America's pipeline wars
Public opposition and shrinking growth opportunities have put the midstream in a tough spot. Expect more deal-making
The business of building pipelines and other energy infrastructure in America used to be fairly quiet. That was before Keystone XL. In scuppering the project, environmental groups stumbled onto their most effective strategy for keeping oil and gas in the ground-cutting off access to markets. Now, nearly every major pipeline project in the US is a battleground between the industry and activists looking to derail Big Oil. The latest flare up came on the plains of North Dakota where a coalition of Native American and environmental groups halted work on the $3.8bn Energy Transfer Partners-backed Dakota Access Pipeline. The line would ship around 470,000 barrels a day of Bakken crude nearly 2,000
Also in this section
19 January 2026
Newfound optimism is emerging that a dormant exploration frontier could become a strategic energy play and—whisper it quietly—Europe’s next offshore opportunity
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
