EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 10/6/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Webinar (10/12): Explaining Federal Pipeline Safety Agency PHMSA’s Letter Re: Local Authority Over CO2 Pipelines
KMA: IUB eyes November pipeline hearing wrap
The Center Square: Summit pipeline hearings in Iowa could continue in November
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners Testify Against Proposed Summit CO2 Pipeline During Weeks Six & Seven of IUB Hearings [VIDEO]
Carbon Herald: Biden Urged To Issue Moratorium On Carbon Pipelines
RFD.TV: Lawmakers: Halt carbon pipeline permits until regulations are finalized
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota regulators approve more CO2 storage space for Project Tundra
Indigenous Environmental Network: The Fight to Shut Down DAPL Continues: Express Your Concerns by November 13th
Canadian Press: Trans Mountain pipeline expected to drive Canadian oil output to new heights within two years
Globe and Mail: How Trans Mountain CEO Dawn Farrell quietly took control of Canada’s most-controversial pipeline
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Trans Mountain CEO expects opening of pipeline expansion by end of March, potential sale within two years
WHRO: Nansemond Indian Nation withdraws objections to pipeline expansion
InForum: Pipeline water spill impacts agricultural land in McKenzie County
KTHV: Jessieville residents share stories of pipeline fire
KARK: Garland County residents without gas after Wednesday pipeline explosion
Daily Yonder: Echoes of Coal in West Virginians’ Resistance to Mountain Valley Pipeline
WASHINGTON UPDATES
ABC News: Here's where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on climate change
Natural Gas Intelligence: Natural Gas, Oil Industry Urges EPA to Revise Proposed GHG Reporting Rule
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Sun: Colorado rancher loses bid to raise $198,000 fine against oil company that poisoned his cows
E&E News: Texas proposes first rules on oil waste in 40 years
EXTRACTION
Guardian: UN report urges global end to fossil fuel exploration by 2030
Houston Chronicle: Oxy considers its first big direct-air-capture facility outside the U.S.
Wall Street Journal: Exxon Mobil Closing In on Megadeal With Shale Driller Pioneer
Rigzone: Civitas to Acquire More Permian Assets for $2.1B
Guardian: At least 20 California public university board members linked to fossil fuels
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Midland Mirror: Enbridge Gas donation helps Tiny Township train firefighters
OPINION
Forbes: Trillions In G20 Fossil Fuel Subsidies Fuel Profits And Climate Change
Newsweek: Sadly, It's Not 'Just Another Summer.' We Must End the Fossil Fuel Industry
Flathead Beacon: Biden’s Energy Policies, Including Keystone, Have Been a Disaster for Montanans
The Messenger: Biden Promised Climate Action. His Regulators Are Doing The Opposite
PIPELINE NEWS
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Webinar (10/12): Explaining Federal Pipeline Safety Agency PHMSA’s Letter Re: Local Authority Over CO2 Pipelines
10/5/23
“The U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Sept. 15, 2023 sent a letter (see below) to Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures, in response to numerous inquiries it received about the companies’ proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline projects that would criss-cross the U.S. Midwest,” according to the Pipeline Fighters Hub. “PHMSA said it sent the letter in response to specific inquiries “regarding the ability of federal, state, and local governments to affect the siting, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of carbon dioxide pipelines,” going on to say that, “as was the case in 2014, PHMSA continues to support and encourage all three levels of government—federal, state, and local working collaboratively to ensure the nation’s pipeline systems are constructed and operated in a manner that protects public safety and the environment.” Crucially, PHMSA’s letter reiterates the fact that “the responsibility for siting new carbon dioxide pipelines rests largely with the individual states and counties through which the pipelines will operate and is governed by state and local law.” Despite PHMSA’s clear statement, CO2 pipeline companies continue to challenge county ordinances that were passed by elected officials in multiple states, in an effort to protect their communities and lives from these proposed hazardous pipeline projects. Join us for a webinar (via Zoom or phone) on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6pm CT, where our panel will provide a detailed explanation of what is contained in the Sept. 15 letter from PHMSA to companies proposing to build and operate CO2 pipelines, and the implications the letter has for ongoing organizing in counties to enact similar ordinances -- as well as the pending federal lawsuits where counties have been sued by the companies. SPEAKERS: Paul Blackburn, Attorney, Bold Alliance; Bill Caram, Executive Director, Pipeline Safety Trust. Recently, we have seen major victories by landowners and Pipeline Fighters at the state level, where permit applications for both Summit and Navigator have been rejected by authorities in North Dakota and South Dakota -- where those companies are now in some cases going back to try to negotiate with the counties that passed these ordinances, while at the same time some counties are defending against federal lawsuits filed against them by the pipeline companies, that are eating up taxpayer resources.”
KMA: IUB eyes November pipeline hearing wrap
Mike Peterson, 10/5/23
“It'll be next month at the earliest before a long-running public hearing on a proposed carbon pipeline hearing ends,” KMA reports. “For the past seven weeks, testimony has continued in the Iowa Utilities Board's evidentiary hearing concerning an application for Summit Carbon Solution's proposed Midwest Express CO2 pipeline. Plans originally called for the hearing's conclusion in late September, but the large number of witnesses placed on the hearing's docket forced the IUB to extend its lease with its Fort Dodge venue into early October. Early Wednesday afternoon, board chair Erik Helland indicated the hearing would extend into November… “Helland says the board will rule on Summit's application at the end of the hearing, and not "from the bench." “...Bret Dublinske, an attorney representing Summit, urged the IUB to wrap up the hearing as soon as possible. "The board has been extremely accommodating," said Dublinske, "and we had anticipated this would be wrapped up by now. We would just urge that there's a way to do this sooner without that long of a gap, and sort of losing the flow and momentum. We think that would be beneficial to the process."
The Center Square: Summit pipeline hearings in Iowa could continue in November
Kim Jarrett, 10/6/23
“The Iowa Utilities Board is looking at dates in early November for more hearings on a carbon dioxide pipeline,” The Center Square reports. “The board wrapped up its seventh week of hearings on the Summit Carbon Solutions proposed pipeline on Thursday afternoon. Chairman Erik M. Helland is working with the hearing parties on the dates, according to an email from Don Tormey, director of communications for IUB… “IUB canceled its regular meetings through the end of the year because of its high volume of proceedings, which include Summit.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners Testify Against Proposed Summit CO2 Pipeline During Weeks Six & Seven of IUB Hearings [VIDEO]
10/6/23
“The six and seventh weeks of hearings at the Iowa Utilities Board considering Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application for a proposed hazardous CO2 pipeline featured testimony from impacted landowners facing eminent domain seizure of their land against their will for the proposed project,” according to the Pipeline Fighters Hub. “Dozens of landowners testifying over the past few weeks have been members of the Iowa Easement Team, a legal co-op for landowners that is represented by attorney Brian Jorde, with Domina Law Group. Summit’s permit application hearing before the Iowa Utilities Board began on Tuesday, Aug. 22 in Fort Dodge, IA, and Bold Alliance is capturing video of the proceedings. Landowner witnesses are being questioned by landowners’ attorney Brian Jorde (Iowa Easement Team); Wally Taylor (Sierra Club Iowa Chapter); and attorneys for the Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate, Iowa Farm Bureau, and Summit Carbon, along with the IUB Commissioners and several landowner-intervenors. Many landowners are represented by the Iowa Easement Team legal co-op, and attorney Brian Jorde of Domina Law Group, Omaha, NE: https://iaeasement.org. View all Iowa Utilities Board testimony live here or afterwards on the Bold Nebraska YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HM8OhRly3yJlFPuHHm2Kg”
Carbon Herald: Biden Urged To Issue Moratorium On Carbon Pipelines
Violet George, 10/5/23
“In an open letter to President Joe Biden, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Chuy Garcia (D-IL) called for the urgent issue of a federal moratorium on carbon pipelines,” the Carbon Herald reports. “As can be seen in the full letter here, Omar and Garcia are primarily concerned with the lack of unified safety regulations when it comes to the transport of carbon dioxide. Although they acknowledge the efforts made so far by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to improve such regulations, the main concern is that no federal permitting for CO2 pipelines goes through until the PHMSA safety regulations are finalized. Signed also by Reps. Jamaal Bowman, André Carson, Raúl Grijalva, Jared Huffman, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr., Barbara Lee, Summer Lee, Rashida Tlaib Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerrold Nadler, Delia Ramirez, the letter follows a similar one addressed to President Biden earlier and signed by 150 organizations. The letter is also endorsed by a number of activist and NGO groups, including Food and Water Watch, Bold Alliance, Sierra Club, Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, the Center for International Environmental Law, Climate Justice Alliance, and others… “Communities across the country are opposing these carbon capture pipelines because they understand the risks they pose to their health and safety. We applaud Representative Omar and Representative Garcia for leading this effort to stop dangerous pipelines from transporting carbon dioxide through communities. President Biden needs to use his authority to immediately enact a moratorium on permits for these dangerous projects,” said Jim Walsh, Policy Director at Food & Water Watch.
RFD.TV: Lawmakers: Halt carbon pipeline permits until regulations are finalized
Currey McCullough, 10/5/23
“Landowners in the path of carbon pipelines are not the only ones asking for a delay in permits. Some members of Congress are hoping for the same until safety regulations are finalized,” RFD.TV reports. “The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is still working on them, and more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers are asking the President to use executive action to halt federal permits until those are complete. Landowners in the path of current pipelines have cited safety concerns and refused to sign over land rights in recent months.”
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota regulators approve more CO2 storage space for Project Tundra
JOEY HARRIS, 10/5/23
“The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved a permit for the state's sixth carbon dioxide storage facility,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The site will be able to store 123 million metric tons of climate-warming CO2 alone over a 20-year period, which more than doubles North Dakota's permitted capacity for storing captured emissions underground. The commission's permitted CO2 storage projects combined now have the capacity to bury 223 million metric tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the emissions that just over 49.5 million gas-powered cars create in a year, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency converter. The facility will be operated by Dakota Carbon Center West, a subsidiary of Grand Forks-based Minnkota Power Cooperative. It provides extra CO2 storage space for Project Tundra, the cooperative's planned project which will capture emissions from the coal-fired Milton R. Young Station in Oliver County. The $1.4 billion Project Tundra was approved by the state Industrial Commission in early 2022. Construction could begin as soon as 2024 if Minnkota decides to go ahead with it, according to the company… “Minnkota signed an agreement with Summit Carbon Solutions in 2022 to co-develop carbon storage facilities in and around Oliver County. Summit is hoping to build the 2,000-mile Midwest Carbon Express CO2 pipeline to capture emissions from over 30 ethanol plants across five Midwestern states with an intended storage site in North Dakota. Summit is hoping to secure its own separate storage facilities and it has told the Tribune there are no firm commitments to use the DCC West facility… “The Northwest Landowner's Association sued the Industrial Commission this summer arguing that amalgamating the pore space of those who do not sign easements is a legal taking of property by the state and for the state to engage in a taking, eminent domain is required… “The trial is set to begin next September.”
Indigenous Environmental Network: The Fight to Shut Down DAPL Continues: Express Your Concerns by November 13th
10/4/23
“On Friday, September 8th, the Dakota Access Pipeline’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DAPL DEIS) was finally published. After multiple delays over the course of several months, the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) released the final draft. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District developed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the DAPL easement request to cross federally managed land at Lake Oahe under the Mineral Leasing Act authority. However, the Army Corps ran the project illegally without the proper legal easement since the beginning of 2021. This project has been on Oceti Sakowin lands, otherwise known as the Great Sioux Nation. For years, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and thousands of supporters called out DAPL as a direct violation of the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty. Further, DAPL violates the Nation’s right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, affecting Indigenous livelihoods and forcing Indigenous lands to become sacrifice zones… ““The Dakota Access Pipeline needs to be shutdown at all costs, as long as it operates it will continue to put our communities at risk– it is a threat to our waterways, and we will continue to denounce the Dakota Access Pipeline. It goes against our rights, not just basic human rights but our Treaty rights. We as Indigenous Peoples are considered expendable to Energy Transfer, its partners, the oil and gas industry, and politicians. It is not about if the pipeline breaks and leaks, it’s when. Our children and the next seven generations’ lives will be affected by this pipeline and I want to protect our and their futures by ensuring clean drinking water, land, and air to breathe.” said Morgan Brings Plenty (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), Digital Organizing Fellow at the Indigenous Environmental Network… “We urge Indigenous communities and allies to submit a public comment and express their concerns. Public comments will be accepted through November 13, 2023. Additional public meetings will be held in Bismarck, ND, November 1 and 2, 2023 from 6-9 p.m. CST.”
Canadian Press: Trans Mountain pipeline expected to drive Canadian oil output to new heights within two years
Amanda Stephenson, 10/5/23
“The coming startup of the Trans Mountain pipeline will help boost Canadian oil production to an all-time high within the next two years, according to a new report,” the Canadian Press reports. “The report by Deloitte Canada said the extra capacity created by the currently ongoing pipeline expansion is expected to boost Canadian production by about 375,000 barrels a day over the next two years. That represents an eight per cent increase from the previous production high set in November 2022, and a nearly nine per cent increase from the 4.18 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil that Canada produced in June of this year — the most recent month for which statistics are available through the Canadian Centre for Energy Information… “Much of these additional exports will go to markets outside the United States, allowing Canadian producers to reduce their dependence on U.S. refinery operations… “According to the Deloitte report, the vast majority of the expected increase in Canadian oil production in the coming years will come from the oilsands, where companies are working on thermal expansion projects that will link new assets with existing facilities to speed up development at a lower cost… “Opponents say Canada cannot increase its oil output and still achieve the international commitments it has made on climate change and emissions reduction.”
Globe and Mail: How Trans Mountain CEO Dawn Farrell quietly took control of Canada’s most-controversial pipeline
KELLY CRYDERMAN, 10/6/23
“Dawn Farrell might be Canada’s most elusive chief executive and had intended to keep it that way. In the 13 months she has headed Trans Mountain Corp., she hasn’t granted a single interview until this week,” the Globe and Mail reports. “She told the Globe and Mail she wanted to focus on the heavy lifting of her primary job: getting the $30-billion twinning of the 70-year-old oil pipeline to the West Coast done… “This project is controversial. It’s going to cost a lot more than people thought it would,” Ms. Farrell told the Globe and Mail. “Some people don’t even want it. They want oil to go away altogether.” “...With a conclusion so close at hand, Ms. Farrell told the Globe and Mail she has decided to talk to media, in part because she’s annoyed. “I am really, really irritated by the way in which people are putting down this project when there are 15,000 people out there on those spreads, busting their butts making this work, doing some of the most incredible construction.” She added that 10 per cent of the work force is Indigenous… “It’ll be the No. 1 oil pipeline in the world from an ESG perspective.” “...Even before the latest increase was announced, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said Ottawa’s purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project is no longer projected to be profitable because of the construction delays and higher costs. However, Ms. Farrell told the Globe and Mail the pipeline expansion will open up new trade routes, increase the value of Canadian oil, increase royalties for the Alberta government and tax revenues for the federal government. “That economic value supports our Canadian dollar. It makes us a stronger country.” “...In Alberta just a few years ago, there was skepticism that the pipeline would ever be built. Now, it’s a question of how much the project will cost shippers, and where the oil will go – U.S. West Coast markets or actually to Asia. Ms. Farrell won’t speculate on what volumes of oil might make it across the Pacific. “I gotta get it finished.”
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Trans Mountain CEO expects opening of pipeline expansion by end of March, potential sale within two years
Chris Varcoe, 10/5/23
“Trans Mountain Corp. CEO Dawn Farrell says the oil pipeline expansion project is on track to begin commercial operations by the end of March, but acknowledges the mammoth development still faces pressures as construction enters the home stretch,” the Calgary Herald reports. “In her first interview since taking on the job as chief executive of the federal Crown corporation, Farrell told the Herald the $30.9-billion project remains “in that range,” with only 16 kilometres of pipeline left to put in the ground. Once construction is complete, it will allow for testing, commissioning work and filling the line with 4.5 million barrels of oil, which should begin near the end of January. Concluding a long-awaited sale of the pipeline back into private-sector hands could happen potentially in early 2025, she told the Herald in a wide-ranging discussion on the project’s future… “Ottawa bought the pipeline from Kinder Morgan Canada in 2018 for $4.4 billion after it appeared the owners were set to walk away from the development. The estimated cost of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has increased once again, this time to $30.9 billion. That's an increase from the $21.4 billion price tag placed on the project a year ago, and more than double an earlier estimate of $12.6 billion… “The Trans Mountain Corp. CEO also believes the project will be able to find a buyer. However, it will take time… “To the extent that we get everything ready to go for next spring, that gives us the time then through the spring and the fall to engage potential buyers and potential opportunities…So, I would put having a conclusion on that until late in 2024, potentially early ‘25.”
WHRO: Nansemond Indian Nation withdraws objections to pipeline expansion
Katherine Hafner, 10/5/23
“The Nansemond Indian Nation has withdrawn its objections to a pipeline expansion in Hampton Roads after negotiating with the project company,” WHRO reports. “The new agreement resolves more than a year of tension between the tribe and Canada-based TC Energy. The tribe raised concerns about the pipeline project’s potential impacts to its ancestral homelands in Hampton Roads. TC Energy and the Nation said in a joint statement Wednesday that they “are pleased to announce a path forward for the Virginia Reliability Project that will help protect and preserve historic and cultural heritage resources in the project area.” “The Nation’s sovereignty and protection of its history and resources are critically important to both parties, and together we are pleased our collaboration will help advance these important outcomes,” officials wrote. The agreement comes after the Nation sent a formal grievance to company executives in late August, claiming TC Energy violated its own policies on Indigenous relations as well as human rights outlined by the United Nations… “Marion Werkheiser, the Nation’s attorney with Richmond-based Cultural Heritage Partners, told WHRO the tribe’s core request was for TC Energy to consult them and conduct a thorough ethnographic study of the area that would identify cultural resources. The company recently reached out to negotiate with the tribe, she told WHRO, and has agreed to pay for the Nation to do such a study — on the tribe’s own timeline. That means the results of the analysis would not affect the outcome of regulators’ permitting decisions for the pipeline. “This really respects the sovereignty of the tribe,” Werkeiser told WHRO. “It puts them in charge of the study of their own history and gives them a chance to be able to learn a lot more and gather a lot more data than would have been possible just through this permitting process.” “...Local environmental groups are still fighting the project. They argue it’s a misguided investment in fossil fuels and that a disproportionate number of communities along the pipeline’s route are considered disadvantaged.”
InForum: Pipeline water spill impacts agricultural land in McKenzie County
10/5/23
“Roughly 4,000 barrels of pipeline water spilled in McKenzie County on Wednesday, Oct. 4, impacting nearby agricultural land,” InForum reports. “Caliber Midstream – an infrastructure company out of Colorado that helps process and move crude oil, natural gas and water – alerted state officials that a pipeline released water from Yellowstone river near Alexander in McKenzie County, according to a release from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The spill released roughly 178,500 gallons of pipeline water. State personnel from the Department of Environmental Quality are at the site investigating the spill and collecting samples and will oversee the remediation, according to the release. The company reported a separate spill on Tuesday, Oct. 3 , according to a previous release, near Arnegard in McKenzie County.”
KTHV: Jessieville residents share stories of pipeline fire
Brooke Buckner, 10/5/23
“Homeowners near Highway 298 in Jessieville evacuated Wednesday night when a natural gas pipeline ruptured, causing a massive fire that burned for about five hours and damaged two acres of land,” KTHV reports. “Although the fire was contained quickly, one house about 200 yards away suffered minor damage. "It kind of sounded like thunder clapping the first time it blew, and it kind of shook the house," Jessieville resident Colby Noles told KTHV. "Then I heard the pressure start blowing out, and the second one shook the house really hard. When we came out... there was nothing but flames. It was pretty bad." Noles told KTHV he could feel the heat outside his house, so he got in his car and evacuated. "We just drove as far as we could to escape it," Noles told KTHV. "We didn't know if it would blow up again." “...Energy Transfer operates the pipeline and told KTHV they're not sure yet what caused the rupture, but crews are investigating and will continue to monitor it.”
KARK: Garland County residents without gas after Wednesday pipeline explosion
Samantha Boyd, 10/5/23
“A pipeline rupture in Garland County left residents shaken and without some key resources,” KARK reports. “Residents told KARK they’ve been without gas ever since this rupture yesterday and haven’t heard when it’ll be back on. People in town told KARK that when the rupture happened Wednesday, most people evacuated to two places: Jessieville High School’s Safe Room and Meredith’s One Stop. An employee at Meredith’s One Stop told KARK the restaurant is one of the only ones able to be up in running in town because it runs off propane instead of gas. Resident Kay Blake was at Meredith’s Thursday, and she explained what it felt like when the rupture happened. “I live about 10 miles past it, but I mean everybody around me felt it,” Blake told KARK. “It was very, very frightening.” Blake added that the explosion physically shook the homes of her daughter and mother-in-law.”
Daily Yonder: Echoes of Coal in West Virginians’ Resistance to Mountain Valley Pipeline
Hannah Wilson-Black, 10/4/23
“Beginning in 2015, Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC approached landowners in southwest Virginia and West Virginia to negotiate easement agreements that would allow the natural gas pipeline to run through their land. In an echo of the offers previous Appalachian landowners received from early coal entrepreneurs for the minerals beneath their feet, some are saying these agreements were not fully transparent,” the Daily Yonder reports. “...Knowing that these landowners were subsistence farmers who had little money and were not fluent in legal language or the going price of coal, the land agents offered to buy mineral rights for as little as fifty cents an acre. Or, as West Virginian community organizer Maury Johnson put it, for “a little bit of nothing and a Christmas turkey.” “...For residents of rural West Virginia and southwest Virginia, the land agents have returned, seeking the right to lay pipe for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) through backyards and farmland… “Johnson, a former eighth grade history teacher and disabled farmer whose land has been in his family for almost 200 years, was first approached by MVP in late 2014. An analyst sent by the company asked to survey his farm, and Johnson agreed—with the stipulation that he accompany the surveyors. At the time, he “wasn’t sure” how he felt about the pipeline, though he says most of his neighbors were against it. He became suspicious that corners were being cut after the second visit from surveyors. “They’re going to lie to you and wait to see if you call their bluff,” Johnson told DY during an interview outside of the Supreme Court, where he was attending a rally for the Poor People’s Campaign, an anti-poverty group. “A lot of people didn’t call their bluff because they didn’t know better,” Johnson told DY. “And there were some pretty awful easement agreements that people signed that basically gave their farm [away].”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
ABC News: Here's where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on climate change
Julia Jacobo, 10/4/23
“The 2024 U.S. presidential election may prove to be pivotal in how the country's handles climate change,” ABC News reports. “When the next president enters office in January 2025, the U.S. will be a mere 25 years away from its goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Here’s a brief look at where the major candidates stand on the issue. Biden began reversing environmental policies enacted by Trump almost as soon as he was sworn in, in January 2021, including immediately reentering the U.S. into the Paris climate agreement and revoking permits for the Keystone Pipeline… “Former President Donald Trump has long falsely dismissed climate change as a "hoax" or "nonexistent." Trump, now seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly downplayed the dangers of rising sea levels and referred to proposed regulations to mitigate global warming as "radical." “...Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has tended to downplay the effect of climate change, stating in 2019 that the issue had become politicized… “Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has said that climate change is real and supports carbon capture -- but has balked in the past over drastic efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… “Entrepreneur and Republican commentator Vivek Ramaswamy has previously acknowledged the existence of climate change and called himself an environmentalist, but also contends the "climate change agenda" is a "hoax." “...Earlier this year, during a town hall on CNN in June, Pence argued that while there will be "modest changes in temperature" in the coming century, the warming won't be as bad as "radical environmentalists" are exaggerating it to be… “South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has acknowledge the existence of climate change but has not offered much on what he would do about it as president… “In 2021, the Republican governor pledged to make North Dakota reach net-zero in emissions by 2030 "without a single mandate." Instead, "innovation," such as carbon capture, hydrogen and biofuels, would help the state become carbon neutral by the end of the decade, Burgum said.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: Natural Gas, Oil Industry Urges EPA to Revise Proposed GHG Reporting Rule
ANDREW BAKER, 10/4/23
“The oil and gas industry is asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise a proposed expansion of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting requirements for the sector,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. EPA in July unveiled the proposed changes to subpart W of the GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP) as required by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The update is designed to “address gaps in the total methane emissions reported by facilities by adding several new covered sources such as ‘other large release events,’ which would capture abnormal methane emission events that are not fully accounted for using existing methods,” EPA officials said at the time. “The amendments would also add new or revise existing calculation methodologies to improve the accuracy of reported emissions data for methane…
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Sun: Colorado rancher loses bid to raise $198,000 fine against oil company that poisoned his cows
Mark Jaffe. 10/5/23
“An attempt by a Kiowa County rancher to increase the nearly $198,000 fine on an oil and gas operator who fouled his land and poisoned his herd was rejected Wednesday by the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission,” the Colorado Sun reports. “In June 2021, Kevin Davis discovered a large oil spill on his land from a well operated by Western Operating Co. The fence around the site was partially down and cows and calves were wandering around the pad. One cow was dead, oil coming out of its nose, and others were just lying around. The hiss of escaping gas filled the air. Six cows eventually died and Davis’ entire herd was suspected of being tainted. As a result, the few cows from Davis’ K&T Cattle Co. that were sold after the spill went for a fraction of the market price, he said. In a good market a 7- to 8-year-old can sell for $2,100… “In September 2022, the ECMC, formerly the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, reached an agreement with Western Operating for a fine of $197,800 to settle four violations on the K&T ranch. Davis petitioned the commission contending that the fine was too low, because, among other things, it relied on self-reporting by Western Operating while ignoring other evidence… “K&T and Western Operating have not come to an agreement on compensation and damages. K&T filed a lawsuit against the oil and gas operator.”
E&E News: Texas proposes first rules on oil waste in 40 years
Shelby Webb, 10/6/23
“Texas oil and gas regulators are proposing new rules for the first time in almost 40 years to address how companies in the sector build and maintain waste pits,” E&E News reports. “Oil and gas producers use aboveground storage ponds to store everything from excess fracking fluid and wastewater that is a byproduct of drilling to lubricants for drills and other liquids and solids. Environmental groups and advocates for communities located near the pits have long complained that rules from the Texas Railroad Commission are too lax. Critics say they’ve allowed operators in the state to build and maintain the ponds in a way that jeopardizes surrounding groundwater, puts neighbors’ health at risk and can result in the industrial waste washing off with rainstorms. The railroad commission — whose oversight is focused on oil and gas, not trains — said in a Monday statement that protecting groundwater was a major driver for the decision to start the process of updating existing, mandatory rules on waste pits… “The rules were last updated in 1984 — about 30 years before hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, began to transform the oil and gas industry and generate millions of barrels of excess wastewater each year… “A major point of contention has been the pits’ lining to prevent waste liquid from seeping into nearby earth or leeching into groundwater. Currently, operators are not required to use synthetic liners… “The pits hold a range of waste: salty water that comes up from below the surface; fracking liquid, which is water mixed with things like friction-control additives, polymers and poisonous biocides to prevent bacteria growth in wells; oil-based drilling fluid, which can contain diesel; and little pieces of rock called drill cuttings, which can contain oil and gas residue.”
EXTRACTION
Guardian: UN report urges global end to fossil fuel exploration by 2030
Fiona Harvey, 10/5/23
“Fossil fuel exploration should cease globally by 2030 and funding to rescue poor countries from the impacts of the climate crisis should reach $200bn (£165bn) to $400bn a year by the same date, according to proposals in a UN report before the next climate summit,” the Guardian reports. “Countries were still “way off track” to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the report found, and much more action would be needed to make it possible to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. The UN’s synthesis report on the global stocktake, published on Wednesday, will form the basis for discussions at the Cop28 conference in Dubai, which begins at the end of November. The global stocktake is a process mandated under the Paris agreement, intended to check every five years on countries’ progress on meeting their emissions-cutting goals… “Catherine Pettengell, the executive director of Climate Action Network UK, called for the recommendations in the global stocktake reports to be taken forward. “Cop28 must be a decisive moment to end the era of fossil fuels and bring about a just and equitable transition,” she told the Guardian. “Today’s synthesis report for the global stocktake makes clear that an agreement on ending fossil fuels must be at the heart of the outcomes for Cop28 to be a success.” Harjeet Singh, the head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International, told the Guardian a consensus was forming around the need to phase out fossil fuels.”
Houston Chronicle: Oxy considers its first big direct-air-capture facility outside the U.S.
Amanda Drane, 10/5/23
“Occidental Petroleum is considering building its first major direct-air-capture facility outside the U.S.,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “The Houston-based oil giant said its carbon management subsidiary 1PointFive reached an agreement with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., known as Adnoc, to jointly fund an engineering study for a direct-air-capture facility capable of sucking 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air annually. The project would be in the United Arab Emirates and would involve transporting captured CO2 through Adnoc’s infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and injecting it into underground saline aquifers. If pursued, the project would use the same technology Oxy is deploying at its first big carbon capture facility, now under construction in West Texas.The developer of that technology, Carbon Engineering, has agreed to be acquired by Oxy in a $1.1 billion deal slated to close later this year… “The partnership between Oxy and Adnoc is an offshoot of the UAE-U.S. Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy, which was launched in November 2022 and could usher in as much as $100 billion in decarbonization projects.”
Wall Street Journal: Exxon Mobil Closing In on Megadeal With Shale Driller Pioneer
Lauren Thomas, Laura Cooper, Collin Eaton, 10/5/23
“Exxon Mobil is closing in on a deal to buy Pioneer Natural Resources, a blockbuster takeover that could be worth roughly $60 billion and reshape the U.S. oil industry,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “A deal could be sealed in the coming days, assuming the talks don’t hit a last-minute snag, people familiar with the matter told the Journal… “An acquisition of Pioneer, with a market cap of around $50 billion, would likely be Exxon’s largest deal since its megamerger with Mobil in 1999. It would give Exxon a dominant position in the oil-rich Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, a region the oil giant has said is integral to its growth plans.”
Rigzone: Civitas to Acquire More Permian Assets for $2.1B
Rocky Teodoro, 10/6/23
“Civitas Resources Inc. is acquiring oil-producing assets in the Midland Basin of west Texas in a cash and stock transaction for a total consideration of approximately $2.1 billion from Vencer Energy, subject to customary terms, conditions, and closing price adjustments,” Rigzone reports. “The acquisition, expected to close in January 2024 with an effective date of January 1, 2024, will add approximately 44,000 net acres in the Midland Basin to Civitas’ portfolio and current production of approximately 62,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), of which 50 percent is oil… “Pro forma for the acquisition, Civitas estimates its 2024 Permian production to be about 170,000 boepd, total company production to be 325,000 to 345,000 boepd, and total capital expenditures to be $1.95 billion to $2.25 billion. “
Guardian: At least 20 California public university board members linked to fossil fuels
Dharna Noor, 10/4/23
“At least 20 board members at California public universities have direct ties to the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, sparking criticism from climate advocates on and off campus,” the Guardian reports. “Of the state’s 32 public universities, board members at one-third of them either work or have worked for oil and gas companies, as do two board members at the California State University’s foundation. The University of California became the largest educational system in the US to divest from fossil fuels in May 2020, and the following year, California State University followed suit. But despite these major wins for the divestment movement, the new analysis from climate-focused research group Sunstone Strategies suggests the schools, which serve more than a quarter of a million students, still have links through their boards to the oil and gas sector, which remains powerful in California… “Additionally more than a dozen other members of the boards of trustees, advisers, governors and directors at University of California and California State University schools are current or former oil and gas executives, presidents or lobbyists, or have other ties to the fossil fuel industry… “These board memberships are a form of “infiltration” by polluters into academia, Alicia Colomer, communications and operations coordinator at the group Fossil Free Research, which advocates for research institutions to cut all ties with the fossil fuel industry, told the Guardian… “The reports and research that comes out of prestigious universities actually goes on to influence lawmakers and policymakers and then goes on to create real harm in our communities,” she told the Guardian. “There’s a very clear trickle-down effect from universities down to think tanks and to policymakers and legislators.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Midland Mirror: Enbridge Gas donation helps Tiny Township train firefighters
10/6/23
“Enbridge Gas Inc. is helping the Township of Tiny Fire and Emergency Services Department purchase firefighting training materials, through Safe Community Project Assist — a program with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) that supplements existing training for Ontario volunteer and composite fire departments in the communities where Enbridge operates,” the Midland Mirror reports. “...This year’s $250,000 donation will be shared by 50 Ontario fire departments, including Tiny. Funds are used to purchase educational materials to assist in training firefighters in lifesaving techniques. Since the launch of Safe Community Project Assist in 2012, 344 grants have been provided to Ontario fire departments for additional firefighter training… “The Township of Tiny would like to thank Enbridge and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council for selecting our community for this grant and for their ongoing efforts toward carbon monoxide education and training through Project Assist,” said Dave Flewelling, Tiny's director of emergency services and fire chief.”
OPINION
Forbes: Trillions In G20 Fossil Fuel Subsidies Fuel Profits And Climate Change
Michael Barnard, 10/4/23
“According to the International Monetary Fund, in 2022 direct subsidies for the fossil fuel industry rose to US$1.3 trillion,” Michael Barnard writes for Forbes. “In previous years, the industry averaged profits of $1.5 trillion, but last year their global profits were $4 trillion, per the International Energy Agency. Also last year, global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, went up by almost a percent, also per the IEA. Why, in a year when the industry was making record profits were governments giving them even more money?... “In 2009 the G20 committed to ending subsidies for fossil fuels. Since then global subsidies have increased, along with emissions. This governmental largesse for the fossil fuel industry is a primary source of its profits, and a primary cause of continued greenhouse gas emissions… “Clearly it would save governments money to stop throwing it at the fossil fuel industry. It would be easier to balance budgets and reduce deficits if they weren’t funding the industry’s bottom line. There would be more money for things like housing, economic diversification and climate action. And, clearly, it would be easier to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the fossil fuel industry had to make profits the way most industries do, by charging their customers more for their products. Higher cost products get purchased a bit less. Subsidizing fossil fuels means cheaper fossil fuels for end users, and so they use more of them than they would otherwise. They might otherwise invest in efficiency, for example… “Lobbying explains a lot of the problem. The industry has deep pockets, in part due to all of the governmental money weighing them down, and they are happy to spend it on expensive and ethically compromised lobbyists in Washington, Westminster and similar places. A long history of governmental program capture by industry resources who cycled through the bureaucracies and back again, adding line items and extras and programs favoring the industry is a big part of the problem… “Record profits. Record subsidies. Record greenhouse gas emissions. Eliminating subsidies is hard, but must be done, for human health, the climate and the economy.”
Newsweek: Sadly, It's Not 'Just Another Summer.' We Must End the Fossil Fuel Industry
Dr. Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist at NASA studying future extreme heat impacts on human health and ecosystems, speaking on his own behalf, 10/4/23
“My fellow human beings, we're in the process of losing basically everything, as the latest data demonstrates,” Dr. Peter Kalmus writes for Newsweek. “September was more like your average July… This is what experiencing the early stages of Earth's unraveling feels like. The immediate cause is the fossil fuel industry, and the overarching cause is extractive-colonial capitalism… “Why do I claim that we're "in the process of losing basically everything?" Isn't that an exaggeration? I don't think it's likely that humanity will go extinct, which is why I've used the modifier "basically." But I do think we are on a sociopolitical pathway—fossil fuel expansion—that will eventually end civilization as we know it, cause billions of human deaths, and further worsen widespread ecological collapse and mass extinction—damage that will take millions of years for Earth to recover from. We must get off this path, but instead, we continue to procrastinate. The more fossil fuel we burn, the hotter the planet will get. This is basic, rock solid, incontrovertible, unassailable physics. It's a dead certainty. And the people currently in charge are still doing everything they can to expand fossil fuels… “And because the fossil fuel industry is the cause of the global heating that's driving all this, the only real way to make a change is to ramp down and then end the fossil fuel industry. We will not solve things by direct air capture, nuclear fusion, or any other whiz-bang technology… “Finally, accept that we are in a war. It's a real war, not a figurative one, although it's not like any other war in human history. People are dying, all over the world, because of decisions made by fossil fuel executives in tall buildings. And I can confidently state that many more people will die from climate impacts in the coming years. Fossil fuel executives knew their decisions would lead to loss of habitability and death, but they made them anyway, and then colluded to block mitigating action and increase their profits… “Once enough of us start to fight, we will win. The only question is how long it will take to get to that point, and how much we will irreversibly lose before we do.”
Flathead Beacon: Biden’s Energy Policies, Including Keystone, Have Been a Disaster for Montanans
Jesse Ramos is a former Missoula City Councilman and the State Director for Americans for Prosperity-Montana, 10/5/23
“Bidenomics has been a disaster for Montanans from day one. Literally. Within hours of taking the oath of office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order canceling the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline,” Jesse Ramos writes for the Flathead Beacon. “From the very start, Montanans could see that this administration’s policies would create serious economic problems for our state. Canceling the Keystone XL pipeline was just the beginning. Construction of the pipeline’s 285-mile stretch through Montana would have brought 800-1,000 construction jobs to the state. And those workers would have brought with them a surge of economic activity, pumping vital dollars into Montana businesses large and small. That short-term surge of revenue is nothing to dismiss. For mom-and-pop businesses, a year or two’s worth of higher-than-average income can make a big difference. It could mean paying off loans early, having money to invest in new equipment or new hires, or putting aside a little extra for a house or a child’s education. The long-term damage was even greater. With a terminal near Baker and nearly 300 miles of energy infrastructure added to Montana’s tax base, the Keystone XL pipeline would’ve generated an estimated $63 million a year worth of property tax revenues in the state. With the stroke of a pen, Biden erased that revenue from the books of local governments across Montana. Activists love to say that canceling the pipeline hurt only “Big Oil,” but in reality, it hurt a lot of Montana communities and businesses… “In March, the U.S. House passed the Lower Energy Costs Act on a bipartisan vote of 225-204… “This common-sense plan to increase domestic energy production, lower prices, and help the U.S. transition to new energy sources is just what Montana needs. But it’s been stopped in the U.S. Senate, where even our own Senator Jon Tester won’t act on it.”
The Messenger: Biden Promised Climate Action. His Regulators Are Doing The Opposite
John Beard Jr. is the founder, president and executive director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, serving the Port Arthur/Southeast Texas area as a community advocate, 10/4/23
“A new Oil Change International study found that we must shut down 60% of existing fossil fuel extraction to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the threshold to avoid catastrophic climate impacts — making it not only critical to shut down a significant portion of oil and gas fields but also imperative to stop permitting any new development,” John Beard Jr. writes for The Messenger. “Despite this critical warning, President Biden — our self-proclaimed climate president — continues to greenlight new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects nationwide that pose a threat to our health and environment. LNG is a fossil fuel largely composed of methane, a greenhouse gas over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. Not only is LNG fueling the climate crisis, but it is also releasing cancer-causing pollutants into the air of communities like my own… “This past week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a certificate that permits Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur LNG Expansion Project. This approval will allow Port Arthur LNG to export up to the equivalent of 698 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year — for nearly 30 years. It is a sad irony that Biden just recently addressed the nation, touting his actions to deploy clean energy investments and address the climate crisis, while FERC is approving a project that will lock our country further into polluting and dangerous fossil fuel production for decades to come. As a retired Exxon-Mobil employee, I have seen firsthand what happens when the government prioritizes the fossil fuel industry over its people. Here in Port Arthur, it’s already a cancer cluster, with far too many of us experiencing respiratory issues, heart problems and other adverse health impacts due to the pollution from the numerous oil, gas and petrochemical facilities operating in our town… “FERC and the Biden administration cannot continue to sit back and ignore all the science telling us to stop approving new fossil fuel projects, the extreme weather disasters driven by climate change that are wreaking havoc worldwide and the calls from the people living in the communities where these projects are built.”