Greenland Warns a Trump-Linked Oil Company to Stop

Just two days after the company, Greenland Energy, brought the equipment onshore, Trump posted a threatening message on his social media with a picture of himself hovering over a village in the country. The Guardian reported that an American oil find in Greenland was viewed by Trump’s lieutenants as strengthening the case for a U.S. takeover.

Greenland has not issued new oil licenses since 2021 on environmental grounds. A study by Aarhus University, in Greenland and Denmark, said that oil exploration would cause landscape scarring, removal and disruption of vegetation, and the displacement of wildlife like muskoxen and geese. If there were an oil spill, its impacts could spread to marine ecosystems.

Back in June, a representative of Greenland Energy said it had permits to put equipment including 300 shipping containers of drilling gear on the land, and that they had filed for permits to drill. However, according to the Guardian, Greenland’s resources ministry said that there were neither active permissions for any exploration activities nor permits to prepare for them.

The Texas company has hired Dr. Phil, the former talk show host and member of the White House’s Religious Liberty Commission, to make a film about these “modern oil wildcatters.” In addition, a Navy veteran who works on the defense system known as Golden Dome, is a director of the company. In May, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry, who is President Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, told Fox News, it could be exporting two billion barrels of oil a day right now and that production could start within ten months.

State officials are threatening to cancel the licenses of two companies that have been drilling into aquifers. The state’s top official in charge of water, Elizabeth Anderson, told WBUR’s Here and Now that they have a permitting process which protects the groundwater that families and farmers depend on, and they enforce it rigorously. More than half of the water in New Mexico comes from aquifers, and like other states in the Southwest, there has been long-term drought. 

Farmers, ranchers, and community members got together about a month ago to discuss the federal drilling. A rancher whose property is on the border said that the drilling is going to pump them dry, and that when livestock needs to be watered, they can’t wait. A statement from Customs and Border Protection said that it is committed to working collaboratively with local landowners to ensure that construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs.

As of last week, the New Mexico Engineer’s Office said eight wells had been drilled without permission on the southern border, and there could be more. Officials said that they had sent violation notices to two drilling subcontractors involved in the unlawful activities. Each could be fined up to about $3,500 a day, and their licenses could be revoked. They were told to plug the wells and remediate them.

The Trump administration said that it had ordered crews on the wall to stop drilling; however, there was no indication the wells already drilled would stop pumping, according to the Associated Press. There were reports that when inspectors visited sites late last month, several wells were still pumping water.

San Juan had its driest month in more than 120 years and its second hottest on record. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 68 percent of the island is experiencing some form of drought from moderate to extreme. Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon blamed the weather for the shortages, but residents have been contending with low water pressure and spotty service for the last year. Most residents say the chronic water problems are due to poorly maintained infrastructure stemming from the island's budgetary problems and also its history of corruption. 

The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer ​Authority says roughly 65 percent of the water it produces is lost, much of it through leaks and aging pipes. The agency said ⁠it would deploy water trucks to affected communities, with priority given to hospitals and long-term care facilities. They urged customers to avoid any non-essential uses of water and to boil it for at least three ⁠minutes once ​service resumes as a precaution against possible contamination.

The long-term weather forecast does not look to bring relief. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Juan told the Associated Press that a milder 2026 hurricane season with dry conditions will persist until at least September. CBS News reports that government officials have not said when the rationing could end and have warned the outages could be extended to 72 hours if necessary.

From cereals and snack bars to pastas and beverages, many products are upping their protein content, perhaps to jump on the “protein maxxing” craze on social media where influencers claim that leveling up protein can boost metabolism, manage weight, and build muscle. Heck, there’s even “Muscle Mayo” and “Super Salsa” on the market, but most condiments don’t contain protein…yet.

Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand have developed a protein-enriched ketchup using algae to catch up on the trend. Specifically, they incorporated extracts from freshwater microalga called Chlorella vulgaris into the typical ingredients such as plum tomatoes, sugar, salt, vinegar, spices, and citric acid. They did a taste test with panelists to get the algae content just right—and found that samples with just one to three percent retained the familiar sweet, tangy, and mildly spiced flavor, with a subtle algal note.
 
Because Chlorella vulgaris can be cultivated rapidly throughout the year using comparatively little land and fresh water, the team (and other researchers) say it is a potentially more sustainable protein source than many terrestrial crops. Additionally, their fortified ketchup contained higher amounts of essential amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants, as well as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron—which could make you feel less guilty when you order fries at the drive-through window.

Buyer beware: the American Medical Association warns that high-protein diets are not universally good for everyone and it's best to consult with your healthcare advisor before following any fad diets.

The study was published in ACS Food Science & Technology.