EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/2/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Dakota Access Pipeline Asks SD PUC to Halt Summit Proceedings Over Failure to Communicate on Siting

• South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline company has failed to address crossing concerns, oil pipeline company says

• Cedar Rapids Gazette: What they’re thinking: Carbon dioxide pipeline challenges far from over

• CBC: Is Trump really planning to revive Keystone XL? And is there even life left in that pipeline plan?

• FOX Business: Why it may not be easy to restart the Keystone XL pipeline

• Financial Post: Hoping Trump revives Keystone XL? Don't hold your breath, Nuttall says [VIDEO]

• Eco Files: A Dystopian Future Emerges for the Zombie Keystone XL Pipeline

• Inside Climate News: After Initial Permits Are Granted, Activists Worry About Impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 Reroute in Northern Wisconsin

• Truthout: Indigenous Water Protectors Warn of Line 5 Pipeline’s Looming Dangers

• Public Source: EQT’s ‘bulldog’ has D.C. in his grip, with profits — and maybe higher gas bills — on the horizon

• Indiginews: As winter looms, Gitxsan and Gitanyow pipeline resistance shows no sign of slowing

• The Narwhal: Goats, not glyphosate: critics see alternatives to Coastal GasLink’s herbicide plans

• Bloomberg: Ohio Fights for $5.67 Billion Pipeline Valuation at High Court

• Santa Barbara Independent: State Fire Marshal Claims It ‘Does Not Have Unilateral Authority’ over Whether to Restart Sable Oil Pipeline

• 100 Mile Free Press: Enbridge outlines benefits of pipeline expansion for 100 Mile

• KNOX: North Dakota PSC Will Hold Public Hearing on Siting Permit of an Existing Crude Oil Pipeline

• Squamish Reporter: Coun. Chris Pettingill votes against Walmart grocery plans due to Fortis pipeline concerns

• Mongabay: Legal battle against controversial oil pipeline faces another setback

• Energy News: Oil Spill at Donges: TotalEnergies Mobilizes to Contain Pollution in the Loire

• WOLF: Pipeline leak blamed for deadly explosion at R.M. Palmer factory, NTSB to discuss findings

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Reuters: US Oil Firms Unlikely To Go 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Under Trump, Says Exxon Executive

• Politico: Trump Day One Action On Natural Gas Exports

• Reuters: Trump nod for LNG projects could boost supply only from 2027, Goldman says

• Politico: Tariff Trouble On The Horizon

• Reuters: Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada would drive up pump prices, analysts warn

• Reuters: Canada PM Trudeau visits Florida to meet with Trump amid tariff threat

• Reuters: Ottawa must ensure Trump understands importance of Canadian oil to US, minister says

• Associated Press: Mexican president says she is confident that a tariff war with the US can be averted

• Heatmap: Biden Never Wrote Carbon Capture Rules. That’s a Big Opening for Trump.

• E&E News: Trump win puts endangerment finding in the crosshairs

• Law360: EPA Overstepped With Methane Control Rule, DC Circ. Told

• E&E News: Fishing Industry To Biden: No Last-Minute Marine Monuments

• E&E News: Oil companies challenge NEPA court ruling on Wyoming drilling

• Associated Press: Coalition seeks to preserve North Dakota's Badlands

• FOX Business: Treasury Secretary Nominee Scott Bessent's '3-3-3' Plan: What To Know

• E&E News: States Failed To Prove BLM Rule Harms Them, Court Filing Says

• KJCT: Bureau Of Land Management Headquarters Might Make Its Way Back To Grand Junction

• E&E News: ​​BLM Chief To Lead Green Group After Trump Takes Office

STATE UPDATES

• New York Times: Maine Becomes the Latest State to Sue Oil Companies Over Climate Change

• Michigan Advance: Senators launch bipartisan bills encouraging manufacturers to adopt carbon capture technology

• Houston Chronicle: Texas carbon storage projects are in flux as Trump promises federal budget cuts

• Grist: Midwest wins funding for a new hydrogen hub. Not everyone is convinced it’s ‘clean.’

• North Dakota Monitor: Court case in North Dakota calls federal environmental review regime into question

• Santa Fe New Mexican: Environment Department releases final feasibility study for 'strategic water supply'

• Spokesman-Review: Colorado investigates reports of falsified data on cleanup of about 350 oil, gas sites

• Washington Post: In the town ‘Erin Brockovich’ made famous, residents still fear dirty water

EXTRACTION

• Washington Post: Climate talks reach finance deal blasted as inadequate by developing nations

• Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis IEFFA: Gorgon CCS underperformance hits new low in 2023-24

• Washington Post: ‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’: The world’s fight to curb plastic waste

• DeSmog: Group That Calls CO2 ‘Essential’ Praises Trump Energy Secretary Pick Chris Wright

• Utility Dive: Carbon removal developers unveil first all-wind-powered direct air capture plant

• Marine Insight: 1,000 Gallons Of Oil Spilled During Fuel Transfer In Puerto Rico’s San Juan Harbour

• Curtin University: Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on

• Canadian Press: Alberta aiming to create test site to support new drilling technologies

• Washington Post: How to build a battery big enough to solve the world’s energy problems

CLIMATE FINANCE

• E&E News: Investors pull money from climate funds, even as value rises

• ESG Dive: CalPERS over halfway to $100B climate goal, urged to stop buying Exxon bonds

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Pelham Today: Enbridge fuels Pelham firefighter training with $5,000 grant

OPINION

• Greater Milwaukee Today: DNR approval of pipeline segment betrays us all

• Human Rights Watch: China State Bank Shouldn’t Back East African Crude Oil Pipeline

• Calgary Herald: Alberta should prepare for the worst when it comes to long-term oil demand

• Atmos: Dallas Goldtooth Won’t Back Down—at Standing Rock Then, or in Hollywood Now
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Dakota Access Pipeline Asks SD PUC to Halt Summit Proceedings Over Failure to Communicate on Siting
Mark Hefflinger, 11/26/24

“Executives and attorneys for Energy Transfer Partners, which operates the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), have filed a request to intervene in Summit Carbon Solutions’ recently filed second application for its proposed multistate hazardous CO2 pipeline with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SD PUC),” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “Continuing a theme that Summit has shown arrogance, and bullying tactics toward landowners and opponents of its project, DAPL claims that it has tried to contact Summit since 2021 over Summit’s intention to potentially co-locate or cross over the DAPL pipeline with its own. DAPL calls it a “departure from industry practice,” and asks the SD PUC to either impose its desired conditions on Summit, or else “hold this proceeding in abeyance” until crossing agreements are reached. “Despite their millions spent on public relations, Summit cannot hide who they really are. The theme has been clear in South Dakota and across the region – Summit does not respect the law, they don’t respect the will of the people, and they think they can force themselves on and through South Dakota. But don’t take landowners word for it, just read the DAPL filing. Summit must still believe it has enough legislators in its pockets to slam their proposed hazardous pipeline through South Dakota,” said Brian Jorde, attorney for landowners with the South Dakota Easement Team and Omaha-based Domina Law Group. “…Shockingly, Summit representatives rejected a conversation on the matter, responding to this proposal by stating that its easements do not require it to follow any additional conditions when crossing DAPL,” Dakota access writes. “Summit’s longstanding unwillingness to provide basic and reliable information—such as a map of its proposed route identifying the number and location of crossings—required to make sure that DAPL is not jeopardized is a clear departure from normal industry practice, where pipeline crossings are typically resolved through collaboration.” Dakota Access stated that it would withdraw its application to intervene at the SD PUC if Summit finally agrees to negotiate on siting and accept the company’s conditions, or it showed that it has changed its route to avoid DAPL. But in lieu of any progress to be made between the two companies, Dakota Access is asking the SD PUC to “hold this proceeding in abeyance” until crossing agreements are reached.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline company has failed to address crossing concerns, oil pipeline company says
Joshua Haiar, 11/26/24

“A company proposing a carbon dioxide pipeline should have conditions on its potential permit after it failed to address concerns about crossings with a crude oil pipeline, said the company that operates the oil pipeline,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “Dakota Access LLC, which is controlled by Energy Transfer Partners, operates the Dakota Access Pipeline. It transports crude oil 1,172 miles from North Dakota to Illinois… “The routes of the existing and proposed pipeline cross eastern South Dakota… “In a new filing with the commission, Dakota Access said Summit has not provided sufficient details — such as maps, depths and safety measures — about its proposed crossings of the Dakota Access Pipeline, known by the acronym “DAPL.” “Summit has largely refused to talk to Dakota Access about pipeline crossing agreements and necessary mitigation measures to prevent damage to DAPL,” Dakota Access attorneys wrote. To address the concerns, Dakota Access asked for 12 conditions if Summit receives a permit… “Alternatively, Dakota Access has requested that state regulators delay Summit’s permit proceedings until an agreement on crossing terms is reached… “Brian Jorde, an attorney for landowners opposing the carbon pipeline, said in a news release that Summit’s failure to work with Dakota Access is problematic. “The theme has been clear in South Dakota and across the region – Summit does not respect the law, they don’t respect the will of the people, and they think they can force themselves on and through South Dakota,” Jorde said.”

Cedar Rapids Gazette: What they’re thinking: Carbon dioxide pipeline challenges far from over
Jared Strong, 12/1/24

“...The ethanol facilities are ripe for such a project because their fermentation emissions are almost entirely carbon dioxide. There are no immediate plans to capture other CO2 emissions from the facilities, which would be more costly to process before injection into the pipeline system,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “...Opponents say it will cause long-term damage to farmland and is unsafe, and that it's inappropriate for Summit to use eminent domain authority to gain involuntary permission from landowners to host the pipeline. Some also reject that there would be an overall environmental benefit because of the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted for crop production and transportation… “Wally Taylor, a longtime attorney for the Sierra Club of Iowa, has been at the forefront of legal challenges to Summit's permit in Iowa… “The pipeline is destructive to farmland and is a safety risk. Most importantly, from the Sierra Club's perspective, capturing carbon dioxide from the fermentation process from ethanol plants and piping it to North Dakota does not mitigate climate change. It is a waste of taxpayer money through a generous tax credit to Summit that would be better used to support real solutions to climate change. Q. Is there any good that would come from it? A. No. It is just a moneymaking scheme for Summit and the ethanol industry. Q. What are the most likely scenarios in Iowa in which pipeline opponents might prevail in their challenges? A. The Iowa Utilities Commission decision granting Summit a permit is now on appeal to the Iowa district court. The commission made errors of fact and law that should require reversal by the court. Most clearly, Summit is not a common carrier and should not have the power of eminent domain. We will also continue to work for legislation that will at least prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines. Finally, there are several possible avenues of success in South Dakota and Summit still does not have the right of eminent domain in North Dakota. Q. How long might it be before the courts decide those issues? A. The Iowa district court could render a decision by next summer. The case would then certainly be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court. That decision would likely come sometime in early 2026. There are also judicial actions in North and South Dakota. Q. Do you feel that the process has been advantaged toward Summit? A. Absolutely.”

CBC: Is Trump really planning to revive Keystone XL? And is there even life left in that pipeline plan?
Paula Duhatschek, 12/1/24

“There's lately been a lot of talk in Washington about resurrecting the Keystone XL pipeline, the 1,897-kilometre pipeline that was designed to take oil from northern Alberta to the U.S. Midwest,” the CBC reports. “...Now, Trump is headed back to the White House and reportedly plans to restart the project, generating plenty of excitement on both sides of the border. After the U.S. election, Alberta's premier reportedly reached out to TC Energy to see if Keystone XL could be revived or if there were other ways to increase the province's oil and gas pipeline export volumes to the U.S. But experts warn there are sizable hurdles ahead, along with the new complication of Trump's threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports. If the tariff plan proceeds, it would pummel the Canadian energy industry, whose No. 1 export market is the U.S. But even without the tariff issue, bringing back Keystone XL would be challenging, Dennis McConaghy, a former TC Energy executive who was involved in the pipeline's original plans, told CBC. "It's nonsensical to be advocating revival of XL while hanging these tariffs over Canada.” The failed pipeline has become a powerful symbol in U.S. domestic politics and the debate about climate change, sometimes divorced from the reality of oil production… “Speaking on a podcast about a week before the election, Trump's pick for commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, framed the Keystone XL pipeline — and the failure to build it — as a matter of energy security… “Rumours that the pipeline might be resurrected have been cheered by politicians like Steve Daines, a Republican senator in Montana… “But the decision to restart the project ultimately rests with the companies involved, former energy executive McConaghy told CNC> And while the Keystone XL pipeline has always been seen as a "commercially elegant" solution — it's the most efficient way to get Canadian oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast, he told CBC — it's not clear if oilpatch executives are willing to invest more time and money into it… “It would probably be challenging to get capital markets excited about that," Lisa Baiton, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told conference attendees. .. "If we couldn't get done in the first Trump term — with all the ducks lined up in a row that we could have — why would this be any different when everything seems like we're starting from a worse position?" commodity analyst Rory Johnston told CBC… “James Coleman, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, told CBC a revamped Keystone XL project could also become tied up in court battles with environmental organizations that are likely to make some of the same legal challenges they have in the past.”

FOX Business: Why it may not be easy to restart the Keystone XL pipeline
Eric Revell, 12/2/24

“President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning to take steps aimed at restarting the Keystone XL pipeline once he takes office in a rebuke of President Biden's decision to terminate it at the outset of his term, though the process of reviving the project may prove challenging,” FOX Business reports. “...It's kind of sad that this company that invested billions of dollars in these pipelines and really got messed around by our government because the Keystone pipeline became a metaphor for the green movement versus oil," Phil Flynn, FOX Business Network contributor and Price Futures Group senior account executive, said in an interview… “However, the original owner of the Keystone XL pipeline project, TC Energy, removed some of the pipeline that had been constructed in anticipation of the project continuing following Trump's 2017 approval. "...Some of the steel has been sold and so to start this particular pipeline, it will take a lot of work, and they still, even though there were pre-approvals, because they have to rebuild parts of the pipeline they may have to go through the local approval process again, so it could be kind of a struggle." "...If you look around the globe, the supplies of diesel are relatively tight and the world needs more of it," Flynn told FOX, adding that pipelines like Keystone XL would allow Canadian oil to flow into the U.S. "in a more efficient, safe way" that helps alleviate the global supply shortage.”

Financial Post: Hoping Trump revives Keystone XL? Don't hold your breath, Nuttall says [VIDEO]
Larysa Harapyn, 11/27/24

“Eric Nuttall, senior portfolio manager at Ninepoint Partners, talks with the Financial Post’s Larysa Harapyn about how we shouldn’t hold our breath for a revival of the Keystone XL pipeline project in the wake of Donald Trump‘s U.S. election win,” the Financial Post reports. "...Parts of the pipe have been completely dug up, you gotta go back and get permits, you're essentially starting from scratch. "Nuttall: I would love to think we could build another pipeline increase takeaway capacity from Canada. TMX was just so monumental in compressing differentials for Canadian crude. I'm a little hesitant to believe that Keystone XL could be going ahead, it goes back to companies wanting to take on key risk, having to restart the process essentially from the beginning. So as a Canadian energy investor, I'm not holding my breath. We're benefitting from tight differentials now, we think that will continue for at least the next next 3-4 years until TMX fills up."

Eco Files: A Dystopian Future Emerges for the Zombie Keystone XL Pipeline
Alleen Brown, 11/29/24

“...And yet Trump still plans to announce the KXL pipeline's rebirth on day 1 of his administration, three unnamed sources told Politico. KXL is a brand name that represents unconditional support for fossil fuel production — regardless of whether it makes economic sense, regardless of flooding so bad it drowns mountains or drought so deep it consumes most of the country, and regardless of whether anyone actually intends to build the thing,” Alleen Brown writes for Eco Files. “Alongside Trump's people, the Alberta government is also pushing hard to make KXL happen. However, the pipeline parent company TC Energy is so uninterested, it recently spun off the oil pipeline network KXL was a part of into a new company called South Bow. In this era of unreality, the project's completion is still possible, but it's hard to imagine. I'd look instead to KXL's appendages to understand the infrastructure that best sums up our ecological future. TC Energy now focuses on transporting gas… “Meanwhile, buried KXL pipeline parts were dug up out of the ground and sold. The buyer? Cadiz, Inc., a deeply controversial company that has long sought to pipe water from an aquifer under the Mojave desert to clients across the increasingly thirsty Southwest. Perhaps Cadiz's water pipeline will represent the true reincarnation of the Keystone XL pipeline. The water the KXL pipes would transport is known as "fossil water," because it entered the aquifer when mammoths roamed the area. It's a fitting symbol for the era we find ourselves in. It's now all but impossible that temperature rises will be limited enough to avoid deeply destructive climate chaos. It's easier than ever to imagine a time when water will become more expensive than tar sands oil.”

Inside Climate News: After Initial Permits Are Granted, Activists Worry About Impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 Reroute in Northern Wisconsin
Lydia Larsen, 11/29/24

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced earlier this month that it approved Enbridge’s permits for its Line 5 reroute project,” Inside Climate News reports. “...The DNR’s decision was condemned by the tribe and environmental groups, who view the route as a risk to the region’s environmental resources. “They’re just moving it further upstream,” tribal Vice Chairman Patrick Bigboy told ICN. “They’re crossing many wetlands, they’re going to fill in some of the wetlands and all of this runs downstream. It’s going to affect our wildlife.” “...The permit has over 200 conditions and it will take a while for environmental lawyers to wade through, Stefanie Tsosie, a senior attorney at Earthjustice who is representing the tribe, told ICN. “This is not a foregone conclusion,” Tsosie told ICN. “This is the first on a long list of things that [Enbridge] still needs.” But the permits are a significant step toward beginning construction on the new pipeline segment. Evan Feinauer, a staff attorney with Clean Wisconsin, told ICN his team is reviewing the permits and ensuring the supporting documents follow state law… “It’s possible that environmental organizations will challenge the DNR’s permits in court. If that occurs, lawyers can ask the judge to halt any construction until the resolution of the case… “There’s a certain amount of hubris involved in saying we’re going to stick a 40-mile pipeline through the earth, and if we mess up these wetlands that nature has created over thousands of years, we’ll just put them back together again,” Feinauer told ICN.”

Truthout: Indigenous Water Protectors Warn of Line 5 Pipeline’s Looming Dangers
Ray Levy-Uyeda, 11/28/24

“According to Indigenous water protectors, it’s not a matter of whether a pipeline will rupture and leak, but when. The federal government’s own data supports this, with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reporting that there were 1.5 incidents per day in 2023. But in northern Wisconsin on the Bad River Reservation, the incontrovertible claim that the safest way to build a pipeline is not to build one at all isn’t being heeded,” Truthout reports. “On Nov. 14, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) granted the Canadian pipeline corporation Enbridge the permits needed to proceed with a plan to build a 41-mile section of pipeline around the Bad River Reservation. The permitting decision by the state DNR comes on the heels of a decade-long fight to protect the Bad River and Bad River watershed from potential pollution… “We want it out,” the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Vice Chair Patrick Bigboy told Truthout. “We do hope the government looks at the risks versus the reward.” “...Not only are 40 million people’s drinking water at risk, it’s our own land,” Bigboy told Truthout. “It’s where we hunt, fish, [and] gather our wild rice. Our traditions are deeply tied in towards the river. We don’t like the fact that now the whole reservation is going to be compromised with this reroute.”

Public Source: EQT’s ‘bulldog’ has D.C. in his grip, with profits — and maybe higher gas bills — on the horizon
Quinn Glabicki, 11/25/24

“One morning in late September, on the shores of Lake Erie, Toby Rice took the stage before a room of fracking executives and gas industry types working in the Marcellus Shale,” Public Source reports. “I was in New York City the past three days for Climate Week,” he said. “I only got flipped off one time, so I think they’re warming up to us.” In a speech Rice would later call the “Shalennial Situation Report,” the president and CEO of EQT Corp. outlined the Pittsburgh-based gas giant’s business model, projections and advocacy for fossil fuel expansion in the Appalachian Basin and across the world, presenting a vision, as he often does, to “unleash” American gas exports. “It’s never been more important to produce energy in this country,” he said. “It’s also never been more difficult to produce energy in this country,” he said. Pipelines are difficult to build. Permitting is a slog of red tape… “Since taking the helm at EQT in 2019, Rice has become one of the most influential fossil fuel executives in America. He is the region’s foremost public advocate for the gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale, leveraging his position at EQT to sway politicians and pursue policy to build what the 42-year-old calls a “Shalennial” vision of American energy… “He is poised to have significant influence over U.S. energy policy at a time when it will likely take a hard swing toward fossil fuel interests. For Rice, that’s a win, and a punctuation mark on a yearslong public campaign. But for the American consumer in EQT’s backyard, it’s likely to mean higher energy prices if Rice gets his way.”

Indiginews: As winter looms, Gitxsan and Gitanyow pipeline resistance shows no sign of slowing
Mike Graeme, 11/27/24

“...With winter imminent, Maas Gwitkunuxws Teresa Brown — who is Gitxsan from the Gisk’aast (Fireweed) Clan — and her team hurry to build a structure to keep Brown’s four dogs and nine foster puppies warm during the cold months,” Indiginews reports. “...Her camp and dog sanctuary are just a few dozen metres from the projected right-of-way of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) project. The controversial pipeline would, if completed, supply the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG terminal, making it the province’s second-largest liquefied natural gas export project. The pipeline is backed by the Nisg̱a’a Lisms government. But other Indigenous people from the area, including members of Gitxsan and Gitanyow — as well as some members of Nisg̱a’a Nation itself — oppose the project. Brown’s camp, near the village of Kispiox, was established shortly after Gitanyow hereditary chiefs set up their own pipeline blockade in late August at Cranberry Junction, north of Kitwanga… “As of this week, the PRGT pipeline’s environmental assessment certificate, first granted in 2014, is up for review. Provincial regulators will now inspect work done up until Nov. 25 — a process expected to take several months — and draft a report. After determining whether “substantial” progress has been made on the pipeline over the last decade, the “B.C.” government will decide to either quash or extend the certificate. “After over a year of calling on for a new environmental assessment and protecting the Lax’yip from pipeline construction activity, Gitanyow is celebrating the expiration of the provincial government authorizations,” said a press release from Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs on Monday. If “B.C.” opts to decide in favour of the pipeline, the chiefs warned, “Gitanyow is prepared to join others to challenge this in the provincial courts.”

The Narwhal: Goats, not glyphosate: critics see alternatives to Coastal GasLink’s herbicide plans
Matt Simmons, 11/27/24

“Backpacks full of chemical herbicides or goats and wildflowers? As TC Energy prepares its plans to manage invasive species, weeds and other vegetation along the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline right of way, the focus is on herbicides,” The Narwhal reports. “In a recent notice, the Calgary-based pipeline company informed northern B.C. communities of its plans to use herbicides, which could be deployed through special backpacks filled with the chemicals or sprayed from the backs of all-terrain vehicles, to “control invasive and noxious weeds and undesirable vegetation” and “to ensure pipeline or facility site security.” The notice said the plan, currently in development, will apply to all components of the pipeline, including the right of way and access roads… “Among the two dozen herbicides TC Energy says it may use are several known to be toxic to birds, fish and bees, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based advocacy group Beyond Pesticides. The list includes glyphosate, 2,4-D and picloram. At least one chemical on the list is considered a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS — a group of substances more commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Allie Golt, a botanist and ecologist based in Prince George, B.C., who studies glyphosate and other herbicides, told the Narwhal there are more questions than answers when it comes to the ecological impacts of spraying areas like a pipeline right of way… “When Coastal GasLink received its environmental assessment certificate in 2014, the B.C. government included a condition requiring the pipeline company to “use alternative methods of vegetation control” on Indigenous lands where the communities “requested that pesticides or herbicides not be used.” The Narwhal reviewed consultation documents from the project’s assessment and found at least 13 First Nations along the pipeline route officially registered concerns around the use of herbicides.”

Bloomberg: Ohio Fights for $5.67 Billion Pipeline Valuation at High Court
Richard Tzul, 11/26/24

“A natural gas pipeline is worth $5.67 billion for tax purposes, the Ohio Tax Commissioner told the state’s high court Tuesday,” Bloomberg reports. “Ohio’s appraiser correctly accounted for assets inseparable from the pipeline that were related to its function, Tax Commissioner Patricia Harris said. Appraiser Brent Eyre “did not simply value the pipe in the ground,” Harris’ merit brief said. Eyre also correctly included Rover Pipeline LLC’s construction costs of the pipeline in his appraisal. The constructions costs were incurred recently before the appraisal, and the lower tribunal recognized that such expenses are relevant to a property’s valuation, Harris said.”

Santa Barbara Independent: State Fire Marshal Claims It ‘Does Not Have Unilateral Authority’ over Whether to Restart Sable Oil Pipeline
Margaux Lovely, 11/26/24

“In the game of jurisdictional hot potato over Sable Offshore’s plans to restart the stagnant oil pipelines running along the Gaviota Coast, the California State Fire Marshal has lobbed the potato elsewhere in a November 7 letter to members of the State Legislature acquired this week by the Independent. Who’s up next to catch the potato, however, remains unclear,” the Santa Barbara Independent reports. “In its response to a September letter from 13 state legislators calling for increased transparency and environmental review of Sable’s restart plans, the Fire Marshal’s Office claimed it “does not have the unilateral authority to allow for the restart or decommission of these pipelines.” Rather, their job is to evaluate the safety of the pipelines against established engineering guidelines if they were to restart. Further, the Fire Marshal did not agree to conduct a new environmental impact report, as the state legislators previously called for. The last environmental impact report was completed in 1985, when pipelines were first constructed. Three decades later, they ruptured in the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill due to unchecked corrosion and criminal negligence in maintaining the pipelines. Groups opposing the restart over environmental concerns, including the Santa Barbara–based Environmental Defense Center (EDC), argue that the Fire Marshal does, in fact, hold jurisdiction based on a 2020 settlement agreement that came out of the Refugio spill. This Consent Decree outlines the exact requirements for an operator to restart the oil pipelines.”

100 Mile Free Press: Enbridge outlines benefits of pipeline expansion for 100 Mile
Misha Mustaqeem, 11/27/24

“A representative from Enbridge virtually attended the District of 100 Mile House's Council meeting on Nov. 12 to give an update on their proposed pipeline expansion,” 100 Mile Free Press reports. “Enbridge proposed an expansion of the southern portion of their natural gas pipeline known as "T-South" from Chetwynd to Huntington/Sumas earlier this year… "We're looking for information on social issues in the community, around health, cultural, well-being, safety and local infrastructure," said Jennifer Prochera, a community and Indigenous relations advisor with Enbridge, who joined the Council meeting virtually… “In one slide of the presentation, Enbridge stated that "more than $600,000" has been paid to the District in the 2023 tax season, which they say "can be used for school infrastructure, health and wellness, recreation, transportation and other services that help strengthen the fabric of the community." Community benefits, Enbridge adds, include over $117,000 being contributed directly to the community through donations to the municipality, organizations and events since 2023, including the 100 Mile Festival of the Arts… “The pipeline expansion is proposed to begin construction in the second quarter of 2026, with the project to be in service by 2028 if approved.”

KNOX: North Dakota PSC Will Hold Public Hearing on Siting Permit of an Existing Crude Oil Pipeline
Bill Dubensky, 11/26/24

“The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 10, regarding an application for a siting permit for an existing crude oil transmission pipeline in Williams and McKenzie Counties,” KNOX reports. “The public hearing will be held Tuesday, Dec. 10 starting 9 a.m. at Little Missouri Inn & Suites 109 9th Ave SE in Watford City, ND 58854. Grayson Mill Operating, LLC, is requesting a siting permit for an 8-inch crude oil transmission pipeline that extends 14.72 miles between the existing Aune and Alexander crude oil terminals. The pipeline was originally constructed in approx. 2012 by a different company… “After evaluating plans to return it to operation, Grayson Mill became aware that the pipeline did not have a permit from the PSC before it was built. The company is now seeking to properly permit the pipeline before returning it to service.”

Squamish Reporter: Coun. Chris Pettingill votes against Walmart grocery plans due to Fortis pipeline concerns
Gagandeep Ghuman, 11/26/24

“Coun. Chris Pettingill was the only councillor to vote against Walmart’s plan to sell groceries at a Committee of Whole Meeting on November 19… “It was the FortisBC pipeline on Finch Drive and Industrial Way that drove his opposing vote,” according to the Squamish Reporter. “...Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to support this, and the primary reason is actually not the proponent’s fault, but the Fortis pipeline that’s going along Finch and Industrial. It’s an incredibly and unusually large pipeline close to human habitation.” He told the Reporter Fortis was not providing the information he sought to make an honest decision. “I’ve been asking Fortis and they did a presentation, and I told them clearly it was insufficient. The information they should provide is outlined, and they should have ideally…they are not willing to share it. Without that information, I am not comfortable with this being safe.” “...Not satisfied, Pettingill said he wanted a risk and consequence analysis, which the staff told him District had never asked for… “Through our land use decisions, it’s our opportunity to manage public safety, and it’s not a great system. I’m quite frustrated by it, but it’s sort of what we have, and so I’m looking for that understanding so I can make a decent decision about land use. But it sounds like then that we haven’t received it because we had asked for this previously and hadn’t had much luck, but they still haven’t provided some of the risk and consequence analysis that we’ve been asking for.” “...In the end, the motion passed with Coun. Chris Pettingill opposed.”

Mongabay: Legal battle against controversial oil pipeline faces another setback
Shreya Dasgupta, 11/29/24

“A critical legal case filed by four East African NGOs against a controversial oil pipeline is facing yet another delay, but the NGOs say they remain hopeful,” Mongabay reports. “What we need is for the court to hear the case on its merit, and we believe we have presented good evidence,” Dickens Kamugisha, CEO of the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), told Mongabay. In November 2020, AFIEGO and the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT), both from Uganda, Natural Justice (Kenya), and the Centre for Strategic Litigation (Tanzania) filed a case with the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) to halt construction of the East African crude oil pipeline. Known as EACOP, the $5 billion project is led by French oil giant TotalEnergies and involves state-owned companies from China, Uganda and Tanzania. The NGOs allege that the project violates Ugandan, Tanzanian and regional laws protecting human rights and the environment, as well as breaches the two countries’ climate commitments… “However, the plaintiffs faced a setback at the first hearing in November 2023. Tanzania and Uganda argued the NGOs should have filed their complaint within 60 days of the signing of agreements in 2017, not three years later. The court agreed that the time for objections had lapsed and dismissed the case. But David Kabanda, a human rights lawyer from CEFROHT representing the NGOs, told Mongabay they only learnt about the project when the Ugandan government briefed the media in 2020. “All of these agreements are under lock and key, we have never read them.” The NGOs filed an appeal, arguing for the case to be heard on its merit.”

Energy News: Oil Spill at Donges: TotalEnergies Mobilizes to Contain Pollution in the Loire
11/25/24

“An oil spill, detected Saturday evening in a pipeline at the TotalEnergies refinery in Donges, caused pollution in the Loire River,” Energy News reports. “The Loire-Atlantique prefecture reported that the leak, caused by a 2 cm breach in a 30 cm diameter pipeline, created a visible sheen covering approximately 500 m² of the river’s surface. Authorities quickly deployed floating barriers to contain the pollution, though weather conditions complicated the operations. The leak, identified at 10:50 PM, was halted by 1:40 AM Sunday, according to TotalEnergies. The company stated that additional intervention measures were completed at 8:50 AM on the same day. The flow of crude oil into the Loire ceased entirely at 3:45 AM, according to the prefecture. Specialized teams have been deployed to permanently seal the breach and prevent further leakage. The amount of oil spilled into the Loire is estimated to be less than 15 m³.”

WOLF: Pipeline leak blamed for deadly explosion at R.M. Palmer factory, NTSB to discuss findings
11/27/24

“New details regarding a deadly natural-gas-fueled explosion and fire that happened at the R.M. Palmer candy factory in West Reading in March of last year,” WOLF reports. “We know the National Transportation Safety Board will hold an in-person public board meeting on December 10th to determine the probable cause. The explosion happened when natural gas that was being transported though a UGI owned pipeline, leaked into the basement of the factory. The gas ignited, causing an explosion and fire that killed seven Palmer employees, injured 10 people and destroyed the building.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Reuters: US Oil Firms Unlikely To Go 'Drill, Baby, Drill' Under Trump, Says Exxon Executive
Ron Bousso and Robert Harvey, 11/26/24

“U.S. oil and gas producers are unlikely to radically increase production under president-elect Donald Trump as companies remain focused on capital discipline, a senior executive at Exxon Mobil said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “We’re not going to see anybody in ‘drill, baby, drill’ mode,” Liam Mallon, head of Exxon’s upstream division, told the Energy Intelligence Forum conference in London. “A radical change (in production) is unlikely because the vast majority, if not everybody, is focused on the economics of what they’re doing,” he said. “Maintaining the discipline, driving the quality, driving the information, will naturally limit that growth rate.”

Politico: Trump Day One Action On Natural Gas Exports
Ben Lefebvre, 11/25/24

“President-elect Donald Trump hopes to take action on his first day of office boosting the gas export industry, though the extent of that action is still undecided, three people familiar with the transition team’s thinking told Politico. “...But it is not clear whether Trump could approve new project permits on Day One of his new administration without making those projects vulnerable to legal challenges based on a report the Energy Department is compiling on how to best measure the climate and economic impacts of new LNG exports, sources told Politico. DOE is expected to release the report in the coming days, kicking off a public-comment period that could butt up against Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Companies with export applications before DOE might not want Trump to approve their permits until they get a better idea of what the DOE will say in its report, Fred Hutchison, president and chief executive of USLNG Association, a trade group, told Politico.”

Reuters: Trump nod for LNG projects could boost supply only from 2027, Goldman says
11/25/24

“Goldman Sachs expects no near-term impact on global gas supplies due to the potential approval for proposed U.S. liquefaction projects, as they would need government clearance as well as long-term contracts to go ahead, it said in a note on Monday,” Reuters reports. “...Goldman Sachs analysts said the construction timelines imply no likely impact on U.S. or global gas balances before 2027 or later even under circumstances where the Department of Energy (DOE) approves the proposed LNG export projects. “We reiterate our view that this approval is a necessary but not sufficient condition for new U.S. LNG export projects to come online.” “...Goldman Sachs currently expects U.S. LNG exports to more than double by 2030 to 189 million metric tons per annum (25 Bcf/d), increasing its share of global LNG supply by then to 31% from 22% as of now.”

Politico: Tariff Trouble On The Horizon
11/27/24

“President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to slap tariffs on the U.S.’ largest trading partners when he enters office hit the business world like a ton of bricks on Tuesday,” Politico reports. “Analysts said the tariffs on Mexico and Canada would likely raise energy and auto prices as companies struggle to reroute their supply chains. And it could have knock-on effects across the economy if it causes a general economic downturn or triggers a trade war. Some major oil refiners that rely on heavy crude imported from Canada would be heavily exposed to the tariffs. And Trump has no plans to exempt crude oil shipments from his plan, despite the industry’s financial support that helped elect him president. “He’s been reluctant to do any exemptions at all,” one person familiar with the Trump transition team’s discussions told Politico. “The whole point of the tariffs is to do shock and awe.”

Reuters: Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canada would drive up pump prices, analysts warn
Shariq Khan and Nicole Jao, 11/27/24

“U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs on Canada would drive up fuel prices for Americans as it would upend decades-old oil trade from its top crude supplier, analysts said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said this week he would impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamp down on drugs and migrants crossing the border. Canadian oil imports would not be exempt under a free-trade deal from the levies, Reuters reported… “In the landlocked U.S. Midwest, where refineries process 70% of the more than 4 million barrels per day (bpd) of Canadian crude imports, consumers could see pump prices jump by 30 cents per gallon or more, or about 10%, based on current prices, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told Reuters. If implemented, the tariffs would force those refiners, including Marathon Petroleum, BP, and Phillips 66, to either pay a higher price to import oil from these countries or to find alternative suppliers that would be further away and thus also more expensive. In either scenario, a portion of the added costs is likely to be passed on to U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices for gasoline at retail pumps, Commodity Context analyst Rory Johnston told Reuters… “America’s top oil trade groups, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers group and the American Petroleum Institute, meanwhile, said imposing the tariffs would be a mistake – exposing a rare moment of discord between the industry and Trump.”

Reuters: Canada PM Trudeau visits Florida to meet with Trump amid tariff threat
11/29/24

“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Donald Trump’s Florida resort on Friday to meet with the U.S. President-elect, days after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Canadian imports over border-related concerns,” Reuters reports. “...Trump threatened on Monday to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until the countries clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing their borders with the U.S. Officials from Mexico, Canada and China, along with major industry groups, have warned that the hefty tariffs threatened by Trump would harm the economies of all countries involved, cause inflation to spike and damage job markets… “Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and sixth-largest natural gas producer. The vast majority of its 4 million barrels per day of crude exports go to the U.S. Trump’s plan does not exempt crude oil from the trade penalties, two sources familiar with the plan told Reuters on Tuesday.”

Reuters: Ottawa must ensure Trump understands importance of Canadian oil to US, minister says
Nia Williams, 11/28/24

“Ottawa must ensure the Trump administration understands how inter-related energy markets are in the U.S. and Canada, a Canadian government minister said on Thursday, following President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on imports from the country,” Reuters reports. “We have some work to do to make sure we are effectively articulating the way in which tariffs would be counterproductive and that’s not just true of oil,” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told Reuters in a phone interview, adding that Americans also benefited from Canadian uranium and hydro exports… “Sources told Reuters Trump does not intend to exempt crude from the tariffs, even though the United States imports around 4 million barrels per day from north of its border and many Midwestern refineries are set up to run Canada’s heavy sour crude… “We have a couple of months before the president is inaugurated and I think there’s time for some robust conversations between countries that are actually best friends and have both been benefiting hugely from an economic perspective because of the trade that goes between us, particularly in energy,” Wilkinson told Reuters.”

Associated Press: Mexican president says she is confident that a tariff war with the US can be averted
11/28/24

“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted,” the Associated Press reports. “But her statement — the day after she held a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump — did not make clear who had offered what. “There will be no potential tariff war,” Sheinbaum said flatly when asked about the issue at her daily morning news briefing. On Wednesday, Trump wrote that Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. She wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.” But whether that constituted a promise, a pledge or a simple statement of reality remains unclear… “Trump had earlier threatened to impose 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada until those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States.”

Heatmap: Biden Never Wrote Carbon Capture Rules. That’s a Big Opening for Trump.
Emily Pontecorvo, 11/26/24

“When Trump enters the Oval Office again in January, there are some climate change-related programs he could roll back or revise immediately, some that could take years to dismantle, and some that may well be beyond his reach. And then there’s carbon capture and storage,” Heatmap reports. “...The Treasury Department never clarified how the changes to the 45Q tax credit for carbon capture under the Inflation Reduction Act affect eligibility. The Department of Transportation has not published its proposal for new safety rules for pipelines that transport carbon dioxide. And the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to determine whether it will give Texas permission to regulate its own carbon dioxide storage wells, a scenario that some of the state’s own representatives advise against. That means, as the BloombergNEF policy associate Derrick Flakoll put it in an analysis published prior to the election, “the next administration and Congress will encounter a blank canvas of carbon capture infrastructure rules they can shape freely.” Carbon capture is unique among climate technologies because it is, in most cases, a pure cost with no monetizable benefit. That means the policy environment — that great big blank canvas — is essential to determining which projects actually get built and whether the ones that do are actually useful for fighting climate change. The next administration may or may not decide to take an interest in carbon capture, of course, but there’s reason to expect it will. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for the Department of the Interior who will also head up a new National Energy Council, has been a vocal supporter of carbon capture projects in his home state of North Dakota. Although Trump’s team will be looking for subsidies to cut in order to offset the tax breaks he has promised, his deep-pocketed supporters in the oil and gas industry who have made major investments in carbon capture based, in part, on the 45Q tax credit, will not want to see it on the chopping block… “Flakoll will be watching to see whether lax monitoring and reporting rules for carbon capture, if enacted, will hurt trust and acceptance of carbon capture projects to the point that companies find it difficult to find buyers for their products or insurance companies to underwrite them. “There will be a more of a policy push for [CCS] to enter the market,” Flakoll told Heatmap. “But it takes two to tango, and there's a question of how much the private sector will respond to that.”

E&E News: Trump win puts endangerment finding in the crosshairs
Lesley Clark, 12/2/24

“Climate science skeptics emboldened by a second Trump administration are eager to strike down a scientific finding that bolsters U.S. climate action,” E&E News reports. “But repealing the landmark decree that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare may prove a tough lift — even with a Supreme Court that has shown a predilection for paring back environmental regulations. The 2009 determination by the Obama-era EPA that six greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide and methane — threaten human health and by law must be regulated has long been a conservative target. A reversal of the decision headlines a wish list for climate rollbacks that’s been delivered to Trump’s transition team, alongside again pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accord. “It is absolutely on the chopping block, the whole climate agenda is on the chopping block,” Steve Milloy, a lawyer who served on Trump’s EPA transition team in 2016 and considers the endangerment finding the “source of the evil” when it comes to U.S. climate policy, told E&E. “There are plans to do everything we’ve ever dreamed of.” Still, conservatives were disappointed the first time around when the Trump administration’s own EPA lawyers rejected a petition to reconsider the endangerment finding — on Trump’s last day in office in 2021. Milloy told E&E things will be different this time under Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York. “It was sort of botched in Trump 1, they didn’t get the memo and dropped the ball,” Milloy told E&E. “I think that with Trump 2.0, we’ve all learned a lot more.”

Law360: EPA Overstepped With Methane Control Rule, DC Circ. Told
Juan-Carlos Rodriguez, 11/26/24

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure infringe on states' authority to tailor their own regulations, Republican-led states and fossil fuel industry groups told the D.C. Circuit Monday,” Law360 reports. “The methane regulations are part of the Biden administration's suite of Clean Air Act actions targeting climate change, but the states and industry groups say the EPA has exceeded its authority under the law in several respects. They're asking for large parts of the rule to be struck down.”

E&E News: Fishing Industry To Biden: No Last-Minute Marine Monuments
Daniel Cusick, 11/25/24

“Fishing and seafood industry groups are telling President Joe Biden that he shouldn’t create or expand marine national monuments during the final weeks of his administration, saying any such move “will be met by significant opposition,” E&E News reports. “In a Nov. 18 letter, roughly 150 organizations and elected officials warned that “any action of this kind before January 20 would come at an especially difficult time” and “would further harm our sector, needlessly constraining fishing activity despite U.S. fisheries delivering enormous public benefits and complying with the most rigorous management system in the world.” “Against this backdrop, the mere threat of Marine National Monuments creates harmful business uncertainty,” the industry groups wrote.”

E&E News: Oil companies challenge NEPA court ruling on Wyoming drilling
Niina H. Farah, 11/27/24

“Two oil and gas companies are challenging a court ruling temporarily blocking the Interior Department from approving new drilling permits for a Trump-era project within Wyoming’s Powder River Basin,” E&E News reports. “Continental Resources and Devon Energy Production are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reconsider a federal judge’s order barring the Bureau of Land Management from authorizing new applications for permits to drill (APDs) for the Converse County Oil and Gas Project. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in September that BLM’s consideration of groundwater effects of the project in its National Environmental Policy Act review was inadequate. The court asked for further briefing from the parties in the case on whether the analysis should be tossed out. In the meantime, Judge Tanya Chutkan said new drilling approvals based on the challenged NEPA review would be on hold.”

Associated Press: Coalition seeks to preserve North Dakota's Badlands
Jack Dura, 11/25/24

“A coalition of conservation groups and Native American tribal citizens on Friday called on President Joe Biden to designate nearly 140,000 acres of rugged, scenic Badlands as North Dakota's first national monument, a proposal several tribal nations say would preserve the area's indigenous and cultural heritage,” the Associated Press reports. “...When you tell the story of landscape, you have to tell the story of people,” Michael Barthelemy, an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and director of Native American studies at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, told AP. “You have to tell the story of the people that first inhabited those places and the symbiotic relationship between the people and the landscape, how the people worked to shape the land and how the land worked to shape the people.” “...Supporters have traveled twice to Washington to meet with White House, Interior Department, Forest Service and Department of Agriculture officials. But the effort faces an uphill battle with less than two months remaining in Biden’s term and potential headwinds in President-elect Donald Trump 's incoming administration. If unsuccessful, the group would turn to the Trump administration “because we believe this is a good idea regardless of who's president,” Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos told AP.”

FOX Business: Treasury Secretary Nominee Scott Bessent's '3-3-3' Plan: What To Know
Eric Revell, 11/25/24

“President-elect Trump’s nominee to serve as Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has touted a ‘3-3-3’ economic plan that would seek to reduce budget deficits while boosting growth and energy production,” FOX Business reports. “Bessent discussed the 3-3-3 plan this summer at an event hosted by the Manhattan Institute. He said it would involve cutting the budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2028, the last year of Trump’s second term; boosting GDP growth to 3% through deregulation and other pro-growth policies; and increasing U.S. energy production to the equivalent of an additional 3 million barrels of oil per day… “Bessent added that boosting energy production would help bring down future expectations about inflation, given that energy and gasoline prices are a key element of household budgets reflected in inflation measurements. “Three million more oil barrels equivalent a day from U.S. energy production. That would be my 3-3-3. That would substantially decrease the oil price, which – that’s one of the No. 1 drivers of inflation expectations,” he said.”

E&E News: States Failed To Prove BLM Rule Harms Them, Court Filing Says
Scott Streater, 11/25/24

“A coalition of conservation groups is asking a federal judge to reject a request by the states of Utah and Wyoming to block the Bureau of Land Management from implementing its public lands rule while its legal challenge plays out in court,” E&E News reports. “The coalition argues in a motion filed Friday that a preliminary injunction is not legally warranted, mostly because the two states have failed to demonstrate that “absent a preliminary injunction, they will suffer any injury whatsoever — much less an irreparable injury” as a result of the rule that elevates conservation on par with mining, energy development, livestock grazing and other uses. While Congress directed BLM through the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to manage the 245 million acres it oversees “under a balanced ‘multiple use’ approach,” the bureau “has often tipped the balance in favor of extractive and developmental uses, while failing to make clear by regulation that conservation is a use on par with other multiple uses,” according to the motion.”

KJCT: Bureau Of Land Management Headquarters Might Make Its Way Back To Grand Junction
Jeffrey Hinkle, 11/25/24

“During President-elect Trump’s first term, the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters was moved from Washington DC to Grand Junction,” KJCT reports. “Then just a year later, the office was moved back to Washington under the Biden administration. New congressional district 3 congressman Jeff Hurd wants the district back on the western slope. “Grand Junction offers proximity to federal lands, public lands,” Hurd told KJCT. “It also provides a better access for stakeholders, and it makes sure that taxpayer dollars are utilized more efficiently. Decentralizing federal agencies creates opportunities for better engagement with local communities, and it also improves, I think, the decision making. By the agencies, by grounding it in the realities of the west.”

E&E News: ​​BLM Chief To Lead Green Group After Trump Takes Office
Scott Streater, 11/26/24

“Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning will return next year to the conservation advocacy world she left in late 2021 to lead the sprawling federal agency,” E&E News reports. “The Wilderness Society confirmed late Tuesday that Stone-Manning has agreed to become president of the environmental group, effective Feb. 24, after more than three years leading the bureau that oversees 245 million acres, mostly in the West. The planned move represents a soft landing for a top Biden administration public lands official who will not be at the helm of BLM once President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated Jan. 20.”

STATE UPDATES

New York Times: Maine Becomes the Latest State to Sue Oil Companies Over Climate Change
Karen Zraick, 11/27/24

“Maine has become the latest state to sue oil and gas companies over climate change, claiming that Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron and other giants waged a decades-long campaign to conceal the effects of fossil fuels and contributed to the extreme weather that has pummeled the state in recent years,” the New York Times reports. “The lawsuit accuses the companies of having withheld what they knew about the consequences of fossil fuel use since the 1960s, leading to a financial burden on the state as it contends with sea-level rise, storms and warmer temperatures. The complaint, filed Tuesday in a Maine state court, includes seven alleged violations, including failure to warn, negligence, nuisance, trespass and unfair trade practices. It also names the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, which the lawsuit alleges “aided and abetted” deceptive conduct by the fossil fuel companies. “For over half a century, these companies chose to fuel profits instead of following their science to prevent what are now likely irreversible, catastrophic climate effects,” said the Maine attorney general, Aaron M. Frey, a Democrat. “In so doing, they burdened the State and our citizens with the consequences of their greed and deception.” The state said in the filing that it was seeking a jury trial and funding for past damage as well as for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience measures in Maine… “Exxon Mobil rebutted the lawsuit’s claims and said that it had invested more than $20 billion in lower-emission initiatives.” “...Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of the law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, which represents Chevron, pointed to recent setbacks for climate change litigation at the federal level and in lower courts, including the dismissal in July of a lawsuit by Baltimore. “Addressing climate change requires a coordinated federal and international policy response, not meritless state court litigation attacking essential energy production,” he told the Times.”

Michigan Advance: Senators launch bipartisan bills encouraging manufacturers to adopt carbon capture technology
Kyle Davidson, 11/27/24

“As lawmakers begin to line up their end of the year priorities, a bipartisan group of senators, alongside a coalition of labor, economic and environmental groups, are launching an effort to support carbon capture technology in Michigan and cut down on industrial emissions,” the Michigan Advance reports. “During a press conference Tuesday, members of the Michigan Laborers District Council, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan Chapter of the Nature Conservancy offered their support for Senate Bills 1131–1133, introduced by state Sens. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), Joe Bellino (R-Monroe) and John Cherry (D-Flint). The bills are aimed at creating a state-level body to oversee the permitting and regulation of carbon capture facilities… “We have lots, lots of protection from where it’s being stored to where we are living, and that we’re not going to disrupt any of our drinking water sources,” Autumn Haagsma, director of the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and assistant director of the Michigan Geological Survey, told the Advance. The state also has large, thick reservoirs, creating adequate storage for captured carbon, as well as good confining systems or seals to keep the CO2 in the ground and act as a barrier between the storage area, groundwater and the surface, Haagsma told the Advance… “Mike Alaimo, the director of environmental and energy affairs for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, told the Advance these bills originated from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan, which lays out a pathway for Michigan to reach 100% carbon neutrality by 2050… “Richard Bowman, the director of policy for the Michigan chapter of the Nature Conservancy pointed to carbon capture as one of the items on the menu needed to address the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere… “While Carbon Capture Utilization and storage has already been deployed in some Michigan locations under EPA permits, a press release from the coalition notes that Illinois, Pennsylvania and Indiana have already passed their own laws on carbon capture and storage with many members arguing these bills are vital for Michigan to stay economically competitive.”

Houston Chronicle: Texas carbon storage projects are in flux as Trump promises federal budget cuts
James Osborne, 11/20/24

“Off the coast of Texas, geologists are scanning the sea floor for what they hope will be the next big thing in energy development — undersea storage sites for carbon dioxide emissions,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “But first, developers must convince President-elect Donald Trump, a noted climate change skeptic, to support a technology reliant on tax incentives that could cost the federal government billions of dollars a year by 2030. Companies including Exxon Mobil, BP and Chevron, which are already in the early stages of developing carbon storage projects in the Gulf of Mexico, are lobbying for Trump to continue an $85 per ton tax credit for carbon storage signed into law in 2022 by the Biden administration. "These are important projects to decarbonize our industries and make our products more attractive. Regardless of what people in this country think of climate change, the world does take (carbon intensity) into consideration," Alex Tiller, CEO of Carbonvert, a carbon storage developer with projects off the coast of Corpus Christi and western Louisiana, told the Chronicle. "I think this is an area where he might not take a sledgehammer to the incentive structure." The Trump transition team declined to comment for this story. Some in Washington are unsure that Trump will continue to support a technology that has struggled to gain commercial traction after more than 15 years of federal support. The oil companies developing carbon storage in the Gulf are among Trump's largest donors, but the president-elect is also under pressure to rein in spending. "It may mean if a cow isn't sacred, it gets slaughtered," Bob McNally, president of the Rapidan Group, a Washington consulting firm, told the Chronicle. "I don't think (carbon capture and storage) is as sacred to Republicans and the oil industry as other cows, so to speak." The initial cost of the tax credit is fairly low. The Joint Taxation Committee estimates the cost of the carbon capture and storage tax credit at only $50 million a year through 2026. But the Department of Treasury forecasts that interest in the tax credit could jump in the latter half of the decade, with an estimated cost of $30.3 billion through 2032… "Permitting delays crept into the process, and made investment much less likely," Charles McConnell, executive director at the University of Houston's Center for Carbon Management in Energy, told the Chronicle. "The problem is the Biden administration put a bunch of money out there, but let the EPA sit on their hands."

Grist: Midwest wins funding for a new hydrogen hub. Not everyone is convinced it’s ‘clean.’
Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, 12/2/24

“The U.S. Department of Energy is rolling out the first installment of its $1 billion commitment to ramp up clean hydrogen production in the Midwest, part of a bid by the Biden administration to lock in a nationwide roadmap for decarbonization,” Grist reports. “The Midwest Hydrogen Hub, which is set to span Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, was awarded $22.2 million late last month as part of a billion-dollar federal cost share grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The hub “aims to decarbonize a variety of industries such as manufacturing, steel and glass production, power generation, refining, and heavy-duty transportation through the use of clean hydrogen,” according to a Department of Energy factsheet. Local environmentalists, however, are taking issue with how the project is classifying “clean hydrogen,” and warn that the hub will simply allow oil and gas companies to continue business as usual without cutting emissions. “These hubs are being built across the country in our backyards, without transparency, without our consent, and under the lie that hydrogen is a clean energy source and magic wand that will solve climate change,” Lisa Vallee, organizing director with Just Transition Northwest Indiana, an environmental justice organization, told Grist. Her group and others in Northwest Indiana have raised concerns about a hydrogen production facility that fossil fuel giant BP is considering building near its oil refinery, as part of the Midwest hub… “And while President Trump has taken an oppositional stance on federally funded clean energy projects, MachH2 officials are optimistic about the future of the project, “regardless of changes that ebb-and-flow between administrations,” Neil Banwart, the chief integration officer at the Midwest hub, told Grist.”

North Dakota Monitor: Court case in North Dakota calls federal environmental review regime into question
Mary Steurer, 11/29/24

“A lawsuit before a North Dakota federal district court could upend nearly five decades of environmental regulations affecting infrastructure projects,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “The Council on Environmental Quality was created through an executive order by President Richard Nixon in 1969. It implements the National Environmental Policy Act, which directs federal agencies to assess how projects under their jurisdiction will impact environmental factors like air and water quality. A coalition of 21 Republican-led states, including North Dakota, seeks to overturn a new regulation adopted by the council that took effect in July. The states argue that the rule introduces unreasonable requirements that will slow or even sink important infrastructure including new highways, airports, bridges and water systems, and unlawfully over-emphasizes climate change and environmental justice in the environmental review process. In a lawsuit filed in May, the states asked the court to strike down the rule, direct the council to adopt regulations consistent with federal law and reinstate a weaker version the agency enacted during President Donald Trump’s administration in 2020. A group of 13 other states, plus the District of Columbia, New York City and a handful of advocacy groups, have joined the case on the side of the Council on Environmental Quality. The defendants argue the agency’s work is vital to protect the environment and public health, and that the 2024 rule should be left in place. It’s possible that neither side will get what it wants. In a hearing earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor said the Council on Environmental Quality’s entire regulatory regime may be unlawful.”

Santa Fe New Mexican: Environment Department releases final feasibility study for 'strategic water supply'
Alaina Mencinger, 11/25/24

“There were just a few weeks left in the 2024 legislative session when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced an ambitious plan to treat and reuse brackish water and oil and gas wastewater, starting with a $500 million cash infusion,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “The effort, part of a 50-year water plan and intended to create a new supply for industrial uses, sputtered by the end of the 30-day-session… “This year, a leaner proposal is being put forward, requesting $75 million in grant funding for projects to treat hydraulic fracturing wastewater and naturally occurring brackish water. The oil and gas industry will also have to pay for fracking wastewater disposal services through a by-the-barrel fee… “The treated water has several proposed uses, including cooling data centers and cement production… “The Environment Department study also points to remaining gaps in knowledge; questions linger about transportation of fracking wastewater and groundwater recharge times… “There’s also questions about what, exactly, is in fracking wastewater. Research from 2022, cited in the study, examined 14 samples from the Permian Basin in New Mexico and found radionuclides including radium, uranium, plutonium and volatile organic compounds. One sample was contaminated with five different types of PFAS, although the only compound regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was measured at a much lower concentration than the agency’s maximum contaminant level… “Existing public data doesn’t always cover everything found in produced water, the study states, and identifying the concentrations of PFAS and radionuclides is especially important to researchers… “Some chemicals used in the fracking process are disclosed in FracFocus, the national fracking chemical disclosure registry. But not everything is included. “FracFocus is a great resource,” Lienemann told the New Mexican. “But because a lot of these constituents are trade secrets, we don’t feel like we necessarily have a great handle on everything that’s in there.” “...I think the feasibility study has shown that not only can we do it, but we really have to do it,” Lienemann told the New Mexican.”

Spokesman-Review: Colorado investigates reports of falsified data on cleanup of about 350 oil, gas sites
11/26/24

“State oil and gas regulators are investigating reports that environmental consultants falsified results of tests on soil, groundwater and contamination at about 350 locations in Weld County between 2021 and this summer,” the Spokesman-Review reports. “The information was submitted on behalf of some of Colorado’s largest oil and gas producers and was intended to determine whether work to clean up spills or close oil and gas sites met the state’s cleanup standards. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry, said Tuesday that based on its preliminary investigation, the agency is confident that there’s no new risk to public health beyond the original conditions that prompted the work.”

Washington Post: In the town ‘Erin Brockovich’ made famous, residents still fear dirty water
Silvia Foster-Frau, 12/1/24

“As the popular movie “Erin Brockovich” winds to an end, a character named Donna Jensen wins $5 million from Pacific Gas & Electric, part of a $333 million legal settlement the community won in 1996 after the utility was accused of contaminating the groundwater here for years, sickening some residents,” the Washington Post reports. “What the movie didn’t show is what happened next. In real life, Roberta Walker, the woman on whom the Jensen character was based, said she received less than $1 million from the settlement. After decades of living in Hinkley, she believed the contaminated water was making her and her family sick, so she moved out of town, as did hundreds of other Hinkley-area residents who were fearful of ongoing contamination. She said she has had five stomach surgeries and three breast surgeries and many members of her family have struggled with health problems. Local testing wells continue to detect elevated levels of chromium-6, the dangerous chemical that PG&E dumped in local water for more than a decade, according to public reports. “When you look at the movie, everybody thinks Hinkley got rewarded and saved. But in reality, that was the start of the fall,” John Turner, 62, who grew up in Hinkley and is one of the few natives who remains, told the Post. The lingering presence of chromium-6, also known as hexavalent chromium, in Hinkley illustrates how hard it is to clean contaminated drinking water, even in a case depicted in an award-winning movie that brought national attention to a community.”

EXTRACTION

Washington Post: Climate talks reach finance deal blasted as inadequate by developing nations
Chico Harlan and Maxine Joselow, 11/23/24

“Negotiators from nearly 200 countries agreed early Sunday in a nonbinding commitment that wealthy nations would aim to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer nations suffering the most from climate change,” the Washington Post reports. “But many delegates from developing countries blasted the agreement minutes after it was adopted, capping an acrimonious U.N. Climate Change Conference, known this year as COP29. The deal requires no specific pledges from any countries and falls short of the $1.3 trillion poorer nations say they will need every year a decade from now. While it triples rich nations’ current commitment to help vulnerable ones cope with mounting climate disasters, the new vow comes after more than a decade in which they struggled to meet that $100 billion pledge… “Indian delegate Chandni Raina called the finance target “too little, too distant,” and told the Post her country could not support it. “This document is nothing more than an optical illusion,” Raina said to cheers and applause… “Negotiators for the United States, the world’s biggest historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases, made no firm commitment to contributing to the new finance target… ”The deal — which says that developing countries should receive a total of $1.3 trillion from “all actors” by 2035 — also leaves plenty of latitude about who will provide the money. Financing can come from a “wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources,” it states. Poorer nations had hoped for language primarily calling for public contributions, as a symbol of the responsibility facing nations that grew wealthy while burning fossil fuels.”

Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis IEFFA: Gorgon CCS underperformance hits new low in 2023-24
Amandine Denis-Ryan and Kevin Morrison, 11/28/24

“In the last financial year, the Gorgon CCS project captured only 30% of the CO2 it removed from its reservoir, its weakest performance to date,” according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis IEFFA. “As a result of technical challenges and underperformance, the cost per tonne of CO2 captured increased again in the last year to $222. The technical challenges faced by the world’s largest CCS project are not unique; most large CCS projects globally have failed or underperformed materially… “The project was approved on the condition that it would capture 80% of the CO2 it removed from its reservoir on a five-year rolling average from July 2016. However, it only started injecting CO2 in August 2019, three years behind schedule, and to date it has captured 44% of the CO2 removed between FY2019-20 and FY2023-24. Particularly concerning is the fact that Gorgon’s performance has decreased over time, with a marked drop in the percentage of CO2 captured in the past three years. In FY2021-22, it captured 33% of the CO2 it removed, in FY2022-23 34%, and in FY2023-24 just 30%, its lowest performance to date. Since the start of its operation, the project has not achieved its target to capture 80% of the CO2 it removes in any single year. Instead, over the last five years, it underperformed by 45% against that target, and over the last three years by 60%... “Capital costs increased from $2.5 billion in FY2019-20 to $3.2 billion in FY2023-23 (unchanged in FY2023-24). Chevron has announced that “further investment [is] planned to improve system performance and increase injection rates.” As a result, the cost per tonne of CO2 (tCO2) captured for the project has increased from an initially estimated $70/tCO2 to more than $200/tCO2 captured… “The underperformance and technical issues faced by the Gorgon project are not an exception. In 2022, IEEFA conducted a global review of 13 flagship CCS projects covering a range of sectors and countries, which represented half of the global CCS capacity. It found that of the 13 projects, only three achieved their targets. Two projects failed, one was suspended after four years of operation (recently restarted), five projects materially underperformed their own targets – by about 20% to 50% – and two projects provided no performance data.”

Washington Post: ‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’: The world’s fight to curb plastic waste
Allyson Chiu, 11/25/24

“For two years, nations have worked to come up with a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution — a staggering problem with widespread implications for the planet and human health,” the Washington Post reports. “The agreement aims to “end plastic pollution” with measures that not only would improve how the world handles plastic waste but also could reduce how much of the ubiquitous material is made. But as delegates from 175 nations gather in Busan, South Korea, this week for the final round of formal talks, negotiators still appear to be largely split on key provisions, prompting uncertainty over whether an agreement will be struck ahead of an end-of-year deadline. “A treaty like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” John Hocevar, Greenpeace’s oceans campaign director, told the Post. “Just a few years ago, it was hard to imagine that the whole world would be sitting down to talk about how to end plastic pollution. I’m hoping that we can hold on to enough of that spirit that we can get something done that’s really going to matter.” Upward of 460 million metric tons of plastic is produced every year, equivalent to the weight of more than 300,000 blue whales, according to the U.N. Environment Program. The United States ranks as the world’s leading contributor of plastic waste, generating about 130 kilograms, or roughly 287 pounds, of plastic per person each year, according to a 2021 study from the National Academy of Sciences. In 2016, the United States produced 42 million metric tons of plastic waste — almost twice as much as China and more than the European Union, the study found. The vast majority of plastics are made from fossil fuels, a process that can spew toxic and planet-warming gases. Globally, producing primary plastics generated about 2.24 metric gigatons of emissions in 2019, equivalent to more than 500 million gas-powered cars being driven for a year, according to a paper published in April from researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory… “The U.S. position on plastic production is opposed by industry groups, such as the International Council of Chemical Associations. “We don’t support that U.S. shift in position — we do have concerns with it,” Harris told the Post. Instead, he told the Post, the ICCA is in favor of demand-side measures, including those to improve plastics recycling.

DeSmog: Group That Calls CO2 ‘Essential’ Praises Trump Energy Secretary Pick Chris Wright
Geoff Dembicki, 11/27/24

“Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Energy, Chris Wright, is receiving enthusiastic approval from a climate obstruction organization that argues global carbon dioxide emissions should be increasing because the gas is “essential for life,” DeSmog reports. “I had a chance to sit down one-on-one with Chris in 2022 in his Denver office,” claimed Gregory Wrightstone, executive director of a group called the CO2 Coalition. For nearly a decade, the organization has publicly disputed the fundamentals of climate science while receiving donations from foundations linked to corporate backers, including the oil and gas billionaire Charles Koch. Wrightstone, who detailed the encounter with Wright in a recent newsletter, “was impressed with his knowledge and views on energy philosophy, which aligned closely with those of the CO2 Coalition.” In a phone interview with DeSmog, Wrightstone elaborated on that alignment, explaining that “the main thing that he and I and the CO2 Coalition agree on is that increasing CO2 is a net benefit, it’s not the demon molecule, it’s the miracle molecule.” “...Yet the full-throated praise that Wright is receiving from the likes of Wrightstone raises serious questions about whether the future energy secretary even thinks climate change is a problem worth addressing, Connor Gibson, an independent research specialist who’s spent years tracking the CO2 Coalition and other groups that obstruct climate action including for Greenpeace USA, told DeSmog. “The CO2 Coalition has been a persistent voice undermining the ABCs of climate change — that it’s happening, that it’s caused by human fossil fuel use, and that it’s going to be dangerous,” he told DeSmog.

Utility Dive: Carbon removal developers unveil first all-wind-powered direct air capture plant
Zoya Mirza, 11/27/24

“Carbon removal project developers Return Carbon and Verified Carbon are collaborating on a direct air capture facility that will run entirely on wind power, a feat the pair called a first for the sector on Thursday,” Utility Dive reports. “The “Project Concho” hub will be built in Tom Green County, Texas, and utilize both DAC technology and geological carbon storage processes to trap and permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, per a Nov. 21 release. The DAC facility aims to remove 50,000 tons of carbon annually before 2030, a target the companies plan to later expand to 500,000 tons per year. This carbon removal, according to Return and Verified, will create verified carbon credits — which can then be sold on voluntary carbon markets… “The facility’s reliance on wind power is a low-cost alternative to carbon capture; most large-scale DAC projects come with a hefty price tag because of the energy-intensive process.”

Marine Insight: 1,000 Gallons Of Oil Spilled During Fuel Transfer In Puerto Rico’s San Juan Harbour
11/29/24

“A massive oil spill in San Juan Harbour, Puerto Rico, has grabbed the attention of the U.S. Coast Guard after about 1,000 gallons of fuel was leaked during a transfer at the Puma Energy fuel dock,” Marine Insight reports. “The spill happened on the evening of November 27, when the fuel was being pumped from the tanker Dubai Green to the dock. Crew members spotted an oily sheen spreading on the water, about 100 meters long and 4 meters wide, and immediately shut down the operation. The Coast Guard received the report around 7:30 p.m. and quickly dispatched teams to the spill site. The leak was stopped after swift action by the Coast Guard, and most of the fuel was contained within the dock area.”

Curtin University: Oil spill still contaminating sensitive Mauritius mangroves three years on
Samuel Jeremic, 11/26/24

“Three years after bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling 1000 tonnes of a new type of marine fuel oil, Curtin University-led research has confirmed the oil is still present in an environmentally sensitive mangrove forest close to important Ramsar conservation sites. Lead researcher Dr Alan Scarlett, from Curtin’s WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the chemical ‘fingerprint’ of the oil found in the mangrove sediments was a near-perfect match for the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) spilled by the Wakashio in 2020 – the first recorded spill involving this type of fuel. “Local communities in Mauritius have been aware of oil contamination in the mangrove wetlands since the Wakashio spill, but no official confirmation had been made regarding the source,” Dr Scarlett said… “We found the spilled oil had undergone substantial weathering and biodegradation in the three years since the accident and this had removed or reduced the levels of many of its toxic compounds. “However, the ongoing presence of the oil could still pose an unknown risk to the sensitive mangrove ecosystem… Our modelling suggested more of the Wakashio’s fuel would evaporate, naturally disperse or sink compared to traditional fuels, but assessing the impact on organisms remains challenging,” Dr Scarlett said.”

Canadian Press: Alberta aiming to create test site to support new drilling technologies
11/25/24

“Alberta’s government says it will invest up to $50 million to support the creation of a first-in-Canada drilling test site to support technology development in the oil, gas, geothermal and lithium industries,” the Canadian Press reports. “The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is intended to be an open-access, industry-led site where companies can test drilling technologies at deep depths, high temperatures and varying rock types… “The money the province is providing will come from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, which Alberta’s heavy emitters are required to pay into as part of the province’s industrial carbon pricing system.”

Washington Post: How to build a battery big enough to solve the world’s energy problems
Nicolás Rivero and Emily Wright, 11/26/24

“...But Hokkaido can’t harness all of that power unless it has a way to store energy when breezes are blowing and use it later when the gusts die down,” the Washington Post reports. “So, the island is turning to a new generation of batteries designed to stockpile massive amounts of energy — a critical step toward replacing power plants fueled by coal, gas and oil, which create a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Hokkaido is facing a problem that is starting to confront power grids around the world. For the past 150 years, utilities have stored energy in piles of coal or tanks of gas that can be burned on demand. But as countries switch from fossil fuels to clean energy, they need a new kind of backup system that can deliver power whenever someone flips a light switch, not just when the sun shines or the wind blows… “But the technology faces a raft of challenges, including high up-front costs and skeptical financiers… “It looks like flow batteries are finally about to take off with interest from China,” Michael Taylor, an energy analyst at the International Renewable Energy Agency, an international group that studies and promotes green energy, told the Post. “When China starts to get comfortable with a technology and sees it working, then they will very quickly scale their manufacturing base if they think they can drive down the costs, which they usually can.” “...The flow batteries in this plant are designed to store energy for about four hours, which is on par with lithium-ion batteries. But Sumitomo Electric told the Post it expects future projects will aim to double that duration to eight to 10 hours. That’s about what they’d need to last overnight when solar panels are dormant, or to fill in the gaps between gusts of wind… “There really is no finite lifetime for a flow battery in the way there is for lithium-ion,” Kara Rodby, a battery analyst at the investment firm Volta Energy Technologies, told the Post.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

E&E News: Investors pull money from climate funds, even as value rises
Corbin Hiar, 11/27/24

“Investment funds that bet on public companies working to limit or adapt to climate change are poised to lose investors this year — potentially the first annual decrease in support on record for climate-focused funds, according to the financial research firm Morningstar Sustainalytics,” E&E News reports. “Between January and the end of September, the world’s nearly 1,600 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds with a climate focus experienced net financial outflows of $23.7 billion, Sustainalytics found in a report published last week. The report attributed the capital flight to geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about high interest rates, which make it harder to bankroll emission-cutting projects. Climate funds could see more investors pull their cash out before the end of the year in response to the victory of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to slash federal subsidies for renewable energy and other climate-friendly technologies.”

ESG Dive: CalPERS over halfway to $100B climate goal, urged to stop buying Exxon bonds
Lamar Johnson, 11/25/24

“The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is more than halfway to its goal of investing more than $100 billion in climate solutions, the pension fund announced last week,” ESG Dive reports, “CalPERS, the largest pension fund in the nation, said it had invested $53 billion in climate solutions, a year after it set the $100 billion target, according to a Nov. 18 press release. While the climate solution funding goal is part of CalPERS’s 2030 sustainable investing strategy, some of its beneficiaries and climate groups are pushing the fund to stop investing in ExxonMobil bonds. The beneficiaries — who sent an open letter to the fund and publicly testified Nov. 18 — said such bonds “fuel oil and gas expansion” and “many” wouldn’t mature until past CalPERS 2050 net-zero target date… “The $100 billion climate action plan focuses on investing in various climate adaption, transition and mitigation efforts.. CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost called the energy transition “one of the biggest investment opportunities in history” and said in the release that the fund aims to “provide the capital necessary” to help build a low-carbon economy. “We believe that making sound, long-term investments in climate solutions will generate outperformance while also providing the clean energy needed to meet the increased demands that people have for their homes, cars and technology,” Stephen Gilmore, the fund’s chief investment officer, told ESG Dive.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Pelham Today: Enbridge fuels Pelham firefighter training with $5,000 grant
Richard Hutton, 11/29/24

“Pelham’s next generation of firefighters will get some help with their training thanks to Enbridge Gas,” Pelham Today reports. “The utility, through a $5,000 grant from its Safe Community Project Assist program, helped the Pelham Fire Department purchase training materials for incoming recruits for the department as well as materials for ongoing training for current members… “In all, Enbridge has made donations of $125,000 that will be shared by 25 fire departments across Ontario to purchase educational materials to assist in training firefighters in life-saving techniques… “Pelham Fire Chief Bob Lymburner said the department was grateful for the assistance to purchase the training materials.”

OPINION

Greater Milwaukee Today: DNR approval of pipeline segment betrays us all
Tom Hildebrandt, West Bend, 11/27/24

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ decision to approve permits for the Line 5 pipeline expansion is a reckless betrayal of our environment and Indigenous rights. Adding 41 miles of new pipeline to a crumbling 70year-old system is pure folly,” Tom Hildebrandt writes for Greater Milwaukee Today. “...Construction plans involving trenching, blasting, and drilling across 186 waterways and wetlands will leave lasting scars on our state’s natural heritage. Beyond environmental devastation, this project violates the treaty rights of the Bad River Band. Where is our governor in all of this? His silence is deafening in the face of a project that endangers Indigenous sovereignty, Wisconsin’s ecosystems, and one of the world’s largest freshwater resources. At a time when we must move toward sustainable energy, approving outdated and dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure is unacceptable. Wisconsin deserves bold leadership that protects our future, not quiet acquiescence to corporate interests.”

Human Rights Watch: China State Bank Shouldn’t Back East African Crude Oil Pipeline
Hellen Huang, 11/27/24

“...Among one of the world’s largest fossil fuel projects currently under development, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) poses significant risks to human rights and the environment,” Hellen Huang writes for Human Rights Watch. “Given the government’s unwavering support, the pipeline’s completion will now rely on whether it can secure the necessary funding. Several banks, including major African banks, have already declined to support the project. The state-run Import-Export Bank of China (Exim Bank) remains undecided and is expected to make a key decision in December about its financial support for EACOP. A Human Rights Watch report in 2023 found that land acquisition associated with the project has already devasted thousands of people’s livelihoods in Uganda. The inadequate and delayed compensation for land lost to the project has impacted many communities’ access to food, health, and education. It is estimated that developments in the oilfields will displace as many as 100,000 people across Uganda and Tanzania. Human Rights Watch has also documented the Ugandan government’s routine harassment and arbitrary arrests of human rights defenders and activists who voice concerns about the pipeline. More than 80 have been arrested since May 2024 for protesting against EACOP… “In a year when global warming is expected to exceed the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Agreement, expanding new fossil fuel projects like EACOP would be disastrous. China Exim Bank, or any financial institution, should not support a project that poses grave and significant risks to both human rights and the environment.”

Calgary Herald: Alberta should prepare for the worst when it comes to long-term oil demand
Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood is a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the co-author of Heads in the Sands, 11/28/24

“What happens when the world stops buying our oil? It’s a question that Canadian governments, communities, workers and industry aren’t asking — but should be,” Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood writes for the Calgary Herald. “Not because it’s going to happen this year or next, but because it could happen sooner than we think. And if and when it does, the costs of an unmanaged collapse of the sector will be devastating. New research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative and Ecojustice finds that in a global net-zero scenario — a world where most countries follow through on their climate commitments by mid-century — production in the oilsands would fall more than 80 per cent by 2050. In this scenario, most oilsands projects would start shutting down in the 2030s, with only a handful of projects surviving to 2050. Jobs associated with the oilsands would fall more than 90 per cent in the same period. So would royalty and tax revenues in Alberta, blowing a massive structural hole in the provincial budget. These shuttered projects would leave behind $70 billion in stranded assets and more than $50 billion — potentially more than $100 billion — in unfunded environmental cleanup costs. Canadian governments and the oil industry are certainly betting against it. Their policies and investment decisions assume stable demand for Canadian oil through at least 2050. But what if they’re wrong? Even in a best-case scenario, global demand for oil is in long-term decline. The International Energy Agency now expects peak oil in the 2030s… “First, no politician or government in Canada can “save” the oilsands in the long-term, with carbon capture technology or otherwise, if international demand dries up… “If, on the other hand, the global energy transition accelerates, we need to have plans in place at the provincial, regional and community levels. That might include extracting greater public value from oilsands production while it lasts, proactively diversifying regional economies, and putting in place transition supports for the workers and communities whose livelihoods are at risk. It’s not too late to make these plans, whether or not we end up needing them. But sticking our heads in the sand and hoping for the best is no way to ensure long-term prosperity.”

Atmos: Dallas Goldtooth Won’t Back Down—at Standing Rock Then, or in Hollywood Now
Yessenia Funes, 11/27/24

“As Indigenous activist-turned-actor Dallas Goldtooth stares down a second Trump presidency, he’s not letting politics dim his joy or resistance,” Atmos reports. “Dallas Goldtooth still remembers the first time voters elected Donald Trump to the White House. It was 2016, and the 41-year-old Mdewakanton Dakota and Diné Indigenous activist-turned-actor was deep into the Standing Rock struggle against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota. Goldtooth spent about nine months off and on at Standing Rock. He could usually be found live streaming to Facebook on what protesters called Facebook Hill or Media Hill, the only location with reception on the stretch of land where organizers had set up camp. That’s where he was on Tuesday, November 8, 2016… “There was no gasp or, Oh, my god, we were totally surprised!” Goldtooth told Atmos in the days following Trump’s second victory. “It was this kind of silent resignation of, Well, let’s get ready for the next hit.” And Goldtooth did. As the former Keep It in the Ground campaign organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), he rallied against President Trump’s attempts to push through the 1,172-mile-long Dakota Access pipeline and to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline during his first term. But the hits kept coming, and they haven’t stopped: Dakota Access went into operation in June 2017, and although activists stopped Keystone XL in the courts, the president-elect is interested in bringing it back this second time around. Goldtooth, who rose to fame after starring in and writing for the hit FX show Reservation Dogs, doesn’t plan to sit on the sidelines. Whether on a movie set or on the streets, he will always be in service to community. That, after all, has always been his lifelong dream—not winning an Emmy or Oscar. And the need for service among Indigenous communities has never subsided, not under a Republican or Democratic president. “From the perspective of the colonized, from the perspective of Native peoples in America, no matter who is in office, we are facing an opposition that is counter to the goals of Indigenous sovereignty,” he told Atmos.”