EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/19/22
PIPELINE NEWS
NPR: The Keystone pipeline leaked in Kansas. What makes this spill so bad?
Reuters: TC Energy Keystone pipeline cleanup turns remote Kansas valley into a small town
Turtle Island News: Chief pushes TC Energy for more attention to 60 plus year old lines operating on Carry The Kettle
The Courier: Local pipeline protesters organize, learn more at Shell Rock meeting hosted by NGOs
KTIV: Judge orders further briefing in pipeline trespassing case
The Iowa Standard: Huge amount of letters in support of CO2 pipelines seem fishy, if not fraudulent
The Iowa Standard: Iowa Association of Business and Industry files letter in support of CO2 pipeline
Times Citizen: Sups hear update from Summit Carbon Solutions
WJAC: 'Nearly uninhabitable:' Local couple files suit against Sunoco over pipeline construction
The Columbus Dispatch: Columbia Gas seeks quick approval for Intel pipeline
Pitchbook: Blackstone's Tallgrass to buy Ruby Pipeline
Bloomberg: Methane Cloud Over Australia Coincided With Pipeline Gas Release
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Common Dreams: 45+ Climate Leaders to Democrats: Keep Manchin's Zombie 'Dirty Deal' Out of Year-End Omnibus
E&E News: Greens press for executive action after Manchin bill falls
E&E News: How Democratic dissension sunk landmark EJ bill
Must Read Alaska: Sullivan asks Sec. Haaland to withdraw red-tape limits that are delaying energy infrastructure projects
STATE UPDATES
KUNM: Proposal for oil & gas 'man camp' in Greater Chaco sparks concern of violence
Seattle Times: Owner of WA natural gas power plant sues state over carbon-pricing law
Allegheny Front: DEP SAYS LEAKS, SPILL DAMAGE CONTINUE AT STORAGE SITE WHERE GAS LEAKED FOR WEEKS
EXTRACTION
The Energy Mix: Make Oil and Gas Emissions Cap Fit for 1.5°, MPs Urge Ottawa
CLIMATE FINANCE
Financial Times: Activist group Follow This launches climate campaign against Big Oil
Best Colleges: These Colleges Have Divested From Fossil Fuels
Sahan Journal: St. Paul school board ends $9 million investment in fossil fuels, citing equity and justice
OPINION
Topeka Capital Journal: After oil spill stained Kansas prairie, Keystone pipeline needs fines and policy changes
PIPELINE NEWS
NPR: The Keystone pipeline leaked in Kansas. What makes this spill so bad?
JACLYN DIAZ, 12/17/22
“It's been over a week since TC Energy announced its Keystone pipeline leaked into Mill Creek in Washington County, Kan. Nearly 600,000 gallons of oil spilled into the waterway as well as the land surrounding it,” NPR reports. “Environmental advocates tell NPR this is just the beginning to a cleanup that will likely take years… “What is known is the type of oil that was being transported through the pipeline: tar sands oil, also called diluted bitumen. This thick, toxic substance makes cleanup so much more difficult, Jane Kleeb, the founder of Bold Alliance, and Anthony Swift, director of the Canada Project with the Natural Resources Defense Council, both environmental advocacy groups, told NPR. "When a tar sands disaster like this happens, it is worse than a traditional oil spill. Because tar sands is much more difficult, expensive and much more toxic to clean up. We know that this is going to take years," Kleeb told NPR. She said she's been monitoring oil spills, particularly tar sands spills, for 14 years. She also notes that, in her experience, initial estimates of the amount of oil actually spilled can be wrong. "Usually, when this happens, that initial number ends up doubling," she told NPR… “In response to Kleeb's comments, TC Energy told NPR in a statement, "Our commitment to the community is that our response efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site. We have the people, expertise, training and equipment to mount an effective response and clean-up, and that's what we're doing." “...Even though TC Energy maintains that it has the right training and equipment to effectively respond to the Mill Creek spill, the effort will be a daunting one, Swift told NPR… "It's a very thick substance that's almost peanut butter consistency," Swift told NPR. Most containment efforts don't really work for bitumen, he told NPR. In situations of other oil spills affecting waterways, one of the first steps is to set up booms to prevent the oil from spreading farther in the water. Diluted bitumen "doesn't float the way conventional oil does. And most means of spill remediation in water bodies do rely on most of the oil staying on top of the water body," Swift told NPR. Bitumen eventually sinks to the bottom of rivers and wetlands, making containment, and the environmental consequences, far more difficult and expensive. On land, this material causes major problems thanks to the bitumen's incredibly strong adhesive properties, Swift told NPR. "Once this thick tar sands is on something, you basically have to just extract everything that this stuff has touched," he told NPR. "The bitumen can migrate and it tends to seep into soils. The longer it's left, the more of a problem it can become." “...Kansas and people on the ground are going to have to prepare for the long haul, Kleeb told NPR. "I haven't seen a tar sands spill of this scope in a creek. We don't know what that is going to look like and how it is impacting the biodiversity in that creek. And not to mention the pasture land," Kleeb told NPR. "In the past, when we've seen the spills happen it impacts the land for years. They not only have to excavate all of the polluted soil, there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that this isn't impacting the root system," she told NPR. "And now all of that precious topsoil, which is critical to agriculture, is now destroyed and will be destroyed forever."
Reuters: TC Energy Keystone pipeline cleanup turns remote Kansas valley into a small town
Erwin Seba, 12/18/22
“Farmer Bill Pannbacker got a call earlier this month from a representative from TC Energy Corp., telling him that its Keystone Pipeline, which runs through his farmland in rural Kansas, had suffered an oil leak,” Reuters reports. “But he was not prepared for what he saw on his land, which he owns with his wife, Chris. Oil had shot out of the pipeline and coated what he estimated was about half a hectare of pasture uphill of the pipe, which is set into a valley. The grass was blackened with diluent bitumen, one of the thickest of crude oils, which was being transported from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The rupture on Dec. 7 is the third in the last five years for the Keystone Pipeline, and the worst of the three — more than 14,000 barrels of crude has spilled and cleanup is expected to take weeks or months… “The spill in Washington County affected land owned by several people. The once-quiet valley is currently a construction site buzzing with some 400 contractors, staff from pipeline operator TC Energy and federal, state and local officials… “The oil-blackened grass on the land, which is owned by Pannbacker and his sisters as part of a family trust, is now completely gone. It was scraped away and is now confined to a giant mound of dirt that is noticeably darker at the bottom. But oil droplets on plants further up the hill were still visible… “Kansas State Representative Lisa Moser in a Facebook post said there are 14 landowners who are being compensated for either the spill or the use of their property during cleanup. TC said it is discussing compensation with landowners but would keep details private. The company told Reuters it has stayed in regular contact with landowners. Pannbacker told Reuters TC has not yet discussed compensation with them yet. Pannbacker told Reuters he does not expect the grass on the pastureland to return for at least two or three years; there is a well site on the pasture used for the cattle that they will not be using either.”
Turtle Island News: Chief pushes TC Energy for more attention to 60 plus year old lines operating on Carry The Kettle
Shari Narine, 12/18/22
“The 14,000-barrel spill of crude oil from the Keystone pipeline into a creek in Kansas last week has Carry The Kettle Cega’kin Nakoda First Nation (Cega’kin) “gravely concerned” about TC Energy Corporation’s operations on its nation 80 km east of Regina, Sask.,” Turtle Island News reports. “Cega’kin is the only First Nation in Canada with seven high pressure pipelines running through the community, Cega’kin Chief Scott Eashappie told Turtle Island News, six of which are operated by TC Energy or an affiliate… “The safety of this (pipeline) business running through everybody’s backdoor needs to be a priority. And (TC Energy) need to improve on their safety regulations to ensure that this does not happen underneath someone’s home, someone’s backyard,” Eashappie told Turtle Island News. Eashappie says with what happened in Kansas, he wants to see “enhanced pipeline safety measures, standards and remedial actions” taken with TC Energy’s pipelines on the Cega’kin to reduce any “unacceptable risk factors.” There have been no disaster-type events with any of the pipelines on Cega’kin to date, he says, but that doesn’t mean community members haven’t noticed impacts. Over the years the layout of the ground has changed as the pipelines throw off heat, melt the snow, keeping the area moist and causing depressions. As well, says Eashappie, a couple leaks are suspected with the ground contaminated where nothing will grow any longer. There’s also a filmy substance along a watering hole near a pipeline… “Cega’kin and TC Energy are in the process of developing an emergency response plan, which contains a variety of scenarios, Eashappie told Turtle Island News. Situations range from evacuating a targeted area should the concern be odour to evacuating the buffer zone of the pipeline should the concern be a leak to a full evacuation of the community of 3,000 should there be an explosion. Eashappie expects the evacuation plan to be finalized by mid-June 2023. Towards that end, he told Turtle Island News, the nation’s budget will include contingency funding to cover the costs of moving members out of the community and lodging them in hotels. TC Energy is also supporting Cega’kin with a $3 million emergency preparedness building.”
The Courier: Local pipeline protesters organize, learn more at Shell Rock meeting hosted by NGOs
Andy Milone, 12/18/22
“The carbon pipelines proposed to run through Iowa are not a done deal,” The Courier reports. “The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch made sure to emphasize that point at an event Thursday in Butler County in advocating for ways people can protect their land, communities and futures against companies looking to embark on these projects. About 75 people turned out at Shell Rock Elementary School to hear from Jessica Mazour, the Sierra Club’s conservation program coordinator, on a snowy, icy evening… “Mazour said she believes the end goal for these companies is to make as much money as possible through the 45Q Federal Tax Credit Program for carbon sequestration, and questions whether their projects are actually “climate change solutions.” She also noted how in this case, eminent domain — a mechanism in which a company gains the right to use land from owners not interested in signing voluntary easement agreements — should not be used for a carbon pipeline project because it’s not being built in the interest of the public good like a water pipe might be. She noted the pipeline could damage land in the long-term, and poses health risks, like a CO2 pipeline built in Satartia, Mississippi, that ruptured in 2020. “We don’t want these pipeline bombs essentially next to our schools and our homes,” Mazour said. Emma Schmit, senior organizer for Food and Water Watch, noted property owners do not need to sign the easement agreement and should stand firm. She explained how Republicans gained greater control in the Iowa House and Senate after last month’s election and urged those against the pipeline to reach out to key Republicans prior to the January legislative session. They’ll play roles in whether legislation – stopping the project altogether or slowing it down – is passed… “Attendees also asked questions, looked at maps with the affected parcels and were offered buttons and yard signs to bring awareness to pipeline plans. “I think it helps a lot to have more of these meetings together to get more people out here, even though it maybe doesn’t go across their farm, and to try to keep all your neighbors involved,” Monte Miller, an owner of a farm west of Shell Rock, told the Courier.”
KTIV: Judge orders further briefing in pipeline trespassing case
Matt Hoffmann, 12/15/22
“In Dickinson County, Iowa, a judge declined to dismiss a trespassing charge against a carbon pipeline employee,” KTIV reports. “Instead, the judge ordered further briefing on the issue. Stephen Larsen was charged with trespassing back in August of this year. Court documents state a Dickinson County sheriff’s deputy issued him the citation after Larsen, and his employer, Summit Carbon Solutions, attempted to conduct a survey without the landowner’s permission. Larsen and the company argue Iowa law allows them to conduct the surveys, with or without consent. The judge ordered both sides to provide final briefing by January 12, at which point she’ll decide if the charge should be dismissed.”
The Iowa Standard: Huge amount of letters in support of CO2 pipelines seem fishy, if not fraudulent
12/13/22
“From time to time I like to go through the letters in support and opposition to the Carbon Capture Pipeline schemes planned for Iowa. And lately, a lot of letters supposedly in support of these projects have caught my eye. And someone somewhere should find out where they are coming from,” The Iowa Standard reports. “Take this letter, for example: Jeff Taylor happens to be the name of the leading State Senator who is filing legislation opposed to the projects. Yet someone else named “Jeff Taylor” has written the above letter in support of the pipeline projects. But this Jeff Taylor, according to his letter, doesn’t know where he lives. He claims to live in Palmyra, Iowa with the zip code 22963. But the problem with that is the zip code 22963 is for Palmyra — VIRGINIA. It’s possible it was a typo. It’s possible Jeff Taylor simply made an error. But is it possible another letter with the same exact text as Taylor’s has an almost identical error? Joe Gaines doesn’t seem to know where he lives either. Gaines wrote he is from Dalhart, Iowa with the zip code 79022. But the zip code 79022 is for Dalhart — TEXAS. Once may be an accident. Twice may be a coincidence. But three times? Again, same text, same issue… “For the record, letter of support after letter of support has this issue. Same text, same problem. None of them appear to actually be from Iowa. So where are these letters coming from? Who is submitting them? Is IUB aware these letters “in support” are actually fraudulent? Does IUB confirm any of these letters are from actual Iowans? Is there a penalty for filing fraudulent letters?.. “According to Don Tormey, the director of communications for the Iowa Utilities Board, IUB vets all filed letters for profanity, threatening remarks and rejects those, but does not change the content of other filed comments or letters that are accepted and filed in the docket… “Regardless of the source, the IUB welcomes comments, objections and letters of support in open dockets pending before us,” Tormey told the Standard. “Including those from out of state.”
The Iowa Standard: Iowa Association of Business and Industry files letter in support of CO2 pipeline
12/14/22
“The Iowa Association of Business and Industry submitted a letter of support of the Navigator Carbon Capture Pipeline project proposed for Iowa earlier this month,” The Iowa Standard reports. “In the letter ABI noted it represents more than 1,500 members in all 99 Iowa counties with more than 330,000 employees. The letter states the two main drivers of Iowa’s economy are agriculture and manufacturing. “It is not surprising then that the membership of ABI includes those engaged in value-added agriculture, food production, agricultural implement manufacturing and alternative, ag-based fuels production,” the letter states. “As the markets for these products evolve, so too must the products evolve to meet those markets and sustain the Iowa economy. Thereofre, ABI supports the filing, under current law, by Navigator Heartland Greenway, LLC to construct a CO2 pipeline through Iowa and consider the project vital to the shared economic well-being of Iowans.” “...We reached out to ABI on Tuesday afternoon to seek more information about how it reached the conclusion to support the pipeline and if membership voted on such a decision. We’re awaiting a return call from ABI.”
Times Citizen: Sups hear update from Summit Carbon Solutions
Elaine Loring, 12/16/22
“Summit Carbon Solutions representatives updated the Hardin County Board of Supervisors during their Wednesday morning meeting, stating that around 40 percent of Hardin County landowners have signed easements, with that number being closer to 58 percent statewide,” the Times Citizen reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions representatives updated the Hardin County Board of Supervisors during their Wednesday morning meeting, stating that around 40 percent of Hardin County landowners have signed easements, with that number being closer to 58 percent statewide. Derek Montgomery, Principal Development Officer with TurnKey Logistics of Houston, spoke on behalf of Summit. TurnKey is a consulting, project management, and access firm offering services to the energy industry and other private industry clients with large infrastructure development projects, according to their website…”
WJAC: 'Nearly uninhabitable:' Local couple files suit against Sunoco over pipeline construction
12/16/22
“A couple in Cambria County has filed a lawsuit against Sunoco Pipeline L.P., claiming that the construction of the company's Mariner East Pipeline contaminated their private well and their water supply,” WJAC reports. “The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Ronald and Jane Shawley, claims that the construction of the pipeline was not only a nuisance to them and their property, but that the company was negligent and reckless throughout the process… “Documents claim that the construction of the pipeline damaged the couple's private well and septic system, which has since caused numerous issues inside their home, including flooding, sewage issues and damage to household appliances and furniture. In August, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office announced that Sunoco pleaded no contest and was convicted on charges that "it systematically polluted waterways and residential water wells across hundreds of miles" during the construction of the Mariner East Pipeline. In addition to the damage caused to their property, the Shawley's claim that they have since suffered numerous health issues, including headaches, burning eyes, rashes, etc. According to the suit, the Shawley's are seeking over $150,000 in damages and are demanding that the case be brought before a jury.”
The Columbus Dispatch: Columbia Gas seeks quick approval for Intel pipeline
Mark Williams, 12/19/22
“Columbia Gas of Ohio is asking for expedited state approval to build a natural gas pipeline to the site in Licking County where Intel is constructing two factories,” The Columbus Dispatch reports. “If approved, construction of the 4.2-mile, 12-inch diameter pipeline could begin as soon as April and be brought into service in 2024, according to the company. "The project will allow Columbia to provide required natural gas for Intel’s planned operations as well as serve businesses that will serve or supply Intel," the company said in documents filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board, the state agency that reviews pipeline projects… “Intel announced in January its plans to invest $20 billion to build two semiconductor factories in New Albany. It is the largest economic development project in state history. Intel has said the factories, calls fabs, will be finished in 2025. Columbia is seeking an expedited review that would be completed in 90 days. Such an option is available for pipeline projects under five miles long… “The route is mostly agricultural, and Columbia says the pipeline would be built along existing right of way so as to minimize the effect from construction. "We've worked with local municipal officials," Macke told the Dispatch. "We're going to have minimal land acquisition."
Pitchbook: Blackstone's Tallgrass to buy Ruby Pipeline
12/19/22
“Blackstone-backed Tallgrass, a midstream oil and gas company, has agreed to acquire Ruby Pipeline, a 683-mile natural gas pipeline that runs from Wyoming to Oregon. Ruby Pipeline, jointly owned by Kinder Morgan and Pembina Pipeline, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March,” according to Pitchbook.
Bloomberg: Methane Cloud Over Australia Coincided With Pipeline Gas Release
Aaron Clark, 12/18/22
“Last month, a satellite flew over the dry, arid landscape of South Australia state’s Cooper Basin and spotted a large cloud of the super potent greenhouse gas methane,” Bloomberg reports. “The plume was observed Nov. 23 near a few petroleum-producing fields and a natural gas pipeline owned by Epic Energy South Australia Pty. The company initially told Bloomberg News there were no incidents or work on its Moomba-to-Adelaide conduit over that timeframe in the vicinity of the plume that could have caused it.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Common Dreams: 45+ Climate Leaders to Democrats: Keep Manchin's Zombie 'Dirty Deal' Out of Year-End Omnibus
JAKE JOHNSON, 12/18/22
“After Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) fossil fuel industry-friendly permitting reform legislation was defeated for the third time on Thursday, climate campaigners voiced concern that Democratic leaders could try to cram the bill into a must-pass omnibus spending package that's being negotiated in private on Capitol Hill,” Common Dreams reports. “On Saturday, the heads of 49 climate and Indigenous rights groups sent a letter warning President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) not to attempt such a maneuver. "As leaders of environmental and environmental justice organizations representing millions of members and supporters from across the country, we oppose attaching any version of the Building American Energy Security Act of 2022 to the end-of-year government funding package," the letter reads. "This deal prioritizes the interests of the fossil fuel industry at the expense of the environment and health of frontline communities, which are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, communities of color, and low-wealth communities—a move that is not in line with President Biden’s commitments to climate and environmental justice." “...Ahead of Thursday's failed amendment vote, Manchin signaled that he wouldn't stop pushing for his legislation, suggesting it could be attached to the year-end government funding measure. The Biden White House supports and has gone to bat for Manchin's bill, having agreed to back it in exchange for the West Virginia Democrat's vote for the Inflation Reduction Act… “Even if Manchin's attack on bedrock environmental regulations isn't ultimately included in the omnibus, which is expected to receive a vote in the coming week, that still might not spell the end of the bill. As the Associated Press reported Friday, "the permitting plan is likely to reemerge in January as Republicans take control of the House."
E&E News: Greens press for executive action after Manchin bill falls
Nick Sobczyk, 12/19/22
“Environmental groups are urging the Biden administration to take executive actions to speed the deployment of clean energy and electric transmission infrastructure after Sen. Joe Manchin’s permitting overhaul failed in the Senate last week,” E&E News reports. “In a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday, the League of Conservation Voters and more than a dozen other groups said the federal agencies could take actions that “would not undermine existing environmental protections and requirements for public engagement and input.” “...It’s the latest pressure point in an ongoing debate within the Democratic Party about how and whether to overhaul environmental rules so that renewable power developers can fully take advantage of the massive suite of subsidies enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act. The missive offers a window into how the party’s backers in the environmental community are thinking about the issue… “Environmental groups say the Biden administration can do more to speed up clean energy development — without changing bedrock environmental laws or authorizing Mountain Valley. The letter suggests, among other things, that the administration take full advantage of new backstop transmission siting authority at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission enacted as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law… “They also remain wary of any effort to keep Manchin’s bill alive in the omnibus. In a separate letter to congressional leadership Saturday, LCV, Friends of the Earth and a long list of other progressive organizations said the bill “prioritizes the interests of the fossil fuel industry at the expense of the environment and health of frontline communities.” “Congress should instead be advancing efforts that ensure robust public engagement early in project development and strengthen the requirements for agencies to evaluate cumulative health and climate impacts,” they wrote. “Members of Congress must reject all attempts to include any version of the Building American Energy Security Act in the year end government funding package.”
E&E News: How Democratic dissension sunk landmark EJ bill
Emma Dumain, 12/19/22
“A last-ditch push by House Democrats to pass a sweeping environmental justice bill appears to have ground to a halt,” E&E News reports. “We tried,” Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee who championed H.R. 2021, the “Environmental Justice for All Act,” alongside the late Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), told E&E. “The last three weeks were nothing but negotiating.” Democrats attempted to get the bill to the floor to honor McEachin, who died last month. But short of some major breakthrough in the final days of the 117th Congress, advocates will have to wait at least another two years to revive the legislation. Republicans are poised to take over the House majority in January and do not support the effort. People familiar with the negotiations both in Congress and the advocacy community, who were granted anonymity to share private conversations, said prospects for an agreement were always doomed by the lack of calendar days and the logjam of other legislative business. Talks also broke down over certain controversial language, jurisdictional battles among different committees with oversight of various portion of the bill and fears that a compromise on the environmental justice measure could justify Democratic leaders to force a vote on separate legislation advocates see as anathema to their efforts. The “Environmental Justice for All Act” was written over the course of several years, drawing on feedback from environmental justice advocates and inspiration from cross-country listening tours and fact-finding missions. It would make significant changes to the nation’s bedrock environmental laws and allow more intensive community input into the siting of fossil fuel projects. It also would vastly expand the power of polluted communities to reject projects that can spike local rates of cancer and respiratory disease and cause long-term pollution. A significant component of the bill deals with “cumulative impacts,” which would require permitting decisions under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act to account for the cumulative effects of harmful emissions on communities. That turned out to be the stickiest portion of the bill and was a hurdle for some Democrats in oil and gas districts, where activities would be significantly curbed under the legislative proposal.”
Must Read Alaska: Sullivan asks Sec. Haaland to withdraw red-tape limits that are delaying energy infrastructure projects
Suzanne Downing, 12/14/22
“U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and several colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland urging the Biden administration to withdraw draft guidance proposed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that severely limits energy infrastructure projects from taking advantage of permitting benefits,” Must Read Alaska reports. “The BOEM guidance imposes cost and delay on job-creating energy projects and makes it hard for energy projects to use a structured process of coordination with agencies that are available to them under the law… “The recent proposed guidance by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would put onerous requirements on the sponsors of infrastructure projects before allowing them to take advantage of permitting benefits… that are available to them under the law. This proposed guidance is flatly inconsistent with the law, and imposes additional cost and delay on energy projects that our country simply cannot afford. We urge the Department of the Interior to withdraw this proposed guidance and to take no additional action to make it final.” Since arriving to the Senate, Sullivan has made permitting reform a top priority, most recently by passing a Congressional Review Act resolution to reverse President Biden’s updated NEPA regulations that delay American infrastructure and energy projects.”
STATE UPDATES
KUNM: Proposal for oil & gas 'man camp' in Greater Chaco sparks concern of violence
Bryce Dix, 12/14/22
“A proposal from the oil and gas industry to set up a 75-person “man camp” in the Greater Chaco area has advocates and environmentalists up in arms about the impacts it could have on the land and on rates of sexual violence in the region,” KUNM reports. “A ‘man camp’ is temporary housing meant to host a large number of workers in the resource extraction industry. Usually, they are a collection of mobile homes or tents — but sometimes, companies put up proper houses… “Cheyenne Antonio is with the Greater Chaco Coalition. She said these camps put Indigenous communities at increased risk of sexual violence and trafficking. "We continue to see missing and murdered Diné women without no explanation of what happened to them," Antonio told KUMN. "Were they dating oil and gas workers?” A study from the Sovereign Bodies Institute & Brave Heart Society has found a correlation between sexual violence and missing person cases near industry projects — like the now cancelled Keystone XL pipeline. Antonio also expressed disappointment in the Bureau of Land Management and Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland for failing to explore these booms of violence in oil and gas country and for falling short on promises made to protect the area.”
Seattle Times: Owner of WA natural gas power plant sues state over carbon-pricing law
Hal Bernton, 12/14/22
“The privately owned operator of a natural gas power plant in Grays Harbor County is challenging the constitutionality of the state’s Climate Commitment Act, which seeks to clamp down on greenhouse gas emissions — in part — by putting a price on some of the pollution,” the Seattle Times reports. “Chicago-based Invenergy will be required to purchase pollution allowances, while regulated utilities that operate the other 12 natural gas plants in the state will receive them for free. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma comes ahead of the first auction of these allowances scheduled for February. It alleges the 2021 Climate Commitment Act runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution by “discriminating against independent owners of natural gas power plants in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.” The lawsuit also alleges a violation of the Commerce Clause by unfair treatment of an out-of-state business.”
Allegheny Front: DEP SAYS LEAKS, SPILL DAMAGE CONTINUE AT STORAGE SITE WHERE GAS LEAKED FOR WEEKS
REID FRAZIER, 12/10/22
“The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says it’s found gas leaking at several wells at the same Cambria County natural gas storage site where an uncontrolled gas leak spewed a large amount of methane for nearly two weeks last month,” Allegheny Front reports. “Though the leaks aren’t as serious as the previous incident, the DEP ordered Equitrans Midstream to stop injecting gas into its 12 storage wells at the Rager Mountain storage site north of Johnstown. The agency also ordered the Canonsburg-based company to monitor for gas leaks at all of the wells, check their mechanical integrity, and clean up brine, or salty wastewater, that spilled during the leak, which lasted from Nov. 6 to Nov. 19. Follow-up inspections have revealed problems requiring two other wells to be temporarily plugged, the agency said. “The Department has measured gas leaking …. at all of the (w)ells except” one, according to an order the agency issued Thursday… “The DEP said the November leak allowed the release of 1.29 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which contains the potent greenhouse gas methane. Over the next 20 years, that plume will produce the global warming equivalent of around 400,000 more cars on the road for a year, according to Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University… “The leak also spilled brine, salty wastewater found in oil and gas deposits, in and around the storage well. Recent inspections by the DEP revealed that brine was still on soil in and around the site, Camarda told the Front… “The agency told the Front it’s evaluating other Equitrans storage facilities in Pennsylvania. According to data from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration, Equitrans has nine other storage sites in Pennsylvania, all in the western part of the state.”
EXTRACTION
The Energy Mix: Make Oil and Gas Emissions Cap Fit for 1.5°, MPs Urge Ottawa
Mitchell Beer, 12/18/22
“The federal government should introduce an oil and gas emissions cap that aligns with a 1.5°C limit on average global warming and creates incentives for innovation without favouring any specific technology, the Commons Natural Resources Committee concludes in a report issued last week,” The Energy Mix reports. “The all-party committee calls on Ottawa to avoid the “carbon leakage” the industry says will occur if Canadian oil and gas exports are replaced by more (or rather, even more) carbon-intensive alternatives, toughen up its existing carbon pricing system for industry, address the impacts of an emissions cap on Indigenous peoples and employment, and ensure that the system accounts for the fossil industry’s wider environmental impacts. The report, based on committee hearings that ran from February 7 to April 6 this year, captures continuing discussions on the form the emissions cap should take, and whether or how Ottawa could also move to cap oil and gas production. The crux of that debate is that the federal government has constitutional authority over pollution, but the provinces have jurisdiction for natural resources, raising concerns that a federal production cap would ultimately fail after months or years of litigation. The committee notes that oil and gas emissions in Canada rose 98% from 1990 to 2019, while oil sands and natural gas production showed explosive growth… “Those numbers underscored Trottier Energy Institute research associate Simon Langlois-Bertrand’s testimony that the country’s 2030 emission reduction target “cannot be achieved without a deep transformation in the oil and gas sector.” “...A succession of other voices, from the Canadian Climate Institute to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), said the federal cap should only apply to emissions, not production… “But Climate Emergency Unit team lead Seth Klein said Ottawa has the tools to limit some aspects of oil and gas production. “Exports are under federal jurisdiction, and if the federal government can ban coal exports, so, too, can it begin to limit oil and gas exports,” he told the committee. Interprovincial transport, including pipelines, “is under federal jurisdiction. Offshore production comes under federal jurisdiction.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Financial Times: Activist group Follow This launches climate campaign against Big Oil
Myles McCormick in New York and Tom Wilson in London, 12/18/22
“A prominent activist group has filed shareholder resolutions calling on four of the biggest western energy companies to cut emissions more aggressively this decade in an effort to revive investor pressure on Big Oil over climate goals,” the Financial Times reports. “In motions submitted to BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron, Dutch shareholder activist Follow This called on the companies to set clear targets to reduce their scope 3 emissions by 2030, in order to be “consistent” with the goals of the Paris Climate Accords to limit global warming. The group said the motions, seen by the Financial Times and set to be unveiled on Monday, had been co-sponsored by investors with more than $1.3tn in assets under management. Scope 3 emissions, which is the carbon produced when a product that a company sells is burned, account for 80 to 90 per cent of the total carbon emissions from oil and gas groups, according to consultants Wood Mackenzie. “There’s no single major with plans to reduce absolute emissions by 2030. And that’s what investors want,” Mark van Baal, founder of Follow This, told FT. “We hope to get away from the smoke screens in all of this.” “...Shell criticised the latest Follow This proposals, stating that there was no standard methodology to determine compliance with the Paris Agreement and insisting the pact’s targets were already aligned with its goals. “Follow This has consistently proposed shareholder resolutions that are simplistic, unrealistic and against the best interests of Shell,” it told FT… “The motions were backed by investors including France’s Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, Belgium-based Degroof Petercam Asset Management and Achmea Asset Management in the Netherlands.”
Best Colleges: These Colleges Have Divested From Fossil Fuels
Evan Castillo, 12/14/22
“Colleges and universities have led divestment movements for decades, starting in the 1970s and 1980s when students pressured their schools to divest from companies that supported the apartheid regime in South Africa,” according to Best Colleges. “Fossil fuel divestment is the act of de-investing from the fossil fuel industry, namely companies that profit from the extraction of coal, oil, and natural gas. Many colleges and universities have direct relationships with fossil fuels either through their endowments or research funding. Divesting from fossil fuels is one way to combat climate change because it removes finances from business indirectly funding the climate crisis. Princeton University is the latest to join the fossil fuel divestment movement by committing to divest fully from all fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database keeps record of institutions' commitments around the world to divest from fossil fuels. The database is managed by climate activism organization Stand.earth in partnership with 350.org. According to the database, education institutions make up 15.5% of the 1,552 institutions globally divesting from fossil fuels. The total approximate value of all the institutions divesting is $40.5 trillion. BestColleges gathered all U.S. colleges and universities from the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database. List of Colleges and Universities That Have Divested From Fossil Fuels…”
Sahan Journal: St. Paul school board ends $9 million investment in fossil fuels, citing equity and justice
ESTELLE TIMAR-WILCOX, 12/16/22
“The St. Paul school board voted recently to stop investing the school district’s money in fossil fuels and private prisons, joining a growing number of institutions distancing themselves from controversial industries,” Sahan Journal reports. “The board made its unanimous decision at a November 15th meeting, approving twin divestment resolutions after nearly a year of research, consultation with its bank, and drafting the new rules. School board members Uriah Ward and Chauntyll Allen started the discussions about divestment… “All actions that address climate change and environmental degradation must prioritize justice and equity,” reads the resolution about fossil fuels. “While vulnerable populations, such as those in developing countries, women, children, indigenous groups, people of color, and the financially insecure, have accrued few if any economic benefits from fossil fuels, they disproportionately bear harms.” The majority of students in the district are students of color. As of 2021, 25 percent of the student body were Black, 30 percent were Asian, and 14 percent were Hispanic/Latino, according to St. Paul Public Schools. The school board oversees a fund for “other post-employment benefits” that are paid out to qualifying school district employees after they retire. That fund is worth about $50 million, and is invested in several different places to continue generating money to pay retired employees. About $9 million, or 19 percent, was invested in fossil fuel companies, according to Ward… “Ward hasn’t found a record of any other school board in the country divesting from fossil fuels or private prisons even as such moves become more common among other institutions… “Ward told the Journal his biggest takeaway from the board’s vote is that effecting change wasn’t as difficult to accomplish as he had expected. He hopes more school boards will take a look at their own investments.”
OPINION
Topeka Capital Journal: After oil spill stained Kansas prairie, Keystone pipeline needs fines and policy changes
The Editorial Advisory Board, 12/16/22
“Last week the Keystone pipeline spilled more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil into Mill Creek in Washington County. The Topeka Capital-Journal’s Andrew Bahl reports that’s the equivalent of over 500,000 gallons, or about the size of a water tower. That’s a lot of oil,” the Topeka Capital Journal Editorial Board writes. “The photos of the spill are stark. They show a big black stain on the Kansas prairie pastures. There need to be consequences for this accident. More than just a fine. We need policy changes that will prevent future spills not only in Kansas, but along the rest of the pipeline… “TC Energy needs to be held accountable. There is likely little the state can do as this is an interstate pipeline regulated by the federal government. However, Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, chair of the Senate Utilities Committee, said that he was looking at potential hearings to brief lawmakers on the spill and its impact. We think the Senate should move forward with a hearing — ask questions. Put some pressure on TC Energy. The federal government needs to do a better job regulating the oil pipelines so future spills like this can be avoided. Perhaps change the exemption that allows the pipeline to flow at a higher pressure. Earlier this year, TC Energy paid a roughly $500,000 fine related to a crude oil spill at a delivery facility in Beaumont, Texas. Perhaps we need to up the fines? At the end of the day, all we really want is to prevent future spills. No matter how that comes together, be it fines or policy, let’s be better stewards of our state.”