Environment

September 22, 2017 - A new report by Oil Change International shows how federal regulators' failure to adequately consider companies' justification for new fracked gas pipelines means utility ratepayers could end up footing the bill for costly and environmentally harmful projects that aren't needed.

September 8, 2017 - Organizers across the U.S. South — the epicenter of the national pipeline-building push — are holding events across the region to voice opposition to the environmentally and economically risky projects as key permits are pending.

August 28, 2017 - Though their states' governors and coastal communities oppose offshore oil and gas development, U.S. Reps. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and David Rouzer of North Carolina are co-sponsoring a bill that would make it easier for companies to conduct seismic tests for offshore deposits by weakening marine life protections.

August 17, 2017 - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has joined with the other governors of Southeastern states targeted for offshore oil and gas development and said he opposes those plans — a critical move since federal law gives special consideration to a governor's position.

June 29, 2017 - President Trump wants to open an area from Delaware to Florida to seismic airgun blasting for offshore oil and gas reserves, a plan that carries risks for coastal communities while benefiting mostly foreign firms. Federal officials are accepting public comments on the proposal through July 6.

June 2, 2017 - Science watchdogs are warning of serious flaws in the plan for storing spent nuclear fuel in pools at individual power plants — flaws that could ultimately lead to the long-term relocation of millions of people. North Carolina and Alabama are among the states with the largest amount of spent fuel stored in pools.  

May 19, 2017 - Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's popular Roundup herbicide, is widely sprayed on crops throughout the South. But a class-action lawsuit brought by cancer patients accuses the company of failing to adequately warn people about the chemical's health risks.

May 2, 2017 - The Trump administration is reviewing President Obama's five-year plan that closed the Atlantic and other waters to offshore drilling through 2022. The GOP says Atlantic drilling would create hundreds of thousands of jobs, but it's basing the claims on an industry-funded report that's been debunked for omitting crucial data.

April 14, 2017 - The Trump administration unveiled plans to expand offshore drilling at last week's conference of the National Ocean Industries Association. Launched by Exxon in the 1970s to represent the offshore drilling industry, NOIA has been investing in politicians from Southeastern states where its members would like to do business.

February 7, 2017 - The industry has long argued that pipelines are the safest way to move oil and gas over long distances, but a new analysis by two watchdog groups raises questions about those claims.