EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/16/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: TC Energy restarts segment of Keystone pipeline unaffected by oil spill
MSNBC: Another Keystone Pipeline oil leak proves activist opponents correct [VIDEO]
WIBW: UPDATE: Beaver rescued in Keystone Pipeline oil spill
InsideClimate News: Manchin’s Permitting Reform Could Lead to More Oil Spills Like Keystone’s, Safety Experts Warn
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Linn supervisors postpone pipeline setback vote to build ‘stronger ordinance’
HuffPost: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Idaho Officials Copy-Pasted A Fossil Fuel Industry Letter
Lexology: Nuns’ Religious Freedom Lawsuit Against Pipeline Held To Be Impermissible Collateral Attack On FERC Approval
MassLive.com: Eversource continues pitch for gas pipeline during public hearing despite unrelenting community pushback
Bucks County Herald: Upper Makefield pipeline near finish
WSAZ: 10 years later: Sissonville pipeline explosion
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Planned Senate Permitting Vote A Marker For Future Talks
E&E News: FERC climate reviews in limbo as Glick departs
InsideEPA: Incoming House Energy Chair Flags Permit Streamlining As Priority
TIME: Biden May Be About to Sign Off on a Huge Alaska Oil Drilling Project
Aspen Times: Forest Service and BLM to introduce Thompson Divide Mineral Withdrawal to the public
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Industry submits signatures to overturn oil drilling ban
Bloomberg: Giant Methane Leak Tops List of Worst US Climate Disasters in 2022
Bismarck Tribune: Basin Electric seeks state OK for power plant expansion; data center industry cited
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: LNG coalition faces uncertain future after leader quits, proposals wane
Journal of Petroleum Technology: OGCI Report Reveals Progress on Emissions
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: United Way 2022 campaigns: ‘A safety net that catches the most vulnerable’
OPINION
Milwaukee Independent: MASSIVE KEYSTONE PIPELINE SPILL VALIDATES EVERY SAFETY CONCERN FOR A DISASTER THAT REPUBLICANS DISMISSED
Washington Post: The massive Keystone pipeline spill was predictable
Upstream: TC Energy should focus more on prevention when it comes to Keystone pipeline spills
Hillsboro Star-Journal: Pipeline rupture
International Institute for Sustainable Development: Why Canada Is Unlikely to Sell the Last Barrel of Oil
TIME: These Indigenous Women Are Fighting Big Oil—And Winning
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: TC Energy restarts segment of Keystone pipeline unaffected by oil spill
Nia Williams and Rod Nickel, 12/14/22
“Canada's TC Energy Corp is resuming operations in a section of its Keystone pipeline a week after a leak of more than 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas triggered the whole pipe's shutdown,” Reuters reports. “The company said in a statement on Wednesday that it had given notice to regulators and customers about the restart of pipeline sections unaffected by the incident. The segment of the pipeline where the incident occurred remains sealed off. "This restart facilitates safe transportation of the energy that customers and North Americans rely on and extends from Hardisty, Alberta, to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois," TC Energy said. The 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) pipe has been shut since Dec. 7, when the leak was discovered. Oil sprayed nearby pastures and leaked into Mill Creek before being shut by operator TC Energy. More than 300 people are involved in the clean-up. The timeline for the full restart of the pipeline remained uncertain, and neither a root cause failure analysis nor a full restart plan had been submitted, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said… “The spill is the largest in nearly a decade and the clean-up operation is expected to take weeks.”
MSNBC: Another Keystone Pipeline oil leak proves activist opponents correct [VIDEO]
12/12/22
“Rachel Maddow reports on nearly 600,000 gallons of oil that spilled from a leak in the Keystone Pipeline despite the assurances of the oil industry, and affirming an accusation by critics of the pipeline,” MSNBC reports.
WIBW: UPDATE: Beaver rescued in Keystone Pipeline oil spill
Sarah Motter, 12/14/22
“A beaver has been rescued from the Keystone Pipeline oil spill in Mill Creek in Washington Co.,” WIBW reports. “TC Energy says its ongoing efforts to clear an oil spill and recover 14,000 barrels continue following widespread rainfall. So far, nearly 3,000 barrels have been recovered. On Tuesday, Dec. 13, officials indicated that rainfall in the area did not have a negative impact on the containment of leaked oil from the Keystone Pipeline. It said its onsite team proactively prepared for the situation with a secondary dam and additional resources. However, crews noted they are still working to mitigate challenging road conditions and have brought in more gravel and mats and will continue to limit traffic as allowable. TC Energy said it continues to prioritize the safety of residents and the environment. Late Monday, it said crews rescued a beaver that had been impacted by the incident. The third-party environmental experts onsite are caring for the critter with specialized equipment and techniques. So far, this is the only animal TC Energy has confirmed has been affected by the spill… “TC Energy also noted that the investigation into the cause of the leak remains ongoing.”
InsideClimate News: Manchin’s Permitting Reform Could Lead to More Oil Spills Like Keystone’s, Safety Experts Warn
Kristoffer Tigue, Bob Berwyn, 12/13/22
“Crews continued to clean up the blackened banks of a northern Kansas creek Tuesday morning after a rupture in the Keystone pipeline last week released an estimated 588,000 gallons of Canadian crude—enough oil to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool,” InsideClimate News reports. “... According to a recent analysis by the Global Energy Monitor in California, some 1,800 miles of new U.S. oil pipelines—$8 billion worth of infrastructure projects—are in the works, mostly in the Permian basin of Texas… “With the investigation ongoing, the cause of last week’s spill in Kansas is still unclear. But environmental groups have questioned whether it was related to a special permit the Keystone pipeline received from the Trump administration in 2017, making it the only oil pipeline in the U.S. that can run on a higher pressure than federal regulation allows. The pipeline has seen a notable uptick in incidents since that permit was issued, including three significant spills in the last five years… “Bill Caram, Pipeline Safety Trust’s executive director, told ICN in an interview that Keystone’s track record raises serious questions about how and why the pipeline received its permits, and he worries that streamlining that process for the sake of saving the industry money could result in more spills like the one in Kansas. “As far as permitting reform, I think the continued spills on this pipeline illustrate the risks pipelines pose, especially when there are construction and pipe integrity issues,” Caram told ICN… “Richard Kuprewicz, who has worked in the energy sector for 50 years and is president of the pipeline safety consulting firm Accufacts Inc., said it’s still too soon to draw conclusions about the cause and environmental impacts of last week’s spill. But the fossil fuel industry’s outsized influence on federal energy policy is well known, he told ICN, and if the Keystone investigation reveals that last week’s oil spill was caused in part by a failure in the regulatory process, he hopes that Congress takes the issue seriously… “Research also suggests that climate change itself poses a growing threat to fossil fuel infrastructure, including pipelines… “Congress needs to be very careful that they balance what’s good for the country, what’s good for the population,” Kuprewicz told ICN. “Money can make a group of very smart people do incredibly stupid things. And time and time again, I see that.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Linn supervisors postpone pipeline setback vote to build ‘stronger ordinance’
Gage Miskimen, 12/14/22
“It may be up to future Linn County supervisors to approve an ordinance dictating how close to structures a hazardous pipeline could be built after the current board unanimously voted Wednesday to postpone consideration indefinitely,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “All three supervisors voted to take more time and consider extra safety considerations after members of the public voiced concerns with the current proposed ordinance and its setback waivers for dwellings and future growth areas. On Monday, the supervisors had voted 2-1 in the first consideration to keep the process going forward. Supervisor Stacey Walker voted no as he said he didn’t think the rules went far enough after hearing Monday’s comments from concerned residents. The supervisors met in closed season Tuesday with legal counsel to discuss the ordinance before coming to their decision Wednesday to postpone it… “Safety is paramount,” Rogers added. “The concern I have … as policymakers we have to balance what is objective, subjective, what we believe might be the course of action the courts will take … If we are to be sued, which is fine, I don't think any of us are trying to avoid that necessarily. … But we want to make sure we have words on paper and an ordinance on the books for future CO2 pipelines.” “...The supervisors’ decision to postpone a vote was supported by Linn County residents opposed to the pipeline and also by representatives for Wolf Carbon Solutions… “The future growth area setbacks may also be waived by the applicable city, according to the proposed ordinance. “I was shocked when I saw the ordinance,” Mount Vernon resident Laura Krause told the supervisors. “It addresses almost none of the concerns and there’s no financial protection. I don’t know why you’re looking at such a weak ordinance.” “...The supervisors will continue to meet with Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols and county staff on adding more provisions to the proposed ordinance. Those are yet to be determined, as is the date of the next vote.”
HuffPost: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Idaho Officials Copy-Pasted A Fossil Fuel Industry Letter
Chris D'Angelo, 12/15/22
“The controversial Keystone pipeline ruptured in Kansas last week, spilling more than 14,000 barrels — nearly 600,000 gallons — of crude oil onto several properties and turning a rural creek black,” HuffPost reports. “...But leading up to the spill, TC Energy already had politicians in some of those states marching to the company’s tune, including two U.S. senators. Internal emails reviewed by HuffPost show that TC Energy solicited and authored a letter that Idaho Republican officials submitted to federal regulators urging them to approve the company’s proposal to expand natural gas shipments in the Pacific Northwest. Industry watchdog group Energy and Policy Institute obtained the documents through public records requests and shared them exclusively with HuffPost. In late August, the attorneys general of California, Washington and Oregon filed a joint motion urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to reject TC Energy’s proposed expansion of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline. They argued that the project, known as GTN XPress, would undermine state laws aimed at curbing planet-warming fossil fuels and tackling climate change… “Emails show TC Energy moved quickly to find a political ally to counter state opposition, ultimately pitting Idaho against its neighbors to the west. Ghostwriting letters for elected officials is nothing new for TC Energy. As HuffPost reported in May, the company — formerly TransCanada Corporation — distributed model letters that the Republican mayors of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake submitted in support of the company’s natural gas infrastructure projects in Virginia. On Aug. 24, two days after California, Washington and Oregon filed their motion with FERC, Alex Oehler, the director of TC Energy’s federal government relations team, contacted the office of Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch to request a meeting. He and Ayla Neumeyer, a legislative assistant for Risch, met in person on Capitol Hill the following week to discuss the project, emails show, and a few weeks later, Oehler sent along what he described as “draft language to consider for a delegation latter [sic] to FERC.” In an Oct. 14 email to staffers of other elected Idaho officials, Neumeyer shared the draft letter and wrote that the company was “antsy to have something to push back on Washington/Oregon with sooner rather than later.” “...The letter was signed by Idaho’s full congressional delegation — Sens. Risch (R) and Mike Crapo (R) and Reps. Mike Simpson (R) and Russ Fulcher (R) — as well as Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R). Marty Boughton, a spokesperson for Risch, told HuffPost it is “well within the norm” for industry representatives to author letters with the senator’s signature on them… “The spill came after TC Energy increased the flow capacity of the Keystone pipeline, like they’re asking to do here,” Leonard told HuffPost. “Oil and gas pipeline infrastructure is different, but this shows that TC Energy cannot be trusted to build and maintain pipelines. The Keystone pipeline was built in 2011 and is much newer compared to the 60-plus year old GTN pipeline.”
Lexology: Nuns’ Religious Freedom Lawsuit Against Pipeline Held To Be Impermissible Collateral Attack On FERC Approval
Manko Gold Katcher & Fox, 12/14/22
“In an opinion issued last month, the Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, against the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company (“Transco”) under the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (“RFRA”),” Lexology reports. “The Adorers’ sought in their lawsuit money damages from Transco as a result of the completed construction of a pipeline across the Adorers’ property, which they argued amounted to a substantial burden on their exercise of religion under RFRA. The Third Circuit upheld the dismissal of the suit, holding that the Adorers’ lawsuit was “inescapably intertwined” with an earlier approval issued for the pipeline by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and therefore amounted to an impermissible collateral attack on that approval that was precluded by the Natural Gas Act… “The Court held that the lawsuit amounted to an impermissible collateral attack on the FERC approval in contravention of the Natural Gas Act’s exclusive jurisdiction scheme. The Court explained that in the Natural Gas Act, Congress had deliberately crafted an administrative scheme that precluded parties from sidestepping the administrative process in a separate lawsuit, outside the judicial review provisions in the Natural Gas Act. It did not matter, the Court explained, that monetary damages – the only relief the Adorers’ sought – were not available in such an administrative challenge. When, as here, the “heart of the claim was bound up in the operation of the pipeline,” the subject of the FERC approval, the claim “could and should have” been presented to FERC during the administrative review process. Having failed to pursue their challenge to Transco’s pipeline before FERC, the Adorers could not now challenge the construction and operation of the pipeline in a separate lawsuit in federal court.”
MassLive.com: Eversource continues pitch for gas pipeline during public hearing despite unrelenting community pushback
Stephanie Barry, 12/14/22
“Among dozens of opponents of a proposed new Eversource natural gas pipeline intended to run through a new meter station in Longmeadow to Springfield, a Boston attorney on Wednesday night argued the utility giant’s proposal is built on a colossal “what if?”, MassLive.com reports. “During a lengthy public hearing hosted by the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board, Eversource continued to promote building more than five miles of a new, 16-inch thick pipeline from Longmeadow to Springfield plus additional upgrades to a 70-year-old system serving 58,000 in the region. The controversial project has raised the ire of local residents and activists from across the state as the company continues to press on. A parade of adversaries implored the siting board to reject the project as costly, unnecessary, dangerous and environmentally unfriendly. When Eversource acquired Columbia Gas in 2020, it flagged a distinct vulnerability in its service infrastructure in Western Massachusetts they argue warrants a “redundant” pipeline, or risk dire consequences in the face of a mechanical failure or unexpected “event.” “...But, most who participated in Wednesday’s public vetting weren’t buying it. “This is premised on a a sky-is-falling scenario of interrupted customers during a cold weather period,” said Boston attorney Richard Kanoff, who represents many of the most earnest opponents of the project in Longmeadow. “None of us would build two houses because one may burn down or be hit by a tornado.” Many argue the company is not reading the climate change room in the face of the state’s “net zero” 2050 emissions target signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in March 2021… “The pipeline is a $65 million plan that could cost ratepayers as much $33 million and carry on the use of a fossil fuel that the law aims to eliminate. Natural gas pipelines inevitably emit methane, environmental studies have found, and can exacerbate health problems such as asthma in adults and children. Eversource officials have argued that impact will be little to none, but opponents aren’t buying that either… “Wednesday brought together elected officials from both, including Josh Levine, chairman of the Longmeadow Board of Selectmen. “Putting this project smack in the middle of a residential district will have negative impacts on this community,” Levine said, adding that it will tax an already strained municipal budget and create traffic and construction-related woes… “This will be over five times larger, and 400 times more pressure than that in Merrimack Valley. Think of the devastation that could cause in our community,” Miller said. “I would like to know how the Eversource employees and the Longmeadow ountry Club board members can sleep at night?”
Bucks County Herald: Upper Makefield pipeline near finish
Chris Ruvo, 12/15/22
“A pipeline improvement project in Upper Makefield is on track to conclude early in the new year,” the Bucks County Herald reports. “Joseph Massaro, a representative for Energy Transfer, a midstream energy company conducting construction on the Sunoco Pipeline Project, said installation of the line should be completed sometime in January. Massaro was speaking at a recent Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors meeting in which he also shared that Energy Transfer will winterize/stabilize the site after heavy work concludes. Come spring, Energy Transfer will perform restoration on the construction-disturbed area – work that will include planting grass and trees. Oakdale Avenue will also be paved, he said. Massaro shared that workers have already concluded the loudest part of the project – casing installation. He said hydrotesting, which is done to ensure the integrity of the steel line, will be occurring and can cause loud squeal-like sounds. Both residents and police will be notified in an effort to assuage any alarm the sound might cause, Massaro said… “The project is focused on replacing part of an existing pipeline that’s capable of carrying 4,200 gallons of fuel per hour. The line runs through part of Upper Makefield and beneath the Delaware River into New Jersey. Project officials have said that the pipeline in place before construction dates to the 1950s and was in need of replacing, as temporary repairs that have been made are insufficient for the long-term integrity of the line. The new pipe will about 14 inches in diameter. Fuel running through it could include gas, jet fuel, diesel, and home heating oil.”
WSAZ: 10 years later: Sissonville pipeline explosion
Matt Lackritz, 12/14/22
“Dec. 11, 2022, marked the 10-year anniversary of the pipeline explosion in Sissonville,” WSAZ reports. “It happened when a corroded pipe that had not been inspected for 25 years exploded, causing an inferno of flames that shot hundreds of feet in the air -- destroying several homes and closing a portion of Interstate 77. Sue Bonham was in her Sissonville home the day of the explosion. “Once the kaboom and the explosion actually happened, it became a meteor shower inside my home,” she told WSAZ. “There were huge rocks coming in.” At first, she thought might be an earthquake. However, when she tried to escape, flames surrounded her. “Once I ran outside, the heat was overpowering,” she told WSAZ. “And the noise, it felt like I was in running the engine of a C-130 or something like that. It was just that intense and that loud, and it was just horrifying.” As Bonham hid in her garden trying to evade the flames, Scott Holmes, a Sissonville firefighter, was on his way to the scene. Still, neither Holmes nor anyone else knew exactly what they were headed into. “We were getting a lot of different reports,” he told WSAZ. “So we didn’t really know what we were getting into. We thought, to be honest with you, I thought it was just another day.” When the magnitude of the explosion was realized, it was all hands on deck. As Holmes and three other firefighters made their way to Bonham’s home, they didn’t know exactly where she was. “We had no radio contact with anybody, but something drew us up into that corner, and that’s when we found Ms. Bonham,” Holmes told WSAZ… “Since then Bonham wrote the book Angels in the Garden, detailing everything that happened that day… “No one else could go into that explosion site; it was a warzone,” she told WSAZ. “Until these gentlemen volunteered to go in. They are truly my heroes.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Planned Senate Permitting Vote A Marker For Future Talks
JEREMY DILLON, KELSEY BRUGGER, 12/14/22
“Sen. Joe Manchin will get a floor vote on his long-sought permitting reform bill — but it faces tall odds to advance,” E&E News reports.” The vote will come later this week as an amendment to the annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, though headwinds from both progressives and Republicans are likely to scuttle it. ‘I’d love to see some bipartisan permitting reform, but I don’t think that’s what this is,’ said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). ‘There’s been a couple-month-long effort to try to come up with a bipartisan bill. So maybe we will have a better shot doing that after January.’ Even if the bill, which would streamline environmental reviews of energy projects, somehow makes it through the Senate, it faces almost impossible odds in the House. Still, even a failed Senate vote may prove instructive. It will put lawmakers on record after nearly three months of negotiations, which could shape how negotiations carry into next year — where permitting could again take center stage. Cornyn predicted there would not be enough Republican support to overcome a 60-vote filibuster threshold in part because the proposal has yet to meet GOP demands for more significant changes.
E&E News: FERC climate reviews in limbo as Glick departs
Miranda Willson, 12/15/22
“The head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had big plans at the start of the Biden administration for assessing planet-warming emissions from new gas pipelines. But with FERC Chair Richard Glick’s time at the agency likely coming to an end, the commission’s path forward on climate assessments is as murky as ever,” E&E News reports. “Glick was known in the Trump era for frequent dissents on natural gas pipeline orders, which he often said were legally infirm by not assessing whether facilities would significantly contribute to climate change. When President Joe Biden shifted him from commissioner to chair in 2021 and FERC gained a Democratic majority, Glick vowed to adjust the agency’s approach to weighing pipelines’ greenhouse gas emissions… “Still, nearly two years since Glick became chair, observers across the political spectrum see a difficult path forward for climate change reviews at the commission, given the continued partisan disagreements among its members and the political backlash Glick encountered over his position. “Disappointingly, things do not look much different from where I sit in terms of the commission’s review and Chairman Glick’s legacy on evaluating either market need for these projects or greenhouse gas emissions and consequent climate change impacts,” Jennifer Danis, a senior attorney at the Niskanen Center, which frequently advocates for landowners in the path of pipelines, told E&E… “Historically, the five-person commission has accepted virtually all pipeline applications that have come before it and taken the position that it cannot assess whether new pipelines or export terminals would significantly contribute to climate change as a result of gas consumed downstream. That approach has had legal ramifications. In a handful of recent rulings, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ordered FERC to go back and consider greenhouse gas impacts — or explain why it cannot do so — for projects that had already been approved… “The question now is whether — and how — FERC will handle the issue in the New Year. Wednesday is likely to be the last public FERC meeting chaired by Glick, whose nearly five-year term ended this year… “The agency now frequently quantifies or estimates projects’ climate-warming emissions without weighing their significance under the National Environmental Policy Act. In the view of some legal experts, that leaves recent orders on natural gas pipelines and export terminals vulnerable to continued legal challenges. “The issue of whether or not FERC can continue to punt and not assess climate at all, because they’re saying, ‘We can’t determine significance,’ is going to get litigated,” Moneen Nasmith, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, told E&E. “The result, if they lose, will be all of these projects having a totally uncertain fate.”
InsideEPA: Incoming House Energy Chair Flags Permit Streamlining As Priority
12/13/22
“Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) says that energy project permit streamlining will be a priority for the next Congress, despite a murky outlook for the policy after lawmakers have repeatedly failed to strike a bipartisan deal on the issue this fall,” InsideEPA reports. “‘I am excited to go to work on this and find the bipartisan agreement,’ Rodgers said during a Dec. 13 event co-hosted by The Hill and Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). ‘There is a growing recognition . . . across the ideological spectrum that we need to address permitting in the United States of America.’ Her remarks come after lawmakers a week ago again rejected a proposed permit streamlining package backed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Democratic leaders but opposed by a critical mass of lawmakers from both parties. Manchin had sought to include the plan in defense legislation since approved by the House, and while Senate leaders are now pledging to hold a vote on the plan when that chamber considers the defense bill, the vote is widely expected to fail. Last week, Manchin expressed doubts that bipartisan dealmaking on permitting will be any easier next year, pinning blame for his proposal’s failure on Republicans who are ‘mad’ about his support for this summer’s climate bill. But Rodgers cited a ‘growing recognition, whether you want to build a solar farm or build a nuclear plant,’ that it takes ‘years, decades in some cases’ to permit the relevant facilities.”
TIME: Biden May Be About to Sign Off on a Huge Alaska Oil Drilling Project
PHILIP ELLIOTT, 12/13/22
“When Joe Biden was a candidate to be his party’s nominee for President, he ran as one of the biggest foes of fossil fuels ever to make a credible run for the White House,” TIME reports. “He pledged to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050, ween the country off dirty sources of energy and “end fossil fuel.” He canceled the high-profile Keystone XL pipeline, took millions of acres of possible drilling off the table by scrapping leases to oil and gas companies, and banned imports of Russian oil. He even threatened oil firms with a windfall tax and likened them to war profiteers. Environmental groups went gaga over his rhetoric and action alike, buoying his political alliances and giving climate change activists heart after years of broken promises. And yet, a unique alignment of political and geological confluences may spur Biden in the coming days to do something that will leave those same green allies seeing red. Biden’s administration is nearing a final decision on a potentially game-changing oil and gas project that has now been under consideration across five presidencies. The proposed Willow project in the northeast section of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska would produce 180,000 barrels of oil each day, create $10 billion in tax and royalty revenues, and create 2,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent ones. The massive project would require as many as five drilling sites, a processing facility, 50 miles of new roads, seven bridges, and an airstrip. Local groups, including those representing Alaska Natives, as well as labor unions and the state’s congressional delegation, have all championed the project as a source of good union jobs and money for Alaska’s North Slope. But environmental groups and some Native American groups from the Lower 48 oppose the ConocoPhillips project, citing an Interior Department analysis that estimates it would emit at least 278 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime and during construction. It also would endanger the local wildlife like polar bears. On Thursday, a coalition of environmental groups—represented by a PR firm with deep ties to the Biden Administration—plans to rally at Lafayette Square across from the White House before delivering another 90,000 comments in opposition to the proposal, which they liken to 76 coal plants running for a year… “If they can’t kill it, the green groups are pushing a scaled-back project, one that would cut three of the proposed five drill sites and better protect calving grounds for the Teshekpuk Lake caribou.”
Aspen Times: Forest Service and BLM to introduce Thompson Divide Mineral Withdrawal to the public
Josie Taris, 12/13/22
“The federal government will hold its first public comment and education meeting on a proposed mineral withdrawal in the Thompson Divide, a vast parcel of land that is mostly owned by the federal government in the Western Slope,” the Aspen Times reports. “The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management will host two public information meetings on the proposed withdrawal Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District… “The Department of Interior accepted a petition for mineral withdrawal in the Thompson Divide from the Forest Service and BLM earlier this year… “The Thompson Divide comprises nearly 224,794 acres across Pitkin, Garfield and Gunnison counties. The vast majority of land, 200,518 acres, belongs to the Forest Service. Thompson takes up 78,000 acres of the White River National Forest. Portions of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison national forests account for about 122,000 acres. The BLM holds 15,465 acres and 8,700 acres are privately owned land with federal minerals underground, according to the Forest Service… “The two-year segregation prevents new mining claims or mineral leases on the land while the government collects environmental and economic data on the proposed withdrawal. Valid existing leases, water rights and activity on privately held land are not affected.Currently, 23 active leases operate within the Thompson Divide, according to the BLM… “Activism in the Thompson Divide dates back decades. During an oil and gas leasing boom in the early 2000s, conservation groups like Wilderness Workshop, based in Carbondale, joined forces with outdoor recreation enthusiasts and ranchers to object to mineral leases in the area. The Thompson Divide Coalition advocates for the permanent protection of the federal lands within the Thompson Divide from oil and gas development. “The threat of oil and gas development fragments the landscape by roads and pipelines and well pads to be built,” Will Roush, executive director of Wilderness Workshop, told the Times. “There’s actual significant impacts to air quality and water quality from the drilling backing process. And fragmentation has really big impacts on wildlife habitats.” Much of the private land within and surrounding the Thompson Divide is ranchland, Roush told the Times. And the need to move cattle across vast stretches of land for grazing puts ranchers at odds with oil and gas development.”
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Industry submits signatures to overturn oil drilling ban
JOHN COX, 12/13/22
“A California oil trade group announced Tuesday it has gathered more than enough signatures to put a referendum on the November 2024 ballot asking voters whether to uphold a new state law that bans drilling within 3,200 feet of homes and other sensitive sites,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “Even if county registrars across the state were to confirm only about 64 percent of the signatures gathered are valid, it would still be just enough to at least delay implementation of Senate Bill 1137 for almost two years — a win for the industry that its opponents say relied on deceit. The referendum represents the latest phase of a conflict more than three years old that has pitted concerns for the health of people living and working near oil operations against industry protests that SB 1137 would make California still more reliant on imports from foreign producers not bound by the state's strict oil field regulations. Besides prohibiting new drilling within 3,200 feet of a home, school or church, the law would forbid well deepening and reworks, and it would impose pollution controls on existing wells within the zone. It would also restrict noise, light and dust while mandating new testing and paperwork. Scientific research has established a correlation between proximity to oil and gas wells and health problems such as adverse birth outcomes, heart disease and respiratory diseases including asthma… “The California Independent Petroleum Association issued a news release saying more than 978,000 Californians signed its "Stop the Energy Shutdown" petition. “There is absolutely no reason California should be held hostage and export our wealth to OPEC+ countries,” CIPA CEO Rock Zierman said in the release. “But by strangling our domestic supply, Gov. Newsom is promoting greater greenhouse gas emissions generated in other parts of the world and making gasoline more expensive.” In response to the announcement, environmental and environmental-justice organizations put out their own news release saying the state's rule-making process, which the Newsom administration has refused to comment on, continues and is unaffected by the referendum's delay. Their release says oil companies, including several operating in Kern, invested a total of more than $20 million as of Dec. 2 to support the referendum.”
Bloomberg: Giant Methane Leak Tops List of Worst US Climate Disasters in 2022
Aaron Clark, 12/13/22
“While diplomats in Sharm El-Sheikh were hammering out a historic agreement last month to help developing nations cope with the crippling consequences of a warmer planet, one of the biggest US climate disasters in recent years was unfolding in a rural corner of Pennsylvania,” Bloomberg reports. “A leak from a 1 5/8-inch (4.1 centimeter) vent on a natural gas storage well operated by Equitrans Midstream Corp. was discovered on Nov. 6 and lasted for 13 days, allowing more than 1 billion cubic feet to escape… “That single Equitrans release effectively erased emissions gains from about half of the 656,000 electric vehicles sold in the US last year. The incident is one of the biggest blows to the credibility of the US gas industry since the Aliso Canyon leak that began in late 2015 in California and lasted more than 100 days. The magnitude of the Equitrans release, and the operator’s inability to halt it quickly, intensifies scrutiny on an industry the International Energy Agency has said must do more to curb deliberate and accidental releases if it wants to play an active role in the energy transition… “Bloomberg News has used satellite observations since July 2020 to identify about 70 methane releases linked to the energy and waste sectors from Argentina to Turkmenistan, including almost two dozen in the United States… “The fact that massive releases are persisting even in regions where they're properly quantified speaks to the scope of the challenge,” Antoine Vagneur-Jones, head of trade and supply chains at research company BloombergNEF, told Bloomberg.
Bismarck Tribune: Basin Electric seeks state OK for power plant expansion; data center industry cited
JACKIE JAHFETSON, 12/13/22
“Basin Electric Power Cooperative is seeking state approval to expand a natural gas-fired power plant in McKenzie County in part to accommodate a growing data center industry in the region,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “It would be the Bismarck-based company’s largest single-site electric generation project since the 1980s… “PSC Chair Julie Fedorchak said Basin cites “as a need for this, that the service area in northwestern North Dakota is experiencing a rapid increase in the development for server farm facilities, that host data centers and also cryptocurrency mining, as well as activities associated with oil and gas extraction from the Bakken shale formation, currently concentrated in McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams counties.” The additional energy would be generated and distributed to the electrical grid system serving the rapidly increasing electricity requirements in northwestern North Dakota. Data centers require a large amount of electricity. The Pioneer Generation Station would improve the reliability of service in the area, Basin’s application states. Load forecasts show member cooperatives in the Bakken region will require more electricity by 2025… “Basin hopes to start construction next April and finish the first phase of the project by August 2025; the second phase would have operations in service by 2026. Additional permits for the generation and transmission aspects will be required before construction.”
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: LNG coalition faces uncertain future after leader quits, proposals wane
BRENT JANG, 12/15/22
“An industry group formed eight years ago to promote the promise of abundant Canadian exports of liquefied natural gas faces an uncertain future after its leader resigned and the number of LNG proposals shrank,” the Globe and Mail reports. “Bryan Cox has left the Canadian LNG Alliance after nearly four years as the group’s president and chief executive officer. He recently joined Calgary-based Petronas Energy Canada Ltd. as the company’s director of external affairs and policy. When the alliance launched in 2014, it focused on touting more than 20 LNG proposals in British Columbia. But most proponents gradually dropped out in the subsequent years, saying that they were unable to make the economics work, and that regulatory delays were hurting them. The alliance has four remaining members: LNG Canada, Woodfibre LNG, Enbridge Inc. and FortisBC… “In the United States, the first LNG export terminal in the lower 48 states began operating in 2016. Another six sites have opened since then. With three new facilities in the Gulf Coast under construction, U.S. LNG export capacity is forecast to jump 40 per cent to more than 130 million tonnes annually within three years. By contrast, the Shell PLC-led LNG Canada export terminal, currently under construction in Kitimat, B.C., is scheduled to become Canada’s first such facility when shipments to Asia begin in 2025. LNG Canada’s initial export capacity will be 14 million tonnes a year… “Organizations such as the Sierra Club, Wilderness Committee and Office of the Wet’suwet’en oppose LNG, saying the fossil fuel is hampering the growth of renewable energy… “Five proposals for exports using tankers remain active in B.C., including potential expansions at LNG Canada in Kitimat and FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG domestic plant in Delta. The other three proposals are Cedar LNG, Ksi Lisims LNG and Woodfibre. Cedar is led by the Haisla together with co-owner Pembina Pipeline Corp., while Ksi Lisims is backed by the Nisga’a, Rockies LNG and Western LNG. The Squamish Nation supports Woodfibre, which is co-owned by Pacific Energy Corp. Ltd. and Enbridge. “LNG Canada believes the First Nations LNG Alliance remains ideally positioned to advance and promote B.C.’s LNG industry,” Ms. Waddington told the Mail, adding that the Indigenous group “will lead policy advocacy in B.C. and promote awareness of the value and competitiveness of B.C. LNG.” “..Founded as the BC LNG Alliance, the industry group changed its name to the Canadian LNG Alliance in 2020 as it broadened its scope by also highlighting proposals outside B.C. But LNG export plans in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador have been either cancelled or remain stalled.”
Journal of Petroleum Technology: OGCI Report Reveals Progress on Emissions
12/13/22
“The 12 member companies of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) reduced their upstream emissions, launched an industrywide initiative to cut methane emissions to near zero, and increased investment and activities in low-carbon technologies that will support broader decarbonization efforts, the organization reported,” according to the Journal of Petroleum Technology. “The group’s annual Progress Report, published on 8 December, showed that OGCI members reduced absolute upstream methane emissions by 40% and carbon emissions by almost a fifth since 2017. In 2021, OGCI members’ spending on low-carbon solutions almost doubled compared with 2020, totaling $40 billion since 2017. “Eliminating methane emissions from oil and gas is one of the quickest ways to meet the Paris Agreement targets, and OGCI members have already shown strong industry leadership on this important issue,” said OGCI Executive Committee Chair Bjorn Otto Sverdrup. “But we are not stopping there. Time is limited, and we need many different solutions to meet net zero,” he added. “Carbon capture will also play a critical role, and OGCI is supporting global efforts to scale up this vital technology across a number of industrial hubs as well as in the shipping industry.” The progress comes as the OGCI has expanded work to support the development of industrial hubs where carbon dioxide is captured and stored. “2023 will be critical to demonstrate the power of the oil and gas industry to deliver an energy transition that balances energy security and affordability with the urgency to address climate change,” Sverdrup told JPT, “and I’m pleased to share the progress OGCI has made translating ambition into action under the three pillars of our strategy.” “...OGCI member companies are involved in more than 30 of the approximately 50 carbon capture hubs proposed or in development globally. In the transport sector, OGCI is working with industry partners on the next stage of a pilot project to demonstrate the potential of carbon capture and storage for marine shipping, another key area for global emissions reductions.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: United Way 2022 campaigns: ‘A safety net that catches the most vulnerable’
12/14/22
“There’s feeling like a million bucks. And then there’s raising a million bucks . . . which, let’s be honest, feels even better. In 2022, for the 30th year, Enbridge’s Houston team members capped a million-dollar campaign for the United Way of Greater Houston—as our workforce across North America raised US$3.6 million (C$4.7 million) for United Way chapters across the continent,” according to Enbridge. “In 2022, our Houston employee campaign’s spotlight agency was Target Hunger, one of Houston’s largest non-profit organizations that provides direct food assistance for children, families, and seniors in northeast and east Houston neighborhoods who face the risk of going hungry every day… “In the end, Enbridge’s Houston employee campaign raised $1,061,488 for the United Way of Greater Houston. Only four companies in the Space City have achieved such a consistent giving legacy; the others are CenterPoint Energy, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.”
OPINION
Milwaukee Independent: MASSIVE KEYSTONE PIPELINE SPILL VALIDATES EVERY SAFETY CONCERN FOR A DISASTER THAT REPUBLICANS DISMISSED
Dr. Heather Cox Richardson is a political historian who uses facts and history to make observations about contemporary American politics, 12/14/22
“The Keystone Pipeline ruptured on December 7 near a creek in northern Kаnsаs, spilling what its operator, TC Energy, says is about 14,000 barrels of oil. This is equivalent to about 588,000 gallons, an Olympic swimming pool holds about 666,000 gallons,” Heather Cox Richardson writes for the Milwaukee Independent. “...The leak recalls arguments over the extension of the Keystone Pipeline, known as the XL Pipeline, that right-wing Republicans made a symbol of what they considered an antigrowth attack on U.S. energy production by Democrats… “Frustrated by the U.S. government’s continuing focus on fossil fuels and worried that the Obama administration would approve the XL, climate change activists began to protest at the White House in August 2011. Likely recognizing the political danger of either approving or disapproving the permit, Obama tried to put it off until after the 2012 election, but congressional Republicans passed an order demanding a decision before it. Obama rejected the permit but let the company reapply… “The XL was now a political football. Climate activists continued to protest the extension of the pipeline, and in 2015, Obama rejected the XL. But, as Jamie Henn of 350 dot org, an organization dedicated to ending reliance on fossil fuels, recalled with irony, that was the same week that Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night Live on his road to the presidency. One of the first things Trump did in office was to speed up approval of the pipeline, which the State Department did in March 2017… “But despite Trump’s support for the XL, judges slowed the construction of that pipeline, citing the need for more information about its environmental impact. Then, as soon as he took office, Biden revoked the permit for the construction and five months later, TC Energy halted the project. When oil prices skyrocketed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated the low oil production in place because of the pandemic, Republicans blamed Biden for killing the construction of the XL extension. Now the U.S. has invested heavily in switching the United States to renewable energy with the Inflation Reduction Act, and a major oil spill resurrects concerns about the transportation of oil. It is poetic timing. On December 9, as part of their yearlong investigation of the fossil fuel industry, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents from executives at major oil companies revealing that they recognize that their products are creating a climate emergency but that they have no real plans for changing course.”
Washington Post: The massive Keystone pipeline spill was predictable
Philip Bump, 12/14/22
“For years, American politics was roiled by the debate over building the Keystone XL pipeline, a project aimed at supplementing an existing conduit for petroleum products from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Barack Obama halted the project, Donald Trump resurrected it and, in one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden once again stopped it,” Philip Bump writes for the Washington Post. “Since last week, the original Keystone pipeline has been in the news for precisely the reason pipeline owners and oil industry executives least like: a massive spill in Kansas that led to thousands of barrels of oil being inadvertently released. It’s one of the largest pipeline leaks in years. It is also one of hundreds of such incidents in the past 10 years and thousands recorded by the federal government. Opposition to building the larger Keystone XL pipeline was based on two primary concerns, one philosophical and one practical. The philosophical argument was that the nation should not be investing in infrastructure that made it easier to extract fossil fuels, thereby making it more likely that those fuels would be used and thereby add to greenhouse-gas emissions. The practical argument was that pipelines can rupture or leak, threatening the surrounding environment. More worrisome was that the planned route for the pipeline passed over a vital aquifer that provided water for drinking and irrigation for the region. To reinforce that second point, activists noted the frequency of spills from pipelines… “Pipeline operators would no doubt argue that the news doesn’t cover the miles of pipeline that function without incident 24 hours a day. It is the case that lots of pipelines don’t attract attention because they simply do what they were built to do. The challenge is that, when they don’t, the repercussions can be significant. Something that opponents of Keystone XL were able to successfully argue to Presidents Obama and Biden.”
Upstream: TC Energy should focus more on prevention when it comes to Keystone pipeline spills
Leia Marie Parker, 12/14/22
“Opponents of the now-scuttled Keystone XL pipeline project are saying, “I told you so,” after TC Energy’s existing Keystone Pipeline System spilled around 14,000 barrels of oil last week, with some pouring into a Kansas creek. They have a point,” Leia Marie Parker writes for Upstream. “The causes of the latest spill were still being investigated this week, but it was possible to trace a pattern emerging from two other significant incidents on the same pipeline system, resulting in the spilling of 6592 barrels of crude in South Dakota in 2017 and another 4515 barrels in North Dakota in 2019.”
Hillsboro Star-Journal: Pipeline rupture
Harry E. Bennett, Madison, 12/15/22
“Last week in Washington County, the Keystone pipeline that runs through the middle of Marion County ruptured and spilled 588,000 gallons of tar sands crude oil,” Harry E. Bennett writes for the Hillsboro Star-Journal. “An earthen dam has been built on a creek to try to prevent oil from migrating into larger water sources. The oil in the pipeline is a thick, tar-like crude that is heated and mixed with liquid natural gas distillates to create a toxic fluid that is pumped at pressures as high as 1,700 pounds per square inch. In 2010 a tar sands pipeline burst in Michigan, dumping nearly the same amount of heavy tar sands crude oil into a stream that feeds into the Kalamazoo River. Twelve years later, with more than $1 billion spent, the spill still is not cleaned up. In Marion County, the pipeline crosses numerous streams that are in the watershed of Marion Reservoir, source of water for most of the towns in county. It crosses the Cottonwood River about a mile west of Marion. For taking on this risk to fresh water, the most vital of resources, Marion County and five other Kansas counties were denied tax revenue for 10 years after the pipeline’s construction in 2010. In 2006 the Kansas Legislature, dominated by Republicans, granted a sweet, 10-year tax abatement to Trans Canada, a foreign corporation. Representing Marion County in the legislature, Senator Jay Emler and Representative Don Dahl both supported the tax giveaway… “This year is the first in which Marion County can collect property tax from the pipeline. How much will that tax be for a property that could be the single most valuable in Marion County? With a battalion of lawyers on the payroll, you can bet that whatever the amount of tax is, Trans Canada will contest it. The larger question is what can be done to protect water from a pipeline spill. It is not a question of if it will leak but when it will leak.”
International Institute for Sustainable Development: Why Canada Is Unlikely to Sell the Last Barrel of Oil
Aaron Cosbey, 12/14/22
“Canadian producers are vulnerable to two foreseeable threats: declining global demand for oil and falling oil prices. Almost all Canadian exports go to U.S. refineries. This reliance on captive buyers will initially shield Canada from the worst of the decline in demand, but this buffer will not last,” Aaron Cosbey writes for the International Institute for Sustainable Development. “Nothing will shield Canada from global oil price drops and volatility. Pressure on Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries-plus discipline as members rush to increase oil production in the face of declining demand will result in prices that are low and even more volatile than normal. Canadian oil producers’ environmental, social, and governance performance will not help preserve Canada’s market share, since it does not matter to the refineries buying the product. Marginal producers will not survive in the post-peak market, and efficient producers will see low profits, remitting low royalties and taxes. In line with history, large numbers of workers will lose their jobs in the sector. Canada cannot afford to delay support for diversifying into sectors that can replace oil as an engine of economic prosperity… “While Canadian producers have reduced costs significantly since 2014, their oil is, on average, still much more costly than that of all the major Middle Eastern producers, which have huge reserves and capacity. In a battle to sell the last barrel, Canadian oil producers face a cost disadvantage. All things considered, it is straightforward to predict whether Canada will sell the last barrel of oil; it will not. But the more immediate and fundamental question is this: how will Canada fare in the savage post-2030 market of declining demand—a market characterized by low prices and even more volatility than the historical norm? Canada’s marginal producers will not survive; its more efficient producers will reap low profits, remitting low royalties and taxes. New investments will be almost unthinkable, other than incremental extensions of existing operations. Based on past experience, between cost-cutting and lack of new investment, the sector will shed large numbers of workers… “Canada cannot afford to delay support for diversifying into sectors that can replace oil as an engine of economic prosperity while simultaneously building a cleaner, healthier world.”
TIME: These Indigenous Women Are Fighting Big Oil—And Winning
Nemonto Nenquimo, co-founder of Amazon Frontlines and the Ceibo Alliance, is a Waorani leader who has won the Goldman Environmental Prize. Nonhle Mbuthuma is a leader of the amaMpondo people in South Africa and spokesperson of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, a collective that defends her community’s rights to steward their ancestral land, 12/15/22
“We are two Indigenous women leaders writing from the frontlines of the battle to save our oceans, our forests, and our planet’s climate. We have good news to share: We know how to beat Big Oil,” Nemonto Nenquimo and Nonhle Mbuthuma write for TIME. “From the Amazon rainforest to the shores of the Indian Ocean in South Africa, we have led our communities to mighty victories against oil companies who hoped to profit off our territories. In September 2022, we succeeded in getting a court to revoke a permit that would have allowed Shell to despoil Indigenous farming communities and fishing grounds along the pristine Wild Coast of South Africa. Just a few years earlier in April 2019, we organized Indigenous communities deep in the Ecuadorian rainforests to resist the government’s plans to drill in pristine rainforests and were victorious, protecting half a million acres of forests and setting a legal precedent to protect millions more. Both were David vs. Goliath victories—and both were opportunities for us to learn where to point that fabled slingshot. Big Oil has the deepest of pockets and a horrific track record when it comes to corruption, scandal, and environmental crimes. Across the world, Indigenous and local communities know that once the industry gets a foothold in our lands, it leaves ruin in its wake… “As frontline communities, we must work together to stop Big Oil before they enter our lands. But this, in itself, is no easy task. The industry offers alluring promises of “progress” and “development.” And they have people—in government, the military, police forces, shadowy paramilitary groups, and sometimes in our own communities—who are willing to intimidate, harass, and even kill leaders like us who have the courage to stand up to them. They also have billions of dollars riding on getting permits to suck the oil out of the ground and sea. So, how did we stop them? First, we kept our communities together. We fought against the industry’s “divide and conquer” tactics by grounding our battle in our own sacred connection to our lands… “We also helped our people cut through the false promises and threats by exposing Big Oil’s lies and abuse around the world… “We also have the law on our side, which makes Big Oil really vulnerable… “But the law alone isn’t enough. To move courts and politicians—and to create legal exposure and reputational risk to companies—we need global community support to keep going. That means getting financial resources to the frontlines, so that we can protect our leaders, organize our communities, and secure our rights. Only a fraction of 1% of all climate funding currently makes it to Indigenous communities on the frontlines of the climate battle. We need to change that… “We are writing this because we see that world leaders, businesses, and NGOs are only making slow, incremental progress on climate despite the urgent existential threat we face. Instead of getting frustrated, we’re doubling down on sharing our formula with other Indigenous guardians on the ground. We know that time is not on our side—but our spirituality and our rights are. So here’s one idea from two Indigenous women leaders that beat the oil industry, and protected our oceans and our forests: Listen to us for a change.”