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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 10/09/2026

Join Fieldnotes and @climateintegrity.org on 9/16 for a media briefing previewing what we uncovered investigating the oil & gas industry’s efforts to gut methane regs during the second Trump admin. tinyurl.com/methane-brie...

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 23/07/2026

Hamm was wrong, but remains unfazed by the global energy crisis the Iran War has wrought.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 23/07/2026

For example, Hamm co-authored a National Review essay in 2018 titled, "U.S. Oil Production Allows America to Crack Down on Iran" that argued:

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 23/07/2026

Read the extended version of our investigation into Harold Hamm and the Council for a Secure America here. fieldnotes.co/reporting/ha... (Art by Barbara Gibson)

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 16/07/2026

IN THE TANK: Harold Hamm downplayed the risks of war in Iran for years. He was wrong, but now stands to profit from the energy crisis the war set off. fieldnotes.co/reporting/ha...

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 08/05/2026

Since then: - The BLM closely followed the workaround strategy proposed by Continental - The agency has approved 500+ new wells in Converse County - Continental has gotten permits for 71 new wells in the area

ALT TEXT 1: A chart shows that 511 drilling permits have been approved in Converse County, Wyoming between January 2025 and April 2026.

ALT TEXT 2: A bar chart shows the number of drilling permits 11 companies have gotten in Converse County, Wyoming. The top recipients are Anschutz Exploration Corp: 142, Devon Energy Production Co: 84, Continental Resources Inc: 71, and Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC: 65.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 08/05/2026

Two months later, Continental sent a top Interior appointee a memo laying out how the Bureau of Land Management could effectively skirt a federal injunction to approve the company’s Wyoming drilling permits.

ALT TEXT 1: In a June 3, 2025 email to Adam Suess, then Interior’s assistant secretary for land and minerals management, a Continental employee writes: “Continental requests that the blm complete the NEPA analysis on the Spurs D Pad without tiering to or otherwise using the Environmental Impact Statement prepared for the Converse County Oil and Gas Project.”

ALT TEXT 2: An image of the first page of the memo sent by Continental titled: “NEPA Compliance for APDs without the Converse County EIS.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 08/05/2026

In April 2025, a Continental employee texted an aide to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to coordinate a meeting with Hamm. While we don’t know what they discussed, hours later Burgum announced plans to open more federal lands to drilling and speed up permitting.

ALT TEXT: A text message sent on April 23, 2025 reads: “Hi Ashley, This is Sam with Continental Resources. Mr. Hamm told me he’s having a meeting in his hotel room at the skirvin when he gets in from the airport. I wanted to make sure your team had that info as well. Please let me know if that’s changed and what room I can take Mr. Hamm to when the Secretary arrives. Thanks, Sam”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 01/04/2026

Aaron Szabo, the official leading EPA efforts to weaken methane rules, once helped write the oil industry's arguments against said rules. Emails show he's now working closely with industry groups to gut federal climate policy. That's textbook regulatory capture. @propublica.org: bit.ly/4m1DxkG

A screenshot of a paragraph from the ProPublica story that says: The Trump administration official leading an effort to loosen rules on methane pollution was an unnamed author of key industry arguments against those same rules just four years ago when he was an oil and gas lobbyist.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 18/02/2026

In EPA’s press release on the endangerment finding, API praises the agency’s tailpipe rule repeal, but notably doesn’t mention that EPA just killed the finding that underpins nearly all U.S. climate regs. Weird, right? Unless API is scared the extreme rollback might backfire...

Text: American Petroleum Institute SVP of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs Dustin Meyer: “Today’s action appropriately ends the previous administration’s EV mandates, which effectively banned new gas-powered vehicles and represented a clear case of regulatory overreach at the expense of American consumers. We continue to support smart, effective federal regulation of emissions - including methane from oil and gas operations. Our focus now is working on durable policies that reduce emissions while meeting growing energy demand.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 16/02/2026

Now API’s right-wing allies are racing to lock the courthouse doors by: ➡️asking SCOTUS to block climate cases ➡️scrubbing climate damage tools from EPA sites ➡️pushing state laws to ban climate liability lawsuits API included these efforts as a top priority in its 2026 agenda.

A screenshot from API’s 2026 agenda reads: “Stop Extreme Climate Liability Policy. Protect U.S. energy producers and consumers from abusive state climate lawsuits and the expansion of climate ‘superfund’ policies that bypass Congress and threaten affordability.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 16/02/2026

Here’s West Virginia AG John McCuskey, a staunch industry ally, explaining the risk at a recent Federalist Society event.

Quote from John B. McCuskey — West Virginia Attorney General: “And so you take $75 billion and multiply it by 13, 15, then it becomes an industry-destroying problem. That is unsustainable. If they have to pay $7 trillion over the next 15 years, there will be no more oil industries. There will be no more coal industries. There will be no more natural gas industries. So that is why this fight right now is so massively important. Because if we lose one, we lose them all.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 16/02/2026

Lately, API has been scrambling. In July, the trade org actually warned EPA not to go *too far.* They insisted the agency actually DOES have authority to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air Act. Wait, what?

In a regulatory comment on EPA’s proposed endangerment finding rescission, API writes: “First, API believes EPA has authority to regulate GHGs under the CAA, but agrees with EPA’s proposal that the extent of its authority to regulate GHG emissions from motor vehicles under CAA § 202(a) is constrained by the lack of clear Congressional authorization to effectively mandate the production and sale of ZEVs. API agrees that the ‘major questions doctrine’ should be invoked for the purpose of concluding that EPA may not do so.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 11/02/2026

America’s 250th anniversary is being reshaped around Freedom 250, a Trump-aligned operation that is selling access and now openly backed by major corporate and ideological sponsors. Here’s who’s involved. ⬇️

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 11/02/2026

New collaboration by @fieldnotes.co and @emorwee.bsky.social of HEATED. The endangerment finding is set to be revoked this Thursday by the Trump administration. Oil majors should be happy, right? Read the story here: heated.world/cp/187577268

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 10/02/2026

New investigation out today by @nytimes.com highlighting the four Trump administration veterans working behind the scenes to gut climate regulations. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/climate/…

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

But even for all his money and access, Harold still can’t get one of his top priorities. Trump hasn’t given Hamm eminent domain for CO2 pipelines and South Dakota landowners torpedoed Hamm’s plan to seize land and pump CO2 into declining ND oil fields to keep his cash flowing.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

Trump and Republicans in Congress have also: ➡️Killed the Biden-era methane fee, saving Continental hundreds of millions of dollars. ➡️Axed fuel efficiency standards, extending demand for fossil fuels. ➡️Boosted tax breaks for enhanced oil recovery.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

During Trump’s first term, Hamm’s trade association, the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, held meetings with Interior Sec Zinke and his staff on rolling back BLM’s methane rule. Spoiler alert: it worked, and BLM axed the rule. 😕

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

And Hamm’s ties to Wright? Tight. So tight he brought him to Trump’s now-infamous Mar-a-Lago oil exec dinner where Trump casually floated making Wright Energy Secretary. Here’s Hamm bragging about it at an industry conference:

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

The Hamm-Burgum pipeline runs deep and the two are basically like this 🤞. When Burgum was gov of ND, he hosted a dinner at the governor’s residence for Bakken oil & gas execs. Front and center at that dinner was Hamm. w/ Burgum now the Interior Sec, Hamm is reaping the benefits.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2025

Remember: Hamm poured $3+ million into supporting Trump’s campaign and even threw an inauguration party at the Hay-Adams in DC. Hamm pushed two of his closest allies—Doug Burgum and Chris Wright—to serve in key cabinet posts. nyti.ms/495OInB

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/10/2025

"The New Wild West": Inside the Oil & Gas Industry's Push for Carbon Capture & Storage in Ohio On Thurs. Nov. 6 at 6 PM ET, join @buckeyeenviro.bsky.social, @ohiorivvalleyinst.bsky.social, and @fieldnotes.co for a webinar and Q&A on CCS in Ohio. Sign up here: bit.ly/new-wild-west

A flyer with an image of the Ohio statehouse reads: “‘The New Wild West”: Inside the Oil & Gas industry’s Push for Carbon Capture & Storage in Ohio. Thursday, Nov. 6, 6 PM ET. Register: bit.ly/new-wild-west.” The logos for Buckeye Environmental Network, Ohio River Valley Institute, and Fieldnotes are along the bottom.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 03/09/2025

One group behind the deregulatory push is IPAA, an oil & gas lobbying org. Records obtained by @fieldnotes.co reveal that a Texas oil company led by IPAA’s then-chair, Steve Pruett, increased flaring by 692% in 2023. At the same time, IPAA was crusading against methane regs.

$An email sent by Steve Pruett to University of Texas School of Law Professor Melinda E. Taylor, along with others, reads: “The quantities are all by EPA’s spreadsheet formulas except for the flared volumes, produced volumes and sold volumes which are metered. The high level of flaring was undersized gathering compression which is P66’s, our gas purchaser’s responsibility. Elevation provided P66 increasing gas forecasts but they failed to get the capital approved in time to expand their gathering compression facility. The plant had adequate capacity and all of or separation facilities were tied into the gathering system prior to the wells coming online.Well “venting” from HF (hydraulic fracturing) is improperly labeled by the EPA. We do not vent wells during flowback-that’s not legal without a permit and it is a frowned upon practice. Operators cannot do that in NM and permits should be hard to obtain in TX. We have a temporary flare until the new wells produce enough gas to flow to the production separation facility. If the facility is already in place with other wells, we do not flare the new wells at all as they are flowed to the prod. facility day one.I hope that helps. Not sure about other operators’ capabilities, but most operators do not file a subpart W report as they are either below 25,000 mt/yr of CO2e emissions, they don’t know what their emissions are as they don’t measure or complete the form, or they are simply out of compliance. Audit and enforcement is a big open question for the EPA and the state agencies like the TCEQ.”$

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 22/07/2025

Records show API and OOGA have been in regular contact with the lawmakers they cherrypicked in-person or on Zoom on more than a dozen separate occasions since late 2023, as well as exchanged more than a hundred emails during that time to lobby the passage of this CCS legislation.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 22/07/2025

Documents obtained through public records requests show: 📜 API and OOGA drafted the legislation themselves 🧑‍⚖️ They chose which lawmakers would introduce it 🎤 They lined up supportive witnesses 📝 They even gave lawmakers talking points and media plans

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 07/04/2025

“Doug the Diva” Burgum used a U.S. Park Police helicopter to avoid a 30-40 min drive to Air Force One. Interior said the helo was necessary bc Burgum “was slated to staff POTUS for a trip over the Gulf of America.” That trip over the “Gulf of America”? It was to the Super Bowl.

Doug Burgum, Kristi Noem, and Dusty Johnson pose in front of the field during the 2025 Super Bowl.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 13/02/2025

And at pretty much the same time Zeldin was getting paid to help BlackRock, he was *also* getting paid to write an op-ed on behalf of the right-wing firm that has spent years *attacking* BlackRock: the Leonard Leo-led CRC Advisors. [10/]

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 13/02/2025

Zeldin wouldn’t tell Senators the specific op-ed but Newsday archives show only 1 byline for him that day. The op-ed is an anomaly in the ESG genre: It’s both anti-ESG and pro-BlackRock. [6/]

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 13/02/2025

Let’s follow the paper trail, shall we: Zeldin disclosed in his ethics filing that he was paid $10K to publish an op-ed in Newsday this past summer [5/]

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 13/01/2025

Oil billionaires are throwing a swanky party to celebrate Trump's inauguration, according to an invitation sent to Doug Burgum by billionaire fracking magnate Harold Hamm. Hamm promises "a remarkable experience to commemorate this momentous occasion." www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/c...

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 20/12/2024

Meet Fieldnotes: @joshvoorhees.bsky.social is a research and communications specialist, investigating the political and corporate actors driving the climate crisis and harming public health. Previously, Josh was a reporter for Slate, Politico + E&ENews and has appeared in multiple outlets.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 17/12/2024

Meet one of Fieldnotes' researchers @juliakane.bsky.social. A former journalist and fact-checker for outlets like Inside Climate News and Grist, Julia's work focuses on how the oil and gas industry influences public policy. She previously served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 12/12/2024

Meet the team: @coletterosenberg.bsky.social is a researcher with Fieldnotes and investigates rightwing climate denial groups as well as oil & gas industry influences on public officials. She previously worked as a researcher with Documented and at NPR with their Archives and Data Strategy team.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 10/12/2024

Meet the Fieldnotes team: @kellyemitchell.bsky.social, Executive Director, bringing nearly two decades of experience holding fossil fuel corporations accountable. Her research includes energy finance, upstream o&g, and dark money. More of her and the team's work at www.fieldnotes.co

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

NAPCOR and members ALSO commissioned Dennis Quaid to produce a glossy infomercial billed as a “meaningful” documentary for “Public Television.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

The campaign also included running ads on Facebook under the Positively PET name. The problem? All 9 ads were removed by Meta for failing to include the “verified ‘Paid for by’ disclaimer” that is required by Facebook policy for any ad about social issues, elections, or politics.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

As part of the effort, NAPCOR hired a half-dozen TikTok influencers this summer to deliver industry-approved talking points. In order to make the content appear “authentic and from the creators' viewpoints,” NAPCOR explicitly told corporate members: “do not engage with it.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

Starting in 2019 when NAPCOR hired ABC Creative to launch its Positively PET campaign, it was designed to hide corporate members behind the effort—“a strategy that is important to make sure consumers don’t feel that they’re being preached to,” as the internal docs put it.

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

The internal docs detail a multiyear, covert effort that has featured paid TikTok influencers, shady Facebook ads, and even a faux-documentary hosted by Dennis Quaid. Yes, that Dennis Quaid:

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

NAPCOR and members ALSO commissioned Dennis Quaid to produce a glossy infomercial billed as a “meaningful” documentary for “Public Television.”

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 27/11/2024

The internal docs detail a multiyear, covert effort that has featured paid TikTok influencers, shady Facebook ads, and even a faux-documentary hosted by Dennis Quaid. Yes, that Dennis Quaid:

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Fieldnotes @fieldnotes.co · 20/11/2024

Speaking of the methane fee, keep in mind that AXPC's internal materials acknowledged that methane flaring remains a problem for the industry.

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