Message From the Editor

It turns out that the recent deluge of pro-hydrogen stories in the media that tout hydrogen as a climate solution and clean form of energy can now be linked in part to FTI Consulting — one of the most notorious oil and gas industry public relations firms. According to a new report, FTI is pushing hydrogen (most of which currently consists mainly of methane gas) as a clean climate solution in Europe, and it seems to be working. As the report states, the “European Commission is most definitely onboard” with the idea of a hydrogen-based economy.” Justin Mikulka reports.

Meanwhile, 550 environmental groups are calling on Biden to put an end to new plastic production. The broad coalition released an eight-point platform that largely focuses on ways the next administration could act without a Democratic majority in the Senate. Among the demands included curbing taxpayer-funded consumption of single-use plastic products, rejecting permits for new or expanded plastics manufacturing sites, and requiring existing plastics plants to use the best available technology to curb their pollution. Read more here.

At the same time, green groups are raising concern about a new EPA rule that was announced in a live webcast hosted by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. The rule is supposed to increase consistency and transparency when the EPA develops regulations under the Clean Air Act. But experts say it’s redundant and dangerous, as it would allow polluters to tie up any new EPA regulations in legal challenges. As a result, several environmental organizations are now calling on Biden to immediately overturn it once he takes office. Dana Drugmand has the story.
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Brendan DeMelle
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Major Fossil Fuel PR Group is Behind Europe Pro-Hydrogen Push

— By Justin Mikulka (7 min. read) —

The recent deluge of pro-hydrogen stories in the media that tout hydrogen as a climate solution and clean form of energy can now be linked in part to FTI Consulting — one of the most notorious oil and gas industry public relations firms.

According to a new report, titled The Hydrogen Hype: Gas Industry Fairy Tale or Climate Horror Story?, released by a coalition of groups in Europe including Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Food and Water Action Europe, details the work of FTI to push hydrogen as a clean climate solution in Europe. So far it appears FTI is being quite successful in this endeavor. As the report notes, the “European Commission is most definitely onboard” with the idea of a hydrogen-based economy.

Over 550 Environmental Groups Rally Around Call for Biden to Act on Plastics Pollution in 2021

— By Julie Dermansky and Sharon Kelly (8 min. read) —

Today, an unusually broad coalition of environmental groups, numbering more than 550, called on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to address plastic pollution alongside fossil fuels, releasing an eight-point platform that largely focuses on ways the next administration could act without a Democratic majority in the Senate.

“More than 99 percent of plastic is created from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, including an oversupply of fracked gas, which is spurring a global boom in new plastic production,” the groups wrote in their Presidential Plastics Action Plan. “That plastic is causing serious environmental problems at every step of its lifecycle.”

Green Groups Call On Future Biden White House To Overturn New EPA Rule Announced With The Heritage Foundation

— By Dana Drugmand (5 min. read) —

During a virtual event on Wednesday, December 9 hosted by the Heritage Foundation — a conservative free market think tank backed by polluters like the petrochemical Koch empire — the outgoing head of the Environmental Protection Agency (and former coal lobbyist) Andrew Wheeler announced the finalization of a new rule that critics say is a gift to polluting industries opposed to federal regulations.

The rule is specifically about an accounting process used in rulemaking called a cost-benefit analysis. According to EPA’s announcement, the rule is supposed to increase consistency and transparency when EPA develops regulations under the Clean Air Act. But leading environmental organizations and a former EPA official say the new rule is redundant and dangerous, as it would allow polluters to tie up any new EPA regulations in legal challenges based on claiming the cost-benefit analysis for a given regulation is inadequate.

This Loophole in New Mexico's Methane Rules Is a Gift to Big Oil and Gas

— By Justin Mikulka (10 min. read) —

In October, New Mexico announced new rules that propose slashing the massive volumes of methane which the oil and gas industry is releasing into the atmosphere. However, the proposed regulations contain a major loophole that will directly benefit large oil and gas producers, as well as some of the world’s largest investment groups. In addition, an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) analysis shows the rules wouldn't make a meaningful dent in emissions of this potent greenhouse gas.

New Mexico, along with West Texas, is home to the nation's most prolific, and polluting, oil and gas field, the Permian Basin. Even industry leaders have acknowledged that the Permian needs to address its wasteful practices of flaring (burning) and venting (directly releasing) natural gas, which is primarily methane.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank founded in 1973 to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.” The think tank has been a fervent opponent of the Kyoto Protocol and its online database of “policy experts” includes many climate change skeptics such as Patrick Michaels, Sallie Baliunas, Thomas Gale Moore, Robert Balling, and Fred Singer. The Heritage Foundation has had considerable influence over Republican politicians, including the Trump administration.

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