EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/21/23
(Note to Readers: The next edition of “Extracted’ will be published on Monday, Nov. 27.)
PIPELINE NEWS
WEEK: Wolf Carbon Solutions requests to withdraw current application to build CO2 pipeline that would run through Central Illinois
Herald and Review: Wolf plans to refile CO2 pipeline plan
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Wolf asks to withdraw Illinois pipeline request and refile
WDBJ: Mountain Valley Pipeline worker flown to hospital after injury
Bismarck Tribune: City of Bismarck petitions to intervene in Summit CO2 pipeline case
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Final arguments for Summit pipeline permit are due in January
Reuters: US Coast Guard seeks source of some 1.1 million gallons of crude oil in Gulf of Mexico
Click On Detroit: Will there be supply shortages or price spikes if Line 5 is shut down?
Grist: Still concerned about the Dakota Access pipeline? The feds are asking for comment, 7 years later.
Law360: Enbridge Unit Seeks Land Access For Texas Pipeline Project
Ottawa Citizen: City should retract testimony to clear way for Enbridge pipeline rebuild: councillor
Reuters: TC Energy receives FERC approval for Virginia Reliability Project
E&E News: Biden still hasn’t named a pipeline chief. Is regulatory push in peril?
WASHINGTON UPDATES
NPR: The U.S. has a controversial plan to store carbon dioxide under the nation's forests
Oil Change International: Biden’s Fossil Fuel Fail: How U.S. Oil & Gas Supply Rises under the Inflation Reduction Act
E&E News: ‘Not on course’: US emissions set for 3% decline in 2023
Teen Vogue: The EPA Launches Youth Council of Gen Z and Millennials
The Hill: National Parks Honor Murdered Indigenous Women With Red Shawls
STATE UPDATES
KPLC: Public Service Commission discusses carbon capture facility planned for Calcasieu Parish
Mlive.com: Great Lakes oil spill researchers receive $3.8M from Canada
County17: UW School of Energy Resources embarks on fourth carbon capture, storage project
Associated Press: Kansas oil refinery agrees to $23 million in penalties for violating federal air pollution law
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: Earth passed a feared global warming milestone Friday, at least briefly
Associated Press: UN report says world is racing to well past warming limit as carbon emissions rise instead of plunge
Politico: Oil industry rides into climate summit bigger than ever
Guardian: Capturing Cop28 chief’s oil firm emissions would take centuries – study
Washington Post: Fossil fuel industry representatives have attended COPs at least 7,200 times, research shows
Upstream: TotalEnergies exits Canadian oil sands with $1.1 billion assets sale
The Narwhal: A dizzying bird’s-eye view of Alberta’s oilsands
Energy Institute: Stranded Gassets
OPINION
Globe Gazette: Counties should be vigilant when it comes to pipeline ordinances
Financial Times: On its own, carbon capture is not a climate change panacea
Boston Globe: Insurers are slow to adopt policies to restrict financing for new oil and gas facilities.
The Conversation: We’re burning too much fossil fuel to fix by planting trees – making ‘net zero’ emissions impossible with offsets
PIPELINE NEWS
WEEK: Wolf Carbon Solutions requests to withdraw current application to build CO2 pipeline that would run through Central Illinois
Jason Howell, 11/20/2q3
“Wolf Carbon Solutions is pulling its application to build its CO2 pipeline through Central Illinois - for now,” WEEK reports. “In a motion filed Monday with the Illinois Commerce Commission, the company believes a new, refiled application can address and make moot many, if not all, of the concerns that have been expressed. In October, ICC Engineer Brett Seagle recommended the state deny the certificate of authority needed by the company to operate the pipeline… “Seagle also addressed the “overwhelmingly negative feedback” from the public on this project, noting they mostly revolve around safety concerns… “Wolf understands and respects the stringent regulatory review process for this project, and we appreciate the diligence of the ICC and its staff. We have made the decision to withdraw our current application, with the intent to refile in early 2024, to address the questions and concerns raised by ICC staff in their recommendation. This voluntary action does not impact our commitment to the project and its stakeholders, or the ongoing regulatory processes, including with the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) and Army Corps of Engineers,” said Dean Ferguson, president of Wolf Carbon Solutions U.S.”
Herald and Review: Wolf plans to refile CO2 pipeline plan
Tony Reid, 11/20/23
“Wolf Carbon Solutions said Monday that it plans to refile its controversial plans to build a 260-mile carbon dioxide pipeline to ferry the gas all the way from Iowa to storage underground in Decatur,” the Herald and Review reports. “Denver-based Wolf had previously announced the withdrawal of the pipeline proposal, known as the Mt. Simon Hub, after it was criticized by an engineer employed by the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state regulators who would have to sign-off on the project… “The criticisms voiced by ICC gas engineer Brett Seagle had been extensive. He faulted Wolf over safety concerns and uncertainty about the supplier of the carbon dioxide, extracted to keep the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere, and more worries about gas storage arrangements. Wolf had previously said it planned to work with Archer Daniels Midland Co. to obtain the gas but Seagle said ADM had yet to enter into a final and binding agreement to supply carbon dioxide extracted during ethanol production. Other setbacks Wolf faced included not having obtained any agreements with landowners along the long route to run the pipeline through their property. Critics of the project also cited safety concerns regarding the risks from possible pipeline ruptures. A 2020 line break in Missouri led to reports of people nearby suffering shortness of breath, loss of consciousness and confusion as the gas poured into the air. The Wolf pipeline is now the second such project to hit a major blockage in the approval stage.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Wolf asks to withdraw Illinois pipeline request and refile
JARED STRONG, 11/20/23
“Wolf Carbon Solutions moved to withdraw its carbon dioxide pipeline permit application in Illinois on Monday to address concerns identified by state regulators,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “This voluntary action does not impact our commitment to the project and its stakeholders, or the ongoing regulatory processes, including with the Iowa Utilities Board and Army Corps of Engineers,” said Dean Ferguson, the company’s president… “Wolf made its application for a certificate of authority to construct and operate its pipeline in Illinois in June 2023. In October, a commission engineer recommended that the application be denied for a number of reasons, including: It’s unclear whether all potentially affected landowners were notified of the proposal. Agreements with the ethanol plants had not been finalized, and Wolf had not secured a sequestration facility. Wolf had not made required applications to federal regulators. Wolf did not provide an emergency response plan in case of a pipeline rupture. The engineer also said Wolf’s proposal appears to be at odds with the intent of state law that governs carbon dioxide pipelines: “Although I am not an attorney, in my opinion, (Wolf’s) proposed pipeline does not match the legislative purpose of the CO2 Act, which sought to promote and use Illinois coal,” according to the engineer’s written testimony… “Wolf said in its motion to withdraw its application that it believes the application is “sufficient” but that “through a new application, it can address and moot many, if not all, of the concerns expressed.”
WDBJ: Mountain Valley Pipeline worker flown to hospital after injury
Kaitlyn Dillon, 11/20/23
“A Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) worker was flown to the hospital Saturday afternoon via Lifeguard 10 after sustaining an injury while working,” WDBJ reports. “Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded to reports of a Precision Pipeline employee being injured while working on a steep terrain in a remote area on Poor Mountain. According to responders, the worker was extracted from the area with the help of Technical Rescue personnel and flown to the hospital with internal injuries… “Mountain Valley Pipeline spokesperson Natalie Cox released a statement regarding the incident Monday afternoon. “...An investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident is ongoing, and the safety of crew members and the public remains our top priority. Mountain Valley is unable to provide additional comment on behalf of our contractor companies and/or their employees.”
Bismarck Tribune: City of Bismarck petitions to intervene in Summit CO2 pipeline case
JOEY HARRIS, 11/18/23
“The city of Bismarck has filed a petition to intervene in the regulatory proceedings regarding Summit Carbon Solutions' efforts to get a state permit for a carbon dioxide pipeline project that would be sited near the city,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The petition was filed Wednesday after the city commission voted in favor of the move on Tuesday… “The city in its petition highlights the Bismarck Fire Department’s role leading the Technical Response Team for hazardous material releases in the area and the city's concerns that though the pipeline's route was moved farther north, it is not being moved farther east as well. Bismarck is growing in both directions. The city also expresses unease about the pipeline's crossing under the Missouri River, which serves as a source of water for Bismarck… “Separately, the city voted to postpone its decision regarding whether it would pass a resolution in support of local ordinances taking precedence in pipeline siting decisions that would be submitted to the PSC. The resolution was sent to Commissioner Greg Zenker by Dustin Gawrylow, managing director of the North Dakota Watchdog Network. Burleigh and Emmons counties earlier this year placed restrictions on pipelines carrying hazardous materials within their borders, in response to Summit's project… “Jeff Skaare, director of land, legal and regulatory affairs at Summit, spoke to the city commission on Tuesday, asking the group to not pass the resolution or at least withhold a decision on it until Summit can present certain safety details to city officials. He said the company has received permission from federal regulators to share its plume dispersion models with emergency managers across the state, and wants to share it with some Bismarck officials… “A North Dakota landowner group's lawsuit against the state could require the use of eminent domain for companies hoping to store emissions in underground private property when landowners do not sign an easement. The North Dakota Farm Bureau recently petitioned to intervene on the side of the landowner group; no decision has been made yet… “A statewide coalition has formed in South Dakota to pursue restrictions on the use of eminent domain for projects such as CO2 pipelines, and Midwest Carbon Express opponents in Iowa have sued to block a state-issued water permit for Summit and also are encouraging farmers in that state to protest by requesting refunds of the checkoff fee they pay on their corn production, according to reporting by States Newsroom.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Final arguments for Summit pipeline permit are due in January
JARED STRONG, 11/20/23
“Hundreds of pages of written briefs that argue for and against a hazardous liquid pipeline permit for Summit Carbon Solutions in Iowa are due before the end of the year, with written replies to those arguments due Jan. 19, the Iowa Utilities Board recently ordered,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The three-member board will thereafter decide whether to issue or deny a permit to Summit to allow construction of its carbon dioxide pipeline system and whether the company can use eminent domain to obtain land easements for about a quarter of its route… “Pipeline opponents sought to circumvent the laborious briefing process after the hearing concluded with a motion for the board to deny Summit’s permit application. “From our point of view, Summit clearly has failed to show that this project is in the public convenience and necessity,” Brian Jorde, an attorney for numerous landowners in several states, told the Dispatch, in reference to a state requirement for the permit to be issued. “Matter of fact, not a single witness of the public has showed up and said it is convenient. And maybe a handful of — maybe the ethanol plant gentleman or so from Iowa said it maybe was necessary, but no one else has. And they haven’t proven it.” “...The board denied Jorde’s motion… “Pipeline opponents have argued that those profits will mostly benefit wealthy Summit investors. They further oppose the use of eminent domain to force construction of the pipeline system against landowners’ wishes and worry about damage to farmland and safety threats from potential pipeline breaches.”
Reuters: US Coast Guard seeks source of some 1.1 million gallons of crude oil in Gulf of Mexico
11/21/23
“The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil,” Reuters reports. “The 67-mile long pipeline was closed by Main Pass Oil Gathering Co (MPOG) on Thursday morning, after crude oil was spotted around 19 miles offshore of the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans… “While the exact volume of discharged oil was not known, the Coast Guard, which was leading the clean-up, said initial engineering calculations placed the volume of the leak at 1.1 million gallons, or 26,190 barrels… “Third Coast Infrastructure, which owns MPOG, declined to comment on Friday and referred questions to the Coast Guard.”
Click On Detroit: Will there be supply shortages or price spikes if Line 5 is shut down?
11/17/23
“A new report details what some experts believe might happen to oil and gas prices if Line 5 is shut down,” Click On Detroit reports. “...In a new report, PLG Consulting found that if Line 5 were to shut down, energy markets would adapt. With advanced notice there wouldn’t be any supply shortages or price spikes. “The characteristics of overall North American energy supply chains combined with the unique circumstances of Line 5 products and markets mean there is a range of commercially viable and operationally feasible supply chain alternatives for each of the end use destinations and markets that would be affected by a line 5 shutdown,” the report states. PLG also found that most of the companies that use Line 5 know a shutdown is possible and have developed contingency plans. “Based upon careful research as well as PLG’s more than 15 years of consulting experience in energy supply chains and logistics, our analysis demonstrates that energy markets will adapt -- as they have always done and continue to do -- in the event that Line 5 is shut down. With advance notice, the markets can be expected to do so without supply shortages or price spikes,” the report states… “The following is a statement from Enbridge Energy regarding the study: “The report’s recommendations defy common sense and would put the environment at risk by suggesting the use of more oil tankers on the waters of the Great Lakes and more rail cars crisscrossing the region to transport the product Line 5 carries.”
Grist: Still concerned about the Dakota Access pipeline? The feds are asking for comment, 7 years later.
Anita Hofschneider, 11/21/23
“Seven years after thousands of people converged in North Dakota to block the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the public now has an opportunity to weigh in on the environmental risks associated with the section of the pipeline crossing half a mile north of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation,” Grist reports. “...The court ordered the Army Corps to produce a full environmental impact statement on the section of the pipeline that crosses underneath Lake Oahe and stop the flow of oil… “That analysis is happening now, and Steven Wolf, chief of the public affairs office in the Omaha branch of the Army Corps, told Grist the current public comment period is an opportunity for the public to weigh in on whether the draft environmental impact statement is adequate — essentially serving as a quality control check on the agency’s revised analysis… “Wolf told Grist it’s important to remember that the public comment period deals strictly with the half-mile stretch of the pipeline under Lake Oahe. He added that the Army Corps only regulates land used by the company and has no authority to regulate the pipeline itself… “Still, that authority is consequential. If Army Corps denies the easement, that could force Energy Transfer Partners to reroute the pipeline further away from the Standing Rock reservation… “Steven Wolf told Grist so far the Army Corps has already received tens of thousands of comments. However, many of them are form letters, which the Corps considers a single comment even if it is sent in by thousands of people… “He estimated a final environmental impact statement on the section in question will take at least a year to complete.”
Law360: Enbridge Unit Seeks Land Access For Texas Pipeline Project
Isaac Monterose, 11/20/23
“An Enbridge Inc. unit urged a Texas federal court Monday to convey Cameron County land so it can conduct environmental surveys for a federally approved 137-mile long natural gas pipeline project, alleging that it can’t get a response from two landowners to secure permission for the surveys,” Law360 reports.
Ottawa Citizen: City should retract testimony to clear way for Enbridge pipeline rebuild: councillor
Randy Boswell, 11/20/23
“An east-end councillor is urging the City of Ottawa to retract the testimony it gave at an Ontario Energy Board hearing last year and endorse Enbridge’s proposed $123.7-million natural gas pipeline replacement project along St. Laurent Boulevard,” the Ottawa Citizen reports. “The planned project was rejected by the OEB in May 2022 largely because of the municipality’s concerns that automatically renewing major fossil fuel infrastructure runs counter to the city’s Energy Evolution master plan and its bid to achieve community-wide net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The OEB ruling stunned the province’s energy sector but was hailed by environmental advocates as heralding a future in which municipal, provincial and federal governments and energy regulation bodies face increasingly difficult decisions about what were previously routine approvals for fossil fuel infrastructure renewal. In the ruling, Enbridge was directed to come back to the regulator when it had more evidence that the pipeline replacement was urgent and that the proposal was taking into account Ottawa’s evolving energy requirements as it transitions away from fossil fuels… “According to a motion he’ll introduce at the city’s Nov. 21 environment committee, Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney wants the city to disavow its previous OEB submission on the Enbridge proposal and have it “stricken from the record” to clear the way for the pipeline rebuild. In an interview, Tierney told the Citizen that despite the city’s adoption of its Energy Evolution policy and net-zero CO2 reduction targets, “there’s no plan” to ensure an orderly transition away from fossil fuels while maintaining “energy security,” and that much of the city’s push to reach net zero by 2050 will hinge on decisions by other levels of government… “Tierney, however, told the Citizen that unless the Enbridge plan is approved, the OEB and city staff are essentially playing with fire and risking the possibility of a major gas shutdown in the middle of an Ottawa winter… “We need this to happen badly… We need the gas flowing.”
Reuters: TC Energy receives FERC approval for Virginia Reliability Project
11/20/23
“The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved TC Energy's Virginia Reliability Project, the company said in a statement dated Friday, adding that it will work to place it into service as soon as possible,” Reuters reports. “It is estimated to add over $500 million of economic value, while creating more than 3,500 jobs in the state, TC Energy said in the statement. Columbia Gas Transmission’s Virginia Reliability Project (VRP) is an expansion project that would replace two existing segments of the pipeline system to continue reliable and abundant natural gas supply… “The construction is expected to begin by the second quarter of 2024 with a projected in-service date of Nov. 1, 2025, the company website said.”
E&E News: Biden still hasn’t named a pipeline chief. Is regulatory push in peril?Carlos Anchondo, 11/21/23
“A record-long vacancy atop the United States’ pipeline agency is raising concerns about the safety and oversight of infrastructure carrying carbon dioxide and natural gas at a time when the Biden administration is pushing to cut emissions,” E&E News reports. “The White House has gone nearly three years without nominating someone to lead the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Tristan Brown has been running PHMSA since February 2021, but only as the acting or deputy administrator. The leadership at the top of the agency could influence the content and pace of several rules that could determine the safety and operations of pipelines affecting everything from gas supplies to carbon capture in the Midwest. They include a proposed leak detection and repair rule that aims to reduce emissions of methane and other gases from natural gas pipelines as well as a plan to enhance existing safety requirements for carbon dioxide pipelines… “The absence of a Senate-confirmed administrator is occurring as developers are aiming to build thousands of miles of carbon dioxide pipelines across the Midwest and Great Plains — buoyed by the Biden administration’s support of carbon management technologies. The agency is planning to release a proposed rule on CO2 pipelines that aims to address issues discovered when investigating a February 2020 CO2 pipeline failure near Satartia, Miss., as well as “other gaps and concerns” raised by agency staff, the public and others, according to a spokesperson. PHMSA initiated the rulemaking process in 2022. Opponents of CO2 pipelines repeatedly reference the Mississippi rupture as an example of what could happen, while proponents assert the roughly 5,300 miles of CO2 pipelines in the United States has a solid track record. A draft of the CO2 rule isn’t expected until January 2024, according to a chart of agency rules. Jim Walsh, policy director of the anti-fossil-fuel advocacy group Food & Water Watch, told E&E the lack of White House movement on a PHMSA administrator “speaks volumes” about the priority that Biden puts on pipeline safety generally… “His administration has prioritized handing out billions of dollars in subsidies for the carbon capture and hydrogen industry that will largely benefit the fossil fuel industry, but has spent very little time prioritizing the actual safety and health concerns that come along with this industry,” Walsh told E&E… “Whether it’s true or not, it appears that this agency is not a priority to the administration, even though it’s named in the methane action plan and is such an important agency to the safety of our communities living near pipelines,” Bill Caram, executive director of the group Pipeline Safety Trust, told E&E.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
NPR: The U.S. has a controversial plan to store carbon dioxide under the nation's forests
Julia Simon, 11/20/23
“The USFS is proposing changing a rule that would allow the storage of carbon dioxide pollution under national forests and grasslands. It's controversial,” NPR reports. “In recent years, lots of American companies have gotten behind a potential climate solution called carbon capture and storage, and the Biden administration has backed it with billions of dollars in tax incentives and direct investments. The idea is to trap planet-heating carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of factories and power plants and transport it to sites where it is injected underground and stored. But the idea is controversial, in large part because the captured carbon dioxide would be shipped to storage sites via thousands of miles of new pipelines. Communities nationwide are pushing back against these pipeline projects and underground sites, arguing they don't want the pollution running through their land. Now the U.S. Forest Service is proposing to change a rule to allow storing this carbon dioxide pollution under the country's national forests and grasslands… “But environmental groups and researchers have concerns. Carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution will still need to be transported to the forests via industrial pipeline for storage, June Sekera, a research fellow with Boston University, told NPR. "To get the CO2 to the injection site in the midst of our national forest, they've got to build huge pipelines," Sekera told NPR. "All this huge industrial infrastructure that's going to go right through." “...And there are concerns about pipeline safety. If a pipeline breaks, CO2 can displace oxygen, and the plume can be hazardous to humans and anything else that breathes, Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust, told NPR. In 2020, a CO2 pipeline ruptured in Satartia, Mississippi, sending at least 45 people to the hospital. Some of those people report they are still suffering from lingering health issues. Pipeline ruptures could pose a threat for people recreating in forests – plus wildlife, Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told NPR… “And some researchers and environmental groups are concerned that the carbon capture and storage technology behind the proposed rule change is being used to extend the life of fossil fuel operations.”
Oil Change International: Biden’s Fossil Fuel Fail: How U.S. Oil & Gas Supply Rises under the Inflation Reduction Act
11/20/23
“A new report, “Biden’s Fossil Fuel Fail: How U.S. Oil and Gas Supply Rises under the Inflation Reduction Act, Exacerbating Environmental Injustice,” analyzes how the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) fails to reduce fossil fuel production or alleviate impact on environmental justice communities. The analysis utilizes the Rhodium Group’s Climate Deck model, recently updated to incorporate the projected impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. President Joe Biden’s signature “climate law”. Rather than set the United States on a path toward a managed phase-out of fossil fuels, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Biden administration’s policies are set to lead to a significant increase in U.S. oil and gas extraction and soaring exports. This finding makes a mockery of President Joe Biden’s claims of “climate leadership” and signals that without additional action to constrain oil and gas production, the suffering of oil and gas frontline communities will only grow. Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor communities, especially in Appalachia, the Gulf Coast, and the Permian Basin, are disproportionately impacted by fossil fuel pollution, climate disasters, and health impacts. Key findings include: U.S. oil and gas production will continue to grow despite the IRA’s support for clean energy, with oil production rising 13% by 2030 while gas production rises 7%... “Despite these concerning findings, there is still time for President Biden to change course and catalyze a swift and equitable phase-out of fossil fuel production, processing and exports.”
E&E News: ‘Not on course’: US emissions set for 3% decline in 2023
Benjamin Storrow, 11/21/23
“America is cutting carbon again. U.S. emissions are on track to fall by as much as 3 percent in 2023, according to a pair of recent analyses — reversing two years of flat or increasing output of planet-warming pollution,” E&E News reports. “The projected drop is particularly notable as it comes during a year when the U.S. economy is set to expand by almost 2.5 percent — a sign that emissions are decoupling from economic growth. It also represents one of the largest annual emission declines of the last decade. Even so, the United States has considerable work to do to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord, which calls for a 50 percent reduction in emissions by the end of the decade. Meeting that goal would require the United States to cut emissions by roughly 6 percent a year through 2030. “We are seeing consistent emission decreases at the scale of the entire country, but not at the pace that we need,” Chris Field, who leads the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, told E&E… “We’re not shifting to zero carbon, we’re shifting to half as much carbon. It is not a sustainable thing to shift from coal to gas,” Drew Shindell, a professor of earth science at Duke University, told E&E. “We’re going to run out of coal, which is a great thing, but it will plateau. I think we, along with most of the rest of the world, are simply not on course.”
Teen Vogue: The EPA Launches Youth Council of Gen Z and Millennials
ALLI MALONEY, 11/16/23
“Sixteen young people will launch a new program with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael S. Regan, beginning November 16. In an exclusive report with Teen Vogue, the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC) has announced it will provide independent advice and recommendations on behalf of youth communities regarding EPA efforts,” Teen Vogue reports. “Climate change harms youth communities and their future in major ways. Input from young leaders is needed to address a range of environmental issues, Regan said, after publicly announcing the plan a year prior. He believes environmental protection “has a scope that touches a lot of different aspects that really do inform our collective lives.” His interest stems from a personal connection to the climate crisis, Regan tells Teen Vogue. “Early in life I experienced respiratory symptoms that arose from pollution and emissions, determining how I charted my course both personally and professionally,” he explains. “I was impacted, and had ideas very early on in my life, as a young person.” Economic prosperity, civil rights — it’s all connected, he says, and building the NEYAC is an opportunity for young people to speak out, be heard, and influence policy directly. Across the federal government, it is the very first youth advisory committee formed on the environment, and the first of its kind at the EPA. At least 50% of NEYAC members come from, primarily reside in, and/or do most of their work in “disadvantaged communities,” according to the EPA… “Eighteen-year-old Gabriel Nagel of Denver applied to the council because he saw it as an opportunity to address the anxiety challenges faced by his generation. Nagel studies international relations with a double minor in economics and earth systems, and last year, organized his community to pass “one of the nation's first school district-based climate justice policies, which launched environmental justice curricula and school-wide environmental justice pledges,” he told Teen Vogue.
The Hill: National Parks Honor Murdered Indigenous Women With Red Shawls
Tara Suter, 11/18/23
“National parks are honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women with red shawls this week,” The Hill reports. “Red Shawl Day, which will be observed Sunday, is ‘an annual national effort to bring attention to acts of violence committed against Indigenous people,’ according to the National Park Service (NPS). NPS said that according to the Department of Justice, Indigenous American women are missing and murdered at a rate more ‘than 10 times the national average.’ ‘Throughout the week surrounding November 19, people are encouraged to wear red as a symbol of the loss of sacred lifeblood through violence,’ the park service said on its website. ‘The National Park Service is part of an all-of-government effort to bring attention and action to missing and murdered Indigenous people,’ the park service said. ‘America’s national parks are part of and surrounded by many Indigenous communities. As part of this observance, you may see National Park Service staff wearing red shawls.’”
STATE UPDATES
KPLC: Public Service Commission discusses carbon capture facility planned for Calcasieu Parish
11/20/23
“Carbon capture technology is under scrutiny by the Louisiana Public Service Commission,” KPLC reports. “Today in Baton Rouge, commissioners reviewed plans for a capture facility in Calcasieu Parish. The billion-dollar Project Cypress, partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, could break ground as early as 2024. The technology aims to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere via chemical reactions… “There’s a lot of push coming forward about carbon capture, and we’re trying to get a better understanding of what regulations there needs to be around that, the safety investigations, the cost impact on the ratepayers,” Commissioner Craig Greene, M.D. (R-Baton Rouge) told KPLC. “It’s good for the environment, but it could be good for ratepayers, it could be good for landowners, it could be good all around. Just trying to find the win-win-win.” The level of the PSC’s oversight of the proposed plant and future carbon capture facilities is still unclear.”
Mlive.com: Great Lakes oil spill researchers receive $3.8M from Canada
Garret Ellison, 11/19/23
“The Canadian government has given nearly $4 million to researchers studying the behavior and impacts of oil spilled in the Great Lakes,” Mlive.com reports. “Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., announced the receipt of $3.87 million from Canada this week, which will fund collaborative research with Algoma University across the international border in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The universities are lead partners in the new International Consortium on Oil Research for Our Waters of the North (ICOR-OWN), which operates out of LSSU’s expanding Center for Freshwater Research and Education campus along the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie. The research center houses the U.S. Coast Guard’s new Great Lakes Oil Spill Center of Expertise, which opened in 2022 and is focused on oil spill preparedness and response. The money comes from a $30.3 million Canadian federal Oceans Protections Plan. Researchers are investigating the behavior and dispersal of heavy diluted bitumen, or dilbit, oil in freshwater, the impact of bioremediation in cold climates and coastal wetlands, and the use of drones and long-rang underwater autonomous vehicles in spill detection and monitoring.”
County17: UW School of Energy Resources embarks on fourth carbon capture, storage project
MARY STROKA, 11/18/23
“The University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources announced today that it will lead a fourth carbon capture and storage project,” County17 reports. “The U.S. Department of Energy selected the school to lead the planned project under the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise, or CarbonSAFE, Initiative, according to a news release. The $11.2 million Williams Echo Springs project will perform a two-year storage complex feasibility study to develop a saline carbon dioxide storage hub for current and future industries in the Echo Springs area of south-central Wyoming. The project will include collaboration with midstream natural gas company Williams. It is supposed to permit and drill a deep stratigraphic test well and interpret the resulting data, models and documents for further site development… “Williams Vice President of New Energy Ventures Brian Hlavinka said in the release that carbon capture is key to the company’s clean energy strategy as it deploys decarbonization technology.”
Associated Press: Kansas oil refinery agrees to $23 million in penalties for violating federal air pollution law
11/20/23
“A Kansas refinery has agreed to pay more than $23 million for violating the federal Clean Air Act and breaching a 2012 settlement for earlier pollution problems, the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday,” the Associated Press reports. “The federal agencies said the violations by Coffeyville Resources Refining and Marketing and its affiliated companies, collectively known as CRRM, resulted in illegal emissions from 2015 to 2017 that included an estimated 2,300 excess tons (2,000 metric tons) of sulfur dioxide from its oil refinery in Coffeyville in southeastern Kansas.”
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: Earth passed a feared global warming milestone Friday, at least briefly
Scott Dance, 11/19/23
“The planet marked an ominous milestone Friday: The first day global warmth crossed a threshold, if only briefly, that climate scientists have warned could have calamitous consequences,” the Washington Post reports. “Preliminary data show global temperatures averaged more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above a historic norm, from a time before humans started consuming fossil fuels and emitting planet-warming greenhouse gases. That does not mean efforts to limit global warming have failed — yet. Temperatures would have to surpass the 2-degree benchmark for months and years at a time before scientists consider it breached. But it’s a striking reminder that the climate is moving into uncharted territory. Friday marked the first time that everyday fluctuations around global temperature norms, which have been steadily increasing for decades, swung the planet beyond the dangerous threshold. It occurs after months of record warmth that have stunned many scientists, defying some expectations of how quickly temperatures would accelerate this year.
Associated Press: UN report says world is racing to well past warming limit as carbon emissions rise instead of plunge
SETH BORENSTEIN, 11/20/23
“Earth is speeding to 2.5 to 2.9 degrees Celsius (4.5 to 5.2 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming since pre-industrial times, set to blow well past the agreed-upon international climate threshold, a United Nations report calculated,” the Associated Press reports. “To have an even money shot at keeping warming to the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) limit adopted by the 2015 Paris climate agreement, countries have to slash their emissions by 42% by the end of the decade, said the U.N. Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap report issued Monday. Carbon emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas rose 1.2% last year, the report said… “On Friday, the globe hit 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees) above pre-industrial levels for the first time in recorded history, according to Copernicus Deputy Director Samantha Burgess. “It’s really an indication that we are already seeing a change, an acceleration,” report lead author Anne Olhoff of Denmark’s climate think tank Concito told AP. “Based on what science tells us, this is just like a whisper. What will be in the future will be more like a roar.”
Politico: Oil industry rides into climate summit bigger than ever
BEN LEFEBVRE AND ZACK COLMAN, 11/20/23
“Eight years after Paris, the oil business is bigger than ever,” Politico reports. “Profits are soaring. Production is climbing — and marking a record year in the United States. The industry is even poised to gain from the crusade to rein in climate pollution, including the billions of dollars in incentives that U.S. President Joe Biden is offering for wind farms, battery minerals and carbon-carrying pipelines. It’s not necessarily the future that appeared to be dawning in 2015, when nations gathered in the French capital to pledge an assault on the fossil fuel pollution that’s warming the planet. But it's the reality that advocates and governments will confront when the next climate summit dawns Nov. 30 in Dubai’s Expo City, a showpiece of the United Arab Emirates’ petroleum wealth — hammering home the reality that oil and gas producers are thriving, not shrinking, during the era of ambitious green agendas. The reasons, analysts say, include the spikes in fuel prices driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the economic recovery from the pandemic, as well as struggles to deploy cleaner technologies such as wind turbines or electric cars on the scale needed to meet the crisis. “The death of the oil industry has been greatly overstated,” Kevin Book, managing director at the consulting firm ClearView Energy, told Politico. “The realities of demand and the limitations of alternatives haven't changed.” “...The companies have all touted their investments in cleaner technologies, such as carbon capture, geothermal and mining for the raw materials used in batteries. They have promised to cut their climate pollution. But Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) dismissed those proclamations as “99 percent greenwashing,” telling Politico: “What they're trying to do is protect their established ownership of fossil assets."
Guardian: Capturing Cop28 chief’s oil firm emissions would take centuries – study
Matthew Taylor, 11/15/23
“Climate-wrecking emissions produced by the oil company of the Cop28 president, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, would take hundreds of years to remove using the carbon capture technology he has been promoting,” the Guardian reports. “With just weeks to go until the crucial Cop28 climate summit, Al Jaber, who is the boss of United Arab Emirate oil company Adnoc, has been backing carbon capture as one solution to the climate crisis. But analysis by Global Witness has found it would take the company 343 years to capture all the CO2 emissions it will produce in just the next six years. Jonathan Noronha Gant from Global Witness told the Guardian the findings proved carbon capture was “a dangerous red herring” that would do nothing to tackle the climate crisis. “Sultan Al Jaber’s Cop is shaping up to be the Cop of false solutions, inundated by fossil fuel lobbyists pushing empty promises. If Al Jaber is serious – if we are serious – we must immediately reject the CCS [carbon capture and storage] false solution and tackle the existential oil and gas problem head on.’’ The research, based on production data from industry analysts Rystad, found that between 2023 and 2030 Adnoc’s oil and gas would produce an estimated 3,430m tonnes of carbon, including emissions from producing and burning fossil fuels. By 2030, the company has pledged to increase the amount of carbon it captures to 10m tonnes per annum – a big jump from its current level. But even if it reaches that target, it would still take the company more than 340 years to capture the carbon it produces between now and 2030. Noronha Gant told the Guardian: “Carbon capture is a dangerous red herring, and Al Jaber need to look no further than his own oil company for proof.” Campaigners are concerned that Al Jaber is going to use the Cop28, which starts next month in the United Arab Emirates, to promote technical solutions instead of pushing for large and rapid reductions in fossil fuel production and emissions. In May this year he said: “If we are serious about curbing industrial emissions, we need to get serious about carbon capture technologies.”
Washington Post: Fossil fuel industry representatives have attended COPs at least 7,200 times, research shows
Maxine Joselow, 11/21/23
“Representatives of the fossil fuel industry have attended United Nations climate talks at least 7,200 times over the past two decades, according to research released today by a coalition of advocacy groups,” the Washington Post reports. “The analysis underscores how the fossil fuel industry has increased its presence at summits focused on a climate crisis it helped create. It comes less than two weeks before the United Arab Emirates, a major oil producer, is set to host the next summit, with the head of its state-owned oil company serving as president of the Dubai gathering. Many oil and gas companies argue that they need to participate in these talks if they are to help develop solutions to climate change, pointing to their investments in clean energy. But climate activists and some Democrats say fossil fuel firms have had too much influence at these annual U.N. summits, known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, and have stood in the way of solutions. “Corporate presence at COPs has been a long-standing problem,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), one of the most vocal climate advocates on Capitol Hill, told the Post “I do think that both the leadership of this COP and the attendance of so many fossil fuel interests and front groups will diminish this COP’s success.” The Kick Big Polluters Out coalition conducted the analysis by combing through the official list of delegates, which includes attendees from governments, U.N. bodies, intergovernmental organizations and the media. The authors classified delegates as fossil fuel industry representatives if they listed an affiliation or membership with a fossil fuel company or trade association. Among major oil and gas firms, Royal Dutch Shell sent the most staff to the talks, securing at least 115 passes from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2003, according to the analysis. Shell’s chief climate change adviser, David Hone, previously bragged that the oil giant helped write the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Upstream: TotalEnergies exits Canadian oil sands with $1.1 billion assets sale
Xu Yihe, 11/21/23
“French energy giant TotalEnergies has concluded the divestment of its Canadian oil sands assets, marking a strategic departure from the region,” Upstream reports. “The transaction involved the sale of all its shares of TotalEnergies EP Canada to Suncor, encompassing its stake in the Fort Hills oil sands project and related midstream obligations. The financial consideration for asset sale amounts to C$1.47 billion (US$1.1 billion).”
The Narwhal: A dizzying bird’s-eye view of Alberta’s oilsands
AMBER BRACKEN AND DREW ANDERSON, 11/20/23
“As soon as you arrive in the Alberta boomtown of Fort McMurray you can smell the oil — it’s like a sharp cousin to hot asphalt,” The Narwhal reports. “You can see it too — evidence of its extraction is visible in the few tailings ponds along the highway north of town, where plumes of exhaust drift, ever expanding above refineries. This is the oilsands — the home of billions of barrels of tarry crude oil that lies under 142,000 square kilometres of northern Alberta, driving the local economy and bolstering provincial budgets. But it’s not until you’re in the air the scope of the oilsands becomes clear — a sprawling landscape teeming with enormous trucks outfitted with tires taller than two F-150 trucks stacked together. As the sun rose over the frozen earth last winter, The Narwhal flew to see the oilsands mines… “The scale is difficult to comprehend. Reference points help — those enormous dump trucks are specks on the landscape, the buildings and trailers even smaller. It helps snap the mind into focus.”
Energy Institute: Stranded Gassets
Meredith Fowlie, 11/20/23
“New EI research finds that some utilities are over-investing in natural gas pipelines. The momentum behind an accelerated clean energy transition is building. This transition has the potential to deliver significant GHG reductions. It could also leave some fossil fuel infrastructure under-utilized or “stranded” before capital investment costs have been fully recovered,” according to the Energy Institute. “Stranded asset risk notwithstanding, the U.S. is plowing ahead with investments in natural gas infrastructure. According to the EIA, there are over 2,500 miles of approved/under construction interstate natural gas pipeline expansion coming online in the coming years and an additional 1,600+ miles awaiting approval. At an estimated construction cost of $10 million per mile, these in-the-pipeline pipeline expansions add up to real money. Do we really need all this new natural gas pipeline capacity? And if not, why the heck are we building it?... “Leila’s research shows how vertical relationships between regulated utilities and natural gas pipeline owners can create incentives to over-build the natural gas pipeline capacity. This over-investment leaves utility ratepayers footing the bill for under-utilized natural gas pipeline infrastructure… “The point of departure for Leila’s research, however, is that problems can arise when natural gas pipelines sell transportation services to a utility affiliate that is subject to cost-of-service regulation. Leila uses an economic model to elucidate the incentive problems running around in that red box above… “Overall, the differences in utilization rates across buyer categories that Leila documents suggest that pipeline companies with utility affiliates have been over-building natural gas pipeline capacity… “There are a number of reasons to be concerned about over-investment in natural gas infrastructure. One is the cost burden it imposes on consumers… “Amidst growing concerns over the cost and the climate impacts of building new natural gas pipeline infrastructure, it seems clear that we need increased scrutiny of pipeline expansion proposals going forward. What is not clear (to me) is what form this reform should take. Should be focusing efforts on FERC oversight, state utility regulators, or some combination of the two? The sooner we negotiate these regulatory reforms, the lower the risk that we build pipelines we don’t need for our clean energy future.”
OPINION
Globe Gazette: Counties should be vigilant when it comes to pipeline ordinances
Kathy Carter, Rockford, 11/21/23
“At the conclusion of the IUB permit hearing for the Summit CO2 pipeline on Wednesday (Nov. 8), Chairman Helland stated that the official transcripts would take 2 to 3 weeks to finalize. Next steps: parties file briefs, then reply briefs (final date Jan. 16), then the IUB deliberates. Interestingly, transcripts were done in TWO DAYS! The IUB is again finding means to fast track Summit’s project,” Kathy Carter writes for the Globe Gazette. “...If a permit is granted, landowners will appeal in district court. With each judicial level above state government, decisions become more unbiased as judges will be looking at the LEGAL case. Bottom line: WE’RE NOT DONE YET. This fight is not over. Bismarck, ND, created setbacks that move the pipeline route farther from the city limits, to protect citizens and future expansion. Last week, Sioux City did the same. Any community threatened by the proximity of the pipeline can take those steps. Seven Iowa counties enacted setback ordinances to move pipelines away from buildings. Three more counties are in the process of doing so (Floyd is not one of them.) Summit will likely not be the ONLY and LAST pipeline a county could face – there could be hydrogen lines, methanol lines, others. It behooves all counties to be pro-active on ordinances.”
Financial Times: On its own, carbon capture is not a climate change panacea
Adair Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, 11/20/23
“In December, the COP28 climate conference will meet in Dubai. The event’s president, Sultan al-Jaber, has set the objective of agreeing actions that could limit global warming to 1.5C,” Adair Turner writes for the Financial Times. “...There are only two ways to achieve that: either rapidly cutting the use of all fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — or offsetting their use by capturing CO₂ and storing it. The crucial question is the balance between the two… “However, even such reductions would not be sufficient to limit global warming to those temperatures without some CCS. In cement production, the chemical process produces CO₂, regardless of the energy source used. In other sectors, some continued use of fossil fuels plus CCS may sometimes be the lowest-cost solution, particularly where existing fuel-burning assets were only recently built. The commission therefore sees a vital role for CCS as applied to industrial processes — but also a limited one, with about 4Gt a year of CO₂ captured and stored by 2050. Since fossil-fuel combustion currently produces about 32Gt of CO₂ emissions a year, that means more than 85 per cent of these emission reductions must come from cutting fossil-fuel use and less than 15 per cent from applying carbon capture… “But current progress in deploying carbon capture technologies is disappointing… “Two implications follow: first, we must speed up the deployment of carbon capture and removal technologies. Second, given this slow progress, it would be imprudent to assume that there will be higher future levels of carbon capture and removals than projected in our report, and to use that to justify sustained large-scale use of fossil fuels. Governments must therefore put in place policies both to help drive down fossil-fuel demand at the required pace, and to ensure that supply falls in line with this reduction. The world does not need exploration for new oil and gasfields. Indeed, the vast majority of already proven fossil-fuel reserves must be left in the ground, and while some investment is required to support adequate production from existing fields, the amount needed is far less than oil and gas companies currently plan. At COP28, nations should commit to rapidly phasing down the use of all fossil fuels and reject the delusion that unlimited use of carbon capture can make continued high fossil-fuel production compatible with limiting global warming to a safe level.”
Boston Globe: Insurers are slow to adopt policies to restrict financing for new oil and gas facilities.
Bill McKibben, 11/20/23
“Insurance might be the most paradoxical of all industries in the global warming era: companies raise prices or abandon communities that are damaged by climate change-induced disasters, and yet they insure and invest in fossil fuel companies that cause the climate crisis by burning those fossil fuels,” Bill McKibben writes for the Boston Globe. “We ask them to analyze risk in our economy, and so one half of the business is in full possession of all the actuarial data about fires, floods, and storms, but it must not be talking to the investing and underwriting part of the company, because for them it’s still business as usual — they’ve got half a trillion dollars invested in dirty energy. Happily, environmental groups are doing their best to help the industry out. Insurers started researching and telling the public about the risks of climate change more than 50 years ago, one of the earliest corporate industries to understand risk related to climate. Environmental groups stepped up where insurers have fallen, releasing an annual Scorecard on Insurance, Fossil Fuels, and the Climate Emergency, which assesses the role of the global insurance industry in fueling or averting catastrophic climate breakdown. It focuses on 30 leading primary insurers and reinsurers, assessing and scoring their policies and practices on insuring and investing in coal, oil, and gas.”
The Conversation: We’re burning too much fossil fuel to fix by planting trees – making ‘net zero’ emissions impossible with offsets
Mike Joy, Morgan Foundation Senior Research Fellow in Freshwater Ecology and Environmental Science, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, 11/20/23
“The idea that we can mitigate current carbon emissions by “offsetting” them with carbon reduction initiatives elsewhere has become central to government and business responses to climate change. But it’s an idea we need to seriously question,” Mike Joy writes for The Conversation. “...At one level, net zero makes sense. Planting trees to mitigate the effects of forest clearance – or to provide shade, stabilise land and enhance biodiversity – means carbon in the atmosphere can be sequestered where it otherwise would not be. But that doesn’t automatically mean the planet can absorb all the fossil carbon human industry continues to release. The idea that harm done in the present can be “offset” somewhere else in the future – something also seen in the field of freshwater ecology – cannot be taken at face value… “Planting a tree only mitigates the carbon lost from another tree that no longer exists (the one we chopped down, for example). Furthermore, planting trees to mitigate fossil carbon emissions commits future generations to locking up land as forests, to be maintained forever. This comes with many risks, including wildfires and storm damage driven by droughts and rising temperatures. The resulting feedback loop of weather extremes caused by climate change can limit and even halt carbon sequestration in forests. Planting forests to mitigate this means the land is then not available for possibly better uses, including food production. Even so, the world is currently removing trees at double the rate they are being replanted. The now ubiquitous notion of “net zero” emissions is at best a delaying tactic, at worst a form of self-delusion, because it justifies allowing more fossil carbon to be released unabated… “The notion that the planet can achieve a net-zero equilibrium without fundamental economic and social change only serves to delay the inevitable. Even if the entire country or planet were replanted in trees, it would at best soak up a decade’s worth of current emissions. Deforestation has to be reversed, and more trees must be planted to sequester the carbon emitted through past land-use changes. But planting trees instead of stopping fossil emissions is not the answer. Planting trees as well as not emitting fossil carbon is the only solution.”