Message From the Editor

More than a year ago, investigative journalist Justin Nobel came to DeSmog with a tip from a whiste-blower that led us to the Three Percenters, a loosely organized group of far-right militants. This week, we published the investigation that followed, which indicates a culture of guns and paranoia has worked its way deep into the heart of America’s third richest oilfield.

Domestic terrorism experts are troubled by the presence of militia members in the oil and gas industry, particularly at one natural gas processing plant in the Bakken oil patch where this whistle-blower worked in 2016.

However, there seems to be a “security vacuum” or blindspot among government intelligence agencies, who have instead identified “ecoterrorism” as a threat to energy infrastructure like pipelines and gas plants. “Somehow there does not appear to be an attempt to find out what the infiltration is of anti-government militia groups, and that is problematic,” one expert tells DeSmog.

Read the full investigation.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director
P.S. Can you donate to support more DeSmog investigative journalism like this? Every bit helps, even $10 or $20.

Whose Allegiance? Three Percenters Militia Working in Bakken Oil Patch Raises Concerns of Domestic Terrorism Risk

— By Justin Nobel (28 min. read) —

The Three Percenters, a loosely organized group of far-right militants, appear to have established a significant presence in North Dakota’s Bakken oilfield, one of the most productive oilfields in the nation. “There is a lot of membership in the oil and gas industry up there,” says Matt Marshall, a Three Percenter running for state legislature in Washington. “The fact that you have a lot of Three Percenters working in the oilfields of North Dakota is not surprising.”

The Three Percenters are so named for the dubious historical claim that only three percent of American colonists took up arms in the Revolutionary War. Their adherents have frequently been involved with incidents of ​armed protests, hate speech, and threatening behavior across the U.S., and the group’s members have shown up prominently at recent protests related to both pandemic response measures and police brutality.

Following Lawsuit, Formosa Agrees to Hold Major Construction on One of Largest Planned US Plastics Plants Until 2021

— By Julie Dermansky and Sharon Kelly (6 min. read) —

Back in late March, Formosa Plastics broke ground on its $9.4 billion plastics and petrochemical project in St. James, Louisiana, which the company has dubbed the “Sunshine Project.”

On Friday, the company agreed to limit its construction activities until early next year, under a legal agreement reached with several community and environmental organizations who had filed a lawsuit last week. Major construction activities at the site will not move forward until February 2021 under the terms of today’s agreement, with the company required to provide monthly status reports including photographs of work underway and completed.

Analysis: Aviation Industry Coronavirus Bailouts Contradict Governments' Climate Commitments

— By Jocelyn Timperley (17 min. read) —

Is the chance for a green recovery flying by?

Despite governments around the world claiming they want to support low-carbon industries in the wake of COVID-19, many have prioritised airlines and plane manufacturers for bailouts with no green strings attached — giving or lending money to some of the world’s biggest polluters.

With ongoing restrictions to prevent further spread of COVID-19, a major recession, and consumer concern about the impacts of flying increasing, the aviation sector has seen an unprecedented fall in demand worldwide. So airlines are asking for money to help them weather the bad times.

Disaster Recovery Expert Russel Honoré Decries the Lack of Coordinated Response to COVID-19

— By Julie Dermansky (12 min. read) —

Having no nationwide testing and contact tracing protocol several months into the pandemic is taking its toll in Louisiana, and especially in its predominantly African-American communities in Cancer Alley.

It pains retired Lt. General Russel Honoré to watch the United States lose the war against COVID-19, but it does not surprise him. A federal disaster response expert, Honoré coordinated military relief efforts in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and is credited with restoring order to the city. He has advocated for the federal government to tap the military to set up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing nationwide since the pandemic began spreading rapidly across the United States.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Caleb Rossiter

Caleb Rossiter is a professor and consultant with a background in international policy. He is a member of the CO2 Coalition, a non-profit organization that receives funding from the Mercer Family Foundation, and refers to climate change science as “greatly exaggerated.” Rossiter has said the scientific consensus on climate change is “unproven” and in 2019 gave a presentation entitled, “There’s No Climate Crisis, Just an Energy Crisis: How Fossil Fuels Save Lives in Africa & America,” in which he suggested that climate change was caused by the sun rather than humans.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.