EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 1/13/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Illinois court vacates approval of Dakota Access pipeline capacity expansion
Associated Press: Pipeline spills 300,000 gallons of diesel in St. Bernard wetland
The Gazette: Linn County Supervisors oppose use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines
WQAD: 'Soil is never the same' | Knox County farmer concerned about carbon pipeline's impact
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Third carbon pipeline proposed for Iowa
FarmWeek: Illinois could host proposed pipeline to offset biorefinery carbon emissions
Press release: As Feds Advance Pipeline Emission Rules, Report Finds Widespread Availability and Adoption of Technologies to Cut Methane
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: THE GULF CCUS HUB
STATE UPDATES
Indianapolis Star: CenterPoint wants to spend $900M on 2 natural gas plants that will run 10% of the time
Natural Gas Intelligence: Lucid Advancing CCS Project for Permian Delaware Natural Gas Processing Complex
Texas Monthly: A Forgotten Oil Well Births a 100-Foot Geyser in West Texas
Colorado Sun: Environmental groups launch six-figure ad campaign pressuring Colorado’s governor to act on abandoned oil and gas wells
Associated Press: US Navy to drain Hawaii tank system blamed for tainted water
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Canada to Face Challenge in Remaining Major Oil Power, IEA Warns
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Oilsands producers rev up spending as crude prices rise
Reuters: Exxon, Imperial Oil to market up to $1 billion in Canadian assets
DeSmog: Living Closer to Oil and Gas Drilling Linked to Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications, New Study Finds
OPINION
The Economist: Can big oil’s bounce-back last?
The Hill: Enlisting nature in the climate battle
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Illinois court vacates approval of Dakota Access pipeline capacity expansion
By Laura Sanicola, 1/12/22
“An Illinois appellate court on Wednesday vacated approval given by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to allow the expansion of the Dakota Access oil pipeline capacity up to 1.1 million barrels per day,” Reuters reports. “The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) can transport about 570,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from North Dakota to the Midwest, though the company said in August it had completed a capacity expansion to 750,000 barrels per day… “In 2020 the commission approved addition of pumping stations that would boost the pipeline's capacity over the objections of environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council. The groups appealed to the appellate court, which returned the case to the commission for further consideration on Wednesday. The commission needed to consider the public need for the proposed improvement, but the court said the commission erroneously interpreted the public to mean the world, not the United States. The court also found that the commission abused its discretion in finding irrelevant the objectors' evidence that the pipeline's operator, Sunoco (SUN.N), had been fined for safety and environmental violations.”
Associated Press: Pipeline spills 300,000 gallons of diesel in St. Bernard wetland
JANET MCCONNAUGHEY AND MATTHEW BROWN, 1/12/22
“A severely corroded pipeline ruptured and spilled more than 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel just outside Chalmette, according to federal records,” the Associated Press reports. “The spill from the 16-inch diameter line operated by Collins Pipeline Co. was discovered Dec. 27 near a levee along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Canal between Chalmette and Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, according to documents from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. In October 2020, an inspection of the 42-year-old pipeline had revealed external corrosion along a 22-foot section of pipe in the same area as the spill. But repairs were delayed and the line continued operating after a subsequent inspection indicated the corrosion was not bad enough to require work immediately under federal regulations, according to the pipeline agency. The spilled fuel contaminated soil and created a large pool of diesel in an environmentally sensitive area just a few hundred feet from the Mississippi River, the documents show. Much of the diesel was contained and cleaned up before it reached nearby waterways, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator Sam Jones told AP.
Star Tribune: Enbridge-funded state account has paid over $4.8M for Line 3 policing costs
Mike Hughlett, 1/12/22
“Enbridge has doled out about $4.8 million to cover policing and public safety costs related to construction of its new Line 3 across northern Minnesota — and the final tab will be higher,” the Star Tribune reports. “Meanwhile, courts in counties along the pipeline's route are clogged with hundreds of cases involving protesters. Several have been charged with felony theft for chaining themselves to pipeline construction equipment. The felony theft charges, which have been levied in several counties, are prosecutorial overkill, Joshua Preston, an attorney representing at least 35 defendants, told the Tribune. "They are intended to have a chilling effect — to discourage people from engaging in protest." But Hubbard County Attorney Jonathan Frieden told the Tribune by chaining themselves to equipment, protesters deprived contractors the use of their property, which is a theft under state law… “In six counties — Hubbard, Aitkin, Clearwater, Cass, Carlton and Beltrami — 736 people were charged, said defense attorney Preston. At least 300 people were also charged in other counties where protests were held. Of those 736 cases, 556 are still open and about 40% of those involve gross misdemeanor charges, Preston told the Tribune. At least one felony charge is involved in 43 open cases… “Since law enforcement was reimbursed by the public safety account, "the bar was lowered for arrests," Preston told the Tribune. "In a different world, there is a limiting factor — budgetary constraints."
The Gazette: Linn County Supervisors oppose use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines
Gage Miskimen, 1/11/22
“The Linn County Board of Supervisors signed a letter on Monday opposing eminent domain for a proposed CO2 pipeline that would run through 36 Iowa counties, including Linn,” The Gazette reports. “The letter, signed by all three supervisors, states that while the supervisors “understand that the careful use of eminent domain may be appropriate in certain cases for a public use, public purpose or public improvement,” the board is opposed to the use of eminent domain for the pipeline projects. The Iowa Utilities Board is the authority over the proposed pipelines. The county does not have any authority or review capacity over the proposed project. “We also believe that the unrestricted and inappropriate use of eminent domain threatens and undermines private property rights,” the letter reads… “Unlike regulated utilities, the pipelines are not granted a franchise to provide service that benefits the entire public in a service area,” the letter from the Supervisors reads. “Conversely, the pipeline project will exclusively benefit private companies by enabling them to sell fuel at a premium without investing their own money, and without providing a public service.” In December, hundreds of Linn County residents attended a meeting with the pipeline company and shared their concerns about safety, the route of the pipeline and the use of eminent domain… “The supervisor’s letter also states the board’s concern that the loss of economic value on land used by the pipelines will be long term and not temporary… “Other Iowa counties, including Plymouth, O’Brien and Dickinson counties have also announced their opposition to the use of eminent domain in recent weeks.”
WQAD: 'Soil is never the same' | Knox County farmer concerned about carbon pipeline's impact
Maggie Wedlake, 1/12/22
“Carbon Capture company Navigator CO2 Ventures is looking to build a 1,300-mile carbon pipeline that would run underneath 5 Midwest states, including Iowa and Illinois,” WQAD reports. “Farmers and landowners in Knox County were given the chance to talk with Navigator employees Jan. 11 at an open house at the local American Legion post. John Feltham, who owns about 220 acres of land in Williamsburg, Illinois, just past Galesburg, worries the pipeline could permanently ruin his land. He's a fourth-generation farmer that has had the land in his family for over 100 years. "What may look like bare dirt to the average person is essentially gold to a farmer," Feltham said. "My concern is a seven-foot-deep pipeline. I mean, no matter how good the restoration after the construction, the soil is never the same, and tiles, once broken, are never the same." “...Feltham said he cares plenty about the environment, but also, it's a matter of how much the project could impact both his and hundreds of other landowners livelihoods. "Farmers in general, when it comes to preserving the soil and controlling erosion, you could probably say farmers are some of the most aggressive tree-hugging environmentalist that you could find because if you lose your topsoil, you lose your means of productivity," Feltham said. "I am concerned about the environment, but if a pipeline comes across this farm, then I want to make sure I do everything I can to preserve that soil."
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Third carbon pipeline proposed for Iowa
JARED STRONG, 1/12/22
“Another out-of-state company has announced a plan to build hundreds of miles of pipeline to transport carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and pump it into the ground,” Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Wolf Carbon Solutions said it has an agreement with Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) to take carbon dioxide from its facilities in Cedar Rapids and Clinton in eastern Iowa and transport it to an existing carbon sequestration site in Decatur, Illinois. The pipeline would run about 350 miles and would have additional capacity to accommodate captured carbon from other facilities… “Steph Robertson, a Wolf spokesperson, told the Dispatch the company has had informal discussions with the Iowa Utilities Board “and intends to start the permit process in a timely fashion.” She declined to provide a map of the potential pipeline route… “Opponents of the pipelines are concerned about leaks that could harm people, damage to farmland and the potential for the companies to use eminent domain to force residents to allow pipeline construction through their properties, among other concerns. Several county boards of supervisors have filed written objections to the use of eminent domain for the projects.”
FarmWeek: Illinois could host proposed pipeline to offset biorefinery carbon emissions
TIMOTHY EGGERT, 1/13/33
“The same Midwest land that grows corn for ethanol could also serve as a storage site for carbon emitted by biorefineries,” FarmWeek reports. “That production and sequestration cycle is at the heart of a pipeline project proposed across 13 Illinois counties and parts of four other states. Texas-based Navigator CO2 Ventures has put forward a plan to capture and transport 10 to 15 million metric tons of liquified carbon dioxide per year through a 1,300-mile pipeline across Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois to a pair of permanent sequestration sites in central Illinois… “Bill Bodine, Illinois Farm Bureau director of business and regulatory affairs, told FarmWeek the project will hopefully minimize the surface impact for farmers and landowners who host sections of the pipeline on their property. Bodine told FarmWeek farmers and landowners need to be involved in the process, ask questions and work to ensure they have good terms in easements or land-use agreements. “I encourage landowners to seek out education and the advice of an experienced attorney before agreeing to anything,” Bodine told FarmWeek. “These are long-term agreements that can have long-term impacts.”
Press release: As Feds Advance Pipeline Emission Rules, Report Finds Widespread Availability and Adoption of Technologies to Cut Methane
1/12/22
“A report published today by Highwood Emissions Management on methane emissions and solutions in the pipeline sector finds broad and accelerating adoption of many advanced technologies used to identify and fix methane leaks… “The report comes as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) prepares to issue proposed standards, at the direction of the PIPES Act of 2020, to require operators to use commercially available advanced leak detection technology to find and fix leaks. “The technologies needed to find and fix rogue emissions of methane are here, they are cost-effective, and they are already seeing adoption in the field by companies serious about cutting their emissions,” said Erin Murphy, senior attorney at Environmental Defense Fund. “Deploying available solutions to tackle pipeline methane leaks is critical for minimizing waste, meeting our climate goals, and protecting the public.” “...The PIPES Act of 2020 directs PHMSA to develop new standards requiring use of advanced leak detection programs by operators of gathering, transmission and distribution pipelines to find and fix leaks. PHMSA is expected to issue its proposal this spring. Today’s report makes clear that ALD solutions are widely available to support implementation of a strong final rule and are already seeing accelerated deployment by operators… “PHMSA’s ALD rule will be an important component of the Biden Administration’s U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan… “PHMSA should continue to expand gathering line oversight with a comprehensive ALD rule.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: THE GULF CCUS HUB
Matthew Choi, 1/12/22
“The National Ocean Industries Association, a trade group representing the offshore energy industry, is calling on policymakers to lay the groundwork for Exxon Mobil and other companies to make the Gulf of Mexico a hub for carbon capture and storage projects,” Politico reports. “NOIA is releasing a policy paper today, shared first with Pro’s Josh Siegel, detailing legislative and regulatory changes it says should be made to promote the build-out of the non-existent offshore CCUS sector in the U.S. Chief among its demands is for Congress to expand and increase 45Q carbon capture tax credits while giving project developers the option of “direct pay” to receive the full value of the subsidy — provisions that are included in Democrats’ stalled Build Back Better legislation. The legislation increases the value of 45Q tax credit from $50 per ton, as it stands in law now, to $85 per ton for industrial facilities and power plants that capture and permanently bury their carbon. NOIA says Interior should promptly issue regulations that formally authorize access to specific offshore areas, while quickly completing environmental approvals of CCUS projects in the Gulf of Mexico, including leases and rights-of-way, due to the area's existing energy infrastructure and proximity to industrial centers for capturing emissions.”
STATE UPDATES
Indianapolis Star: CenterPoint wants to spend $900M on 2 natural gas plants that will run 10% of the time
Sarah Bowman, 1/12/22
“A southern Indiana utility wants to build two new natural gas plants, and a pipeline to get the fuel to them, outside Evansville. CenterPoint Energy, formerly known as Vectren, said this project will help the utility with its transition to renewable energy,” the Indianapolis Star reports. “It also could cost its customers nearly $900 million over the next two decades, for plants CenterPoint expects to run no more than 10% of the time… “Though much of CenterPoint’s electricity generation in the future will come from renewables, CenterPoint’s proposal for the gas plants and accompanying pipeline has both consumer and environmental advocates raising serious concerns. They say it doesn’t make financial sense and that leaning into fossil fuels such as natural gas also further exacerbates the climate crisis. More so, Southern Indiana is already one of the most heavily polluted regions in the country. The plants and pipeline are not in the best interest of the company’s ratepayers, advocates say, both economically and environmentally. “The overall price tag for this is close to $1 billion, and they will have customers on the hook for it,” Tony Mendoza, a senior attorney with Sierra Club, told the Star. “The big question for the state Commission is: Does it make sense to spend $1 billion for plants that won’t operate that much, when there are other solutions?”
Natural Gas Intelligence: Lucid Advancing CCS Project for Permian Delaware Natural Gas Processing Complex
CAROLYN DAVIS, 1/11/22
“Permian Basin natural gas processor Lucid Energy Group has been given the green light to advance a carbon sequestration project at its Red Hills Complex in Lea County, NM,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “Lucid, sponsored by entities of Riverstone Holdings LLC and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said the Environmental Protection Agency approved its monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) plan to store carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Delaware sub-basin complex. Once it gains approval from the Internal Revenue Service to use CO2 sequestration tax credits under Section 45Q, the Dallas-based firm said the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project would permanently store emissions in existing and permitted disposal wells… ‘Under the MRV plan, the CO2 would be removed when gas is processed and treated at Red HIlls for customers’ gas streams. Lucid provides midstream services to more than 50 customers in New Mexico and West Texas, including ExxonMobil and Marathon Oil Corp.”
Texas Monthly: A Forgotten Oil Well Births a 100-Foot Geyser in West Texas
Russell Gold, 1/12/22
“In the flatness of the southern half of Crane County, where a clump of mesquite trees can count as a landmark, you can see a new hundred-foot column of salt water from five, maybe ten miles away. It shoots into the air under extraordinary pressure, as if someone had aimed a fire hydrant straight at the sky. Beginning on New Year’s Eve or in the early hours of 2022, an estimated 25,000 barrels of briny water has emerged from the earth with a dull roar each day, turning the surrounding West Texas landscape white with salt and other minerals,” Texas Monthly reports. “…Sarah Stogner, a petroleum lawyer living near Monahans who is running for the Railroad Commission as a Republican, is less circumspect. She represents a landowner just to the north of the geyser site who had a similar plugged well come back to life last summer. Plug one well, she said, and another will blow out. She calls them zombie wells. “We have a lot of pressurized, very salty subsurface water that will continue finding weak points,” she told the Monthly. “There is no way to control it. We can only manage it. It is going to be a game of whack-a-mole.” A very expensive game of whack-a-mole, no doubt.”
Colorado Sun: Environmental groups launch six-figure ad campaign pressuring Colorado’s governor to act on abandoned oil and gas wells
Jesse Paul and Shannon Najmabadi, 1/12/22
“Four liberal-leaning nonprofits will spend north of $100,000 on an ad campaign starting this week to pressure Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to force the oil and gas industry to set aside millions of dollars to clean up abandoned and orphaned wells,” the Colorado Sun reports. “...The groups behind the ad campaign have also launched a website – protectcoloradotaxpayers.com – as part of the initiative. They claim that if the COGCC doesn’t impose the prepayment rules taxpayers could be on the hook for the cost of cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells. The ad campaign is notable because the Sierra Club, ProgressNow Colorado, LOGIC Colorado and Colorado Rising are groups traditionally aligned with Democrats… “Were really disappointed in what we’ve seen thus far,” Petrie, with Colorado Rising, told the Sun. “There’s no indication that the governor or the state agencies that he’s appointed are going to hold the industry accountable. Democrat or Republican, we want to make sure that taxpayers are not footing this massive bill for a trillion dollar industry. These companies should be able to clean up after themselves. If they can’t, they shouldn’t be drilling in the first place.”
Associated Press: US Navy to drain Hawaii tank system blamed for tainted water
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY, 1/12/22
“After initially resisting, the U.S. Navy will comply with Hawaii’s order to remove fuel from a massive underground storage tank facility near Pearl Harbor blamed for contaminating drinking water, officials said Tuesday,” the Associated Press reports. “The Navy is making preparations to defuel the facility, Rear Adm. Blake Converse said during a U.S. House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness hearing. “The Navy caused this problem, we own it and we’re gonna fix it,” said Converse, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Hawaii’s governor said he expected the Navy to immediately comply with the state’s order and address the threat the tank facility poses to the environment and the well-being of the state’s military families and residents… “The Navy’s water system serves some 93,000 people in residential homes, offices, elementary schools and businesses in and around Pearl Harbor. Starting in late November, about 1,000 people complained that their tap water smelled like fuel or reported physical ailments such as nausea and rashes after ingesting it… “So far only the Navy’s drinking water has been tainted. Petroleum hasn’t shown up in the municipal water system operated by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. But the utility draws water from the same aquifer as the Navy.”
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Canada to Face Challenge in Remaining Major Oil Power, IEA Warns
Robert Tuttle, 1/12/22
“Canada will face challenges in retaining its status as a global oil and gas power in a world transitioning toward net zero carbon emissions by mid-century, the International Energy Agency said,” Bloomberg reports. “The country seeks to remain “a major global oil and gas supplier” beyond 2050 even as countries, including Canada itself, push toward emission cuts, the agency said in its Canada 2022 Energy Policy Review Thursday. Holder of the world’s third-largest oil reserves, Canada’s largest oil producers pledged to zero out carbon emissions from their operations by the middle of the century, primarily through the use of carbon capture and storage, in a bid to preserve the sector. But those targets don’t include anything about the much larger volumes of emissions that result from burning the fuel they produce by refineries, factories, vehicles and homes. While the IEA lauded Canada’s leadership in policies to cut emissions, it added the country “should pay close attention to shifting demand for oil and gas globally.” “...The country’s own oil sands will pose a further challenge even as “Canada scores well on overall ESG indicators relative to many other oil and gas producers,” the IEA said. In recent years, many funds and banks have pulled funding from the Canadian oil sands sector, where some of the most carbon intensive oil in the world is extracted.”
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Oilsands producers rev up spending as crude prices rise
Chris Varcoe, 1/13/22
“Spending in the Canadian oilsands has been stuck in neutral, or been in reverse, for much of the past two years. Today, producers are carefully opening up the throttle by as much as 25 per cent as crude prices surpass US$80 a barrel and additional pipeline capacity is now online,” the Calgary Herald reports. “Canadian Natural Resources announced Tuesday it will increase its capital spending program to $4.3 billion this year, a 25 per cent bump from 2021 levels. After years of shrinking budgets, it’s a welcome sign as most of the country’s largest oilsands producers are planning for some additional investment in 2022. The money will account for inflation, help reduce long-term costs and shift projects closer to nameplate production capacity, as well as incrementally raise output. “We are seeing a favourable outlook for oilsands that we haven’t seen, certainly in years,” Ben Brunnen, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told the Herald. Canadian oilsands spending levels plunged after crude prices crumpled more than seven years ago. Pipeline constraints also squeezed the sector and the Alberta government introduced mandatory production quotas in 2019… “Meanwhile, the completion of Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement project in the United States last fall has relieved the pipeline bottleneck that plagued the industry for years, while construction continues on the Trans Mountain expansion. The additional capacity allowed the provincial government to let its production curtailment program expire at the end of last month, a policy that placed “a pretty substantial chill on investment in Alberta oilsands,” Brunnen told the Herald.”
Reuters: Exxon, Imperial Oil to market up to $1 billion in Canadian assets
By Arunima Kumar, 1/12/22
“Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) on Wednesday plans to offer for sale shale oil and gas properties in Western Canada, a decision that could make oil sands its largest Canadian onshore production business,” Reuters reports. “The top U.S. oil producer last year accelerated efforts to divest smaller oil and gas operations and use any proceeds to pay down debt acquired as the coronavirus pandemic triggered losses. Exxon and affiliate Imperial Oil Ltd (IMO.TO) each own 50% of XTO Energy Canada, operator of their Canadian shale business. XTO pumps about 9,000 barrels of liquids and 140 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in Canada. RBC Capital Markets has been hired to advise Imperial on the sale, the company said. The properties could fetch between $500 million and $1 billion, people familiar with energy property sales told Reuters.”
DeSmog: Living Closer to Oil and Gas Drilling Linked to Higher Risk of Pregnancy Complications, New Study Finds
Nick Cunningham, 1/11/22
“Living near oil and gas drilling may increase pregnant women’s risk of developing gestational hypertension and eclampsia, according to a new study,” DeSmog reports. “We observed for those pregnant women within one kilometer of drilling that there’s about a 5 percent increase in odds of gestational hypertension, and 26 percent increase odds of eclampsia,” Mary Willis, a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University and one of the authors of the study, told DeSmog. “So, it’s this really close range where we are seeing a potential impact right on women’s health.” The study, published in International Journal of Epidemiology in December 2021, looked at nearly 3 million births in the state of Texas over the course of 13 years between 1996 and 2009. The researchers analyzed pregnant women who live within roughly 6 miles of oil and gas drilling sites, and controlled for a variety of potential confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status, demographics, clinical risk factors, and differences in neighborhood contexts where the pregnant women live, such as median household income and proximity to the closest highway. The health effects were worst for women living within 0.6 miles (one kilometer) of a drill site, with the links to negative health outcomes dissipating beyond 1.8 miles.”
OPINION
The Economist: Can big oil’s bounce-back last?
1/12/22
“Calls for the oil business to decarbonise are growing louder just about everywhere, and not merely from governments and environmentalists,” according to The Economist. “Moody’s, a rating agency, reckons that half of the $1.8trn of global energy debt that it evaluates is held by asset managers and insurers that face increasing pressure on environmental, social and governance (esg) fronts, notably the climate. An annual survey of 250 big institutional investors published on January 6th by the Boston Consulting Group (bcg) found that more than four in five think it is important for companies to establish targets for long-term emissions reductions. Nearly as many “feel increased pressure” to apply green filters to their investments. At the same time, the International Energy Agency, a global forecaster, expects worldwide oil consumption to return to its pre-pandemic level of 100m barrels a day (b/d) in 2022. Even if it rose by no more than 1% per year after that, the natural rate of reservoir depletion means that 12m-17m b/d of new supply must be added in the next five years to meet demand, Alastair Syme of Citigroup told the Economist. Investors recognise this.”
The Hill: Enlisting nature in the climate battle
Thomas Dinwoodie is CEO of Epic Institute as well as founder and former CEO and CTO of Sunpower Systems. Peter Woods Ellis is a forest ecologist, botanist and geospatial scientist, 1/13/22
“There is wide consensus that to address the climate challenge we must reduce CO2 emissions fast and furiously to zero. Yet, achieving zero emissions even by tomorrow would still leave us with the very significant task of drawing down the accumulated CO2 placed in the atmosphere since the dawn of the industrial revolution,” Thomas Dinwoodie and Peter Woods write for The Hill. “...So, in addition to reducing current emissions sources, we must actually reverse the current buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere through so-called “negative emissions.” This CO2 removal can be achieved by two basic means: One is engineered carbon dioxide removal (eCDR), such as carbon capture machines’ the second are natural climate solutions (NCS) that use “machines” that have been capturing carbon already for 3.5 billion years — namely, plants… “One type of engineered carbon dioxide removal (eCDR) being taken seriously is known as direct air capture (DAC), where the captured CO2 becomes stored in underground caverns or incorporated into products of everyday use, e.g. cement, tennis shoes and jet fuel. Some methods of DAC are in early stages of demonstration. Chief hurdles are their high cost and high energy consumption… “To address our climate predicament, bold decisions must be made to quickly mobilize and deploy natural climate solutions alongside deep decarbonization measures.”