Drilled

Frontline communities are facing a whack-a-mole problem: as one facility gets shut down, another pops up. In many ways, the plastic problem itself is a whack-a-mole issue catalyzed by progress in shifting away from fossil fuels in the transport and building sectors. How can policy makers and activists predict and prevent these sorts of problems? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigative journalism project UnEarthed, funded by Greenpeace in the United Kingdom, captured ExxonMobil execs talking through the company's climate playbook. We share an unpublished part of the report, in which a former Exxon lobbyist details the company's, and wider industry's, plans on plastics. Additional resources: Watch the ExxonMobil video Read the story See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Just as the fossil fuel industry was starting to worry about demand for single use plastics, along comes a global pandemic that they could leverage to push more of it. And they did! But was it enough to save them entirely? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diane Wilson couldn't keep Formosa Plastics out of her Texas town, but down the coast in St. James Parish, Louisiana, Sharon Lavigne is fighting like hell to keep the petrochemical giant out.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the fracking boom lead to a plastics boom? We examine how the gas and plastics industries have embedded themselves in society through the story of one petrochemical company operating on the Gulf Coast and two women, one in Louisiana, one in Texas, taking them on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 6 explores the natural gas industry in three parts, following he story of Formosa Plastics to explain the direct connection between the fracking boom and plastics surge. Formosa Plastics is a company so notorious for environmental violations that it moved operations abroad, to the American South, to capitlize on weaker regulations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Donziger went to trial for the criminal contempt charge that's kept him on house arrest for 600 days and counting. Paul Paz Y Mino of Amazon Watch brings us an update.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes reveals how the fossil fuel companies use language targeted specifically to downplay the reality of climate change and shift responsibility entirely onto consumers. Geoffrey Supran , the lead author on the study , joins to discuss. Additional Resources: Rolling Stone See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new study out from Harvard University sheds light on the health impacts of transitioning from coal to other combustible fuels. These findings are important for climate policy, particularly the fact that biomass is a huge contributor to air pollution despite representing only a small percentage of energy generation. The study also finds that natural gas still contributes significantly to air...

The first Congressional hearing on Earth Day 2021 is focused on fossil fuel subsidies. The elimination of such subsidies was written into Biden's infrastructure bill, and House Democrats want to make sure it stays there. Today's hearing will detail what those subsidies are, why getting rid of them is critical to climate action, and how the government can pull it off without raising the cost of liv...

Steven Donziger is set for trial May 10, but his lawyers have already filed a motion to dismiss, claiming vindictive prosecution. Reporter Karen Savage provides an update. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can ecosystems have legal rights similar to corporations? We talked about rights of nature a bit in the Ecuador-Chevron season—the Latin American country was the first in the world to integrate the concept of rights of nature in its Constitution. Now the Constitutional Court is reviewing its first rights of nature case. United States communities are pursuing the idea as well, and the fossil...

The Biden Administration's Build Back Better plan includes progressive wish list items, but the left is pushing for more. The THRIVE Act, reintroduced by Senator Markey and Representative Dingell is what they're pushing towards and Peoples Action Climate Justice director Kaniela Ing joins to walk us through the asks, and what he's hearing from folks on the ground. Additional Resources: THRIVE Agen...

For years, local activists and legislators have been fighting the Enrbidge natural gas compressor in Weymouth, Massachusetts, arguing it poses serious health risks to a community already overburdened by pollution. The project was approved by FERC in 2019, built and became operational in 2020. Then it had an emergency shutdown. And another. Now FERC is considering the unprecedented move of re-think...

Across the United States, fossil fuel-backed anti-protest laws are reshaping the rights to protest and to free speech. 14 states have based new laws, and are passing through statehouses in several more states, including six different bills in Minnesota, the only state with a big pipeline fight this year: Line 3. Researcher Connor Gibson joins to talk us through how this all started and where it's...

When a report makes oil and gas companies—and the politicians they help elect—this mad, you know the author is on to something. Researcher Sean O'Leary , with the Ohio River Valley Institute, talks about his new report, which found that the local economic benefit of fracking to communities in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia gas corridor was slim to none.   See omnystudio.com...

Stanford researcher Ben Franta joins to talk about a bombshell new discovery: the American Petroleum Institute not only knew about climate change back in the 70s, it started pushing climate denial as early as 1980. Read Ben's article:  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09644016.2020.1863703   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Donziger remains under house arrest and collecting the Ecuadorian settlement seems impossible, so what happens next? We explore what this case says about accountability, the power of oil companies, and the options that remain for Ecuadorians seeking justice. Support us on Patreon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chevron pushes its fight against the Ecuadorian judgement, while Steven Donziger loses his RICO appeal and faces disbarment and contempt charges. Support us on Patreon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) case gets underway, corruption charges against the United States and Ecuadorian judges surface. Support us on Patreon.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chevron's legal team shocks the Ecuadorian plantiffs with a massive racketeering claim in the United States, alleging fraud, witness tampering, and bribery. Support us on Patreon.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chevron's attorneys go after Joe Berlinger, the filmmaker behind Crude, the documentary about the Lago Agrio case. They subpoena his outtakes, kicking off a years-long First Amendment battle. Support us on Patreon . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new Carbon Tracker report finds that the fossil fuel industry is pinning its hopes on a plastic boom. Try as it might, demand isn't materializing. The report's author, Kingsmill Bond, joins us.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York District Court Judge Loretta Preska has denied repeated requests to delay Steven Donziger's criminal contempt trial, leaving him without legal representation. He'll stand trial Monday November 9, after which he could face six months of jail time. Reporter Karen Savage updates on the latest and we hear from attorneys Lauren Regan and Ronald Kuby about the precedent this ruiling sets. See o...

The Lago Agrio case takes a bizarre turn with a sting operation, United States subpoenas, and accusations of frad and bribery before a verdict is finally reached. Support us on Patreon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.