A Federal Appeals Court has told the EPA it was wrong to deny Arkansas’s plan to implement the Clean Air Act standards for ozone emissions. The court blocked the EPA”s disapproval in what Attorney General Tim Griffin called a win over regulatory overreach. The order from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was …
May 2023 archive
ConocoPhillips to finish acquiring Canadian energy operation
ConocoPhillips announced that it is exercising its preemption right to purchase the remaining 50% interest in Surmont from TotalEnergies EP Canada Ltd. for approximately $3 billion (CAD$4 billion), subject to customary adjustments, as well as contingent payments of up to approximately $325 million (CAD$440 million). ConocoPhillips currently holds a 50% interest as operator of …
Governors urge EPA to increase requirement for biodiesel production
Governors of Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to give approval of an expansion of the federal requirement for more biodiesel production in the U.S. The three Midwest governors say diesel fuel supplies remain at low levels and farmers and truckers are dealing with “stubbornly high” prices. A year ago, …
Nuclear waste company has challenges from New Mexico to Massachusetts
Holtec, the same company that is opposed for winning government approval to store nuclear waste in New Mexico finds itself also the center of attention at Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts.. The company is in charge of decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth and wants to dump more than 1 million gallons of …
Massive gas pipeline approval included in debt ceiling deal
The debt deal announced by President Biden and House GOP leaders over the weekend could produce opposition from Democrats because it includes a controversial 300 mile natural gas pipeline project. House leaders managed to include the billion-dollar Mountain Valley Pipeline which is 94% complete in stretching more than 300 miles from West Virginia to …
Controversial BLM proposal supported by elected officials in New Mexico
New Mexico elected officials recently went before Congress to testify in support of proposed federal rules that are meant t o increase conservation uses on public land. Testimony came from congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat, and New Mexico Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard. Both supported the plan by the Bureau of Land management …
Energy permitting projects—right in middle of debt debate
The overhaul of the nation’s permitting process for big energy projects is right in the middle of what Republicans want as they negotiate with President Biden during the debt-limit talks. With a default deadline approaching this week, the issue has been on the table according to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Click here for Bloomberg
Texas congressman says EPA plans to weaponize rules against Permian Basin
Talk about foot-dragging. It’s what Texas Congressman August Pfluger says he encountered with the Environmental Protection Agency as he attempted to confirm it’s threat to declare all of the Permian Basin a non-attainment area for ozone control. The Odessa American reports that it took the Republican congressman more than a year to get a …
Justice Clarence Thomas suggests EPA should be gutted
When the Supreme Court ruled last week the EPA overstepped its authority in a WOTUS fight, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas not only supported the ruling but also indicated he felt the authority of the EPA should be gutted. “The Court’s opinion today curbs a serious expansion of federal authority that has simultaneously degraded States’ …
Texas won’t ban Chinese from buying land in the state
Texas won’t ban Chinese citizens from buying land in the state. The House of Representatives in Austin has voted against passing such a proposed law out of committee. That means the legislation is effectively dead since the regular session of the Texas legislature ends this week. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, originally filed Senate Bill …