oil companies and their trade associations have strategically claimed to support.

www.exxonknews.org

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Josh Voorhees @joshvoorhees.bsky.social · Jul 22

Great work by @kmkowalski.bsky.social & @canarymedia.com on this story showing just how much the O&G industry is running the show in Ohio on CCS. They wrote the bill, wined + dined sponsors, lined up witnesses, etc—even by lobbying standards, this one stands out.
www.canarymedia.com/articles/car...

In Ohio, oil and gas industry is steering new carbon capture bill

Newly obtained public records show that the industry has worked hard to ensure the legislation prioritizes their interests over climate change concerns.

www.canarymedia.com

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

The industry-backed bill stalled in 2024, but the push continues this year with API’s allies reintroducing an updated version in both chambers. See a detailed timeline along with the documents between industry and lawmakers here: fieldnotes.co/investigatio...

'The New Wild West:' Inside the Oil & Gas Industry’s Plan to Profit…

Fieldnotes is a watchdog group that investigates the oil and gas industry.

fieldnotes.co

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

This means companies pay into a state trust fund for each ton of CO2 they inject into the ground and then the state assumes liability for the project, using the trust fund to pay for monitoring and remediation. When that money runs out? The state (read:taxpayers*) is left to pay.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

What’s worse is this is a raw deal for Ohioans. Most CCS laws, including the one in OH, contain liability provisions which shift the financial liability for CCS projects from private corporations to state governments after a certain number of yrs or if certain conditions are met.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

Records show API and OOGA have been in regular contact with the lawmakers they cherrypicked in-person or on Zoom on more than a dozen separate occasions since late 2023, as well as exchanged more than a hundred emails during that time to lobby the passage of this CCS legislation.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

Documents obtained through public records requests show:
📜 API and OOGA drafted the legislation themselves
🧑‍⚖️ They chose which lawmakers would introduce it
🎤 They lined up supportive witnesses
📝 They even gave lawmakers talking points and media plans

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

Their goal? Transfer oversight of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects from the U.S. EPA to state regulators, a move that would likely speed approvals and weaken protections for communities and the environment.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Ohio Oil & Gas Association (OOGA) represent some of the largest oil and gas companies in the US - including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and Energy Transfer.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · Jul 22

A new investigation by @kmkowalski.bsky.social and @canarymedia.com, with documents obtained by Fieldnotes, reveals a coordinated effort by oil lobbyists to write and introduce carbon capture and storage legislation. www.canarymedia.com/articles/car...

In Ohio, oil and gas industry is steering new carbon capture bill

Newly obtained public records show that the industry has worked hard to ensure the legislation prioritizes their interests over climate change concerns.

www.canarymedia.com

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