EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/5/23
PIPELINE NEWS
UpNorthLive: ‘A 20th Century project in the 21st Century': Environmental groups react to Line 5 update
The Center Square: Republicans, Enbridge celebrate Line 5 ruling
Bleeding Heartland: Summit Carbon Solutions: Five questions for Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson
Indian Country Today: Standing Rock’s fight against DAPL far from over
Vancouver Sun: B.C. farmers face third year of crop loss as Trans Mountain pipeline project drags on
Law360: House Committee Pitches Pipeline Safety Reauthorization Bill
Reuters: Kinder Morgan forecasts higher 2024 profit
The Hill: Burgum suspends 2024 GOP presidential campaign
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Labor unions are still giving Democrats climate headaches
E&E News: FWS Pulls Back On Rewrite Of Migratory Bird Regulations
Associated Press: Judge Rejects Calls To Halt Winter Construction Work On Willow Oil Project In Alaska During Appeal
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: What Wyoming shows about going ‘carbon negative’ in coal country
Press release: Loveland Halts New Oil and Gas Applications for Six Months; CE Pad Approved
EXTRACTION
University of Oxford: Heavy dependence on Carbon Capture and Storage ‘highly economically damaging’, says Oxford report
Associated Press: Analysis: Emirati oil CEO leading UN COP28 climate summit lashes out as talks enter toughest stage
The Hill: COP28 president draws fierce backlash with attack on climate science
Bloomberg: Saudi Energy Minister Won’t Agree to Fossil Fuel Phase Down
Washington Post: More than 2,400 people tied to Big Oil will attend COP28
Truthout: Fossil Fuel Companies Back Toothless “Decarbonization Charter” at COP28 in Dubai
New York Times: So, an Oil Cartel Walks Into a Climate Summit …
Axios: Kerry: Coal power plants shouldn't be "permitted anywhere in the world"
Bloomberg: Chevron, Exxon Opt Out of Funding COP28 Methane-Cutting Fund
Associated Press: Here’s why the UAE, the autocratic COP28 host, has to allow protests at the summit
CityNews Toronto: Will carbon capture save the climate, or just let us keep burning fuel?
CLIMATE FINANCE
New York Times: Climate Protesters Get in Fed’s Face as Policy Clash Grows Louder
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Inside Ottawa Valley: Enbridge Gas donates 198 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to North Grenville Fire Service
OPINION
The Iowa Standard: When will DeSantis, Trump declare positions on private property rights, eminent domain for CO2 pipelines?
Scientific American: Don’t Fall for Big Oil’s Carbon Capture Deceptions
Bloomberg: Do 70,000 People Really Need to Be at a Climate Confab
Newsweek: The Climate Summit Is a Sick Joke. You Should Be Angry and Afraid
PIPELINE NEWS
UpNorthLive: ‘A 20th Century project in the 21st Century': Environmental groups react to Line 5 update
Marc Schollett, 12/4/23
“The fight is far from over: that's the word from many opponents to Enbridge Energy's Line 5 tunnel project,” UpNorthLive reports. “On Friday, the Canadian energy company cleared a major hurdle in the approval process. But opponents said they still have time and the drive to shut it down. "Incredibly disappointing. It contradicts the efforts of our governor and our attorney general, and also the federal judge in Wisconsin who have all determined that Enbridge is a direct immediate threat to the Great Lakes," Christy McGillivray, the legislative director of the Michigan chapter of Sierra Club, told UpNorthLive… "We need to shut down the pipeline now. We need to not be building out massive fossil fuel infrastructure.” Reaction came quickly to Friday's news, with some in support and many in opposition to MPCS' decision. You can count For the Love of Water in the latter. The Traverse City-based environmental group has been outspoken critics of the current pipeline and the tunnel project. "I think it's fair to say that FLOW is really disappointed. We have what looks like a terrific panel who are well aware of the threats posed by Line 5, both as it currently exists and as a potential contributor to Michigan's climate footprint for the next 99 years. And they just made the wrong decision," Carrie La Seur, the legal director of FLOW, told UpNorthLive… "There are many steps that still have to come before this tunnel is actually approved and before we even really believe that this is what Enbridge plans to do they have they have many alternatives.” “...While getting the approval of the MPSC was a critical step for Enbridge, it was not the final hurdle to be cleared… “So, if approved and legally victorious, construction on the tunnel would likely not begin until 2026, and probably not be operational until closer to 2030.”
The Center Square: Republicans, Enbridge celebrate Line 5 ruling
Scott McClallen, 12/4/23
“After the Michigan Public Service Commission approved the permit for Enbridge Energy to move the Line 5 oil pipeline into an underground tunnel, Republicans welcomed the decision,” The Center Square reports. “...Enbridge said in a statement that the decision “is a major step forward” to protecting the Great Lakes and securing vital energy for Michiganders… “Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, welcomed the decision. “MPSC made the right call today, but it doesn’t excuse the overzealous effort to delay and kill the Enbridge proposal,” Cavitt said in a statement. “The operation of Line 5 is essential. Enbridge is one of the largest taxpayers in Cheboygan County. Without Line 5 tax revenue, entire school districts would be forced to close.”
Bleeding Heartland: Summit Carbon Solutions: Five questions for Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson
Nancy Dugan, 12/4/23
“Dr. Mark Z. Jacobson is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and also serves as Director of the Atmosphere/Energy program at Stanford University, where he has worked for 30 years,” Bleeding Heartland reports. He’s spent decades studying ethanol and carbon capture and has published two books that extensively explore those subjects as part of his broader research work examining clean, renewable energy solutions: 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything (2020), No Miracles Needed (2023)... “Environmental Science & Technology, a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Chemical Society, published Jacobson’s most recent study on October 26. That study, called Should Transportation Be Transitioned to Ethanol with Carbon Capture and Pipelines or Electricity? A Case Study, was funded in part by the Sierra Club… “Jacobson: The term “sustainable aviation fuel” is a greenwashing term. There is no health or climate benefit of biofuels used for aviation. Such biofuels still emit gases and particles that affect health and climate and that produce contrails. It is far better to develop battery-electric aircraft for short-haul and mid-haul flights and hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric aircraft for long-haul flights… “Jacobson: The major energy security risk associated with the Summit pipeline project is that it increases carbon dioxide by a factor of 2.4-4 and consumer costs in the five states at issue by $44-66 billion over 30 years compared with using the same money to purchase wind and battery-electric vehicles due to the higher cost of ethanol versus electricity. It also results in higher food costs, more land used, more water used, and more air pollution. These costs drain the resources of the United States, making the U.S. less competitive in a global market… “Jacobson: It is far better for residents of Iowa to invest in battery-electric vehicles and wind and solar to provide the electricity for such vehicles. In comparison with corn for ethanol with carbon capture and pipes plus flex-fuel vehicles, wind powering battery electric vehicles reduces carbon dioxide by a factor of 2.4-4 and reduces consumer costs by many billions of dollars over 30 years.”
Indian Country Today: Standing Rock’s fight against DAPL far from over
AMELIA SCHAFER, 12/1/23
“Doug Crow Ghost, Hunkpapa Lakota, opens a large binder labeled “Volume II: Dakota Access Pipeline Lake Oahe Crossing Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement.” The binder is supposed to contain instructions for the tribe should there be a leak in the Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the entire page is redacted, replaced with a massive black square,” Indian Country Today reports. “So, this is what we do if there’s a leak,” Crow Ghost, water administrator for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, told ICT, holding the binder open to two entirely redacted pages. A public forum held November 1 and November 2 in Bismarck was meant to be an opportunity for concerned citizens and tribal officials to provide feedback on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS outlines five options for the future of the pipeline. Options include denying the easement that allows for the Cannon Ball, N.D.; crossing, abandoning or removing the segment; granting the easement with no changes or additional safety measures; or rerouting the pipeline north of Bismarck.The Bismarck format of the public forum upset many in attendance. Many, including Standing Rock officials, expected a public hearing-style forum. Instead, the forum was a one-on-one meeting with a stenographer present to write down concerns. There was also an opportunity for individuals to write comments… “Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire called for the draft review to be invalidated and the pipeline shutdown. Alkire voiced concerns over online comments made not being fully considered… “In the days leading up to the December 13 EIS public comment deadline, the tribe is working to make their voices heard. With the help of numerous technical experts such as oil spill model experts, climatologists, geologists and more, the tribe is compiling a comprehensive document to present to the Army Corps beforehand. The tribe is also requesting a congressional hearing regarding the destruction of cultural sites and human remains in the pipeline’s creation. “It’s important that we stay ahead of this all because the (pipeline) companies are,” Crow Ghost told ICT. “The environment, the destruction of cultural sites and Indigenous communities are all secondary to them. Their primary goal is to make money at any cost. It’s not about conservation or protection. It’s all about money.”
Vancouver Sun: B.C. farmers face third year of crop loss as Trans Mountain pipeline project drags on
Glenda Luymes, 12/4/23
“Shrouded in thick fog, Allan Mulder’s farm looks like the site of an archeological dig. The Trans Mountain Pipeline runs behind Mulder’s house and chicken barns near the Fraser River in Abbotsford. Beyond a child’s swing set, mounds of topsoil follow a trench holding the pipes that cut across his property — and 1,733 other tracts of private land between Edmonton, Alberta and the Burnaby terminal,” the Vancouver Sun reports. “Delays mean the project could impact Mulder’s crops for a third year… “But the project has been plagued by difficulties. The pipeline was bought by the federal government for $4.5 billion in 2018 after previous owner Kinder Morgan Canada threatened to scrap the expansion in the face of environmentalist opposition and regulatory hurdles. Its projected pricetag has since spiralled, first to $12.6 billion, then to $21.4 billion, and most recently to $30.9 billion, according to the most recent capital cost estimates… “But three kilometres of pipe still needs to be laid in the Coquihalla/Hope region and the Lower Mainland, including Abbotsford. Reclamation, meaning returning the land to its “pre-construction function” after the pipe has been installed, is also ongoing… “The delays have impacted farmers and property owners as well. While the company will compensate them for crop loss and restore the land after construction, some are facing a third season without full use of their fields. Mulder had to harvest his corn crop before it was ready in the fall of 2022 so pipeline work could begin. But because construction didn’t start right away, regulations around moving topsoil in winter pushed the work back to 2023… “As a result, Mulder was unable to plant corn in part of his field. For a second year, he also hasn’t seeded a fall crop. With work now on hold through another winter, he expects next year’s corn crop to be affected by the project as well… “Our agrologist is concerned,” he told the Sun. “It can take a long time to get the land back to the way it was before.”
Law360: House Committee Pitches Pipeline Safety Reauthorization Bill
Tom Lotshaw, 12/1/23
“The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is introducing legislation to reauthorize and advance programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for four years,” Law360 reports. “H.R. 6494, dubbed the Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety Act of 2023, was introduced this week by committee chair Sam Graves, R-Missouri, and ranking member Rick Larsen, D-Washington, as well as Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee chair Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and ranking member Donald M. Payne Jr., D-New Jersey. In a news release, the committee and subcommittee members said the resolution would allow PHMSA to boost staffing, help streamline federal red tape around liquefied natural gas operations and regulate carbon dioxide pipelines more effectively. According to a committee summary, the resolution would authorize about $800 million for PHMSA’s pipeline safety programs over four years while allowing PHMSA to collect up to 105% of that amount through fees that pipeline operators and underground natural gas storage facility owners pay.”
Reuters: Kinder Morgan forecasts higher 2024 profit
12/4/23
“Kinder Morgan (KMI.N) on Monday forecast higher 2024 earnings as the U.S. pipeline operator bets on growth in its natural gas pipelines and energy transition ventures,” Reuters reports. “Net income attributable to Kinder Morgan for 2024 is expected to be $1.21 per share, up 11% from its forecast of $1.09 per share for 2023, the company said. "We expect to continue benefiting from strong natural gas market fundamentals driving growth on our existing natural gas transportation, storage, and gathering and processing assets as well as expansion opportunities," Kim Dang, chief executive officer of Kinder Morgan, said in a statement. The pipeline operator also anticipates to benefit from increased rates in refined products businesses, demand for renewable diesel and renewable diesel feedstocks, and demand for renewable natural gas… “Canadian peers TC Energy (TRP.TO) and Enbridge (ENB.TO) also earlier estimated higher adjusted core earnings for 2024.”
The Hill: Burgum suspends 2024 GOP presidential campaign
JULIA MANCHESTER AND JARED GANS, 12/4/23
“North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) is suspending his campaign in the Republican presidential primary after failing to gain traction in the crowded field,” The Hill reports. “Burgum’s campaign was seen as a long shot from its conception. The governor entered the field with little national name recognition and faced questions over whether his bid was a vanity project.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Labor unions are still giving Democrats climate headaches
ALEX NIEVES, 12/4/23
“One of California’s most powerful unions is not loosening its grip on oil jobs,” Politico reports. “Despite the Biden administration and California lawmakers pouring billions of dollars into new climate-friendly industries like electric vehicles, hydrogen and building electrification, a key player in state politics is still defending fossil fuel interests that provide thousands of well-paying jobs. President Joe Biden’s investment in clean energy sectors through a pair of massive spending bills — which promise lucrative tax credits for projects that pay union wages — was supposed to speed up the labor transition away from oil and gas. That hasn’t happened in deep-blue California, home to the country’s most ambitious climate policies — and most influential labor unions. “We believe we’re still going to be working in the oil and gas space for the foreseeable future,” Chris Hannan, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, which represents nearly 500,000 members across dozens of local unions, from pipefitting to electrical work, told Politico. Unions’ longstanding — and well-founded — distrust of the renewable energy industry as a reliable source of labor-friendly jobs is slowing the “just transition” that Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders around the country have pushed. With federal officials trying to get clean energy funding out as fast as possible ahead of the 2024 election, and California politicians cracking down on the fossil fuel industry, unions’ reluctance to relinquish fossil fuel jobs undermines Democrats’ aggressive climate targets, a lawmaker who serves both a union- and oil-rich area of the state told Politico.”
E&E News: FWS Pulls Back On Rewrite Of Migratory Bird Regulations
Michael Doyle, 12/1/23
“The Fish and Wildlife Service tapped the brakes on its long-awaited update to migratory bird protection rules, disappointing environmental advocates pressing for reforms before the end of President Joe Biden’s first term,” E&E News reports. “After laboring for two years and navigating through more than 56,000 prior public comments, the agency late Thursday said it had received additional ‘technical comments’ that need further review. As a result, proposed Migratory Bird Treaty Act rule revisions have been withdrawn from the White House office that’s the gatekeeper for new executive branch proposals. “We will take this time to ensure any future rulemaking works to both protect birds and provide regulatory certainty to industry and stakeholders,” the FWS said in a statement. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s open-ended reset prompted dismay among many bird advocates. It also left key questions unanswered about the future of what began as one of the Biden administration’s highest-profile environmental initiatives, an emblem of the larger effort to reverse steps taken during the Trump administration.”
Associated Press: Judge Rejects Calls To Halt Winter Construction Work On Willow Oil Project In Alaska During Appeal
Becky Bohrer, 12/1/23
“A federal judge in Alaska on Friday rejected requests from environmental groups to halt winter construction work for the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope while the groups’ legal fight over the drilling project wages on,” the Associated Press reports. “U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason just last month upheld the Biden administration’s approval in March of the ConocoPhillips Alaska project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and dismissed lawsuits brought by environmentalists and a grassroots Iñupiat group challenging Willow’s approval. Those groups are appealing that decision and asked Gleason to block winter construction work planned by ConocoPhillips Alaska while the appeal is pending. She denied those requests Friday. Gleason said that while environmental impacts related to winter activities are of ‘legitimate concern’ to the groups, ‘only a small area of the Reserve will be impacted.’”
STATE UPDATES
E&E News: What Wyoming shows about going ‘carbon negative’ in coal country
Jason Plautz, 12/5/23
“Wyoming is highlighting a question at the center of the nation’s electricity mix: Can a coal state go “carbon negative”?,” E&E News reports. “Republican Gov. Mark Gordon’s stated goal for the nation’s top-producing coal state is to suck more carbon out of the air than it emits. It has been framed both as a sky-high target to launch renewable energy and a potential middle ground strategy that can keep coal plants alive. But as the plan — which Gordon first announced in 2021 — gains national attention, the state GOP is pushing back. Republicans issued a rare rebuke of Gordon over his climate change statements, raising new questions about the viability of the carbon negative goal — and how much political power Gordon will have to see it through... “Instead of calling for certain levels of clean energy or vowing to convert every economic sector to electricity or clean-burning fuels, Gordon wants the state to lead the way in sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. To do that, Gordon has promoted technologies like carbon capture systems for coal- and gas-fueled plants and direct air capture facilities. Those technologies are still unproven at scale, but could offer a boost to the state’s existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Gordon has also said that the state could manufacture asphalt or other products from captured carbon, or import carbon dioxide from across state lines and store it underground… “Carbon capture carries significant questions about effectiveness and cost. A recent U.N. Environment Programme report also cautioned that an “overly-optimistic dependence” on future carbon removal could distract from near-term reduction efforts.”
Press release: Loveland Halts New Oil and Gas Applications for Six Months; CE Pad Approved
12/3/23
“The Loveland City Council recently made two key decisions about oil and gas development. In a 7-2 vote on November 28, 2023, the council decided to pause new oil and gas development for six months. This means the city won't accept new oil and gas applications until June 1, 2024, or until the city's regulations match state regulations. This pause was in response to Senate Bill 19-181, which requires local rules to match state rules. Currently, Loveland doesn't have any pending applications for oil and gas development. The pause is meant to give the city time to update its rules to comply with the new state law. In another decision, the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission approved the East (CE) pad in Loveland on November 29. This approval lets the applicant, MRG, apply for construction permits.”
EXTRACTION
University of Oxford: Heavy dependence on Carbon Capture and Storage ‘highly economically damaging’, says Oxford report
Rupert Way, 12/5/23
“Heavy dependence on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to reach net zero targets around 2050 would be “highly economically damaging”, costing at least $30 trillion more than a route based primarily on renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification, a new report from Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment has found,” the University of Oxford reports. “CCS is set to feature prominently at the COP28 Summit in Dubai this week, with major oil and gas producing countries expected to unveil shared carbon storage goals. But the new analysis suggests that rolling out CCS throughout the economy, rather than just in a handful of essential sectors, makes little sense from a financial perspective. The report, Assessing the relative costs of high-CCS and low-CCS pathways to 1.5 degrees, provides cost estimates for two different sets of pathways to net zero in 2050 - one that uses CCS to mitigate about one tenth of today’s emissions, and the other that uses it to mitigate about half of today’s emissions. Based on the latest technology cost data, it concludes that the high-CCS route would cost approximately one trillion dollars per year more than the low-CCS route - a total additional cost of about $30 trillion by 2050. The researchers believe this is almost certainly an underestimate of the real difference. “Relying on mass deployment of CCS to facilitate high ongoing use of fossil fuels would cost society around a trillion dollars extra each year – it would be highly economically damaging,” says Dr Rupert Way, Honorary Research Associate at the Oxford Smith School… “The report also provides the first publicly available, comprehensive summary of estimates of the cost of fossil power with CCS over the last 40 years, and finds no evidence of falling costs. “Any hopes that the cost of CCS will decline in a similar way to renewable technologies like solar and batteries appear misplaced”, says Dr Way, “Our findings indicate a lack of technological learning in any part of the process, from CO2 capture to burial, even though all elements of the chain have been in use for decades”... “The report also notes that CCS is not currently being developed even at the scale envisaged in the low-CCS pathways… “Meanwhile, 70% of current CCS projects use captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery rather than storing it, a revenue stream certain to shrink as global oil demand falls.”
Associated Press: Analysis: Emirati oil CEO leading UN COP28 climate summit lashes out as talks enter toughest stage
JON GAMBRELL AND SETH BORENSTEIN, 12/4/23
“The Emirati leading the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks walked out on stage Monday to a room full of journalists to offer a 17-minute list of what he described as the stunning successes made so far in the summit,” the Associated Press reports. “Then he spent the rest of the time criticizing the media covering his contradictory remarks about phasing out fossil fuels that again raised the concerns of activists about him heading a state-run energy company that plans to increase its production of crude oil and natural gas. Sultan al-Jaber’s comments highlight the dualities of the United Arab Emirates, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms. It’s filled with modern skyscrapers but has no freedom of speech. It punches above its weight on the world stage but isn’t used to publicly answering probing questions. And now it wants the popular support of a climate conference filled with some who want the lifeblood of the country’s economy shut off. The latest firestorm, this one over remarks he made on a recorded videoconference a few weeks ago, shows the small cracks starting to appear in the porcelain vase that is Dubai’s hosting of COP28. On Sunday, The Guardian newspaper published video from the call, which included al-Jaber off-camera sounding increasingly frustrated, at one point telling three leading women involved with climate change and gender: “I am telling you I am the man in charge.” “You’re asking for a phase-out of fossil fuel,” al-Jaber said. “Please, help me, show me for a phase-out of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socio-economic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.” “...Al-Jaber also said on the call: “There is no science out there, or no scenario out there that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5 (degrees Celsius) — 1.5 is my North Star. And a phase-down, and a phase-out of fossil fuel, in my view, is inevitable, it is essential, but we need to be real, serious and pragmatic about it.” “...Environment groups immediately jumped on the remarks, describing al-Jaber as being incapable of leading a summit that is focused on reducing planet-warming emissions.”
The Hill: COP28 president draws fierce backlash with attack on climate science
SAUL ELBEIN, 12/4/23
“At this year’s United Nations climate conference (COP28), the summit’s president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber — who also leads the United Arab Emirates’s national oil company — sparked controversy over the weekend by attacking the science on climate change,” The Hill reports. “There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phaseout of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C,” al-Jaber said Sunday, referring to the temperature line scientists have agreed is the limit for safe levels of planetary heating. The comments drew forceful criticism from across the climate movement, prompting al-Jaber to walk them back Monday… “But al-Jaber’s defense of fossil fuels as a safe long-term energy source stands in sharp contrast to the global scientific consensus backing a shift towards renewable energies — which are increasingly outcompeting fossil fuel sources on price, as well as in terms of the safety of the climate. He was not alone in making the argument for continuing to use fossil fuels: He was joined over the weekend by Exxon CEO Darren Woods, who told Reuters on Sunday that no solution, including renewables, was “at the scale to solve the problem.” The two fossil fuel executives both contended that renewable energy sources aren’t ready to bear the brunt of a global energy system historically reliant on fossil fuels — and that therefore world governments have little choice but to make those sources less damaging to the climate. That is an idea that the International Energy Agency (IEA) — a leading global energy watchdog initially set up to maintain the consistent supply of oil — forcefully pushed back on in November. The focus of the argument was carbon capture and storage — a technology which retrieves planet-heating gases from power plants and industrial processes. While carbon capture technology is unproven at scale, an IEA report on the role of the fossil fuel industry in the transition to renewables found that it plays an important role in slowing the rate of planetary heating — particularly for processes like manufacturing cement, which chemically releases carbon dioxide even when produced without fossil fuels. But to argue that it will allow the fossil fuel industry to continue “with business-as-usual … is a fantasy,” IEA head Fatih Birol wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter… “The fossil fuel industry, Birol said, “needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals – which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution.”
Bloomberg: Saudi Energy Minister Won’t Agree to Fossil Fuel Phase Down
Will Kennedy, 12/4/23
“Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman says the kingdom won’t agree to a text that calls for the phase down of fossil fuels at the COP28 summit in Dubai,” Bloomberg reports. “Absolutely not,” he said when asked in a TV interview in Riyadh whether his country, the world’s top oil exporter, would be happy to see the language added. An agreement to call for a fossil fuel phase out or phase down is a key demand of many countries at COP28 including the US and EU. The text must be agreed unanimously. Talks are due to run until Dec. 12. Negotiators have been looking at other formulations — such as limiting the shift to “unabated” fossil fuels or tying it to a just transition. Abdulaziz, who’s the half brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, didn’t say whether such a fudge would be acceptable to Saudi Arabia. He called out countries pushing for a phase out of fossil fuel for hypocrisy, saying that if they believed in it they should just get on with it. “I’m not naming names,” he said. “But those countries who really believe on phasing out and phasing down hydrocarbons, you should come out and put together a plan for how in starting 1st of January 2024.” The issue was given added weight yesterday when a video call was released showing COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber saying there was no scientific basis to saying a phase down is necessary to reach climate goals… “While Saudi Arabia has set a net zero target, it has long argued the focus should be on emissions not which fuels should or shouldn’t be part of the mix. It has emphasized the role of carbon capture, use and storage and is pursuing plans to reforest areas of the country.”
Washington Post: More than 2,400 people tied to Big Oil will attend COP28
Maxine Joselow, 12/5/23
“More than 2,400 people with ties to fossil fuel companies or trade associations are registered to attend this year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, according to an analysis released today by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition,” the Washington Post reports. “That outnumbers nearly all of the national and civil society delegations on hand to negotiate at the summit, the analysis found. Compared to last year’s summit in Egypt, four times the amount of people with fossil fuel ties are registered to attend, while overall attendance is up roughly threefold, the coalition said. “For 30 years, industry has denied, deceived, and delayed climate action at the [United Nations] and every level of government,” the coalition said in an email. “And yet this body has treated these deceptive, self-serving, disingenuous, bad actors to a seat at a table they have no business being at.” “...A Shell spokesman told the Post the company sends “a small number” to these events as observers, and broadly the company advocates for policies that support lower-carbon energy.”
Truthout: Fossil Fuel Companies Back Toothless “Decarbonization Charter” at COP28 in Dubai
Jon Queally, 12/2/23
“Hundreds of civil society groups and frontline voices from around the world on Saturday condemned a voluntary pledge heralded by government leaders and fossil fuel giants, calling the “Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter” unveiled at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai nothing but a cynical industry-backed smokescreen and greenwashing ploy that will allow for the continuation of massive emissions of carbon, methane, and other greenhouse gases,” Truthout reports. “The Oil and Gas Decarbonization Accelerator is a dangerous distraction from the COP28 process,” warned David Tong, the global industry campaign manager for Oil Change International, in a statement from Dubai. “We need legal agreements, not voluntary pledges. The science is clear: staying under 1.5ºC global warming requires a full, fast, fair, and funded phase-out of fossil fuels, starting now.” Backed by approximately 50 state-run and private oil and gas companies, the stated aims of the pledge, also being referred to as the Decarbonization Accelerator, is to cut upstream emissions of methane to “near-zero” levels and end “routine flaring” — that is, emissions involved with production but not consumption — by 2030 while aiming for a “net-zero operations” target by 2050. What’s key, say the Charter’s critics, is both the voluntary nature of the scheme and the glaring fact that it does not include 80-90% of the emissions produced by the industry, namely the downstream consumption of their products — the burning of coal, oil, and fracked gas. An open letter released by 320 groups on Saturday accuses Sultan al-Jaber, president of COP28 and the chief executive of the host nation’s national oil company, of missing a “historic opportunity” by allowing the pledge to grandstand as meaningful progress while the planet experiences its hottest year in 125,000 years. “The COP28 Presidency appears to have been encouraging fossil fuel companies to make yet another set of hollow voluntary pledges, with no accountability mechanism or guarantee the companies will follow through,” the letter states. “Releasing another in the long succession of voluntary industry commitments that end up being breached will not make COP28 a success. Voluntary efforts are insufficient, and are a distraction from the task at hand.”
New York Times: So, an Oil Cartel Walks Into a Climate Summit …
Jim Tankersley, 12/1/23
“In a far corner of the temporary village housing the United Nations climate summit, the world’s largest cartel of fossil fuel producers plied skeptical young activists with chocolate and free pens,” the New York Times reports. “It was Thursday afternoon. A continent away, in Vienna, the cartel’s members were voting to give the summit what amounts to another very small climate treat: at least a temporary reduction in oil and gas drilling. That’s the opposite of what President Biden, who has made climate policy a top priority during his administration, is delivering from the United States. It was an opening-day irony for a COP28 summit that is already full of them, from its host country down to the so-called OPEC Pavilion in a building that is marked “Urbanisation & Indigenous Peoples” on the outside. Tens of thousands of delegates are descending this month on Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a major oil producer. Those delegates are celebrating an accelerating global transition toward low-emission sources of energy like wind and solar power. But expanding renewables is not enough to save the planet, scientists warn, so many delegates are demanding that the world rapidly phase out its use of fossil fuels. The summit is nowhere near consensus on how to do that.”
Axios: Kerry: Coal power plants shouldn't be "permitted anywhere in the world"
Rebecca Falconer, 12/4/23
“U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said at COP28 Sunday that coal-fired power plants should no longer be permitted,” Axios reports. “What he's saying: "The reality is the climate crisis and the health crisis are one and the same," Kerry said at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, citing a study that found coal "doubles the number of deaths" compared to other sources of air-carried pollution. "Now, we don't need that necessarily to tell us we ought to be transitioning out of coal," he added. "There shouldn't be any more coal fired power plants permitted anywhere in the world. That's how you can do something for health. And the reality is that we're not doing it."
Bloomberg: Chevron, Exxon Opt Out of Funding COP28 Methane-Cutting Fund
Jennifer A Dlouhy, 12/4/23
“Six major oil companies each contributed tens of millions of dollars to a grant fund meant to help state-owned rivals cull the release of super-warming methane emissions, but Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. didn’t join in,” Bloomberg reports. “At issue is a Global Flaring and Methane Reduction Partnership that will be run by the World Bank with initially $255 million earmarked to help developing countries and their oil companies stifle leaks of that potent greenhouse gas… “The initiative secured $25 million each from six oil companies: BP Plc, Eni SpA, Equinor ASA, Occidental Petroleum Corp., Shell Plc and TotalEnergies SE. Some countries also ponied up, with the United Arab Emirates that is hosting COP28 providing $100 million; the US, $2 million; Germany, $1.5 million; and Norway, $1 million. Supporters of the initiative had hoped to raise a much higher sum by convincing large oil producers — after years plugging methane leaks — that unless national oil companies do the same, both the planet’s health and the industry’s reputation are imperiled, people familiar with the matter said. Yet some oil giants were reluctant to underwrite a fund seen as effectively providing cash donations to global competitors, one of the people told Bloomberg.”
Associated Press: Here’s why the UAE, the autocratic COP28 host, has to allow protests at the summit
JON GAMBRELL, 12/3/23
“Participants at the United Nations’ COP28 climate talks Sunday found themselves greeted by the rarest sights in the United Arab Emirates — public protests,” the Associated Press reports. “From the largest demonstration seen in the UAE since the start of the raging Israel-Hamas war to environmental issues, activists allowed into the UAE can protest under strict guidelines in this autocratic nation inside the summit. Meanwhile, human rights researchers from organizations long banned by the country also have been let in, providing them some the opportunity for the first time in about a decade to offer criticism — though many acknowledge it may see them never allowed back in the country. “One of our major issues with COP28 is the fact that the UAE government is using this to burnish its image internationally and the fact that limited protests are allowed ... is a good thing,” Joey Shea, now on her first trip to the Emirates as a researcher focused on the country at Human Rights Watch, told Ap. “But at the end of the day, it helps to create this very false image that the UAE does have respect for rights when in fact it does not.” The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms led by Abu Dhabi’s ruler, bans political parties and labor unions. All power rests in each emirate’s hereditary ruler. Broad laws tightly restrict speech and nearly all major local media are either state-owned or state-affiliated outlets… “However, the U.N. and the UAE agreed before COP28 that free expression would be allowed. Activists described a process of having to seek approvals with organizers for their demonstrations. U.N. rules at the summit have seen demonstrators avoid waving national flags or specifically calling out countries. But Sunday afternoon, over 100 people gathered as part of a solidarity protests on behalf of the Palestinians, only a short distance from Israel’s pavilion at Dubai’s Expo City. The same number of onlookers and journalists watched as they chanted, read names of the dead and held their fists up to the sky. Some cried as they listened.”
CityNews Toronto: Will carbon capture save the climate, or just let us keep burning fuel?
12/5/23
“In today’s Big Story Podcast, very soon, Canada will introduce legislation to offer massive tax credits for projects that include a significant amount of carbon capture. In theory, this is a good way to make sure new projects don’t add much in emissions. But in practice, most carbon capture projects are used to allow us to keep harvesting fossil fuels, which will then be burned somewhere else, adding to emissions in Canada and beyond,” CityNews Toronto reports. “Dr. Emily Eaton is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Regina. She says carbon capture could be a useful tool if coupled with efforts to decrease emissions, but that it may, in practice, prove to be counterproductive. “This is sort of the new climate denialism, that is investing in things that appear to be solutions to the problems, while still engaging in the main sources of the carbon emissions in the first place,” Eaton told CityNews. So how does carbon capture technology work? Could it actually help us cut emissions? And why does so much of the discussion of saving the planet these days feel like haggling over bookkeeping?”
CLIMATE FINANCE
New York Times: Climate Protesters Get in Fed’s Face as Policy Clash Grows Louder
Jeanna Smialek, 12/1/23
“A video of security officers wrestling a protester to the floor in the lobby of the Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming, outside the Federal Reserve’s most closely watched annual conference, clocked more than a million views,” the New York Times reports. “A protest that disrupted a speech by Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, at the Economic Club of New York this fall generated extensive coverage. And when the activists showed up again at Mr. Powell’s speech at the International Monetary Fund in early November, they seemed to get under his skin: The central bank’s usually staid leader was caught on a hot mic using a profanity as he told someone to close the door. All three upheavals were caused by the same group, Climate Defiance, which a now-30-year-old activist named Michael Greenberg founded in the spring. Mr. Greenberg had long worked in traditional climate advocacy, but he decided that something louder was needed to spur change at institutions like the Fed. “I realized there was a big need for disruptive direct action,” he told the Times. “It just gets so, so, so, so, so much more attention.” The small but noisy band of protesters dogging the Fed chair is also spotlighting a problem that the central bank has long grappled with: precisely what role it should play in the world’s transition to green energy. Climate-focused groups often argue that as a regulator of the nation’s largest banks, the Fed should play a major role in preparing the financial system for the damaging effects of climate change. Some want it to more overtly discourage bank lending to fossil fuel companies. Mr. Greenberg, for instance, told the Times he would like the Fed to use regulation to make lending to oil and gas companies essentially cost-prohibitive. The Fed is unwilling — and, depending on whom you ask, possibly unable — to put such a heavy thumb on the scale. While it polices activity for safety and soundness, central bankers often argue that picking winners and losers by determining whom banks can lend to would go beyond its mandate, throwing the Fed into the political fray and imperiling its independence… “But some climate activists argue that by not being more proactive — by taking time to embrace policies that the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have pioneered, for instance — the Fed is slow-walking one of the world’s most important issues. The Fed is “shamefully” behind its peers, Eren Can Ileri, who focuses on financial regulation at the Sunrise Project, a group that provides analysis and strategy advice for climate-focused organizers, told the Times.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Inside Ottawa Valley: Enbridge Gas donates 198 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to North Grenville Fire Service
Jennifer Westendorp, 12/4/23
“Enbridge Gas is teaming up with the North Grenville Fire Service (NGFS) to make homes safer,” according to Inside Ottawa Valley. “A donation of 198 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, through Safe Community Project Zero, was announced on Thursday, Nov. 30. Mark Ballerscheff, Enbridge operations adviser, said the program has provided more than 86,000 alarms to Ontario communities during the past 15 years. He noted Enbridge is donating $315,000 to the program this year… “Fire Chief John Okum echoed his sentiments, referring to Enbridge as “a great community partner to North Grenville over the years.”
OPINION
The Iowa Standard: When will DeSantis, Trump declare positions on private property rights, eminent domain for CO2 pipelines?
Jacob Hall, 12/3/23
“...This year I received message after message from Iowa landowners seeking help and advice about the potential of eminent domain abuse to build carbon capture pipelines across Iowa,” Jacob Hall writes for The Iowa Standard. “I’ve received plenty of emails, texts and phone calls. What can we do was the common refrain. Once it became obvious the Iowa Senate and Gov. Kim Reynolds had zero interest in doing anything to protect these private property rights, my advice was pretty simple. And in all honesty, it was pretty obvious. You’re an Iowa landowner. It’s 2023. Get presidential candidates to speak out about it. Make it an issue. Ryan Binkley has been on it for months. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been given much of a chance… “Now, Vivek Ramaswamy has joined the fight. And he hasn’t just told landowners he supports them, he has gone all out. I heard that Summit CEO Bruce Rastetter reached out to Vivek’s team shortly after the event was announced. I don’t doubt it. Clearly, the “powers that be” do not want this issue discussed. They don’t want their CO2 pipelines sucking up any of the oxygen from the presidential race. But the reality is for Iowa landowners, this is their chance to amplify the issue. To make it go national. To show the nation just how much crony capitalism can exist even in little ole Iowa… “My hope is Trump and DeSantis — and any other candidates — join Ramaswamy and Binkley in standing up for Iowans and standing against “powerful special interests.” I mean, it’s a popular line in presidential stump speeches, right? Promises of fighting “for the people” and “against powerful special interests.” “...Unless and until Trump and DeSantis join the fight, Iowans who honestly, deeply care about private property rights and eminent domain abuse need to re-evaluate their caucus night plan.”
Scientific American: Don’t Fall for Big Oil’s Carbon Capture Deceptions
Jonathan Foley is the executive director of Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization focused on climate solutions, 12/2/23
“It’s that time of year again. The political and media circus of the United Nation’s big climate change meeting COP28 is about to begin, this time in in Dubai. And it’s bound to be quite a show. In the inevitable crescendo of hype and greenwashing that’s coming our way, we’ll doubtless hear a lot about industrial carbon capture technologies that attempt to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” Jonathan Foley writes for Scientific American. “The COP 28 host country, the United Arab Emirates, the world’s largest oil companies and even programs in the U.S. Department of Energy are working hard to push this stuff. Don’t be fooled. It’s mostly a distraction from what we really need to do right now: phase out fossil fuels and deploy more effective climate solutions… “ But, as I’ve written previously, counting on these technologies today is a bad idea. First, industrial carbon capture projects are far too small to matter. Even after decades of investment, research and development, today’s largest carbon capture projects only remove a few seconds’ worth of our yearly greenhouse gas emissions… “Second, they are far too expensive, costing thousands of dollars for every ton of CO2 removed. Other climate solutions, including improving energy efficiency, deploying renewable energy sources and addressing emissions in agriculture and industrial sectors, are far more cost-effective… “Third, these industrial carbon removal techniques also consume excessive amounts of energy, which present enormous challenges to scalability. If we power carbon capture projects with CO2-spewing fossil fuels, the projects lose much of their proposed climate benefit… “In addition, CO2 captured by industrial carbon capture projects is often used to drive more oil and gas back out—for something known as enhanced oil recovery, which uses fluids like carbon dioxide to push oil and gas out of rock formations—helping fossil fuel companies continue working. More fundamentally, the biggest problem with industrial carbon capture schemes is that they are largely a ploy by Big Oil to delay action to phase out fossil fuels. These projects give fossil fuel companies a greenwashing boost, cloaking pollution underneath fake environmental responsibility, helping them claim that they are taking serious climate action, all the while continuing to build out additional fossil fuel infrastructure and rake in trillions in profits. Carbon capture isn’t a serious climate solution. As you can imagine, the folks in Big Oil love it… “Carbon capture is being used to distract the world from rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, all on the taxpayer’s dime… “We should forbid any connections between taxpayer-supported carbon capture projects and fossil fuel companies. In the U.S., we should immediately suspend 45Q tax breaks for enhanced oil recovery, which simply subsidize Big Oil’s bottom line and increase emissions at taxpayers’ expense. All Department of Energy funding for carbon capture projects that benefit fossil fuel interests should also be immediately redirected to more effective climate solutions. And the Government Accountability Office and Congress should continue to investigate how billions of taxpayer dollars ended up subsidizing Big Oil greenwashing—and systems that undermine effective climate action—in the first place. In the end, the global community must never again fall for schemes like this that cost taxpayers billions and remove minimal carbon at enormous cost, while handing Big Oil a PR bonanza.”
Bloomberg: Do 70,000 People Really Need to Be at a Climate Confab?
Mark Gongloff, 11/30/23
“How many people do you think it takes to hammer out a global climate agreement? 500? 5,000? 50,000? Apparently, the correct answer is 70,000. That’s about how many people are expected to turn up in Dubai over the next few weeks for COP28, the latest United Nations climate confab, which starts on Thursday,” Mark Gongloff writes for Bloomberg. “This is up from 49,704 at COP27 last year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and 38,457 at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Attendance has more than tripled since 2019. In COP’s early years, attendance averaged just 5,000. Whether this explosion is a sign that the world is taking climate change more seriously or just the bloat that naturally accumulates around gatherings of humans who control large pools of political and financial capital remains to be seen. Is COP Man devolving into Davos Man? The answer depends partly — but not entirely — on how much real progress gets made over the next few weeks. On that front, it’s difficult to be optimistic. Many of those 70,000 people will spend days continuing a yearslong argument over whether the world should phase fossil fuels “out” or “down” or whether those fuels should instead be “abated” by (iffy so far) carbon-capture technology. Meanwhile, big oil producers are still moving full steam ahead on phasing those fuels up, rapidly shrinking the window of opportunity to limit global heating to just 1.5C above pre-industrial averages. “If the ‘success’ of COP was directly proportional to the number of delegates in attendance, COP28 would be a surefire triumph,” David Oxley, head of climate economics at Capital Economics, wrote in a note. “However, at best, we suspect that the law of diminishing marginal returns holds true.” “...Still, if these meetings are to be constructive in the future, then they’ll need to consider bloat. In a 2021 study, the European Capacity Building Initiative, a group focused on making climate talks less terrible, suggested COPs of 20,000 attendees were already too distended. It argued for pruning COPs back to 5,000 people doing the boring technical work of putting treaties into action.”
Newsweek: The Climate Summit Is a Sick Joke. You Should Be Angry and Afraid | Opinion
Dr. Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist at NASA studying future extreme heat impacts on human health and ecosystems, speaking on his own behalf, 12/1/23
“The annual United Nations climate summit started yesterday. We're up to the 28th edition: "COP28." Past UN summits have obviously failed us, but this is a new low. Everyone on Earth needs to know that the meeting has been overrun by fossil fuel executives, making it a sick, planet-destroying joke. There's no real hope of stopping catastrophic global heating until we fix this,” Dr. Peter Kalmus writes for Newsweek. “The primary cause of global heating is fossil fuels; and global heating is what's driving all the crazy heat, fire, smoke, storms, flooding, drought, crop yield losses, and ecosystem death that is intensifying everywhere as Earth breaks down. This is basic physics and it's merciless… “Since fossil fuels are the cause, the only way out of this emergency is to ramp down and ultimately end the fossil fuel industry… “The cause is fossil fuels. The only real solution is ending fossil fuels. If you want to help, and you should, forget recycling. Instead, fight the fossil fuel industry every way you can… “In reality of course, fossil fuel executives made the opposite choice: to spend billions to hire the best and brightest to spread disinformation and block action. Which is sad, and horrible, and nightmarish. They've been doing this for half a century. And they recently promised to keep doing it… “Since fossil fuels are causing the death of our planet, the nations of the world obviously need to adopt a common-sense fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty that ramps down fossil fuels in a globally equitable way… “As a climate scientist, I am appalled, frustrated, disgusted. I am losing my faith in humanity. Everything here should be obvious to all. To have to write it down, again and again, is deeply painful. At the end of the day, if you take a moment to think about it, nothing is more important than a habitable planet. Everything else—all of humanity's hopes and dreams and aspirations, all our happiness and love and growth—depends on it.”