EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/8/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Chicago Tribune: Black farmers in rural Pembroke Township protest Nicor plan to build gas pipeline through their community
Natural Gas Intelligence: MVP Southgate Developers Eye ‘Next Steps’ After Virginia DEQ Panel Denies Permit
Facebook: Migizi Will Fly: Tell Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Walz: Drop the Charges Against Water Protectors
Reuters: Alberta energy minister says Keystone could have helped secure needed energy supply
InsideClimate News: What Three Pipeline Fights Say About Fossil Fuels’ Future
Michigan Advance: What’s next for the Line 5 court battles?
Bloomberg: Enbridge Sees Two Options for Pipelines After Contracting Failed
S&P Global: Pipeline operators face huge challenge preventing repeat of Colonial hack
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: DOE WANTS SOME CARBON COPY
E&E News: Judge appears open to scrapping Biden carbon metric
Fox Business: Biden admin decreasing US oil supply 'under the name of climate change': Former EPA administrator
E&E News: Can U.S. phase out natural gas? Lessons from the Southeast
STATE UPDATES
Wisconsin Public Radio: Increasing investment in natural gas is a mistake, Sierra Club Wisconsin official warns
Los Angeles Times: ‘A parallel Hollywood story’: How L.A.'s oil boom shaped the city we know today
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Global oil CEOs stress need for fossil fuels despite push for cleaner energy
Guardian: Oil companies blame clean energy transition for market volatility
New York Times: Exxon Mobil aims for net-zero emissions from its operations in the Permian Basin by 2030
S&P Global: Canada focuses on emissions to push back against dirty oil sands reputation
Reuters: Top-emitting Canada oil sands site gets government relief from pollution payments
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge Eyes CCS Hub Development at Former Coal Plant Site
KCUR: Geologists say Midwest rock formations could store carbon dioxide for ‘eons’
Biofuelwatch: CARBON CAPTURE OR CAPTURED FUTURES? NEW REPORT FROM BIOFUELWATCH ON CALIFORNIA CLIMATE POLITICS
CLIMATE FINANCE
Press release: The Quiet Culprit: Pension Funds Bankrolling the Climate
Crisis
Facebook: NowThis Earth [VIDEO]: How to Keep Your Money From Funding Fossil Fuels
OPINION
WyoFile: Let’s not exaggerate carbon capture’s promises
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: A $61B prize for Alberta in the energy transition race
The Hill: Climate can't wait: Biden must use his power to end new fossil fuel leasing
The Hill: Exporting gas means higher monthly energy bills for American families
The Hill: Investments in clean energy are the ideal response to high fossil fuel costs
PIPELINE NEWS
Chicago Tribune: Black farmers in rural Pembroke Township protest Nicor plan to build gas pipeline through their community
KAREN ANN CULLOTTA, 12/7/21
“A contingent of Black farmers from rural Pembroke Township gathered with supporters Tuesday in Chicago to protest a proposed Nicor plan to construct a gas pipeline through the heart of their underserved community near Kankakee,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “Members of the Black Farmers of Pembroke and the Pembroke Environmental Justice Coalition called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to halt a proposed gas pipeline project they said threatens to destroy their community’s long history of farming and conservation that dates back to the 19th century. An economically disadvantaged but environmentally bountiful community, Pembroke is home to one of Illinois’ most prized ecosystems, the Black Oaks Savanna. Chicago community organizers, including Roderick Wilson, executive director of Chicago’s Lugenia Burns Hope Center, told the Tribune he and others have stepped up to support the largest Black farming community in Illinois, and question why state legislators who support the pipeline project have failed to reach out to the community… “Mulumbua Bey, a lifelong resident of Pembroke, told the Tribune, “We’ve seen no plans, and the community has not been consulted. ... Pembroke is a rural, agricultural area, and we need renewable energy.” “...A spokesperson for Nicor Gas told the Tribune that the company “has never used eminent domain to bring new natural gas service to a community and will not with the Pembroke Township Expansion Project.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: MVP Southgate Developers Eye ‘Next Steps’ After Virginia DEQ Panel Denies Permit
MATTHEW VEAZEY, 12/6/21
“A Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) panel late last week voted to deny an air permit for a compressor station needed to extend the Equitrans Midstream Partners LP-led Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) into North Carolina,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “Going against DEQ’s recommendation, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board voted 6-1 to deny a draft minor new source review permit for the proposed Lambert Compressor Station (LCS), a key link to extend MVP — via the separate MVP Southgate project — 75 miles from Pittsylvania County, VA, into the North Carolina counties of Rockingham and Alamance… “Day told NGI that the MVP Southgate decision has no bearing on the MVP project, which will transport 2 million Dth/d of natural gas from West Virginia to a Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line interconnect in southwestern Virginia… “MVP foes applauded the Air Board’s vote on the compressor station draft permit. “For many months, our movement has been demanding a stop to the Lambert Compressor Station in Pittsylvania County,” Russell Chisholm, co-chair of the group Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights, told NGI. “Today, the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board opted to deny the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s air quality permit, which is necessary for the compressor station to be built.”
Facebook: Migizi Will Fly: Tell Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Walz: Drop the Charges Against Water Protectors
12/7/21
“On 02-02-2021 water protectors stopped construction of Line 3 a few miles from Camp Migizi. Now hundreds of water protectors are facing criminal charges from the State of Minnesota for standing in defense of the water, the climate, and the treaty rights of the Anishinaabeg people. Enbridge’s new pipeline expansion project was recently completed and started running tar sands oil. Violating Anishinaabe treaty rights in Minnesota, the new stretch of Line 3 was approved without full consent or proper impact studies, threatening safe water sources for millions. It carries the carbon equivalent of 50 coal plants. More than 68,000 Minnesotans testified against this plan. Water protectors put their bodies on the line to stop Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline. Police forces – directly funded by Enbridge – have responded to this movement with surveillance, harassment, physical torture "pain compliance", and trumped-up charges, including felonies like theft of time. In this time of climate catastrophe, Attorney General Ellison and Governor Walz must listen to water protectors instead of criminalizing and prosecuting them. Sign the petition: https://dropline3charges.com”
Reuters: Alberta energy minister says Keystone could have helped secure needed energy supply
By Marianna Parraga, 12/7/21
“The energy minister of Canada's Alberta province said on Tuesday the Biden administration's worries about high fuel prices could have been avoided had it not rejected the Keystone XL oil pipeline,” Reuters reports. “...Minister Sonya Savage told Reuters it was ironic that the U.S. called on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to deliver more oil this year after ruling out a pipeline that would have delivered cleaner oil from Canada. “Oil and gas will continue be produced," Savage told Reuters. The challenge for the energy industry is to reduce emissions from that production. "We are going to need it all,” she told Reuters, also referring to projects to produce clean-burning hydrogen in Alberta.”
InsideClimate News: What Three Pipeline Fights Say About Fossil Fuels’ Future
Kristoffer Tigue, 12/7/21
“A controversial pipeline in Virginia is facing a setback for “environmental justice” reasons. Another in Missouri caught a momentary break but larger issues still loom over it. And a whole network of pipelines spanning the U.S.-Canada border faces a shorter than expected lifespan due to aggressive climate policies, its own developer said. Today’s Climate is starting off the week looking at what three recent pipeline fights say about the future of fossil fuels in America,” InsideClimate News reports. “In a 6-1 vote, a board of Virginia regulators on Friday denied a permit that would have allowed the developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to build a key piece of infrastructure for running the conduit, citing the state’s environmental justice law, which was passed earlier this year, Virginia Public Media reports… “It was the first substantial permit to go before Virginia’s regulatory board since the passage of the state’s environmental justice law, which requires regulators to actively promote the idea of environmental justice, not just consider the issues at play during decision making. That may make Virginia’s environmental justice law one of the strongest in the country… “Finally on Sunday, the Star Tribune reported that Enbridge Energy—which owns and operates the largest network of pipelines that bring Canadian crude oil into the U.S., including Minnesota’s Line 3 and Michigan’s Line 5—now foresees the economic lifespan of that network only lasting through 2040, about a decade shorter than previously predicted. The company blames the growing Indigenous rights and climate movements.”
Michigan Advance: What’s next for the Line 5 court battles?
LAINA G. STEBBINS, 12/7/21
“Since mid-2019, Canadian pipeline company Enbridge and the state of Michigan have been locked in numerous court disputes about the fate of the controversial Line 5 pipeline that has transported oil under the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac since 1953,” Michigan Advance reports. “Until last week, the first and primary legal battle had been on pause since January, as a federal court deliberated and ultimately ruled against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s attempt to keep her shutdown lawsuit against Enbridge in state court. Options are whittling down for the governor and Attorney General Dana Nessel, who both ran on platform promises to decommission Line 5. Essentially, just one option for the Democrats remains, aside from smaller lawsuits and bold, seemingly unlikely actions from a federal regulatory agency and/or President Joe Biden. In an interview with Attorney General Dana Nessel last week, the Advance asked about the state’s new strategy for shutting down Line 5, how things will now proceed in the court system and what certain court decisions or slowdowns might mean for the fate of the pipelines. “I will say that the governor remains just as committed now as she’s ever been to shutting down Line 5 and to averting what could be, obviously, a cataclysmic oil spill in the Great Lakes. But, from a strategy standpoint, it just made sense to pursue one [legal] track,” Nessel told the Advance… “Nessel said the choice was a mutual one by her and Whitmer — although it “was not an easy discussion, and it wasn’t an easy decision.” But dismissing that lawsuit was in no way giving up the fight. Instead, the action cleared the way for Nessel’s 2019 lawsuit to “be able to move forward expeditiously in state court,” Whitmer said in a statement Tuesday. “From a strategy standpoint, it just made sense to pursue one track,” Nessel told the Advance..
Bloomberg: Enbridge Sees Two Options for Pipelines After Contracting Failed
By Robert Tuttle, 12/7/21
“Enbridge Inc. is evaluating two tolling options for its vast Mainline oil pipeline network after a proposal to offer long-term contracts to keep the conduits full was rejected by Canada’s energy regulator,” Bloomberg reports. “North America’s largest pipeline company will either pursue a modified, incentive-based version of its current arrangement, which allows producers to decide the volumes they want to ship each month, or a system that would ensure tolls are enough to cover costs and provide a return on investments, Chief Executive Officer Al Monaco said in a presentation Tuesday… “New tolling options are being discussed after Canada Energy Regulator rejected Enbridge’s proposal to offer as much as 90% of space on its Mainline to companies with long-term contracts. Enbridge sought the new system to ensure that it could keep pipelines full as it faces increasing competition from projects that have contracted space, including the Trans Mountain expansion scheduled to be completed as early as next year. “
S&P Global: Pipeline operators face huge challenge preventing repeat of Colonial hack
Tom DiChristopher, 12/7/21
“Seven months after a cyberattack shut down a major artery of gasoline supply in the U.S., the future of national pipeline cybersecurity remains largely unresolved, as government and industry grapple with hurdles to securing the nation's fuel backbone,” S&P Global reports. “Protecting the nation's pipelines will require addressing complex challenges presented by expanding vulnerabilities and evolving cyberthreats. The industry needs to gain greater visibility across a vast network of operational technology, or OT, and establish next-generation information-sharing platforms, according to experts… “Cybersecurity vulnerabilities exposed by the May attack on Colonial Pipeline Co. have spurred a new push for regulation. Industry observers, including Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick, have long criticized the lack of minimum standards for certain cybersecurity protections. With the Colonial attack in recent memory, though, the industry and some cybersecurity experts worry that in policymakers' rush to regulate, they could impose ineffective, burdensome rules… “While the current directives largely addressed basic cybersecurity practices, studies have found vulnerabilities in these areas remain common. According to an assessment of the pipeline industry's cyber practices by OT cybersecurity firm Dragos Inc., 80% of pipeline operators had insecure password and credential practices. Half did not adequately segment their networks, a practice that prevents attacks on public-facing information technology networks from migrating to OT networks.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: DOE WANTS SOME CARBON COPY:
Matthew Choi, 12/7/21
“Got thoughts on carbon removal or emissions capturing technology? The Energy Department is seeking feedback from “industry, investors, developers, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, NGOs, and potentially affected communities (including environmental justice, Tribal, energy transition, and other communities)” on carbon removal and reduction technology throughout their life cycles, from supply chain considerations to longer-term system risks to community and EJ impacts,” Politico reports. “The department was allotted $62 billion as part of the bipartisan infrastructure package to invest in the energy transition, including budding technologies such as direct air capture, point source capture and carbon dioxide transport and storage. The input in DOE’s latest request for information will help inform its strategy on the nascent tech.”
E&E News: Judge appears open to scrapping Biden carbon metric
By Niina H. Farah, 12/8/21
“A federal judge yesterday appeared ready to block the Biden administration’s draft metric for calculating societal harms of greenhouse gas emissions,” E&E News reports. “During a hearing, Judge James Cain Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana questioned whether President Biden had overstepped legislative and constitutional authority in instructing federal agencies to apply an interim value for the social cost of carbon. "I think there is a big separation of powers issue here that nobody is really talking about," said Cain. The social cost of carbon puts a dollar value on the release of 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide and is used as part of federal agencies’ cost-benefit analyses for major rules. A higher estimate of the cost of releasing heat-trapping gases helps agency decisionmakers make a stronger case for stricter climate regulations. Cain, a Trump nominee, compared the metric to applying a carbon tax. "Where is the statutory authority from Congress to do this?" he asked. "Because I think anything like that — I think it’s in the Constitution that only Congress can impose a tax."
Fox Business: Biden admin decreasing US oil supply 'under the name of climate change': Former EPA administrator
By Talia Kaplan, 12/7/21
“Andrew Wheeler, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency during the Trump administration, argues the Biden administration has 'done everything that they can' to decrease American production, which has caused prices to soar,” Fox Business reports. “Andrew Wheeler, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency during the Trump administration, argued on Tuesday that the Biden administration has "done everything that they can over the last year" to decrease American production of oil and gas "under the name of climate change." “...Wheeler told "Mornings with Maria" on Tuesday that "one thing that’s buried in the ‘Build Back Better’ plan that most people don’t realize, [is] they [Democrats] put a new tax on a barrel of oil in there, a superfund tax on a barrel of oil, at a time when Americans are concerned about rising costs of gasoline at the pump." "The Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi are trying to tax oil even more," he told Fox. "It just boggles the mind the way they are approaching this."
E&E News: Can U.S. phase out natural gas? Lessons from the Southeast
By Kristi E. Swartz, 12/8/21
“Even with the Biden administration’s call for the power sector to decarbonize, many Southeastern utilities plan to add large amounts of natural gas to their grids, a move they say is necessary to support renewable projects in the queue,” E&E News reports. “The plans illustrate the challenge facing some U.S. regions as they aim to decarbonize: How can utilities move away from fossil fuels when they say natural gas is needed to back up renewables? Can gas lower emissions in the long run? Is it true that policies such as cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline have raised gas prices? Will a reduction in gas lead to less grid reliability?.. “Kevin Doyle, with the Consumer Energy Alliance, placed blame squarely on the Biden administration. Restricting domestic energy production, delaying drilling permits and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline have contributed to tighter supplies, he told E&E. Doyle told E&E the United States can cut CO2 emissions and have a robust energy supply at the same time, but the current federal government is standing in the way of that. “It is unconscionable that we are considering policies to make energy sources even scarcer at home,” Doyle told E&E, referring to Biden’s carbon-cutting agenda that would further limit gas in favor of renewables.”
STATE UPDATES
Wisconsin Public Radio: Increasing investment in natural gas is a mistake, Sierra Club Wisconsin official warns
Jonah Beleckis, 12/7/21
“After the Biden administration announced plans last month to limit methane emissions, an official with the Sierra Club Wisconsin said it made "no sense" to tinker with gas regulations because much more dramatic changes are needed,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. “Laura Lane, chair of Sierra Club Wisconsin, said the idea that utilities need more investment in gas power as a bridge from coal to renewable energy was a "myth." "It makes no sense to be dumping millions of dollars to build the infrastructure, to be dealing with more strict regulations," Lane said Thursday on WPR’s "The Morning Show." "We need to go with renewables and related technologies that are available." She agreed that strict regulations can help keep people safer because, "every part of getting gas — extraction, the processing, the shipping — it’s harmful." The Sierra Club Wisconsin with its Beyond Gas initiative lists why gas hurts the environment. The reasons include the high levels of carbon dioxide emissions that come from burning gas, air pollution and how gas plants disproportionately affect communities of color. Bill Skewes is the executive director for the Wisconsin Utilities Association, a lobbying group for the state’s gas and electric utilities. He told "The Morning Show" there is a needed but "sometimes uncomfortable tension" between his industry and environmental activists.”
Los Angeles Times: ‘A parallel Hollywood story’: How L.A.'s oil boom shaped the city we know today
RACHEL SCHNALZER, 12/8/21
“...How did the oil industry play a role in attracting people to Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century?,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “Imagine Los Angeles in the 1920s. What do you see? Many people conjure visions of the fledgling film industry, populated with actors such as Charles Chaplin and Greta Garbo and Hollywood hopefuls arriving in droves. Although the movie business certainly played a role in Los Angeles’ development during the 20th century, the oil industry also spurred the growth of what is now the second-largest city in the United States. “Oil, motion pictures and real estate were like the trifecta of forces that were attracting migrants to come west to L.A.,” Becky Nicolaides, a research affiliate at USC and UCLA, told the TImes. “Oil was kind of right up there with the glamor of Hollywood.” Edward Doheny wasn’t the first to find oil in the Golden State. But his 1892 oil strike in Los Angeles set in motion a spurt of economic and population growth, alongside pollution and environmental devastation… “People heard about these, like huge oil strikes out here and ... were motivated to come out to try to strike it rich,” Nicolaides told the Times. “It’s almost like a parallel Hollywood story because you have plenty of people coming out to become stars.” “...The oil industry has wreaked havoc on L.A.'s environment, including pollution, fires and the release of toxic gas. In early 2020, The Times reported that fossil fuel companies left thousands of oil and gas wells across the state unplugged and idle, many for longer than a decade. Census data revealed more than 350,000 Californians live within 600 feet of unplugged wells, with their health potentially threatened.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Global oil CEOs stress need for fossil fuels despite push for cleaner energy
By Liz Hampton and Sabrina Valle, 12/6/21
“A global energy conference devoted to future technologies and low-carbon strategies kicked off in Houston on Monday with top executives from energy companies affirming the need for more oil for decades to come,” Reuters reports. “The World Petroleum Conference's four days of discussion started with chief executives from global giants Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) and Halliburton Co (HAL.N) all promoting the need to deliver oil and gas globally even as the world transitions to cleaner fuels… "The world is facing an even more chaotic energy transition," Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told Reuters. "They assume that the right transition strategy is in place. It's not. Energy security, economic development and affordability are clearly not receiving enough attention. Until they are, and we clear the gaps in the transition strategy, the chaos will only intensify." Large global majors, especially those based in Europe, are limiting exploration and production in an attempt to shift to renewable power development and as governments promote efforts to cut carbon emissions to deal with rising worldwide temperatures. Anders Opedal, CEO of Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL), said energy companies have a responsibility to bring down emissions and provide energy. "We will need oil and gas for many years to come but with reduced emissions," he said… "The fact remains, under most credible scenarios, including net zero pathways, oil and natural gas will continue to play a significant role in meeting society's need," Exxon CEO Darren Woods said at the conference.
Guardian: Oil companies blame clean energy transition for market volatility
Jillian Ambrose, 12/7/21
“Leaders of the world’s biggest oil companies have used an industry gathering in Houston to launch an attack on the speed of transition to clean energy, claiming a badly managed process could lead to “insecurity, rampant inflation and social unrest,” the Guardian reports. “Executives from oil companies including Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, and US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron publicly described the shift towards clean energy alternatives as “deeply flawed”. They called for fossil fuels to remain part of the energy mix for years to come despite global efforts for an urgent response to the climate crisis. Saudi Aramco’s chief executive, Amin Nasser, told delegates at the World Petroleum Congress in Houston, Texas, that adapting to cleaner fuels “overnight” could trigger uncontrolled economic inflation. “I understand that publicly admitting that oil and gas will play an essential and significant role during the transition and beyond will be hard for some,” he said. “But admitting this reality will be far easier than dealing with energy insecurity, rampant inflation and social unrest as the prices become intolerably high, and seeing net zero commitments by countries start to unravel. The world is facing an ever more chaotic energy transition centred on highly unrealistic scenarios and assumptions about the future of energy.” “...A spokesperson for Greenpeace UK told the Guardian: “The fossil fuel markets have been a rollercoaster of volatility ever since they were invented and it’s ludicrous for big oil bosses to blame renewables for their instability. If anything, the recent surge in gas prices and the hardship it caused to so many households are yet more proof that the sooner we wean our societies off fossil fuels the better.”
New York Times: Exxon Mobil aims for net-zero emissions from its operations in the Permian Basin by 2030
Clifford Krauss, 12/6/21
“Exxon Mobil said on Monday that it aimed to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its operations in oil and gas fields in West Texas and New Mexico by 2030,” the New York Times reports. “The announcement is part of Exxon’s previously stated plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its business, as activists and some investors pressure the oil industry to do more to fight climate change. But Exxon’s goal does not include offsetting emissions from its customers, such as car and truck owners and airlines. Exxon, the nation’s largest oil company, said it would reach net-zero emissions in the Permian Basin, which straddles the two Southwestern states, by electrifying its operations, improving its ability to detect and capture methane gas and eliminating the routine burning of waste gas emitted from oil wells. The company said it might also employ “nature-based solutions,” which could include planting trees. Bart Cahir, a senior vice president at Exxon, told the Times the effort “is one of the most ambitious and wide-ranging in the Permian Basin.” He added, “Our people are working hard to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the products that enable modern life.” The company, which is based outside Dallas, told the Times its efforts “may include wind, solar hydrogen, natural gas with carbon capture and storage and other emerging technologies.”
S&P Global: Canada focuses on emissions to push back against dirty oil sands reputation
Jordan Blum, 12/7/21
“Canadian oil production is back on the rise from the pandemic and efforts are ongoing to invest more in emissions reduction, carbon capture and more in order to make the industry better mesh with the ongoing energy transition and undo the longstanding reputation of the dirty oil sands,” S&P Global reports. “Suncor Energy CEO Mark Little acknowledged the Alberta oil sands account for about 10% of Canada's overall greenhouse gas emissions and that more must be done. That is why there are stricter methane and flaring regulations and a big push to develop more carbon storage hubs in Alberta and beyond where the geography is favorable… “The reality is crude oil demand will remain a massive part of the energy mix for many decades to come, he said, and Canada has to provide it more cleanly than other countries… “In June, Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, ExxonMobil-led Imperial Oil and MEG Energy announced the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero initiative. The goal is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the oil sands operations by 2050 to help Canada meet its climate goals. The key is a core Alberta infrastructure corridor linking oil sands facilities in the Fort McMurray and Cold Lake regions to a carbon storage hub near Cold Lake via a CO2 trunkline.”
Reuters: Top-emitting Canada oil sands site gets government relief from pollution payments
By Rod Nickel, 12/8/21
“For three straight years, Alberta's government granted Canada's most emissions-intense oil sands facility reductions in payments that polluters are required to make for generating higher emissions than most of the industry, a government document shows,” Reuters reports. “From 2018 to 2020, Alberta lowered Canadian Natural Resources Ltd's costs for its oil-producing Peace River site to comply with provincial emissions requirements. Peace River's per-barrel emissions are triple that of the already-high oil sands average… “Alberta requires high-emitting facilities that pollute more than the industry benchmark to comply, either by buying emissions credits or offsets from better-performing facilities, or by paying into a government fund at the going rate for carbon emissions, currently C$40 per tonne. The province's cost containment program, however, eases the financial pain for facilities whose compliance costs are greater than 3% of their sales or more than 10% of their profits, to prevent "economic hardship." Alberta's Environment Department provided, at the request of Reuters, a list of companies that benefited from the program. Spokesman Tom McMillan told Reuters it would not disclose the amounts of the cost relief the companies received, calling them "commercially sensitive."
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge Eyes CCS Hub Development at Former Coal Plant Site
GORDON JAREMKO, 12/7/21
“Supported by a thermal power generating utility, Enbridge Inc. has launched the fifth proposal for an Alberta carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub to satisfy Canadian climate change policy that demands net-zero emissions by 2050,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “Enbridge recently announced a cooperation agreement for a CCS cleanup of Capital Power Corp.’s 1,200 MW Genesee site southwest of Edmonton. The site was built as a coal-fired plant but is undergoing a fuel conversion to natural gas. The Genesee CCS project would sequester up to 3 million tons/year of greenhouse gases. It also would serve as the commercial anchor for a proposed cpen access Wabamun Carbon Hub, named after the lake ringed by thermal power plants west of Edmonton. The project could be in service by 2026… “The oil and natural gas industry is seeking government contributions for ongoing developments. The Alberta Carbon Trunk Line and Shell’s Quest CCS installation received support from C$1.2 billion (US$960 million) in provincial and federal grants.”
KCUR: Geologists say Midwest rock formations could store carbon dioxide for ‘eons’
By Katie Peikes, 12/7/21
“Two proposals for carbon pipelines throughout the Midwest would pipe carbon dioxide from dozens of ethanol plants to rock formations in North Dakota and Illinois where the CO2 would be buried deep underground,” KCUR reports. “Rock formations like the Mount Simon Sandstone offer the ability to bury the carbon for “eons of time” more than a mile below the surface… “Unlike soil, which can send carbon back into the atmosphere if disturbed when a farmer tills cropland, vast rock formations offer the ability to bury the carbon for “eons of time” more than a mile below the surface, Steve Whittaker, the director of energy and minerals at the Illinois State Geological Survey, told KCUR. “The capacity for storage in the underground, in the subsurface, is pretty immense,” he told KCUR. “It provides a way of additionally removing carbon dioxide from the carbon cycle, which is really what we need to do to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.” “...The Mount Simon Sandstone stretches through Illinois and a few other states in the Midwest. The deep, thick rock has pores — spaces that can hold water. The sandstone is filled with very salty water, which Whittaker said makes the geological formation an attractive place to bury carbon dioxide emissions. “It’s contained in there by overlying rocks which are impermeable and keep both water and carbon dioxide in the rocks,” Whittaker told KCUR.
Biofuelwatch: CARBON CAPTURE OR CAPTURED FUTURES? NEW REPORT FROM BIOFUELWATCH ON CALIFORNIA CLIMATE POLITICS
12/2/21
“While California state authorities continue to promote markets-based and technological approaches to advance ‘net zero’ as a primary focus for climate policy, grassroots organizations and climate justice stakeholders have increasingly mobilized in resistance to this polluter friendly approach to climate,” Biofuelwatch reports. “In the interest of empowering grassroots activists that are working to resist climate false solutions and address the broad array of public health and environmental crises bearing down on our communities, Biofuelwatch has released a report that serves as a window into the backroom dynamics that drive California climate politics, and the resultant state-facilitated policy agenda, often celebrated as an example for the world to emulate. The report — titled ‘Carbon Capture or Captured Futures? Fossil Fuel and Bioenergy Controls California “Getting to Neutral” Climate Policy’ — exposes the intricate workings of California’s policy making apparatus. The report describes how an elite group of private and public sector specialists has coordinated behind the scenes to promote unproven and dangerous carbon removal technologies in a multifaceted attempt to set the state climate policy table — and to establish a model that could be exported to other state and national jurisdictions.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Press release: The Quiet Culprit: Pension Funds Bankrolling the Climate Crisis
12/8/21
“A first-of-its-kind report released today from Climate Safe Pensions Network and Stand.earth reveals that just 14 pension and permanent funds finance fossil fuels to the tune of $81.6 billion. The report shows a comprehensive accounting of the fossil fuel exposure of 14 pension funds in one report from Climate Safe Pensions Network and Stand.earth reveals that just 14 U.S. public pension funds are the quiet culprits of climate chaos: with $81.6 billion invested in coal, oil, and gas. With over $46 trillion in assets worldwide, pension funds are among the largest institutional investors in fossil fuels. These investments have dangerously underperformed the rest of the market, making public pensions’ fossil fuels investments inherently risky. Pension funds’ financial influence make them a force to reckon with in the battle to confront, slow and mitigate climate change. Pension fund decision-makers must take climate protection seriously — not only for their financial well-being, but also for the well-being of their millions of members. With 10 years of data, there’s hard evidence that divestment is a winning financial strategy. The fastest way for pensions to address climate change is to divest fossil fuel holdings and invest in just and equitable climate solutions.”
Facebook: NowThis Earth [VIDEO]: How to Keep Your Money From Funding Fossil Fuels
12/5/21
“Tara Houska is a Couchiching First Nation citizen, tribal attorney, and founder of Giniw Collective, an Indigenous women, 2-spirit led frontline movement to protect the Earth against gas and oil pipelines like Line 3 and Dakota Access. She says getting financial institutions to divest from fossil fuels is a potent form of climate activism,” NowThis Earth reports. “Houska says everyday citizens can keep their money from going to fossil fuel investments by carefully choosing where to put their own investments. Another way to make sure your money isn’t going to fossil fuel companies is by investing in clean energy for your home and community. Shifting your bank accounts and credit cards away from institutions that invest in fossil fuels can also be an effective method of getting corporations to divest. Houska says a large part of the problem with the fossil fuel industry, and in turn, the institutions that invest in said industry, is that they view the land as a resource. Houska often hears from corporations that climate change mitigation practices are expensive and how activists have to ‘think about the economy.’ She says they fail to see the proverbial forest through the trees. Learn more about what companies invest in fossil fuels at https://go.nowth.is/MoneyPipeline”
OPINION
WyoFile: Let’s not exaggerate carbon capture’s promises
Ronn Smith is a process and environmental engineer with 40 years of experience in the energy industry. He is also a lifelong member of the Powder River Basin Resource Council, 12/7/21
The last few years have seen a rash of federal research grant awards, media announcements and actions by the Wyoming Legislature, all betting on the future of carbon capture, utilization and storage. The technology has been in the experimental phase for decades, but the imminence of coal-fired power plant retirements and the imperative to reduce carbon emissions have given it new urgency,” Ronn Smith writes for WyoFile. “Unfortunately, the push to commercialize CCUS is at the mercy of a disappearing fleet of coal-fired power plants… “Nonetheless, federal dollars and state enthusiasm for CCUS research continue to grow. While grants provide critical funding for the University of Wyoming and for small business startups in the state, it seems premature to declare the emergence of a carbon capture industry in Wyoming. Even if a demonstration project succeeded, retrofitting older power plants with CCUS would not make economic sense. According to the Energy Information Administration, 88% of the remaining U.S. coal fleet is at least 30 years old and the capacity-weighted average age of operating plants is 42 years. No new coal plants of significant size have been built in the country since 2013. Even ignoring this dismal forecast for eligible coal plants, CCUS has not proven cost effective.”
Calgary Herald: Varcoe: A $61B prize for Alberta in the energy transition race
Chris Varcoe, 12/7/21
“A sign near the 2021 World Petroleum Congress boldly declares: “Welcome to Houston — Energy Transition Capital of the World.” The Texas city is hosting the international gathering this week, bringing together more than 5,000 government leaders, CEOs and industry observers to talk about the future as the energy world tilts on its axis,” Chris Varcoe writes for the Calgary Herald. “Earlier this year, the Greater Houston Partnership released a report that says if the region takes decisive action to lead the low-carbon transition, the region could gain up to 560,000 jobs. If it doesn’t, Houston could lose up to 370,000 positions by 2050… “This all sounds familiar for Calgary, another oil and gas city that will be home to the World Petroleum Congress in 2023. Consider what’s at stake in this transformation for Alberta: $61 billion. A new study released Tuesday by the economic development organizations for Calgary and Edmonton estimates the global energy transition could create an additional 170,000 jobs in cleantech and contribute more than $60 billion to the province’s economy by 2050… “If the province isn’t ready for such reinvention, it’s going to be left behind. Alberta will need to attract more than $2 billion annually in new investments by the end of this decade, topping $5.5 billion by 2040, to capitalize on the opportunities ahead, the study says. That’s up considerably from less than $1 billion in spending that’s now taking place. The report identifies six sectors with the greatest potential to pull in foreign investment and create employment: electrification, energy efficiency, agriculture technology, hydrogen, digitization, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).”
The Hill: Climate can't wait: Biden must use his power to end new fossil fuel leasing
Randi Spivak is director of the public lands program at the Center for Biological Diversity, 12/7/21
“To stand any chance of avoiding the worst consequences of catastrophic climate change, there is broad scientific agreement that there can be no new fossil-fuel extraction,” Randi Spivak writes for The Hill. “Not on public lands or in federal waters, not anywhere. Not one more acre. But the Interior Department’s long-awaited review of federal oil and gas leasing said virtually nothing about climate change and nothing about scaling back — let alone ending — leasing, despite President Biden’s pledge during the campaign that he would do so. The Biden administration even failed to recommend environmental analyses before new leases are sold. Such analyses could weigh just how much harm burning more fossil fuels will do to our rapidly warming world and, one would hope, rely on that good science to reject the leases. The review — released on Black Friday, just days after the administration leased 80 million acres for oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico — confirmed Biden’s broken campaign promise. By recommending slightly higher fees for drilling on public lands and waters, while failing to acknowledge the climate-killing premise of the leasing program, the Interior report gave oil and gas companies the green light… “For the sake of this and future generations, the president must ensure his actions are as powerful as his words. For now, the chasm between his rhetoric and his policy is dangerously wide.”
The Hill: Exporting gas means higher monthly energy bills for American families
Dave Cortez is director of the Lone Star (Texas) Chapter of the Sierra Club, 12/7/21
“Everything costs more these days, but few commodities are spiking in price more than “natural” gas,” Dave Cortez writes for The Hill. “Almost half the country uses gas to heat their homes — and could be seeing a 30 percent jump in their monthly bills this winter. In a country where one in three households struggled to pay their energy bills before the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a mounting economic crisis that falls most heavily on those that can least afford it — particularly communities of color who are more likely to spend a higher portion of their income on energy… “Amid all the noise, both sides are missing the primary driver of higher home heating costs: We’re exporting more gas overseas, which means less supply and higher prices in the United States. According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, the fossil fuel industry now exports almost 20 percent of its gas — something that wasn’t true even a few years ago. This increase is primarily due to the build-out of liquified gas terminals on the Gulf Coast, as the oil and gas industry apparently aimed to take advantage of higher prices for gas overseas and make foreign countries dependent on their product instead of clean energy like wind and solar… “That oil and gas executives are making immense profits on exports while driving up U.S. home heating costs is particularly galling for Gulf Coast communities near these facilities, who live with the elevated risks of deadly explosions, chemical leaks and air pollution. What’s worse is that these communities could see many more of these facilities in the coming years without action from the Biden administration. The industry plans to build more than 20 additional gas export terminals in the coming years, each of them adding to pollution levels in a region that is being treated as a sacrifice zone for the fossil fuel industry… “Allowing the oil and gas industry to continue to sell American gas to the highest bidder puts us at risk — of higher energy costs nationwide, increased pollution in frontline communities and ever-worsening extreme weather. It’s time to rapidly scale up clean energy solutions so that our monthly energy bills are no longer dependent on their dirty product.”
The Hill: Investments in clean energy are the ideal response to high fossil fuel costs
Jack Gillis is executive director of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), an association of non-profit consumer organizations, 12/7/21
“Both at the pump and on their heating bills, consumers across the U.S. will be walloped by price increases this year,” Jack Gillis writes for The Hill. “The average American household will spend about $480 (or 31 percent) more on gasoline in 2021 than in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration. And home heating bills are forecasted to be 30 percent higher this year for the almost half of U.S. households that rely on natural gas, with even worse pain expected for homes that still use propane or oil for heat. The fossil fuel industry and its political allies have long argued that increasing U.S. production would lower energy prices. But it hasn’t worked out that way because fossil fuels remain global commodities prone to boom-bust cycles. The push to export American-produced fossil fuels has ensured this is the case, leaving us more vulnerable to bad actors like OPEC and Russian President Vladimir Putin that have routinely weaponized supply to manipulate global oil and natural gas pricing or otherwise suit their geopolitical whims... “To protect American consumers from often expensive and always volatile gas and oil prices, it is critical that we continue to implement the strongest possible efficiency standards. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should adopt the next generation of clean car efficiency standards with a requirement that automakers actually produce EVs.”