EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/8/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Enviro Orgs. Target Corps' 'Blanket' Permit For CO2 Pipelines
Press release: Legal Petition Demands Biden Administration Halt Fast-Tracked CO2 Pipeline Permits
No Carbon Pipelines: So long, Summit Rally! Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Iowa Utilities Board Hearing in Fort Dodge
Chicago Tribune: Illinois farmers and environmentalists celebrate the defeat of $3 billion CO2 pipeline: ‘We have thrown so many stones at Goliath’
AgWeek: South Dakota county creates CO2 transport and storage committee to review proposals
South Dakota Public Broadcasting: Lincoln County Commission creates carbon pipeline advisory committee
South Dakota Searchlight: Federal agency threatens funding reduction over South Dakota’s lax pipeline safety enforcement
Law360: DC Circ. Asks If Feds Amply Weighed NYC Pipeline's Impact
WKRN: Failed pipeline leaks 600+ gallons of gasoline at Murfreesboro storage facility
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideClimate News: Advocates Question Biden Administration’s Promises to Address Environmental Injustices While Supporting Fossil Fuel Projects
SeekingAlpha: Biden administration proposes allowing carbon storage projects in national forests
InsideEPA: Forest Service Proposes Rule To Facilitate ‘Perpetual’ Carbon Storage
E&E News: Supreme Court Rejects Oil Industry Plea In Erosion Trial
Wall Street Journal: The Green Fuel That Even Red America Loves
Law360: Taylor Energy Escapes $88M Oil Spill Coverage Dispute
STATE UPDATES
Louisiana Illuminator: Neighbors continue to call for scrutiny of Lake Maurepas carbon capture project
The Detroit News: Michigan utilities might lean on expensive carbon capture to meet clean energy mandate
InsideClimate News: Michigan Poised to Join States Requiring 100 Percent Clean Electricity
Environmental Health News: Numerous miles-long oil spills have been reported on one of Pittsburgh’s iconic three rivers
The Hill: Big oil is key part of energy transition: Houston mayor
Texas Tribune: Texas could spend federal funds meant to cut carbon emissions on highway projects
E&E News: Judge Declines To Stall Wyo. Drilling Project
EXTRACTION
Carbon Herald: New Study Shows Carbon Capture Adds More CO2 In Ethanol Industry
Marketplace.org: The promises and risks of carbon capture
Reuters: BlackRock to invest $550 mln in Occidental's carbon capture project
Forbes: This Startup Hopes Its Nanomaterial Fuel Tanks Will Jumpstart The Hydrogen Revolution
Truthout: New Report Reveals Big Oil’s Playbook to Silence Climate Protests
Canadian Press: Significant update on Pathways Alliance project coming soon: MEG Energy CEO
Bloomberg: Chevron Sees Legal Risk in Varied Climate Reporting Rules
Journal of Petroleum Technology: Enterprise Expands Permian Pipeline Network With $3.1 Billion Investment
CNBC: Warren Buffett has been selling stocks including Chevron and hoarding a record level of cash
CLIMATE FINANCE
E&E News: Don’t call it divestment, but Calif.’s pension fund eyes dumping climate laggards
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
KTEN: Pipeline company contributes to Bryan County first responders
Enbridge: Lifting families out of generational poverty in the Volunteer State
OPINION
Washington Post: Carbon capture is part of the country’s energy future
Scientific American: Climate Benefits of Hydrogen Are at Risk as Fossil Fuel Industry Pressures Mount
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Enviro Orgs. Target Corps' 'Blanket' Permit For CO2 Pipelines
Tom Lotshaw, 11/7/23
“The Center for Biological Diversity and several hundred other groups are petitioning the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove carbon dioxide pipelines from a nationwide permit it created in 2021 to streamline approvals for some pipeline activities,” Law360 reports.
Press release: Legal Petition Demands Biden Administration Halt Fast-Tracked CO2 Pipeline Permits
11/6/23
“More than 350 environmental, public health, Indigenous, faith-based and community groups sent a legal petition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today demanding that it stop fast tracking permits for carbon dioxide pipelines. “Pipelines transporting dangerous carbon dioxide that can asphyxiate and kill people shouldn’t get blanket review,” said Lauren Parker, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “The Army Corps needs to review each and every one of these pipeline projects to address the extensive health and safety threats they pose to communities and wildlife.” The petition demands that the Army Corps remove carbon dioxide pipelines from Nationwide Permit 58, created in 2021 to rush approvals for utility pipelines that transport water, sewage and other substances, including carbon dioxide. The groups say carbon dioxide pipelines need individual permit review because of the dangers of transporting carbon dioxide, which becomes an asphyxiant when compressed. More than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 hospitalized after a 2020 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi. Compressed carbon dioxide also halts combustion engines, hampering emergency response. The petition also outlines the Army Corps’ legal authority and responsibility to deny carbon dioxide pipeline permits as “contrary to the public interest” under the Clean Water Act and Rivers and Harbors Act. The pipelines meet that public-interest threshold due to the lack of federal oversight and climate, health and safety risks, particularly in vulnerable communities where they worsen environmental injustice. Billions of dollars in public subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act and other programs are sparking a boom in carbon capture and related carbon dioxide pipelines. Often billed as climate solutions, these projects prolong the life of polluting fossil fuel projects and delay the transition to clean energy. Carbon capture projects nationwide have repeatedly failed to meet their climate promises even as they put people and wildlife at risk.”
No Carbon Pipelines: So long, Summit Rally! Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Iowa Utilities Board Hearing in Fort Dodge
11/6/23
“The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) hearing for Summit Carbon Solutions in Fort Dodge concludes this month. We want to end the hearing the way we started it - a powerful force of everyday people standing united against the carbon pipeline project. November 8 is the last day reserved for landowners to testify. Please join us on Wednesday, November 8 for a lunchtime rally to say So Long, Summit!”
Chicago Tribune: Illinois farmers and environmentalists celebrate the defeat of $3 billion CO2 pipeline: ‘We have thrown so many stones at Goliath’
Nara Schoenberg, 11/8/23
“When Steve Hess learned about a plan to send a $3.4 billion carbon dioxide pipeline through five states —and Hess’ own corn and soybean fields in western Illinois — the 68-year-old farmer knew two things: He knew he would fight the project, which he viewed as a threat to his family’s health, safety and property rights. And he knew it wouldn’t be easy,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “Initially, Hess, who farms land that has been in his wife’s family since 1869, thought the odds of beating out Navigator CO2, an Omaha-based company backed by the international investment giant BlackRock, were “slim to none,” an assessment borne out when a local lawyer warned, “There’s no way you can fight this.” But less than two years later, Hess and his allies — a coalition of farmers and environmentalists across the Midwest — are celebrating an Oct. 20 announcement that Navigator has abandoned its pipeline plan. “We’re going to have a party,” Hess told the Tribune, speaking by phone from his tractor during a 12-hour day in the cornfields. “There are so many people on that team that worked so hard, and we have thrown so many stones at Goliath. It’s really gratifying that our work paid off.” “...Navigator CO2′s vice president for government and public affairs, Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, told the Tribune the company considered not only its own experience with state regulators, but also the experiences of two other CO2 pipeline companies proposing major projects in the Midwest, Wolf Carbon Solutions and Summit Carbon Solutions. “(Our investors were) looking at it like any business would — whether large-scale infrastructure development or remodeling your home,” Burns-Thompson told the Tribune. “At a certain point you have to figure out the cost-benefit of how much money you can put into something, and can you reap that back out?” Navigator’s decision came six weeks after South Dakota regulators dealt the pipeline a crushing blow, unanimously denying approval for the project. “That was the end of the end,” Brian Jorde, the lawyer representing landowners in four states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa ― in the fight against the Navigator and Summit pipelines, told the Tribune. “The holy grail for the opposition (to these projects) is getting to the financial side where the mega-investors start to feel a little shaky about it,” Jorde told the Tribune. “That’s when things start to unravel.” “...Navigator’s options include selling the rights to the underground storage space or partnering with another pipeline, Burns-Thompson told the Tribune. She told the Tribune there are no plans to sell easements — the agreements some landowners signed allowing the pipeline to run through their property — and there are no plans for another Navigator CO2 pipeline at this time.”
AgWeek: South Dakota county creates CO2 transport and storage committee to review proposals
Hunter Dunteman, 11/7/23
“Regulating carbon dioxide transmission lines in Lincoln County has been no easy task. That’s why the county has established a new committee to further explore an ideal ordinance,” AgWeek reports. “The Lincoln County Commission voted 3-0 on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to create an advisory committee on carbon dioxide transport and storage. Commissioner Joel Arends was absent from the vote while Commissioner Michael Poppens recused himself. The idea for the advisory committee was first presented by Commissioner Chair Tiffani Landeen during the board’s Oct. 24 meeting, who sought a nine-person body to explore multiple already-proposed carbon dioxide regulatory ordinances and provide a recommendation to the planning commission and county commission. Though the original resolution originally included a position for a representative of Summit Carbon Solutions — which is currently navigating the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s process — citizen input saw the commission amend the resolution to allow for input from the company without giving it a vote… “The resolution that created the committee stipulates that it is subject to the state’s open meeting laws, will meet regularly and will expire on Dec. 26, unless terminated sooner… “Currently, commissioners estimate there are as many as five separate draft ordinances circulating with varying regulations proposed to impose on carbon dioxide pipelines traversing Lincoln County. The commission has failed to come to a full backing on any of the proposals.”
South Dakota Public Broadcasting: Lincoln County Commission creates carbon pipeline advisory committee
Evan Walton, 11/7/23
“Lincoln County Commissioners establish a county advisory committee focused on carbon pipelines. This comes amid ongoing opposition from many county landowners against a proposed CO2 pipeline,” South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports. “The nine-person CO2 Transport and Storage Advisory Committee list was unanimously approved by Lincoln County Commissioners in a meeting Tuesday. One voice notably absent from the committee – the company hoping to build a carbon pipeline through the county. Aaron Eldridge is a Project Manager for Summit Carbon Solutions. He told SDPB a position on the committee should be left for a pipeline representative… “The commission’s vote excludes Summit Carbon Solutions from being directly represented in the committee.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Federal agency threatens funding reduction over South Dakota’s lax pipeline safety enforcement
JOSHUA HAIAR, 11/7/23
“Federal regulators say they’ll reduce grant funding to South Dakota if the state doesn’t do a better job preventing excavation damages to buried pipelines,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “The warning came in a letter this month from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), after a July review. For the second year in a row, the evaluation found the state’s enforcement “inadequate.” “...PHMSA said there were 489 reports of excavation damages to natural gas distribution pipelines last year in South Dakota, and only seven complaints… “PHMSA said in its letter that the state’s complaint-driven approach, which encourages dispute resolution outside of the formal process, is also inhibiting enforcement and does not meet requirements in federal law. The federal agency is threatening to decrease state-based grant funding for pipeline safety by roughly $8,000 to $10,000 — a 4% reduction — if the problems are not addressed in about three years, Zanter told Searchlight… “The board unanimously decided to address the PHMSA letter by reevaluating its One Call complaint form.”
Law360: DC Circ. Asks If Feds Amply Weighed NYC Pipeline's Impact
Nadia Dreid, 11/7/23
“At least one member of the D.C. Circuit seemed torn Thursdqy about whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission messed up its review of the greenhouse gas impacts of an eventually approved pipeline upgrade project in New York City,” Law360 reports.
WKRN: Failed pipeline leaks 600+ gallons of gasoline at Murfreesboro storage facility
Alicia Patton, 11/7/23
“First responders say a gas leak has been contained after a pipeline failed in Murfreesboro early Tuesday morning,” WKRN reports. “Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department were sent to Rogers Petroleum’s main storage facility on Bridge Avenue just after 9 a.m. to respond to a gas leak. Officials reported that approximately 658 gallons of gasoline leaked due to a failed pipeline. According to Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department, the leak has been contained and most of the fuel absorbed into the ground.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideClimate News: Advocates Question Biden Administration’s Promises to Address Environmental Injustices While Supporting Fossil Fuel Projects
Aman Azhar, 11/2/23
“Environmental justice advocates sharply criticized the Biden administration during the Department of Energy’s Justice Week 2023 conference on Wednesday for approving new export terminals for liquified natural gas on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Texas, saying pollution from those fossil fuel facilities will further endanger disadvantaged communities,” InsideClimate News reports. “At the same time, across town at the White House, Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said on a conference call with community groups and reporters that nearly 470 federal programs with billions of dollars in annual investment were being “reimagined and transformed to meet the Justice40 goal and maximize benefits to disadvantaged communities.” “...But DOE officials got an earful at the department’s Justice Week conference from activists on its Community Voices from the Ground panel, who noted that the department was poised to grant a new export license to Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles LNG project in Southwest Louisiana after approving several new LNG export terminals in Texas. “The Biden administration is speaking out of both sides of their mouth,” Roishetta Ozane, fossil fuel finance campaigner with the Texas Campaign for the Environment, told ICN. “They say they care about frontline and environmental justice communities, but they have yet to address the fact that the air we breathe is making us sick, giving us asthma and skin conditions.” Ozane added that these LNG facilities disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income neighborhoods and contribute to climate change. “The DOE needs to reevaluate its approval process and show a real commitment to environmental justice. Enough is enough,” she told ICN. John Beard, founder and director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, asked the agency to stop advancing mega-polluting projects in marginalized communities of color. “DOE says it is committed to promoting environmental justice in all its activities. And yet, the agency continues to grant export authorizations to methane gas export terminals, explosive carbon bombs, in low-income communities and communities of color,” he told ICN. The advocates also asked DOE to stop investing in hydrogen hubs, carbon capture and sequestration technologies at refineries and utilities, and direct air carbon capture technology aimed at sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, calling them all “dangerous distractions.”
SeekingAlpha: Biden administration proposes allowing carbon storage projects in national forests
Carl Surran, 11/4/23
“The Biden administration wants to allow carbon capture and storage projects on federal land owned by the U.S. Forest Service, according to a proposal published by the agency Friday,” SeekingAlpha reports. “The proposed rule would open up the possibility of siting carbon storage projects on the 193M acres of federal land in 44 states managed by the Forest Service. Carbon capture and storage is a key component of the Biden climate strategy to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. The proposal would eliminate an existing restriction that blocks projects from having "exclusive and perpetual use" of federal land, which the agency said would need to be removed because CCS projects store CO2 underground for thousands of years. Project developers have faced obstacles securing access to geological storage sites as they seek regulatory approvals for CO2 pipelines and Class VI injection wells needed for carbon capture and storage, Argus reports. U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman Joe Manchin criticized the Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to approve any permits for a backlog of 169 carbon injection wells, even as the agency proposes to mandate CCS for fossil fuel power plants.”
InsideEPA: Forest Service Proposes Rule To Facilitate ‘Perpetual’ Carbon Storage
11/6/23
“The U.S. Forest Service is proposing a rule that would facilitate ‘perpetual’ carbon dioxide storage in underground pore space below the surface of National Forest System (NFS) lands, arguing the plan would boost deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that can help mitigate climate change,” InsideEPA reports. “The proposed rule, published Nov. 3 in the Federal Register, would not automatically authorize CCS projects on Forest Service lands, the rule text notes. Instead, it would exempt carbon storage proposals from a screening factor that would otherwise block “exclusive use and occupancy of NFS lands.” thus allowing the agency to review and approve proposals if deemed appropriate. “No other type of exclusive and perpetual use and occupancy would be authorized on NFS lands under the proposed rule,” the rule text says. Comments on the proposal are due Jan. 2. Broadly, the agency says that authorizing CCS on NFS lands “would support the [Biden] administration’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below the 2005 levels by 2030.”
E&E News: Supreme Court Rejects Oil Industry Plea In Erosion Trial
Pamela King, 11/7/23
“Three major oil companies have lost their bid for reprieve in a broad legal battle over who should take responsibility for Louisiana’s disappearing coastline,” E&E News reports. “In a short order issued Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court denied a request from BP America, Hilcorp Energy and Shell Oil to move a case filed by Louisiana’s Cameron Parish from state to federal court. The parish — which is seeking $7 billion from the industry for its role in destroying coastal marshland — is scheduled to take the companies to trial starting on Nov. 27. The order is not the first loss for oil companies that are facing legal action over Louisiana’s disappearing coastline. The Supreme Court last year declined a request from Chevron USA and other oil majors to move similar litigation led by Plaquemines Parish out of state court. Shell spokesperson Tara Lemay told E&E the companies would continue to fight Louisiana’s ‘unproductive litigation’ while working with communities to protect the state’s coast. ‘We do not believe litigation is the answer to the challenge of coastal erosion in Louisiana,’ Lemay told E&E. ‘It risks delaying collaborative action, misdirecting resources and inhibiting cross-sector work.”
Wall Street Journal: The Green Fuel That Even Red America Loves
Phred Dvorak, 11/5/23
“The Biden administration’s climate push has gotten little love from the other side of the aisle,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Many Republicans have railed against the government’s subsidies for wind and solar, excoriated its support for electric vehicles and decried moves to curb oil and gas. But one clean-energy candidate has broad support from some of the reddest parts of the U.S.: hydrogen. Take the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, a largely Republican-controlled region that is home to many of the oil and gas refineries in the U.S. Backers of hydrogen in that area include Rep. Randy Weber (R., Texas) and Rep. Clay Higgins (R., La.), a Freedom Caucus member who describes fossil fuels as “the lifeblood of our modern society.” Both support a Houston-based hydrogen program vying for a piece of $7 billion in federal grants, though they voted against the legislation that made the grants possible. “Hydrogen works well with oil and gas,” Weber, a former air conditioning company owner with a Texas drawl who notes that he has lived within 20 miles of his current home in the Galveston area all his life, told the Journal. Hydrogen “is not a threat to our Gulf Coast,” he told the Journal… “In a polarized energy debate that often pits renewables and their Democratic backers against fossil fuels and Republican interests, hydrogen is emerging as a big-tent fuel… “One feature is that it can be produced using either renewables or fossil fuels. Many environmentalists warn that the flexibility could end up hurting the climate by prolonging the use of oil and gas. But it is also a reason for hydrogen’s bipartisan appeal.”
Law360: Taylor Energy Escapes $88M Oil Spill Coverage Dispute
Hope Patti, 11/6/23
“A Louisiana federal court tossed an insurer’s suit seeking a determination that it needn’t pay over $88 million in policy proceeds to the U.S. Coast Guard for Taylor Energy’s 2004 oil spill, saying there’s no case or controversy between the carrier and oil company for the purpose of jurisdiction,” Law360 reports. “U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey on Thursday granted Taylor Energy Co. LLC’s motion to dismiss the coverage dispute brought by QBE Underwriting Ltd., finding that the insurer has not established standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution… “While QBE had alleged the type of injury necessary for the first element of standing, the injury is being caused by the government, not Taylor, the judge said. QBE’s alleged injury is the Coast Guard’s demand for payment under nine policies insuring Taylor between December 2009 and December 2018 under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.”
STATE UPDATES
Louisiana Illuminator: Neighbors continue to call for scrutiny of Lake Maurepas carbon capture project
11/7/23
“The new state task force on carbon capture and storage projects met Monday and got an earful from opponents of a proposal to store CO2 emissions under Lake Maurepas,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “While members tried to sort out exactly what they will do on the advisory panel, they heard from neighbors and officials who want to stop Air Products’ plan to store CO2 below the lake bottom. Some 30 carbon sequestration projects have been proposed in Louisiana, where Gov. John Bel Edwards has made the technology a key part of his climate agenda. Proponents say it’s the best way to contain industry emissions that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Skeptics have questioned industry safety claims about storing CO2 underground and point out that the energy needed to manifest capture and storage could more than offset any carbon removed. The most vocal opposition at Monday’s hearing came from residents of Livingston Parish, whose swampy southeastern corner reaches into Lake Maurepas. Starting last fall, Air Products spent months conducting a seismic survey of areas in the lake to determine the area best suited for carbon sequestration. The explosive charges needed for the survey were met with scorn from recreational and commercial anglers as well as recreational boaters. The most eye-raising accusation came from Randy Delatte, the incoming president of Livingston Parish who was elected in October with 71% support. He said fishers checking traps were kept from the areas being surveyed by security personnel armed with assault-style weapons. “It seems like it’s easy to do business in carbon capture in Livingston Parish,” Delatte told the task force, “and our people don’t know why that is.”
The Detroit News: Michigan utilities might lean on expensive carbon capture to meet clean energy mandate
Carol Thompson, 11/7/23
“Capturing carbon before it's emitted from fossil fuel-burning power plants has emerged as a controversial option for Michigan utility companies to be carbon neutral by 2040 under legislation inching closer this week to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk,” The Detroit News reports. “Experts who study the technology say carbon capture facilities are expensive to implement, would practically double the footprint of fossil fuel power plants and potentially require building an extensive carbon dioxide pipeline system. Despite those challenges and few examples of large-scale carbon capture systems in operation, experts said capturing carbon dioxide emissions is technically feasible and one of many steps Americans need to take to confront climate change, particularly in sectors of the economy that are hard to power without fossil fuels. "There are technology questions in how do we make it better, more energy-efficient, cheaper to operate and smaller to build," Volker Sick, a University of Michigan mechanical engineering professor and director of UM's Global CO2 Initiative, which researches carbon dioxide capture and utilization, told the News. "But fundamentally, it's known how to do this." “...Carbon capture is among the sticking points in the package, criticized by environmental justice advocates as a tactic to delay a renewable energy generation build-out while failing to address air pollution issues near power plants… “Coupled with the inclusion of carbon capture, that allows companies to spend big on technology that keeps fossil fuels in the mix or delay transitioning to wind and solar power generation, Roshan Krishnan, Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition policy associate, told the News "If you want to solve the problem (of climate change), you have to remedy these existing harms," he told the News. "To us, carbon capture isn't that. It's a way to ... prolong the oil industry, let utilities off the hook and delay climate action."
InsideClimate News: Michigan Poised to Join States Requiring 100 Percent Clean Electricity
Dan Gearino, Aydali Campa, 11/7/23
“Michigan is likely about to take its place among states with aggressive plans to cut emissions from the electricity sector,” InsideClimate News reports. “The legislation, which is on track to arrive at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk within days, follows the Democratic Party’s rise to control state government in January with new majorities in the legislature. But some advocates for environmental justice communities say the final package represents a compromise in which powerful players—like utility companies, labor unions and heavy industry—got concessions they wanted at the expense of people who live in neighborhoods with the most pollution… “The climate director of Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, Juan Jhong-Chung, told ICN some of the bills are mindful of concerns of communities of color, but the main bill in the package, which sets the 2040 target, is not. He told ICN environmental justice groups did not have a seat at the table in the drafting of the main bill and that community input was not part of the process, while utilities and “mainstream” environmental organizations were invited to help shape the legislation… “A coalition of environmental justice groups called on Whitmer to reject the main bill, saying the clean energy standard is weak and supports carbon capture technology that can be ineffective or even dangerous. It also allows “dirty” energy sources to count as renewable, including landfill gas, natural gas and animal manure, he told ICN… “Finding solutions in incineration facilities and carbon capture technologies distracts from the need to focus on the root of the problem, Sergio Cira-Reyes of the Urban Core Collective of Grand Rapids, told ICN. “I don’t feel like they’re listening to us at the state level.” “...Until now, Michigan’s local governments have had control over whether large renewable energy projects can be built… “House Bill 5121 would take this power away from local officials and give it to the Michigan Public Service Commission, whose members are appointed by the governor.”
Environmental Health News: Numerous miles-long oil spills have been reported on one of Pittsburgh’s iconic three rivers
Kristina Marusic, 11/7/23
“Oil sheens up to 18 miles long have repeatedly been reported by an environmental advocacy group on the Monongahela River over the last six months,” Environmental Health News reports. “The site of the recurring pollution is only a few miles from where the Monongahela River merges with the Ohio River, which provides drinking water to more than five million people. This type of oil sheen is typically the result of petroleum-based products in waterways. A single quart of oil can contaminate up to a quarter million gallons of drinking water. Oil on the surface of a body of water can disrupt ecosystems and food chains by harming birds, plants, animals and insects; make water unsafe for human consumption; and vaporize and contaminate the air. There are several industrial facilities with drainage outfalls in the oil-polluted sections of the Monongahela River, including U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works, which has been issued notices of violation for several of these oil spills by both the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP)... “The way oil spills disperse creates a special headache for investigators in tracking down a source but health advocates say residents aren’t getting the answers — or action — they deserve. “It’s an unfair burden for these communities to be continually polluted by these industries with no penalty,” Heather Hulton VanTassel, executive director of Three Rivers Waterkeeper, the scientific and legal advocacy group that’s been documenting the oil spills, told EHN. “...Josslyn Howard, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, told EHN the agency has conducted several investigations of oil sheens on the Monongahela over the last 18 months, but acknowledged that they are “inherently difficult to investigate since they quickly disperse, break down and migrate downstream.” Despite that difficulty, the agency issued notices of violation related to the oil spills to U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant on Sept. 6, 2022; June 13, 2023; and Sept. 8, 2023. The agency also issued a compliance order to the facility on Oct. 18, 2023, which required it to deploy containment and absorbent booms on the Monongahela River at the facility, immediately investigate the cause of an oil sheen discharging from one of the plant’s outfalls, prevent further discharges of oil and submit a report within 30 days. Howard told EHN the agency’s investigations of these oils spills did not find “sheening that posed a threat to drinking water intakes, nor found evidence of impacts to aquatic life or active petroleum discharges.” According to Three Rivers Waterkeeper, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has often been slow to respond to reports of oil on the water, and by the time the agency sends an inspector out, the oil has already dispersed.”
The Hill: Big oil is key part of energy transition: Houston mayor
SAUL ELBEIN, 11/7/23
“Oil companies have a critical role to play in the fight against climate change, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner claimed Tuesday,” The Hill reports. “The mayor argued that the fossil fuel industry — whose products overwhelmingly drive planetary heating — plays a crucial role in keeping that heating in check. He delivered his comments at the Reuters Energy Transition Conference in Houston… “In addition to attracting more renewable energy to Houston, the CenterPoint-funded climate plan relies heavily on the idea that fossil fuels and plastics production can be rendered harmless. Two still-speculative means of doing this stand out in that report: the embrace of a “circular economy” for mixed plastics and the drive to make Houston a world leader in carbon capture and storage… “Carbon capture, which traps carbon dioxide from industrial processes before it can warm the atmosphere, is a similarly fraught technology… “When he became chairman of the Global Resilient Cities Network — which seeks to help insulate its members from the threats of global heating — “some mayors were not too happy about that” because of the role of oil and gas in the city’s economy. “But what we have learned is that we need everybody at the table,” he said. Without the oil and gas industry, “we can’t achieve goals we’re seeking to establish.”
Texas Tribune: Texas could spend federal funds meant to cut carbon emissions on highway projects
ERIN DOUGLAS, 11/6/23
“The Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend about half a billion federal dollars on projects that the agency says will lessen the amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide emitted into the air,” the Texas Tribune reports. “But environmental and public transportation advocates say the agency’s draft “Carbon Reduction Strategy” is unlikely to substantially cut carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which emits the most greenhouse gasses of any state. According to the TxDOT draft document, a chunk of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act money will be transferred to a highway program, and the agency says highway expansions could be eligible for the funds because they will reduce congestion, thereby reducing emissions from idling cars. Harrison Humphreys, a research and policy coordinator at Air Alliance Houston, an environmental advocacy group, told the Tribune he sees the strategy as doing “the bare minimum” to get the federal dollars and called the document “disappointing.”
E&E News: Judge Declines To Stall Wyo. Drilling Project
Niina H. Farah, 11/8/23
“A federal court this week dismissed environmentalists’ calls for a court order to temporarily block further development of a sprawling oil and gas development project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin,” E&E News reports. “Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said claims from the Powder River Basin Resource Council and the Western Watersheds Project didn’t meet the high bar for granting a preliminary injunction freezing Interior Department approvals while she considers the substance of their legal arguments in the ongoing lawsuit against the project. The groups ‘have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits on any of their claims,’ Chutkan wrote in a memorandum opinion Monday. The environmental groups are seeking to block the progress of the Converse County project, one of the largest fossil fuel projects in Wyoming, which includes the drilling and the hydraulic fracturing over the course of a decade of 5,000 new wells spanning 1.5 million acres. The injunction request focused on a subset of their arguments against the project, which Interior approved in 2020, under the Trump administration. At the time, the department said the project would generate billions of dollars for the American public and strengthen domestic energy independence.”
EXTRACTION
Carbon Herald: New Study Shows Carbon Capture Adds More CO2 In Ethanol Industry
Violet George, 11/7/23
“A new study published in Environmental Science and Technology suggests that the use of carbon capture at ethanol plants actually results in more net CO2 emissions,” Carbon Herald reports. “Furthermore, the study, which was authored by Marc Z. Jacobson, points towards other potential issues with the use of this climate technology, namely increased air pollution, land use and consumer costs. The study addresses the matter of replacing gasoline vehicles with flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that run on ethanol-gasoline blends, which are produced with the help of carbon capture systems. It compares the production of such fuel blends with the use of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) powered by renewable energy sources (i.e., wind and solar) in a case study. The study assesses the proposal of Summit Carbon Solutions to build a carbon capture pipeline connecting 34 ethanol refineries in 5 midwest states that is to transport their captured CO2 emissions to underground injection sites for permanent storage. The findings show that Summit’s project would have a much larger land footprint, would avoid less CO2 emissions, and would likely damage air quality, when compared to building wind farms at the same cost for BEVs. Furthermore, according to the study, equipping ethanol plants with carbon capture technology will also burden consumers with high fuel costs for years and years to come.”
Marketplace.org: The promises and risks of carbon capture
Kai Ryssdal and Kimberly Adams, 11/7/23
“Today we’re talking about another potential tool in the climate solutions toolbox: carbon capture,” Marketplace.org reports. “The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law put $12 billion toward the technology, which promises to take carbon emissions straight from the air and store them underground. But there are concerns that supporting the fledgling industry could backfire. “The fear is that we will overspend and essentially direct new subsidies to the fossil fuel industry for a technology that might not work out,” Nicholas Kusnetz, a reporter for Inside Climate News, told Marketplace. On the show today, Kusnetz explains the ins and outs of carbon capture and the challenges of making it work on a scale big enough to be meaningful. Plus, how investing in the technology could prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Reuters: BlackRock to invest $550 mln in Occidental's carbon capture project
Sabrina Valle, 11/7/23
“BlackRock Inc, the world's biggest money manager, will invest $550 million in Occidental Petroleum Corp’s direct air capture (DAC) plant in West Texas, the two companies announced on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “Occidental has been shopping for investors since last year for its Stratos project in Ector County, Texas, the largest project designed to suck up carbon dioxide directly from the air, as it plans about another 100 plants of the kind. Occidental’s first large-scale DAC facility is a crucial test of economics for a technology that the International Energy Agency says will play a key role in decarbonizing the global industry, but which has been too costly in early test efforts. BlackRock's investment shows support for Occidental's ambitious plans on DAC, despite Stratos' repeated construction delays and cost increases in the past couple of years… “This joint venture demonstrates that direct air capture is becoming an investable technology," Occidental's chief executive, Vicki Hollub, said in a statement. "BlackRock’s commitment in Stratos underscores its importance and potential for the world."
Forbes: This Startup Hopes Its Nanomaterial Fuel Tanks Will Jumpstart The Hydrogen Revolution
Alan Ohnsman, 11/6/23
“Hydrogen is a promising form of carbon-free energy, but moving and storing the superlight element is costly and energy-intensive. So a California startup cofounded in 2022 by two leading chemists, including a Nobel laureate, is designing a new type of tank made with nanomaterials that aims to be cheaper and safer than any currently in use — and hold more hydrogen, too,” Forbes reports. “Irvine, California-based H2MOF hopes to sell its next-generation hydrogen tanks sometime after 2024 to heavy-duty vehicle makers with plans to offer zero-emission fuel cell vehicles… “Rather than pumping highly compressed or liquified hydrogen into a conventional tank, H2MOF is designing one that holds the energy-rich fuel in a solid state, adsorbing it into specially engineered nanomaterials… “But unless startups like H2MOF or Verne, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum that’s also working on new types of tanks, can find better ways to move hydrogen around or use it in vehicles, its potential to replace climate-warming fossil fuels will be limited. Right now, hydrogen is pumped through pipelines in Texas and California, but they have to be made of materials that can withstand embrittlement and cracking that “slippery” hydrogen causes. Liquifying it is an easier way to transport the fuel, but is even more energy-intensive than storing it under high pressure. “We won’t be able to build pipelines all the time at all locations and distances, so currently the industry is considering large trucks with gigantic tanks — very expensive and with a lot of energy wasted to pressurize or create liquid hydrogen…“Hydrogen storage and transportation remains the actual technical bottleneck,” H2MOF CEO and cofounder Samer Taha told Forbes.”
Truthout: New Report Reveals Big Oil’s Playbook to Silence Climate Protests
Juliana Broad, 11/7/23
“A new report by Greenpeace USA details the widespread coordination between the public and private sectors to monitor activism, punish protesters both physically and legally, and grease the wheels for proposed anti-protest bills that criminalize civil disobedience,” Truthout reports. “Corporate polluters, and their allies in government, have shown they will go to extreme lengths to silence us,” said Greenpeace Senior Research Specialist Andres Chang, one of the authors and editors of the report. “Why? Because a supermajority of Americans support climate action, and our ability to voice our dissent is essential to making climate progress.” The Greenpeace report combines previously available research with new details about the ongoing collaboration between police officers and private security forces, the strategic use of dissent-chilling lawsuits, and tight-knit relationships between fossil fuel representatives and law enforcement — all of which compromise both the public interest and the First Amendment rights of protesters… “Eighteen states have passed such laws since 2016, and another four have enacted narrower versions. All but one of these states relied on Republican-controlled legislatures to pass their anti-protest laws. Nearly every state in the U.S., however, has at least considered enacting anti-protest laws, according to the U.S. Protest Law Tracker developed by the International Center for Non-for-Profit Law (ICNL). These 22 states have enacted a total of 43 anti-protest bills, with the Dakotas and Oklahoma adopting the most — four each. The bills range from “criminalizing acts that interrupt or interfere with critical infrastructure facilities” to prohibiting individuals from wearing hooded clothing while participating in a pipeline protest, according to information compiled by the ICNL. Greenpeace estimates that 60% of the country’s domestic oil and gas production is now safeguarded by these anti-protest firewalls. Fossil fuel companies have spent an estimated $5 million in donations to anti-protest bill sponsors since 2017.”
Canadian Press: Significant update on Pathways Alliance project coming soon: MEG Energy CEO
Amanda Stephenson, 11/7/23
“The CEO of one of the oilsands companies behind the Pathways Alliance says the group expects to provide a significant update on its proposed $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage project within the next couple of months,” the Canadian Press reports. “Derek Evans, chief executive of MEG Energy, made the comments on a conference call with analysts discussing the company’s third-quarter financial results… “The companies have proposed jointly investing in the construction of what would be one of the largest carbon capture projects in the world. The project would take the form of a massive pipeline built to transport carbon from 20 separate carbon capture facilities at oilsands sites in northern Alberta to an underground hub near Cold Lake for safe storage… “While the Pathways Alliance has not yet made a final investment decision to go ahead with the project, the group has previously stated its intent to apply for regulatory approval this fall with the goal of putting in its first purchase orders for pipe in early 2024… “Pathways is still waiting for the federal government to finish hammering out the details of its pledged investment tax credit for carbon capture and storage. It has also been waiting for Ottawa to release a promised framework providing certainty about the future price of carbon, a move which would remove some of the investment risk from the project.”
Bloomberg: Chevron Sees Legal Risk in Varied Climate Reporting Rules
Andrew Ramonas, 11/6/23
“Chevron Corp. is worried about increased litigation risk due to competing climate disclosure requirements from California, Europe, and the SEC, a senior lawyer with the oil giant said Monday,” Bloomberg reports. “The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive took effect earlier this year and California climate reporting legislation was signed into law last month. Both direct companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. A pending Securities and Exchange Commission proposal would require these disclosures, too. “When you’re presented with multiple requirements and also regulations that are still coming out, we’re very concerned that there may be increased litigation when we’re seeing all ...
Journal of Petroleum Technology: Enterprise Expands Permian Pipeline Network With $3.1 Billion Investment
Jennifer Presley, 11/6/23
“Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners is investing $3.1 billion into its natural gas liquids (NGL) operations, building a pipeline, adding new plants to process natural gas, and switching an oil pipeline back to an NGL pipeline,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. “The company said the projects will support the continuing production growth in the Permian Basin of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The company forecasts production growth in the prolific resource play to increase by more than 700,000 B/D in 2023 and grow by about 1.5 million B/D for a 3-year period ending in 2025. Enterprise said it sees production growth increasing by up to another 15%, or greater than 1 million B/D by the end of 2030, with NGL production from the Permian potentially growing by more than 500,000 B/D to nearly 4 million B/D by the end of 2030… “The company will build the 550-mile-long Bahia NGL pipeline capable of transporting up to 600,000 B/D of NGLs from the Delaware and Midland basins to the company’s fractionation complex in Chambers County, Texas… “To provide incremental NGL transportation service until the Bahia Pipeline is completed, the company said it initiated a conversion of the Seminole Pipeline, which carries up to 210,000 B/D of crude oil, back to NGL service in December 2023.”
CNBC: Warren Buffett has been selling stocks including Chevron and hoarding a record level of cash
Yun Li, 11/6/23
“Warren Buffett played defense in the third quarter as Berkshire Hathaway ‘s cash pile hit new heights and the “Oracle of Omaha” sold billions of dollars worth of equities,” CNBC reports. “The Omaha-based conglomerate’s operating earnings registered a 40.6% year-over-year jump last quarter, bolstered by its strong insurance businesses. Thanks to a surge in bond yields, Berkshire’s cash, which was mainly parked in short-term Treasury bills, grew to a record level of $157.2 billion. “...One notable move was that the conglomerate sold about $2 billion worth of Chevron shares. However, the energy stock was still among Berkshire’s top five holdings, worth $18.6 billion at the end of September.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
E&E News: Don’t call it divestment, but Calif.’s pension fund eyes dumping climate laggards
Wes Venteicher, 11/7/23
“The nation’s largest public pension system is considering a new plan to try to reduce carbon emissions in its $444 billion investment portfolio,” E&E News reports. “Under a proposal released Friday, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System would apply new scrutiny to the climate plans of companies in which it invests and ultimately could dump those that don’t make improvements. The system is also expanding investments in companies that are focused on mitigating and eliminating emissions and adapting to climate change, said Peter Cashion, the system’s head of sustainable investing, in a call with reporters. The gargantuan size of CalPERS’ investment fund positions it to exert global influence in the climate space, but the system has beaten back activists’ calls to sell all its oil and gas holdings. Cashion said the system still opposes divestment, but the new policy provides a pathway for selling companies’ shares if they don’t do something about climate change after CalPERS asks them to, according to E&E.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
KTEN: Pipeline company contributes to Bryan County first responders
Brynne Herzfeld, 11/7/23
“Some Bryan County first responders are on the receiving end of a hefty donation,” KTEN reports. “Natural gas company Midship Pipeline made an $8,500 contribution to three southern Oklahoma agencies: The Durant Fire Department, Bennington Rural Volunteer Fire Department, and Bryan County Emergency Management… “Midship told KTEN the recipients were selected by their proximity to the pipeline's Bryan County compressor station.”
Enbridge: Lifting families out of generational poverty in the Volunteer State
11/7/23
“In Tennessee, the Highlands Training Center is tackling poverty through training, skills development and workforce re-entry,” according to Enbridge. “...This year, Enbridge entered into a multi-year commitment to give $20,000 annually to the Highlands Economic Partnership as part of our commitment to building vibrant and sustainable communities near our operations. The Fueling Futures funding helps to keep the training center operational and also supports the My Work Ready program.”
OPINION
Washington Post: Carbon capture is part of the country’s energy future
Dustin Meyer is senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, 11/7/23
“American energy thrives on generations of innovation. The companies driving carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects are writing the next chapter of U.S. energy leadership,” Dustin Meyer writes for the Washington Post. “Though some doubt the benefits of CCS, as discussed in the Oct. 26 news article “Companies capture a lot of CO2, but most of it is going into drilling more oil,” it’s a critical part of meeting our global climate and energy security goals. Opponents of this technology view it through the narrowest lens, focused on restricting any role for oil and natural gas in our energy future. But independent experts and federal data suggest these energy sources aren’t going anywhere… “So the question is: How can we produce that natural gas and oil reliably and sustainably while accelerating deployment of much-needed low-carbon technologies? CCS is a great place to start. Refreshingly, many U.S. policymakers seem to agree. In addition to the improved CCS tax credits, the announcement of seven “hydrogen hubs” included four facilities that will use hydrogen produced from natural gas with carbon capture. This recognizes the enormous potential of CCS — and its bipartisan appeal. We need more energy solutions, not fewer. CCS can help ensure that Americans have affordable, reliable, cleaner energy for decades to come.”
Scientific American: Climate Benefits of Hydrogen Are at Risk as Fossil Fuel Industry Pressures Mount
Julie McNamara, 11/6/23
“Hydrogen can play a critical role in the clean energy transition. However, hydrogen is not, and never will be, the core of the clean energy economy. Despite that, the littlest molecule has lately claimed the largest space in seemingly every climate conversation—and is increasingly grabbing an outsized share of climate funding, too,” Julie McNamara writes for Scientific American. “One headline policy, the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, or “H2Hubs,” is a $7 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law initiative charged with concurrently developing clean hydrogen production, transport, storage and use. A second, the clean hydrogen production tax credit, or “45V,” is a lucrative Inflation Reduction Act incentive that could add up to tens of billions of dollars—or more—to shift the economics away from carbon-intensive hydrogen to low-carbon hydrogen. Targeted support to enable hydrogen as a clean energy solution is valuable; unbridled hydrogen enthusiasm is not. The risks are twofold: First, that it distracts from the pressing priority of directly displacing fossil fuels with renewable electricity throughout the economy; and second, that it fails to tailor hydrogen production processes and end uses to those that are truly beneficial and climate-aligned. Severe consequences will follow from a reckless start to the clean hydrogen economy. That’s because missing on hydrogen by a little actually means missing by a lot, quickly flipping the gas from a valuable tool for climate progress to an outright reverser of climate gains. As the Biden administration finalizes the details for these two policies, which could fundamentally shape whether and how hydrogen contributes to the clean energy transition in the time ahead, it must get them right… “However, because hydrogen can be used in nearly any application currently running on fossil fuels, it has become a favorite “someday solution” by the fossil fuel industry—and despite that narrative being devoid of plausible paths to a climate-compatible future and in full opposition to the best interests of the public, this has trickled down into wide-ranging policy supports.”