Note: This episode originally aired on July 28, 2025.

When a Montana coal mine executive goes missing it exposes the dirty underbelly of one of America’s largest coal mines. Now, with the help of President Donald Trump, the mine is trying to expand – unless a group of cattle ranchers can stop them.

Special thanks to:

Northern Plains Resource Council (https://northernplains.org/)

Montana Environmental Information Center (https://meic.org/)

Earthjustice

Ellen Pfister

Clark Williams-Derry, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (https://ieefa.org/)

John Teeling, FBI Special Agent (retired)

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What occurred shortly after midnight in Bhopal, India on December 3, 1984 is still being felt – and fought over – four decades later. The scale of the tragedy, involving a pesticide factory and maddening lack of accountability by its corporate owner, raise questions about whether its victims will ever know justice. And have we learned enough to stop something like it from happening again?

Special thanks to:

Satinath Sarangi, find out more about his work at Sambhavna Clinic

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On April 20, 2010, the crew aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was in the final stages of sealing up an exploratory well off the coast of Louisiana. It should have been a routine procedure, but something went horribly wrong. By the next morning, Deepwater was sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico – and its operator, BP, was facing tough questions about what had caused the explosion and fire that destroyed the rig.

Special thanks to: 

Scott West

Special Agent-in-Charge, retired

US Environmental Protection Agency

Criminal Investigation Division

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In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and leading to the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. But for Deepwater’s operator, BP, it was just the latest in a series of accidents, spills, and other mishaps that all pointed to a corporate culture deeply rooted in prioritizing profits over safety. 

Special thanks to: 

Scott West

Special Agent-in-Charge, retired

US Environmental Protection Agency

Criminal Investigation Division

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When a young oil worker goes missing on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, an indigenous amateur detective named Lissa Yellow Bird-Chase becomes determined to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Her search leads her to some of the most powerful people on the reservation – including, possibly, the tribal chairman himself.  

Special thanks to:

Lissa Yellow Bird-Chase

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The daughter of civil rights activists, Catherine Coleman Flowers grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, one of the poorest parts of the Deep South. When she learned that some residents were being jailed for failing to install expensive sewage systems, it sent her on a quest to make proper sanitation a basic human right – a mission that would lead to a historic environmental justice lawsuit.

Special thanks to:

Catherine Coleman Flowers

Dr. Rojelio Mejia

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Greenpeace has a long history of successful direct action protest, but their work has made a lot of enemies. Recently, the U.S. arm of the environmental group was found liable for $660 million in damages for their actions against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This week, we’re bringing you a story about an earlier chapter in the organization’s history, when they faced a different kind of attack.

Special thanks to:

Bunny McDiarmid

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Two years after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023, Israel continues its brutal military assault in Gaza. But long before the current conflict, Israeli strikes on infrastructure, control over fuel, and precarious grid access made electricity a flashpoint. This episode is about how energy became another weapon of war, how electrical power begets political power, and what it means when both can be switched off at a moment's notice. 

Special thanks to:

Ghada Abdulfattah https://muckrack.com/ghada-abdulfattah/articles

Michael Barron, author of The Gaza Marine Story: The Politics and Intrigue Behind Palestine’s Untapped Gas Wealth

Ariel Ezrahi, author of https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/An-energy-and-sustainability-road-map-for-the-Middle-East.pdf

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In the aftermath of a right-wing coup in 2009, Honduras invested in several new clean energy projects, including a hydroelectric dam on a river sacred to the local indigenous population. When activist Berta Cáceras opposed the project, she had no idea how powerful the forces behind it were – and how far they would go in the name of “progress.”

Special thanks to:

Gustavo Castro Soto 

Karen Spring

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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.

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Less than a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a series of undersea explosions rocked the Baltic Sea. The target: the Nord Stream pipelines, which supply Russian natural gas to Western Europe. The attack caused over $1 billion in damage and the largest methane leak in recorded history. But who was behind it?  

Special thanks to:

Holger Stark

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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.

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