EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/28/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• AgWeek: Groups differ on South Dakota’s Referred Law 21

• South Dakota Searchlight: Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure

• Dakota Scout: Carbon pipeline shapes race for South Dakota's Public Utilities Commission

• Hart Energy: South Dakota High Court Rejects Eminent Domain Power for CCUS Pipeline

• RBN Energy: South Dakota Supreme Court Deals Setback to CCS Pipeline

• Bloomberg: Keystone Operator Blamed for Contributing to US Oil Spill

• Law360: State AGs Back Mich.'s Immunity From Enbridge Pipeline Suit

• WCMU: State board introduces new member for Line 5 tunnel oversight

• Noozhawk: Buellton-Area Landowner Sues Sable Over Oil Pipeline Easement, Restart Plans

• Reuters: Blackstone in talks to buy US pipeline stakes from EQT for $3.5 billion, sources say

• Reuters: Uganda's $5 bln EACOP pipeline faces difficult debt talks

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Leave NEPA alone, former officials tell Supreme Court

• E&E News: Courts Approve Greens Helping Defend Public Lands Rule 

• E&E News: US Shale Production May Decline For First Time Since 2000 

• Politico: Greens Vs. Green Party 

STATE UPDATES

• E&E News: Tribal Leaders At COP16 Push Biden To Designate Calif. Monuments 

• Baltimore Sun: Energy companies say Annapolis, Anne Arundel ‘climate deception’ lawsuits should be dismissed

• Reuters: New Mexico studies oil drilling restrictions that would hit output, revenue

• NM Political Report: Petition calls on Lujan Grisham to ban PFAS in oil and gas operations

• Gothamist: Environmentalists push to close Brooklyn power plants only used several times a year

• Fuel Cells Works: Cadiz and RIC Energy Partner to Build the Largest Hydrogen Production Facility in California

EXTRACTION

• New York Times: The U.N.’s Verdict on Climate Progress Over the Past Year: There Was None

• Globe and Mail: Oil-sands giants, federal agency back at table as carbon-capture talks gain momentum

• DeSmog: Norway’s Equinor Admits It “Over-Reported” Amount of Carbon Captured At Flagship Project for Years 

• Bloomberg: More Companies Ditch Junk Carbon Offsets but New Buyers Loom

• Trinidad Daily Express: $244m oil spill claim

OPINION

• Calgary Herald: Is there truly hope to implement large-scale carbon capture?

• OpenDemocracy: Dark Arts Dispatch: Corporate capture, utilisation and storage
  

PIPELINE NEWS

AgWeek: Groups differ on South Dakota’s Referred Law 21
Kennedy Tesch, 10/28/24

“As the general election approaches in November, groups across South Dakota are working to get their message across on Referred Law 21, a ballot measure that will regulate carbon dioxide pipelines in the state,” AgWeek reports. “...However, opponents of SB 201 argue that it stops any local law or regulation regarding carbon pipeline policies, and prevents local governments from enacting or enforcing local regulations regarding carbon pipelines… “Now on Nov. 5, South Dakotans will decide whether to vote “yes” on RL 21 to uphold the legislation or to vote “no” on RL 21 to repeal the legislation… “While the Corn Growers are in support of the bill, Murray does want to be clear that not all of their members have felt the same way on the issue. “We have had some folks call in and say, 'Hey, we do not appreciate where you all landed on the pipeline. We are not supportive of that — we're landowners, we're corn farmers.' They've let us know where they were at. It hasn't been the majority of the people that we represent. But yes, there is certainly opposition and we've certainly heard about it," she told AgWeek… “Chase Jensen, a senior organizer with Dakota Rural Action, like many of the bill’s contenders, doesn’t buy the argument that the agriculture industry is dependent on carbon pipelines. “There was no dire, the sky was falling, until Summit approached the ethanol plants with this plan to milk tax credits from the federal government for their own private profits,” Jensen told AgWeek. “So all of a sudden, once there was a billion dollars annually available for them to get in tax credits, they suddenly said the sky was falling, ethanol was going to die, and the whole thing is going to collapse if we can't do this project. I don't think that they've been transparent or honest about what agriculture really needs to look like moving forward to stay competitive.” “...Jensen told AgWeek the biggest issue when it comes to the bill is the misleading title, which he feels may cause some confusion for voters… “And the key thing to look for is it's going to say 'Landowner Bill of Rights.' Landowners have spoken: They don't want this. This isn't a landowner bill of rights at all. This is a Summit Bill of Rights. We're going to vote with farmers who are impacted. We're going to vote 'no' on RL 21.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Ethanol is fueling support of South Dakota carbon pipeline ballot measure
Joshua Haiar, 10/25/24

“Money from ethanol producers is clashing with contributions from individuals and farm-and-ranch corporations — plus some funding from national climate activists — in the fight over a carbon-dioxide pipeline law on South Dakota’s Nov. 5 ballot,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “Committees supporting the law have raised at least $2.3 million, all from ethanol companies, since their last reports in May, and they’ve spent $1.5 million. Committees opposing the law have raised at least $224,000 and spent over $160,000. Individuals and farm-and-ranch corporations put forth about $150,000 to defeat the bill, making up a majority of the money raised on the vote-no side… “A ballot question committee backing the law, Protect South Dakota’s Ag Future, is chaired by former South Dakota Agriculture Secretary Walt Bones. The committee spent $167,000 on advertising using a contribution of that amount from Gevo, a company that hopes to produce ethanol-based aviation fuel in South Dakota. Gevo is backing the law as part of its plans to use carbon capture technology in its production process. Another ballot question committee, Vote Yes for a Strong South Dakota, raised $2.2 million from ethanol producers, including $1 million from POET, the Sioux Falls-based world’s largest ethanol company, and $400,000 from Glacial Lakes Energy, an ethanol producer with multiple locations in South Dakota. Another $200,000 came from Gevo. The committee has spent $1.4 million, mostly on ads. Opponents of the law, through the SD Property Rights and Local Control Alliance ballot question committee, raised $189,000. Aside from the individual donations and farm-and-ranch corporation contributions, an additional $27,500 was raised through fundraising events such as silent auctions… “Another opponent group, a ballot question committee affiliated with Dakota Rural Action, received its $35,000 in funding from the South Dakota Rural Voters political action committee. It received its funding from two national groups – New World Foundation and Jane Fonda Climate PAC – which support social and climate justice efforts.”

Dakota Scout: Carbon pipeline shapes race for South Dakota's Public Utilities Commission
Austin Goss, 10/25/24

“The fate of a hot political talker in the Mount Rushmore State could rest in the hands of the quietly powerful South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC),” the Dakota Scout reports. “But demands for impartiality among anyone serving on the three-member panel have candidates in this year’s PUC race treading lightly when talking to voters about a proposed carbon pipeline they could end up voting on. That’s because the PUC is considered a quasi-judicial government body, forcing the trio of hopefuls vying for a spot on the commission into a balancing act between transparency and caution. “When I talk to people, I compare it to being a Supreme Court justice,” Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen, the Republican incumbent in the contest, told the Scout. “People understand.”

Hart Energy: South Dakota High Court Rejects Eminent Domain Power for CCUS Pipeline
10/25/24

“The South Dakota Supreme Court placed another roadblock on a hotly contested carbon capture pipeline when it refused to hear an appeal from Summit Carbon Solutions, the company behind the project,” Hart Energy reports. “Last March, the Supreme Court considered Summit’s arguments that CO2—captured and stored permanently underground—qualified as a commodity and that eminent domain could be used to transport the gas. On Aug. 21, the court released its opinion that Summit’s arguments were not convincing and that the company had not done enough at the lower court level to show it was a “common carrier” for a commodity.”

RBN Energy: South Dakota Supreme Court Deals Setback to CCS Pipeline
Jason Lindquist, 10/25/24

“The path forward for a five-state carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project being developed by Summit Carbon Solutions got a lot more complicated this week thanks to a ruling by the South Dakota Supreme Court,” RBN Energy reports. 

Bloomberg: Keystone Operator Blamed for Contributing to US Oil Spill
Robert Tuttle, 10/25/24

“The operator of the Keystone pipeline is partly to blame for failures that contributed to the spilling of nearly 13,000 barrels of crude from the line in 2022, according to a report by US regulators,” Bloomberg reports. “The failure occurred at a weld that had been under stress because the soil under the line wasn’t adequately compacted after the pipeline was excavated to replace fittings in 2010, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in the report. “This stress has been determined sufficient to initiate cracking of the failed girth weld,” PHMSA said. The spill happened on farmland in Kansas on Dec. 7, 2022, with most of the oil entering a creek, the worst of multiple such incidents that happened since the pipeline began operation in 2010. A Bloomberg investigation last year revealed that PHMSA had notified TC Energy Corp., which operated the line then, at least five times that elements of Keystone’s building and operating practices posed safety risks. TC Energy spun off its liquids pipeline business this year, with Keystone going to the new company, called South Bow Corp. TC Energy referred questions about the report to South Bow. South Bow has conducted 68 investigative digs on the pipeline, it told Bloomberg, adding it had  “not discovered conditions similar to Milepost 14” where the incident happened. The company “will continue long-term monitoring and reclamation activities,” it told Bloomberg. Two days before the spill, TC Energy increased flow rates on Keystone, a move that would also increase stresses at elbows on the pipeline, PHMSA said in its report.” 

Law360: State AGs Back Mich.'s Immunity From Enbridge Pipeline Suit
Tom Lotshaw, 10/25/24

“Nine states and the District of Columbia have told the Sixth Circuit they back Michigan state officials’ arguments of sovereign immunity from a lawsuit Enbridge Energy LP filed over the state’s revocation of an easement for a segment of the company’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac,” Law360 reports. 

WCMU: State board introduces new member for Line 5 tunnel oversight
Teresa Homsi, 10/25/24

“A state board that oversees the proposed Line 5 tunnel recently introduced a new member,” WCMU reports. “The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority recently welcomed Republican, Ruth Hepfer as their newest member on the three-person board. Hepfer currently works part-time as an engineer and spent 24 years with the Federal Highway Administration. She worked with federal aid programs and oversaw construction of roads and bridges in Michigan. “I understand the significance of this appointment to the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and the duty regarding the utility tunnel under the Straits," Hepfer said at the Oct. 18 meeting. "This is an extraordinary endeavor, important to both the upper and lower peninsulas." Hepfer replaces Andy Doctoroff, an Independent, who served on the Authority for one year. WCMU was not able to reach Doctoroff to learn why he resigned. During the meeting, an Enbridge representative also said the company plans to re-submit for a state permit by the end of the year.”

Noozhawk: Buellton-Area Landowner Sues Sable Over Oil Pipeline Easement, Restart Plans
Giana Magnoli, 10/26/24

“A Buellton-area property owner has sued Sable Offshore Corp. over the oil pipeline that runs through their property,” Noozhawk reports. “They argue that the company should get a new easement or reroute it before restarting operations. Zaca Preserve LLC filed a lawsuit earlier this month claiming Sable should get a new easement, build a new pipeline on the property, or reroute the pipeline around the property before restarting. Or, the company should buy the land, the complaint says… “However, the stigma caused by the Pipeline, which is legally required to be disclosed to any potential buyers of the premium lots within Zaca’s property, now exposes Zaca to millions of dollars of lost property value.” The “valuable subdivision” would be worth more than $40 million “were it not for the extreme negative stigma caused by defendants’ negligence and the 2015 blowout” and Sable’s restart plans, the lawsuit claims… “While dozens of landowners with pipeline easements opted into a class-action settlement with Sable earlier this year, Zaca Preserve didn’t. “The reason Zaca has opted out is because the relief provided in the class-action settlement is not remotely adequate to satisfy Zaca’s losses,” attorneys wrote in the complaint.”

Reuters: Blackstone in talks to buy US pipeline stakes from EQT for $3.5 billion, sources say
David French, 10/25/24

“Private equity firm Blackstone is in advanced talks to acquire minority stakes in the interstate natural gas pipelines owned by EQT Corp for about $3.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Friday,” Reuters reports. “If the talks are successful, the deal would help the natural gas producer slash the debt pile it accumulated from its acquisition of pipeline operator Equitrans Midstream earlier this year. Blackstone is planning to make the investment through its credit and insurance arm, the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential. A deal could be signed in the coming weeks if the talks don’t fall apart, the sources added. EQT will continue to operate the pipelines as part of the deal with Blackstone, the sources told Reuters. The transaction would help Blackstone generate steady income that it could deploy into its various investment strategies, while also giving it exposure to energy infrastructure assets, including the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 300-mile natural gas line running from West Virginia to Virginia… “Pittsburgh-based EQT holds stakes in 940 miles of interstate pipelines with a capacity of 4.4 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, according to a March presentation from the company… “Blackstone is no stranger to energy infrastructure. Its current portfolio includes pipeline operator Tallgrass Energy and a stake in the company that controls the Elba Island liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.”

Reuters: Uganda's $5 bln EACOP pipeline faces difficult debt talks
Wendell Roelf, 10/25/24

“Partners developing the $5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) are injecting more cash into the project to prevent it stalling as debt financing proves elusive, Uganda's energy minister told Reuters. Minister Ruth Nankabirwa recently travelled to Beijing to meet with potential Chinese funders seen as crucial for the success of East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) after six Western banks, including BNP Paribas, Société Generale and Barclays, pledged not to finance the pipeline under pressure from climate activists… “With a final decision on debt financing expected before the year-end, Nankabirwa told Reuters securing funds has required additional lobbying of banks and restructuring the package to include more stakeholder equity than debt — departing from an initial plan to have 60% covered by bank loans and 40% by equity… “The first Chinese-made pipes for what could become the world's largest heated crude pipeline are currently being put in place, officials said, and contractors need to be paid… “Almost a dozen European banks, which she declined to name, were also considering supporting EACOP, despite pushback from activists, Nankabirwa told Reuters.”.

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Leave NEPA alone, former officials tell Supreme Court
Lesley Clark, 10/25/24

“A group of senior officials who served under Democratic and Republican presidents are urging the Supreme Court to recognize the value of federal environmental reviews and leave it to Congress to make any changes,” E&E News reports. “The concerns are detailed in a friend of the court brief filed in the closely watched case Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, which the court is scheduled to hear in December. Signees include Obama-era Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Dale Hall, who was U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director under George W. Bush. The coalition is appealing a lower court ruling requiring a more rigorous National Environmental Policy Act review of the Uinta Basin Railway, a project designed to carry oil out of the Utah region to coastal ports or refineries.”

E&E News: Courts Approve Greens Helping Defend Public Lands Rule 
Scott Streater, 10/24/24

“Two federal district courts have agreed to allow environmental groups to intervene in litigation challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s sweeping public lands rule,” E&E News reports. “Judge David Barlow of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah issued an order Wednesday allowing the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Wilderness Society and Conservation Lands Foundation to intervene in a June lawsuit by Utah and Wyoming. That federal lawsuit argues, among other things, that the rule ‘overhauls BLM’s substantive priorities’ under federal law, ‘revises existing regulations’ and ‘creates brand new land-management tools.’ The Utah-Wyoming case also now involves a separate lawsuit filed in July by a coalition of energy, ranching and farming industry groups in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. Their complaint focuses on the rule’s mitigation and restoration leasing system. Barlow sided with the green groups that intervention was necessary because the Justice Department would likely not properly defend their more narrow interests in the case.”

E&E News: US Shale Production May Decline For First Time Since 2000 
Carlos Anchondo, 10/25/24

“U.S. shale gas production is on track for its first annual decrease in nearly 25 years, according to the Energy Department’s statistical arm,” E&E News report. “Total U.S. shale gas production from January through last month dropped by roughly 1 percent compared to the same time period last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a research analysis Thursday. The agency attributed the dip in output to low natural gas prices, which prompted production declines in the Haynesville and Utica plays.”

Politico: Greens Vs. Green Party 
10/25/24

“Five environmental groups are warning climate-minded voters this morning: ‘Do not be fooled’ by Green Party candidate Jill Stein,” Politico reports. “In an open letter shared first with ME, the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club Political Committee, EDF Action, NRDC Action and Clean Air Moms Action denounce Stein as a ‘spoiler’ who could tip the election for Donald Trump and a ‘hypocrite on issues of central importance to our movement.’ ‘It would be a heartbreaking irony if the ‘green’ candidate brought about environmental calamity by helping to return Trump to power,’ the groups wrote. Stein has criticized the Inflation Reduction Act as a ‘fossil fuels-first bill’ because of its provisions to boost oil and gas drilling alongside renewables… “It follows another open letter Thursday from 10 green groups led by Friends of the Earth Action, which warned “every vote for Dr. Jill Stein or Cornel West instead of Kamala Harris makes it more likely that Donald Trump will win.”

STATE UPDATES

E&E News: Tribal Leaders At COP16 Push Biden To Designate Calif. Monuments 
Scott Streater 10/24/24

“Native American tribal leaders participating in an international biodiversity conference in Colombia this week are calling on President Joe Biden to designate three new national monuments in California to protect plants and animals, as well as to conserve sacred tribal lands,” E&E News reports. “The tribal leaders at the two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference, known as COP16, are prodding Biden to establish the Sáttítla National Monument, the Chuckwalla National Monument, and Kw’tsán National Monument. “We are here at COP16 to ensure our voices are being heard as we call for a national monument for our homelands — Kw’tsán National Monument — and to help amplify the voices of global Indigenous communities who are in the same fight as us to preserve our culture for future generations,” said Lena Ortega, a member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s Kw’tsán Cultural Committee who is at the conference in Cali, Colombia.” 

Baltimore Sun: Energy companies say Annapolis, Anne Arundel ‘climate deception’ lawsuits should be dismissed
Racquel Bazos, 10/25/24

“Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Steven Platt heard arguments Friday from energy companies trying to dismiss Annapolis and the county’s suits against them for the costs of climate change,” the Baltimore Sun reports. “Due to the pending appeals of similar cases in both Baltimore and Honolulu, Theodore J.  Boutrous, Jr. argued on behalf of Chevron and the other energy firms being sued that Judge Platt should either dismiss the cases or at least wait for the other courts’ decisions. Including the Maryland cases, about 30 lawsuits around the country have been filed saying energy companies should be held liable for what plaintiffs’ attorney Matt Edling called “climate deception,” which he described as the decadeslong practice of not warning the public about the destabilizing effects of fossil fuel use on the climate… “Whether the Annapolis and Anne Arundel cases proceed to trial or not will determine if taxpayers will pay for climate resilience upgrades to infrastructure. Matt Fleming, director of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, told the Sun the city and county are “seeking outside funding” for $150 million in infrastructure projects. “We’re limited by our resources,” Jacqueline Guild, Deputy City Manager of Resilience and Sustainability, told the Sun. Should Annapolis prevail in its suit and receive damages from the defendants, Guild told the Sun, “It would make a tremendous difference for the quality of life for all Annapolis residents.”

Reuters: New Mexico studies oil drilling restrictions that would hit output, revenue
Georgina Mccartney, 10/25/24

“A top economist for the state of New Mexico, the second-largest oil-producer in the U.S., this week released a study on potential drilling restrictions that could hit up to 5.4% of its future crude output and result in billions of dollars in lost revenue,” Reuters reports. “The study evaluated setback proposals from the 2024 legislative session, which would restrict how close operators can drill to certain structures and environmental areas. They are intended to protect the public from oil and gas pollution… “The setbacks evaluated in the report would take effect in 2026 and would affect 15% of new wells in the state, of which about a third would be lost, Torres told Reuters… "A statewide setback would not accomplish increased mitigation of human health effects from oil and gas production, but it would be a detriment to the continued development of oil and gas resources and, ultimately, the State of New Mexico," Missi Currier, chief executive officer of the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association industry group, told Reuters… "The cost to human health and our natural resources far outweigh whatever revenue would be lost to the state," Charlie Barrett, a New Mexico environmental advocate and thermographer at the environmental group Earthworks, told Reuters. "Setbacks are critical to protecting communities, schools and businesses.”

NM Political Report: Petition calls on Lujan Grisham to ban PFAS in oil and gas operations
Hannah Grover, 10/23/24

“A coalition of advocacy groups delivered a petition to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham this week that requests a state ban on the use of PFAS chemicals in oil and gas extraction,” according to NM Political Report. “There are tens of thousands of PFAS chemicals in existence and these are used in a variety of applications including in cosmetics, firefighting foam, stain-resistant furniture, carpets, space heaters and, in some instances, the frack fluid that is used to break open rock formations underground during oil and gas extraction… “The advocacy groups say they do not know if any companies in New Mexico are currently using PFAS chemicals when engaging in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. However, they say there is evidence that PFAS has been used in fracking in New Mexico in the past… “WildEarth Guardians also led the petition effort and delivered it to the governor’s office on Monday. That petition was signed by more than 4,000 people. The petition comes in the weeks leading to the Oil Conservation Commission’s hearing on the subject. That multi-day hearing will start Nov. 12. While the hearing could result in regulations that prevent PFAS use in oil and gas operations, the advocates say the governor could also issue an executive order that would accomplish the same thing.”

Gothamist: Environmentalists push to close Brooklyn power plants only used several times a year
Rosemary Misdary, 10/24/24

“New York state will not meet its goal of shutting down inefficient power plants that only operate a few days a year by next May — and advocates say in a new report that communities in Brooklyn will suffer the consequences,” Gothamist reports. “Two “peaker plants” in Sunset Park and Gowanus are only activated when there is high demand for electricity, like the hottest days of the summer. In July, the New York Independent System Operator, which coordinates the daily distribution of electricity, extended the life of both fossil-fuel plants for two years, citing a “reliability gap” to address 4.5% of peak demand. In the report, a coalition of environmental groups criticize that decision as “subjecting nearby communities … to extended exposure to harmful emissions.” “...Peaker plants are expensive for New Yorkers. The mostly idle facilities are fully staffed. Between 2010 and 2019, peaker plants cost $450 million annually for around 100 hours of operation, according to Chu. In a cruel twist, people living near peaker plants tend to experience more frequent brownouts and blackouts, the report states. Peaker plants also release sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, which have an extensive list of negative health effects, including heart disease, cancer and premature death.”

Fuel Cells Works: Cadiz and RIC Energy Partner to Build the Largest Hydrogen Production Facility in California
10/23/24

Cadiz, Inc., a California water solutions company, and RIC Energy, a global renewable energy company, announced today they have entered into an agreement to build California’s largest green hydrogen facility at Cadiz Ranch in the Mojave Desert,” Fuel Cells Works reports. “Under the agreement, Cadiz will supply land and water to RIC Energy for the creation of industrial quantities of 100% green hydrogen using solar energy. Rail lines, pipelines and interstate highways that intersect Cadiz Ranch will deliver green hydrogen to Southern California markets to fuel zero-emission trucks, cars and electric generation. “Cadiz is proud to partner with RIC to bring this important new clean energy facility online,” said Cadiz CEO Susan Kennedy. “Cadiz sits at the crossroads of major rail, pipeline, and highway infrastructure in California’s Inland Empire with thousands of acres for solar and an aquifer system larger than Lake Mead. It is the ideal location for green hydrogen production – the largest hydrogen production facility in California.” “...Plans call for a self-sufficient, integrated, off-grid green hydrogen production facility utilizing photovoltaic (PV) solar for its power supply on up to 3,000 acres of the Cadiz Ranch. The new facility is expected to feature a combination of state-of-the-art technologies to create green hydrogen, complying with the strictest regulations of IRA’s Section 45V, using on-site Cadiz water resources and fully renewable electricity generated from a local solar array.“

EXTRACTION

New York Times: The U.N.’s Verdict on Climate Progress Over the Past Year: There Was None
Brad Plumer, 10/24/24

“One year after world leaders made a landmark promise to move away from fossil fuels, countries have essentially made no progress in cutting emissions and tackling global warming, according to a United Nations report issued on Thursday,” the New York Times reports. “Global greenhouse gas emissions soared to a record 57 gigatons last year and are not on track to decline much, if at all, this decade, the report found. Collectively, nations have been so slow to curtail their use of oil, gas and coal that it now looks unlikely that countries will be able to limit global warming to the levels they agreed to under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. “Another year passed without action means we’re worse off,” Anne Olhoff, a climate policy expert based in Denmark and a co-author of the assessment, known as the Emissions Gap Report, told the Times. The report comes a month before diplomats from around the world are scheduled to meet in Baku, Azerbaijan, for annual United Nations climate talks, where countries will discuss how they might step up efforts to address global warming.”

Globe and Mail: Oil-sands giants, federal agency back at table as carbon-capture talks gain momentum
Adam Radwanski, Emma Graney, 10/27/24

“A federal financing agency has for the first time put forward a specific proposal to back a multibillion-dollar investment in carbon-capture technology by the Pathways Alliance, a group of the country’s largest oil-sands companies,” the Globe and Mail reports. “Three sources familiar with the matter told The Globe and Mail that the offer to back capital costs for the industry group’s six members – who collectively represent approximately 95 per cent of oil-sands production – was recently made by the Canada Growth Fund… “The Canada Growth Fund (CGF) is a $15-billion entity created last year by Ottawa to support carbon capture, storage and utilization (CCUS), along with other forms of clean technology, but its previous discussions with Pathways fizzled out before anything substantive was put on paper… “The CGF’s proposal is likely to serve as a starting point for more advanced negotiations, however, and any deal is likely still at least months away. Far from being at the stage of hammering out fine print, the two sides are still some distance apart on the fundamentals, all three sources indicated… “A bigger sticking point may be that, more than just asking for help with capital investments, Pathways has been citing carbon capture’s operational costs to seek greater revenue certainty. That would require something along the lines of carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs), which essentially guarantee the value of carbon credits under Canada’s industrial pricing system, even if political change causes that system to be scrapped or the credit market otherwise does not prove robust.”

DeSmog: Norway’s Equinor Admits It “Over-Reported” Amount of Carbon Captured At Flagship Project for Years 
Edward Donnelly, 10/28/24

“Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has admitted over-reporting the performance of a flagship carbon capture and storage project by about 30 percent due to defective monitoring equipment, underscoring risks associated with plans to scale the technology as a climate solution, DeSmog can reveal. In a footnote in its latest sustainability data, Equinor said a malfunction in equipment used to measure the amount of gas flowing through a pipeline at its Sleipner gas field in the North Sea had caused it to over-report the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) stored from 2017 to 2021… “Equinor did not quantify the extent of the over-estimates in the footnote on Sleipner. The 28-year-old project is often cited by carbon capture advocates as proof that it’s technically feasible to trap and store large quantities of CO2 underground. A DeSmog review of publicly available company data suggests that Equinor captured and stored a cumulative total of 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 at Sleipner from 2017-2019, compared to its initial estimate of 2.1 million tonnes — implying that it had previously over-reported the amount of gas stored during that three-year period by about 30 percent… “Equinor declined to say when the broken equipment at Sleipner was first detected, or how the company arrived at its revised estimates for CO2 capture. A spokesperson referred DeSmog to the company’s website and sustainability reports for further information on its carbon capture projects… “The downward revision of capture estimates at Sleipner and Equinor’s frequent failure to run its two carbon capture projects at full capacity echo a long history of missed targets, cost-overruns and economic problems at CCS projects in North America and Australia. These challenges have convinced many environmental groups that fossil fuel companies primarily see the technology as a cover for continued expansion of oil and gas production, rather than a viable tool for curbing emissions on a global scale.” 

Bloomberg: More Companies Ditch Junk Carbon Offsets but New Buyers Loom
Akshat Rathi, Natasha White, and Demetrios Pogkas, 10/24/24

“Delta Airlines Inc. has for the past few years been among the biggest corporate buyers of carbon offsets. That demand — from airlines, energy companies, automakers and logistics firms — drove forecasts of a market worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years,” Bloomberg reports. “But after strong pushback from experts, Delta is now among a growing list of major companies that have ended purchases of these cheap credits. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and EasyJet Plc have recently joined in the rejection of what had been an enormously popular approach to sustainability. Many of these companies are now focused on the more expensive task of reducing their own emissions. As a result, there’s been a sharp decline in sales in 2023, according to a Bloomberg Green analysis of the most recent public datasets covering 320,000 offset transactions… “Among the offset purchases seeing the steepest declines are credits tied to renewable-energy projects, which fell 29%. Most experts have written off these offsets as junk because electricity from wind, hydro and solar plants is already low cost. That suggests extra funding from the sale of the credits doesn’t contribute to further reduction in emissions. “For many years, scientific reports have repeatedly questioned the credibility of offsets from renewable-energy projects,” Lambert Schneider, a carbon markets expert at the German research organization Öko-Institut, told Bloomberg. That scrutiny culminated over the summer with a decision by a crucial standard-setting organization to classify a large portion of carbon offsets as useless… “I don't think the problem will go away until there is broader accountability for false statements in the voluntary carbon markets,” Danny Cullenward, a closer observer of the market at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, told Bloomberg.”

Trinidad Daily Express: $244m oil spill claim
Joel Julien, 10/25/24

“The Solo Creed tug was arrested in Angola to secure Trinidad and Tobago’s claim for more than $244 million in damage resulting from the February oil spill in Tobago, the Ministry of Energy has said,” the Trinidad Daily Express reports. “...No individual has been reported as arrested in connection with the incident. The Energy Ministry said the Solo Creed was responsible for “substantial damage to livelihood of persons and the environment of Tobago caused by the oil spill in February 2024 during the towing operations of a barge… “The arrest was ordered by the Court to allow the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to protect the fruits of its claim to recover a sum in excess of $244,000,000. This sum is a preliminary figure at this stage since the full costs of this spill continues to be tabulated,” the Energy Ministry stated.

OPINION

Calgary Herald: Is there truly hope to implement large-scale carbon capture?
James Millar is the former president and CEO of the International CCS Knowledge Centre and a communications consultant, 10/25/24

“A shift in tone can be subtle, but when it happens in a meaningful way momentum can be gained toward a positive outcome. Such was the case late last week with media reports that Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson had tempered his feelings toward Alberta’s oilsands producers and their progress, or lack thereof (in his opinion), on a mammoth $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage (CCS) project initiated by the Pathways Alliance, a group representing Alberta’s six largest energy companies,” James Millar writes for the Calgary Herald. “…Wilkinson is quoted as saying recent talks with Alberta energy producers have been going well, and that he is hopeful an agreement can be reached so decisions can be made to get shovels in the ground… “So, one would think this is a no-brainer, especially with both federal and provincial CCS fiscal support now on the table. It’s not that simple. Lack of true certainty remains the rub… “Then there is the price of carbon… “One hopes there is traction here for the Pathways CCS project after more than two years of talks with Ottawa to find a path forward and get a deal done, as the minister says, before Christmas or early in the new year. This would give the Trudeau government something to hold up in front of all Canadians to demonstrate tangible action against climate change and allow energy companies to display their true commitment in making a difference for future generations.”

OpenDemocracy: Dark Arts Dispatch: Corporate capture, utilisation and storage
Ethan Shone, 10/28/24

“Corporate Capture and Storage: Earlier this month, the government unveiled a sizable commitment to Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), announcing it would spend £22bn over 25 years on two carbon storage clusters, which it said would entice a further £8bn of private investment,” Ethan Stone writes for OpenDemocracy. “That investment was confirmed two weeks later at the UK’s flagship investment summit, when the government revealed it had reached a commercial agreement with investors including Eni, BP and Equinor to “unlock £8bn of private investment to launch carbon capture clusters”. CCUS is controversial because it is largely untested at scale and critics say it is essentially a sop to the fossil fuel industry – kicking the can down the road on the seismic shift in energy policy needed to genuinely meet net-zero targets. This announcement will do little to quell those concerns given the three main investors are among the largest oil and gas companies in the world. This investment follows a major campaign of engagement from the industry, particularly the representative body, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA)... “As an industry representative body, the CCSA’s only task is to advocate (see: lobby) for the interests of its members, who last year provided around two-thirds of its revenue through membership fees. Many of these members also have seats on the organisation’s board, including the three investors named by the government – Eni, BP and Equinor – plus fellow oil giants Shell and Total. By setting up and funding industry representative groups, companies such as fossil fuel firms create a kind of front, through which they can have their interests advocated and their points raised without their immediate involvement or connection always being obvious.”