Drilled
Pushkin Industries
Drilled is a true-crime climate change podcast exposing how corporate corruption and political operatives built decades of climate denial and delay. Hosted and reported by award-winning investigative climate journalists and led by Amy Westervelt, each season unravels new evidence of deception, disinformation, and the power structures keeping real climate solutions out of reach.
In September 2025, a group of Brazilian ministers trekked all the way to chilly North Dakota to see a presentation on a new type of clean energy project, one that promised to help them deliver Brazilian President Lula’s dream of turning Brazil into “the Saudi Arabia of sustainable aviation fuels.” It was the latest in a string of projects from Midwest Republican kingmaker and corn ethanol magnate Bruce Rastetter, whose investments in Brazil might just transform him into a global carbon czar, even as his Summit pipeline carbon project faces fierce opposition from Iowa to North Dakota. The problem? It all requires loads of land and none of it does a thing about climate change.
In September 2025, a group of Brazilian ministers trekked all the way to chilly North Dakota to see a presentation on a new type of clean energy project, one that promised to help them deliver Brazilian President Lula’s dream of turning Brazil into “the Saudi Arabia of sustainable aviation fuels.” It was the latest in a string of projects from Midwest Republican kingmaker and corn ethanol magnate Bruce Rastetter, whose investments in Brazil might just transform him into a global carbon czar, even as his Summit pipeline carbon project faces fierce opposition from Iowa to North Dakota. The problem? It all requires loads of land and none of it does a thing about climate change.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 16, 2020 • 45min
The Secret Tribunal: Chevron vs. Ecuador
In September 2009, Chevron filed an international arbitration claim against the Ecuadorian government over the Lago Agrio case. In the years since, Chevron has pointed to the decisions of the arbitral panel as akin to court decisions, but they're not one in the same—arbitral tribunals exist to help companies protect their profits and are largely conducted in secret. Marcos Orellana explains how this shadowy system impacts global climate action. Support us on Patreon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 9, 2020 • 23min
The Trial: Oil and Justice in Ecuador
The fight for justice in Ecuador's Amazon moves to the courtroom, while an election changes the political landscape and a global PR war kicks into high gear.Support us on Patreon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 2, 2020 • 29min
The Colonizers: How Oil and Missionaries Shaped the Amazon
How did the Amazon's oil conflict come about in the first place? We go back to the 1960s, the early days of oil colonialism in Ecuador, when the partnerships between oil men and missionaries began and disrupted Indigenous communities. Support us on Patreon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 25, 2020 • 26min
La Lucha En La Jungla: Pollution in the Amazon
In August 2019, an American lawyer was placed under house arrest while awaiting trial for criminal contempt, stemming from a decades-long case that began with polution in the Amazon. The cas has since spanned continents and courtrooms while the victims—indigenous tribes in the Ecuadorian Amazon—continue to seek justice. This is season 5: La Lucha En La Jungla.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 22, 2020 • 13min
Big Oil vs. Divestment
TheTrump administration proposed a rule that would make it harder for financial managers to investment retirement funds in environmentally or socially responsible ways. The fossil fuel industry praised the rule, noting that the divestment movement has become a serious problem and reduced its access to capital. Journalist David Sirota broke that story and joins us to explain. PLUS: a sneak peek of season 5 of Drilled.Check out David's newsletter. Support us on Patreon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 1, 2020 • 21min
Bribery and Bailouts: The Ohio Utility Scandal
The FBI arrested Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Larry Householder for racketeering or, as the state attorney general put it, "bribery, that's what it was." Private utility FirstEnergy paid politicians, including Householder, to pass a corporate bailout to keep coal and nuclear plants open while blocking renewables. Leah Stokes, University of California Santa Barbara political science professor and author of Short Circuiting Policy, explains how it all went down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 14, 2020 • 20min
The Netherlands Considers a Fossil Fuel Advertising Ban
An advocacy group in the Netherlands is calling for a ban on fossil fuel ads. Campaigner Femke Sleegers joins us to explain the roots of the campaign, its goal, and the initial response to it.Additional resources: Ban Fossil Fuel Advertising; a Dutch Citizens’ InitiativeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 30, 2020 • 15min
Fracking Giant Chesapeake Energy Declares Bankruptcy
Despite tax breaks, royalty cuts, and other COVID-19 incentives, Chesapeake Energy, a pioneer in the American fracking industry, has declared bankruptcy. We explore why the pandemic isn't to blame and what the says about government bailouts for struggling fossil fuel companies.Support us on Patreon See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 26, 2020 • 12min
Minnesota and D.C. File Climate Fraud Suits
Two new lawsuits, in Minnesota and D.C., were filed within 24 hours of each other and allege the same thing: that fossil fuel companies misled consumers about climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 18, 2020 • 24min
Big Oil's Multi-Billion-Dollar Blind Spot
Experts Rob Schuwerk and Greg Rogers reveal the shocking underestimation of costs for plugging and abandoning oil and gas wells, especially fracking ones. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and who will bear the financial burden.
