EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/30/21
PIPELINE NEWS
MinnPost: The Line 3 replacement has been completed and operating for months. So why are activists still camped out by the construction sites?
Facebook: Gidimt'en Checkpoint: Early this morning, a fire was set on the road and CGL work was stopped
Toronto Star: B.C. MLA slams Leonardo DiCaprio for ‘misinformed’ support of pipeline opposition
Bridge Michigan: Ignore the buzz, here’s why Enbridge Line 5 won’t likely close anytime soon
Highland County Press: DeWine, Husted join Ohio’s fight to keep pipeline open
Reuters: Canada's Trans Mountain still 'days away' from restarting pipeline
GlobalNews.ca: B.C.’s gas rationing extended as Trans Mountain Pipeline remains shut down
Radio Iowa: Public hearings get underway for second proposed carbon dioxide pipeline
KCAU: Public discussions on new carbon dioxide pipeline begin
Reuters: Enbridge may face tougher fight for oil barrels, lower rates, after pipeline ruling
Reuters: Canada's Capital Power and Enbridge to partner on carbon capture project
Daily Union: DNR concurs that Enbridge cleanup is progressing
Associated Press: California to reopen fishing after offshore oil spill
WASHINGTON UPDATES
New York Times: Interior Dept. Report on Drilling Is Mostly Silent on Climate Change
E&E News: Judges to hit key climate question: State or federal court?
E&E News: Lobbying blitz scores big wins for hydrogen
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: In shadow of Texas gas drilling sites, health fears escalate
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota eyes federal money for expansion of oil well plugging program
EXTRACTION
CNN.com: Here's how your gas could hit $5 a gallon
OPINION
Washington Post: Opinion: On environmental justice, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is an old story
National Post: Ellis Ross: Leonardo DiCaprio is wrong — the Coastal GasLink Pipeline is good for Indigenous people
Delco Times: Letter to the Editor: Middletown’s collusion with Sunoco is indefensible
Sheridan Press: Guest column: Too much not enough for Wyoming oil drillers
PIPELINE NEWS
MinnPost: The Line 3 replacement has been completed and operating for months. So why are activists still camped out by the construction sites?
Yasmine Askari, 11/29/21
“Every few days, Jaike Spotted-Wolf walks over to a well near Camp Migizi to refill several five-gallon water containers. At the camp, where Spotted-Wolf is one of several matriarchs, there is no plumbing, no pipes and no faucets. Residents take turns getting water, which they need for basics such as cooking and showers,” MinnPost reports. “The camp was — and is — one of several resistance camps formed to oppose Enbridge’s now-completed Line 3 project, which replaced a corroding oil pipeline built in the 1960s with a new, larger pipeline. The pipeline runs through northern Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. Nearly a month and a half after oil-laden tar sands began flowing through the pipes, activists are still living at Camp Migizi and other sites… “Yet, despite the pressure from surrounding residents and the difficulty of living outdoors in northern Minnesota’s frigid winter, and the fact that the Line 3 pipeline replacement is complete and running, activists of Camp Migizi are determined to stay. Their purpose? To monitor the pipeline for leaks, and to be ready to respond to the next project that activists see as a threat to clean water… “Back at Camp Migizi, Spotted-Wolf says the camp has also become a center to organize for other fights against resource extraction, including the proposed Tamarack mining project, a proposed set of mines that would extract nickel, cobalt and copper from sulfide ore bodies in northeastern Minnesota.”
Facebook: Gidimt'en Checkpoint: Early this morning, a fire was set on the road and CGL work was stopped
11/29/21
“Early this morning, a fire was set on the road and CGL work was stopped. Another two arrests were made on Gidimt'en territory, for a growing total of 34 arrests in the last several weeks. That makes 36 arrests since Coyote Camp was established on Sept 25th, 2021. Despite racist, colonial state repression, Wet'suwet'en law will continue to be upheld. We will never back down.”
Toronto Star: B.C. MLA slams Leonardo DiCaprio for ‘misinformed’ support of pipeline opposition
Binny Paul, 11/29/21
“In a series of tweets, Skeena BC Liberal MLA Ellis Ross called out Hollywood heavyweight Leonardo DiCaprio for his allegedly “misinformed” comment in support of the Wet’sutwet’en Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline opposition,” the Toronto Star reports. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ross told DiCaprio on Twitter. “Give me a call. I’ll tell you the other side of the story as an Aboriginal leader who was on the front of this project from day one.” Ross’s comments were a response to the American actor’s own tweet in which he highlighted the pipeline opposition in northwest B.C. to his 19.4 million followers on Twitter and shared a video of the RCMP raid posted by the Gidimt’en Checkpoint group. “After setting up a blockade to protect their land, community, and sacred headwaters Wedzin Kwa from Coastal GasLink’s planned fracked gas pipeline, the Wet’suwet’en Nation has faced militarized raids from the RCMP. We must protect the rights of land defenders,” read DiCaprio’s Nov. 22 tweet… “The CGL pipeline opposition gained worldwide attention after videos of RCMP arresting people who had set up blockades near Houston mid-November went viral on the internet. Pipeline opponents have repeatedly stressed on the environmental concerns of the pipeline being built under the Wedzin Kwa (Morice River), without consent from hereditary chiefs. The 670-kilometre-long CGL pipeline in northwestern B.C. by TC Energy is being built to deliver natural gas from the Dawson Creek area to the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat.”
Bridge Michigan: Ignore the buzz, here’s why Enbridge Line 5 won’t likely close anytime soon
Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and Lester Graham, Michigan Radio, 11/29/21
“Anyone following recent national and international news about the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline could be forgiven for believing the pipeline might shutter any day now, with major implications for winter fuel prices,” Bridge Michigan reports. “But a year since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the pipeline shuttered over safety concerns, its future is no clearer today than it was then. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon. In reality, legal experts and even key Line 5 foes say, any decision about the pipeline’s fate is likely months or even years away. That means barring a dramatic change, Line 5 will keep pumping oil through the winter while judges, diplomats and regulators fight over how quickly the aging pipes must vacate the Straits, and whether Enbridge should build a tunnel to replace them… “The reality is that the economy is moving away from fossil fuels,” Shriberg told Bridge. If the pipeline won’t be complete for nearly a decade, “does anyone think it would be a good idea to invest a billion dollars (in tunnel construction) and keep the Great Lakes at risk for oil and natural gas in a decade from now, as we transition away from it?” Unsurprisingly, Enbridge and its supporters argue just the opposite. “It’s about the safest pipeline that there is,” Mark Griffin, president of the Michigan Petroleum Association told Bridge. “I would hope that instead of putting up obstacles, that the government would find ways to expedite and build the tunnel as safely and as quickly as possible.”
Highland County Press: DeWine, Husted join Ohio’s fight to keep pipeline open
J.D. Davidson, 11/27/21
“Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted joined a growing list of officials increasing the pressure on President Joe Biden and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to keep open a pipeline that affects fuel supplies across Ohio, along with 20,000 jobs,” the Highland County Press reports. “DeWine and Husted sent a letter to Biden seeking to keep the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline operating, saying a closure would cause significant issues in supply chains, unemployment and fuel costs. "Any disruption in Line 5 operations would have a devastating impact on the economy of Northwest Ohio, further harming industry supply chains, eliminating thousands of good-paying jobs, and increasing the cost of fuel for transportation, heat for homes, and products Americans use every day,” the letter reads. The Consumer Energy Alliance reported a Line 5 closure would create a $20.8 billion loss of economic activity and $8.3 billion reduction in combined gross state product, cost 33,755 jobs, eliminate $2.36 billion in wages and lower tax revenues by $265.7 million… “The Ohio Chamber of Commerce joined the General Assembly and other groups in the same effort.”
Reuters: Canada's Trans Mountain still 'days away' from restarting pipeline
11/29/21
“Canada's Trans Mountain said on Monday it was "still days away" from restarting the key oil pipeline at a reduced capacity as heavy rains continue to impede restoration efforts,” Reuters reports. “The pipeline, owned by the Canadian government, ships 300,000 barrels a day of crude and refined products from Alberta to the Pacific Coast. It was temporarily shut down as heavy rains and flooding caused widespread disruption in parts of British Columbia… “Work was interrupted at some sites on Sunday due to high water accumulation or lack of access, the company added. The company on Friday had said it was working toward restarting the oil pipeline at a reduced capacity this week.”
GlobalNews.ca: B.C.’s gas rationing extended as Trans Mountain Pipeline remains shut down
Amy Judd, 11/29/21
“B.C.’s fuel rationing has been extended until Dec. 14, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Monday,” GlobalNews.ca reports. “The general public in Metro Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and other parts of southwestern B.C. will continue to be restricted to only 30 litres of gas per visit to a gas station… “This extension comes as the Trans Mountain Pipeline remains shut down. It could restart at a reduced capacity this week, the company said in a statement Friday.The pipeline has been shut down voluntarily since Sunday, Nov. 14, when an atmospheric river struck B.C… “Petroleum analyst Dan McTeague with Canadians for Affordable Energy told Global News the longer the Trans Mountain Pipeline is down, customers at the pumps will continue to see restricted purchases and some limited supply. “Best-case scenario, we’re not going to see anything until the first, second week of December and possibly into Christmas before everything gets back into what we consider normal,” he told Global News, adding that the Parkland Refinery in Burnaby, B.C., still has to resume operations as well.”
Radio Iowa: Public hearings get underway for second proposed carbon dioxide pipeline
11/29/21
“The first of dozens of public meetings will be held at noon today on a proposal to build a carbon dioxide pipeline that would run the length of the state,” Radio Iowa reports. “The Heartland Greenway project would pipe pressurized carbon across some 1,300 miles and five states, terminating in Illinois. The pipe would go through Jessica Wiskus’ land in rural Linn County. She hopes to organize neighbors against the project, which she says presents safety concerns. “They want us to think we can’t do anything,” Wiskus tells Radio Iowa. “They want us to think it won’t matter if we talk to our neighbors, but I think that they underestimate our character and I feel that this issue actually unites us.” “...Some researchers say carbon capture is vital to lowering emissions, but Wiskus is worried about how safe and effective the project is and she’s organizing against it. “It unites the farmers. It unites the farmer’s daughters, like me. It unites rural and town folks. It unites the environmentalists. People on the right and the left,” she tells Radio Iowa. “And the fact that this issue can unite us is what gives me hope.”
KCAU: Public discussions on new carbon dioxide pipeline begin
Jason Takhtadjian, 11/30/21
“Developers of a second pipeline that would run through Siouxland began meeting with the public Monday,” KCAU reports. “...“I wanted to know the procedures of all that’s going to take place and I’m not sold on the fact that we have too much CO2,” Lyon County resident Roger Lamfers told KCAU. Before any construction begins on a carbon dioxide pipeline that would run through five different states, Navigator Heartland Greenway representatives tells KCAU they are letting residents know the facts before the pipeline is installed… “The plan would involve liquified carbon dioxide being transferred to an underground holding area in Illinois, thus, helping the environment stay clean. “So the ethanol plants and the fertilizer facilities that we’re partnering with as part of this project to help them meet the de-carbonization goals I should say, is immense. Right, it’s what’s going to be what helps these facilities stay around not only for years to come, but decades to come,” Burns-Thompson told KCAU.
Reuters: Enbridge may face tougher fight for oil barrels, lower rates, after pipeline ruling
Rod Nickel, 11/30/21
“A Canadian regulator's rejection last week of Enbridge Inc.'s plan to sell space long-term on the country's biggest oil pipeline dealt the company a double whammy that analysts say could hit its bottom line,” Reuters reports. “Enbridge lost a chance to secure shipping contracts for as long as 20 years, and could lose volume to its rival, Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain, which has sold space under long-term contracts for its expanded capacity that is due for completion in late 2022. Enbridge may also end up charging lower tolling rates to its shippers, after the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) found that Enbridge's proposed toll was unreasonable. Calgary-based Enbridge's proposal, supported largely by U.S. refiners that control most of the Mainline's volume, would have allowed it to pre-sell 90% of space on the 3-million-barrel-per-day (bpd) Mainline, instead of rationing it monthly. CER rejected the plan on Friday, saying the change would have hurt customers without the ability to strike long-term contracts. Enbridge said it will now reopen discussions with shippers on a new tolls agreement, after the previous one expired. But shippers hold the negotiating leverage after the CER found Enbridge's proposed toll would generate greater returns than it could justify, Matt Taylor, analyst at investment bank Tudor Pickering Holt & Co, told Reuters.”
Reuters: Canada's Capital Power and Enbridge to partner on carbon capture project
11/29/21
“Capital Power Corp (CPX.TO) and Enbridge Inc (ENB.TO) agreed to partner on a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, the companies said on Monday, that would aim to capture up to three million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually,” Reuters reports. “...Alberta, home to Canada's oil sands, is aiming to become a hub for carbon storage and hydrogen production as the world moves away from fossil fuel consumption and tries to cut climate-warming carbon emissions. Enbridge would be the transportation and storage service provider, while Capital Power would be the carbon dioxide provider on the project, which could be in service as early as 2026. The captured carbon dioxide emissions from the re-powered units would be transported and stored through Enbridge's open access carbon hub that could also serve several other local industrial companies. Enbridge is applying to develop an open access carbon hub in the Wabamun area through the government of Alberta's request for full project proposals process, which is expected to start as early as December 2021.”
Daily Union: DNR concurs that Enbridge cleanup is progressing
Steve Sharp, 11/30/21
“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed Monday that Enbridge Energy’s cleanup of Fort Atkinson’s Blackhawk Island, following a diluent chemical spill, has been progressing satisfactorily,” the Daily Union reports. “Enbridge reported last week that its remediation was going well. Trevor Nobile, Milwaukee-based field operations director of the DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program, told the Union that Enbridge and its environmental consultant are continuing to respond to the 2019 discharge. “The responsible party has taken an interim remedial action to mitigate the impacts of the discharge and are continuing to conduct their site investigation.” “...The spill took place on Blackhawk Island Road, near the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong. The leak has been stopped, with Enbridge reaching the conclusion that 29 to 33 barrels of diluent were released into the ground… “Jefferson County Director of Emergency Management Donna Haugom told the Union that Enbridge has indicated there have been no additional requests from landowners from near the spill site, and “Enbridge has let them know everything that is being reported to the DNR is available online and is public knowledge.”
Associated Press: California to reopen fishing after offshore oil spill
AMY TAXIN, 11/29/21
“California will reopen fishing along a stretch of southern coastline after barring the activity for weeks following an offshore oil spill, it was announced Monday,” the Associated Press reports. “...The closure in early October covered 650 square miles (1,683 square kilometers) of coastal waters and approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) miles of shoreline, mainly in Orange County. The decision came after testing to ensure the fish along the coast was safe for human consumption after pipeline owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy leaked about 25,000 gallons (94,635 liters) of crude oil in early October. The weekslong closure dealt a blow to fishermen who said customers didn't want to buy their catch, fearing it was contaminated and walloped charter operators who run fishing trips off the Southern California coast. Some have joined lawsuits against Amplify and say their biggest fear is that the spill's stigma will drive away tourists even after the oily tar that washed up on the beaches is long gone… “The spill was caused by a leak in Amplify's pipeline that ferried crude oil from three offshore platforms. The cause is under investigation, but federal officials have said the pipeline was likely initially damaged by a ship's anchor.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
New York Times: Interior Dept. Report on Drilling Is Mostly Silent on Climate Change
Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman, 11/26/21
“The Interior Department on Friday recommended that the federal government raise the fees that oil and gas companies pay to drill on public lands — the first increase in those rent and royalty rates since 1920,” the New York Times reports. “The long-awaited report recommended an overhaul of the rents and royalty fees charged for drilling both on land and offshore, noting one estimate that the government lost up to $12.4 billion in revenue from drilling on federal lands from 2010 through 2019 because royalty rates have been frozen for a century… “But the report was nearly silent about the climate impacts from the public drilling program. The United States Geological Survey estimates that drilling on public land and in federal waters is responsible for almost a quarter of the greenhouse gases generated by the United States that are warming the planet. That silence angered some environmentalists, who want the federal government to consider the climate impact of drilling when it weighs approval of new leases. That would be a first step toward ending new oil and gas drilling on public lands, something President Biden had promised when he ran for office… “Oil and gas industry representatives warned Friday that raising fees would cause prices to skyrocket and undermine energy security. “You know there’s something wrong with a policy when it’s released on a Friday and even more so when it’s a holiday weekend,” Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies, told the Times… “Meanwhile, environmentalists said they were concerned that the Biden administration was backtracking on a central climate pledge. Brett Hartl, director of government affairs for the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, called the 18-page report a “massive betrayal” of the president on climate change. Mr. Hartl told the Times environmental groups had expected the agency to review the fossil fuel leasing program, taking into account the environmental harms of drilling at the local level as well its contribution to the global climate crisis. He told time Times the report, which barely mentioned climate change, “isn’t worth the paper it was written on.”
E&E News: Judges to hit key climate question: State or federal court?
Lesley Clark, 11/30/21
“After a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, federal courts are poised to answer a key procedural question in a set of state and local lawsuits asking oil and gas firms to pay up for the ravages of climate change,” E&E News reports. “Although no court is likely to decide the merits of the more than two dozen climate liability lawsuits across the country, next year could determine where the cases are ultimately tried — in state court, where local governments would like to make their arguments, or before federal judges, as oil companies would prefer… “Since 2017, a growing number of states and municipalities have filed suit against fossil fuel interests, mostly in state courts, seeing the lower courts as the appropriate venue to press claims based on state laws and seek compensation for local climate change effects, like flooding. The cases, many of which argue that the companies violated state law by deceiving consumers about climate change, have largely been tied up in legal disputes over which courts should hear them. “The industry has made a herculean effort to keep these cases out of state court, which would mean a jury trial — their nightmare scenario,” Wiles of the Center for Climate Integrity told E&E. “They don’t want to be there.” Indeed, oil and gas companies — which argue that the lawsuits raise questions over global greenhouse gas emissions that should be settled by lawmakers, not judges — have pushed to move the cases to federal courts. Those courts are seen as a more favorable venue for industry.”
E&E News: Lobbying blitz scores big wins for hydrogen
Timothy Cama, 11/30/21
“The hydrogen fuel industry has scored some key policy victories in recent months as it works to make itself part of the clean energy conversation being prioritized by President Biden and congressional Democrats,” E&E News reports. “For years, hydrogen had been seen mainly as a niche fuel with limited possibilities for use in transportation. But that image is changing. Indeed, recent actions by Congress and within the Biden administration are inflating hydrogen’s balloon. The Department of Energy has made reducing the cost of hydrogen a priority through research and development. The bipartisan infrastructure bill will give the industry a production and transportation boost. And if the partisan reconciliation bill that passed the House this month can survive the Senate sausage-making, the sector will have a new tax credit to subsidize it. Those wins have come after a lobbying blitz from new coalitions that have been promoting hydrogen as a clean fuel, despite criticisms from some climate change activists and Democrats who label the effort as an attempt by the fossil fuel industry to expand its reach, to the detriment of the climate and public health… “To some climate activists, this is all a ruse by fossil fuel interests to stay relevant as calls to decarbonize grow stronger. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), joined by other progressive Democrats, wrote an open letter to congressional leaders calling for Congress to stop supporting the hydrogen industry. “Hydrogen has been touted as a ‘zero-emission,’ alternative energy source in our clean energy transition, but recent peer reviewed science has found that fossil fuel-based hydrogen might have greater greenhouse gas impacts than traditional fossil fuels,” the lawmakers wrote. “As policymakers, we must be attentive to the reality that not all hydrogen is clean and reject efforts to further subsidize dirty hydrogen in the Build Back Better Act.” Groups like Food & Water Watch have been pushing for lawmakers to be more skeptical of hydrogen and its claims, and are placing it in the same category as carbon capture and nuclear power: The group has dubbed them all “false solutions” to climate change.”
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: In shadow of Texas gas drilling sites, health fears escalate
Cathy Bussewitz and Martha Irvine, 11/29/21
“At a playground outside a North Texas day care center, giggling preschoolers chase each other into a playhouse. Toddlers scoot by on tricycles. A boy cries as a teacher helps him negotiate over a toy. Uphill from the playground, peeking between trees, is a site where Total Energies is pumping for natural gas. The French energy giant wants to drill three new wells on the property next to Mother’s Heart Learning Center, which serves mainly Black and Latino children. The three wells, along with two existing ones, would lie about 600 feet from where the children planted a garden of sunflowers,” the Associated Press reports. “For the families of the children and for others nearby, it’s a prospect fraught with fear and anxiety. Living too close to drilling sites has been linked to a range of health risks, especially to children, from asthma to neurological and developmental disorders. And while some states are requiring energy companies to drill farther from day cares, schools and homes, Texas has taken the opposite tack: It has made it exceedingly difficult for localities to fight back. The affected areas go beyond day care centers and schools close to drilling sites. They include communities near related infrastructure — compressor stations, for example, which push gas through pipelines and emit toxic fumes, and export facilities, where gas is cooled before being shipped overseas.”
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota eyes federal money for expansion of oil well plugging program
AMY R. SISK, 11/27/21
“North Dakota’s top oil regulator wants to extend the state’s abandoned well plugging program by tapping into $4 billion made available in the federal infrastructure bill for the purpose of cleaning up old oil and gas sites across the nation,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “Tens of millions of dollars could potentially come North Dakota’s way each year over the next decade to continue the work the Oil and Gas Division started in 2020 to clean up hundreds of wells. Other oil and gas states also are eligible to apply, and advocates for North Dakota landowners say the rest of the country could learn from the state’s experience. The funding is meant “to tackle this problem nationwide and to improve state regulations and federal regulations so that the problem not only doesn’t continue to grow but doesn’t continue to extend and require another infusion of money at some point in the future,” State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms told the Tribune… “North Dakota spent tens of millions of dollars in federal coronavirus aid plugging more than 300 abandoned wells and reclaiming the sites over the past two years. The cleanup work is ongoing. State officials billed the program as a way to keep oil workers employed when the pandemic prompted a downturn in their industry, as well as a means to address the growing number of wells producers had abandoned.”
EXTRACTION
CNN.com: Here's how your gas could hit $5 a gallon
Matt Egan, 11/30/21
“The surge in oil prices this year has angered drivers, tainted Americans' views on the economy and confounded both the White House and Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, JPMorgan Chase says the oil spike is just getting started,” CNN.com reports. “In a new report on Monday, JPMorgan (JPM) warned clients that Brent crude oil will hit $125 a barrel next year and $150 in 2023, in large part because OPEC doesn't have nearly as much firepower to respond to high prices as many assume… “$150 oil is more than double today's Brent price of about $73.50. If that forecast proves accurate, it would likely translate to national gas prices topping $5 a gallon and surely exacerbate inflationary pressures hitting the US economy and squeezing American families. The central problem, Malek told CNN, is that while OPEC nations have plenty of oil in the ground, they don't have the capital and logistics to deliver it quickly. OPEC's real spare capacity, a closely watched metric that measures the amount of barrels that can swiftly be added to the market, stands at just 2 million barrels per day next year, JPMorgan estimates. That is less than half of what many on Wall Street assume… “The fear in those situations is that the oil market is just one shock (a war, natural disaster or another supply disruption) away from being unable to meet demand.”
OPINION
Washington Post: Opinion: On environmental justice, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is an old story
Karen Campblin is the environment and climate justice committee chair for the Virginia State Conference NAACP. Samantha Ahdoot is chair and co-founder of Virginia Clinicians for Climate Actions, 11/26/21
“Here we go again. It was only last year that a federal court ruled that the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board failed to consider whether a compressor station would unfairly burden a predominantly Black community. The community was Union Hill in Buckingham County, Va., and the compressor station was designed to support the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. This time, the community is in Pittsylvania County, Va., and the compressor station is supposed to support MVP Southgate, an extension of the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” Karen Campblin and Samantha Ahdoot write for the Washington Post. “But even if you swap in new names, this is an old story. Again, a pipeline company is proposing to build a compressor station that would pump tons of fine particulate pollution each year into a Virginia community of color. And once again, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board is considering whether to approve that project, despite the clear dangers it represents to Virginians’ health… “We know that people of color suffer more from asthma, heart attacks and lung cancer, and we know that the fine particulate matter that the compressor station would emit would exacerbate these preexisting health conditions… “By any measure, the compressor station would endanger people’s health — the health of people who can least afford it. The developer’s own consultant identified four communities near the station that meet “environmental justice community” parameters under the Virginia Environmental Justice Act… “The effects of climate change are already showing up in the exam rooms of pediatricians. It’s clear that projects such as the one Mountain Valley Pipeline is proposing will only exacerbate this growing crisis. We urge the Air Pollution Control Board to deny the permit and protect the Black Virginians who would be most affected by the proposed compressor station. To do otherwise would simply be deja vu.”
National Post: Ellis Ross: Leonardo DiCaprio is wrong — the Coastal GasLink Pipeline is good for Indigenous people
Ellis Ross, MLA, BC Liberal leadership candidate, 11/26/21
“Dear Leo, I was confused and alarmed when I read your Tweet claiming “militarized raids” have been ordered against protestors participating in illegal and dangerous blockades opposing the Coastal GasLink project in Northern British Columbia,” Ellis Ross writes for the National Post. “But then I thought, given your busy schedule as a Hollywood movie star, you may not have learned the full story behind this transformative, environmentally sustainable project. So please, allow me to fill you in. My people and many other First Nations communities, leaders, and elders, including 20 democratically elected Chiefs whose bands support the Coastal Gas Link project, are proud to champion British Columbia’s world-class resource sector. These leaders have been elected by their communities, as I was when I fought to bring liquified natural gas (LNG) development to our province. I suppose you haven’t thought about how in siding with the unelected hereditary chiefs opposed to the Coastal Gas Link project, you are ignoring the democratic rights of thousands of First Nations people?” “...On behalf of all British Columbians, I invite you to visit my home, Kitimaat Village, and tour the state-of-the-art LNG Canada liquified natural gas plant. It would be my pleasure to show you the incredible benefits of this natural resource and to introduce you to some of the amazing people who proudly work every day to fuel the economies of the world with our clean, environmentally friendly products.”
Delco Times: Letter to the Editor: Middletown’s collusion with Sunoco is indefensible
Stephen Iacobucci, Glen Riddle Station Apartments Ownership Group, 11/28/21
“Middletown Township’s appeal of a second order directing it to release to the taxpayers emails with Sunoco/Energy Transfer regarding the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline should concern everyone in our community,” Stephen Iacobucci writes for the Delco Times. “Sunoco is now facing 48 criminal charges by the Pennsylvania Attorney General, while Middletown claims “common interest” with Sunoco. Incredibly, Sunoco and the township say releasing emails would threaten national security. Fortunately, the courts forced them to turn over a list of 605 emails with subject lines. We can’t see what’s written, but it’s hard to imagine national security concerns over emails with subject lines such as “Media Statement,” “Incident Statement – Middletown Township Valley and Forge Roads,” “Curt – We need to meet. It’s not safe to live here anymore,” “RTK Petition,” “… Night Layout of Aerial Sound Wall,” and “Glen Riddle Station Apartments.” It’s a galling lack of transparency that the township continues to prevent taxpayers from reviewing public documents they paid for and is spending enormous taxpayer resources to keep them hidden. When criminal charges have been filed against a company for threatening the drinking water, the township should do all in its power to be transparent.”
Sheridan Press: Guest column: Too much not enough for Wyoming oil drillers
Bob LeResche ran Alaska’s oil and gas leasing program as commissioner of natural resources for that state, 11/27/21
“On Jan. 27, President Biden ordered a pause in years of breakneck oil and gas leasing by the Department of the Interior. He wanted to slow the giveaway of federal lands and mineral resources and take time to consider how the leasing program could be improved to better serve American taxpayers, state treasuries, public land users and the millions of citizens suffering accelerating harm from climate change,” Bob LeResche writes for the Sheridan Press. “Cue angst and lawsuits from the usual suspects — the American Petroleum Institute, Petroleum Association of Wyoming, Western Energy Alliance and a bevy of resource colony politicians. Lawsuits were filed by 16 states in three separate federal courts, and the infamously conservative Fifth Circuit in Louisiana enjoined the leasing pause on June 15th, forcing Interior to resume quarterly lease sales… “First, why do industry and their politicians need to lock up 888 square miles of Wyoming in this one lease sale? An Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources once told the Alaska Miners Association he’d like to see “more mining and less whining.” The same seems to apply to the poor, downtrodden Wyoming oil and gas industry. Today there are more than 7,800 square miles of leased non-producing federal mineral rights waiting to be developed. This is more land area than Campbell and Sheridan counties combined. Conservation Economics Institute estimates that “Wyoming has … stockpiled [enough] non-producing acres … [for] 67 years of drilling opportunities on federal lands.” It makes much more sense for Wyoming industry to drill this New Jersey-sized acreage they’ve already leased, rather than demanding to lock up 888 more square miles of Wyoming.”