EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/14/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: In Yet Another Significant Blow to MVP, Army Corps of Engineers Signals Stream Crossing Permit Will Be Indefinitely Delayed Following Latest Court Decision
AgWeek: Summit Carbon Solutions files for pipeline permit in South Dakota
STL Today: State hammers Spire about pipeline messages, but stops shy of formal complaint
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: MCCARTHY: WE HEAR YOU
E&E News: With climate bill stalled, Democrats push EJ agenda
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Federal wildlife officials seek comment on lesser prairie-chicken conservation plan
STATE UPDATES
Billings Gazette: Power plant opponents rally at Billings courthouse Thursday
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: Oil sands CEOs are working together in the race to get to net zero
Axios: Big Names Join Hunt To Find Missing Carbon Emissions
Reuters: U.S. supplies give China muscle to become major force in global LNG trade
Vox: The end of natural gas has to start with its name
CBC: Drone company looks to self-piloted peregrines to patrol oilsands tailings ponds
CLIMATE FINANCE
TheEnergyMix: Koch-Backed ALEC Pushes U.S. States to Blacklist Investors that Boycott Fossil Industry
BBC: Big banks fund new oil and gas despite net zero pledges
Guardian: Europe’s biggest banks provide £24bn to oil and gas firms despite net zero pledges
Guardian: Facts give lie to claim record oil money is being poured into green projects
OPINION
The Hill: Time to move on from carbon capture
Hamilton Spectator: Let’s embrace carbon-capture
Santa Fe New Mexican: Hydrogen offers promise of jobs, revenue
PIPELINE NEWS
Press release: In Yet Another Significant Blow to MVP, Army Corps of Engineers Signals Stream Crossing Permit Will Be Indefinitely Delayed Following Latest Court Decision
2/11/22
“This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers committed to withhold a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) at least until the project has a valid Endangered Species Act biological opinion. This confirmation was received in response to a letter from Appalachian Mountain Advocates and the Southern Environmental Law Center. The 404 permit, if issued, would allow for the pipeline to trench and blast through hundreds of streams and wetlands in its path. This is another serious blow to the beleaguered project, which has already had several key permits rejected by the courts. In early February, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the biological opinion and incidental take statement issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. That decision came on the heels of the court’s late-January invalidation of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approvals for the second time, preventing the pipeline from crossing the Jefferson National Forest. The Corps’ response casts further doubt on the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and means that for the foreseeable future the pipeline will not be able to build across streams, wetlands and several major rivers. Those crossings threaten long-term degradation of water quality. “That the Corps did its job, simply by following the law — gives hope. Southwest Virginia, together with our neighbors to the west and the south, have endured eight years of MVP abuses, specifically to our exceptional waters that are the life force of our forests, aquifers, karst, wetlands and floodplains,” says Roberta Bondurant, a member of Preserve Bent Mountain, a chapter of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), and Co-Chair of Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition (POWHR).”
AgWeek: Summit Carbon Solutions files for pipeline permit in South Dakota
2/9/22
“Summit Carbon Solutions has filed for a permit to push its carbon capture pipeline through South Dakota, the second state where it has filed for a permit,” AgWeek reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions announced on Wednesday, Feb. 9, that it has filed the permit request with the South Dakota Public Utlities Commission for a permit for the Midwest Carbon Express, a $4.5 billion project to send carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in five states to western North Dakota, where can be stored underground… “Summit Carbon Solutions is working with landowners to secure voluntary easements. The next significant step at the Iowa Utilities Board will be the setting of a procedural schedule, which we anticipate will happen soon," Summit said in a statement issued Wednesday… “But the plan is being met with some resistance. Dakota Rural Action, a South Dakota rural advocacy and environmental group, says on its website that Summit is "hoping to make a profit with this false climate solution through capturing carbon dioxide at regional processing plants, putting this highly toxic substance under immense pressure, and piping the hazardous waste through South Dakota’s farms, ranches, and rural communities."
STL Today: State hammers Spire about pipeline messages, but stops shy of formal complaint
Bryce Gray, 2/14/22
“In a new report, Missouri regulators repeatedly accuse St. Louis-based utility Spire of misleading customers this summer and fall as the company navigated troubles with a key natural gas pipeline,” STL Today reports. “The investigation by the Missouri Public Service Commission says Spire consistently omitted important context in its public communications, misleading customers and making at least one false statement. The 22-page document emphasizes, instead, that a shutdown of the Spire STL pipeline during the winter heating season was highly unlikely, that any service disruptions would only happen during the coldest times of peak usage, and that Spire often failed to mention alternative sources of gas to serve the region. “Portions of Spire’s communications and marketing strategies created unnecessary panic and confusion and focused too much on the mobilization of public opinion instead of consistently educating the public,” the report says. But after page after page of criticism, commission staff stopped short of recommending a formal complaint against the company… “Exaggerated claims from Spire were another recurring focus of the investigation. For instance, the PSC said that Spire’s use of slogans like “Don’t Lose What You Use” exaggerated the consequences for customers if a pipeline shutdown were to happen. “Spire’s models did not predict a complete loss of service for all Spire customers, but that is what the slogan suggests,” the report said.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: MCCARTHY: WE HEAR YOU
Matthew Choi, 2/11/22
“The Biden administration is well aware of the Democratic base's disappointment with the stalling of their signature climate package, White House Natural Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy said at a POLITICO event Thursday,” Politico reports. “Still, McCarthy said “we fully intend to be running faster and faster.” McCarthy expressed confidence that the White House and Democrats can convince Manchin to back a package of climate provisions emanating from the House-passed version of the Build Back Better bill, with its over $500 billion in climate spending. She also highlighted the numerous climate initiatives taken on by the administration to tackle everything from methane and electric vehicles to the U.S.' resurgent global standing in the fight against climate change. McCarthy added EPA wouldn’t get “creative” in formulating climate change fighting policy in order to create a path forward safe from future court action… “McCarthy also promised progress on the administration’s Justice40 goals, which have garnered single-raised eyebrows from activists who have so far viewed the promise as largely talk with little action. She said she was open to looking into reorganizing the White House environmental justice efforts after the departure of two senior officials from the Council on Environmental Quality and said the White House would soon reveal its environmental justice screening tool.”.
E&E News: With climate bill stalled, Democrats push EJ agenda
By Emma Dumain, 2/14/22
“House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva is ready to put his party’s signature environmental justice legislation back in the spotlight,” E&E News reports. “Tomorrow, the Arizona Democrat will convene the first hearing since late 2020 on the “Environmental Justice for All Act,” which would provide more protection for communities and individuals affected by pollution and environmental safety hazards. The timing, Grijalva confirmed to E&E News last week, reflects the uncertain fate of the $1.7 trillion climate and social spending package, which would have made major investments to aid the most blighted environmental justice communities. His latest version of the two-year-old “Environmental Justice for All Act,” H.R. 2021, would require federal agencies to consider community health impacts during permitting decisions; codify into law the federal government’s existing environmental justice initiatives; and impose new fees on oil, gas and coal companies to fund local transitions away from fossil fuel economies. The bill would also reverse a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that has made it harder for private citizens to pursue legal remedies when they are victims of actions that disproportionately harm poor, nonwhite communities. It is arguably the most ambitious environmental justice framework ever championed on Capitol Hill, developed by Grijalva with Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) in the previous Congress in consultation with advocates, activists and those who live and work in front-line communities.”
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Federal wildlife officials seek comment on lesser prairie-chicken conservation plan
Adam D. Young, 2/10/22
“Federal wildlife officials are moving forward in their process to pursue further protections of the lesser prairie-chicken, with potential implications on the region's oil and gas industry,” the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports. “ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a draft habitat conservation plan (HCP) and draft environmental assessment covering potential impacts to the lesser prairie-chicken from oil and gas development in West Texas and across much of the Great Plains, the agency announced in a news release Thursday. This comes amid renewed federal efforts to list the lesser prairie-chicken in the Endangered Species Act. The lesser prairie-chicken's natural habitat includes the Permian Basin, South Plains and Panhandle regions, along with a wide swatch of the central U.S… “Past public hearings on the lesser prairie-chicken's protection have drawn a slew of concerned agriculture and oil industry stakeholders concerned about potential new regulations and other limitations… “The Service is accepting public review and comments on the incidental take permit application, the draft HCP and draft Environmental Assessment. A notice of availability will publish in the Federal Register on Feb. 11, opening a 30-day public comment period which will end on March 14. Information on how to submit comments will be available at https://www.federalregister.gov/ by searching under docket number FWS-R2-ES-2021-N195.”
STATE UPDATES
Billings Gazette: Power plant opponents rally at Billings courthouse Thursday
Tom Lutey, 2/10/22
“Opponents of NorthWestern Energy’s plans to build a gas-fired power plant in Laurel rallied on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn Thursday for what was billed as a “people’s hearing, ”the Billings Gazette reports. “Participants said they haven’t been given much of a chance to weigh in on the project as state and county governments have been dealing with NorthWestern’s plan to bore a pipeline beneath the Yellowstone River. “They kind of initiated the action before they even got the permit,” Larry Bean, referring to NorthWestern’s pipeline workers boring right up to the edge of the river before permitting was granted, told the Gazette. “That's kind of been the game plan, just avoid engaging with the public.” “...Last month, Laurel neighbors drove to Helena to voice their concerns about the pipeline to the Montana Land Board. Because land beneath Montana rivers is public, NorthWestern’s pipeline required a state easement. Neighbors expected they’d receive three minutes each to speak, which is fairly standard in state government. But, board chairman, Gov. Greg Gianforte, limited the speaking time to one minute per person. The move angered Mary Fitzpatrick, of Billings, who had been watching the pipeline process closely. “They weren’t interested in what anybody had to say,” Fitzpatrick, a member of the Northern Plains Resource Council, who also served on the Montana Climate Change Advisory Committee, told the Gazette.
EXTRACTION
Globe and Mail: Oil sands CEOs are working together in the race to get to net zero
EMMA GRANEY, 2/14/22
“Every Friday at 7 a.m., the chief executives of Canada’s six largest oil sands companies set aside their competitive differences and jump on a conference call,” the Globe and Mail reports. “The topic? How to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution from their sites in northern Alberta, and bring emissions to net zero by 2050. That weekly meeting plays a key role in keeping the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero initiative grinding toward its target… “Its plan is anchored on carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), a technology that captures carbon dioxide for injection underground for storage, or for other uses such as extending the life of mature oil wells or helping with concrete production. The first goal of the alliance is to build a new carbon dioxide pipeline system, which will link oil sands facilities in Fort McMurray and Cold Lake to a sequestration hub to store captured carbon. The line will also be available to companies outside the oil sector who want to tap in to reduce their own emissions. To defray some of the costs of the trunk line project, the group is banking on a federal CCUS investment tax credit, details of which are due to be released soon. The alliance is also pushing for other financial support from governments to help it meet its net-zero goal. Specifically, it wants programs that would use royalty and tax revenues generated by the sector and drive them back into emissions-reduction technologies… “But a recent report by the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices said governments in Canada will need to “make some tough choices” in how they allocate scarce funds, because “decarbonizing fossil fuel production may not produce the best long-term economic outcome… Public investment in long-lived fossil fuel assets now carries significant risk and less certain benefits for society.” From the alliance’s perspective, though, government economic assistance is the only way forward. Brad Corson, Imperial’s president and CEO, told investors recently that getting the oil sands’ emissions to net zero by 2050 will require $70-billion to $75-billion of investment.”
Axios: Big Names Join Hunt To Find Missing Carbon Emissions
2/11/22
“Why it matters: Corporate leaders and policymakers are realizing that current carbon accounting and reporting methods may be missing huge amounts of emissions,” Axios reports. “ Driving the news: The Carbon Call initiative launched today with more than 20 organizations is an effort to develop common, reliable and interoperable carbon emissions accounting systems. A recent Washington Post investigation found that a 13.3-billion-ton gap may exist annually between country-level emissions as reported to the United Nations and actual emissions. The big picture: Determining how much greenhouse gases each country is emitting, along with companies — some of which have carbon footprints that rival nation-states — is no easy task. For companies, reporting is plagued with inconsistencies in how they measure and share their emissions tallies, along with scientific uncertainties and data quality problems. Details: The Carbon Call aims to focus on four key areas: methane, indirect emissions, carbon removal and the land-use sector. Organizations include Capricorn Investment Group, Climate Change AI, the Global Carbon Project, United Nations Environment Program, Ernst & Young, KPMG and Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment, among others. Each participant has agreed to report their emissions and offsets ‘comprehensively,’ according to a statement, ‘including all scopes and classes of GHG emissions, annually and transparently.’ Microsoft and ClimateWorks are providing unspecified launch funding.”
Reuters: U.S. supplies give China muscle to become major force in global LNG trade
2/11/22
“Chinese firms are set to become a major trading force in the global liquefied natural gas market in coming years, thanks to liberalisations at home and recently signed long term contracts for record amounts of LNG from U.S. suppliers,” Reuters reports. “Setting their sights beyond the domestic market, state-run Sinopec Corp, Sinochem Group, privately-controlled ENN Natural Gas Co and China Gas are building up trading teams from Beijing, Singapore to London… “Fortunately, the pie is growing. By 2027, analysts forecast spot trade in LNG will be $20 billion, more than double its 2020 value. Last year, China’s imports soared by 18% to a record 79 million tonnes, overtaking Japan as the world’s largest LNG buyer. China’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was one factor, but the other was a pipeline reform that allowed more firms to become importers.”
Vox: The end of natural gas has to start with its name
Rebecca Leber, 2/10/22
“Locals in the town of Fredonia, New York, noticed in the early 19th century how gas would sometimes bubble up in a creek and catch fire when lit,” Vox reports. “This wasn’t much more than a curiosity until 1821, when a businessman captured and sold it for fuel to Fredonia shops… “A big part of the early appeal was how much cleaner gas seemed than coal. In the 19th century, people could see and smell the particulate matter, sulfur, and nitrogen leaving a trail of smoggy air in cities. By comparison, natural gas is almost entirely made up of methane, a colorless, odorless gas that produces far fewer of these pollutants when burned. What no one knew back then was that methane is pollution, too — just a different kind. A large body of scientific research now shows that gas, when it’s produced and when it’s consumed, poses a danger to human health and to the climate. In the 19th century, this ignorance was understandable, but today most people still don’t appreciate how insidious gas fuel is. When the climate communications group Climate Nexus conducted a poll of 4,600 registered US voters last fall, 77 percent had a favorable view of natural gas, far higher than when asked about their views on methane. Less than a third were able to link that natural gas is primarily methane. In the same poll, a majority incorrectly answered that they think methane pollution is declining or staying about the same. Other surveys show similar results. The reason for the disconnect is embedded in the very name, “natural gas.” The word “natural” tends to bias Americans to view whatever it is affixed to as healthy, clean, and environmentally friendly. Natural foods, natural immunity, and natural births are among the many buzzwords of the moment.”
CBC: Drone company looks to self-piloted peregrines to patrol oilsands tailings ponds
Kashmala Fida Mohatarem, 2/12/22
“An Alberta-based drone company is hoping to take a project keeping birds off of tailings ponds in the oilsands to the next level,” the CBC reports. “Aerium Analytics was awarded $1 million in funding last month to collaborate with the University of Alberta to create an autonomous drone to scare off the birds… ““The robotic bird, or Robird, keeps the birds from landing, intercepting them "before they get too close to even want to consider landing," Cicoria told the CBC. According to research by Colleen Cassady St. Clair, professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, 20,000 birds land on the tailings ponds annually. In 2008, 1,600 birds died in Syncrude Canada's tailings ponds. In 2010, 550 ducks were euthanized after coming in contact tailings ponds and 31 herons were killed in 2015.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
TheEnergyMix: Koch-Backed ALEC Pushes U.S. States to Blacklist Investors that Boycott Fossil Industry
Chris McGreal, 2/14/22
“The influential right wing lobby group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is driving a surge in new state laws in the United States to block boycotts of the oil industry,” TheEnergyMix reports. “The group’s strategy, which aims to protect large oil firms and other conservative-friendly industries, is modelled on legislation to punish divestment from Israel, The Guardian reports. Since the beginning of the year, state legislatures in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Indiana have introduced a version of a law drafted by ALEC, called the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act, to shield big oil from share selloffs and other measures intended to protest the fossil fuel industry’s role in the climate crisis. A dozen other states have publicly supported the intent of the legislation. Texas has already begun compiling a list of companies to target for refusing to do business with the oil industry after the state passed a version of the law last year. Top of the list is the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock. The push to blacklist firms that boycott the oil industry follows a meeting in December between politicians and ALEC, a corporate-funded organization that writes model legislation for Republican-controlled states to adopt and drive conservative causes.”
BBC: Big banks fund new oil and gas despite net zero pledges
Tom Espiner, 2/13/22
“Big banks are pumping billions into new oil and gas production despite net zero pledges, campaigners have said,” the BBC reports. “Banks including HSBC, Barclays and Deutsche Bank are still backing new oil and gas despite being part of a green banking group, ShareAction said. Investors should force banks to demand green plans from fossil fuel firms before funding them, it said. HSBC and Barclays said they were focused on achieving environmental goals… “But big banks are continuing to fund oil and gas expansion with billions of dollars, ShareAction said, despite being part of a UN-led group called the Net Zero Banking Alliance. HSBC put an estimated $8.7bn (£6.4bn) into new oil and gas in 2021, while Barclays put in $4.5bn, and Deutsche Bank loaned $5.7bn, the campaign group estimated. The fossil fuel giants receiving the funding included Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, and Saudi Aramco.. “Since joining the Net Zero Banking Alliance last year, 24 big banks have provided $33bn for new oil and gas projects, with more than half of that amount ($19bn) coming from four of the founding members - HSBC, Barclays, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, the campaigners said. ShareAction urged big investors to demand that banks restrict finance for oil and gas expansion, saying funding new oil and gas is a lose-lose for banks and investors.”
Guardian: Europe’s biggest banks provide £24bn to oil and gas firms despite net zero pledges
Jasper Jolly, 2/13/22
“Europe’s biggest banks led by HSBC, Barclays and BNP Paribas have provided £24bn to oil and gas companies that are expanding production less than a year since pledging to target net zero carbon emissions, data shows,” the Guardian reports .”Investments to drill new oil wells and tap fresh gas reserves, backed by funds from major banks, appear to contradict commitments to international agreements and undermine efforts to accelerate the switch to renewable energy sources, the report said… “However, analysis by campaign group ShareAction showed that 25 banks that signed up to reduce emissions have provided $33bn (£24bn) in loans and other financing to 50 companies with large oil and gas expansion plans. The oil companies include America’s ExxonMobil, which has tried to defy shareholder demands to cut emissions, state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco and London-listed Shell and BP who have made huge profits from gas price increases in recent months. Since 2016, the European banks have provided financing worth $406bn. Climate scientists and economists have warned that stopping expansion of oil and gas production is vital to reducing global carbon emissions, the key driver of the climate crisis… “There is also a growing consensus in the investment community that oil and gas assets could be financially damaging investments – although there are also likely to be many profitable opportunities for those willing to ignore criticisms.” Xavier Lerin, ShareAction’s senior research manager, told the Guardian: “If oil and gas demand decreases in line with 1.5C scenarios, prices would fall and assets become stranded. On the other hand, if demand did not fall enough to limit global warming to 1.5C, the economy would suffer from severe physical climate impacts. Either way, value will be destroyed for energy companies, banks and their investors.”
Guardian: Facts give lie to claim record oil money is being poured into green projects
Fiona Harvey, 2/11/22
“The chief financial officer of the oil and gas company BP, Murray Auchincloss, told investors this week: “It’s possible that we’re getting more cash than we know what to do with,” the Guardian reports. “Oil and gas companies have reported bumper profits, as the gas crisis raises the price at which they can sell their fossil fuels, without raising the cost of their extraction… “Bernard Looney, the chief executive of BP, told analysts he was “not seeing increased pressure” for the company to pay more tax, despite calls in the UK for a windfall tax on fossil fuel profits, to ease the burden of energy bills on the vulnerable. Instead, Looney and other senior managers in the fossil fuel industry have sought to justify their bonanza on the grounds that the billions of extra cash is needed to pour into their transition to low carbon companies. The facts of oil and gas company investment do not bear out the claim that the massive returns are being poured into green projects and the race to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Chris Venables, of the Green Alliance thinktank, told the Guardian: “The time for oil and gas companies to have invested in the clean energy transition was two decades ago – when they were peddling climate change denialism. If they were serious about renewable energy, they would be doing it right now, but instead their investments are largely going to new oil and gas. So this is a disingenuous argument.” Investment in clean energy by oil and gas companies was about 1% of their capital expenditure in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a proportion likely to have reached little more than 4% for the whole of last year. Meanwhile, the companies are continuing to invest vast sums in exploration and new fields, which the IEA said last year could not be brought to fruition if the world was to limit global heating to 1.5C.”
OPINION
The Hill: Time to move on from carbon capture
William S. Becker is a former U.S. Department of Energy central regional director who administered energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies programs, and he also served as special assistant to the department's assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy, 2/11/22
“Two recent studies illustrate the difference between good and bad government interventions in energy markets. They are an important lesson in the search for solutions to global climate change,” William S. Becker writes for The Hill. “The first study is a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the money the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has spent on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). From 2010 through 2017, DOE invested $1.1 billion on nine large CCS research and demonstration projects at coal-fired power plants and industries… “Yet, the government has little to show for it. DOE funded eight CCS power projects from 2010 through 2017 but completed only one, the GAO reported. None achieved "economic viability." The most common way for CCS power plants to offset costs is to help oil companies enhance production by injecting captured carbon into their wells, but that negates some of CCS's value as a solution to carbon pollution… “The second study, just issued by the University of Chicago and energy research company Rhodium Group, assesses a provision in the Build Back Better bill passed by the House but stalled in the Senate. The study concludes that a clean energy tax credit in the bill would produce benefits as much as four times greater than its costs. The tax credit would "deliver greater carbon abatement bang for the buck than many other climate policies in place or under discussion," researchers found… “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Congress keeps spending money on CCS not because it's the best way to reduce carbon pollution but because it would postpone the retirement of fossil fuels from the world's energy mix. Either way, 25 years of fruitless taxpayer spending on CCS is enough. It's time to move on to more promising and sustainable ways to deal with climate change.”
Hamilton Spectator: Let’s embrace carbon-capture
Tom Olsen is chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre, an Alberta government corporation funded in part by taxes paid by industry on carbon emissions, 2/13/22
“Four hundred academics recently signed a letter to the federal government, condemning the next big thing in emissions reduction. They’re all wrong,” Tom Olsen writes for the Hamilton Spectator. “Their target was Canada’s world-leading, greenhouse-gas-busting carbon capture and storage initiative. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been hailed as a key to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The Alberta government kicked it off in a big way with close to $2 billion in investment more than a dozen years ago… “To emphasize the point, the International Energy Agency recently pointed to CCS technology as a key piece of Canada’s ability to reduce emissions from oil and gas development while maintaining its position as a major global supplier beyond 2050… “Yet from the fossil-fuel-heated offices of the Ivory Tower, activist academics dismiss the proof that CCS is and will be much more of the solution to emissions reduction… “Unfortunately, instead of listening to these experts, these academics parrot bogus talking points and hold up renewable energy sources as the only way forward… “The federal government would be wise to ignore the plea from academics who appear detached from the energy reality the rest of us are living.”
Santa Fe New Mexican: Hydrogen offers promise of jobs, revenue
Jason Sandel is chairman of the board of Western States and Tribal Nations, a transnational initiative that advocates for LNG exports from America’s west to Asia, 2/7/22
“Across the world, governments including ours and those in our states are introducing industrial policies that will decarbonize their economies in response to climate change,” Jason Sandel writes for the Santa Fe New Mexican. “These efforts include major investments and policies positioning clean hydrogen to fuel power generation and transportation, which could lay the groundwork for a global hydrogen industry. This is an opportunity that could generate $140 billion in annual revenue by 2030, support 700,000 jobs and meet 14 percent of total energy demand by 2050, a recent McKinsey & Company study estimates… “Bill 4, was introduced this session with broad bipartisan support. That’s because it is about fueling the state’s economic future for decades, with jobs in rural communities, workforce development and retraining for people who need it. Unfortunately, some activists stand against a clean hydrogen economy. This is jaw-dropping because hydrogen development is now a national priority with the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which dedicates $8 billion to build hydrogen hubs across the U.S. to speed us toward net-zero by 2050. These same naysayers refer to a study that suggests an excessive methane leakage rate from natural gas production and distribution, which other academics challenge. If New Mexico “blue hydrogen” production meets the proposed legislation’s strict emission standards, then anti-energy advocates should consider natural gas as part of a cleaner solution and not reject it out of ideology.”