EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 1/24/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Castanet Kamloops: Pipeline protesters not guilty
The Intercept: PIPELINE GIANT ENBRIDGE USES SCORING SYSTEM TO TRACK INDIGENOUS OPPOSITION
Wisconsin State Journal: Wisconsin lawmakers signal support for fossil fuel pipelines
WSJM: Michigan Groups Raise Safety, Financial Concerns Around Line 5 Tunnel Proposal
KFGO: Judge refuses to delay release of disputed DAPL documents
Des Moines Register: Rekha Basu: Carbon pipeline projects are 'pie in the sky' plans to benefit deep pockets, opponents say
FarmWeek: Illinois could host proposed pipeline to offset biorefinery carbon emissions
WGEM: Hancock County Farm Bureau urges caution on pipeline access
Tri-City News: Risk of sinkholes on busy Coquitlam stretch were known, Trans Mountain says
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: GULF OF MEXI-NO
STATE UPDATES
Energy News Network: An Indiana carbon storage project wants the state to help protect it from lawsuits
E&E News: Baltimore, Big Oil to square off tomorrow in court
Colorado Newsline: New financial rules could bring major reform to Colorado oil and gas industry
American Press: Lake Charles chosen once again to host World LNG & Gas summit
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Aerial surveys detect dozens of methane 'super-emitters' in Permian
Chemical & Engineering News: How Alberta is turning carbon emissions into an advantage
Press release: US carbon hub developer, Carbonvert Inc., partners with participating Treaty Six First Nations, and Kanata Clean Power to address Alberta’s request for equitable carbon sequestration hub proposal
Press release: Wolinak of Abenaki First Nation and Questerre sign agreement for energy development
Los Angeles Times: L.A. County calls for independent health study of massive natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon
CLIMATE FINANCE
Press release: Karankawa Kadla and Allies Protest Enbridge Terminal Expansion at Project’s Major Funder Bank of America’s Austin Location
Pensions & Investments: New York fund takes long road on fossil fuels
OPINION
Traverse City Record-Eagle: Opinion: Line 5 tunnel provides illusion of safety
The Hill: The Fed has a clear mandate to mitigate climate risks
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Oil drilling near homes is dangerous and unhealthy. California should end the practice
Scientific American: To Fully Mitigate Climate Change, We Need to Curb Methane Emissions
PIPELINE NEWS
Castanet Kamloops: Pipeline protesters not guilty
Tim Petruk, 1/19/22
“Kanahus Manuel, also known as Amanda Soper, was one of two Tiny House Warriors acquitted Wednesday on mischief charges,” Castanet Kamloops reports. “Kanahus Manuel and a fellow Tiny House Warriors protester were acquitted on mischief charges on Wednesday — in part because an RCMP corporal pointed the finger at the wrong person… “Court heard a construction crew showed up in the area to repair a stretch of highway. Once there, the workers were approached by a group of protesters. Manuel and Jules were accused of harassing the workers — following them around and shouting at them. Some of the protesters were carrying red dresses or shirts attached to sticks… “At trial, RCMP Cpl. Todd Bowden said he stopped at the scene after being flagged down by one of the workers. Bowden said in court he was “100 per cent satisfied” that the people he dealt with at the scene were Jules and Manuel, who is also known as Amanda Soper. “At trial, Cpl. Bowden identified a lady seated in the back seat of the courtroom with a green scarf as the accused Amanda Soper,” Phillips said. “As it turned out, Cpl. Bowden’s in-court identification was incorrect — the lady identified in the courtroom was not Amanda Soper.” Phillips said all of the evidence at trial left him uncertain. “In the end, the court is left in doubt as to whether the two accused were, in fact, the same person observed by the flaggers as the ones who committed the mischief in question,” he said. “Accordingly, the accused are hereby acquitted.”
The Intercept: PIPELINE GIANT ENBRIDGE USES SCORING SYSTEM TO TRACK INDIGENOUS OPPOSITION
Alleen Brown, 1/23/22
“AS PART OF its efforts to build and operate pipelines, the oil transport company Enbridge used a tracking system that identified Indigenous-led groups as key threats,” The Intercept reports. “Internal documents reviewed by The Intercept describe how Enbridge launched an initiative known as Opposition Driven Operational Threats, or ODOT, to focus the company’s attention on Indigenous opposition to Line 3 and Line 5, two controversial pipelines that transport carbon-intensive tar sands oil between Canada and the United States. The documents provide a rare window into how fossil fuel companies counteract political opposition. In Enbridge’s case, its ODOT initiative goes so far as to track community gatherings of pipeline opponents and label tribal lands as areas where the company faces threats. “To the rest of us, ‘threat’ means actual threats to life and liberty, but to them this is all about how much money they can extract while carrying out an operation that is environmentally devastating,” Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund’s Center for Protest Law and Litigation and an attorney representing opponents of Line 3, told the Intercept. “You begin to have this perversion of concepts of what actually are true threats.” Information about how the internal system works is limited, but Verheyden-Hilliard told the Intercept that there could be civil rights implications depending on whether any state or local agencies are involved in the collection of data for ODOT and how Enbridge uses the information the initiative produces. The existence of the tracking system, she said, was especially troubling considering Enbridge’s payments to law enforcement agencies for policing pipeline opposition. Gatherings of pipeline opponents are protected by the First Amendment. In communities in which tribal governments have invoked their treaty rights to challenge pipeline paths, the tool could potentially be used to develop divisive campaigns aimed at pressuring tribes to back down.”
Wisconsin State Journal: Wisconsin lawmakers signal support for fossil fuel pipelines
Chris Hubbuch, 1/22/22
“Citing ongoing dependence on fossil fuels, a group of Republican lawmakers has introduced a resolution supporting development of petroleum pipelines, a policy that scientists say is incompatible with slowing climate change,” the Wisconsin State Journal reports. “The nonbinding resolution introduced Tuesday says Wisconsin’s economy will continue to rely “for many years” on petroleum products and calls on the Legislature to “support continued and increased development and delivery of oil derived from North American oil reserves to American refineries.” It goes on to say “everything should be done to support continued and increased development and delivery of oil from Canada to the United States and support the development, maintenance and operation of pipelines.” Authored by Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, and Sen. Julian Bradley, R-Franklin, the bill has one Democratic sponsor, Rep. Nick Milroy of South Range, whose northern Wisconsin district is crossed by a controversial Enbridge Energy pipeline. The resolution has backing from petroleum and convenience store industry groups, as well as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobby. Wisconsin Conservation Voters and other environmental advocates have registered against, with the Sierra Club calling it “foolish.” “Doubling down on the dirty fuels and infrastructure of the last century will set our economy back and cause ecological disaster,” Peg Shaeffer, spokesperson for Midwest Environmental Advocates, told the Journal… “Greg Nemet, a professor of public policy at UW-Madison, told the Journal expansion of fossil fuel use and infrastructure to deliver them is not compatible with widely accepted goals associated with mitigating the effects of climate change. “The alternatives to fossil fuels, especially wind, solar, and electric vehicles, are now competitive and high-performing,” Nemet told the Journal. “We may need some fossil fuels available to manage the multi-decade transition, but certainly not more than we use now.” The resolution is being introduced amid mounting public opposition to Enbridge’s plans to reroute its Line 5 around the Bad River Reservation with about 41 miles of new pipeline through Ashland, Bayfield and Iron counties… “Earlier this year, the Madison City Council and Dane County Board passed resolutions opposing the Line 5 reroute, as well as a recently completed expansion of Enbridge’s Line 3 in Minnesota, which connects to a pipeline that cuts through Dane County.
WSJM: Michigan Groups Raise Safety, Financial Concerns Around Line 5 Tunnel Proposal
1/24/22
“Advocates for protecting the waters of the Straits of Mackinac are raising safety and financial concerns about a Canadian natural gas company’s proposal for an underwater pipeline tunnel,” WSJM reports. “Enbridge Energy currently operates the Line 5 pipeline, which runs under the Straits of Mackinac, and now they’re proposing to replace it with a tunnel to run the pipeline through. But experts tell WSJM the current plan has major safety flaws. Sean McBrearty, Michigan legislative and policy director for Clean Water Action and campaign coordinator for Oil and Water Don’t Mix, told WSJM Enbridge filed papers with the federal Energy Regulatory Commission claiming they plan to depreciate all of their pipelines within 20 years. But he said the contract with the state to build and operate the pipeline in the tunnel is for 99 years. “If Enbridge were able to build this tunnel and have it operable by 2028 or ’29, which is about as soon as they’d be able to do something like this, that tunnel would only operate for 11 years before Enbridge would be done using their pipeline system,” McBrearty told WSJM… “Brian O’Mara, an environmental engineer with decades of tunneling experience, told WSJM the poor quality of the bedrock will make completing the tunnel challenging. He pointed out it is possible an explosion or fire would put workers at risk and many thousands of gallons of natural-gas liquids could be released into the Great Lakes.”
KFGO: Judge refuses to delay release of disputed DAPL documents
Madison Quinn, 1/23/22
“A state judge has refused to delay the release of thousands of documents related to security during the construction in North Dakota of the heavily protested Dakota Access Pipeline,” KFGO reports. “South Central District Judge Cynthia Feland in late December ruled that the documents are public. Attorneys for pipeline developer Energy Transfer asked Feland to put on hold disclosure of the records as it appeals to the state Supreme Court. Feland on Friday gave Energy Transfer the go-ahead to appeal, but she rejected the request to delay the release of the records.”
Des Moines Register: Rekha Basu: Carbon pipeline projects are 'pie in the sky' plans to benefit deep pockets, opponents say
1/22/22
“If you haven't been paying attention to the proposed carbon dioxide-carrying pipelines being discussed at meetings around Iowa, now is a good time to start. Maybe you don't think they'll affect you. They will,” the Des Moines Register reports. “They'll affect you directly if you're a landowner along the route, whose property could be used to lay in pipeline, including through eminent domain. Such designations garnered attention, not much of it positive, after the Dakota Access Pipeline came through and left long-term damage to some land and crops. But anyone who lives in Iowa has a stake in protecting the state's environment and beating back climate change. These proposed pipelines, three of which will seek approval from the Iowa Utilities Board, are billed as solutions to environmental problems some Iowans weren't even sure existed… “But how necessary is that? Until now, CO2 has been released into the air from ethanol plants, but that was downplayed as a problem… “But using public tax dollars for fossil fuel production isn't quite what some environmentalists have in mind. "It's a false climate solution," Carolyn Raffensperger of Ames, an environmental lawyer and executive director of the national Science and Environmental Health Network, told the Register. She shared a report compiled by environmental historian Peter Montague of seven failed carbon capture projects in the U.S. and one in Canada. Significantly, Archer Daniels Midland had one of them… “Some opponents say such measures would either help forestall real changes to our carbon footprint, or soon become obsolete, as electric cars gain favor and ethanol is no longer needed to fuel them. The Center for International Environmental Law says, "Until now, carbon capture and storage (CCS) have been primarily used to 'keep the coal industry alive,'" and to benefit gas and oil interests. A researcher for the center argues that the practice "masks the harmful carbon emissions from the underlying source, enabling that source to continue operating," generates additional risks and costs from pipelines and "exacerbates global warming by boosting oil production and prolonging the fossil fuel era." Jessica Mazour, conservation coordinator at the Iowa Sierra Club, told the Register that for every ton of CO2 that's sequestered, 1.2 to 1.4 tons would be generated from the extraction of fossil fuels. She calls it "greenwashing," a “false climate solution, when we should be investing in solar, wind, battery storage, conservation and efficiency."
FarmWeek: Illinois could host proposed pipeline to offset biorefinery carbon emissions
TIMOTHY EGGERT, 1/23/22
“The same Midwest land that grows corn for ethanol could also serve as a storage site for carbon emitted by biorefineries,” FarmWeek reports. “That production and sequestration cycle is at the heart of a pipeline project proposed across 13 Illinois counties and parts of four other states. Texas-based Navigator CO2 Ventures has put forward a plan to capture and transport 10 to 15 million metric tons of liquified carbon dioxide per year through a 1,300-mile pipeline across Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois to a pair of permanent sequestration sites in central Illinois… “Bill Bodine, Illinois Farm Bureau director of business and regulatory affairs, told FarmWeek the project will hopefully minimize the surface impact for farmers and landowners who host sections of the pipeline on their property. Bodine said farmers and landowners need to be involved in the process, ask questions and work to ensure they have good terms in easements or land-use agreements. “I encourage landowners to seek out education and the advice of an experienced attorney before agreeing to anything,” Bodine told FarmWeek. “These are long-term agreements that can have long-term impacts.” Bodine told FarmWeek IFB plans to host information and education sessions for members interested in the project. And IFB will track the permitting and construction phases of the pipeline.”
WGEM: Hancock County Farm Bureau urges caution on pipeline access
Logan Williams, 1/20/22
“A new pipeline may be in the works that would cross much of the region,” WGEM reports. “Should the proposed route go forward, the Heartland Greenway Carbon Capture Pipeline would cross five states (South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois). This includes part of every West Central Illinois county and Lee County, Iowa. Construction on the pipeline is not expected to begin until 2024, but some landowners have already been contacted by the Texas based company (Navigator CO₂ Ventures) about surveying, which they do not have to allow at this time. “We just urge our landowners to exercise caution when contacted by those land agents. They are under no obligation at this time to grant that verbal permission to those agents to access their property,” Hancock County Farm Bureau manager Kristin Huls told WGEN. “Huls told WGEM landowners may provide access if they wish, but they should give written permission and not verbal. “If a land owner wishes to enter an agreement to access their property, we would encourage that land owner to make sure those permissions are written, in a written agreement, just to protect themselves as well as their property,” Huls told WGEN. She said she recommends that any agreements limit the scope of activities, require notice of the landowner before access, and ensure compensation should any damage occur… “The Hancock County Farm Bureau is planning on coordinating with the Illinois Farm Bureau to hold more informational meetings about the pipeline and easement negotiations in late February and early March.”
Tri-City News: Risk of sinkholes on busy Coquitlam stretch were known, Trans Mountain says
Diane Strandberg, 1/19/22
“Will digging a new pipeline in Coquitlam cause sinkholes along the Mary Hill Bypass?,” Tri-City News reports. “The Highway 7B route is a crucial link between Highway 1, to Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, and handles thousands of vehicles a day, which back up by the hundreds in each direction at major intersections during rush hour. But a recent sinkhole that caused traffic delays eastbound on the Mary Hill bypass in early December during the dig from Surrey has come under scrutiny by local environmentalists, the mayor of Coquitlam as well as the Ministry of Transportation. And while Trans Mountain has sensors to detect settling in the area of its pipeline dig and hasn't found evidence of further settling on the route since Dec. 5, questions remain. Now, more than a month after the sinkhole occurred, Trans Mountain has confirmed that a soil collapse was a known risk with digging under the highway for a new pipeline. The admission was made in a response to the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER), which requested more information from the company to answer concerns raised by three anti-pipeline groups. Stop TMX, Pipe Up and the BC Environmental Network have filed letters with the CER to deny Trans Mountain's proposal to relocate and re-drill 350 metres of its new pipeline tunnel under the Fraser River after issues relating to an equipment failure occurred in November. In their submissions, the groups question whether Trans Mountain did sufficient bore hole testing, is confident the revised route to Coquitlam won't add stress to the underwater pipe, chose the best drilling method, has enough insurance to cover spills and isn't overly rushed.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: GULF OF MEXI-NO
Matthew Choi, Jose Segel, 1/21/22
“House Democrats criticized the Biden administration for moving forward with oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, saying it was counter to its emissions reductions and clean energy goals,” Politico reports. ”Rep. Alan Lowenthal, who was chairing a hearing of the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources oversight subcommittee, said the “Gulf coast has been treated as a sacrifice zone,” citing both pollution on the coast and the region’s vulnerability to climate change-related disasters. Republicans on the committee retorted that shutting down domestic oil and gas production would simply redirect demand to overseas suppliers with far less stringent environmental protections. The administration itself has defended its lease sale as reluctant compliance with a federal court order prohibiting its previous pause on new lease sales, though progressives dispute the idea the administration was cornered on the matter.”
STATE UPDATES
Energy News Network: An Indiana carbon storage project wants the state to help protect it from lawsuits
Kari Lydersen, 1/20/22
“An Indiana company is again asking state legislators to grant it the right to inject carbon deep underground without fear of liability claims or the need to compensate property owners,” Energy News Network reports. “Wabash Valley Resources has for years sought legislation to facilitate its efforts to capture carbon dioxide from power generation or chemical manufacturing and store it underground near Indiana’s Wabash River. A law passed in 2019 allowed the company to undertake a pilot project and declared carbon sequestration in the public interest, allowing the use of eminent domain. But the company has told legislators that the lack of protection from liability claims has hampered its ability to get federal funding.mThe state House Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony Tuesday before passing a bill, HB 1249, that would prevent liability claims related to Wabash Valley’s project unless plaintiffs can prove “actual interference with the reasonable use of the person’s property; or direct and tangible physical damage to the person’s property,” as a bill summary puts it. A bill with similar provisions, SB 373, was introduced last spring, passing the state House but dying in the Senate… “But a litany of stakeholders, including representatives of the water utility, corn and soybean producers, the Farm Bureau, ethanol producers, and community and civil rights organizations, testified in opposition to HB 1249 because of its curbs on liability. “It does seem to take away the legal rights of those who would be impacted by the carbon stored in the ground,” Denise Abdul-Rahman, environmental climate justice chair of the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP, told the natural resources committee. “Would you want to live where carbon is being stored? We don’t really know what the damages will be in the future.” The potential risks and hazards, while thought to be relatively small, include earthquakes triggered by the injection process and leaks that could contaminate groundwater or poison people or livestock on the surface.”
E&E News: Baltimore, Big Oil to square off tomorrow in court
By Lesley Clark, 1/24/22
“Attorneys for Baltimore and fossil fuel interests are scheduled to face off tomorrow in a closely watched climate litigation case that could signal which courts may ultimately hear allegations that the oil and gas industry misled the public about the dangers of global warming,” E&E News reports. “The oral arguments before a Virginia appeals court will be the first since a Supreme Court ruling in May found that appellate judges could consider a broader range of factors when deciding whether liability lawsuits should be heard in state or federal court. The procedural ruling in Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. BP PLC, was seen as a win for the companies, who argue that energy production is a federal issue and see the federal courts as a friendlier venue. Baltimore, which originally filed its climate liability lawsuit against BP, Exxon Mobil Corp. and 24 other oil companies in state court in 2018, will argue that the cases — which seek damages for the costs of dealing with climate change effects such as sea-level rise and flooding — should be heard at the state level. The outcome could influence other cases; nine similar climate litigation cases were sent back to the appellate level after the Supreme Court ruling. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hawaii is scheduled to hold arguments Feb. 18 in a similar case… “Attorneys watching the case told E&E the companies are looking at the case as a way to convince the Supreme Court to wade into the merits of climate litigation. “This is an important case,” Bob Percival, director of the University of Maryland’s environmental law program, told E&E. “I don’t think the companies realistically think they’re going to win … but what they’re hoping is to set up a vehicle to go to the Supreme Court and say ‘Now, you can be really aggressive and preempt all climate litigation.’” Percival noted the high court last May made it clear that it was not accepting the industry’s invitation to decide the case on the merits. “They want to get an activist Supreme Court to wipe out the biggest headache facing these oil companies, they desperately want to avoid a trial that would expose to the public what they knew about climate change,” he told E&E.
Colorado Newsline: New financial rules could bring major reform to Colorado oil and gas industry
CHASE WOODRUFF, 1/24/22
“State regulators will begin deliberations this week on a rule change that could fundamentally rewrite the financial bargain that Colorado strikes with oil and gas companies that seek to drill within its borders, potentially altering the course of the industry’s economic future amid rising uncertainty and concern about fossil-fuel-driven climate change,” Colorado Newsline reports. “The latest phase of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s rulemaking on financial assurance, also known as bonding, kicked off with a round of public comment last week. More than 160 members of the public weighed in over two days of testimony… “Financial assurances are the security deposits that oil and gas operators provide to cover potential cleanup costs in the event that a drilling site or other facility is abandoned, or “orphaned” to the state, typically as a result of bankruptcy. Environmental groups have long criticized the amounts required by current COGCC regulations as inadequate. So-called “blanket bonds,” for example, allow oil and gas operators with hundreds of wells statewide to cover their portfolio with a bond of just $100,000. That’s despite the fact that the cost to “plug” and reclaim hundreds of wells — a process that drastically reduces the potential for safety or environmental hazards — would run into the tens of millions… “If the state doesn’t step in now, we’ll be left footing the bill,” warns the ad from Protect Colorado Taxpayers, a group that includes the Sierra Club, ProgressNow Colorado and Colorado Rising. “Gov. Polis, we’re counting on your administration. Please, stand up for families and taxpayers before it’s too late.”
American Press: Lake Charles chosen once again to host World LNG & Gas summit
1/19/22
“The World LNG & Gas Series Americas Summit & Exhibition will be returning to Lake Charles for its 19th edition in October. The city of Lake Charles, Cameron Parish Port District, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, Cameron Parish Police Jury, Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, Port of Lake Charles and Visit Lake Charles are proud to announce that the World LNG & Gas Series: 19th Americas Summit & Exhibition jointly announced the return. Dates for the event are Oct. 18-21… “Southwest Louisiana is a major player in the worldwide LNG industry, so it only seemed fitting for us to work with other local partners to bring the World LNG & Gas Series: America’s Summit to Lake Charles in 2021,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “With two active LNG exporters, another preparing to begin operations in February and an additional five LNG export projects under development, the Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District is undeniably a world leader in the LNG export industry. Our commission is proud to once again co-host the 19th World LNG & Gas Series: Americas Summit & Exhibition,” stated Jimmy Brown, Chairman, Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District… For more information on the Summit, log on to https://lngamericas.cwclng.com.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Aerial surveys detect dozens of methane 'super-emitters' in Permian
By Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom
“Around 30 oil and gas facilities across the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico spewed large amounts of methane for three years, emitting the equivalent climate pollution from half a million cars, according to a report released on Monday,” Reuters reports. “The facilities, which include well pads, pipelines, compressor stations and processing facilities, were observed as "persistently" emitting large volumes of methane over the three years of aerial surveys done by the Environmental Defense Fund and research group Carbon Mapper. These so-called "superemitters," located in the most productive U.S. oil field, only account for .001% of the Permian Basin's oil and gas infrastructure but emit around 100,000 tonnes of methane per year… "The magnitude of emissions coming from a handful of methane sources in one of the top oil and gas producing regions illustrates the opportunity to make significant near-term progress toward the stated methane reduction goals of the US, other countries and companies around the world," Riley Duren, CEO of Carbon Mapper and a researcher at University of Arizona, told Reuters.
Chemical & Engineering News: How Alberta is turning carbon emissions into an advantage
Alexander H. Tullo, 1/24/22
“Corporate planners usually have two main considerations when deciding where to locate big new industrial projects: access to cheap raw materials and proximity to customers. But as corporations and countries develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—down to zero by midcentury, in many cases—a new priority is emerging for planners: choosing a location that allows them to dispose of the carbon dioxide their new facilities will generate,” Chemical & Engineering News reports. “...The Alberta government has been assertive in putting a price on carbon emissions through a taxation and offset system… “The provincial government has also been backing carbon capture and storage infrastructure. The first installation was the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage Project, which opened in 2015. Financed with nearly $700 million from the governments of Alberta and Canada, Quest is designed to capture 1.2 million t per year of CO2 from the Scotford Upgrader, a Shell-operated plant that processes bitumen from Canada’s oil sands. As of 2019, Quest had sequestered 4.8 million t of CO2 2 km underground and generated $280 million in CO2 emission offsets… “The Alberta government has launched a competitive process to grant pore-space rights in saline aquifers for sequestering CO2. And a half-dozen other projects are percolating. For example, Shell is planning a storage project, called Polaris, that would be more than eight times as large as its current Quest operation. Pembina Pipeline and TC Energy are contemplating building 20 million t of annual CO2 storage capacity, representing about 10% of the CO2 emissions of the entire province. As carbon-capture infrastructure develops in Alberta, other regions and countries are looking to get into the game. “The Gulf Coast is going to have carbon capture and sequestration. It’s a question of when and how much,” Edgington told CEN… “Dow’s Stones tells CEN the trends that are beginning in Alberta will spread globally and transform the entire chemical industry. “I would say that long-term globally, the solution that will work is an integrated hub on CO2 and probably with an adjacent integrated hub on hydrogen, just like today’s hub based on natural gas,” he told CEN. “That’s what it will take to drive a 2050-ready petrochemical facility.”
Press release: US carbon hub developer, Carbonvert Inc., partners with participating Treaty Six First Nations, and Kanata Clean Power to address Alberta’s request for equitable carbon sequestration hub proposal
1/21/22
“Carbonvert Inc. is pleased to announce that it has joined participating Treaty Six First Nations, led by founding partners Frog Lake First Nations #121 & #122 and Kehewin Cree Nation, and Kanata Clean Power & Climate Technologies Corp. (“Kanata”) as partners in the Treaty Six-Kanata Carbon Hub Limited Partnership (“T6-Kanata CarbonHub”) to respond to the Province of Alberta’s December 2, 2021, request for full project proposals (“RFPP”) for carbon sequestration hubs. Carbonvert and its partner were recently the sole awardee of the State of Texas General Land Office request for proposals to develop a large-scale CO2 sequestration hub in the Gulf of Mexico. This award of over 40,000 acres is the first offshore regional CO2 transport and storage hub in the Americas. This is one of the largest carbon storage projects in the world. Carbonvert’s senior leadership also has direct experience planning, designing and operating several of the existing CCS global projects that have been built to date, including in Alberta… “This Indigenous-led and owned response to the Government of Alberta’s RFPP for carbon sequestration represents an important step for both Alberta’s emissions reduction and economic reconciliation. T6-Kanata CarbonHub team members are: Participating Mtis and Treaty Six First Nations, some conditionally represented in part by Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. participating nations (“TCVI”); Individual Treaty Six First Nations, including founding partners Frog Lake First Nations #121 and #122, and Kehewin Cree Nation; Kanata (development partner); and Carbonvert (strategic decarbonization partner).”
Press release: Wolinak of Abenaki First Nation and Questerre sign agreement for energy development
1/20/22
“The Council of the First Nation of the Abenakis of Wolinak in Quebec (the “Abenakis of Wolinak”) and Questerre Energy Corporation (“Questerre” or the “Company”) (TSX,OSE:QEC) reported today that they have signed a joint economic development agreement. The joint venture will focus on developing a net-zero emissions energy hub in Quebec. The hub will demonstrate the emerging circular economy through pilot projects that produce clean energy, including zero-emissions gas, and assess new carbon recycling technology. These could include the production of methanol, fertilizer as well as cement additives and other high value products using captured carbon dioxide. The hub will also evaluate the potential for carbon dioxide sequestration as well as the production of clean hydrogen using technology developed by ZEG Power, a Norwegian-based company. Questerre executed a letter of intent with ZEG Power last year to evaluate their proprietary leading-edge technology. Subject to final agreements, the Abenakis of Wolinak will be granted a net profit interest from development on their traditional territories in the Becancour area. The Abenakis of Wolinak will also have the opportunity to acquire a working interest in the exploration licenses from Questerre and directly participate in future development. The parties have committed to the use of local contractors where capacity exists, specifically Wolinak contractors on traditional territories. Based on its previous experience with First Nations in Western Canada, Questerre will use reasonable efforts to help the Abenakis of Wolinak build their contracting capacity.”
Los Angeles Times: L.A. County calls for independent health study of massive natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon
HAYLEY SMITH, 1/20/22
“Los Angeles County health officials are calling for an independent study into the short- and long-term health effects on residents near the San Fernando Valley’s Aliso Canyon, which in 2015 was the site of the largest natural gas blowout in U.S. history,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The county Department of Public Health’s request for proposals, announced Tuesday, seeks third-party researchers to lead the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study, officials said. “We are committed to selecting an independent research group with the broad but also highly specialized expertise needed to shed further light on the health impacts of this catastrophic environmental disaster,” Dr. Paul Simon, the department’s chief science officer, told the Times… “The impact was felt immediately. People living and working nearby suffered from nausea, nosebleeds, skin rashes and breathing problems, and thousands of families had to evacuate their homes. As the leak wore on, video captured by an infrared camera showed clouds of oily gas blanketing the area. Yet many residents have waited years for clearer information about what, specifically, they were exposed to and what the impacts of that exposure may be. Already, some residents have expressed concerns about cancer and other long-term health effects. Some said the announcement felt like too little, too late. “It’s unbelievable that the biggest environmental disaster in the country, which actually exceeds the [Deepwater] Horizon [oil spill] in environmental damage, gets so marginalized and ignored by our agencies,” Matt Pakucko, president of the group Save Porter Ranch, told the Times. “Even if they start in a year, it’s seven years too late.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Press release: Karankawa Kadla and Allies Protest Enbridge Terminal Expansion at Project’s Major Funder Bank of America’s Austin Location
1/21/22
“On January 22nd, the Karankawa Kadla and allies will be holding a protest against the Enbridge terminal expansion in Corpus Christi outside of Bank of America on 2501 S Congress Ave, Austin, Texas from 1:00-3:00 pm. As part of an active lawsuit against Enbridge, the largest transporter of crude oil and tar sands in the nation, the Karankawa Kadla and allies are organizing protests across Texas to stop the development of the Enbridge terminal. They seek accountability from Enbridge and Bank of America, one of the major funders of the expansion, for developing on Indigenous land without consent and the environmental destruction of the Gulf Coast. The Enbridge terminal expansion is planned to be constructed in the ancestral settlement and land of the Karankawa Kadla, where thousands of sacred Karankawa artifacts remain and ceremony and prayer have continued for the past 2,000 years. If the expansion of the Enbridge terminal on Karankawa land continues, the Karankawa Kadla will lose direct access to their land and ancestral artifacts in addition to the pollution of sacred natural waters within the region, violating several U.S. water protection laws. “The fossil fuel industry that’s trying to expand on Corpus Christi bay is going to be challenged at every angle. We have been challenging them since 2015 and have made strides. But now, we are getting organized, we are getting educated, and we are not going anywhere. Expect the same energy our ancestors had when colonizers stepped foot on the shoreline. Together with family & allies we will continue and January 22, 2022, is monumental in my opinion. It’s the first time we are being seen and heard,” said Love Sanchez, Karankawa.”
Pensions & Investments: New York fund takes long road on fossil fuels
ROBERT STEYER, 1/24/22
“When the New York State Teachers' Retirement System, Albany, announced its strategy last month for fossil fuel investing, the decision represented a delicate balancing act between environmental stewardship and fiduciary responsibility,” Pensions & Investments reports. “The highlights of the Dec. 28 announcement included divesting $66.3 million in thermal coal assets "in a timely and prudent manner" and freezing $1.04 billion in certain investments covering thermal coal, oil, gas and oil sands. The pension system has $3.8 billion in fossil fuel investments — or 2.7% of total plan assets — based on the Global Industry Classification Standard asset categories provided by MSCI Inc. and S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. The pension system's strategy was the product of 16 months of research and the hiring of consultants, plus meetings with legislators, state regulators and environmentalists. The common theme of those meetings was to explain how the pension system's governing board "was thoughtfully and diligently going through a deliberative process to consider complex ESG matters and how they relate to the system's long-term investments and the board's fiduciary responsibility," Thomas K. Lee, the executive director and CIO of the $148.1 billion pension system, told P&I… “On Dec. 20, eight days before the pension system unveiled its ESG strategy, several environmental groups filed a complaint with the Department of Financial Services accusing the system of failing to manage climate risk, adding that it "may be in breach" of state insurance regulations and a state law covering retirement. The groups asked the department in its audit to make sure the pension system develops and implements "a comprehensive and transparent plan to prudently divest from fossil fuels."
OPINION
Traverse City Record-Eagle: Opinion: Line 5 tunnel provides illusion of safety
Barbara Stamiris, of Traverse City, is a long-time environmental activist. She serves on the board of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, is a member of the League of Women Voters and is active with Oil and Water Don’t Mix, 1/20/22
“A Jan. 13 op-ed by an Enbridge executive published with the headline “Tunnel would ensure safety, longevity of Line 5.” But magical thinking does not build a 20-foot diameter tunnel below a still-operating Line 5. The tunnel boring must be flawless, and the old line must hold up, or the Great Lakes will be devastated,” Barbara Stamiris writes for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. “A tunnel does not address the remaining 640 miles of Line 5 across Michigan, which have already leaked 33 times. Also, the 99-year oil tunnel would be for Canadian corporate profit, not for U.S. need… “The unstated, but increasingly apparent, reason for the tunnel proposal is to keep Line 5 earning Enbridge almost $2 million a day for as long as possible. A tunnel provides the illusion of safety while having the opposite effect. It keeps a dangerous pipeline operating 20 years beyond its 50-year design-life. Enbridge, like any corporation, exists to profit. Well-planned delay strategies have enabled Enbridge to earn billions while years of taxpayer funded studies and lawsuits about a tunnel drag on. Thus, the promise of a tunnel works for Enbridge, even if it is never built. If built, the Line 5 tunnel would serve Canada for another century at U.S. expense. The U.S. only uses a small fraction of the Canadian oil and seeks to reduce, not extend, its dependence on fossil fuels. Yet according to the 2018 tunnel agreement, Michigan is to own the oil tunnel upon completion and lease it to Enbridge for 99 years… “Shutting down Line 5 would be a win-win. It would protect the Great Lakes today, and it would protect the climate from fossil fuels tomorrow.”
The Hill: The Fed has a clear mandate to mitigate climate risks
Todd Phillips is the director of financial regulation and corporate governance at the Center for American Progress, 1/22/22
“In a Senate Banking Committee hearing last week, ranking member Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) warned the Federal Reserve against “stray[ing] from its mandate” by addressing “politically-charged areas like global warming,” Todd Phillips writes for Todd Phillips. “If this politicization continues unchecked,” the senator threatened, “it will not end well for the Fed.” These comments are clearly targeted at the likes of Sarah Bloom Raskin, President Biden’s nominee to be the Federal Reserve’s chief bank regulator, who has publicly called for the institution to ensure a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy without disruptions to the financial system. Toomey is just plain wrong. Addressing banks’ climate risks is core to the Federal Reserve’s legal mandate. In fact, to ignore climate change and the risks it poses would be contrary to their congressionally given mandates. Doing so would not end well for the Fed — or the economy… “Ensuring banks can weather the climate crisis is key to the Federal Reserve fulfilling these legal obligations, as climate-related risks are a new form of systemic risk that can have severe consequences on financial stability. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States saw “20 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters” in 2021 with damages totaling about $145 billion, and there is little doubt those disasters affected the financial system. Banks face exposure to climate-related risks from acute and chronic physical damages and productivity losses, known as physical risk, as well as from the ongoing transition away from high-carbon industries and growing legal liability, known as transition risk.”
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Oil drilling near homes is dangerous and unhealthy. California should end the practice
BY THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, 1/24/22
“Despite its reputation as a global climate leader with tough environmental standards, California has lagged when it comes to protecting its own people from the impacts of oil drilling,” the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board writes. “The state has allowed companies to extract oil essentially wherever they please — near homes and schools, child care centers and hospitals — exposing millions in mostly low-income communities of color to health-damaging pollution and noise. But last fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his administration would move forward with a ban on new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and healthcare facilities, joining other states like Colorado that already require health-protective buffers between drilling and homes and schools. The rule, while a big step forward for a state that has for too long dismissed pleas from frontline communities to curtail neighborhood drilling, does too little to address existing operations and must be strengthened if it is to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives… “The plan’s major shortcoming is that it would only prohibit new drilling, meaning existing oil wells and other production facilities will be able to continue operating near homes and schools. Though the proposal would require new pollution controls on existing operations, those measures would not do enough to address serious and ongoing risks to people’s health and the environment. That exemption is also at odds with the recommendations of the scientific advisory panel that the 3,200-foot buffer should apply to both new and existing operations… “State regulators should look to local governments for inspiration, including Culver City and Los Angeles County, which have already taken more aggressive steps to phase out all drilling, not just near homes and schools. Hard-hit communities from Wilmington and Baldwin Hills to Kern County have suffered too long and cannot wait years or decades more for cleaner air and safer neighborhoods. California should be a climate leader in its own backyard.”
Scientific American: To Fully Mitigate Climate Change, We Need to Curb Methane Emissions
Sean Casten is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Sixth District of Illinois. He is an engineer by training and a member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, 1/21/22
“It’s been more than two months since the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act—a bill that would make desperately needed and decades-overdue strides toward the U.S. meeting its moral responsibility to combat the climate crisis. But instead of moving into a new year on the hope that would come with the Senate passing and President Biden signing this historic legislation into law, I’m terrified—and furious—that we’re tripping at the finish line,” Rep. Sean Casten writes for Scientific American. “...If we want to have a shot at meeting that goal, we must find a way to implement the provisions in the House version of the Build Back Better Act that science tells us will reduce emissions quickly, cheaply and most dramatically. One of the most critical and expedient moves we can make is to reduce methane emissions… “But we can’t get there on executive action alone. While eliminating methane emissions is essential to our fight against climate change building the leak monitoring system that Build Back Better currently calls for would create tens of thousands of jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors and spur hundreds of billions in economic growth… “As Congress forges a path forward on the Build Back Better Act, its crucial the methane fee program is prioritized. The planet demands this action, and the planet’s governments need the U.S. to lead. This is our moment. Let’s seize it.”