EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/15/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Trans Mountain pipeline warns of 2-year delay, asks Canadian regulator to reverse decision
Bismarck Tribune: Uncertainty remains as DAPL comment period closes
North Dakota Monitor: North Dakota defends DAPL, Standing Rock fears for its water
Bloomberg: North Dakota Given Win In Pipeline Protest Suit Against Feds
Law360: Feds Can't Dodge ND's $38M Pipeline Protest Claims
Dakota Scout: New round of pipeline proceedings starting in North Dakota
North Dakota Energy Council: Are Pipeline Supporters Misleading Government Officials?
KSOM: Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Addresses Carbon Capture Pipeline and Climate Agenda During Campaign Stop in Atlantic
MarketsandMarkets: Hydrogen Pipeline Market worth $25.7 billion by 2030
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: US awards up to $890 million to carbon capture projects at gas, coal plants
U.S. Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations: OCED Selects Three Projects in CA, ND, and TX to Reduce Harmful Carbon Pollution, Create New Economic Opportunities, and Advance Carbon Reducing Technologies
Congressional Budget Office: Carbon Capture and Storage in the United States
E&E News: Republicans were a force at climate summit. Now what?
E&E News: Republican senators blast EPA methane reporting proposal
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: 18 California children sue EPA over climate change
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer: U.S. Department of Energy Awards Up To $350 Million for Project Tundra
Herald-Star: Hancock Commission hears about carbon capture project
Bismarck Tribune: Many Hydrogen Hub details will take years to finalize; project partners optimistic
Associated Press: New Mexico extends ban on oil and gas leasing around Chaco park, an area sacred to Native Americans
Power Engineering: Hawaiian Electric to repower Waiau plant with biodiesel-burning turbines
EXTRACTION
Agence France-Presse: Canada court gives green light to trial on climate inaction
E&E News: Why COP28 is a gut check for the world’s fossil fuel habit
Calgary Herald: As COP28 agrees to transition off fossil fuels, oilsands majors unveil $10B spending plans
Drilled: The COP That PR Firms Built
Reuters: Berkshire Hathaway buys Occidental Petroleum shares worth about $588.7 mln
Electric Energy: International Oil Spill Conference 2024
Press release: Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation closes second largest deal with $150 million loan guarantee for 12 Indigenous communities
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
WV News: TC Energy fuels safety initiative with a grant to RVFD
Enbridge: United Way 2023 campaigns: Pet photos, fire ring raffles and surplus steel
North Bay Nipissing: Help with firefighter training for McMurrich/Monteith department
OPINION
Nature: COP28: the science is clear — fossil fuels must go
Washington Post: What a real international climate breakthrough would look like
MSNBC: Why the historic COP28 climate deal comes up short
Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: BHP quotes outdated figures as efforts to prop up carbon capture for steel start to get desperate
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Trans Mountain pipeline warns of 2-year delay, asks Canadian regulator to reverse decision
12/14/23
“Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain Corp asked the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) on Thursday to reverse this month's decision to reject its request for a variance in construction of an expansion of its oil pipeline, warning of a possible two-year delay and billions of dollars in losses,” Reuters reports. “If Trans Mountain proceeds with the construction plan that is currently approved, complications could result in a borehole for the pipeline becoming compromised, forcing Trans Mountain to find an alternative installation plan, the corporation said in a letter to the CER.”
Bismarck Tribune: Uncertainty remains as DAPL comment period closes
Joey Harris, 12/15/23
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed the public comment period on the draft environmental impact statement study for the Dakota Access Pipeline,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The end of the comment period on Wednesday, Dec. 13, inches the Corps slightly closer to a final assessment in which the fate of the $3.8 billion, nearly 1,200-mile-long pipeline will be decided. Since the draft was released in September, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been leading what he says is "an all-of-government approach" to laying out the case for keeping the pipeline operating. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe — whose reservation is near the pipeline's river crossing — continues to voice opposition to DAPL. North Dakota Native Vote, the Dakota Resource Council and others have, as well… “Burgum submitted over 200 pages of testimony from representatives of around 20 state agencies. Shutting down the pipeline even for a reroute would require much more Bakken oil to be transported by truck or rail, a scenario which state officials argue would damage North Dakota's economy and possibly cause other environmental issues. The testimony includes a University of Chicago-led study on the Dakota Access Pipeline that backs up some of the claims around having to transport oil by rail. The governor's office said the state Office of Management and Budget found a shutdown of the pipeline would reduce state revenues by $1.2 billion in the first year and $116 million every year after until the pipeline was running again. Burgum's submission to the Corps also included the 2021 testimony of Mark Fox, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation — an oil-rich tribe in the northwest part of the state. Fox expressed his support for the pipeline, arguing that a shutdown would cost the tribe hundreds of millions in revenues… “Tribal Chairwoman Janet Alkire has called for the Corps to shut down the pipeline and start the assessment over… “National environmental advocacy organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resource Defense Council have been conducting campaigns gathering comments that push against the pipeline. Meanwhile, 26 Republican attorneys general — representing every U.S. state where a Republican holds that office besides North Dakota — sent in a joint letter urging the continued operation of the pipeline. At an in-person public comment session in Bismarck in November, Corps spokesman Steven Wolf told The Bismarck Tribune that the final environmental impact statement should be expected in late 2024.”
North Dakota Monitor: North Dakota defends DAPL, Standing Rock fears for its water
JEFF BEACH AND AMY DALRYMPLE, 12/14/23
“North Dakota officials filed more than 200 pages arguing to keep the Dakota Access Pipeline operating just as a public comment period for the controversial project closed Wednesday,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “The state argues in comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that shutting down the pipeline would cause “irreparable harm” to North Dakota, including a loss of oil revenue and a shift of oil transportation to rail… “Leaders of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, meanwhile, have pointed to the potential harm a pipeline breach would have on the tribe’s water supply. “Our tribe is not saying we’re against oil. We are not,” Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire told the North Dakota Monitor last month. “What we are saying is, ‘can you not put it in our water?’ That’s all we want is to protect the water.” “...Alkire and Cheyenne River Chairman Ryman LeBeau of the Cheyenne River Sioux in South Dakota participated in the tribal comment session. In interviews afterward, both told the Monitor the pipeline is operating illegally without an easement and should be shut down. Alkire said tribal chairs are tasked with protecting future generations of tribal members. “When we are in these positions, we have to plan for the seven generations. That’s what our ancestors always told us. That means seven generations ahead of you,” Alkire told the Monitor… “Environmental groups continue to criticize the project. The Dakota Resource Council called the oil spill response plan inadequate and argues the pipeline should be shut down… “A study by Elaine Kub, an agricultural economist from South Dakota, is part of the state of North Dakota’s filing. Because of increased freight competition, she projects annual losses of more than $3 billion for the ag industry.”
Bloomberg: North Dakota Given Win In Pipeline Protest Suit Against Feds
Shayna Greene, 12/14/23
“The Army Corps of Engineers failed to follow its mandatory special use permitting procedures when Dakota Access Pipeline protesters assembled on Corps land in 2016, a federal court said,” Bloomberg reports. “Judge Daniel M. Traynor of the US District Court for the District of North Dakota on Wednesday granted the state’s motion for partial summary judgment on whether the Corps violated a non-discretionary duty by not following its permitting process. “The damages in this case flow directly from the Corps’ failure to follow the permitting process,” Traynor said.
Law360: Feds Can't Dodge ND's $38M Pipeline Protest Claims
Tom Lotshaw, 12/14/23
“A North Dakota federal judge said the U.S. government will have to face at trial North Dakota’s claims for $38 million in damages for alleged failure to control Dakota Access pipeline protests after letting protesters set up camp on federal property without the required permit,” Law360 reports.
Dakota Scout: New round of pipeline proceedings starting in North Dakota
AUSTIN GOSS, 12/14/23
“Summit Carbon Solutions will again be in front of the North Dakota government body that earlier this year rejected its permit to build a pipeline in the Peace Garden State,” the Dakota Scout reports. “The North Dakota Public Service Commission next week will hold a hearing to discuss whether it has the authority to ignore local ordinances when considering permits for projects like the pipeline that the Iowa-based company plans to use to move ethanol plant emissions to underground sequestration facilities… “Summit has since altered its proposed route in North Dakota to help cull the concerns of state regulators, adding about 13 miles to its route to avoid a cluster of properties owned by staunch pipeline opponents. The new route also goes around the city of Bismarck, which has intervened in the hearings as an opponent. The summer denial in North Dakota preceded a series of hearings in South Dakota where a pair of pipeline projects suffered similar setbacks.”
North Dakota Energy Council: Are Pipeline Supporters Misleading Government Officials?
DUSTIN GAWRYLOW, 12/13/23
“It was brought to my attention yesterday that an email has gone out to public officials trying to scare them into thinking they should not challenge the ability of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to override the ordinances of the counties and township,” the North Dakota Energy Council reports. “This is the subject of the upcoming PSC hearing where that will be discussed and decided… “In this email, some claims are being made that should be challenged… “Summit Claim: “In North Dakota, it's our understanding that state law generally preempts local county ordinances in matters of pipeline infrastructure.” Reality: This is a state-by-state situation and in North Dakota, it has yet to be determined - that’s what the December 21st PSC hearing is to determine - which itself may be challenged in court by either side. In Iowa, the Federal District Court has ruled that the counties cannot enforce their ordinances. It does not appear that the court has declared that the State of Iowa could not enforce those same ordinances. Iowa’s state regulators seem less willing to uphold county wishes in that state. But that does not mean it automatically applies to all states. In South Dakota, that’s exactly what happened in September when the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission upheld the county ordinances… “Since this is an ongoing and state-by-state legal fight, it is misleading to declare that one court decision regarding two counties in Iowa applies to North Dakota. Iowa did not stand up for its counties, South Dakota opted to not override its counties, and North Dakota has to decide for itself whether it will override it’s local county officials… “Furthermore, as PHMSA (the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) wrote to the companies themselves back in September, local and state governments do have leeway in this situation… “The real determination on these matters will be made by the PSC, and if the PSC defers to the counties, that may very well create a different dynamic in North Dakota than in Iowa… “Local governments should stick to their guns on this situation. And citizens should get out and support them.”
KSOM: Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Addresses Carbon Capture Pipeline and Climate Agenda During Campaign Stop in Atlantic
Mandy Billings, 12/14/23
“U.S. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made a campaign stop at the Atlantic Pizza Ranch this (Thursday) afternoon,” KSOM reports. “...Ramaswamy spoke about the proposed carbon capture pipeline making its way across the state of Iowa. He said using eminent domain to take over the land of innocent farmers is wrong… “Ramaswamy is currently touring all 99 counties of Iowa.”
MarketsandMarkets: Hydrogen Pipeline Market worth $25.7 billion by 2030
12/1523
“The report "Hydrogen Pipeline Market by Type (Mobile, Fixed), Hydrogen Form (Gas, Liquid), Pipeline Structure (Metal, Plastics & Composites), and Region (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2030", is projected to grow from USD 9.1 billion in 2023 to USD 25.7 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 16.0% from 2023 to 2030,” according to MarketsandMarkets.”The hydrogen pipeline sector is rapidly evolving due to the growing usage of hydrogen in various industries, such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing, which is driving the demand for extensive pipeline networks. Hydrogen's versatility as a clean energy carrier contributes to the surge in infrastructure development. By type, the fixed pipelines segment is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment of the hydrogen pipeline market from 2023 to 2030. They are permanently installed in the ground, providing a reliable and long-term solution for transporting hydrogen… “By region, the Middle East & Africa is estimated to account for the fastest-growing segment of the hydrogen pipeline market from 2023 to 2030… “The major players operating in the hydrogen pipeline market include Cenergy Holdings (Belgium), SoluForce B.V. (The Netherlands), Salzgitter AG (Germany), Gruppo Sarplast S.r.l (Italy), Tenaris (Luxembourg), Hexagon Purus (Norway), Pipelife International GmbH (Austria), Europe Technologies (France), H2 Clipper, Inc. (US), NPROXX (The Netherlands), GF Piping Systems (Switzerland), ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg), and Jindal Saw Limited (India), among others.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: US awards up to $890 million to carbon capture projects at gas, coal plants
Timothy Gardner, 12/14/23
“Natural gas and coal plants in Texas, California and North Dakota will share up to $890 million in U.S. funding for projects to demonstrate the viability of carbon capture technologies, the U.S. Energy Department said on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is an emerging technology that the administration of President Joe Biden says is vital to help fight climate change… “Many environmentalists oppose CCS, saying it has a history of failure and could extend reliance on fossil fuels. Project Tundra, in Center, North Dakota, which is adjacent to the Milton Young lignite coal plant got $350 million. Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican, said in a release it will be a "major feather in the cap for North Dakota's innovative energy system, keeping miners on the job while putting clean, reliable electricity on the grid." “...A Congressional Budget Office report said this week there are 15 CCS plants operating in the U.S. with the capacity to capture just 0.4% of the country's annual CO2 emissions. Almost all of the plants recoup some of their costs by pumping CO2 into aging oilfields to squeeze out more crude. CBO said the extent to which CCS will be used in the future is "highly uncertain" depending on changes in the costs and availability of pipeline networks to transport CO2.”
U.S. Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations: OCED Selects Three Projects in CA, ND, and TX to Reduce Harmful Carbon Pollution, Create New Economic Opportunities, and Advance Carbon Reducing Technologies
12/14/23
“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) today announced up to $890 million in funding for three projects to demonstrate technologies designed to capture, transport, and store carbon emissions that would otherwise accelerate climate change and jeopardize public health. Funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the three projects—located in California, North Dakota, and Texas—have the potential to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from three power plants by preventing roughly 7.75 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere each year—an amount equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 1.7 million gasoline-powered cars. Funding applicants were required to submit Community Benefits Plans, which will help ensure meaningful community and labor engagement in carbon management technologies while addressing environmental burdens in partnership with communities to ensure an equitable and just energy transition… “Projects selected for award negotiation include: Baytown Carbon Capture and Storage Project: Baytown, Texas – The Baytown Carbon Capture and Storage Project plans to capture CO2 from the Baytown Energy Center, a natural gas combined-cycle power plant. The CO2 will be transported using new and existing pipelines and sequestered in storage sites on the Gulf Coast… “Project Tundra: Center, North Dakota – Project Tundra is a carbon capture system that will be developed adjacent to the Milton R. Young Station, a coal-fired power plant near Center, North Dakota. The captured CO2 will be safely and permanently stored in saline geologic formations beneath and surrounding the power plant… “Sutter Decarbonization Project: Yuba City, California – The Sutter Decarbonization Project will demonstrate and deploy a commercial-scale carbon capture system at the Sutter Energy Center, a 550-megawatt natural gas combined-cycle power plant. The project will then transport the CO2 and sequester it permanently and safely more than a half a mile underground in saline geologic formations… “On December 18, 2023, DOE will host a national briefing to share more information about the selected projects.”
Congressional Budget Office: Carbon Capture and Storage in the United States
12/14/23
“To help reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the federal government has provided financial support for more than a decade to spur the development and use of technologies for capturing CO2 emissions. Recent legislation has significantly boosted annual funding for those efforts. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office examines the status, federal support, and future potential of carbon capture and storage (CCS)—a process that involves removing CO2 from the emissions of power plants and industrial facilities and storing it permanently underground. CCS is used to only a small extent today; various factors will affect the degree to which it is used in the future. Fifteen CCS facilities are currently operating in the United States. Together, they have the capacity to capture 0.4 percent of the nation’s total annual CO2 emissions. An additional 121 CCS facilities are under construction or in development. If all of them were completed, they would increase the nation’s CCS capacity to 3 percent of current annual CO2 emissions… “In addition, companies that capture and store CO2 are eligible for the section 45Q federal tax credit, which gives them an incentive to use CCS and reduces federal revenues… “Factors Affecting the Future Use of CCS. The extent to which carbon capture and storage will be used in the future is highly uncertain. Its prospects depend on a variety of factors, including changes in the cost to capture CO2, the availability of pipeline networks and storage capacity for transporting and storing CO2, federal and state regulatory decisions, and the development of clean energy technologies that could affect the demand for CCS.”
E&E News: Republicans were a force at climate summit. Now what?
Emma Dumain, 12/15/23
“The Republican contingent at the COP28 climate summit appeared determined to show their party has moved beyond climate science denialism and is now serious about lowering carbon emissions,” E&E News reports. “Some even talked up parts of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ landmark climate and health care law. But as nations agreed to accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels as necessary to halting the worst effects of climate change, congressional Republicans continued to defend the use of coal, oil and natural gas. There were also some more difficult moments with Biden administration officials. The bipartisan delegations showed a new level of unity on climate and at the same time the wide gulf that remains between U.S. political parties on global warming. “It was kind of surprising to me because for the most part they seemed to go along with the idea that we should reduce emissions, that the Paris Agreement was a goal and proud the United States was taking the lead,” House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) told E&E of Republicans at COP. “At the same time, when they’re home, they try to repeal it all,” Pallone told E&E, referring to the climate law and a litany of green regulations.”
E&E News: Republican senators blast EPA methane reporting proposal
Jean Chemnick, 12/14/23
“Republican senators have asked EPA to scrap its bid to overhaul the way petroleum sources tally and report methane, saying it would set too many operations up to pay the climate law’s fee on excess emissions,” E&E News reports. “Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and other GOP committee members penned a letter Thursday to EPA chief Michael Regan stating that EPA’s proposed changes to reporting guidelines “blatantly disregard and overstep even the partisan mandates of the statute as enacted and will excessively increase the tax burden on American energy.” Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act directed EPA to revamp the reporting rules — wonkily dubbed Subpart W — to reflect research that showed older guidelines led to a sizable undercount of methane released from U.S. oil fields. The purpose was to establish credible methane reports based on empirical evidence that could serve as the basis for a new fee on emissions from oil and gas sources that exceeded specific thresholds.”
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: 18 California children sue EPA over climate change
ALEX WIGGLESWORTH, 12/13/23
“Eighteen California children are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly violating their constitutional rights by allowing pollution from burning fossil fuels to continue despite knowing the harm it poses to kids,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The lawsuit was filed Sunday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by Our Children’s Trust, an Oregon-based nonprofit public interest law firm that has filed legal actions over climate change in multiple states. It also names as defendants EPA administrator Michael Regan and the U.S. federal government. “A lot of times, people talk about the failure of government to act on climate change, but that’s not what this case is about,” lead attorney Julia Olson, executive director and chief legal counsel for Our Children’s Trust, told the Times. “This case is about EPA’s affirmative conduct in allowing levels of climate pollution that are causing planetary heating and the increase in wildfires and smoke pollution and heat that’s harming these young people’s health and safety.” The legal action comes after a Montana judge in August handed down a landmark ruling in favor of 16 youth plaintiffs, also represented by Our Children’s Trust, who said that state agencies were violating their constitutional rights by promoting fossil fuels. The state’s attorney general’s office has appealed the ruling. The law firm also has active cases in Hawaii, Utah, Virginia and Montana. It also has another federal case in Oregon. The most recent lawsuit, which calls climate change “the single greatest driver of the health of every child born today,” alleges that the EPA has intentionally allowed the U.S. to become one of the world’s biggest contributors to the crisis, despite issuing report after report detailing its harms, particularly to children… “However, when the agency makes decisions about how much pollution to permit going forward, it conducts economic analyses that have “really explicitly discriminated against children” by assigning their lives less value because they aren’t income earners, Olson told the Times. The agency also applies discount rates to future costs and benefits — a practice adopted in the 1980s during the Reagan administration, she told the Times. “Those discount rates effectively treat a life in 30 years as less worthy than the value of a life today,” she told the Times.
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer: U.S. Department of Energy Awards Up To $350 Million for Project Tundra
12/14/23
“Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $350 million for the development of Project Tundra, one of the world’s largest carbon capture projects located near Center, North Dakota. These funds will be distributed through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program, which supports the development of community-informed integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage projects. “North Dakota is a global leader in the deployment of carbon capture solutions. Today’s announcement is another major win from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law our state,” said Senator Cramer, member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. “Congratulations to Minnkota. Once Project Tundra is completed, it will be a major feather in the cap for North Dakota’s innovative energy system, keeping miners on the job while putting clean, reliable electricity on the grid.” Project Tundra is designed to capture up to 4 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the Milton R. Young Station, a lignite coal-based power plant. The CO2 would then be safely stored in geologic formations, roughly a mile underground. While construction of the project is anticipated to begin in 2024, the facility’s commercial operation is set to begin in 2028.”
Herald-Star: Hancock Commission hears about carbon capture project
CRAIG HOWELL, 12/15/23
“A project which would capture and store carbon dioxide in the ground could provide new opportunities for the region, according to representatives of energy company Tenaska,” the Herald-Star reports. “Company officials appeared before the Hancock County Commission Thursday to discuss their plans and what it could mean for the Tri-State Area… “Tenaska has located an office in Weirton as it works toward establishing its carbon capture and sequestration process in the region… “The company currently plans to be operational by 2027, with a hub established over areas of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania… “The company anticipates establishing seven injection well sites in West Virginia, with 12 in Ohio and three in Pennsylvania for a total of 49 permanent jobs. Tenaska recently received an award of up to $69 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to assist with its projects, and Murray noted the company has been active in seeking out partnerships, both with industrial operations and property owners.”
Bismarck Tribune: Many Hydrogen Hub details will take years to finalize; project partners optimistic
JOEY HARRIS, 12/15/23
“The federal government's allocation of $925 million for a regional clean hydrogen hub could make North Dakota a key player in a burgeoning industry, but getting the project off the ground will be a long and complex process,” the Bismarck Tribune reports.”The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is a collaboration between the University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center, Xcel Energy, and Prairie Horizon -- a consortium between Marathon Petroleum and TC Energy -- which seeks to decarbonize heavy uses of energy in the Upper Midwest… “Many of the details of the hub remain undetermined. It could take almost a decade to come to fruition, project partners tell the Tribune. The task of scaling up a nascent industry will include multiple rounds of negotiations with the Energy Department to actually get the allocated funds needed for production, and an effort to attain buy-in from communities that will be near the hub’s infrastructure buildout. Some experts tell the Tribune that if the project successfully meets these goals there will still be numerous details that planners will have to consider if they want to ensure that emissions reduction targets are met and that the hydrogen goes toward productive uses of energy… “A number of environmental groups and some businesses want the tax credits to be limited to what is referred to as "The Three Pillars" -- where electric generation for green hydrogen must be new, nearby and tracked hourly to ensure a renewable resource is powering it… “A draft of Treasury's guidance that leaked last week indicated the rules would likely be aligned with the pillars… “Blue hydrogen may have issues proving its emissions are low enough to qualify for clean hydrogen tax credits, but it can be financed with federal carbon capture credits… “A 2022 Princeton University-led study found that to avoid making the impact of methane emissions worse, almost no leaks in the blue hydrogen production process can occur, while green hydrogen could leak at around 9% for the same effect.”
Associated Press: New Mexico extends ban on oil and gas leasing around Chaco park, an area sacred to Native Americans
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, 12/14/23
“New oil and natural gas leasing will be prohibited on state land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park, an area sacred to Native Americans, for the next 20 years under an executive order by New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard,” the Associated Press reports. “Wednesday’s order extends a temporary moratorium that she put in place when she took office in 2019. It covers more than 113 square miles (293 square kilometers) of state trust land in what is a sprawling checkerboard of private, state, federal and tribal holdings in northwestern New Mexico. The U.S. government last year adopted its own 20-year moratorium on new oil, gas and mineral leasing around Chaco, following a push by pueblos and other Southwestern tribal nations that have cultural ties to the high desert region. Garcia Richard said during a virtual meeting Thursday with Native American leaders and advocates that the goal is to stop the encroachment of development on Chaco and the tens of thousands of acres beyond the park’s boundaries that have yet to be surveyed… “Cordelia Hooee, the lieutenant governor of Zuni Pueblo, called it a historic day. She told AP tribal leaders throughout the region continue to pray for more permanent protections through congressional action.”
Power Engineering: Hawaiian Electric to repower Waiau plant with biodiesel-burning turbines
Sean Wolfe, 12/12/23
“Hawaiian Electric Company plans to replace six aging oil-fired units with combustion turbines at its Waiau Power Plant in Pearl City,” Power Engineering reports. “...At approximately 42 MW, each combustion turbine is smaller and more efficient than the oil-fired steam boiler it will replace, the utility said. Initially, the CTs will use biodiesel and could potentially use renewable gas or hydrogen in the future. Hawaiian Electric said the new additions are intended to be available all the time, flexible to meet the needs of a grid powered by solar and wind… “In 2013, Hawaiian Electric announced plans to deactivate 226 MW of oil-fired power generation, to be replaced by renewable energy sources – including two generators at Oahu’s Waiau Power Plant.”
EXTRACTION
Agence France-Presse: Canada court gives green light to trial on climate inaction
12/14/23
“Canada will stand trial for climate inaction after an appeals court reopened the door for a group of 15 young environmental activists who sued the federal government four years ago on the issue,” Agence France-Presse reports. “The Federal Court of Appeal ruled that a trial must be held to determine whether the actions of Justin Trudeau’s government violate the rights of the young plaintiffs under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, according to a decision made public on Thursday. “Climate change is having a dramatic, rapidly unfolding effect on all Canadians,” said the ruling, seen by AFP. “It is also beyond doubt that the burden of addressing the consequences will disproportionately affect Canadian youth.” In October 2019, 15 young people, aged 10 to 19, sued the federal government, which they claimed was contributing to global warming by failing to implement an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A year later, a federal judge rejected their request, but the Court of Appeal overturned that decision on Wednesday. “It’s the least we can do to have the right to a trial to discuss what is an existential threat,” Albert Lalonde, one of the plaintiffs and an environmental activist now aged 21, told AFP.
E&E News: Why COP28 is a gut check for the world’s fossil fuel habit
Benjamin Storrow, 12/14/23
“In Paris eight years ago, world leaders agreed to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius. Six years later, in Glasgow, Scotland, they pledged to phase out coal. And on Wednesday, negotiators patted themselves on the back for the first-ever deal to begin “transitioning away” from fossil fuels. If the past is prologue, it won’t prompt a significant shift in energy markets anytime soon,” E&E News reports. “The deal — brokered at the U.N. climate summit, known as COP28 — comes as global emissions from fossil fuels continue to climb in 2023. Global coal consumption is on pace to break records. Oil and gas production is booming in the United States. And strong demand for gas in Asia and the Middle East is offsetting waning consumption in Europe. The dynamic highlights one of the main challenges facing global climate efforts: It takes time for the aspirations espoused at climate talks to produce real-world impact… “Yet there is little evidence to suggest that a fossil fuel phase-out is on the horizon. Strong demand for coal in Asia continues to offset plummeting consumption in North America and Europe, pushing total global coal consumption higher… “Global oil consumption, meanwhile, is on track to hit 101 million barrels a day in 2023, another record, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration… “That is because agreements like the one in Dubai do not contain enforcement mechanisms to ensure pledges are met.”
Calgary Herald: As COP28 agrees to transition off fossil fuels, oilsands majors unveil $10B spending plans
Chris Varcoe, 12/14/23
“One day after countries at the COP28 climate summit agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, two of Canada’s largest oil producers unveiled capital plans to spend more than $10 billion next year,” the Calgary Herald reports. “It comes as the world consumes record amounts of oil this year — more than 100 million barrels per day — and Canadian producers prepare to meet the ongoing call for more energy. “There is a place for fossil fuels and that’s just reality,” Gurpreet Lail, CEO of Enserva, an industry group that represents the energy services, supply and manufacturing sector, told the Herald. “You can spin it any which way you want to make yourself feel better or placate public opinion right now. But the fact of the matter is, we need investment coming back into this industry,” Lail, who attended the COP28 summit, told the Herald. “People are consuming more oil and gas products, and oil and gas, than they ever have before.” On Thursday, a new forecast for Enserva projected capital spending in the Canadian oil and gas sector growing by 10.5 per cent in 2024, with 6,300 wells forecast to be drilled, up about eight per cent. In turn, the number of oilfield service jobs in the country is projected to grow by an additional 5,500 positions… “In Alberta, total oil and gas industry spending is expected to hit $29.6 billion this year and climb to $32.6 billion in ’24, according to provincial forecasts.” “...Oil and gas is not going away anytime soon,” Rob Roach, deputy chief economist with ATB Financial, told the Herald after the Enserva event. “Being realistic, it is a long-term transition and Alberta is going to be part of that.”
Drilled: The COP That PR Firms Built
Molly Taft, 12/13/23
“This year’s climate meeting meant millions of dollars in revenues for PR firms—and plenty of new contracts and connections to help petrostates continue to paint their green image beyond Dubai,” Drilled reports. “...On Monday, the United Arab Emirates, the petrostate hosting the conference this year, released a severely watered-down version of a text that included no references to a global “phase out” of fossil fuels—something that more than 100 countries had demanded be in the final text, but that powerful petrostates opposed… “Amidst the hubbub, federal filings show that an employee of the public relations firm Edelman sent an email to reporters with a quote attributable to the UAE presidency, calling the text “a huge step forward.” The statement was included in news articles about the negotiations from major outlets including Reuters, The Guardian, and The New York Times, with no mention of Edelman’s role. This interaction is, on the surface, nothing unusual—spokespeople hired by PR firms send out quotes to reporters all the time, and these firms are rarely mentioned in the resulting news articles. But Edelman has a long history of promoting oil and gas clients, including the UAE, and has played an instrumental role in creating a campaign to sell COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber as a clean energy champion, despite his leadership at one of the world’s most powerful oil companies. Sending this seemingly-innocuous email was also part of an enormous private contract that is almost unheard of in UN climate proceedings. For its work on COP, Edelman earned almost $3 million from the UAE over the course of just 7 months.”
Reuters: Berkshire Hathaway buys Occidental Petroleum shares worth about $588.7 mln
12/13/23
“Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) has acquired nearly 10.5 million shares of Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N) so far this week for about $588.7 million, according to a filing at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “The purchases bring Berkshire's stake in Occidental to about 27%... “The shares and warrants were obtained as part of a deal that helped Occidental finance its 2019 purchase of Anadarko Petroleum. If exercised, the warrants would bring Berkshire's total ownership to 33%.”
Electric Energy: International Oil Spill Conference 2024
12/13/23
“The International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) provides a vital forum for professionals from the international spill response community, private sector, government, and non-governmental organizations to come together to tackle the greatest challenges facing us with sound science, practical innovation, social engineering, global research, and imagination. Monday, May 13 - Thursday, May 16, 2024 | New Orleans, Louisiana. This conference is an ideal environment for government agencies, contractors, researchers, industry, and other stakeholders to work together toward mutual objectives, through the exchange of ideas and lessons learned from actual spill responses and research around the world… “Participants include operating managers; safety and security officers; regulators; plant managers; environment health and safety (EH&S) professionals; administrators; attorneys; environmental managers; purchasing agents; engineers; buyers; consultants; and others concerned with compliance, oil spill response, and/or cleanup.”
Press release: Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation closes second largest deal with $150 million loan guarantee for 12 Indigenous communities
12/13/23
“The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation’s (AIOC) sixth deal has closed, allowing 12 Indigenous communities to purchase equity in oil and gas midstream infrastructure in the Marten Hills and Nipisi areas of the Clearwater play in Northern Alberta. This deal, the second largest for the AIOC both in terms of the number of participating communities and the financial value, provided a loan guarantee of $150 million to the newly formed Wapiscanis Waseskwan Nipiy (WWN) Limited Partnership, which is Cree for Marten Clearwater. Through this deal, AIOC has expanded geographic reach as this is the first time each of these First Nations and Metis Settlements are participating in a transaction backed by an AIOC loan guarantee… “This deal follows the recent Government of Alberta announcement that it is immediately increasing AIOC’s loan guarantee capacity from $1 billion to $2 billion, with a further increase in loan guarantee capacity to $3 billion in fiscal 2024-2025. To date, the AIOC has provided $661 million in loan guarantees, directly impacting 39 communities. The provincial crown corporation exists to serve as a catalyst for Indigenous prosperity and independence by providing loan guarantees for equity investments like this one, as well as other initiatives in Alberta’s natural resources, agriculture, transportation, and telecommunications sectors.
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
WV News: TC Energy fuels safety initiative with a grant to RVFD
12/13/23
“Chief R. H. Gobble of the Ripley Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) is proud to announce its partnership with TC Energy in a groundbreaking initiative to enhance safety measures,” WV News reports. “Through a generous grant provided by TC Energy, the RVFD will acquire state-of-the-art Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) bottles, bolstering safety protocols for first responders… “We are immensely grateful to TC Energy for their unwavering commitment to safety and the generous support in providing us the latest SCBA bottles,” Chief Gobble said… “We believe that investing in cutting-edge safety equipment is a fundamental aspect of our responsibility to our employees,” TC Energy management said.
Enbridge: United Way 2023 campaigns: Pet photos, fire ring raffles and surplus steel
12/14/23
“In 2023, Enbridge employees across North America raised about US$4 million (C$5.2 million) for United Way chapters across the continent in a variety of ways—including a creative project in Bemidji, MN involving surplus pipe steel,” according to Enbridge. “Team members based in our Bemidji pipeline maintenance shop spent three months collecting old pipe stock, obsolete fittings, and other scrap metal, brought it all to a local metal recycling business, and came away with a US$13,000 check that they presented to the United Way of Bemidji Area… “All told, more than 2,100 members of the Enbridge workforce took part in our 2023 United Way campaign, supporting 123 communities across North America. That US$4-million (C$5.2-million) total includes employee and contractor donations, retiree giving, special events, regional donations and Enbridge’s corporate match through our Fueling Futures program. Over the past six years, dating back to 2018, Enbridge’s employee-fueled United Way campaigns have raised more than US$28.5 million (C$37.3 million) toward health, education and economic mobility in the community.”
North Bay Nipissing: Help with firefighter training for McMurrich/Monteith department
12/14/23
“Enbridge Gas Inc. is helping the McMurrich/Monteith Fire Department purchase firefighting training materials, through Safe Community Project Assist — a program with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council that supplements existing training for Ontario volunteer and composite fire departments in the communities where Enbridge Gas operates,” North Bay Nipissing reports. “At Enbridge Gas, safety is at the core of what we do. Providing support to Ontario firefighters with emergency response training, we’re equipping the heroes of tomorrow to better protect the communities we live and work in — keeping them healthy and vibrant,” said Johanna Sanchez Gomez, manager of operations, northeast region, Enbridge Gas. This year’s $250,000 donation from Enbridge Gas will be shared by 50 Ontario fire departments, including the McMurrich/Monteith Fire Department. Funds are used to purchase educational materials to assist in training firefighters in life-saving techniques… “Being one of the selected departments to receive the donation from Enbridge Gas will assist us greatly in our endeavours,” said Fire Chief John Ross.
OPINION
Nature: COP28: the science is clear — fossil fuels must go
Editorial, 12/12/23
“Sultan Al Jaber, the host and president of COP28, this year’s United Nations climate conference, sparked an outcry before the meeting kicked off in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At an online event on 21 November, he said that there is no science to suggest that a ‘phase out’ of fossil fuels is necessary to restrict global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial temperatures. Although Al Jaber later tried to defuse the controversy, the episode was a telling prelude to a summit that has been dominated by outdated arguments over what science does — and does not — say about the largest source of humanity’s greenhouse-gas emissions,” the Nature Editorial Board writes. “ The event had moved into extra time as this editorial went to press. But it looked very likely that the final agreement would not include language on phasing out fossil fuels. That is more than a missed opportunity. It is dangerous… “That equation changes, however, if humans are able to extract CO2 from the atmosphere on an industrial scale… “This creates wiggle room that many leaders around the world — and particularly those representing countries that rely on fossil fuels to power their economies — are keen to exploit… “But no amount of clean energy is going to prevent further global warming without a concurrent phase out of fossil fuels or, at least, sequestering the associated greenhouse-gas emissions… “In the short term at least, the world is all but certain to overshoot the 1.5 °C goal. But there is nothing special about this threshold: this year’s climate extremes have made it all too clear that there is no truly safe level of warming, and every fraction of a degree matters. The main agenda must be to cut emissions as quickly as possible in an effort to head off expensive and potentially irreversible damage. The time to act is now.”
Washington Post: What a real international climate breakthrough would look like
By the Editorial Board, 12/14/23
“Diplomats gathered in Dubai are working hard to convince the world that the United Nations’ 28th climate summit, which ended Wednesday, was a decisive success. Big oil producers in the Middle East and beyond agreed to consider paring back the use of fossil fuels. There was a collective promise to invest a lot more in renewable energy. And everybody pledged to write new plans to cut carbon emissions more quickly, starting in 2025. But it may be hard to convey to the rest of the world how the “UAE Consensus” that emerged from the two-week conclave in the United Arab Emirates could be construed as a bold step forward in the battle against climate change,” the Washington Post Editorial Board writes. “The takeaways from the U.N. affair for the average citizen of the world: Countries are not on track to hit the global climate targets they set in previous summits; these targets are not enough to prevent warming in excess of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial averages, the ostensible goal; everybody will propose new targets in a couple of years. Yet the conference’s conclusions on how to make progress from here are so vague that their promise seems empty… “This language on fossil fuels is probably the main achievement of the entire conclave. And yet, one should note that the effort is toward taking them out of “energy systems,” meaning electric power grids — not cars, trucks and airplanes, which, for instance, account for 70 percent of oil consumption in the United States. “Accelerating the reduction of emissions from road transport” counts as a different effort that, unlike that for “energy systems,” does not mention a target of “net zero” emissions by 2050… “Still, the effort’s credibility suffers when goals and pledges often require unprecedented efforts and offer little clue about how they will be financed. It doesn’t help either that, so far, the world is failing to hit targets set before… “Ultimately, perhaps the most useful outcome of the climate summit is the inevitable conclusion that the world’s climate goals, as stated, will not be met… “The real breakthrough would be for countries to bring more ambition to the table in 2025 — and back it up with lots more money.”
MSNBC: Why the historic COP28 climate deal comes up short
Ben Adler, 12/14/23
“At the conclusion of the COP28 United Nations climate change conference in Dubai on Wednesday, news accounts and statements from the officials overseeing the confab hailed a breakthrough success: For the first time, an international agreement on climate change called for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems,” Ben Adler writes for MSNBC. “...This year, in a state flush with oil money, they managed to get much stronger wording. But that’s all it is: words… “We’re nowhere near that trajectory — and COP28 didn’t bring us all that much closer to it. Last month, the U.N. Environment Program released an analysis that found current policies leave us on pace for a 3% increase in emissions by the end of this decade. Although roughly 130 nations made new pledges to cut emissions at COP28, the International Energy Agency estimates that all of those pledges, if fully implemented, would close less than one-third of the “emissions gap.” How close countries get to those emission reduction targets should be the primary measure of success, or lack thereof. And by that standard, COP28 came up short. The national emissions reduction plans from major emitters such as China, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. remain insufficient, according to expert analyses… “There also is no specified timeline for the transition, and the agreement endorses carbon capture as a near-term alternative… “But symbolic statements declaring war on fossil fuels should not be the main focus of climate activism. Ultimately, climate change isn’t about fossil fuels per se, it’s about emissions. Fossil fuels are the overwhelming source of emissions, but it’s possible to imagine a future in which catastrophic climate change is averted by limiting fossil fuel use to a few hard-to-electrify sectors, such as shipping, aviation or steel and cement production. If the emissions from those activities are captured and stored — or if the companies that produce those emissions are required to remove and store an equivalent amount of carbon from the atmosphere — then the world can actually reach net-zero emissions. In fact, the U.S.’s first commercial carbon removal plants recently opened… “Unlike conventional pollution, however, climate change is a rapidly accelerating worldwide emergency, for which aspirational rhetoric about the long-term elimination of fossil fuels is a less urgent priority than immediately getting emissions on a steep-enough downward path.”
Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: BHP quotes outdated figures as efforts to prop up carbon capture for steel start to get desperate
Simon Nicholas, 12/15/23
“BHP continues to promote carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as a means to decarbonise steel production, but its justifications are based on outdated figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA),” Simon Nicholas writes for the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis. “More recent figures from the IEA point to a significantly reduced role for CCUS, which continues to underperform and is rapidly being overtaken by direct reduced iron (DRI) technology as a more promising route to steel decarbonisation. While BHP is also working on other steel decarbonisation solutions that have more potential than CCUS, the company is running out of excuses for not having a measurable Scope 3 target. As pressure mounts on big miners to set and meet responsible Scope 3 emissions targets, BHP has taken to quoting outdated International Energy Agency (IEA) figures to help justify its support for underperforming carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology… “To back this up, BHP further states: “The International Energy Agency estimates CCUS technology needs to apply to more than 53 per cent of primary steel production by 2050 under its Net Zero Emissions [NZE] scenario.” BHP seems to have forgotten that the IEA published an updated version in 2023, which has a rather different figure. The IEA’s updated 2023 NZE scenario reduces CCUS’s role to 37% of steel production by 2050, down from 53% just two years ago. Meanwhile, hydrogen-based steelmaking’s role increases from 29% in 2021 to 44%. IEEFA expects that that the IEA will continue to reduce emphasis on CCUS for steelmaking as the technology’s underperformance continues. BHP does at least admit, “At present, there are no full-scale operational CCUS facilities in blast furnace steelmaking operations, with only a limited number of small capacity carbon capture or utilisation pilots underway or in the planning phases globally.” Not only are there no full-scale CCUS facilities for blast furnaces in operation, there’s virtually nothing on the horizon… “IEEFA believes that new technology combinations that allow the use of lower-grade Pilbara iron ores in DRI-based steelmaking look like a genuine solution to steel decarbonisation. This is in significant contrast to the role CCUS is likely to play.”