EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/26/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Illinois Commerce Commission Staff Recommends Rejection of Wolf CO2 Pipeline Permit
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Pipeline opponents sue to block Summit Carbon water permit
KELO: Navigator official talks CO2’s future
WGLT: McLean County plans more public testimony before deciding carbon capture zoning
WMBD: ‘Citizens of Tazewell County’ ask County Board to take a stance on CO2 Pipeline
York News-Times: Carbon capture pipeline project, which would go through York County, gets roadblocks
RFD TV: Pipeline projects are on pause across the country, except for one
FarmWeek: One Earth Energy proposes CO2 pipeline project
Pittsburgh Business Times: How Mountain Valley Pipeline's latest delays will hit partners
Law360: Tribes Say Sovereign Power Is At Stake In Pipeline Fight
Courthouse News Service: Louisiana Department of Wildlife says BP, Chevron and others are trespassing with their pipelines
Keokuk Daily Gate City: Supervisors explain how Dakota Access Pipeline has benefited the county
NRDC: “Staggering” Health Benefits From Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save Nearly $1 Trillion from Avoided Health Impacts
Common Dreams: 60% of US Oil and Gas Infrastructure Now Protected by Anti-Protest Laws: Greenpeace
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Johnson brings pro-oil, climate-skeptical record to speakership
Guardian: Fossil Fuel Firms Spent Millions On US Lawmakers Who Sponsored Anti-Protest Bills
Law360: BP, Shell Ask Alito To Stay Louisiana Coastal Restoration Trial
E&E News: The carbon removal project that puts communities in the driver’s seat
E&E News: Emails Show Interior Brass Dismay Over Biden Oil Move
STATE UPDATES
KRQE: Bernalillo County Commission opposes NM Gas Company’s proposed natural gas storage facility
Bakersfield Californian: It's not a project, but a vision: Carbon capture disputed before county supervisors
Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana adopts stronger rule to tackle orphaned oil well problem
EXTRACTION
Guardian: Earth’s ‘vital signs’ worse than at any time in human history, scientists warn
Axios: Fears of a climate calamity lurk in Big oil's big deals
DeSmog: LNG plant operators change their tune on carbon capture
Carbon Herald: Wall Street Journal To Host “Evaluating the Promise of Carbon Capture” Online Event
The Intercept: INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN THAT PUT AN OIL BOSS IN CHARGE OF A CLIMATE SUMMIT
CLIMATE FINANCE
New York Times: Is E.S.G. Falling Out of Favor?
E&E News: ‘Prudence demands we act’: Bank regulators unveil climate rules
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
CTV: Enbridge Gas donates CO alarms to rural communities in the Sudbury area
OPINION
The Hill: Bring hydrogen out of the shadows of the green transition
PIPELINE NEWS
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Illinois Commerce Commission Staff Recommends Rejection of Wolf CO2 Pipeline Permit
Mark Hefflinger, 10/26/23
“The staff of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has recommended in an official filing that commissioners reject a carbon pipeline permit application from Wolf Carbon Solutions, which has partnered with ethanol producer ADM on a proposed CO2 pipeline that would terminate in Illinois,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “The ICC staff’s recommendation of a rejection for the Wolf project follows its earlier similar recommendation that the ICC reject a proposed carbon pipeline permit application from Navigator CO2 Ventures, which withdrew its permit application before the ICC just a week before evidentiary hearings were set to begin — and announced last week that it was cancelling its pipeline project entirely. In the ICC’s filing on Wolf, staffer Brett Siegel documents that Wolf has secured zero agreements with CO2 sources, which is a necessary prerequisite for considering a permit application. Siegel also documents that Wolf has also reported zero agreements for underground sequestration space to store CO2, and also tellingly — the company reports that it has obtained zero easements with any landowners, despite being in the field with land agents pursuing easements since June. The ICC staff said that Wolf submitted a “centerline” pipeline corridor of a half-mile on either side, when ICC rules dictate that the corridor must be 200 feet, and as a result a large number of additional impacted landowners were required to be given notice, which Wolf failed to do properly. The ICC staff said that Wolf has not provided any Emergency Response Plan, and that it would not be made available until 60 days before start of construction. Finally, the ICC staff recommended that CO2-related permit applications be held until the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) releases updated safety rules on CO2 pipelines, expected to be released sometime next year.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Pipeline opponents sue to block Summit Carbon water permit
JARED STRONG, 10/25/23
“A carbon dioxide pipeline company’s request to withdraw more than 50 million gallons of water each year from the ground near an ethanol plant does not serve a “beneficial use” and should be denied, according to a lawsuit recently filed against the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “...Their concern is that the water withdrawals would “adversely impact the sources of their drinking water” and that the purpose of those withdrawals does not comply with a “beneficial use” requirement in state law, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Wally Taylor, an attorney for the Sierra Club of Iowa… “Summit’s permit allows it to withdraw nearly 56 million gallons of water each year, according to DNR records. That is more than nearby Lawler, a town of 400 people that can withdraw up to 18 million gallons annually. But it is considerably less than New Hampton, another nearby town of about 3,400 that can withdraw 313 million gallons. The DNR has not yet responded to the lawsuit in district court. Summit is seeking another water withdrawal permit in Wright County.”
KELO: Navigator official talks CO2’s future
Rae Yost, 10/25/23
“There’s a future for carbon dioxide pipelines in the Midwest, said Elizabeth Burns-Thompson of Navigator’s Heartland Greenway Project,” KELO reports. “Do I think it happens this year? I don’t believe so,” Burns-Thompson said. “I do think the infrastructure will get developed at some point down the road. Is this the time in which society is ready for it? I don’t know that society is ready for it.” “...Looking back, I wish we would have called it a transportation network instead of a pipeline, Burns-Thompson told KELO somewhat in jest. But in a serious tone, Burns-Thompson told KELO the project was a victim of the story, or model, that the pipeline would be created for only the sequestration of CO2… “Burns-Thompson told KELO more education and public understanding of the development of infrastructure would have been helpful. Navigator could have been more cognizant of the level of fatigue landowners may have had with projects, she told KELO. Some of the farms had easements or agreements with solar, or wind, or other projects which can create fatigue for what’s next, Burns-Thompson told KELO… “Another narrative emerged in opposition to the proposed CO2 pipeline: eminent domain. “Frankly, I’m not sure what the solution is here on this, the conversation about eminent domain has dominated so much of the last 2 1/2 years of my time on the project. I don’t say that to be exhaustive of the topic… when you have this picture painted, by folks who were opposing the project, frankly, that spent more time talking about eminent domain than they did about the substantive portions of the project. That’s unfortunate.,” Burns-Thompson told KELO… “Burns-Thompson told KELO Navigator did not ask for project support from political or government officials such as lawmakers or governors… “The conversation about carbon I don’t believe is going away even if this project does go away because the marketplaces aren’t going away,” Burns-Thompson told KELO… “I do think we had a very good project. I don’t know that society (was) ready.”
WGLT: McLean County plans more public testimony before deciding carbon capture zoning
Colin Hardman, 10/25/23
“McLean County grew only slightly closer to a decision on permits for carbon sequestration wells on Tuesday night after three hours of testimony,” WGLT reports. “The county’s Zoning Board of Appeals may schedule up to two more meetings before deciding on special-use permit requirements for carbon sequestration… “The McLean County Land Use and Development Committee voted in September to requite sequestration wells be placed no less than 1,500 feet away from an occupied residence, livestock shelter, school, community building or commercial and manufacturing building. The ZBA was initially set to hear the issue on Oct. 3, but the hearing was postponed due to a large public turnout in a small room. Tuesday’s meeting marked the board’s return to the newly renovated McLean County Board room, but in this meeting, time — not space — was the limitation. After three hours of discussion among board members and testimony from more than a dozen members of the public, the board adjourned around 10:15 p.m… “Don Carlson, executive director of Illinois People’s Action (IPA), a progressive faith-based community group that’s opposed to the project, testified Navigator has not withdrawn its well drilling permit with the Environmental Protection Agency. Navigator has been talking with landowners in McLean, Logan and Tazewell counties about placing sequestration wells on their property… “Skepticism about the wells filled most of the room, with about 30 public attendees pushing for more restrictive policy. Of particular concern was the potential of above-ground leakage of carbon dioxide from pipelines and wells, producing a plume of invisible, scentless and poisonous gas. An example was given in the form of the 2020 Satartia CO2 pipeline rupture in Mississippi that hospitalized dozens and left some with lasting health effects… “Lea Cline, chair of the McLean County Land Use and Development Committee, said Navigator made an informal offer to the county of $29 million over 30 years, but she said the county never responded to that offer… “The ZBA plans to reconvene on the issue on Oct. 31. It may hold an additional hearing on Nov. 14 if needed.”
WMBD: ‘Citizens of Tazewell County’ ask County Board to take a stance on CO2 Pipeline
Breanna Rittman, 10/25/23
“Despite the company Navigator canceling its plans for a pipeline through Illinois, Wolf Carbon Solutions still wants to build a CO2 pipeline,” WMBD reports. “On Wednesday, the group Citizens of Tazewell County once again spoke out against the proposed CO2 pipeline at the Tazewell County Board Meeting. The group presented the county board with signed petitions opposing the pipelines. The opposition group has acquired more than 2,000 signatures. During the public comment portion, citizens called out the board for not taking a collective and public stance on the pipeline… “This county has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years protecting, supporting, enabling, removing obstacles from all of our school districts in the county, including Rankin,” said Russ Crawford, District 3 Representative for the County Board. “It would be a tragedy to now when Rankin needs us the most to turn our backs.” Crawford also spoke about the potential impact on the Mahomet Aquifer. “I can’t sit here and tell you would or wouldn’t affect that aquifer. But the very fact that it might, tells me that this a big red flag.” The District 3 representative’s words were met with cheers once he said he wanted to ask the executive committee for a resolution by the county board opposing the project. “I agree that the county doesn’t have the authority to approve it or deny it. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stand up for the citizens of Tazewell County,” said Crawford.
York News-Times: Carbon capture pipeline project, which would go through York County, gets roadblocks
10/25/23
“Summit Carbon Solutions, a company proposing to create a 2,000-mile carbon capture pipeline which would go through York County, has been dealt roadblocks to its $5.5 billion project as regulatory panels in North Dakota and South Dakota denied their permit applications,” the York News-Times reports. “...Meanwhile, York County’s planning and zoning committee has been working on local regulations pertaining to these types of projects, as they currently do not exist in York County’s zoning regulations. York County’s zoning regulations have been a focus for months, as the county could see this project pass through, if it becomes reality… “Back in March, Ben Fuller and Eric Welsch from Summit Carbon Solutions told the York County Commissioners they had been gaining on easements in York County and throughout Nebraska. At that point, the company was at 41% of the easements (need for the project) in the county with 7.69 miles of voluntary easements.”
RFD TV: Pipeline projects are on pause across the country, except for one
10/25/23
“Pipeline projects are on pause across the country,” RFD TV reports. “Navigator CO2 recently announced it canceled its plans, while Summit Carbon is pushing back by a couple of years. However, one company says that it is pressing on. ADM says that it plans for CO2 pipelines across the Midwest have not changed despite farmer opposition. The company’s CEO told RFD TV that he is working with authorities in different states to get it done. He acknowledges they may end up like their competitors or he says that they will just have less competition.”
FarmWeek: One Earth Energy proposes CO2 pipeline project
TIMOTHY EGGERT, 10/26/23
“A central Illinois company is the latest to formally ask state regulators for permission to build a pipeline capable of transporting for permanent storage the carbon dioxide captured from ethanol production,” FarmWeek reports. “One Earth Sequestration, a Ford County-based firm, filed Oct. 18 its Application for Certificate of Authority (CoA) with the Illinois Commerce Commission to construct in Illinois the 7.34-mile One Earth Sequestration (OES) Pipeline… “Unlike the previous two proposed interstate pipelines, the OES Pipeline would have a smaller footprint and function as an intrastate project. The OES Pipeline would transport liquid carbon dioxide captured from the 150-million-gallon ethanol facility operated by One Earth Energy in Gibson City (Ford County) to an injection site in McLean County, according to the 36-page filing… “It would then move west and north into McLean County through a 6.72-mile trunkline before splitting into 0.62 miles-worth of lateral lines. Those lateral lines would connect to three separate injection wells, according to the filing. An Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA) related to the proposed project has been finalized between the company and the Illinois Department of Agriculture, according to the filing. If approved, construction of the OES Pipeline would start in 2024, with service expected in 2025.“
Pittsburgh Business Times: How Mountain Valley Pipeline's latest delays will hit partners
10/24/23
“Equitrans Midstream Corp.'s acknowledgement last week that the Mountain Valley Pipeline will be further delayed and cost more than previously expected will put pressure on MVP's joint venture partners and customers of the oft-delayed pipeline, according to a new report,” the Pittsburgh Business Times reports. “...The pipeline's cost has now ballooned to $7.2 billion from $6.6 billion. That's going to impact Equitrans, which is building the pipeline and will operate and partially own it; EQT Corp, which has a big contract to ship gas on it, as well as MVP joint partners Roanoke Gas, AltaGas and Consolidated Edison of New York. The new pipeline now won't be available for most of the coming winter, leaving eastern U.S. markets more vulnerable if the season is severe," East Daley Partners wrote in a report published Tuesday… "Delays to MVP have prevented EQT from potentially growing production into the new pipeline capacity in the peak demand season," East Daley said… “And Equitrans will also feel the heat, the analysis said: It can't operate its Hammerhead pipeline, which is in Pennsylvania and feeds MVP local Marcellus and Utica Shale gas, nor is it able to move forward on the MVP Southgate extension in North Carolina. "These projects and other contract provisions are all contingent on MVP entering service and are critical to ETRN's ability to de-lever," East Daley said.
Law360: Tribes Say Sovereign Power Is At Stake In Pipeline Fight
Joyce Hansen, 10/24/23
“A slew of Native American tribes argue that tribal sovereignty is central to a dispute involving the court-ordered shutdown of an Enbridge Energy oil and natural gas pipeline that traverses a Chippewa band’s reservation, saying tribes must have the power to exclude non-Indians from their lands,” Law360 reports. “Thirty-two federally recognized tribes and related groups — including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Navajo Nation and the National Congress of American Indians — told the Seventh Circuit Monday that the sovereignty not only of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians but all tribes was undermined when a federal judge gave Enbridge Energy Co. three years to reroute its controversial Line 5 rather than expelling it immediately. The trespassing dispute between Enbridge and the Bad River Band concerns 12 miles of the company’s 645-mile-long oil and gas pipeline. :Trespass on tribal lands threatens the political integrity of tribal nations and their ability to exercise their inherent sovereign powers of self-government and territorial management,” according to the tribes and groups’ amicus brief supporting the Bad River Band’s appeal over the three-year timeline. “Trespass has been used to dispossess and destroy tribal nations for centuries. This history informs the severity of the injuries tribal nations suffer from trespass today and the need for courts to order and enforce meaningful remedies.”
Courthouse News Service: Louisiana Department of Wildlife says BP, Chevron and others are trespassing with their pipelines
SABRINA CANFIELD, 10/25/23
“Chevron, BP and two other oil companies are being asked to restore wetlands on a national wildlife reserve in Louisiana to its original condition and remove their pipelines from the land in a lawsuit filed Wednesday,” Courthouse News Service reports. “The Louisiana Department of Wildlife in Jefferson Parish state court in the outskirts of New Orleans said in the suit that oil companies who have been operating pipelines on Elmer’s Island —some since the 1950s — promised to maintain the pipelines from the start and knew that not doing so would result in habitat loss and coastal erosion… “BP Oil Pipeline Company, Chevron Pipeline Company, Arrowhead Gulf Coast Pipeline LLC and Plains Pipeline LP — all named defendants in the suit — have damaged Elmers Island by allowing their pipeline to cause erosion and in failing to maintain the canals, according to the lawsuit… “The plaintiff claims the pipeline companies have known since at least the 1950s that pipeline canals will widen and swallow surrounding lands without safeguards and maintenance and yet have failed to maintain their pipelines and canals. “Instead of instituting regular maintenance programs and taking steps to redress these recognized impacts by the canals, pipeline companies undertook no significant measures to prevent or ameliorate the resulting damage to the land and the losses to the public of resources and protection,” the lawsuit states… “The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the pipeline companies were fraudulent, acted in bad faith and with reckless indifference to property rights, and are in violation of the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act. The department wants the property restored to the extent it can be and damages for what cannot be restored. It additionally wants defendants off the property.”
Keokuk Daily Gate City: Supervisors explain how Dakota Access Pipeline has benefited the county
Robin Delaney, 10/24/23
“Not all pipeline projects are the same. On the heals of Navigator CO2 officials announcing the cancelling of their proposed CO2 pipeline project after two years of sustained public opposition, Lee County Supervisors were asked to submit a letter outlining the financial benefits the county has reaped over the last six years from the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL),” the Keokuk Daily Gate City reports. “They’re wanting another impact statement basically supporting the pipeline and how it would impact Lee County if that pipeline were slowed or stopped,” Supervisor Chairman Garry Seyb explained at supervisors’ meeting Monday. The letter is to help convince the Corps of Engineers to reissue the needed easement for the pipeline’s operations. “The County has greatly benefited from DAPL’s more than 6 years of safe operation. DAPL has paid our County over $7.3 million in property taxes between 2017 and 2021, with nearly $2.5 million in additional estimated property taxes to be paid to the County for the 2022 tax yea,” the letter, signed by Seyb on behalf of the county, states. Further, the letter states this money has been used to support schools, road construction, maintenance, emergency services, such as fire and police, and a variety of community health care services… “Seyb states in the letter that the current Environmental Impact States does not include the negative impact the county would incur if the Corps do not reissue the easement needed to continue operations.”
NRDC: “Staggering” Health Benefits From Replacing Lead Water Pipes Could Save Nearly $1 Trillion from Avoided Health Impacts
10/25/23
“Replacing every lead pipe that delivers drinking water to homes nationwide would yield hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health costs, according to a new state-by-state analysis released today from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Getting the Lead Out” finds that every state would reap enormous savings in avoided health costs – with nearly 90% of the savings coming from reduced cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. “Decades ago, health risks led to a ban on lead from gasoline and paint, but lead remains widespread in drinking water across the nation. This is an urgent public health crisis, as tens of millions of people essentially drink water from a lead straw, unaware of the big risk to their health,” said Erik D. Olson, NRDC’s senior strategic director for health, who authored the report. “We found staggering health and dollar benefits for removing lead water pipes. And water utilities that do nothing are essentially opting in favor of avoidable and costly health risks and even deaths.” Federal rules for tap water adopted by the Trump Administration in 2021 failed to consider these enormous public health benefits. However, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) poised to release a new rule regulating lead in drinking water in a few weeks, the agency is expected to require that all lead drinking water pipes be fully replaced. Health experts agree there is no safe level of exposure to lead. In addition to long-known risks, such as damage to children’s brains and certain cancers, the American Heart Association recently issued a formal Scientific Statement emphasizing there is significant evidence that exposure to lead is linked to numerous cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack. The risk of heart disease is especially high in populations of color and low socioeconomic means, due in part to greater lead exposure.”
Common Dreams: 60% of US Oil and Gas Infrastructure Now Protected by Anti-Protest Laws: Greenpeace
OLIVIA ROSANE, 10/25/23
“In the seven years since the massive protests against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock, the fossil fuel industry and their allies in politics and law enforcement have been hard at work to prevent a repeat: Around 60% of oil and gas infrastructure in the U.S. is now shielded by anti-protest laws that make direct action much riskier for activists and frontline communities who want to protect their local and global home from dangerous pollution, a new Greenpeace report has found,” Common Dreams reports. “The report, Dollars vs. Democracy 2023: Inside the Fossil Fuel Industry's Playbook to Suppress Protest and Dissent in the United States, reveals that fossil fuel companies made up nine of the 10 most determined lobbyists for anti-protest measures since 2017 and that 25 oil, gas, coal, and energy companies contributed more than $5 million to legislators who sponsored these laws… “Since 2017, 18 states have passed critical infrastructure laws that now protect around 60% of oil and gas infrastructure, and four other states have passed slightly watered-down versions of these laws. In 2023 alone, lawmakers have introduced 23 anti-protest bills in 15 states, and four states have passed anti-fossil fuel protest laws. North Carolina passed the most draconian of the year. It classifies trespassing on an energy facility as a felony punishable with up to two years in prison and attempting to “obstruct, impede, or impair the services of transmissions of an energy facility" as felonies that carry up to 19 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Oregon, Utah, and Georgia also passed more limited anti-protest laws. The oil, gas, and coal industry has financed the spread of these laws: Nine of the top 10 lobbyists for these bills from 2017 to 2023 were Marathon, ExxonMobil, Enbridge, TC Energy, Koch Industries, Chevron, Energy Transfer, Williams Companies, and Valero. In addition, 25 fossil fuel companies gave $5 billion to lawmakers pushing these laws, with the top five donors being Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, Marathon Petroleum, BNSF Railway Co., and Koch Industries… "The fossil fuel industry has lobbied for these extreme anti-protest laws to shut down criticism of them," Nicholas Robinson, senior legal advisor at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, said in a statement. "Climate change is an urgent challenge and all Americans, including the communities most impacted by these fossil fuel projects, have a right to have their voice heard, not silenced, at this critical moment for the planet."
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Johnson brings pro-oil, climate-skeptical record to speakership
ZACK BUDRYK, 10/25/23
“Newly minted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who won the gavel Wednesday after three prior Republican nominees failed to reach a majority, is a longtime ally of the oil industry and will be perhaps the most vocal skeptic of the scientific consensus on climate change ever to hold the speakership,” The Hill reports. “Johnson, whose district includes the onetime oil industry hub of Shreveport, received a 100 percent rating from the pro-fossil fuel American Energy Alliance in 2022, along with every other Republican in Louisiana’s House delegation… “Individuals and PACs associated with the oil and gas industry have donated $23,800 to Johnson in the 2023-2024 campaign cycle, the largest amount he received from any group save retired donors, according to data from OpenSecrets.org. In the 2021-2022 cycle, the sector donated $84,350. In 2017, Johnson denied human-caused climate change at a town hall, telling attendees, “The climate is changing, but the question is, is it being caused by natural cycles over the span of the Earth’s history? Or is it changing because we drive SUVs? I don’t believe in the latter. I don’t think that’s the primary driver.” Johnson has a lifetime score of 2 percent on climate and environmental issues from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which excoriated him in a statement following his election. “Johnson has led attacks on our elections, denied that climate change is a result of fossil fuels and polluters, and appears poised to continue to cater to Big Oil and Gas allies as Speaker,” LCV Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld told The Hill.”
Guardian: Fossil Fuel Firms Spent Millions On US Lawmakers Who Sponsored Anti-Protest Bills
Nina Lakhani, 10/25/23
“Fossil fuel companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign donations to state lawmakers who sponsored anti-protest laws – which now shield about 60% of US gas and oil operations from protest and civil disobedience, according to a new report from Greenpeace USA,” the Guardian reports. “Eighteen states including Montana, Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia and the Dakotas have enacted sweeping anti-protest laws which boost penalties for trespass near so-called critical infrastructure, that make it far riskier for communities to oppose pipelines and other fossil fuel projects that threaten their land, water and the global climate. Another four states have enacted narrower versions of the same law, but which could still be exploited to issue trumped-up charges against peaceful protesters. Many were based on a ‘model bill’ promoted by the industry-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). According to the report, nine of the top 10 companies that lobbied most for anti-protest bills since 2017 are fossil fuel companies, including US companies ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and Marathon Petroleum, as well as Canadian companies Enbridge and TC Energy (Trans Canada).”
Law360: BP, Shell Ask Alito To Stay Louisiana Coastal Restoration Trial
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 10/24/23
“Fearing that Louisiana coastal residents won’t give them a fair trial, BP America and Shell Oil are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to freeze a local government’s $7 billion lawsuit alleging that their drilling activities caused erosion and move the case elsewhere,” Law360 reports. “Cameron Parish is suing several energy companies in state court under the Louisiana State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act, alleging that their actions over nearly 100 years have violated coastal use permits for oil and gas operations and caused land loss via erosion. With an eight-week trial scheduled to begin on Nov. 27, BP America Production Co., Shell Oil Co. and Hilcorp Energy Co. have unsuccessfully, thus far, sought to move the case to a new venue and now are appealing to the justices as a last resort. The companies say “every one” of the roughly 5,000 people in Cameron “has a substantial personal and financial interest in rendering a verdict for their home parish.” “This unprecedented situation threatens the clearly established federal due process rights of these defendants to have their case adjudicated by a neutral, disinterested decisionmaker,” BP, Shell and Hilcorp said in an Oct. 17 application for an emergency stay of the trial that was submitted to Justice Samuel Alito.”
E&E News: The carbon removal project that puts communities in the driver’s seat
Jean Chemnick, 10/26/23
“The Department of Energy is funding nearly two dozen direct air capture projects. But only one of them aims to be community-led — and maybe even community-owned,” E&E News reports. “The Community Alliance for Direct Air Capture (CALDAC) is in line to receive $3 million to study the feasibility of sucking massive quantities of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The coalition of researchers, start-ups and nonprofits will explore building a carbon removal facility in the economically hard-hit San Joaquin Valley — home to California’s declining oil and gas industry. Their main focus: creating a model for how local communities can help design, govern and perhaps even own the major industrial facilities built in their midst… “But Bedsworth and other project leads tell E&E they’ve also voluntarily created a set of “go/no go” decision points to determine whether it’s feasible for the project to operate in a way that enjoys community support and provides needed benefits. That’s a test that project developers have rarely had to meet… “But some environmental justice advocates are wary of building a direct air capture facility in any town. Daniel Ress, a staff attorney at the Center on Race, Poverty & Environment’s Delano, Calif., office, told E&E that while he appreciated CALDAC’s approach to community engagement, he’s opposing the project for now. He expressed concern that the project would partner with polluting local industries like biomass. Carbon removal projects should also be built far away from population centers, he told E&E, and not in towns — as CALDAC has proposed… “But Holmes told E&E he may not ultimately support the project. He has misgivings about the choice of disadvantaged San Joaquin Valley with its history of exploitation by industry. CALDAC hasn’t settled on an injection site yet, and it wants to store at least 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year somewhere nearby. “We know about geological storage reserves here based on the racist history of oil and gas exploration,” he told E&E. “We don’t even know what the rocks are like underneath really rich people.”
E&E News: Emails Show Interior Brass Dismay Over Biden Oil Move
Heather Richards, 10/24/23
“Top Interior Department officials sympathized with Democrats ‘disappointed’ in the Biden administration’s decision to revive oil and gas leasing on public lands in 2021, according to internal emails,” E&E News reports. “Bureau of Land Management senior official Nada Culver and several others expressed agreement with a top House Democrat’s opposition to new oil sales before Interior had completed a review of the nation’s oil program and potentially instituted reforms. “That’s an excellent response,” Culver said of the lawmaker’s critique in an email exchange with colleagues. The emails, obtained in a public records request, shine fresh light on how Interior’s officials felt behind the scenes as the future of the nation’s oil and gas program played out in the public eye. Sparking lasting tension with GOP lawmakers and the oil industry, President Joe Biden instituted a moratorium on new oil and gas lease sales on his first week in office. That pause was meant to be in place until Interior completed a review of the oil program that considered its return to American taxpayers and its climate impacts.”
STATE UPDATES
KRQE: Bernalillo County Commission opposes NM Gas Company’s proposed natural gas storage facility
Alexa Skonieski, 10/24/23
“The community came out in force Tuesday to oppose a controversial project they said will be a danger to everyone in the Metro,” KRQE reports. “The nearly two dozen community members spoke against a proposed gas storage facility on the west side even though the New Mexico Gas Company stands behind it. “The liquefied natural gas plant will further worsen the climate crisis in a moment when we need to phase out fossil fuels,” a resident said. One after the other, people spoke out at the Bernalillo County Commission meeting Tuesday. “There would be numerous safety risks, health concerns, and financial costs placed on New Mexicans, which we don’t need or want,” another resident said. They were opposing New Mexico Gas Company’s proposed Liquified Natural Gas Storage facility on the outskirts of Rio Rancho, just north of Double Eagle Airport. “The consideration of the proposal makes me feel as though my life, my family’s lives, and our health are less important than the financial gain of the oil and gas industry.” The only person to speak in favor of the facility during public comment was New Mexico Gas Company’s Vice President who said the proposed $180 million project would be safe and bring many benefits, like protecting their customers from price hikes… “The resolution passed 4 to 1. Commissioner Walt Benson voted against it.”
Bakersfield Californian: It's not a project, but a vision: Carbon capture disputed before county supervisors
JOHN DONEGAN, 10/24/23
“The carbon capture conversation came before the Kern County Board of Supervisors' dais once again Tuesday as community advocates asked for specifics on when and where the county’s potential carbon business park will come to fruition,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “Advocates criticized the county, citing a lack of transparency around a park they feel will worsen air quality and further saddle poor communities with industrial pollution. “The last time we heard about this project was during a workshop in the spring and then the report was released,” said Emma De La Rosa, a regional policy manager with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability. “We haven’t heard anything about the location, the permits … we request that information.” This comes more than a year after Kern Planning and Natural Resources Director Lorelei Oviatt first proposed the idea of a Carbon Management Business Park, with funding through the federal Department of Energy… “But conversation was split Tuesday, between advocates and county staff, on how effective carbon sequestration actually is. Stephanie Valenzuela, with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, said sequestration projects are “still under research and experimental,” and tend to overpromise on their results. “They are not the climate solutions they claim to be, " Valenzuela said. “The business park is being pushed by oil and gas interests in the Valley as a means to protect their dying industries.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana adopts stronger rule to tackle orphaned oil well problem
WESLEY MULLER, 10/24/23
“The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources finalized a new rule Friday to help reduce the number of orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the state,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “At one point last year, Louisiana had more than 4,600 wells considered orphaned, meaning they were abandoned with no financially viable owner to take responsibility. These wells can pose a significant risk to the environment through leaks or damage and can be costly for taxpayers to repair. There are also approximately 17,000 non-productive oil and gas wells in Louisiana registered as having future utility, meaning the operator claims they could be used in the future. As a result, the state doesn’t require the operator to plug the well… “The new Natural Resources regulation puts limits on extensions of the future utility status oil and gas drillers can receive and increases fees on wells that have been inactive and unplugged for five years or more. It also reduces fees for operators who plug 10 or more wells in a year. The federal government is providing Louisiana with more than $100 million through 2030 to plug orphaned wells. With that funding, the Department of Natural Resources has hired contractors to plug about 500 wells so far this year.”
EXTRACTION
Guardian: Earth’s ‘vital signs’ worse than at any time in human history, scientists warn
Damian Carrington, 10/24/23
“Earth’s “vital signs” are worse than at any time in human history, an international team of scientists has warned, meaning life on the planet is in peril,” the Guardian reports. “Their report found that 20 of the 35 planetary vital signs they use to track the climate crisis are at record extremes. As well as greenhouse gas emissions, global temperature and sea level rise, the indicators also include human and livestock population numbers. Many climate records were broken by enormous margins in 2023, including global air temperature, ocean temperature and Antarctic sea ice extent, the researchers said… “The researchers urged a transition to a global economy that prioritised human wellbeing and cut the overconsumption and excessive emissions of the rich. The top 10% of emitters were responsible for almost 50% of global emissions in 2019, they said. Dr Christopher Wolf, at Oregon State University (OSU) in the US and a lead author of the report, said: “Without actions that address the root problem of humanity taking more from Earth than it can safely give, we’re on our way to the potential collapse of natural and socioeconomic systems and a world with unbearable heat and shortages of food and freshwater. By 2100, as many as 3 billion to 6 billion people may find themselves outside Earth’s livable regions, meaning they will be encountering severe heat, limited food availability and elevated mortality rates.” “...Other policies recommended by the scientists included phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, ramping up forest protection, a shift towards plant-based diets in wealthy countries and adopting international treaties to end new coal projects and phase out oil and gas.”
Axios: Fears of a climate calamity lurk in Big oil's big deals
Andrew Freedman, 10/24/23
“Two mega oil mergers, combined with other recent industry moves, threaten to prolong high amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and endanger Paris climate targets, climate activists warn,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: Chevron's $53 billion purchase of Hess announced on Monday — along with ExxonMobil's deal with Pioneer Natural Resources — signals that oil and gas firms foresee robust fossil fuel demand into the 2030s, despite government moves to slash greenhouse gas emissions and boost renewable energy. Zoom in: Climate activists have criticized both deals as doubling down on harmful energy sources… “According to Rapidan Energy Group founder and president Bob McNally, the deals demonstrate oil and gas leaders' rejection of the view that climate policies are about to cause oil demand to peak. "These mergers are more powerful manifestations of similar recent moves by BP and Shell to walk back their plans to reduce upstream investment drastically," McNally told Axios in an email. "Since late 2021, industry investment and politics have shifted away from keep-it-in-the-ground and back to all-of-the-above," he said. "These moves and the dial-back on decarbonization momentum generally deeply alarms climate groups." What they're saying: "Big oil needs to change or Paris will fail. That's a decision for shareholders," Mark van Baal, the founder of Follow This, an activist shareholder movement, told Axios in a statement.
DeSmog: LNG plant operators change their tune on carbon capture
Sara Sneath, 10/25/23
“As Louisiana attempts to spew less climate-warming pollution, which disproportionately comes from industry, fossil-fuel companies have convinced lawmakers to jump onto the bandwagon of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a controversial and unproven method of addressing the issue,” DeSmog reports. “They’ve also asked lawmakers to finance the technology, which critics say is classic “greenwashing” – it may sound good, but will not curb the state’s overall emission levels. Critics of CCS point out that even corporations don’t buy into the technology, unless the money is right. Officials from one corporation, Venture Global, repeatedly told government regulators that CCS was incompatible with the company’s plans to build three massive new liquified natural gas export terminals in south Louisiana… ‘In air permitting documents, Venture Global officials told the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality that it would be “technically challenging” to capture carbon dioxide from the exhaust of on-site natural gas engines and inject it underground — called carbon capture and storage (CCS). But the company quickly set aside its hesitations about CCS, once it became clear that Congress would pass the Inflation Reduction Act. A look back at Venture Global’s correspondence with regulators also shows that the company’s public proclamations – that CCS would improve the environmental impact of their LNG facilities – contrasted with the doubts that the company expressed to regulators in permitting documents over the past several years… “But it wasn’t just about money. “Even if (economic) feasibility could be demonstrated, Venture Global noted that any CCS system would cause significant adverse energy and environmental impacts due to the additional water and energy needs for system operation,” according to federal permitting documents for the Plaquemines LNG facility. Environmental groups have raised those concerns, and more, about each step of CCS. At an EPA hearing in June about Louisiana assuming permitting authority over the injection of carbon dioxide underground, Beverly Wright, executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, described the stakes of moving forward with proposed state LNG export terminals and CCS projects. “Oil and gas companies are now attempting to push us back and lock us in the continued burning of dirty energy dressed up with carbon capture and storage or CCS for numerous proposed gas plants,” Wright said. “Who wants a future that repeats the past of leaking and broken-down oil and gas wells that are abandoned by companies?”
Carbon Herald: Wall Street Journal To Host “Evaluating the Promise of Carbon Capture” Online Event
Violet George, 10/26/23
“Today, the Wall Street Journal will host an online event on Evaluating the Promise of Carbon Capture,” the Carbon Herald reports. “It will take place on October 26, 2023, between 11 A.M.–12 P.M. ET and you can register through this event link. It will feature speakers from two of the most prominent companies in the industry, as well as one of the prominent scientist in the geologic carbon storage space: Andreas Aepli, CFO at Climeworks, Claude Letourneau, CEO Svante, Katherine Romanak, Senior Research Scientist, Bureau Of Economic Geology at The University Of Texas. They will discuss the challenges around direct air capture, curbing smokestack emissions and carbon utilization and sequestration.”
The Intercept: INSIDE THE CAMPAIGN THAT PUT AN OIL BOSS IN CHARGE OF A CLIMATE SUMMIT
Ben Stockton, Amy Westervelt, 10/25/23
“John Kerry looked on from the front row as Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates took to the stage in Abu Dhabi in January,” The Intercept reports. “...Al Jaber is not just this year’s COP president. He also heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known as Adnoc. It is the first time any CEO, let alone one from the fossil fuel industry, has been COP president. The announcement was met with fury from climate activists… “What he didn’t say was that as CEO of Adnoc, he is currently overseeing a major expansion of the company’s oil and gas output. And the oil company’s staff has played a critical role in shaping the summit. At least a dozen Adnoc employees have been appointed to roles on the hosting team, including two staffers designated as negotiators for the UAE. The fossil fuel industry has been deeply involved in the annual COPs since they began in the 1990s, sending hundreds of lobbyists each year, as The Intercept previously reported. But this year, the industry is closer than ever to one of the most important international climate forums… “Al Jaber’s reputation has been shaped by some of the world’s most influential PR agencies, which have used his roles as CEO and chair of the UAE’s renewable energy company and visionary behind the futuristic Masdar City to make him the face of the country’s fight against climate change. The Centre for Climate Reporting and Drilled, in collaboration with The Intercept, reviewed hundreds of pages of U.S. Justice Department filings and internal communications strategy documents that reveal the careful curation of Al Jaber’s image over the years. We also interviewed a number of Al Jaber’s former colleagues and advisers, who asked that their names be withheld for fear of professional repercussions. Despite stalled progress on Al Jaber’s acclaimed eco-city and questions over his green credentials as he ramps up oil and gas production, PR agencies and consultants secured him the support of global leaders and institutions and placed him at the helm of COP28.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
New York Times: Is E.S.G. Falling Out of Favor?/
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ravi Mattu, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch, Ephrat Livni and Kate Kelly, 10/24/23
“Money managers closed their E.S.G. funds at a record clip last quarter, as Wall Street appears to be souring on the sector amid a wider market slump, slowing economic growth and higher interest rates,” the New York Times reports.
“The shift away from funds that take into account environmental, social, and governance factors coincides with a regulatory crackdown on greenwashing and other misleading claims by investment funds. A number of Republican-led states are also stepping up boycotts against the asset managers. “E.S.G. investing is not going away … it’s shrinking. Investors pulled $2.7 billion out of E.S.G. funds last quarter, the fourth straight quarter of outflows from such funds, according to data from Morningstar. Most of the withdrawals were from two funds: BlackRock’s iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF, and the Parnassus Core Equity Fund, run by the San Francisco-based Parnassus Investments. For the first time, U.S. money managers closed more E.S.G. funds than they opened… “The slump in E.S.G. investing, Alyssa Stankiewicz, Morningstar’s director of sustainability research, told the Times, can probably be explained as much by “performance expectations” instead of advocates of sustainability-investing having “a change of heart about topics like climate change or diversity.”
E&E News: ‘Prudence demands we act’: Bank regulators unveil climate rules
Avery Ellfeld, 10/25/23
“U.S. banks will face pressure to address the financial threats of climate change — including in underserved communities — under two new sweeping regulatory actions,” E&E News reports. “The actions, unveiled Tuesday by federal banking regulators, aim to accomplish two separate but related goals. A final rule includes a provision that explicitly incentivizes banks to help “redlined” communities weather climate-fueled disasters, potentially spurring billions of dollars in investment in everything from flood control systems to sea walls. New guidance, meanwhile, sets regulatory expectations for how large banks should measure and address their exposure to climate-related financial risk.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
CTV: Enbridge Gas donates CO alarms to rural communities in the Sudbury area
Alana Everson, 10/25/23
“Enbridge Gas is teaming up with Greater Sudbury Fire Services to help reduce fire and carbon monoxide deaths in the Greater Sudbury area,” CTV reports. “...In total, 420 alarms donated by Enbridge Gas will be distributed in rural communities in the Greater Sudbury area.”
OPINION
The Hill: Bring hydrogen out of the shadows of the green transition
Robert A. Manning is a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, 10/23/23
“When Americans think of renewable energy, it is solar and wind power that comes to mind. Although few think of it, hydrogen is quietly becoming no less of a key part of our energy future — one on which the private sector and the Biden administration are making a very big bet,” Robert A. Manning writes for The Hill. “...Clean hydrogen is the big bet of Biden’s climate initiatives… “Already, businesses worldwide have announced investment plans for 1,000 hydrogen projects worth $320 billion. To catalyze the larger investments needed to meet climate targets (estimated at $700 billion by 2030 or higher), the Biden administration has committed nearly $9.5 billion to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and some $10 billion to the Inflation Reduction Act. The infrastructure bill creates seven clean hydrogen production hubs in all regions of the country; the Inflation Reduction Act provides tax credits and other subsidies for clean hydrogen production… “Devising a sensible legal and technical framework for the business of hydrogen, not least, government/private sector and national/local partnerships in formulating regulations and standards, are immediate challenges. It is not hard to envision NIMBY-type local pushback as hydrogen expands across the nation… “Establishing hydrogen’s role in the public imagination would add to current progress and help to make realizing its potential a larger part of the global conversation.”