EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/2/23
PIPELINE NEWS
AgWeek: Summit outlines changes in North Dakota pipeline route
KELO: State could lose $1 billion project, Gevo CEO says
Capitol News Illinois: Navigator cancels pipeline
Bloomberg: Transco Fails to Stop Pennsylvania Pipeline Permit Challenge
TribLive: Equitrans gas pipeline firm faces criminal charges in connection with 2018 Greene County house explosion
Los Angeles Times: Exxon scraps plan for new pipeline after 2015 spill — but may try to resurrect old one
Indian Country Today: Proposed hydrogen pipeline could diminish Navajo Nation’s water supply
Prince George Citizen: Northern B.C. pipeline connector recommended for approval
Inforum: Oil, brine spill endangers farm and range lands in western North Dakota
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: US climate envoy demands ‘public responsibility’ from fossil fuel firms
The Hill: Jordan subpoenas climate group for alleged ‘collusion’ and antitrust violations
STATE UPDATES
Reuters: Honolulu climate case against oil cos can go to trial -Hawaii top court
Associated Press: Louisiana was open to Cancer Alley concessions. Then EPA dropped its investigation
Associated Press: Pennsylvania court permanently blocks effort to make power plants pay for greenhouse gas emissions
Bismarck Tribune: Carbon capture and storage operations begin at Blue Flint ethanol plant
KBMT: Southeast Texas leaders learn about carbon capture at Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce's annual summit
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Permian Basin energy companies focusing on carbon capture during region's growth
The Messenger: Federal Effort To Restrict Oil And Gas Drilling In Wyoming Draws Fierce Opposition, Fake News
Press release: Sierra Club appeals gas plant expansion
Bakersfield Californian: New oil group gathering data to show industry's side of energy debate
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Heinrich, Lujan join call for tighter oil and gas rules on New Mexico public land
EXTRACTION
E&E News: James Hansen is back with another dire climate warning
Boston Globe: In Boston speech, Exxon Mobil CEO says he’s still betting big on oil
Reuters: Cheaper Canadian oil and gas valuations lure potential US buyers north
Reuters: Occidental to sell carbon dioxide removal credits to TD Bank
OPINION
Dispatches From the Frontlines: Building Unlikely Alliances to Defeat Fossil Fuels in Rural America
Mason City Globe Gazette: Summit permits must be denied
Scientific American: Bold Climate Fixes Won’t Wreck Middle Class Retirement Plans
Yale Environment 360: As Climate Talks Near, Calls Mount for a ‘Phaseout’ of Fossil Fuels
PIPELINE NEWS
AgWeek: Summit outlines changes in North Dakota pipeline route
11/1/23
“Summit Carbon Solutions has notified North Dakota officials of reroutes of its carbon capture pipeline as it continues to try to obtain a route permit,” AgWeek reports. “In an Oct. 31 filing with the North Dakota Public Service Commission, Summit outlined measures it has taken since the PSC rejected its application for a route permit… “Changes include a wider berth around Bismarck, but there are changes in other parts of the state, too, as shown on maps that are part of the filing. Summit says it has completed field surveys on 78% of the new route and is working on surveying the rest… “County governments passing ordinances that restrict where a pipeline can run has become a major hurdle. North Dakota regulators still need to resolve whether county ordinances preempt state authority, as they have been found to do in South Dakota. There also has been pushback from some landowners over safety, potential damage to cropland and property values, and the threat of eminent domain. Summit says it has addressed some of the concerns outlined by the North Dakota PSC, including reducing the corridor width from 300 to 200 feet and reducing impact on game management areas.”
KELO: State could lose $1 billion project, Gevo CEO says
Rae Yost, 11/1/23
“South Dakota could lose its largest proposed economic development project if the carbon dioxide sequestration landscape doesn’t change, Gevo’s chief executive officer said this week,” KELO reports. “If we don’t have resolution, say, in six months, I think I better move to another state. That’s what I think. I need to have a line of sight that it’s gonna happen for real,” Dr. Patrick Gruber, the CEO of Gevo, told KELO. Gevo, based in Colorado, plans to build a sustainable aviation fuel facility near Lake Preston. Governor Kristi Noem has called the plan the largest economic investment in the state’s history… “But it’s unlikely that investment will happen without a carbon dioxide pipeline that will transport captured CO2 for sequestration, Gruber told KELO… “Gruber told KELO Gevo has already invested at least $100 million in the state and wants to stay here. Yet, the existing landscape makes it more difficult to secure investors, he told KELO. “We have looked at other places. It’s our obligation…,” Gruber told KELO. “People want to go where the economics are best. If the economics are best in an another state, then that’s where we have to go, to the other state.” “...CO2 pipelines and sequestration have met resistance in South Dakota, but it’s part of the future of carbon abatement and renewable and sustainable fuel, he told KELO. “People need to understand this ship has left. It has left,” Gruber told KELO. “Sequestration is going to happen. Does South Dakota want to participate or not? That’s it. That’s a fair choice for everybody.” “...Just imagine ethanol plants that don’t have access to CCS (carbon capture and storage) here. Just imagine what happens to them competitively when other (plants) do?” Gruber told KELO.”
Capitol News Illinois: Navigator cancels pipeline
Andrew Adams, 11/1/23
“Navigator CO2, a Nebraska-based company specializing in carbon capture and sequestration, announced Friday it is canceling plans to build a 1,300-mile carbon dioxide pipeline that would have run through central Illinois,” Capitol News Illinois reports. “...Much of the work to oppose the project was organized through the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, which helped form a separate group to intervene in the state’s regulatory proceeding, attracting landowners and several county governments to its cause. “This is, I think, the result of successful organizing,” Pam Richart, the coalition’s president, told Capitol News Illinois. “While we’re happy to hear it, there are a lot of federal tax dollars on the table for carbon sequestration.” “...Richart told CNI available federal funding would continue to incentivize companies to propose similar projects. Illinois’ unique geology makes it a natural candidate for carbon sequestration. “If it’s not Navigator, it’s going to be someone else,” she told Capitol News. Richart told Capitol News her group will devote more resources to combating other similar projects and advocate for state-level regulation of the carbon sequestration sector… “This spring, lawmakers introduced competing bills – one backed by industry groups and another by environmental advocates – that would create a framework for regulating the safety of this kind of project. Those bills were never called for a vote. While Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, told Capitol News last week that this subject was unlikely to come up in the upcoming two-week veto session, stakeholders continue to meet and negotiate with the hope of creating a bill that could become law in the future.”
Bloomberg: Transco Fails to Stop Pennsylvania Pipeline Permit Challenge
Shayna Greene, 11/1/23
“Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC lost its bid to stop environmental groups from challenging Clean Water Act permits it received from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for a natural gas transmission system expansion project,” Bloomberg reports. “The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Tuesday affirmed—in a two-page judgment without legal reasoning—the district court’s June finding that Transco hadn’t shown a likelihood of success on the merits of halting the groups’ challenge. Transco argued that the Natural Gas Act preempts the groups’ appeal at the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, but the district court said the company failed…”
TribLive: Equitrans gas pipeline firm faces criminal charges in connection with 2018 Greene County house explosion
Stephanie Ritenbaugh, 11/1/23
“After a two-year investigation into a 2018 house explosion in Greene County that left a family homeless, the state attorney general’s office announced criminal charges against Equitrans Midstream Corp., accusing the company of failing to fix a natural gas leak that led to the blast,” TribLive reports. “A couple and their 4-year-old son, suffered severe burns after their home on Bowser Road near Clarksville exploded five years ago on Halloween. They were unaware that their home sat atop a natural gas storage field. A nearby gas storage well was deteriorating, allowing methane to accumulate in the house’s water supply, according to the attorney general’s office. Cannonsburg-based Equitrans, a natural gas pipeline company, is facing one felony charge and two misdemeanor charges under Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law for failing to properly maintain the well and for not conducting an investigation after the explosion, as required by law. State Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the charges, as recommended by a grand jury, Wednesday afternoon. “Pennsylvania has a constitutional right to a safe and protected environment,” Henry said. “Every citizen deserves to feel safe in their own homes unaffected by the environmental hazards created by large corporations.” “...Five years ago, Cody White was home with his girlfriend and his son preparing to celebrate Halloween. According to the investigation, White turned on the stove to cook a meal. The house immediately exploded. White was thrown over the kitchen table and into the refrigerator, where he was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he rushed to free his son and girlfriend, Samantha Adamson, who were trapped by debris. “The house was engulfed in flames all around them as they were fighting to get out,” Henry said Wednesday. “All three of them miraculously were able to get out of that house.”
Los Angeles Times: Exxon scraps plan for new pipeline after 2015 spill — but may try to resurrect old one
GRACE TOOHEY, 10/31/23
“Central Coast environmentalists are celebrating ExxonMobil’s recent decision to scrap plans to replace miles of pipeline through Santa Barbara County, key to revitalizing a local network of petroleum energy production shuttered since the catastrophic 2015 Refugio oil spill,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “But at the same time, the oil giant has raised fresh concerns, saying it is instead exploring the possibility of repairing existing, damaged pipeline. The years-long effort by oil companies to replace two major segments of pipeline could have allowed the company to restart offshore oil platforms along Santa Barbara County’s coast and an onshore processing plant. These possibilities have been long reviled by local environmental groups and some residents, especially after the catastrophic 2015 spill, which continues to loom large in the region. “This [pipeline] replacement has been hanging over the community’s head for five years now,” Jonathan Ullman, director of the Sierra Club’s Santa Barbara-Ventura chapter, told the Times. “I was very happy to hear this news; it felt like their withdrawal signified that the writing was on the wall that they could not continue.” “...The letter, however, also opened the door for another complicated fight in Santa Barbara County, with Exxon officials announcing that the oil giant would change its focus from building replacement pipeline to trying to restore old, damaged pipeline… “Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta, a spokesperson for Santa Barbara County, told the Times Exxon and its subsidiaries do not have any current applications under review regarding the pipeline, noting that another recent proposal to upgrade multiple valves along the line was not approved this summer. However, any plans to restart the lines would fall under the jurisdiction of the California State Fire Marshal, she told the Times, making it clear that county officials would still be paying attention… “Environmental groups also shared overwhelming concerns about Exxon’s portrayal of restoring the existing pipeline, which was found to be heavily corroded in 2015.”
Indian Country Today: Proposed hydrogen pipeline could diminish Navajo Nation’s water supply
ASPEN FORD, 10/31/23
“...Forty percent of families on the reservation live without access to running water, according to the Navajo Nation Water Management Branch, and [Jessica] Keetso belongs to one of those families. Her family fills up 5-gallon buckets each day and separates the water into cups and pitchers for specific purposes like bathing or washing dishes,” Indian Country Today reports. “...Keetso, now 38, holds an environmental science degree from Northern Arizona University and was a volunteer for Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) in high school. She became a board member of the water protection nonprofit for the Navajo Nation in 2018. Now, she travels the reservation hosting meetings to educate citizens on the environmental impacts of a hydrogen pipeline TallGrass Energy plans to construct throughout the Navajo Nation. TallGrass Energy, a multi-billion-dollar energy infrastructure company, has been attending chapter meetings – local meetings for communities with their elected Navajo delegate – over the past two years to advocate for its plan to mine blue hydrogen and construct the largest pipeline in the country, from the Navajo Nation to Mexico… “TallGrass has not yet given an estimate as to how much water would be needed to sustain the pipeline. However, the amount will be significant as the production of hydrogen is dependent on the hydrolysis of water. An average of nine liters of water is required to produce a single kilogram of hydrogen, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute… “According to Keetso, TallGrass Energy has stated in multiple chapter meetings that, in exchange for permission to build the pipeline, the company will give the Navajo Nation either $20 million or a “10 percent share in their board.” She told ICT the Navajo Nation is still calculating which would be more beneficial… “Keetso worries this project will be another environmental disaster left for Navajo people to manage on their own. “It’s going to be like Peabody all over again,” Keetso told ITC, referencing the coal company that mined the Navajo Nation for nearly 50 years and used “45 billion gallons of groundwater” to transport the fossil fuel, according to the National Resources Defense Council.”
Prince George Citizen: Northern B.C. pipeline connector recommended for approval
Tom Summer, 11/1/23
“Two parallel, 215-kilometre long natural gas liquids pipelines from B.C. to Alberta proposed by NorthRiver Midstream have been recommended for approval by the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator,” the Prince George Citizen reports. “The commission held oral Indigenous knowledge sessions in Fort St. John in January 2023, allowing affected First Nations to respond to different versions of offset plans to mitigate impacts. Authorization for construction and operation of the connector project should be subject to 49 conditions, recommended the commission in its October 18 report. The conditions are related to construction, safety, environmental protection, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, offsets, employment and monitoring, as well as incorporating Indigenous knowledge and engagement from affected First Nations… “Due to the Yahey v British Columbia decision and the project's location, it requires express negotiation and consultation over resource industry use with First Nations in the region… “The commission concluded that NorthRiver should contribute to the Blueberry River First Nation – B.C. Restoration fund, the Treaty 8 Restoration Fund, and establish an Indigenous-led land fund to help offset impacts.”
Inforum: Oil, brine spill endangers farm and range lands in western North Dakota
10/31/23
“Hundreds of barrels of produced water and more than a dozen barrels of crude oil endangered agricultural and range lands after a pipeline leak near Alexander last week,” Inforum reports. “Zavanna LLC notified state agencies on Sunday, Oct. 22, about the leak from the pipeline the company operated, initially saying about 100 barrels of produced water, or brine, was discharged from the pipeline due to a leak about six miles south of Alexander, according to a press release from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. Since then, the company updated the volume leaked to 526 barrels of brine and 13 barrels of crude oil, some of which impacted agricultural and range lands, according to the press release. That's 22,092 gallons of brine and 546 gallons of oil. The cause of the leak is under investigation and personnel from Environmental Quality have inspected the site and will continue to monitor the investigation and remediation, according to the press release.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: US climate envoy demands ‘public responsibility’ from fossil fuel firms
10/31/23
“Fossil fuel companies must face up to their responsibilities to cut the CO2 emissions fuelling climate change, the U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday, as countries prepared to debate the future of fossil fuels at this year’s U.N. COP28 climate summit,” Reuters reports. “The oil and gas industry is expected to be in focus at the COP28 summit from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in the United Arab Emirates, a major oil producer. Dozens of countries plan to push for the world’s first deal to phase out CO2-emitting coal, oil and gas. Kerry, U.S. special envoy on climate change, said the onus was on fossil fuel companies to prove they can be part of global efforts to cut CO2 emissions. “My message to the oil and gas companies is very simple. There’s only one reason that we’re in this crisis and it is principally the way we provide our energy,” Kerry told Reuters. “We are demanding public responsibility. And we are looking at those companies and feeling that they could do so much to help us win this battle.” “...Kerry said oil and gas’ company investments in nascent technologies like direct air capture and carbon capture in storage is welcome but it is too early to say whether it will have any impact on global greenhouse gas emissions. “Their investment is crucial, but we don’t know yet whether it’s a fig leaf or not. There are a lot of questions about whether or not they can ever produce at scale. That’s yet to be tested,” he told Reuters. Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s special envoy for climate action, told Reuters credible oil company plans must address greenhouse gas emissions from operations as well as their use by consumers.”
The Hill: Jordan subpoenas climate group for alleged ‘collusion’ and antitrust violations
SAUL ELBEIN, 11/1/23
“On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the head of the GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee, demanded documents from the climate group As You Sow as part of a broader investigation into climate-conscious investing,” The Hill reports. “Jordan accused the group of an illegal conspiracy in the name of advancing a left-wing political agenda. “Corporations are collectively adopting and imposing left-wing environmental, social, and governance [ESG]-related goals,” Jordan wrote. “The Committee is concerned that As You Sow appears to facilitate collusion that may violate U.S. antitrust law.” “...The letter marks an escalation of long-running Republican attacks on the ESG movement, a campaign that The Hill has reported likely originated with and was funded by the fossil fuel industry… “As You Sow is part of a broad civil society and financial services movement that seeks to help society reach climate goals by engaging with corporations, rather than government. “Corporations are responsible for most of the pressing social and environmental problems we face today,” the group writes on its website. “We believe corporations must be a willing part of the solutions. We make this happen.” By “making this happen,” Jordan argued, As You Sow and other organizations may be committing financial crimes. On Aug. 1, the Judiciary Committee similarly accused a network of financial groups of “potentially violating U.S. antitrust law” in their attempt to cut corporate fossil fuel emissions. How? “By entering into agreements to ‘decarbonize’ corporations and reduce emissions to net zero,” Jordan and three other Republican representatives wrote. The achievement of such emissions reductions would mean “potentially harmful effects on Americans’ freedom and economic well-being,” Jordan added.
STATE UPDATES
Reuters: Honolulu climate case against oil cos can go to trial -Hawaii top court
Brendan Pierson, 11/1/23
“Hawaii's highest court has allowed a lawsuit by Honolulu accusing fossil fuel companies, including Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp and Shell Plc, of deceiving the public about climate change to go ahead to trial,” Reuters reports. “In a unanimous opinion on Tuesday, the Hawaii Supreme Court rejected the companies' argument that the lawsuit seeks to regulate emissions or interstate commerce, powers reserved for the federal government. It said the case instead focused on allegedly misleading statements the companies made, which Honolulu claims led to climate change-caused property and infrastructure damage. "This case concerns torts committed in Hawaii that caused alleged injuries in Hawaii," Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald wrote for the court. He rejected the companies' argument that the federal Clean Air Act overrides Honolulu's claims under state law, saying that the federal law did not "occupy the entire field of emissions regulation" or directly conflict with state law. "We decline to unduly limit Hawaii's ability to use its police powers to protect its citizens from alleged deceptive marketing," the judge wrote… “The defendants tried to move the case to federal court but were rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court in April. Similar cases filed by local governments in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island have also been sent back to state courts.”
Associated Press: Louisiana was open to Cancer Alley concessions. Then EPA dropped its investigation
MICHAEL PHILLIS, 11/1/23
“For more than a year, the Environmental Protection Agency investigated whether Louisiana officials discriminated against Black residents by putting them at increased cancer risk. Federal officials said they had found evidence of discrimination and were pressuring the state to strengthen oversight of air pollution from industrial plants,” the Associated Press reports. “Now, a draft agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that Louisiana health officials were open to stronger oversight, including looking at how new industrial plants could harm Black residents. But the federal government dropped its investigation in June before it got any firm commitments from Louisiana. Advocates told AP it was a missed opportunity to improve the lives of people who live near refineries and chemical plants in an industrial stretch of the state commonly called “Cancer Alley.” Experts tell AP the Biden administration, facing a federal court challenge to the investigation, may have worried that a loss would limit its investigative power. But activists expressed concern that dropping the investigation weakened the administration’s fight against environmental discrimination… “As part of the investigation, the EPA wanted to strike a deal with the state that would overhaul the review of industrial air pollution from factories there. The state had to agree to any changes… “Messages and court documents show the negotiation between EPA and state authorities quickly broke down after the state sued to stop the probe on May 24, developments first reported by the radio station WWNO… “Less than a week after Louisiana made that argument, Sharon Lavigne’s phone rang while she was in her car on the way to breakfast. Lavigne, a Louisiana resident and founder of Rise St. James, one of the groups that asked the EPA to investigate state practices, told AP it was an EPA official reaching out to explain the investigation was ending and promising they weren’t going to forget about the community. Lavigne had been optimistic the EPA’s work would finally bring real change and she had been impressed that EPA Administrator Michael Regan had visited Cancer Alley in 2021 and again this year, describing conditions there as unjust. But after hearing the news, “We just felt let down,” Lavigne told AP.
Associated Press: Pennsylvania court permanently blocks effort to make power plants pay for greenhouse gas emissions
MARC LEVY, 11/1/23
“Pennsylvania cannot enforce a regulation to make power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, a state court ruled Wednesday, dealing another setback to the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming,” the Associated Press reports. “...The ruling is a victory for Republican lawmakers and coal-related interests that argued that the carbon-pricing plan amounted to a tax, and therefore would have required legislative approval. Wolf, a Democrat, had sought to get around legislative opposition by unconstitutionally imposing the requirement through a regulation, they said.”
Bismarck Tribune: Carbon capture and storage operations begin at Blue Flint ethanol plant
JOEY HARRIS, 11/1/23
“State and industry leaders gathered Wednesday at Harvestone's Blue Flint ethanol plant at Underwood to celebrate the beginning of carbon capture and storage operations at the facility,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “...The project will capture over 200,000 metric tons of climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions annually for permanent underground storage in the Broom Creek Formation… “Blue Flint is the first plant in the United States operating under the federal Inflation Reduction Act which expanded tax credits for facilities across the country that adopt the practice. Harvestone also received over $6.5 million in grant funding from the state Industrial Commission for the project… “Some environmental groups criticize carbon capture, arguing the technology is unproven in meeting emissions reductions goals and takes funding away from clean energy projects.”
KBMT: Southeast Texas leaders learn about carbon capture at Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce's annual summit
Lupita Villarreal, 11/1/23
“Carbon capture technology could future-proof the Southeast Texas economy for generations to come. That's the message researchers, engineers and advocates shared with hundreds of industry leaders Wednesday,” KBMT reports. “The Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce hosted the 3rd Annual Carbon Capture Summit at the Bob Bowers Civic Center. The summit was also sponsored by the Houston Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) Alliance and Bayou Bend CCS… "It's really a three-legged stool. You need the industry. You need the capability to capture the carbon. You need the infrastructure to be able to transport it, and then you need to be able to store it where you're transplanting it. This region has all three of those, and the opportunity to grow and develop more," Scott Castleman from the Houston CCS Alliance told KBMT… "We're seeing these projects over the last few months and years start to be announced. There's going to be more and there's a real opportunity for this region along the gulf coast to be a global leader," Castleman told KBMT.
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Permian Basin energy companies focusing on carbon capture during region's growth
Adrian Hedden, 10/31/23
“Milestone Environmental Services said it planned to lease about 22,000 acres from Texas Pacific Land Corporation in Midland and Loving counties in Texas, along the state’s border with southeast New Mexico with which the region shares the Permian. The land would be used for carbon capture and storage, servicing natural gas processing sites and power plants in the area,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The planned lease announced Oct. 19 followed a Sept. 26 announcement also by Milestone that it planned to develop a “hub” of carbon capture and sequestration technology in the eastern Midland sub-basin of the Permian. This hub will support multiple oil and gas wells nearby, and allow the permanent, underground disposal of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during energy production, joining another hub in the western Delaware sub-basin, which spans New Mexico and Texas… “The need for carbon capture and addressing emissions could grow as more energy companies sought to capitalize on growing demand for American fossil fuels, led by the Permian Basin.”
The Messenger: Federal Effort To Restrict Oil And Gas Drilling In Wyoming Draws Fierce Opposition, Fake News
Patrick Cooley, 10/31/3
“A plan to prevent oil drilling on vast tracts of public land in southwestern Wyoming has engendered fierce opposition from residents of the northwestern state — and a groundswell of misleading information,” The Messenger reports. “Misinformation on social media has claimed that the plan would restrict all public access to the protected area, with one elected official calling the plan ‘worse than the Civil War, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined.’ ‘I urge everyone to call the governor and ask him to stop this,’ the elected official, Wyoming State Rep. Bill Allemand said of the plan in a livestream, according to Wyoming Public Media. Wyoming residents opposed to the effort have sent threats to a federal official and spread false stories stating the effort will bar people from visiting the wide expanse of wild land, according to reporting from local news outlets and The New York Times. The plan, which was drawn up by the Bureau of Land Management’s Rock Springs office and involves roughly 3.6 million acres of land in Wyoming’s Red Desert, has been 12 years in the making.”
Press release: Sierra Club appeals gas plant expansion
10/26/23
“On Thursday, the Sierra Club filed an appeal to challenge the buildout of three new gas engines at the Grayson gas plant in Glendale. The gas engines were approved by the Glendale City Council last December. If built, they would constitute the last new gas-fired generation built in California, diverging from California’s mandate to reach 100% clean electricity by 2045. In February 2022 the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit contesting the City’s approval of a faulty Environmental Impact Review that inflated the City’s energy reserve obligations in order to justify buying the new gas engines. But in July of this year, a judge ruled that Glendale is in fact required to keep high excess reserves, empowering Glendale to build the new engines. Sierra Club is filing the appeal as Glendale’s utility undergoes its Integrated Resource Planning, which will determine the blueprint for Glendale’s power mix for the next twenty years and will be voted on by the City Council before the end of the year. Environmentalists have criticized the utility for failing to incorporate the City’s own environmental goals in its planning. Morgan Goodwin, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter, issued the following statement: “After a disappointing original ruling, the Sierra Club is filing an appeal to halt the construction of additional fossil fuel infrastructure at the Grayson gas plant in Glendale. Building out Grayson is a losing proposition: Not only is this a step backward for our environment and air quality, it will also subject Glendale ratepayers to a 54% rate increase over two years, which includes paying for this gas plant. Ratepayers should not have to pay nearly $200 million for an unnecessary plant that will continue to warm the climate and pollute our air.
Bakersfield Californian: New oil group gathering data to show industry's side of energy debate
JOHN COX, 10/30/23
“An oil group formed about a year ago in Bakersfield is gathering data it plans to share with policymakers and the public in an effort to present the industry's side of California's contentious debate about pollution and the future of in-state petroleum production,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “At a lunch meeting Monday in the city's southwest, about 50 industry people and representatives of locally elected politicians went over updates on Kern County oil field monitoring projects being expanded to other production areas around the state… “The meeting of Californians for Energy & Science, emceed by corporate development partner Mike Umbro at Bakersfield-based Premier Resource Management LLC, centered on the value of providing a scientific understanding of energy to politicians and voters who he said were being misinformed by agenda-driven groups outside the industry… “One of the motivations for working together as an industry has been the Newsom administration's high-profile attacks blaming oil refiners for high fuel prices, Umbro told the Californian… “Another organizer in the group, Safety Director George Harmer at General Production Service Inc. in Bakersfield, noted members of Californians for Energy & Science intend to make frequent visits to Sacramento to educate lawmakers who, he said, avoid visiting oil fields out of fear they'll be photographed there and become unelectable.”
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Heinrich, Lujan join call for tighter oil and gas rules on New Mexico public land
Adrian Hedden, 10/31/23
“New Mexico’s two U.S. senators joined with environmental groups in the state to advocate for reforms to federal oil and gas regulations ahead of lease sales of federal land expected by the end of 2023 and in 2024,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The Bureau of Land Management proposed altering requirements for oil and gas operations on federal land throughout the U.S., holding a public comment period between July and September. This could have a significant impact on oil and gas operators in New Mexico, as more than half of the state’s operations are on federal land – an industry that also generates about half of the state’s revenue… “These changes were needed protect the environment and public land, read an Oct. 26 letter to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, signed by U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and a group of lawmakers and non-government organizations. The letter was also supported by New Mexico Voices for Children, New Mexico Wild and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, along with national groups like the Sierra Club and Earthworks. The letter specifically called for the BLM higher bonding rates to clean up orphaned wells, arguing the wells, often abandoned by oil companies when they become financially non-viable, cause environmental pollution and risks to public safety.
EXTRACTION
E&E News: James Hansen is back with another dire climate warning
Chelsea Harvey, 11/2/23
“Climate scientist James Hansen is frustrated. And he’s worried,” E&E News reports. “...His testimony at a groundbreaking 1988 Senate hearing on the greenhouse effect helped inject the coming climate crisis into the public consciousness. And it helped make him one of the most influential climate scientists in the world… “But Hansen has been disappointed with the scientific community’s response to some of his more recent projections about the future of the warming Earth, which some researchers have characterized as unrealistically dire… “Now he’s bracing himself for a similar reaction to his latest paper, published Thursday morning… “The new paper, published in the research journal Oxford Open Climate Change, addresses a central question in modern climate science: How much will the Earth warm in response to future carbon emissions? It’s a metric known as “climate sensitivity,” or how sensitive the planet is to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Hansen’s findings suggest the planet may warm faster than previous estimates have indicated. And while some experts say it’s possible, others suggest that he’s taken the results too far… “Hansen’s new paper, published with an international group of co-authors, significantly ups the numbers. It suggests a central estimate of around 4.8 C, nearly 2 degrees higher than the IPCC’s figure… “The paper also suggests that global warming is likely to proceed faster in the near term than previous studies have suggested… “Claims that his new findings are unrealistic, Hansen told E&E, are “a perfect example of the category of scientific reticence that Barber describes as ‘resistance to discovery.’ It takes a long time for new results to sink into the community.”
Boston Globe: In Boston speech, Exxon Mobil CEO says he’s still betting big on oil
Jon Chesto, 11/1/23
“Exxon Mobil Corp. chief executive Darren Woods knows his company’s pending purchase of rival Pioneer Natural Resources is a $60 billion bet on the future of oil,” the Boston Globe reports. “On Wednesday, Woods defended that bet during a Boston business leaders luncheon. Oil, he said, needs to be a big part of the energy mix for a long time to come. Woods held forth with former State Street chief executive Jay Hooley — a member of Exxon’s board — at Wednesday’s meeting of the Boston College Chief Executives Club. The Pioneer deal, announced on Oct. 11, was top of mind. The acquisition will more than double Exxon’s acreage in the Permian Basin, an oil-rich region that stretches across the Texas-New Mexico border. Exxon is also about to complete another important acquisition, the nearly $5 billion purchase of pipeline operator Denbury; that deal is expected to close on Thursday.”
Reuters: Cheaper Canadian oil and gas valuations lure potential US buyers north
Nia Williams and Maiya Keidan, 11/2/23
“U.S. corporates and private equity firms are increasingly eyeing Canadian oil and gas companies for acquisition, drawn by lower valuations, ample fossil fuel reserves, and improving market access, according to dealmakers and analysts,” Reuters reports. “Companies operating in the huge Montney shale formation, which spans northern Alberta and British Columbia and accounts for roughly half Canada's gas production, are most attractive to potential buyers. Assets located in the smaller Duvernay and Clearwater formations are also piquing interest… “Scott Barron, head of Calgary investment banking at TD Securities, however, told Reuters there is far more interest today in the non-oil sands sector of the Canadian energy industry than at any time in the past five or six years. "One of the major driving factors for U.S. companies to consider Canadian acquisitions is that there's the potential for Canadian drilling inventory to be less expensive than what they're seeing in the United States," Barron told Reuters… “Another substantial draw for investors is the largely untapped potential of Canadian shale. However, market access is set to improve once the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion starts transporting an additional 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Canada's Pacific Coast next year.”
Reuters: Occidental to sell carbon dioxide removal credits to TD Bank
11/1/23
“Occidental Petroleum said on Wednesday it would sell 27,500 metric tons of direct air capture (DAC) carbon dioxide removal credits to TD Bank over four years,” Reuters reports. “The credit purchase represents one of the largest DAC credit deals by a financial institution, the companies said, and TD plans to some of the credits to offset its own operational emissions. TD will buy the credits from Occidental's carbon capture, utilization and sequestration unit 1PointFive's STRATOS, a DAC plant under construction in Texas.”
OPINION
Dispatches From the Frontlines: Building Unlikely Alliances to Defeat Fossil Fuels in Rural America
Art Tanderup, 11/1/23
“This September, we harvested our last crop of sacred corn from the Ponca nation on our farm outside Neligh, in the eastern Nebraska sandhills. For a decade, people gathered from all over the region and beyond, in what has become an annual ritual to celebrate a community victory over a defeated pipeline,” Art Tanderup writes for Dispatches From the Frontlines. “...I’m a retired teacher, and now I’m a farmer. But I never thought I would be an activist in the twilight years of my life – and that I would find such meaning in a crop, and in the community that gathered to sustain it. I am a member of the “Cowboy and Indian Alliance,” which consists of ranchers and farmers, environmental activists, and Indigenous land protectors, who successfully came together to stop the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline from carrying toxic fuels through our land. Our masterstroke was planting this corn, which we did on the ten acres my wife Helen and I subsequently deeded to the Ponca nation. It was the right thing to do, given that this used to be Ponca territory before they were forcibly removed to Oklahoma in 1877. But it also saved our farm from an “eminent domain” expropriation. And it helped to stop KXL in its tracks. Before the harvesters set out into the fields, I shared that we had said a prayer for every seed planted earlier that spring. “As you pick every ear today, thank the creator for what has grown here. This corn is sacred to the Ponca nation, so this is a church, not just a field. You don’t drive a pipeline through a church or a synagogue, so you don’t drive it through this field of corn either.” It was this argument, accepted by the Federal government, that prevented TC Energy, the Canadian operators of KXL, from taking our land. They would have to enter into Federal negotiations with the Ponca if they wanted to lay a pipeline through it. This helped delay the project until President Biden was elected, and – inspired by our activism – he canceled the KXL permits… “My eyes welled up as I looked at the folks gathered at this final harvest. They had come from all over the country to help us pick the corn, including from places where there are other pipeline struggles, such as the Appalachians, Tennessee, and Louisiana… “Now, on the prairies, we find ourselves threatened by two carbon capture pipelines that bring their own new health risks – and encourage Americans to keep on burning fossil fuels too. As I write these words, in October 2023, I am spending time at zoning hearings to argue against them. There is also the prospect of the black snake returning, if Donald Trump is elected. We might no longer be planting the Ponca corn, but we can’t just put the last decade in a box and forget about it. Our planet is at stake. I’m in my seventies now, but if that means that I spend the rest of my life traveling this country to share our experiences and to work with others as they fight the fossil fuel industry, so be it.”
Mason City Globe Gazette: Summit permits must be denied
Kathy Carter, 10/31/23
“After the proposal by Pattison Sand Co (2019) to sell billions of gallons of Iowa water to water-poor western states, the Iowa DNR rejected the permit application because the company didn't demonstrate "beneficial use" as required by state law,” Kathy Carter writes for the Mason City Globe Gazette. “Following that, Mike Gannon of the Iowa Geological Survey said allowing exports would bring similar requests and would threaten an aquifer heavily used by Mason City, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Des Moines metro, and other areas. While he was referring to the Jordan Aquifer, these same threats apply to the other aquifers that serve various portions of the state of Iowa… “As of today's date, one or more portions of Iowa have been in a drought status for more than 180 straight weeks. The Iowa DNR must deny the Goldfield water permit, withdraw the Lawler permit, and deny future applications by Summit LLC affiliates. The Iowa Utilities Board MUST BE COGNIZANT of the ramifications to the entire Iowa population, including communities, livestock, and businesses, should the pipeline permit be granted, because surely that will be followed by more requests for OUR water. The IUB must deny the Summit permits.”
Scientific American: Bold Climate Fixes Won’t Wreck Middle Class Retirement Plans
Lucas Chancel is a visiting associate professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, and co-director of the World Inequality Lab at the Paris School of Economics; Gregor Semieniuk is assistant research professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 11/1/23
“Oil and gas industries just enjoyed a bumper profit year, with shareholders seeing record payouts. In its wake, Europe’s Shell and BP both walked back on their ambitious low-carbon transition plans, with firms across the sector increasing their investing in new production,” Lucas Chancel and Gregor Semieniuk write for Scientific American. “That’s not good news for climate change, largely driven by burning fossil fuels. One worry is these investments mean the industry and its political allies will fight tooth and nail for them to avoid “stranded assets” losses, locking in higher production of climate changing fuels for years and even decades to come. Not only the companies, but also their shareholders could turn, as vested interests, into a broad coalition against green energy. At least in the U.S. and the U.K., most pensions are invested in capital markets, where within stock markets oil and gas companies remain among the most reliable generators of dividends and share buybacks. All of this could deter governments from implementing all-too-ambitious climate mitigation policies for fear of causing financial losses to a broad swath of their own voters. But based on a recent analysis, we argue that high-income governments need not worry about triggering these financial losses. That is because most hits from stranded fossil fuel assets—lower production volumes or sales at lower prices than investors expected—would fall primarily on the wealthy members of these countries. That ain’t most voters. The explanation is relatively simple: these nations all have significant inequality in who owns companies. That means the wealthy generally own the vast majority of all stocks and bonds, and there is no evidence that differs significantly in the oil and gas sector… “Warnings about pension losses and pushback against measures that would cause asset stranding appear largely made in the interest of the very wealthy, whose capacity to absorb losses is arguably much higher than everyone else’s. Losses from unmitigated climate change, on the other hand, will likely hit the poor and vulnerable much harder.”
Yale Environment 360: As Climate Talks Near, Calls Mount for a ‘Phaseout’ of Fossil Fuels
Fred Pearce, 11/2/23
“With UN climate negotiations set for next month, a growing number of nations and business leaders are calling for a phaseout of fossil fuels. But with major fossil fuel expansion projects moving ahead around the globe, advocates of strong action face a daunting challenge,” Fred Pearce writes for Yale Environment 360. “...The promises made by governments at UN climate conferences to deliver net-zero emissions by mid-century are clearly not yet delivering. Critics say they are too nebulous and hold nobody to account, especially in the short term. So, in the run-up to the next talks, in Dubai in December, calls for a fossil fuel phaseout are growing… “This week, 15 nations — including France, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland, and other members of a group called the High Ambition Coalition — issued a call for COP28 to deliver an “urgent phaseout of coal-fired power generation” and a commitment to “ending new coal and the expansion of existing coal mines.” But on oil and gas, despite declaring that “fossil fuels are at the root of this crisis,” they proposed only that fossil fuel producing companies should “publish trackable transition plans” for cutting their emissions… “In October, more than 100 blue-chip companies — from Unilever to eBay and Volvo to Bayer — called for the Dubai COP to set a timetable for phaseout, including entirely decarbonizing power systems “by 2035 in advanced countries, and by 2040 by other countries at the latest.” “...But there are formidable forces aligned against a phaseout. They include the conference host nation, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, and favor a much-vaguer pledge to “phase down” fossil fuels. In a letter to national delegations in July, COP28 president-designate Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also the CEO of Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, ADNOC, said “phasing down demand for, and supply of, all fossil fuels is inevitable and essential.” But he has not spelt out what that might mean in practice and opposes full phaseout… “But the planet’s atmospheric thermostat responds to CO2, not dollars. Taking control of that thermostat will require halting the hemorrhaging of ever more fossil carbon into the atmosphere. And it will require, as the UN stocktake concludes, a total phaseout of fossil fuels — starting with banning the opening of new mines and wells.”