Message From the Editor

Long-plagued by strange odors and illnesses, Los Angeles residents found century-old oil wells leaking toxic gases hidden beneath their homes. Read our investigation finding that the state of California lagged behind in sealing those oil wells, despite the documented risks to public health.

Meanwhile, environmental justice advocates are calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to expand air monitoring after the recent finding that 10 oil refineries have exceeded federal limits for cancer-causing benzene along their borders. Julie Dermansky has the story and photos showing these refineries and the health concerns raised by the communities adjoining them.

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

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Have you subscribed to DeSmog on YouTube?

California Lagged in Capping Century-old Oil Wells Leaking Under Homes of LA Residents Plagued by Illness and Odors

— By Marissa Pianko (15 min. read) —

On November 28, 2015, Roger Majano, plagued by a noxious smell overwhelming his Los Angeles neighborhood, heaved a jackhammer onto the walkway in front of his property at 323 Firmin Street. It was the dead of night, but Majano had run out of patience trying to get to the bottom of the sickening and persistent smell.

What he found, two days later, would eventually confirm his fears and frustrations surrounding an environmental and public health risk haunting the City of Angels. Under his property, Majano had discovered an ancient oil well, leaking potentially toxic gases.

Advocates Call on EPA to Expand Air Pollution Monitoring of Refineries After 10 Found Emitting High Benzene Levels

— By Julie Dermansky (7 min. read) —

Available for the first time, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air monitoring data from over 100 U.S. oil refineries shows that 10 facilities have exceeded federal limits for cancer-causing benzene along their borders. The data, which raise health concerns about the communities adjoining these refineries, were released in a February 6 report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit group of former EPA enforcement attorneys, public interest lawyers, and community organizers.

Lt. General Russel Honoré, founder of Louisiana’s Green Army, a grassroots anti-pollution coalition, hailed the report as a great tool for communities that live near refineries to press for the monitoring of additional toxic chemicals.

EU Plans to Measure True Climate Impacts of LNG Imports From US Fracked Gas

— By Justin Mikulka (5 min. read) —

With growing evidence that the climate impacts of natural gas are comparable to coal, the European Commission is planning to study ways to reduce methane emissions across the life cycle of natural gas production and consumption, with potential implications for fracked gas producers in the U.S.

“Work has started on the methane emissions linked to the energy sector, including oil and gas production and transport, but also coal mines and we are planning on presenting the strategic plan still this year,” said an unnamed official working with European Union (EU) energy commissioner Kadri Simson, as reported by Euractiv.

Report Attacks Industry Campaign to Fix Natural Gas’s Climate PR Problem

— By Dana Drugmand (10 min. read) —

A new report from advocacy group Food and Water Watch argues that fracking and continued reliance on natural gas is detrimental to addressing climate change. The report, which calls out the fossil fuel industry’s misleading narratives around natural gas, comes at a time when progressive members of Congress like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are introducing a bill to ban fracking and when the industry is ramping up its public relations push around gas.

According to Food and Water Watch’s (FWW) report, greenhouse gas emissions reductions from the power sector over the past decade are not as great as the gas industry claims. FWW researchers found that combined emissions from coal and gas power plants declined 10.4 percent over the last decade. If emissions continue to decline at this roughly 10 percent pace, the report says, they will not reach zero until 2100.

Climate Justice and Indigenous Rights Advocates Rally in Solidarity With Wet'suwet'en People as RCMP Continue Raids

— By Julia Conley, Common Dreams (3 min. read) —

Indigenous rights supporters held solidarity actions across Canada over the weekend as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police continued their raids on Wet'suwet'en land in British Columbia.

The Unist'ot'en Camp reported on its official Facebook page Sunday that at least 21 people had been arrested since Thursday, when, as Common Dreams reported, the RCMP conducted a violent pre-dawn raid to fulfill an injunction on behalf of Coastal GasLink, which aims to build a pipeline in Wet'suwet'en territory in northern British Columbia.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: James Spann

James Spann is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently the chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40. In 2007, Spann was featured on Glenn Beck, where he declared: “Earth's climate has changed since the day God put it here. We have had these cyclical changes, and I believe that most of this is purely natural.” He signed a 2007 declaration by evangelicals that claimed carbon dioxide was not a pollutant.
Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database or our new Koch Network Database.