Fossil Fuels - Inside Climate News

North Carolina’s Iconic College Town Struggles to Redevelop a Toxic Coal Ash Mound

By Lisa Sorg — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Chapel Hill officials envision an office park, perhaps, with trails. But some community members and lawyers say a few feet of clean fill can’t protect against chemicals linked to serious illnesses.

By Lisa Sorg

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—No dog parks. No golf. No soccer or football.

Montana Is a Frontier for Deep Carbon Storage, and the Controversies Surrounding the Potential Climate Solution

By Najifa Farhat — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The Big Sky State hopes to get federal incentives to store captured carbon under public lands, but for many residents near the project, the threat is greater than the opportunity.

By Najifa Farhat

A new project aims to take carbon dioxide pollution, likely from two natural gas processing plants in Wyoming, and store it thousands of feet underground beneath the wide-open prairies of southeastern Montana.

Baltimore Judge Tosses Climate Case, Hands Win to Big Oil

By Aman Azhar — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 09:05:00 +0000

Environmental groups say judges across the country believe cases like Baltimore's should hold oil companies accountable in state courts for environmental harm.

By Aman Azhar

In a first of its kind decision, a Maryland judge on Wednesday tossed Baltimore City’s climate suit against major oil giants on the grounds that it is not the role of the state courts to address a global issue like climate change.

Following Cancer Alley Decision, States Pit Themselves Against Environmental Justice Efforts

Interview by Jenni Doering, Living on Earth — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

A Louisiana lawsuit against the EPA said its bid to address environmental racism was itself a form of “reverse discrimination.”

Interview by Jenni Doering, Living on Earth

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, aninterview by managing producer Jenni Doering with Monique Harden of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.

Montana’s High Court Considers a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate

By Nicholas Kusnetz, Najifa Farhat — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:10:00 +0000

The state’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments on an appeal of a decision that struck down a law supporting fossil fuel development. The ruling centered on a constitutional right to a healthy environment.

By Nicholas Kusnetz, Najifa Farhat

A landmark climate change lawsuit reached Montana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the justices hearing arguments that a state law promoting fossil fuel development violated Montanans’ constitutional rights.

Peering Inside the Pandora’s Box of Oil and Gas Waste

By Kiley Bense — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:10:00 +0000

A new book investigates what happens to the mountains of waste generated by the American oil and gas industry.

By Kiley Bense

In 1971, scientists gathered at a symposium to examine the practice of getting rid of oil and gas wastewater by injecting it into porous rock formations deep underground. Called injection wells, they are now widely used by the industry to dispose of the liquid byproducts when an oil or gas well is drilled, which can contain salts, metals and radioactive elements. At the conference, experts speculated about the long-term consequences for the earth and human health.

‘Not Caused by an Act of God’: In a Rare Court Action, an Oregon County Seeks to Hold Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable for Extreme Temperatures

By Victoria St. Martin — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 09:05:00 +0000

Multnomah County recorded its highest-ever temperatures during heat dome conditions in 2021 that killed 69 people.

By Victoria St. Martin

Northwest Oregon had never seen anything like it. Over the course of three days in June 2021, Multnomah County—the Emerald State’s most populous county, which rests in the swayback along Oregon’s northern border—recorded highs of 108, 112 and 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vying for West Virginia Governor, an ‘All of the Above’ Democrat Faces Long Odds Against a Republican Fossil Fuel Booster

By James Bruggers — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

West Virginia’s aggressive Attorney General Patrick Morrisey takes on Huntington Mayor Steve Williams in a state still 90 percent dependent on coal for electricity.

By James Bruggers

Based on their records and rhetoric, one candidate seeking to be the next governor of West Virginia supports a broad-based energy policy, from coal to renewables. And the other is laser-focused on fossil fuels.

This Proxy Season, Companies’ Success Against Activist Investors Surged

By Mathilde Augustin — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Climate investors have long used shareholder proposals to voice their demands on emissions reductions and renewable energy. But this year, they didn’t fare all that well before the SEC.

By Mathilde Augustin

Shareholder proposals are a critical tool for activist investors fighting climate change, allowing them to formally bring up issues like emissions goals during a company’s annual meeting by submitting them to a vote.

Governors in the West Seek Profitability for Industrial and Natural Carbon Removal Projects

By Jake Bolster — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The Western Governors’ Association decarbonization report, led by Wyoming’s Mark Gordon, pushes industrial carbon capture and natural CO2 sequestration, but says little about reducing the fossil fuels emitting the greenhouse gases.

By Jake Bolster

Should the West become a proving ground for fledging carbon capture technology, or bolster conservation and land management projects that naturally sequester carbon emissions?