Gulf Coast
Secrecy around gas export terminals leaves public in the dark on dangers
As liquefied natural gas terminals grow exponentially along the U.S. Gulf Coast, experts raise alarm on low-risk, high-consequence events
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Utilities
Fraud and corruption on rise at US utilities, threatening energy transition
A Floodlight analysis finds a historic surge in power company fraud and corruption. The lies and bribes cost consumers — and threaten the planet.
Gulf Coast
When a climate denier becomes Louisiana’s governor: Jeff Landry’s first month in office
Landry has surrounded himself with former fossil fuel executives — and he has targeted the state’s climate change task force.
Inside Climate News
Why a natural gas storage climate ‘disaster’ could happen again
A year after a major methane leak from underground gas storage, a new study identifies potentially thousands of similarly risky wells across the United States.
Fueling Disinformation
‘Control the narrative’: How an Alabama utility wields influence by financing news
A Floodlight investigation found Alabama Power runs a news service and its foundation bought a Black newspaper. Neither publishes critical stories about the utility.
Polluting Democracy
‘What corruption gets you’: How utility companies bought support in the Black south
A joint investigation by Floodlight and Capital B shows millions of dollars flowed from utilities to Black leaders and their groups since at least 2009.
Utilities
Voting rights decision may curb push to diversify Georgia, Alabama utility commissions
Plaintiffs in the challenge to Georgia Public Service Commission’s statewide elections appear headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gulf Coast
Public outcry against carbon capture in Louisiana growing
Some activists worry that the daytime state task force hearings in Baton Rouge on the issue are missing important voices from affected Black communities.
Gulf Coast
Plan to stash planet-heating carbon dioxide under U.S. national forests alarms critics
Around 140 groups have called for an extension of public comment period over U.S. Forest Service proposal amid questions about safety and impact.
Utilities
Going clean means more ‘green’ — for electric companies
Billions in new projects to reduce emissions means ratepayers must foot the bill while utilities earn guaranteed, often double-digit, profits.
Gulf Coast
LSU’s new energy institute faces global challenges, local skepticism
In Louisiana, the energy transition away from high-intensity carbon fuels is focused on things such as creating lower-carbon hydrogen and capturing climate-warming carbon from industry and directly from the air.
Gulf Coast
Advocates fear billions in Inflation Reduction Act money won’t reach targeted communities
Community-led organizations and grassroots environmental advocacy groups in Louisiana could finally get money to help reduce electricity bills, fortify homes against natural disasters and reduce pollution in underserved communities.
Gulf Coast
In communities of color, most oil and gas jobs still go to white workers
There’s an unspoken promise when an industry moves into any community: We will disrupt your lives, but in exchange we will provide good-paying jobs.
Fueling Disinformation
Politicians say this Florida news site lets them buy coverage. Is your state next?
Political strategist Eunic Epstein-Ortiz arrived in Florida from New York in 2017 to help a major labor union turn out voters for the following year. She recalls being pleasantly surprised by the positive coverage the campaign received from Florida Politics.
Utilities
Public utility commissions are exceptionally white. It’s hurting black residents.
As the new head of a group of conservation voters in Georgia, Brionté McCorkle wanted to sit down with regulators who oversee the state’s utilities to talk about carbon emissions.
Gulf Coast
A known risk: How carbon stored underground could find its way back into the atmosphere
Generous federal tax credits are driving the onrush of carbon capture and storage projects being proposed in the U.S. But like a game of whack-a-mole, there’s a chance the planet-warming emissions could seep back up into the atmosphere after they are injected underground.