EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/2/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Navigator asks Iowa regulators to pause its pipeline permit request
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Navigator pauses CO2 pipeline permit process in Iowa
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit pipeline hearing will resume on Tuesday
Wall Street Journal: A New Nimbyism Blocks Carbon Pipelines
Scientific American: Pipelines Touted as Carbon Capture Solution Spark Uncertainty and Opposition
KELO: PUC issues final order denying Navigator
KHQA: CO2 Pipeline topic of discussion at Free Soil Coalition meeting in Carthage
Kansas Reflector: Pipeline spills oil into Kansas creek near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
NJ.com: After court ruling, N.J. is reconsidering a controversial $108M gas pipeline expansion
Kamloops This Week: First Nations say pipeline project decision undermines Secwépemc law
Canadian Press: Coastal GasLink pipeline project 98 percent complete
Michigan Radio: National Wildlife Federation alleges Enbridge Energy improperly obtained a wildlife habitat designation
WV News: Proposed Hope Gas pipeline in North Central West Virginia to cost 'multiple millions'
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: Biden angers all sides with scaled back offshore oil drilling plan
Center for Biological Diversity: Biden Offshore Drilling Plan Exposes U.S., Climate to More Harm
HuffPost: Republicans Fight Over Who Loves Fossil Fuels The Most At Second GOP Debate
Courthouse News Service: Oil Companies Fight Sage Grouse Protections At The Ninth Circuit
E&E News: Green groups are laying off staff. What gives?
STATE UPDATES
Alaska Beacon: As Oil Companies Show Little Interest, Feds Cancel Plans For Drilling Off Alaska Shores
Tri-State Livestock News: BLM seeks public comment on Montana carbon sequestration project
NPR: Fossil fuel rules catch Western towns between old economies and new green goals
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Big Oil, heavy industry discuss emission curbs ahead of COP28
CNN: Unprecedented lawsuit over climate change underway
Vox: How radical should you be when you’re trying to save the planet?
Canadian Press: Environmental groups increasingly using competition law to fight fossil fuel sector
Canadian Press: Oil sands expected to contribute $420 billion in tax revenues by 2050
Canadian Press: Imperial, Alberta regulator knew for years about tailings seepage at mine: documents
Bloomberg: Giant Gas-to-Methanol Machines Could Curb Methane Emissions
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Banker: Why are banks still financing fossil fuels?
OPINION
Observer-Reporter: Carbon capture and storage has limited use
Traverse City Record Eagle: Letter: Disinformation on the reality of climate change
Portland Press Herald: Letter to the editor: Bringing Big Oil to justice
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Montana energy tour brings to life threats to our prosperity
Albuquerque Journal: Permian Basin talent pool can lead in carbon capture and storage R&D
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Navigator asks Iowa regulators to pause its pipeline permit request
JARED STRONG, 9/29/23
“Navigator CO2 wants to suspend its pipeline permit process in Iowa until utility regulators in Illinois approve the project, according to a motion it filed in Iowa,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “...About 810 miles of the initially proposed system lies in Iowa, but the company said it is adjusting its plans after a setback in South Dakota. The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission denied Navigator a permit to construct its pipeline in early September. Since then, the company has indicated that it is not negotiating for new land easements in that state and in part of Iowa… “Navigator is currently reviewing its Iowa route and technical specifications in light of decisions from regulatory authorities in neighboring states and individual landowner requests, which may lead to necessary revisions in Iowa,” Navigator said in a prepared statement… “The company plans to file an update on its project with the board by the end of March. Illinois regulators are expected to make a final decision on the project by the end of February. The Friday motion is a substantial shift from the company’s plans two months ago, when it was pining for the IUB to finalize a schedule. At the time, it sought to start its final evidentiary hearing in June 2024.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Navigator pauses CO2 pipeline permit process in Iowa
Erin Jordan, 9/29/23
“Navigator Heartland Greenway — a company that has proposed building a 1,300-mile carbon dioxide pipeline through Iowa — has paused its state permit application, saying it may change the plan or route,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “Navigator filed a motion with the Iowa Utilities Board Friday requesting to cancel an Oct. 9 scheduling conference and asking the board to “hold in abeyance” the company’s permit application until at least next spring. “NHG is currently reviewing its Iowa route and technical specifications in light of decisions from regulatory authorities in neighboring states and individual landowner requests, which may lead to revisions in the route and technical specifications as currently proposed,” the motion states. Navigator needs approval of the Illinois Commerce Commission to sequester CO2 in underground rock formations in central Illinois. In June, a case manager for the group blasted the plan, saying it did not benefit Illinois residents or the public at large, the Illinois Times reported… “Given the review of its route and technical specifications as well as the regulatory uncertainty due to the pending decision from the ICC, NHG has elected to seek the requested relief in order to preserve the resources of the Board, the Office of Consumer Advocate, NHG, landowners, and interested stakeholders,” the motion states. Navigator Spokesman Andy Bates told the Gazette the company anticipates filing an update on the project by March 29, “which allows for the completion of the Illinois pipeline permitting process and a comprehensive review of the Iowa route.” Wally Taylor, a Marion-based attorney for Sierra Club of Iowa, told the Gazette the company “is in real trouble…“I'm sure Navigator wanted to cancel the status conference on Oct. 9 so as not to have to make its problems public.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit pipeline hearing will resume on Tuesday
JARED STRONG, 9/28/23
“A regulatory hearing for Summit Carbon Solution’s pipeline permit has concluded for the week and will resume on Tuesday,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The Iowa Utilities Board had hoped to finish Summit’s evidentiary hearing by the end of this month, but the cross examination of witnesses has gone longer than it initially anticipated. Board chairperson Erik Helland and Summit attorney Bret Dublinske have said pipeline opponents have caused the delays. “This has been a very special-interest and lawyer-driven process,” Dublinske said Wednesday. He added: “There’s no reason this can’t move faster. There’s no reason this couldn’t have moved faster for weeks.” “...But due to the late notice, it will instead resume on Tuesday with affected landowners testifying in-person and remotely via video conferencing. Brian Jorde, an attorney for more than 100 of those landowners, indicated that up to 10 might be available on Tuesday. It was unclear how many have yet to testify.”
Wall Street Journal: A New Nimbyism Blocks Carbon Pipelines
Benoît Morenne, Joe Barrett, 9/30/23
“Oil and gas pipelines have been stymied for years by environmentalists and landowners. Now those groups are blocking CO2 pipelines too,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “In the Midwest, a coalition of environmental groups and farmers have teamed up to stop plans to erect thousands of miles of pipelines that would carry climate-warming carbon emissions to underground storage locations. The projects are vital to President Biden’s plans to drastically curtail emissions, but the groups question their green credentials, safety and use of eminent domain to seize private property… “The roadblocks are reminiscent of those faced in recent years by proposed crude pipelines such as Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy executives and analysts told the Journal they expected some turbulence given the projects’ scale, but that significant delays would send a negative signal to companies and investors looking to invest in carbon capture… “When you look at it more closely, you realize it’s really giving a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry,” Pam Richart, co-founder of the Illinois-based Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, told the Journal… “But developers of CO2 pipelines have run into hurdles familiar to the oil-and-gas industry—from having to negotiate easements with landowners to navigating complex regulations… “The kind of pipeline we most need to see built, in my view, is CO2 pipelines,” John Holdren, a former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Obama administration and now a Harvard University professor, told the Journal… “Mark Bertolino, 62, a sixth-generation farmer who lives in Witt, Ill., amid gently rolling hills four hours south of Chicago, told the Journal he turned down the roughly $150,000 offered by Navigator to lease right of way through his land, mostly out of fear that the pipeline could rupture and blanket the surrounding area with CO2, which can be deadly. “I don’t think there’s been enough research,” he told the Journal. Sabrina Jones, a special-education program coordinator in Nokomis, Ill., and her husband, Ralph Jones, who farms and installs drainage systems, have a big sign in their front yard that reads, “Protect Illinois Aquifer—No CO2 Pipeline.” Navigator recently drilled at all hours across the road from the couple’s home to test the area’s geology, disrupting much of the summer for the Joneses and their five children. The couple, both 36, rejected an offer from the company to pay them for the right to store CO2 deep below their land, Sabrina Jones told the Journal. “We didn’t want anything to do with it,” she told the Journal.
Scientific American: Pipelines Touted as Carbon Capture Solution Spark Uncertainty and Opposition
Anna Mattson, 10/1/23
“One hot summer day two years ago, Kathy Stockdale checked her mailbox and found a slip of paper that would change her life. The humble notice revealed that two carbon capture companies wanted to seize part of her family’s farmland in Hardin County, Iowa, for a pair of pipelines slated to pass through it,” Scientific American reports. “But Stockdale wasn’t going to give up her property without a fight… “But fresh tension surrounds the construction of a relatively new kind of conduit called a carbon capture pipeline, and the Stockdales’ land lies in the potential pathway of two of them… “But despite the green intentions behind the technology, environmentalists are actually joining landowners in pushing back against it. Many experts worry the pipelines could spring deadly leaks or contaminate water—and they question how effective such projects will actually be at fighting climate change. Stockdale and her husband, Raymond, who have lived on their farm for 47 years, were stunned when representatives from a carbon capture company suddenly showed up just three months after the couple received the notice. Without asking permission, the reps began planting stakes where the pipe would go, Stockdale told SciAm. “I have never felt more disrespect in my life,” she adds. She decided to fight back against the use of eminent domain—a legal concept that allows companies to seize private property for public use through the local, state or federal government (although the landowner must be fairly compensated). Stockdale has been fervently attending public hearings on permits, researching pipeline safety and talking with legislators. She has had a lot of sleepless nights. And even though she says she isn’t interested in environmental protection, she has partnered with the local Sierra Club chapter for support. Environmentalists might not seem like a natural ally in a battle against green technology, but they have concerns about the growing U.S. web of carbon capture pipelines—which currently includes more than 5,300 miles of conduit… “But Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, told SciAm that any one rupture can have unacceptable consequences… “The escaped gas doesn’t ignite or dissipate. It moves quickly along the ground and can collect in low-lying areas, including small valleys and basements near the pipeline route. If a person in one of these pockets breathes air with a 10 percent concentration of CO2, they can fall unconscious within one minute… “Noah Planavsky, an isotope geochemist at Yale University’s Center for Natural Carbon Capture, told SciAm the practice would certainly reduce the CO2 in the air—but the overall situation is not that simple… “But are we doing things that are actually propagating further use of fossil fuels?”
KELO: PUC issues final order denying Navigator
Bob Mercer, 9/29/23
“The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has made official its determination that Navigator won’t receive a permit to build and operate a carbon-dioxide pipeline,” KELO reports. “The 21-page order issued this week however shows the 3-0 vote to deny Navigator’s application wasn’t as unanimous as initially appeared. Chair Kristie Fiegen and Commissioner Gary Hanson agreed with the entire order. Commissioner Chris Nelson concurred in the result but partially dissented. The earliest the September 26 order can take effect is 10 days later. A state administrative rule gives Navigator or any other party in the hearing 30 days to apply in writing for a rehearing or reconsideration. State law also provides that the parties may appeal the decision and order to state circuit court by serving notice of appeal to the court within 30 days. “We are continuing to review and do not yet have a decision on next steps in South Dakota,” Navigator’s vice president for government and public affairs Elizabeth Burns-Thompson told KELO. Commissioner Nelson specifically disagreed with nine of the order’s 103 findings of fact.”
KHQA: CO2 Pipeline topic of discussion at Free Soil Coalition meeting in Carthage
Hayden Donaldson, 9/29/23
“Last night in Carthage, a meeting was held to discuss the possibility of co2 pipelines being added to the West-Central Illinois region,” KHQA reports. “...Free soil coalition executive director Trent Loos says that while they agree with the containment of CO2, the county's decision should be very careful… “Hancock County board chair Mark Menn says that the pipelines could be beneficial to the area, but safety is the top priority… “The Free Soil Coalition understands that CO2 is vital for a healthy planet, but they do not want companies to use pipelines as a means to monopolize the important gas. "We're not coming in here to tell people in Illinois here's what you need to do. We're simply bringing the great assets of the state of Illinois to the folks in Iowa who have been in the same fight, to my home state of Nebraska to South Dakota, to North Dakota where we've had significant wins," added Loos. The Hancock County board met with a litigator to make sure that the county would be safe during the installation. Navigator plans to start construction on the pipeline in the second quarter of 2024.”
Kansas Reflector: Pipeline spills oil into Kansas creek near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
ALLISON KITE , 9/29/23
“Time will tell whether an oil spill upstream on Rattlesnake Creek will harm the birds that flock to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, a migratory bird stop in Stafford County,” the Kansas Reflector reports. “...So far, the refuge hasn’t seen any oil reach its waters or contaminated birds fly in. The spill took place earlier this month a few miles from the refuge where a lead line crossed Rattlesnake Creek. Linda Berry, spokeswoman for the Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates oil and gas, told the Reflectorl that the wells using the line had previously been abandoned. When the wells turned back on, the line burst from the weight of the fluid. About 10 barrels — or 420 gallons — of oil and 1,500 barrels of saltwater spilled into the creek. Berry told the Reflector the remediation is 99% complete, but staff will continue to inspect and take samples. She told the Reflector no regulations had been violated in connection with the spill. The spill poses another risk to the Quivira refuge, which is already threatened by insufficient water supply on Rattlesnake Creek. Because of groundwater pumping upstream on Rattlesnake Creek, Quivira is not getting all the water it’s entitled to. Farm irrigation reduces the amount of groundwater that flows into the creek and becomes surface water.”
NJ.com: After court ruling, N.J. is reconsidering a controversial $108M gas pipeline expansion
Richard Cowen, 9/30/34
“The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is seeking public comment as it reconsiders whether the Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s $108 million expansion project qualifies as a “routine” upgrade and should be exempt from the regulation under the Highlands Act,” NJ.com reports. “A notice published this week the DEP bulletin said the agency would accept public comment during the month of October. And in an email on Friday, Jennifer Moriarty, the DEP’s director of Land Resource Protection, alerted environmental groups that public comments, “will be carefully considered prior to the issuance of any decision” regarding the Tennessee Gas Pipeline. “The result of the remand review could be approval or denial of TGP’s request for a Highlands Exemption 11,” Moriarty wrote. Comments may be submitted online at TGP327compressorcomments@dep.nj.gov, through Oct. 25, she said. Environmentalists have been fighting to stop the project since the DEP granted the exemption in June of 2021, and Tennessee Gas began construction on a new compressor plant in West Milford and upgrades to two other facilities. With the West Milford compressor nearly finished, opponents won a late victory on Aug. 31 when an appellate court ruled that the $108 million pipeline expansion didn’t qualify for the Highlands Act exemption as “routine” maintenance. The appellate court remanded the case to the DEP for reconsideration, casting the project into a kind of legal limbo… “Earlier this week, a letter signed by more than 50 environmental groups was sent to Gov. Phil Murphy and DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette demanding that the state stop the project.”
Kamloops This Week: First Nations say pipeline project decision undermines Secwépemc law
10/1/23
“The Stk'emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation (SSN) — which consists of Tk’emlúps and Skeetchestn bands — said a decision to allow Trans Mountain to alter its pipeline expansion route undermines Secwépemc law,” Kamloops This Week reports. “Furthermore, the SSN said in a Sept. 29 release that it is especially painful to learn Trans Mountain (a federal government Crown corporation) plans to start work on Monday, Oct. 2, a day government and many businesses will use as a statutory holiday to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which this year falls on Saturday, Sept. 30. “It is deeply saddening to us, on the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, to see yet again the prioritization of the interests of industry over the advancement of reconciliation,” the SSN said in the release. “As Canada prepares to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, we call on Prime Minister Trudeau and all federal ministers to reflect on this truth — that despite the promises made to Indigenous peoples by this government and others, the corporate interests of a Crown corporation overseen by a federal regulator continue to take precedence over the spiritual and cultural integrity of this cultural keystone place, our inherent rights, and our unceded title.” On Sept. 25, the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) approved Trans Mountain's application for a route deviation in the Jacko Lake (Pípsell) area south of Kamloops… “The SSN said project approval undermines Secwépemc law and represents a failure to recognize the “transformative change” underway via Ottawa’s passing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act ,affirming UNDRIP into Canadian law. The SSN added that the decision is contrary to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s principles of reconciliation, including principle 8, which states: “Supporting Aboriginal peoples’ cultural revitalization and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, laws, protocols and connections to the land into the reconciliation process are essential.”
Canadian Press: Coastal GasLink pipeline project 98 percent complete
9/29/23
“TC Energy Corp. says its Coastal GasLink pipeline project is 98 percent complete,” the Canadian Press reports. “...TC Energy says the pipeline will be mechanically complete before the end of the year. Earlier this year, the company raised the estimated project price tag for Coastal GasLink to $14.5 billion, up significantly from a previous estimate of $11.2 billion and more than double the initial cost estimate of $6.2 billion. Over the course of the project, the pipeline’s construction has also attracted opposition and protests from environmentalists and Indigenous leaders. While many Indigenous groups along the project’s pathway support the pipeline, the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs, whose territory the pipeline crosses, do not.”
Michigan Radio: National Wildlife Federation alleges Enbridge Energy improperly obtained a wildlife habitat designation
Lester Graham, 10/2/23
“The National Wildlife Federation disputes that Enbridge followed instructions for corporations to obtain a wildlife habitat designation, and instead used an application form intended for residential backyards that is largely self-reported,” Michigan Radio reports. “...The National Wildlife Federation confirmed the wildlife habitat designation and stated at the time, “It’s better to avoid these disasters in the first place.” The NWF added that if Enbridge really cared about wildlife and people, it would shut down the 70-year-old Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac… “Three weeks later, the National Wildlife Federation sent an email, revealing that the corporate habitat team at NWF had no record of Enbridge or its partner 7th Legacy contacting them. Any corporation with more than 20 employees is required to go through a more thorough process than the online certification tool offered to individuals… “We emailed Enbridge, asking a few questions, including: “Although the application was submitted and filled out by a 7th Legacy member, it appears Enbridge failed to verify the certification was submitted correctly before issuing news releases and otherwise publicizing the NWF certificate. Why was it not vetted?” “Does Enbridge intend to issue a news release indicating the certificate was incorrectly obtained?” We received this response from Enbridge: "We followed the process NWF put in place and NWF sent a certification to Enbridge. At no time did NWF reach out to us to make us aware of any issues with our application. Whether or not there may be a quibble with the process, the fact is that the Talmadge Creek area is now a thriving wildlife habitat."
WV News: Proposed Hope Gas pipeline in North Central West Virginia to cost 'multiple millions'
Charles Young, 9/30/23
“The proposed Hope Gas project to construct a natural gas pipeline from western Monongalia County to northern Marion County will cost “multiple millions,” according to a company official,” WV News reports. “Hope Gas recently submitted an application to the West Virginia Public Service Commission requesting permission to proceed with the project, but the figures relating to the company’s investment are redacted in the publicly available documents.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: Biden angers all sides with scaled back offshore oil drilling plan
Nichola Groom and Jarrett Renshaw, 9/29/23
“The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming,” Reuters reports. “The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change. Biden had promised on the campaign trail to end new federal leasing, but has been blocked by the courts from doing so, and discouraged by rising pump prices that political analysts say could hurt his chances of reelection. Biden's Interior Department on Friday unveiled a congressionally mandated five-year plan for offshore oil drilling that included just three sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico -- the lowest number in any five-year plan since the government began publishing them in 1980. The record low number was first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore oil and gas developers, told Reuters it was an "utter failure for the country" that would increase gas prices, kill Gulf Coast jobs and make the U.S. more reliant on oil imports. Environmentalists also slammed the plan. "We are too far along in the climate crisis to be committing ourselves to decades of new fossil fuel extraction, especially following the hottest summer in recorded history," Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen told Reuters. The Gulf of Mexico accounts for about 15% of U.S. crude oil production, according to government data. It can take between four and 10 years between issuing a lease to producing oil, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Interior Department said it had chosen to approve the minimum number of oil lease sales required to expand its offshore wind program, which is now tethered to fossil fuel leasing under federal law.”
Center for Biological Diversity: Biden Offshore Drilling Plan Exposes U.S., Climate to More Harm
9/29/23
“The Interior Department finalized a plan today to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years,” the Center for Biological Diversity reports. “...I feel disgusted and incredibly let down by Biden’s offshore drilling plan. It piles more harm on already-struggling ecosystems, endangered species and the global climate,” said Brady Bradshaw, senior oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We need Biden to commit to a fossil fuel phaseout, but actions like this condemn us to oil spills, climate disasters and decades of toxic harm to communities and wildlife.” “We're disappointed the Biden administration did not follow through on a promise of no new leasing, and instead, the residents of the Gulf of Mexico are having their resources sold off for bargain prices once again,” said Christian Wagley, coastal organizer at Healthy Gulf. “These new leases lock us into continued dependence on extractive fossil fuels, instead of moving towards a clean and just energy economy that Americans not only want but is a necessity to stave off climate disaster. Furthermore, Gulf communities are tired of being a sacrifice zone, experiencing the effects of climate change first while other regions remain protected from new leases.” “...But researchers have found that President Biden will exceed his goal of building 30 gigawatts of wind power capacity by 2030 without new oil leasing in a five-year plan. A separate report demonstrates that the U.S. can meet its energy needs many times over without burdening more ecosystems by utilizing already-developed or degraded land on which to build renewable energy. The Biden administration has the legal authority to issue a plan with no new leases and to create a plan for a managed decline of fossil fuel production on existing leases.”
HuffPost: Republicans Fight Over Who Loves Fossil Fuels The Most At Second GOP Debate
Alexander C. Kaufman, 9/28/23
“Almost exactly four years ago, one of California’s increasingly destructive wildfires caused roughly $500,000 in damage to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But GOP candidates gathered there for the second 2024 presidential primary debate almost uniformly rejected the idea that the planet’s steadily rising temperature was a problem at all,” HuffPost reports. “It’s not climate change we need to worry about,” said North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. “It’s the Biden climate policies.” After dodging surprisingly pointed questions about climate change at the first debate Fox News hosted last month, the contenders hoping to take on President Joe Biden next November battled each other over who would do most to ramp up production of the fossil fuels destabilizing the planet’s weather systems. “Drill, baby, drill,” businessman Vivek Ramaswamy said, repeating a campaign slogan cribbed from former reality TV star and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s failed 2008 vice presidential campaign (but coined by former Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Michael Steele). While the right-wing biotech executive expressed support for at least one source of zero-carbon energy, vowing to “embrace” the nuclear power that already provides one-fifth of the country’s electricity, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott suggested only fossil fuels mattered. “We’re the richest country if you combine coal, gas and oil,” Scott said. Like former President Barack Obama before him, former Vice President Mike Pence claimed responsibility for the United States becoming a major exporter of gas and oil. Pence accused Biden, who has overseen a surge of U.S. fuel sales overseas, of stifling that growth… “In one of the most gripping moments for any debate over energy, Haley then lit into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the highest-polling candidate on a stage without Donald Trump, for directing his state regulators to ban hydraulic fracturing, the drilling technique known as fracking.”
Courthouse News Service: Oil Companies Fight Sage Grouse Protections At The Ninth Circuit
Alanna Mayham, 9/29/23
“A Ninth Circuit panel took on arduous arguments from oil leaseholders on Friday for three appeals seeking to reverse two orders that favored the fate of greater sage grouse habitat in several western U.S. states,” Courthouse News Service reports. “The two underlying cases at hand began in 2018 when a coalition of conservation groups challenged Trump administration policies that removed protectors for greater sage grouse, a bird species native to the western U.S. and Canada that have been in decline for decades due to habitat loss. One lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Boise, was led by Western Watershed Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity. The other, filed in Montana’s federal court, was led by Montana Wilderness Federation and the Wilderness Society. The two cases take on the same policies that erased the previous administration’s measures in 2015 to preserve the imperiled species and curbed public input on oil and gas planning on public lands, allowing U.S. Bureau of Land Management to sell oil and gas leases across 1.9 million acres of sage grouse habitat.”
E&E News: Green groups are laying off staff. What gives?
Robin Bravender, 9/29/23
“The Sierra Club announced staff layoffs in April. Defenders of Wildlife followed suit soon after. And this week, the Natural Resources Defense Council laid off dozens of its employees. So what’s going on with big green groups?”, E&E News reports. “National environmental nonprofits are being hit by a combination of factors making fundraising harder and hurting their budgets, according to environmental insiders. Those same factors could also spell trouble for other green groups that haven’t yet laid off staff. Former President Donald Trump’s exit from the White House, fears about the economy, a new fundraising paradigm in the wake of the pandemic and other urgent subjects drawing donors’ attention are all viewed as likely factors contributing to green groups’ troubles. The Trump factor is a big one, according to environmental insiders. It’s “easier to raise money when you have a scary opponent in the White House,” Don Barry, who serves on the board of directors at Defenders of Wildlife and was a top Interior Department official during the Clinton administration, told E&E… “The leaders of the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and NRDC each cited budget woes when they announced their latest layoffs… “Green groups across the board have experienced a similar fundraising downturn in the post-Trump era, Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told E&E. “Fundraising ramped up under Trump,” he told E&E. “You hire more, so your expenses went up.” But when fundraising goes back down to pre-Trump levels, “your expenses are at Trump levels.”
STATE UPDATES
Alaska Beacon: As Oil Companies Show Little Interest, Feds Cancel Plans For Drilling Off Alaska Shores
James Brooks, 9/29/23
“There will be no new offshore oil and gas sales in federal waters near Alaska anytime soon,” the Alaska Beacon reports. “In a plan released Friday, the Department of Interior said it will hold just three oil and gas lease sales in American federal waters between 2024 and 2029. All three will take place in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s a significant shift from Trump administration plans that called for 47 lease sales, including some in Alaska waters. The Trump plans were struck down in 2019 by a federal court, and when the Biden administration took office, it almost entirely eliminated plans for oil and gas leasing offshore Alaska. Before Friday, the Biden administration had planned a sale in federal waters within Cook Inlet in 2026. That’s now canceled. In a written statement, Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan expressed their disappointment in the decision, saying that it encourages reliance on foreign imports, including those from authoritarian countries whose interests are opposed to those of the United States.”
Tri-State Livestock News: BLM seeks public comment on Montana carbon sequestration project
9/28/23
“The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comment on a proposal to permanently store carbon dioxide in underground rock formations on public land in Carter County,” Tri-State Livestock News reports. “The Denbury Carbon Solutions, LLC project would store carbon dioxide in more than 100,000 acres of subsurface pore space… “The BLM issued a policy update in June 2022 allowing for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide on public lands, one of many efforts to help combat atmospheric carbon pollution. “This is an excellent opportunity for the public to learn not only about the project but also about carbon sequestration on public lands,” Eric Lepisto, Miles City Field Manager, told TSLN. “This process aims to solicit public input on issues, impacts, and potential alternatives the BLM will address in subsequent work.”
NPR: Fossil fuel rules catch Western towns between old economies and new green goals
Kirk Siegler, 928/23
“It's late afternoon in Farmington, and the sun is casting an orange glow on sandstone cliffs where new mountain bike trails have been carved into the powdery dirt beneath,” NPR reports. “...The oil and gas fields built Farmington. For decades, natural gas and coal from the surrounding San Juan Basin helped power California. Lately, demand has slumped, and the the boom-and-bust cycles have pushed towns such as Farmington to diversify. Farmington, population 45,000, is now working overtime promoting its outdoor amenities and easy access to U.S. public lands… “Some in the West see sweeping new federal land use rules passed in President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act as key to economic revitalization for rural regions like northwest New Mexico that relied on oil and gas for decades but are now trying hard to diversify into tourism, recreation and green manufacturing. This fall, the federal Bureau of Land Management is finalizing the new on-shore oil and gas leasing rule contained in the act. It could dramatically change how and where federal land becomes available for new leases to companies that want to drill across the West. Since the Mineral Leasing Act was passed in 1920, there have been few changes to the federal royalty rates that drillers pay, or to the bonds they must post before drilling to cover cleanup after. "This is a long-overdue update of our oil and gas rules that will make a huge difference on the ground for the future of so many communities," Ashley Korenblat of Public Land Solutions, a Moab, Utah-based nonprofit that consults with communities looking to transition to outdoor recreation economies, told NPR. The new rule would increase royalty rates on federal land from 12.5% to 16.67% and increase bonds from the current $10,000 to $150,000, among other significant changes. "People like to blame it on regulation, but the reality is the market is changing for these communities," Korenblat told NPR. "If the regulations don't keep up with actual market needs, you create this strange place where the communities are not winning from either recreation or oil and gas."
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Big Oil, heavy industry discuss emission curbs ahead of COP28
Yousef Saba and Maha El Dahan, 10/1/23
“Major oil and gas company chiefs held discussions with heavy industry bosses on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates in an effort to agree a firm commitment to reduce carbon emissions ahead of a United Nations climate summit next month,” Reuters reports. “...The meeting, convened by COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber, was attended by U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and tackled issues such as commercializing hydrogen, scaling up carbon capture technologies, methane elimination and increasing renewable energy, a statement by COP28 said… “Ahead of COP28, countries remain divided between those demanding a deal to phase out planet-warming fossil fuels and nations insisting on preserving a role for coal, oil and natural gas. "If the oil and gas industry signs up to decarbonization agreements and methane abatement that is a huge contribution to the debate," Amin told Reuters. "It will be the first COP that we can measure the carbon that we are taking off the table."
CNN: Unprecedented lawsuit over climate change underway
9/29/23
“Gerry Liston, Senior Lawyer at Global Legal Action Network, joins Kim Brunhuber to discuss the case brought by six young people in Portugal,” CNN reports.
Vox: How radical should you be when you’re trying to save the planet?
Avishay Artsy, 9/28/23
“In the 2022 film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, a group of young climate activists get together to blow up a pipeline in Texas. The movie is fictional, but the book it’s adapted from is not. In the 2021 book, author Andreas Malm argues that sabotage and property damage are valid tactics to confront fossil fuel use and calls for an escalation in tactics,” Vox reports. “...Climate activists have yet to go that far, but they’re doing lots of other things. Last week’s Climate Week events, timed to the UN General Assembly, drew thousands of protesters to New York. Over 100 people were arrested for blockading the entrances to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York while calling on financial regulators to stop funding fossil fuel companies. At the New York March to End Fossil Fuels, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told a cheering crowd, “We must be too big and too radical to ignore.” Climate activists have heeded that call. In recent months, they staged a die-in at New York’s Museum of Modern Art to draw attention to a board member’s investments in fossil fuel projects, blocked the entrances to the Philadelphia-area headquarters of investment manager Vanguard, and dyed the water of Rome’s Trevi Fountain black. Demonstrators disrupted rush-hour commutes everywhere from Boston and Washington, DC, to Berlin and the Hague, and even snarled traffic on the road to Burning Man, creating miles of gridlock. Dana R. Fisher, a professor at American University, studies climate policymaking and climate activism. Her forthcoming book, Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action (Columbia University Press, 2024), investigates this growing radical flank and uses data to explain the increasing use of civil disobedience within the climate movement. Fisher spoke with Today, Explained host Noel King about what she has learned from spending time with activists and where she sees the movement heading.”
Canadian Press: Environmental groups increasingly using competition law to fight fossil fuel sector
Amanda Stephenson, 10/1/23
“Splashed across billboards and city buses, on newspaper spreads and Facebook feeds, the "Let's Clear the Air" ad campaign by the Pathways Alliance group of oilsands companies is a multi-million-dollar public relations blitz by an industry keen to show it's committed to helping fight climate change. It's also the target of the latest strategy by Canada's environmental movement, which has expanded its war against the fossil fuel industry to a new battleground: the federal Competition Bureau,” the Canadian Press reports. “In the last year, Canadian green groups have lodged at least four formal complaints with the bureau, the independent law enforcement agency tasked with protecting consumers by fostering a competitive marketplace. The complaints allege false or misleading environmental claims by fossil fuel companies or -- in the case of a complaint against RBC -- those who finance them. Under Canada's Competition Act, it only takes six signatories to a deceptive advertising complaint to compel the bureau to launch an investigation. While no conclusion of wrongdoing has been reached in any of the ongoing cases, the environmentalists hope their new strategy will raise awareness of what they call "greenwashing" -- a perceived tendency by companies to market their products and practices as more sustainable than they really are. "We're at a point, I think, with climate change where there are very few actual deniers left out there," Keith Brooks, program director of Environmental Defence, which is a co-signer to Greenpeace Canada's complaint against the Pathways Alliance as well as the lead complainant alleging deceptive marketing in a campaign by Enbridge Gas, told CP. "Most companies now are agreeing that this is an issue and that we need to go as far as net-zero (emissions) ... but, you know, the problem is that if it's just words, and not backed up by real action, then it actually is a tactic to delay action."
Canadian Press: Oil sands expected to contribute $420 billion in tax revenues by 2050
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, 10/1/23
“The oil sands sector in Canada is expected to generate nearly half a trillion dollars in revenues for the government over the next three decades, according to a new analysis by the Canadian Energy Centre (CEC),” the Canadian Press reports. “The analysis, based on data from Rystad Energy UCube, shows that under a conservative scenario of $60 USD per barrel for oil, the oil sands sector will contribute over US$420 billion to Canadian government coffers. Additionally investments into capital projects from 2023 to 2050 could total nearly US$328 billion. The CEC report also highlights how the oil sands sector is investing in low-emission technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCUS), to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net zero targets.”
Canadian Press: Imperial, Alberta regulator knew for years about tailings seepage at mine: documents
Bob Weber, 10/2/23
“Documents filed by Imperial Oil Ltd. show the company and Alberta’s energy regulator knew the Kearl oilsands mine was seeping tailings into groundwater years before a pool of contaminated fluid was reported on the surface, alarming area First Nations and triggering three investigations,” the Canadian Press reports. “They knew there was seepage to groundwater,” Mandy Olsgard, an environmental toxicologist who has consulted for area First Nations, told CP. “The (Alberta Energy Regulator) and Imperial decided not to notify the public and just manage it internally.” Imperial told CP in a statement that seepage was anticipated in Kearl’s original design. Spokeswoman Lisa Schmidt told CP the company has kept both the regulator and area communities informed. “We have been working to address the areas of shallow seepage from our operating lease area,” she told CP. “We recognize there are concerns regarding water quality, and we take this very seriously.” “...Olsgard points to groundwater monitoring reports filed by Imperial to the regulator. The 2020 and 2021 documents acknowledge tailings were seeping from the ponds that were supposed to contain them. The tailings were detected at monitoring wells within the mine’s lease area, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray… “Olsgard told CP the regulator had reports of seepage as early as 2019. Imperial had instituted a “seepage interception system” in 2015… “The (regulator) did not stop the seepage in 2022 and they didn’t acknowledge it since 2019,” Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro told CP in a statement. “They say they have contained the seepage. They have not. The fact that they did not tell us about the seepage for nine months is the tip of the iceberg.”
Bloomberg: Giant Gas-to-Methanol Machines Could Curb Methane Emissions
Aaron Clark September 29, 2023
“Semi trailer-sized machines could provide a unique solution to a major source of the fossil fuel industry’s methane problem,” Bloomberg reports. “Rather than flaring or venting the planet-warming gas into the atmosphere, the machines can convert it into methanol, a useful industrial material and fuel. Florida-based startup M2X Energy has raised more than $20 million from investors, including Bill Gates-backed Breakthrough Energy Ventures, to build its gas-to-methanol trailers. The methanol plants on wheels could help reduce methane emissions at remote locations like North Dakota’s Bakken shale play where gas is often produced as a byproduct of oil and a dearth of pipeline space means the fuel isn’t transported to market.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Banker: Why are banks still financing fossil fuels?
Anita Hawser, 10/2/23
“It’s almost eight years since 2015′s historic Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty on climate change — was signed by 196 parties, who agreed to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,” The Banker reports. “...But fossil fuel companies do not appear to have received the memo. The IEA’s Oil 2023 report states: “Global upstream investments in oil and gas exploration, extraction and production are on course to reach their highest levels since 2015, growing 11% year-on-year to $528bn in 2023.” It says if sustained, this level of investment would be adequate to meet forecast demand in the period (through to 2028) covered by the report, “however, it exceeds the amount that would be needed in a world that gets on track for net-zero emissions”. As demand for fossil fuels has surged, so too has financing. The 2023 “Banking on Climate Chaos Fossil Fuel Finance Report” published by Reclaim Finance, the Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack and other climate non-governmental organisations (NGOs), tracks fossil fuel financing by the world’s 60 largest banks, 49 of which have committed to net-zero emission targets. It found that fossil fuel financing reached $5.5tn in the seven years since the Paris Agreement was signed, with $669bn-worth in 2022 alone. “Banks have taken steps to transition to net zero, but they’re still miles off where they need to be,” Jeanne Martin, head of the banking programme at UK charity ShareAction, which promotes responsible investment, told The Banker. “What we’re really talking about here is whether new [fossil fuel] assets are needed, and an increasing pool of studies show that there is no space in the carbon budget for new oil and gas assets and their associated infrastructure.”
OPINION
Observer-Reporter: Carbon capture and storage has limited use
Donald Fitch, 10/1/23
“Washington County residents across the political spectrum respect Commissioner Diane Irey Vaughan, who has worked as she believed best for her constituents. Her recent editorial in the Observer-Reporter regarding carbon capture and sequestration, however, painted a picture that is more optimistic than the current state of that technology deserves,” Donald Fitch writes for the Observer-Reporter. “...But it is not a proven cost-effective process. Past carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects like Petra Nova, which captured carbon at scale, closed in 2020 and a CCS project at the Mountaineer plant in West Virginia shut down in 2011. Data indicates new projects won’t eliminate enough pollution to slow the warming we are experiencing. Environmental groups are suggesting that these efforts, which are promoted by the fossil fuel industries, amount to greenwashing and are intended to slow the transition away from polluting industries… “Carbon capture and storage will likely be a part of our future, but the energy it uses, its costs and potential risks will limit what it can do. We must not see it as a sole solution for advancement and prosperity in Washington County.”
Traverse City Record Eagle: Letter: Disinformation on the reality of climate change
Susan Wheadon, Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC) board member, 10/2/23
“It is hardly a surprise that we still have people who do not believe that climate change is caused by human activity. Billions of dollars have been spent to spread disinformation, and the fossil fuel industry has lined the pockets of our politicians setting our energy policies,” Susan Wheadon writes for the Traverse City Record Eagle. “The money saved from subsidies to the industry could have been spent to foster clean energy. A campaign to spread disinformation about clean energy is ongoing. The Mackinac Center, The Heritage Foundation, the Koch brothers and their legislative arm ALEC and other entities support positions that jeopardize our ability to lower carbon emissions to a safe level. In the Great Lakes region, the Canadian corporation Enbridge continues to threaten 21% of the world’s fresh surface water at a time when we have a global water crisis. This would be harmful to us and the climate refugees who will, no doubt, be fleeing to our area. Let’s become more aware so that future generations have access to clean water, clean air, food security and economic stability.”
Portland Press Herald: Letter to the editor: Bringing Big Oil to justice
Nancy Hasenfus, 9/29/23
“David Witherill’s Sept. 24 letter about the need for the fossil fuel industry to cover the cost of the damage they are causing us and our planet is right on. He points out that climate-related American disasters cost at least $165 billion in 2022. He urges that a carbon fee be placed on coal, gas and oil,” Nancy Hasenfus writes for the Portland Press Herald. “Legislative action such as he advocates is the best way forward. In America, however, there is a parallel path we can follow as we await legislative action. This is the justice system. On Sept. 15, the state of California filed a lawsuit against five of the largest fossil fuel companies as well as against the American Petroleum Institute… “There have been other environmental lawsuits filed in America, but nothing approaching this in size. This should have been on the front page of the Press Herald. There are successful precedents for this lawsuit, including lawsuits against the tobacco industry, the lead paint industry and the Sackler family for causing the opioid crisis. The media should be covering this closely, and other states should follow California’s lead.”
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Montana energy tour brings to life threats to our prosperity
Henry Kriegel is Legislative Director for Americans for Prosperity-Montana, 9/30/23
“Joe Biden declared his war on energy on day one of his administration when he canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline,” Henry Kriegel writes for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. “Make no mistake about it, Senator Jon Tester did not defend our energy independence and sufficiency. He voted against the XL Pipeline just hours after he voted for it, casting the deciding vote in 50-50 tie. With that one vote, Montana lost 2,000 construction jobs, $949 million in economic activity, and $60 million in annual property taxes. In addition, local businesses who geared up to support pipeline activities lost millions and with it the dreams of greater prosperity. AFP recently completed our Montana energy tour, traveling more than 2,000 miles and holding nine events in seven days. The tour highlighted the impact of Biden’s war on energy and the policies we need to unleash America’s vast energy resources… “While the war on energy is a challenging mental concept, visiting these sites including the hundreds of miles of unused pipeline in neighboring Scranton, North Dakota, the abandoned man camps in Miles City and the Colstrip power plants and seeing them made a far greater impression than mere words. Despite challenges facing Montana energy, we still believe that prosperity is possible with good polices driven locally, by those closest to the problem—not government mandates and cronyism that benefit a few and the elite.”
Albuquerque Journal: Permian Basin talent pool can lead in carbon capture and storage R&D
Dr. Tramaine Anderson-Silvas is Vice President for Instruction at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas; Dr. Nelia Dunbar is director and state geologist at New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, 10/1/23
“The Permian Basin, which spans Southeast New Mexico and West Texas, has long been an energy powerhouse. For generations it has supplied much of America’s oil and gas. But beneath the familiar landscape of drilling rigs is an overlooked asset, something we’ve been fortunate to see up close: a reservoir of talent and expertise capable of driving a new era in energy,” Tramaine Anderson-Silvas and Nelia Dunbar,write for the Albuquerque Journal. “We believe the Permian region can lead a decarbonized energy economy in the same way we have led the fossil fuel-focused energy economy since the 1923 discovery of oil here… “The Permian Energy Development Lab, which we are helping lead, is a new consortium of scientists, economic development specialists, energy industry experts and philanthropic leaders. We are sharply focused on ensuring the Permian Basin remains a leader in the global energy economy and that the benefits of this economy flow to local people and institutions. Imagine a future in which the Permian Basin is a hub for carbon capture and storage research and development. With our geological expertise, the region could repurpose oil and gas reservoirs for storing captured carbon dioxide, helping maintain growth while ensuring a safe environment for future generations… “We should also lead in dealing with produced water, a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing… “Embracing this expansion will bolster the Permian Basin’s legacy while propelling forward the region’s economy, communities, and people.”