EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/4/24
PIPELINE NEWS
Aberdeen Insider: Lawsuit between Summit Carbon Solutions, pipeline opponents set for trial in September 2025
Bismarck Tribune: TC Energy exits Project Tundra, a North Dakota carbon capture effort
E&E News: Pipeline CEO urges Republicans to put FERC in charge of energy permits
KMA: Montgomery County board slates pipeline discussion next week
Brownfield Ag News: IRFA stresses need for carbon pipeline projects
Natural Gas Intelligence: FERC Reviews CP2 LNG, Pipeline Project Authorizations Ahead of DC Circuit Challenge by Environmental Groups
Law360: Judge Says ND Can Intervene In Dakota Access Pipeline Row
Detroit Metro Times: Michigan students unite to shut down controversial oil pipeline
Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge forecasts higher 2025 core profit
WASHINGTON UPDATES
FOX News: Trump suggests Canada become 51st state after Trudeau said tariff would kill economy: sources
Politico: Huffman’s Higher Ground
E&E News: Environmentalists Ask DC Circuit To Rehear CEQ NEPA Case
E&E News: Republicans mull fate of DOE loan program
E&E News: Ramaswamy takes aim at DOE loan funds
STATE UPDATES
ExxonKnews: Maine and a Kansas county take Big Oil to court
Inside Climate News: As California Pushes Increased Ethanol Use, Experts Sound the Alarm on Environmental Impacts
E&E News: Trump gets second chance to drill ANWR. Will oil companies bite?
Inside Climate News: Local Tax Breaks for LNG Plants Don’t Benefit Communities, Report Says
State Journal: Divided West Virginia Supreme Court Sides with oil and gas royalty owners
Houston Chronicle: What Are ‘Zombie’ Wells? 5 Things To Know About Texas Oil Wells That Pose A New Environmental Threat
Inside Climate News: Can Recycled Oilfield Water Quench the Thirst of Drought-Stricken West Texas?
ABC News: Texas could become a major producer of another source of renewable energy
AL.com: $24 million in oil spill funds to benefit birds, water quality in coastal Alabama
Inforum: Over 26,000 gallons of oil lost between Bottineau, Williams County spills
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Oil Sands Carbon Capture Project Draws First Nations’ Scrutiny
Bloomberg: Saudi Aramco Signs Up Partners for Carbon Capture Project
E&E News: Methane Emissions A ‘Blind Spot’ For Oil And Gas Companies, Report Finds
The National: Cargo freighter sinks in Red Sea one week after coral reef collision caused oil spill
OPINION
Farmers’ Advance: ‘Drill, baby, drill’ may mean ‘lay pipe, baby, lay pipe’
Loos Lips: The dangers of CO2 pipeline by NE Senator Erdman. Why is he standing alone in this concern Nebraska?
Chemistry World: The carbon capture conundrum
Anchorage Daily News: Time’s up for Alaska’s natural gas pipe dreams
New York Times: The Climate Crisis Is Bigger Than Any News Cycle
The Crucial Years: A win of sorts on something really important
PIPELINE NEWS
Aberdeen Insider: Lawsuit between Summit Carbon Solutions, pipeline opponents set for trial in September 2025
Scott Waltman, 12/3/24
“A trial date has been set in a legal dispute between Summit Carbon Solutions and landowners opposed to the company's proposed carbon capture pipeline,” the Aberdeen Insider reports. “During a hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Brown County Courthouse, Judge Richard Sommers scheduled trial for the week of Sept. 8, 2025. Thirty or so residents attended the hearing...”
Bismarck Tribune: TC Energy exits Project Tundra, a North Dakota carbon capture effort
Joey Harris, 12/3/24
“TC Energy, a major partner in a huge carbon capture project proposed for North Dakota's coal country, has discontinued its involvement in the effort,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “A final construction decision on the $2 billion "Project Tundra" is also further delayed, Politico first reported on Monday. Minnkota Power Cooperative has been developing Project Tundra for around a decade. The project would capture planet-warming CO2 emissions from the Milton R. Young Station coal-fired power plant near Center, about 40 miles northwest of Bismarck. Minnkota on Monday did not provide the Tribune with a definitive timeline for when a construction decision could be expected… "We fully support Minnkota's efforts as they continue to advance Project Tundra, a leading (carbon capture and storage) project that promises to deliver secure and sustainable energy solutions for North Dakota. TC Energy will continue to pursue the development of projects that align with our commercial preferences, maximizes the scale of our existing assets, and establish a strong competitive position," the company said in a statement. TC Energy did not provide an immediate response to the Tribune's inquiries regarding the reasons behind the company's departure or how much money it had planned to invest in the project… "While we remain optimistic about advancing the project, securing capital resources will be essential to reaching a final investment decision," Minnkota spokesman Ben Fladhammer told the Tribune… “This marks the second time this year that a construction announcement for the project has been delayed… “Most of the subsidies are not set to be tapped until a construction decision is made.”
E&E News: Pipeline CEO urges Republicans to put FERC in charge of energy permits
Ben Lefebvre, Marie J. French, 12/4/24
“The head of one of the country’s largest pipeline companies said Tuesday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should be in charge of infrastructure permitting and environmental reviews — and states should be removed from the process,” E&E News reports. “Williams CEO Alan Armstrong said President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and Republicans’ control of both chambers of Congress mean that infrastructure permitting reform is virtually certain — and to ensure the permitting process is as smooth as possible, FERC should be designated as the entity with ultimate responsibility. “It needs to be headed by one agency, one primary agency, not multiple agencies,” Armstrong said in an interview with Politico, referring to the permitting and environmental review process. “We need to make sure the entire permitting process is brought under FERC and not left to the states,” Armstrong told an audience at the North America Natural Gas Forum industry conference in Washington, D.C.
KMA: Montgomery County board slates pipeline discussion next week
Mike Peterson, 12/3/24
“More discussion, but no action is anticipated at next week's Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting regarding the always-contentious pipeline issue,” KMA reports. “West Township resident Jan Norris asked the supervisors Tuesday morning to be placed on next week's agenda to talk about recent developments regarding Summit Carbon Solution's proposed Midwest Express CO2 pipeline… “Also next week, Supervisors Mark Peterson and Charla Schmidt are expected to update the board on any pipeline-related discussion at Friday's district 4 supervisor's meeting in Creston… “Olson says Taylor will outline the county's coverage if litigation follows any board approval of a county pipeline ordinance.”
Brownfield Ag News: IRFA stresses need for carbon pipeline projects
Brent Barnett, 12/3/24
“The head of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says carbon pipelines will be critical to the future of ethanol production,” Brownfield Ag News reports. “Monte Shaw tells Brownfield many markets are asking for “super” low-carbon ethanol. “The single most easy, most cost-effective way to lower the carbon of biofuels, ethanol specifically in this case, is CO2 capture and sequestration. It’s easy, it’s proven, it’s affordable, it can be done safely.” “...Shaw told Brownfield Iowa’s ethanol production will become noncompetitive without investments in carbon sequestration projects. “People view this through a political lens. This isn’t politics to us, it’s business. If we can open these new markets, it’s going to be a huge new demand over the next 5-to-10-to-20 years for American commodities like corn and soybeans and things like that.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: FERC Reviews CP2 LNG, Pipeline Project Authorizations Ahead of DC Circuit Challenge by Environmental Groups
Jacob Dick, 12/3/24
“FERC moved to conduct additional review of Venture Global LNG Inc.’s proposed CP2 LNG and CP Express Pipeline projects as the Commission looks to shore up its authorization order against heightened scrutiny from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “In a stealth move over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a series of orders disclosing it planned to exercise its ability to modify an order challenged in an appeals court, as long as it has not yet been made an official part of the record (Nos. CP22-21-001, CP22-22-001). In the order, Commission staff wrote that the move would allow the agency to take a deeper look at cumulative air quality impacts ”for the purpose of conducting additional environmental review in light of an opinion issued” by the DC Circuit. It specifically mentioned a review of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in the order, a greenhouse gas that has been increasingly scrutinized in FERC authorization cases before the DC Circuit.”
Law360: Judge Says ND Can Intervene In Dakota Access Pipeline Row
Crystal Owens, 12/3/24
“The state of North Dakota can back the federal government in a challenge by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe over the Dakota Access Pipeline, a federal district court judge said, after the state argued that a shutdown would substantially impact its economy and undermine its sovereign interests,” Law360 reports.
Detroit Metro Times: Michigan students unite to shut down controversial oil pipeline
Chrystal Blair, 12/3/24
“Oil and Water Don’t Mix, a nonprofit group opposing Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, is leading student efforts across the Upper Great Lakes to advocate for its shutdown,” the Detroit Metro Times reports. “The campaign includes eight Michigan universities, with schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Canada. Opponents argued the aging pipeline, running through the Straits of Mackinac, poses a catastrophic environmental risk if a spill occurs. Calvin Floyd, a graduate student at the University of Michigan and volunteer student organizer, joined the Line 5 student campaign after first learning about the issue in high school. “I remember the Kalamazoo oil spill,” Floyd told the Times. “I became aware the same company is operating a ticking time bomb underneath the Straits of Mackinac and that it had to be stopped.” “...Floyd pointed out student support for shutting down Line 5 is strong, with a diverse group leading the effort at the University of Michigan. “It’s both in-state students who have a connection to the Great Lakes and to the region and they know the weight of this issue, and it’s also folks who come from all over the world who realize both the importance of this resource and how it's under threat,” Floyd told the Times.”
Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge forecasts higher 2025 core profit
12/3/24
“Enbridge on Tuesday forecast higher core profit for 2025 as the Canadian pipeline operator expects strong oil and gas demand to lift volumes, sending its U.S.-listed shares up 1% in premarket trading,” Reuters reports. “The company forecast adjusted core earnings between C$19.4 billion ($13.82 billion) and C$20 billion next year, higher than its 2024 expectations… "Global oil consumption has rebounded to all-time highs and increasing natural gas demand is being driven by LNG growth, coal-to-gas switching and the rapid increase in electric power demand, stemming from new data center developments," CEO Greg Ebel said, adding that Enbridge's portfolio was well suited to take advantage of the increased energy demand. Recent U.S. gas utility acquisitions and roughly C$5 billion of secured projects expected to come online in 2024 also contributed to the upbeat forecast, the company said.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
FOX News: Trump suggests Canada become 51st state after Trudeau said tariff would kill economy: sources
Greg Wehner, Bret Baier, 12/2/24
“President-elect Trump suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week that if a tariff for failing to address trade and immigration issues would kill the neighbor to the north’s economy, maybe it should become the 51st state, sources told FOX News. “...Specifically, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over their failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S… “Sources say Trump became more animated when it came to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which he estimated to be more than $100 billion… “Trudeau told Trump he cannot levy the tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy completely. Trump replied – asking, so your country can't survive unless it's ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion? Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, which caused the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News. But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor of the 51st state. Sources told Fox News someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a very liberal state, which received even more laughter… “While sources say the exchange got many laughs, Trump delivered the message that he expected change by January 20.”
Politico: Huffman’s Higher Ground
12/3/24
“Rep. Jared Huffman is the front-runner to become ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee next Congress after longtime Democratic leader Rep. Raúl Grijalva dropped out of the race Monday,” Politico reports. “Both he and Huffman, a 60-year-old Californian, are known as progressive climate and environmental hawks, and there are few policy differences between them. But Huffman is positioning himself as the one to more aggressively respond to President-elect Donald Trump’s planned ‘drill, baby, drill’ push. “For me, it was always about the needs of the committee and the urgency of what is coming at us — the storm that is coming [from Republicans],” Huffman told Politico. “This is going to test us in every way. It will test our resolve. It’s not for the faint of heart. I am ready.” “...Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), currently the top Democrat on the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee and a Grijalva ally, is ‘taking a serious look’ at running for ranking member, her office told Politico.”
E&E News: Environmentalists Ask DC Circuit To Rehear CEQ NEPA Case
Niina H. Farah, 12/2/24
“Conservation groups are calling for a federal appeals court to reconsider its ‘demonstrably dangerous’ ruling invalidating the power of the White House to craft National Environmental Policy Act regulations,” E&E News reports. “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision last month found for the first time that the White House Council on Environmental Quality lacked the authority to direct federal agencies on NEPA compliance. The ruling came as a surprise since none of the parties in the case had raised the issue of CEQ’s regulatory power before the three-judge panel. Court watchers have warned the decision could undercut the office’s NEPA reviews, or at least open the door to new, more direct challenges to CEQ’s authority… “They asked for rehearing before a full panel of active judges on the court, or at least a new three-judge panel.”
E&E News: Republicans mull fate of DOE loan program
Nico Portuondo, 12/3/24
“Republican control of Congress next year could spell trouble — or even doom — for a Department of Energy office that has doled out billions to stand up clean energy projects across the country,” E&E News reports. “Top Republican energy lawmakers interviewed by E&E said they see DOE’s Loan Programs Office as a prime target for President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to cut costs and increase “efficiency” across federal agencies… “Buoyed by an unprecedented boost in funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, the office has announced roughly $37 billion in loans or loan guarantees for a host of promising clean energy projects during President Joe Biden’s tenure. It has finalized financing for 12 of them, worth roughly $12 billion. It’s unclear how hard Republicans will push on making big changes to the loan office. Some want to see a complete teardown, while others think its portfolio could be adjusted to focus on Republican-favored energy sources like nuclear, geothermal or even fossil fuel projects. Others say Republicans should tread carefully on big cuts… “Democrats, for their part, aren’t holding out hope that the LPO will have much of a role over the next four years. “It certainly looks like they’re going to try to decimate clean energy programs across the Department of Energy,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, told E&E.”
E&E News: Ramaswamy takes aim at DOE loan funds
Brian Dabbs, 12/3/24
“A new $7.5 billion Department of Energy loan proposal for a Stellantis-linked battery project in Indiana will be a Trump administration target, Vivek Ramaswamy said late Monday,” E&E News reports. “Ramaswamy, the co-lead of the informal Department of Government Efficiency, said on X that DOGE “will carefully scrutinize every one of these questionable 11th-hour transactions, starting on Jan 20.” A week after his victory at the polls, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to run the advisory committee. Trump said the agency would “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” It will not have the authority to promulgate traditional regulations.”
STATE UPDATES
ExxonKnews: Maine and a Kansas county take Big Oil to court
Emily Sanders, 12/3/24
“Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House raised questions about potential new barriers to holding the fossil fuel industry accountable — but it hasn’t deterred two more governments from taking Big Oil companies to court over deception claims,” ExxonKnews reports. “The State of Maine and Ford County, Kansas, filed separate lawsuits against major oil and gas companies and industry trade associations on Thanksgiving week, signifying that state and local governments will continue to pursue legal consequences for corporate deception and recover funds to pay for the damage to their communities — even as fossil fuel interests hatch plans to eviscerate climate policy and expand oil and gas operations under the next administration. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey sued ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, Sunoco, and the American Petroleum Institute in state court, becoming the 11th attorney general in the United States to argue that Big Oil should be held accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ harm to the climate… “The very next day, Ford County, Kansas, home to fewer than 35,000 people, filed a federal class action lawsuit against major fossil fuel and petrochemical companies and trade associations including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Dupont, Dow, Eastman, and the American Chemistry Council, accusing them of waging a “decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics.” Earlier this year, the State of California filed a first-of-its kind lawsuit against Exxon for fraudulently marketing plastic products as recyclable. Ford County, which is home to oil and gas production and voted nearly 2:1 for Trump in November, has now filed the second such case and expanded its list of defendants to include other major companies and trade associations. But by filing a class action lawsuit, the small southwest Kansas county has opened the door for more Kansas cities and counties to join its case. These cases are the latest in a swell of lawsuits against fossil fuel producers worldwide, including those filed by more than three dozen state, city, county, and tribal governments in the United States alone.”
Inside Climate News: As California Pushes Increased Ethanol Use, Experts Sound the Alarm on Environmental Impacts
Nina Elkadi, 12/2/24
“On Oct. 25, California Governor Gavin Newsom encouraged the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to accelerate its study of E15, a gasoline-ethanol blend, as a way to potentially lower the cost of gasoline in California and “save Californians as much as $2.7 billion every year —with little to no impact on the environment.” The idea that E15 could lower gas prices in California is, itself, controversial. Even more controversial, though, is the notion that expanding the use of biofuels comes with few consequences,” Inside Climate News reports. “...According to Silvia Secchi, a professor of geological and sustainability science at the University of Iowa, ethanol was originally sold as a “bridge fuel” that could one day primarily be made from cellulosic materials like wood shavings and other waste products… “Increased intensity on the land in places like Iowa, which produces more corn than any other U.S. state and, as a result, uses a significant amount of fertilizer, has caused an environmental situation so dire that advocates are calling for federal intervention. “I really wish that every time people put ethanol in their car, they would drink Iowa well water at home,” Secchi told ICN. “California is not going to be producing that ethanol. It’s going to be importing that ethanol from places like Iowa or Nebraska or Kansas or South Dakota, and the environmental impacts of that ethanol, in terms of land use change, in terms of water quality, all the degradation that ethanol brings with it, they’re going to stay with us.” For Danny Cullenward, senior fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, the impacts of biofuels on the land are difficult to overstate. “Huge industrial use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, destroying water quality throughout most of the country, that’s not actually good. And those are the consequences that come from this myopic and very narrow look at this carbon accounting lens through these flawed methods,” he told ICN. “All of that is necessary to underpin the notion of, maybe this will be good for consumers.” Experts Inside Climate News spoke with are calling for more environmental impacts of E15—a blend of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol—to be taken into consideration, not just the potential wins for consumers at the gas pump.”
E&E News: Trump gets second chance to drill ANWR. Will oil companies bite?
Heather Richards, 12/4/24
“President-elect Donald Trump will get another try to unleash drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge during his second term, but oil production won’t come easy,” E&E News reports. “The success of a potential drilling campaign may depend on whether North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) — Trump’s pick for Interior secretary — prioritizes Alaska oil and gas issues and whether his staff members are skilled at unraveling Biden administration rules crafted to hamper drilling in the Arctic… “There are billions and billions of barrels of oil recoverable in ANWR. The main problem is the permitting and litigation risk,” Randy Ruaro, executive director of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, an independent economic development agency set up by the state’s government, told E&E. “You just have to get the system in place that allows for reasonable permitting and production of the oil and gas.” “...Opponents of drilling in the refuge say they are gearing up for a fight to stave off ANWR development while Trump is in office. “This is what we’ve been doing for a long time,” Pat Lavin, Alaska policy adviser for the environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, told E&E. “We’re gonna fiercely oppose any foray into the Arctic refuge. … It’s one of our most iconic landscapes.”
Inside Climate News: Local Tax Breaks for LNG Plants Don’t Benefit Communities, Report Says
Dylan Baddour, 12/3/24
“Three low-income school districts in Texas have granted more than $2 billion in tax relief to new liquefied natural gas terminals on the Gulf Coast, according to a report released Monday by the Sierra Club, which tallied publicly available data on agreements between companies and local public entities,” Inside Climate News reports. “ Those tax breaks, intended to attract investment and employment opportunities, totaled about $4 million per permanent post-construction job promised by developers of the gas projects, said the 34-page report, “The People Always Pay: Tax Breaks Force Gulf Communities to Subsidize the LNG Industry.” “...Subsidies remain the norm in the U.S.’ buildout of massive, capital-intensive export terminals, concentrated on the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast,” the Sierra Club report said. “LNG developers in these areas typically receive lucrative tax breaks that deny the local community critical funds for social services and infrastructure.” “...Tax abatement agreements offer tax discounts to major projects in exchange for commitments of economic growth, jobs, and sometimes cash payments. Most states offer at least one business tax break incentive program, Manish Bhatt, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research and policy organization in Washington, D.C., told ICN. “There is some question about whether they are effective,” Bhatt told ICN. “In some cases it can prove difficult to measure the effectiveness of these incentives.” “...The idea of most local governments is that if we don’t give them what they want they will go somewhere else,” John Beard, a former city council member in Port Arthur and founder of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, told ICN. “We get shortchanged, we don’t get the money that we should get.”
State Journal: Divided West Virginia Supreme Court Sides with oil and gas royalty owners
Matt Harvey, 12/2/24
“A divided West Virginia Supreme Court has issued a victory for oil and gas royalty owners, marking a setback for producers,” the State Journal reports. “...The case arose from two certified questions in a seven-year class-action civil suit brought by Harrison County oil and gas owners against Antero Resources Corp. in U.S. District Court for Northern West Virginia. The federal court sent two certified questions to the state Supreme Court, spawning the recent ruling. Producers have been deducting costs after oil and gas reached the first point of marketability, typically at their production facilities, according to the opinion. They then subtracted costs for transporting gas to markets such as Chicago, Detroit, and the Gulf Coast, as well as processing and boiling off hydrocarbons to create residue gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The majority held that “absent express language” in the lease, these deductions are not allowed.”
Houston Chronicle: What Are ‘Zombie’ Wells? 5 Things To Know About Texas Oil Wells That Pose A New Environmental Threat
Amanda Drake, 12/1/24
“What are ‘zombie’ wells? They are wells that should be plugged but are coming back to life and spewing toxic water,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “Regulations require oil and gas operators to plug wells with cement when they are finished with them, but a growing number of decades-old plugs are failing to hold up against new pressures mounting underground. An October geyser that flowed from an old well affiliated with Kinder Morgan was one recent example of the phenomenon… “What are regulators doing to address the issue? The increasing number of water blowouts has appeared to confound oil and gas regulators with the Texas Railroad Commission, which has made recent efforts to tackle the issue. The commission has requested more than $100 million in additional funds from the Legislature to plug a growing number of ‘emergency’ wells and to hire a 10-person team to investigate the root causes of water blowouts and earthquakes. The federal Environmental Protection Agency began reviewing the Railroad Commission’s management of oil and gas wastewater in response to a March petition from environmental groups concerned about wastewater injection, which has been tied to a recent rash of zombie wells.”
Inside Climate News: Can Recycled Oilfield Water Quench the Thirst of Drought-Stricken West Texas?
Martha Pskowski, 12/3/24
“There is water in all the wrong places in this corner of West Texas. The Pecos River runs dry through this small town mired in severe drought. But Lake Boehmer, a pool of toxic water flowing from underground, lies just a few miles south. To the north, a well blew out on a ranch late last year and spewed salty water sky high,” Inside Climate News reports. “...Oil and gas companies are injecting vast quantities of wastewater, also known as produced water, into the subsurface of the Permian Basin. These injection wells have been linked to surface deformation, blow-outs and earthquakes. Eric Selinger’s family used to farm shrimp on their property along the Pecos River outside Imperial. But the aquaculture ponds have long lain empty. He sees a potential solution in produced water and is seeking business partners to treat it for irrigation on his land. Selinger hopes that repurposing produced water can reduce the volume injected underground, and in turn, the risk of blow-outs and earthquakes… “The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas waste, has two pilot projects to test the concept. The Texas Produced Water Consortium, based at Texas Tech University, is running its own set of treatment pilots… “But scientific study of using treated produced water is still in the early stages. Produced water can contain hundreds of constituents that are costly to test for and treat. Many of the constituents do not have toxicity standards approved by federal or state regulators. The cost of treating produced water remains prohibitive. Those challenges will have to be addressed to responsibly use produced water outside the oilfields.”
ABC News: Texas could become a major producer of another source of renewable energy
Julia Jacobo, 12/2/24
“Texas has the potential to become a major producer of green hydrogen due to its existing energy infrastructure, according to researchers,” ABC News reports. “That infrastructure is making Texas a "valuable case study" in decarbonizing states that currently produce a high volume of fossil fuels, a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found. The Lone Star State already has an operational infrastructure for green hydrogen – a clean energy source made through electrolysis, a process that involves splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen without producing harmful carbon emissions – according to Michael McElroy, a professor of environmental studies at Harvard University and author of the study… "Hydrogen itself could be a really important component to a green transition," Jessika Trancik, a professor of energy systems for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved with the study, told ABC News… “By 2030, Texas could produce more than 50 million tons of green hydrogen at a cost at about $1.50 per kilogram, the PNAS study found. That low production cost will result from integrating the water electrolysis process with the existing renewable electricity grid, according to the study, and will also enhance grid reliability and "significantly" influence decarbonization in the state.”
AL.com: $24 million in oil spill funds to benefit birds, water quality in coastal Alabama
Margaret Kates, 12/3/24
“More than $24 million in funds from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill settlements will be deployed in coastal Alabama, to aid in restoring the region’s coastal wildlife,” AL.com reports. “Last month, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources released Restoration Plan IV, a plan focused on using oil spill funds to restore the area’s coastal habitats, birds, and oysters, among other priorities.”
Inforum: Over 26,000 gallons of oil lost between Bottineau, Williams County spills
12/2/24
“A total 26,040 gallons of crude oil was lost in North Dakota after an explosion in Williams County on Friday, Nov. 29, and a leak in Bottineau County on Saturday, Nov. 30,” Inforum reports. “According to a Monday release from the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division, approximately 17,640 gallons of oil was spilled after a tank operated by Hess Corp. exploded about 6.8 miles south of Ray in Williams County. A total of 126 gallons have since been recovered… “The next day, a tank overflow about 6.6 miles northwest of Maxbass in Bottineau County led to a 8,400-gallon oil spill, half of which have since been recovered. The site, operated by Scout Energy Corp., also lost 3,360 gallons of produced water and recovered three-quarters, according to the release. A total 5,880 gallons of produced water were spilled between the two incidents and 2,646 gallons have been recovered.”
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Oil Sands Carbon Capture Project Draws First Nations’ Scrutiny
Robert Tuttle, 12/3/24
“A proposed carbon-capture and storage system designed to slash emissions from Canada’s oil sands is drawing scrutiny from local Indigenous communities, who are requesting that the project be subject to an impact assessment,” Bloomberg reports. “A group of eight First Nations in northern Alberta have asked the federal government to subject the project to the Impact Assessment Act because of its potential environmental effects, according to a letter filed by the groups. That designation would subject the project to greater regulatory scrutiny, potentially slowing its rollout and threatening the industry’s goal of cutting emissions by 22 million metric tons by 2030.”
Bloomberg: Saudi Aramco Signs Up Partners for Carbon Capture Project
Anthony Di Paola, 12/4/24
“Saudi Aramco is moving closer to building a giant carbon capture and storage project at its main refining and chemicals hub at Jubail, on the kingdom’s Gulf coast,” Bloomberg reports. “The oil producer signed a shareholders’ agreement with partners Linde Plc and SLB to develop the facility, which aims to capture and store 9 million tons of carbon dioxide a year by the end of 2027, according to a statement. Aramco will hold a 60% stake, with the partners owning 20% each of the project… “The Jubail CCS project will be key to Aramco’s plans to use a large amount of the natural gas from its giant Jafurah development to produce blue hydrogen and ammonia… “CCS plays a critical role in furthering our sustainability ambitions and our new energies business,” Ashraf Al Ghazzawi, Aramco’s executive vice president for strategy and corporate development, said in the statement. The company’s transition plans focus on “reducing emissions from conventional energy sources and enabling new, lower-carbon energy solutions.”
E&E News: Methane Emissions A ‘Blind Spot’ For Oil And Gas Companies, Report Finds
Mika Travis, 12/3/2
“No major oil and gas company has an emissions target that is aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, according to a new report from Carbon Tracker,” E&E News reports. “The think tank’s Absolute Impact 2024 found that methane emissions are a major ‘blind spot’ for the world’s top 30 oil and gas producers. “Reducing a ton of methane will do a lot more to reduce warming as compared to reducing the same volume of carbon dioxide,” Olivia Bisel, the lead author of the report, told E&E. “It’s also low-hanging fruit, so there are technologically and commercially feasible ways to reduce methane that companies can implement starting today.” Many oil and gas companies aim to achieve near-zero methane emissions in fossil fuel production and other upstream activities by 2030, but none globally have reduction targets for all their business activities. Most firms — with the sole exception of Chevron — don’t include methane emissions from joint ventures in their targets.”
The National: Cargo freighter sinks in Red Sea one week after coral reef collision caused oil spill
Kamal Tabikha, 12/3/24
“Egypt has intensified efforts to contain environmental damage caused by the sinking of a cargo ship, which went down in the Red Sea on Monday after spilling oil,” The National reports. “The VSG Glory sank off the coast of El Quseir, having run aground on a reef on November 22… “The collision also caused some of the fuel oil – the tanks held about 70 tonnes – to spill out and drift on to several of El Quseir's beaches. The vessel was also carrying 4,000 tonnes of bran and 50 tonnes of diesel. Visitors have started avoiding the water because of the thick layer oil on a number of shores, a resident of the city told The National.”
OPINION
Farmers’ Advance: ‘Drill, baby, drill’ may mean ‘lay pipe, baby, lay pipe’
Alan Guebert, 12/3/24
“If you believe in striking while the iron is hot, you got to love Summit Carbon Solutions’ swift, decisive action on its multi-billion-dollar, CO₂ pipeline just two weeks after Donald J. Trump, the nation’s climate-denier-in-chief, was reelected Nov. 5,” Alan Guebert writes for Farmers’ Advance. “...Like its northern neighbor, South Dakota had rejected Summit’s first plan due to “non-compliance with county laws mandating minimum distances between pipelines and existing features,” according to the Nov. 19 Des Moines Register. That’s a big deal with farmers and ranchers in a rural state targeted for 700 miles of high pressure CO₂ pipeline… “But South Dakota farmers and ranchers aren’t going anywhere quickly or quietly. Politically conservative – President-Elect Donald J. Trump won the state in a 63-to-34 percent landslide Nov. 5 and Gov. Kristi Noem has been tapped to serve in his Cabinet – the rural voters maintain a fierce independence… “After anti-pipeline forces worked to fire the incumbents, they “gathered petition signatures and forced the (new) law onto the November ballot, where 59% of the voters rejected it.” Even after that double affirmation of local control, Summit maintains it will begin South Dakota pipeline construction in 2026 or 2027. That seems unlikely if the now-empowered, well-organized farmers and ranchers mount legal challenges on the company’s siting rules or its pursuit of eminent domain to move forward. Worse, if those fights proceed on a county-by-county basis, Summit’s South Dakota fight could take years… “Still, the incoming administration might look beyond all those shortcomings if it deems the pipeline supportive of its boisterous “drill, baby, drill” plans for fossil fuels. And it does if Summit downplays its “green” benefits to highlight what environmentalists have always seen as the pipeline’s real purpose – to prop up the ethanol industry while delivering pressurized CO₂ to North Dakota’s Bakken frac oil field to “pump, baby, pump” more fossil fuels.”
Loos Lips: The dangers of CO2 pipeline by NE Senator Erdman. Why is he standing alone in this concern Nebraska?
Nebraska Senator District 47 Steve Erdman, 12/3/24
“CO2 sequestration will soon become a major problem for land owners in Nebraska. When the State Legislature passed LB 650 on Final Reading back in 2021, I was the only State Senator who voted against the bill. Those State Senators who voted for the bill will soon begin regretting their decision to have voted for the bill. So, today I would like to tell you about another reason why LB 650 was such a bad idea and why it will soon be haunting State Senators as well as land owners all across our state,” Steve Erdman writes for Loos Lips. “The companies who want to build CO2 sequestration pipelines in Nebraska, such as Tallgrass, Summit, and others, have little regard for the rights of landowners and will use the law to their advantage to build their CO 2 pipelines against the wishes of land owners in Nebraska. In short, LB 650 allows CO 2 sequestration companies to infringe on the rights of landowners… “So, when LB 650 was written, it was written in such a way as to make CO2 sequestration a matter of the “public interest,” but we should ask: Is the underground storage of carbon dioxide really a matter of the public interest?... “LB 650 begins with these words, “The Legislature finds, recognizes, and declares, that it is in the public interest to promote the geologic storage of carbon dioxide.” “...This language is important, though, because it opens the door for the use of eminent domain by CO 2 sequestration companies… “The building of CO 2 pipelines would never succeed in a purely free-market economy. The entire industry is dependent upon these federally funded taxpayer dollars… “Folks in Nebraska need to get involved with this issue now. Citizens need to familiarize themselves with the zoning laws of their county, attend county board meetings, and share their concerns about CO2 pipelines with their elected officials. Likewise, citizens need to be made aware of the effects that CO2 pipelines will have on their community and elected officials need to respect the concerns of the people who elected them into office.”
Chemistry World: The carbon capture conundrum
Neil Withers, 12/3/24
“...As well as stopping or slowing the rate at which we’re filling the bathtub, we also need to empty it out. And that means removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” Neil Withers writes for Chemistry World. “But how can we capture and store carbon dioxide without too great an economic or carbon cost? With the price of renewable power falling, and its capacity increasing, hopefully the need for carbon capture and storage from fossil-based power generation will be fairly low in the future… “With the depressing realities of economics, chemistry and thermodynamics always apparent when it comes to carbon capture, it’s no surprise to read that industrial-scale progress in the area is very slow. There are concerns about technical problems including the necessary purity of the captured carbon dioxide – it may not seem like a problem if it’s going to be locked away in a cave or a disused oil field, but sulfates and nitrates could corrode the pipeline that gets it there. And of course cost is the over-riding issue, in spite of fairly impressive government funding available, both from the UK and EU.”
Anchorage Daily News: Time’s up for Alaska’s natural gas pipe dreams
Editorial Board, 11/20/24
“When it comes to the future of Alaska natural gas production, now is the winter of our discontent,” the Anchorage Daily News Editorial Board writes. “Despite widespread consternation over the prospect of having to import gas produced elsewhere to meet Southcentral Alaska’s heating and electricity generation needs, there has been no movement by producers to move forward with expanded exploration and production in existing fields, nor have firms taken concrete steps to commit to the long-desired natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to Southcentral. Alaskans — and particularly legislators — don’t want to acknowledge it, but there’s no getting around imported gas as at least a bridge solution for the state. We shouldn’t let the emotions surrounding our vision of Alaska as an oil and gas producer seduce us into overcommitment to a financially risky in-state gas solution. Multiple governors’ administrations have pinned their hopes on the development of an in-state natural gas pipeline, saying we’ve “never been closer” to finally freeing the vast reserves of gas at Prudhoe Bay and elsewhere on the North Slope and sending it south so that Alaska can have a stable supply of gas for decades while exporting the surplus for profit. But as the decades have passed since those promises began, it has started to feel like we’ve never been further away… “And yet the state’s gas cheerleaders have consistently put on a brave face about the telling lack of private partners willing to take on the financial risk of developing a gas line. This stands in stark contrast to the situation after oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay, with major producers falling all over themselves to bid on leases and sparing no expense to build the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The reticence among producers to develop Alaska gas when it’s their own money on the line should tell us much about how much profit a gas line would bring (not much) and how optimistic we should be that circumstances will change and make the line pencil out economically (not very).”
New York Times: The Climate Crisis Is Bigger Than Any News Cycle
Ryan Gellert is the chief executive of Patagonia, 12/3/24
“It’s been a tough year for companies wanting to do the right thing. In addition to managing a turbulent global economy, brands have faced backlash from a handful of activists on everything from climate and diversity commitments to supporting Pride events and even encouraging people to vote,” Ryan Gellert writes for the New York Times. “More than 100 laws against environmental, social and governance principles have been introduced in Congress and state legislatures since 2023, and right-wing politicians and activists continue to force companies that value corporate responsibility into a culture war by smearing them as “woke.” When a few companies got skittish and pulled back on their diversity or climate efforts, headlines crowed about the demise of corporate responsibility as a whole. This is what happens when sound bites and taglines replace the real work needed to make progress. It seems impossible to find a product now that doesn’t claim to be “green” or “sustainable” or made responsibly. Although some businesses are putting in the time and work to back up those claims, others are confronting the reality that their investors and customers are paying close attention, and the bill to produce results is past due. Despite those critics’ best efforts, businesses aren’t caving. According to a 2024 study from Deloitte, over the past year 85 percent of companies around the world increased their sustainability investments (only 1 percent reported a decrease). At Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company where I work as C.E.O., we know from 51 years of experience that doing right by the planet is also good for business.”
The Crucial Years: A win of sorts on something really important
Bill McKibben, 12/3/24
“When the environmental history of the Biden administration is written, the Inflation Reduction Act will have pride of place—for all its compromises and flaws, it finally set serious federal money flowing toward the task of an energy transition, and defending it from Trumpian attack will be job one for green lobbyists for the next for years,” Bill McKibben writes for The Crucial Years. “...But the second most useful thing the Biden administration did came less than a year ago—its January decision to pause new permits for LNG export terminals. This doesn’t sound to the untrained ear like such a big deal, but as readers of this newsletter know, it was: had the industry continued to build at the pace it wanted, the climate damage from American LNG exports would soon have topped every single thing that happens in Europe. This is the biggest greenhouse gas bomb on planet earth… “You could tell what a big deal it was by the way it angered Big Oil (and big banking and big shipping)—every story about the industry’s unprecedented support for Trump’s election made it clear that this was the number one casus belli. That’s because—as American demand for natural gas begins to sag in the face of the renewables buildout—their main hope was to emulate the cigarette industry and seek new markets in Asia. But a combination of on-the-ground groups in the Gulf of Mexico and climate activists across the country stuck a potato in the tailpipe… “The Biden administration should and could deny the permits outright, and here’s a petition urging them to do just that, and plans from Climate Defiance for demonstrations at the DOE next week… “One reason Harris’s defeat broke my heart is because I think she would have quashed this expansion for good. But I’m hopeful that we delayed them long enough (especially given this new FERC ruling) to seriously screw up the prospects for endless expansion.”