EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 12/9/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Associated Press: Oil spill in rural Kansas creek shuts down Keystone pipeline
Reuters: Keystone pipeline shut after 14,000-barrel oil spill in Kansas
Nebraska Public Media: Keystone Pipeline leaks oil into Kansas creek south of Steele City terminal
Bloomberg: TC Energy declares force majeure after Keystone oil spill
Reuters: A trail of oil: Keystone pipeline's history of oil spills
Natural Gas Intelligence: Calls to Build Out East Coast Natural Gas Pipelines Escalating as Bill Seeks Regulatory Certainty
Canadian Press: Trans Mountain Corp. fined for 2020 death of pipeline expansion worker
Kamloops This Week: Protesters of pipeline expansion project convicted of criminal contempt
Radio Iowa: Adair County passes pipeline regulation ordinance
Venable LLP: PHMSA Announces Beginning of Discussion on Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Safety
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Manchin gave ground on permitting. Republicans still blocked it.
Press release: Broad Coalition of Environmental Groups Launch Print Ad Campaign, Urging Congress to Reject Sen. Manchin’s Dirty Permitting Deal
Washington Post: Big oil talks ‘transition’ but perpetuates petroleum, House documents say
Reuters: U.S., Britain launch energy partnership to boost supplies
E&E News: Biden Gas Ban: A National Model Or 'Executive Fiat'?
STATE UPDATES
Cleveland.com: Senate passes bill expanding drilling on state land; dubbing gas ‘green energy’
Glenwood Springs Post Independent: Protest planned Saturday in Glenwood Springs over U.S. Forest Service’s Uinta Railway decision
EXTRACTION
EuroNews: Major offenders: These oil and gas companies are tipping the world toward climate catastrophe
AFP: Canada's Alberta province passes bill to ignore federal law
CLIMATE FINANCE
Sierra Club: Right-Wing Attack on Sustainable Finance Is the Latest Form of Climate Denial
E&E News: Insurance regulators attack Biden plan to assess climate risk
OPINION
Minnesota Reformer: The Manchin permitting side deal would eviscerate IRA climate progress
New York Magazine: Climate Hawks Should Have Given Joe Manchin His Pipeline
Superior Telegram: Column: Why should we shut down Line 5?
RMI: The Business Case for New Gas Is Shrinking
Colorado Sun: Opinion: The law demands rules to limit oil and gas drilling emissions. It’s time to actually make them.
PIPELINE NEWS
Associated Press: Oil spill in rural Kansas creek shuts down Keystone pipeline
JOHN HANNA, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, and JOSH FUNK, 12/8/22
“An oil spill in a creek in northeastern Kansas shut down a major pipeline that carries oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, briefly causing oil prices to rise Thursday,” the Associated Press reports. “...The company on Thursday estimated the spill’s size at about 14,000 barrels and told AP the affected pipeline segment had been “isolated” and the oil contained at the site with booms, or barriers. It did not say how the spill occurred. “People are sometimes not aware of of the havoc that these things can wreak until the disaster happens,” Zack Pistora, who lobbies the Kansas Legislature for the Sierra Club’s state chapter, told AP. Concerns that spills could pollute waterways spurred opposition to plans by TC Energy to build another crude oil pipeline in the Keystone system, the 1,200-mile (1,900-kilometer) Keystone XL, which would have cut across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska… “Jane Kleeb, who founded the Bold Nebraska environmental and landowner rights group that campaigned against the Keystone XL, told AP there have been at least 22 spills along the original Keystone pipeline since it began service in 2010. She told AP federal studies have shown the type of heavy tar sands oil the pipeline carries can be especially difficult to clean up in water because it tends to sink. “All oil spills are difficult, but tar sands in particular are very toxic and very difficult, so I’m awfully concerned,” said Kleeb, who is also the Nebraska Democratic Party’s chair… “Randy Hubbard, the Washington County Emergency Management coordinator, told AP there were no evacuations ordered because the break occurred in rural pastureland. TC Energy told AP it had set up environmental monitoring at the site, including around-the-clock air quality monitoring… “Dan Thalmann, publisher and editor of The Washington County News, a weekly publication, told AP crews were creating a rock path to the creek because recent rains made fields too soft to move in heavy machinery. “Gosh, the traffic past my house is unbelievable — trucks after trucks after trucks,” said Stewart, who took down an electric fence he’d finished putting up Wednesday, fearing it might be knocked down and dragged into a field. Chris Pannbacker told AP the pipeline runs through her family’s farm. She and her husband drove north of their farmhouse and across a bridge over Mill Creek. “We looked at it from both sides, and it was black on both sides,” Pannbacker, a reporter for the Marysville Advocate newspaper, told AP. Junior Roop, the sexton of a cemetery near the spill site, told AP people could smell the oil in town. “It was about like driving by a refinery,” he told AP.
Reuters: Keystone pipeline shut after 14,000-barrel oil spill in Kansas
Brijesh Patel, Rod Nickel and Nia Williams, 12/8/22
“Canada's TC Energy shut its Keystone pipeline in the United States after more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, making it one of the largest crude spills in the United States in nearly a decade,” Reuters reports. “The cause of the leak, which occurred in Kansas about 20 miles (32 km) south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is unknown. It is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010… “There have been no effects on drinking water wells or the public, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement, though surface water of Mill Creek was affected. Kellan Ashford, spokesperson for EPA Region 7, which includes Kansas, told Reuters the cause of the leak was still unclear on Thursday evening. TC had mobilised around 100 people to respond to the spill, while the EPA had dispatched two coordinators, Ashford told Reuters. Washington County Emergency Management and Kansas's Department of Health and Safety were also on the scene… “According to U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) data, this would be the largest crude oil leak since a Tesoro pipeline leaked more than 20,000 barrels of oil in North Dakota in October 2013. PHMSA is also investigating the leak, which occurred near Washington, Kansas, a town of about 1,000 people… “It is troubling to see so many failures and so much oil spilled from any pipeline, but it is especially troubling from such a relatively new pipeline,” Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust, in a statement, told Reuters. The spill comes about two months after TC said it would temporarily increase capacity on the system to test certain operations… “If the spill is located south of the junction, TC may be able to quickly restart the segment to Illinois, RBC analyst Robert Kwan said in a note. Past shutdowns have generally lasted about two weeks, but this could last longer as it involves a water body, Kwan said.”
Nebraska Public Media: Keystone Pipeline leaks oil into Kansas creek south of Steele City terminal
Jackie Ourada, 12/8/22
“TC Energy said it shut down its Keystone Pipeline Wednesday night following an oil leak into a Kansas creek in Washington County. The spill happened approximately 20 miles south of Steele City, Nebraska,” Nebraska Public Media reports. “...Dan Thalmann, owner of the Washington County News in Kansas, told NPM he could smell the spill in the town of Washington, which the pipeline passes 2.5 miles to the east. City officials in the town of Washington, the county seat, wrote on Facebook that they are aware of the spill to the northeast of town and that “there is no threat or imminent danger to city utilities, and the City water supply remains safe and not in jeopardy.” County emergency officials wrote on Facebook: “Many residents in and around Washington have reported waking to what smells like gas. We are aware of the situation. Residents are not in danger and the situation is being monitored.” It's still unknown if the leak has stopped flowing or which creek the spill is affecting. The oil spill isn’t believed to impact Nebraska water or the Ogallala Aquifer. However, Mill Creek and the Little Blue River run past the town of Washington, Kansas… “Previous oil leaks pushed environmental activists and some landowners to oppose the newer, larger Keystone XL oil pipeline to run through eastern Nebraska. Former President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada's request to build the system in 2015. President Joe Biden also rejected permission for TC Energy (formerly Transcanada) to build Keystone XL in 2021. Jane Kleeb, founder of environmental protection group Bold Nebraska, and leader of a group against the creation of the bigger TC Energy pipeline in 2015, told NPM "It is critical to note our state and counties need better laws on the books for pipelines. Now is the time to get stronger laws on the books to protect our state's assets — the land, the water and the people."
Bloomberg: TC Energy declares force majeure after Keystone oil spill
Lucia Kassai and Devika Krishna Kumar, 12/8/22
“TC Energy Corp. declared force majeure on its Keystone oil pipeline system after an oil spill into a Kansas creek forced the company to shut the line, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reports. “The massive crude pipeline, which can carry more than 600,000 barrels of oil from Canada to United States markets, was shuttered Wednesday night… “A prolonged disruption would significantly tighten the availability of oil in Cushing, Okla., the delivery point for benchmark U.S. futures… “The spill follows several other leaks to hit Keystone in the past several years. The system was shut in October 2019 after it spilled thousands of barrels of oil in North Dakota. Traders told Bloomberg they expect the latest outage to last upwards of a week since it affects a waterway, which can potentially complicate cleanup efforts. Calgary-based TC didn’t immediately provide an estimate of how much crude leaked or a timeline for a restart. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy confirmed the incident occurred in Kansas. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a federal regulator, said it deployed personnel to the site of an oil leak near Washington, Kansas, on Wednesday. “PHMSA’s investigation of the cause of the leak is ongoing,” the agency told Bloomberg.
Reuters: A trail of oil: Keystone pipeline's history of oil spills
12/8/22
“Canada's TC Energy Corp shut its Keystone pipeline in the United States after more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, making it one of the largest crude spills in the United States in nearly a decade,” Reuters reports. “...There have been several spills on the line since it began operating in 2010. The following is a timeline of some of Keystone's biggest oil spills, based on data from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. 2011: May: TC shut the pipeline for six days after a spill of about 500 barrels of oil due to a failed fitting at a North Dakota pumping station. 2016: April: TC shut down the pipeline after about 400 barrels of oil leaked in Hutchinson County, South Dakota. 2017: November: TC shut part of the Keystone pipeline system after a leak in South Dakota, caused by mechanical damage from original construction. Originally pegged at 5,000 barrels, a TC spokesperson later put the estimate at about 9,700 barrels. 2019: February: Portions of the Keystone pipeline were shut down after 42 barrels of oil leaked on land in rural St. Charles County, Missouri. October: An estimated 9,120 barrels of oil spilled in North Dakota. The spill was one of the biggest onshore crude spills in the last decade and the largest for Keystone, according to PHMSA.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: Calls to Build Out East Coast Natural Gas Pipelines Escalating as Bill Seeks Regulatory Certainty
MORGAN EVANS, 12/8/22
“Pennsylvania State Sen. Pat Toomey last week introduced a bill that would create “regulatory certainty” for all U.S. pipeline construction, including the long-delayed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP),” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “The Republican Senator representing Pennsylvania’s 15th District introduced the bill to limit regulatory and litigation delays as a result of “outdated laws,” the Senator said. Such laws would include the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973… “In similar news, prior to Toomey’s bill introduction, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on its request for information for best uses of the Defense Production Act (DPA). The IECA is a nonpartisan association of manufacturing companies representing 12,000 facilities nationwide. “ICEA encourages the DOE to use the DPA to build critical natural gas pipeline infrastructure along the entire eastern seaboard of the U.S.,” said CEO Paul Cicio. “The manufacturing sector needs natural gas pipeline capacity from Alabama to New York to bolster national security, boost American manufacturing investments and jobs.” “...With the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) being the only major pipeline supplying the entire Eastern Seaboard, and no new pipeline capacity coming online in the near term, “…the only solution is to use the DPA to intervene at the state level to require electric utilities to temporarily delay the shutdown of coal-fired generation,” Cicio said… “Pipelines that would have provided needed supply like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have been stopped by activists. MVP may provide limited relief to the area (its primary role is to supply LNG to the Gulf Coast). However, as you know, MVP has been stopped by activists,” Cicio added.
Canadian Press: Trans Mountain Corp. fined for 2020 death of pipeline expansion worker
12/8/22
“The Canada Energy Regulator has issued financial penalties against Trans Mountain Corp. related to the 2020 death of a worker,” the Canadian Press reports. “The regulator says the Crown corporation failed to take all reasonable care to ensure the safety and security of workers on the day of the incident. The incident occurred on Oct. 27, 2020, when a person working near Edmonton, Alta. on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project was fatally injured. The person was disassembling a trench box at the time. The regulator has issued total fines of $164,000 against the company.”
Kamloops This Week: Protesters of pipeline expansion project convicted of criminal contempt
Michael Potestio, 12/8/22
“Four members of a Secwépemc protest group opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project have been convicted of criminal contempt and will be sentenced in two months,” Kamloops This Week reports. “Justice Shelly Fitzpatrick heard closing arguments in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops this week and rendered her decision on Wednesday (Dec. 7). Romily Cavanaugh, Henry Sauls (also known as Secwépemc hereditary chief Sawses), April Thomas and Jocelyn Pierre were found guilty of breaching a court-ordered injunction against obstructing access to the company’s worksites on Oct. 15, 2020 during work hours. The quartet — part of the Secwépemc Unity Camp to Stop the Trans Mountain Pipeline — arrived at at the Mission Flats property, where they tied themselves to objects and work equipment before being arrested by Mounties. Cavanaugh and Sauls were arrested at a gate to a drill site, while Thomas and Pierre were taken into custody after sitting on bulldozers across the road… “Pierre said she was in an “uninterruptible and meditative prayer” and ceremony, which she said she has a right to do on unceded Secwépemc territory for as long as it would have taken to complete. She also said she was in an isolated area… “Sentencing is scheduled to take place on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24.”
Radio Iowa: Adair County passes pipeline regulation ordinance
12/7/22
“The Adair County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing and then approved an ordinance today that would regulate hazardous liquid pipelines, targeting a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” Radio Iowa reports. “Board chairman Matt Wedemeyer says the panel can’t prevent the pipeline from coming into the county, especially if officials with Navigator CO2 Ventures, which proposes the project, decide to use the process of eminent domain. “I don’t know if you can keep it from happening but you can at least have some ground rules so that if they do come to the county,” Wedemeyer says, “we don’t just get blindsided by not even knowing that they’re doing anything until they’re here.” Board member Jodie Hoadley says having an ordinance regulating where the pipeline is allowed to go is the best protection for the county. “We feel it’s best to get this done right now and watch what’s going on,” Hoadley says. “If we need to tweak this down the road or whatever, then we’ll do it, but they’re not having much luck getting the state stopped and implementing eminent domain.” “...Supervisor John Twombly preferred to move forward with the regulation. “I said early on that we weren’t sure if any was going to come through Adair County but I think we need to go ahead with our ordinance,” Twombly says. “We can always amend it. We can always have another meeting, but if we don’t act on it now, then we have nothing behind it.” The board approved a motion to waive the second and third readings, and passed the resolution on the final reading. Board Chair Matt Wedemeyer addressed the likelihood of legal proceedings. “We’re not begging for litigation by any means, either, but I feel like, if this is years down the road or whenever it comes, we’re going to need some communication prior to this ending up in court,” Wedemeyer says.”
Venable LLP: PHMSA Announces Beginning of Discussion on Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Safety
12/8/22
“The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently announced that it will hold several days of informational meetings to address topics important to carbon dioxide and hydrogen pipeline developers and operators. Interested parties should monitor these developments and consider providing input that could help the agency consider their perspective or concerns,” according to Venable LLP. “This year was a momentous one for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage. Next year has the potential to be just as big. It appears that the fundamental issue of how the pipelines needed to transport these commodities should be regulated will be a large topic of discussion across the federal government. While the rates and practices of hydrogen and carbon dioxide pipelines may fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) or the Surface Transportation Board (STB), their safety—like all pipelines—are regulated by PHMSA. Still, there are points of uncertainty as to how certain aspects of PHMSA's regulatory regime might apply to these pipelines, which are currently still relatively few in number. In accordance with the agency's strategic goals of safety, climate, and sustainability, PHMSA recently announced that it would be holding an informational public meeting to address several emerging topics, including "The Future," which the notice described as including "Hydrogen and Hydrogen Blending" and "Carbon Dioxide/Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage." The meeting is scheduled for next week—from December 13 through December 15, 2022. It will be broadcast online with the in-person event taking place in Houston, Texas. The agenda and instructions on how to attend are available on the meeting website. PHMSA noted that it "anticipates further discussion on these important matters in 2023."
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: Manchin gave ground on permitting. Republicans still blocked it.
JOSH SIEGEL, CATHERINE MOREHOUSE, 12/8/22
“Democrats offered significant concessions to Republicans in their latest bid to streamline permitting rules, but the GOP rejected the compromise anyway, forcing them to yank it from the defense bill, people familiar with the negotiations between the two parties said on Wednesday,” Politico reports. “...Interviews with nearly a dozen aides and lawmakers involved with discussions among a handful of senators from both parties indicated that Democrats were willing to sacrifice major elements of the proposal. Those included scrapping language to give federal authorities primacy over state regulators to permit large power lines that would tie wind and solar farms to distant demand centers, as well as strengthening deadlines assigned to agencies conducting environmental reviews… “But on Wednesday, Democrats were directing their ire at Republicans who they accused of playing politics with an issue they’ve been pressing for years, particularly after they say they gave ground to reach a compromise. “Ninety-eight percent of these changes we made were in response to specific concerns raised by Republicans. This is as good a deal as is ever going to be cut,” a Democratic Senate aide familiar with the bill, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private negotiations, told Politico. As the last weeks of the lame duck session approached – and they faced the reality of losing control of the House next year – Democrats decided they couldn’t wait for Republicans to sign off on a compromise and decided to incorporate some of the GOP ideas into a proposal they could attach to the National Defense Authorization Act. Democrats bet they could jam Republicans by daring them to vote against Congress’ annual defense policy bill that the GOP normally supports — a tactic aimed at offsetting defections from progressive Democrats. But the strategy failed. Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi conceded on Tuesday night when they left the permitting language out of the NDAA… “Some Democrats outside the negotiating group, meanwhile, criticized the changes made to accommodate Republicans — a sign that any bill proposed by Republicans next year that leans too far into the GOP direction would face a tough time getting through the Senate, where Democrats increased their majority by one seat. “The transmission piece taken out needs to go back in, particularly if all that give is not getting us any closer to passage,” Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) told E&E. “We are not going to do this unless there is a real upside on transmission.”
Press release: Broad Coalition of Environmental Groups Launch Print Ad Campaign, Urging Congress to Reject Sen. Manchin’s Dirty Permitting Deal
12/8/22
“Today, a broad coalition of national and frontline environmental groups—including WeACT, Appalachian Voices, People vs. Fossil Fuels, Climate Justice Alliance, Friends of the Earth, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, and more—launched a new print advertisement that urges Congress to stand up to the fossil fuel industry by rejecting Senator Manchin’s dirty permitting deal, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022. The ad states: “This dirty deal would weaken environmental laws and rush dangerous fossil fuel projects, compounding public health impacts and stripping marginalized communities of protections against worsening climate-induced disasters. It’s a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry at our expense. Congress has the power to protect our future and stand with the people.” Numerous analyses have found that there is no space for any new fossil fuel development if we want to reach our goals of cutting methane and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, meaning that Congress cannot move forward with Senator Manchin’s legislation. Passing this legislation will go against global commitments to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050 by fast-tracking dirty and dangerous fossil fuel projects—including the Mountain Valley Pipeline. National and local environmental groups stand in strong solidarity with environmental justice groups who are leading the fight to urge Congress to reject this deal: Just this week, 750+ groups urged Speaker Pelosi to oppose Senator Manchin’s dirty deal.”
Washington Post: Big oil talks ‘transition’ but perpetuates petroleum, House documents say
Steven Mufson, 12/9/22
“Some of the world’s major oil companies remain internally skeptical about the “energy transition” to a low-carbon economy, even as they publicly portray their firms as partners in the cause, according to documents obtained by The Post that will be released by a House committee Friday,” the Washington Post reports. “The documents, part of a trove expected to be released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, reveal oil company executives dismissing the potential for renewable energy to quickly replace fossil fuels, while working to secure government tax credits for carbon capture projects that might relieve them of the need to drastically alter their business models. The documents — many of them copies of internal emails between oil company officials — describe ExxonMobil’s efforts in 2021 to persuade big industrial firms and oil giants to co-sponsor a mammoth carbon capture project in Texas. Elsewhere, in one email string, officials at one company discuss whether BP, Shell and TotalEnergies — a French oil firm — increased their carbon footprints by selling Canadian oil sands interests to other eager investors. Big petroleum companies have come under fire for selling off oil sands properties to smaller businesses, effectively reshuffling the carbon dioxide liability. In response to that criticism, one executive said: “What exactly are we supposed to do instead of divesting … pour concrete over the oil sands and burn the deed to the land so no one can buy them?” “...Among the biggest issues was the ExxonMobil effort to rally support for what it said would be a $100 billion carbon capture project south of Houston. ExxonMobil was told by potential partners that they would join only with other companies “with reputable climate credentials and name recognition.” “...The documents also detail a 2017 spat between Shell’s outgoing chief executive Ben van Beurden and Fred Krupp, the president of the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy organization. Krupp had said that methane releases all along the natural gas supply chain made it just as bad an energy source as coal from a greenhouse gas perspective. “I was mightily disappointed in his disservice to the good efforts we in principle should stand shoulder to shoulder on,” van Beurden said of Krupp. He said the EDF president’s comments “went one step too far for me.”
Reuters: U.S., Britain launch energy partnership to boost supplies
12/7/22
“The United States and Britain announced on Wednesday an energy partnership aimed at sustaining a higher level of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Britain and collaborating on ways to increase energy efficiency,” Reuters reports. “Britain and other European countries have turned to the United States as they try to reduce their reliance on Russian energy supplies following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine begun in February. "This partnership will bring down prices for British consumers and help end Europe's dependence on Russian energy," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement. The "UK-US Energy Security and Affordability Partnership" will also aim to drive investment in clean energy and exchange ideas on energy efficiency and reducing demand for gas… “The United States became the world's largest LNG exporter in the first half of 2022, U.S. Energy Information Administration data showed as the country rapidly increased its export capacity and high prices, particularly in Europe led to higher exports. Britain said the United States would aim to export 9-10 billion cubic metres of LNG over the next year under the agreement, maintaining the increase in exports seen this year.”
E&E News: Biden Gas Ban: A National Model Or 'Executive Fiat'?
DAVID IACONANGELO, 12/8/22
“The Biden administration’s new plans to phase out fossil fuel use in federal buildings is spurring indignation from gas advocates and reviving questions about the climate promises of federal agencies,” E&E News reports. “Outlined by administration officials in a press call yesterday, the plans include a first-ever building performance standard for federal agencies to be overseen by the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Under the standard, federal agencies would decarbonize 30 percent of their buildings’ square footage by 2030 through electrification and reduction in energy use. Officials did not give an estimate of how many buildings that would entail, although the federal government is the nation’s largest landlord, operating about 300,000 buildings.”
STATE UPDATES
Cleveland.com: Senate passes bill expanding drilling on state land; dubbing gas ‘green energy’
Jake Zuckerman, 12/7/22
“Within 24 hours of unveiling the idea, Ohio Senate Republicans passed legislation Wednesday that would expand the ability to drill for oil and gas on state-owned lands, including state parks,” Cleveland.com reports. “The legislation would also create a broad new legal definition of “green energy” – a term that typically refers to power derived from the sun, wind or water – that would include not only natural gas but also any energy that “is more sustainable and reliable relative to some fossil fuels.” Several energy experts scoffed at the notion of calling natural gas “green” energy, noting that it’s a fossil fuel that emits both methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, both of which are heat-trapping greenhouse gasses that drive climate change. The legislation would also prohibit cities from banning pesticides within their borders. House Bill 507 passed the Senate on a 22-7 vote. All Democrats present voted no, along with Sen. Matt Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican. All other Republicans voted yes. The bill now returns to the Ohio House, which can accept the Senate’s revisions or demand a conference committee to negotiate changes. The legislation marks a win for the natural gas industry. It’s also a showing of the means lawmakers use to run legislation during the lame-duck session, which runs against an end-of-year deadline… “Environmental lobbyists, plus three different environmental researchers contacted by Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer unequivocally rebuffed any notion that natural gas is “green” or “renewable.” Most agree that it’s cleaner than coal, and the methane it produces dissipates from atmosphere faster than carbon dioxide. But that methane is a more potent greenhouse gas in the meantime. Between siting a well, siting pipelines, methane leaks, community and water effects near wells, and others, it’s just not a green energy, they said.”
Glenwood Springs Post Independent: Protest planned Saturday in Glenwood Springs over U.S. Forest Service’s Uinta Railway decision
12/8/22
“A planned protest in front of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) offices in downtown Glenwood Springs on Saturday is aimed at convincing the Biden Administration and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to cancel a permit for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway for transporting hot crude oil,” the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports. “The U.S. Forest Service in July rejected objections to the proposed new rail line in a section of roadless forest in Utah. That decision came after the federal Surface Transportation Board last year approved construction of nearly 100 miles of new railroad tracks in northeast Utah, called the Uinta Railroad. The line is to be used to transport extracted waxy crude oil from Utah through Colorado on the existing Union Pacific line and to refineries in the east. The route follows the Colorado River through western Colorado, Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Canyon and the river’s headwaters in Eagle and Grand counties. Crude oil is already transported along the rail line, but the recent decisions authorize up to 185,000 crude-oil cars to use the UP’s Kyune-Denver line each year, representing a 20-fold increase from levels approved in 2015. The local environmental group 350 Roaring Fork and the Stop the Uinta Basin Railway Coalition are planning a demonstration in front of the USFS offices at Ninth Street and Grand Avenue from noon-1 p.m. on Saturday to call attention to the issue. “The project would be a climate and environmental disaster, bringing up to 10, 2-mile-long trains of heated crude oil from Utah through Glenwood Canyon — threatening derailments, oil spills, explosions and forest fires,” the group said in a news release… “The city of Glenwood Springs has also joined other area municipalities and counties in filing an amicus brief calling for the Surface Transportation Board decision to be overturned.”
EXTRACTION
EuroNews: Major offenders: These oil and gas companies are tipping the world toward climate catastrophe
Lottie Limb, 12/8/22
“Oil and gas companies are betting on a future in which their production pushes global heating beyond 2.5C, a new report reveals,” according to EuroNews. “Shell, TotalEnergies and Chevron are among the majors which recently approved $166 billion (€157bn) of investment in new oil and gas fields over the next decade, according to financial think tank Carbon Tracker. But more than a third of this total (€55bn) is going towards sites that will only be needed if demand for the fossil fuels grows to a point where the world tips over the 2.5C threshold. “Oil and gas companies are marketing themselves as part of the solution to climate change while simultaneously planning production increases that would lead to climate catastrophe,” Thom Allen, oil and gas analyst and report author, told EuroNews. “Companies cannot claim to be aligned with global climate targets unless they are planning to cut production.” “...Scrutinising spending plans made between January 2021 and March 2022, Carbon Tracker finds that most majors are still determined to expand their oil and gas production… “However, even a pathway leading to 1.7C, in line with countries' current announced pledges, would see demand for oil and gas falling before the end of the decade according to the IEA. “Investors must scrutinise company spending plans, as investments in many new oil and gas projects lock in future emissions that are incompatible with Paris,” Mike Coffin, head of oil, gas and mining at Carbon Tracker and co-author of the report released today, told EuroNews.
AFP: Canada's Alberta province passes bill to ignore federal law
12/8/22
“Canada's Alberta province passed a bill Thursday that allows its government to ignore federal laws it deems harmful -- pointing to, for example, measures to curb its oil industry's emissions,” AFP reports. “...The so-called Sovereignty Act is the latest volley in a long-festering feud between Alberta and the national government, which in 2018 imposed a carbon tax and other climate measures to curb CO2 pollution. Several provinces, including Alberta, fought unsuccessfully all the way to the Supreme Court against the levy, which is set to rise from Can$50 (US$37) per tonne of CO2 emissions to Can$170 in 2030. Alberta's newly minted United Conservative Party leader and premier, Danielle Smith, has said the Sovereignty Act could also be used to push back against federal gun control measures… “Before the vote, the most controversial provision of the bill -- which would have given Smith's cabinet sweeping powers to rewrite laws as it saw fit and bypass the legislature -- was stripped out. The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) told AFP the bill remains an unconstitutional "hot mess" that circumvents the democratic process and risks putting a chill on investing in the province. Indigenous leaders also expressed concern over its uncertain impact.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Sierra Club: Right-Wing Attack on Sustainable Finance Is the Latest Form of Climate Denial
Ben Cushing is the Campaign Manager of the Sierra Club's Fossil-Free Finance campaign, 12/8/22
“Far-right politicians in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry have a new target in their sights: “ESG”—or environmental, social, and governance investing. Republicans across the country are busy brandishing their “anti-ESG” agenda and decrying the specter of “woke capitalism,” Ben Cushing writes for Sierra Club. “What’s the real story behind this manufactured culture war? It’s an insidious, coordinated effort among Republican elected officials, conservative dark money groups, and fossil fuel interests that is attempting to block progress to make the financial sector more sustainable. In recent years, financial institutions have increasingly made common-sense, business-driven decisions to respond to the systemic risk of climate change. But Republican politicians, serving fossil fuel donors, want to force institutions to ignore those risks, which puts their constituents’ savings—and the entire economy—in jeopardy. Hold them accountable for putting our climate and communities at risk with their investment decisions. The right-wing attack on sustainable finance is little more than a stalling tactic that’s bound to fail. The delay is just the latest form of climate denial. It’s time to set the facts straight. State treasurers and legislators are weaponizing their public offices—as well as the taxpayer dollars and retirement funds they manage—to stop financial institutions from protecting people’s investments from climate risks. Several states, including West Virginia, Louisiana, and Florida, recently passed laws or took actions to prevent public pension funds from considering sustainability when making investment decisions. Some politicians, such as Texas comptroller Glenn Hegar, even barred their states from doing business with financial institutions they claim are “boycotting” the fossil fuel industry… “Far-right claims about Wall Street’s fossil fuel “discrimination” are lies used to prevent climate action. Sadly, it’s already having a chilling effect, with some financial firms walking back or stalling their progress on climate. It's high time these Wall Street players realize they’re being used by Republicans as the latest culture war punching bag. Some prominent targets, like BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase, are starting to push back. But they, and others, must stand up more forcefully to these bad-faith attacks.”
E&E News: Insurance regulators attack Biden plan to assess climate risk
Thomas Frank, 12/9/22
“State insurance regulators are assailing the Biden administration’s plan for collecting detailed information from insurance companies to analyze how climate change is affecting the cost and availability of property coverage,” E&E News reports. “The National Association of Insurance Commissioners warned that the Treasury Department’s analysis will probably yield “fallacious results in trying to identify climate risk.” The association, which represents state regulators, asked Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office to “reconsider its ill-advised approach.” The criticism came in a pointed four-page letter submitted by the association when the federal insurance office sought feedback on its unprecedented effort to use insurer data on claims payments to assess the effect of climate change on insurance coverage across the country… “The office announced in October that it plans to require 213 insurers to submit information about policies, claims, premiums and losses in each ZIP code in which they write property and casualty policies… “But the association of state regulators said an analysis could be misleading because insurance costs and availability are influenced by factors unrelated to climate risk, such as building codes, construction costs and the local legal environment. Those factors “could be misinterpreted as climate risk,” the association wrote in its letter submitted on Nov. 22… “The association is the first major insurance group to submit comments to the Federal Insurance Office, and its criticism could be influential because the group has taken its own steps to address the threat of climate change. A new climate risk disclosure survey approved by the association in April requires many insurers to publicly disclose additional information about climate risks.”
OPINION
Minnesota Reformer: The Manchin permitting side deal would eviscerate IRA climate progress
Julia Nerbonne is the executive director of Interfaith Power & Light. Sara Wolff is the strategic policy director at Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, 12/8/22
“With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we have felt a renewed sense of hope — for the climate, for our long-burdened communities, and for the ability of our political system to take action on the issues that matter most,” Julia Nerbonne and Sara Wolff write for Minnesota Reformer. “By investing $369 billion in climate action, we narrow the funnel delivering the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) that everyday adds to our climate crisis. We also celebrate the provisions to address long-standing environmental injustices. But with renewed discussions about a permitting provision pushed by Sen. Joe Manchin, these climate and environmental justice gains are in serious jeopardy. Like most bills, the proposed Manchin side deal as introduced in September does more than one thing. Proponents ask us to focus on the permitting changes they say could aid transmission line projects for renewable energy. But this isolated focus ignores other provisions that counteract the benefit of those lines by ensuring the continued growth — instead of the needed sunsetting — of the fossil fuel industry… “The Mountain Valley Pipeline for natural gas — the completion of which the Manchin side deal would also mandate — has been Manchin’s main priority for the fossil fuel industry in West Virginia. Not only does this pipeline threaten the clean waters of Appalachia, it will emit 89 million metric tons (the equivalent of 26 coal plants) of GHGs annually — as soon as it is built. Or, consider the Enbridge Line 3 tar sands pipeline running through Minnesota. Expedited construction left a trail of breached groundwater aquifers, 28 drilling sludge frac-outs — and an annual contribution of 273 million metric tons of GHG emissions when operating at capacity. (The expansion added 193 million metric tons more of emissions output potential each year to the pipeline’s previous impact, which is itself more than all of the emissions from the whole state of Minnesota from every sector combined.) In other words, it won’t take many fossil fuel projects to overtake the positive progress made by the IRA… “Passing the Manchin side deal would turn the potential for climate progress into a climate catastrophe. It would show that the historic legislation of August was actually an emissions shell game. And it would stomp on the just-sprouting faith we were starting to have — that our political system could show up when it was needed most.”
New York Magazine: Climate Hawks Should Have Given Joe Manchin His Pipeline
Eric Levitz, 12/8/22
“The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 directed hundreds of billions of dollars toward renewable energy and green infrastructure. But money isn’t everything. Thanks to the IRA’s tax credits, investors have the will to build up the low-carbon economy. But they don’t always have a way. All across the country, well-funded decarbonization efforts are tangled up in thickets of regulations and legal challenges,” Eric Levitz writes for New York Magazine. “...This year, there was exactly one piece of federal legislation that both reduced the regulatory obstacles to building green infrastructure and had some Republican support in the Senate — a precondition for passing any regulatory reform. Congress’s most ardent climate hawks helped kill it. Their opposition was understandable. But in my view, it was illustrative of flaws in many progressives’ analysis of the climate problem… “Most progressives supported the bill’s provisions on transmission lines. Some opposed its changes to the NEPA on grounds that they would do more to undermine environmental protection than to abet the green transition. And all condemned the bill’s facilitation of fossil-fuel development. Environmentalists were especially wary of establishing a precedent for the federal government to swipe away legal challenges to a particular fossil-fuel project. Ultimately, the consensus position among left-wing Democrats was that securing permitting reforms beneficial to green-energy projects was not worth the cost of giving Manchin his pipeline. From the standpoint of decarbonization, however, I don’t think that calculation pencils out… “Whether it was worthwhile to take these gains in exchange for the bill’s fossil-fuel provisions depended on two questions: Is Congress likely to pass a more progressive permitting-reform bill in the near future? And is slowing fossil-fuel development more important for the climate than expediting green-energy deployment? The answer to the first question was almost certainly no… “Expediting the clean-energy build-out is more important than slowing fossil-fuel development… “Voting against any and all concessions to the fossil-fuel industry, even when doing so undermines clean energy’s expansion, may win progressives the plaudits of environmental groups that specialize in obstructing development. But it won’t win future generations a maximally hospitable planet. The U.S. needs its climate hawks to care more about the latter.”
Superior Telegram: Column: Why should we shut down Line 5?
Phyllis Hasbrouck is an organizer for 350 Wisconsin, an organization focused on making transformational progress toward environmental justice and solving the climate crisis, 12/7/22
“Federal Judge William Conley has ruled that the Canadian oil pipeline company Enbridge has, for nine years, been trespassing on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation along the southern shore of Lake Superior,” Phyllis Hasbrouck writes for the Superior Telegram. “Enbridge wants to replace the 12-mile segment with a 42-mile route around the reservation. What’s wrong with that? Some say, “we need the jobs” and “we’ll need fossil fuels for decades more.” Consider our reasons, from the local to the global, for disagreeing. The people who live near lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron treasure the beauty and purity of these lakes. They also value the jobs that would be destroyed were a Line 5 rupture to result in wildlife die-offs and tourists going elsewhere with their dollars. They certainly don’t want their drinking water polluted with petrochemicals. ( Forty million people in the U.S. and Canada drink from the Great Lakes. The interconnectedness means that a rupture anywhere could spread everywhere.) Even if Enbridge managed to run their pipelines without ruptures, pipeline installation causes serious damage to wildlife, public safety and drinking water… “We cannot continue using fossil fuels for decades more. We must put all our intelligence into a quick transition to renewable energy — one that helps the people who would be hurt financially, such as oil workers and people who can’t afford to install solar panels… “We can have cleaner water and air, and avoid the very worst catastrophes that await us if we put aside differences and start this transition now.”
RMI: The Business Case for New Gas Is Shrinking
Lauren Shwisberg, 12/8/22
“As the dust settles following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the electricity industry is only beginning to understand its true impacts. One of those impacts is the continued erosion of the business case for new fossil gas power plants,” Lauren Shwisberg writes for RMI. “Over the past decade, fossil gas power plants became the default resource option for utility investment, making up a majority of capacity additions. While over the past few years the total capacity of plants built has declined and high profile cancellations have increased, the IRA’s tax incentive provisions will accelerate deployment of cleaner, cheaper electricity — making gas an even less competitive choice. New RMI analysis shows just how much the IRA changes the game… “When we ran 76 GW of fossil gas plants proposed before 2035 through our Clean Energy Portfolios Model, we found that the vast majority of plants were more expensive than their respective clean energy portfolios (CEPs), shown in Exhibit 1. In a scenario where clean energy resources use the 30 percent Investment Tax Credit or the Production Tax Credit at $26/MWh, clean energy outcompetes 93 percent of proposed fossil gas plants — more than 20 percent more than pre-IRA. With additional bonuses for investment in energy communities, use of domestically sourced resources, or siting in low-income communities, in nearly every instance, clean energy beats gas on cost alone. That means that when taking full advantage of the tax credits in the IRA, clean, renewable sources will be cheaper than 99 percent of proposed gas plants — plants that are contributing to price volatility in American household energy bills… “To fully realize the benefits of the IRA, now is the time for utilities and regulators to reevaluate plans for investing in new fossil gas power plants and take advantage of the opportunity to deliver ratepayer savings with cleaner options.”
Colorado Sun: Opinion: The law demands rules to limit oil and gas drilling emissions. It’s time to actually make them.
Laurie Anderson, of Broomfield, is a member of the Broomfield City Council, and a member of Colorado Communities for Climate Action, 12/7/22
“It has been over three years since the General Assembly fundamentally changed how the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission must regulate the development of oil and natural gas in Colorado and required it to prioritize the protection of public safety, health, welfare, and the environment,” Laurie Anderson writes for the Colorado Sun. “The 2019 law directs the commission to adopt cumulative impact rules. Specifically, it requires the commission to “adopt rules that . . . in consultation with the Department of Public Health and Environment, evaluate and address the potential cumulative impacts of oil and gas development.” Despite this specific direction, the commission’s current rules are still frustratingly focused on information-gathering and on emissions inventories and air quality standards data provided by the state health department. When the commission adopted the rules, it acknowledged that much more needed to be done by way of rulemaking. It is time to go beyond data collection and evaluation, and to actually make some rules… ”The commission now has a Petition before them from WildEarth Guardians and others asking the commission to amend its rules to evaluate and address certain cumulative air impacts of oil and gas development to protect public health, safety, and welfare, and the environment and wildlife resources. There is strong support for the commission to move forward with the Cumulative Impacts Rulemaking. This additional rule-making must create regulations ensuring that meaningful cumulative impacts analyses actually are created, and provide considerably more guidance regarding what must be included in such analyses for the protection of public health, safety, and the environment. In order to avoid additional cumulative impacts, a temporary pause should be placed on reviewing and approving comprehensive area plans and oil and gas development plans in the Denver/Front Range non-attainment area until the commission completes comprehensive cumulative impacts rule-making. The Commission’s virtual hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.”