EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/15/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: FERC, Landowners Duel Over Pipeline Suit's Future
DTN Progressive Farmer: American Carbon Alliance CEO Says Carbon Pipelines Safe, Despite Opposition
Pipeline Fighters Hub: New Study Shows Carbon Pipelines are a Climate Ploy, Add More CO2 to Ethanol Industry
Explore Okoboji: Dickinson County Supervisors Hear Pipeline Concerns/Moratorium Request
Reuters: Trans Mountain resumes work on pipeline in British Columbia
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: New Canadian pipeline could impact Louisiana refiners and terminal operators
News 12 Westchester: Climate activists call on Gov. Hochul to stop natural gas pipeline expansion near Indian Point
CBC: Natural gas pipeline in Lanark would be a ‘gamechanger’ for this farmer [VIDEO]
WASHINGTON UPDATES
U.S. Dept. of Energy: Biden-Harris Administration Invests $444 Million to Strengthen America’s Infrastructure for Permanent Safe Storage of Carbon Dioxide Pollution
Press release: MERKLEY, HUFFMAN, BARRAGÁN, MCCLELLAN, COLLEAGUES: NEW LIQUIFIED FOSSIL GAS LICENSES NOT IN THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST
Press release: New Poll Shows Voters Support Limits on Natural Gas Exports, Pause on New Facilities
Washington Post: Climate protester vandalizes wall at National Gallery, officials say
Colorado Newsline: Feds oppose rehearing of court ruling that blocked Utah oil train project they approved
E&E News: Greens Scrutinize Johnson Staff's Oil And Gas Connections
E&E News: Interior Seeks Environmental Justice Suggestions
Law360: Endangered Whales Focus For 5th Circ. In Gulf Leasing Row
E&E News: Interior Weighs Seismic Surveys For Arctic Drilling
Grist: The Willow effect: Are even more Arctic oil projects on the way?
STATE UPDATES
Press release: Cassidy Announces $46.8 Million for Louisiana from his Infrastructure Law in Carbon Capture
E&E News: BLM Floats Land Use Changes For Oil And Gas In Colo. Big Game Habitat
WyoFile: Wyoming’s coal plant carbon capture mandate may tap ratepayers beyond 2030
EXTRACTION
Grist: UN: Countries’ current climate action plans would raise emissions
Associated Press: Oil companies attending climate talks have minimal green energy transition plans, AP analysis finds
E&E News: World’s first (nearly) zero-emission gas plant delayed until 2027
The Hill: Court dismisses effort to restrict Gulf drilling over endangered whale
Nature: A measurement-based upstream oil and gas methane inventory for Alberta, Canada reveals higher emissions and different sources than official estimates
Visual Capitalist: Charted: The World’s Biggest Oil Producers
The Cool Down: How photographs of an oil-drenched pelican galvanized the country: ‘They tell the tragic story’
OPINION
Common Dreams: It’s Time We Put an End to the Carbon Capture Farce
Washington Post: Hate fossil fuels? Give them a role and get to clean energy quicker.
Cosmos Magazine: Is it possible for oil and gas companies to just shut down
Troy Media: AP news story misrepresents oil sands, ignores environmental progress
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: FERC, Landowners Duel Over Pipeline Suit's Future
Keith Goldberg, 11/14/23
“The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Monday that a federal spending law enacted in June moots a constitutional challenge to the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, but landowners told the D.C. Circuit that an act of Congress can’t negate an unconstitutional seizure of their property,” Law360 reports.
DTN Progressive Farmer: American Carbon Alliance CEO Says Carbon Pipelines Safe, Despite Opposition
Todd Neeley, 11/14/23
“The head of the American Carbon Alliance (ACA) told an audience at the National Carbon Capture conference in Des Moines, Iowa, last week that farmers and ethanol producers need to fight for carbon capture, which he said is a big economic opportunity for rural America,” DTN Progressive Farmer reports. “Tom Buis, chief executive officer of the ACA, said farmers and ethanol producers cannot allow critics to define them as ethanol critics did during the food-versus-fuel debate in the early days of the ethanol boom. "I don't need to tell anybody how controversial it (carbon pipelines) is," Buis, who came out of retirement to head the ACA. "You've got a few very vocal critics that are really good at scaring people. They're really good at promoting misinformation. And so, friends of mine, a lot of the people that started Growth Energy, started calling and they said, 'Tom, I don't know if you understand what's going on out here related to the farm economy. But we have the greatest opportunity we've ever had since the advent of ethanol and the critics are defining it as ugly, ala the food-versus-fuel days.'" “...Last year the National Carbon Capture conference was interrupted by protesters opposing carbon pipeline projects. This year organizers held a private event. As was the case with the advent of the ethanol industry as a result of the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005, Buis said, carbon capture along with the growth of a sustainable aviation fuel industry is the next big wave for agriculture… “Mitchell Hora, an Iowa farmer and founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, a company helping farmers calculate their carbon footprints, said during a panel discussion in Des Moines that farmers need to understand the opportunity… “Hora said farming practices, including no-till, cover crops and other tools, can be "stacked" with pipeline initiatives or other projects when calculating carbon intensity scores. That can result in lower scores, he said. Critics portray carbon pipelines as dangerous, Buis said, although they are the safest way to transport CO2… “Buis, the former CEO of Growth Energy and president of the National Farmers Union, said the Summit project will send carbon from states that have nowhere to store it to places such as Illinois and North Dakota. "It means economic opportunity," he said. "It means profitability for farmers. It means a new demand. It means profitability for the ethanol companies. And one of the reasons that I've always been an advocate for rural America is the rural communities. You can't sustain a rural town and community if you don't have the infrastructure people need and want to live there." “...Buis encouraged farmers and ethanol producers to make their case with government leaders and the media.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: New Study Shows Carbon Pipelines are a Climate Ploy, Add More CO2 to Ethanol Industry
Emma Schmit, 11/14/23
“The environmental and climate benefits of carbon capture and storage (CCS) have been exalted by the industry – often as an explanation for why their multi-billion dollar carbon capture pipelines are a benefit to the public,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “Those opposed to the build out of carbon capture facilities (and the hazardous pipelines that come with them) have long contended that the technology is not a legitimate solution to the climate crisis, pointing to the increased energy and water needs required to operate the technology, as well as the appropriation of government funds being spent to incentivize proven-to-fail CCS projects rather than agreed upon climate solutions. Further concerns regarding the climate impact of carbon capture and storage have been raised by recent research published in Environmental Science and Technology. The study, authored by Professor Mark Jacobson of Stanford University, analyzed the costs and benefits of utilizing a transportation system that relies on vehicles fueled by ethanol from facilities operating carbon capture technology in comparison to battery-electric vehicles powered by wind. You can read the full text of the study below. Professor Jacobson was inspired to conduct the study after providing testimony in opposition to the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline on behalf of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club. The key takeaway from Jacobson’s research is that wind beats out carbon capture time and again. From the total decrease in carbon emissions to the financial burden and impact to land use, carbon capture is a flop. There’s no denying that we need to reduce carbon emissions, just as there’s no denying ethanol plays a large role in our system of agriculture, particularly in the Midwest. But neither the future of the ethanol industry nor the future of our planet should rely on risky carbon capture projects as a solution. In fact, during testimony in support of the Summit pipeline, ethanol CEO James Broghammer acknowledged that alternative methods of reducing the ethanol industry’s carbon intensity were already being pursued. It’s more evident than ever that carbon capture is an unnecessary and unwanted approach to addressing the climate crisis.”
Explore Okoboji: Dickinson County Supervisors Hear Pipeline Concerns/Moratorium Request
11/14/2023
“The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors today again heard concerns about the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline which would run through a portion of the county,” Explore Okoboji reports. “Dennis Jackson owns land through which the line would pass. He requested Dickinson county officials adopt an ordinance similar to one recently approved in Emmet county regulating the use of rights-of-way. “So I think if you see that and maybe there’s some things in there that we can do to upgrade the ordinance in Dickinson county.” Jackson also requested the county implement a moratorium on the proposed pipeline. “On October 16th, ’23, Henry county, in eastern Iowa, passed a resolution for a two year moratorium on CO2 pipelines, until the federal agency completes their review on updated standards to ensure the safest pipeline be constructed. We would like you to consider the same type of a resolution for Dickinson county.” While there was some interest expressed in reviewing the right-of-way ordinance from Emmet county, the supervisors gave no indication as to whether or not the moratorium request is something they may consider.”
Reuters: Trans Mountain resumes work on pipeline in British Columbia
11/14/23
“The Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project on Tuesday said it had been allowed to resume work in a wetland area near Abbotsford, British Columbia, after correcting issues raised by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER),” Reuters reports. “Earlier this month the CER ordered a halt on an 800-meter stretch after inspectors found several environmental and safety-related non-compliances… “The stop work order was the latest in a string of delays for the 590,000 barrel-per-day expansion project, which will nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast once completed. Trans Mountain has said the expanded pipeline will start shipping crude late in the first quarter of 2024. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government bought the pipeline in 2018 to ensure the expansion went ahead. The project is expected to cost C$30.9 billion ($22.54 billion), more than four times the original estimate.”
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: New Canadian pipeline could impact Louisiana refiners and terminal operators
11/14/23
“After years of delays and cost overruns, the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion should be completed during first quarter 2014, Hart Energy reports,” according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. “The 715-mile looping of Trans Mountain―Canada’s only liquids pipeline to the Pacific Coast―through Alberta and British Columbia will nearly triple maritime access for Western Canadian producers, increasing from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day. The expansion could have consequences for markets across North America, according to East Daley Analytics’ Crude Hub Model, affecting crude oil flows to refiners and terminal operators from Louisiana to the Midwest.”
News 12 Westchester: Climate activists call on Gov. Hochul to stop natural gas pipeline expansion near Indian Point
Jonathan Gordon, 11/14/23
“Climate activists on Tuesday rallied outside the now-shuttered Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan to protest plans to expand the Algonquin Pipeline,” News 12 Westchester reports. “The proposal from pipeline owner Enbridge would boost capacity along the Algonquin Pipeline by replacing existing underground pipes with larger ones, adding secondary lines, and expanding some compressor stations between New Jersey and Massachusetts. The plan is being called "Project Maple." Opponents called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to stop the proposal over construction concerns and increased natural gas flowing near Indian Point which is in the process of getting rid of tons of radioactive waste. “Proposals to expand the reach of this dirty fossil fuel will come at our direct peril, bringing climate change-fueled disasters like this summer’s deadly flooding, higher energy bills, and serious health problems," Food & Water Watch Senior NY Organizer Santosh Nandabalan told News 12.
CBC: Natural gas pipeline in Lanark would be a ‘gamechanger’ for this farmer [VIDEO]
11/15/23
“Andrew Dawson said he welcomes the idea of a natural gas pipeline through Lanark, all part of a wider provincial natural gas expansion plan. Dawson said he currently uses propane to properly dry and store grains, but it needs to be delivered to the farm. He said a natural gas pipeline will help his operations run smoother, and keep prices down,” CBC reports.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
U.S. Dept. of Energy: Biden-Harris Administration Invests $444 Million to Strengthen America’s Infrastructure for Permanent Safe Storage of Carbon Dioxide Pollution
11/14/23
“As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced over $444 million to support sixteen selected projects across twelve states that will fight climate change by bolstering the nation’s carbon management industry. The projects, funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will expand carbon dioxide (CO2) storage infrastructure needed to significantly and responsibly reduce CO2 emissions from industrial operations and power plants, as well as from legacy emissions in the atmosphere. Large-scale, responsible deployment of carbon management technologies is crucial to meeting the Administration’s ambitious climate goal of achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050… “To achieve net-zero emissions by midcentury, the United States will need to capture, transport, and permanently store hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year. This will require a concerted effort to build out the infrastructure to store large quantities of carbon dioxide in geologic storage facilities. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that carbon management projects are designed, built, and operated safely and responsibly, and in a way that reflects the best science and responds to the needs and inputs of local communities… “In alignment with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance environmental justice and equity, DOE is dedicated to ensuring that projects under the CarbonSAFE program carefully address societal considerations and impacts, emphasizing early, active, and meaningful engagement with communities. All funding recipients will advance Community Benefits Plans to ensure local community members have a voice in project implementation, prepare residents for jobs in the emerging carbon capture and storage industry, and generate opportunities for economic development. The plans detail each recipient’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and also contribute to President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which works to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.”
Press release: MERKLEY, HUFFMAN, BARRAGÁN, MCCLELLAN, COLLEAGUES: NEW LIQUIFIED FOSSIL GAS LICENSES NOT IN THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST
11/14/23
“Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), sent a bicameral letter along with over 60 of their colleagues to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) urging the agency to update how it determines if new licenses for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free, U.S. trade countries are in the public interest. The letter highlights concerns that DOE’s current approach to making these determinations does not fully or accurately consider how these exports impact the climate, environmental justice, or domestic energy prices. The lawmaker’s letter comes just as Data For Progress and Fossil Free Media released a new polling report finding voters are in strong support of limiting natural gas exports “by a 2-to-1 margin and want to see new export facilities paused until the proper reviews are completed.” The letter highlights that DOE has never rejected an LNG export application on the basis of negative impacts to the American people, and urges meaningful consideration of the costs to the climate and consumers when reviewing new export licenses. “U.S. LNG exports have doubled over the past four years, and projects currently under development are set to almost double exports again. DOE’s case-by-case approach to approvals ignores the aggregate impact that the explosive growth in U.S. LNG exports is having on climate, communities, and our economy,” the lawmakers write. The lawmakers’ letter comes as DOE is approving LNG exports—and, as the lawmakers note, “scientific reports, including a recent peer reviewed study from Brown University and RMI, have found that natural gas can be as bad for the climate as coal, when only small methane leaks are factored in.” The lawmakers strongly encourage DOE to develop an approach that is informed by the latest climate and economic analysis, and which is transparent and open for public comment. “By exacerbating climate change, LNG exports also pose a threat to environmental justice at home and abroad, because the impacts of climate change fall most heavily on low-income communities and communities of color,” wrote the lawmakers.
Press release: New Poll Shows Voters Support Limits on Natural Gas Exports, Pause on New Facilities
11/14/23
“The Biden administration is facing pressure from lawmakers and voters to reexamine approvals of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, backed by new polling from Fossil Free Media and Data for Progress. The poll found that voters support limits on natural gas exports by a 2-to-1 margin, and want to see new export facilities paused until the proper reviews are completed. This includes 59% of Independents and 62% of young voters aged 18-29. Voters are concerned that a boom in natural gas exports could raise energy prices at home at a time when costs are already high. This data comes as the Biden administration is facing its “next big climate test” over its decision whether or not to grant permits for nearly 20 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. If completed, these facilities would result in an extra 3.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, close to the entire annual emissions of the European Union. Just one facility, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project, would have over 20 times the greenhouse gas emissions of the controversial Willow oil and gas project in Alaska. Lawmakers also released a joint letter this morning to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) urging the agency to update how it determines if new licenses for LNG exports to non-free, U.S. trade countries are in the public interest. The letter highlights concerns that DOE’s current approach to making these determinations does not fully or accurately consider how these exports impact the climate, environmental justice, or domestic energy prices…”The poll found broad support across party lines for hitting pause on new LNG export approvals until proper reviews are completed of impacts on communities, the environment, and energy prices. 57% of Independents and 52% of Republicans support this measure, as do 64% of young voters. The broad voter concern about natural gas exports and desire for a pause on approvals puts major pressure on the Biden administration as it weighs permits for nearly 20 new LNG facilities. Voters want proper reviews to ensure projects do not undermine climate goals or raise home energy prices.”
Washington Post: Climate protester vandalizes wall at National Gallery, officials say
Justin Wm. Moyer, 11/14/23
“A climate protester was arrested Tuesday at the National Gallery of Art after vandalizing a wall near a Civil War exhibit, officials told the Washington Post. In an email, National Gallery spokesperson Anabeth Guthrie told the Post a member of the climate activist group Declare Emergency vandalized a wall in the West Building gallery that houses a sculpture called “The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial” (1900) by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The sculpture commemorates Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th, one of the first Civil War regiments of African Americans enlisted in the North, Guthrie told the Post. The protester wrote “Honor Them” in red paint under a list of the soldiers who were killed, wounded, captured or missing after a battle in 1863, according to Guthrie, who told the Post the protester was arrested… “Declare Emergency also released what it said was a statement from Green. The statement said that “climate breakdown means collapsing food markets so there will be even more struggle, especially in our most impoverished families, which are over-represented by Biracial people and people of color.” “I can’t sit by and do nothing,” the statement said. “I wrote the words ‘Honor Them’ to reach out to anyone who will listen to say, ‘Please come and help the Declare Emergency campaign.” “...Tuesday’s incident was at least the third involving protesters allegedly affiliated with Declare Emergency in D.C. this year.”
Colorado Newsline: Feds oppose rehearing of court ruling that blocked Utah oil train project they approved
CHASE WOODRUFF, 11/13/23
“The federal agencies ordered by a court to reconsider their approval of a controversial Utah oil train project aren’t backing a petition by the project’s sponsors for an immediate rehearing of the case,” Colorado Newsline reports. “In separate filings on Nov. 9, the Surface Transportation Board, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Justice told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that its August ruling overturning the approval of the Uinta Basin Railway, which could result in a massive increase of hazardous shipments through Colorado, does not merit a rehearing “en banc” — that is, before all judges of the court, rather than a three-judge panel… “But federal regulators, while noting that they disagreed with the court’s ruling, rejected those arguments and sided with the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, including Colorado’s Eagle County, in opposition to a rehearing. “As the panel saw things, the record simply did not support the Board’s conclusion, given what it saw as the Railway’s significant environmental impacts and serious questions about the financial feasibility of the project,” attorneys for the DOJ and USFWS wrote in a filing. “Regardless of whether that characterization of what the record shows is correct … en banc review … is not warranted.” The proposed 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway would connect Utah’s largest oil field to the national rail network, allowing drillers there to ship large volumes of crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries. An estimated 90% of the resulting traffic — as many as five fully loaded, two-mile-long trains of oil tankers per day — would be routed through environmentally sensitive and densely populated areas in Colorado.”
E&E News: Greens Scrutinize Johnson Staff's Oil And Gas Connections
Emma Dumain, 11/14/23
“Environmental advocates fretting over new House Speaker Mike Johnson’s environmental record and beliefs about climate change are deriving little comfort from the resumes of the Louisiana Republican’s initial slate of senior staff hires,” E&E News reports. “A new memo from the group Climate Power links nine top Johnson aides to firms and groups working to elevate fossil fuels or fight efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… “Garrett Fultz, who is making the transition as deputy chief of staff in Johnson’s personal office to serving in that same role in speaker’s suite, previously handled Johnson’s energy issues portfolio. He likely helped shape Johnson’s policy positions during his one term on the House Natural Resources Committee, when the lawmaker advocated for weakening protections under the Endangered Species Act and expanding opportunities for domestic energy production through offshore drilling.”
E&E News: Interior Seeks Environmental Justice Suggestions
Michael Doyle, 11/13/23
“The Interior Department is now shopping for more good ideas on how to manage its environmental justice efforts,” E&E News reports. “With public input from three newly scheduled listening sessions, Interior officials said Monday that they will be refining the department’s environmental justice strategic plan, which will support President Joe Biden’s executive order that directed federal agencies to develop such strategies. “Environmental justice is at the heart of the Interior Department’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis, advance a clean energy economy, clean up legacy pollution, strengthen Indian Country, and increase access to the outdoors,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. Haaland added that “for far too long, communities in every corner of America — particularly communities of color and poor communities — have been marginalized and ignored, creating dangerous and pervasive environmental injustices.” A template issued earlier this month by the White House Council on Environmental Quality is supposed to aid in the efforts. It encourages federal agencies to set goals, seek public input, collaborate with other agencies and identify performance metrics. The resulting plans will be compiled by CEQ and made public.”
Law360: Endangered Whales Focus For 5th Circ. In Gulf Leasing Row
Peter McGuire, 11/13/23
“A Fifth Circuit panel on Monday probed attorneys representing environmental groups and petroleum interests on whether nearly-extinct Rice’s whales lived in the Western Gulf of Mexico and if restrictions on federal gas and oil leases in the area were justified to protect the imperiled species,” Law360 reports. “The whale’s presence in the area, or lack thereof, could determine the size and rules of a massive Gulf energy lease sale now delayed more than a month from a Congressional-mandated deadline. In September, a Louisiana federal judge ordered the government to restore 6 million acres to Lease Sale 261 set aside for whale protection areas and to strip vessel speed limits and other restrictions added at the last minute, handing a win to Chevron, Shell and other petroleum interests. While environmental groups suing to reverse the district court ruling said the amended lease was justified by new scientific evidence of whales living near oil and gas drilling areas, Circuit Judge Andrew S. Oldham expressed skepticism. The judge pressed George Torgun, Earthjustice counsel for groups including the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, to show acoustic evidence that would justify closing lease areas away from the whales’ known habitat near Florida.”
E&E News: Interior Weighs Seismic Surveys For Arctic Drilling
Heather Richards, 11/13/23
“An oil and gas developer has asked to conduct seismic surveys on public lands in the Arctic, where the Biden administration earlier this year approved a massive oil project over the protests of climate activists,” E&E News reports. “The Interior Department said Thursday that it is reviewing a revised proposal by ConocoPhillips to conduct 3D seismic testing in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska this winter to inform the company’s future drilling plans. Potential impacts include undermining water resources and disturbing caribou herds important for local subsistence hunting and other wildlife. The surveys, part of the $8 billion Willow project, involve using up to 47-ton vehicles to send sound waves into the ground. Technology turns those vibrations into a detailed portrait of oil and gas reserves underground. Widely used by oil and gas operators, seismic surveying has often been controversial with environmental groups in the Arctic, due to its potential long-term impacts to the sensitive tundra and its association with oil activities green groups oppose.”
Grist: The Willow effect: Are even more Arctic oil projects on the way?
Max Graham, 11/15/23
“The massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope is all but certain to be built now that a federal judge has ruled against environmental groups hoping to halt the development. While it’s set to be Alaska’s biggest new oil field in decades, it very well may not be the last: Willow could give ConocoPhillips and other oil companies cheaper access to vast, untapped reserves beneath the tundra,” Grist reports. “...The judge’s ruling paves the way for Conoco to drill through permafrost and slurp up 600 million barrels of oil in the northeastern corner of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, an Indiana-sized swath of mostly undeveloped tundra in the western Arctic. But that’s not all. As the company moves ahead with construction of the new oil field, it’s looking to gain access to millions, perhaps billions, more barrels farther west and southwest in the reserve beneath the wild tussocks, sloughs, and lakes where caribou and migratory birds abound. “It’s not only itself a huge project,” Erik Grafe, an attorney at Earthjustice, which represents the environmental groups that sued to stop the project, told Grist. “It’s designed to be a hub for future development and that’s itself an even bigger problem.” Conoco told investors two years ago that Willow could be “the next great Alaska hub” for Arctic oil… “Just last month Conoco proposed seismic surveys on about 272,000 acres of frozen earth, including an area west of the Willow site, deeper into the national oil reserve. The company initially said the surveys were intended to “determine the most efficient development” at Willow and “to identify potential future development areas” on Conoco’s leases. But the company later amended the proposal, reducing the survey area to some 160,000 acres and cutting the mention of its intention to identify future development areas. Conoco has also drilled two exploratory wells a dozen miles west of Willow – in an area named “West Willow.” The several miles of new roads and pipelines that the company plans to build at Willow could significantly lower the cost of tapping into the estimated 75 million barrels of crude beneath West Willow. That oil “seems like the obvious next target,” Grafe told Grist. “Willow puts in processing facilities, central operating facilities, pipelines, roads. Once that’s in place, it’s a lot cheaper for Conoco and maybe others to develop their leases and tie into that infrastructure.” Earthjustice plans to appeal Gleason’s ruling.”
STATE UPDATES
Press release: Cassidy Announces $46.8 Million for Louisiana from his Infrastructure Law in Carbon Capture
11/14/23
“U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced the U.S. Department of Energy will grant $46,810,000.00 for two carbon capture and sequestration projects in Louisiana from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). River Parish Sequestration, LLC will receive $25,634,345.00 to develop a CO2 transportation and storage solution for the Louisiana Chemical Corridor. Advanced Resources International, Inc will receive $21,175,655.00 to develop a commercial-scale geologic CO2 storage hub in state waters near Monkey Island, Louisiana. “There is no better place in the world to sequester carbon than Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This funding will not only allow Louisiana to continue to be a leader in this space, but generate jobs and future economic development for our state.” The grants will be accompanied by significant private investment from the awardees… “In April, EPA announced they intend to grant Louisiana the authority to permit, site, and provide oversight of carbon storage wells in the state… “The vast majority of public comments have been supportive of Class VI primacy in Louisiana.”
E&E News: BLM Floats Land Use Changes For Oil And Gas In Colo. Big Game Habitat
Scott Streater, 11/13/23
“The Bureau of Land Management is proposing to amend more than a dozen land use plans covering millions of acres in Colorado to better balance oil and gas development with preservation of important habitat corridors for big-game species,” E&E News reports. “BLM has released a draft environmental impact statement and draft resource management plan amendments that are related to a legal settlement finalized last year between the bureau and the state of Colorado. The plan proposes to amend oil and gas management decisions in 13 RMPs covering all 64 counties in Colorado. The proposal would add new restrictions on oil and gas leasing across much of 8.3 million acres of BLM surface lands, and 4.7 million acres of subsurface federal mineral split estate… The “preferred alternative” in the draft EIS would add several “oil and gas lease stipulations,” as well as density restrictions on surface disturbing activities, such as one well pad per square mile within big game high priority habitat areas.”
WyoFile: Wyoming’s coal plant carbon capture mandate may tap ratepayers beyond 2030
Dustin Bleizeffer, 11/14/23
“A panel of lawmakers has advanced a draft bill to give power plant operators eight more years to comply with Wyoming’s low-carbon emissions standard,” WyoFile reports. “The measure, Low-carbon reliable energy standards-amendments, would push back the deadline from 2030 to 2038. It would also exempt regulated utilities with fewer than 10,000 customers, carving out a Black Hills Energy service area that provides electricity to about 2,600 customers in Newcastle, according to the Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee, which discussed the bill last week in Gillette. Additionally, the measure would set a minimum standard: Coal-fueled power units must capture at least 75% of the carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere. The bill essentially extends a 2020 law that requires coal power plant owners to retrofit the facilities with carbon capture, use and storage technologies as an alternative to shutting them down. Lawmakers said they want to extend Wyoming’s mandate in hopes that the expansion of the federal “Section 45Q” tax credits for carbon sequestration under the Inflation Reduction Act will improve the economics of such CCUS applications on coal plants. “The intent of this whole carbon capture industry is to provide a way to save the fossil fuels industry,” Rep. J.T. Larson (R-Rock Springs) told WyiFile. “Because if we don’t do anything, at this point, the rest of the country is going to move on without us.” “...Many electrical customers in the state are already paying for utilities’ costs to comply with Wyoming’s 2020 coal-CCUS standard. Those costs include hiring consultants to analyze various technologies and conduct cost-benefit and reliability modeling. Black Hills Energy and Rocky Mountain Power — a division of PacifiCorp — currently tap their ratepayers for a “carbon capture compliance” surcharge. Between the two utilities, that adds up to about $5 million annually. Both companies are expected to ask the Wyoming Public Service Commission for permission to continue the surcharge on an annual basis, with no guarantee that a Wyoming coal unit will be retrofitted for carbon capture.”
EXTRACTION
Grist: UN: Countries’ current climate action plans would raise emissions
Akielly Hu, 11/14/23
“A new United Nations report finds that countries’ current plans to reduce their carbon emissions would actually increase global emissions 8.8 percent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels — falling far short of the drastic cuts needed to limit warming,” Grist reports. “Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, which set a target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), countries agreed to submit plans detailing how they would do their part to curb emissions. These plans are known as “nationally determined contributions,” and countries are encouraged to strengthen them frequently. But year after year, the U.N. has found a wide gap between the commitments made and the action needed to reach the Paris target — a 45 percent reduction in global emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels… “The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat also released a second report today on countries’ long-term emissions reduction plans. The report found that if the 75 countries that have submitted long-term plans follow through on their commitments, including net-zero targets, their emissions will decline 63 percent by 2050 from 2019 levels. The countries represent 68 percent of the world’s population and 77 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Stiell nodded toward the fact that over the years, climate advocates and even former U.N. officials have grown weary of the annual climate negotiations and the lack of progress achieved at them. “We need to rebuild trust in the Paris process, which means delivering on all commitments,” he told Grist.
Associated Press: Oil companies attending climate talks have minimal green energy transition plans, AP analysis finds
MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN, PETER PRENGAMAN AND DOUG GLASS, 11/10/23
“In 2022, Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras had 68 places staked out for oil exploration off the South American coast, searching for new reserves while spending $6.9 billion in oil development projects. About the same time, Algeria-based Sonatrach proclaimed its ambition to ramp up production to become a top five national oil company by 2030. And Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. opened 68 new gas stations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, noting in its 2022 annual report that there were now more than 500 across the UAE,” according to the Associated Press. “All these companies, along with 33 others focused on oil and gas, sent delegations to Egypt for last year’s annual climate summit, known as COP27, aimed at moving the world away from the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas. Many will likely be at the upcoming conference, COP28, being hosted in the UAE, which appointed Sultan al-Jaber, chairman of the nation’s oil company, as president of the summit. Faced with criticism about their presence at negotiations, leaders of such companies argue they are part of the transition to renewable energies, an argument that negotiators like U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry have cautiously endorsed. But an Associated Press review of how much these companies invest in green energies, along with the priorities laid out in their annual reports, cast doubts on genuine commitments to transition. Most companies only have small, if any, investment in solar or wind power, the most established green technologies. Most of their investments, billions of dollars, are in further exploration, extraction and refining of oil — with plans laid out in some cases over the next decades. That’s long beyond when scientists say the world must move away from fossil fuels. “These are companies with enormous profits at present, enormous engineering capabilities and have been producing oil and gas for a very long time,” Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told AP. “It is reasonable to expect leadership in how quickly they lead and move and develop new technologies and drive the cost down” of renewables. The companies at last year’s summit don’t look to be making such efforts in any big way… “Almost all the companies focus on reducing emissions in their operations, and don’t address the emissions that will result when customers use their products to power cars, heat homes, move ships and planes, and so forth. Those emissions are known as “Scope 3” and they are commonly seen as both the biggest share of a company’s emissions and the most difficult to solve, with many companies arguing they are out of their control.”
E&E News: World’s first (nearly) zero-emission gas plant delayed until 2027
Carlos Anchondo, Corbin Hiar, 11/15/23
“Supply chain challenges will delay the world’s first utility-scale gas plant with carbon capture, Net Power executives announced Tuesday,” E&E News reports. “The clean energy technology company unveiled plans last November to build the natural gas plant in Texas’ Ector County, with expectations that the facility would be online in 2026. Project Permian would generate electricity with nearly zero emissions, according to Net Power. But on an earnings call Tuesday, Net Power President Brian Allen told investors that the date has slipped to “sometime between the second half of 2027 and first half of 2028.” “...Allen attributed the delay to “global energy supply chain” challenges, which he said had caused “extensive lead times across critical components.” The company previously adjusted the cost of the project to approximately $1 billion, up from an initial price tag of between $750 and $950 million. Net Power’s technology produces electricity by combusting natural gas with pure oxygen, creating water and carbon dioxide — most of which is recirculated back into its power generation system. Excess high-purity CO2 can then be sold to industry or sequestered underground, according to Net Power. The company plans to use Occidental Petroleum’s existing infrastructure near Odessa, Texas, to move trapped CO2 to a permanent storage location. Occidental is a major supporter of Net Power, investing at least $350 million in the startup since it was founded in 2010.”
The Hill: Court dismisses effort to restrict Gulf drilling over endangered whale
RACHEL FRAZIN, 11/14/23
“A federal appeals court has dismissed an effort from environmental groups to prevent an oil rights drilling auction from proceeding without protections for an endangered species of whale,” The Hill reports. “Instead, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Biden administration will have 37 days to carry out the auction for rights to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. The litigation stems from action by the Biden administration that would have put stipulations on an upcoming oil and gas lease sale auction in the Gulf as part of an effort to protect the Rice’s Whale. The administration said in August that it would shrink the sale and restrict ship activity in order to protect the whale, of which there are believed to be fewer than 100 remaining. Chevron, the state of Louisiana and an oil and gas lobbying group sued over that action, and a lower court ruled in their favor, saying that the Biden administration needed to move ahead with the sale in just a few days. Both the Biden administration and environmental groups appealed the lower court’s move, with the Biden administration asking for more time while environmentalists wanted the restrictions that aimed to protect the whale… “However, judges Edith Brown Clement, Catharina Haynes and Andrew Oldham, who are Bush and Trump appointees, dismissed the environmental groups’ challenge. They found that the groups did not have standing in the case because they did not show that they will suffer “certainly impending” injury or that any such issues would likely be resolved by the court. In response, George Torgun, an attorney with Earthjustice, warned of dire consequences for the whale. “This disappointing and unjustified ruling could be the death knell for the nearly extinct Rice’s whale,” Torgun said in a written statement.
Nature: A measurement-based upstream oil and gas methane inventory for Alberta, Canada reveals higher emissions and different sources than official estimates
Bradley M. Conrad, David R. Tyner, Hugh Z. Li, Donglai Xie & Matthew R. Johnson, 11/15/23
“Mitigation actions and regulations to meet critical 2030 methane reduction targets under the Global Methane Pledge are hampered by uncertainty in true levels of emissions and source breakdowns,” according to a report in Nature. “Here we present a measurement-based, source-resolved, hybrid top-down/bottom-up methane inventory for conventional upstream oil and gas operations in Canada’s largest oil and gas-producing province, Alberta. The derived 2021 inventory of 1337 kt/y is approximately 1.5× the official federal inventory and matches independent top-down aerial mass-balance and satellite estimates within uncertainties. Major sources are starkly different from official estimates, with venting (e.g., uncontrolled tanks, pneumatics, unlit flares) comprising almost two-thirds of emissions implying important mitigation opportunities. Derived methane intensities, while similar to U.S. basins, are approximately 4× those in neighbouring British Columbia and further reveal order-of-magnitude differences among individual anonymized companies at directly comparable facility types. This highlights the importance of independent monitoring, reporting, and verification to ensure collective success in reducing emissions.”
Visual Capitalist: Charted: The World’s Biggest Oil Producers
Pallavi Rao, 11/14/23
“In 2022 oil prices peaked at more than $100 per barrel, hitting an eight-year high, after a full year of turmoil in the energy markets in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Visual Capitalist reports. “Oil companies doubled their profits and the economies of the biggest oil producers in the world got a major boost. But which countries are responsible for most of the world’s oil supply? Using data from the Statistical Review of World Energy by the Energy Institute, we’ve visualized and ranked the world’s biggest oil producers. The U.S. has been the world’s biggest oil producer since 2018 and continued its dominance in 2022 by producing close to 18 million barrels per day (B/D). This accounted for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Almost three-fourths of the country’s oil production is centered around five states: Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Alaska, and Colorado. Behind America’s considerable lead in oil production, Saudi Arabia (ranked 2nd) produced 12 million B/D, accounting for about 13% of global supply. Russia came in third with 11 million B/D in 2022. Together, these top three oil producing behemoths, along with Canada (4th) and Iraq (5th), make up more than half of the entire world’s oil supply. Meanwhile, the top 10 oil producers, including those ranked 6th to 10th—China, UAE, Iran, Brazil, and Kuwait—are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s oil production. Notably, all top 10 oil giants increased their production between 2021–2022, and as a result, global output rose 4.2% year-on-year.”
The Cool Down: How photographs of an oil-drenched pelican galvanized the country: ‘They tell the tragic story’
Susan Elizabeth Turek, 11/12/23
“The adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” is so often repeated that it feels commonplace. Yet a shocking photo series of oil-soaked pelicans during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, was anything but ordinary, galvanizing recovery efforts off the coast of Louisiana,” The Cool Down reports. “...Like numerous other creatures, the pelicans — taken off the endangered species list just a few months prior, per the BBC — were covered in petroleum and a toxic chemical that broke down the oil. Win McNamee, the lead photographer for Getty Images, documented those pelicans’ struggles. When McNamee’s photos were published by multiple major outlets, including CNN and National Geographic, the visuals helped the public, researchers, and policymakers to deeply connect with the plight of the pelicans and other creatures killed by the oil. According to the BBC, this new mass awareness upped the pressure to resolve the oil leak, which killed thousands of birds, including an estimated 10% of all brown pelicans in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and even negatively affected their DNA. “[The] photos don’t capture the scale of the issue, but they tell the tragic story,” Erik Johnson, the director of conservation science at Audubon Delta, told the BBC… “You look at these pictures, you get angry. That is a trigger for people to want change: social change, environmental change, policy change,” he told the BBC, adding that it “will make the Gulf Coast more resilient in the long term.”
OPINION
Common Dreams: It’s Time We Put an End to the Carbon Capture Farce
Ana Baptista is an associate professor and co-director of the Tishman Environment & Design Center at The New School; Dana Johnson is the senior director of strategy and federal policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, 11/14/23
“There is a heightened focus on justice and equity in the Biden administration—but what does that look like for communities living with the realities of systemic and institutionalized discrimination?,” Ana Baptista and Dana Johnson write for Common Dreams. “For generations, environmental justice communities have borne the brunt of policies and practices that have relegated our homes, workplaces, recreational spaces, and places of worship to the shadows of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure. As the administration and lawmakers advance opportunities to “decarbonize” the energy sector—the largest source of climate change-causing greenhouse gases in the U.S.—many communities are given little insight into the plans and technologies marketed as the solution. As a result, environmental justice communities—those predominantly composed of people of color and those with low income—have to navigate a maze of new federal investments in obscure policies and plans. Specifically, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), utilization (CCUS), hydrogen hubs, and direct air capture projects are being rolled out without transparency and our communities are targeted as development zones. It’s time for real change—not a rebrand of the same discriminatory plans that slow the clock on fighting the climate crisis and reinforce the status quo. While CCS is being pushed as a way to cut emissions, it’s actually enabling further fossil fuel reliance… “These initiatives are based on the promise of siphoning off greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and industrial facilities, but they often rely more on greenwashing and wishful thinking than on real solutions. They divert focus from the critical need to break free from fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, that disproportionately burden environmental justice communities. The reality is that CCS technology remains untested at scale, is not guaranteed to work, and won’t address other harmful pollution like particulates that wreak havoc on our communities… “What’s even more infuriating is that these projects are poised to reap the benefits of federal tax credits bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This is a con job on the American public that will funnel funds into risky projects ultimately helping fossil fuel companies and perpetuating the systems that caused the climate crisis… “Federal agencies promise new “regulatory regimes,” to protect EJ communities, but all we see in response to our concerns is an offering of community benefit agreements and public engagement processes that lack substantial, enforceable protections or the right to say “no.” “...It’s time we put an end to this farce.”
Washington Post: Hate fossil fuels? Give them a role and get to clean energy quicker.
Robert Socolow is a Princeton professor emeritus and was a principal investigator of the university’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative which is sponsored by BP. Chris Greig co-leads Princeton’s Net-Zero initiatives, after three decades working in the energy and industrial sectors including on early carbon capture and storage projects, 11/13/23
“The oil and gas industry has been impeding progress as the world struggles to put the brakes on climate change. This month’s global climate meeting in Dubai — COP28 — offers a unique chance for the industry to turn that around through a new alliance,” Robert Socolow and Chris Greig write for the Washington Post. “True, many influential environmental leaders regard the oil and gas industry as so compromised that it has no legitimate role in the climate effort… “But having worked with both sides in several capacities, we believe there is at least a small chance that the gathering could arrive at a bold and novel Dubai Agreement that establishes a specific role for the fossil fuel enterprise and helps the world lower greenhouse gas emissions faster. This agreement would not eliminate the fossil fuel industry, but it would bring an end to fossil fuel emissions. There need not be any contradiction here. After a transition period of a couple of decades, fossil fuel use would be permitted only where the carbon dioxide from that use does not end up in the atmosphere. Instead, the carbon dioxide from all remaining fossil fuel use would be captured and returned below ground or converted into durable products, creating a circular economy for carbon. This restricted fossil fuel system could be sustained throughout the second half of this century, helping to steepen the decline in global emissions as we build out renewable and other clean-energy systems… “Regional systems of carbon dioxide pipelines and dedicated ships would connect thousands of carbon capture plants with hundreds of storage sites… “Many environmentalists would accept, reluctantly, that harnessing the prowess of the oil and gas industry in raising capital and implementing large projects would allow solar and wind power to expand more quickly. And many of them, we think, would look favorably on a well-coordinated build-out of the pipelines and storage sites required to isolate the carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuels, because that same infrastructure could also be used to support “negative emissions” in which carbon dioxide is removed directly from the atmosphere — if that strategy proves desirable and feasible… “Key environmental leaders would need to accept the continuing extraction of fossil fuels, under strict conditions. And key leaders of the oil and gas industry would need to promote an orderly phaseout of unabated uses of their product, starting immediately. They would launch a global effort to appraise the places underground where carbon dioxide can be stored safely and permanently, and they would work with governments to plan and build carbon dioxide pipeline systems.”
Cosmos Magazine: Is it possible for oil and gas companies to just shut down?
Jacinta Bowler, 11/14/23
“In a warming world, coal, oil and gas companies have a decision to make – how can they transition out of fossil fuels? While the default assumption is that these companies will transition to become ‘energy’ companies, with renewables at its core, this may not be the only way forward,” Jacinta Bowler writes for Cosmos Magazine. “It might sound radical, but multiple groups are suggesting that oil and gas companies’ best option – for both investors and the planet – might just be to shut down. “There’s valid reasons to think that companies should transition [into green energy] and there’s valid reasons to think that companies should just stick to what they’re good at for as long as the world needs them and then shut down,” Alex Hillman, lead analyst at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), told Cosmos… “The world needs large renewables companies, but I don’t think there’s anything intrinsic about being a large oil and gas company which means you’ll be a good large renewables company.” “...So, while it seems hard to imagine a world without oil, gas and coal companies dominating Australia’s largest stocks, there’s plenty of reason to think that our markets could be fossil fuel free… “I don’t think there’s anything that necessitates that these companies need to transition in order to make sure that we can transition as a society.”
Troy Media: AP news story misrepresents oil sands, ignores environmental progress
Deborah Jaremko is director of content for the Canadian Energy Centre, a Troy Media Editorial Content Provider Partner, 11/14/23
“A widely-circulated article by the Associated Press misrepresents Canada’s oil sands industry by ignoring its progress in improving environmental performance and its commitment to achieving climate targets,” Deborah Jaremko writes for Troy Media. “...The article repeats the false narrative that oil from the oil sands is far “dirtier” than other crudes produced around the world. This is not the case. Analysis by S&P Global found that average oil sands emissions per barrel are in the range of other crude oils consumed in the United States, the industry’s main customer… “The AP article does not mention the success oil sand producers have achieved in reducing emissions per barrel. That so-called emissions intensity is now estimated to be 23 percent lower than it was in 2009, according to S&P Global… “Last year, analysts predicted that absolute oil sands emissions would start going down by 2025. The new findings indicate that could happen sooner. And that’s before shovels hit the ground for the Pathways Alliance’s foundational carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. The AP article leaves out any mention of the Pathways Alliance, one of the most significant environmental initiatives ever undertaken in Canada… “The AP article perpetuates the inaccurate position that CCS is not a proven technology… “While activists trumpet the narrative that the world is rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels, the reality is oil and gas will be around for a long, long time… “Canada’s oil sands industry leads the world in its commitment to continuous improvement in environmental performance and emissions reduction, and this should be recognized by media outlets, including the Associated Press.”