Oil companies

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Exxon vows new emissions curbs

Oil giants face increasing pressure from activists and investors to take stronger steps on climate.

Dec 14, 2020 - Energy & Environment
BP’s climate reinvention dodges politics

In an interview with "Axios on HBO," the oil CEO says the world shouldn't "dwell in the past."

Oct 13, 2020 - Energy & Environment
Coronavirus hastens Big Oil's Atlantic divide on climate change

European firms are evolving, while U.S. producers are sticking with oil and gas.

Aug 6, 2020 - Energy & Environment
Big Oil lobby showing subtle shifts on climate change

It shows the oil industry's gradual embrace of climate change as a problem the government should address.

Dec 11, 2019 - Energy & Environment
Why climate change is so hard to tackle: Our stubborn energy system

Our dependence on fossil fuels has remained about the same for 30 years.

Aug 26, 2019 - Energy & Environment
The U.S. is exporting oil to 31 countries

The number was essentially zero before 2015.

Aug 2, 2019 - Energy & Environment

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Ben Geman, author of Generate
19 hours ago - Energy & Environment

Exxon pitches $100 billion carbon capture zone to industry and Biden officials

Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Exxon is calling for expansive industry-government collaboration to develop big carbon capture and storage projects around Houston, Texas.

Why it matters: Technology to trap emissions and permanently stash them underground could become a tool against global warming, but deployment has been very slow to get off the ground and remains in the nascent stages.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Apr 8, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Treasury puts a number on its fossil tax plan

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Treasury Department estimates its plan to end subsidies for fossil fuel companies would bring in over $35 billion in federal revenue over 10 years.

Driving the news: "The main impact would be on oil and gas company profits. Research suggests little impact on gasoline or energy prices for U.S. consumers and little impact on our energy security," officials said in a report on the wider White House tax policy proposal.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Apr 5, 2021 - Economy & Business

U.S. oil rig count climbs, signaling revival from pandemic lows

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Data: Baker Hughes; Chart: Axios Visuals

The number of U.S. oil drilling rigs in operation last week climbed by 13 to reach 337, Baker Hughes data shows.

Why it matters: It's the highest in nearly a year and, as Reuters notes, the increase was the largest since January 2020.

Luján: Diversifying New Mexico's economy will bring in more "homegrown" opportunities

New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D) said at an Axios event Tuesday that diversifying New Mexico's economy will create "homegrown" opportunities, providing a different type of job security for workers who rely on oil and gas industries.

Why it matters: Politicians have sparred over environmental justice and its impact on workers in the oil and gas industries. But even major oil and gas producers across the U.S. are making changes now, Luján said, which means New Mexico needs to move fast about planning for the future.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 26, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Top oil lobby's endorsement shakes up carbon pricing landscape

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

The plates are shifting when it comes to climate policy on K Street, but whether it's enough to alter the political landscape is another question entirely.

Catch up fast: The American Petroleum Institute yesterday endorsed putting a price on carbon emissions as part of its wider new climate policy platform.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 25, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Top U.S. oil lobbying group officially endorses carbon pricing

Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

The American Petroleum Institute said Thursday that it supports putting a price on carbon emissions — a term that typically refers to emissions taxes or permit trading systems.

Why it matters: The new posture marks a major shift for the powerful K Street lobbying group, though signs of the endorsement emerged weeks ago.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 25, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Texas oil activity “expanded strongly” in Q1 of 2021

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Data: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

The Dallas Fed is out with its latest quarterly snapshot of oil-and-gas metrics in its district, which includes the prolific but pandemic-battered shale regions in Texas and New Mexico.

Why it matters: The survey of oil-and-gas companies and contractors finds that the sector's activity "expanded strongly" in the first quarter of 2021.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 23, 2021 - Energy & Environment

White House: We're "not fighting" oil companies

White House climate advisor Gina McCarthy. Photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

President Biden's senior domestic climate official met with top oil-and-gas executives Monday as the industry braces for White House emissions policies.

Why it matters: A White House summary claims they're seeking common ground with the sector.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 17, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Oil's post-pandemic global future

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Global oil demand is slated to rise above pre-pandemic levels over the next few years but nonetheless remain lower than it would have been absent COVID-19's emergence, a new International Energy Agency analysis project.

Why it matters: The pandemic is certainly having a lasting effect — its mid-decade demand estimate is 2.5 million barrels per day lower than the growth level expected before the crisis.

Ben Geman, author of Generate
Mar 17, 2021 - Energy & Environment

Environmental groups urge FTC to probe Chevron ad claims about clean energy

Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Environmental groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission alleging Chevron's ads mislead consumers by painting an inaccurate picture of the oil giant's clean energy activities.

Why it matters: The groups — Greenpeace, Earthworks and Global Witness — say it's the first such climate complaint filed against an oil company under the FTC's "Green Guides."

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