EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/17/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Chicago Tribune: Protesters raise concerns over Enbridge pipeline project and its impact on the Great Lakes
The Tyee: First Nations Partnerships Say Pipeline Companies Owe Them Millions
WSJM: Mackinac Bridge Authority, Enbridge Meet
Reuters: Global carbon capture project pipeline swells 44% in past year - report
Oelwein Daily Register: Fairbank pipeline meeting draws crowd
STATE UPDATES
Press release: 4 Corners Carbon Coalition & Flagstaff Welcome Two More Cities
Vindy.com: Environmental groups want to shift oversight of Ohio injection wells
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Oilsands group pledges to spend $16.5B on carbon capture project by 2030
Guardian: ‘It was terrifying’: Stop Oil activists on the new battle against fossil fuel
Reuters: Canada would back 'economically viable' new LNG terminals
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: AXIS to stop insuring energy, other projects without community support
OPINION
Calgary Herald: Opinion: How pipelines went from villain to hero in Indigenous reconciliation
The Hill: Proposed climate rule is bigger, badder deal than Manchin-Schumer climate bill
Guardian: Dangers posed by fracking and oil drilling
PIPELINE NEWS
Chicago Tribune: Protesters raise concerns over Enbridge pipeline project and its impact on the Great Lakes
Tatyana Turner, 10/16/22
“About 50 people gathered Sunday at Elliot Park in Evanston, some with folding chairs, blankets and guitars, to help raise awareness about the dangers of Enbridge’s fossil fuel pipeline project,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “...Enbridge’s pipelines cross under both the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, and activists are concerned that oil could spill across waterways if the pipes were to rupture, potentially endangering the drinking water of more than 60 million Americans. Some argue that shutting down the Enbridge pipeline would remove the threat of an oil spill altogether. The coalition hosting the event included 350 Chicago, Chicago Area Peace Action, Citizens’ Greener Evanston, Rise Up Chicago, Save Our Illinois Land, Extinction Rebellion and Rising Tide Chicago. Catherine Buntin of Chicago Area Peace Action told the Tribune the event’s purpose was to fight to keep watersheds from being poisoned so present and future generations can live… “Jessy Bradish, an Evanston resident and activist who spearheaded the event, described it as “an afternoon of activism and community around our beautiful Great Lakes and watershed.” “(The pipelines are) oily, they’re full of tar, they put all these cancer-causing chemicals in them that they don’t tell us about and then they put it in the aquifer and make us drink it,” she told the Tribune.”
The Tyee: First Nations Partnerships Say Pipeline Companies Owe Them Millions
Amanda Follett Hosgood, 10/17/22
“Four First Nations partnerships that worked on the Coastal GasLink pipeline are now suing the company and a former prime contractor for $10 million, alleging they haven’t been paid for all their work,” The Tyee reports. “Three northern First Nations are involved in the four companies that filed claims against Coastal GasLink and Pacific Atlantic Pipeline Construction Ltd., a prime contractor on the project until earlier this year. All four civil claims were filed in the B.C. Supreme Court within weeks of each other in June and July. In the claims, Kyah Resources Inc., Frost Natanlii LP, NWF Resources Ltd. and Kyah Summit Camp Services say they have completed the work but have not been fully paid. The first three companies provided pipeline route clearing services and the fourth provides worker accommodation… “TC Energy, the Calgary-based parent company of Coastal GasLink, confirmed in an email to The Tyee that it terminated PAPC’s contract “due to numerous ongoing problems, including the non-payment of subcontractors.” “...TC Energy’s spokesperson acknowledged the potential harm to First Nations communities. “We are equally concerned that the failure of PAPC to pay its subcontractors in full will have an impact on the communities which benefit from their partnerships with the project,” the company said. “We are taking appropriate steps through the legal process in order to resolve all lien claims and have urged PAPC to expedite a resolution and pay amounts owing.” “...The company has repeatedly pointed to impact benefit agreements signed with First Nations along the pipeline route, including five Wet’suwet’en bands, as evidence of support for the project.”
WSJM: Mackinac Bridge Authority, Enbridge Meet
10/16/22
“A meeting with the Mackinac Bridge Authority this week reviewed some technicalities and revisions requested by Enbridge for project specifications for the tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac,” WSJM reports. “They include the technical requirements of the tunnel and construction needs that focus on the tunnel infrastructure. Consultant Dr. Mike Mooney addressed the authority. “The three requests, the first one is to add type 1L cement into the specifications of that recommendation,” Mooney said. The second request was to allow truck-mixed concrete for use in concrete structures.” The third request from Enbridge is to update to the crude blends for gasket exposure testing. Mooney says the testing requirements for chemical resistance remain the same and these revisions more accurately reflect the content of fluids being carried through the pipeline.”
Reuters: Global carbon capture project pipeline swells 44% in past year - report
10/17/22
“The pipeline for projects to capture and store carbon emissions has grown around 44% in the past twelve months to 244 million tonnes a year, the Global CCS Institute think-tank said on Monday,” Reuters reports. “Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has been used for years, often to enhance oil well production rates, but rising carbon prices in regions such as Europe have lifted hopes it might take off as a stand-alone business case in future. Some experts say CCS technology, which typically acts like a filter on industrial smokestacks and stores the carbon underground, is essential to meeting the goal of a net carbon zero economy by 2050… “But environmental campaigners tend to be wary of CCS on the grounds industry can use it to justify the continued use of fossil fuels. A U.N. backed scheme to verify corporate net zero pledges also excludes capturing carbon from smokestacks from its gold standard… “Public policy decisions, such as tax breaks, are helping to progress projects especially in Europe and North America, it said.”
Oelwein Daily Register: Fairbank pipeline meeting draws crowd
MIRA SCHMITT-CASH, 10/16/22
“Counterbalancing the narrative of the company proposing a liquefied carbon dioxide pipeline, the corridor of which is slated to go about 1,000 feet from Fairbank, was the stated goal of a meeting Tuesday,” the Oelwein Daily Register reports. “The company in charge of the local pipeline project, Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC, had presented “the positive things about it,” Fairbank Councilman Ron Woods, who lined up the speakers, told an estimated 55-60 attendees. “They weren’t sharing any negative stuff, so we wanted to have a meeting here in town so people could come and find out a little more about it, if you’re pro- or anti-pipeline.” “...Issues raised at the meeting included private property rights, health and safety concerns, and government reactions, which vary from addressing Iowans’ concerns with objections to the Iowa Utilities Board and proposed legislative priorities, to inaction and sometimes conflict of interest… “Probably our biggest concern is they’re talking about eminent domain,” Woods said. “That would involve property owners where they won’t have a say if they go through their ground or not.” Attendees heard later from Al Krueger of Oelwein, who introduced himself as a trustee of his mother’s property in Osceola County in western Iowa, which he indicated is on the route of the proposed Navigator pipeline. “Last December I called all the realtors in that area that do the auctions and asked their opinion. They said you can pretty well count on anything that that pipeline goes through dropping in value 10%, the farm,” Krueger said… “Some people are getting up to five calls a day, which is ridiculous, no means no,” Hall said. “This is a huge property rights fight.” “...What happened there was a CO2 leak. When that happens, any engine that is gas-powered will shut off. That brings a huge safety concern with rural Iowa because if something like that were to happen here, emergency responders would need an electric vehicle to be able to respond to this,” Hall said. Hall addressed the multi-point safety system Navigator outlined in August. “It would cost millions of dollars just for one city, for one small portion of Iowa to get the emergency equipment needed,” Hall said… “Kane reiterated a past statement. “They could give me a million dollars and I still wouldn’t do it. I live outside of Fairbank but Fairbank is still my hometown. I would not put Fairbank in that jeopardy because my kids went to Wapsie, my grandkids are going there. “If these people are fighting the surveying, whoever needs help, we can call people and make a chain fence or whatever it takes. I hate to start going that direction but that’s probably what it’s going to take. “We have to stick together. If they want us to sign the easements there, make sure there’s three or four or five people there when they show up. I have a feeling they don’t want to have to deal with more than one person,” Kane said. The crowd applauded.”
STATE UPDATES
Press release: 4 Corners Carbon Coalition & Flagstaff Welcome Two More Cities
10/13/22
“The 4 Corners Carbon Coalition (4CCC), established by Boulder County, Colorado, and the City of Flagstaff, Arizona, today welcomed Salt Lake City, Utah, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Earlier this year, Boulder County and Flagstaff invested seed funding to launch this coalition with the goal of spurring regional CDR innovation to fight climate change. The coalition will provide catalytic funding to accelerate CDR project deployment and business development… “The 4CCC’s inaugural round of catalytic grant funding will support projects that integrate CDR with real-world concrete production in the region.”
Vindy.com: Environmental groups want to shift oversight of Ohio injection wells
10/14/22
“Environmental groups urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take over regulation of oil and gas injection wells in Ohio have filed a petition seeking the change with the federal regulatory agency,” Vindy.com reports. “On Thursday, they tried to raise awareness of their effort that would revoke the state department’s primacy over Class II injection wells. “Everyone has the right to clean air, clean water and a safe place to live and work. Ohio shouldn’t be selling those rights cheap to the oil and gas industry who are lying to its residents about the dangers,” Silverio Caggiano told Vindy.com. He is a retired Youngstown Fire Department battalion chief and HazMat specialist. Caggiano was among several people who spoke in support of the petition, filed Tuesday by the Buckeye Environmental Network, Sierra Club, Earthjustice and 30 community organizations. A news release after the conference call stated the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has failed to meet basic requirements under the U.S. Safe Water Drinking Act designed to protect underground sources of drinking water and to perform its environmental justice obligations under U.S. laws and executive orders for Class II disposal wells in the state. Also, they say the wells are located disproportionately in low-income Appalachian communities and contain dangerous toxins and substances. Rob Brundrett, Ohio Oil and Gas Association president responded, saying the U.S. EPA should reject the petition, “as it represents nothing more than federal government overreach into a program that has proven to be safe and effective.
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Oilsands group pledges to spend $16.5B on carbon capture project by 2030
10/14/22
“Canada's biggest oilsands producers say they will spend $16.5 billion before 2030 on the first stage of a massive proposed carbon capture and storage facility near Cold Lake, Alta,” the Canadian Press reports. “The Pathways Alliance, a consortium of the country's six largest oilsands companies, says preliminary work on the proposed project is well underway. The group has not yet made a decision to go ahead with the project, which would capture CO2 emissions from more than 20 oilsands facilities in northern Alberta and store them safely underground, delivering an estimated 10 million tonnes of emissions reductions per year. But it told CP it has already completed pre-engineering work and is consulting with Indigenous communities along the route of the proposed 400-km pipeline that will carry captured CO2 to the storage hub. The Pathways group also told CP it is also in talks with the federal and provincial government and will begin construction once "the necessary financial and regulatory conditions are in place." Oilsands companies have earned record profits in 2022 due to sky-high oil prices. Critics say companies should be using the windfall to move faster on decarbonization projects.”
Guardian: ‘It was terrifying’: Stop Oil activists on the new battle against fossil fuel
Damien Gayle, 10/15/22
“Four years ago, when Extinction Rebellion started blocking London’s roads in a call for climate action, they brought a DIY carnival atmosphere that transformed their protests into festivals of resistance,” the Guardian reports. “On Thursday morning, when climate activists staged road blocks close to Waterloo, just south of the Thames, they were about two dozen grim-faced campaigners, wearing sensible clothes and hi-vis vests, and enduring abuse from passersby as they tried to superglue their hands to wet asphalt. They blocked three entrances to St George’s Circus roundabout, one of south London’s busiest junctions. Within minutes, the scene was awash with flashing blue lights, dozens of police, and traffic backing up in all directions. Just Stop Oil, XR’s latest successor movement, has vowed to block central London roads every day this October. Friday was their 14th consecutive day, and they stepped up tactics once again, with two young women throwing paint over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting in the National Gallery, a polarising action that left many aghast. Another action involved spraying the revolving sign at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan police headquarters. Their demand is simple: that the government agree to a moratorium on all new oil and gas projects, in line with a recommendation by the International Energy Agency.”
Reuters: Canada would back 'economically viable' new LNG terminals
Steve Scherer, 10/14/22
“Canada will look at supporting more liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals as long as they are economically feasible because they are needed to keep the world from burning coal again amid the current energy crunch, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday,” Reuters reports. “LNG "is an important transition fuel," Freeland told reporters in Washington at the end of annual IMF and World Bank meetings. "We will always be looking at economically viable LNG projects." “...When Scholz was in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "there has never been a strong business case" for LNG on the country's east coast. On Friday, Freeland appeared to leave the door open to the possibility, as has Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, saying that she had heard finance ministers in Washington this week say they were having to burn more coal because of the soaring cost of LNG. "'I want to burn less coal,' one minister said quite movingly," Freeland said, but cannot because "LNG is too expensive right now." Two east coast projects being discussed are Repsol's (REP.MC) intake facility in New Brunswick, which could be retooled for exports, and Pieridae Energy's (PEA.TO) proposed Goldboro LNG facility in Nova Scotia. Separately, Freeland indicated that Canada would need to spend far more to compete to become the "best and fastest" at creating green-transition industries after the U.S. passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: AXIS to stop insuring energy, other projects without community support
Noor Zainab Hussain and Simon Jessop, 10/14/22
“Reinsurer AXIS Capital (AXS.N) said it would refuse to underwrite energy, mining and other projects that did not have the backing of local indigenous communities, in a move welcomed by campaigners as setting a new industry standard,” Reuters reports. “The decision follows years of protests from communities, particularly in the developing world, that argue their voice is often ignored when banks, insurers and investors pursue projects that can negatively impact their lives. The need to secure the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of impacted communities was recognised by the United Nations in 2007, yet high-profile arguments between indigenous peoples and large multinationals and financial service firms continue. Non-governmental organisation Rainforest Action Network (RAN) told Reuters that AXIS was the first North American insurer to adopt such a policy, and believed it set a fresh standard for best practice. Two insurers in Europe – Swiss Re (SRENH.S) and Allianz (ALVG.DE) – mention FPIC in their human rights frameworks, but AXIS now references in detail the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, RAN said. "We expect insureds to respect and observe the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and it is our policy to not provide insurance coverage on projects undertaken on indigenous territories without FPIC,” AXIS said in its updated human rights policy, which was shared with Reuters… “Matt Remle (Lakota), co-founder of U.S. pressure group Mazaska Talks, told Reuters insurance companies must stop underwriting fossil fuel projects that are in violation of the rights of Tribal Nations.”
OPINION
Calgary Herald: Opinion: How pipelines went from villain to hero in Indigenous reconciliation
Heather Exner-Pirot is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, 10/17/22
“Last month, Enbridge announced it would be selling a 12 per cent stake in a group of seven pipelines in northern Alberta worth $1.12 billion to 23 First Nation and Métis communities. The deal represents just the latest in an underappreciated movement in Canadian politics and business: equity ownership in major energy infrastructure that is reshaping Indigenous-industry relations. How did pipelines become the leading edge of economic reconciliation?” Heather Exner-Pirot writes for the Calgary Herald. “When the Canadian Supreme Court recognized the “duty to consult” in 2004, it was a watershed moment for Indigenous rights. But it absolutely complicated the process by which major resource projects could be approved. This affected pipelines more than any other type of project. Because they are linear, they might cross the territories of dozens of Indigenous nations, all of whom are required to be consulted and accommodated… “If you ever wondered why pipelines became lightning rods for environmental activism in the past decade, that’s a big part of the answer. If a group is intent on stopping the development of fossil fuels, pipelines are the weakest link, susceptible to legal challenges that can at a minimum stall and drive up the costs of a project. This has been a major weakness for the pipeline industry, as shown by the pile of cancelled and delayed projects, from Northern Gateway and Keystone XL, to TMX and Coastal GasLink. It has been a lost decade for Canadian pipelines… “The reason that pipelines are particularly attractive for Indigenous nations is that they provide stable, predictable revenues over the lifetime of the asset. This is ideal for First Nations and Métis governments as it allows them to expand the public services they can reliably provide to their communities, from housing to land to cultural programs, reducing dependence on federal transfers… “We are now moving into an era where Indigenous peoples are not victims of resource development, but partners in it. The treaties were intended to be agreements to share the land. The resource sector is finding practical ways to honour that.”
The Hill: Proposed climate rule is bigger, badder deal than Manchin-Schumer climate bill
Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow of the RealClear Foundation and author of “Climate-Risk Disclosure: A Flimsy Pretext for a Green Power Grab,” 10/15/22
“In his Florida v. Davos speech at last month’s National Conservatism conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) made important observations about the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing movement. He called it out as an attempt to use corporate and economic power to impose on society an ideological agenda that could not win at the ballot box,” Rupert Darwall writes for The Hill. “...He warned of the danger from the growth of the administrative state, which he called the logical outcome of Congress abdicating its responsibility to hold the bureaucracy to account and letting it do much of the heavy legislating… “Although Democrats hail passage of the Schumer-Manchin Inflation Reduction Act, far more consequential is the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed climate-risk disclosure rule, currently being finalized. It will operate at the nexus of the administrative state, Wall Street and politically motivated institutional investors. The Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), has 273 signatories with $61.3 trillion in assets under management… “In reality, the proposed rule is about climate policy. Its practical effect would be to facilitate the ability of institutional investors and climate activists to impose, monitor and enforce climate targets on publicly traded companies, without obtaining explicit authorization from Congress… “In the case of the SEC climate-risk disclosure rule, the major-questions doctrine and whether the SEC’s justification is pretextual are linked: If the SEC believes it can demonstrate that Congress gave it authority to force companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions so climate activists and politically motivated shareholders could impose greenhouse reduction targets on them, it would not need to camouflage its true motivation… “The SEC climate rule’s fate is likely to be decided by the courts on the grounds of whether its pretext comports with provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act and whether it trespasses on the major-questions doctrine. If the rule is left standing, it will empower ESG investors to use their management of trillions of dollars in assets to take decisions with enormous consequences for the economy, for national security and for the West’s future. That is not where such political power properly resides in a democracy.”
Guardian: Dangers posed by fracking and oil drilling
Prof. Paul Ekins University College London, Prof. Peter Newell Sussex University, 10/16/22
“We write as environmental and social scientists in response to the extraordinary claims by the climate minister, Graham Stuart, that fracking and oil drilling are “good for the environment” and the economy (12 October),” Prof Paul Ekins and Prof Peter Newell write for the Guardian. “The reality is quite different. First, Mr Stuart’s claim about the supposed lower carbon intensity of UK oil and gas extraction pales into insignificance compared with the carbon implications of adding to overall extraction of fossil fuels, and flies in the face of the warning by the International Energy Agency that no new oil, gas or coal development can take place if the world is to reach net zero by 2050. Second, new UK oil and gas will lock in dependency on infrastructure that will become increasingly useless as the UK moves towards its emission reduction target. Third, the signal that such a move sends ahead of next month’s Cop27 summit is damaging to the UK’s credibility, as Lord Deben of the Climate Change Committee has made clear. Fourth, from licensing to starting production, most new oil wells require 10 years, and UK gas prices are unaffected by UK production, so new drilling is irrelevant to the cost of living crisis. Fifth, regarding fracking, Stuart’s own government banned it because of the challenges of extracting safely, and shale gas’s overall carbon footprint was found to be comparable to gas extracted from conventional sources, according to a government report. This is a distraction when wind and solar are more competitive. Investment in cheap renewable energies needs to be combined with reductions in energy demand through home insulation, heat pumps and support for public transport to ensure we do not have to resort to expanding supply in such a reckless and unsustainable way.”