Message From the Editor

Like much of the U.S., even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Louisiana, science denial has been prominently on display.That’s been especially visible in the anti-mask sentiment dominating conservative circles, with some leaders comparing public health measures to Nazi Germany. Check out Julie Dermansky’s reporting and photos from Louisiana.
 
The Trump EPA has decided to keep in place less-stringent pollution standards for ozone, a precursor of smog, a move applauded by fossil fuel industry groups that just a few years earlier were suing the Obama administration over those same standards. Dana Drugmand has the story.

Justin Mikulka unpacks how the fracking industry has relied on, ahem, “overly optimistic” models to tell banks and investors how much money they need and how much oil they can drill. That hasn’t worked out so well. Read more.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected].

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Have you seen our report on the overlap between climate science deniers and those downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic?

As Pandemic Toll Rises, Science Deniers in Louisiana Shun Masks, Comparing Health Measures to Nazi Germany

— By Julie Dermansky (10 min. read) —

Science denial in America didn’t begin with the Trump administration, but under the leadership of President Trump, it has blossomed. From the climate crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic, this rejection of scientific authority has become a hallmark of and cultural signal among many in conservative circles. This phenomenon has been on recent display in Louisiana, where a clear anti-mask sentiment has emerged in the streets and online even as COVID-19 cases rise.

“Are you a masker or a free breather?” Pastor Tony Spell asked the crowd while speaking from the bed of a pickup truck at a July 4 “Save America” rally in Baton Rouge. At the end of March Spell gained international attention for his refusal to stop his church’s services despite Gov. John Bel Edwards’ stay-at-home order, which was issued to slow Louisiana’s rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.

Industry Groups Sued EPA Over Obama Ozone Standards. Under Trump, They Support Them

— By Dana Drugmand (6 min. read) —

Large business and industry associations representing the fossil fuel industry welcomed a July 13 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement that the agency would not be strengthening air quality standards for ozone pollution, the main ingredient in smog.

Ironically, some of these same groups previously fought in court against those standards when they were set in 2015 during the Obama administration — the same standards they are now praising. That legal challenge was unsuccessful.

Bankers and Investors Finding Fracking Industry's Underlying Models Prove Overly Optimistic

— By Justin Mikulka (15 min. read) —

Warren Buffet has a famous quote about investing: “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.” 

When it comes to his $10 billion investment in Occidental Petroleum, Buffett will need to take that one to heart now that other investors have sued Occidental for the merger financed in part by Buffet’s stake, alleging that the amount of debt required for Occidental to merge with Anadarko left the company “precariously exposed” if oil prices went lower. They cited the billions that Buffett invested in the deal as compounding this risk. 

Return of the Bomb Trains

— By Justin Mikulka (7 min. read) —

On July 6, Reuters published an article on the potential for a resurgence of moving crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota across the country by rail, due to a judge’s decision to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline over permit issues.

July 6 also was the seventh anniversary of the disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, when a train full of Bakken oil from North Dakota derailed and exploded — resulting in 47 fatalities and the destruction of much of downtown Lac-Mégantic. 

And while the timing was just coincidence, it is a stark reminder of the dangers of moving Bakken crude (and Canadian crude) oil by rail and the risks that a resurgence of this industry poses to the 25 million people living along the tracks these oil trains traverse. 

Global Push for LNG Creates 'Gas Bubble' That Could Bust

— By Nick Cunningham (8 min. read) —

Earlier this year, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway pulled out of a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Saguenay, Quebec. The project developer cited the “current Canadian political context” as the reason why Berkshire Hathaway bailed on them, including recent rail blockades led by hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia.

The rail blockades targeted an entirely separate fossil fuel project — TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, which would cross unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. The protests rapidly spread around the country, with students, environmental groups, and other First Nations joining the rail blockades in solidarity.

Report: Push for Renewable Natural Gas Is More Gas Industry 'Greenwashing'

— By Dana Drugmand (9 min. read) —

“Renewable natural gas,” or RNG, is an alternative gas fuel that comes from landfills, manure, or synthetic processes. That's opposed to the fossil gas that drillers traditionally pump out of underground reserves in oil and gas fields.

With “renewable” in the name, it may sound like a promising alternative to the fossil-based “natural” gas commonly used for heating and cooking in buildings. According to a new report from Earthjustice and Sierra Club, however, these fuels pitched as “renewable ” and environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil gas amount to a PR campaign meant to distract from efforts to convert the building sector to all electric power.

Court Rules Bayou Bridge Pipeline 'Trampled' Rights of Louisiana Landowners

— By Dana Drugmand (4 min. read) —

A Louisiana state appeals court has ruled that the Bayou Bridge Pipeline Company illegally “trampled” on the rights of landowners by starting pipeline construction without the landowners’ permission. The pipeline company must pay the landowners $10,000 each plus attorneys fees.

“This is a victory not only for us but for all landowners,” said Theda Larson Wright, one of the three Louisiana landowners who sued Bayou Bridge Pipeline Company (BBP) in September 2018. “All over the country, pipeline companies have destroyed people's land, often without even attempting to get permission, and dared the landowners to speak up. Well, we did. I hope this victory will encourage many others to as well.”

From the Climate Disinformation Database: The National Association of Manufacturers

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) describes itself as the largest manufacturing association in the United States. NAM has routinely opposed the Clean Air Act, regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Power Plan, stricter ozone standards, and a wide range of other environmental regulations that it argues would negatively impact industry. With a number of fossil fuel industry companies in its ranks, NAM over the years has been involved in multiple efforts to delay action and accountability on the climate crisis.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.