EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/30/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Virginia Pipeline Challengers Seek Freeze From High Court
Prairie Public Broadcasting: State agencies preparing to submit comments on the Environmental Impact Statement on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Des Moines Register: ND regulators to weigh restrictions on carbon capture pipeline routes, echoing Iowa debate
South Dakota Searchlight: Lincoln could become sixth county to regulate location of carbon pipelines
FOX News: Ramaswamy swipes 'GOP establishment' in Iowa for supporting CO2 pipelines as part of climate ‘hoax’
Press release: REPS. CARBAJAL, BROWNLEY INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN U.S. PIPELINE SAFETY REGULATIONS, EXPAND EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED AFTER REFUGIO OIL SPILL
Washington Post: EPA proposes replacing all lead pipes for the first time
CBC: Woman arrested during Wet'suwet'en pipeline blockade found not guilty
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: White House announces new strategy to track emissions
Center for Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Seeks Records on Biden Administration’s Rejection of Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Petition
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Air pollution from oil and gas worsening in Carlsbad, Loving as industry grows, study says
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: Countries adopt landmark ‘loss and damage’ deal at COP28
Reuters: Exxon CEO Darren Woods likely to attend COP28 – sources
Financial Times: ExxonMobil makes U-turn on monitoring its methane emissions
Axios: Fossil fuel lobbying in the spotlight at COP28
Guardian: Most sponsors of Cop28 have not signed up to UN-backed net zero targets
Canadian Press: Canadian oil and gas execs to talk up emissions reduction plans at COP28
DeSmog: A Journalist’s Guide to CCS Greenwashing at COP28: Tips for Covering Carbon Capture [VIDEO]
CBC: Massive carbon capture facility worries Alberta residents [VIDEO]
Wall Street Journal: Occidental Petroleum in Talks to Buy Permian Producer CrownRock
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: New Boulder Park a Rock-Solid Symbol of Action and Togetherness
Enbridge: Youth volunteerism unlocks life and leadership skills in Calgary
OPINION
MSNBC: Trump's climate plan: Kill us all even faster
The Conversation: The path to net-zero emissions runs through industry
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Virginia Pipeline Challengers Seek Freeze From High Court
Ali Sullivan, 11/29/23
“Virginia landowners challenging the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline have returned to the U.S. Supreme Court, imploring Chief Justice John Roberts to stop the natural-gas pipeline work from harming their property while litigation over the constitutionality of land seized for the project plays out in the lower courts,” Law360 reports.
Prairie Public Broadcasting: State agencies preparing to submit comments on the Environmental Impact Statement on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Dave Thompson, 11/29/23
“North Dakota state agencies are working on quantifying the potential effects of the shutdown of the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Prairie Public Broadcasting reports. “The US Army Corps of Engineers has set a December 13th deadline for comments on the proposed environmental impact statement. State officials argue shutting the pipeline down would throttle oil and gas development, as well as hurt other sectors of the state’s economy. Speaking at a state Industrial Commission meeting, state Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms said the pipeline shutdown will also affect the state Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks, which had some impacts from oil development before the pipeline was built. "When all of the crude oil got on the rail, how many times they (the mill) were not able to get rail cars to bring in grain or to ship out flour," Helms told PPB. "We were able to look back at the 2014-2015 era, pre-DAPL, and see what the impact would be on the Mill and Elevator. It's very substantial." Gov. Doug Burgum chairs the Industrial Commission. He told PPB keeping the pipeline in service is a “whole of government” approach to what he called an “unprecedented” action.
Des Moines Register: ND regulators to weigh restrictions on carbon capture pipeline routes, echoing Iowa debate
Donnelle Eller, 11/29/23
“North Dakota regulators will hear arguments next month on Summit Carbon Solutions’ effort to set aside requirements in two counties that established restrictions on where carbon capture pipelines can be built — a debate that's also playing out in Iowa,” the Des Moines Register reports. “On Wednesday, the North Dakota Public Service Commission said it would hear arguments at 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at the state capital on Summit's request to preempt ordinances in Burleigh and Emmons counties… “Summit renewed its effort to quash the county restrictions in September, after the North Dakota commission agreed to reconsider the company's pipeline permit request… “To win reconsideration, Summit said it would route the pipeline farther from Bismarck because of concerns the project would hamper residential development planned there. Despite the concession, Summit revived its June objections to Burleigh and Emmons ordinances, saying the local requirements “would frustrate, if not outright halt, investment in North Dakota's carbon-capture” use and storage industry, “a key driver of the North Dakota economy.” Opponents in Bismarck, the state capital in Burleigh County, say in a filing that Summit has "deceptively argued" the county’s ordinances made a route impossible. A map that Summit submitted to regulators, "allegedly showing no route through the county, is entirely false." “...Opponents in Iowa, North Dakota and elsewhere point to a letter from federal regulators to pipeline companies that says they recognize local governments' authority to restrict "land use and development along pipeline rights-of-way through zoning, setbacks and similar measures."
South Dakota Searchlight: Lincoln could become sixth county to regulate location of carbon pipelines
JOSHUA HAIAR. 11/28/23
“Lincoln County could become the sixth county in the state to enact regulations on the location of carbon dioxide pipelines,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “Brown, McPherson, Minnehaha, Moody and Spink counties already have “setback” ordinances that mandate minimum distances between pipelines and residential areas, livestock facilities, nursing homes and other existing features. The Lincoln County Commission rejected a setback proposal earlier this year due to concerns about the county’s authority to enact such an ordinance. Since then, state regulators told county officials they do in fact have the authority, according to Eric Scott, who serves on the county’s new Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage Advisory Committee, which is tasked with preparing an ordinance recommendation… “The Lincoln County pipeline committee held its second meeting Tuesday to discuss four proposals ranging from aggressive setback distances favored by pipeline opponents to lesser distances they oppose. County Commissioner Joel Arends suggested the committee should first hear from out-of-state carbon pipeline operators and regulators. He said that while the current proposals may be informed by other South Dakota county ordinances, he wants to “hear from people who have real-world experience regulating these things.” From there, the discussion pivoted from discussing the proposals on the table to discussing who should be at the table. Some members suggested South Dakota state and county officials would suffice. “I don’t know how many outside people we need to come in and tell us how to write our ordinance,” committee member Eric Scott said. Committee member Anthony Ventura said the listening sessions would only mean kicking discussion of the proposals — two of which he introduced — further down the road. “I think we’re dragging our heels here,” Ventura said. The committee will continue discussing the issues at its next meeting.”
FOX News: Ramaswamy swipes 'GOP establishment' in Iowa for supporting CO2 pipelines as part of climate ‘hoax’
Joseph A. Wulfsohn, 11/28/23
“Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is taking the "GOP establishment" in Iowa to task, specifically calling out Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds over support of the CO2 pipeline he argues negatively impacts farmers in the Hawkeye State,” FOX News reports. “In an announcement obtained by Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy teased a policy speech he's set to give Friday in Des Moines regarding CO2 pipelines being implemented he says as part of the "climate change agenda," knocking Republicans who are onboard with it. "The GOP establishment does NOT approve of this message & it’s pathetic I’m the only candidate with the stones to say it," Ramaswamy's statement began. "The climate change agenda is a hoax & it’s hurting farmers in Iowa. Here’s how: the U.S. government enacted crony subsidies to reward those who build CO2 pipelines across the Midwest to bury CO2 in the ground in North Dakota (which is senseless for many reasons, including the fact that crops require CO2)." "Here’s the bigger problem: most farmers don’t want the CO2 pipeline on their land. There are real hazards & many farmers don’t want to sell their land either. But the GOP Establishment in Iowa has enacted eminent domain to *seize* these farmers’ land which is a gross violation of their property rights," Ramaswamy wrote. He continued, "Every political consultant tells you to stay away from the CO2 pipeline issue, because it makes the likes of @GovKimReynolds look horrible for supporting it. Well, I refuse to be controlled. We’ll go deep on this on Friday at 12pm in Des Moines, with the Free Soil Coalition."
Press release: REPS. CARBAJAL, BROWNLEY INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN U.S. PIPELINE SAFETY REGULATIONS, EXPAND EMERGENCY REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED AFTER REFUGIO OIL SPILL
11/29/23
“Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) are introducing new legislation to expand the types of oil and gas pipelines in the United States that are required to install automatic shut-off valves and rupture detection technologies to mitigate devastating spills like the one that spilled over 100,000 gallons of oil on the Central Coast of California in 2015. In March 2022, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) followed through on a longtime push by California lawmakers to mandate these safety features on new and entirely replaced gas transmission lines, Type A gas gathering, and hazardous liquid (including carbon dioxide) pipelines. In May 2023, however, a U.S. district court limited application of this rule by striking down the safety feature requirements applying to Type A gas gathering lines–the pipelines that transport gas from a production facility or refinery to a transmission line or gas main. The bill introduced by Reps. Carbajal and Brownley today, the Valve Safety Fairness Act of 2023, would restore the requirement for Type A gas gathering line operators to install these safety technologies in compliance with the 2022 PHMSA rule. “While an automatic shutoff valve may not stop an oil spill from happening, it can mitigate some of the damage to our communities. I represent communities that have been directly impacted by oil spills,” Congressman Carbajal said. “Not only do they pollute our oceans and kill wildlife, but are also costly in clean-up costs and shuttered fisheries. Therefore, I am committed to preventing Big Oil’s use of judicial roadblocks to block the implementation of this critical technology across the communities where these pipelines threaten our environment and our neighborhoods. With oil and gas companies making more than $200 billion in profits last year alone, their attempts to avoid paying for the most basic safety features are an insult to the intelligence of the communities that I represent.”
Washington Post: EPA proposes replacing all lead pipes for the first time
Maxine Joselow, 11/20/23
“The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a proposal that for the first time would require the nation’s water utilities to replace all of their lead pipes, an effort meant to protect children and the general public from the potent neurotoxin,” the Washington Post reports. “Lead, which can be dangerous at any level of exposure, has been linked to irreversible cognitive damage and other ailments, particularly in small children. But despite the significant health threat, cities have struggled to remove an estimated 9.2 million lead pipes still in use and, until now, the federal government has never mandated their total replacement. If finalized, the proposed rule would give most water utilities 10 years to replace all lead service lines, many of which have been underground for centuries, delivering water to homes, schools and offices. It would be a massive and expensive undertaking.”
CBC: Woman arrested during Wet'suwet'en pipeline blockade found not guilty
Jackie McKay, 11/29/23
“B.C.'s Supreme Court has ruled that a person charged with contempt of court for breaking an injunction on the Coastal GasLink Pipeline was found not guilty,” the CBC reports. “B.C. Crown Prosecution Service confirmed with CBC that Justice Michael Tammen read the decision in Smithers, B.C., Wednesday for the trial of Sabina Dennis. Dennis was arrested during a police raid to enforce the Coastal GasLink injunction on Nov. 18, 2021… “Although the company signed benefit agreements with 20 elected band councils along the project's route in 2018, several Wet'suwet'en hereditary leaders say band councils do not have authority over traditional territories beyond reserve boundaries and the company does not have consent to cross their territory, about 780 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. "This is the first clear victory for the land defenders on the Wet'suwet'en yintah (territory) since the injunction was issued in 2019," defence lawyer Frances Mahon told CBC. Dennis is the first person arrested during the Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 raids on Wet'suwet'en territory to go to trial on a criminal contempt charge. "We are absolutely thrilled to see a shift in how the Canadian courts have been dealing with these questions," Mahon told CBC. Mahon said Dennis — a Dakelh woman — was invited to the pipeline blockade by members of the Wet'suwet'en to bear witness to the events, in accordance with Wet'suwet'en traditional law… “The trial for Sleydo' Molly Wickham, Shay Lynn Sampson, and Corey Jocko, who were arrested at the blockade on Nov. 19, 2021, will start Jan. 8 at the B.C. Supreme Court in Smithers, B.C.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: White House announces new strategy to track emissions
Robin Bravender, 11/29/23
“The Biden administration has a new strategy to measure emissions, which officials see as a step toward meeting climate goals,” E&E News reports. “The White House on Wednesday announced a new emission-tracking plan developed by representatives from across the federal government that aims to boost coordination and improve the government’s efforts to measure and monitor greenhouse gases. The move to keep better tabs on emissions will advance government efforts to “fight the existential threat of climate change,” the White House said. The effort comes as the United States attempts to slash economywide net greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent from 2005 levels in 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Some sources of emissions — such as power plants and industrial facilities — are easier to track than others, such as agricultural operations. “President Biden recognizes that climate solutions rooted in robust and rigorous data are better positioned to grow with speed and scale,” Ali Zaidi, Biden’s national climate adviser, told E&E.
Center for Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Seeks Records on Biden Administration’s Rejection of Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Petition
11/28/23
“The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Department of the Interior today to challenge its failure to release public records about why it rejected a rulemaking petition to phase out oil and gas extraction on public lands by 2035. “This lawsuit will shed light on the Biden administration’s dumbfounding refusal to align our country’s federal fossil fuel programs with its own climate goals,” said Taylor McKinnon with the Center for Biological Diversity. “All-time high federal oil production is causing our planet’s life support systems to shut down under the stresses of the climate emergency. The administration needs to explain its failure to take bold, urgent action but instead its hiding public records.” The Interior Department has refused to provide public records the Center requested in July, violating the Freedom of Information Act. In June the administration rejected a petition from more than 360 U.S. climate, Indigenous and conservation groups to phase out oil and gas production on federal lands and waters… “Today’s lawsuit follows another the Center filed in April to compel a response to the petition after the Interior Department ignored it for more than a year. The department claimed it had “insufficient resources” to initiate the rulemaking.”
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Air pollution from oil and gas worsening in Carlsbad, Loving as industry grows, study says
Adrian Hedden, 11/29/23
“A study on air pollution in Carlsbad and Loving, the site of ongoing research by scientists at Texas A&M on air quality in the area, could help inform future policy to safeguard front line communities,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The study, using air monitoring stations in both Eddy County communities began in April 2023, and in an update provided by the team Nov. 13, data showed heightened levels of pollutants like ground-level ozone, methane, benzene and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Airborne radioactivity was also found in the air around the communities, believed rising because of growth in energy development, read the report… “Southeast New Mexico was identified by state officials as having higher levels of ozone than most other regions of the state. Recently-enacted rules by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to increase gas leak detection and repairs was one measure to stem worsening ozone pollution.” That could also help prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from designating the Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas as in violation of federal air quality standards, a listing that could stymie future development and increase requirements for permits to drill.”
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: Countries adopt landmark ‘loss and damage’ deal at COP28
Maxine Joselow, 11/20/23
“Negotiators from nearly 200 nations kicked off the COP28 climate talks Thursday by adopting a historic deal to compensate vulnerable countries for the ravages of climate change,” the Washington Post reports. “Ratification of the “loss and damage” fund gives the United Arab Emirates a win at the summit’s outset, as the oil kingdom battles low expectations for the conference, The Washington Post’s Timothy Puko and Chico Harlan report. The UAE yesterday released a draft agreement on the loss-and-damage fund that accepts recommendations from a transitional committee, including a recommendation that all contributions should be considered voluntary. The United States had pushed for this provision, as the Biden administration is unlikely to muster a significant contribution to the fund, given congressional Republicans’ opposition to most climate-related spending.”
Reuters: Exxon CEO Darren Woods likely to attend COP28 – sources
Sabrina Valle and Sarah Mcfarlane, 11/29/23
“Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) Chief Executive Darren Woods is making plans to attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai next week, two people familiar with the matter said, in what would mark a first for an Exxon CEO, if confirmed,” Reuters reports.” Woods is expected to advocate that reducing carbon emissions should be a priority in addressing climate change, rather than reducing oil production. He has made that something of a mantra in the past couple of years that the world needs affordable energy and that cutting emissions is a more effective solution… “Environmentalists have criticized Exxon's plans to increase oil production and failure to address scope 3 emissions, or emissions caused by burning the fuels that Exxon sells.”
Financial Times: ExxonMobil makes U-turn on monitoring its methane emissions
Myles McCormick and Jamie Smyth, 11/30/23
“ExxonMobil has agreed to join the UN’s flagship methane emissions reporting programme as it seeks to present a more transparent image after years of resisting external monitoring of its approach to climate change,” the Financial Times reports. “The biggest western oil producer told the Financial Times that advances in technology meant it was now in a position to join the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership, a standardised reporting framework to monitor industry emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, led by the UN Environment Programme. The decision represents a sharp U-turn for Exxon, which as recently as its annual meeting in May urged shareholders to vote against a resolution calling for it to join the programme, arguing that doing so would be “duplicative” and “unnecessary”. “Now seems like the right time,” Vijay Swarup, Exxon’s director of technology, told FT in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Spring, Texas, just north of Houston. “What has happened over the last couple of years is the technology has evolved.” “We wanted to make sure that we had the . . . technology road map to meet what OGMP requires you to do,” he told FT. “If we say something we’re going to do it — we’re not going to say something that we can’t do.”
Axios: Fossil fuel lobbying in the spotlight at COP28
Rebecca Falconer, 11/29/23
“Fossil fuel lobbying at COP28 is facing scrutiny after a report alleged host country the UAE planned to discuss striking oil and gas deals with other governments at the climate summit, which starts Thursday,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: The report — which COP28 organizers categorically deny —includes allegations that a UAE team prepared "talking points" to further the interests of ADNOC, a state oil firm that COP president-designate Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber heads. The Centre for Climate Reporting's report with the BBC comes as environmental groups and some lawmakers raise concerns about fossil fuel lobbyists at the key UN conference in Dubai that's seen as a last-ditch effort to limit warming to the most ambitious Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels by 2100… “Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of The Club of Rome, a nonprofit in Switzerland that works on climate change, who wrote last year that she feared the event was "becoming little more than a circus, with the petrostates as the ringmasters," told NPR this week that the number of lobbyists who attend the COPs had surged.
Guardian: Most sponsors of Cop28 have not signed up to UN-backed net zero targets
Sandra Laville, 11//29/23
“Most companies sponsoring the UN climate talks in Dubai are not committed to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions in line with globally recognised net zero targets, it has been revealed,” the Guardian reports. “Only one of the more than 20 sponsors of Cop28 has signed up to UN-backed net zero science-based targets, (SBTi), according to an analysis. Most of the corporate sponsors, which include the oilfield services company Baker Hughes as well as Bank of America, have made no commitment to reduce emissions to net zero in any time period under the target system. The global accountancy firm EY, formerly Ernst and Young, which has been hired as the independent verifier of the climate record of all the sponsors, has also not set targets with the net zero scheme… “But only one corporation, the renewable energy company Iberdrola, is a validated member of the SBTi scheme, with a fully committed target date for cutting its emissions. The sponsorship committee in the United Arab Emitrates, which holds the Cop presidency this year, said organisations seeking to sponsor the event were required to submit their commitments to net zero and climate action as part of their sponsorship applications. But its wording leaves wriggle room for sponsors, saying they need to be signed up to “credible net zero transition plans by 2030 and 2050 based on SBTi”, rather than the globally recognised scheme itself.”
Canadian Press: Canadian oil and gas execs to talk up emissions reduction plans at COP28
Amanda Stephenson, 11/29/23
“Executives and senior leaders from Canada's oil and gas sector are heading to Dubai for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks, eager to tell the world they are doing what they can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the Canadian Press reports. “...Among the Canadian oil and gas sector representatives headed to the summit are a contingent from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) industry group and a team from the Pathways Alliance consortium of oilsands companies. CAPP president Lisa Baiton told CBC the group is going to "contribute to the dialogue" on global decarbonization efforts, while Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling said his organization wants to collaborate with other industries around the world who face similar challenges when it comes to emissions. "We're going there in a very constructive way to say, 'We're here, we're a big source of emissions and we're going to be a big part of the solution,"' Dilling told CBC. "I think we have something to offer, frankly … we're an entire sector that's come together jointly to tackle this problem." “...The Pathways Alliance, which says it has spent $1.8 billion since 2021 on decarbonization efforts, says it's eager to talk about some of its emissions reduction plans — including a proposal to spend $16.5 billion to build a massive carbon capture and storage network in northern Alberta. "We know that it's critical to the future of our business and to the sustainability of our sector," Dilling said, adding that international climate targets will never be met if heavy emitters aren't at the table for events like COP28.’
DeSmog: A Journalist’s Guide to CCS Greenwashing at COP28: Tips for Covering Carbon Capture [VIDEO]
11/28/23
“What is carbon capture and storage, why will it be a hot topic at COP28, and how can journalists cover it better?,” DeSmog reports. “Matthew Green, global investigations editor, will moderate a lively discussion and Q&A with Michael Buchsbaum, an energy journalist with decades of experience covering CCS, and Geoff Dembicki, author of The Petroleum Papers. The panelists will help journalists understand CCS — from what it is to why fossil fuel companies are so keen on it to its dubious track record — and will share their top tips for avoiding pitfalls and misleading fossil fuel industry narratives when covering carbon management schemes. This is a recording of a webinar that took place on November 13, 2023.”
CBC: Massive carbon capture facility worries Alberta residents [VIDEO]
11/29/23
“Canadian oilsands companies want to build a $16.5-billion carbon capture project near Cold Lake, Alta. Residents fear that pumping millions of tonnes of CO2 underground will endanger their communities,” the CBC reports.
Wall Street Journal: Occidental Petroleum in Talks to Buy Permian Producer CrownRock
Lauren Thomas, Laura Cooper, Benoît Morenne, 11/29/23
“Occidental Petroleum OXY 0.45%increase; green up pointing triangle is in talks to buy CrownRock, a major energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, continuing a frenzy of deal making in the oil patch,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “A deal for the closely held company, which could be valued well above $10 billion including debt, could come together soon assuming the talks don’t fall apart or another suitor doesn’t prevail, according to people familiar with the matter.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: New Boulder Park a Rock-Solid Symbol of Action and Togetherness
11/29/23
“There’s a brand-new boulder playground in the heart of Boitanio Park in Williams Lake,” according to Enbridge. “...About 70 businesses and families pooled their resources to bring this boulder park to life. The driving force behind it—the Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak, led by its president Andrew Sandberg… “Enbridge was one of the silver sponsors that donated $5,000 to build the playground. The grant is part of our Fueling Futures program, reaffirming our commitment to fostering vibrant communities where we live and work. “This new boulder park serves as a symbol and an inspiration that we can build something meaningful by working together,” says Dean Freeman, BC Pipeline field operations director with Enbridge.
Enbridge: Youth volunteerism unlocks life and leadership skills in Calgary
11/29/23
“Through its Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) program, Youth Central is offering a way for young Calgarians to give back to their community while building essential life skills in the process,” according to Enbridge. “...This year, Enbridge gave a $20,000 Fueling Futures donation to Youth Central as part of our commitment to building vibrant communities near our operations. The funding supports the YVC program, enabling the organization to add staff and enhance its reporting abilities. Enbridge has supported the YVC program since 2020.”
OPINION
MSNBC: Trump's climate plan: Kill us all even faster
Hayes Brown, 11/28/23
“Ahead of the United Nations’ annual climate summit beginning this week, scientists and policy experts are once again ringing alarm bells warning that the current efforts to slow climate change are falling short. Only a massive shift away from fossil fuels and a reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the air can avert the oncoming disaster. But former President Donald Trump and his advisers have other ideas, all of which would only bring about a climate change-fueled apocalypse even faster,” Hayes Brown writes for MSNBC. “Former President Donald Trump and his advisers have other ideas, all of which would only bring about a climate change-fueled apocalypse even faster. As campaign officials and advisers recently told The Financial Times, if Trump is elected to a second term, his climate policies would be focused less on keeping the planet habitable at the end of the century and more on working to “maximize fossil fuel production.” Beyond simply cranking up output, Trump would also seek to roll back any environmental regulations that the Biden administration has issued and have Congress cut off the climate spending in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act… “But for Trump, the future of the planet isn’t a concern. David Banks, a former Trump adviser, told the FT that Trump is a “climate skeptic” and that for the former president, energy policy is “more of an economic concern and competitiveness concern.” It’s stunning to see this view presented as though it’s perfectly logical. This refusal to see what’s coming is like being obsessed about who can build the bigger sandcastle as a tidal wave threatens to wipe out the entire beach. And it would be one thing though if it were just Trump who felt this way. Instead, he’s surrounded by people who are heavily invested in exacerbating that skepticism of his, turning it into a climate policy that benefits the fossil fuels industry and threatens the well-being of everyone on the planet. This refusal to see what’s coming is like being obsessed about who can build the bigger sandcastle as a tidal wave threatens to wipe out the entire beach… “But the current, unsustainable status quo isn’t enough for Trump and his allies. They want to make things even worse, in the name of “energy independence” and other slogans to cover up their willingness to trade human lives for higher profits and share prices. The level of myopia and short-term thinking on display will haunt humanity for centuries to come — if we last that long.”
The Conversation: The path to net-zero emissions runs through industry
Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines; Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex; Steven Griffiths, Senior Vice President for Research and Development, Professor of Practice in Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, 11/29/23
“As government leaders and climate negotiators gather in Dubai for the COP28 United Nations climate conference, an enormous challenge looms over the proceedings: decarbonizing the global industrial sector,” Morgan Bazilian, Benjamin K. Sovacool, and Steven Griffiths write for The Conversation. “Industry has accounted for over 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. It is the single largest emitting sector when accounting for its electricity use and heat generation. For countries to meet their goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, stopping emissions from carbon-intensive industries like steel, cement and chemicals is imperative. There are promising technologies and innovations that can drive decarbonization in industry: green hydrogen fuel made from clean electricity and water, energy efficiency measures across supply chains, and carbon capture, use and storage to name a few. However, these solutions have yet to be deployed at the speed and scale required to slow global warming… “First and foremost, there needs to be a radical scale-up of financing for industrial decarbonization in the developing world. Annual investments will have to increase at least sevenfold by 2030 to get the world on track to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century… “Finally, a new global treaty to coordinate industrial decarbonization will likely be necessary to move fast enough. The treaty could establish standards, incentivize coordination on policies and avoid unfair competition as countries shift to net-zero industries… “With smart policy, investments in technology and human capital, and bold leadership from countries in the Global North and Global South, we believe that decarbonizing heavy industry could become the next big climate and economic development success story.”