EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/13/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Common Dreams: 'Tragedy Unfolding' as Cleanup of Largest-Ever Keystone Pipeline Oil Spill Continues
Bloomberg: Keystone Has Leaked More Oil Than Any Other Pipeline in US Since 2010
Upstream: TC Energy recovers nearly 2600 barrels of oil after Keystone spill but pipeline remains shut
KWCH: Family farm impacted by record Keystone Pipeline oil spill
ABC News: Major leak from Keystone Pipeline impacts local farm [VIDEO]
Law360: West Virginia Pipeline Co. Can't Dodge All Pollution Claims
Canadian Press: Pembina signs deal to sell stake in Key Access Pipeline System for $662.5-million
The Iowa Standard: GOP legislators express major concerns with CO2 pipeline projects
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Bloomberg: Former US Energy Boss Proposes Agency to Pay For Carbon Removal
STATE UPDATES
NOLA.com: Bellwether Plaquemines lawsuit against oil, gas companies again returned to state court
High Country News: Utah dismisses youth climate case. But it’s not over.
E&E News: Texas grid proposals tee up new natural gas fight
Bloomberg: Oil Wells Creeping Into Texas Cities Herald Shale Era's Twilight
Los Angeles Times: High gas costs hurt California drivers as refiners rake in huge profits. These charts explain
Los Angeles Daily News: Task force unveils report on helping LA’s oil workers find new jobs
Bakersfield Californian: Safety concerns preceded oil well blowout
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: Oil sands coalition to start exploratory drilling for carbon-capture project
OPINION
Esquire: The Keystone Pipeline Leak Reminds Us that There Is No Clean Way to Use This Stuff
Superior Telegram: LINE 5 PIPELINE VITAL TO SMALL BUSINESS
Alaska Highway News: Chris Gardner: Why offer a reward after the attack on pipeline workers
WorldOil.com: Opinion: Energy industry already leads on reducing methane emissions
CleanEnergy.org: TVA Nears Decision to Build New Gas Plant and Pipeline in Middle Tennessee
PIPELINE NEWS
Common Dreams: 'Tragedy Unfolding' as Cleanup of Largest-Ever Keystone Pipeline Oil Spill Continues
BRETT WILKINS, 12/12/22
“Cleanup and assessment efforts continued Monday after a Canadian fossil fuel company's pipeline spilled nearly an Olympic-sized swimming pool's worth of crude tar sands oil into a northern Kansas creek that feeds a watershed providing drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people,” Common Dreams reports. “In what's being called the largest U.S. onshore crude oil leak in nearly a decade and the largest by far in the accident-prone Keystone Pipeline system's history, approximately 14,000 barrels, or 600,000 gallons, of crude tar sands oil spewed from the Keystone 1 pipeline onto surrounding land and into Mill Creek just north of Washington, Kansas at around 8:00 pm on Wednesday. Mill Creek flows into the Little Blue River, which in turn drains into the Big Blue River, which then runs into the Tuttle Creek Reservoir before draining into the Kansas River. "Over 61,000 square miles of watershed in Kansas, southern Nebraska, and eastern Colorado drain to the Kansas River, the drinking water source for over 800,000 Kansans and a vital natural resource," the local environmental group Friends of the Kaw said in a statement Friday. "This area includes the creek, rivers, and reservoir potentially impacted by this Keystone pipeline spill. While Washington County is seemingly far away from the Kansas River, disasters like this one illustrate how connected the people and places in our watershed truly are," the group added… “Keystone XL opponents warned of the danger of leaks prior to and during its construction, which was halted last year. According to the anti-pipeline group Bold Nebraska, there have been 22 Keystone spills since 2010. "As we wait to hear how much tar sands and toxic chemicals like benzene have polluted our water from TC Energy's Keystone 1 pipeline, it is critical to note our state and counties need better laws on the books for pipelines," Bold Nebraska founder Jane Kleeb said in a statement. "Thankfully, landowners and tribal nations came together to stop the larger Keystone XL pipeline from cutting through sensitive areas of the Ogallala Aquifer and the Niobrara River," Kleeb added. "Now is the time to get stronger laws on the books to protect our state's assets—the land, the water, and the people."
Bloomberg: Keystone Has Leaked More Oil Than Any Other Pipeline in US Since 2010
Robert Tuttle, 12/12/22
“Last week’s oil spill in Kansas means that TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone pipeline has now leaked more crude oil than any other conduit on US land in the past 12 years,” Bloomberg reports. “The major line running from Canada into the US Midwest was shut after a spill of 14,000 barrels, with some of that crude released into a local waterway. The spill, in combination with several others in recent years, will mean that Keystone has leaked almost 26,000 barrels of crude on US land since 2010. That’s the most of any other pipeline during that period, according to preliminary spill data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration .Other notable pipeline spills include Tesoro’s High Plains conduit that ruptured in 2013 and Enbridge Inc.’s Line 6B, which caused a massive oil leak in the Kalamazoo River in 2010, the data show. TC Energy is continuing recovery efforts and hasn’t yet set a date to restart operations for the pipeline that can transport about 600,000 barrel a day, the company said on Sunday.”
Upstream: TC Energy recovers nearly 2600 barrels of oil after Keystone spill but pipeline remains shut
Leia Marie Parker, 12/13/22
“TC Energy has recovered 2598 barrels of oil and water after a Keystone Pipeline System rupture spilled about 14,000 barrels of oil into a creek in the US state of Kansas, the company said on Monday evening,” Upstream reports. “...Oil has not breached the containment area, but TC estimates 14,000 barrels of oil were spilled, which is more than the total amount leaked by the other 22 Keystone accidents since 2010, according to a July 2021 US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report… “TC has more than 300 people on site, including third-party experts. Vacuum trucks and crews are working around the clock and booms are set up downstream from where the spill occurred. A TC representative told Upstream that a force majeure notice informed customers the pipeline system might not be able to fully perform its transportation service for the rest of this month… “A US GAO report in July 2021 said two of the 22 accidents on the system from 2010 to 2020 had accounted for about 93% of the total 11,975 barrels of oil released from Keystone since 2010. “Both accidents — one in northeastern South Dakota near Amherst, in November 2017, that spilled 6592 barrels and another in northeastern North Dakota, near Edinburg, in October 2019, that spilled 4515 barrels — occurred on the pipeline right of way,” the report said. “The two largest spills in Keystone’s history, in 2017 and 2019, were among the six accidents that met [Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s] criteria for accidents ‘impacting people or the environment’.” The GAO report was published soon after TC announced in June 2021 that it had terminated its Keystone XL expansion project after the project’s US presidential permit had been revoked in January that year.”
KWCH: Family farm impacted by record Keystone Pipeline oil spill
Joe Baker, KWCH Staff and Gray News staff, 12/12/22
“Just 20 miles south of the Kansas-Nebraska state line, federal data reports the biggest oil spill in Keystone Pipeline history,” KWCH reports. “The spill is impacting many people in who live in Washington County, about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City, KWCH reported. “We know we have pasture grass that’s black, that will probably have to be removed,” Chris Pannbacker, who owns a farm nearby the spill, told KWCH. “It’s our land; it’s our livelihood. Our kids grew up there. There is a lot of heritage and history and our families worked hard to be good stewards of the land. So, we just want to do whatever we can to restore it,” Pannbacker told KWCH… “According to Washington County’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, the water is safe to drink for those in the area. People are asked to avoid the area while crews continue to work. “There is going to be a lot of traffic in the area. The company probably has 150 people on the ground in all capacity onsite. So, there is a lot of equipment and a lot of moving parts,” Randy Hubbard, Washington County Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, told KWCH.
ABC News: Major leak from Keystone Pipeline impacts local farm [VIDEO]
12/12/22
“Chris Pannbacker’s farm in Washington County, Kansas, has been impacted by the oil spill from the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is now being investigated,” ABC News reports. “
Law360: West Virginia Pipeline Co. Can't Dodge All Pollution Claims
Peter McGuire, 12/12/22
“A federal judge in West Virginia has thrown out claims of nuisance and negligence against an oil and gas company accused of polluting a neighbor’s property but will allow the case to continue on allegations the company violated environmental laws,” Law360 reports.
Canadian Press: Pembina signs deal to sell stake in Key Access Pipeline System for $662.5-million
12/12/22
“Pembina Pipeline Corp. has signed a deal to sell Pembina Gas Infrastructure’s 50 per cent interest in the Key Access Pipeline System to private equity firm Stonepeak Partners LP for $662.5-million,” the Canadian Press reports. “Pembina Gas Infrastructure is 60 per cent owned by Pembina and 40 per cent by KKR’s global infrastructure fund. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, subject to approval by the Commissioner of Competition as well as other closing conditions. The sale came as Pembina says it expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization between $3.5-billion and $3.8-billion in 2023.”
The Iowa Standard: GOP legislators express major concerns with CO2 pipeline projects
12/11/22
“All four legislators who attended a pre-session forum in Le Mars last week seemed to be uneasy at the prospect of the Iowa Utilities Board granting eminent domain for the CO2 pipeline projects in Iowa,” The Iowa Standard reports. “Representative Tom Jeneary said no private for-profit project should be allowed to use eminent domain for anything. “If we allow that to happen, where do you stop,” he asked. “You open pandora’s box. What would prevent somebody from building an apartment complex in your pasture? I just am not for that at all.” Senator Jeff Taylor said he has five bills ready to address this issue and is working on a sixth. The lawmakers were asked if they believed the project was a done a deal or if it is worth the fight. “It’s always worth the fight,” Taylor said. “Even if the odds are stacked against you, it’s always worth the fight. There’s a lot of money behind the pipeline projects. Bruce Rastetter is a big donor to the GOP and has been for decades. That’s a problem for Republicans.” In addition to Rastetter’s money, his public spokesman for the project is former Gov. Terry Branstad. “That’s a problem also,” Taylor said. “You’ve got heavyweights on the Republican side pushing for Summit pipelines and to resist any kind of restrictions on what the Utilities Board can do on eminent domain.” A majority of counties affected have had their supervisors come out against the use of eminent domain for the projects. But some lawmakers at the state level believe their authority trumps that of the county supervisors. Taylor said his fear is that eminent domain will be granted to one or both of the companies in the next few months if the legislature isn’t able to stop it. He said he was grateful so many county boards have contacted the Utilities Board with their objections and said anything individual can do to keep pushing against the “abuse” of eminent domain is what he encourages… “The political reality is big money is behind it. The Republican Party, even though we’re against eminent domain for private companies — that’s in our platform we just reaffirmed this past summer, ironically we passed that resolution while we were at the state fairgrounds in the Rastetter Building.” Taylor joked he thought Rastetter would speak against the platform plank, but likely did not because he “didn’t need to.” Instead, Taylor said the grassroots has to fight it. Jeneary predicted there is a “very strong chance” of stopping the use of eminent domain for private projects in the Iowa House.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Bloomberg: Former US Energy Boss Proposes Agency to Pay For Carbon Removal
David R. Baker, 12/8/22
“Former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz called for creating a federal authority to pay for removing vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, saying the approach was needed to scale up an industry he called essential to fighting climate change,” Bloomberg reports. “Moniz’s Energy Futures Initiative think tank proposed establishing a National Carbon Removal Authority that would treat extracting carbon from the air as a public benefit, paid for with public money. The authority would begin operations in 2035, paying private companies to remove atmospheric carbon and either use it or store it. The authority would have a $33 billion budget to cover its first 10 years. Companies such as Climeworks and Global Thermostat have developed ways to extract heat-trapping carbon dioxide from ambient air. But the initiative argues that such carbon dioxide removal (CDR) efforts will need to be deployed at a massive scale by mid-century to keep global warming below 1.5C (2.7F), even if the world manages to slash new emissions. A government authority willing to pay for the service could help the emerging industry grow to the point where it’s storing more than 1 billion tons of CO2 in the US each year. “We have to fight for every damn tenth of a degree we can get,” Moniz said Thursday at an event in Washington introducing the proposal.
STATE UPDATES
NOLA.com: Bellwether Plaquemines lawsuit against oil, gas companies again returned to state court
MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN, 12/13/22
“Five major oil and gas companies have again been blocked in their efforts to keep a potentially consequential, nearly 10-year-old natural resource damages lawsuit filed against them by Plaquemines Parish from being heard in a state court in the parish,” NOLA.com reports. “A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last week refused to stay its October ruling sending the damages suit back to the 25th Judicial District Court in Plaquemines Parish to be heard, even though the energy firms are attempting to appeal that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a separate ruling, all the judges on the appeals court also refused to rehear the October ruling by the three-judge panel. The defendant firms are Chevron USA, Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., BP America, and Shell. The appellate decisions seem to clear the way for the Plaquemines court to resume a trial that was abruptly recessed in 2018. The delay occurred when the companies, using historical drilling activity documents filed by the parish in court, argued they were acting as agents of the federal government in producing oil in the parish during World War II, and thus should have the suit tried in federal court. The decisions could also clear the way for 41 similar lawsuits filed in Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. John the Baptist, Vermilion and Cameron parishes between 2012 and 2017 against a total of about 200 oil and gas companies to be returned to state courts in those parishes. If successful, those suits could result in billions of dollars in either restoration projects or financial damages being awarded to the parishes or the states… “The companies are disappointed by the decision,” Jason Harbison told NOLA.com, in a statement on behalf of the energy companies. “Like other similar parish lawsuits against oil and gas companies, the allegations in this case challenge decades-old oil production practices, including those used during World War II... As Congress recognized, lawsuits like this one, which implicates distinctive federal interests, deserve to be heard in a federal forum.”
High Country News: Utah dismisses youth climate case. But it’s not over.
Kylie Mohr, 12/8/22
“Last month, a Utah judge dismissed a suit brought by a group of children and teenagers who alleged that the state was shortening their lives by authorizing fossil fuel developments. The plaintiffs’ lawyers, however, say their fight is only beginning,” High Country News reports. “It’s not a roadblock to us in pursuing litigation in states where we have lawsuits pending, or filing new cases for youth across the country,” Andrew Welle, co-counsel and senior attorney at Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit law firm that exclusively represents youth plaintiffs in climate cases like this, told HCN. The Oregon-based law firm pioneered this particular legal approach, which places the interests of children and young people at the center of climate action. Judge Robert Faust’s ruling states that the Utah and the United States constitutions do not address “anything about fossil fuels or global climate change which would permit the court to grant a judicial remedy,” a familiar line of reasoning that has been used to block climate litigation in the U.S. before. Faust noted that the plaintiffs had “a valid concern,” but argued that the executive and legislative branches, not the judiciary, are the proper venues for determining fossil fuel and climate change policy. The ruling will not affect other similar lawsuits, including one in Montana, where youth climate activists continue to advance through the courts. Held v. State of Montana will become the first children’s climate lawsuit to go to trial in U.S. history; the trial starts June 12, 2023, at the 1st Judicial District Court in Helena, Montana… “Montana is one of six states — and the only one in the West — whose constitution enshrines environmental rights, including the right to “a clean and healthful environment.” The plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that two Montana policies that favor fossil fuel development violate this right. “Courts in Montana have interpreted the right to a clean and healthful environment to be really important and meaningful, and have shown a willingness to invalidate statutes and agency conduct when it violates that right,” Nate Bellinger, a senior staff attorney at Our Children’s Trust and part of the Montana youths’ legal team, told High Country News in May. The Utah Constitution lacks a similar provision regarding the environment, something Faust noted in his ruling, so that case focused instead on the plaintiffs’ right to life. As High Country News previously reported, experts agree that explicit constitutional language could help youth climate cases win.”
E&E News: Texas grid proposals tee up new natural gas fight
Jason Plautz, 12/12/22
“As the U.S. government prepares to usher in an avalanche of renewable energy investments, Texas officials are signaling they’d like to head in a different direction,” E&E News reports. “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and state lawmakers are pitching a plan to mandate new natural gas generation to avoid future power crises in Texas. Patrick — who presides over the state Senate — suggested economic incentives for gas-fueled plants at the expense of wind and solar, similar to an unsuccessful bill he backed last year… “Although Texas’ primary market design is unique in the U.S., challenges with reliability amid a wave of renewables are not. That means the state’s discussion of grid changes could be closely watched by other regions, especially as the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal measures are offering up new incentives to help decarbonize the grid. The PUC proposal — a complex, novel structure known as the performance credit mechanism — would favor thermal plants fueled by natural gas, coal and nuclear energy that can be turned on and off. The idea is to help the state move away from what critics call an overreliance on wind and solar. “We need to meet demand on the days when renewable sources come in below forecast,” said ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas during a state House hearing this month. “The fact is that firm demand is growing at a pace that is surpassing dispatchable generation. If there’s a low renewable performance, we could be in a situation where we cannot meet the needs of our customers.” “...Renewable energy advocates, however, said the new design could disrupt what has been a booming market. “The E3 report’s PCM recommendation will reduce revenue in the energy market and implement a capacity like mechanism that benefits some types of generation without guaranteeing any new generation is built,” Tonya Miller, executive director of the Texas Solar Power Association, said in a statement to E&E News. “TSPA would like to see as little disruption in the ERCOT energy market as possible to provide for continued investment in Texas and low cost power for consumers.”
Bloomberg: Oil Wells Creeping Into Texas Cities Herald Shale Era's Twilight
David Wethe and Kevin Crowley, 12/12/22
“Each morning when Michael Quinn pulls into the parking lot of the luxury apartment complex he manages in West Texas and looks across the street, an unsightly vision blots the horizon: a 24-foot-high insulated wall,” Bloomberg reports. “Quinn, who works at the Midway Station Apartments in Midland, isn't troubled by the eyesore. The barrier, covered in a sand-colored tarp, is designed to muffle noise from an oil-well site across the road. To Quinn, it's a symbol of a flourishing industry that's the lifeblood of the local economy. But it actually tells a very different story: The wall, and an accompanying surge in urban drilling, is the latest sign that America’s shale fields are reaching middle age. An uptick in drilling within the city limits signals that the very best rock in one of the world’s most prolific oil fields has already been tapped. In the shale boom’s early days, with so much crude-soaked land up for grabs elsewhere in the Permian Basin, there was little reason to deal with the red tape needed to bore underneath populated areas. But with over two-thirds of the Permian’s premium land now drilled, according to BMO Capital Markets, producers are seeking more permits than ever to burrow beneath Midland and its 130,000 residents. Observers have long been predicting shale’s demise or heralding its rebirth. But this time is different: After years of honing their craft to boost output, producers in the Permian’s two main zones are pumping less oil per foot drilled in each new well, not more. Output guidance from Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Devon Energy Corp. has shown that US shale growth is coming in at the low end of expectations. Analysts say the Permian could reach a production plateau within five years.”
Los Angeles Times: High gas costs hurt California drivers as refiners rake in huge profits. These charts explain
LAURENCE DARMIENTO, SEAN GREENE, VANESSA MARTÍNEZ, 12/11/22
“Amid historically high California gas prices that have drained drivers’ wallets, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared the state’s oil industry an outlaw,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “For decades, California has suffered the nation’s most expensive gas because of higher taxes and clean fuel requirements, but that differential reached extreme levels in the spring and fall after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent ban on Russian oil. In October, when AAA data show Los Angeles hit a record $6.49 a gallon and prices were nearly as high elsewhere in Southern California, drivers across the nation were filling up on average for $3.79, a painful price difference of $2.70 per gallon. And with that, the governor had had enough. “California’s price-gouging penalty is simple — either Big Oil reins in the profits and prices or they’ll pay a penalty,” declared Newsom, when he announced a plan this month aimed at clamping down on company profits… “Refiners deny they are price gouging and cite a litany of other causes for high fuel costs, primarily supply, demand, regulations and taxes… “The state wouldn’t be subject to such woes, though, if not for another undisputed fact: California is a gas island with no major interstate pipelines, leaving it reliant primarily on in-state production and more costly trucks and tankers. At the same time, the number of refineries cranking out gasoline has dropped to 10 from almost 50 a few decades ago… “The Legislature will need to establish a “maximum gross gasoline refining margin” based on the average profit per barrel that an oil refiner earns for wholesale gasoline. The plan would allow the California Energy Commission to assess administrative penalties for violations that would go into a fund that lawmakers could return to residents. The proposal also would give the Energy Commission expanded authority to investigate supply and price issues. The industry, which spends millions lobbying legislators, strongly opposes the plan, blaming the high prices on the state’s efforts to phase out fossil fuels. It’s far from certain the proposal will make it into law.”
Los Angeles Daily News: Task force unveils report on helping LA’s oil workers find new jobs
12/10/22
“Los Angeles officials released a framework on Saturday, Dec. 10, for transitioning oil drilling workers to new kinds of jobs as both the city and county begin phasing out oil extraction,” the Los Angeles Daily News reports. “The Just Transition Strategy was released hours before Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an ordinance banning new oil and gas extraction in the city and ceasing existing operations within 20 years. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a similar ordinance in October. “Oil drilling has always been a part of L.A.’s history, but today, we’re creating a new legacy for Los Angeles,” Garcetti said. “The Just Transition Task Force is a recognition of our responsibility to support the workers who will feel the impact of this transition the most — and show the world how we can turn this environmental imperative into an economic opportunity and build the green and just future our children and grandchildren deserve.” “...Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger called the county’s oil extraction workers “a critical part of the industry’s workforce, our communities, and our regional economy. The work we’ve done to attract employers to L.A. in sectors like zero emissions transportation manufacturing is an important investment that I fully support. The Just Transition Strategy report shows that we can transition workers into those kinds of careers with dignity. It’s a thoughtful plan, developed by critical stakeholders, which gives me confidence that we are on a path where our sustainable future has a place for all of our workers. Although change can be difficult, every transition is an opportunity to ensure that we are advancing our goals of protecting our environment, our communities, and our workforce.” “...There are roughly 2,930 active and idle oil wells throughout the city of Los Angeles and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.”
Bakersfield Californian: Safety concerns preceded oil well blowout
JOHN COX, 12/10/22
“The idle oil well that blew out Dec. 2 north of California Avenue, badly injuring a Bakersfield oil field worker, twice prompted safety concerns earlier this year — first as part of a cluster of bores whose elevated pressure readings led to an emergency work order in May, then again after a rupture boomed at the site in June,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “State regulators warned the well's owner in April about excessive pressure at seven of its facilities in the Fruitvale Oil Field, later characterizing them as presenting "an immediate danger to the surrounding area," including homes, parks, commercial centers and an elementary school. Bakersfield-based owner E&B Natural Resources Management Corp. resisted the state order to cap the well, telling regulators it was addressing the situation and intended to reactivate the facility after idling it in September 2015. The company later agreed to permanently plug it and the others. Remedial work was underway at the well, located just west of Easton Drive in a dirt lot behind a police training facility, when authorities say a sudden release of high pressure at about 8:30 a.m. hurtled Leonardo Andrade, an employee of Bakersfield oil field contractor MMI Services Inc. Andrade's wife has said he suffered internal bleeding and severe leg injuries. Cal/OSHA has since opened investigations of the two companies, both of which were the target of fines by the agency last year for alleged safety problems after separate oil field accidents. The penalties remain under appeal.”
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: Oil sands coalition to start exploratory drilling for carbon-capture project
EMMA GRANEY, 12/12/22
“A coalition of oil sands companies eyeing a massive new emissions-reduction project in northern Alberta will this winter begin exploratory drilling of underground reservoirs in which it hopes to store captured carbon, as part of its goal to produce net-zero oil by 2050,” the Globe and Mail reports. “But Kendall Dilling, president of the Pathways Alliance, said there’s still another year or two of project development and applications for regulatory approvals before the planned carbon capture project hopefully gets the green light. The multibillion-dollar proposal includes a pipeline to gather captured carbon from more than 20 oil sands facilities and move it to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake, Alta… “The federal and Alberta governments, the industry and Indigenous communities in the oil sands region will need to continue discussions and collaboration to ensure the fiscal and regulatory framework for the carbon capture project are both finalized in the first half of next year. Progress will be key to determining whether the project can go ahead and, thus, whether 2030 emissions-reduction targets are achievable… “This is the year, to me, Canada decides, ‘Are we going to be a leader? Or are we going to sit on the sidelines and watch this opportunity pass us by, and watch the Americans and Europeans and others take advantage of it?’” “...But carbon capture has its doubters. Critics worry about future CO2 leaks and the fact it doesn’t encourage the reduced reliance on fossil fuels that is critical to meeting climate goals. The technology also remains extremely expensive, which is a tough sell for fossil fuel companies that have to justify to their shareholders immense capital and operating costs on something that doesn’t generate revenue. To help defray those costs, the federal government recently released details of a carbon capture investment tax credit covering 50 per cent of capital expenses. The alliance was hoping for a boost to the tax credit so it more closely reflects a higher one recently introduced in the United States.”
OPINION
Esquire: The Keystone Pipeline Leak Reminds Us that There Is No Clean Way to Use This Stuff
Charles P. Pierce, 12/12/22
“Ever since the forces of good forced the abandonment of the Keystone XL pipeline—the continent-spanning death funnel designed to bring the world's worst fossil fuel from the environmental moonscape of western Canada through some of the world's most valuable farmland and off to Texas refineries and thence to the world (not to mention it's status as one of the primary Republican fetish objects that is now merely another phantom grievance for them to howl at the moon about)—we rather lost touch with the Keystone pipeline that actually exists. It's run by TC Energy, the same company that planned to build XL,” Charles P. Pierce writes for Esquire. “Over the weekend, the existing Keystone pipeline left the citizens of Kansas and Nebraska (as well as all of us) a holiday greeting. From Nebraska Public Media: On Thursday afternoon, the EPA said two of their crew members are on-site in Washington County, Kansas, where an undetermined amount of oil has spilled into Mill Creek.. “The company and local officials also asserted that there was no threat to local drinking water, a statement that seems premature at best and, at worst, should be taken with several hundred pounds of salt. On the ground, so to speak, the situation looks a lot different, and the company's assurances look pale and weak… “But the razor in the apple of Bill's resignation are the words "product like this." What has splattered across the landscape is tar sands oil, the dirtiest, foulest glop ever transported anywhere by any means. Tar sands oil is heavy and sinks to the bottom of rivers and creeks. It needs to be dredged out. And this may be the biggest spill of the stuff since 2010, when more than a million gallons from a ruptured pipeline flowed into the Kalamazoo River and its contingent waterways in Michigan. Over the ensuing four years, clean-up cost $1.21 billion. It's entirely possible, according to people on the ground in the affected area, that this Kansas spill could top out as even bigger than the Michigan one. One of the most compelling reasons given by the citizens who forced TC to abandon the Keystone XL project was that the existing Keystone pipeline has been something of a sieve. It has experienced 23 major leaks since it was opened in 2010, including a 2017 leak that sent 210,000 gallons flooding into Marshall County, South Dakota. The only safe way to transport tar sands oil is not to do it at all. Leave it in the ground where it is so it doesn't end up where it doesn't belong.”
Superior Telegram: LINE 5 PIPELINE VITAL TO SMALL BUSINESS
Brian Dake is the president of Wisconsin Independent Businesses — one of the state’s largest small business advocacy organizations, 12/12/22
“Like many families across Wisconsin, small businesses are struggling with the rising costs of energy,” Brian Dake writes for the Superior Telegram. “...It’s not often a state can help an entire regional energy market as much as Wisconsin can right now. Line 5 is currently going through the approval process to relocate at the request of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa… “In fact, the most recent public comment period included over 11,000 Wisconsinites showing their support for the project, based on a review of the comments submitted to the DNR by the Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition. By a more than 2-to-1 margin Wisconsinites who submitted comments to the DNR supported this privately funded project. But, as the permitting process for Line 5 lingers on, a dire warning about shutting down Line 5, like some have called for, has come to the forefront. A public comment submitted to the DNR by major propane supplier, Plains Midstream, warned closing Line 5 would shutter its three propane facilities in the region, lead to propane shortages and price hikes worse than the propane shortage of the 2013-2014 winter that led to Wisconsin declaring a state of emergency… “Wisconsin has an easy win in front of it. The Line 5 relocation will provide economic benefits to small businesses, tax revenue to the state, create 700 good-paying Wisconsin jobs, and has been engineered to minimally impact the environment. As we go into year three of the DNR’s review, let’s hope regulators understand the urgency of this important decision and finally approve the construction of the Line 5 relocation project.”
Alaska Highway News: Chris Gardner: Why offer a reward after the attack on pipeline workers
Chris Gardner is President of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, 12/12/22
“Set foot on a construction site and it’s impossible to miss the commitment to safety,” Chris Gardner writes for Alaska Highway News. “...That’s why the February 2022 attack on construction workers building the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline near Houston, BC, is deeply troubling. RCMP say video footage shows “20 or so masked individuals” attacking nine security guards and construction workers, heavy equipment, and outbuildings, “in a very aggressive and calculated method.” The violent attack caused millions of dollars in damage and was traumatic not only for those working on site that night, but also for their colleagues, families, and friends… “Despite near universal condemnation from elected officials, industry groups, labour unions, and other leaders, ten months later, no arrests have yet been made. No one has been held accountable… “That’s why the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association has partnered with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and charge of those responsible for this violent and horrific attack… “CGL has signed agreements with all 20 of the First Nations along the pipeline route and the project has been approved and permitted by both the federal and provincial governments. The people working on this pipeline are highly trained and skilled and are building an incredible national legacy of which we can all be proud – their expertise, ingenuity and hard work should be upheld as an example of Canadian ingenuity and exceptionalism. They deserve no less than a full investigation and the assurance that the perpetrators of this attack will be held accountable and brought to justice.”
WorldOil.com: Opinion: Energy industry already leads on reducing methane emissions
Frank Macchiarola, Senior Vice President, American Petroleum Institute (API), 12/11/22
“Five years ago, the American Petroleum Institute (API) launched The Environmental Partnership (TEP). This first-of-its-kind effort brought oil and natural gas producers in the U.S. together behind a shared commitment to continuously improve the industry’s environmental performance,” Frank Macchiarola writes for WorldOil.com. “TEP is now implemented in 47 states by 102 participating companies that comprise 70% of America’s onshore production. Most recently, the program has expanded its participation to pipelines in the midstream segment of the industry. .. “Over the past decade, average methane emissions intensity declined by nearly 60% across all major oil and natural gas-producing regions in the U.S. Likewise, flare intensity declined nearly 50% in 2021… “In addition to driving progress through TEP, API supports cost-effective policies and direct regulation that achieve methane emission reductions from new and existing sources across the value chain. Recently, EPA released a 1,300-page proposed rule to regulate methane from oil and natural gas facilities. API is committed to working with EPA to ensure that the final rule encourages innovation and continues to build on the progress industry has made in reducing emissions.”
CleanEnergy.org: TVA Nears Decision to Build New Gas Plant and Pipeline in Middle Tennessee
Maggie Shober, 12/12/22
“The Tennessee Valley Authority’s CEO, Jeff Lyash, can soon make the final decision to replace the Cumberland coal plant with a large gas power plant and new gas pipeline northwest of Nashville, Tennessee,” Maggie Shober writes for CleanEnergy.org. “And he’s making this decision, without any weigh-in from TVA’s regulator: the TVA Board of Directors. TVA is claiming a new gas plant and pipeline is the lower-cost option on the table, but the utility has failed to provide enough information about its cost analysis to back up such a claim. TVA is also using the comparison between the new gas plant and continuing to run the Cumberland coal plant to support the claim that building the new gas plant is environmentally beneficial. These are major decisions that should be made out in the open, in a comprehensive process where any stakeholder can participate, and based on transparent analysis… “The question I’m getting a lot lately is: why does TVA want to build these gas plants? Unlike investor-owned utilities, TVA doesn’t earn a profit for its shareholders for building this kind of infrastructure, because it doesn’t have shareholders. And as a federal corporation, with the Administration pushing to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035, it is an uphill battle for TVA to lock in fossil fuels that will be expected to operate well past 2035… “Another potential factor is that they see a window closing: if any utility is going to build new fossil infrastructure, it is only going to get harder in the future, so might as well push it through quickly. Climate scientists are clear that we cannot keep building new fossil fuel infrastructure and still meet reasonable climate targets. Voters are increasingly listing climate change as an urgent issue. Electric customers are feeling the direct impact of the volatility of gas prices on their bills. So maybe TVA recognized a window closing, and thus has insulated itself from any potential impact of Biden-appointed Board members and is pushing these decisions through before it begins its next IRP process. Will it work? Maybe, but advocates like us are doing what we can to keep TVA from pushing through a bad deal for TVA customers.”