EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 1/7/25
PIPELINE NEWS
Cambridge News & Deerfield Independent: Test results at Enbridge spill site show limited contamination
The Cap Times: Enbridge pipeline oil spill near Madison prompts calls for disclosure
The Detroit News: Fate of Line 5 a mystery to unravel as Trump enters and Trudeau exits
CityNews: Alberta signs oil and gas deal with Calgary’s Enbridge
Aberdeen Insider: Council to consider seeking party status in Summit pipeline application
Utility Dive: National Grid, Con Edison urge FERC to adopt gas pipeline reliability requirements
Daily Energy Insider: Williams places Transco pipeline expansion project into service
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Johnson says he expects to pass most of Trump’s agenda with 1 ‘big, beautiful bill’ by Memorial Day
E&E News: Angry Republicans look to undo Biden offshore drilling bans
Houston Chronicle: Biden ordered new ban on offshore oil drilling. Can Texas Republicans stop it?
Washington Post: Trump aides ready ‘universal’ tariff plans — with one key change
The Hill: Trump: Washington Post report on tariff policy ‘wrong’
New York Times: House Republicans Pledge Drilling and Make It Easier to Shed Federal Land
E&E News: House Republicans Prepare The Year’s First Energy Bills
E&E News: Republican appropriator launching bipartisan energy caucus
E&E News: Why Trump alone can’t gut NEPA reviews
E&E News: New chair prioritizes air pollution permitting bill
STATE UPDATES
Bloomberg: California’s First Carbon Capture and Storage Project Approved by the EPA
The Advocate: Public hearing planned for carbon capture injection test well in Ascension Parish
Mountain State Spotlight: Residents near the proposed Appalachian hydrogen hub can voice their concerns about the project
Canton Repository: Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub to host community meeting in North Canton
North Dakota Monitor: PSC staff member to fill open seat on commission
WOSU: Thursday fire at fracking well pad explosion near Salt Fork State Park burns out on Friday
EXTRACTION
Energy Intelligence Group: Trudeau Resignation Puts Canadian Energy Policy in Focus
The Energy Mix: Fish or Cut Bait on Carbon Capture, Wilkinson Tells Oil Sands Consortium
Canadian Press: Alberta Energy Regulator lacks evidence for tailings spill cleanup claims: study
Inside Climate News: Why the Argument That LNG Is Essential to the Energy Transition Is ‘Nonsense’
OPINION
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy: Pipeline company misleads the public for profit and fossil fuels
Courier Journal: Fight against LG&E pipeline through Bullitt, Bernheim Forest is not over
National Review: A Late Biden Assault on Offshore Drilling Would Be Reckless
The Hill: Why climate activists are becoming more radicalized (and why that’s not a bad thing)
PIPELINE NEWS
Cambridge News & Deerfield Independent: Test results at Enbridge spill site show limited contamination
1/6/25
“Nearly two months after Enbridge’s Pipeline 6 spilled nearly 70,000 gallons of oil into the ground in the Town of Oakland, results show that the Canadian energy company has kept contamination under control,” according to the Cambridge News & Deerfield Independent. “The District got our VOC results back from the State Lab of Hygiene that we took on Dec. 23,” said Lake Ripley Management District Manager Lianna Spencer in an email to Caroline Rice of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “The only hit we got was upstream of Highway 18 and it was for acetone… “Enbridge’s final phase of initial cleanup was completed Dec. 23, with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene reporting limited contamination from the November spill. Pace Analytical Services LLC of Green Bay reported no statistically significant presence of spill indicators in a Dec. 26 report.”
The Cap Times: Enbridge pipeline oil spill near Madison prompts calls for disclosure
Andrew Bahl, 1/7/25
“A spill of over 1,600 barrels of crude oil near Dane County went undisclosed to the public for a month, a delay caused partly by Wisconsin's limited rules for notification,” The Cap Times reports. “The Enbridge pipeline leak in November highlights a gap in transparency that environmental groups say the state can and should close. “I just think anytime we're dealing with an oil spill in a place like Wisconsin, with so many water bodies — we have 10,000 rivers, lakes and streams — and with a third of the state relying on groundwater as their source of drinking water, if there's a spill, tell the public immediately,” Rob Lee, a staff attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates, told Cap Times. “Just announce it. It doesn't matter if it's two tablespoons or two gallons or 2 million, right? Tell people.” The Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge reported a spill near the Jefferson County town of Oakland to state and federal regulators on Nov. 11. The matter was publicized only after Enbridge filed a report with the federal government a month later outlining the full details of the spill. Initially the spill was considered to be relatively small — 126 gallons of oil, or about the same size as a large household aquarium tank. But in mid-December, the company estimated the spill involved nearly 70,000 gallons of oil, the equivalent of 1,650 barrels… “A half-dozen adjacent landowners were informed about the spill on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, according to documents filed with the DNR as part of the cleanup process. Officials in the town of Oakland said they were informed about the extent of the spill on Dec. 13. Lisa Moen, administrator in Cambridge, which is 4 miles from the spill site, told the Cap Times in an email that Enbridge never contacted her city's government about the spill. A contractor helping Enbridge with cleanup filed a report to the DNR on Dec. 29 that said the spill affected groundwater but only on company land… “The November spill came as Enbridge is seeking state approval to reroute its Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin, a project that has drawn state and national opposition from tribal organizations and other environmental advocates.”
The Detroit News: Fate of Line 5 a mystery to unravel as Trump enters and Trudeau exits
Beth LeBlanc, 1/6/25
“The fate of the controversial Line 5 oil pipeline has never been less clear as the state of Michigan nears a crucial court hearing in its efforts to close the pipeline, President-elect Donald Trump prepares to resume occupying the Oval Office and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an early exit,” The Detroit News reports. “Trudeau's abrupt decision to resign Monday adds a new level of uncertainty to the growing tensions between the United States and Canada. Trump has threatened a potential trade war with America's closest trading partner, while some Canadian leaders have promised retaliation that could entangle Canadian oil giant Enbridge's pipeline running through Michigan. About a week after Trump is sworn into office on Jan. 20, Enbridge and the state of Michigan are set to meet in court to argue before a state judge over an underwater section of Line 5 that crosses the Straits of Mackinac. The arguments before Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo already represent a sort of victory for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has long sought to fight the battle over the future of the pipeline in state courts that are friendlier to Michigan’s authority. But the majority of the conflict over Line 5’s future remains on the federal stage — where Trump is set to inherit a years-long permit application for the construction of a tunnel beneath the straits as well as a three-year-old treaty negotiation with Canada as Trudeau prepares to leave office. Trump’s nomination of Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra as ambassador to Canada and a Canadian premier's tariff-prompted threat to cut off energy supply to the U.S. — some of which flows through Michigan via Line 5 — have complicated the pipeline’s future further. At least one expert saw Trump's appointment of Hoekstra as Canadian ambassador as a sign that the incoming president wanted to work with the country on border security, trade agreements and even a Line 5 resolution.”
CityNews: Alberta signs oil and gas deal with Calgary’s Enbridge
1/6/24
“The Alberta government announced the details of a deal with pipeline and energy company Enbridge in an effort to expand the province’s oil production,” CityNews reports. “Premier Danielle Smith was joined by Enbridge Inc. CEO Greg Ebel on Monday afternoon to share the two parties have signed a letter of intent to accelerate growth opportunities to double the production of oil and gas to play a greater role in North American energy security… “It’s the perfect time to be doing this,” said Smith. “I think with the change in administration in the U.S….one of our tasks in Alberta is to make them understand, for them to achieve global energy dominance, they need a partner to help them ensure they have product for their own people.” The government says the partnership is aimed at working with industry on opportunities for growth and increased investment in Alberta’s oil and gas transport storage networks, including evaluating opportunities across Enbridge’s 29,000 kilometre network.”
Aberdeen Insider: Council to consider seeking party status in Summit pipeline application
Elisa Sand, 1/7/25
“The Aberdeen City Council is expected to decide whether or not it wants to pursue party status in relation to a carbon dioxide sequestration pipeline after a public information meeting about Summit Carbon Solution’s proposed project on Jan. 17,” the Aberdeen Insider reports. “...City Attorney Ron Wager said a notice of potential quorum will be posted so all on the council can attend the Jan. 17 meeting organized by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Then, he said, the board can discuss next steps at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The board will need to decide if it wants to pursue party status by Friday, Jan. 25. Wager said party status gives the city all the rights of a party in the case, but obligations of a party as well, which means hiring a law firm to handle the legal requirements… “The city can still comment on the case without seeking party status.”
Utility Dive: National Grid, Con Edison urge FERC to adopt gas pipeline reliability requirements
Ethan Howland, 1/6/25
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should adopt reliability-related requirements for gas pipeline operators to ensure fuel supplies during cold weather, according to National Grid USA and affiliated utilities Consolidated Edison Co. of New York and Orange and Rockland Utilities,” Utility Dive reports. “In the wake of power outages in the Southeast and the near collapse of New York City’s gas system during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, voluntary efforts to bolster gas pipeline reliability are inadequate, the utilities said in two separate filings on Friday at FERC… “National Grid called for FERC to use its authority under the Natural Gas Act to require pipeline reliability reporting, coupled with enforcement mechanisms, and pipeline tariff reforms… “On pipeline tariff reforms, FERC should develop tougher provisions for force majeure events — an unforeseen occurence that prevents a contract from being fulfilled — reservation charge crediting, operational flow orders, scheduling and confirmation enhancements, improved real-time coordination, and limits on changes to nomination rankings, National Grid said. FERC should support efforts in New England and New York to create financial incentives for gas-fired generators to enter into winter contracts for imported liquefied natural gas supplies, or other long-term firm contracts with suppliers and pipelines, National Grid said… “The American Gas Association, a trade group for gas utilities, told FERC it supports talks on upstream gas infrastructure weatherization and transparency across the natural gas value chain.”
Daily Energy Insider: Williams places Transco pipeline expansion project into service
Dave Kovaleski, 1/3/25
“An important expansion of the Transco natural gas pipeline in North Carolina and Virginia has been placed into full service by Williams,” according to Daily Energy Insider. “The expansion and modernization effort, called the Southside Reliability Enhancement, provides additional natural gas capacity to meet growing demand for energy in the region. The project adds a total of 423,400 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of pipeline capacity, providing the ability to meet the needs of more than 2 million homes in the region… “The Transco system is experiencing record and near-record loads already this month. It achieved an all-time peak day on Dec. 22 with a total volume of 17.77 million dekatherms (Dth)... “The Southside Reliability Enhancement project enabled a substantial reduction in required facilities and land use. Thus, it minimized the community and environmental impact and allowed additional natural gas volumes to be transported to meet growing demand in North and South Carolina… ‘Williams owns and operates the approximately 10,200-mile Transco natural gas transportation system that extends from south Texas to New York City. It is the nation’s largest-volume natural gas pipeline system, transporting about 20 percent of the natural gas produced in the United States.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Johnson says he expects to pass most of Trump’s agenda with 1 ‘big, beautiful bill’ by Memorial Day
Sarah Fortinsky, 1/5/25
“Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Sunday he expects to pass President-elect Trump’s agenda through one big reconciliation package before Memorial Day,” The Hill reports. “In an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson reiterated that Republicans will try to pack in as many policy items as possible into a large reconciliation bill, which would avoid the 60-vote threshold necessary to pass most legislation in the Senate. Reconciliation legislation requires a simple majority, or 50 votes, in the upper chamber… “Asked for a “realistic timeline” on getting the large bill through to the president’s desk, Johnson said that would happen “certainly by May, yes.” He said Republicans are “targeting a vote in the House maybe in the first week of April,” adding that vote may come “maybe as soon as April 3, and then move it over to the Senate.” “That would put that bill on the president’s desk for signature by the end of April. That would be fantastic,” Johnson said. “And, in a worst-case scenario, Memorial Day.”
E&E News: Angry Republicans look to undo Biden offshore drilling bans
Timothy Cama, 1/7/25
“Congressional Republicans reacted angrily Monday following President Joe Biden’s action to block offshore drilling on most U.S. waters, and vowed to overturn it,” E&E News reports. “Lawmakers dismissed the move as an eleventh-hour attempt to gum up President-elect Donald Trump’s energy agenda, which is focused on a promise to dramatically boost oil and natural gas production. But how Republicans will reverse Biden’s directive remains to be seen. The same goes for how united the party will be on the matter. “No disrespect for the president, but he’s out,” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy (R) told E&E. “When you’re out, you’re out; when you’re in, you’re in. He needs to go back home to Delaware and have a bowl of Cream of Wheat,” Kennedy told E&E, a reference to Biden’s advanced age… “Trump is unlikely to be able to overturn the limits on his own, since the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not explicitly allow for it. One option for congressional Republicans is through the budget reconciliation process, which they’re using to advance their initial agenda in the coming weeks… “Lawmakers have discussed the possibility of using the Congressional Review Act, but it’s unclear whether the law to undo administration rules can be used in this case. It’s also unclear whether Republicans will have enough votes to overturn the Biden action. Blocking offshore drilling in places like Florida has been popular with both parties.”
Houston Chronicle: Biden ordered new ban on offshore oil drilling. Can Texas Republicans stop it?
James Osborne, 1/6/25
“Texas Republicans are pushing back against a ban on oil and gas leasing along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines announced by President Joe Biden on Monday,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “The ban does not impact oil and gas drilling off the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts, where the vast majority of the nation’s offshore oil production occurs. Instead it cuts off access to most of the nation’s offshore waters, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s north Bering Sea, areas that aren’t in much use but oil and gas companies maintain could contain large deposits they might want to develop in the future… “After Biden’s announcement, President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the Hugh Hewitt Show to “un-ban it immediately.” But Trump himself put in place a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the eastern Gulf and southeast Atlantic coast before leaving office in 2020, following concerns from Republicans and Democrats about drilling’s impact on tourism and local ecology in those regions. And Trump’s authority to undo the leasing ban is unclear. In 2019, a federal judge blocked Trump’s effort to undo an Obama administration ban on offshore leasing in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Congress could vote to reverse the ban, but it would require 60 votes in the Senate, a tally Republicans are unlikely to muster with their thin margins of power. More easily, they could vote to order the U.S. Department of Interior to hold lease sales in the banned areas, overriding the Biden administration’s action, Erik Milito, executive director of the trade group National Ocean Industries Association, told the Chronicle.”
Washington Post: Trump aides ready ‘universal’ tariff plans — with one key change
Jeff Stein, 1/6/25
“President-elect Donald Trump’s aides are exploring tariff plans that would be applied to every country but only cover critical imports, three people familiar with the matter said — a key shift from his plans during the 2024 presidential campaign,” the Washington Post reports. “...As a candidate, Trump called for “universal” tariffs of as high as 10 or 20 percent on everything imported into the United States… “Two weeks before Trump takes office, his aides are still discussing plans to impose import duties on goods from every country, the people told the Post. But rather than apply tariffs to all imports, the current discussions center on imposing them only on certain sectors deemed critical to national or economic security — a shift that would jettison a key aspect of Trump’s campaign pledge, at least for now, the people, who cautioned that no decisions have been finalized and that planning remains in flux, told the Post… “The potential change reflects a recognition that Trump’s initial plans — which would have been immediately noticeable in the price of food imports and cheap consumer electronics — could prove politically unpopular and disruptive… “Exactly which imports or industries would face tariffs was not immediately clear. Preliminary discussions have largely focused on several key sectors that the Trump team wants to bring back to the United States, the people told the Post. Those include the defense industrial supply chain (through tariffs on steel, iron, aluminum and copper); critical medical supplies (syringes, needles, vials and pharmaceutical materials); and energy production (batteries, rare earth minerals and even solar panels), two of the people told the Post. It’s also unclear how these plans intersect with Trump’s stated intent to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada and an additional 10 percent tariff on China unless they take measures to reduce migration and drug trafficking. Many business leaders view those measures as unlikely to ever take effect, but some people familiar with the matter told the Post they could be imposed along with universal tariffs on key sectors.”
The Hill: Trump: Washington Post report on tariff policy ‘wrong’
Dominick Mastrangelo, 1/6/25
“President-elect Trump is denying a report in The Washington Post that outlines how his top aides are exploring a tariff plan that would only cover critical imports,” The Hill reports. “The Post report cites three sources familiar with the plans saying they would “pare back the most sweeping elements of Trump’s campaign plans” but would still be likely to “upend global trade” if implemented. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social website on Monday, railed against the newspaper over the story. “The story in the Washington Post, quoting so-called anonymous sources, which don’t exist, incorrectly states that my tariff policy will be pared back,” Trump wrote. “That is wrong. The Washington Post knows it’s wrong. It’s just another example of Fake News.”
New York Times: House Republicans Pledge Drilling and Make It Easier to Shed Federal Land
Lisa Friedman, 1/3/25
“Moments after his election as House Speaker on Friday, Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, wasted no time in highlighting energy as one of his top priorities. He said the Republican Congress would expand oil and gas drilling, end federal support for electric vehicles and promote the export of American gas,” the New York Times reports. “We have to stop the attacks on liquefied natural gas, pass legislation to eliminate the Green New Deal,” he said in a floor speech after accepting the gavel. “We’re going to expedite new drilling permits, we’re going to save the jobs of our auto manufacturers, and we’re going to do that by ending the ridiculous E.V. mandates.” “...House Republicans on Friday also made it easier for Congress to give away federal lands to state and local governments, a move that conservation groups warned could lead to Americans losing access to parks and other protected areas. The measure essentially renders public lands as having no monetary value by directing the federal government not to consider lost revenues when it transfers land to a state, tribe or municipality. While the same provision has been in effect when Republicans controlled Congress in the past, activists worry that under the Trump administration it will result in a sell-off of public lands. Mr. Trump has promised to expand oil and gas drilling and mining, a goal shared by Republicans who now control both the House and Senate. Environmental groups told the Times they feared the measure approved Friday could open the door to new efforts to liquidate public lands. States often lack the resources to adequately maintain natural areas, they argue, and are more likely to sell formerly federal lands to mining and drilling companies or other private development… “Democratic lawmakers accused Republicans of declaring open-season on public lands. “Never to be accused of subtlety, House Republicans are making clear on Day 1 of the new Congress that they are ready to drive Trump’s drill-baby-drill agenda by making it quicker and easier to sell off America’s public lands to the highest bidder,” Representative Raúl Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona, told the Times.”
E&E News: House Republicans Prepare The Year’s First Energy Bills
Manuel Quiñones, 1/6/25
“House Republicans are prioritizing energy legislation during the first weeks of the new Congress, with a fracking bill already on the agenda,” E&E News reports. “The chamber plans to vote as soon as this week on the ‘Protecting American Energy Production Act,’ which would prevent the president from enacting a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing. The bill is a holdover from the previous Congress, when Republicans said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were antagonistic to the oil and gas drilling practice. Even though President-elect Donald Trump would almost certainly not move against fracking, taking up the bill now allows the House GOP to highlight the party’s priorities. ‘It’s disturbing to see Republicans sabotaging local communities’ efforts to protect themselves from fracking’s toxic pollution,’ Camden Weber, climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity, told E&E.”
E&E News: Republican appropriator launching bipartisan energy caucus
Kelsey Brugger, 1/7/25
“A top appropriator is launching a broad bipartisan energy caucus as the Republican trifecta in Washington plans to focus on the issue,” E&E News reports. “Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) told E&E Monday he filed paperwork to form a new congressional caucus to cover “all-of-the-above” energy policy. “My focus is going to be energy, energy, energy,” Fleischmann, chair of the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, told E&E. “My goal is to get as much bipartisan and bicameral support and buy-in so we get success.” The representative told E&E he would be discussing the caucus with President-elect Donald Trump’s team so they can work together and “be parallel.”
E&E News: Why Trump alone can’t gut NEPA reviews
Hannah Northey, 1/6/25
“Incoming President Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly being pushed by outside advisers to waive environmental reviews for critical mineral projects receiving federal funding — a move that experts say would flounder and fizzle without the help of Capitol Hill,” E&E News reports. “Trump has the leverage as president to streamline complex and lengthy reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, but scrapping them altogether would be impossible without Congress, Thomas Hochman, director of infrastructure policy at the Foundation for American Innovation, a right-leaning tech think tank, told E&E. “It’s famously not possible” to waive reviews through the executive branch, Hochman told E&E. “You can’t totally exempt mines from NEPA.”
E&E News: New chair prioritizes air pollution permitting bill
Sean Reilly, 1/7/25
“The incoming chair of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is again targeting an industrial air pollution program for major changes by introducing new legislation that could get a hearing before his panel,” E&E News reports. “Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), who will lead the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials, on Friday introduced H.R. 161. That bill seeks to revamp EPA’s gauge for deciding whether an expansion or upgrade to a paper mill, refinery or other type of industrial operation warrants preconstruction permitting under the New Source Review program. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA requires an NSR permit — possibly accompanied by stricter pollution controls — when such improvements are forecast to lead to significant growth in actual annual emissions. Griffith’s bill would instead use an approach tied to whether the project would result in a higher hourly pollution rate. In the view of environmental groups, that approach would gut the program. In a Monday statement, Griffith said that EPA’s interpretation currently discourages factories from installing “minor or intermediate improvements which positively affect emissions for fears of jeopardizing their air permit. As a result, it forestalls innovation and new cleaner technologies from being utilized.”
STATE UPDATES
Bloomberg: California’s First Carbon Capture and Storage Project Approved by the EPA
Michelle Ma, 1/6/25
“California received permission to move forward with a project that would inject carbon dioxide into the state’s deep rock formation using a technology that has long tantalized the fossil fuel industry but has yet to break through.” Bloomberg reports. “The Environmental Projection Agency approved California’s first carbon capture and storage project in Kern County, the state’s hub for oil production and agriculture. The EPA announced in a Dec. 31 statement the site can safely receive and store carbon dioxide without harming local drinking water… “Oil companies favor the technology because it allows them to potentially continue extracting and selling fossil fuels while seeking to address emissions.”
The Advocate: Public hearing planned for carbon capture injection test well in Ascension Parish
Christopher Cartwright, 1/7/25
“A company is seeking a permit for the first carbon capture test injection well in Ascension Parish. But before it’s approved, a public hearing is scheduled for later this month,” The Advocate reports. “Blue Sky Infrastructure, a Houston-based company, is seeking a permit to construct a Class V test well near Donaldsonville. The company declined to comment Monday. The project is funded by Blackstone and received a $32.2 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2024, according to news releases. If approved, the site could eventually be converted into a Class VI injection well for carbon dioxide storage, according to the permit application. The public hearing is scheduled to be held at the Ascension Parish Courthouse in Donaldsonville on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m…”According to the application, the area is made up of 71% people of color and 63% low income. In the application, the company argued the well would provide “temporary but positive socioeconomic impacts in the local communities by requiring temporary housing in the area for workers who will also spend money in the local area.” “...Outside Ascension Parish, the company is also seeking to construct two wells in Assumption Parish and two wells in Iberville Parish. Similar wells have caused controversy in Livingston and St. Helena Parishes. In 2022, those two parish councils imposed moratoriums on carbon capture injection wells in response to projects proposed in their parishes.”
Mountain State Spotlight: Residents near the proposed Appalachian hydrogen hub can voice their concerns about the project
Sarah Elbeshbishi, 1/3/25
“West Virginians with questions or concerns about the planned regional network of hydrogen facilities across Appalachia have until March 3 to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Energy to help shape its study of the project’s environmental impact,” Mountain State Spotlight reports. “The agency’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations is asking for public input as it begins to assess the potential impacts of the project. The federally-backed project to produce, store, distribute and use hydrogen as an energy source across West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania has faced criticism over the lack of public involvement in its development. Residents have voiced concerns over the lack of transparency and information from the project developers and the federal government. Their concerns have grown as several partners have backed out of the project over uncertainty surrounding a financial incentive… “Once the public scoping period ends, the agency will review and consider the comments when preparing the draft of its environmental impact study. Comments will become part of the public record… “People can also provide comments at the four public scoping meetings the agency will hold. One of these will be a two-hour virtual meeting on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m… “Following the public scoping period, the agency anticipates releasing the draft of the study in October and then publishing the final study in April 2026 after another public comment period for the draft.”
Canton Repository: Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub to host community meeting in North Canton
1/6/25
“The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub will host a community meeting on Thursday at Walsh University about the multi-state project,” according to the Canton Repository. “The meeting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Barrette Center at the university, 2020 E. Maple St., according to a notice on arch2hub.com…. “The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, also referred to as ARCH2, is part of a federally funded effort to create a hydrogen energy infrastructure and network across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania…”Plans include a production and carbon capture facility built by the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority and Enbridge in the Canton area.”
North Dakota Monitor: PSC staff member to fill open seat on commission
Mary Steurer, 1/6/25
“Gov. Kelly Armstrong named Jill Kringstad as the Public Service Commission’s newest member Monday afternoon,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “Kringstad, the commission’s director of business operations, replaces Julie Fedorchak, who on Friday was sworn in as North Dakota’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Kringstad’s appointment is effective immediately… “She is a certified public accountant and has previous experience working as an accountant and auditor for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, according to a Monday release from the governor’s office. She also did seasonal work at Cody Oil and Gas Corp. Kringstad also interned for two of North Dakota’s congressional delegates — U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and former U.S. Rep. Rick Berg, Armstrong said during the press conference.”
WOSU: Thursday fire at fracking well pad explosion near Salt Fork State Park burns out on Friday
Renee Fox, 1/3/25
“The Ohio Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management confirmed an explosion occurred just before 6 p.m. Thursday at a fracking well pad near Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County,” WOSU reports. “The fire at the Gulfport Appalachia well pad burned until around 1 p.m. Friday. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported no one was injured during the explosion and fire, which was allowed to burn out naturally to avoid endangering first responders… “The pad was built in 2012 and is operated by Oklahoma-based Gulfport Appalachia. In 2020, the company was fined $1.7 million and ordered to spend $2 million upgrading oil and natural gas wells in Ohio, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found the company had systematic deficiencies in their vapor capture and control systems… “According to Save Ohio Parks, an environmental advocacy group working to stop fracking in Ohio parks, the site of the explosion was a seven-minute drive from the park's entrance… "It is not a matter of if, but when, a disaster will strike fracking operations near an Ohio state park, wildlife area, or other public land," the group's spokesperson, Melinda Zemper, told WOSU. "Ohio must stop selling off its most precious public lands for oil and gas extraction, and transition quickly to sustainable and renewable energy.”
EXTRACTION
Energy Intelligence Group: Trudeau Resignation Puts Canadian Energy Policy in Focus
Chase Winter, Andrew Kelly, 1/6/25
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said he is stepping down as the leader of the country's Liberal Party, bowing to mounting pressure amid growing economic concerns and sagging poll numbers,” Energy Intelligence Group reports. “...The political upheaval in the world’s fourth-largest oil producer could have significant energy implications. Trudeau oversaw an increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental policy agenda, including a carbon tax and a proposed emissions cap for oil and gas operations, which drew the ire of the energy industry as well as Canada’s hydrocarbon-producing provinces, especially Alberta. The prime minister's resignation puts the long-term viability of the emissions cap in doubt and raises questions about the direction of Canada's energy and climate policy going forward. Meanwhile, US-President-elect Donald Trump's looming threat of 25% tariffs on US imports of Canadian goods, potentially including oil and energy, set off a firestorm in the Canadian government and led to the surprise resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who felt the country needed to take a bolder stance against Trump. Tariffs on Canadian oil shipments to the US — which average some 4 million barrels per day, per the latest available data — could disrupt structural flows of crude and refined products throughout North America, threatening energy security and raising prices for consumers… “On Monday, Trump, who will return to office on Jan. 20, threw cold water on a Washington Post report that suggested he will pare back his proposed tariff policy… “Just hours after Trudeau's announcement, the government of Alberta, Canada's largest oil-producing province, and midstream giant Enbridge announced plans to explore ways to rapidly increase the country's pipeline capacity "in pursuit of its goal to double crude oil production and increase exports to the United States." “...However, Ebel said Enbridge would focus on low-cost expansions and optimization of existing infrastructure, rather than big new projects… “Ebel said he was concerned about the prospect of tariffs on Canada’s oil and gas exports to the US but added that the hydrocarbons will still be needed and that the main impact will be on the “cost dynamics.”.
The Energy Mix: Fish or Cut Bait on Carbon Capture, Wilkinson Tells Oil Sands Consortium
Mitchell Beer, 1/7/24
“2025 will be the year for oil sands companies to “fish or cut bait” on the C$16.5-billion carbon capture hub they’ve been pitching in Northern Alberta, Natural Resources Minister and possible Liberal leadership candidate Jonathan Wilkinson told the Calgary Herald in a year-end interview,” The Energy Mix reports. “It’s a pretty important year,” Wilkinson told Herald columnist Chris Varcoe, more than three years after the Pathways Alliance consortium first proposed the massive project, a new 400-kilometre pipeline that would carry carbon from more than 20 oil sands projects to a permanent repository in Cold Lake. “We need to stop pushing this out,” he added. “We need to fish or cut bait soon.” The Pathways Alliance has long touted carbon capture and storage (CCS) as the technology that will enable its six members, which account for about 95% of Canada’s oil sands output, to continue and expand production in a low-carbon world… “None of which has stopped oil sands producers from demanding ever more lavish taxpayer subsidies before they commit their own money to the Pathways project. Then-Cenovus Energy CEO Alex Pourbaix opened bidding in July 2021 with a demand for $50 billion, maintaining for years after Ottawa announced its CCS subsidy that fossil fuel markets were too volatile to justify private investment without more intensive subsidies. In February 2024, analysts at the Wood Mackenzie energy consultancy warned the Pathways project could be “scuppered” without what would amount to permanent taxpayer support… “The real challenge for Canadian CCUS then is not insufficient incentives—they are some of the most attractive in the world—but the uncertainty of their existence throughout project life,” said WoodMac’s director of CCUS economics, Peter Findlay. “The value of most of these incentives could be changed by political whim at any point during the project life—even going to zero.”
Canadian Press: Alberta Energy Regulator lacks evidence for tailings spill cleanup claims: study
Jack Farrell, 1/6/25
“A new analysis of a decade's worth of data kept by Alberta’s oil and gas regulator suggests the agency has made unsubstantiated claims about the success of oilsands tailings spills cleanup,” the Canadian Press reports. "Their own data, their ... internal data are not being reflected in the ... information that they're releasing to the public,” the study’s author, Alberta-based ecologist Kevin Timoney, told CP. "That's a huge problem.” “...For the 514 spills analyzed in the study, the public database kept by the Alberta Energy Regulator, or AER, states that 75 per cent were cleaned up and no wildlife effects were reported. But according to Timoney's analysis, the regulator doesn't have any data to back those claims. For the 514 spills he received internal records for, Timoney found that 91 per cent weren't inspected by the regulator. Instead, information was provided by oil companies… “For the spills that did have inspection data and reports, Timoney found that many reports were nearly blank or contained vague information. He told CP most of the reports ended with conclusions such as "no environmental impact at this time” or "no adverse effects have been observed” while failing to provide any environmental assessment to support the finding. Timoney told CP he wasn't expecting the AER to have the most detailed information, but said he was surprised to find "nothing." "They don't go out and they don't count dead animals," he told CP. "They don't determine the contaminant levels in the soil or in the groundwater or in lakes. "There's nothing there." Timoney also found numerous inconsistencies between the regulator’s internal spill records and the records available to the public online.”
Inside Climate News: Why the Argument That LNG Is Essential to the Energy Transition Is ‘Nonsense’
Paloma Beltran, Living on Earth, 1/4/25
“When you fire up your gas range to cook dinner, the natural gas that’s delivered through pipes to your stove is, well, a gas. But more and more of the natural gas the U.S. produces is destined for overseas, so it can’t just travel as gas through pipelines. Instead, it’s compressed into LNG, or “liquified natural gas,” so it can be loaded onto tankers and shipped across the ocean. And because of its high carbon footprint, LNG has become one of the most intensely debated energy issues,” Inside Climate News reports. “After facing pressure from climate activists, in early 2024 the Biden administration put a temporary pause on the permitting of new liquefied natural gas export facilities. That decision was swiftly challenged in court by a coalition of Republican-led states and has been in litigation for months… “And according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, LNG exports from North America are on track to more than double in the next four years. This expansion could be disastrous for the climate, according to a recent paper out of Cornell University that found the carbon footprint of U.S. LNG exports is 33 percent higher than for coal. Author Robert Howarth is a professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University… “Your study looked at the carbon footprint of liquefied natural gas. What did it find? ROBERT HOWARTH: I looked at how liquefied natural gas exported from the United States compares in terms of natural gas used in the United States, and also with other fossil fuels that could be used in destination countries, in terms of their greenhouse gas consequences. And the conclusion is that the greenhouse gas footprint of liquefied natural gas is probably the worst of any fossil fuel. It’s certainly worse than natural gas used domestically. It’s also worse than that of coal in most countries.”
OPINION
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy: Pipeline company misleads the public for profit and fossil fuels
Shelley Robins is Senior Decarbonization Manager at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy; Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck is a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and has dedicated the past 5+ years to defending her homelands against the Mountain Valley Pipeline/Southgate Extension, 1/6/25
“When a Texas company gets its employee in Pennsylvania to write to our local newspaper about the weather we just experienced, you have to wonder why,” Shelley Robins and Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck write for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “Williams Transco already owns more than 33,000 miles of pipelines in the country, but they are trying to ram through an unneeded massive expansion called the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) in our area. What they won’t tell you is that their projects keep getting scrapped because communities don’t want them: like the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project and Regional Energy Access Expansion. Maybe it’s because they have one of the worst safety records in the country. According to the watchdog Pipeline Safety Trust, Williams is worse than other gas transmission operators in fatalities, cost and releases per incident. Or it could be that, while they greenwash their image, they fail to mention recent winter blackouts in Texas and North Carolina were caused by freezing temperatures that shut down gas wells and caused the failure of mechanical components at gas-fired power plants — not by inadequate pipeline capacity… “Instead, the impacts are born by those whose properties are impacted and benefits are seen by those outside the project area, “including jobs, additional natural gas and very limited tax revenues.” Transco’s massive methane pipeline threatens groundwater contamination for well users in Oak Ridge and areas crossing the headwaters of the city of Greensboro’s three water supply reservoirs, Lakes Higgins, Brandt and Townsend… “Join residents across Virginia and North Carolina standing up to these bullies and demand our elected officials say no to this unneeded, dirty, dangerous project. We deserve better, cleaner, cheaper energy — and we know we can get it.”
Courier Journal: Fight against LG&E pipeline through Bullitt, Bernheim Forest is not over
Mark K. Wourms, 1/7/25
“For six years, Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has opposed LG&E building a 12-mile pipeline across Bullitt County, including Bernheim’s Cedar Grove Wildlife Corridor,” Mark K. Wourms writes for the Courier Journal. “Unfortunately, the Kentucky Supreme Court recently refused to hear our argument that the lower courts had errored in allowing LG&E to take Bernheim’s land, breaking a conservation easement. However, the Kentucky Supreme Court has agreed to hear a combined argument by neighboring landowners, so this is not over… “The pipeline will cross 71 streams and dangerously unstable hills, creating maintenance headaches and potentially catastrophic emergencies… “Our public opposition has elevated discussions on climate crisis, sustainable energy, endangered species and clean water. Thank you to the thousands who supported us in our legal struggle for a world where nature is cherished, protected and restored.”
National Review: A Late Biden Assault on Offshore Drilling Would Be Reckless
The Editors, 1/6/25
“As we commented previously, the effort of advisers to disguise President Biden’s declining mental health throughout his time in office, along with the media’s complicity, has been a historic scandal,” write the editors of the National Review. “...And while the public still cannot be sure that he is competent to make his own decisions, he keeps taking irresponsible actions that please progressive activists… “Now, Bloomberg reports that in an effort to cement his legacy with climate change zealots, Biden “is preparing to issue a decree permanently banning new offshore oil and gas development in some US coastal waters, locking in difficult-to-revoke protections during his final weeks in the White House.” The order, which according to the report is expected any day, would bar the sale of drilling rights in large portions of the outer continental shelf. While Trump would no doubt attempt to reverse the decision, Biden officials are heartened by a ruling during the first Trump administration, when a federal court blocked efforts to undo Obama-era environmental regulations… “The move to preemptively bar drilling in an additional area of U.S. coastal waters would be reckless. While we have no objections to the market extracting more energy from renewables without government assistance, the reality is that right now, despite decades of friendly regulations and tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, renewable energy accounts for only 9 percent of U.S. energy consumption. In contrast, petroleum (38 percent) and natural gas (36 percent) combine for roughly three-quarters. While a carbon-free future may be a progressive fantasy, as long as society is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, the focus of any American president should be to ensure as much domestic production as possible.”
The Hill: Why climate activists are becoming more radicalized (and why that’s not a bad thing)
Dana R. Fisher is director of the Center for Environment, Community & Equity; professor in the School of International Service; and author of “Saving Ourselves: from Climate Shocks to Climate Action.” Hajar Yazdiha is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Southern California and author of “The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement,” 1/6/25
“As we turn the page on the warmest year ever recorded, and the first year we ever surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius of human-induced warming, a vanguard of activists are employing attention-grabbing tactics to draw attention to the climate crisis,” Dana R. Fisher and Hajar Yazdiha write for The Hill. “In 2024, they spray painted Stonehenge, held “die-ins,” teach-ins and other actions in front of Citibank HQ, blocked the entrance to the Department of Energy and spray-painted planes on a private airfield. As these performative and disruptive tactics have spread, so too has the criminalisation and repression of climate activists. When Tim Martin is sentenced for his participation in an action that involved smearing paint on the protective covering of a Degas sculpture in 2023, he will join a growing number of climate activists who have been charged with severe sentences for their participation in non-violent civil disobedience in the United States. In many ways, this movement to limit the climate crisis is following a common model of radicalization. Since climate activists are being disproportionately charged compared to participants in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, onlookers might believe climate activists are truly a threat to the nation. But climate activists are not the first radical activists to be demonized and repressed. When we consider the long trajectory of activism in the United States, there’s much to learn from the struggle for civil rights in America regarding the cycle of radicalization and repression that we are seeing in the climate movement… “The difference is that while these critics believe the take-away is for climate activists to back down, research from other movements documents how the climate movement can use disruption and repression to expand the movement and lean into the criticism… “Thanks to the diversity of tactics employed and groups involved, the movement expanded and was able to generate enough support to demand political change — change that resulted in our now holding the civil rights movement in the U.S. up as the epitome of a successful social movement… “In other words, it should continue to spray paint stuff, block traffic, disrupt speeches, shows and performances, throw food and much, much more… “As the civil rights and other social movements that have been successful in achieving their goals will remind us: saving the world is not for the faint of heart.”