EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/4/23
PIPELINE NEWS
UpNorthLive: Permit for Line 5 tunnel under Straits of Mackinac approved with conditions
Common Dreams: 'Disastrous': Michigan Regulators Approve Enbridge Line 5 Expansion
Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline opponents seek relief from U.S. Supreme Court
DTN Progressive Farmer: Carbon Pipeline Politics: South Dakota and Iowa Pipeline Critics Gear up for 2024 Elections
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Vivek Ramaswamy condemns eminent domain, carbon capture pipelines
KCRG: Election 2024: Vivek Ramaswamy speaks out against proposed carbon capture pipelines
WHO: Presidential politics step into pipeline debate
Iowa Capital Dispatch: North Dakota will hold hearing on pipeline ordinances this month
Bloomberg: Mountain Valley Pipeline Owner Explores Options Including Sale
WHRO: Federal regulators approve Hampton Roads pipeline expansion
Midland Reporter Telegram: Enbridge plans open season for Gray Oak expansion
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: ExxonMobil partners with oil transportation firm for joint pipeline venture in Louisiana
River Reporter: Bill to prevent pipeline leaks depends on voluntary information sharing
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Lever: Internal Doc Reveals Biden’s Troubling Climate Summit Plans
E&E News: Court may determine FERC oversight of ‘responsibly sourced’ gas
OilPrice.com: Surging LNG Exports Expose The U.S. To Natural Gas Price Swings
E&E News: Biden $26M Oil Sale Gets Pushback On Multiple Fronts
Beaumont Enterprise: Gulf Drilling Faces Reckoning As Biden Administration Scales Back Leasing
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Carbon capture benefits plans in the works
Davis Enterprise: Carbon capture debate heats up on campus
Louisiana Illuminator: Lake Maurepas carbon capture project draws increasing opposition
Santa Fe New Mexican: N.M. Tech mines a new idea: Storing carbon dioxide underground
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: LSU researchers developing sensors to detect carbon capture leaks
MIT Technology Review: The University of California has all but dropped carbon offsets—and thinks you should, too
Energy News Network: Opponents appeal decision to allow drilling under Ohio state parks and wildlife areas
EXTRACTION
Reuters: UN chief says ending fossil fuel use is only way to save burning planet
Associated Press: At COP28 meeting, oil companies pledge to combat methane. Environmentalists call it a “smokescreen”
Wall Street Journal: Big Oil Bets on Hot Air in Climate Talks
The Hill: Biden administration issues rule to cut methane emissions from oil and gas
E&E News: With Methane Rule Looming, Oil And Gas Drillers Launch Objections
Press release: Canadian Gas Industry announces new Methane Management Coalition
Reuters: COP28: Exxon Mobil CEO rebuffs IEA criticism of carbon capture strategy
Washington Post: Why countries are fighting over whether to phase ‘out’ or phase ‘down’ fossil fuels
New York Times: 22 Countries Pledge to Triple Nuclear Capacity in Push to Cut Fossil Fuels
Washington Post: Companies made big climate pledges. Now they are balking on delivering.
Reuters: Explainer: Can technology solve the global climate crisis?
Science News: A new UN report lays out an ethical framework for climate engineering
Bloomberg: Industries Stuck in ‘Transition Traps’ Get Support From UN
Financial Times: Litigation proves limited in curbing Big Oil emissions
Carbon Herald: Commonwealth LNG Signs Carbon Capture and Storage MOU With OnStream CO2
The Real News: ‘KILLER WATER’: THE TOXIC TRUTH ABOUT ALBERTA’S OIL SANDS CANADA IS HIDING
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Braving a winter night to shine a spotlight on youth homelessness
HeartFM.ca: SWOX Fire Receives Cheque from Enbridge Gas
OPINION
Cleburne Times Review: Letter: Please note strategic disinformation in Nov. 19 Enbridge Line 5 Forum
Wisconsin State Journal: Pipeline exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions -- Bruce Beck
New Hampshire Union Leader: Letter: No Project Maple. No fracked gas
Edmonton Journal: Carbon capture or corporate welfare?
Globe and Mail: Alberta to the world: We’ll take your greenhouse gas emissions
San Francisco Chronicle: Big Oil says it’s working to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Not true
Houston Chronicle: Big Oil controls climate change talks to protect fossil fuels despite demands to eliminate them
PIPELINE NEWS
UpNorthLive: Permit for Line 5 tunnel under Straits of Mackinac approved with conditions
Daniel Zivian, 12/3/23
“A major development happened on Friday in the Line 5 saga. After years of planning, debate, protests and legal battles, the Michigan Public Services Commission approved Enbridge Energy's permit to replace the existing Line 5 at the Straits of Mackinac by building a tunnel beneath the channel,” UpNorthLive reports. “Friday's MPSC meeting drew more attention than most because of the permit approval. With hundreds watching in-person and online, the commission gave Enbridge the green light. "A leak from those lines would be even worse than Enbridge’s 2010 oil spill into Talmadge Creek in the Kalamazoo River, the worst inland oil spill in U.S. history," said MPSC chairperson Dan Scripps. "Among the broad range of options and alternatives considered, relocating the Straits segment of Line 5 to a tunnel beneath the lakebed was the preferred option," Scripps said… “The full order is 350-pages long and, as MPSC engineer Travis Warner explained, has restrictions… “The order requires Enbridge to provide the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority with a detailed risk management plan for the tunnel’s design," Warner said… “The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has recommended that Line 5 be decommissioned and stated that the pipeline "presents a real and credible threat to the treaty-protected fishing rights of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada." "I want to thank the other intervening parties, and particularly the sovereign Tribal Nations, for the expertise they shared in developing the record of this case," Scripps said… “But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers still has their decision to make, which might not come for another two years.”
Common Dreams: 'Disastrous': Michigan Regulators Approve Enbridge Line 5 Expansion
JULIA CONLEY, 12/1/23
“Days after climate advocates applauded Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's signing of a package of clean energy bills that one campaigner said would "translate into better air, water, and health for everyone," state regulators took several steps back from a sustainable future as they approved a key permit for Enbridge's Line 5 expansion project beneath the Great Lakes,” Common Dreams reports. “In a 2-0 vote with one member abstaining, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approved siting for the project, granting Canadian oil firm Enbridge permission to build a concrete tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac—which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron—to house a four-mile section of its 645-mile petroleum pipeline. The company can't break ground on the project without approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which isn't expected to announce its decision until 2026, but Indigenous tribes and advocacy groups that have fought for years to stop the pipeline from being built expressed outrage that the commission approved the permit despite well-documented objections. All federally recognized tribes in Michigan have passed resolutions opposing Line 5, which safety experts have warned puts the Great Lakes at risk for a massive explosion and oil spill. "Today's decision is another notch in a long history of ignoring the rights of tribal nations," said Whitney Gravelle, president of the Bay Mills Indian Community. "We must act now to protect the peoples of the Great Lakes from an oil spill, to lead our communities out of the fossil fuel era, and to preserve the shared lands and waters in Michigan for all of us." Tribes have said the project would violate their treaty rights and that Enbridge has not proven it can operate the tunnel safely. The company's Line 6B oil spill in 2010 contaminated nearly 40 miles of the Kalamazoo River… "With this action, the Michigan Public Service Commission is putting Michigan in uncharted, dangerous territory while ignoring warnings by independent industry experts who testified during the MPSC's proceedings," said Sean McBrearty, a campaign coordinator for Oil and Water Don’t Mix. "Never before has an oil tunnel that also carries other hazardous liquids been built in one of the most ecologically sensitive spots on Earth." “...Christopher Clark, senior attorney for Earthjustice, which represented Bay Mills as it presented its case objecting to Line 5 to the MPSC, said the commission ignored "the concerns of tribal communities in favor of the profit of a fossil fuel company." "The evidence before the commission demonstrated that the proposed tunnel would put the Great Lakes region at serious risk and profoundly endanger the identity and lifeways of the Bay Mills Indian Community, a sovereign tribal nation whose relationship to these waters preexists the United States," said Clark. "We will use every open avenue to shut down Line 5 in order to avert an environmental catastrophe and slow the unthinkable impacts of climate change.”
Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline opponents seek relief from U.S. Supreme Court
Laurence Hammack, 12/2/23
“A last-gasp legal attempt to slow the Mountain Valley Pipeline is now before the U.S. Supreme Court,” the Roanoke Times reports. “Last Wednesday, the owners of property that was taken by eminent domain for the divisive project filed an emergency injunction request, asking the Supreme Court to pause construction while their case is heard by a lower court. Although it may be too late to pose a significant setback for the nearly completed pipeline, the request frames the issue of eminent domain in a broader context that could affect future cases. “From the Bronx to the Appalachians, from the inner cities to John Denver’s country roads, these forced takings have been dismal failures,” Roanoke attorney Mia Yugo wrote on behalf of the landowners. Filed just two days before the death of Sandra Day O’Connor, the application quotes the former Supreme Court justice as saying that government-sanctioned seizures of private land for economic gain “have resulted in abandoned malls and failed projects, all in the name of efficiency and progress.” In a legal odyssey that began nearly four years ago, the owners of three pieces of property – in Montgomery, Roanoke and Franklin counties – contest Mountain Valley’s use of eminent domain. Their lawsuit contends that Congress improperly delegated its power to seize private land to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees the construction of natural gas pipelines. FERC then gave that eminent domain authority to Mountain Valley, after finding there was a public need for the gas it will transport… “In asking the Supreme Court to pause construction on the three properties at issue, Yugo argued that Congress violated the Constitution when it passed the Natural Gas Act, which delegated the power of eminent domain to unelected government officials and private companies. “The Constitution does not contort itself to achieve progress, pipelines or profit margins,” the petition states. “The Constitution does not account for such concerns. But it cares a great deal about individual liberty.” The landowners – Cletus and Beverly Bohon in Montgomery County, Robert and Aimee Hamm in Roanoke County and Wendell and Mary Flora in Franklin County – would be irreparably harmed if construction continues on their property while their lawsuit is pending, the petition asserts… “In general, such injunctions have been granted “quite infrequently” by the Supreme Court, Xiao Wang, a professor at the University of Virginia who heads the law school’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, told the Times. But Wang told the Times there has been a shifting landscape in recent years in which the high court has been more willing to consider emergency litigation. Further, some of the current justices have shown an appetite for the kind of non-delegation questions raised by Yugo. “It is thus possible that those factors would give these plaintiffs a greater prospect for relief,” Wang wrote in an email.”
DTN Progressive Farmer: Carbon Pipeline Politics: South Dakota and Iowa Pipeline Critics Gear up for 2024 Elections
Chris Clayton, 12/1/23
“South Dakota farmers and others are ramping up for the next salvos in the battles over carbon pipelines in the 2024 legislatures and the polls,” DTN Progressive Farmer reports. “A landowners' rights panel at the South Dakota Farmers Union annual meeting this week focused on counties that have developed local ordinances creating setbacks for carbon pipelines. Some of the local setback ordinances for carbon pipelines range from 1,500 feet from property lines to as much as a half-mile -- each of which effectively halted Summit Carbon Solutions' plans this past year. "I encourage everybody without a hazardous pipeline ordinance to talk to your commissioners and talk to your planning and zoning commissioners," said Suzanne Smith, a county commissioner in Spink County. "Whether a pipeline is going through your county or not, you should have an ordinance for it." “...With the Navigator pipeline now canceled, landowner groups see a new chance in an election year to pick up more backing to strengthen eminent domain laws. "This is a golden opportunity that can't be squandered," Brian Jorde, an attorney for the Domina Law Group in Omaha, told DTN. He said there's a stronger change in an election year to push "common-sense, eminent domain reform in the legislative session." Jorde added, "We have the momentum at this point." “...Jorde warned about efforts from companies to use the rulemaking process to limit local and state control over those pipelines. "They are trying to do an end-run federally right now around all of us," he told DTN. "We can't think the federal government's going to save us, they're just not." Jorde and others said the major driver behind pipelines is not reducing emissions for the ethanol industry but capturing federal tax credits known as 45Q, which are now worth as much as $85 a ton. "At the end of the day, they want to take land from you so they can make billions of dollars," Jorde told DTN. "A private company should not be able to tell you that because they can make more money with your ground than you do, they should be able to take your land from you."
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Vivek Ramaswamy condemns eminent domain, carbon capture pipelines
Caleb McCullough, 12/1/23
“Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday criticized plans to build carbon capture pipelines across Iowa as an abuse of eminent domain and questioned the climate change goals the pipelines promise to advance,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “The Ohio biotech entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate was joined at the Des Moines rally by state lawmakers who have led efforts to restrict eminent domain authority for the pipelines, as well as activists who have opposed their construction on their land. Ramaswamy said Iowa’s Republican leaders have supported the pipelines’ construction despite the opposition of voters. “Why are the Republican puppets that claim to represent you, why are they supporting this issue, or even worse, ignoring it?” he said. Ramaswamy said the driving force behind his attention to the issue was the possibility of using eminent domain to involuntarily take land — through easements — to build pipelines… “Ramaswamy has focused more attention on the carbon capture pipeline issue this week and has taken shots at Republican figures for not forcefully opposing the projects. That criticism includes Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has supported the carbon pipeline projects because of their potential to boost Iowa agriculture, though she has said eminent domain should be used only as a last resort… “Other candidates have touched on the issue throughout the campaign, including former President Donald Trump, who told voters in Council Bluffs, “We’re working on that” in response to a question about the pipelines, according to NBC News… “Lisa Dirks, one of many involved landowners who attended the pipeline event Friday, told the Gazette Ramaswamy's statements about the carbon capture pipelines has made her seriously consider him as a caucus choice, though she still is undecided.”
KCRG: Election 2024: Vivek Ramaswamy speaks out against proposed carbon capture pipelines
Conner Hendricks, 12/1/23
“Only two Republican presidential candidates publicly say they’re opposed to the land for these proposed pipelines being taken by eminent domain - Ryan Binkley and Vivek Ramaswamy,” KCRG reports. “Ramaswamy says he came to his stance after months of listening to Iowans on the issue. “We’re not going to stop until we actually get a solid answer on what the heck is the objective here. How does it advance the public interest? I don’t think it does and I stand for speaking that hard truth,” Ramaswamy said… “Ramaswamy says that isn’t just an Iowa issue. “But a lot of it’s not just a state’s issue when the subsidy is coming from the federal government. So it’s a state issue and a federal issue. So what I would do is I swear an oath to the Constitution. I don’t think that subsidy could be paid by the federal government to actors that are using unconstitutional eminent domain. That’s what I would stand for,” Ramaswamy said. Sheryl Soden’s family farm in Kossuth County would be affected by the pipeline. Soden told KCRG even if it wasn’t her family farm, she still views it as an attack on agriculture. “Our farmers are the salt of the earth. We need to preserve every farm that we have. We need the young people coming up, and if a farm is destroyed, the young son coming up he’s not going to want to want to farm that,” Soden told KCRG… “Soden told KCRG she wants Trump to come out against the pipelines too. “He has to. If he wants to win Iowa, he has to,” Soden told KCRG.
WHO: Presidential politics step into pipeline debate
Roger Riley, 12/1/23
“Vivek Ramaswamy is running for the Republican presidential nomination. On Friday he took a detour to wade into an issue that a number of farmers and land owners are dealing with across the state — a proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline,” WHO reports. “A group called the Iowa Soil Coalition held the meeting with Ramaswamy and former Iowa congressman Steve King… “This is not about protecting the ethanol industry, in fact, this is one of the most long-term harmful deals to the ethanol industry. It’s bending the knee to markets that eventually will cause it to cease to exist,” said Ramaswamy. The group also heard from a landowner that would be affected by the pipeline since Summit wants to utilize eminent domain. “We have six parcels affected by Summit Carbon Solutions so we are on their exhibit list, which means that they want to use the domain on us,” said Cathy Stockdale, a Hardin County Farmer. “If there is a leak on our farm, we will be dead. We are in the kill zone.” “...What really stood out to me, was the use of eminent domain, the idea that, they were going to use our money to advance some other agenda that didn’t advance American interest to what end? Capture carbon dioxide and burying it in the ground? Come on this is one of many jokes that we’ve adopted in this country,” said Ramaswamy. “The GOP establishment does NOT approve of this message, and it’s pathetic I’m the only candidate to say it.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: North Dakota will hold hearing on pipeline ordinances this month
JARED STRONG, 12/1/23
“A hearing to discuss whether utility regulators in North Dakota should overrule county ordinances that limit the placement of a carbon dioxide pipeline is set for Dec. 21,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The North Dakota Public Service Commission is in the process of reconsidering an application by Summit Carbon Solutions, which seeks to build a five-state pipeline system to transport the captured greenhouse gas from ethanol plants to North Dakota for underground storage. The newly scheduled hearing concerns ordinances in Burleigh and Emmons counties that restrict how close the pipelines can be located to cities, houses, livestock facilities and other sites. Summit has argued they are so restrictive that they might prevent the project. Commissioners have indicated they are divided on the issue, and Summit seeks a ruling early in the reconsideration process because of the effects it will have on its proposed route… “It’s unclear how long the reconsideration process in North Dakota will take. State law does not dictate a timeline. The commission has not yet received all of the information it has requested from Summit about its revisions to the project, Victor Schock, the commission’s director of public utilities, told the Dispatch. After it does, the commission is likely to hold at least two further hearings to solicit feedback about the proposal. A company spokesperson was unsure when the rest of the information will be submitted… “In South Dakota, the company plans to file a new permit application. Company spokesperson Sabrina Zenor told the Dispatch an altered route for that state has not yet been finalized.”
Bloomberg: Mountain Valley Pipeline Owner Explores Options Including Sale
Kiel Porter and Matthew Monks, 12/1/23
“Equitrans Midstream Corp. is in the early stages of exploring a potential sale, people familiar with the matter said, potentially adding to a flurry of pipeline deals in North America,” Bloomberg reports. “The operator of natural gas pipelines across the country, including the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline project, is working with an adviser as it weighs a range of strategic options, according to the people. Equitrans would likely attract interest from industry peers should it opt to launch a sales process in early 2024, the people told Bloomberg… “With the pipeline nearing completion, exploring a potential sale makes sense, Citi analyst Spiro Dounis said in a note.”
WHRO: Federal regulators approve Hampton Roads pipeline expansion
Katherine Hafner, 12/1/23
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline that stretches through southwest Hampton Roads,” WHRO reports. “Canada-based TC Energy can now start constructing what it calls the Virginia Reliability Project. The company plans to dig up, replace and double the size of about 50 miles of existing pipeline, stretching from Chesapeake and Suffolk through Isle of Wight to Sussex and Surry counties. TC Energy, which supplies Virginia Natural Gas, says the project is meant to accommodate growing regional energy demands. “Hampton Roads desperately is at capacity for natural gas,” spokesperson Alex Stroman said last year. “Things like offshore wind need natural gas. And natural gas and renewables work hand-in-glove.” “...A Huffington Post investigation last year revealed emails in which the company appeared to have drafted letters of support for local mayors — including Chesapeake’s Rick West and Virginia Beach's Bobby Dyer — to send to FERC. Local environmental groups and civic leagues have strongly opposed the expansion, calling it the “Virginia Ripoff Project.” They argued that the region should not double down on investing in fossil fuel infrastructure and cited environmental justice concerns about lower-income communities along the proposed route. The Nansemond Indian Nation also expressed concerns that the project could impact its ancestral homelands around the Nansemond River and Great Dismal Swamp — but the tribe withdrew its objections this fall after reaching an agreement with TC Energy… “One of FERC’s commissioners partially dissented on the project’s approval this month, citing the inability to assess those emissions.”
Midland Reporter Telegram: Enbridge plans open season for Gray Oak expansion
Mella McEwen, 12/2/23
“Surging oil and natural gas production from the Permian Basin, combined with continued growth in global demand, have midstream operators taking action to increase takeaway capacity,” according to the Midland Reporter Telegram. “Enterprise Products Partners last month announced plans to invest $3.1 billion in four capital projects to support Permian Basin growth and transport natural gas liquids. Now Enbridge is making moves. Enbridge Chief Executive Officer Greg Ebel said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call the company would have an open season for its Gray Oak Pipeline expansion, set to be initiated by the end of the year. “We continue to work on an open season for the Gray Oak Pipeline expansion,” a spokesman for Enbridge told the Reporter-Telegram by email. In his comments, Ebel said Enbridge “will offer full-path service via exports through Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center.” The spokesman told the Reporter-Telegram that "full path" indeed means moving Permian Basin production, via pipeline, to the Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center, which is the largest light crude export facility, by volume, in the country.”
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: ExxonMobil partners with oil transportation firm for joint pipeline venture in Louisiana
Domenic Purdy, 12/1/23
“A Texas-based oil transportation and storage firm is partnering with ExxonMobil to expand its operations through a Louisiana pipeline with terminals,” according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. “According to a Friday morning press release, the partnership between ExxonMobil and Sentinel Midstream, the second joint venture between the two companies, will be called Enercoast Midstream Louisiana. Enercoast will provide pipeline connectivity between crude oil terminals in Raceland, St. James and Anchorage, Louisiana. For the partnership, ExxonMobil contributed two existing crude oil pipelines—a 16-inch crude pipeline originating at St. James with a delivery point at Anchorage, and a 16-inch crude pipeline originating at Raceland and St. James with a delivery point at Anchorage. With the Anchorage delivery points, these pipelines will connect the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge, Placid and Delek Krotz Springs refineries.”
River Reporter: Bill to prevent pipeline leaks depends on voluntary information sharing
12/3/23
“U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19) recently introduced the Voluntary Information-Sharing System Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to prevent gas pipeline leaks,” according to the River Reporter. “New York’s 19th Congressional District, which includes Sullivan County, is home to natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines that provide energy and heat to communities across the region. Molinaro’s bill establishes a voluntary system to encourage pipeline operators to share information with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) that will be used to create a comprehensive database for safety information and recommendations. “This bill encourages pipeline operators to work with – not against – its regulator,” Molinaro said.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Lever: Internal Doc Reveals Biden’s Troubling Climate Summit Plans
Rishika Pardikar, 11/30/23
“The United States and the European Union (EU) are usually close allies at the world’s annual climate negotiations — but according to internal documents obtained by The Lever, tensions have arisen between the two blocs in the run-up to this year’s summit. As world leaders head to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, this week, the U.S. is undermining efforts to set stringent standards for a new global carbon market that would allow polluters to help fund carbon-reduction efforts to compensate for their emissions. According to the Nov. 8 background paper, written by an executive working group in the Council of the European Union, the U.S. is backing a largely unregulated, voluntary system of trading emission offsets, even though such voluntary schemes have been plagued by questionable climate benefits, harms to indigenous communities, and outright corruption. The authors write, “In our view, accepting a standard based on the [voluntary carbon market] may hinder the independence and trust that compliance carbon markets need to contribute towards the achievement of international climate goals.” Experts say the U.S. is going this route, rather than backing a more stringent United Nations (U.N.)-regulated carbon market favored by the EU and other stakeholders, because the Biden administration is hoping private-sector climate solutions and corporate responsibility will help gloss over the fact that the country is continuing to break records for fossil fuel production and is the biggest laggard in terms of paying its fair share of finance for the emissions it has wrought on the world. “The U.S. government has trouble delivering climate finance and now basically sees private investment, including [through] carbon markets, as an opportunity to showcase that they are delivering climate finance,” Sven Harmeling, international climate policy coordinator for the non-profit coalition Climate Action Network Europe, told The Lever. “But we know that [money via carbon markets] is not climate finance. Climate finance means public funding.”
E&E News: Court may determine FERC oversight of ‘responsibly sourced’ gas
Niina H. Farah, 12/1/23
“A federal appeals court Thursday appeared unconvinced that natural gas producers could push energy regulators to oversee virtual markets for selling fuel that is labeled as less harmful to the climate,” E&E News reports. “During oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, gas producers argued that their case against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the potential to shape access to the burgeoning market for low-emissions fuels certified as “responsibly sourced” — and could affect the ability of companies that use climate-friendly production methods to command premium prices for their products. But judges of the D.C. Circuit grilled the gas producers about how they had been harmed by FERC… “The question before the court is whether FERC improperly gave the green light for Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s optional virtual market for the certified gas… “The judges pushed back on the claims of economic harm. “You presume people would be willing to pay more for the most environmentally conscious gas,” said Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, an Obama pick… “The system created by Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s market “isn’t about moving molecules through the pipelines,” Banta said. “It’s an administrative fiction.” The system is also separate from analyzing the physical quality of the gas during delivery. The certification only focuses on the amount of methane emitted during production.”
OilPrice.com: Surging LNG Exports Expose The U.S. To Natural Gas Price Swings
Tsvetana Paraskova, 12/3/23
“Soaring U.S. LNG exports have made natural gas a global commodity and the United States vulnerable to global price volatility. As American exports of liquefied natural gas are set to grow further this decade, the once-isolated U.S. natural gas prices will become increasingly linked to the pace of LNG exports and global supply and demand,” OilPrice.com reports. “...With more domestically produced natural gas feeding export facilities and helping Europe stock up on LNG, U.S. natural gas prices rose last year, and gas home heating bills were high amid higher wholesale and retail gas prices, which utilities passed on to customers. This year, as the shocks of the energy crisis elsewhere subsided and gas prices fell, U.S. wholesale natural gas prices have fallen back to the levels from before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, "many residential utilities are still, to this day, charging their customers near-record fees for gas," Clark Williams-Derry, energy finance analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), wrote this week… "With U.S. LNG exports slated to almost double over the next 5 years, U.S. ratepayers should brace themselves for more volatility," Williams-Derry says, and offers a solution, according to IEEFA: "Curtail new gas export projects. We've already dug ourselves into a hole. The smartest thing to do now is to stop digging." But the U.S. is set for LNG capacity expansion this decade, and its exports will further increase next year as two export terminals come online-Golden Pass in Texas and Plaquemines in Louisiana… “With LNG a global commodity, U.S. residential consumers are not as isolated from global price swings and supply and demand as they were just a few years ago.”
E&E News: Biden $26M Oil Sale Gets Pushback On Multiple Fronts
Heather Richards, 12/1/23
“Oil sales on public lands netted nearly $26 million this week in Wyoming and New Mexico, rejuvenating criticism from both environmentalists and industry of the Biden administration’s auctions,” E&E News reports. “The oil sales, which are occurring during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, also underscore that the nation’s oil and gas program continues to garner industry interest despite the administration’s ambivalence to continued drilling on public lands. This year, the U.S. is expected to set an annual record for oil production. Public oil and gas output has also reached record highs. As of September, the Biden administration permitted nearly 4,000 new onshore oil and gas wells for the fiscal year, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Most of the auction revenue this week came from New Mexico. Just nine parcels for sale in the southeastern oil fields of the state generated nearly $22.5 million, according to preliminary counts Thursday, reflecting the strong oil and gas interest along New Mexico’s border with Texas.”
Beaumont Enterprise: Gulf Drilling Faces Reckoning As Biden Administration Scales Back Leasing
James Osborne, 11/30/23
“Three years after President Joe Biden came into office pledging to end oil and gas production on federal lands and waters, the Gulf of Mexico, the largest offshore oil field over which the U.S. government has authority, is closing in on its highest production level since 2019,” the Beaumont Enterprise reports. “But the longer term future of the Gulf’s oil and gas industry, a mainstay of the Texas and Louisiana economies, is falling into increasing question after the Biden administration announced in September it was scaling back oil and gas leasing in the Gulf from twice a year to just once every two years. Oil companies maintain that without regular leasing by the federal government, the costs and risk of drilling the depths of the Gulf will increase, potentially pushing investment to oil fields abroad. “Conversations are already happening,” Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, told the Enterprise. “You see the potential for a service company to ask whether it’s worth putting money into their facilities in the U.S. when there’s less lease sales and should we shift to South America and Asia.”
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Carbon capture benefits plans in the works
JOHN COX, 12/2/23
“A new kind of social contract is beginning to take shape in Kern as local oil producers engage with community and labor groups on how to make sure giant carbon capture projects the companies have proposed in the county would balance potential drawbacks with measurable benefits,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “The benefits work is required under last year's federal Inflation Reduction Act, which in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of subsidies calls for operators of direct-air capture hubs to share their prosperity with neighbors in an equitable way. Drafts of so-called community benefits plans have not been disclosed publicly, either because early negotiations with federal authorities could revise the documents or because the projects are too early in their development to offer much detail. But oil producers say privately their options may include financial contributions toward pre-apprenticeship programs offered by labor unions, scholarships, college internships, workforce development programs, support for entrepreneurs, contracting certification drives and greater investment in STEM education. The benefits plans under design locally and across the country would eventually become formal agreements the Biden administration deems critical to a fair transition to lower-carbon energy, with long-lasting impacts and particular relevance for counties like Kern that are considered overburdened by pollution. The plans would, at least indirectly, address the skepticism that continues to pose a challenge to direct-air capture, or DAC, which is designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, instead of pulling it from smokestacks, and inject it permanently deep underground… “The company's community benefits plan is being led by the Kern Community College District, whose California Renewable Energy Laboratory has hosted meetings in Arvin, Taft and Shafter, sometimes drawing more than 100 people. One group that has viewed the process with suspicion, the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, has taken no official position on DAC activity generally but questions whether oil companies should lead the work, given the industry's efforts to block buffer zones state lawmakers approved last year between oil field operations and sensitive sites like homes… “CRPE staff attorney Dan Ress told the Californian there's no sense among members of the group that DAC operators are out to help the community, and that it doesn't help that no official information about the plans has been released publicly. A true negotiation would allow communities to withhold their consent and walk away, Ress told the Californian, adding that CRC appears to have been selective about who it considers to be potentially affected by its project.”
Davis Enterprise: Carbon capture debate heats up on campus
Monica Stark, 12/3/23
“...Capturing carbon from the air to stave climate change recently gained steam from the tax incentives afforded by the Inflation Reduction Act, propelling proposed projects to capture carbon dioxide and either use it or sequester it (store it underground),” the Davis Enterprise reports. “The direct air capture topic heated up at UC Davis after climate activists questioned the practice’s efficacy at a recent talk sponsored by the university’s Institute for the Environment and the Dallas Federal Reserve. Held Wednesday, Nov. 15, in person and via livestream, panelists of “The Prospects for Large-Scale Carbon Removal via Direct Air Capture Technology,” addressed direct air capture as climate mitigation in the full context of its associated opportunities, policies, and environmental concerns. Moderated by David Rapson, UCD economics professor, the speakers included Tom McDonald, founder of Mosaic Materials (commercial-scale carbon capture filter manufacturer); Emily Wimberger, managing partner at Hua Nani Partners and former California Air Resources Board chief economist; and Chris D. Gould, managing director of Carbon TerraVault. The talk was introduced by the institute’s director Isabel Patricia Montañez, as “timely, quite engaging,” “contentious,” -- “all that you want in a panel discussion.” “...Before the talk, Mark Huising, UCD biology professor and lead advocate in the Fossil Free UCD movement ---- a grassroots climate group comprised of professors and students----- circulated a one-page flier titled “UC Davis Institute for the Environment platforms fossil fuel companies, allowing them to greenwash business-as-usual.” “...He argues fossil companies favor carbon capture technologies as they offer a “reasonable-sounding approach that underwrites a greenwashing narrative” where fossil fuel companies can continue fossil fuel extraction under a business-as-usual scenario while appearing to be responsive and part of the solution to our climate crisis. “This allows them to say they care about our climate, while what they do is to continue to sell their proven fossil fuel assets to generate record profits for their shareholders – at the expense of our climate.”
Louisiana Illuminator: Lake Maurepas carbon capture project draws increasing opposition
WESLEY MULLER, 12/3/23
“It has become perhaps the most controversial environmental issue in southeast Louisiana. The residents who oppose a plan to let heavy industry use Lake Maurepas as a storage site for carbon dioxide emissions span the spectrum of race, class, age, education level and political affiliation,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “Chemical giant Air Products wants to drill wells in Lake Maurepas to inject 5 million tons of carbon dioxide per year about a mile below the lakebed. It’s part of a $4.5 billion hydrogen manufacturing complex in adjacent Ascension Parish that would use carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology to pipe air pollution under the lake rather than release it into the atmosphere. If successful, the project would allow Air Products to produce “blue hydrogen,” a cleaner alternative to natural gas and other fossil fuels that petrochemical manufacturers burn to make their products… “An increasing number of residents in Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. John the Baptist parishes see the Air Products project as little more than profiteering and reckless industrialization of an iconic lake they say has only recently begun to recover after generations of ecological destruction. Kim Coates, who lives in Tangipahoa Parish, has been strongly opposed to the project and made it one of the central issues in her recent campaign for the District 73 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, which she won. In an interview Thursday, she said Air Products’ Lake Maurepas project is just about the most universally hated idea in southeast Louisiana. Taxpayers have invested millions into restoring Lake Maurepas’ ecosystem, and some of those efforts have so far proven successful, she told the Illuminator… “Other area residents have voiced similar sentiments at public meetings throughout the year, most recently Wednesday at the latest hearing of the Louisiana Senate’s Task Force on Local Impacts of Carbon Capture and Sequestration… “Laurie Sagnibene, a Baton Rouge resident with a house on the Tickfaw River, which drains into Lake Maurepas, was one of many who voiced opposition to the project. “Air Products claims they want to be a good neighbor, protect the lake,” Sagnibene told the Illuminator. “If you want to protect the lake, leave it alone.” Several expressed concern over the risks and uncertainties surrounding CO2 pipelines and CCS technologies that remain largely untested at large scale. Those same concerns are shared among the scientific and environmental communities.”
Santa Fe New Mexican: N.M. Tech mines a new idea: Storing carbon dioxide underground
Margaret O’Hara, 11/24/23
“The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is looking for storage. Specifically, the Socorro school’s researchers are looking for the right kind of subterranean storage site in the San Juan Basin, featuring porous sediment locked a few miles underground by layers of impermeable rock,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “And in those geological formations, researchers hope to store carbon dioxide, one of the major planet-warming gases contributing to climate change and largely emitted by industrial operations and power plants. New Mexico Tech is slated to receive $41.4 million in federal funding to complete detailed site characterization, planning and permitting at three proposed carbon capture and sequestration sites in the San Juan Basin. Once complete, existing industry in the basin — a prolific oil and gas region — will take over, pumping CO2 into underground storage sites rather than releasing it into the atmosphere and reducing emissions in the process, said Robert Balch, director of New Mexico Tech’s Petroleum Recovery Research Center… “But some environmental advocates question the federal government’s push for carbon capture and sequestration, arguing federal funding would be better spent financing a complete shift to renewable energy. “My fundamental issue with carbon capture and sequestration is not the technology itself but the purpose behind using it, and that purpose is primarily to extend and expand the mining and burning of fossil fuels, meaning coal, oil and methane. That’s the dirty energy that’s emitting heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere,” Tom Solomon, the co-coordinator of 350 New Mexico, the state branch of a worldwide organization that advocates for halting fossil fuels projects and investing in renewables, told the New Mexican… “The best solution is to accelerate the closure of all fossil-fuel-emitting power plants, replacing them with clean solar, wind, geothermal and battery storage. We have those technologies today,” Solomon told the New Mexican. “That is absolutely the solution that we should apply,” he added, “and [carbon capture and sequestration] is a way around that solution.”
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report: LSU researchers developing sensors to detect carbon capture leaks
12/1/23
“Researchers in LSU’s engineering department are working to develop specialized monitors that can detect leaks in CO2 pipelines and carbon capture and storage sites using a $500,000 experimental grant from the university’s Institute for Energy Innovation,” according to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. “The sensors would use fiber optic technology distributed along the pipeline or storage site, Petroleum Engineering Assistant Professor Jyotsna Sharma told the Report. The fiber optic sensor cables are less than 0.5 of an inch in diameter and lightweight, allowing for a quick response time to a leak. “These wells and pipelines are so long that we need large-scale sensing,” Sharma told the Report. “If we have a 5,000-foot fiber, we have a 5,000-foot sensor, which gives us a big advantage over regular CO2 point-sensors that only measure one location. If we know where it’s leaking, we can do something about it.”
MIT Technology Review: The University of California has all but dropped carbon offsets—and thinks you should, too
James Temple, 11/30/23
“In the fall of 2018, the University of California (UC) tasked a team of researchers with identifying tree planting or similar projects from which it could confidently purchase carbon offsets that would reliably cancel out greenhouse gas emissions across its campuses. The researchers found next to nothing,” according to the MIT Technology Review. “We took a look across the whole market and did deeper dives into project types we thought were more promising,” Barbara Haya, director of the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project, housed within UC Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Public Policy, who led the effort, told MIT. “And we came up almost empty.” The findings helped prompt the entire university system to radically rethink its sustainability plans. In July, UC announced it would nearly eliminate the use of third-party offsets, charge each of its universities a carbon fee for ongoing pollution, and focus on directly cutting emissions across its campuses and health facilities. Now the researchers are sharing the lessons they learned over the course of the project, in the hopes of helping other universities and organizations consider what role, if any, offsets should play in sustainability strategies, MIT Technology Review can report. On November 30, they will launch a website highlighting the array of problems they found, the strict standards they helped set for UC’s offset purchases, and the methods they developed for scrutinizing projects in voluntary carbon markets… “The rules approved at the COP26 climate conference include major loopholes, and could spur the creation of questionable carbon credits in other markets… “But a mounting body of studies and investigative reports has found that these projects can dramatically exaggerate the climate benefits in a variety of ways, often amounting to little more than greenwashing.
Energy News Network: Opponents appeal decision to allow drilling under Ohio state parks and wildlife areas
Kathiann M. Kowalski, 11/30/23
“Environmental groups filed an appeal Thursday, challenging recent decisions by an Ohio regulatory commission to allow drilling under a state park and two state wildlife areas,” Energy News Network reports. “Those decisions currently call for sections of Salt Fork State Park, Zepernick Wildlife Area and Valley Run Wildlife Area to be leased to the highest and best bidder, with the bidding period set to start in January. Among other things, the groups say the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission failed to consider all of the factors it was required to weigh under state law. The groups also allege that the commission failed to provide an opportunity for public hearing under state law… “Parties to the appeal include Save Ohio Parks, the Ohio Environmental Council, the Buckeye Environmental Network and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Lawyers at Earthjustice are acting as counsel, and the Ohio Environmental Council also has its own attorneys on the complaint… “The opponents’ appeal alleges that the commission failed to duly consider all those factors. The commission also did not allow people attending the meetings to present testimony in opposition to particular proposals… “The commission is not required to submit a written opinion, and they are not expecting to write one,” said Andy Chow, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, in response to a question by the Energy News Network the next day. “And there is no appeals procedure.” “The Commission’s refusal to issue a written decision, failure to engage in meaningful discussion of the statutory criteria, and its belief that decisions are not appealable, show a concerning disregard for the process and rigor contemplated by their statutory mandates,” Megan Hunter, a lawyer for Earthjustice who is representing opponents in the appeal and in the constitutional challenge case, told ENN.
EXTRACTION
Reuters: UN chief says ending fossil fuel use is only way to save burning planet
12/1/23
“United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders on Friday that the burning of fossil fuels must be stopped outright and a reduction or abatement in their use would not be enough to stop global warming,” Reuters reports. "We cannot save a burning planet with a fire hose of fossil fuels," Guterres said in a speech to the COP28 summit in Dubai. "The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce. Not abate." He urged fossil fuel companies to invest in a transition to renewable energy sources and told governments to help by forcing that change - including through the use of windfall taxes on industry profits. "I urge governments to help industry make the right choice – by regulating, legislating, putting a fair price on carbon, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and adopting a windfall tax on profits," he said.
Associated Press: At COP28 meeting, oil companies pledge to combat methane. Environmentalists call it a “smokescreen”
JON GAMBRELL, PETER PRENGAMAN AND SETH BORENSTEIN, 12/2/23
“Fifty oil companies representing nearly half of global production have pledged to reach near-zero methane emissions and end routine flaring in their operations by 2030, the president of this year’s United Nations climate talks said Saturday, a move that environmental groups called a “smokescreen,” the Associated Press reports. “...The announcement by Sultan al-Jaber, president of the climate summit known as COP28 and head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., comes as he and others have insisted his background would allow him to bring oil companies to the negotiating table… “Signing on to the pledge were major national oil companies such as Saudi Aramco, Brazil’s Petrobras and Sonangol, from Angola, and multi-nationals like Shell, TotalEnergies and BP. “The world does not work without energy,” said al-Jaber, speaking in a session on the oil industry. “Yet the world will break down if we do not fix energies we use today, mitigate their emissions at a gigaton scale, and rapidly transition to zero carbon alternatives.” As if anticipating critiques, al-Jaber added: “Is it enough? Hear me out, please. No, it’s not enough. I say with full passion and conviction, I know that much more can be done.” “...The pledge is a “smokescreen to hide the reality that we need to phase out oil, gas and coal,” said a letter signed by more than 300 civil society groups. Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told AP “the commitments to cut methane are significant, but they address the symptom, not the source.” “...Saturday’s announcement did not address the oil and natural gas being burned off by the end users, so-called Scope 3 emissions, which can be motorists in their cars or plants powering cities. In his speech, al-Jaber said oil and gas companies needed to do more to research solutions to Scope 3 emissions.”
Wall Street Journal: Big Oil Bets on Hot Air in Climate Talks
Carol Ryan, 11/29/23
“Oil-and-gas companies are banking on a glacial pace of progress on cutting fossil-fuel use in this year’s round of climate negotiations—and they may well get it,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP28, begins Thursday with an oily twist. It is being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, which pumps more than 3 million barrels of oil a day. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which the U.A.E. is a member, will have a pavilion at the climate summit for the first time.COP28’s president, Sultan al-Jaber, is also the boss of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. The naming of an oil executive to lead the climate talks has been controversial, especially as ADNOC plans to boost fossil-fuel production by up to 20% by 2027… “There is debate about whether they should also agree to cut back on fossil fuels. Countries that are most vulnerable to climate change, like island nations, want such a commitment. The European Union and the G-7 have also signaled they would back a new target, although there is wrangling about the wording. If language about fossil fuels does end up in the summit’s final statement, it would send the clearest signal yet to oil-and-gas companies and their shareholders that demand could start to fall soon. This seems unlikely, though, given countries that rely on the industry to balance their books can torpedo a deal… “Big Oil isn’t prepared for dramatic developments, having largely left the job of cleaning up the global energy system to others. Last year, fossil-fuel players spent $20 billion on low-carbon investments, according to the International Energy Agency—a mere 1% of global clean-energy funding… “Oil-and-gas bosses have been reluctant to invest much in low-carbon alternatives such as biofuels, green hydrogen, wind or solar power because they are less profitable than their existing business and often require different skills. Instead, they are relying on carbon capture and storage to allow continued and even increased production, Natalie Jones, policy adviser at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, told the Journal.”
The Hill: Biden administration issues rule to cut methane emissions from oil and gas
RACHEL FRAZIN, 12/2/23
“The Biden administration on Saturday announced new regulations that are expected to deliver significant cuts to the greenhouse gas methane in the oil and gas sector,” The Hill reports. “The rule, finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tees up emissions reductions for both new oil and wells and, for the first time, existing oil and gas wells. An EPA press release said the rule is expected to prevent 58 million tons of methane from entering the atmosphere between 2024 and 2038. These emissions savings are the climate equivalent of taking 28 million gas-powered cars off the road for a year… “The EPA rule would deliver the methane emissions cuts through policies aimed at limiting leaks, such as requiring monitoring and repairs. The final rule also adds an additional requirement for new wells — to phase in the elimination of the routine burning off of excess gas that’s extracted alongside oil. The practice, known as flaring, occurs when companies opt to burn off gas that comes alongside oil production instead of capturing it for use. The new requirement on flaring goes further than previous proposals and comes after pressure from Democrats to take further action to address flaring. The EPA’s rule also includes a program that will require oil and gas companies to investigate large releases of methane when those releases are identified by certified third parties.”
E&E News: With Methane Rule Looming, Oil And Gas Drillers Launch Objections
Jean Chemnick, 12/1/23
“EPA Administrator Michael Regan is expected to release final methane rules Saturday at the climate talks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” E&E News reports. “But the oil and gas industry says the policies clash with other federal standards and with state programs. The standards for new and existing petroleum operations will be the first major climate rules of the Biden administration to become final, governing how oil and gas companies limit methane emissions and find and fix leaks. They're expected to be announced at a side event of the climate talks hosted by the U.S. and China — the world's largest emitter of methane that released a long-awaited plan to tackle the potent gas last month.”
Press release: Canadian Gas Industry announces new Methane Management Coalition
11/30/23
“Today, the Canadian Gas Association and the Canadian Energy Partnership for Environmental Innovation (CEPEI) are pleased to announce the Canadian Methane Management Coalition (CMMC or the “Coalition”). Build on Canada’s position as a global leader in reducing methane emissions from the natural gas value chain. Under the direction of industry champions Mike Rose, President and CEO of Tourmaline Oil Corp., and Michele Harradence, Executive Vice President & President, Gas Distribution and Storage, Enbridge Gas Inc., the Coalition will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to build on Canada’s position as a global leader in reducing methane emissions from across the natural gas value chain… “The Coalition will work to profile and support advanced methane measurement, detection, mitigation, and capture solutions that can be deployed at scale in Canada. Its work will include the sharing of information and best practices that will deliver the next wave of methane emission reduction. Of significance is that the effort will build on the exciting work of Canada’s first Emissions Testing Centre (ETC) in Alberta, an industry-led initiative with government and academic support that tests new technologies and is now emerging as a Canadian Centre of Excellence for methane technology… “As we look to the future, the Coalition sees several opportunities to go further in reducing methane emissions and looks forward to sharing its work and best practices with other industry partners, governments, and customers. We encourage members of the value chain to work alongside the Coalition as it advances our common goal around the reduction of emissions from the natural gas value chain in Canada.”
Reuters: COP28: Exxon Mobil CEO rebuffs IEA criticism of carbon capture strategy
12/2/23
“Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods on Saturday rejected the International Energy Agency's recent claim that using wide-scale carbon capture to fight climate change was an implausible "illusion", saying the same could be said about electric vehicles and solar energy,” Reuters reports. “There is no solution set out there today that is at the scale to solve the problem," Woods told Reuters on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. "So, you could say that about carbon capture today, you could say that about electric vehicles, about wind, about solar. I think that criticism is legitimate for anything that we're trying to do, to start with," he said. While few commercially viable carbon-capture projects exist due to high costs, EVs now make up about 13% of the global new vehicle market, and solar and wind deployments have been expanding rapidly. Woods' appearance marked the first time a CEO of fossil fuel giant Exxon (XOM.N) has attended one of the annual U.N.-sponsored climate summits, and reflected a growing effort among oil and gas companies worldwide to recast themselves as part of the solution to global warming, as opposed to a cause. The future role of carbon capture technology and fossil fuels is a key issue at the conference… “Exxon has announced $17 billion of investment in its low carbon business, which includes carbon capture, and has argued that greenhouse gas emissions are the problem causing climate change, not the fossil fuels themselves. He said he believed oil and gas would play an "important role" in the world through 2050, but declined to provide an estimate for demand levels. As part of Exxon's low carbon strategy, it announced in July a $4.9 billion acquisition of Denbury and its 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) carbon dioxide pipeline network, which will be linked to offshore blocks in the Gulf of Mexico where Exxon plans to bury carbon… "We're essentially helping customers decarbonize and taking advantage of that tax credit," Woods said. He added that making money from the deals was "probably a few years out."
Washington Post: Why countries are fighting over whether to phase ‘out’ or phase ‘down’ fossil fuels
Maxine Joselow, 12/4/23
“...At issue is whether negotiators from nearly 200 nations should agree to phase “down” or phase “out” the burning of fossil fuels, the primary driver of rising global temperatures,” the Washington Post reports. “The former implies a gradual decline, while the latter implies the eventual elimination of oil, gas and coal as the world transitions to cleaner forms of energy… “In climate circles, the word “unabated” has sparked another big squabble. The word refers to carbon emissions that are not captured and stored deep underground. However, many environmentalists view carbon-capture technology as a false climate solution, saying it could prolong the life of fossil fuel infrastructure for decades to come. “Scientific demands for a phaseout of fossil fuels have been watered down into more mealy-mouthed language” about abatement, Collin Rees, U.S. program manager at the climate advocacy group Oil Change International, told the Post. A senior State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, defended the word “unabated,” saying that carbon-capture technology could play an important role in reducing emissions from energy-hungry processes such as steel and cement production. “It may be that it doesn’t pan out as a technology,” the official told the Post. “But I don’t think we’re at the stage that we would rule it out through these negotiations.”
New York Times: 22 Countries Pledge to Triple Nuclear Capacity in Push to Cut Fossil Fuels
Jenny Gross, 12/2/23
“The United States and 21 other countries pledged on Saturday at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, saying the revival of nuclear power was critical for cutting carbon emissions to near zero in the coming decades,” the New York Times reports. “Proponents of nuclear energy, which supplies 18 percent of electricity in the United States, say it is a clean, safe and reliable complement to wind and solar energy. But a significant hurdle is funding. Last month, a developer of small nuclear reactors in Idaho said it was canceling a project that had been expected to be part of a new wave of power plants. The cost of building the reactors had risen to $9.3 billion from $5.3 billion because of increasing interest rates and inflation. Britain, Canada, France, Ghana, South Korea, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates were among the 22 countries that signed the declaration to triple capacity from 2020 levels. Tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050, which would also help Europe reduce its dependence on Russia oil and gas, would require significant investment.”
Washington Post: Companies made big climate pledges. Now they are balking on delivering.
Maxine Joselow, 12/4/23
“Scores of large companies are quietly dialing back ambitious plans to help the world avert the ravages of climate change, finding that making these promises is easier than actually making good on them,” the Washington Post reports. “Nearly half of the insurance companies that joined the United Nations-backed Net Zero Insurance Alliance have quit the initiative, including five of the eight insurers that were founding members. The alliance, which launched in 2021, requires members to commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Many insurers withdrew from the group to avoid being targets of lawsuits and political attacks, while still moving forward with their own plans to stop underwriting fossil fuel projects, according to insurance company executives who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about private deliberations. The executives told the Post the breakdown of the alliance is inhibiting action in an industry that has an outsize influence over the energy transition, as fossil fuel developers can’t function without insurance. Meanwhile, other corporate climate initiatives are struggling amid political backlash from conservatives, with some Republican attorneys general sending threatening letters to the companies involved.”
Reuters: Explainer: Can technology solve the global climate crisis?
Timothy Gardner, 12/1/23
“Governments and investors are pouring billions of dollars into emerging technologies to combat global warming in long-shot bets that entrepreneurship can help lead the way to a climate-friendly world,” Reuters reports. “As officials from nearly 200 countries seek to forge agreements at the U.N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai this month, they will also be considering deployment of the nascent technologies. The amount invested worldwide by venture capital and private equity into climate technology startups - in projects ranging from carbon capture and green hydrogen, to food waste reduction and cleaning up heavy industry - totaled $490 billion this year, according to a report by accounting firm PwC… “One family of technologies, called carbon capture and storage, would tackle that by trapping those emissions before they reach the atmosphere, and storing them underground or using them to make products. A big question, though, is whether it can work given the costs and the amount of energy required. The International Energy Agency, the West's energy watchdog, said in November that the oil and gas industry is relying excessively on carbon capture, and called the approach an implausible "illusion"... “Governments and companies think green hydrogen could be a way to clean up hard-to-decarbonize industries like steel and cement-making and other industrial manufacturing. But like carbon removal, it is expensive and energy intense, meaning it is unclear if it is doable at scale.”
Science News: A new UN report lays out an ethical framework for climate engineering
Carolyn Gramling, 12/1/23
“The world is in a climate crisis — and in the waning days of what’s likely to be the world’s hottest year on record, a new United Nations report is weighing the ethics of using technological interventions to try to rein in rising global temperatures,” Science News reports. “...A broad variety of climate engineering interventions are already in development, from strategies that could directly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to efforts to modify incoming radiation from the sun. But “we don’t know the unintended consequences” of many of these technologies, said UNESCO Assistant Director-General Gabriela Ramos at a news conference on November 20 ahead of the report’s release. “There are several areas of great concern. These are very interesting and promising technological developments, but we need an ethical framework to decide how and when to use them.” Such a framework should be globally agreed upon, Ramos said — and that’s why UNESCO decided to step in. The new report proposes ethical frameworks for both the study and the later deployment of climate engineering strategies… “To delve more into the goals of the study and what climate engineering strategies the report considers, Science News talked with report coauthor Inés Camilloni, a climate scientist at the University of Buenos Aires and a resident in the solar geoengineering research program at Harvard University… “ As for sequestering carbon dioxide — how do you store it for hundreds of years or longer, and what are the consequences of rapid release from underground reservoirs? “
Bloomberg: Industries Stuck in ‘Transition Traps’ Get Support From UN
Alastair Marsh, 12/2/23
“Industries that account for over a third of greenhouse gas emissions are the target of a new initiative seeking to decarbonize heavy-emitting sectors,” Bloomberg reports. The Industrial Transition Accelerator was unveiled Saturday at COP28 in Dubai. It aims to “catalyse decarbonization” for energy, industrial, transportation and other polluting companies by supporting projects needed to cut emissions consistent with credible 2030 1.5C pathway targets, according to a statement. Heavy-emitting industries “are currently in transition traps,” Mark Carney, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action and co-chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, said in the statement. “They know what they need to do but struggle to get the investment they need to meaningfully cut emissions.” “...The ITA will focus on “the critical challenges that are holding up existing projects from reaching their final investment decision” and will seek to help scale up green hydrogen, carbon capture, usage and storage, sustainable fuels, direct air capture and long-duration energy storage, according to the statement.”
Financial Times: Litigation proves limited in curbing Big Oil emissions
Henry Mance, 12/2/23
“In May 2021, a Dutch court ruled that Shell must reduce its carbon emissions in line with the Paris accord. It was the first time that a judge, anywhere, had ruled that the climate treaty created obligations for individual companies, even in the absence of specific domestic laws,” the Financial Times reports. “...Yet, more than two years on, Shell is moving further away from the pathway that the court mandated: namely, of reducing emissions by at least 45 per cent by 2030. Wael Sawan, the oil company’s chief, has promised to maintain oil output while cutting investments in renewables. “We see no movement whatsoever in terms of trying to comply with the verdict,” says van Oosterhout. Shell continues to argue that emissions cuts should be decided by governments, rather than courts. Its next step is an appeal, due to be heard in April 2024. But, even if it loses again, it may opt to comply with the judgment simply by selling an oil refinery or its oil-trading business — which would cut its own emissions but do little for the climate. In this way, the case highlights the difficulties in using climate litigation to change Big Oil behaviour. As of May, 2,365 climate-related cases had been filed in countries from the US to Russia, notes the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, a research institute. However, several oil majors have doubled down on fossil fuels, seeking to benefit from high prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Franck Gbaguidi, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, told FT investors are yet to see the litigation as a systemic risk — tending to take a “siloed” view of each case, instead of “connecting the dots” between them. A working paper by the UK’s Grantham Research Institute found that company share prices did underperform after cases were filed, but only by small amounts. Climate litigation “is not coming up in conversations”, Oswald Clint, an oil and gas analyst at research company Bernstein, told FT.”
Carbon Herald: Commonwealth LNG Signs Carbon Capture and Storage MOU With OnStream CO2
Vasil Velev, 12/1/23
“Commonwealth LNG announced it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OnStream CO2 LLC, a joint venture between Carbonvert Inc. and Castex Carbon Solutions, LLC, for a carbon capture and storage solution at Commonwealth’s 9.3 million tonnes per annum LNG facility under development in Cameron, Louisiana,” the Carbon Herald reports. “Under the agreement, OnStream CO2 will design, construct, own, and operate carbon dioxide (CO2) capture equipment near the Commonwealth LNG site. The captured CO2 will be permanently sequestered at the Cameron Parish CO2 Hub. Commonwealth will dedicate CO2 emitted from the LNG facility for a 20-year term. The Carbonvert-Castex joint venture recently announced an operating agreement with the State of Louisiana to develop a 24,000-acre tract of land offshore Cameron Parish, where it will permanently store CO2 in a hub with capacity for more than 250 million metric tons. Commonwealth LNG Founder and Executive Chairman Paul Varello said, “Adding carbon capture technology complements our comprehensive goal of achieving best-in-class environmental standards through measures that also include a focus on responsibly sourced gas and the installation of the highest efficiency gas turbines.”
The Real News: ‘KILLER WATER’: THE TOXIC TRUTH ABOUT ALBERTA’S OIL SANDS CANADA IS HIDING
BRANDI MORIN, 11/30/23
“Canada’s multibillion dollar tar sands industry in Alberta is a climate wrecking force with immense sway over Canadian politics,” The Real News reports. “‘Killer Water,’ a new documentary produced in partnership with The Real News, Ricochet Media, and IndigiNews, exposes the long-hidden truths of Big Oil’s operations on the health and environment of local First Nations communities. Hosted by award-winning journalist Brandi Morin, this live panel features Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, toxicologist Mandy Olsgard, physician Dr. John O’Connor, and lawyer Steven Donziger. This panel took place on Monday, Nov. 27, and was produced by Ricochet Media. It is shared here with permission.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Braving a winter night to shine a spotlight on youth homelessness
12/1/23
“A determined group of people will brave the freezing night at McDonald Park in Kamloops, BC on Dec. 8. They’re not homeless, but they want to put a spotlight on youth homelessness,” according to Enbridge. A Way Home Kamloops (AWHK), a non-profit organization, has organized an annual Campout to End Youth Homelessness since 2017 to promote awareness around the issues of youth homelessness, and raise funds to support youth programs… “Five Enbridge employees have pledged to join the campout in person. The company also donated $10,000 to support the organization through its Fueling Futures program.”
HeartFM.ca: SWOX Fire Receives Cheque from Enbridge Gas
Kyle Freel, 12/1/23
“The South-West Oxford Fire and Emergency Services received money. Fire Chief, Rob Serson has the details,” HeartFM.ca reports. "Representatives from Enbridge Gas and the Fire Marshalls Public Safety Council were here in South-West Oxford to present us with a cheque for $5000." Serson goes on to say that this money will go a long way in helping train the firefighters. "Without the help of Enbridge, we financially couldn't afford to purchase all the manuals that we would require at one time. We would have to order them over a series of years to get all the manuals we would require." “...Since the launch of Safe Community Project Assist in 2012, 344 grants have been provided to Ontario fire departments for additional firefighter training.”
OPINION
Cleburne Times Review: Letter: Please note strategic disinformation in Nov. 19 Enbridge Line 5 Forum
Steven Holl, Traverse City, 12/3/23
“Please note strategic disinformation in Nov. 19 Enbridge Line 5 Forum,” Steven Holl writes for the Cleburne Times Review. “To have a serious discussion on the important issue of Enbridge’s Line 5… it is critical to have all the facts.” So begins the Forum published in the Nov. 19 Record-Eagle: “No safer alternatives to Line 5 pipeline” by Enbridge Operations Manager Kate Houchard, where the cited facts support the conclusion she advocates: Pushing ahead with the tunnel. Public relations relies on strategic disinformation where inconvenient facts are minimized or omitted. Here are some of those omitted facts: Building the tunnel locks in fossil fuel infrastructure for the next 100 years at a time when scientific consensus is clear that fossil fuel pollution degrades our environment, health and economy. The solution calls for a sustained all-in push to build capacity for electrification, transmission lines, micro-grids, generation and charging infrastructure for the 21st century — not building pipelines.”
Wisconsin State Journal: Pipeline exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions -- Bruce Beck
Bruce Beck, Madison, 12/3/23
“In her column in last Sunday's State Journal, “Our farmers need propane from Line 5,” Tina Hake emphasized benefits of propane while ignoring the long-term damage from greenhouse gases persisting in the atmosphere for hundreds of years,” Bruce Beck writes for the Wisconsin State Journal. “Most citizens are concerned by the crescendo of climate chaos already building as temperatures rise, wildfires rampage, storms intensify and salt water invades coastal areas. Fossil fuels have additional problems: toxic air pollution, oil spills, vehicle fires, huge refinery explosions and inefficiencies wasting two-thirds of energy consumed… “Expanding electricity is a possible alternative for farmers. Many farmers already produce clean electricity using wind and solar. If farmers have energy requirements not satisfied by electricity, the Inflation Reduction Act also created a Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, estimated at $13 billion, to support the development of hydrogen production that meets carbon emission standards. Green hydrogen is potentially a good investment for agriculture if it helps reduce droughts, heatwaves, floods, invasive pests and weeds.”
New Hampshire Union Leader: Letter: No Project Maple. No fracked gas
Rebecca Beaulieu, Dover, 12/2/23
“To the Editor: The company Enbridge has announced a plan to expand pipelines’ capacity in New England called Project Maple. Climate-change denying politicians like Michael Vose have been supportive of the project with biased talking points that promise “reliability” and a “plentiful” supply. On the contrary — Project Maple would be a dangerous mistake and a waste of money,” Rebecca Beaulieu writes for the New Hampshire Union Leader. “About 50% of New England’s energy mix (as overseen by ISO New England) is fracked gas (calling it “natural” misleads people as it’s not a clean energy source). Our overreliance on imported fracked gas caused recent high energy prices. Our energy grid itself will be more unreliable if we continue to rely on fossil fuels that exacerbate storms, flooding, and sea level rise. Enbridge — the company responsible for Project Maple — also has an atrocious safety record and numerous alleged human rights violations. Just Google Line 3 in Minnesota for proof that they do not care how much they damage the communities they build their pipelines through. We cannot allow their ineptitude in New England… “New Englanders must be loud and clear about this: No Project Maple. No fracked gas expansion. It’s time for us to transition to clean, renewable energy instead.”
Edmonton Journal: Carbon capture or corporate welfare?
Darlene Orsten, Fort Saskatchewan, 12/1/23
“To be clear, carbon capture is industry’s solution to avoid reducing emissions. Instead of reducing emissions, companies will capture them, store them and taxpayers will pay billions of dollars to be complicit in this temporary fix. More corporate welfare,” Darlene Orsten writes for the Edmonton Journal.
Globe and Mail: Alberta to the world: We’ll take your greenhouse gas emissions
GARY MASON, 12/3/23
“Only in Alberta could the government of the day put a call out for the world’s CO2 emissions,” Gary Mason writes for the Globe and Mail. “Yet that was distinctly the message Energy Minister Brian Jean issued this week, as the government announced it was going all in on carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) technology as not only a means of reducing the province’s own emissions, but as an opportunity to store “100 per cent” of the world’s greenhouse gas discharges.Give us your tired, your poor, your planet-polluting releases… “Mr. Jean said that the province has a unique geology, one that allows it to safely warehouse all of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. I’m not sure being the world’s CO2 landfill is something you’d want screaming out of your tourism brochures. If nothing else, the announcement confirmed that the province is placing a huge bet on CCUS to solve its intractable emissions problem, more so than renewable energy. This, despite the skepticism that abounds about CCUS technology and its ability to solve the world’s emissions crisis. Last month, the International Energy Agency issued a report saying the world’s oil and gas industry needed to let go of the “illusion” CCUS technology was the answer to climate change. In its study, the IEA estimated CCUS technology would have to capture 32 billion tons of carbon by 2050 – with current oil and gas consumption remaining on the trajectory it is for the coming decades – to limit world temperature change to 1.5 degrees C. It also said the technology would require 26,000 terawatt hours of electricity to operate in 2050, more than total global demand in 2022. Also, it would require US$3.5-trillion in annual investment from now to the middle of this century, which is equivalent to the entire oil and gas industry’s annual revenue in recent years.”
San Francisco Chronicle: Big Oil says it’s working to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Not true
Hugh Helferty spent his long career at ExxonMobil leading major research, engineering and manufacturing organizations. He is now president and co-founder of Producer Accountability for Carbon Emissions, 11/28/23
“Recently, two major oil deals were announced: ExxonMobil committing $60 billion to buy Pioneer and Chevron buying Hess for $53 billion. What are Pioneer and Hess? More oil companies. So, while making claims about taking action against climate change and working together to find solutions, Big Oil is actually focused on consolidating in order to make more profit than ever,” Hugh Helferty writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. “The oil industry has worked hard to convince us of its commitment to addressing the “dual challenge”: supplying affordable, reliable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But this statement of objectives is a marketing illusion, masking the main goal of oil companies: making as much profit as possible by producing more oil and gas no matter the cost to the environment. I should know. I worked in the industry for over 30 years. For decades, politicians have been sympathetic to oil companies and their powerful lobbies in the name of energy security and economic prosperity… “Let me be clear. It’s not that oil companies aren’t doing anything to reduce emissions. When I was in the industry, I saw a lot of research being done related to climate solutions. But the measures that are actually implemented are baby steps compared to what is needed. After devoting their careers to research within the industry, many scientists and engineers — some of whom I know personally — simply can’t take it anymore and are moving on to organizations they feel are truly committed to making a difference… “Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is not going to happen if we keep taking the oil industry’s word for climate action. Their “dual challenge” is a fiction. If we don’t stop these companies, they are going to drive the planet and all of us on it over a cliff — all in the name of shareholder profit.”
Houston Chronicle: Big Oil controls climate change talks to protect fossil fuels despite demands to eliminate them
Chris Tomlinson, 12/1/23
“Big Oil is striking back at the U.N. climate conference this week in Dubai, fighting policies to slow global warming that would doom them to King Coal’s fate,” Chris Tomlinson writes for the Houston Chronicle. “After decades of denying climate change, the oil and gas industry is faced with incontrovertible evidence that human-generated carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases are trapping too much heat in the atmosphere. Now, executives want to make money addressing the crisis they made worse by sowing doubt about the science. The oil and gas industry has a champion in Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s CEO, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, whom the emir put in charge of the conference known as COP28. If that sounds like the fix is in to protect the industry, delay emission cuts and sacrifice our future, you’d be right… “Now, al-Jaber and other oil executives are using the same desperate arguments to slow carbon and methane emissions reductions. “Three billion people fall short of modern living standards, and far too many remain trapped in extreme poverty with no access to electricity or clean cooking fuels,” Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods told the APEC CEO Summit last month. “The global North-South divide will only be bridged when we commit to solving the world’s energy and emissions challenges simultaneously. Oil and gas are at the center of both.” Big Oil wants the government to pay them to remove the gases their products release. Who wouldn’t want to make money making and cleaning up the mess?... “Even worse, the IEA determined that capturing carbon and methane emissions cannot substitute for slashing fossil fuel use in half… “Al-Jaber will make COP28 about protecting Big Oil, and he may succeed in some ways. But ignore all the talk about helping the world’s poor; they are quite aware of what they’re going through and demand better.”