Message From the Editor

The fate of a West Coast natural gas project could be decided next year. In 2020, the Trump administration approved the controversial Jordan Cove LNG project and associated pipeline despite it having key environmental permits denied and having been previously rejected under Obama. Now, a group of about two dozen landowners are appealing the decision to let the pipeline be built — and run right through their properties. The outcome of the case could have far-reaching ramifications for how pipelines get built in the U.S., and how companies can use eminent domain to take private land. Nick Cunningham has the full story.
Meanwhile, there was some speculation that climate-changing emissions might drop this spring as the world went into lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this year's sudden drop off in travel — and transportation fuel consumption — didn't lead to sizable declines in planet-heating emissions. In fact, global emissions continue to increase. Read all about it here.
And finally, in some good news from France, the country’s top court ruled that the French government must justify its climate targets — and why they are sufficient to tackle climate change. This is despite the country failing to meet its emissions goals as promised under the Paris Agreement. If the court finds the French government's justification for not taking strong action insufficient, it could order the nation to take action to rapidly slash emissions. Dana Drugmand’s got the story.
Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

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When Can Pipelines Take Private Land? Jordan Cove LNG Project a Test for Eminent Domain

— By Nick Cunningham (11 min. read) —

In 2005, Deb Evans and her husband Ron Schaaf bought a piece of property in Klamath County, Oregon, where they hoped to build a house and selectively harvest timber on the land. They saw it as a long-term investment. About a month after they closed on the property, they went to walk through portions of it where they considered building a home, but they noticed orange survey tape hanging from the trees. “We had no idea who had put it there or why,” Evans said.

After calling around, they soon found out that a company wanted to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Coos Bay on the Oregon coast, and run a natural gas pipeline to California — and Evans’ land was in the way. If the company’s plans worked out, the pipeline would travel right through their property.

Pandemic Lockdowns Caused 'Just a Tiny Blip' in Climate-Polluting Emissions, WMO Finds

— By Sharon Kelly (6 min. read) —

There was some speculation that climate-changing emissions might drop this spring as the world went into lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), this year's sudden drop off in travel — and transportation fuel consumption — didn't lead to sizable declines in planet-heating emissions.

In fact, the three most powerful greenhouse gases continued to rapidly build up in the Earth’s atmosphere in 2020 despite daily emissions falling up to 17 percent during the most severe pandemic stay-at-home orders.

‘Historic’ Court Ruling Will Force France To Justify Its Climate Targets

— By Dana Drugmand (5 min. read) —

A French court this week issued what climate campaigners are calling a “historic decision” in the fight to hold national governments accountable for insufficient action to address the climate crisis.

The decision finds that France in recent years has exceeded its “carbon budgets” — the upper limit of allowable carbon emissions to help keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The French government must now justify within the next three months how its refusal to take more stringent measures to curb emissions in line with the Paris Agreement puts the nation on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target.

Oil Companies Can’t Find Any Buyers For Refineries Struggling Amid Pandemic Crisis

— By Justin Mikulka (9 min. read) —

Major players in the U.S. petroleum refining industry — which is experiencing a historic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic — are attempting to sell refineries, with little luck. Unable to find any buyers, several refineries are becoming stranded assets as they are permanently shut down.

The pandemic continues to set new records in the U.S. almost daily — more than 250,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 since February. This mounting crisis is leading to a second round of shutdowns and measures that will limit economic activity and slow the consumption of fuel. Amid this, the refining industry is expected to face a prolonged downturn.

New 'No Corporate Cabinet' Campaign Pushes Biden to Pick People Who Will Advance Public Good

— By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams (5 min. read) —

With two months until Inauguration Day and President Donald Trump apparently hellbent on lighting more figurative fires on his way out of office, progressive groups on Friday launched the “No Corporate Cabinet” campaign, increasing pressure on President-elect Joe Biden to keep business insiders and industry lobbyists out of his administration.

The new initiative includes a website that aims to “serve as a central hub for information about, and activism related to, the Biden transition,” featuring a news section as well as a “Persons of Interest” page detailing some potential appointees whom Biden is considering but campaign organizers say he “should avoid.”

From the Climate Disinformation Database: The American Farm Bureau Federation

The American Farm Bureau Federation is part of our new Agribusiness Database tracking organizations and companies that are messaging and lobbying on climate action. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) calls itself the “unified national voice of agriculture” in the U.S. For decades, the Farm Bureau network, which has links to the fossil fuel industry, has lobbied against climate action and spread climate science denial in farming communities across the U.S. Despite softening its messages on climate science, as of August 2020, the AFBF opposes a “near term” end to the use of fossil fuels. It also continues to support fracking, expanding the use of coal, and other forms of fossil fuel production.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our new Agribusiness Database, along with our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.