EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/1/23
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Landowners Ask Supreme Court To Overturn Mountain Valley Pipeline Ruling
Bloomberg: Landowners Ask SCOTUS to Pause Mountain Valley Pipeline
Reuters: US ethanol industry needs carbon capture to feed aviation fuel market -agriculture secretary
South Dakota Searchlight: Q&A: Carbon pipeline execs say ethanol’s future hangs in the balance
South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline debate spawns another new organization
Des Moines Register: Vivek Ramaswamy challenges Gov. Kim Reynolds, GOP on Iowa carbon capture pipelines
Globe Gazette: Board of Supervisors discuss carbon pipeline
Reuters: Trans Mountain expansion shippers concerned about pipeline variance request
Politico: GOP Says Speed Up On Line Five
E&E News: Fishermen sue over Gulf oil spill as feds search for leak
Facebook: Maury Johnson: Yesterday I attended the PHMSA Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee meeting [VIDEO]
World Pipelines: Elliot takes stake in pipeline operator Phillips 66
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court leans toward curbing agency enforcement
E&E News: John Kerry’s ‘gamble’ — trusting an oil baron to save the planet
E&E News: Republicans at COP28 to focus on emissions drop, fossil fuels
Institute for Policy Studies: The Department of Energy Needs to Stop Greenwashing Fossil Fuels
E&E News: 'This Is Pathetic': Lawmakers, Interior Official Spar Over Arctic Oil
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Young activists who won Montana climate case want to stop power plant on Yellowstone River
InForum: Carbon dioxide storage, utilization projects get Industrial Commission funding
Northern Journal: There's lots of gas in Cook Inlet. Here's why some companies aren't drilling.
St. George News: Analysis: Utah Losing Millions In Natural Gas Waste And Pollution
EXTRACTION
DeSmog: Corporate Promotion of Carbon Capture and Storage Contradicts Science, Study Finds
CNN: Climate Activist: Carbon Capture is "Fairytale Solution" [VIDEO]
Financial Times: COP28: carbon capture is grabbing investors’ attention
Journal of Petroleum Technology: Many Want To Store Carbon Dioxide, but Few Have Been Permitted
Bloomberg: These Companies Are Pushing Back on Science Showing Their Pollution
NPR: Oil spills increase in Venezuela as it revs up output after the U.S. lifted sanctions
Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International: The Need for Real Zero Not Net Zero: Shifting from False Solutions to Real Solutions and a Just Transition
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
TheRanch100: West Grey Fire Recipient of Enbridge Gas Project Assist Campaign
Collingwood Today: Enbridge Gas teams up with Blue Mountains Fire and Rescue for Safe Community Project Zero
OPINION
WesternIowaToday.com: Inconsistent zoning questions between carbon pipelines and wind turbines
The Hill: To avert climate disaster, we need firm commitments on cutting methane at COP28
The Hill: Senators Are Only Making Fools Of Themselves By Attacking Oil Company Mergers
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Landowners Ask Supreme Court To Overturn Mountain Valley Pipeline Ruling
Catherine Morehouse, 11/29/23
“A small group of landowners along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday for an emergency order to block construction of the project, arguing that FERC’s power to allow private companies to seize land under the Natural Gas Act is unconstitutional,” E&E News reports. “The latest filing follows a long string of legal efforts by the landowners to halt construction on their land after federal legislation attached to June’s debt ceiling deal that called for expedited approval of the pipeline. Details: FERC approved all remaining construction of the pipeline in June after the approval of the debt ceiling deal. The landowners argue that the Natural Gas Act wrongly allows Congress to ‘outsource’ the seizure of private land to private companies for private profit, a power they argue is unconstitutional because only Congress itself is able to seize land under the constitution. Therefore, they argue, the Natural Gas Act and the years of eminent domain seizures authorized under it are unconstitutional. “FERC has a ‘blank check’ in the NGA to exercise unfettered discretion while wielding legislative power,” the landowners wrote. They argue that MVP is effectively ‘wielding legislative power’ by taking the land, part of an ‘unlawful structure’ in the Natural Gas Act ‘that has enabled these private takings for nearly a century.’”
Bloomberg: Landowners Ask SCOTUS to Pause Mountain Valley Pipeline
Shayna Greene, 11/30/23
“Virginia landowners asked the US Supreme Court to pause work on the Mountain Valley Pipeline through their property while their constitutional challenge continues in the D.C. Circuit,” Bloomberg reports. “The emergency application was docketed Wednesday, asking Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to temporarily prevent what the landowners call any further harm to the properties after the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied that relief in October. The landowners had claimed bulldozers were already on the properties and that the company ramped up construction on the 300-mile natural gas pipeline.”
Reuters: US ethanol industry needs carbon capture to feed aviation fuel market -agriculture secretary
Leah Douglas, 11/30/23
“Carbon capture and storage (CCS) at ethanol plants in the U.S. Midwest is necessary if the industry and its farmers hope to have a role in the burgeoning sustainable aviation fuel market, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “Three CCS pipelines that would transport and store captured carbon from ethanol plants in an effort to slash that industry's emissions have been proposed in the Midwest, though they have faced stiff resistance from landowners along the routes who fear their land will be damaged or taken through eminent domain… “The ethanol industry is banking on CCS and carbon pipelines to slash their emissions, in part so the fuel can qualify as a feedstock for SAF, which the industry sees as a critical to ethanol's growth. That effort that has been stalled by public resistance to the pipeline projects… “Vilsack said in a conversation with Reuters reporters that using biofuels to make SAF would require the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. "For folks in the Midwest, if they're interested in taking advantage of a biofuel renaissance and expansion with sustainable aviation fuel... they are going to have to have some way of dealing with the issue of carbon capture and storage," Vilsack told Teuters… “Vilsack told Reuters he has not had any conversation with the White House about the carbon pipelines, in part because his son, Jess Vilsack, is general counsel for Summit Carbon Solutions.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Q&A: Carbon pipeline execs say ethanol’s future hangs in the balance
JOSHUA HAIAR, 11/29/23
“If South Dakota’s ethanol industry does not reduce the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide it emits into the atmosphere, the industry’s future is grim. That’s according to two top executives of the remaining carbon-capture pipeline company hoping to capture, liquefy and bury carbon dioxide from South Dakota ethanol plants,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “They said markets around the globe are demanding lower carbon emissions. “Electric vehicles are continuing to grow,” Summit Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank told Searchlight. “They are, and maybe not here, but in cities. Our gas consumption is going down. So how do we open up other markets so ethanol consumption goes up?” One of those other markets, according to Summit, could be sustainable aviation fuel from a plant proposed in Lake Preston by a company called Gevo. Summit’s pipeline would cross land owned by state Rep. Karla Lems, R-Canton. She told Searchlight a carbon-capture pipeline isn’t the only way to lower emissions from corn-based ethanol… “Summit’s multi-billion-dollar project is led by Blank and Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Powell. Blank is an experienced agriculture industry executive, while Powell’s background is in energy, pipelines and oil. On Wednesday, the two sat down with South Dakota Searchlight at NuGen in Marion, which is one of Summit’s partner ethanol plants… “Blank: The reason it’s important to the ethanol industry is it lowers the carbon intensity on their products. And there are markets today nationally and globally that want a lower carbon-intensity fuel, and they’ll pay a premium for that. And so by lowering that carbon intensity on the ethanol that they’re producing, they can sell that ethanol into premium markets and deliver a premium back to the ethanol plant… “So the plants don’t make any investment. But after we get a return on investment, everything from there is a shared model going forward. So that’s how we earn revenues off of this particular model through a shared partnership with the ethanol industry… “After we take the operating expenses out of the company, just like everything else, that revenue from that tax credit is a shared model… “They’re saying that without low carbon-intensity ethanol, there is no way the airline industry will meet its sustainability goals. And that’s because, basically, without the carbon pipeline, you can’t get the carbon intensity score low enough on the ethanol to qualify for the sustainable aviation fuel markets… “I’m sure you know about Gevo in this state being one. And if we don’t have this project, if it’s not successful in South Dakota, Gevo will not construct here… “Does that mean you’re unable to say no to a customer looking to use liquid carbon for oil-well extraction, by injecting it underground to make the oil flow better? Powell: We can [say no], because we can’t get it off the pipeline. We’re sequestering it 80 or 90 miles southeast of the oil and gas production areas in North Dakota. So we don’t have a way to get it there. Now, if a company wanted to build a pipeline and take it from us, and move it up there, that’s something we would have to entertain.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline debate spawns another new organization
JOSHUA HAIAR, 11/30/23
“A second group has formed in response to disputes over a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in South Dakota, this time in support of policies that could result in the pipeline’s construction,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “A news release from the newly formed South Dakota Ag Alliance said it will “mediate and advocate for reasonable solutions to difficult ag and rural development issues” such as carbon pipeline proposals. That includes advocating for policies to provide a better deal and greater peace of mind for affected landowners. Co-founders Rob Skjonsberg and Jason Glodt are prominent figures in South Dakota politics. Glodt formerly did governmental affairs work for a carbon pipeline company, Navigator CO2, that has since terminated its proposed project. He is a lawyer and co-founder, with Skjonsberg, of GSG Strategies, a government relations, advocacy and campaign strategy firm. Glodt also served in the administrations of Governors Mike Rounds and Dennis Daugaard. Skjonsberg, a rancher and farmer, formerly worked as chief of staff for Rounds, served on the state Board of Economic Development Board under Daugaard and worked as a senior vice president of government affairs for the Poet biofuels company. The two told Searchlight they are not being paid by anyone to lead the new nonprofit, and they’re not working with Summit Carbon Solutions, the remaining company proposing a carbon pipeline in the state… “Last month, the coalition South Dakotans First formed to protect property rights for landowners in response to Summit’s earlier filing — and later withdrawal — of eminent domain actions against more than 150 landowners. “Eminent domain” refers to the power to access private property for public use, provided the owner is justly compensated. South Dakotans First includes the South Dakota Farmers Union, Dakota Rural Action, Landowners for Eminent Domain Reform and various landowners. Glodt and Skjonsberg announced their new nonprofit Thursday as the South Dakota Farmers Union annual convention was happening in Huron. Farmers Union President Doug Sombke reacted to the news by phone. “It’s Summit’s new public relations group,” Sombke told Searchlight. “I mean, they still want to use eminent domain on us. Why should we negotiate when we won?” During a convention panel discussion Thursday, landowner Ed Fischbach said South Dakotans First will support legislation including a ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines… “Glodt and Skjonsberg said they applaud a recent policy statement by the South Dakota Farm Bureau that says if a pipeline company has voluntary access agreements — called easements — with two-thirds of affected landowners, the company should be able to use eminent domain on the rest… “Skjonsberg also wants to replace the minimum setback distances for carbon pipelines adopted by counties with a statewide standard. “At the state level, we should talk about setbacks,” Skjonsberg told Searchlight. “You could end up with a complete hodgepodge of setback distances. And if you’re a company, how do you deal with that? It’s nonsense.”
Des Moines Register: Vivek Ramaswamy challenges Gov. Kim Reynolds, GOP on Iowa carbon capture pipelines
Galen Bacharier, 11/30/23
“Vivek Ramaswamy is calling out Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa lawmakers and his presidential rivals for failing to match his criticism of the use of eminent domain to build carbon capture pipelines across private land,” the Des Moines Register reports. “The Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur called using eminent domain for building the pipelines "illegal and unconstitutional," and criticized carbon capture as a "badly misguided" policy. Republicans, he said, "have been trained to behave like circus monkeys" on both. "I think that anybody who is implicitly or explicitly supporting the use of eminent domain for this carbon dioxide capture pipeline is on the wrong side of this issue," Ramaswamy told reporters at his campaign's Des Moines office Tuesday evening. "I don't care if they have an R or a D next to their name, I don't care if they're a governor you're supposed to otherwise bow down to in the state of Iowa or not." Ramaswamy's remarks represent the strongest foray by a 2024 Republican presidential candidate on the pipelines, several of which have bene proposed to be built through Iowa and neighboring states in recent years. The pipelines serve to transport liquefied carbon dioxide emissions underground, and their construction requires eminent domain powers that force landowners to sell their property… “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he believes negotiation is the best path forward for the pipelines, arguing there is a "narrow" use case for eminent domain. Former President Donald Trump, asked about the pipelines at an event in Council Bluffs this summer, said "we're working on that," and assured the questioner that "if we win, that's going to be taken care of." And North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has defended eminent domain, arguing that the carbon pipelines "raise the value of corn for every farmer in America." “...Ramaswamy said he'd spoken to a number of lawmakers and power brokers, including "backstage" interactions with Reynolds and conversations with Summit's Bruce Rastetter. He urged those people to be more public about their sentiments toward the project — arguing that it's too important an issue to be decided in private… “Ramaswamy's campaign is holding an event with the Free Soil Coalition in Des Moines on Friday, titled "Speaking the Unspeakable," focused on discussing the issue.
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Final arguments for Summit pipeline permit in Iowa due in January
JARED STRONG, 11/30/23
“Hundreds of pages of written briefs that argue for and against a hazardous liquid pipeline permit for Summit Carbon Solutions in Iowa are due before the end of the year, with written replies to those arguments due Jan. 19, the Iowa Utilities Board recently ordered,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The three-member board will thereafter decide whether to issue or deny a permit to Summit to allow construction of its carbon dioxide pipeline system and whether the company can use eminent domain to obtain land easements for about a quarter of its route. State law does not set a deadline for that decision, and the board has not estimated when its decision might come. Pipeline opponents sought to circumvent the laborious briefing process after the hearing concluded with a motion for the board to deny Summit’s permit application. “From our point of view, Summit clearly has failed to show that this project is in the public convenience and necessity,” said Brian Jorde, an attorney for numerous landowners in several states, in reference to a state requirement for the permit to be issued. “Matter of fact, not a single witness of the public has showed up and said it is convenient. And maybe a handful of -- maybe the ethanol plant gentleman or so from Iowa said it maybe was necessary, but no one else has. And they haven’t proven it.” “...The board denied Jorde’s motion… “Pipeline opponents have argued that those profits will mostly benefit wealthy Summit investors. They further oppose the use of eminent domain to force construction of the pipeline system against landowners’ wishes and worry about damage to farmland and safety threats from potential pipeline breaches… “Bismarck this week obtained approval to intervene in the process because of the pipeline’s proximity, according to documents filed with the state’s Public Service Commission… “Specifically, the city said the pipeline route might affect its future growth and the safety of its residents. The city’s fire department might also lead an emergency response to a pipeline rupture.”
Globe Gazette: Board of Supervisors discuss carbon pipeline
11/30/23
“At the Nov. 28 Mitchell County Board of Supervisors meeting, concerned resident Deb Freeman was present to discuss the proposed CO2 pipeline,” the Globe Gazette reports.
Reuters: Trans Mountain expansion shippers concerned about pipeline variance request
Nia Williams, 11/30/23
“Committed shippers on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) on Thursday wrote to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) to express concerns about the project's request for a variance on a section of the pipeline in British Columbia,” Reuters reports. “Trans Mountain has asked regulators to be allowed to install smaller diameter pipe in a 2,300-metre (7546-foot) section of the oil pipeline, after encountering "very challenging" construction conditions due to the hardness of the rock in a mountainous area between Hope and Chilliwack… “At an oral hearing on Monday, Trans Mountain told the CER that denying the variance request would likely add an extra 55-60 days to the construction schedule… “A law firm representing five shippers including Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNQ.TO) and Suncor Energy (SU.TO) wrote to the regulator to express "concerns" with the request. The companies acknowledged the importance of Trans Mountain's schedule and urged the CER to ensure any actions taken would not contribute to the project being delayed. "However, should the variance lead to any adverse effects or unforeseen impacts affecting the shippers, it is imperative that Trans Mountain bears all responsibility for rectifying these issues in a timely and reasonable manner and at its sole cost, risk and expense," the letter said… “The companies' expression of concern comes the same day the CER approved preliminary interim shipping tolls on the expanded pipeline, which many shippers had opposed.”
Politico: GOP Says Speed Up On Line Five
11/30/23
“Two Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are pressing the Army Corps of Engineers to wrap up its environmental review of a proposed tunnel project on Enbridge’s contentious Line 5 oil pipeline in Michigan,” Politico reports. “The Army Corps announced in 2021 it would prepare an environmental impact statement for the Great Lakes Tunnel Project. It said in March it expects to complete the draft EIS in spring 2025, a year later than planned. In a letter on Wednesday, Reps. John James (R-Mich.) and David Rouzer (R-N.C.), who chairs the T&I subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, lamented the “continued unprecedented permitting delays,” which they said “raise significant questions about an impartial review process and standards” by the Army Corps. They requested a staff-level briefing on the status of the environmental review by Dec. 13. The Army Corps’ Detroit District could not immediately provide comment on the letter.”
E&E News: Fishermen sue over Gulf oil spill as feds search for leak
Heather Richards, 11/29/23
“Fishermen in Louisiana have sued a company linked to a large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as federal agencies continue to search for the leak’s source,” E&E News reports. “Two commercial fishing companies located in southern Louisiana — Sharkco Seafood International and KEB — as well as two individual fishermen filed the class action lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure and a subsidiary called Main Pass Oil Gathering for the release of up to 1.1 million gallons of crude oil from an underwater pipeline earlier this month. The lawsuit also alleges violation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Plaintiffs allege that more than $5 million of damages resulted from the spill. The fishermen say the spill has imperiled shrimping and other local businesses by polluting important commercial fishing grounds and that the crude oil could foul sensitive wetlands. Louisiana is the second largest commercial fishing state in the U.S. by volume, according to NOAA Fisheries.”
Facebook: Maury Johnson: Yesterday I attended the PHMSA Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee meeting [VIDEO]
11/30/23
“Yesterday I attended the PHMSA Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee meeting. At the end of the day I got to make a public comment. I have attached this in the video link,” on Facebook, Maury Johnson reports. “This morning I attended a Press Conference in front of the Dept of Energy.”
World Pipelines: Elliot takes stake in pipeline operator Phillips 66
Isabel Stagg, 12/1/23
“Elliott Investment Management has taken a US$1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is urging the US oil refiner and pipeline operator to revamp its board to boost lagging performance,” World Pipelines reports. “The activist investment firm in a letter to the Houston energy company's board on Wednesday 29 November, 2023, said Phillips 66's stock, recently trading at around US$118 per share, could hit US$200 with improvements. It said management had laid out sensible performance targets but could use help achieving its full potential. Phillips 66 has lagged its US refining rivals at a time when fuel demand and margins have soared for the industry. Its second-quarter earnings missed Wall Street estimates, but executives have laid out a plan to boost returns by cutting costs and assets. It may sell or spin off US$3 billion in assets next year, executives said.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court leans toward curbing agency enforcement
Pamela King, 11/29/23
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared prepared to make some changes to the power of federal agencies to enforce their own rules,” E&E News reports. “During oral argument, the conservative-dominated court questioned why the Securities and Exchange Commission — rather than a federal judge and jury — should handle an enforcement case against George Jarkesy, a hedge fund manager who faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines related to accusations that he lied about audits and misrepresented investments. Depending on the scope of their ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy, the justices could also wrest enforcement capabilities away from agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Interior Department and EPA. Such a decision would continue a recent trend by the Supreme Court toward diluting the strength of executive agencies — which Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday have assumed more power over the public in recent decades. “Should that be a concern for us or a consideration?” Roberts, one of the high court’s most moderate members, asked Justice Department attorney Brian Fletcher representing the SEC… “Justice Clarence Thomas and some other members of the court raised questions Wednesday about the exact definition of public rights, suggesting that the government may wield too much power to take private citizens’ private property — money — without oversight by a neutral third party… “Energy Transfer, the developer behind the embattled Rover gas pipeline, has argued that a win for Jarkesy against the SEC could help energy companies facing enforcement proceedings before FERC. The Rover project faces millions of dollars in fines for allegedly lying about removal of a historic farmhouse and spilling diesel-tainted drilling fluid into an Ohio waterway. Energy Transfer, the same company behind the high-profile Dakota Access oil pipeline, has said that it’s hard for companies to get a fair shake before FERC and contend that enforcement cases instead belong before the courts… “The justices are expected to issue their ruling in Jarkesy by early summer.”
E&E News: John Kerry’s ‘gamble’ — trusting an oil baron to save the planet
Zack Colman, Karl Mathiesen, Corbin Hiar, 11/30/23
“Climate activists and progressive lawmakers unleashed their scorn when the CEO of one of the world’s most powerful oil companies got the job of helming this year’s global climate summit,” E&E News reports. “Do you take us for fools?” former U.S. Vice President Al Gore asked. “Completely ridiculous,” Swedish activist Greta Thunberg said. Hundreds of green groups and 130 lawmakers in the EU and U.S. joined in. But United Arab Emirates oil chief Sultan al-Jaber has a defender in his corner at the summit known as COP28, which debuts Thursday in Dubai: John Kerry, whose two and a half years as President Joe Biden’s climate envoy have included an aggressive courtship of al-Jaber as a partner in the fight against greenhouse gas pollution. That partnership will be put to the test this week, as an expected 70,000 people from nearly 200 nations meet amid war, inflation woes and a global energy boom in a Persian Gulf city built by the UAE’s oil wealth. So will a central tenet of Kerry’s climate diplomacy — the notion that the countries, companies and executives who have profited the most from greenhouse gas pollution, those with the power to steer energy markets and the money to kickstart multibillion-dollar disaster funds, should play an essential role in solving the problem. Trusting an oil mogul to run the talks carries risks — it’s even an “experiment,” as Kerry acknowledged in a recent interview. It began to appear even riskier this week, when leaked documents from al-Jaber’s COP28 team, first reported by the BBC, indicated that the UAE was planning to use the summit to pitch oil and gas deals with more than a dozen countries… “POLITICO also spoke with 30 current and former U.S. government officials, European negotiators, climate diplomacy veterans and UAE energy executives, who said Kerry and al-Jaber appear to have struck a close partnership amid uniquely complicated and tense negotiations.”
E&E News: Republicans at COP28 to focus on emissions drop, fossil fuels
Emma Dumain, 11/30/23
“House Republicans on Wednesday previewed their objectives for their upcoming trip to the U.N. climate summit in the United Arab Emirates: cheerlead American accomplishments on emissions while continuing to support fossil fuels,” E&E News reports. “Republicans plan to celebrate the fact that U.S. emissions are falling and call out other countries that aren’t doing as well. They also plan to push back against new measures that could stifle heavy-polluting industries — including oil and gas — that the GOP has long supported. That posture, presented by myriad Republican lawmakers throughout a nearly two-hour hearing before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials, is already complicating the party’s planned presence at this year’s talks, known as COP28. “They keep stressing we need to prioritize fossil fuels,” Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) told E&E. “The priority has to be clean energy.” “...In contrast, many Republicans are now suggesting they plan to attend the talks to applaud U.S. gains from the sidelines rather than roll up their sleeves to talk about major policy changes around the climate crisis. That position could put Republicans at risk of alienating not just Democrats but important international allies convening in the city of Dubai around a common goal: getting countries to pledge increasingly greater action to cut planet-warming emissions, including those from the production and use of fossil fuels. GOP members on the Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday made clear they believe the U.S. has done enough in this regard, and now it’s up to emerging economies such as China to take responsibility.”
Institute for Policy Studies: The Department of Energy Needs to Stop Greenwashing Fossil Fuels
Basav Sen, 11/30/23
“On Friday, December 1, the Department of Energy is holding an online event known as “Carbon Management Day,” Basav Sen writes for the Institute for Policy Studies. “Carbon management” is a term that conflates two different things: carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture (DAC). CCS is a technology that’s supposed to remove carbon dioxide from smokestacks of facilities that burn fuels such as fossil fuels and wood pellets that emit carbon dioxide. DAC refers to industrial methods of removing carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere. In spite of their differences, CCS and DAC have a lot of features in common. Both these technologies are dangerous distractions from the need to phase out fossil fuels and other polluting energy sources and to transition to truly renewable energy. They are both largely untested technologies, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll ever work at the scale required to actually make a difference to the climate. Relying on them would be unacceptably risky. They are both very expensive and energy and water intensive. They both depend on carbon pipelines to transport captured carbon to underground injection sites. Carbon pipelines are highly susceptible to serious rupture incidents, which can expose communities to clouds of asphyxiating carbon dioxide. And underground injection poses serious risks of groundwater contamination. CCS, in particular, is explicitly intended to allow for continued use of fossil fuels, by purporting to remove carbon dioxide from smokestacks to prevent more greenhouse gas emissions. However, it fails to address emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. And it leaves in place all the other harmful environmental impacts of the fossil fuel industry, such as air and water pollution from extracting and burning oil, gas, and coal. Indigenous, Black, Brown, and poor white communities disproportionately bear most of these toxic impacts.”
E&E News: 'This Is Pathetic': Lawmakers, Interior Official Spar Over Arctic Oil
Heather Richards, 11/30/23
“Republicans on a House Natural Resources subcommittee excoriated a senior Interior Department official Wednesday over the Biden administration’s Arctic oil policies,” E&E News reports. “The hearing of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee sparked a heated debate over future drilling on Alaska’s public lands. Republicans also slammed Interior for not consulting with Alaska Native leaders before proposing new limits on oil and gas activity. At one point, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the full committee chair, told the Interior witness: “This is pathetic,” adding that he and the administration should be “ashamed.” Subcommittee Chair Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) convened the hearing to debate his ‘Alaska’s Right to Produce Act,’ H.R. 6285, which would reinstate oil development rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) that were canceled by Interior earlier this year. It would also halt a proposed rule for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) that critics say would thwart drilling to the detriment of Alaska Native villages.”
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Young activists who won Montana climate case want to stop power plant on Yellowstone River
AMY BETH HANSON, 11/29/23
“Fresh off a legal victory earlier this year in a landmark climate change case, a group of young environmental activists is trying to persuade the Montana Supreme Court to stop a natural gas power plant that’s being built on the banks of the Yellowstone River,” the Associated Press reports. “The 16 activists said in a court brief filed Tuesday that the air quality permit for the plant near Laurel in south-central Montana should be declared invalid or at least suspended until the state’s appeal of their climate change case is decided. The brief was in support of two environmental groups that are challenging the permit… “In the brief, their attorneys said the young activists have “a unique and significant interest” in making sure new fossil fuel projects like the power plant don’t proceed “given the significant harms resulting from additional (greenhouse gas) pollution in Montana.” The state has filed a notice of appeal of the August climate ruling to the Montana Supreme Court but has not submitted its arguments in the case. The young plaintiffs said the justices should not wait for their case to be resolved before taking action on the power plant permit. Their attorney also asked that any constitutional climate and environmental issues should be addressed through the climate lawsuit, which was heard at trial, and not the power plant permit case.”
InForum: Carbon dioxide storage, utilization projects get Industrial Commission funding
Joey Harris, 11/30/23
“The state Industrial Commission has granted $100,000 for the early stages of another carbon capture project slated for southwest North Dakota,” InForum reports. “The three-member regulatory body made up of the governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner awarded the funding Tuesday to the Prairie Horizon Carbon Management Hub, a joint undertaking of the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center and Prairie Horizon, a consortium involving Marathon Petroleum and TC Energy. This tranche of funding will mostly go toward a two-year evaluation of the area’s infrastructure and geology, which may require different considerations than other carbon storage projects given the area’s historic and active oil and gas development. If the Hub is built out, it would capture climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions from Marathon’s biofuels refinery in Dickinson and the Prairie Horizon Hydrogen facility, another collaboration between Marathon and TC Energy expected to be built in southwest North Dakota in the coming years… “Some environmental groups question the practice’s benefits. When the rule was first introduced in September, the Northwest Landowners Association told the Tribune it worries the rules would allow operators to indefinitely delay the expensive process of plugging and reclaiming oil wells that are no longer economic under readily available technology… “Separately on Tuesday, Andrew Sorbo, vice president of strategic initiatives at Minnkota Power Cooperative, presented the commission with updates for Project Tundra, which will capture emissions from the Milton R. Young coal-fired power plant in Oliver County and be the country’s largest carbon storage project if built. A final decision on whether Minnkota will go ahead with Project Tundra is expected next year. Sorbo said the cooperative sees enhanced oil recovery as a possibility in the future, but the heftier federal tax credits for storage makes pumping CO2 underground more attractive.”
Northern Journal: There's lots of gas in Cook Inlet. Here's why some companies aren't drilling.
NATHANIEL HERZ, 11/29/23
“...BlueCrest says extracting the gas will require wells drilled vertically, from a new offshore platform it wants to build in the water. But even though Anchorage-area policymakers and utilities are girding for an impending crunch in natural gas supplies, the company has failed to find investors willing to front the money for what could be a $350 million project,” Northern Journal reports. “This is a sure deal,” Benjy Johnson, BlueCrest’s chief executive, told the Journal. “The issue is, simply, the funding for the development. We are literally, every day, talking to investors, to try to convince them that Alaska is a safe place to come back to.” “...But after more than six decades of petroleum extraction in Cook Inlet, the companies’ recent experiences show that oil and gas are proving much harder for the industry to develop, and more expensive to produce. The biggest obstacle to further development in the basin is that potential investors and buyers are wary of the risk involved, according to Johnson and John Hendrix, HEX’s president. Drilling is an uncertain proposition: Wells can fail to produce gas, or cost far more than expected. Investors are demanding high returns for putting their money on the line, the executives told the Journal. Alaska’s electric utilities also say they want to shift to renewable power, which would reduce their demand for gas and their willingness to buy it from HEX, BlueCrest or other producers. And a state agency is still trying to secure investment to build an enormous new gas pipeline to Cook Inlet from the huge North Slope oil and gas fields, which would “kill us,” Hendrix told the Journal. Hendrix told the Journal he thinks that utilities should take the unusual step of directly investing in drilling, thereby taking on a share of the financial risk… “Without utility investment, it makes more sense to produce a dwindling amount of gas from wells that HEX has already drilled, rather than borrowing money at high interest rates to drill more, Hendrix told the Journal.
St. George News: Analysis: Utah Losing Millions In Natural Gas Waste And Pollution
11/29/23
“A new analysis found Utah oil and gas companies waste an estimated $48 million worth of natural gas per year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than a fifth of residential customers in Utah, according to the Environmental Defense Fund,” St. George News reports. “The large majority of the gas, 87%, is lost due to leakage from producers. Ashley Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Breathe Utah, told the News leakage needs to be addressed to ensure better air quality and protect the overall health of Utahns and the environment. “Getting a handle on leaks from oil and gas; I really do feel like that is pretty close to low-hanging fruit that is left to do,” Miller contended. “There is technology available that, you know, this isn’t new stuff. For the most part we aren’t talking about huge capital infrastructure projects.” Miller recognized it likely will not be an easy fix, especially for smaller operations but stressed it is necessary. She urged stakeholders to look at the financial, health and environmental consequences of not addressing the issue. The analysis found in 2019, the state of Utah lost about $6.7 million in tax and royalty revenue, including more than $1.2 million in lost revenue for the tribal governments in the state.”
EXTRACTION
DeSmog: Corporate Promotion of Carbon Capture and Storage Contradicts Science, Study Finds
Dana Drugmand, 11/30/23
“The vast majority of corporate advocacy promoting carbon capture and storage is misaligned with climate science, new research shows,” DeSmog reports. “According to an analysis released today by InfluenceMap, over 80 percent of corporate policy engagement on CCS between 2021 and 2023 does not meet the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s science-based policy guidance, which includes recommended methods for limiting warming to 1.5°Celsius or well-below 2°C – the targets established by the Paris Agreement. The study shows that IPCC recognizes a role exists for carbon capture technologies. However, the UN’s climate science body has stated that global fossil fuel production and use must decline substantially, and that CCS is not a feasible justification to deepen reliance on these dirty fuels that are driving climate breakdown. Yet, the oil and gas sectors that dominate corporate promotion of CCS see these technologies as a lifeline to continue and expand their extractive business model, and as a distraction from mounting calls for a fossil fuel phaseout, the InfluenceMap report notes… “Oil and gas companies have been doing everything they can to avoid concrete action to phase out fossil fuels – including by pushing for carbon capture and storage,” Sofia Basheer, senior analyst at InfluenceMap and an author of the new InfluenceMap study, said in a press release. “If governments can’t agree on a science-based plan to get to net zero, and fossil fuels remain a significant part of the equation, the oil and gas industries will have won a major victory.” The report examined 750 instances of corporate policy engagement pertaining to CCS from the LobbyMap database from 2021 to 2023, and compared them with science-based policy positions… “Internal communications from oil majors like BP and Shell indicate that the oil and gas industry supports CCS because it could extend the fossil fuel era and allow for greater use of oil and gas “across the energy transition and beyond,” as DeSmog previously reported.
CNN: Climate Activist: Carbon Capture is "Fairytale Solution" [VIDEO]
11/30/23
“Ugandan climate advocate Vanessa Nakate speaks to CNN's Becky Anderson on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai about the so-called "false solutions", CNN reports.
Financial Times: COP28: carbon capture is grabbing investors’ attention
11/30/23
“...Amid the circus-like atmosphere, countries including Spain, France and Ireland want a clear outcome: a timeline to ditch “unabated” fossil fuels,” the Financial Times reports. “Unabated means emissions are not stemmed by capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide. Countries such as Saudi Arabia want CO₂ reduction technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) to feature heavily in talks. That would boost an industry that has long promised much but delivered little… “More than 350 projects are in development, according to the Global CCS Institute. But high costs will probably remain a drag in many geographies. The recent uptick has largely been driven by incentives in North America, including the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA includes tax credits of $85/t for CCS projects that reduce emissions from things like fossil fuel plants. Direct air capture (DAC), where emissions are removed from the atmosphere, can also access tax credits of $180/t. These are helping to close the gap on costs for simpler projects. Financing regimes elsewhere have been slower to materialise, though… “So far oil majors have mostly financed projects from their balance sheets. Project debt finance will be needed if the industry is to scale up further. Banks have been examining it, according to industry executives, but are yet to commit. Positive COP talks could help confidence. The greatest limitation on CCS, though, is comparison with other technologies. In sectors such as electricity generation, cheaper alternatives already exist. A long hoped-for surge in CCS will more likely be a steady trickle.”
Journal of Petroleum Technology: Many Want To Store Carbon Dioxide, but Few Have Been Permitted
Stephen Rassenfoss, 11/30/23
“The flood of applications for permits to build long-term carbon storage projects could add an enormous amount of storage capacity over the next decade if everything goes as planned,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. “There has been a 500% rise in applications since 2021 for Class VI disposal well permits, which are required in the US for carbon sequestration, according to a report from Enverus. By mid-2026, those plans could lead to projects doubling the US injection rate to 40 million tons per annum of CO2, according to the energy data and consulting firm… “But the report added a big if: These predictions depend on the timely delivery of government funding, regulatory approvals, and a supply of captured carbon dioxide. It said that “even minor delays will mean the UK misses its 2030 targets.” “...All those risks also apply in the US, but permitting is generating more comment than the petroleum engineering challenges of finding secure storage sites or capturing carbon dioxide from industrial waste streams. A surge in permit requests have flooded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), rising from about four a year in 2020 to that many in an average month now, said Evan MacDonald, a senior geology associate at Enverus Intelligence Research… “On the other side, delays because of public opposition led to the cancellation of a proposed CO2 pipeline linking emitters in the Midwest to storage. “That is a bit of a challenge,” he told JPT, but another proposed pipeline will “pick up some of the slack.” “...What is seen in the news” is public opposition to storage and transport projects in the Midwest, Steve Melzer, a consultant who is the CO2 Conference director, told JPT. There has been some strong opposition to projects aimed at capturing and storing emissions from agricultural plants making ethanol and ammonia.”
Bloomberg: These Companies Are Pushing Back on Science Showing Their Pollution
Aaron Clark, 11/29/23
“The blotches on grainy satellite images might not mean much to the average person, but to the Spanish scientists experimenting with new ways to track greenhouse gas emissions, they were a staggering discovery. The snapshots and other data suggested that over 17 days in December 2021, an oil platform operated by Petroleos Mexicanos, the state-owned energy giant known as Pemex, spewed tons of planet-warming methane into the atmosphere,” Bloomberg reports. “The researchers posited that they were likely caused by two malfunctioning flares and estimated that the amount released was equivalent to about 3% of the annual emissions from Mexico’s entire oil and gas sector.”
NPR: Oil spills increase in Venezuela as it revs up output after the U.S. lifted sanctions
John Otis, 11/29/23
“On the western shore of Lake Maracaibo, workers use rakes and shovels to pull blobs of congealed oil out of the water, but the black goo sticks to everything — fishing nets, boats, outboard motors and even a calf that's wondering around the beach,” NPR reports. “The oil slicks, which cover vast stretches of the lakeshore, are the result of constant leaks from underwater oil wells and a spaghetti of aging pipelines that run along the lake bottom. The mess has driven away beachgoers and decimated the fishing industry on Lake Maracaibo, an immense, brackish tidal bay connected to the Caribbean Sea. "Some days the fish come back all covered in oil," Joseiry Gotera, who manages a fishing cooperative on the lake, told NPR. "You can't sell them. You have to throw them away." After years of falling oil production amid the country's worst economic crisis in history, Venezuela is resurrecting its beleaguered petroleum industry. The country is now producing 850,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Deputy Oil Minister Erick Pérez, more than twice the amount that the country was pumping three years ago. At a conference in the country's capital of Caracas last week, Pérez predicted Venezuela would soon be producing 1 million barrels per day. The country has a huge incentive to increase oil output because in October, Washington lifted oil sanctions against the country in exchange for pledges by Venezuela's authoritarian government to set ground rules for a free presidential election next year. That has allowed Venezuela to resume exporting oil to the United States rather than sell it on the black market at steep discounts.”
Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International: The Need for Real Zero Not Net Zero: Shifting from False Solutions to Real Solutions and a Just Transition
11/30/23
“With growing pressure to take action to address the climate crisis, governments, financial institutions, and corporations have made Net Zero commitments a primary response to adhere to the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement, with the aim to limit warming temperatures to 1.5°C (2.7°F),” according to Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International. “This policy analysis specifically aims to address concerns about, and better define Net Zero, and in doing so, begins to explore and define Real Zero initiatives that demonstrate alternative practices and pathways forward for a healthy and equitable approach to the climate crisis within principles of a Just Transition. To bolster real solutions, there must be critical interrogation and accountability from governments, financial institutions, and corporations to support efforts and frameworks that lead to equitable and effective outcomes. These various actors have the responsibility and opportunity to decelerate existing exploitative socio-economic structures and instead, offer a healthy and just path forward.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
TheRanch100: West Grey Fire Recipient of Enbridge Gas Project Assist Campaign
11/30/23
“West Grey Fire Service has been named as the recipient of this year’s Enbridge Gas Safe Community Project Assist Campaign,” TheRanch100 reports. “Enbridge Gas has put up $5000 for West Grey Fire for the purchase of essential firefighting training materials made through the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council. With the grant, West Grey Fire has been able to purchase International Fire Service Training Association training manuals which will play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of high quality training to their firefighters.”
Collingwood Today: Enbridge Gas teams up with Blue Mountains Fire and Rescue for Safe Community Project Zero
11/30/23
“Enbridge Gas Inc. (Enbridge Gas) and Blue Mountains Fire and Rescue announced they are working together to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero,” Collingwood Today reports. “Blue Mountains Fire and Rescue received 174 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (FMPFSC) that will provide more than 10,000 alarms to residents in 50 municipalities across Ontario. This year, Enbridge Gas invested $315,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the past 15 years, the program has provided more than 86,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.”
OPINION
WesternIowaToday.com: Inconsistent zoning questions between carbon pipelines and wind turbines
Jan Norris, 11/2923
“The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors’ actions regarding planning and zoning ordinances appear inconsistent, even contradictory,” Jan Norris writes for WesternIowaToday.com. “To affected constituents this is confusing. Ordinances are the county’s method to pro-actively determine appropriate land use and siting of structures to best serve the landowners, residents, and public needs. There are three recent ordinances Montgomery County has considered: solar, hazardous liquid pipeline, and wind turbines. A couple years ago, the supervisors adopted a solar specific ordinance that the Planning & Zoning Commission drafted, revised & approved. There was no immediate solar project looming over the county, yet the ordinance received proper attention and consideration from the Supervisors. Next, arose the challenge of a hazardous CO2 pipeline crossing through Montgomery County’s western side. The supervisors agreed to have Planning & Zoning consult an attorney with expertise in the field to draft an ordinance. The first of three hearings was held, then, it was shelved for fear of the threat of a lawsuit from Summit Carbon Solutions. Now, a new challenge has arisen - wind turbine projects. The Board of Supervisors has passed two moratoriums on wind turbine construction in the county and have agreed to pursue a wind turbine ordinance. The board is hearing pleas of opposition from landowners and residents on both issues - the pipeline and the wind turbines. Wind is 100% voluntary so it is up to the landowner whether or not to participate; but the pipeline can seize land by eminent domain forcing participation by unwilling landowners. Wind offers neighbors compensation; the pipeline chose not to even notify them. Wind projects will move the route to only work with willing participants; the pipelines bully counties & landowners into submission. Wind easements have a 40 year sunset clause; pipeline easements may continue into perpetuity. Wind turbines are a public utility, who will use the project to keep our electric rates manageable; pipelines are a private corporation who will pocket the profits. Both projects promise hundreds of thousands of dollars to the county. Wind amounts can be verified with counties currently participating; pipelines are only a marketing projection. Some people say they don’t enjoy looking at wind turbines; the pipelines are not visible above ground, but pose a threat to the health of our residents, perhaps within 10 minutes of exposure should it rupture. Wind projects want to work with counties; pipelines sue to prevent them from doing what’s best for their residents. Wind experiences rumors of health effects; John Abraham, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of St. Thomas stated in hearing testimony that the pipelines have verifiable “likelihood of immediate threat to life, could cause irreversible or delayed adverse health effects, or interfere with the ability to escape” up to 1,855 ft away. With these factors in mind, why is the Board of Supervisors treating consideration of these ordinances so differently?”
The Hill: To avert climate disaster, we need firm commitments on cutting methane at COP28
Paul Bledsoe served as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Interior Department, and the White House Climate Change Task Force under former President Bill Clinton, 11/30/23
“The key goal of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) negotiations beginning in Dubai this week must be to limit fast-rising temperatures, to prevent runaway warming that could destabilize the global climate system and inflict devastating floods, heat waves, fires and other disastrous impacts on billions of people around the globe. While a number of other outcomes are important in Dubai, they must be subsidiary to the crucial test of slowing near-term global temperature rises and preventing climate calamity,” Paul Bledsoe writes for The Hill. “In practice, this means COP28 must gain agreements for deep cuts in methane emissions — limiting methane will reduce near-term temperatures far more than any other action. Deep reductions in methane can limit .3 degrees Celsius of temperature rise by 2050, preventing three times more warming by mid-century than cutting carbon dioxide alone. Immediate methane cuts from the fossil fuel industry could also avoid nearly 1 million premature deaths by 2050… “Major methane reduction announcements at the summit should be the beginning of a dynamic process that leads toward a mandatory Global Methane Treaty, beginning with methane from fossil fuels and involving actions by all nations to prevent temperatures and the climate from spinning out of control. The Biden administration is poised to announce new rules at the summit that clamp down on methane from the U.S. oil and gas sector, including leaky pipelines, energy production on public and private lands, and infrastructure related to processing, transporting and storing natural gas. U.S. offshore petroleum production facilities and natural gas export facilities, not covered by forthcoming methane rules, may have also to pay for excessive methane leaks in the next few years. Meanwhile, the U.S. is creating important guidelines to distinguish low methane producers and exporters from high-emitting competitors so consumers and importers can choose cleaner fuels… “Aggressive reductions in methane emissions can help limit temperatures, and must be a key outcome of COP28, setting the stage for a mandatory Global Methane Treaty in the next few years. If heads of states and ministers from leading nations at Dubai don’t act, they will be consigning their own people, and the rest of the world, to a nightmare of climate catastrophe.”
The Hill: Senators Are Only Making Fools Of Themselves By Attacking Oil Company Mergers
Benjamin Zycher is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, 11/29/23
“In a recent letter to the Federal Trade Commission Chairman Lina Khan, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 22 other Democratic senators stated that they are concerned ‘about two blockbuster oil-and-gas deals announced in October: ExxonMobil’s proposed $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron’s proposed $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation — two of the largest oil-and-gas deals of the 21st century,” Benjamin Zycher writes for The Hill. “The senators’ basic complaint is that the mergers ‘are likely to harm competition, risking increased consumer prices and reduced output throughout the United States.’ The letter then summarizes the long-term process of consolidation in the fossil energy sector since the 1990s, asserting that the result has been ‘anticompetitive coordination in the industry’ allowing the producers to direct ‘their individual supplies into, or away from, particular regions of the country enabl[ing] them to achieve ‘price uplift scenarios’ and to ‘leverage up’ prices.’ This takes even Washington’s political silliness to new heights. Where even to begin? Nowhere do the senators ask the obvious question: Why would market forces have caused a consolidation process for at least the last 30 years?”