** New York state will fine fossil fuel companies a total of $75 billion over the next 25 years to pay for damage caused to the climate under a bill Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law on Thursday. The law is intended to shift some of the recovery and adaptation costs of climate change from individual …
Category: EPA
Energy briefs
** Environmental groups file a lawsuit accusing California regulators of failing to assess or alleviate potential environmental impacts of increased biofuel use expected under updates to the state’s low-carbon fuel standard. ** For the first time in U.S. history, wind and solar generated more electricity than coal during the first 11 months of 2024, according to data from a …
Energy briefs
** Kinder Morgan (KMI) reached a final investment decision (FID) Dec. 19 for its $1.4 billion Mississippi Crossing Project (MSX), as the company pushes forward with plans to move more natural gas to the Southeast. MSX will be a 206-mile, 42- and 36-inch pipeline with an initial capacity of up to 1.5 Bcf/d of natural gas, reported …
Energy briefs
** The Biden administration released a long-awaited report Tuesday that could make it harder for the incoming administration to expand U.S. natural gas exports — the latest attempt by President Joe Biden’s agencies to Trump-proof his legacy. ** The United States should proceed cautiously as officials consider new natural gas export terminals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said …
Colorado firms accused of lying on contamination reports on hundreds of oil and gas wells
Falsified reports on hundreds of oil and gas sites in Colorado? It’s the claim of Colorado regulators who have made available more information about the alleged falsification of contamination data for hundreds of oil and gas sites by a pair of consulting firms, including a map of the locations in question. Colorado Newsline reports the …
Energy briefs
** The House Judiciary Committee said it’s found “substantial evidence of collusion and anticompetitive behavior” by the financial industry to “impose radical ESG-goals” on US companies. An interim report published by the Republican-led committee said “a cartel” of financial firms and climate activists sought to replace Exxon Mobil Corp. board members in 2021 after the …
Big fine for Exxon Mobil upheld by Appeals Court
Exxon Mobil’s appeal of a more than $14 million fine for thousands of air quality violations at a Texas refinery and chemical plant complext was rejected by a federal appeals court in the past week. The appeal was over a 2021 ruling by a judge who imposed the $14.25 million fine over the energy …
Energy briefs
** California advocates say a state law aimed at phasing out diesel trucks has failed to reduce pollution in communities near the Port of Los Angeles. ** Nevada advocates file a lawsuit seeking to force federal land agencies to protect the Old Spanish Trail from utility-scale solar projects, mining and other development. ** A Michigan House panel approves a $50 …
AG joins Governor and Speaker-elect in fighting government transmission projects
The Southwest Power Pool and the U.S. Department of Energy just received another warning shot across their bows. The first came this week from Gov. Kevin Stitt when he suggested “unplugging” from the SPP because of its regional electrical transmission lines proposed across the state. He vowed to fight any use of eminent domain to …
Energy briefs
** ExxonMobil is preparing to join the power generation business, seeing an opportunity to support the electricity supply for energy-intensive data centers. The company on Dec. 11 said it is designing what was referred to as a “massive” natural gas-fired power plant that would be dedicated to producing power for data centers. ** ExxonMobil has announced …