EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/27/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Despite setbacks, CO2 pipeline projects press forward
Chicago Tribune: Wolf Carbon Solutions pauses its bid for Illinois approval of a controversial 260-mile CO2 pipeline
KMA: Page County board continues talks of carbon pipeline ordinance
KOIN: Oregon, Washington petitioning ‘disastrous’ PNW gas pipeline expansion
Associated Press: Federal appeals court upholds judge’s dismissal of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters’ lawsuit
Wall Street Journal: Natural-Gas Pipelines Are Old. Will Regulators Let Utilities Invest in Them?
Associated Press: Search is on for pipeline leak after as much as 1.1 million gallons of oil sullies Gulf of Mexico
NOLA.com: Houston Firm Facing Questions Over Large Oil Spill Off Louisiana’s Coast
Wall Street Journal: Canada Takes $651 Million Write-Down on Trans Mountain Pipeline Project
Reuters: Trans Mountain faces regulatory hearing on pipeline variance request
NWestIowa.com: O'Brien County Board of Supervisors support Dakota Access Pipeline
Coast Reporter: Pipeline company seeking letter of support for Northern B.C. project
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court books hearing in Chevron doctrine showdown
E&E News: ‘Not on course’: US emissions set for 3% decline in 2023
E&E News: Republicans Eye New Plan To Restore ANWR Leases
E&E News: US Prepares Wave Of Methane Rules On Oil And Gas Industry
Washington Post: Outdoor retailer Patagonia is urging President Biden to protect the Alaskan Arctic
STATE UPDATES
Just the News: Wyoming governor’s speech erupts into fight over future of fossil fuels, carbon capture
Midland Reporter Telegram: Carbon capture projects, incentives will be hot topics at CO2 Conference
Crain’s Detroit Business: 100% 'clean power' plan includes natural gas — but it will take tech that's still in the future
Associated Press: Explosions at petroleum refinery leads to evacuations near Detroit
Law360: No Universal Rule For Colo. Oil And Gas Leases, Justices Say
Colorado Politics: Boulder County oil, gas leases not terminated after temporary maintenance pause, Supreme Court says
EXTRACTION
CNBC: Oil and gas industry needs to let go of carbon capture as solution to climate change, IEA says
Reuters: Explainer: Why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change
Financial Times: Oil producers face ‘moment of truth’ over green investment, IEA warns
BBC: COP28 ‘moment of truth’ for oil industry, says energy boss
Bloomberg: Why Carbon Capture Is Big Oil’s Solution for Climate Change
Canadian Press: Feds set aside $7B from Canada Growth Fund for carbon-price contract guarantees
BBC: COP28: UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals
E&E News: Hydrogen giant’s money problems show industry growing pain
Hellenic Shipping News: Canada oil, gas producers to drill 8% more wells in 2024 -industry group
Canadian Press: Runoff spill reported at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site
Bloomberg: Can Oil Ever Be Green? Norway Turns to Wind-Powered Drilling
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Times: Climate activists glue 50 Barclays branches shut
Reuters: Big Oil has a place in ESG funds, says Deutsche Bank CIO
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
WJAG: Norfolk Fire Division receives grant for new drones
OPINION
Reuters: Carbon capture and storage hopes are pipe dreams, for now
Enbridge: Unlocking the benefits of carbon capture and storage for Ontario’s sustainable energy future
Orange County Register: Legal attacks on fossil fuels will only make us poorer
The Hill: We cannot wait for climate action — climate change will not wait for us
Salon: Biden is gaslighting us about natural gas exports
PIPELINE NEWS
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Despite setbacks, CO2 pipeline projects press forward
Caleb McCullough, 11/26/23
“Companies seeking to build carbon dioxide capture pipelines across the Midwest have faced a range of regulatory hurdles this year as they push on with the projects they say will benefit Iowa’s ethanol industry and economy,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “...As Summit awaits a decision over its application from the Iowa Utilities Board after evidentiary hearings for it have ended, its initial applications in two other states have been denied. Evidentiary hearings in Iowa on Wolf’s proposed pipeline — which includes Linn County --- haven’t started, but the company said it will refile its request in Illinois after questions were raised there. The projects have encountered resistance from environmentalists, who argue they are not a serious solution to greenhouse gas emissions, and from landowners opposed to the use of eminent domain to involuntarily take land for easements… “Critics also point to safety concerns over the potential for a pipeline to rupture. In 2020, a CO2 pipeline burst near Satartia, Miss., caused the evacuation of the town and sickened dozens of residents… “We are very close to unlocking a massive new market that would make the ethanol boom of the early 2000s pale in comparison,” Iowa Renewable Fuels Association President Monte Shaw told The Gazette. "But we also have people who want us to throw that key away." “...Opponents said they were encouraged by the testimony presented by landowners at Summit’s hearings in Iowa and they think the Iowa Utilities Board should deny a permit for the company. Iowa law requires entities seeking to build hazardous liquid pipelines to prove they “promote the public convenience and necessity” — something the opponents say was not shown at the hearings. And while Iowa law allows the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines, opponents argued it should not be used in the service of private companies… “Nothing that puts risks in our communities, damages our land, steals our land without our permission, is not a public convenience or necessity,” Jess Mazour, the conservation program coordinator for the Sierra Club Iowa chapter, told The Gazette. “So at the end of the day, they did not meet the burden of proof.” “...If the permit is approved, opponents like the Sierra Club are likely to appeal the decision, Mazour told The Gazette… “For Summit’s part, Blank told The Gazette if the permit is denied, the company would likely present a new proposal. “We would just take the next logical steps to put a permit application back in front of the IUB and really start the process over again.”
Chicago Tribune: Wolf Carbon Solutions pauses its bid for Illinois approval of a controversial 260-mile CO2 pipeline
Nara Schoenberg, 11/26/23
“Wolf Carbon Solutions U.S., which has proposed a controversial 260-mile carbon dioxide pipeline for Illinois and Indiana, is temporarily withdrawing its application to build in Illinois,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “...The withdrawal is voluntary, according to Ferguson, and “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.” Pipeline opponents issued a news release saying Wolf had wasted government and citizen resources by submitting a “deficient” application. “Wolf Carbon Solutions is restarting the clock on the ICC process to give themselves more time to come up with answers to the many concerns raised by local residents about the proposed pipeline,” Joyce Harant, president of Citizens Against Predatory Pipelines, said in the release. “We know companies like Wolf will try to exhaust us and our resources … We are not backing down.” Wolf’s decision comes a month after a staff member at the commerce commission recommended against allowing the pipeline to be built, citing multiple concerns, including safety and uncertainty about who would supply the carbon dioxide and where the CO2 would be stored… “Opponents have raised concerns about rare but potentially serious pipeline leaks or ruptures, which can release gaseous CO2 into the air. After a 2020 pipeline rupture in Mississippi, there were reports of shortness of breath, confusion and loss of consciousness, and 45 people sought medical care at local hospitals. In the wake of that accident, federal regulators are updating safety rules, with the final results expected in 2024. The commerce commission staff member who recommended against approving the Wolf pipeline, gas engineer Brett Seagle, testified that the pipeline should not be approved until the new federal safety rules are in place. “The lives and safety of Illinois citizens must come before business concerns,” Seagle said in Oct. 24 testimony filed with the commerce commission… “In its motion to withdraw its application to build in Illinois, Wolf noted objections from opponents and concerns raised by Seagle. “(Wolf) believes that its current Application is sufficient and has objected to the parties’ motions to dismiss,” the motion said. “However, (Wolf) also believes that through a new application, it can address and moot many, if not all, of the concerns expressed.”
KMA: Page County board continues talks of carbon pipeline ordinance
Ethan Hewett, 11/24/23
“Page County officials continue to discuss a possible ordinance regulating a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” KMA reports. “...During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Page County Board of Supervisors continued talks on a new ordinance or whether the county zoning ordinances would cover the proposal. Supervisors Chair Jacob Holmes says they are still awaiting a legal opinion from either County Attorney Carl Sonksen or a third party. "If our zoning already applies to this, it wouldn't cost us anything because we've already got it in place--that's what we're trying to figure out first," said Holmes. "So, we've reviewed this, and we're trying to study it, but we need a legal opinion, and we haven't got it yet." The board had previously signed an engagement letter with Tim Whipple of Ahlers and Cooney to develop an ordinance. But that was slowed after a judge granted a temporary injunction restricting Shelby County from implementing similar ordinances. However, Imogene resident Marty Maher expressed doubts about carbon pipelines being included in the county's zoning regulations. While acknowledging that others are more suited to provide a legal opinion, Maher pointed to wording in the county's regulation allowing utility installations. "I know what a utility installation is and I think (the board) knows what a utility installation is--it delivers a service to the public," said Maher. "However, these pipeline companies are going to the Iowa Utilities Board to get a permit and I would highly expect that they will consider themselves a utility." Maher adds that setback requirements for utilities in the zoning ordinances don't provide much support for a commission or board to implement stricter guidelines without a chance for litigation.”
KOIN: Oregon, Washington petitioning ‘disastrous’ PNW gas pipeline expansion
Michaela Bourgeois, 11/24/23
“Oregon, Washington, and California filed a petition on Wednesday urging a federal commission to reconsider their approval of a methane gas pipeline expansion in the Pacific Northwest,” KOIN reports. “The challenge to the pipeline expansion comes after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved TC Energy’s plans for the pipeline in late October… “During a press conference on Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Washington and the non-profit Columbia Riverkeeper were filing a motion for a re-hearing of FERC’s decision. Inslee said Oregon and California were joining the petition, asking FERC to reconsider its decision. Inslee argues that the project would violate Washington’s environmental laws and would hurt consumers. The governor added that FERC’s “ill-considered” decision is “damaging to the future aspirations to the state of Washington,” and the state’s decarbonization goals… “Audrey Leonard, a staff attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper who spoke during Inslee’s press conference, says the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act and the Natural Gas Act, which requires consideration of public interest… “The non-profit says FERC has until Dec. 22 to respond to the petitions.”
Wall Street Journal: Natural-Gas Pipelines Are Old. Will Regulators Let Utilities Invest in Them?
Katherine Blunt, 11/25/23
“Utilities across the country are trying to boost spending to maintain aging natural-gas pipelines. Regulators in some Democratic states seeking to limit gas use are saying not so fast,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Companies including PG&E, Consolidated Edison and Public Service Enterprise Group have proposed investing billions of dollars to bolster their pipeline networks, which will remain in use for years even as more customers use electricity to cook and heat their homes. They say such spending is necessary in part to maintain safety and reliability as they work to shrink their gas systems over time. But some regulators have balked at the spending proposals as they study whether pipeline additions or replacements will become stranded assets, or facilities that retire before they pay for themselves, potentially creating future financial burdens for utility customers. They are also evaluating concerns that prolonging the life of gas infrastructure will lock in future use of the fuel. The spending debate is the latest complication to efforts by some Democratic states and cities to ban or restrict the use of natural gas in homes and buildings.”
Associated Press: Search is on for pipeline leak after as much as 1.1 million gallons of oil sullies Gulf of Mexico
KEVIN MCGILL, 11/21/23
“As much as 1.1 million gallons of oil may have been discharged into the Gulf of Mexico from a pipeline system off Louisiana’s southeast coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday,” the Associated Press reports. “The affected pipeline has been shut down but authorities were still trying to determine the exact location and cause of the leak, officials said during a Coast Guard news conference. None of the oil has reached land so far, though its affect on wildlife was still being investigated. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife official said two oily pelicans were sighted off the Louisiana coast Saturday, but still appeared active and able to fly… “The Coast Guard said the oil was discovered near a pipeline system owned by Main Pass Oil Company, a subsidiary of Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure LLC. The company did not immediately respond to a Tuesday morning request for comment. A 67-mile stretch of pipeline was shut down last week as officials worked to pinpoint the location and cause of the leak… “From dolphins to birds to rare whales, Gulf animals are under siege yet again from a spill-prone industry that puts profit ahead of everything,” the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release.
NOLA.com: Houston Firm Facing Questions Over Large Oil Spill Off Louisiana’s Coast
Mike Smith, 11/21/23
“A Houston firm suspected to be linked to an oil leak that spilled up to 1.1 million gallons of crude off Louisiana’s coast faced questions over the incident on Tuesday as cleanup and response efforts pushed ahead,” NOLA.com reports. “Authorities say the oil has not affected the shoreline, though at least a couple of oiled pelicans have been spotted in the area. Overflights, boat surveys and skimmers have been employed as part of the response. The leak reported on Thursday about 20 miles northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River occurred near the Main Pass Oil Gathering company’s pipeline system. MPOG is owned by Houston-based Third Coast, which has not responded to requests for comment and did not attend a briefing on the spill organized by federal authorities for the news media on Tuesday. The 67-mile pipeline was shut by 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, but engineering calculations determined that up to 1.1 million gallons of oil may have been spilled by then, the Coast Guard says. Those estimates, first reported by WWL Louisiana, were not released until Monday in a statement by the Coast Guard, which said initial meter readings had to be further confirmed.”
Wall Street Journal: Canada Takes $651 Million Write-Down on Trans Mountain Pipeline Project
Paul Vieira, 11/24/23
“Canada-owned Trans Mountain, which operates a crude-oil pipeline in western Canada that is under expansion, said Friday that it would take a write-down on the asset because of higher interest rates,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Trans Mountain said that it booked a net loss in the third quarter because of a goodwill impairment charge of C$888 million Canadian dollars, or the equivalent of $651 million. The Canadian government acquired the Trans Mountain pipeline system in 2018 for C$4.5 billion from Kinder Morgan, after the U.S. company threatened to abandon a proposed expansion, aimed at capitalizing on Asian demand for oil, because of political and regulatory uncertainty… The state-owned company said the write-down was the result of “significant factors” related to the pipeline expansion project, “and primarily a rise in the cost of capital from increased domestic interest rates.” Canada’s spending watchdog, the Auditor General, warned last month that Trans Mountain might lack the financial wherewithal to fund remaining construction costs and service debt without more taxpayer-backed support.”
Reuters: Trans Mountain faces regulatory hearing on pipeline variance request
11/24/23
“The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has ordered the company building the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion (TMX) to appear at an oral hearing on Monday, as the regulator weighs whether to approve a variance request from the project,” Reuters reports. “Trans Mountain Corp, which is owned by the Canadian government, last month applied for a variance on a section of pipeline between Hope and Chilliwack, British Columbia, after encountering “very challenging” construction conditions due to the hardness of the rock it needs to drill through. The company wants to install a 30-inch-diameter (76 cm) pipe instead of a 36-inch (91 cm) pipe as planned, which would shorten the installation schedule by approximately 55-60 days. In a letter dated Nov. 23, the CER said it requires “further information or justification” regarding Trans Mountain’s submissions so far, and will hold an oral hearing in Calgary on Monday.”
Associated Press: Federal appeals court upholds judge’s dismissal of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters’ lawsuit
11/21/23
“A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal judge’s 2021 decision dismissing a lawsuit filed by protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline, who alleged law enforcement officers used excessive force during a clash in 2016,” the Associated Press reports. “Nine protesters filed the lawsuit in 2016. They alleged civil and constitutional rights violations in officers’ use of tear gas, rubber bullets, shotgun bean bags and water in below-freezing temperatures during the clash on Nov. 20, 2016, at a blocked highway bridge. Lead plaintiff and Navajo Nation member Vanessa Dundon said she sustained an eye injury. The lawsuit’s defendants included the Morton and Stutsman county sheriffs, the Mandan police chief and 100 unidentified officers. In 2021, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor granted the officers’ request to dismiss the case. The protesters appealed in 2022. The appeals court decision affirming Traynor’s ruling came Nov. 3… “The protesters’ attorney, Rachel Lederman, told the Bismarck Tribune “This has been a hard-fought struggle by Indigenous-led water protectors to vindicate their constitutional rights, which were so egregiously violated at Standing Rock. It is disappointing to see the federal courts readily absolve law enforcement who brutally pummeled nonviolent, peaceful people with freezing high pressure water and dangerous, maiming munitions for hours on end.” Similar lawsuits continue to play out, including cases filed by three protesters who say they were injured because of officers’ actions, and by two photographers who allege officers used excessive force and violated their constitutional rights while they were covering the protest.”
NWestIowa.com: O'Brien County Board of Supervisors support Dakota Access Pipeline
Mikaela Mackey, 11/26/23
“After years of silence, the O’Brien County Board of Supervisors made its stance clear on the Dakota Access Pipeline and its pending environmental impact statement,” NWestIowa.com reports. “Following little discussion among the supervisors, the board unanimously voted to authorize chair Dan Friedrichsen to sign a letter of support for DAPL at its weekly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 7, in Primghar. “O’Brien County, Iowa, has benefited from DAPL’s more than six years of safe operation in O’Brien County,” Friedrichsen said in the letter. Although county residents filed 17 damage complaints of farmland in 2017 as a result of the installation of the pipeline, each issue was resolved by October 2019… “In the O’Brien County’s submitted letter of approval, Friedrichsen listed more than $2 million in property taxes has been paid to the county from DAPL between 2017 and 2021, with an estimated $600,000 coming for the 2022 tax year… “He continued that should the final environmental-impact statement force a shutdown of the DAPL, losing the property and utility tax provided by the pipeline would take a significant blow to O’Brien County, “causing a negative socioeconomic impact.”
Coast Reporter: Pipeline company seeking letter of support for Northern B.C. project
Tom Summer, 11/27/23
“NorthRiver Midstream has requested a letter of support from the City of Fort St. John for their Northeast B.C. Connector Project,” according to the Coast Reporter. “The project involves two proposed natural gas liquids pipeline that would run from Wonowon, past Taylor, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, and across the border into the Gordondale area of Alberta. The letter was sent by email on Nov. 7 by Rod Locke, a lands manager with NorthRiver Midstream, explaining that the project would have economic benefits and employment opportunities for the Peace Region. “In Alberta and British Columbia, annual property taxes for the pipelines and related facilities are estimated to total $1.3 million, with most of that amount being paid to the City of Fort St. John, Peace River Regional District, District of Taylor, and Saddle Hills County,” noted Locke. “During the 11-month construction period, the workforce in British Columbia is anticipated to exceed 250 for approximately 6 months,” he added… “Mayor and city council will discuss the item at their Nov. 27 regular meeting.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court books hearing in Chevron doctrine showdown
Pamela King, 11/20/23
“In mid-January, the nation’s highest bench will settle in for at least two hours of oral argument over one of the most consequential legal doctrines in environmental and administrative law,” E&E News reports. “During back-to-back arguments on Jan. 17, the Supreme Court will consider conservative lawyers’ arguments that it’s time to bring an end to the Chevron doctrine, a 40-year-old legal precedent that helps federal agencies like EPA defend their rules and rollbacks in court. For the first case, Relentless v. Commerce, all nine justices will appear on the bench. During the second, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will step away from the proceedings, due to her involvement in the case when it was before a lower court. The Relentless and Loper Bright cases contest a NOAA Fisheries rule that holds herring vessel operators responsible for paying the salaries of on-board monitors that guard against over-fishing. In both cases, lower courts upheld the NOAA Fisheries regulations using the Chevron doctrine, which says that federal agencies have leeway to interpret their rulemaking power when laws are ambiguous. Conservative lawyers see the cases as an opportunity to push the high court — now dominated by six Republican-appointed justices — to end the Chevron doctrine once and for all. The doctrine has fallen out of favor with the Supreme Court in recent years, but lower courts still use it to side with federal agencies in cases, as they did in Relentless and Loper Bright. During arguments, the justices will indicate their appetite to either eradicate the Chevron doctrine or simply limit its application… “A ruling that changes the courts’ approach to Chevron would apply even more widely, since the doctrine can be invoked any time a federal statute is unclear.”
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.”
E&E News: Republicans Eye New Plan To Restore ANWR Leases
Heather Richards, 11/21/23
“Twenty-six Republican lawmakers have asked a federal watchdog to determine whether the Biden administration’s scrapping of Arctic oil leases can be revoked by Congress,” E&E News reports. “In a letter last week to the Government Accountability Office, the House lawmakers argued the Interior Department’s September decision to cancel oil drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) amounts to a federal rule that can be undone under the Congressional Review Act. … A Republican-led Congress approved leasing in ANWR in 2017. The Trump administration held the first of two mandated lease sales on those lands in 2021. In their letter, the Republicans say the White House is ‘circumventing the democratic process and subverting the will of Congress’ by revoking the Alaska oil and gas leases. Signatories include Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.); Carol Miller (R-W.Va.); and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.”
E&E News: US Prepares Wave Of Methane Rules On Oil And Gas Industry
Jean Chemnick, 11/22/23
“President Joe Biden pledged to use ‘all available tools’ to rein in methane when he was elected three years ago,” E&E News reports. “Now his promise is coming due. Federal agencies are poised to release a battery of rules in the coming months that crack down on the oil and gas sector for releasing the potent greenhouse gas. That includes regulations for leaky pipelines; energy production on public and private lands; and infrastructure related to processing, transporting and storing natural gas. Even liquefied natural gas terminals and offshore petroleum production facilities, which aren't covered by EPA's coming methane rules, could find themselves paying for excessive leaks beginning in 2025.”
Washington Post: Outdoor retailer Patagonia is urging President Biden to protect the Alaskan Arctic
Maxine Joselow, 11/21/23
“In 2020, Patagonia emblazoned the tags of limited-edition shorts with an explicit four-word message: “Vote the a--holes out.” The leading outdoor retailer said the message was intended for President Donald Trump, who had rolled back protections for America’s public lands and waters, as well as other politicians who refused to act on climate change,” the Washington Post reports. “Now, as holiday shoppers gear up for Black Friday, the company is launching another provocative campaign, one aimed at shaping President Biden’s conservation legacy in the Alaskan Arctic. The campaign, which includes in-store ads and online videos, urges customers to submit public comments telling Biden to protect the Alaskan Arctic from mining and drilling. It focuses on three ecologically sensitive areas: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Brooks Range. “My sense is the Biden administration recognizes the opportunity they have here,” Corley Kenna, a spokeswoman for Patagonia, told The Climate 202. “But we want to be helpful in getting a really broad coalition to support these protections.” “...I’m not aware that we have faced any kind of backlash,” she told the Post. “Whether it’s for future generations, for the climate crisis or for outdoor recreation opportunities, reasonable people can agree when they hear the story of these places. So we’re not going to be afraid of advocating for them.”
STATE UPDATES
Just the News: Wyoming governor’s speech erupts into fight over future of fossil fuels, carbon capture
Kevin Killough, 11/27/23
“Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon sparked a backlash from state lawmakers when he discussed plans to make the Cowboy State carbon dioxide-neutral during a talk at Harvard last month,” Just the News reports. “...The governor added that the problem won’t be solved by turning off fossil fuels, and he promoted the use of carbon capture and sequestration… “To reach the goal of making human-caused carbon dioxide emissions neutral by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 70 to 100 of these facilities will have to come online every year for the next 27 years. “The numbers are just astronomical. This just isn't going to happen. We're never gonna get anywhere close to these kinds of numbers,” Steve Goreham, author of “Green Breakdown,” told Just The News… “After Fox News reported on Gordon’s comments at Harvard, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus legislators and the Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray signed a letter challenging Gordon to a debate with members of the CO2 Coalition. The coalition is a nonprofit organization that disputes that carbon dioxide is the primary cause of rising temperatures and that increases in CO2 are without benefits… “Gordon then backed out of the debate on Tuesday… “Wyoming Republican Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, who circulated the letter among her fellow lawmakers challenging Gordon to a debate, told Just The News the governor’s comments at Harvard amounted to capitulation to federal overreach. “Biden’s plan to decarbonize America will cost Wyoming everything. Instead of fighting this destruction, Gov. Gordon’s policies and his refusal to debate … the merits of climate change theory are evidence of his unwillingness to protect Wyoming,” Steinmetz said, adding that that Gordon's decision to back out of the debate is not the end of the controversy. “I am committed to making sure Wyoming is leading the fight to protect fossil fuels,” she told JTN.
Midland Reporter Telegram: Carbon capture projects, incentives will be hot topics at CO2 Conference
Mella McEwen, 11/26/23
“A focus on greenhouse gas emissions – and particularly those emanating from the nation’s oil fields – has given rise to a number of projects designed to capture and sequester emissions,” the Midland Reporter Telegram reports. “Given just free market stimulation, a lot of the CO2 capture space is just crazy,” Steve Melzer, director of the annual CO2 Conference, scheduled to held at the Bush Convention Center on Dec. 4-7, told MRT. “The legislature and administration have realized that and, instead of punishing emitters, are trying to incentivize capture. It’s an American solution,” Melzer told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview… “There are quite a few emissions sources in the Permian Basin, and the pipelines that are coming in are another potential source,” he told MRT… “The possibilities of such projects, along with what’s happening in terms regulations, government policy, tax policies and legal concerns, will be the focus of days two and three of the conference. The first day involves a field trip to the Goldsmith-Landreth Unit in Ector County. The final day of the conference will return to its beginnings, offering case histories from the region’s decades of experience handling CO2 and utilizing it in enhanced oil recovery, from the Horizontal San Andres to projects in Canada… “We’ll address what happens in mature horizontal plays,” he told MRT. “I see us taking over the next phase of the Permian Basin after we’ve run the gamut of shale.”
Crain’s Detroit Business: 100% 'clean power' plan includes natural gas — but it will take tech that's still in the future
David Eggert
“Michigan’s ambitious requirement for 100% clean energy by 2040 will allow power to be generated with a fossil fuel — natural gas — but only if utilities capture and store almost all of the planet-warming carbon dioxide,” Crain’s Detroit Business reports reports. “The technology, while not new in some industries, is expensive and has a ways to go in an electric sector that has shifted away from coal toward gas and renewables. It is being used at just one commercial-scale facility worldwide, a coal-fired plant in Canada. The first planned gas-fired station with carbon capture, in Texas, will not open until 2027 at the earliest. The slow pace of development, the significant infrastructure build-out needed to transport and store carbon underground, and pending federal environmental regulations leave uncertainty over the fate of some 60 plants across the state that burn natural gas to produce electricity and steam… “Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will soon sign legislation, Senate Bill 271, letting providers count natural gas toward new clean power targets — 80% in 2035 and 100% in 2040 — only if there is technology that is at least 90% effective in capturing and storing the carbon dioxide. There will be off-ramps if the standards end up being unfeasible… “Republicans who opposed the bills said they will make the fuel too costly to use and effectively ban it, while environmentalists and some Democrats were unhappy carbon capture is authorized. Supporters said the provision is an acknowledgment that gas may be needed longer than they prefer. Michigan’s two dominant utilities, DTE and Consumers, have committed to closing their remaining coal plants and will consider carbon capture at gas facilities when proposing their next long-range plans to the state Public Service Commission in coming years.”
Associated Press: Explosions at petroleum refinery leads to evacuations near Detroit
11/25/23
“Explosions at a petroleum refinery outside Detroit caused a fire and led to the evacuation of some nearby residents, authorities said,” the Associated Press reports. “The first explosion occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Friday in White Lake Township, local news outlets reported. A second explosion minutes later sent flames higher than trees and created a large plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles, the Detroit Free Press reported. Fewer than 100 residents near the site of the explosion and fire were evacuated, White Lake Police told AP.,, “Laun Dearman, who lives less than half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from the refinery, told AP he and his wife saw the billowing smoke and flames… “White Lake Township Police posted on Facebook before midnight that “the incident has been resolved and the roadway is once again open. The area has also been cleared safe for everyone to return to their homes.”
Law360: No Universal Rule For Colo. Oil And Gas Leases, Justices Say
Daniel Ducassi, 11/20/23
“The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appellate court’s attempt to universalize a rule defining ‘production’ for all oil and gas leases in the state, concluding that courts should look instead at how the word is used in the context of specific lease agreements to define the term,” Law360 reports. ‘In Colorado, we interpret each oil and gas lease on its own terms,’ Justice Monica M. Márquez wrote for the court. ‘We decline to adopt a universal rule defining ‘production’ in Colorado oil and gas leases and instead continue our tradition of interpreting its meaning by looking to the context of its use in a particular lease.’ The case concerns an attempt by Boulder County to end two leases it purchased, arguing in its lawsuit in 2018 against Crestone Peak Resources that a four-month shut-off in 2014 triggered a provision that allowed termination of the lease if production stopped. A Colorado Court of Appeals panel concluded in 2021 that ‘production’ in all oil and gas leases should be defined in accordance with the ‘commercial discovery’ rule, effectively meaning that there was production as long as there was already a discovered well capable of commercial production. The panel said that ‘at all times relevant to the dispute, there remained a commercially viable discovery of oil and gas at the wells,’ so production had not stopped.”
Colorado Politics: Boulder County oil, gas leases not terminated after temporary maintenance pause, Supreme Court says
Michael Karlik, 11/20/23
“The Colorado Supreme Court walked back a ruling by the state's second-highest court on Monday, holding that a pair of oil and gas leases in Boulder County did not terminate simply because the pipeline operator halted production for four months to make repairs,” Colorado Politics reports. “The justices' ruling had implications for extraction operations throughout the state, with Boulder County advocating for the court to require a well operator to actually produce oil or gas in order for a lease to remain valid. The Court of Appeals, on the other hand, believed wells need only be "capable of producing" oil and gas for a lease to continue. The Supreme Court decided neither position was correct. Both attempts at setting a standard, wrote Justice Monica M. Márquez, would force courts to ignore the language of individual oil and gas leases. "We decline to adopt any universal definition for 'production' in oil and gas leases in Colorado, but rather determine the parties’ meaning within the context of the lease," she wrote in the Nov. 20 opinion.”
EXTRACTION
CNBC: Oil and gas industry needs to let go of carbon capture as solution to climate change, IEA says
Spencer Kimball, 11/23/23
“The oil and gas industry needs to let go of the “illusion” that carbon capture technology is a solution to climate change and invest more in clean energy, the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday,” CNBC reports. “The industry needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals – which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai next week… “Just 1% of global investment in clean energy has come from oil and gas companies, according to Birol. The industry needs to face the “uncomfortable truth” that a successful clean energy transition will require scaling back oil and gas operations, not expanding them, the IEA chief wrote… “The industry would need to invest 50% of capital expenditures in clean energy projects by 2030 to meet the goal of limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the IEA report. About 2.5% of the industry’s capital spending went toward clean energy in 2022. One of the major pitfalls in the energy transition is excessive reliance on carbon capture, according to the report. Carbon capture is essential for achieving net zero emissions in some sectors, but it should not be used as a way to retain the status quo, according to the IEA. An “inconceivable” 32 billion tons of carbon would need to be captured for utilization or storage by 2050 to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius under current projections for oil and gas consumption, according to the IEA… “It would also require $3.5 trillion in annual investment from today through mid-century, which is equivalent to the entire oil and gas industry’s annual revenue in recent years, according to the report.”
Reuters: Explainer: Why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change
Leah Douglas, 11/22/23
“Technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions to keep them from the atmosphere are central to the climate strategies of many world governments as they seek to follow through on international commitments to decarbonize by mid-century. They are also expensive, unproven at scale, and can be hard to sell to a nervous public - making unworkable, at the moment, the model envisaged worldwide of capturing carbon and storing it for money,” Reuters reports. “As nations gather for the 28th United Nations climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November, the question of carbon capture’s future role in a climate-friendly world will be in focus… “Countries including the U.S. have rolled out public subsidies for carbon capture projects. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, offers a $50 tax credit per metric ton of carbon captured for CCUS and $85 per metric ton captured for CCS, and $180 per metric ton captured through DAC. Though those are meaningful incentives, companies may still need to take on some added costs to move CCS and DAC projects ahead, Benjamin Longstreth, global director of carbon capture at the Clean Air Task Force, told Reuters. Some CCS projects have also failed to prove out the technology's readiness… “The best storage sites for carbon are in portions of North America, East Africa, and the North Sea, according to the Global CCS Institute. That means getting captured carbon to storage sites could require extensive pipeline networks or even shipping fleets – posing potential new obstacles. In October, for example, a $3 billion CCS pipeline project proposed by Navigator CO2 Ventures in the U.S. Midwest - meant to move carbon from heartland ethanol plants to good storage sites - was canceled amid concerns from residents about potential leaks and construction damage. Companies investing in carbon removal need to take seriously community concerns about new infrastructure projects, Simone Stewart, industrial policy specialist at the National Wildlife Federation, told Reuters. "Not all technologies are going to be possible in all locations," Stewart told Reuters.
Financial Times: Oil producers face ‘moment of truth’ over green investment, IEA warns
Rachel Millard, 11/23/23
“Oil and gas producers should be spending about half of their annual investment on clean energy projects by 2030 to be aligned with global climate goals, the International Energy Agency has said,” the Financial Times reports. “The west’s energy watchdog also warned oil and gas companies that are investing in new carbon capture projects that the technology would be no substitute for cutting emissions and “cannot be used to maintain the status quo”... “Its latest report said oil and gas producers would need to devote half of their annual capital budget to clean energy projects by 2030 if they wanted to align with the 2019 Paris climate agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2C and ideally to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels… “Birol added that companies needed to be “letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution”, with the IEA warning that current policies would require an “inconceivable” 32bn tonnes of carbon to be captured annually by 2050. “The industry needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals,” he said.
BBC: COP28 ‘moment of truth’ for oil industry, says energy boss
11/22/23
“The world's oil and gas industry has been warned it faces a "moment of truth" at next week's UN climate talks,” the BBC reports. “Dr Fatih Birol, head of energy watchdog the International Energy Agency, was speaking as the IEA published a new report on the future of fossil fuels. He said the sector must choose between contributing to the climate crisis or "becoming part of the solution"... "The uncomfortable truth that the industry needs to come to terms with is that successful clean energy transitions require much lower demand for oil and gas, which means scaling back oil and gas operations over time - not expanding them. There is no way around this," Dr Birol said… “In the run up to COP28, the man who will chair the climate talks, Sultan Al Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, has been criticised for prioritising a technology known as carbon capture and storage… “Some critics say fossil fuel producers hope to use the technology to allow them to continue relying on oil and gas Dr Birol said that meeting the world's climate goals "means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution"... “Dr Steve Smith, executive director of Oxford Net Zero and CO2RE at the University of Oxford, told the BBC the report was still calling for investment in the technology but that it must come alongside other measures. "It goes hand in hand with emissions reductions, trying to do carbon dioxide removal at the same time as not cutting our emissions is like being in a speeding car and trying to push the brake and accelerator at the same time," he told BBC.
Bloomberg: Why Carbon Capture Is Big Oil’s Solution for Climate Change
Christine Li Edwards, 11/22/23
“...Carbon capture technology has long been the industry’s favored solution,” Bloomberg reports. “But Big Oil’s investment in it has been slow and largely aimed at helping produce more fossil fuels. In the mini-documentary Carbon Capture’s Reality Check, Bloomberg Originals explores the technology’s potential, its shortcomings and why fossil fuel giants have championed it. According to the International Energy Agency, if the world is to achieve net zero by 2050, 30 times more point-source carbon capture—where CO2 is removed at its source—will be necessary by the end of this decade. Meanwhile, in 2022, the technology captured just 0.1% of global emissions. Disappointing deployment of carbon capture has been global. Large and expensive projects from Australia to North America have failed to meet expectations. A Bloomberg Green investigation revealed that the Century, a point-source carbon capture plant in Texas built by Occidental Petroleum Corp., never operated at more than a third of its capacity. Technology wasn’t the issue, but rather economics. Its operation was tied to natural gas prices: when commodity prices cratered, Occidental sold it off. In Carbon Capture’s Reality Check, we show why the way in which CO2 is captured is paramount to the controversy. If carbon capture facilities are only built so fossil fuel companies can use it as a lubricant to revive aging wells, it will run counter to the renewable energy transition.”
Canadian Press: Feds set aside $7B from Canada Growth Fund for carbon-price contract guarantees
11/21/23
“The federal government is dedicating almost half of its clean-tech economic investment fund to special contracts intended to give companies the confidence they need to make major investments to lower their greenhouse-gas emissions,” the Canadian Press reports. “Today’s fall economic statement says the new $15-billion Canada Growth Fund will allocate up to $7 billion for contracts for difference. Oil and gas companies have been waiting on such contracts to help maintain a competitive position internationally. They could be the final requirement before major oilsands companies start building massive carbon capture and storage projects that are critical if Canada has any chance of meeting its next emission targets… “Contracts for difference are a guarantee that if the carbon price doesn’t rise as projected, the companies will get back the difference between what they ended up investing in clean technology and what they would have spent on carbon pricing.”
BBC: COP28: UAE planned to use climate talks to make oil deals
Justin Rowlatt, 11/26/23
“The United Arab Emirates planned to use its role as the host of UN climate talks as an opportunity to strike oil and gas deals, the BBC has learned. Leaked briefing documents reveal plans to discuss fossil fuel deals with 15 nations. The UN body responsible for the COP28 summit told the BBC hosts were expected to act without bias or self-interest. The UAE team did not deny using COP28 meetings for business talks, and said "private meetings are private". It declined to comment on what was discussed in the meetings and said its work has been focused on "meaningful climate action". The documents - obtained by independent journalists at the Centre for Climate Reporting working alongside the BBC - were prepared by the UAE's COP28 team for meetings with at least 27 foreign governments ahead of the COP28 summit, which starts on 30 November. They included proposed "talking points", such as one for China which says Adnoc, the UAE's state oil company, is "willing to jointly evaluate international LNG [liquefied natural gas] opportunities" in Mozambique, Canada and Australia… “There are talking points for 13 other countries, including Germany and Egypt, which suggest telling them Adnoc wants to work with their governments to develop fossil fuel projects… “The BBC has seen an email exchange in which COP28 staff members are told Adnoc and Masdar talking points "always need to be included" in the briefing notes. The COP28 team said it was "simply untrue" that staff had been told this… “Prof Michael Jacobs of Sheffield University, who is an expert on UN climate politics, told the BBC the COP28 team's actions looked "breathtakingly hypocritical". "I actually think it's worse than that," he told BBC, "because the UAE at the moment is the custodian of a United Nations process aimed at reducing global emissions. And yet, in the very same meetings where it's apparently trying to pursue that goal, it's actually trying to do side deals which will increase global emissions."
E&E News: Hydrogen giant’s money problems show industry growing pain
Christine Mui, 11/22/23
“A fuel cell developer aiming to build North America’s first “green” hydrogen supply network is running into financial troubles and facing skepticism from Wall Street analysts, dealing a setback to a technology at the center of the Biden administration’s efforts to decarbonize the economy,” E&E News reports. “Plug Power has invested hundreds of millions in its production capabilities, striving to open multiple green hydrogen plants so it can make 500 tons of liquid fuel a day by the end of 2025. A front-runner in the emerging industry, Plug Power is a corporate sponsor of five of seven hydrogen hubs selected by the Department of Energy for funding last month with $7 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. But the company alarmed investors earlier this month by suggesting it could run out of cash over the next year after “unprecedented supply challenges” that have caused deployment delays. “There is no assurance that our hydrogen production will scale at the rate we anticipate or that we will complete hydrogen production plants on schedule,” Plug Power said in a Nov. 9 regulatory filing. “There is a substantial doubt that we will have sufficient capital to fund our operations through the next twelve months.”
Hellenic Shipping News: Canada oil, gas producers to drill 8% more wells in 2024 -industry group
11/27/23
“Canadian oil and gas producers will drill 8% more wells in 2024 to take advantage of greater access to pipelines, with the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion due to open, an industry group said in an annual forecast on Friday,” Hellenic Shipping News reports. “Conventional oil production accounts for a small portion – 14% on average this year – of Canada’s overall crude output, which comes mainly from oil sands. Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer. Producers will drill 6,229 wells next year, up 481 from 2023, the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors predicted. Most of the increased drilling will likely happen in the second half of 2024, as the industry rebounds from a softer market in the recent third quarter, the association said.”
Canadian Press: Runoff spill reported at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site
11/26/23
“A spill of surface runoff from a containment pond at Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills oilsands site may have spanned more than a year, the Alberta Energy Regulator has announced,” the Canadian Press reports. “The regulator said that on Oct. 9, the energy company reported an “unplanned release” of around 662 cubic metres from the pond adjacent to Fort Hills into the Athabasca River. But on Nov. 24, Suncor informed the regulator that the spill was likely much larger than originally reported. “… Further investigation of this matter indicated the unplanned release volume may have been closer to 10,000 cubic metres,” the regulator said a news release issued on Friday. “Suncor has also informed the AER that the unplanned release may have been in effect since June 2022 and believe the cause of the release is likely to be a faulty valve.” “...Suncor also offered reassurances on Saturday that the water in question posed no threat… “Suncor has “no evidence indicating any of the water that may have been released would not have met regulatory requirements.” “...Suncor and the AER have informed communities and stakeholders in the area, the regulator said, and Environment and Climate Change Canada has also been notified”.
Bloomberg: Can Oil Ever Be Green? Norway Turns to Wind-Powered Drilling
Kari Lundgren, 11/21/23
“On a platform 140 kilometers (87 miles) off the coast of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon held two power cables connected to scale models: the first was a wind turbine, the second an oil rig,” Bloomberg reports. “Behind him, the world’s biggest floating offshore wind farm was just visible on the horizon, an engineering marvel that cost more than $660 million and took five years to complete. “By connecting these cables, we are connecting to the future,” the prince said before linking plug and socket. Tiny lights flickered to life inside the miniature oil rig, marking the official start of the planet’s first wind-powered offshore oil platform.
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Times: Climate activists glue 50 Barclays branches shut
Peter Chappell, 11/27/23
“A group linked to Extinction Rebellion has forced the closure of 50 branches of Barclays Bank after activists superglued their doors shut,” The Times reports. “Supporters of Money Rebellion, a “sister organisation” of XR, disabled the entrances of branches in Tottenham Court Road in London, Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow and Albion Street in Leeds. Activists urged customers to boycott the company to exert pressure on Barclays to stop funding fossil fuel projects. The bank has previously been targeted by Greenpeace, which claims it is the largest funder of fossil fuels in Europe. It has demanded the bank switch to supporting renewable energy projects. A spokesman for Money Rebellion told The Times the disruption was “part of a significant new wave of property-focused climate action.”
Reuters: Big Oil has a place in ESG funds, says Deutsche Bank CIO
11/21/23
“Sustainability funds should be able to hold traditional energy shares because excluding them is denying investors one of the best ways to bet on a shift to renewable energy, a senior ESG executive at Deutsche Bank’s Private Bank said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “Fossil fuel stocks have boomed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent fossil fuel prices soaring, leaving the performance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds lagging. Pure-play renewable energy stocks such as Orsted and First Solar have also fallen sharply this year as higher interest rates and inflationary pressures squeeze profitability. Markus Müller, chief investment officer ESG at Deutsche Bank’s Private Bank, told Reuters the fossil fuel effect was behind a drop in a recent survey in the percentage of investors who believe ESG factors can help manage risks to their portfolios. “When we think about clean energy, these are business models which are quite new and sensitive to interest rates,” Müller told Reuters, noting that the number of “meaningful” global wind power players had reduced to three from eight before COVID-19. “Investors are looking for traditional companies that have capex in renewables… They prefer the transition than to exclusions,” he told Reuters.
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
WJAG: Norfolk Fire Division receives grant for new drones
11/27/23
“TC Energy has awarded the Norfolk Fire Division a $20,000 grant for a new thermal drone along with software and other support equipment,” WJAG reports. “Norfolk Fire Chief Tim Wragge told News Talk WJAG that the M30T model is a little larger than the drone the Fire Division currently uses.”
OPINION
Reuters: Carbon capture and storage hopes are pipe dreams, for now
Clyde Russell, 11/23/23
“Carbon capture and underground storage (CCUS) is touted by proponents of fossil fuel production and consumption as the technology that will keep oil and gas in the global energy mix. It is, and at the same time it isn't. The International Energy Agency (IEA) delivered a dose of reality on whether CCUS can be deployed at sufficient scale and with viable economics in its latest report, released on Thursday,” Clyde Russell writes for Reuters. “While the global oil and gas industry is well placed to scale up technologies to help achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the IEA warns of pitfalls. One of those is what the agency, which represents developed nations, called "excessive expectations and reliance on CCUS". It called CCUS an "essential technology for achieving net-zero emissions in certain sectors and circumstances, but it is not a way to retain the status quo". The key word in the above quote is 'certain', meaning that CCUS is a viable technology to reduce emissions in some cases, but it is far from the silver bullet it is often made out to be, largely by major oil and gas producers and their supporters. The IEA produced some sobering numbers in its report, The Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions. If oil and natural gas consumption does evolve as projected under current policy settings, the IEA said this will require an "inconceivable" 32 billion metric tons of CCUS by 2050… “If there is still hope for widespread CCUS as the solution for oil and gas production, the IEA further said $3.5 trillion in investment will be needed every year from now to 2050. In other words, CCUS as the preferred solution of oil and gas companies trying to secure a long-term future in a carbon-constrained world is largely a pipe dream… “It is perhaps ironic that oil and gas companies and many of their political backers, especially on the conservative side of the spectrum, tout CCUS as a major solution, but at the same time don't push hard for the financial and policy settings that would enable a faster roll out. Another issue for widespread and large-scale CCUS is gaining confidence that it will work as intended… “But there is a massive gap between CCUS hopes and realities, and the IEA report goes a long way towards identifying the issues.”
Enbridge: Unlocking the benefits of carbon capture and storage for Ontario’s sustainable energy future
Enbridge, 11/26/23
“Ontario’s successful journey to a net-zero future relies on a diversified approach to energy investment that combines increased electrification with low- and zero-carbon gases and natural gas, paired with proven technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS),” according to Enbridge. “...This “pipes and wires” strategy is backed by a growing body of research, including a recent Energy Future Report by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). A new report released last month by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis (CANCEA) further underlined the importance of investing meaningfully in CCS – a proven, reliable process that captures carbon dioxide from industrial facilities and stores it safely and permanently in underground rock formations located at depths equivalent to the height of two CN Towers… “Enbridge has also invested in CCS, with a project under development at its Wabamum Hub near Edmonton. “Investing in this proven and immediately available technology is not only critical to meeting net-zero goals, it will also translate into significant economic benefits for Canadians,” says Cadotte. “In Ontario, it will give rise to a new industry, preserve and create high-value jobs and drive even more innovation in this province.” Cadotte points to the CANCEA report, which projected that a $95-billion investment in CCS and low-carbon hydrogen in Ontario would support more than $218.8-billion in economic activity and 1.2 million job years from 2024 to 2050. “The investment in hydrogen and CCS generates a significant economic impact across Ontario, contributing $114.5-billion into direct economic activity, complemented with $69.7-billion in indirect and $34.5-billion in induced economic activities,” said the report. “This underscores the pivotal nature of investments in hydrogen and CCS as a key opportunity for significant economic growth in the province.” “...In its report, CANCEA analyzed the opportunity costs from delayed investments in CCS and arrived at enormous figures: $53-billion in lost gross domestic product (GDP) and more than 272,500 job years at risk if investments are delayed by three years. These losses go up to $84-billion in GDP reduction and more than 435,000 job years at risk if the investments are delayed by five years. There’s also the lost opportunity to capture thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas over multiple years. “We need to get this right, and the time for action is now,” says Cadotte.”
Orange County Register: Legal attacks on fossil fuels will only make us poorer
Yaël Ossowski is deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center, 11/20/23
“Nearly half of all US states have pledged to go totally carbon-free by at least 2050. While many states and the federal government are pushing and subsidizing entrepreneurs to scale up carbon-free alternatives to fossil fuels such as nuclear energy, wind, and solar – other states are hoping to reach their goals by seemingly suing oil and gas companies into extinction,” Yaël Ossowski writes for the Orange County Register. “Though American consumers have been the primary customers for fossil fuel companies, several Democratic state attorneys generals have staged elaborate lawsuits hoping to legally pin climate change on a handful of companies. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been at the forefront, but he’s had plenty of support and funding along the way, including from key law firms across the country and the billionaire former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Though our judicial system is supposed to be immune from political agendas, these third-parties target certain industries and corporations for litigation, hoping to tip the balance in prominent cases being heard across the country… “California’s vendetta against oil and gas may seem impractical, but the fact that 17 states followed their lead on the eventual gas-powered car ban shows that “as California goes, so goes the nation” is more than just a saying… “Deep-pocketed private donors have persuaded organizations and attorneys to take up climate litigation, pouring millions into institutions like the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) who aggressively encourage state and local governments to sue energy producers. Allies like the Rockefeller Family Fund not only help funnel money to CCI – about $10 million, in fact – but also host legal forums and initiate climate ligation support among elected officials… “The public relations and legal war against energy producers is the wrong path for real change – a mistake only amplified by dark money and partisan networks to encourage more climate lawsuits. It’s time we pursue common sense solutions, rather than misleading the public with disingenuous lawsuits that won’t combat climate change, and won’t make our lives any better.”
The Hill: We cannot wait for climate action — climate change will not wait for us
John Oppermann is executive director of Earth Day Initiative, 11/23/23
“...Over the last few decades, we have seen time and again an inevitable slowdown in climate action due to some danger that appears more imminent and pressing than our changing climate. But, in many ways, these crises are more deeply connected with climate change than we may realize, and require simultaneous action,” John Oppermann writes for The Hill. “From economic downturns to wars, we have seen repeated distractions take the pressure off of leaders when it comes to specific and substantive climate action… “The destruction we see in war will be mirrored by the effects of the climate crisis, as droughts, floods, tropical storms, heatwaves, wildfires and other extreme weather events are accelerating and wreaking increasing damage to our way of life… “While the effects of the climate crisis continue to mount, our efforts to tackle the crisis have fallen short largely because we have done little to curb one of the primary culprits: fossil fuels. Despite being the primary culprit, global climate talks have glaringly omitted addressing fossil fuels head-on… “ What we really need is a hopeful vision of the future that would include a shift to renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings, greener forms of transportation, and an empowered workforce to join in the transition to a cleaner and more just future. And this has to begin with a recognition that we are committed to phasing out fossil fuels. A just transition off of fossil fuels is the one path that has the power to resolve multiple crises at once and set the world on a safer path so that we are not held hostage by fossil fuels, the vicissitudes of energy markets, and the unequal societies that fossil fuels tend to support. With a concerted effort, we can address the climate crisis and offer rational solutions. Unfortunately, there will always be another emergency that demands the world’s attention. We do not have the luxury of dealing with just one crisis at a time. We cannot wait for climate action because climate change will not wait for us. At COP28, it is time for world leaders to bring real solutions and end our reliance on fossil fuels. We just need the courage and hopefulness to chart that path.”
Salon: Biden is gaslighting us about natural gas exports
Caleb Heeringa is Campaign Director of Gas Leaks, a nonprofit educating the public about the harms of “natural” gas; Roishetta Ozane is the founder of the Vessel Project of Louisiana, a grassroots mutual aid, disaster relief, and environmental justice organization, 11/24/23
“Imagine you woke up one morning to find out that the government approved the construction of a giant “natural” gas processing facility in your backyard. Though your community already suffers from elevated levels of asthma, respiratory disease and cancer from polluting industry, no one asked you or your neighbors whether you wanted yet another source of air pollution,” Caleb Heeringa and Roishetta Ozane write for Salon. “Now imagine that the federal government told you that your new polluting neighbor was a solution to climate change and the escalating extreme weather disasters that routinely devastate your community. That kind of gaslighting is the current reality for communities in Southern Louisiana, as President Biden’s Department of Energy considers granting a license to build a new “liquified natural gas” export terminal called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2). This is the latest in the oil and gas industry’s mad dash to build gas export facilities that will make countries around the world dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. For years, the industry has pushed a myth: that “natural” gas is a clean energy solution that can act as a “bridge fuel” until clean energy like wind and solar are ready… “Does polluting Gulf Coast communities, warming the planet with more methane gas and raising US energy prices sound like its “in the public interest?” That’s the metric that President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) is supposed to be weighing to determine whether gas export facilities like CP2 can be built. But as a group of Democrats in Congress have noted, “DOE’s case-by-case approach to approvals ignores the aggregate impact that the explosive growth in U.S. LNG exports is having on climate, communities, and our economy.” The reality is that the rush to expand gas exports has more to do with the interests of oil and gas executives than the public, which will be stuck with more extreme weather disasters, higher energy bills and air pollution in frontline communities in Southern Louisiana. It’s time for Biden and DOE to slow down and actually weigh the impacts that gas exports are having on the American public.”