EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/17/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Canada has existing options if Line 5 shuts down, environmental report argues
Bridge MI: New report finds Enbridge Line 5 closure will cause little pain to Michigan
The Detroit News: Enbridge to move forward with Line 5 tunnel construction bid process after getting panel OK
AgWeek: Iowa Senate committee fails to advance eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Bill to block eminent domain for pipelines faces ‘uphill climb’
FOX Business: Biden Energy secretary fails to disclose jobs killed by Keystone XL pipeline cancelation
WZFG: ND Senators calling on Biden Administration to publish pipeline job losses
Natural Gas Intelligence: TC Energy Moving to Capture More North American Natural Gas and Alternative Energy Opportunities
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: EJ HEARING GETS TESTY
The Hill: Cassidy places hold on EPA nominees over carbon capture project approval delay
Utility Dive: Biden administration launches industrial decarbonization initiative, targets $9.5B for clean hydrogen
Washington Post: Republicans champion Alaska drilling project that poses major climate test for Biden
STATE UPDATES
Indianz.com: Public meetings scheduled to protect lands around Chaco Canyon
Star Tribune: Minnesota nickel mine project gets $6.2M infusion to study carbon storage
StateImpact NPR: Drilling legacy left Pa. full of possibly harmful old oil and gas wells. There’s new hope for cleanup to get a jump-start
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Alberta's finances set to flip back to black as oil surges, helping premier
Bloomberg: Marathon Petroleum eyes 15% reduction in consumer-related emissions
Reuters: As oil prices soar, U.S. drillers scramble to find sand for fracking
Phys.org: Study reveals sunlight can help dissolve oil into seawater
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
NPR: Accusations of 'greenwashing' by big oil companies are well-founded, a new study finds
E&E News: Are oil majors greenwashing? What 12 years of data show
OPINION
Ohio River Valley Institute: Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Hub is a Risky Gamble for the Ohio River Valley
Appalachian Voices: Legal victories against Mountain Valley Pipeline make completion unlikely
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Los Angeles lags on building electrification. Now is the time to ban new gas hookups
PIPELINE NEWS
Canadian Press: Canada has existing options if Line 5 shuts down, environmental report argues
James McCarten, 2/16/22
“Viable alternatives to Line 5 already exist if the controversial cross-border pipeline gets shut down, says a new report from an Canadian environmental group looking to bridge the ideological gulf in the public debate over North America's continuing dependence on fossil fuels,” the Canadian Press reports. “The report, commissioned and released Wednesday by the Toronto-based group Environmental Defence, recommends upgrading Enbridge Inc.'s new Line 78 pipeline to handle the bulk of the energy Line 5 currently delivers to Ontario and Quebec, as well as several Midwestern states. "I recognize the threat that Line 5 really does pose and I'm aware of all the factors at play that really do set us up for an ecological disaster in the making," Michelle Woodhouse, the group's water program manager and one of the co-authors of the report, told CP. But Woodhouse told CP it's equally clear that North America currently lacks the extensive infrastructure it would take in order to immediately end Canada's dependence on oil and gas and replace it with renewable energy sources… “The report makes a case for upgrading Line 78 even further to carry the bulk of Line 5's crude-oil load, while the remainder -- a best-case estimate of 119,000 barrels per day -- could be handled by additional rail or marine tanker capacity, with only a minimal impact on the environment. "The closure of Line 5 is inevitable -- either through court order or due to a rupture," the report says, noting that either outcome would lead to energy shortages throughout the myriad regions and facilities that depend on it for energy. "A better solution is a planned shutdown where Enbridge, the refineries and governments sort out how best to meet demand without Line 5. What this report clearly demonstrates is that options exist."
Bridge MI: New report finds Enbridge Line 5 closure will cause little pain to Michigan
Zahra Ahmad, 2/16/22
“Among the arguments used by Canadian energy giant Enbridge in support of its Line 5 pipeline that runs through Michigan is that, if it’s closed, there will be a significant impact on energy prices for consumers,” Bridge MI reports. “But a new report, released Wednesday, takes issue with that assessment, concluding that any energy increases will be modest if the shutdown is coordinated properly. Environmental Defence Canada, an environmental group, commissioned the report from experts in the gas and oil sector. It suggests that shutting down Line 5 is manageable and that there are other options to meet Canada’s demand for oil and gas. The report, written by Martin Meyers of Meyers Energy Consulting, LLC, found there are viable alternatives to Line 5, which runs from Wisconsin down through the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac through Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario. Enbridge Line 78, for instance, flows from Illinois through Indiana to Sarnia, the report notes, and can be run at greater capacity to help recoup oil lost from Line 5. In addition, adding rail and truck capacity, as well as one more marine tanker, can make up the remaining shortfall. “The impact of these changes on consumer prices for refined petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel fuel in Ontario and Quebec would likely be very modest, to the point that such changes would likely go unnoticed,” the report concludes.
The Detroit News: Enbridge to move forward with Line 5 tunnel construction bid process after getting panel OK
Beth LeBlanc, 2/16/22
“A state panel on Wednesday signed off on documents Enbridge Energy will use to solicit bids from contractors for the eventual construction of a more than $500 million tunnel through the Straits of Mackinac,” The Detroit News reports. “The tunnel, slated for completion in 2028 at the earliest, will house a new segment of the controversial Line 5 oil pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Two of three Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority members on Wednesday concurred on Enbridge's request for proposals for the project, with member Paul Novak absent because of work commitments. Chairman Mike Nystrom noted that complaints and concerns they'd received over the tunnel project were likely best addressed to agencies considering permits for the project — such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Michigan Public Service Commission. "We are not a regulatory agency," Nystrom told the News. "If you have concerns about this process, reaching out to those agencies is probably the best possible avenue because we do not have direct involvement in regulatory decisions like that." Enbridge said Wednesday it was prepared to issue the request for proposals after the authority's concurrence and remained committed to starting construction within the Tunnel Agreement timeline, which requires the company to start construction within 180 days of receiving its last permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "To date, Enbridge has invested more than $100 million on the project," company spokesman Ryan Duffy told the News.
AgWeek: Iowa Senate committee fails to advance eminent domain ban for carbon pipelines
Jeff Beach, 2/16/22
“A bill that threatened to stop carbon capture pipeline projects before they could get started failed to advance past an Iowa Senate committee,” AgWeek reports. “A day after spirited subcommittee hearing on the bill that would have banned the use of eminent domain to obtain right of way for the pipelines, the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 16, announced at the beginning of its meeting that it had pulled the bill from the agenda. The bill by Sen. Jeff Taylor, a Republican, would have kept the Iowa Utilities Board from allowing the use of eminent domain for hazardous liquid pipelines… “Summit says it is working to get voluntary easements from landowners, but during a public hearing before a subcommittee Tuesday, Summit lobbyist Jeffrey Boeyink said "with this bill, the project stops dead in its tracks." Boeyinks comments were followed by those from several farmers and landowners opposed to taking their land for the pipeline, saying the projects only helped private companies turn a profit and did not provide a public benefit. Taylor said the use of eminent domain runs contrary to conservative principles regarding private property but admitted during Tuesday's hearing that the bill faced an "uphill climb." “...In a written statement after the Senate committee declined to move the bill forward, Rastetter said, “This project will be transformational for the ethanol industry and, by extension, the agriculture industry. Farmers and landowners in Iowa understand that ethanol production consumes over 50% of our corn crop every year, which is a big reason why we’ve had early success signing hundreds of pipeline easements with farmers who have a vested interest in our success.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Bill to block eminent domain for pipelines faces ‘uphill climb’
JARED STRONG, 2/15/22
“Proposed legislation that would block private companies from using eminent domain to build liquid carbon pipelines on agricultural land won support from an Iowa Senate subcommittee Tuesday,” Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “...Unfortunately, this bill faces an uphill climb on the pathway to becoming law,” Taylor said, “but even when the going is difficult, we have to try to move forward.” Taylor spoke at Tuesday’s subcommittee hearing but he wasn’t a member of the panel and couldn’t vote. Instead, it was Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, and Sen. Craig Williams, R-Manning, who led the charge to advance the bill. “I think it has a lot of merit,” Williams said. “I just don’t think it does exactly what everybody in this room thinks that it does, and it may need some modifications.” The bill was widely supported by those who attended the hearing in person and online, but Williams said the bill might have “unintended consequences” for utilities that are private companies. He said a high-voltage transmission line that was built in recent years with the use of eminent domain might have been doomed by the proposed law if it were in effect at the time.” “...Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, told ICD he would oppose the bill’s recommendation without it being amended. “The bill, in my opinion, just doesn’t get accomplished what we want to get accomplished without collateral damage, and the collateral damage, in my opinion, has tipped the scales the other direction, maybe too far,” he told ICD.
FOX Business: Biden Energy secretary fails to disclose jobs killed by Keystone XL pipeline cancelation
Kelsey Koberg, 2/16/22
“Several lawmakers sent a letter to Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding she complies with a law requiring her agency to disclose the number of jobs lost when President Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline,” FOX Business reports. "At the time of its closure, the Keystone XL pipeline project was already under construction and employed more than 1,500 workers," the letter read. "By the end of 2021, the Keystone XL pipeline was projected to provide approximately 11,000 jobs." "The closure erased thousands of real, high-paying jobs and approximately $800 million in wages," it continued. "Significant prospective spending for rural communities and small businesses, as well as tax revenue for local schools and public safety, disappeared with the stroke of a pen." The provision requiring the Secretary of Energy to provide an estimate of jobs lost was part of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, and provided a 90-day deadline for producing the report. The deadline was Sunday, February 13, 2022, and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital he had not received any information as of Feb. 15. "It's not just the jobs that were lost, it's the tax revenues that went back to the states that was lost, it's the energy security that came with it," Daines told Fox News Digital, noting that many in Montana have already felt the effects of the pipeline's cancelation… "It's almost as if Joe Biden's administration is afraid to confirm how many jobs they killed on Day One in office by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline," Sen. Daines tweeted.
WZFG: ND Senators calling on Biden Administration to publish pipeline job losses
Kyle Cornell, 2/16/22
“U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven are calling on the Biden Administration to release job loss numbers related to the Keystone XL Pipeline shutdown,” WZFG reports. “The U.S. Department of Energy was supposed to publish the job loss report by Sunday, February 13th. The North Dakota Republicans say construction was underway on the pipeline and that the effort employed more than 15-hundred workers. The senators noted that if the project had been allowed to progress, it would have been providing about eleven-thousand jobs by the end of last year.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: TC Energy Moving to Capture More North American Natural Gas and Alternative Energy Opportunities
CAROLYN DAVIS, 2/16/22
“TC Energy Corp. is advancing $24 billion of commercially secured projects – mostly for natural gas capacity – as it charts a path to be the top energy infrastructure company in North America, “now and in the future,” said CEO François Poirier,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “TC, which reports in Canadian dollars (C$1.00/U.S. 79 cents), has nearly $18.2 billion of projects in the queue for natural gas infrastructure, Poirier said during a fourth quarter and 2021 conference call… “The Coastal GasLink pipeline project, designed to move natural gas supply to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project in British Columbia, LNG Canada, is nearly 60% complete, management said. The entire route is cleared and grading is more than 70% complete, with 149 miles of pipeline installed. Reclamation activities are underway in several areas too. However, costs have soared… “In its U.S. natural gas pipeline business, TC is advancing its Modernization III project for Columbia Gas, subject to approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission… “For its U.S. delivery market projects, TC is “actively developing projects that will replace and upgrade certain facilities,” while reducing direct carbon dioxide equivalent, aka CO2e emissions, along portions of the pipeline systems “in principal delivery markets.” “...In Mexico, construction of the Villa de Reyes natural gas pipeline “is ongoing but completion has been delayed due to Covid-19 contingency measures and challenges gaining access to land in certain local communities,” Poirier noted. Besides electrifying the ANR system, a suite of opportunities includes a plan to use renewables to power the Keystone oil system, which moves supply to the Gulf Coast. In addition, TC is partnering with other Canadian pipeline operators for the Alberta Carbon Grid, which would be a world-scale carbon transportation and sequestration system.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: EJ HEARING GETS TESTY
Matthew Choi, 2/16/22
“A House Natural Resources hearing on Democrats’ flagship environmental justice bill descended into a partisan mud fight on the nature of racism,” Politico reports. “The Environmental Justice for All Act, H.R. 2021 (117), would open legal avenues for communities to sue over environmental discrimination and add programs and regulations to ensure marginalized communities don’t suffer from disproportionate environmental harm. Those are measures Democrats say are vital to protect vulnerable communities from unscrupulous industrial interests and to account for cumulative pollution impacts not addressed under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. Republicans meanwhile contend the measure would kneecap economic activity in low-income areas — prompting Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) to later retort “Do jobs fix cancer?” Republicans also disputed that environmental inequality is a racial issue. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) said intentional environmental discrimination was a “conspiracy of racism,” and he argued his district, whose population is over a quarter Black, has a heavy industrial presence because of its location on the Mississippi River. “I've got more chemical and oil and gas plants within a few miles of my house than any of you and I'm not out here yelling about discrimination,” he said. “There's a fit there. I chose to live here.” Rep. Don McEachin (D-Va.) replied that Graves has the resources to relocate if he wanted to, while many residents of vulnerable communities do not.
The Hill: Cassidy places hold on EPA nominees over carbon capture project approval delay
BY ZACK BUDRYK, 2/16/22
“Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Wednesday announced a hold on the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominees, citing what he said were delays in approval of a Louisiana application for carbon capture wells,” The Hill reports. “The Safe Drinking Water Act allows states to apply with the EPA for underground well permitting. Louisiana has already secured such permits for five classes of wells and has applied for underground carbon sequestration wells as well. The application has not moved forward since October, according to Cassidy. Cassidy said he discussed the matter with EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Wednesday after applying the hold. Cassidy called the completion of the application vital to achieving the emissions reductions in the bipartisan infrastructure package President Biden signed in November. Cassidy was one of 19 Republican senators to vote for the package. The Republican senator also noted that the administration itself has expressed support for carbon capture projects. Earlier this week, the White House Council on Environmental Quality said that the Biden administration “recognizes the imperative for CCUS [carbon capture, utilization and storage] actions to be considered in a timely manner and in the context of a strong regulatory regime.”
Utility Dive: Biden administration launches industrial decarbonization initiative, targets $9.5B for clean hydrogen
Ethan Howland, 2/16/22
“With a goal of having net zero GHG emissions by the middle of the century, the Biden administration is targeting the industrial sector, which produced 23.8% of all carbon emissions in 2020, according to a draft emissions inventory released Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Utility Dive reports. “The transportation sector was the leading source of GHG emissions in 2020, accounting for 27.1% of all emissions, followed by the power sector at 24.8% of emissions. Clean hydrogen can play a key role in cutting GHG emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industries such as ammonia and steel, DOE said Tuesday in a request for information about creating regional clean hydrogen hubs… “As part of the overall effort, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued interim guidance to federal agencies to make sure the advancement of "carbon capture, utilization and sequestration" (CCUS) technologies is done in "a responsible manner that incorporates the input of communities and reflects the best available science." To reach net zero GHG emissions goals, the United States will likely have to capture and store "significant quantities" of carbon dioxide, according to a request for comment on the interim guidance. "The successful widespread deployment of responsible CCUS will require strong and effective permitting, efficient regulatory regimes, meaningful public engagement early in the review and deployment process, and measures to safeguard public health and the environment," CEQ said in the request for comment. The infrastructure law included $12 billion in funding for CCUS initiatives, which could be used to remove carbon dioxide from power plant emissions.
Washington Post: Republicans champion Alaska drilling project that poses major climate test for Biden
Maxine Joselow, 2/16/22
“House Republicans on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to move forward with a controversial drilling project proposed in Alaska, saying it would bring enormous economic benefits to the region,” the Washington Post reports. “Their comments referred to ConocoPhillips's Willow project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which poses a significant test of the Biden administration's willingness to block fossil fuel drilling and mining on public lands — activities that account for nearly a quarter of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. The climate context: As the largest oil and gas project on the horizon in the United States, Willow could have a significant impact on the climate. It would pump nearly 600 million barrels of oil over 30 years — equivalent to the annual emissions of about a third of all coal plants in the country… “The Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management is now soliciting public comments on a court-ordered supplemental environmental review of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act. Climate advocates are urging the administration to conduct a sweeping review of Willow's climate effects, including its greenhouse gas emissions. They argue that such a review would show the project should not go forward at all.”
STATE UPDATES
Indianz.com: Public meetings scheduled to protect lands around Chaco Canyon
2/15/22
“The Bureau of Land Management is hosting public meetings next week to discuss protecting ancestral and sacred land in New Mexico from development,” Indianz.com reports. “The BLM is proposing to withdraw 351,479.97 acres around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. If the action is approved, the land will be protected from oil and gas drilling and other types of activities for 20 years. “Chaco Canyon is a sacred place that holds deep spiritual meaning for the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors lived, worked, and thrived in that high desert community and have cared for the area since time immemorial,” said Secretary Deb Haaland, who oversees the BLM in her role as the first Native person to lead the Department of the Interior. Last November, Haaland temporarily put a stop to development around Chaco Culture. She acted primarily at the request of Pueblo tribes and the Navajo Nation, whose leaders oppose oil and gas drilling on sacred and ancestral territory. “For too many years, the Navajo Nation has been assaulted by waves of resource exploitation and legacies of sacrifice zones,” Daniel Tso, a Navajo citizen who serves as a delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, the tribe’s legislative body, told Indianz.com.”
Star Tribune: Minnesota nickel mine project gets $6.2M infusion to study carbon storage
Mike Hughlett, 2/15/22
“Rio Tinto and the federal government will together put up $6.2 million to study the potential of a carbon storage project that would accompany a proposed Minnesota nickel mine,” the Star Tribune reports. “...Talon and Rio's pitch for the mine includes a "direct air" carbon capture system, which would suck CO2 from the air and permanently store it in rock waste from the mine. It's a promising technology, but one that is expensive and in its infancy. The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday awarded $2.2 million to a Rio Tinto-led team of researchers to study storing carbon dioxide underground at the Tamarack site. They will specifically look at how carbon "mineralizes" — or turns to rock — once stored. Rio Tinto will contribute $4 million to the three-year research project, on top of its other investments. Researchers on the project include members of the Energy Department's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which has demonstrated carbon mineralization technology in Washington state; Columbia University; and Carbfix, which is behind a pioneering direct-air-capture carbon capture project in Iceland… “CO2 removed from the air by Carbon Capture's machines would be mixed with mine tailings-and-cement concoction before it's stored underground. The magnesium-rich rock that often accompanies high-grade nickel deposits naturally reacts with carbon dioxide, turning it into rock. This happens over thousands of years.”
StateImpact NPR: Drilling legacy left Pa. full of possibly harmful old oil and gas wells. There’s new hope for cleanup to get a jump-start
Reid Frazier, 2/17/22
“Don Cornell stood in a foot and a half of snow last week in Cornplanter State Forest and pointed through the trees at an old pump jack – the classic see-saw structure used to draw oil out of an underground well,” StateImpact NPR reports. “...This oil well in Cornplanter State Forest in Forest County was drilled in the 1970s, state records show, but was abandoned decades ago when the company that owned it went bankrupt. That means it’s now Cornell’s problem. Companies are supposed to plug wells when they stop producing. But historically, many companies have walked away when they dissolve or go bankrupt, and the state has had few tools to stop them… “President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law includes $4.7 billion dollars for plugging wells – basically, sealing them with cement. Pennsylvania is slated to get $330 million of that money over the next decade… “Perhaps nowhere is that money more needed than in this Northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, Cecile Stelter told NPR. She is a state forester with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in Forest County. “I oftentimes say you can’t swing a stick without hitting something metal out here,” Stelter told NPR. The state can’t even lease the lumber in this part of Cornplanter State Forest to loggers because of the number of abandoned oil wells there.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Alberta's finances set to flip back to black as oil surges, helping premier
By Nia Williams, 2/16/22
“Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta looks set to return to a budget surplus this coming fiscal year, ending seven years of deficit, as surging oil prices swell provincial royalty revenues and provide a boost to Premier Jason Kenney ahead of a spring leadership review,” Reuters reports. “The oil and gas sector accounts for around 17% of Alberta’s GDP, and a rally in U.S. crude to seven-year highs above $90 a barrel is super-charging the royalties that producers pay to extract the province’s vast fossil fuel reserves. Some analysts say the windfall, which could exceed the province’s previous oil royalties record of C$10.8 billion ($8.52 billion), will allow Alberta to balance its books and return to a surplus in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The government unveils its budget on Feb. 24… “The expected bonanza is well-timed for United Conservative Party leader Kenney, who slumped in public opinion polls due to what critics describe as his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He faces a leadership review in April after members of his party called for his resignation. “He is banking on positive economic news that will hold sway over all the other problems he is facing,” Duane Bratt, a politics professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, told Reuters.
Bloomberg: Marathon Petroleum eyes 15% reduction in consumer-related emissions
2/15/22
“Marathon Petroleum Corp. aims to reduce emissions from the burning of the fossil fuels it produces by 15 per cent from 2019 levels through the end of the decade,” Bloomberg reports. “The largest U.S. crude-oil refiner’s new target for so-called Scope 3 emissions – those related to the use of products by consumers – improves the company’s greenhouse-gas disclosures, it said in a statement Monday. The fuelmaker didn’t elaborate on how it plans to achieve the goal. U.S. refiners including Marathon have moved into renewable fuels to reduce their carbon footprint, while falling short of committing to zero out their emissions of global-warming gases. Much like Marathon, Phillips 66 has vowed to slash the carbon-intensity of its products by 15 per cent through 2030… “The Findlay, Ohio-based company said MPLX LP, its pipeline unit, has also established a new 2030 target to cut methane emissions intensity from its natural gas gathering and processing operations by 75 per cent from 2016 levels.”
Reuters: As oil prices soar, U.S. drillers scramble to find sand for fracking
By Liz Hampton, 2/15/22
“With crude prices at their highest levels in years, U.S. oil drillers are trying to boost output fast, but their efforts have been hit by a shortage of sand to use for fracking operations,” Reuters reports. “Crude output is expected to hit records in parts of Texas and New Mexico, the heart of U.S. shale activity. Sand supplies are so tight that it is slowing the pace of work for some oil drillers, and higher costs for sand are eating into the bottom line for others. But demand is still heavy as drillers look to cash in on crude prices that this week touched $95 a barrel, the highest in roughly seven years… “Once over-built and oversupplied, the sand markets have been turned upside down. Consultancy Rystad estimates that spot prices are between $50 and $70 a ton -- a giant leap from prices in early teens at the start of the pandemic and sharply above last year's levels of $20 to $25 per ton… “The sand market is so tight Oestmann told Reuters, because fewer people have been working in the mines and there has been a shortage of truck drivers. He told Reuters his company is looking to bring sand in by rail, a sourcing method that fell out of fashion following the advent of local mines a few years ago.”
Phys.org: Study reveals sunlight can help dissolve oil into seawater
by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2/17/22
“The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill in United States history. The disaster was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, taking 11 lives and releasing nearly 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Twelve years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, scientists are still working to understand where all this oil ended up, a concept known as environmental fate,” Phys.org reports. “The most commonly discussed fates of oil spilled at sea are biodegradation (microorganisms consuming and breaking down the oil), evaporation (liquid oil becoming a gas), and oil stranding on shorelines. But a team of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers have discovered that nearly 10% of the oil floating on the Gulf after the Deepwater Horizon disaster was dissolved into seawater by sunlight, a process called "photo-dissolution." The findings were published today in the paper "Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea" in Science Advances. "The amount of oil that was transformed by sunlight into compounds that dissolved in seawater during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill rivals that of commonly accepted oil fates, like biodegradation and stranding on shorelines," said co-author Collin Ward, assistant scientist in WHOI's Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department… "While our findings suggest that a substantial fraction of surface oil can dissolve into the ocean after sunlight exposure, a logical next step is to evaluate its persistence and potential harm to aquatic animals," Ward said.
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
NPR: Accusations of 'greenwashing' by big oil companies are well-founded, a new study finds
JOE HERNANDEZ, 2/16/22
“Four major oil companies aren't taking concrete steps to live up to their pledges to transition to clean energy, new research has found,” NPR reports. “The study, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, found that Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell used terms like "climate," "low-carbon" and "transition" more frequently in recent annual reports and devised strategies around decarbonization. But their actions on clean energy were mostly pledges and the companies remain financially reliant on fossil fuels… “Using data collected from 2009–2020, the researchers found that the companies often talked about shifting to clean energy without making dramatic changes that would enable them to make a company-wide transition. For example, the paper said BP and Shell have vowed to reduce investments in fossil fuel extraction projects. Instead, they have increased acreage for new oil and gas exploration in recent years. The researchers said they found no evidence that the companies were investing in clean energy at a scale that would allow them to shift away from fossil fuels.”
E&E News: Are oil majors greenwashing? What 12 years of data show
Carlos Anchondo, 2/17/22
“There is a “mismatch” between the public statements of four of the world’s largest oil and gas companies and their actions and investments on clean energy, according to new research that analyzed 12 years of data,” E&E News reports. “The study, published yesterday in the journal PLOS One, focused on Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., BP PLC and Shell PLC. Those companies are responsible for more than 10 percent of global carbon emissions since 1965, the study noted. Using data collected between 2009 and 2020, researchers from Kyoto University and Tohoku University said none of the four majors have entered the renewables market at a scale “that would indicate a shift away from fossil fuels” and that the business models of each company are still dependent on fossil fuels. The authors called for more transparency around each company’s definition of words such as “low-carbon,” “clean energy” and “renewables” and said that until the areas of discourse, actions and investment are “brought into alignment, we conclude that accusations of greenwashing by oil majors are well-founded. “Mitigating further dangerous warming requires these majors to urgently transform their fossil-fuel-based business models rather than merely increase discourse and pledges,” they said… “But while there’s been a rise in keywords used, the study concluded that “American majors continuously exhibit defensive attitudes to renewables investment” and a need to move away from fossil fuels. The study also noted that “fluctuations notwithstanding, relative spending trends indicate that upstream exploration and production of oil and gas remain the pillar business for all majors, especially the American majors.”
OPINION
Ohio River Valley Institute: Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Hub is a Risky Gamble for the Ohio River Valley
Ben Hunkler, 2/14/22
“The newly announced initiative to develop a carbon capture and hydrogen hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is a gamble in the guise of opportunity,” Ben Hunkler wries for the Ohio River Valley Institute. “The project, announced last week by a partnership of major oil and gas companies, would deploy costly, unproven carbon capture, use, and sequestration (CCUS) technology to address greenhouse gas emissions from the region’s carbon-emitting infrastructure. In theory, the technology would capture carbon from steel mills, factories, and other facilities, transport it through a special network of pipelines, and use it or store it in underground salt caverns. The initiative would also develop hydrogen production and utilization.Oil and gas companies claim these technologies can effectively address carbon emissions, sustain the region’s existing natural gas industry, and buoy shale gas employment. But going “all in” on hydrogen and carbon capture comes with a huge cost—one that will be paid in missed opportunities for job growth, economic development, and effective decarbonization. Ohio River Valley Institute research shows that the push for CCUS and hydrogen development will likely turn out to be a costly false promise. Broad investments in unproven decarbonization technologies may well come at the expense of cheaper, more effective climate solutions while prolonging the region’s economic reliance on polluting industries, like coal and shale gas… “Accordingly, other jurisdictions are approaching plans for hydrogen and CCUS development with measured skepticism. Colorado’s state-authorized CCUS task force recently concluded that, while CCUS can play a useful role in decarbonizing hard-to-electrify industries, its use for reducing carbon emissions from electricity generation should be sharply limited when lower-cost and more reliable solutions are available. In sum, the data are unequivocal—broad application of carbon capture technology is an economic non-starter.”
Appalachian Voices: Legal victories against Mountain Valley Pipeline make completion unlikely
Ridge Graham, 2/16/22
“Prospects for the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline are grim for the company and its investors after recent decisions by judges at the federal level and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Ridge Graham writes for Appalachian Voices. “Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit stopped MVP from crossing a section of the Jefferson National Forest… “This is the second time MVP has lost the ability to cross through Jefferson National Forest. One week later, the same panel of judges ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not ensure that endangered species would be protected from the MVP. The court invalidated the agency’s biological opinion and incidental take statement, two additional authorizations that MVP needs in order to harm protected habitats… “Both of these decisions from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals resulted from legal challenges brought by Sierra Club and Appalachian Mountain Advocates on behalf of many environmental groups, including Appalachian Voices… “These decisions are a major blow to the viability of this project, which is already several years behind schedule. It was originally slated for 2018, but will definitely miss its most recently recalculated in-service date of summer 2022. The court identified major flaws in the methods the agency used to grant the now-vacated approvals… “This pipeline will likely face scrutiny from investors at a 2021 end-of-year earnings report during a Feb. 22 shareholder meeting for the primary equity holder behind the project, Equitrans Midstream (ETRN). Analysts predict Equitrans Midstream may report an entire year of decline in earnings… “Even if everything could fall into place for MVP moving forward — which does not seem likely — investors should be asking themselves if it would even be worth the effort, aggravation and cost, much less the irreversible damage to the environment and communities along the pipeline’s path.”
Los Angeles Times: Editorial: Los Angeles lags on building electrification. Now is the time to ban new gas hookups
BY THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, 2/16/22
“Appliances are not as obvious polluters as power plants or diesel trucks, but the gas-fueled stoves, water heaters, furnaces and clothes dryers that predominate in California homes and businesses are a major source of health-damaging and planet-warming emissions. To avert disastrous climate change and protect people’s health, they must be replaced with electric models powered by renewable energy,” the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board writes. “Yet natural gas consumption in California homes and buildings has been rising in recent years. And because there has been a lack of leadership at the state level to electrify buildings, the effort to ban gas and change building codes has been left to cities, leading to a patchwork of progress… “But in Los Angeles there’s been little action since 2019, when Mayor Eric Garcetti released a plan calling for new buildings to be “net-zero carbon” by 2030, and for the entire building stock to be zero-emission by 2050… “City officials are pushing to adopt a ban on gas hookups in new buildings by Jan. 1, 2023, though it’s not clear yet how quickly these new codes would take effect… “But that should not be an excuse to move slowly. Officials should move to phase out gas appliances on an aggressive timeline and make sure that low-income communities of color, renters and others that are hardest hit by pollution and extreme heat receive the benefits rather than the burdens of this shift… “Now that Los Angeles is finally moving to ban gas, it should move quickly, but take care to get it right.”