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Abandoned Wells, Methane-Emission Loopholes and Underground Toxic Waste Dumps All Raise Concerns

News Feed
Friday, May 17, 2024

Welcome to “Feet to the Fire: Big Oil and the Climate Crisis,” a biweekly newsletter in which we share our latest reporting on how the fossil fuel industry drives climate change and influences climate policy in five of the nation’s most important oil and gas-producing states. In addition, we shine a spotlight on the financing of the fossil fuel industry, holding banks and other financial institutions accountable for their role and providing you with updates on their activities. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter on Substack. Thousands of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Texas Are Polluting the Environment There are more than 8,400 orphan oil and gas wells in Texas — but that barely scratches the surface since that count doesn’t include an unknown number of abandoned wells that are more than a century old and cannot be found in state records. Many of them are leaking produced water, hydrocarbons and gas to the surface and threatening groundwater, and that represents an existential threat to Schuyler Wight, a West Texas rancher who told Capital & Main’s Elliott Woods that he has about 250 aging and derelict wells on his land, and he’s frustrated by the state’s lack of attention to the problem. “How Do You Approve an Underground Toxic Waste Dump Without Telling Nobody?” It was a shock to Mario Atencio when he discovered that an oil and gas company was planning to convert a water well into a disposal site for toxic wastewater less than a mile from his family home in New Mexico. He asks, “How do you approve an underground toxic waste dump without telling nobody?” Atencio, who has long been fighting oil and gas development on ancestral Native lands, told Capital & Main’s Jerry Redfern that he “kind of freaked out” when he learned of the planned conversion, which will likely get nixed in a pending decision by the New Mexico State Land Commissioner. California’s Plan for a Green Hydrogen Future Carries Risks, Say Critics California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to ramp up the use of renewable hydrogen is raising concerns among environmentalists, who cite the risk of increased emissions and pollution. The state was approved by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $1.2 billion hydrogen hub investment, and critics worry that hydrogen supporters are “pushing California into a risky regulatory framework, motivated by financial incentives” in President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, reports Capital & Main’s Aaron Cantú. Loophole in New Mexico Law May Allow Methane Releases Despite the passage of a 2021 law that bans routine venting and flaring of natural gas, exceptions for pipeline operators paved the way for the release of millions of cubic feet of the potent greenhouse gas in January and February — their highest levels since the so-called Methane Rule was approved. The amount vented by pipeline company Targa Northern Delaware was equivalent to the carbon footprint of nearly 26,000 gasoline-powered cars driven for an entire year, reports Jerry Redfern. New Report Names the World’s Top Banks Financing Fossil Fuels JPMorgan is the globe’s top fossil fuel financier, committing $40.8 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2023, per the 15th annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, which provides a window into lending and underwriting to more than 4,200 oil and gas and coal companies. Altogether, the world’s 60 largest private banks have provided nearly $7 trillion in financing to fossil fuel companies since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015. Almost half of that amount — $3.3 trillion — went into expanding fossil fuel production. The top bank funding such expansion activities is Citigroup, which has provided $204 billion since 2016. The annual report is released by seven climate groups, including Oil Change International, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club and Urgewald. Among other highlights of the report: Some banks have rolled back policies that were intended to reduce their financing of fossil fuel production. For example, Bank of America, ranked third on the 2023 list of “worst fossil fuel funders,” has dropped its exclusions on Arctic drilling, thermal coal and coal-fired power plants, per the report. Financing for coal mining in 2023 increased slightly over 2022, with most of the financing provided by banks located in China. Bank of America was one of several banks that made commitments of $2.54 billion in total to 48 companies around the world that are active in metallurgical coal mining. Financing for liquefied natural gas increased to $120.9 billion in 2023, led by banks such as RBC, JPMorgan Chase and Mizuho Financial. Report: Barclays Is Greenwashing Billions of Dollars in “Sustainable Finance” Amid increased scrutiny of sustainable and transition finance, with concerns that funds intended for companies that agree to meet climate-related targets are actually being used to finance polluting activities, a new investigative exposé by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that Barclays helped raise $41 billion in sustainability-linked finance for fossil fuel companies last year. The revelation prompted one of the bank’s investors, Andrew Harper of investment manager Epworth, to call the bank “totally dishonest,” adding: “We’re concerned because the bank is making such a substantial claim and the public thinks the climate emergency is being worked towards being solved. Meanwhile, the problem is getting worse and worse.” Barclays told the BIJ that “Sustainability linked loans and bonds are an important sustainable finance tool, incentivizing borrowers, particularly in hard to abate sectors, to achieve sustainability objectives over time.” EU’s Largest Bank Stops Underwriting Bonds for Oil and Gas Producers BNP Paribas SA, the biggest bank in the European Union, said that it has stopped underwriting bonds for oil and gas producers, one of the biggest steps taken to reduce fossil fuel financing by financial institutions. The change comes amid stricter ESG regulations in Europe and a lawsuit against the bank’s financing activities that was brought by climate activists last year. BNP has increased its use of sustainable finance and is currently the biggest underwriter of green bonds in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. BNP’s decision “sets them apart from other international banks,” Lucie Pinson, director of Reclaim Finance, a Paris-based climate nonprofit, told Bloomberg. Australia’s Top Banks Now All Rule Out Project Financing for New Oil and Gas Fields One of Australia’s biggest lenders, ANZ, announced it would no longer provide direct financing to new or expanded oil and gas fields as well as new LNG export plants. With the announcement, the continent’s four biggest banks — ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac — have closed the door on project financing for new oil and gas fields. Amid pressure from shareholders and climate activists, ANZ won’t be financing a controversial LNG project in Papua New Guinea that is being developed by TotalEnergies, Santos and ExxonMobil. As part of its broader climate strategy, ANZ is requiring its 100 biggest customers to make progress on their transition plans. U.S. Oil and Gas Producers Seeing “a Lot More Interest From the Bank Community”  Though foreign banks have pulled back from the oil and gas industry in the face of sustainability concerns, other lenders are jumping back in, Michael Bodino, managing director of investment banking at Texas Capital Bank, told Hart Energy: “We’re seeing a lot more interest from the bank community broadly to get new credits in their portfolios.” In addition, pension and insurance companies in pursuit of a return on their investment are looking to the upstream sector (referring to the exploration and extraction segment of the industry). In addition, the leveraged loan market, which goes principally to borrowers with high levels of debt, has been active in the industry, said Bodino. Copyright 2024 Capital & Main

Here are the world’s top banks financing fossil fuels — is yours on the list? The post Abandoned Wells, Methane-Emission Loopholes and Underground Toxic Waste Dumps All Raise Concerns appeared first on .

Welcome to “Feet to the Fire: Big Oil and the Climate Crisis,” a biweekly newsletter in which we share our latest reporting on how the fossil fuel industry drives climate change and influences climate policy in five of the nation’s most important oil and gas-producing states. In addition, we shine a spotlight on the financing of the fossil fuel industry, holding banks and other financial institutions accountable for their role and providing you with updates on their activities.

Click here to subscribe to the newsletter on Substack.

Thousands of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Texas Are Polluting the Environment

There are more than 8,400 orphan oil and gas wells in Texas — but that barely scratches the surface since that count doesn’t include an unknown number of abandoned wells that are more than a century old and cannot be found in state records. Many of them are leaking produced water, hydrocarbons and gas to the surface and threatening groundwater, and that represents an existential threat to Schuyler Wight, a West Texas rancher who told Capital & Main’s Elliott Woods that he has about 250 aging and derelict wells on his land, and he’s frustrated by the state’s lack of attention to the problem.

“How Do You Approve an Underground Toxic Waste Dump Without Telling Nobody?”

It was a shock to Mario Atencio when he discovered that an oil and gas company was planning to convert a water well into a disposal site for toxic wastewater less than a mile from his family home in New Mexico. He asks, “How do you approve an underground toxic waste dump without telling nobody?” Atencio, who has long been fighting oil and gas development on ancestral Native lands, told Capital & Main’s Jerry Redfern that he “kind of freaked out” when he learned of the planned conversion, which will likely get nixed in a pending decision by the New Mexico State Land Commissioner.

California’s Plan for a Green Hydrogen Future Carries Risks, Say Critics

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to ramp up the use of renewable hydrogen is raising concerns among environmentalists, who cite the risk of increased emissions and pollution. The state was approved by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $1.2 billion hydrogen hub investment, and critics worry that hydrogen supporters are “pushing California into a risky regulatory framework, motivated by financial incentives” in President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, reports Capital & Main’s Aaron Cantú.

Loophole in New Mexico Law May Allow Methane Releases

Despite the passage of a 2021 law that bans routine venting and flaring of natural gas, exceptions for pipeline operators paved the way for the release of millions of cubic feet of the potent greenhouse gas in January and February — their highest levels since the so-called Methane Rule was approved. The amount vented by pipeline company Targa Northern Delaware was equivalent to the carbon footprint of nearly 26,000 gasoline-powered cars driven for an entire year, reports Jerry Redfern.

New Report Names the World’s Top Banks Financing Fossil Fuels

JPMorgan is the globe’s top fossil fuel financier, committing $40.8 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2023, per the 15th annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, which provides a window into lending and underwriting to more than 4,200 oil and gas and coal companies. Altogether, the world’s 60 largest private banks have provided nearly $7 trillion in financing to fossil fuel companies since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015. Almost half of that amount — $3.3 trillion — went into expanding fossil fuel production. The top bank funding such expansion activities is Citigroup, which has provided $204 billion since 2016. The annual report is released by seven climate groups, including Oil Change International, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Reclaim Finance, Sierra Club and Urgewald. Among other highlights of the report:

  • Some banks have rolled back policies that were intended to reduce their financing of fossil fuel production. For example, Bank of America, ranked third on the 2023 list of “worst fossil fuel funders,” has dropped its exclusions on Arctic drilling, thermal coal and coal-fired power plants, per the report.
  • Financing for coal mining in 2023 increased slightly over 2022, with most of the financing provided by banks located in China.
  • Bank of America was one of several banks that made commitments of $2.54 billion in total to 48 companies around the world that are active in metallurgical coal mining.
  • Financing for liquefied natural gas increased to $120.9 billion in 2023, led by banks such as RBC, JPMorgan Chase and Mizuho Financial.

Report: Barclays Is Greenwashing Billions of Dollars in “Sustainable Finance”

Amid increased scrutiny of sustainable and transition finance, with concerns that funds intended for companies that agree to meet climate-related targets are actually being used to finance polluting activities, a new investigative exposé by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that Barclays helped raise $41 billion in sustainability-linked finance for fossil fuel companies last year. The revelation prompted one of the bank’s investors, Andrew Harper of investment manager Epworth, to call the bank “totally dishonest,” adding: “We’re concerned because the bank is making such a substantial claim and the public thinks the climate emergency is being worked towards being solved. Meanwhile, the problem is getting worse and worse.” Barclays told the BIJ that “Sustainability linked loans and bonds are an important sustainable finance tool, incentivizing borrowers, particularly in hard to abate sectors, to achieve sustainability objectives over time.”

EU’s Largest Bank Stops Underwriting Bonds for Oil and Gas Producers

BNP Paribas SA, the biggest bank in the European Union, said that it has stopped underwriting bonds for oil and gas producers, one of the biggest steps taken to reduce fossil fuel financing by financial institutions. The change comes amid stricter ESG regulations in Europe and a lawsuit against the bank’s financing activities that was brought by climate activists last year. BNP has increased its use of sustainable finance and is currently the biggest underwriter of green bonds in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. BNP’s decision “sets them apart from other international banks,” Lucie Pinson, director of Reclaim Finance, a Paris-based climate nonprofit, told Bloomberg.

Australia’s Top Banks Now All Rule Out Project Financing for New Oil and Gas Fields

One of Australia’s biggest lenders, ANZ, announced it would no longer provide direct financing to new or expanded oil and gas fields as well as new LNG export plants. With the announcement, the continent’s four biggest banks — ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac — have closed the door on project financing for new oil and gas fields. Amid pressure from shareholders and climate activists, ANZ won’t be financing a controversial LNG project in Papua New Guinea that is being developed by TotalEnergies, Santos and ExxonMobil. As part of its broader climate strategy, ANZ is requiring its 100 biggest customers to make progress on their transition plans.

U.S. Oil and Gas Producers Seeing “a Lot More Interest From the Bank Community” 

Though foreign banks have pulled back from the oil and gas industry in the face of sustainability concerns, other lenders are jumping back in, Michael Bodino, managing director of investment banking at Texas Capital Bank, told Hart Energy: “We’re seeing a lot more interest from the bank community broadly to get new credits in their portfolios.” In addition, pension and insurance companies in pursuit of a return on their investment are looking to the upstream sector (referring to the exploration and extraction segment of the industry). In addition, the leveraged loan market, which goes principally to borrowers with high levels of debt, has been active in the industry, said Bodino.

Copyright 2024 Capital & Main

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More than 100 landfills in England may be leaching ‘highly hazardous’ waste

Inadequate record keeping means councils do not know whether former waste sites contain toxic substancesMore than 100 old landfills in England that may be contaminated with toxic substances have flooded since 2000, potentially posing a serious safety risk, it can be revealed.Some of these former dumps containing possibly hazardous materials sit directly next to public parks and housing estates with hundreds of households, the analysis by the Greenpeace-funded journalism website Unearthed , in partnership with the Guardian, found. Continue reading...

More than 100 old landfills in England that may be contaminated with toxic substances have flooded since 2000, potentially posing a serious safety risk, it can be revealed.Some of these former dumps containing possibly hazardous materials sit directly next to public parks and housing estates with hundreds of households, the analysis by the Greenpeace-funded journalism website Unearthed , in partnership with the Guardian, found.Although councils are supposed to keep track of the dangers of these sites, funding has long since disappeared and some local authorities had no idea they were responsible, the investigation found.David Megson, an environmental chemist from Manchester Metropolitan University, said most former landfill sites were “likely to be quite safe and contain relatively inert waste, but some could be quite sinister”.“Historic reporting of what went into these sites wasn’t great, so in many cases, you’ve got little idea what is in there until you dig into it,” he said.The investigation took data on the 20,000 former landfill sites in England to identify the most high-risk – those used to dump “special” or industrial waste, for example, which were used after 1945 and before the mid-1990s, when laws about keeping records on the contents of landfill sites came into place.This was then compared with Environment Agency flooding data, with help from Dr Paul Brindley, a mapping expert at the University of Sheffield, to find landfills where more than 50% of their surface area was flooded.Any dumps that only contained household waste, those known to be safe or where controls were already in place were removed from the data, leaving only those that may contain dangerous substances, including pharmaceuticals, “forever chemicals”, heavy metals or “liquid sludge” – which could be anything from sewage to cyanide waste.A total of 105 sites were identified, which were disproportionately situated in poorer areas and in the north of England.Prof Kate Spencer, a historic landfill expert from Queen Mary University of London, who helped with the investigation, said that in hundreds of years of dumping waste humans had “never really considered the consequences”.“We now know far more about the potentially harmful effects of the waste materials and pollutants we’ve dumped, particularly chemicals like Pfas and PCBs, and how the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, could reopen pathways for those pollutants to enter the environment.”The investigation also found that 2,600 former dump sites with potentially hazardous contents were within 50 metres of watercourses.Charles Watson, the chair and founder of campaign group River Action said: “Everywhere you look, polluters can find easily accessible loopholes in the enforcement regime to break the law and degrade the environment. However, the failure to provide adequate funding to regulate something as basic as landfill sites that could be leaching highly hazardous waste is all the more shocking.“If our regulators can’t sort out how to protect us from pollutants that in theory have already been ‘safely’ disposed of, then we have little hope of ever seeing a holistic approach to combating the wider sources of water pollution.”Until 2017, councils could apply for contaminated land capital grants, which were administered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to remediate contaminated land. Since then, there has been an “erosion of funding”, said Dr Grant Richardson, an environmental consultant and expert on landfill and contaminated land.“If there’s no obvious risk of harm or pollution emanating from these sites, nothing will be done to investigate or remediate them unless sites come to be developed. That means there are likely hundreds or potentially thousands of sites that have not been properly investigated that could be leaching contaminants at harmful levels into the environment,” he said.The lack of funding in areas such as this could have “devastating consequences”, the Local Government Association warned, pointing to a wider funding gap for councils of up to £8bn by 2028-29. A spokesperson said local authorities “desperately need a significant and sustained increase” in budgets to keep up with demands placed on them.The Green peer Natalie Bennett, whose party supports a law requiring better records of sites so they are not a public danger, said: “The lack of adequate regulations on contaminated land poses a threat to human life and welfare, especially given climate breakdown, rising sea levels, increased rainfall and flooding.“Greens urge Labour to add this law to the statute books and provide the necessary funds for local authorities to meet the requirements of such a new law.”The Environment Agency said it would “continue to support” local authorities with their responsibility for dealing with former landfills. “In circumstances where the Environment Agency leads on remediation, we work tirelessly with partners to reduce unacceptable risks to human health and the environment,” it added.

Waste
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Analysis-Textile Giant Bangladesh Pushed to Recycle More Waste

By Md. Tahmid ZamiNARAYANGANJ, Bangladesh (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Bangladesh's limited capacity to deal with the enormous waste generated by...

NARAYANGANJ, Bangladesh (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Bangladesh's limited capacity to deal with the enormous waste generated by its textile sector may prove unsustainable as the global fashion industry faces pressure to reduce its environmental footprint.Bangladesh, the world's second-largest apparel producer, only recycles a small percentage of its textile waste, with the rest shipped abroad or left to pollute the landscape.As more countries introduce rules requiring greater recycled content in clothes, analysts and business owners say Bangladesh must expand recycling to meet demand from a global textile recycling market projected to be worth $9.4 billion by 2027.The European Union this month published its first road map towards meeting the standards under its Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which includes provisions for reducing the environmental harm caused by the textile industry.This will require Bangladesh and other fashion suppliers to boost recycling while improving working conditions in what is largely an informal sector, said Patrick Schröder, a senior research fellow at the British think tank Chatham House."As the call for recycling grows and fast fashion goes out of fashion in the coming years, millions of jobs will be impacted, and Bangladesh needs to think ahead to step up its capacity to keep up with the changes," he said.Bangladesh's fashion industry is estimated to produce up to 577,000 metric tons of textile waste from the factories each year.Most of it is shipped abroad, and the rest is left to clog bodies of water, pollute the soil, enter landfills or be incinerated, which produces toxic gases, according to a report by Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains, a project supported by the EU and the Finnish government.What is processed has evolved into a vast, informal business in Bangladesh. Thousands of informal workshops sort and bundle the waste, known as jhut, and what remains in Bangladesh is down-cycled to make low-value products like mattresses, pillows and cushions.When clothing scraps are swept up from factory floors, politicians and other influential people control who gets it and at what price, said Asadun Noor, project coordinator at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation in Dhaka."This is a very opaque process, offering limited visibility of the waste value chain to clothing brands and suppliers," he said.The scraps go to hundreds of mostly unregistered workshops near the capital Dhaka, where they are cleaned and sorted into batches based on quality, colour and other considerations.Tens of thousands of workers, 70% of them women, sort the remnants for 10 to 12 hours a day, a study by the U.N.'s children agency UNICEF said last year.Workers said they toil for low wages without key safety measures, like drinking water, paid sick leave or protection from harassment.One of them is Sabura Begum, 30, who works with 250 other women at a workshop in the city of Narayanganj, near Dhaka."I earn a wage of about $80 a month and it does not make it easy to run my family," she said.A small share of the waste sorted in workshops like Begum's is sent to about two dozen recycling factories in Bangladesh.A large portion is exported to other countries such as India or Finland for recycling into new fibre where this is a larger base of recycling facilities as well as advanced technology like chemical recycling that produces strong, fresh fibres.Some of the fibres made from exported scraps are then sent back to Bangladesh to be made into clothes.More local recycling could save Bangladesh about $700 million a year in imports, the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains report estimated.Other major textile hubs are ramping up recycling capacity. For example, India recycles or reuses about 4.7 million tons, or about 60%, of its textile waste, according to a report by Fashion for Good, a coalition of businesses and non-profits.Some Bangladeshi companies are aiming to compete and provide proper labour standards.In 2017, Entrepreneur Abdur Razzaque set up Recycle Raw, which has now become one of the largest waste-processing businesses in Bangladesh."We offer decent wages and respect basic labour standards - ensuring things like drinking water, air circulation and security for our largely female workforce - so we attract and retain them much better than others," Razzaque said.A few local recycling factories are also investing in adding more production lines, but large-scale investment in technology like chemical recycling, with support from fashion brands and development-finance organisations is needed, said Abdullah Rafi, CEO of recycler Broadway Regenerated Fiber, based in the city of Ashulia, near Dhaka.However, investors expect a regular supply of waste feed stock and that means the current opaque system of handling waste would have to go, he said."What we now need is more finance and collaboration among brands, suppliers, waste handlers and recyclers to scale up our capacity," said Rafi.(Reporting by Md. Tahmid Zami; Editing by Jack Graham and Jon Hemming. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit https://www.context.news/)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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Bill would stop Texas oil drillers from secretly burying toxic waste on private property

House Bill 4572 would introduce new requirements for pits where drillers bury oil and gas waste.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. This story is published in partnership with Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. A bill in the Texas Legislature would require oil and gas drillers to notify landowners before burying toxic waste on their property. In addition, House Bill 4572 would strengthen other regulations for reserve pits, where oil and gas companies permanently bury waste next to drilling sites. The Texas House Energy Resources Committee heard testimony on the bill Monday. The bill builds on rulemaking the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the oil and gas industry, completed late last year to update the state’s oilfield waste regulations. State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, who filed the bill, said it would introduce “safeguards” for the state’s groundwater and property owners. Landowners, advocates and an oilfield waste professional spoke in favor of the bill this week at the Capitol. A representative of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association spoke in opposition to the bill. “Ranch owners can pour their life savings into their dream homestead, only later to find out that they bought a toxic waste reserve,” said Morales Shaw, a Democrat who represents parts of Houston and northern Harris County. “This bill will afford landowners the opportunity to make an informed decision and to know when their interests are at risk.” The waste streams from the oil and gas industry have evolved since the widespread adoption of fracking. Oil-based muds and lubricants are now used to frack wells. Waste from wells can be laced with carcinogens including benzene and arsenic. The bill is now pending in the Energy Resources Committee and faces several hurdles to passage by the full House, if it is voted out of committee. A companion bill, Senate Bill 3017, was introduced by state Sen. José Menéndez, a Democrat from San Antonio. The Senate bill has not yet received a hearing. The clock is ticking to June 2, the last day of the Texas legislative session. Morales Shaw said she has spoken with all the committee members about the importance of the bill and the “compelling testimony from lifelong industry members.” Bill seeks “balanced” approach to waste pits HB 4572 proposes new regulations for reserve pits, also referred to as Schedule A pits by the Railroad Commission. These earthen disposal pits are dug next to drilling rigs and are filled with oily waste, including mud and cuttings from the well. The pit is left open while the well is drilled. The waste is permanently buried underground once the well is complete. The bill would require the Railroad Commission to adopt standards for where reserve pits can be located and establish bonding and groundwater monitoring rules. The bill would also require standards for “providing notice to and receiving permission from” a landowner to permanently bury waste. Morales Shaw told the committee the bill “empowers landowners with the information and consent they deserve before toxic waste is buried beneath their property.” She referenced hundreds of violations of water protection rules the Railroad Commission has issued at waste pits. She also circulated photos of pollution caused by reserve pits and cows wading through drilling mud in a pit. State Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, a Democrat from McAllen, called the images “appalling.” “I have a ranch,” he said. “And I would be, excuse the expression, pissed off if I saw this kind of stuff going on on my place.” “It’s full of chemicals and lubricants and fluids and different emulsifiers and whatnot,” said state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Democrat from northern Harris County. “It’s poison, it smells bad and it’s probably not good for cows.” Texas revamped its oilfield waste rules last year for the first time since the 1980s. The updated rule on reserve pits, which goes into effect July 1, will require companies to register the location of these pits for the first time. The updated rule only requires reserve pits to be lined when groundwater is within 50 feet of the bottom of the pit. There is no groundwater monitoring required. Hundreds of people submitted public comments about reserve pits during the rule-making, many of them asking the Railroad Commission to require landowner notification. However, the Railroad Commission did not include a landowner notification requirement in the final rule. At the time, Commissioner Jim Wright’s spokesperson told Inside Climate News that it would be “up to the Texas Legislature” to determine how and whether landowners should be notified of pits on their property. Wright’s staff did not immediately comment on HB 4572. Morales Shaw said the existing rule does not go far enough. “It has been 40 years since these waste pits have been permitted, and they are just now trying to figure out where they all are,” she said. “The Railroad Commission’s rules do not take meaningful and necessary steps to protect land, water supply, and livelihoods of landowners.” Landowners speak in support Public comments, both delivered in person and submitted in writing, largely supported the bill. Comal County landowner Mark Friesenhahn, who spent his career in the oil and gas industry, said over time reserve pits have become larger and more toxic chemicals and additives have been used in drilling muds. Friesenhahn, who spoke in favor of the bill, said existing practices are “no longer practical given the toxicity and contamination concerns.” Laura Briggs, whose family ranch is in Pecos County in the Permian Basin, submitted written comments. She wrote that where waste pits have been dug on their property, “the land is dead ground that caves in, and belches half-buried black plastic.” “Landowner consent does not have to be burdensome to be effective,” she wrote. Commission Shift Action, the advocacy partner of the nonprofit organization Commission Shift, is also in support of the bill. Policy manager Julie Range said in an interview that expecting companies to be good stewards isn’t enough. “If we want best practices to be followed we should put them into our statutes,” she said. The sole public comment in opposition to the bill was registered by Michael Lozano on behalf of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. Referencing the recent rulemaking at the Railroad Commission, he recommended lawmakers wait for the updated rule to be rolled out July 1 before passing legislation regarding waste pits. “What we’d like to see is how these new environmental protections … interact and engage with this,” he said. Lozano said the cases pointed out during the hearing were examples of companies breaking the existing rules. “Clearly there are problems that are happening,” he said. “I don’t think they’re indicative of every circumstance of these pits being built.” The committee adjourned without voting on the bill. Disclosure: The Permian Basin Petroleum Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

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Energy

That Blue Origin flight was a success but isn't landing well among some stars: 'Disgusted'

Olivia Wilde and Emily Ratajkowski are among those slamming Blue Origin for its totally necessary 11-minute flight Monday, which had an all-female celebrity crew.

Earth to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin: This week’s fleeting space launch featuring an all-female crew was a wasteful, performative and tone-deaf endeavor reminiscent of the “Hunger Games” dystopia — according to author, model and actor Emily Ratajkowski. The outspoken “My Body” writer did not mince words Tuesday as she continued to criticize Monday’s Blue Origin flight that launched six women including Katy Perry, Gayle King and Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez into space. The endeavor, which had been heavily hyped and promoted for more than a month, lasted only 11 minutes from takeoff to landing. (Previous Blue Origin flights, including the 2021 launch with “Star Trek” icon William Shatner, were equally as brief.)Ratajkowski dissected the New Shepard rocket mission in a TikTok video posted Tuesday morning, claiming that the women-led initiative was not as progressive as it seemed. While Monday’s celebrity launch was the nation’s first spaceflight where women filled each seat and “optically looks like progress,” Ratajkowski alleged, the “truth” was that Amazon executive Bezos just wanted to “take his fiancée and a few other famous women to space for space tourism.”“It just speaks to the fact that we are absolutely living in an oligarchy where there is a small group of people who are interested in going to space for the sake of getting a new lease on life while the rest of the population, most people on planet Earth, are worried about paying rent or having dinner for their kids,” she said. She added elsewhere in her video: “Being able to take the privilege that you have gained from exploitation and greed of the planet, of resources of human beings, and doing something like going to space for 11 minutes is not an accomplishment.”Tuesday’s video was the second Ratajkowski shared reacting to Monday’s launch. In a clip posted shortly after the Blue Origin crew returned to Earth, Ratajkowski said the space trip resembled “end times s—” and was “beyond parody.” She also called out the discrepancies between the environmental messaging surrounding the flight and the resources expended to send the women to space. “I’m disgusted,” she said. Blue Origin, founded in 2000 by Bezos, declined Monday to say how much the flight, a quick up-and-down trip from west Texas, cost or who paid for what. The launch precedes Sanchez and Bezos’ Venice, Italy, wedding in two months. Ratajkowski hasn’t been the only star to express disdain for the Blue Origin flight on social media. “Don’t Worry Darling” director-actor Olivia Wilde in a since-expired Instagram story reacted to the flurry of jokes inspired by the launch. “Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess,” she said sarcastically. Comedian Amy Schumer also poked fun at the flight Monday, joking she was a last-minute addition to the eclectic female crew. “I’m going to space and thank you to everyone who got me here and I’ll see you in space,” she said in an intentionally vapid-sounding voice, repeating the word “space” numerous times. Even before Blue Origin’s New Shepard lifted off with film producer Kerianne Flynn, scientist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe and the others in tow, “Your Friends and Neighbors” star Olivia Munn dubbed the spaceflight a “gluttonous” stunt. During her April 3 guest spot on “Today With Jenna and Friends,” Munn questioned the purpose of the trip amid more pressing societal and political issues. “It’s so much money to go to space and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs,” she said before further scrutinizing media coverage of the endeavor.After returning from space, “CBS Mornings” co-host King told People on Monday that critics “don’t really understand what is happening here” and said she and her fellow passengers have heard “from young women, from young girls about what this represents.”Sanchez took another approach to the criticism, telling the outlet she invites skeptics to “come to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees” that she said have devoted themselves to the New Shepard and the mission. The author and journalist, engaged to billionaire Bezos for nearly two years, added: “When we hear comments like that, I just say, ‘Trust me. Come with me. I’ll show you what this is about, and it’s, it’s really eye-opening.’”The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Waste
Business

Ditch the balloons and swap the plastic toys for cake: how to have a waste-free birthday party

Low waste doesn’t have to mean no fun – with a little creativity you can celebrate an occasion without hurting the planet Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprintGot a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.comWhen planning a big bash to celebrate my 40th last year, I wanted a stylish and memorable celebration that didn’t cost the earth.Between food waste, plastic packaging, single-use decorations and fast fashion, the environmental footprint of festivities can quickly add up. Thankfully though, low waste doesn’t have to mean no fun. Continue reading...

When planning a big bash to celebrate my 40th last year, I wanted a stylish and memorable celebration that didn’t cost the earth.Between food waste, plastic packaging, single-use decorations and fast fashion, the environmental footprint of festivities can quickly add up. Thankfully though, low waste doesn’t have to mean no fun.With a little creativity, out-of-the-box thinking and some help from my community, I was able to throw an entertaining and colourful back yard garden party that produced little waste – and was more affordable to boot. Here are some ideas to help you plan a low-impact party.Reduce food waste and packagingDisposable plates, cups and cutlery are among the most wasteful aspects of parties – they’re single-use, wrapped in plastic and usually get dumped in the rubbish. Over-catering food is also costly to both the environment and your hip pocket. I sidestepped all that by hosting a pot-luck dinner – where each guest brought a plate of food to share – served using metal cutlery and compostable plates.Disposable plates are among the most wasteful aspects of parties. Photograph: Penpak Ngamsathain/Getty ImagesAnother option, says zero-waste author Erin Rhoads, is the national Party Kit Network. Community members offer reusable tableware, decorations and even party games to borrow, use and return locally. Some party kits are free, while schools and childcare centres may charge a small hire fee for fundraising. “As a parent, planning a party for your child can be really stressful,” Rhoads says. “With the kit, everyone gets to see how easily reusables can be integrated into a celebration.”By hosting my 40th at my place, I could better control sustainable decisions around waste, decorations and food. For example, I placed recycling and compost bins in a prominent location with clear labelling, with the landfill bin further away. If you’re partying in a park or at a venue, consider bringing a compost bin to collect food waste.Reuse, borrow and rentConsider how you might source your get-together’s needs without purchasing new. I began by repurposing items I already had. I gathered couches and comfy chairs from around my house and set them up in the garden – after the party, they simply went back inside. In the weeks leading up to the event, I kept an eye on roadside rubbish and scored a free rug and a couple of extra chairs. Instead of buying new glassware, I used old jars.There’s no point giving a kid an eco-friendly gift they’ll never useWhen I needed extra items, I turned to my community and borrowed fairy lights, a fire pit, small coffee tables and extra seating. Buy Nothing groups are an excellent resource for free sharing and loaning in your neighbourhood. If you do need to buy, try second-hand first. I thrifted a drinks dispenser online – for one-third of the usual retail price – and sourced my entire 1920s-themed outfit, from headpiece to dress and shoes, at op shops.Skip presents or try a ‘fiver birthday’At this stage in my life, I have most things I need – and I’m fussy about what I want in my home. To avoid unwanted gifts, I simply asked for none. Alternatively, you could request experiences, consumable treats such as foods and drinks, and even second-hand gifts from thrift shops, eBay or Facebook Marketplace, helping normalise sustainable giving while reducing costs for your guests.Rhoads says a “fiver birthday” is a great option for children’s parties – and helps take the pressure off parents. Each guest contributes just $5 so the birthday child can buy themselves a larger gift afterwards. Handmade cards add a personal touch. Or just ask if there’s anything specific the child needs or wants. “There’s no point giving a kid an eco-friendly gift they’ll never use,” Rhoads says.Try newspaper, decorated with ribbons saved from previous presents. Photograph: Amanda Vivan/Getty ImagesAvoid disposable wrapping paper, which mostly can’t be recycled due to metallic dyes, plastic coating and stray plastic sticky tape. Instead, try newspaper or second-hand options such as old sheet music, fabric, scarves or tea towels, decorated with ribbons saved from previous presents. Ensure you choose biodegradable tape, too.Choose low-impact decorations and party bagsIf you make just one change at your next party – ban the balloons. Balloon pollution is a major threat to marine life including seabirds and turtles, which can die after mistaking balloons for food. Instead, consider homemade options made from compostable materials, such as wool, cotton, wood, paper and even plants and flowers from the garden or neighbourhood. Fabric bunting and paper garlands can be folded up and reused again for future parties.For the time-poor or craft-averse, explore Facebook Marketplace or local hire services. Or skip the decorations entirely. I allowed my garden and borrowed fairy lights to provide a natural background to my 40th festivities, combined with a broad ‘any-era’ vintage dress-up theme that made it easier for guests to shop their wardrobe for a costume rather than buying fast fashion.To make kids’ party bags more sustainable, avoid plastic-wrapped lollies or cheap plastic toys that break easily. Homemade play-dough in reusable jars or seed balls made from coconut coir, clay and flower seeds offer a fun, nature-friendly option. Or, Rhoads says, simply send guests home with a slice of birthday cake in a paper bag.“Showing these swaps aren’t that daunting and that events can still be joyful – and perhaps save money as a bonus – is a fun way to get people to rethink living sustainability without the lectures and statistics, which can scare them into inaction,” she says. “It helps shift habits and behaviours in the long term.”

Waste
Food
Sustainable

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Waste
Culture
Music

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