Oil and Gas Watch

Oil and Gas Watch Public-interest investigative journalism spotlighting the U.S. oil and gas industry. Sponsored by Environmental Integrity Project.

Massive New Mexico data center tries to 'greenwash' environmental impact with fuel cell proposal One major battle over d...
05/29/2026

Massive New Mexico data center tries to 'greenwash' environmental impact with fuel cell proposal

One major battle over data centers for artificial intelligence is currently playing out in the small border town of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, where road construction and ground clearing at the massive Project Jupiter AI data center began last fall.

Developed by BorderPlex Digital Assets, the data center is being built for Oracle, which will use it to host artificial intelligence infrastructure for OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT

Facing pushback over its large carbon footprint and water demand, Oracle and BorderPlex announced Project Jupiter will use fuel cells instead of gas turbines or diesel generators.

The fuel cells would emit about 10.1 million tons of greenhouse gases a year compared to about 14 million tons from gas plants, according to the announcement. The developer also claims the facility will now “use a negligible amount of water,” without providing further details.

Colin Cox, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said while the fuel cell proposal is an improvement, it’s still a climate disaster.

“Ten million tons per year is more than the greenhouse gas emissions from Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe—New Mexico’s three biggest cities—combined,” Cox said. “That absolutely trashes our state's climate progress and makes a joke out of climate goals.”

https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/massive-new-mexico-data-center-tries-to-greenwash-environmental-impact-with-fuel-cell-proposal



Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club: Rio Grande Chapter WildEarth Guardians, Conservation Voters New Mexico, Groundworks New Mexico, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance

Tax breaks sought for gas power plant expansion in Central TX On May 14, Hull Street Energy applied for tax breaks under...
05/28/2026

Tax breaks sought for gas power plant expansion in Central TX

On May 14, Hull Street Energy applied for tax breaks under Texas' Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation property tax program to build a gas-fired peaker plant at the Bastrop Energy Center. The plant would be able to generate up to 1,170 megawatts (MW) of electricity and could emit over 2.6 million tons of greenhouse gases and over 1,500 tons of health-harming criteria air pollutants every year. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a draft air construction permit to expand the facility in September 2025.

https://oilandgaswatch.org/alert/d0568bfa-f72c-4382-81a4-22e8601d70bc



Texas Sierra Club, Public Citizen Texas, Every Texan

Public meeting set for June 11 on Sabine Pass LNG expansion in Southwest LA The Louisiana Department of Environmental Qu...
05/28/2026

Public meeting set for June 11 on Sabine Pass LNG expansion in Southwest LA

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on draft air permits for the Stage 5 expansion project at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The project would add three new liquefaction units to the existing Sabine Pass LNG Terminal, increasing the facility’s export capacity by almost 20 million metric tons per year. The project would also include a new 55-mile gas pipeline and two new compressor stations. The hearing will be at 6 p.m. on June 11 at the Johnson Bayou Community Center, 5556 Gulf Beach Highway, Johnson Bayou, LA 70631.

https://oilandgaswatch.org/alert/c537e151-a94c-4ded-9941-2f7ad6a446cb



Healthy Gulf, For a Better Bayou, The Vessel Project of Louisiana, FISH - Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage, Micah Six Eight Mission

Public comment period open on air pollution increase at Formosa plastics plant in TX On May 4, Formosa Plastics applied ...
05/27/2026

Public comment period open on air pollution increase at Formosa plastics plant in TX

On May 4, Formosa Plastics applied to modify the air permits for the Polyethylene 3 Plant at its Point Comfort Complex in Calhoun County, Texas. The permits would authorize additional process vent streams, additional supplemental natural gas for the control systems, and updated pilot gas representations for a flare, among other changes. These modifications would increase greenhouse gas emissions at the plant by over 100,000 tons per year and emissions of other harmful criteria air pollutants by over 360 tons per year. TCEQ is accepting public comments on the pending application until at least June 10.

https://oilandgaswatch.org/alert/38448ece-90d5-4b9b-995d-314aa04f2056



San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper, Earthworks, Earthjustice, Beyond Petrochemicals, Beyond Plastics, Air Alliance Houston

In Tokyo, Texas advocates urge Japanese official to stop supporting LNG Community groups, including the Freeport Haven P...
05/27/2026

In Tokyo, Texas advocates urge Japanese official to stop supporting LNG

Community groups, including the Freeport Haven Project and Climate Conversation Brazoria County met with officials from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and government-run Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, as well as the ministries of finance and economy, trade and industry, according to the South China Morning Post.

Representatives from the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Bank declined to meet the group, the outlet reported. The three are the largest financiers of liquified natural gas projects in the U.S.

https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/template/brief/in-tokyo-texas-advocates-urge-japanese-official-to-stop-supporting-lng



Freeport Haven Project , Climate Conversation - Brazoria County, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water, Air Alliance Houston

Public meeting rescheduled for May 28 on CP2 LNG terminal in Southwest LA The Louisiana Department of Environmental Qual...
05/26/2026

Public meeting rescheduled for May 28 on CP2 LNG terminal in Southwest LA

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) will hold a public hearing on a draft wastewater discharge permit for the CP2 LNG Terminal currently under construction in Cameron Parish. The proposed permit will authorize discharges of stormwater and wastewater from the terminal into the Calcasieu River Basin. The hearing will be at 6 p.m. on May 28 at the Cameron Parish Multi-Purpose Building, 122 Recreation Center Lane, Cameron, LA 70631.

https://oilandgaswatch.org/alert/464c4c58-122f-4a5f-86f0-5d559d7684c3



Healthy Gulf, For a Better Bayou, The Vessel Project of Louisiana, FISH - Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage, Micah Six Eight Mission

Fuel tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz increased last week The number of vessels crossing through the narrow entra...
05/26/2026

Fuel tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz increased last week

The number of vessels crossing through the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf increased to 54 the week of May 11 to 17 compared to 23 the previous week, according to data from U.K. shipping journal Lloyd’s List. The vessels that passed through the strait last week included 10 China-owned ships and an LNG carrier owned by the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, according to Drop Site News. Two carriers loaded with liquified petroleum gas also transited the Gulf, bound for India.

https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/template/brief/fuel-tanker-traffic-through-strait-of-hormuz-increased-last-week

Public comment period open on floating LNG export terminal off Texas coast The Maritime Administration is accepting publ...
05/22/2026

Public comment period open on floating LNG export terminal off Texas coast

The Maritime Administration is accepting public comments until June 1 on a draft environmental impact statement for the ST LNG Export Terminal planned offshore in East Matagorda Bay, southwest of Houston. The terminal has the potential to emit more than 9 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, the equivalent of nearly 670,000 cars and trucks driven for a year, according to permit documents. Despite this, the Maritime Administration’s environmental impact statement does not mention the project’s impact on the climate, according to Earthworks.

https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/template/brief/public-comment-period-open-on-floating-lng-export-terminal-off-texas-coast

Backed by $500 million in state funds, company plans 350-mile gas pipeline across North Dakota A massive natural gas pi...
05/22/2026

Backed by $500 million in state funds, company plans 350-mile gas pipeline across North Dakota

A massive natural gas pipeline meant to ship more natural gas out of North Dakota’s prolific Bakken oil- and gas-producing region is now eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in state financing after a recent vote by state officials.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is holding meetings across the state this week and the first week of June for the Bakken East Pipeline, a new 350-mile pipeline that would move gas from the Bakken Shale formation in the western part of the state to eastern North Dakota, ending near Fargo.

The pipeline, planned by WBI Energy, is eligible for up to $500 million in taxpayer-subsidized financing over 10 years under an incentive program the state’s legislature recently expanded to grow the state’s natural gas network.

Some residents are objecting to the potential seizure of their land rights through eminent domain to build the pipeline. They are also raising questions about what they say is a lack of transparency regarding the state funding agreement.

The critics include Vern Thompson, a Democratic candidate for state agricultural commissioner, who organized a May 4 press conference that featured a small group of farmers, ranchers, and local officials.

“Why are meetings held behind closed doors by government officials and industry with no participation by the general public?” asked Tim Leppert, a zoning administrator for Russell Township in LaMoure County.

Learn more: https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/backed-by-500-million-in-state-funds-company-plans-350-mile-natural-gas-pipeline-across-north-dakota



Carbon storage well approved for planned injection hub south of Baton Rouge On May 7, the Louisiana Department of Enviro...
05/21/2026

Carbon storage well approved for planned injection hub south of Baton Rouge

On May 7, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Conservation issued a final permit authorizing River Parish Sequestration to construct and operate one carbon dioxide injection well in Ascension Parish. This well will have the capacity to store up to 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in an underground reservoir. It is the first of seven proposed wells with a collective capacity of 14 million metric tons.

https://oilandgaswatch.org/alert/8bd9f138-da0d-45b5-900d-0532ba6d8937



Louisiana CO2 Alliance, LACAG, Earthworks, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club - Delta Chapter (Louisiana)

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