EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/8/23
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Pipeline politics await Biden in Michigan
Mining Journal: Michigan residents voice concern about Line 5 tunnel
Pipeline Fighters Hub: PIPES Act Harms Communities, Could Prohibit Public Access to CO2 Pipeline Spill Modeling
Watertown Public Opinion: Residents voice opposition to C02 pipeline
KGAN: Cedar County residents meet to push back on Wolf Carbon pipeline proposal
Ottawa Citizen: City won’t retract concerns on Enbridge pipeline replacement
Bloomberg: Natural Gas Group Challenges PHMSA Pipeline Safety Standards
S&P Global Platts: Kinder Morgan brings 550 MMcf/d Permian pipeline expansion in service
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: Republican-led states sue EPA over expanded powers to block polluting projects
InsideEPA: Final EPA Methane Rule Sets Stage For States To Tighten Oil And Gas Curbs
Truthout: House GOP Would Have Taxpayers Pay For Cleanup When Fracking Boom Goes Bust
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Environmental report calls for accelerating oil well plugging
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: Webinar (12/12): Protecting Your Community from Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
EXTRACTION
Guardian: We need power to prescribe climate policy, IPCC scientists say
Politico: Wind and solar pose climate threat too, oil giant Saudi Arabia argues
Reuters: Carbon capture becomes focus for divisions at climate conference: Kemp
The Verge: Can rocks absorb enough CO2 to fight climate change? These companies think so
Reuters: Canada asks oil firms to cut emissions by up to 38% in six years
IndigiNews: For Indigenous communities in ‘Alberta,’ the oil industry has left an ugly stain
Bloomberg: Phillips 66 Failed To Report Big Gas Release Spotted From Space
CLIMATE FINANCE
Sierra Club: 'New Paradigm of Greenwashing': Global Net-Zero Finance Initiative Takes Worrying Step Backwards
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Guardian: Revealed: how top pop stars are used to ‘launder the reputation’ of Koch family
Enbridge: Ending gender-based violence: ‘We need everyone at the table’
Enbridge: Closing the Gender Leadership Gap in BC
OPINION
The Conversation: Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk
Bloomberg: COP28 Needs Less Talk and More Action
Houston Chronicle: Oil and gas companies promise to fight climate change don't want to follow methane emissions rules
Globe and Mail: Federal oil and gas emissions cap shines harsh spotlight on Alberta’s lack of action
TIME: The 3 Myths Propping Up the Fossil Fuel Industry
New York Times: In Dubai, a ‘Good Vibes Only’ Approach to Climate Change
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Pipeline politics await Biden in Michigan
Adam Aton, 12/8/23
“President Joe Biden has spent the past two years trying to sidestep pipeline politics. But a recent decision from Michigan promises to thrust the issue back onto the presidential campaign trail,” E&E News reports. “The Michigan Public Service Commission last week approved a plan to encase a 70-year-old pipeline in an underground tunnel beneath the Great Lakes. Now, advocates are turning to the Biden administration in hopes of closing the pipeline known as Line 5 — presenting the president with a swing-state dilemma that cuts across his climate and economic agendas. “This is an election issue,” Ashley Rudzinski, climate and environment program director at the Michigan-based Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, told E&E. Although Line 5 faces other hurdles, environmental advocates see Biden as one of their best avenues to block the pipeline. The project still needs a federal permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, whose environmental review is expected to stretch into 2025 — giving opponents and supporters a chance to press their case during the 2024 campaign. “People will be watching to see if [Biden] takes action,” Rudzinski, who is also co-director of the Great Lakes Business Network, told E&E. “We’ve certainly been applying a lot of pressure through our channels.””...Republicans are defending Line 5 as a lifeline of affordable energy — especially propane — to the Upper Peninsula; they’ve argued shutting it down would cause energy prices to spike. And the pipeline has drawn support from some labor unions that see it as a source of jobs. That mirrors the political trade-off that Biden has faced with other pipelines. He campaigned in 2020 against the Keystone XL pipeline, and he revoked its permit on his first day in office — cheering progressives, angering some unions and offering Republicans a way to tie Biden to rising energy prices. Since then, Biden mostly has declined to make overt moves against other high-profile pipeline projects, such as the Dakota Access pipeline or the Mountain Valley pipeline. And he has approved some major fossil fuel projects, like ConocoPhillip’s Willow project in Alaska. Biden so far has declined to wade into the Line 5 issue. His administration in 2021 studied the potential economic impact of shuttering the pipeline, but the White House denied it considered a shutdown. “That is something that we’re not going to do,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time. The Biden campaign referred questions to the White House, which did not respond to a request for comment.” “...We’re asking Biden to shut that shit down,” Pierce, who is a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, told E&E. “If they’ve been evicted, why do they still get to profit off us?”
Mining Journal: Michigan residents voice concern about Line 5 tunnel
DREYMA BERONJA, 12/8/23
“Over a dozen Michigan residents voiced their concerns about the proposed Line 5 tunnel at a Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority meeting on Thursday,” the Mining Journal reports. “Anger, sadness and frustration were some of the emotions expressed during public comment when 13 residents addressed the MSCA on the proposed Line 5 tunnel. Residents spoke out regarding safety, environmental and tribal land concerns if the tunnel were built at the bottom of the straits… “Michigan resident Rita Mitchell brought up the Kalamazoo River oil spill of July 2010 that occurred when a pipeline operated by Enbridge burst and flowed into Talmadge Creek, a tributary of the Kalamazoo River near downstate Marshall. The Kalamazoo River oil spill resulted in one of the largest inland oil spills in United States history. She said one alternative for consideration would be to shut down the proposed tunnel. “Don’t do it anymore,” Mitchell said. “Walk away from this project, walk away from the Enbridge greed, work with others who are working to establish renewable energy for our future so that we have a future to give to our relatives.” Andrea Pierce, member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, voiced concerns over the proposed tunnel that would go through tribal land. “This tunnel ignores treaty rights. All of them,” she said. “We have the right to gather, hunt and fish. (I) can’t do that with poison water, can I? I can’t teach my children this, I can’t teach my grandkids. My grandkids won’t be able to teach their kids. This is disgusting.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: PIPES Act Harms Communities, Could Prohibit Public Access to CO2 Pipeline Spill Modeling
Paul Blackburn, 12/8/23
“Last week, the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee introduced a federal Pipeline Safety Act reauthorization bill, “PIPES Act,” H.R. 6494. Bold Alliance submitted a letter (below) to the U.S. House & Transportation Committee raising concerns about this bill,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “Our major concern is that it would allow PHMSA to make company dispersion modeling secret. While this proposed federal law would not explicitly prohibit state and local governments from disclosing company dispersion modeling, if this proposed law is enacted and PHMSA determines that dispersion modeling is secret (which it almost certainly would), then the industry will argue that since the feds consider this information secret, then state and local agencies should also consider it secret, and state and local agencies would likely accede to this federal judgment and also prevent the public from knowing the danger zone around carbon dioxide pipelines. It should also be noted that this bill would not prevent citizens from doing their own dispersion modeling, and making the results public — but that would require citizens to spend their own money on modeling. The letter contains many arguments for why dispersion modeling should be public. In addition to the technical letter sent by Bold Alliance, a coalition of groups including Bold, Food & Water Watch, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Science & Environmental Health Network sent a separate joint letter to the Committee (below), calling attention to the fact that the bill falls far short of what is needed to protect public safety from the dangers of what could be hundreds of thousands of miles of new pipelines to transport carbon dioxide and hydrogen.”
Watertown Public Opinion: Residents voice opposition to C02 pipeline
J.T. Fey, 12/8/23
“Opponents to a pipeline carrying liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) through Codington County showed up en masse at Tuesday’s meeting of the county board of commissioners,” according to the Watertown Public Opinion. “Gordon Little, Terry Little, Dennis Jones, Troy Skelton and Rick Schultz, all residing or working within the county, volunteered to speak. Their comments were similar to those given by others opposing a pipeline: liquefied CO2 is extremely dangerous if leaked above ground, installation will deflate property values, and the use of eminent domain to access privately owned land is unlawful… “What Tuesday’s speakers want is a county regulation banning a CO2 pipeline crossing Codington County. More than one pointed to preventive resolutions already in place in Spink and McPherson Counties… “Skelton said the pipeline’s path would touch all the land he owns, rents or farms. He admitted he’s “benefited greatly” from increases in land and corn prices but was adamant about stopping the pipeline, claiming that big companies supporting it are doing so for tax credits. “If we allow this pipeline, as unsafe as it is, for private gain and give up civilian control to these large companies, we no longer have property rights,” Skelton told the board. “To jump on the bandwagon to support an unsafe pipeline that takes private property and gives it to private companies for private gain is not what this council is supposed to be doing.”
KGAN: Cedar County residents meet to push back on Wolf Carbon pipeline proposal
Sedrick Bolton III, 12/7/23
“Cedar County residents are coming together over a proposed carbon pipeline that would run 280 miles across Iowa and Illinois,” KGAN reports. “Cedar County residents got their easement paperwork in the mail recently, and people aren't happy about the idea of a carbon pipeline running through their backyards. Residents got together at the Tipton Courthouse Thursday night to discuss some of their concerns. Wolf Carbon Solutions had promised in the past they wouldn't be using eminent domain and wanted to get landowners to voluntarily sign off on easements for the pipeline. But a lot of residents say they're worried about the safety risks, and that a one time payment to use their land could hurt them in the long run if anything goes wrong. Landowners against the proposed pipeline urged residents to band together in opposition of the project. "In order to get all these names, it’s not just the people here tonight," a resident said at Thursday's meeting. "If you want to work your township and contact your neighbor and maybe that neighbor contact their neighbor so we can make this list grow and help us I guess is a good plea."
Ottawa Citizen: City won’t retract concerns on Enbridge pipeline replacement
Marlo Glass, 12/7/23
“The City of Ottawa will not be withdrawing its concerns of an Enbridge Gas pipeline replacement project that was once rejected by the Ontario Energy Board,” the Ottawa Citizen reports. “In an about-face, a motion passed during Wednesday’s council meeting instructed city staff to “continue collaborative activities” with Enbridge to find reductions in greenhouse gas emissions for the city “through energy transition planning, energy efficiency and demand-side management programs, while ensuring energy security for the residents of Ottawa.” “...Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney originally brought forward a motion for the city to retract its testimony about the pipeline replacement project, which the energy board had rejected in part due to Ottawa’s concerns that automatically renewing major fossil fuel infrastructure contradicted its Energy Evolution master plan and its long-term goal of achieving community-wide net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. After the $123.7-million pipeline replacement was spiked by the energy board, Enbridge was directed to come back with more evidence that the pipeline replacement was urgent and that the proposal would take account Ottawa’s evolving energy requirements during a transition away from fossil fuels. Tierney said the city, Hydro Ottawa and Enbridge had formed a working group to focus on “how a renewed pipeline can contribute towards progress on shared climate and energy challenges and opportunities,” among other priorities.”
Bloomberg: Natural Gas Group Challenges PHMSA Pipeline Safety Standards
Shayna Greene, 12/7/23
“The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America is seeking review of several standards within a Transportation Department final rule that made changes to federal pipeline safety regulations,” Bloomberg reports. “The trade association, which represents interstate natural gas pipeline companies, said Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration failed to offer a preliminary cost-benefit analysis for some of the new standards. The agency also didn’t provide proper notice for two of the five contested standards as required under the Administrative Procedure Act, INGAA told the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in its principal appellate brief.”
S&P Global Platts: Kinder Morgan brings 550 MMcf/d Permian pipeline expansion in service
Killian Staines, 12/8/23
“Natural gas takeaway capacity from the US Gulf Coast region's prolific Permian Basin increased by 550 MMcf/d with the in-service of an expansion of Kinder Morgan's Permian Highway Pipeline,” S&P Global Platts reports. “Kinder Morgan brought the expansion into service Dec.1, CEO Kimberly Dang said during an investor call Dec 7. The expansion uses compression to increase capacity on the line, which runs from Waha to Katy, Texas. This is the second recent boost to Permian takeaway capacity. MPLX and Whitewater Midstream completed the brownfield 500 MMcf/d expansion of the Whistler pipeline at the end of September, MPLX said Oct. 31 in its third-quarter earnings release. The 2.5 MMcf/d greenfield Matterhorn Express Pipeline, also being developed by MPLX and Whitewater, is due online next year. Dang said she does not see an immediate need for more greenfield takeaway projects out of the Permian… “That's why we believe it's the back half of the decade before you see the need for a brand-new greenfield pipe [in the Permian]," Dang said.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Reuters: Republican-led states sue EPA over expanded powers to block polluting projects
Clark Mindock, 12/5/23
“A group of 11 Republican-led states and energy industry groups have challenged a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that bolsters state and tribal veto power over pipelines and other major infrastructure projects that might pollute rivers and streams,” Reuters reports. “In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Monday night, Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming and others argued the EPA's September rule revising the Clean Water Act's permitting process to let states and Native American tribes block projects over a wider range of expected impacts to water resources exceeded the agency's authority under the law and asked the court to vacate it. The plaintiffs, which included fossil fuel industry group the American Petroleum Institute, warned the rule will increase the workload of state agencies reviewing projects and would thwart efforts to develop critical energy infrastructure like natural gas export terminals, carbon capture projects and pipelines. The rule, which went into effect last month, made changes to the Clean Water Act Section 401 certification process by expanding the ability of states and Native American tribes to block projects within their borders over concerns about their broad impact on water resources, including impacts to fish habitat or impacts from runoff. It reversed a 2020 decision by the Trump administration limiting state and tribal reviews to direct discharges of pollution only. Under Section 401, federal agencies cannot issue permits for major projects unless local regulators first issue water quality certificates, or waive their authority to do so. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued the text of the section only establishes authority for states and tribes to review pollution from direct discharges into state waterways, not overall water quality impacts.”
InsideEPA: Final EPA Methane Rule Sets Stage For States To Tighten Oil And Gas Curbs
12/7/23
“EPA’s final oil and gas methane rule is poised to launch years of state work to lock in emissions requirements for numerous emissions sources, amid signs that even states with well-developed oil and gas emissions programs will have to make conforming changes while others decide whether to develop their own programs or await federal implementation,” InsideEPA reports. “The new reality comes even as state officials are offering initial praise for EPA’s decision to lengthen the time for initial submission of state plans for existing source to two years, rather than 18 months as EPA had proposed. ‘Is that going to solve everybody’s problems [as regulators], probably not, but it will really help,’ Miles Keogh, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, tells Inside EPA Climate Extra. Keogh says that officials are still in the early stages of reviewing EPA’s plan. However, ‘even if there are details that create challenges for us,’ curbing oil and gas sector emissions is ‘really important for addressing the climate crisis.’”
Truthout: House GOP Would Have Taxpayers Pay For Cleanup When Fracking Boom Goes Bust
Mike Ludwig, 12/6/23
“A House committee is considering legislation introduced by Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert that could leave taxpayers on the hook for up to $17.7 billion in costs associated with cleaning up oil and gas wells abandoned on public lands by fracking companies and other polluters, according to a new report from the watchdog group Public Citizen,” Truthout reports. “Oil and gas industry lobbyists and their allies on Capitol Hill are working to defeat a Biden administration proposal that would strengthen federal requirements designed to force fossil fuel companies to plug wells and clean up drilling sites on federal lands after extraction. Boebert’s bill would direct the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw its proposal, and the House Natural Resources Committee considered the bill for markup on Wednesday. ‘The boom-and-bust nature of the oil and gas industry puts taxpayers at higher risk for well cleanup because, when prices fall for oil and gas, bad actors have an economic incentive to just walk away from their wells, leaving taxpayers in the lurch,’ Alan Zibel, a Public Citizen research director, said in a statement.”
STATE UPDATES
Bakersfield Californian: Environmental report calls for accelerating oil well plugging
JOHN COX, 12/5/23
“The Sierra Club ratcheted up pressure on Kern County's petroleum industry Tuesday by releasing a contentious report saying California policymakers should force oil companies to spend more money plugging idle oil wells,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “The report singled out three locally operating producers — Aera Energy LLC, California Resources Corp. and Chevron — it said earn adequate income but have not spent enough money properly retiring unused wells with the potential to cause pollution. The companies countered that they have made substantial progress in recent years addressing idle wells, as required by state regulators. Industry trade groups, meanwhile, criticized the Sierra Club's report as misleading. Idle wells as an environmental issue gained greater attention last year after dozens of oil field facilities around Kern were found leaking methane at high rates in Bakersfield and Oildale. More were discovered leaking earlier this year in the Arvin and Lamont areas… “Its report said the three companies own almost three-quarters of all idle wells in Kern, with combined cleanup costs it estimated at almost $3.7 billion, amounting to a single-digit percentage of their total income — or, in the case of Aera and CRC, their former owners' income. The Sierra Club said California's total idle well liability comes to $21 billion, which the industry disputed.”
Deep South Center for Environmental Justice: Webinar (12/12): Protecting Your Community from Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
12/7/23
“Don't miss the DSCEJ Environmental Justice Community Forum which will feature the webinar Protecting Your Community from Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). DATE: Tuesday, December 12, 2023 TIME: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM CT… “Louisiana communities are targeted by petrochemical corporations planning new toxic facilities and pipelines with carbon capture and storage (CCS). These corporations ignore the increased risks of CCS to our health, environment, and climate. With billions of dollars from taxpayers, these corporations also ignore the fact that more than 80 percent of CCS projects have failed. Industrial plans for CCS involve the underground disposal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) collected from facility waste streams. The process depends on the build-out of miles of new pipelines to transport huge amounts of CO2 from polluting facilities to underground wells. Scientific reports show the increased dangers of operating a CO2 waste well or pipeline. Carbon dioxide displaces oxygen in the air we need to breathe, which can cause death, respiratory arrest, and other serious health problems. CO2 is corrosive and can break down metal in a pipeline or well and leak out with harmful results. When injected underground CO2 can contaminate sources of drinking water and trigger earthquakes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will decide whether to approve or reject the application by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for the authority to permit CO2 waste wells. DNR’s poor track record of managing oil and gas wells with tragic results for Louisiana communities, deeply flawed application to the EPA for authority to permit CO2 waste wells, and inadequate safeguards against the significant dangers and environmental injustice presented by CO2 waste wells are at the heart of opposition by thousands of communities, public interest groups and scientific experts who have spoken on the record and filed petitions urging the EPA to deny DNR’s application.”
EXTRACTION
Guardian: We need power to prescribe climate policy, IPCC scientists say
Arthur Neslen, 12/7/23
“Senior climate experts are calling for an overhaul of the structure and powers of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in despair at the slow pace of climate action,” the Guardian reports. “Five lead authors of IPCC reports told the Guardian that scientists should be given the right to make policy prescriptions and, potentially, to oversee their implementation by the 195 states signed up to the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC). Their call came after it emerged that the United Arab Emirates had been planning to use its position as Cop28 host to strike oil and gas deals. Sonia Seneviratne, an IPCC vice-chair and coordinating lead author since 2012, told the Guardian: “At some point we need to say that if you want to achieve this aim set by policymakers then certain policies need to be implemented. As climate change becomes worse and worse, it is becoming more difficult to be policy relevant without being prescriptive.” Scientists should be able to call for fossil fuel cuts and phaseouts, she told the Guardian. The discrepancy between IPCC science and action on the ground was “very difficult for us to understand as scientists because it doesn’t seem to make any sense”. Gert-Jan Nabuurs, a coordinating lead author on three IPCC reports, told the Guardian: “The IPCC’s critical, independent and guiding roles seem to be less and less evident. As they decline, countries seem to be exerting a larger and larger influence.” The problem for authors was that “we can’t be policy prescriptive, so we can’t make hard statements on what should be done”, he told the Guardian.
Politico: Wind and solar pose climate threat too, oil giant Saudi Arabia argues
CORBIN HIAR, 12/7/23
“Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is urging nations to take action on what it suggests is a growing threat to the Earth’s climate — wind and solar power,” Politico reports. “The pitch from the world’s biggest oil player includes a Saudi government document, obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News, expressing concern about the “lifecycle” greenhouse gas emissions of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources, whose popularity has grown as countries look for alternatives to planet-heating fossil fuels. It comes as the kingdom is stepping up its broader arguments that expensive, largely unproven methods of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and oceans are an essential part of the strategy for countering climate change. In contrast, scientists, environmental activists and representatives of vulnerable island nations say the most urgently needed fix for climate change is to stop producing and burning oil, natural gas and coal. Other major fossil fuel nations — including the United States — have also expressed support for a technological approach to reducing carbon pollution, in conjunction with shifting toward greener energy sources. But the Saudis have gone a step further by contending that carbon removal is also needed to address climate pollution from wind turbines, solar panels and other renewable energy hardware, according to text of a previously unreported speech scheduled before the COP28 climate summit began last week. “Renewables are an integral part of the solution,” a Saudi official was set to argue in the Oct. 31 closed-door speech to fellow diplomats, according to a copy of the prepared text. But the Saudi text added that “we must also act immediately to address their lifecycle emissions in the near term. This will require emissions removal.” Saudi Arabia’s U.S. embassy didn’t respond to questions about the document, which aligns with public statements that Saudi officials have made touting related technology that captures carbon from smokestacks. Advocates for more aggressive climate action say they worry that the kingdom is promoting efforts to manage carbon — and undercut renewables — in order to weaken support for weaning the world off of greenhouse-gas-spewing fossil fuels… “Hare told Politico he worries that the rhetoric from Saudi Arabia and its allies will influence markets by sending a signal to the financial community that international support exists for these novel carbon technologies. That, in turn, could divert money and attention from proven measures for reducing demand for fossil fuels, such as new renewable energy projects and increased efficiency programs. “It would be a massive victory for those that want to delay action – and delay reducing oil, gas and coal,” Hare told Politico.
Reuters: Carbon capture becomes focus for divisions at climate conference: Kemp
John Kemp, 12/7/23
“Carbon capture and storage has emerged as a flashpoint at the UN climate conference in Dubai about how big a role it is destined to play in reaching the target of net zero emissions,” Reuters reports. “It has also prompted an unusual and bad-tempered confrontation between senior officials at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). In the run up to the conference, the IEA called on oil and gas producers to let go of “the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture” are the solution to reducing emissions and reaching net zero targets. OPEC hit back accusing the IEA of finger-pointing, vilifying producers and using an “extremely narrow framing” of the challenges in reaching net zero that downplays energy security and affordability… “To achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, the IEA predicts capture would need to increase to 1 billion tonnes a year in 2030 and 6 billion tonnes a year in 2050. Even under this more ambitious scenario, however, capture would account for just 10% of cumulative emissions reductions between 2022 and 2050… “But in a power plant fitted with post-combustion capture technology, the capture process uses up between 15% and 40% of the total electrical output, an enormous energy penalty. Water consumption is also 25-200% higher than for a conventional power plant, limiting capture in areas where water is scarce… “The United States, Canada, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East have lots of potential storage, but there is much less in China and Western Europe. The political and social acceptability of large-scale underground storage remains uncertain, but it may be easier in communities with a history of oil and gas production or offshore.”
The Verge: Can rocks absorb enough CO2 to fight climate change? These companies think so
Justine Calma,12/7/23
“Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, and a slew of other companies plan to spend more than $57 million cumulatively to fight climate change by spreading crushed rock over farmland,” The Verge reports. “The aim is to use rocks’ natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which might sound low-tech, but speeding up the process and finding a way to reliably measure how much CO2 is sequestered has proven pretty hard. It’s a tactic for trapping planet-heating carbon dioxide called “enhanced weathering” that researchers have studied for decades, but it has lagged behind other emerging technologies in moving to commercialization. The deal was announced today by Frontier, a carbon removal initiative led by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability. Autodesk, H&M Group, JPMorgan Chase, Workday, Zendesk, Canva, and Boom Supersonic are also among the more than a dozen companies that signed onto the deal. It’s a tactic for trapping planet-heating carbon dioxide called “enhanced weathering” that researchers have studied for decades, but it has lagged behind other emerging technologies in moving to commercialization… “When it comes to Lithos’ method for measuring how much carbon dioxide is sequestered, “this is very challenging,” Oliver Jagoutz, professor of geology at MIT, told The Verge. “And while I see this as a newer approach, I’m very critical whether that is a game changer.” “...Data shared by the company in a pre-print study essentially show “an absolute maximum estimate of what can be, and the reality unfortunately is much more complicated,” he added. Namely, there’s a risk of overestimating how much carbon dioxide has been sequestered when not fully accounting for how fertilizers in the soil affect the process.”
Reuters: Canada asks oil firms to cut emissions by up to 38% in six years
Ismail Shakil and Nia Williams, 12/7/23
“Canada unveiled a plan on Thursday aimed at pushing oil and gas companies to cut emissions up to 38% from 2019 levels by 2030, by introducing a cap-and-trade system that drew immediate opposition from industry groups and some fossil fuel-producing provinces,” Reuters reports. “Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the framework for the cap-and-trade system, which would allow companies to buy offsets if their emissions are too high, was "ambitious, but practical" and would help the industry cut pollution without cutting production… “The long-awaited proposal was slammed by two of Canada's main oil-producing provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the federal Conservative opposition, as well as industry groups who said a cap was unnecessary. Canada, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, is aiming to cut emissions 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. The sector is Canada's highest-polluting industry, accounting for more than a quarter of all emissions… “However, oil and gas companies would be allowed to produce up to an additional 25 megatonnes and offset those emissions by purchasing carbon offset credits or paying into a decarbonization fund… “The opposition Conservative Party, currently leading in the polls, said the cap was "yet another attack on Canadian workers and Canada's world-class energy industry." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the announcement intentionally attacked Alberta's economy, and that her government will develop a "constitutional shield" in response to the proposal in the coming months. "This proposed cap also undermines the unity of our country," Smith said in a statement.
IndigiNews: For Indigenous communities in ‘Alberta,’ the oil industry has left an ugly stain
BRANDI MORIN, 12/7/23
“In September, journalist Brandi Morin and cinematographer Geordie Day spent several days in the Fort Chipewyan area, reporting on the enduring impact of oil sands extraction on local Indigenous communities for IndigiNews, The Real News Network and Ricochet,” IndigiNews reports. “They met with ACFN Chief Allan Adam and other community members and Elders, and spoke with experts including toxicologist Mandy Olsgard and Dr. John O’Connor… “Nowadays, it’s risky to navigate these waterways because of industrial intakes like the W.A.C. Bennett Dam to the west in B.C.; the Alberta oil sands just up the river and impacts from climate change… “The industry that has sprung up around it drives Alberta’s and Canada’s economy, employing about 138,000 people. In 2021, crude bitumen production totaled approximately 3.3 million barrels per day. The oil sands energy sector including oil sands, conventional oil and gas, mining and quarrying is valued at about $18 billion. But while Canada prospers off the oil sands industry, Indigenous communities downstream are dealing with its toxic impacts. Not only are the water levels fluctuating, but the health of the water flowing through the Athabasca River is jeopardized… “Their fears aren’t unfounded. There are documented high rates of cancer and other diseases in Fort Chipewyan with no explanation as to the source, and a recent major tailings pond spill has underscored their concerns… “It’s a battle that ACFN Chief Adam has been fighting for decades. Adam, who has been ACFN’s elected chief for almost 16 consecutive years, became internationally recognized for raising the alarm about the adverse impacts of the oil sands on treaty rights, climate change, and public health.”
Bloomberg: Phillips 66 Failed To Report Big Gas Release Spotted From Space
Aaron Clark and Zachary Mider, 12/8/23
“A leaky valve at a Phillips 66 facility in Texas poured tons of planet-warming natural gas into the atmosphere over three days in August, a mishap that was disclosed to regulators only months later when the event was spotted by satellite imagery,” Bloomberg reports. “The release of 9.5 million cubic feet of gas, reported to Texas regulators last month, is the latest example of outside researchers spotting pollution events that energy companies fail to disclose. Natural gas consists mostly of methane, a powerful contributor to global warming that is a major focus of the COP28 climate summit underway in Dubai. Policymakers see curbing methane as among the cheapest, fastest ways to limit the rise in global temperatures. The Biden administration recently finalized rules that will force companies to replace leaky equipment, while the European Union struck a deal requiring energy companies to check infrastructure for leaks.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Sierra Club: 'New Paradigm of Greenwashing': Global Net-Zero Finance Initiative Takes Worrying Step Backwards
Adele Shraiman, 12/4/23
“In recent years, pressure has mounted on the financial sector to take responsibility for its role in propping up the polluting industries driving the climate crisis. In response, financial institutions — from investment banks to insurance companies — have begun to make commitments to address their climate impacts, and align their financing with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050,” according to the Sierra Club. “...In the two years since its inception, GFANZ has sought to establish its own “best practices” for net-zero alignment in the financial sector. GFANZ has provided guidance to its members on a range of issues, including transition plans, net-zero portfolio alignment, and managed phaseout of high-emitting assets… “GFANZ makes the case that in order to drive the transition, financial institutions — rather than restrict financing for high-carbon sectors — should instead focus on providing more capital and financial services to these sectors. Following this logic, GFANZ has proposed a methodology that credits financial institutions with the emissions theoretically avoided as a result of their financing activities. This methodology, called “Expected Emissions Reduction” (EER), would reward financial institutions based on the estimated volume of emissions that would be avoided as a result of the transition plans of their clients or portfolio companies. This new approach relies on a wide range of complex and easily manipulated assumptions about everything from energy demand to economic growth. The approach enables a new paradigm of greenwashing, in which financial institutions can continue businesses as usual while patting themselves on the back for so-called transition financing. That’s why the Sierra Club joined our partners from Reclaim Finance and other organizations around the world to voice our concerns in response to this GFANZ proposal.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Guardian: Revealed: how top pop stars are used to ‘launder the reputation’ of Koch family
Geoff Dembicki, 12/7/23
“Last September, the rapper Killer Mike was DJing hip-hop classics like Snoop Dogg’s Ain’t No Fun at a music festival afterparty in Louisville, Kentucky,” the Guardian reports. “...But this night’s set was co-sponsored by Stand Together Music, an organization backed by the libertarian billionaire Charles Koch, who made his fortune in fossil fuels. Other sponsors of the party included the free-speech group Fire (which has received millions of dollars in contributions from the Charles G Koch charitable foundation), as well as the music outlet Spin, an official partner of Stand Together Music. Why would Killer Mike associate himself with an 88-year-old political powerbroker whose network has given hundreds of millions of dollars to conservative causes? Researchers who track the network say it’s possible that the rapper, who is not listed as a partner of the group, didn’t know his set was linked to Koch. “It shows how sneaky and successful Stand Together Music has been at generating collaboration with artists who I don’t think share the value sets of Charles Koch,” Connor Gibson, a former Greenpeace researcher who now runs the site Grassrootbeer Investigations, told the Guardian… “Stand Together Music is part of a wider conservative advocacy network that is promoting “Charles Koch’s principles-based legacy”. Stand Together Music itself was founded by Koch’s son Chase, who says as a child he had to listen to “books on tape by Milton Friedman”. Turned on to music in his teenage years by Pink Floyd, he’s now a 46-year-old guitarist who plays in multiple bands and will reportedly inherit 42% control of Koch Industries when his father dies. But Stand Together Music is more than just a wealthy, middle-aged heir’s pet project. Gibson and other critics claim it allows Koch and his allies to co-opt pop musicians, young music fans and other hard-to-reach constituencies into a conservative political movement whose ultimate aims include dismantling the government’s ability to regulate polluting corporations like Koch Industries.” “...Representatives for Machine Gun Kelly, the Chainsmokers, Pitbull and Tom Morello did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.”
Enbridge: Ending gender-based violence: ‘We need everyone at the table’
12/7/23
“Late November to mid-December marks an important annual period to renew commitments to end gender-based violence, a collective issue that the YWCA Edmonton wants people to know will take more than just awareness to build equity for affected women and girls,” according to Enbridge. “...Enbridge has supported the YWCA Edmonton since 2021 through an annual $25,000 Fueling Futures donation to the Equity Fund as part of our commitment to build vibrant, sustainable communities near our operations… “On Dec. 5, Enbridge employees also attended the Rose Breakfast in Edmonton, where we provided a $5,000 sponsorship. “We are so grateful for organizations that see the value in what we are doing and invest in change,” says McCourt-Reid. “The funding is significant for us—it makes a real difference in what we are doing.”
Enbridge: Closing the Gender Leadership Gap in BC
12/7/23
“Research shows that investing in women’s education and leadership development positively impacts communities at every level. To realize this leadership potential, however, some women need a little boost,” according to Enbridge. “Minerva BC is dedicated to helping to close the leadership gender gap by advancing the leadership of self-identified women and girls… “Enbridge is committed to building vibrant and sustainable communities near our operations, and has supported Minerva BC since 2021. Our recent $10,000 Fueling Futures grant helped Minerva BC with program expansion and hosting a one-day, in person Learning to Lead workshop in Prince George.”
OPINION
The Conversation: Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk
James Dyke, Associate Professor in Earth System Science, University of Exeter; David Armstrong McKay, Researcher in Earth System Resilience, Stockholm University, 12/6/23
“It’s now almost inevitable that 2023 will be the warmest year ever recorded by humans, probably the warmest for at least 125,000 years… Does this mean 2023 is the year parts of the climate tip into a much more dangerous state?,” James Dyke and David Armstrong McKay write for The Conversation. “...The climate system has many potential tipping points, such as ice sheets disappearing or dense rainforests becoming significantly drier and more open. It would be very difficult, effectively impossible, to recover these systems once they go beyond a tipping point. We along with 200 other scientists from around the world just published the new Global Tipping Points Report at the COP28 UN climate talks in Dubai. Our report sets out the science on the “negative” tipping points in the Earth system that could harm both nature and people, as well as the potential “positive” societal tipping points that could accelerate sustainability action… “Having scoured scientific evidence of past and current changes, and factored in projections from computer models, we have identified over 25 tipping points in the Earth system. Six of these are in the icebound parts of the planet (the “cryosphere”), including the collapse of massive ice sheets in Greenland and different parts of Antarctica, as well as localised tipping in glaciers and thawing permafrost. Sixteen are in the “biosphere” – the sum of all the world’s ecosystems – including trees dying on a massive scale in parts of the Amazon and northern boreal forests, degradation of savannas and drylands, nutrient overloading of lakes, coral reef mass mortality, and many mangroves and seagrass meadows dying off. Finally, we identified four potential tipping points in the circulation of the oceans and atmosphere, including collapse of deep ocean mixing in the North Atlantic and in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, and disruption of the West African monsoon. Human activities are already pushing some of these close to tipping points. The exact thresholds are uncertain, but at today’s global warming of 1.2°C, the widespread loss of warm water coral reefs is already becoming likely, while tipping in another four vital climate systems is possible. These are Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheet collapse, North Atlantic circulation collapse, and widespread localised thaw of permafrost. Beyond 1.5°C several of these become likely, and other systems like mangroves, seagrass meadows, and parts of the boreal forest start to become vulnerable. Some systems can also tip or have their warming thresholds reduced due to other drivers, such as deforestation in the Amazon. It can be hard to comprehend the consequences of crossing these tipping points. For example, if parts of the Amazon rainforest die, countless species would be lost, and warming would be further amplified as billions of tons of carbon currently locked up in trees and soils makes its way into the atmosphere. Within the region, this could cause trillions of dollars of economic impacts, and expose millions of people to extreme heat. Given the sheer scale of risks from tipping points, you may assume that economic assessments of climate change include them. Alas, most assessments effectively ignore tipping point risks. This is perhaps the most frightening conclusion of the new report… “The Global Tipping Points Report makes clear that climate change is a key driver for most of these tipping points, and the risk of crossing them can be reduced by urgently cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero (which “positive tipping points” could accelerate).”
Bloomberg: COP28 Needs Less Talk and More Action
Editorial Board, 12/5/23
“In 2015, the world’s governments declared a collective ambition: to limit the rise in global temperatures to just 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since then, two things have become clear. First, the costs of exceeding that threshold are greater than believed eight years ago. Second, the goal looks increasingly difficult to reach. Even if governments enact all the climate policies they’ve so far announced — an optimistic assumption — warming this century is on track to exceed 2C and might run as high as 2.9C,” the Bloomberg Editorial Board writes. “As 70,000 politicians, officials and interested parties gather in Dubai for COP28 — two weeks of talks to review what’s been done and still needs to be done — this failure to align policies with promises should remain front of mind. BloombergNEF is watching 10 areas where progress in Dubai can be measured against identifiable targets. As the meeting began, the expected score across all these initiatives was 3.9 out of 10. Likely progress on the overarching objective — to get global carbon emissions in sync with the 1.5C ambition by 2030 — was a pitiful 1 out of 10… “What matters now is not more minutely discussed goals, commitments and pledges, but action… “One further conclusion to draw from this process is that the world can’t rely on grand global promises alone to address climate change. Pragmatic action wherever possible is vital. Individuals, companies and subnational levels of government also need to get engaged… “Such endeavors can’t make up for the failure of national governments to effectively meet the threat of climate change. But they’re an essential part of the fight. The opportunity to avoid irreversible damage is slipping away. Now more than ever, the world needs action instead of talk.”
Houston Chronicle: Oil and gas companies promise to fight climate change don't want to follow methane emissions rules
Chris Tomlinson, 12/6/23
“Words are cheap, action is hard and new rules around one of the most potent greenhouse gases are putting oil and gas company climate pledges to the test,” Chris Tomlinson writes for the Houston Chronicle. “President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency rolled out new regulations for methane, the principal component in natural gas… “The new EPA rule would stop routine flaring, where companies burn the gas instead of capturing and selling it. Predictably, the industry did not welcome the rules requiring them to keep their promises. Tim Tarpley, president of industry lobbyists Energy Workforce, said the group supports lowering methane emissions, but the EPA rule would serve as a tax on the industry. “The implementation of a new tax on the oil and gas industry will directly impact the ability of Americans to obtain energy to fulfill daily needs, increasing the cost of oil and natural gas prices and decreasing domestic energy security,” he said… “The American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s leading lobbyist, said it was studying the rule, which means it is polling its members before launching a broadside attack… “API hesitated because the Biden administration’s announcement came on the same day that 50 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies announced the “Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter” at the U.N. climate conference in Dubai. The charter is the premier emission reduction initiative from Saudi Arabia and the conference’s chairman, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, who happens to be the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company. The charter is a voluntary commitment to phase out methane emissions and flaring by 2030. The signatory companies, which include Exxon Mobil and Chevron, represent 40% of the world’s oil and gas production… “The new EPA rule requires state regulators to enforce the regulations. However, Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick declared during the public comment period in February that the methane rules were overreaching and unrealistic. Craddick and Attorney General Ken Paxton have hinted they would ask a federal judge to declare the rules unconstitutional, leveraging a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits how much a federal agency can do without express congressional approval… “In just the last year, we’ve seen companies back away from their voluntary commitments to speed the transition to clean energy. Executives have repeatedly proven that trust in good intentions is insufficient, and federal law enforcement is necessary to slow climate change.”
Globe and Mail: Federal oil and gas emissions cap shines harsh spotlight on Alberta’s lack of action
Janetta McKenzie is acting director of the oil and gas program at the Pembina Institute, a clean energy think tank, 12/7/23
“It’s time to clear the air. There are two different plans for reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector. There is Canada’s plan, finally announced on Thursday by environment minister Steven Guilbeault at COP 28 in Dubai. This plan is responsible and realistic. You can tell the feds have done their homework. Then there is the Alberta approach released in April of this year, which includes no firm commitment to reduce emissions. The contrast is stark. The federal framework puts the Alberta plan to shame,” Janetta McKenzie writes for the Globe and Mail. “Let’s start with the federal announcement. Under the regulatory framework, Canada’s proposed target requires that covered sources in the oil and sector reduce emissions from 171 megatonnes (MT), which is what they were in 2019, to 106-112 MT in 2030, but allows companies to defer some direct reductions by buying offsets. It also allows companies to pay into a fund as an alternative to reducing emissions. Are these plans realistic? Absolutely… “The electrification of major combustion sources and the application of CCUS outside of the oilsands would result in many more megatonnes of reduction from the upstream oil and gas sector… “Taking Alberta’s plan at face value, there seem to be the right motivations behind it. But what have they done to advance this since then? Apparently nothing… “To be clear, the net-zero plans of the consortium of oilsands companies, the Pathways Alliance, are a step in the right direction, and so is the federal tax credit for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) that would incentivize companies to invest more themselves on this technology. But it needs to be said: oilsands companies will not voluntarily reduce emissions. It must be a regulatory requirement, a cost of doing business. Thanks to the announcement made at COP 28 this week, those rules are closer than ever to being in place.”
TIME: The 3 Myths Propping Up the Fossil Fuel Industry
Ani Dasgupta is president & CEO of World Resources Institute, 12/7/23
“Fossil fuels contribute over 75% of global emissions. Every person at the COP28 climate change summit knows we need to rapidly slash the use of fossil fuels to keep global warming anywhere near the goal of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels determined in the Paris meetings of 2015. Nevertheless, if just 20 of the world’s major fossil-fuel-producing countries stick to their current plans, they will combine to produce double the amount of fossil fuels than those goals allow,” Ani Dasgupta writes for TIME. “...Meanwhile oil-and-gas companies are profiting more than ever, and investing billions annually to keep fossil fuels going. The reason we are knowingly marching down a path of immense suffering and economic calamity is shockingly simple. The fossil fuel industry has propagated three myths designed to scare governments from doing the right thing—and so far, it has worked. Our leaders must call their bluff and strike a deal to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels. The first myth: fossil fuels are essential to meet national energy security needs… “But renewable electricity, building efficiency, and clean transportation can do far more for countries’ energy security than fossil fuels… “The second myth: without more oil and gas, we can never meet the world’s growing energy demand… “The good news is that even with population growth and higher incomes, credible projections show there is no need for new oil and gas… “The third myth: carbon-capture technology will make fossil fuels emission-free… “Projections show carbon capture will be needed to reduce emissions from heavy industries, but overall it will play only a niche role alongside the primary climate solutions: energy efficiency, clean energy, and electrification… “First, richer oil-and-gas producing countries should start at home with the most obvious solution: stop approving new oil and gas projects… “Second, all countries must develop stronger policies and regulations to reduce fossil fuel use and encourage clean energy, with 2030 targets… “Third, rich countries must financially support developing countries in this transition, as they committed to in the Paris Agreement… “There is no more time for false narratives. Our governments must deliver a transformational outcome at this summit that shows countries can still come together for the common good. Let this be the moment where we look back and say: the fossil-fuel era ended on our watch.”
New York Times: In Dubai, a ‘Good Vibes Only’ Approach to Climate Change
Alex Simon is a co-founder of Synaps, an economic and environmental research center based in Beirut, 12/8/23
“On a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates, I felt as if I’d entered a fever dream of green exuberance. It was more than two months before COP28, the annual global climate meeting, which is in progress in Dubai, but the country was already awash in environmental hype,” Alex Simon writes for the New York Times. “On the highway, banners for an event hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the fossil fuel behemoth known as Adnoc, read: “Decarbonizing. Faster. Together.” “...This tidal wave of good green vibes crashed over my social media feeds in the run-up to COP28… “As the climate crisis grows ever more urgent, the U.A.E. is championing a dangerously seductive approach to the problem: insisting that we can invest and innovate our way out of environmental disaster, while changing as little as possible about our way of life. This philosophy can be found elsewhere but is most obvious in Gulf petrostates like the U.A.E. Tiny, rich and ambitious, the country is scrambling to prolong its hydrocarbon wealth while rebranding itself as a leader in sustainability… “The biggest paradox of all is Sultan Al Jaber, the country’s top oil executive and the president of this year’s climate summit. To his detractors, those two hats represent an irreconcilable conflict of interest laid bare in remarks at a Nov. 21 event where he claimed there was “no science” behind demands for countries to agree to a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels by the end of the COP meeting on Dec. 12. Such a phaseout is impossible, he said, “unless you want to take the world back into caves.” Experts promptly condemned the remarks as “verging on climate denial,” citing a growing body of evidence that switching to clean energy could accelerate economic growth. Mr. Al Jaber later said the remarks had been “misinterpreted.” “...The U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia might be the most flamboyant proponents of the belief that a country can be a leader on climate while refusing to compromise on fossil fuels. But they’re far from alone. The United States, in many ways, is a mirror image. We’re the only country pumping more oil than Saudi Arabia, and production is expanding fast: A president who promised “no new drilling” on the campaign trail in 2020 has approved so much new drilling that some experts warn it will cancel out the emissions reductions from the hundreds of billions of dollars his administration has funneled into clean infrastructure investment. This ought to be forcing the American policymakers working toward global climate solutions at COP28 to confront a pressing question: How can we push petrostates to move faster on decarbonization when we’re moving too slowly ourselves? Ideally, we would lead by example: taming our own addiction to fossil fuels before expecting others to do the same.”