Message From the Editor

A fight is brewing in South Louisiana over a proposal to build a $4.5 billion “Clean Energy Complex” that would manufacture blue hydrogen.

Hydrogen, which can be made from natural gas, is only “blue” if carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is used to offset some of the carbon emitted from the manufacturing. Air Products, the Fortune 500 company behind this proposed project, is planning to store the carbon it captures in injection wells under Lake Maurepas, a prized ecosystem that offers plentiful seafood and vital storm surge protection for nearby residents.

It’s this part of the project that has locals in this politically conservative and industry-friendly area up in arms, Julie Dermansky reports. Many are concerned that the project will irreparably harm the lake, and have joined forces with environmental activists to fight it.

“You can’t remediate dead fish,” said an elected official from one of the parishes that shares the lakefront. “There is no amount of money that would make us understand this and accept it. We are fine the way we are.”

Some industry insiders are worried that these unlikely allies could upend the widely accepted but unsubstantiated narrative — pushed by the fossil fuel industry and backed by billions of federal dollars as well as growing investments by the private sector — that blue hydrogen and CCS technology play an essential role in the energy transition. 

Will this fight turn the tide against the fossil fuel industry’s new lifelines? Dive into Julie’s latest feature — complete with breathtaking photos of the lake — to find out. Want to learn more? Check out this new article from Dana Drugmand that reveals what Big Oil really thinks of CCS.

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Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. DeSmog has been following fossil fuel industry greenwashing since 2006. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

Image credit: Julie Dermansky

The Battle to Stop Air Products’ Carbon Capture Project at Lake Maurepas Grows

— By Julie Dermansky (17 min. read) —

Where the Tickfaw River leads into Lake Maurepas in South Louisiana, a coffin containing a plastic skeleton is fastened to pilings rising out of the water. “Save Lake Maurepas From Impending Death by Air Products,” a sign above it states. This arresting visual captures the sentiments of opponents of a plan to develop the world’s largest carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project under the lake.

Air Products, a global hydrogen manufacturing company, is proposing to build a $4.5 billion “Clean Energy Complex” to manufacture blue hydrogen and an accompanying carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project, that would be operational by 2026.  

Big Oil’s Been Secretly Validating Critics’ Concerns about Carbon Capture

— By Dana Drugmand (17 min. read) —

Last February, ExxonMobil announced it would further expand its only active carbon capture and storage (CCS) operation in the United States, located at a gas processing facility in LaBarge, Wyoming. Shute Creek is the world’s largest CCS project and has been operational for over 30 years. Although the oil giant publicly touts carbon capture as a “proven” climate solution, its own early foray reveals just how flimsy of a fix the technology really is — and how expensive, both for taxpayers and the climate. 

Court Hears Appeal in Canadian Youth Climate Lawsuit

— By Dana Drugmand (3 min. read) —

Young Canadians suing the federal government over its role in worsening the climate crisis are hoping that an appeals court will give them a chance to be heard at trial, after a judge dismissed their case over two years ago. The case was back in court this week as lawyers for the youths argued that the Federal Court of Appeal should overturn that judge’s ruling and permit the case to move towards trial. 

“This case is ripe for trial because we are in a climate emergency,” Chris Tollefson, one of the attorneys representing the 15 youth plaintiffs in La Rose v. His Majesty the King, said during the two-day hearing on February 14 and 15, held virtually over Zoom. A three-judge panel from the appeals court in Ottawa presided over the hearing, and will determine the fate of the case at this stage. 

Revealed: The Science Denial Network Behind Oxford’s ‘Climate Lockdown’ Backlash

— By Adam Barnett, Michaela Herrmann, Christopher Deane (7 min. read) —

The “grassroots” backlash to a traffic reduction scheme in Oxfordshire is being boosted by an international network of established climate and Covid science deniers and amplified by right-wing media, DeSmog can report. 

The group ‘Not Our Future’ made headlines last month by putting leaflets through Oxfordshire residents’ letterboxes calling them “guinea pigs” in the UK’s first “climate lockdown”. This was a reference to a conspiracy theory about a government plan to curb people’s freedoms. 

Big Oil’s Trade Group Allies Outspent Clean Energy Groups by a Whopping 27 Times

— By Christian Downie, Australian National University and Robert Brulle, Brown University (5 min. read) —

You’ve probably seen ads promoting gas and oil companies as the solutions to climate change. They’re meant to be inspiring and hopeful, with scenes of a green, clean future.

But shiny ads are not all these companies do to protect their commercial interests in the face of a rapidly heating world. Most also provide financial support to industry groups that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political activities, often to thwart polices designed to slow climate change.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: American Petroleum Institute

The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest trade association for the oil and gas industry, representing over 600 corporate members “from the largest major oil company to the smallest of independents, come from all segments of the industry.” The API says its mission is to “influence public policy in support of a strong, viable U.S. oil and natural gas industry.” API describes itself as “the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry.” ExxonSecrets reports that API has funded organizations that oppose regulations aimed at combating global warming including the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE).

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