EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/5/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Associated Press: Response time questioned in Southern California oil spill
Common Dreams: 'Keep Oil and Gas in the Ground,' Say Fossil Fuel Foes as Spill Ravages California Coast
Washington Post: In California oil spill, pipeline critics find a way to push Biden
Reuters: Canada invokes 1977 pipeline treaty with U.S. over Line 5 dispute
Canadian Press: Enbridge says still willing to talk on Line 5, despite Michigan's frustration
Star Tribune: Oil flows through Line 3, but cleanup work remains at site of ruptured aquifer
Guardian: Pipeline company paid Minnesota police for arresting and surveilling protesters
Associated Press: Pennsylvania AG reschedules pipeline probe announcement
Reuters: Spire asks SCOTUS to hit pause on Missouri STL pipeline shutdown
WRIC: ‘Completely out of the norm’: Central Virginia counties protest Chickahominy Pipeline plan
Ames Tribune: 'It's gonna screw up everything': Boone County farmers decry proposed carbon capture pipeline
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Tensions erupt between environmental justice leaders and White House
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: Pipeline Safety: Joint Meeting of the Gas and Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committees
STATE UPDATES
Press release: Senator Collins Announces More than $1 Million to Support Pipeline Safety Across Maine
Salt Lake Tribune: Residents call for reform after hydrogen sulfide gas leak on Navajo Nation
Durango Herald: Should methane rules extend to older wells? U.S. Sens. Bennet, Hickenlooper seek to extend Obama-era protections to orphaned and abandoned sites
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Fossil fuel demand shakes off pandemic in blow to climate fight
Canadian Press: Oil prices hit seven-year highs; US$100 oil possible this winter, experts say
Washington Post: New ‘net zero’ standards could transform the climate — unless they’re derailed
Guardian: Andrew Forrest criticises use of carbon capture and storage saying it fails ‘19 out of 20 times’
Common Dreams: Six-Month Sentence for Lawyer Who Took on Chevron Denounced as 'International Outrage'
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative [VIDEO]: Locals reject Enbridge sponsoring Bayfield Apple Fest
OPINION
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Huntington Beach shore is covered in oil. This is why the U.S. needs to end coastal drilling
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Demise of Canadian Energy Pipeline Association 'really short-sighted,' warns Alberta energy minister
PIPELINE NEWS
Associated Press: Response time questioned in Southern California oil spill
AMY TAXIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER, 10/4/21
“Some residents, business owners and environmentalists questioned whether authorities reacted quickly enough to contain one of the largest oil spills in recent California history, caused by a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline that fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and could keep the beaches there closed for weeks or longer,” the Associated Press reports. “...People who live and work in the area said they noticed an oil sheen and a heavy petroleum smell Friday evening. But it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that the Coast Guard said an oil slick had been spotted and a unified command established to respond. And it took until Saturday night for the company that operates the pipeline believed responsible for the leak to shut down operations. Rick Torgerson, owner of Blue Star Yacht Charter told AP on Friday evening “people were emailing, and the neighbors were asking, ‘do you smell that?’” By Saturday morning boats were returning to the marina with their hulls covered in oil, he said. Garry Brown, president of the environmental group Orange County Coastkeeper, decried a lack of initial coordination among the Coast Guard and local officials in dealing with the spreading oil slick. “By the time it comes to the beach, it’s done tremendous damage. Our frustration is, it could have been averted if there was a quick response,” Brown, who lives in Huntington Beach, told AP… “A petroleum stench permeated the air throughout the area. “You get the taste in the mouth just from the vapors in the air,” Foley told AP The oil will likely continue to wash up on the shore for several days and affect Newport Beach and other nearby communities, officials said.”
Common Dreams: 'Keep Oil and Gas in the Ground,' Say Fossil Fuel Foes as Spill Ravages California Coast
BRETT WILKINS, 10/3/21
“As cleanup crews on Sunday rushed to contain the damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history, environmentalists stressed the necessity of ending offshore drilling—and ultimately, of keeping all fossil fuels in the ground,” Common Dreams reports. “...Endangered and threatened species that live in the area include humpback whales, snowy plovers, and California least terns. "The oil spill just shows how dirty and dangerous oil drilling is," Center for Biological Diversity oceans program director Miyoko Sakashita told the Associated Press. "It's impossible to clean it up so it ends up washing up on our beaches and people come into contact with it and wildlife comes in contact with it. It has long-lasting effects on the breeding and reproduction of animals." Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer at the conservation group Oceana, called the spill "just the latest tragedy of the oil industry." "The reality of our reliance on oil and gas is on full display here," she said. "This is the legacy of the fossil fuel age, in which the oil and gas industry pushed their product until we were addicted. We need to break that addiction by shifting to clean energy. It's time for the age of oil and gas to be history." Savitz called on President Joe Biden "to deliver on his campaign promise to end offshore drilling."
Washington Post: In California oil spill, pipeline critics find a way to push Biden
Erica Werner and Steven Mufson, 10/5/21
“A large oil spill continued to spread across the coastal waters of Southern California on Monday, shutting down miles of beaches, closing the region’s busiest leisure port, threatening wetlands and wildlife, and raising fresh questions about the safety of U.S. pipelines,” the Washington Post reports. “...The issue of pipeline safety comes as climate activists are seeking to block new projects across the United States. Build Back Fossil Free, a coalition of climate and other activists, plans to protest outside the White House next week to call on President Biden to declare a climate emergency and block all new fossil fuel projects. “The oil spill demonstrates exactly why it’s so important for the Biden administration to act now on fossil fuels, rather than relying on long-term targets and a slow transition,” Jamie Henn, one of the protest organizers, told the Post… “While environmentalists are trying to halt the construction of pipelines across the country, they’ve had only mixed success. Protesters tried unsuccessfully for months to block the completion of the Enbridge Line 3 project, which transported oil from Canada across the wetlands and forests of northern Minnesota. But opponents lost a series of court challenges, the Biden administration did not step in, and oil started flowing through the completed project on Friday. Biden has sought to balance the interests of several trade unions, whose members continue to work on pipelines, against the need to cut carbon emissions linked to burning fossil fuels.”
Reuters: Canada invokes 1977 pipeline treaty with U.S. over Line 5 dispute
Nia Williams and Sebastien Malo, 10/4/21
“Canada on Monday invoked a 1977 treaty with the United States to trigger bilateral negotiations over Enbridge Inc's (ENB.TO) Line 5, escalating a long-running dispute over one of Canada's major oil export pipelines,” Reuters reports. “Line 5 ships 540,000 barrels per day of crude and refined products from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, but the state of Michigan ordered Enbridge to shut it down by May due to worries a leak could develop in a four-mile section running beneath the Straits of Mackinac in the Great Lakes… “Invoking the treaty will force U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to get involved in the Line 5 dispute, Ian Lee, a business professor at Ottawa's Carleton University, told Reuters. "They're going to escalate it up to the nation-to-nation level, and hopefully we will have a resolution,” Lee told Reuters, adding that for Ottawa, a shutdown would be a political catastrophe… “In a letter to the U.S. federal judge presiding over the case, Gordon Giffin, legal counsel for the Canadian government, said Canada had formally invoked Article Six of the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty. The treaty has never been invoked before. Line 5 is governed by a provisions of the agreement guaranteeing uninterrupted transit of light crude oil and natural gas liquids between the two countries, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement.”
Canadian Press: Enbridge says still willing to talk on Line 5, despite Michigan's frustration
10/4/21
“The Canadian architect of the controversial Line 5 cross-border pipeline expansion project said Friday it remains committed to a negotiated solution to its impasse with the state of Michigan, even though the government has effectively walked away from the table,” the Canadian Press reports. “Both sides are obliged by court order to engage in a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute, and Enbridge Inc. “remains ready to do just that,” the Calgary-based pipeline giant said in a statement… “Critics, however, among them Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, want the line shut down, arguing it's only a matter of time before an anchor strike or technical failure triggers a catastrophic environmental disaster in one of the area's most important watersheds… “A court-sanctioned voluntary mediation process, which began in April, has failed to yield any agreement and appears to have fallen apart, although the official status of those talks is difficult to divine. Following the last meeting Sept. 9, Michigan's emissaries “unambiguously communicated to the mediator that any further continuation of the mediation process would be unproductive for them, and they have no 'desire to continue with the mediation process,''' court documents show. Michigan District Court Judge Janet Neff, however, appears reluctant to call a halt to the process. “Voluntary facilitative mediation necessarily requires voluntary participation by both parties,'' Neff said in a decision last week that dismissed as moot one of the state's motions aimed at short-circuiting the talks. The process, Neff wrote, “is at least at a standstill, although the parties remain under a continuing obligation to engage in good faith to resolve this case.” Where that leaves matters is unclear.”
Star Tribune: Oil flows through Line 3, but cleanup work remains at site of ruptured aquifer
Jennifer Bjorhus, Jennifer Bjorhus, 10/4/21
“Oil started flowing through the newly built Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota on Friday, bringing closure to one chapter of the large and bitterly disputed construction project. Now comes a new one: cleaning up the mess left behind,” the Star Tribune reports. “Forced by state regulators, Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge has launched a major cleanup effort in Clearwater County to repair the aquifer crews punctured during construction in January. Artesian groundwater has been welling up for more than eight months near this rural community, wasting at least 24 million gallons and threatening to dry out two rare and protected wetland areas nearby called fens… “The breach is a significant blunder on one of the largest construction projects in the state's recent history, but it's been largely out of public view given the location and the fact the company failed to tell regulators about it for several months. The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) revealed the problem only last month when it ordered Enbridge to pay $3.3 million for the damage and gave it 30 days to stop the uncontrolled flow of water. Enbridge now faces an Oct. 15 deadline to essentially cork the artesian well it created. Its plan is to drill a new well to pump out some of the water and then inject tons of grout into the ground to try to seal it… “Outraged environmental groups, scientists and Ojibwe bands who opposed the pipeline dismissed the state's enforcement action as too little, too late. They say the rupture is exactly the sort of problem they warned would happen in Minnesota's watery landscape.” “...Broberg, who directs the Minnesota Well Owners Organization, told The Tribune the aquifer each day is losing enough water to fill 4 acres one foot deep, based on state estimates. "It's a lot of water," he said.
Guardian: Pipeline company paid Minnesota police for arresting and surveilling protesters
Hilary Beaumont, 10/5/21
“The Canadian company Enbridge has reimbursed US police $2.4m for arresting and surveilling hundreds of demonstrators who oppose construction of its Line 3 pipeline, according to documents the Guardian obtained through a public records request,” the Guardian reports. “Enbridge has paid for officer training, police surveillance of demonstrators, officer wages, overtime, benefits, meals, hotels and equipment… “Police have arrested more than 900 demonstrators opposing Line 3 and its impact on climate and Indigenous rights, according to the Pipeline Legal Action Network. It’s common for protesters opposing pipeline construction to face private security hired by companies, as they did during demonstrations against the Dakota Access pipeline. But in Minnesota, a financial agreement with a foreign company has given public police forces an incentive to arrest demonstrators… “Enbridge told the Guardian an independent account manager allocates the funds, and police decide when protesters are breaking the law. But records obtained by the Guardian show the company meets daily with police to discuss intelligence gathering and patrols. And when Enbridge wants protesters removed, it calls police or sends letters. “Our police are beholden to a foreign company,” Tara Houska, founder of the Indigenous frontline group Giniw Collective, told the Guardian. “They are working hand in hand with big oil. They are actively working for a company. Their duty is owed to the state of Minnesota and to the tribal citizens of Minnesota.” “It’s a very clear violation of the public’s trust,” she added.
Associated Press: Pennsylvania AG reschedules pipeline probe announcement
MARK SCOLFORO AND MICHAEL RUBINKAM, 10/5/21
“Pennsylvania's attorney general abruptly postponed a news conference Monday at which he was apparently poised to announce criminal charges against the developer of a major pipeline network that transports natural gas liquids across southern Pennsylvania,” the Associated Press reports. “The planned announcement by Attorney General Josh Shapiro was rescheduled for Tuesday morning. It was unclear what caused the delay, though his office told AP it had received “new information” on the case that required review. Shapiro had first planned to hold the long-anticipated event on Monday morning at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown, where Sunoco Pipeline LP spilled more than 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid last year. The spill, during construction of the troubled Mariner East 2 pipeline, fouled wetlands, a stream and part of a 535-acre lake. Shapiro's office had billed it as a “major environmental crimes case," and a YouTube page set up to carry the announcement was headlined “AG Shapiro Charges Mariner East Developer With Environmental Crimes.” “...The August 2020 spill at Marsh Creek was among a series of incidents that has plagued Mariner East since construction began in 2017, making it one of the most penalized projects in state history. The company has paid more than $16.4 million in fines for polluting waterways and drinking water wells, including a $12.6 million fine in 2018 that was one of the largest ever imposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection. State regulators have periodically shut down construction. But environmental activists and homeowners who assert their water has been fouled say that fines and periodic shutdown orders have not forced Sunoco to clean up its act. They have been demanding revocation of Mariner East's permits.”
Reuters: Spire asks SCOTUS to hit pause on Missouri STL pipeline shutdown
Sebastien Malo, 10/4/21
“U.S. natural gas company Spire Inc on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay an order shutting down the company's STL natural gas pipeline in Missouri, arguing the high court is likely to take up a dispute over the pipeline's fate,” Reuters reports. “In June a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. vacated a critical certificate issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2018 for St. Louis-based Spire to continue operating the Spire STL Pipeline. Spire obtained temporary permission from FERC last month to operate the 65-mile pipeline until Dec. 13 while regulators consider the next steps for the pipe. The company has warned that shutting off the pipeline will lead to gas outages for as many as 400,000 in St. Louis when FERC's temporary permission expires this winter. However, the company on Friday failed to persuade the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit not to issue a formal shutdown mandate on Oct. 8. In Monday's filing, Spire's attorneys at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, led by Theodore Olson, urged the court to grant the stay because there is a "reasonable probability" the justices will select their case for review and reverse the lower court's decision.”
WRIC: ‘Completely out of the norm’: Central Virginia counties protest Chickahominy Pipeline plan
Jakob Cordes, 10/4/21
“Louisa County asked the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on Sept. 27 to reject a company’s request that they be exempted from regulatory oversight on their plan to build a sprawling natural gas pipeline across five counties in central Virginia,” WRIC reports. “As 8News previously reported that Chickahominy Pipeline, LLC petitioned the State Corporation Commission on Sept. 3 to issue a judgment releasing the company from oversight on its proposed pipeline. But in their new filing, Louisa County asked the SCC to reject Chickahominy Pipeline’s argument, saying the company should be subjected to state regulations on public utilities. Frustration with CPLLC among Louisa County’s board of supervisors was spurred on by concerns raised by residents and unresponsive company representatives… “Officials from other counties along the pipeline’s path have repeatedly tried to contact CPLLC, but many have been frustrated by a lack of communication from the company. Cari Tretina, the Chief of Staff to the Henrico County Administrator, told WRIC when they heard about the project from residents who’d received letters, it immediately raised red flags. “The most concerning aspect is that this proposed project runs through flood plains, wetlands and specifically right through the Chickahominy,” Tretina told WRIC. Tretina said she was surprised that the company hadn’t reached out to the county before contacting residents to ask for permission to survey. “The way that this project has been communicated is completely out of the norm to what we as a locality are used to,” she told WRIC.
Ames Tribune: 'It's gonna screw up everything': Boone County farmers decry proposed carbon capture pipeline
Danielle Gehr, 10/4/21
“An informational meeting ended with a call for Boone County farmers to band together in refusing easement offers to make way for a proposed 2,000-mile carbon capture pipeline Monday,” the Ames Tribune reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions wants to build a $4.5 billion pipeline that would permanently sequester biofuels plants' carbon emissions. Company officials tout the project's potential to create 14,000-17,000 jobs and sequester carbon equivalent to 2.6 million vehicles' emissions annually. But the company's representatives were met with resistance at both Monday's presentation, which was held at Boone's History Center and attended by about 50 of the area's residents, and at a meeting on the project in Ames last month, where many with land along the pipeline's proposed route took issue with the project. For Tom Kauffman, who owns land in Boone and Wright counties, the route would take the pipeline straight through his drainage tiles, which were installed in the last five years. "It's gonna screw up everything," he said outside the meeting. The pipeline, which has been dubbed the Midwest Carbon Express, would connect to 12 Iowa ethanol plants and pass through four other states: Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota… “The project would require land easements and potentially eminent domain, impacting many agricultural properties… “Among residents' criticisms of the project Monday — which included safety and environmental concerns, as well as potential conflicts of interest involving appointees of former Gov. Terry Branstad — were farmers' fears that the project would be a repeat of the aftermath of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which left long-term impacts on agricultural land. Some of those impacted by the Dakota Access Pipeline, like Keith Puntenney of Boone, said they could be impacted by the Summit pipeline, too. "You can't put topsoil back once you take it off," Puntenney said at Monday's meeting. "That's the problem. That's the problem with what's going on in here."
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Tensions erupt between environmental justice leaders and White House
ZACK COLMAN, 10/5/21
“Members of the environmental justice movement sent an email blast more than 5,600 times over a 48-hour period to top Biden administration officials, disrupting White House communication and sparking a tense exchange between the administration’s chief environmental outreach official and one of the key leaders of the movement,” Politico reports. “The form-letter blast effectively shut down email communication over two August days between high-ranking Biden administration officials, including national climate adviser Gina McCarthy, her deputy Ali Zaidi, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and David Kieve, who leads outreach to environmental groups for the White House, Erika Thi Patterson, campaign director with the Action Center on Race and the Economy, and two others familiar with the incident, told Politico. Patterson told Politico she learned those details when Kieve called her to express dismay in a 17-minute conversation that she characterized as aggressive and offensive. “It’s really outrageous,” Patterson said of the Aug. 19 call with Kieve. “With all the crises our communities are facing right now, that all this energy and aggression was focused on receiving emails.” “...Nonetheless, many leaders of the movement told POLITICO that bitterness remains, as they worry the White House is doing too little to advance their agenda amid the tense negotiations transpiring in Congress. Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, a Native American group which is also part of the Stop the Money Pipeline, told Politico: “They are taking for granted the tens of thousands of people who are part of this climate movement and the countless frontline communities that are in danger. It’s going to come back to bite them in the butt if they don’t step up. It’s a matter of politics.”
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: Pipeline Safety: Joint Meeting of the Gas and Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committees
10/4/21
“The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration will hold a virtual public meeting on October 20-21, 2021. “...The virtual public meeting of the Technical Pipeline Safety Standards Committee also known as the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee (GPAC), and the Technical Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Standards Committee also known as the Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committee (LPAC), to discuss a variety of policy issues and topics relevant to both gas and liquid pipeline safety. In addition, the committees will discuss the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled: “Periodic Updates of Regulatory References to Technical Standards and Miscellaneous Amendments.” Members of the public who wish to attend are asked to register no later than October 15, 2021.”
STATE UPDATES
Press release: Senator Collins Announces More than $1 Million to Support Pipeline Safety Across Maine
10/4/21
“U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Ranking Member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that the State of Maine has received a total of $1,091,211 to help keep the state pipeline system safe. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). “Following the heartbreaking explosion in Farmington two years ago, we must ensure that our pipelines are a safe and efficient method for transporting the energy needed by homes and businesses in communities across our state,” said Senator Collins. “These important investments in job training, oversight, and damage prevention efforts will help prevent future accidents like the Farmington explosion and ensure that Mainers have access to low-cost energy.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Residents call for reform after hydrogen sulfide gas leak on Navajo Nation
Zak Podmore, 10/2/21
“It was still dark when Parnell Thomas opened his eyes on the morning of Aug. 10, but he immediately knew something had gone very wrong at the oil and gas field near his home on the northern Navajo Nation,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports. “The stench of hydrogen sulfide gas was burning his nostrils and shaking off the sleep was harder than it should have been. “I couldn’t breathe,” Thomas told the Tribune. “I was coughing and kind of dazed.” He stumbled through the house waking up his kids, who were sleeping on the upper floor with the windows open, and friends who were staying over for the night. Thomas recalls seeing a white haze moving through the house, and by the time he got everyone outside to fresher air, several of the children were vomiting. Thomas’ family and friends piled into cars and drove to a relative’s house before dawn. Soon afterward, he spoke with neighbors, who were also awakened by the smell, and called several employees of Elk Petroleum, the largest operator in the Aneth oil field in southern San Juan County. “My goal is to get H2S monitors set in place for the community members who live really close to the facilities. That way if something ever does happen, we’ll have an emergency siren warning us to move [from the area], Thomas told the Tribune... “Monitors with visual and audible warning systems are required at drill sites where H2S is present in Utah. Although Utah state regulations do not apply to the Navajo Nation, which is permitted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Elk Petroleum has gas detection and warning systems installed on its larger facilities and processing plants. Ambrose told the Tribune the company has listened to Thomas’ concerns and has committed to adding similar systems to “all facilities in close proximity to residents, including the facility closest to Mr. Thomas’.” “...But San Juan County Commissioner Kenneth Maryboy, a Democrat and member of the Navajo Nation, said he shared Thomas’ frustrations. ”What if it had happened when [Thomas and his family] were in a deep sleep?” Maryboy asked. “The company reassured them that it’s not going to happen again. Well, they said that 100 times or more, and it’s still happening.”
Durango Herald: Should methane rules extend to older wells? U.S. Sens. Bennet, Hickenlooper seek to extend Obama-era protections to orphaned and abandoned sites
Kelsey Carolan, 10/1/21
“The San Juan Basin in Southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico is home to more than 30,000 gas wells, some active, others inactive. As a major producer of natural gas in the early 2000s, it has also been identified as a major producer of methane gas emissions,” the Durango Herald reports. “In fact, satellite images taken between 2003 and 2009 showed a 2,500-square-mile methane hot spot over the basin. A study later found 250 different sites that accounted for over 50% of the emissions, all related to energy extraction methods. Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used thermal camera imaging in 2016 show how natural gas spews from industry facilities in the basin. And more recently, the Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Environment Department reported 61 leaks of methane and volatile organic compounds from a variety of oil and gas equipment, including storage tanks and flares, in the San Juan Basin. But as production wanes, what should happen to those old or abandoned wells still leaking methane? Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are leading the call for stronger protective methane standards for the oil and gas industry. In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 23, Bennet, Hickenlooper and other Colorado representatives urged the extension of Obama-era protections to older wells.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Fossil fuel demand shakes off pandemic in blow to climate fight
By Noah Browning and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, 10/4/21
“Demand for coal and natural gas has exceeded pre-COVID-19 highs with oil not far behind, dealing a setback to hopes the pandemic would spur a faster transition to clean energy from fossil fuels,” Reuters reports. “Global natural gas shortages, record gas and coal prices, a power crunch in China and a three-year high on oil prices all tell one story - demand for energy has roared back and the world still needs fossil fuels to meet most of those energy needs. "The demand fall during the pandemic was entirely linked to governments' decision to restrict movements and had nothing to do with the energy transition," Cuneyt Kazokoglu, head of oil demand analysis at FGE told Reuters. "The energy transition and decarbonisation are decade-long strategies and do not happen overnight." Over three-quarters of global energy demand is still met by fossil fuels with less than a fifth by non-nuclear renewables, according to energy watchdog the International Energy Agency… “Energy transition policies have come under fire for the run up in energy prices. In some places, they are having an impact, such as in Europe where high carbon prices aimed at reducing emissions have made utilities reluctant to switch on coal-fired plants to alleviate the shortage… “Global natural gas demand fell 1.9% last year, a smaller drop than other energy sources as utilities cranked up power production to meet heating needs during winter. But the IEA projects gas demand will rise 3.2% in 2021 to over 4 trillion cubic metres, erasing 2020 losses, and pushing demand above 2019 levels… “Last to catch up, oil demand is set to rebound toward pre-pandemic levels above 100 million barrels per day sometime next year, according to four of the major tracking groups… “In the more distant future, with most forecasters predicting a peak in fossil fuel demand within the next two decades and the IEA recommending against new projects to ensure net zero emissions, broader supply gaps could fuel more price shocks.
Canadian Press: Oil prices hit seven-year highs; US$100 oil possible this winter, experts say
10/4/21
“Crude oil worth US$100 per barrel could be possible this winter, according to industry experts who have been watching prices rally this fall to territory not seen in seven years,” the Canadian Press reports. “The North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate price spiked to US$78.38 in midday trading Monday before settling to close at US$77.61. Not only has oil fully rebounded from its 2020 pandemic lows, climbing by more than 50 per cent from the start of the year, it has also recovered from years of low prices before that. "Prices are at the highest level since basically 2014, which was the initial big crash (that affected the industry)," Rory Johnston, managing director and market economist at Toronto-based Price Street Inc., told CP. "We're definitely in bullish territory now." Johnston told CP surging oil demand is occurring against the backdrop of a global commodities boom that has sent prices for everything from natural gas to steel skyrocketing. He told CP oil breaking the triple-digit threshold this winter is not at all out of the question, especially if the demand for jet fuel increases towards the holiday season. "I do think it's quite possible. And it's going to depend a lot on the return of air travel," Johnston told CP.
Washington Post: New ‘net zero’ standards could transform the climate — unless they’re derailed
Jessica F. Green and Thomas Hale, 10/3/21
“Most people probably do not pay much attention to international bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). After all, setting global technical standards may seem like dull and esoteric work. But these standards can have big consequences. Last week the ISO announced a process that could significantly shape the future of the climate — but only if the proposal avoids undue influence by polluters,” the Washington Post reports. “Last week’s “London Declaration” by the ISO commits its myriad expert committees to review all ISO standards to ensure they align with the Paris agreement on climate change. Separately, the ISO is also working to define a standard for “net zero” — reducing emissions and balancing the remaining emissions by purchasing “offsets” that remove carbon from the atmosphere to prevent further contributions to global warming. This standard is important, because a growing number of countries, regions, cities and states — along with hundreds of companies — have pledged to go net zero. These technocratic standard-setting processes have the potential to write the Paris agreement goals into some of the most fundamental rules governing the global economy.”
Guardian: Andrew Forrest criticises use of carbon capture and storage saying it fails ‘19 out of 20 times’
Lisa Cox, 10/4/21
“Fortescue Metals Group boss Andrew Forrest has criticised “failed” carbon capture and storage technology and said the general population is entitled to feel sceptical about its use,” the Guardian reports. “As the Morrison government moves to award carbon credits to fossil fuel projects that promise to capture and store carbon dioxide, the mining billionaire has told a podcast such projects had failed “19 out of 20 times”. Speaking to the Good Will Hunters podcast, Forrest pointed to his home state of Western Australia, where Chevron’s CCS facility at its Gorgon liquefied natural gas development failed to meet a requirement to capture and bury at least 80% of the project’s emissions during its first five years… “Last week, the energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor announced the government had committed $250m to help design CCS hubs and support research and commercialisation of CCS technology, including identifying viable geological storage sites. “You know, in my own home state of Western Australia, we have some of the biggest gas developments in the world who’ve been granted permission to develop on carbon sequestration,” Forrest told the podcast. “And it failed. And that’s quite normal around the world. “So to suddenly say, well, carbon sequestration, we’re going to wave a wand, it’s going to work reliably. Well, you know that, actually – if you’re a realist – is a bridge way too far. “It’s good in a soundbite, but it doesn’t work in reality.” Dermot O’Gorman of WWF Australia, who also appeared on the podcast, said CCS had been used as a delaying tactic for more than a decade, with billions going into a technology that, to date, had failed.”
Common Dreams: Six-Month Sentence for Lawyer Who Took on Chevron Denounced as 'International Outrage'
JULIA CONLEY, 10/1/21
“Environmental justice advocates and other progressives on Friday condemned a federal judge's decision Friday to sentence human rights lawyer Steven Donziger to six months in prison—following more than two years of house arrest related to a lawsuit he filed decades ago against oil giant Chevron,” Common Dreams reports. “The sentence, delivered by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York City, represents "an international outrage," tweeted journalist Emma Vigeland following its announcement. Donziger's sentence came a day after the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said it was "appalled" by the U.S. legal system's treatment of the former environmental lawyer and demanded the U.S. government "remedy the situation of Mr. Steven Donziger without delay and bring it in conformity with the relevant international norms" by immediately releasing him. Donziger represented a group of farmers and Indigenous people in the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador in the 1990s in a lawsuit against Texaco—since acquired by Chevron—in which the company was accused of contaminating soil and water with its "deliberate dumping of billions of gallons of cancer-causing waste into the Amazon." An Ecuadorian court awarded the plaintiffs a $9.5 billion judgment in 2011—a decision upheld by multiple courts in Ecuador—only to have a U.S. judge reject the ruling, accusing Donziger of bribery and evidence tampering... “Donziger indicated Friday afternoon that he plans to appeal the sentence.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative [VIDEO]: Locals reject Enbridge sponsoring Bayfield Apple Fest
Barbara With, 10/3/21
“At today’s 59th celebration of the Bayfield, Wisconsin Apple Fest, local citizens were joined by water protectors from Minnesota and Michigan to make their voices heard rejecting Enbridge Energy as a sponsor for the event,” Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative reports.
OPINION
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Huntington Beach shore is covered in oil. This is why the U.S. needs to end coastal drilling
TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, 10/3/21
“The Orange County coastline has become the latest casualty of the nation’s unhealthy dependence on oil,” the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board writes. “In one of the biggest California spills in decades, a pipeline connected to an offshoot oil platform off the coast of Huntington Beach released at least 126,000 gallons of crude over the weekend… “This is why the U.S. needs to end coastal oil drilling. Some 23 oil and gas drilling platforms are in federal waters off the California coastline. This spill originated from a platform called Elly, which was installed in 1980. Elly sits above a large reservoir of oil, in waters overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Environmentalists have long warned that aging oil facilities off the coast pose a serious risk, with one activist calling them “time bombs.” “...California Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed a bill in January that would permanently bar the federal government from allowing new leases to allow for the exploration, development or production of oil or natural gas off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington state. It’s not hard to understand why states don’t want to see more drilling off the coast. Local economies are dependent on tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, leisure boating and other activities that benefit from clean, healthy coastal waters. In Huntington Beach, officials had to cancel the final day of the three-day Pacific Airshow, which draws thousands of people to watch flyovers by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and other jets… “This spill illustrates that the threat to the coastal environment isn’t just hypothetical and that we need to move much faster to phase out coastal oil drilling.”
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Demise of Canadian Energy Pipeline Association 'really short-sighted,' warns Alberta energy minister
Chris Varcoe, 10/5/21
“Aside from the owners, who will speak up for projects now underway or existing ones facing fierce opposition — such as Enbridge’s Line 5, where a new twist unfolded Monday — if the group that represents the sector disappears?” Chris Varcoe writes for the Calgary Herald. “These are questions for the industry to ponder after the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) said Friday it will stop operating at the end of 2021. It’s clear that leaders of large pipeline companies, including Enbridge, TC Energy and Pembina Pipeline, can speak up for their individual businesses to regulators, policymakers and the public — and they will. However, that leaves CEPA headed for extinction. The decision to close comes after Enbridge decided to leave the 28-year-old industry association last fall, with TC Energy and Pembina Pipelines serving notice they would depart by the end of this year. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, who previously worked at CEPA and Enbridge before entering politics, was blunt Monday when asked about the decision. “It’s really short-sighted for these companies to have let the industry association fold because you know we’re going to need it again,” Savage said in an interview. “You see the attacks and the opposition to major new pipeline projects. Well, that opposition is now targeting existing pipelines … Who is going to be advocating for the industry-wide perspective on that?”