Brendan · [email protected]

July 1, 2022 at 8:13 PM

The Murky Fates of Orphan Wells

    Message From the Editor Last November, Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which set aside $4.7 billion to clean up so-called orphan wells — oil and gas wells that have no identifiable and solvent owner and can leak vast amounts …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

June 24, 2022 at 10:00 PM

Oil & Gas’s Pacific Northwest Playbook

    Message From the Editor Many stories about the oil and gas industry in the United States focus on the Permian Basin or the Gulf Coast. This week instead, we’re taking you to the Pacific Northwest. Nick Cunningham dove deep into the fierce oppos…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

June 17, 2022 at 11:59 PM

The New Language of Denial

    Message From the EditorStella Levantesi brought us the third installment of Gaslit, her column exploring society’s dysfunctional relationship with fossil fuel disinformation. This week, she took a deep dive into the language climate deniers use to delay…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

June 10, 2022 at 7:09 PM

Inequality Is Fueling Climate Change

    Message From the EditorThe war in Ukraine has spurred efforts to get Europe off Russian gas and onto more of America’s fracked gas. Getting U.S. gas to Europe will involve liquifying it and then shipping it across the Atlantic. And as shipments of liqui…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

June 3, 2022 at 5:40 PM

We Need to Talk About Appalachia

    Message From the EditorEmily Satterwhite, an associate professor and director of Appalachian Studies in the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech, brought us a perspective from “the region [that] has powered the country’s growth.” We need …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

May 27, 2022 at 7:16 PM

The Utility Telling Kids "Natural Gas Helps"

    Message From the EditorNick Cunningham is back with a fresh investigation into NW Natural, the Oregon-based gas utility that’s attempting to raise customers’ rates, in part to cover executive bonuses. This week, he shed light on another thing the compan…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

May 20, 2022 at 5:00 PM

“These adverts are dangerous”

    Message From the EditorOur UK team analyzed more than a thousand Facebook and Instagram ads placed by ten European auto and airline brands in the last year. It found that these ads by and large either greenwash polluting projects or ignore the climate c…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

May 14, 2022 at 2:09 AM

This Gas Utility Wants Customers to Cover Exec Bonuses

    Message From the EditorNW Natural, a gas utility based in Oregon, is seeking to raise its customers’ bills by roughly 12 percent. The new proposed rate hike would go in part towards millions of dollars of executive bonuses, higher returns to shareholder…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

May 6, 2022 at 7:50 PM

The ABCs of Oil and Gas in Schools

    Message From the EditorIn New Mexico — the fastest-warming and most water-stressed state in the continental United States, where wildfires have recently devoured over 120,000 acres and remain uncontained — the oil and gas industry is coming out in force…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

April 29, 2022 at 2:43 PM

“Excessive” Radioactivity Outside an Oilfield Waste Facility ☢

    Message From the EditorActivists and scientists have found alarming levels of radioactivity in samples collected along the road and soils outside Austin Master Services, an oilfield waste processing facility with a history of sloppy practices in eastern…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

April 23, 2022 at 1:01 PM

“It’s mind-blowing”: Meat giant’s climate impact beats Italy

    Message From the EditorWhile fossil fuel companies (rightly so) get a lot of attention for their climate impact, the corporations putting steaks on dinner plates around the world deserve close scrutiny as well. This week, a new study reveals that Brazil…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

April 16, 2022 at 1:01 PM

“At this point, everybody knows what needs to be done.”

    Message From the EditorTypically sleepy Grant Town, West Virginia, was in the spotlight on Saturday, April 9, as more than 50 activists from the region and around the United States gathered outside its power plant, which happens to be the primary custom…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

April 8, 2022 at 7:36 PM

🛑 When the IPCC Says Stop, Exxon Says Go

    Message From the Editor“Investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure is moral and economic madness,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report, which calls for …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

April 1, 2022 at 11:53 PM

Exxon’s Solution to Flaring? Mine Bitcoin.

    Message From the EditorFlaring — or the burning of stranded natural gas directly at an oil well — is one of the drilling industry’s most notorious problems, often condemned as a pointlessly polluting waste of billions of dollars and trillions of cubic f…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

March 25, 2022 at 6:32 PM

‘Peace Washing’ Is The New Greenwashing

    Message From the EditorThis week, the second installment of the new Gaslit column from Stella Levantesi dropped. In it, Stella explored how the oil and gas industry is using the war in Ukraine to profit and push its interests. She digs into the messagin…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

March 18, 2022 at 7:15 PM

Who Killed Better Gas Mileage?

    Message From the EditorIn the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and resulting sanctions, gasoline prices spiked, briefly touching a record high of $4.43 a gallon. But this pain at the pump for American drivers has deeper roots. Federal rules shape th…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

March 11, 2022 at 9:11 PM

Life After Ida

    Message From the EditorThis week, President Biden signed an executive order banning the import of Russian oil and gas. Gasoline prices are rising quickly, now averaging over $4.10 nationally, as Russian oil gets choked off from the global market. Biden …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

March 4, 2022 at 6:10 PM

👀 When a “Complete” Pipeline Isn’t Actually Done

    Message From the EditorAs the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last week, American conservatives descending on Florida for 2022’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) delivered a mixed message about the conflict. But one thing many speakers …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

February 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM

Anointed with Big Oil

    Message From the EditorThe Biden administration has hailed $4.7 billion in funding to cap orphaned oil and gas wells as a move to tackle “super-polluting methane emissions,” combat the climate crisis, and create jobs. But decarbonization expert Megan Mi…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

February 19, 2022 at 2:00 PM

When a Loss Is Also a Win

    Message From the EditorGlobally, the number of climate-change-related lawsuits has more than doubled since 2015. Between 1986, when the first climate lawsuit was filed, and 2014, approximately 800 cases were brought. In the past six years alone, more th…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

February 12, 2022 at 2:37 PM

🔦 Shedding Light on Fossil Fuel PR

    Message From the Editor“We understand how the oil and gas sector works — we’ve worked in it, studied it, defended it and impacted the policy that regulates it,” a 2015 presentation delivered to the Tennessee Oil and Gas Association begins. “We have been…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

February 4, 2022 at 11:00 PM

We’re Getting Gaslit

    Message From the EditorA nonprofit advocacy group focused on improving oil and gas pipeline safety is raising concerns about public accountability and transparency in the wake of a major diesel spill in coastal Louisiana after it went unreported to the …

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  Brendan · [email protected]

January 29, 2022 at 2:00 PM

Exxon’s massive new plastics plant undercuts its “net-zero” pledges 🏭

    Message From the EditorWhen Sue Franklin began waking up with “roaring headaches,” it was a clear sign that potentially deadly hydrogen sulfide gas from a close-by drilling site had contaminated the air inside her Texas home. But complaints to the Texas…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

January 22, 2022 at 2:00 PM

Climate Scientists to PR Industry: We See You Flacking For Big Oil 👀

    Message From the EditorMore than 450 scientists are calling on advertising agencies to sever ties with fossil fuel clients whose ongoing misinformation campaigns have time and again stalled climate action. In a letter to major ad firms WPP, Edelman, and…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

January 14, 2022 at 11:00 PM

What does mayo have to do with deforestation?

    Message From the EditorLiving near oil and gas drilling is not healthy for pregnant women and fetuses … and perhaps other living things. However, new research out of Oregon State University looking solely at the outcomes among nearly 3 million births in…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

January 8, 2022 at 12:00 PM

"It is like Dante’s Inferno, not a barbecue”: Huge New Plastics Plant Gears up in Texas

    Message From the Editor  A massive petrochemical expansion, fueled by the products of the oil industry, is underway in Texas and Louisiana. Reporter Julie Dermansky has captured powerful photos of the fire and fury accompanying that expansion north of C…

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  Brendan DeMelle , DeSmog · [email protected]

December 31, 2021 at 12:00 AM

Pssst, there’s still (a little) time

  Psst, reader:If you were thinking about (but have been procrastinating) giving to DeSmog this year, you’ve still got time.But not much! Don’t delay:Please donate $5, $10, $25, or whatever you can right now to power DeSmog into 2022.Yes, we’re talking now…

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  Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog · [email protected]

December 27, 2021 at 9:00 AM

Help expand the Climate Disinformation Database

  Hi there,Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to support DeSmog’s fearless research and reporting! Every day, our team of researchers is hard at work continuing to expand and update our Climate Disinformation Database, one of the longest…

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  Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog · [email protected]

December 22, 2021 at 9:00 AM

Did you miss this? We’re exposing climate injustices

  Hello reader,Wow, we can’t believe how many of you have already shown your generous support for DeSmog!But for those who missed our email (below):There’s still time to donate $20 or whatever you can to support DeSmog’s work exposing the fossil fuel indus…

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  Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog · [email protected]

December 18, 2021 at 11:00 PM

Tackling dual challenges, with your support

   Last year, as millions of people around the world courageously took to the streets to remind us that solving the climate crisis means tackling racial inequality too, we listened. And we remain committed to addressing this challenge in all the work that …

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  Brendan DeMelle, DeSmog · [email protected]

December 18, 2021 at 2:01 PM

Texas town fights back against cancer-causing pollution

    Message From the Editor  This will be our final newsletter of the year — thank you so much for your continued readership, interest and support! But before we go, there’s plenty still to share. Including a story about a Texas border town demanding strong…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

December 9, 2021 at 8:27 AM

We need your help to expose the powers blocking climate action

    DeSmog's Donation Campaign Dear reader,For over 15 years, DeSmog has been exposing the people and organizations seeking to block climate action and a just transition to a clean energy future. We do that both in our pull-no-punches investigative repor…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

December 4, 2021 at 2:00 PM

These PR firms are blocking climate action

    Message From the Editor  We know that the fossil fuel industry spends millions of dollars on shaping its image in an effort to block climate action. But a new analysis reveals how a relatively small number of PR firms have aided this campaign from behin…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

November 30, 2021 at 3:00 PM

We need your help to expose the powers blocking climate action

Web Version  |  Update preferences  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet Forward Dear reader, We get it: the past couple years have been filled with huge challenges. Through it all, we are so grateful for your support — now and always. Th…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

November 20, 2021 at 2:00 PM

Here’s how climate deniers spread fear on Twitter

    Message from the EditorSince the Paris climate accord was agreed five years ago, climate denial on social media has evolved and shifted. To better understand today’s type of climate science denial we analyzed over 300,000 tweets since 2016. From doomsda…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

November 13, 2021 at 4:00 AM

Climate deniers try, and fail, to disrupt COP26

    Message from the EditorThe second and final week of the COP26 climate summit saw climate deniers attempt to distract while protesters demanded stronger action. Our team on the ground in Glasgow has been busy staying on top of it all.As Phoebe Cooke repo…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

November 6, 2021 at 1:01 PM

Climate deniers secure access to COP26

    Message from the EditorThis week it’s been all about the COP26 climate summit — and our team is on the ground in Glasgow to bring you the latest on what’s happening.As Rich Collette-White reports, a total 11 climate science deniers have secured passes t…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

November 1, 2021 at 4:00 PM

Fossil fuel-backed Republicans head to COP26

    Message From the EditorJournalism in the public interest — that’s what we at DeSmog are dedicated to delivering to you. This week Congress questioned the CEOs of ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP America, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute on their histo…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

October 23, 2021 at 1:00 PM

EPA investigating facility owned by the ‘other’ Koch brother

    Message From the EditorAn investigation surrounding sulfur dioxide pollution from a Port Arthur, Texas, plant owned by the “other” Koch brother will be a test of the Biden administration’s environmental justice commitments. Last week the EPA said it wou…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

October 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM

More than 500 arrests this week at climate protests

    Message From the Editor“Climate chaos is happening now.” Each day this week, hundreds of people, led by Indigenous climate activists, marched to the White House, made speeches, protested, and were arrested in an attempt to get President Biden’s attentio…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

October 9, 2021 at 1:00 PM

‘This is greenwashing 101, and it’s utterly misleading’

    Message From the EditorIn a major investigation, DeSmog analyzed ​​more than 3,000 social media posts by major European fossil fuel and energy companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell. We found that nearly two-thirds of those posts present a “green” image o…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

September 25, 2021 at 4:00 PM

UN distances itself from ‘misleading’ animal pharma report

    Message From the EditorWind, solar, and batteries are already the cheapest source of electricity and an aggressive shift to clean energy makes more economic sense than a slow one, according to a new study. However, an enormous lobbying effort is underwa…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

September 19, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Oil industry goes all out to stop methane tax

    Message From the EditorThe oil industry has launched an all-out pressure campaign to kill an attempt by Congressional Democrats to tax methane – an extremely powerful greenhouse gas – for the first time. The American Petroleum Institute (API), the oil i…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

September 11, 2021 at 3:00 PM

The impact of Indigenous fossil fuel resistance

    Message From the EditorHurricane Ida’s destruction continues to be revealed. From pulverized homes and flooded cemeteries to oil slicks and toppled boats, the damage from this Category 4 storm is widespread in Louisiana, as photos by Julie Dermansky doc…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

September 4, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Tracking Hurricane Ida’s destruction

    Message From the EditorAt DeSmog we’ve been tracking the impacts of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. This includes publishing powerful photos showing how toxic smoke from Shell’s Norco plant created an apocalyptic landscape. The photos, taken by Julie Derman…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

August 28, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Blue hydrogen’s climate claims don’t stack up

    Message From the EditorThe powerful climate pollutant methane is leaking out of dozens of oil and gas wells, pipelines, and storage tanks in Romania, adding to a growing body of evidence that methane leaks are widespread and pervasive in Europe. The fin…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

August 21, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Polluting Plastics Project Faces Major Hurdle

    Message From the EditorThis week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the Formosa Sunshine Project in St. James Parish, Louisiana, will undergo a full formal environmental review. The decision deals a significant blow to the proposed multi-b…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

August 14, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Can LNG ever be “carbon neutral”?

    Message From the EditorThis week, we take a look at the liquefied natural gas industry’s attempts to market itself as climate friendly. Several proposed LNG projects in Canada promise carbon neutrality for their gas exports. But the claims lack detail a…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

July 24, 2021 at 3:00 PM

Big Meat’s climate denial, revealed

    Message From the EditorA new investigation by our UK team reveals that growing global meat consumption is threatening to derail the Paris Agreement. But that hasn’t stopped the meat industry insisting it is part of the climate solution. Reviewing hundre…

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  Brendan · [email protected]

July 17, 2021 at 3:00 PM

EPA has ‘Substantial Concerns’ about Mountain Valley Pipeline

    Message From the EditorThe EPA is advising the Army Corps of Engineers not to grant a federal water permit to the Mountain Valley Pipeline due to “substantial concerns” about the project’s impact on streams and rivers. The warning is another regulatory …

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