On February 3, 2023, at 8:55 PM EST, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, with 38 cars derailing and 20 containing hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a defective, overheated …
Norfolk Southern RailwayNational Transportation Safety BoardEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)Trump AdministrationAmerican Association of Railroadsenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbyingchemical-disaster+1 more
The Nebraska Public Service Commission votes 3-2 to approve TransCanada Corporation’s application for route approval for the Keystone XL Pipeline, clearing a major obstacle for the controversial tar sands oil pipeline after nearly a decade of fierce opposition from Nebraska landowners, …
Nebraska Public Service CommissionTransCanada CorporationBold NebraskaJane KleebDomina Law Group+1 moreeminent-domainenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionproperty-rights+1 more
Just four days after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum on January 24, 2017, directing the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite approval and review of the Dakota Access Pipeline, reversing the Obama administration’s December 2016 decision to halt construction …
Donald TrumpEnergy Transfer PartnersKelcy WarrenArmy Corps of EngineersStanding Rock Sioux Tribeenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbyingenvironmental-justice+2 more
On September 3, 2016, Standing Rock Sioux tribal members and water protectors reported the destruction of sacred burial sites by Dakota Access Pipeline construction crews, leading to violent confrontations between private security contractors and demonstrators. Security workers deployed attack dogs …
Standing Rock Sioux TribeEnergy Transfer PartnersPrivate Security ContractorsMorton County Sheriff's DepartmentArmy Corps of Engineersenvironmentalenvironmental-justicecorporate-corruptionpolice-violenceindigenous-rights+1 more
On September 18, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a Notice of Violation to Volkswagen Group, exposing one of history’s largest corporate environmental frauds: VW had intentionally installed “defeat device” software in approximately 11 million diesel vehicles …
Volkswagen GroupEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)California Air Resources Board (CARB)International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)West Virginia University+2 moreenvironmentalregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionemissions-fraudpublic-health
By 2010, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund had emerged as the primary “dark money ATM” for climate denial funding, fundamentally transforming how fossil fuel interests concealed their opposition to climate regulation. From 2002 to 2011, these two donor-advised fund organizations …
Donors TrustDonors Capital FundKoch brothersKnowledge and Progress FundAmericans for Prosperity+2 moreclimate-denialdark-moneyregulatory-capturecorporate-corruptionlobbying+1 more
After the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (cap-and-trade climate bill) on June 26, 2009, the Koch brothers’ network immediately launched a massive campaign to kill the legislation in the Senate. Americans for Prosperity, whose top …
Koch brothersCharles KochDavid KochAmericans for ProsperityHeritage Foundation+4 moreclimate-denialregulatory-capturelobbyingenvironmentalcorporate-corruption+1 more
On March 13, 2001, President George W. Bush announced the United States would not implement the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, signaling the beginning of a systematic rollback of environmental protections coordinated with fossil fuel industry lobbyists. The decision came just weeks after Vice …
George W. BushChristine Todd WhitmanDick CheneyAmerican Petroleum InstituteExxonMobil+2 moreenvironmentaleparegulatory-captureclimate-denialbush-administration+1 more
In April 1998, the American Petroleum Institute (API) convened a secret meeting of oil industry executives and public relations consultants to draft the “Global Climate Science Communications Plan.” The leaked document reveals a coordinated strategy to manufacture doubt about climate …
American Petroleum InstituteExxonMobilChevronSouthern CompanyGlobal Climate Coalition+1 moreenvironmentalclimate-denialcorporate-disinformationfossil-fuelsregulatory-capture
On November 15, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Clean Air Act Amendments, the most significant update to air pollution law since 1970. While the law achieved real environmental gains, the legislative process demonstrated how industry successfully shaped regulatory approaches to minimize …
George H.W. BushEnvironmental Defense FundEdison Electric InstituteAmerican Petroleum InstituteNational Coal Association+1 moreenvironmentalclean-air-actregulatory-captureemissions-tradingcorporate-lobbying+1 more
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil and devastating 1,300 miles of coastline. Beyond the immediate environmental catastrophe, Exxon’s response established a template for corporate liability evasion …
In 1989, major fossil fuel and automobile companies formed the Global Climate Coalition (GCC), an industry front group that would spend over a decade blocking international climate action while publicly claiming the science was uncertain. Internal documents later revealed the coalition’s own …
ExxonMobilShellChevronFord Motor CompanyGeneral Motors+3 moreenvironmentalclimate-denialcorporate-lobbyingfossil-fuelsregulatory-capture+1 more
In August 1988, Ron Arnold and Alan Gottlieb convened the Multiple Use Strategy Conference in Reno, Nevada, launching the “Wise Use” movement. The conference brought together 250 representatives from timber, mining, ranching, and oil interests to coordinate an industry-funded campaign …
Ron ArnoldAlan GottliebCenter for the Defense of Free EnterpriseAmerican Petroleum InstituteNational Mining Association+2 moreenvironmentalastroturfcorporate-lobbyingpublic-landsregulatory-capture+1 more
On December 3, 1984, a catastrophic gas leak at Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, India killed an estimated 3,800 people immediately and up to 16,000 in the following weeks. Hundreds of thousands suffered long-term health effects. The disaster exposed how multinational corporations …
Union Carbide CorporationWarren AndersonIndian governmentU.S. chemical industryChemical Manufacturers Associationenvironmentalcorporate-negligencepollutionpublic-healthinternational+1 more
On December 11, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. While the law represented a landmark response to Love Canal and thousands of toxic waste sites nationwide, industry lobbying had …
Jimmy CarterChemical Manufacturers AssociationAmerican Petroleum InstituteU.S. Chamber of CommerceInsurance industry lobbyistsenvironmentalsuperfundtoxic-wasteregulatory-capturecorporate-lobbying+1 more
On August 7, 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency at Love Canal, a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York built atop a toxic waste dump. The disaster exposed how Hooker Chemical Company had knowingly sold contaminated land for housing development while concealing the …
Hooker Chemical CompanyOccidental PetroleumNiagara Falls Board of EducationLois GibbsJimmy Carter+1 moreenvironmentalpollutioncorporate-coveruptoxic-wastepublic-health+1 more
On December 28, 1973, President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) into law after it passed the Senate 92-0 and the House 355-4. The near-unanimous votes masked deep industry opposition that would fuel decades of efforts to weaken the law through administrative action, litigation, and …
Richard NixonAmerican Mining CongressNational Forest Products AssociationAmerican Farm Bureau FederationWestern States Petroleum Association+1 moreenvironmentalendangered-species-actregulatory-capturecorporate-lobbyingwildlife
On October 18, 1972, Congress overrode President Nixon’s veto of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments, known as the Clean Water Act. The overwhelming bipartisan override (52-12 in the Senate, 247-23 in the House) represented a rare defeat for industrial polluters who had lobbied …
Richard NixonEdmund MuskieAmerican Petroleum InstituteChemical Manufacturers AssociationNational Association of Manufacturers+1 moreenvironmentalclean-water-actregulatory-capturecorporate-lobbyingpollution+1 more