EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/15/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Gidimt’en evict Coastal GasLink from Wet’suwet’en territory
Politico: SPIRE, JORDAN COVE ON THE DOCKET
Star Tribune: Security for August State Capitol pipeline protest cost $1.6M
Detroit News: Proposed Line 5 tunnel building start date would push completion to 2028
Mlive.com: Proposed bill would stiffen penalties for anchor dragging in Straits of Mackinac
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Nov. 18: Online Forum for Landowners Re: Property Rights and Interstate Carbon Pipelines
Associated Press: Pipeline would store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota Senate passes $571M Rescue Plan spending bill with $150M for pipeline
Associated Press: Climate activists found guilty of disorderly conduct
Press release: Judge Allows Testimony on Impacts of Climate Change and Role of Banks
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: At COP26, nations speed climate action but leave world still headed for dangerous warming
Build Back Fossil Free: COP26 Means Little without Action on Fossil Fuels from Biden
CBC: At a tense moment for Canada-U.S. relations, Trudeau travels to D.C. for trilateral talks
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Newsline: Weakened bonding rules for oil and gas companies knocked by environmental groups
EXTRACTION
Wall Street Journal: High Energy Prices Likely to Mean Less Oil Demand This Year, OPEC Says
Politico: BEYOND WHO?
Calgary Herald: Calgary-based Wapahki develops greener way to transport Alberta bitumen
Oilman Magazine: Why Are North Dakota Oil Workers Learning to Maintain Wind Turbines?
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Nation Valley News: Enbridge donates 144 combination alarms to North Dundas Fire Department
OPINION
Guardian: It could have been worse, but our leaders failed us at Cop26. That’s the truth of it
Gizmodo: Glasgow Climate Pact Has Loopholes So Big an Oil Tanker Could Get Through Them
Virginia Mercury: Mountain Valley Pipeline has a terrible record. Why would regulators let it go forward?
The Hill: Democrats double down on extreme: New plans could kill off essential energy infrastructure
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Gidimt’en evict Coastal GasLink from Wet’suwet’en territory
BRIEANNA CHARLEBOIS, 11/14/21
“Members of the Gidimt’en clan ordered all Coastal GasLink employees to leave the Wet’suwet’en territory in the interior of British Columbia on Sunday in a move the company said contradicts a court order,” the Canadian Press reports. “Starting at 5 a.m. Sunday, the clan told workers they had eight hours to “peacefully evacuate” the area before the main road into the Lhudis Bin territory was closed at 1 p.m. The development comes 50 days after the establishment of Coyote Camp, which halted efforts by Coastal GasLink to build an essential part of the 670-kilometre pipeline that would transport natural gas from Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. to Kitimat in the province’s North Coast region. Sleydo’, whose English name is Molly Wickham, is the spokesperson for the Gidimt’en Checkpoint, which controls access to the part of the Wet’suwet’en territory. She said in a press release that the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have “never ceded, surrendered, or lost title to the territory” and that Coastal GasLink employees have been breaching both Indigenous law and an eviction notice that was issued nearly two years ago. “They have been violating this law for too long,” she said. In response to the eviction, Coastal GasLink said in a press release that a B.C. Supreme Court injunction issued Jan. 7, 2020 allows the company to have “continued safe access” to the area… “The 20 elected First Nations councils along the pipeline’s path approved the project, but Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs from all five clans of the nation claimed the project had no authority without consent through their traditional system of governance. They issued and enforced an eviction notice against Coastal GasLink, sparking nationwide solidarity protests and paralyzing pipeline work throughout Wet’suwet’en land.”
Politico: SPIRE, JORDAN COVE ON THE DOCKET
Matthew Choi, 11/12/21
“FERC will deliberate on whether to extend its emergency authorization for the contentious Spire STL pipeline in Missouri during its monthly public meeting next week,” Politico reports. “It will also weigh in on the certificate for the controversial Jordan Cove LNG facility and pipeline in Oregon, which has been compared to the Spire STL dispute. Both projects raise questions over FERC’s vetting process for gas projects and how it determines need for pipeline infrastructure. FERC’s authorization for the Spire pipeline was vacated in federal court, but the operator said shutting down the pipeline could jeopardize energy access for parts of the St. Louis area going into winter.”
Star Tribune: Security for August State Capitol pipeline protest cost $1.6M
Stephen Montemayor, 11/13/21
“State officials spent nearly $1.6 million on security during a series of Enbridge Line 3 pipeline protests at the Minnesota State Capitol in August,” the Star Tribune reports. “A Department of Public Safety spokesman said the department spent $1.46 million on salaries, meals and lodging for State Capitol security personnel during the payroll period that included four days of demonstrations on the Capitol grounds. A spokesman for the Department of Administration added that it cost $99,738 to erect and later remove a new temporary security fence and concrete barriers around the State Capitol building ahead of the August "Treaties Not Tar Sands" events. A blog called Healing Minnesota Stories first reported on the costs. Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defended the security measures at the time as part of the state's "obligation to protect public safety and public property" while ensuring people can exercise their First Amendment rights. Genna Mastellone, an organizer for the rally, called the police presence in August "excessive" and said "seeing the amount of money the state spent in total is shocking now. Instead of meeting Indigenous climate leaders and activists with a willingness to discuss the harmful Line 3 tar sands pipeline, our state's leadership responded with a threatening show of force.”
Detroit News: Proposed Line 5 tunnel building start date would push completion to 2028
11/14/21
“The construction of Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel is unlikely to conclude any earlier than 2028, according to information the Canadian pipeline giant included in its proposed bid package for potential contractors,” the Detroit News reports.
Mlive.com: Proposed bill would stiffen penalties for anchor dragging in Straits of Mackinac
Sheri McWhirter, 11/12/21
“A new state bill could heighten punishment for ships dragging anchor through the Straits of Mackinac, across the path of the underwater section of Line 5 pipeline,” Mlive.com reports. “Michigan Rep. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids, on Wednesday introduced legislation to criminalize ships deploying, dragging, or setting anchor and other gear through the straits – a misdemeanor charge with a possible one-year jail sentence – and establish up to a $10,000 fine. The bill also would create a maritime pilot approval process to decide which may navigate routes through the busy straits that connect Lakes Michigan and Huron.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Nov. 18: Online Forum for Landowners Re: Property Rights and Interstate Carbon Pipelines
11/12/21
“Impacted landowners on the proposed Summit or Navigator “carbon / CO2” pipeline routes and their neighbors in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, and Illinois are encouraged to register and join an online discussion on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 12:00 p.m,. to learn how they can protect their property rights, and stop these risky carbon pipelines threatening the Midwest. Attendees will hear from attorney Brian Jorde of Domina Law Group, which successfully represented a co-op of Keystone XL landowners against eminent domain in court, and landowner groups in Nebraska, Iowa, and other states impacted by proposed carbon pipeline projects from Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures, among others. Carroll Muffett of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) will also present an overview of the risks of carbon pipelines, and how Big Oil and Gas are marketing this scheme as a false solution to our climate crisis that makes taxpayers pay to clean up these billion-dollar corporations' generations of pollution in our communities. Several impacted landowners who have already been contacted by Summit or Navigator will share their experiences and concerns, and local groups organizing landowners opposed to the pipeline in Nebraska and Iowa right now will discuss opportunities for joining forces to fight eminent domain. “Bold shares landowners’ concerns about the safety of carbon pipelines. After spending a decade defending property rights against the use of eminent domain for private gain, Bold is prepared to spend just as long to make sure landowners’ land and water are protected from these new proposed risky pipelines,” said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska.
Associated Press: Pipeline would store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol
11/15/21
“A pipeline aiming to pick up carbon dioxide produced by ethanol plants across the Midwest is slated to inject the gas underground in Oliver and Mercer counties, and discussion surrounding the project is heating up,” the Associated Press reports. “The Midwest Carbon Express pipeline would cross under the Missouri River north of Bismarck, transporting as much as 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Pipeline developer Summit Carbon Solutions says that would be equal to removing the annual carbon emissions of 2.6 million cars. Summit announced the pipeline this past spring, and the company has met with farmers in recent weeks to explain the project, The Bismarck Tribune reported… “The pipeline system would extend 2,000 miles and cost $4.5 billion, putting it on par with the Dakota Access oil pipeline in terms of its size. Dakota Access runs 1,200 miles and was built at a cost of $3.7 billion… “The pipeline project has drawn praise from North Dakota officials, but some people in other states have already expressed opposition, including farmers and environmentalists in Iowa. News reports there indicate critics have economic and safety concerns. “This is just the latest case of someone insisting on putting a pipeline or an easement on our property,” farmer Beth Richards told Iowa Public Radio earlier this month. “I’ve lost track of how many times our family has had to deal with this.” Some farmers say they worry the company might resort to eminent domain to build the project, a process in which unwilling landowners would be forced to let the pipeline cross their property, according to the Globe Gazette of Mason City, Iowa.”
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota Senate passes $571M Rescue Plan spending bill with $150M for pipeline, $38M for BSC
JACK DURA, 11/10/21
“North Dakota's Senate on Wednesday approved a $571 million bill for mainly one-time projects, spending most of the state's federal Rescue Plan coronavirus aid,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “...The biggest item in Senate Bill 2345 is $150 million in grant money to bring more natural gas service to eastern North Dakota. The bulk of the funds are meant to go toward a cross-state pipeline transporting gas from the Bakken oil fields eastward. The bill also carves out $10 million to build a short line that would carry gas from a bigger pipeline in western Minnesota to an industrial site in Grand Forks. The proposal has the support of Grand Forks officials, as well as the oil and gas industry. North Dakota's propane industry opposes it. Natural gas and propane are competitors. It's expected that a future cross-state pipeline would cost around $1 billion. Most gas produced in the Bakken is transported to other states, and while companies have considered adding more pipelines to span the length of North Dakota in the past, the economics have not panned out.”
Associated Press: Climate activists found guilty of disorderly conduct
11/14/21
“Most of the climate activists who held a protest outside J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in Wilmington have been found guilty of disorderly conduct and civil unrest,” the Associated Press reports. “...For several hours, the group of senior citizens protested on the steps of the building and the sidewalk before some moved to the middle of the street with rocking chairs, sitting in the flow of traffic to direct attention to the climate change crisis and Chase Bank’s funding of fossil fuels. All of the accused were offered a plea deal of a $10 fine, according to a news release from the Walk for Our Grandchildren movement. Two protesters took the plea deal because they were unable to make the trial. Two others were represented by a lawyer and were acquitted due to lack of evidence against them. The 11 who were found guilty were given a $25 fine, plus fees and assessments, which brought their total to $97 each. They all received probation. Steve Norris, a defendant representing himself, suggested that there are greater disturbances that block traffic unexpectedly and said that the protest was no match for the disturbance that climate change will have if direct action doesn’t happen soon.”
Press release: Judge Allows Testimony on Impacts of Climate Change and Role of Banks
11/14/21
“In a trial that took place on the last scheduled day of the COP 26 global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Judge Kerry Taylor allowed the 11 pro se defendants who last June sat in rocking chairs in the main thoroughfare in front of JP Morgan Chase Bank’s credit card headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, to submit testimony about the climate crisis and the role of banks in funding it. Defendants pursued a “choice of evils” strategy, which under Delaware law allows someone to break the law to prevent a greater “imminent” harm. The prosecutor, who was the arresting officer, kept asking defendants who took the witness stand how their blocking the road prevented “imminent” harm that would justify the inconvenience to motorists who were delayed for a short time. Defendants testified to the drastic “imminent” harms already occurring due to climate change, like the fact that on the day of the protest, temperatures reached 108 degrees in the Northwest, part of a several-day heat wave that killed 100 humans and a billion sea creatures… “Defendant Melinda Tuhus said, “Getting this documentation into the record was historic, as judges almost never allow a choice of evils defense – also known as a necessity defense. However, although the judge allowed defendants to testify on these matters, in the end she chose the narrow definition of ‘imminent harm’ and found us guilty of disorderly conduct and imposed fines and court costs of $97 on each of us.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: At COP26, nations speed climate action but leave world still headed for dangerous warming
By Brady Dennis and Sarah Kaplan, 11/13/21
“Exhausted negotiators from nearly 200 nations struck a deal Saturday intended to propel the world toward more urgent climate action, but without offering the transformative breakthrough scientists say must happen if humanity is to avert disastrous planetary warming,” the Washington Post reports. “Two weeks of high-profile talks yielded a package that pushes countries to strengthen near-term climate targets and move away from fossil fuels faster. It insists that wealthy countries fulfill a broken promise to help vulnerable nations cope with the rising costs of climate change. And it cracks open the door to future payments developed nations might make for damage already done. Saturday’s agreement, however, does not achieve the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris accord — to limit Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. Instead, delegations left Glasgow with the Earth still on track to blow past that threshold, pushing toward a future of escalating weather crises and irreversible damage to the natural world. And representatives from hard-hit nations feared that the deal still leaves their people facing an existential threat. “The difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is a death sentence for us,” Aminath Shauna, the Maldives’ minister of environment, climate change and technology, told the summit. “What is balanced and pragmatic to other parties will not help the Maldives adapt in time. It will be too late.” Organizers acknowledged that the hard-fought agreement doesn’t go nearly far enough. But they argued that the progress made here creates a road map to a safer future and “keeps 1.5 alive.”
Build Back Fossil Free: COP26 Means Little without Action on Fossil Fuels from Biden
11/13/21
“As the COP26 conference concludes this weekend, the Build Back Fossil Free coalition is sounding the alarm that the proclamations and pledges from world leaders and the Biden Administration will be dramatically undermined without urgent action to phase out fossil fuels. Throughout the two week conference, Indigenous leaders, environmental justice advocates, and climate activists from the coalition pressed Biden Administration officials to lead on climate by stopping fossil fuel leasing on federal public lands and waters, rejecting permits for fossil fuel projects under federal review, curbing fossil fuel exports, and declaring a climate emergency to rapidly and equitably deploy renewable energy solutions. “In Glasgow we got to meet Biden cabinet members face-to-face and demand they choose sides: Communities like mine in Port Arthur, or a fistful of fossil fuel CEOs. We made it plain that President Biden can use the power of his pen to stop the toxic buildout in the Gulf and across the country. If we’re in code red, as Biden says we are, he’s got to act now to stop the crisis,” said John Beard, CEO of Port Arthur Community Action Network… “The Biden Administration currently has no legislative achievements on climate and announcements at COP26 leave the world far short of the action needed. Meanwhile, new analysis from Oil Change International shows that if the Biden Administration moves ahead with 21 major fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are currently under federal review, it would be the emissions equivalent of adding 316 new coal-fired power plants — more than are currently operating in the United States. The total emissions from just these projects would represent 17% of total US greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.”
CBC: At a tense moment for Canada-U.S. relations, Trudeau travels to D.C. for trilateral talks
John Paul Tasker, 11/14/21
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Washington this week for the first Three Amigos summit in five years — a trilateral meeting with U.S. and Mexican leaders that has been dismissed in the past as high on symbolism and low on substance,” the CBC reports. “The one-day summit comes at a challenging time for the Canada-U.S. relationship… “But on Biden's watch, a number of new irritants have emerged. Biden, more beholden to progressive elements in the Democratic Party than past presidents, has made climate policy a priority to appeal to green activists. Canada's energy sector is paying a price. In the first week of his presidency, Biden cancelled permits for the Keystone XL pipeline, dealing a multi-billion dollar blow to Alberta's oilpatch. He has done little to stop Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, from trying to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline — a crucial artery that supplies oil products and natural gas to power huge portions of the Canadian economy. Experts agree its closure would be devastating to Canada — a threat to the continued operation of Toronto's Pearson International Airport and the free flow of fossil fuels to other critical industries. A spokesperson for Biden said this week the White House is awaiting a review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before deciding whether to wade into a debate over the future of the controversial pipeline. Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan — who served as the natural resources minister until recently — has said the line's continued operation is "non-negotiable."
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Newsline: Weakened bonding rules for oil and gas companies knocked by environmental groups
CHASE WOODRUFF, 11/11/21
“Environmental and community groups are urging Colorado oil and gas regulators to go back to the drawing board on a new set of financial-assurance rules that they say are too favorable to industry,” Colorado Newsline reports. “The five-member Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission heard testimony on pending regulations relating to financial assurance, also known as bonding, in a two-day hearing this week.Bonds are provided to the state by oil and gas companies to cover potential cleanup costs in the event of bankruptcies and abandonment of drilling sites, known as “orphaned wells,” which can leak toxic substances and cause a variety of health and environmental hazards. Activists have long said that Colorado’s existing bond requirements are inadequate, letting the operators of the state’s 50,000 active wells off the hook for the industry’s growing financial risks. Now, the industry’s critics say the COGCC’s latest proposal to update its bonding rules doesn’t go far enough — and is even “in some ways worse” than the agency’s existing regulations, one group said in filed testimony. Following industry objections, the latest draft of the new rules, issued by COGCC staff last month, significantly weakened a previous version proposed in June. In particular, environmental groups cried foul over the new draft’s amended definition of an “inactive well,” a status that triggers higher bonding requirements. Rather than designating as inactive all wells that produce less than one barrel of oil per day — widely considered well below the threshold at which a well is profitable — the new definition would include only wells that “produce” on fewer than 90 days in the previous year. Critics say such a metric can be manipulated through tactics like “swabbing” a well to produce tiny amounts of fluid.”
EXTRACTION
Wall Street Journal: High Energy Prices Likely to Mean Less Oil Demand This Year, OPEC Says
Will Horner, 11/11/21
“Soaring energy prices are likely to crimp demand for oil in some of the world’s fastest-growing economies this year, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Thursday,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “In a closely watched monthly market report, OPEC said global demand for oil would grow by 5.7 million barrels a day this year, 160,000 barrels a day less than it expected last month. The revision means the oil-producers group now expects demand for oil in 2021 to total 96.4 million barrels a day.”
Politico: BEYOND WHO?
11/12/21
“The global pledge to phase out oil and gas got some new signatories Thursday, including France, Greenland, Ireland, Sweden, Wales and Quebec,” Politico reports. “But none of the signers to the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance led by Denmark and Costa Rica are major oil or gas producers like the U.S. or Russia, who are keeping a conspicuous arms length from the pact. And despite Wales’ support, the U.K. as a whole isn’t signing on either — a signature from COP26’s national host would have been a huge boost for the pact. Reuters has more. Scotland, however, could change all that. The country is a major offshore oil and natural gas producer and is in talks about potentially joining the pact, The Financial Times reports.”
Calgary Herald: Calgary-based Wapahki develops greener way to transport Alberta bitumen
David Parker, 11/14/21
“Alberta Innovates has issued a paper examining ways that bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands can be repurposed to create new industries to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the Calgary Herald reports. “Its “Bitumen Beyond Combustion” (BBC) vision says the most promising products include carbon fibre, asphalt binder and activated carbon… “Today, bitumen is transported in liquid form heated at 150 C, requiring a huge amount of generated heat. Based on 2025 global demand, Giannelia says the current method of transportation will create an additional 875,000 tons of global CO2 per day. By contrast, eliminating the heating by shipping the product in solid form — bitumen blended with recycled waste plastic to create asphalt, which the company calls Rpahks — using existing rail and marine transport represents a reduction of 44 per cent of Canada’s current total annual CO2 emissions.”
Oilman Magazine: Why Are North Dakota Oil Workers Learning to Maintain Wind Turbines?
Emily Newton, 11/9/21
“Oil workers in some states – North Dakota among them – are going through a job transition phase. As they discover declining career opportunities, chances to get reskilled as wind turbine technicians and solar installers are becoming available,” Oilman Magazine reports. “Some wind industry efforts from the oil and gas sector arise from workforce retention needs. NESET, a North Dakota consulting company for the oil and gas sector, has recently assessed how the wind energy industry could encourage highly skilled oil field employees to stay in the state despite a downturn partially brought about by COVID-19. The company recently received $48,265 worth of grant money from a North Dakota Department of Commerce initiative. The North Dakota Smart Restart Technical Skills Training Grant supports accelerated retraining for workforces… “Joe Griffith, NESET’s operations manager, was careful to clarify that this new push into wind power does not mean the company will depart from its oil and gas roots. “We would not want anyone to forget that, at this moment, 100 percent of our revenue comes from oil and gas,” Griffith told OM. “But it doesn’t mean we cannot help another part of the energy sector.” He also mentions how wind turbine work is not so different from what oil field workers already know how to do. “We already have lease operators who do something very similar to what wind technicians do,” Griffith told OM. “That’s being in pickups with specific tools for monitoring and repairing production wells. That is what a wind tech would do as well. Go out in a NESET truck and monitor the wind turbines for any faults.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Nation Valley News: Enbridge donates 144 combination alarms to North Dundas Fire Department
11/14/21
“Enbridge has pitched in to make North Dundas households safer, donating 144 combination alarms to the township fire department late last month,” Nation Valley News reports. “The alarms are provided through Safe Community Project Zero, a public education campaign with the Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council. This campaign will provide over 16,600 alarms to residents in 70 municipalities across Ontario. “We’re honoured once again that we’re able to benefit from Enbridge and their generosity,” notes Deputy Mayor Allan Armstrong. “It’s a needed commodity in every single home and it targets the less fortunate among us. On behalf of council and the North Dundas Fire Department, I wholeheartedly say thank you to Enbridge for this donation.” Enbridge invested $500,000 in the Safe Community Project Zero campaign this year. Over the past 13 years, the program has provided more than 68,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.”
OPINION
Guardian: It could have been worse, but our leaders failed us at Cop26. That’s the truth of it
John Vidal, 11/13/21
“Where now? Governments have agreed a weak climate deal which gets us a smidgen closer to holding temperatures to a rise of 1.5C. But as regards all the most important pledges to phase out coal, reduce subsidies and protect forests, Glasgow failed,” John Vidal writes for the Guardian. “The fossil fuel lobby, led by India, held its line, dramatically succeeding in watering down – at the last minute and without due, transparent process – the move to ‘phase out’ coal power, pledging instead to ‘phase down’. The poor came away with next to nothing, there was little urgency and we are still heading for catastrophe. Any chance of halving fast-rising emissions by 2030 – the declared aim of the talks – is now negligible… “So, short of locking leaders in a room and not letting them out until they have agreed something better, the only way 1.5C can be achieved must now be for those countries who want progress to work outside the UN process. That China and the US will meet next week is possibly the most positive development of the meeting… “And finally, the World Health Organization must declare an immediate health emergency, making the link between the pandemic and the climate crisis, and explaining to politicians that climate change really is a life or death issue and will soon become the greatest challenge to human health that the world has ever known. World leaders failed us again in Glasgow, but the summit showed that countries with the vision to act in the interests of all will shape the future and benefit the most.”
Gizmodo: Glasgow Climate Pact Has Loopholes So Big an Oil Tanker Could Get Through Them
Brian Kahn and Molly Taft, 11/13/21
“The curtain came down on United Nations climate talks a day later than expected. It’s a strange feeling as representatives from countries around the world said they were willing to accept an agreement that they all said sucks,” Brian Kahn and Molly Taft write for Gizmodo. “Lichtenstein’s negotiator? “A bitter pill.” The Marshall Islands’? “Profound disappointment.” Antigua and Barbuda’s? “We are disappointed.” Yet in the end, all nations signed off on the so-called Glasgow Climate Pact. The source of so much frustration was the continual weakening of language around fossil fuels. The outcome raises the question about these talks and the state of the planet in 2021: What, exactly, constitutes progress and success? The pact includes the first-ever language around phasing down of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, the first time in 26 meetings about climate change that countries have agreed the world should stop burning the fossil fuels that are frying it. When you’re zoomed in on UN talks, that shift is downright profound given that each country gets a vote on the agreement. That the entire world agreed to carry out “escalating efforts to phase down unabated coal power and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” in the language of the final agreement is a revelation. “Compared to just a few years ago, the progress and momentum made in the last two weeks towards phasing out fossil fuels is striking,” Elizabeth Bast, Oil Change International’s executive director, told Gizmodo. But zoom out and the talks are like watching a turtle cross a lawn. From that vantage point, what was a big step from up close looks much less revolutionary. More worryingly, it’s clear the turtle has moved very little from its starting point when it began its march at 1992 talks in Rio.”
Virginia Mercury: Mountain Valley Pipeline has a terrible record. Why would regulators let it go forward?
Richard Shingles is chair of the Sierra Club New River Valley Group, 11/12/21
“Mountain Valley Pipeline is not a done deal,” Richard Shingles writes for the Virginia Mercury. “Much depends on the deliberations of Virginia’s State Water Control Board. The Department of Environmental Quality has written a draft permit to provide Mountain Valley Pipeline with what is effectively blanket permission to dig trenches for a 42-inch diameter buried pipe through 144 Virginia streams on the false presumption that it will not violate Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The board should decline the draft. The DEQ document states “the board has determined that there is a reasonable assurance that this permit, if complied with, will protect instream beneficial uses, will not violate applicable water quality standards, and will not cause or contribute to a significant impairment of state waters or fish and wildlife resources” (emphasis added). These are unsubstantiated assertions. They beg the questions which should be addressed before permitting. MVP has failed to demonstrate that construction will not impair aquatic life or minimize impacts. Nor will it. MVP’s sole responsibility is to its investors, not to protect Virginia water resources. It has as a terrible record of violating erosion and sediment control rules and releasing sediments into Virginia streams for which it has been cited hundreds of times and fined millions of dollars. The applicant has a history of obfuscating and concealing information inconsistent with its objectives… “The board must deny a permit because MVP has failed to present, and DEQ has not considered, the full impact of open-cut construction for all affected Virginia water bodies. There are not adequate safeguards to protect aquatic life. There is ample basis for believing that MVP will violate applicable water quality standards and will cause or contribute to a significant impairment of state waters, fish and wildlife resources.”
The Hill: Democrats double down on extreme: New plans could kill off essential energy infrastructure
Jason Hayes is director of environmental policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Mich., 11/13/21
“Voters just handed Democrats a crushing defeat in the most recent elections, and it appears that further setbacks may be on the near horizon,” Jason Hayes writes for The Hill. “... In energy policy terms, doubling down means that, with winter approaching and energy prices skyrocketing, they were — even momentarily — considering plans to close down yet another major pipeline… “Biden has prioritized these same themes in his climate and energy policies. He began his time in office by rejoining the Paris agreement and killing the Keystone XL pipeline, then moved on to helping promote Russian pipeline construction, and then to begging OPEC to increase production. Fellow Democrats are even pressuring Biden to consider shutting down oil exports and tapping the strategic petroleum reserve… “When you are also closing down the reliable domestic energy supplies voters will need for the winter, praying for weather-dependent renewables to fill the gap and begging foreign producers for help, it’s past time to realize you’ve gone bust and your game is up. “