EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/27/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: DC Circ. Rejects Bid To Freeze Mountain Valley Pipeline
Public News Service: Communities Concerned About MVP Pipeline Water Pollution, Explosion Risk
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota regulators OK rare fund to decommission new Enbridge pipeline
WCBU: Illinois Commerce Commission staff recommend denial of Wolf Carbon Solutions pipeline permit
KSFY: State senator under fire for inappropriate texts over pipeline vote
Sioux City Journal: Woodbury County Board of Supervisors celebrates cancellation of Navigator pipeline
Pekin Daily Times: 'Not for the people': Tazewell board hears more opposition to CO2 pipeline
Illinois Radio Network: Opposing sides of CO2 pipeline project sound off
WJAG: Disappointment from ethanol groups as Navigator CO2 cancels pipeline project
Herald Bulletin: ‘Not prepared:’ Worries abound as developers eye Indiana for CO2 pipelines, storage
Kankakee Valley Post News: Farmland Conference informs residents on carbon capture storage
Western Investor: Public comment starts for Prince Rupert LNG project
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Court indefinitely blocks Gulf oil leasing deadline set for Nov. 8
E&E News: Lawmakers Spar Over BLM Oil And Gas Regulatory Overhaul
TIME: The U.S. Energy Department Is Spending $36 Million On Ocean Carbon-Capture Research
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: Is gas ‘clean’? States rebrand energy to meet electricity targets.
The Advocate: Company behind big Louisiana carbon capture project pledges $1M-a-year community grants
New York Times: For Many in Wyoming, a Biden Plan to Protect Land Is Beyond Unpopular
Albuquerque Journal: Australian hydrogen company announces $100M investment in NM
NOLA.com: Stranded dolphin responses improving with help from BP oil spill money
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Canada’s Government Sees No Further Subsidies for Carbon Capture
New York Times: Chasing Big Mergers, Oil Executives Dismiss Peak Oil Concerns
Reuters: ConocoPhillips Weighs CrownRock Bid To Challenge Rivals
Reuters: Shell cuts low-carbon jobs, scales back hydrogen in overhaul by CEO
National Observer: A windfall tax on Big Oil could haul in $4.2 billion for Canadians
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Sudbury.com: City receives 420 carbon monoxide/smoke alarms from Enbridge
OPINION
Pelican Post: RISE St. James opposes Koch Methanol Pipeline
Calgary Herald: Stop 'ragging the puck' on a federal-provincial deal to kick-start carbon capture projects in Alberta
Denver Post: Pueblo train derailment is reminder of how dangerous a “bomb train” would be
Wall Street Journal: The Fed’s New Climate-Change Mandate
FOX News: Biden's Disastrous Oil And Gas Plan Could Not Come At A Worse Time
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: DC Circ. Rejects Bid To Freeze Mountain Valley Pipeline
Peter McGuire, 10/25/23
“The D.C. Circuit has rejected Virginia homeowners’ bid for an emergency pause to construction on the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline while a dispute over the constitutionality of land seizure for the project plays out in court,” Law360 reports. “A three-judge panel on Tuesday denied an injunction motion from three property owners, after the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and pipeline developer argued they brought their claims too late, their move would unnecessarily disrupt the project and came just weeks before panel judges could make a ruling in the case. Property owners were unlikely to prevail on their claims that FERC handing eminent domain authority to pipeline developers was a violation of the Constitution under the nondelegation doctrine, the agency and development company argued. The panel’s one-page order provided no details on its reasoning for rejecting the homeowners’ motion. Virginia landowners led by Cletus and Beverly Bohon first sued the energy commission in 2020, arguing that Congress’s delegation of eminent domain to the agency through the Natural Gas Act — an authority regulators transferred to developers through permitting — was unconstitutional.”
Public News Service: Communities Concerned About MVP Pipeline Water Pollution, Explosion Risk
Nadia Ramlagan, 10/26/23
“After a federal appeals court this week denied a request from a group of Virginia landowners to stop construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline on their land under eminent domain, communities near the pipeline say the project’s scale raises serious concerns about safety and landslide risk,” Public News Service reports. “The more than 300-mile natural gas pipeline would run through several Virginia and West Virginia counties. Activist and Roanoke County resident Ben James told PNS he’s already witnessed forests destroyed and spoken with residents who say their water has been contaminated. “It’s ruined people’s water supplies,” James told PNS. “It certainly changes the landscape just by the nature of it being built. It’s caused a lot of problems in people’s watersheds and from pollution and just disrupting the water systems.” The pipeline is several years behind schedule and massively over budget. In a report, Equitrans Midstream, the company behind the pipeline, said it won’t be in operation until next year.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota regulators OK rare fund to decommission new Enbridge pipeline
Walker Orenstein, 10/26/23
“Enbridge's new oil pipeline across northern Minnesota has only been operating for two years, but state regulators approved a plan Thursday aimed at making the company pay for eventually decommissioning the project,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. “The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) greenlit a compromise between the Calgary-based Enbridge and the state's Department of Commerce, which had disagreed about how long the pipeline — called Line 93 after replacing the former Line 3 — might operate while the energy sector transitions away from fossil fuels. But the trust fund, unusual in the U.S. but common in Enbridge's Canada, still drew criticism from at least one environmental nonprofit… “Under the deal, Enbridge will pay more than $61 million a year into the trust fund until Oct. 1, 2041. That's 20 years after the pipeline started operating. The company estimated decommissioning the new pipeline will cost $1.25 billion. The PUC required this fund when granting a Certificate of Need for the controversial 337-mile project in Minnesota, but it took until now to finalize all the details… "The purpose of the trust is to assure the funds to decommission the line will be available if Enbridge goes out of business," read a letter Attorney General Keith Ellison's office submitted to the PUC while representing Commerce… “Friends of the Headwaters, which opposed the pipeline, still asked for a larger trust fund and a shorter contribution timeline. On Thursday, the environmental nonprofit's attorney Scott Strand told the Tribune the agreement was better than nothing but wouldn't adequately protect the state.”
WCBU: Illinois Commerce Commission staff recommend denial of Wolf Carbon Solutions pipeline permit
Tim Shelley, 10/26/23
“Staff with the Illinois Commerce Commission are recommending denial of a construction permit for the Wolf Carbon Solutions Mt. Simon Hub CO2 pipeline,” WCBU reports. “...The issue is divisive, with labor unions and many business groups backing the plan as a job creator and economic driver. But many environmental groups raise safety concerns, calling carbon capture a "false solution" to climate change, and farmers have expressed fears about eminent domain and potential impacts on agricultural land. Gas engineer Brett Seagle said he believes current construction guidelines for the pipelines do not adequately address public safety concerns. He said expected updates to federal regulations coming in the wake of a 2020 leak in Mississippi may also render the currently proposed route non-compliant… “In testimony, Logan-Trivoli Fire Protection District Fire Chief David Tuttle said Peoria County's emergency response plan currently doesn't adequately address how to react to a concentrated carbon dioxide release from a pipeline… "The lack of information regarding the risks of a carbon dioxide pipeline prevents Peoria County and the LGTRFPD from being able to develop a response plan capable of targeting and mitigating those risks," Tuttle wrote… “Seagle said it also appears several hundred potentially affected landowners weren't properly notified, and said legal counsel notes the specific location of the up-to-200 foot project route width should have been submitted with the application. Seagle notes the company hasn't reached a final binding agreement with ADM to transport and sequester the carbon underground in Decatur… “Seagle also recommended the commission consider the "overwhelmingly negative public sentiment" when weighing the application. Anti-pipeline efforts have cropped up in communities along the proposed route. A Tazewell County group presented a petition with more than 1,000 signatures calling for a moratorium to the county board on Wednesday. Wolf Carbon Solutions senior vice president of corporate development Nick Noppinger responded to the filings in a statement. “While we are disappointed by the ICC staff’s recommendation, we understand that the regulatory process is designed to ensure that the commission makes an informed, balanced decision. Wolf is in the process of responding to the ICC staff’s preliminary questions and we are confident that all concerns will be addressed," he told WCBU.
KSFY: State senator under fire for inappropriate texts over pipeline vote
10/26/23
“A group of landowners has called on a state senator to resign over a series of text messages he sent to another state leader following a vote over the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline,” KSFY reports. “Senator Lee Schoenbeck sent texts to State Treasurer Josh Haeder, criticizing his vote to deny Summit’s request for the CO2 pipeline. Haeder sat in on the PUC hearing in place of Commissioner Kristie Fiegen because she had a conflict of interest. In the text exchange, Schoenbeck called Haeder anti-ethanol and said people like him should not be in office. The text exchange is posted on the PUC’s website. Landowners like Ed Fishbach told KSFY Schoenbeck’s comments are unacceptable for a person in a leadership position. “We just think what he did here was beyond the pale,” Fishbach told KSFY. “He’s trying to intimidate a fellow commissioner, which if any of us landowners would have done anything like that, I can only imagine what would be done to us.” Schoenbeck told Dakota News Now I-Team Reporter Beth Warden that he’s made no secret that he’s tired of what he calls “anti-ethanol grandstanders.”
Sioux City Journal: Woodbury County Board of Supervisors celebrates cancellation of Navigator pipeline
Caitlin Yamada, 10/25/23
“The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors said the cancellation of the Navigator Heartland Greenway pipeline is "great news for our landowners," te Sioux City Journal reports. “...The supervisors spoke about the cancellation during their regular Tuesday meeting. The group has made a series of moves against potential pipeline projects in Woodbury County after receiving feedback from the residents. "This is great news for our landowners who were most concerned about eminent domain being used against them improperly--especially those along the proposed route near Lawton and Sergeant Bluff," Board Chair Matthew Ung said Tuesday. The supervisors also thanked the residents who have attended numerous Board of Supervisors meetings, updating them on the projects and voicing their concerns about the projects. Beginning in January 2022, the supervisors sent a letter to the Iowa Utilities Board asking them to deny any permits and eminent domain declarations against Woodbury County landowners… “In July, the supervisors approved a resolution rejecting the use of eminent domain to force landowners to place " pipelines, turbines, solar panels, or any other energy commodity on their land against their will and consent."
Pekin Daily Times: 'Not for the people': Tazewell board hears more opposition to CO2 pipeline
Mike Kramer, 10/26/23
“Wednesday’s Tazewell County Board meeting started the way the previous two meetings had begun: with area residents coming forward to speak out on a proposed Wolf Carbon Solutions carbon dioxide pipeline that will run through parts of the county,” the Pekin Daily Times reports. “These proposed pipelines are coming with one goal: to make money for their bottom line and their investors, not for the people,” said Elton Rocke, spokesperson for the Facebook group Tazewell County: Stop the CO2 Pipeline. “Although Wolf cites pipeline safety, they have partnered with Archer Daniel Midland, whose deplorable business record over the last 20 published years is almost $1 million in paid fines and penalties. These include OSHA violations, EPA violations and price fixing.” Rocke added that an anti-pipeline petition circulated by the group has gotten approximately 2,000 signatures. Several more residents came forward during the meeting’s public comment period to speak against the pipeline. This time, a Tazewell County Board member joined the residents in their opposition. “I can’t tell you whether this project would or would not affect the (Mahomet Aquifer),” said board member Russ Crawford. “The very fact that it might tells me it’s a big red flag.” Crawford urged the board to introduce a resolution opposing the project.”
Illinois Radio Network: Opposing sides of CO2 pipeline project sound off
Kevin Bessler, 10/26/23
“Now that the company which planned to construct a CO2 pipeline through Illinois has thrown in the towel, many are wondering what is the next step,” Illinois Radio Network reports. “...Joe Heinrich, executive director of the group Smart Carbon Network, told IRN this is a missed opportunity to open up markets for sustainable fuel options for ethanol producers. “It is a defining issue for the Midwest because how we are going to look ten years from now is going to be determined by how and what we do with carbon capture,” Heinrich told IRN… “Pam Richart, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, told IRN there are too many unknowns with a pipeline of this magnitude. “It is transporting an asphyxiant and that’s a concern when the pipeline is not built according to federal standards because there aren’t any,” Richart told IRN. ‘
WJAG: Disappointment from ethanol groups as Navigator CO2 cancels pipeline project
Kellan Heavican, 10/27/23
“Ethanol groups are expressing disappointment after a company announced plans to cancel its $3 billion, five-state carbon sequestration pipeline,” WJAG reports. “...Monte Shaw with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association told WJAC the announcement wasn’t a surprise and hopes similar projects move forward. He told WJAG carbon capture will help tap into the Sustainable Aviation Fuel market. "There is a 100-billion-gallon SAF market out there that’s developing very quickly. If we want ethanol and corn to be a part of that, we need CCS, carbon capture. Carbon capture is literally the key that makes ethanol an attractive feedstock." Nebraska Ethanol Board chair Jan Tenbensel told WJAG farmers are missing out on a valuable market. He understands producers’ concerns about private property right and eminent domain, but there should be willing buyers and sellers of easements.”
Herald Bulletin: Not prepared:' Worries abound as developers eye Indiana for CO2 pipelines, storage
Carson Gerber, 10/27/23
“In February 2020, a buried pipeline carrying liquefied carbon dioxide ruptured near the small village of Satartia, Mississippi, releasing a “foul smell and green fog across the highway,” according to the first person to report the leak to 911,” the Herald Bulletin reports. “...The rupture led to mass poisoning, with some residents lying on the ground, shaking and unable to breathe. Forty-five people sought medical attention. Now, officials in Benton County, Indiana, worry the same fate could await them. BP, the multinational oil and gas company, has started investigating the potential of transporting and storing CO2 deep underground beneath portions of the 250,000 acres of farmland there. The company last year hired a team to start seismic testing, sending shock waves into the ground to determine the potential for the project in the sparsely populated county in northwest Indiana. The prospect worries Benton County Commissioner Bryan Berry. “What if that pipeline bursts?” he told the Bulletin. “That's happened before down in Mississippi. Nobody died, but who says that somebody won't die if it happens here?” “...Some of the largest saline reservoirs in the country are below Benton County, about 100 miles away from the site of the proposed BP blue hydrogen facility. If built, the project would likely seek to transport carbon there. Environmental groups are sounding the alarm, arguing that such pipelines are woefully underregulated and could lead to more incidents like the one in Mississippi. For a county commissioner like Berry, that concern is multiplied by new state legislation that almost entirely bars local officials from weighing in on carbon sequestration projects happening in their backyard. “Our legislators pretty much cut us off at the knees,” he told the Bulletin. “If the landowners sign up for these projects, there's nothing we can do to stop it.” “...In Vigo and Vermillion counties, a proposal by Wabash Valley Resources to capture and store carbon from an ethanol plant has met constant opposition during heated public meetings. The company wants to build an 11-mile pipeline from the plant to two underground wells… “In Benton County, meetings hosted by BP to discuss carbon sequestration and storage have become so fiery that the police were called to control the crowd, according to Berry, the county commissioner.”
Kankakee Valley Post News: Farmland Conference informs residents on carbon capture storage
Nathan Jaki, 10/26/23
“On Wednesday, Oct. 18, there was a Farmland Conference hosted at Frankie’s Village Restaurant in Thayer. The conference was to inform about the Jasper County Commissioners’ road use agreement with BP in Jasper County, as part of BP’s proposal for a carbon capture system through Northwest Indiana,” the Kankakee Valley Post News reports. “A room full of concerned citizens came to hear about how the carbon capture system would affect them and their crops. The John Birch Society hosted the conference, led by Jon Schrock, Covington, who serves as the organization’s Regional Field Director… “Schrock is hoping to get Indiana House Bill 1209 repealed. House Bill 1209 allows in the state of Indiana a carbon dioxide transmission pipeline and underground storage of carbon dioxide… “Schrock will be hosting a presentation at the Jasper County Fairgrounds on Nov. 14 about the carbon capture system.”
Western Investor: Public comment starts for Prince Rupert LNG project
Nelson Bennett, 10/26/23
“A public comment period for the Ksi Lisims LNG proposal north of Prince Rupert starts next week, with open houses to be held in Prince Rupert and Terrace Nov.7 and 8,” Western Investor reports. “The project, if built, would be on the scale of the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, which will have an initial production capacity of 14 million tonnes of LNG annually in its first phase… “As part of the environmental assessment process – led by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) – a public comment period will be held from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. Open houses will also be held in Prince Rupert on Nov. 7 and in Terrace Nov. 8. The Ksi Lisims project is backed by the Nisga'a First Nation… “The Nisga’a are proposing to build a floating LNG plant with electric drive. Most LNG plants burn natural gas to power the chilling process used to liquefy natural gas, which produced CO2. Electric drive dramatically reduces the CO2 that would be generated through natural gas powered turbines… “The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, owned by TC Energy (TSX,NYSE:TRP), was originally proposed for the Pacific NorthWest LNG project, which was abandoned by Petronas. The pipeline will need an amendment to its certificate, as a route change will be needed to route the pipeline to Pearse Island.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Court indefinitely blocks Gulf oil leasing deadline set for Nov. 8
ZACK BUDRYK, 10/26/23
“A federal appeals court on Thursday indefinitely stayed an earlier order requiring the Biden administration to hold a November oil lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico, though it’s unclear whether the administration will immediately proceed with the sale,” The Hill reports. “The Interior Department is required to hold the lease sale under the text of the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping climate and infrastructure bill President Biden signed into law last year. This August, the administration announced it would shrink the leasing area by about 6 million acres, citing dangers to the habitat of the critically endangered Rice’s whale. The following month, however, a federal judge blocked the restriction and ordered the sale to include those 6 million acres. Judge James Cain, a Trump appointee, sided with plaintiffs including the state of Louisiana and energy companies, writing they “have demonstrated substantial potential costs.” The sale, which was initially given a deadline of Sept. 27, which was later pushed back to Nov. 8. On Thursday, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the earlier order until it reaches a decision on an appeal of the order by conservation groups. Oral arguments in the appeal in the 5 Circuit Court are set for Nov. 13. “We look forward to the opportunity to present our arguments to the Court of Appeals,” Steve Mashuda, an attorney with the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, which is involved in the appeal, told The Hill. “We’ll continue to press for restoring basic measures to prevent harm to the critically endangered Rice’s Whale.”
E&E News: Lawmakers Spar Over BLM Oil And Gas Regulatory Overhaul
Jennifer Yachnin, Nidhi Prakash, 10/26/23
“Congressional lawmakers are gearing up for a partisan battle over proposed oil and gas regulations,” E&E News reports. “In a letter Friday to Biden administration officials, 11 Senate Democrats expressed support for the regulatory overhaul, while House Republicans held their first hearing on legislation designed to block the rule. The fight centers on the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule, which would significantly increase the amount of money oil companies must provide before they can drill on public lands and reduce the length of time that an oil and gas drilling permit could be used. The proposed rule aims, in part, to incentivize oil and gas firms to properly clean up decommissioned wells rather than leaving them for the government to deal with. It would also codify portions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including increases to royalty rates on federal oil and gas leases. In a Thursday letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning, the Democrats said they ‘applaud BLM for moving forward with long overdue reforms to the onshore oil and gas leasing program’s bonding requirements.’”
TIME: The U.S. Energy Department Is Spending $36 Million On Ocean Carbon-Capture Research
ALEJANDRO DE LA GARZA, 10/26/23
“In recent years, startups have begun trying to scale up methods to use the world’s oceans to remove carbon dioxide from an overheating atmosphere. As of today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is getting in on the idea too,” TIME reports. “As TIME can exclusively report, the department is distributing $36 million to 11 scientific projects across the U.S. that aim to help quantify exactly how much carbon potential ocean projects would be locking away. The basic idea behind ocean-based carbon removal has been around for decades: With a bit of human manipulation, the oceans could—theoretically—suck up billions of tons of carbon dioxide and take care of some of the world’s climate woes… “In recent years, climate investors drawn by the promise of lucrative carbon offset contracts and predictions from scientists that humanity will need to find a way to remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the decades ahead have started pouring money into startups pledging to prove out such approaches… “Right now, such approaches are only able to remove a negligible amount of carbon from the atmosphere—and they would need to be scaled up hundreds of thousands or even millions of times more to make a difference in the decades ahead… “Many proposed approaches would essentially speed up natural processes that already cause ocean water to draw CO2 out of the atmosphere. There are also problems, though: for instance, legal issues around working in international waters, and unknown effects on ocean ecosystems. Then there’s the potential public relations problem: climate change is very bad, and we’re running out of time to implement solutions, but we have yet to see if, for the public, engineering the oceans will be a bridge too far (efforts to study how humans might engineer the atmosphere, for their part, have stirred up considerable controversy). And then there’s the issue of actually measuring how much carbon the oceans are absorbing, which would be essential for separating good projects from bad, and preventing a proliferation of bogus offsetting claims like those that have plagued more traditional efforts like planting trees.”
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: Is gas ‘clean’? States rebrand energy to meet electricity targets.
Zach Bright, 10/27/23
“States grappling to reach goals for renewables and emissions cuts from the power sector are finding a solution on paper: Rebrand what counts as “clean,” E&E News reports. “That’s what North Carolina lawmakers did this month when the state’s Republican supermajority overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, forcing through a law to rebrand nuclear as clean in the state energy mandate. Similar measures that symbolically or legally redefine natural gas and biomass as “clean,” “green” or “renewable” also passed this year in Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. While some energy rebranding has occurred for years, the recent action comes as states are increasingly being looked to help meet President Joe Biden’s goals to decarbonize the power sector by 2035… “Skeptics of energy rebrands have watched the changes closely. Daniel Tait, a research and communication manager for the Energy and Policy Institute who frequently criticizes utilities, told E&E that “when the definitions change and something like gas becomes clean at the state level, that makes a big difference in a lot of places about what gets built going forward.” “...Makeovers like North Carolina’s that broaden what qualifies won’t cut actual climate-warming emissions, clean energy advocates say, or help meet the Biden administration’s goal of a carbon-free U.S. grid by 2035. They warn that tipping the playing field toward nuclear energy will stymie the development of renewables like wind and solar. And they say rebranding natural gas, a fossil fuel source, as green or clean in some states won’t stop the energy source’s contribution to the country’s climate-warming emissions.”
The Advocate: Company behind big Louisiana carbon capture project pledges $1M-a-year community grants
JACQUELINE DeROBERTIS, 10/26/23
“Amid the ongoing controversy over plans to store carbon deep beneath Lake Maurepas, the company behind the project is awarding grants to area nonprofit organizations in an effort to build goodwill in a sometimes hostile community and show it is a "good neighbor," The Advocate reports. “Air Products recently announced its intent to launch the Lake Maurepas Community Fund, which will commit $1 million annually to communities bordering Lake Maurepas. The first use of the money will be buying boats that will help with emergency response times for two local fire departments… “Air Products' investment in the region has left some in the community both grateful and ambivalent. “I’ve got mixed feelings on it. I don’t know. The financial part of it is going to be good for the community, but is what they’re doing going to be good for the estuary?” Manchac Volunteer Fire Department Chief George Coxen told The Advocate. “I don’t know. Nobody knows. What it will do, what it can do.” Others, such as Tangipahoa Parish Councilwoman Kim Coates, are more hesitant to trust the outpouring of financial support amid fears Air Products could irrevocably damage the lake. "I felt like it was just a payoff or a bribe," Coates, a vocal critic of the carbon capture process, told The Advocate. "It just feels like 'Oh well, we’ll just dump some money onto you but, we’re going to harm your lake at the same time.'” “...After experiencing an initial pushback from furious residents, the company has spent months attempting to improve relations with communities surrounding the lake through transparency and education… “The company's new charitable effort for the Lake Maurepas region will last through the duration of its Louisiana Clean Energy Complex project, which is currently anticipated to be at least 25 years, according to a press release.”
New York Times: For Many in Wyoming, a Biden Plan to Protect Land Is Beyond Unpopular
Lisa Friedman, 10/26/23
“Of all of the efforts by the Biden administration to protect environmentally fragile lands, few have generated as much vitriol as a proposal that would block oil and gas drilling on 1.6 million acres of high desert sagebrush steppe in Wyoming,” the New York Times reports. “One lawmaker in the Republican-led Wyoming Legislature called President Biden’s plan an attempt at “total government control.” Another declared it the worst disaster in American history, affecting “more people than the Civil War, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined.” Some spread fears that China would influence the government’s decision-making. A federal lands manager said she had received violent threats, prompting an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The 1,350-page proposal for managing 3.6 million of acres of federal land in Southwest Wyoming was years in the making but still took many Wyoming residents by surprise when the Bureau of Land Management made it public in August. In addition to blocking energy development on nearly half that land, or 1.6 million acres, the plan would also restrict mining and some grazing. Those areas include petroglyphs dating back some 200 years, North America’s largest sand dunes and migration corridors in the Red Desert for bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk. The explosive reactions illustrate how President Biden’s climate policies are running into a wall of distrust in some oil and gas states. “The actions that this administration has taken to date have been perilous for Wyoming by and large,” Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, told the Times. “I think people in Wyoming realize this administration has put its foot on the neck of their state.” “...Mr. Biden now faces fresh pressure from Republicans to temper his clean energy agenda as the war between Israel and Hamas raises concerns about the global oil market. Experts have called the situation in the Middle East the biggest threat to energy supplies since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.”
Albuquerque Journal: Australian hydrogen company announces $100M investment in NM
Ryan Boetel, 10/25/23
“New Mexico officials traveled to the other side of the world to ink an agreement to bring a massive investment in green hydrogen to the state,” the Albuquerque Journal reports. “Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Star Scientific Ltd. Global Group Chair Andrew Horvath announced Wednesday night the Australia-based green hydrogen research and manufacturing company picked New Mexico as the location for its first North American operation… “The company plans to invest $100 million to create a sprawling research and manufacturing complex in Mesa del Sol… “Star Scientific uses a globally patented HERO technology that catalyzes hydrogen and oxygen to rapidly create industrial-scale heat without burning the gases and without generating greenhouse gases. The system works by introducing hydrogen and oxygen to a “secret” catalyst, and the HERO technology within minutes reaches a temperate of 700 degrees Celsius, or nearly 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. Swapping that technology for a coal-fired boiler within an existing power plant would cut emissions and the power stations could still operate, according to Star Scientific’s website. “It’s wild. It blows my mind,” New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney told the Journal of the company’s technology. “There’s no ‘on the flip side,’ there’s no fossil fuels involved. And, essentially, no outside energy that is coming into the system.”
NOLA.com: Stranded dolphin responses improving with help from BP oil spill money
MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN, 10/24/23
“A program to assist stranded bottlenose dolphins and other marine mammals in Louisiana is leading to dramatically improved response times -- though not an increased number of dolphins saved and released,” NOLA.com reports. “Lauren Noble, the state’s marine mammal stranding network coordinator, told NOLA.com data gathered from dead dolphins will better explain the health of the population and that of other marine mammals. That data can then assist state officials in identifying ways to design, monitor and manage coastal restoration efforts to reduce future deaths. The state is now three years into the five-year, $3.1 million program, paid for with settlement money linked to the 2010 BP oil spill… “Reported strandings were no greater than 36 between 2000 and 2009. But between 2010, when the BP oil spill occurred, and 2014, the number skyrocketed, hitting 164 in 2011. Between 2015 and 2020, a period when exposure to oil from the spill and long-term exposure effects on older dolphins were likely to be less, the number dropped to between 38 and 61 per year, with the exception of 2019.”
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Canada’s Government Sees No Further Subsidies for Carbon Capture
Robert Tuttle, 10/26/23
“The Canadian federal government’s proposed tax credits to support carbon capture projects already are “robust” and probably won’t be increased, the country’s natural resources minister said,” Bloomberg reports. “The federal government has offered oil-sands industry 50% tax credits for the cost of building carbon capture and storage plants, and talks are underway with Alberta’s provincial government over additional support. Oil-sands producers are waiting to learn what kinds of federal and provincial help they will receive before greenlighting construction of a C$16 billion ($12 billion) carbon capture system aimed at helping slash 22 million metric tons of emissions by 2030. “The investment tax credits are pretty robust,” Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s natural resources minister, told Bloomberg. “They actually cover a significant portion of the capital cost of these projects. I don’t think we’re looking at actually augmenting that.” “...A major hurdle for the industry is determining which level of government will underwrite contracts, called contracts for difference, that would guarantee a minimum carbon price needed to make the project financially viable. Discussions about those contracts are ongoing, “but we certainly hope to be in a position to actually have something to say with Alberta and Pathways in the near term,” Wilkinson told Bloomberg.
New York Times: Chasing Big Mergers, Oil Executives Dismiss Peak Oil Concerns
Clifford Krauss, 10/25/23
“Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the two largest U.S. oil companies, this month committed to spending more than $50 billion each to buy smaller companies in deals that would let them produce more oil and natural gas for decades to come,” the New York Times reports. “But a day after Chevron announced its acquisition, the International Energy Agency released an exhaustive report concluding that demand for oil, gas and other fossil fuels would peak by 2030 as sales of electric cars and use of renewable energy surged. The disconnect between what oil companies and many energy experts think will happen in the coming years has never been quite this stark. Big oil companies are doubling down on drilling for oil and gas and processing it into fuels for use in engines, power plants and industrial machinery. And, with only a few exceptions, they are not spending much on alternatives like wind and solar power and electric-car batteries.”
Reuters: ConocoPhillips Weighs CrownRock Bid To Challenge Rivals
David French, 10/26/23
“ConocoPhillips is considering an offer for CrownRock LP, an energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as consolidation in the sector picks up pace,” Reuters reports. “Houston-based Conoco, the largest U.S. oil and gas producer after Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, has expressed interest in participating in the sale process for privately held CrownRock, which is valued between $10 billion and $15 billion, the sources said. CrownRock’s investment bankers have asked interested parties to submit initial offers next week, two of the sources added. Diamondback Energy, Devon Energy, Marathon Oil and Continental Resources are also studying potential bids for CrownRock, the sources said. No deal with any of these companies is certain and other bidders could emerge, the sources told Reuters, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential.”
Reuters: Shell cuts low-carbon jobs, scales back hydrogen in overhaul by CEO
Ron Bousso, 10/25/23
“Shell will cut at least 15% of the workforce at its low-carbon solutions division and scale back its hydrogen business as part of CEO Wael Sawan's drive to boost profits, it said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “...We are transforming our Low Carbon Solutions (LCS) business to strengthen its delivery on our core low-carbon business areas such as transport and industry," the company said. The LCS operations include the hydrogen and other businesses looking at decarbonizing the transport and industry sectors, but do not include the renewable power business… “The division also includes Shell's carbon capture and storage and nature-based solutions businesses, which will not be impacted by the current round of cuts, the sources told Reuters… “Shell plans to sharply scale back its hydrogen light mobility operations, which develop technologies for light passenger vehicles, and will focus on heavy mobility and industry, the company said… “Shares of Shell and its European peers BP and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) have come under pressure in recent years as investors fret over future returns as they lower oil and gas production.”
National Observer: A windfall tax on Big Oil could haul in $4.2 billion for Canadians
John Woodside, 10/27/23
“Canada could rake in an additional $4.2 billion from major oil and gas companies over the next five years if it implemented a windfall tax on the fossil fuel industry’s record profits, according to a new analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO),” the National Observer reports. “The analysis published Thursday assumed a one-time tax of 15 per cent on oil and gas companies making over $1 billion in taxable income, paid out in instalments of $833 million per year from 2024 to 2028. For the analysis, the PBO extended the Canada Recovery Dividend — a windfall tax Ottawa previously slapped on banks and insurance companies earlier this year — to fossil fuel companies… “Putting that in perspective, “our latest report shows just five of the largest Canadian oil and gas corporations paid over $200 billion to shareholders between 2000 and 2022,” Katrina Miller, executive director of Canadians for Tax Fairness, told the Observer. “Surely, they can afford to send some of their profits back to the public to help fund necessary investments to combat climate change.” “...In a statement, David Suzuki Foundation senior climate policy adviser Tom Green told the Observer oil and gas companies' windfall profits are due to skyrocketing energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “By taxing these profits, the federal government will have more money for proven solutions like public transit and building retrofits, which both reduce the cost of living and help the climate,” he told the Observer. “The fossil fuel industry is trying to have it both ways: raking in huge profits off the backs of people in Canada while saying it can’t pay for emissions reductions.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Sudbury.com: City receives 420 carbon monoxide/smoke alarms from Enbridge
Tyler Clarke, 10/26/23
“Greater Sudbury Fire Services has received 420 smoke detector/carbon monoxide detectors from Enbridge Gas Inc., which will be distributed to residents of the city’s outlying communities,” Sudbury.com reports. “It’s a great initiative by Enbridge, because they look after fuel-fired appliances, so carbon monoxide is their big concern,” deputy chief Nathan Melin told Sudbury.com… “Enbridge Gas Sudbury and area operations supervisor Brad Taylor told Sudbury.com that the donation is part of a broader community safety effort the company is committed to.”
OPINION
Pelican Post: RISE St. James opposes Koch Methanol Pipeline
Sharon C. Lavigne, Founder & Director, Shamell Lavigne, Chief Executive Officer of RISE St. James, 10/27/23
“We fervently called for the rejection of the permit for the Koch Methanol Pipeline until the St. James emergency department is suitably equipped to respond to pipeline emergencies,” Sharon Lavigne and Shamell Lavigne write for the Pelican Post. “...Since 2010, St. James District 5 has endured 30 major oil and gas pipeline leaks, occurring at an alarming rate of over twice a year, drawing concern from the US Department of Transportation beyond state police. Koch Methanol must comprehensively evaluate the cumulative impact of wetland disruption due to pipeline construction… “We must question why our area necessitates more pipeline repairs compared to most other regions in St. James Parish and along the Louisiana Coast. St. James Parish must acknowledge that the land along Hwy 3127 consists of wetlands and is unsuitable for pipelines… “Additionally, during the September 27, 2023, Parish Council Meeting, all council members including Councilman Clyde Cooper for the 5th District of St. James Parish voted against the best interests of the residents of St. James Parish and his constituents. His vote endorses Koch Methanol’s expansion, which is poised to increase pollution by 3,000%, posing health risks such as lung cancer, brain and nerve damage, kidney disease, and respiratory illnesses to our residents… “RISE St. James has invested considerable efforts in public awareness, yet it should not fall upon us to shoulder the Parish Council’s obligations. As we work towards recovery following the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, it is imperative that our elected officials prioritize our health and well-being above corporate interests. It’s evident that not all Council members are adequately representing the residents’ concerns and there is no more room to hurl the rock and veil your hand. The people of St. James Parish are entitled to clean air and clean water, and it is our shared responsibility to guarantee they receive it.”
Calgary Herald: Stop 'ragging the puck' on a federal-provincial deal to kick-start carbon capture projects in Alberta
Chris Varcoe, 10/26/23
“Enough dithering, it’s time Ottawa and Alberta strike a ceasefire — even a temporary one — to reach an accord in the coming weeks on a long-awaited incentive package for carbon capture and storage projects,” Chris Varcoe writes for the Calgary Herald. “... Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick for the two levels of government to reach an accord on providing incentives for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)... “The Pathways Alliance group of major oilsands producers has proposed constructing a $16.5-billion carbon capture network in the province… “Last month, Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling told Reuters that the group still needed to see Ottawa establish a contract that can lock in a national carbon price into the future. Incentives need to be in place by next year if the massive development is to begin operating in 2030, he told the news outlet… “As Canada delays, the U.S. Investment Reduction Act is drawing investment south of the border into decarbonization initiatives, including CCUS. “We could miss the window of opportunity if we continue to rag the puck on incentives. And that view, I believe, is widely shared in Alberta in the industry,” Annesley told the Herald.
Denver Post: Pueblo train derailment is reminder of how dangerous a “bomb train” would be
Malin Moench, a Utah resident, spent 37 years analyzing the economics of public utilities and logistics at the federal level, 10/26/23
“The Oct. 15 derailment near Pueblo spilled mountains of coal over I-25, collapsed a bridge, and killed a truck driver. This was tragic, but it could have been much worse. It could have been a two-mile-long train filled with crude oil–the kind that the Uinta Basin Railway would send through Colorado up to five times a day,” Malin Moench writes for the Denver Post. “The Pueblo tragedy confirms that hauling hazardous materials by the trainload always involves severe risk. The Pueblo tragedy warrants a second look at a guest commentary that appeared in the August 14 Denver Post. There, Julius T. Murray, speaking for his Ute Indian Tribe, urged federal taxpayers to finance the railway to make up for historical mistreatment of his tribe by the federal government… “Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Gov. Jared Polis oppose federal financing of these potential oil “bomb trains,” which would cross Colorado’s most at-risk ecosystems daily. Mr. Murray says this opposition is unfair because the federal government treated his tribe unfairly in the past. Past abuses of his tribe are real and tragic, but they cannot be atoned for by abusing Colorado’s environment in the present… “The Uinta Basin already violates the EPA’s ozone standards, due mostly to oil and gas activity on reservation lands. If, as expected, building the railway quadruples that activity, it would increase ozone levels as well. Much of that extra ozone would drift downwind over Colorado’s Front Range, harming the health of its residents as well. Threatening the environment of Utah and Colorado while putting the health of their residents at risk is not the way to make Mr. Murray’s people whole.”
Wall Street Journal: The Fed’s New Climate-Change Mandate
The Editorial Board, 10/25/23
“There’s no shortage of risks to keep bankers up at night: Rising interest rates, wars, commercial real estate, a weakening Chinese economy. Yet financial regulators want banks to focus on—drum roll, please—climate change,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and Comptroller of the Currency on Tuesday published guidance directing banks on how to manage putative climate risks. The agencies say they aren’t dictating how banks lend to accelerate the shift to a lower-carbon economy. But reading between the lines, that’s exactly what they’re doing.”
FOX News: Biden's Disastrous Oil And Gas Plan Could Not Come At A Worse Time
William Perry Pendley William Perry Pendley is president of Mountain States Legal Foundation in Denver, 10/25/23
“About this time last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that, during his first 19 months in office, President Biden leased fewer federal lands for oil and gas development than only one other president since the end of World War II. From President Nixon on, it recounted, no other president leased fewer than 4.4 million acres, with President Reagan holding the record of 48 million acres leased in 1981 and 1982. Those figures make Biden’s 126,228 federal acres leased all the more shocking,” William Perry Pendly writes for FOX News. “Only President Truman leased fewer acres—65,658—from 1945 to 1946, but Truman had an excuse. Federal leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which today comprises the majority of federal energy production and revenues, would not begin until 1954. Last month, in a throwback to the days of Harry Truman, Biden released his statutorily required five-year OCS leasing plan, which all but ends the OCS oil and gas program. Following President Trump’s planned 11 OCS lease sales, Biden proposed only three, one each in 2025, 2027, and 2029. Biden wanted even fewer sales; in fact, he proclaimed as much in a soft-ball interview with the Weather Channel in August, blaming the courts for stopping him from a total shutdown of oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.”