EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/26/22
PIPELINE NEWS
NBC News: 'Our horses are ready': Native Americans and white farmers form an unlikely alliance to oppose a pipeline in the Dakotas
E&E News: Court poised to block key Mountain Valley pipeline permit
Reuters: Judge questions new water permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Politico: MVP: WE STILL ON?
Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline's permit to cross streams in West Virginia faces legal challenge
Iowa State Daily: County supervisors pass carbon pipeline ordinance
AgWeek: For North Dakotans wanting to be on the record about Summit Carbon pipeline, prepare to attend a hearing
Globe Gazette: Cerro Gordo County supervisors hear pipeline updates
Construct Connect: TC Energy, Pembina Pipeline enter into carbon sequestration agreement
NC Policy Watch: Colonial Pipeline contamination spreading in Huntersville
Science Daily: Study reveals soil moisture plays the biggest role in underground spread of natural gas leaking from pipelines
Law360: Feds Defend Trespass Claim Against Marathon Petroleum Unit
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Oil companies helping fund Republican takeover plans
E&E News: ‘Unconditional friend’: Meet the man shadowing Manchin
E&E News: Methane Wells Messed With Mule Deer Migration, Study Says
STATE UPDATES
WWNO: World’s leading hydrogen company sues Louisiana parish over carbon capture project
Source NM: Water companies want NM to reuse oil and gas byproduct, despite safety and environmental concerns
EXTRACTION
The Lancet: The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels
The Narwhal: How oil and gas lobbyists build ‘very close relationships’ with politicians and governments
CLIMATE FINANCE
Canadian Press: Investment boom coming for energy sector as 2050 looms, experts say
Bloomberg: BlackRock Raises $4.5 Billion for Infrastructure Investments
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
The Hill: Coke sponsorship of global climate summit draws activist ire
Enbridge: Building a home in the heart of outdoor learning
KTVZ: Family Access Network receives $5,000 grant from TC Energy Foundation
OPINION
The Hill: Keep all carbon removal approaches on the table at COP27
PIPELINE NEWS
NBC News: 'Our horses are ready': Native Americans and white farmers form an unlikely alliance to oppose a pipeline in the Dakotas
Gretchen Morgenson, Karla Hult, Andrew Davis, Lydia Bermel, Claire Boldt, Fricka Lindemann and Anna Mulhern, 10/25/22
“Since 2010, Joye Braun, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, has fought the construction of oil and gas pipelines in her region, working to protect sacred places where her forebears hunted and fished and lived and died. In many of those battles, Braun came up against white ranchers and farmers who supported the pipelines and received fees from the developers for the use of their land,” NBC News reports. “Today, Braun is opposing a huge new pipeline that would transport carbon dioxide across five Midwestern states — Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota. But this time she finds herself in an unusual alliance with white landowners who are also against the pipeline, like Ed Fischbach, a South Dakota farmer. Farmers have long supported oil pipelines, Fischbach told NBC News, because “we all need fuel and gas to run. But now they’re realizing that maybe, maybe the Native Americans weren’t all wrong. Because it wasn’t just an issue about whether we needed something — it’s an issue of protecting the environment, protecting our land, and protecting your own rights.” “...But some energy experts say safety is an issue with carbon capture pipelines — carbon dioxide doesn’t like to stay put, and the fear is that a pipeline could rupture and leak. “There isn’t really enough experience with these pipelines to be able to say they’ll be safe going forward for five years, or 10 years or 15 years,” Dennis Wamsted, an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told NBC. Given the potential for an accident along the route, “you have to train the first responders in all the little towns,” he told NBC. Wamsted also questions the need for the massive project, citing the rising popularity of electric vehicles that could eventually eliminate the demand for biofuel. “We are moving to a situation where we’re not going to have internal combustion engines in the long-term future, and we’re better off preparing for that now, instead of building a $4.5 billion pipeline,” he told NBC… “But some landowners are skeptical of the company’s promises, according to Erin Magrum of North Dakota, chairman of the Emmons County Commission, which governs the county… “At a vote in early August, the Emmons County Commission voted to require Summit to gain voluntary easements from all affected landowners in the county… “Asked about the vote in Emmons County, a Summit spokesman said in a statement: “Opponents of modern agriculture and traditional energy have mobilized and are activating landowners against the project using misinformation… “Braun told NBC she is afraid the Summit pipeline will disturb sacred land around Whitestone Hill. .. “Both Braun and Locke told NBC they are happy to be forging new ties with farmers and ranchers in opposition to the Summit project. Pipeline operators and federal and state governments “are always worried about Indians and cowboys and ranchers getting together and uniting,” Braun told NBC. “I do think we have a chance of winning in order to stop these pipelines. If any of those Republicans and Democrats think we’re going to roll over, our horses are ready.”
E&E News: Court poised to block key Mountain Valley pipeline permit
Niina H. Farah, 10/26/22
“A three-judge panel with a history of tossing out permits for the Mountain Valley pipeline appeared ready Tuesday to reject yet another approval for the natural gas project,” E&E News reports. “During oral arguments, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed a water permit certification for the pipeline and questioned whether the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection had done enough to protect the state’s waterways from sedimentation. But the judges seemed to stop short of overturning the permit entirely. “How difficult would it be if we send it back to them to fix it?” asked Judge James Wynn, appearing to consider sending the permit back to West Virginia DEP. “Maybe I’ve just been here too long,” said the judge, an Obama pick. “[We] send this back; they go into a room and then enter these additional things in the record — does it cure it?” “...Appalachian Mountain Advocates attorney Derek Teaney, who represented the Sierra Club and other environmental challengers, told E&E Tuesday that their complaint about the state water certification for Mountain Valley was not about a harmless agency error and called for the permit to be scrapped instead of sent back to state regulators. “We need to know what they are going to do so these violations don’t happen again,” he told E&E… “Judge Stephanie Thacker, an Obama pick, zeroed in on whether pipeline developer Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC had taken new action to correct its violations. Mountain Valley had mostly repackaged existing conditions detailed in a range of regulatory documents into a single restoration work plan — rather than detailing new requirements that could prevent future violations, said Teaney. Those conditions had resulted in more than 100 violations, Thacker noted. She pressed West Virginia Solicitor General Lindsay See on how the conditions could be considered protective. “We have to look at the past as a reasonable predictor of the future,” Thacker said.”
Reuters: Judge questions new water permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline
Clark Mindock, 10/25/22
“A federal circuit court judge on Tuesday said West Virginia regulators haven't adequately explained how approvals for construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline have been changed to avoid future water pollution, setting up another potential setback for the beleaguered natural gas pipeline,” Reuters reports. “A permit for the 303-mile proposed pipeline was challenged by environmental groups after the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) found 100 water-quality and sediment violations. During oral arguments at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday, a panel of judges asked attorneys for WVDEP to explain how new construction guidelines address the Sierra Club and other environmental groups' pollution concerns. "There's no question you have new conditions, what you don't have is an explanation as to why those conditions are specifically tailored to address past problems," Judge James Wynn said. The judge asked if would be an "easy fix" to remand the case back to the environmental agency for a do-over, which could likely add to mounting delays… “In other legal challenges, the 4th Circuit has previously vacated and remanded key approvals from federal agencies needed for the pipeline to cross a national forest as well as approvals for construction that were challenged due to endangered species concerns.”
Politico: MVP: WE STILL ON?
10/25/22
“Doubts are starting to creep in about the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate extension — which would stretch the pipeline 75 miles from Virginia into North Carolina — after the project’s owners dismissed their efforts to condemn approximately 275 acres of private land, according to a federal court filing,” Politico reports. “Shawn Day, a spokesperson for the Southgate project, said in a statement the company “remains committed” to the project “while at the same time evaluating the timing, scope and design of the Southgate project through ongoing discussions with current and prospective customers.” The move gives off “mixed signals,” David Bookbinder, chief counsel at the Niskanen Center, where he has represented private landowners against efforts to use eminent domain to condemn their properties for pipeline development, told Politico, “The dismissals certainly make it look like MVP is rethinking Southgate, but at the same time they are assuring their investors that all is well,” he told Politico. But environmentalists believe this is a sign the company is preparing to wave the white flag. If they’d wanted to simply “pause” the project as they say, then MVP would have asked the court to hold challenges to their condemnation in abeyance, Morgan Caplan, a spokesperson for the Sierra Club, which has challenged the pipeline, told Politico. Dismissing the lawsuit ultimately means that the company will need to refile if it wants to again try condemning that private land for the pipeline’s construction. “Ultimately, this dismissal exemplifies a step backward rather than pausing on moving forward,” Caplan told Politico.
Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline's permit to cross streams in West Virginia faces legal challenge
Laurence Hammack, 10/25/22
“A state permit that allows the Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross streams and wetlands is muddied by the company’s past violations of water quality standards, environmental groups asserted Tuesday,” the Roanoke Times reports. “In oral arguments to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, an attorney for the Sierra Club and other organizations asked that a certification granted last year by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection be struck down… “The Sierra Club also has filed a lawsuit against Virginia’s State Water Control Board, which awarded a similar water quality certification for the portion of the pipeline that passes through Southwest Virginia. Oral arguments in that case are scheduled for December… “At times, Sibley found himself at odds Tuesday with the three judges as they drilled down into the details of what additional precautions were taken by the West Virginia environmental agency in response to the earlier violations, and whether they were adequate. “I’m not trying to trap you on anything,” Judge James Wynn interjected at one point. “I’m just asking for facts.” “...In other pipeline news, Mountain Valley recently voluntarily dismissed eminent domain proceedings in North Carolina, where it sought to take privately owned land for an extension of the main pipeline that would run from its terminus in Pittsylvania County… “This decision by MVP is yet another example of how expensive, arduous, and unnecessary this project is,” Russell Chisholm of Giles County, who coordinates a citizen’s watch group that monitors construction, told the Times. “The MVP should give up now and stop dragging our communities onto this near-decade long rollercoaster that is sure to end in cancellation.”
Iowa State Daily: County supervisors pass carbon pipeline ordinance
Biong Biong, 10/25/22
“The Story County Board of Supervisors moved to pass an ordinance that aims to impose regulations on carbon pipelines proposed to run through the county,” Iowa State Daily reports. “The supervisors moved to waive a third hearing of the ordinance and passed it at Tuesday’s meeting. The supervisors only have the authority to regulate carbon pipelines, not dictate whether or not they are constructed. Story County Planning and Development Director, Amelia Schoeneman, told the Iowa State Daily over email the ordinance was made by analyzing research that most mirrored the conditions of Story County. “We then further investigated studies […] that provided a range of distances for the dispersion of these concentrations based on various diameters of pipeline,” Schoeneman said. “This allows our ordinance to have different setbacks based on pipeline size (distance of dispersion is based on the volume released, among other factors, and the volume released is in part based on pipeline size and pressure).” As this was the second hearing on the ordinance, the supervisors had little conversation on the line item.”
AgWeek: For North Dakotans wanting to be on the record about Summit Carbon pipeline, prepare to attend a hearing
Jeff Beach, 10/26/22
“If you want your thoughts on the massive carbon capture pipeline to be part of the official record in North Dakota, plan to travel to a public hearing,” AgWeek reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions filed for a permit with the North Dakota Public Service Commission on Oct. 17 for the last leg of the five-state, $4.5 billion project… “The next step in the permit process is for the PSC to review the application and deem it complete or ask Summit for more information. Once complete, the PSC will set up a series of public hearings on the project, which runs through 11 North Dakota counties — Cass, Richland, Sargent, Dickey, McIntosh, Logan, Emmons, Burleigh, Oliver, Morton and Mercer. Cass County is home to the only North Dakota ethanol plant that has so far signed on to the project — Tharaldson Ethanol at Casselton. The hearings will be the only way for public comments to be entered into the “evidentiary record,” John "Jack" Schuh, general counsel to the PSC, told AgWeek… “Comments also can be submitted to the PSC, but are not part of the evidentiary record. In other states where Summit has filed for a permit, Iowa, South Dakota and a portion of the Minnesota route, comments can be submitted online or by mail and are posted online for the public to view… “A key issue in the pipeline project is eminent domain, where private property can be taken if it is deemed to be for a public use. Opponents of the pipeline have said the carbon capture is not a public use. But in other pipeline projects, such as the Dakota Access oil pipeline, the pipeline was determined to be a “common carrier,” and the court system granted the right of eminent domain… “Opponents cite potential problems such as damage to farmland, negative effects on property vales, and safety hazards.”
Globe Gazette: Cerro Gordo County supervisors hear pipeline updates
Mary Loden, 10/25/22
“The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors received an update Tuesday from representatives of Summit Carbon Solutions on its proposal to place a carbon capture pipeline through 680 miles of the state, which includes about 28 miles of Cerro Gordo County,” the Globe Gazette reports. “Because of the strong ties between the ag industry and the ethanol industry, especially in Iowa, where 57% of corn grown goes to the ethanol plants …the ethanol plants will be able to sell to the growing markets, that we do expect to continue to grow, then the corn producers will be able to sell their corn for a premium,” said Summit representative Kaylee Langrell, of Turnkey Logistics, in explaining why this project is important. “The whole goal is to keep corn and ethanol viable into the future.” Langrell said that as of October 19 it was at around 65% of easement miles acquired in Cerro Gordo County. In the state of Iowa they have already acquired almost 55% of easement miles… “County supervisor Chris Watts said many of the people he has spoken with are concerned about the issue of eminent domain. “We don’t like eminent domain either. It’s a long process, it’s costly. We want to avoid it. Our goal is 100% voluntary acquisition,” Langree said. She said things have picked up In Cerro Gordo County and they are fairly confident that they won’t have any issues.”
Construct Connect: TC Energy, Pembina Pipeline enter into carbon sequestration agreement
10/25/22
“Alberta Carbon Grid (ACG) announced recently that both TC Energy and Pembina Pipeline have entered into a carbon sequestration evaluation agreement with the Alberta government to evaluate one of the largest areas of interest for safely storing carbon from industrial emissions in the province,” Construct Connect reports. “The agreement lets the ACG move forward to the next phase of the province’s Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) process, a TC Energy release stated. “The world is facing a huge challenge when it comes to energy security and transitioning to cleaner energy and we believe the Alberta Carbon Grid will play a critical role in helping achieve emissions reductions goals in Canada. We’re excited to achieve this milestone with the Alberta government and continue our path to becoming industry leaders in the energy transition and providing solutions to our customers,” said TC Energy vice-president of non-regulated commercial and business development Canadian gas pipelines Lindsay Mackay in a statement. ACG has secured rights to evaluate over 900,000 hectares north of Fort Saskatchewan. The area is considered an ideal CO2 storage location, the release said, because of proven deep porous geological formations and an ability to handle decades of storage capacity. The ACG is an open-access system and is intended to allow customers of all sizes and industries, including oil and gas producers, refineries, petrochemical plants and agricultural manufacturers, to access the system, the release stated… “ACG is a carbon transportation and sequestration system designed by both TC Energy and Pembina Pipeline.”
NC Policy Watch: Colonial Pipeline contamination spreading in Huntersville
Lisa Sorg, 10/25/22
“A plume of polluted groundwater is spreading in Mecklenburg County, where Colonial Pipeline is responsible for the largest gasoline spill in the U.S. since the early 1990s,” NC Policy Watch reports. “On Aug. 14, 2020, two teenage boys found gasoline bubbling from the ground at the Oehler Nature Preserve, in Huntersville. The company now estimates 2 million gallons leaked from a section of pipeline that had broken roughly a month before. The groundwater contains very high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, and other toxic contaminants related to petroleum products: toluene, xylene, naphthalene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH. Since the accident, Colonial has been pumping contaminated groundwater from the site and hauling it away for disposal. But groundwater being groundwater – it likes to move according to gravity, especially when it mingles with gasoline – the plume is expanding. Information from Colonial’s network of monitoring and recovery wells show that, over time, gasoline has migrated “somewhat from the original release site but remains contained in the general vicinity of the release location,” a Colonial spokesperson told Policy Watch via email. To contain the plume, Colonial has installed hydraulic control wells. When they are fully operational, the wells will “generate a significant amount of additional water being extracted from the ground,” the spokesperson said. To reduce costs of hauling contaminated wastewater offsite, Colonial is proposing to build a permanent wastewater treatment plant on land it has purchased. The plant would discharge treated water, as much as 500,000 gallons per day, into the North Prong of Clark Creek. DEQ would limit concentrations of contaminants in the wastewater, but those maximums have not been finalized. DEQ is reviewing the company’s wastewater discharge permit application.”
Science Daily: Study reveals soil moisture plays the biggest role in underground spread of natural gas leaking from pipelines
10/25/22
“Soil moisture content is the main factor that controls how far and at what concentration natural gas spreads from a leaked pipeline underground, a new study has found,” Science Daily reports. “Pipeline operators need to factor how the amount of water found in surrounding soil affects gas movement when trying to determine the potential hazards posed by a pipeline leak, said Southern Methodist University's Kathleen M. Smits, who led the study recently published in the journal Elementa that examined soil properties from 77 locations around the country where a gas leakage had occurred. "We don't need to look any further than Dallas or Georgetown, Texas to see where underground pipeline leaks have the potential to result in catastrophic outcomes," said Smits, SMU Lyle School of Engineering Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Solomon Professor for Global Development. "We often see that such incidents are the result of a lack of clear protocols to detect the leaks or assess damage. That's why there should be more focus on the importance of environmental factors such as soil moisture and how to properly account for them in leak scenarios." In general the team, co-led by Younki Cho, a research scientist at Colorado State University's Energy Institute, found that methane gas leaking from a pipeline does not spread as far when the soil moisture content increases. That results in a higher concentration of methane gas close to the leak site in more moist soil, the study revealed. The opposite was true with drier soil. But Smits stressed that simply knowing how wet the ground is at the time of the leak is not enough to make conclusions about how soil moisture content impacts gas movement. The moistness of the soil -- or lack thereof -- at the time of leak triggers different complex behaviors in the soil when methane gas seeps into the same spaces as water and oxygen in the pores of the soil. Soil moisture content can also change over time because of weather and other factors such as seasonal water table levels.”
Law360: Feds Defend Trespass Claim Against Marathon Petroleum Unit
Tom Lotshaw, 10/25/22
“The U.S. government told a North Dakota federal judge it is within its rights to pursue a trespassing counterclaim against the operator of a shut-down segment of a pipeline whose right-of-way agreement to cross 15 miles of tribal land expire nearly a decade ago,” Law360 reports.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Oil companies helping fund Republican takeover plans
Timothy Cama, 10/26/22
“If Republicans take the House or Senate majority in next month’s midterm elections, they’ll have the oil and natural gas industry to thank — at least to an extent,” E&E News reports. “Oil and gas companies have been among some of the biggest donors to the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund since the beginning of last year, federal campaign disclosures show. The organizations are closely tied to Republican congressional leaders and, as super political action committees, are able to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to advocate for and against candidates, as long as they do not coordinate directly with the candidates or their campaigns. Republicans are eager to pursue policies favoring the oil and gas industry, including more leasing on federal land and fewer climate restrictions. The GOP also plans to use committee gavels to pressure administration officials against President Joe Biden’s green agenda. CLF and SLF have poured more into elections in the midterm cycle than any other organization, federal records show, as the GOP looks to maximize gains in an election year when the president’s party is expected to do poorly. CLF has spent at least $136 million, and SLF has spent at least $180 million. Records show that Chevron Corp. has given $3 million to CLF as of Sept. 30, the most recent information available, making it among the biggest donors… “Fossil fuel interests have long favored Republicans in their giving. But this cycle’s oil and gas donations to Republican-aligned super PACs are particularly notable because they overshadowed most other interests… “Fossil fuel companies were initially skeptical of whether super PAC donations were a good idea, but many have since come around to it, Stephen Brown, an energy policy consultant and former lobbyist, told E&E. “I think they’re smart business investments. Totally defensible,” he told E&E. Brown also sees logic in reserving the big donations for Republicans, who have long been far friendlier to fossil fuel companies than Democrats.”
E&E News: ‘Unconditional friend’: Meet the man shadowing Manchin
Scott Waldman, 10/26/22
“When Larry Puccio quit as chief of staff for his longtime friend, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, it took him one week to become a lobbyist. The move was so abrupt in 2010, when Manchin was governor of West Virginia, that state legislators passed a law to prevent it from happening again. It’s known as the Puccio rule,” E&E News reports. “Now Puccio has followed his old friend to Washington. He leveraged his connections with Manchin to enter the federal lobbying scene for the first time last year, a move that put large energy companies within earshot of Manchin as he was molding historic climate and energy legislation to include remarkable prizes for the fossil fuel industry. The kinship reveals Manchin’s closeness to an industry at the center of congressional and scientific scrutiny for contributing to rising temperatures. Puccio’s ascent into federal lobbying came just before Manchin had diluted, or jettisoned, some of the strongest provisions proposed to reduce emissions within the power sector. When asked if he and Puccio had discussed certain details of the climate and energy bills, Manchin told E&E, “He’s an unconditional friend, and I talk to all my unconditional friends.” “...Some call him a “Manchin whisperer.” “There’s a lot of people who need Larry to obviously have an in with Joe,” Roman Prezioso, a former Democratic state senator and lifelong friend of Manchin who grew up down the road from him in Marion County, told E&E. “If you got an ace, you got to play it, and it’s made him very, very rich, and he’s been able to pick up a lot of clients.” Puccio’s success accelerated in 2021, when Manchin was sworn in as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Puccio began rostering federal energy clients within weeks of Manchin taking the gavel. Since then, Manchin’s legislative work stands to benefit Puccio’s clients. That includes provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as the bipartisan infrastructure law. Manchin was a key architect of both measures.”
E&E News: Methane Wells Messed With Mule Deer Migration, Study Says
Michael Doyle, 10/24/22
“Patience paid off for the scientists who spent 14 years monitoring how energy projects interfere with mule deer migration,” E&E News reports. “In a study noteworthy both for its timespan and its conclusions, a team of U.S. Geological Survey and other researchers determined that coal-bed methane wells in Wyoming stalled animal migration long enough that precious spring forage went stale. ‘It is rare to have a tracking study this long, because it is expensive and logistically complicated,’ said study lead author Ellen Aikens. ‘It is even more rare to have that data collection occur while such a dramatic change is occurring on the landscape.
STATE UPDATES
WWNO: World’s leading hydrogen company sues Louisiana parish over carbon capture project
Halle Parker, 10/24/22
“The world’s leading hydrogen supplier sued Livingston Parish last week over local attempts to block the company from storing carbon from its proposed $4.5 billion plant beneath Lake Maurepas,” WWNO reports. “Despite the threat of expensive litigation, some parish leaders say they want to fight the multibillion-dollar company in court to protect the swamp. Air Products Blue Energy, LLC – a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania-headquartered Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. – argued that state and federal law preempts the parish council’s recently passed moratorium on the drilling of wells needed to test the area’s ability to store carbon long-term. Those laws render the local moratorium “invalid and unenforceable,” according to the federal lawsuit filed on Oct. 18 in the Middle District Court in Baton Rouge. The company also argued if the local ordinance took effect, it would “directly contravene” the authority of several state and federal agencies. “It will also introduce uncertainty into a tightly structured and coordinated state and federal regulatory scheme,” wrote attorney Michael Drew of Jones Walker LLP, the law firm representing Air Products. Passed in a 5-2 vote on Oct. 13, the local ordinance aims to halt the construction for Class V injection wells for one year within Livingston Parish and its waterways. Companies use Class V wells to inject non-hazardous fluids into the ground… “But residents in southeast Louisiana have come out in droves to oppose the project, concerned about the safety of the pipeline, the risks of carbon dioxide leaks and the disruption of the lake’s fragile ecosystem. The swamps around Lake Maurepas have been in decline for years due to factors like saltwater intrusion with some studies predicting that most trees will be lost by the middle of the century. Over the past few months, hundreds of residents who live near Lake Maurepas have also expressed anger over being left out of the planning process, with many hearing about it for the first time from the governor’s announcement in October 2021. On Friday, Livingston Parish Councilmember Randy Delatte described the atmosphere surrounding the project and its potential environmental impact on the region as a “pandemic of fear.” “If you go to church, if you’re stopping to buy gas, or at the store, anything, everybody says, ‘Man, what can we do to stop it? Let us know,’” Delatte told WWNO… “Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks told the local newspaper that the parish attorney is “reviewing the suit and will certainly advise and defend the Parish.”
Source NM: Water companies want NM to reuse oil and gas byproduct, despite safety and environmental concerns
MEGAN GLEASON, 10/24/22
“A warming globe and dwindling water supply are forcing conversations on alternative water sources, so some water engineers and scientists are encouraging New Mexico to start treating and using the toxic water that comes from oil and gas extraction,” Source NM reports. “But environmental advocates say the chemically infused water is unsafe and untreatable. The New Mexico Desalination Association invited water experts to talk about how the state can move away from using traditional water sources at the New Water for New Mexico conference at the Sandia Resort and Casino on Thursday. They talked about alternative or unconventional sources of water New Mexico could turn to as its regular supply decreases, including recycling what’s called “produced water,” a byproduct of extraction. But since this toxic water is prohibited for reuse for anything other than the oil and gas industry in New Mexico, speakers suggested revising New Mexico’s water laws to make this happen… “Rebecca Sobel is the director of WildEarth Guardians and organized a news conference just a few miles away from the New Water conference to speak against reusing produced water. She told the Source it takes a lot of water to frack in the first place — about 9 million gallons for each drilled well in New Mexico, though the number varies, according to the NMED. “Our state’s precious freshwater is pumped 10,000 feet into the ground, coming back as a chemical cocktail known as — quote — produced water,” Sobel told the Source… “Organizer Sobel told the Source the water is too toxic to treat… “Ultimately, trying to make produced water an alternative water source is just a ploy to keep boosting the oil and gas industry, Sobel told the Source. The industry is thriving in New Mexico, generating billions of dollars for the state but, she pointed out, also leaving tons of environmental destruction in its wake. “It’s no secret that the industry’s strategy is to relabel their waste,” she told the Source, “so that they can more cheaply dump it into rivers, onto crops and into drinking water supplies.”
EXTRACTION
The Lancet: The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels
Marina Romanello, PhD, Claudia Di Napoli, PhD, Paul Drummond, MSc, Carole Green, BA, Harry Kennard, PhD, Pete Lampard, PhD et al., 10/25/22
“The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown is published as the world confronts profound and concurrent systemic shocks,” The Lancet reports. “Countries and health systems continue to contend with the health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a persistent fossil fuel overdependence has pushed the world into global energy and cost-of-living crises. As these crises unfold, climate change escalates unabated. Its worsening impacts are increasingly affecting the foundations of human health and wellbeing, exacerbating the vulnerability of the world's populations to concurrent health threats.”
The Narwhal: How oil and gas lobbyists build ‘very close relationships’ with politicians and governments
Carl Meyer, 10/26/22
“The relationship between governments and the fossil fuel industry in Canada is under the spotlight again after a high-profile staffer jumped straight from the Alberta premier’s office to one of the country’s most powerful oil and gas companies,” The Narwhal reports. “Critics say the move by Brock Harrison to TC Energy — the company behind the Coastal GasLink pipeline and one of the firms that pressured RCMP to enforce an injunction on Wet’suwet’en territory — is the latest example of a “revolving door” culture between government and industry, one that is threatening climate progress. Harrison had been the executive director of communications and planning for former Alberta premier Jason Kenney since late 2020. On a Thursday in late September, he posted a statement to Twitter saying he was leaving Kenney’s office. The following Monday, he announced he would be starting as TC Energy’s manager of government relations covering Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba… “Harrison was working for Kenney as TC Energy was lobbying the premier’s office for “government assistance” on the project, lobbying disclosure filings show… “When Harrison worked for Scheer, he was lobbied by the now-defunct Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, which counted TC Energy as a member. Having close, existing connections with people in government helps lobbyists create long-term relationships with decision makers, Gray-Donald told the Narwhal, adding these relationships help influence politicians’ and bureaucrats’ perceptions of an issue, and can crowd out competing perspectives… “This is the activity that oil and gas companies are trying to do — they’re trying to push their narrative, their reading of information, to get what they want from politicians,” Gray-Donald told the Narwhal. “And it has an effect of drowning out other information, other perspectives, other policy demands.” Going forward, the TC Energy team has registered over three dozen staff members to lobby 14 separate provincial ministries and other entities — including the premier’s office — on everything from market access for pipelines and natural gas to Indigenous relations, nuclear and hydrogen power, electricity transmission and environmental permitting.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Canadian Press: Investment boom coming for energy sector as 2050 looms, experts say
Amanda Stephenson, 10/25/22
“Canada's energy sector will be the recipient of a wave of public and private investment dollars in the coming decade, experts say, as the push to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 gains momentum,” the Canadian Press reports. “On Tuesday, the federal government through the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced an investment of almost $1 billion into Ontario Power Generation for the construction of the country's first small modular nuclear reactor, which is being developed near the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. It was the kind of blockbuster announcement we can expect to see more of as the coming energy transition gathers steam, Bruce Lourie, president of the Ivey Foundation, a private charitable foundation dedicated to supporting Canada's transition to a net-zero future while ensuring the country's long-term economic competitiveness, told CP. According to a report from RBC Capital, a record $920 billion was invested specifically in the global energy transition space in 2021, and tens of trillions more will be invested in the years to come as investors focus on decarbonization and growth… “But in recent months, the Canadian oil and gas sector has rolled out a flurry of announcements of proposed projects — from hydrogen plants to renewable diesel facilities to carbon capture and storage — aimed at lowering the industry's emissions profile.”
Bloomberg: BlackRock Raises $4.5 Billion for Infrastructure Investments
10/25/22
“BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest money manager, has raised $4.5 billion to invest in infrastructure assets it believes will benefit from a global shift to low-carbon energy,” Bloomberg reports. “The firm is targeting as much as $7.5 billion for its new infrastructure fund overall, BlackRock’s head of diversified infrastructure Mark Florian said in an interview. Having reached a first close of $4.5 billion, the fund will begin investing. Public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, ultra-high net worth individuals and insurance companies have put money into the fund, the firm said in a statement… “BlackRock is among the world’s largest investors in the energy industry, with stakes in publicly traded companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips. Its exposure to the sector through private markets has grown and its infrastructure platform now manages more than $50 billion in client assets across a range of funds. BlackRock began investing in renewable power in 2012, since when it has scaled up its presence. Among its investments are stakes in U.K. smart meter installer Calisen and U.S.-based natural gas producer Vanguard Renewables. BlackRock has faced criticism from some groups for prioritizing ESG concerns, like investing in sustainable energy sources, over shareholder profits.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
The Hill: Coke sponsorship of global climate summit draws activist ire
ZACK BUDRYK, 10/25/22
“The COP27 international climate summit doesn’t begin until November, but one of the conference’s sponsors, Coca-Cola, is already drawing the ire of climate advocates, who note the company’s outsize role in the carbon-intensive production of single-use plastics,” The Hill reports. “The company produces “120 billion plastic throwaway bottles each year, and 99 percent of plastics are made from fossil fuels,” Lisa Ramsden, senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA, told The Hill. “The more plastic they are producing, the more carbon that is being emitted into the atmosphere, so it’s ironic and it’s baffling that they are able to sponsor this really important conference on climate change,” she added. A number of other large corporations are listed as sponsors for the event, including Microsoft, Siemens Power and IBM. However, the role of plastics and plastic production in environmental degradation makes Coca-Cola’s presence particularly egregious, Ramsden told the Hill. “If plastics were a country, plastics would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. So I think that by letting Coke sponsor this conference, we’re just kind of ignoring the fact that plastics are a huge, huge contributor to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions,” she told the Hill. Sustainability consultant Georgia Elliott-Smith, a delegate to last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, has garnered more than 230,000 signatures for a petition seeking to remove Coca-Cola as a sponsor as of Tuesday afternoon.”
Enbridge: Building a home in the heart of outdoor learning
10/25/22
“What’s better than plotting graphs in a classroom? Plotting graphs in nature—and it’s even better when you’re observing the growth and changes of your own personal tree for a school year,” according to Enbridge. “At Waubun-Ogema-White Earth Schools (WOWE Schools), located in northwestern Minnesota, the organization’s School Forest programming offers outdoor learning experiences in the form of school-day, after-school and summer field trip and community-based programs for students and families… “Enbridge recently made a $150,000 Fueling Futures donation to Waubun-Ogema-White Earth School District as part of our commitment to help build vibrant and sustainable communities. The funding is being used to build these latest facilities. Though the pavilion won’t be completed until spring of 2023, it already has a name: The Gathering Place.”
KTVZ: Family Access Network receives $5,000 grant from TC Energy Foundation
10/25/22
“The Family Access Network received a $5,000 grant from the TC Energy Foundation to support low-income and income-constrained families in Central Oregon,” KTVZ reports. “...As we celebrate three decades of serving Central Oregon, we’re constantly reminded of the crucial role our long-time partners like the TC Energy Foundation play in making sure local kids have access to the resources they need to thrive,” Julie N. Lyche, FAN executive director, told KTVZ. “We’re so grateful for their continued support.” Giving back to the communities where they operate is an important value at TC Energy. They are committed to supporting organizations that build strong and vibrant communities, and encourage their employees to volunteer and support local initiatives across the country. In 2021, TC Energy invested C$28M in communities where they live and work across North America, through their giving programs. They are proud to support educational programs, first responders, and environmental sustainability in the regions where they operate.”
OPINION
The Hill: Keep all carbon removal approaches on the table at COP27
Ben Rubin is the executive director and co-founder of the Carbon Business Council, a technology-neutral trade association of more than 70 companies unified to restore the climate, 10/25/22
“World leaders have been gathering each year for nearly 30 years to confront a defining challenge of our generation: climate change. A large focus of previous climate negotiations has rightfully been placed on finding ways to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2). As heads of state convene in Egypt for the UN climate summit COP27, carbon removal is rising in prominence on the international stage as a crucial pillar of climate action,” Ben Rubin writes for The Hill. “Because of the delay in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, scientists say we need to remove gigatons of CO2 that’s already lodged in the atmosphere by 2030, in tandem with the crucial work of mitigation. All approaches to managing carbon should be on the international and national policy tables to keep the Paris Agreement on track and fuel the innovation that will be required for gigaton-scale impact. This innovation can be accelerated by policies that keep a level playing field for the variety of ways to remove and manage CO2… “In the same way that a diverse financial portfolio is often advised to keep retirement savings on track, a diverse carbon removal portfolio hedges against uncertainty… “As governments develop carbon management policies, enshrining a tech-neutral approach incentivizes market innovation, scales solutions and lowers costs. It is premature in this innovative age of carbon management to adopt singular policies that prioritize one solution over another, based on any one variable like cost per ton of removal or length of permanence. With gigatons of CO2 to remove and manage, we benefit from pursuing all pathways to reach this target in global and domestic policies.”