EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/18/22
PIPELINE NEWS
The Hill: Gas pipeline regulators to consider climate impacts for new projects
E&E News: FERC issues ‘historic’ overhaul of pipeline approvals
GlobalNews.ca: Police officer injured in ‘escalation’ of violence at northern B.C. pipeline site
WHYY: Mariner East pipeline project is finished, after years of environmental damage, construction delays
Michigan Radio: Line 5's impact on climate change being reviewed as part of tunnel decision
AgWeek: Carbon pipelines, corporate farming bring out protesters at Iowa capitol
SouthernMinn.com: Page County reacts to eminent domain request in CO2 pipeline project
AgWeek: Meetings on South Dakota stretch of carbon pipeline set for March
Reuters: Energy Transfer joins in rush to build Permian gas pipeline
Politico: GOP PRESSES FOR KEYSTONE XL TOLL
Press release: California Officials Urged to Decommission Leaky Offshore Oil Pipeline
EcoWatch: Pipeline Spills 500 Barrels of Oil Into Irish Sea on Anniversary of Environmental Disaster
Compressor Tech: U.S. interstate gas pipeline showed growth in 2021
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Dems say ‘Build Back Better’ on White House back burner
Politico: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SCREENING TOOL’S SOFT OPENING
E&E News: White House releases EJ mapping tool amid rising scrutiny
STATE UPDATES
CalMatters: ‘Just transition’ bill for oil industry workers exposes labor rift
EXTRACTION
Reuters: U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it
Washington Post: How electric stoves are poised to dethrone the mighty gas range
WIRED: It Might Be Time To Take Methane Removal Seriously
CLIMATE FINANCE
Guardian: Yale, Stanford and MIT’s fossil fuel investments are illegal, students say
Marketwatch: Influential fund manager Green Century tells insurers to drop Big Oil
Insure Our Future: U.S. INSURANCE INDUSTRY OPPOSES SHAREHOLDERS ON CLIMATE
Bloomberg: Canada’s Biggest Bank Faces Shareholder Vote on Climate Standards
Quartz: European banks “eliminating” carbon lent $38 billion to fossil fuels
OPINION
Ottumwa Courier: LETTER: Carbon pipeline is dangerous, ill-conceived
PIPELINE NEWS
The Hill: Gas pipeline regulators to consider climate impacts for new projects
BY RACHEL FRAZIN, 2/17/22
“A federal agency that considers whether to approve or reject natural gas pipelines will now weigh the projects’ contributions to climate change as part of their decisions,” The Hill reports. “In determining whether a project is in the public interest, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) voted on Thursday to examine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the project’s construction and operations — as well as the emissions from when the gas is ultimately burned to make electricity… “While FERC’s three Democratic commissioners supported the proposal, its two Republican members opposed it. Chairman Richard Glick (D) said that under the new policy, even if a project will have significant climate change impacts, the commission could still find that its benefits outweigh those costs… “The new guidance will be applied immediately, though it was only issued on an interim basis. The agency is currently accepting public comments on it, and may make changes down the line based on that feedback. “The immediate impact is, hopefully, that FERC will no longer be a rubber stamp for pipelines, and that could cause some projects to be rejected,” Gillian Giannetti, a senior attorney in the Sustainable FERC Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Hill.
E&E News: FERC issues ‘historic’ overhaul of pipeline approvals
By Miranda Willson, 2/18/22
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued sweeping new guidance yesterday for natural gas projects, including a first-ever climate change threshold, upending decades of precedent for how major energy infrastructure is approved,” E&E News reports. “FERC updated a 23-year-old policy for assessing proposed natural gas pipelines, adding new considerations for landowners, environmental justice communities and other factors. In a separate but related decision, the commission also laid out a framework for evaluating projects’ greenhouse gas emissions… “But while environmental advocates and some Democratic lawmakers welcomed the decisions, natural gas groups and their allies said the changes could raise energy costs and make it harder to meet demand for gas… “Under the revisions to the certificate policy statement approved yesterday, the commission will consider four major factors before approving a project: the interests of the developer’s existing customers; the interests of existing pipelines and their customers; environmental interests; and the interests of landowners, environmental justice populations and surrounding communities. Henceforward, the commission must weigh all of the benefits against all of the adverse impacts, FERC staff said… “Separate from the policy statement, FERC’s “interim” plan for quantifying natural gas projects’ greenhouse gas emissions also lays out, for the first time, how the agency should determine whether projects’ climate impact may be “significant.” Effective for both new and pending gas proposals, the policy asserts that projects emitting at least 100,000 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent would “have a significant impact on the environment.” A level of 100,000 metric tons of carbon is roughly equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 21,700 cars driven for one year, and about 231,500 barrels of oil, according to EPA.”
GlobalNews.ca: Police officer injured in ‘escalation’ of violence at northern B.C. pipeline site
Elizabeth McSheffrey, 2/17/22
“One police officer was injured in what RCMP in northern British Columbia have described as an allegedly “violent confrontation” with Coastal GasLink pipeline workers,” GlobalNews.ca reports. “Houston RCMP said security officials with the company reported “acts of violence” by masked attackers at their work site by the Marten Forest Service Road early Thursday morning. A police news release said about 20 people, “some armed with axes, were attacking security guards and smashing their vehicle windows.” All Coastal GasLink staff were able to leave the area safely, police said… “After the call from Coastal GasLink, police officers attended the 41-kilometre mark on the road to find it blocked with trees, tar-covered stumps, wire, spiked boards, and some debris on fire. “As police worked their way through the debris and traps, several people threw smoke bombs and fire-lit sticks at the police, injuring one officer,” Houston RCMP claimed in the release. At the 43-kilometre mark, police said an old school bus blocked the road, but it was eventually cleared. At the 63-kilometre mark, they said they found “significant damage” to heavy machinery, fencing and portable buildings. No one has been arrested and police have not identified potential suspects, Cpl. Madonna Saunderson told GlobalNews… “Police enforcement of the B.C. Supreme Court-ordered injunction that stops opponents from impeding access to Coastal GasLink’s activities, permitted under Canadian law, has been heavily criticized and scrutinized.”
WHYY: Mariner East pipeline project is finished, after years of environmental damage, construction delays
Susan Phillips, 2/17/22
“Pipeline builder Energy Transfer says it has finished the troubled 350-mile-long Mariner East natural gas liquids project — five years after construction began, two years after the initial planned completion date, and several months after the state Attorney General’s office filed 48 criminal charges against the Texas-based company,” WHYY reports. “The bulk of the product will be shipped to Scotland to make plastics… “The end of pipeline construction means the focus will be on shipping more Marcellus and Utica Shale gas overseas — something welcomed by building trades looking to boost jobs at the export terminal in Marcus Hook, but dreaded by those living with an operating pipeline in their backyards. “This is bad news,” Ginny Marcille-Kerslake, a Chester County resident and organizer for Food and Water Watch, told WHYY. “Putting the … Mariner East 2 pipeline into operation means increased risk of a catastrophic explosion in densely populated communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania.” Kerslake told WHYY there are no good emergency plans in the event of a leak. The pipes contain natural gas liquids (NGL) including ethane, butane and propane. They are not odorized, and are heavier than air. When a leak occurs, they sink and can easily ignite and explode. She told WHYY families are “put at unacceptable risk for this out-of-state corporation to profit from shipping fracked ethane overseas for more plastic junk. Relying on luck is not enough.” “...The DEP has issued more than 120 notices of violations to Energy Transfer, which has paid more than $20 million in fines and assessments since construction began in February 2017. The state Public Utility Commission temporarily shut down the operation of the Mariner East 1 pipeline in 2018 over safety concerns. Residents and environmental groups say those fines did not deter the company from continuing to damage ecosystems and put neighbors at risk… “Christina “PK” DiGiulio lives by Marsh Creek in Chester County and used drones to document construction. “It’s been a reckless process,” she told WHYY. “This is the DEP enabling a criminal entity to push their pipe through without doing proper groundwater impact studies and protecting the health and safety of the people.”
Michigan Radio: Line 5's impact on climate change being reviewed as part of tunnel decision
Lester Graham, 2/18/22
“The Michigan Public Service Commission is best known as the government body that decides whether gas and electric utilities can raise their rates. But, the commission has other duties. Right now, it’s looking at whether Enbridge Energy’s plans to move a segment of its Line 5 oil and liquid natural gasses pipeline into a tunnel is safe,” Michigan Radio reports. “In an unusual move, the commission is also reviewing what keeping Line 5 operating means for climate change… “Evaluating the impact on climate change if Line 5 continues to operate is new. “We need to start treating climate as the expensive problem that it is,” Margrethe Kearney, a senior attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, told Michigan Radio. She said the fact that the Public Service Commission is weighing those costs is precedent-setting for Michigan… “Kearney told Michigan Radio it’s possible the Commission could turn down a permit to move Line 5 to the tunnel. Governor Whitmer has ordered Enbridge Energy to shut down Line 5, a matter that federal or state courts could decide. Enbridge could be forced to find different ways to get the Alberta tar sands oil to Canadian and U.S. markets some other way… “Jonathan Overpeck is the Dean at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. He is one of the Nobel prize-winning authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. “The amount of fossil fuel that gets transported through that pipeline in that tunnel will be huge. And it's equivalent to multiple coal fired power plants per year. And the climate change damages associated with that will be in the billions of dollars per year. He told Michigan Radio Line 5 is beyond its intended lifespan. It’s been hit and damaged by boat anchors. He added it’s an unsafe threat of an oil spill in the Great Lakes. He believes it should be shut down and a tunnel under the Straits should not be constructed.”
AgWeek: Carbon pipelines, corporate farming bring out protesters at Iowa capitol
Jeff Beach, 2/17/22
“Landowners and environmentalists are holding out hope that a bill to stop the use of eminent domain for gaining pipeline right-of-way could still resurface at the Iowa Legislature,” AgWeek reports. “A group rallied at the capitol on Thursday, Feb. 17, a day after the Senate Commerce Committee chose not to bring the pipeline bill to a vote, making it a long-shot that it will be revived this session. Emma Schmit, an organizer in Iowa for the group Food and Water Watch told AgWeek supporters want Senate President Jake Chapman to reassign the bill to the Ways and Means Committee, where it could it still get a vote. She said another option for the bill, SF 2160 sponsored by Republican Jeff Taylor, would be to add it as an amendment to another piece of legislation… “I’ve worked my whole life to steward my land and property, and am not about to let that go without a fight,” Dan Wahl, a landowner and farmer from Dickinson County said in a news release. “What Summit, Navigator and Wolf want to do is nothing short of property theft, and our legislators need to stand up to that nonsense. Landowners and farmers are constituents and voters — our needs cannot be silenced. SF 2160 deserves a fair shot.”
SouthernMinn.com: Page County reacts to eminent domain request in CO2 pipeline project
2/17/22
“Page County officials are reacting to the potential use of eminent domain in a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” SouthernMinn.com reports. “During its regular meeting this week, the Page County Supervisors recapped a significant discussion from the Iowa State Association of Counties meeting last week. Supervisor Chuck Morris, who attended the meeting, says a topic of concern for several supervisors in Iowa, which would house over 700 miles of the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions' Midwest Carbon Express pipeline, was the private company's ability to use eminent domain that could be granted through the Iowa Utilities Board. “...While the IUB can grant eminent domain for projects that serve a public benefit, including hazardous liquid pipelines, which encompasses Summit's project, Supervisor Jacob Holmes says he is unsure of the precedent that it could set. "Just like with lakes and everything else, it's got to be for a common public purpose," Holmes said. "And if investors can start, even if it's a positive thing they're doing, can start using eminent domain, that's a scary thing."
AgWeek: Meetings on South Dakota stretch of carbon pipeline set for March
Jeff Beach, 2/18/22
“A series of five meetings have been scheduled in South Dakota to gather public input on one the controversial carbon capture pipelines planned to run through the state,” AgWeek reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions filed for a permit with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission earlier this month to build a pipeline that would run through 18 counties in the state… “The $4.5 billion project would gather carbon from 31 ethanol plants, 11 of them in South Dakota, allowing the plant to sell fuel for a premium on the low-carbon market… “While not specific to the pipeline, PUC commissioners and staff also will meet with the public at the Sioux Empire Home Show, Feb. 25-27, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center & Arena. Public comments also can be submitted the PUC by email at PUC@state.sd.us Some comments already submitted show the controversial nature of the pipeline. A comment from Kevin and Kay Lapka of Leola, South Dakota, read, in part: "We object to a hazardous material like CO2 in liquid form at great pressure pumped across any land in our great state of South Dakota. "We object to the company tactics of trying to gain permission for surveying, being told no, and still trespassing. SCS has hassled landowners with phone calls and home visits." A letter from the McPherson County Commission, filed before the Summit application was submitted, said the commission had passed a moratorium on new pipelines to carry hazardous materials in the county, citing safety risks.”
Reuters: Energy Transfer joins in rush to build Permian gas pipeline
2/17/22
“Energy Transfer LP (ET.N) has joined a growing list of energy companies looking to build the next pipeline to transport growing amounts of natural gas production from the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. shale field, in West Texas and eastern New Mexico to export hubs on the Gulf Coast,” Reuters reports. "Given the proposed route and our ability to utilize existing assets, we believe we could complete construction of (the Permian) project in two years or less once we have reached FID (final investment decision)," Energy Transfer Co-Chief Executive Thomas Long told analysts on an earnings call late Wednesday. With production growing fast in the Permian and demand rising from new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants on the Gulf Coast, several companies are already looking to add new gas pipelines in the region, including units of Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI.N) and MPLX LP. Analysts at Mizuho told Reuters Energy Transfer likely squeezed past Kinder Morgan into the lead position to build the next Permian pipeline since Energy Transfer's project could add around 1.5-2.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of transport capacity with only around 260 miles (418-kilometer) of new pipe… “Energy Transfer also said it started building the Gulf Run pipeline in Louisiana to move gas from the Haynesville Shale in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana to the Gulf Coast… “Marshall McCrea, Energy Transfer's other co-CEO, told analysts the company was still working on its own LNG export project at Lake Charles in Louisiana.”
Politico: GOP PRESSES FOR KEYSTONE XL TOLL
Matthew Choi, 2/17/22
”Senate Republicans are pushing the Energy Department to deliver a report on the consequences of canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Joe Biden blocked on his first day in office,” Politico reports. “The issue of the pipeline has been one of Republicans’ favorite attack points, and DOE was required to produce the report under the bipartisan infrastructure package. Republicans want an estimate on the total number of jobs lost due to the cancellation and its estimated costs on consumer energy prices… “A DOE spokesperson told Politico the agency was making progress on the report, but didn't mention a timeframe on delivering it. The overwhelming majority of jobs that would have been created by the pipeline were for temporary construction positions, and the project would have only created around 50 permanent new jobs, The Washington Post’s fact checker found.”
Press release: California Officials Urged to Decommission Leaky Offshore Oil Pipeline
2/17/22
“Eight conservation groups asked California officials today to reject plans to repair and restart a broken pipeline that caused a December oil spill in coastal waters off Orange County. Today’s letter to the State Lands Commission and Cal Fire urges the retirement and decommissioning of DCOR’s pipeline 0919, which runs from Platform Eva through state waters to shore. The State Lands Commission is considering plans to restart the pipeline. “Allowing this leaky pipeline to start pumping oil again would create an unacceptable and totally unnecessary risk for California’s coastal communities and wildlife,” said Miyoko Sakashita, the letter author and director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Oceans program. “The State Lands Commission needs to shut down California’s rickety offshore oil drilling. It’s infuriating that oil companies suck out the profits and pollute the coast while state officials continue to bow to the industry.” A crack in Pipeline 0919 caused a December oil spill near Bolsa Chica State Beach. The state has confirmed that the imminent pollution threat has been abated because the pipeline has been clamped and purged of oil, but officials could authorize it to resume operations… “Today's letter was signed by the Center, Surfrider Foundation, Environment America, Environment California, Friends of the Earth, Heal the Bay, Climate First Replacing Oil & Gas, and Ocean Conservation Research.
EcoWatch: Pipeline Spills 500 Barrels of Oil Into Irish Sea on Anniversary of Environmental Disaster
Olivia Rosane, 2/17/22
“A pipeline leak off the coast of Wales spilled around 500 barrels of oil into the Irish Sea on Monday on the anniversary of one of the worst ecological disasters in Welsh history,” EcoWatch reports. “The pipeline, which runs between oil installations at Conwy and Douglas, experienced a failure and has since been shut off, The Guardian reported. It is operated by a company called Eni UK… “Sefton Council in Lancashire, on the other hand, warned that tar balls could wash up along its shoreline… “The incident comes as a reminder of the dangers of fossil fuel use. It occured on the 26th anniversary of Wales’ worst environmental disaster, when the Sea Empress oil tanker spilled 72,000 tonnes of crude off the Pembrokeshire coast, The Guardian reported. The incident, which occured on February 15, 1996, took more than a year to clean and claimed the lives of birds and invertebrates. “It’s 26 years to the day since the Sea Empress disaster wrought ecological havoc on the Welsh coast… ” CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link Dr. Richard Benwell told The Guardian. “Fossil fuel spills are again threatening the wildlife in our waters, which are already in a precarious state. The sooner we break our dependence on these dirty fuels the better.”
Compressor Tech: U.S. interstate gas pipeline showed growth in 2021
Keefe Borden, 2/17/22
“Midstream operators continued to add additional capacity to the U.S. pipeline network in 2021, but that growth was the lowest since 2016, according to a recent study from the U.S. Energy Information Administration,” Compressor Tech reports. “Those operators added a total of 7.44 Bcf/d, according to the Natural Gas Pipeline Projects Tracker. About 5 Bcf/d of that additional internstate natural gas pipeline capacity transports gas into and within the South Central region, which includes Texas and the Gulf Coast market. Most of the additional capacity serves the growing demand from LNG exporters, the EIA reported. Two of the three major new pipeline projects in the South Central region are related to Venture Global’s newly commissioned Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana. The first, the TransCameron pipeline, is a 1.9 Bf/d, a 24-mil lateral, which delivers feedgas to the terminal. The second new project is Enbridge’s Cameron Extension Project, a 0.75 Bcf/d expansion on the Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline (TETCO) that connects with the TransCameron pipeline. The Double E pipeline is another major project that increased capacity in the South Central region. It carries 1.35 Bcf/d 135-miles from southeastern New Mexico to the Waha Hub in western Texas. Midstream operators added a total of 1.6 Bcf/d in the Northeast region. About half of that new capacity came from two related projects. The 0.58 Bcf/d Leidy South Expansion Project boosts takeaway capacity from the Transcontinental Pipeline, which takes gas from the Appalachian Basin into the East Coast markets, the EIA reported.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Dems say ‘Build Back Better’ on White House back burner
By Emma Dumain, Nick Sobczyk, 2/18/22
“The $1.7 trillion climate and social spending package once the centerpiece of the Democrats’ domestic agenda barely registered as a blip on the radar during a meeting yesterday with Senate Democrats and White House chief of staff Ron Klain, according to lawmakers in attendance,” E&E News reports. “That the legislation is now taking a back seat to other issues President Biden is poised to discuss in his March 1 State of the Union address is another warning sign that party leaders have no plans to revive the “Build Back Better Act,” with its $550 billion investment in programs to help the environment, anytime soon… “The State of the Union is still two weeks off, but if Biden sidesteps the bill, it would serve as a stark admission that the party is running out of options, or perhaps political will, to salvage it… “There are also calls for Biden to use executive actions to enact policies unilaterally, but the White House has so far been mum on whether Biden will go that route. It would be sure to spark Republican accusations of abuse of power. Moreover, executive actions lack the force of law to withstand reversal by a potential GOP successor in 2024, 2028 or beyond.”
Politico: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SCREENING TOOL’S SOFT OPENING
Matthew Choi, 2/17/22
“The White House considers 93 million people living in 23,400 census tracts as disadvantaged under its Justice40 initiative, according to a beta of the Council on Environmental Quality’s Justice40 screener that briefly published online Wednesday,” Politico reports. “...Under the draft screener, communities are considered disadvantaged if they are both low income and if they are at or above the 90th percentile for any one of the following: expected agriculture, building or population loss rate; diesel particulate matter exposure or traffic proximity and volume; proximity to hazardous waste facilities; asthma, diabetes, heart disease or low life expectancy; Energy cost burden score; Housing cost burden; Wastewater discharge. There are other eligible criteria, including high school degree achievement, linguistic isolation, unemployment, percentage under the federal poverty level and median house value… “What isn’t included is any mention of race or ethnicity. Though environmental harms disproportionately impact communities of color and administration officials have evoked the challenges of people of color in discussing environmental justice, linking race to EJ benefits has garnered aggressive pushback from the right. During a House Natural Resources hearing on Democrats’ flagship environmental justice bill, which includes specific provisions to protect communities from racial discrimination, Republicans argued that environmental harm was not a racial issue, with ranking member Garret Graves calling it a “conspiracy of racism.”
E&E News: White House releases EJ mapping tool amid rising scrutiny
Jean Chemnick, 2/18/22
“The White House Council on Environmental Quality will release a preliminary mapping tool this morning aimed at identifying communities across the country that would be eligible for federal investment under President Biden’s flagship environmental justice initiative,” E&E News reports. “The draft Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool zeroes in on census tracts that are both low-income and at risk from climate change, pollution or underinvestment. The locations could be the beneficiaries of Biden’s promise to channel 40 percent of climate and clean energy investment to disadvantaged communities. The tool, developed by CEQ and the U.S. Digital Service, has already come under fire from some environmental justice experts because it does not explicitly use race as an indicator. But CEQ officials told reporters on a virtual briefing yesterday that the decision to target economic and environmental characteristics instead is one way to “ensure that this tool is built to withstand potential legal challenges.” Republican governors and members of Congress have been critical of Biden’s Justice40 commitment, especially as it relates to how money would be spent under last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law. Some governors have insisted that the Biden administration defer to states on how those dollars would be spent, rather than seeking to impose climate and environmental justice priorities on the funds.”
STATE UPDATES
CalMatters: ‘Just transition’ bill for oil industry workers exposes labor rift
BY JESSE BEDAYN, 2/17/22
“Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a leading environmental lawmaker, has a bill to create a state fund to support and retrain oil industry workers as California strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and end fossil fuel production in the state. But the ‘just transition’ bill is pitting unions against unions,” CalMatters reports. “The idea of guiding California’s 112,000 oil industry workers out of their current field and into other careers is often referred to as “just transition,” and is considered by policy researchers a necessary step to counter job losses as the state strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But even with a Democratic supermajority in the state Legislature, such a proposal faces an uphill battle because it’s pitting unions against unions… “The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California – known as the Trades – which represents labor groups that include Ironworkers, electrical workers and Teamsters, worry about losing good-paying jobs. Last year, The Trades opposed a bill that would have prevented oil drilling near schools and communities, citing job losses. This time, however, the Trades is being countered by another group of unions including steelworkers, municipal workers and teachers. Although the current bill doesn’t specify an amount, those unions hope the state will dedicate $470 million annually for wage subsidies and training to help workers move into the growing green energy sector. Trades leaders say that beginning to dismantle the industry now will only push workers into lower-paid jobs. Instead, Trades officials say, the state should invest in big-ticket infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and offshore wind projects that will create comparable jobs to what workers have been doing for decades.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it
By John Geddie, Valerie Volcovici and Joe Brock, 2/18/22
“United Nations member states are set to meet this month in Nairobi to draft the blueprint for a global plastics treaty, a deal that could see countries agree for the first time to reduce the amount of single-use plastics they produce and use,” Reuters reports. “It's being touted as the most important environmental pact since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. A global explosion of disposable plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is increasing carbon emissions, despoiling the world's oceans, harming wildlife and contaminating the food chain. More than 50 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, are calling for the pact to include measures targeting plastic production. That's a problem for big oil and chemical companies. The industry is projected to double plastic output worldwide within two decades. Publicly, plastic industry groups representing firms like ExxonMobil Corp (XOM.N), Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Dow Inc (DOW.N), have expressed support for a global agreement to tackle this garbage. Behind the scenes, however, these trade organizations are devising strategies to persuade conference participants to reject any deal that would limit plastic manufacturing, according to emails and company presentations seen by Reuters, as well as interviews with a dozen officials involved in the negotiations. Leading that effort is the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a powerful group of U.S.-based oil and chemical firms.”
Washington Post: How electric stoves are poised to dethrone the mighty gas range
Meg St-Esprit McKivigan, 2/17/22
“Tanuj Deora works in the energy industry — specifically to decarbonize energy systems. That’s the technical term for efforts to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. It’s a vast and complex problem, but Deora and his family try to do their part. At their home in Northwest Washington, they have solar panels, LED lightbulbs and a hybrid minivan. In the kitchen, though, the issue of fossil fuel usage was more personal. Their natural gas cooktop was making Deora sick,” the Washington Post reports. ““I would get a headache whenever the gas was running,” he told the Post, so he started looking into replacing their gas stove. But first, he had to sell his wife, Amy, on the idea… “This cooktop isn’t just adequate for cooking — it’s better than the gas stove was,” Deora says. Gas cooktops do have some advantages. With gas, you can control the flame, and it’s easy to get the temperature you need, which has made it a preferred choice for those who consider themselves to be serious cooks… “Is it really that much better, though? The fossil fuel industry wants you to think so. Since the 1930s, it has targeted consumers with well-placed ads. It embraced the term “natural gas” to increase consumer confidence in indoor combustion. It even created a catchy rap in the 1980s, all in an effort to increase gas usage. The industry also flooded the market with images of massive gas ranges as the keystone of aspirational kitchens. But as new data emerges about health concerns, and as more Americans rethink their use of fossil fuels, the mighty gas stove might be facing dethronement.”
WIRED: It Might Be Time To Take Methane Removal Seriously
Gregory Barber, 2/17/22
“IF YOU HAVE ever heard of the claylike mineral known as zeolite, chances are you share your home with a cat,” WIRED reports. “...So perhaps, Jackson and other scientists suggest, it's time to think about removing methane from the atmosphere, in addition to cutting back on new emissions. It’s an idea that’s far more advanced for carbon dioxide—and perhaps for good reason, given that CO2 is the leading cause of warming and that humanity will be living with today's CO2 emissions for thousands of years. But with methane, proponents argue there’s a rationale for swift action—a chance to return to preindustrial levels within decades, thanks to its short life span. Jackson and other scientists have argued that the heating effects of methane are chronically undervalued, because current climate policies emphasize long-term temperature goals that extend far beyond the lifetime of a methane molecule. The value of reducing methane levels spikes when you factor in the benefits of preventing warming now. But the idea presents a paradox: There may be too much methane coming from everywhere to do that with emission cutbacks alone, Jackson says. Yet perhaps there’s not enough of it in the air to feasibly take it out.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Guardian: Yale, Stanford and MIT’s fossil fuel investments are illegal, students say
Chris McGreal, 2/16/22
“Students at five leading universities have filed legal complaints accusing their colleges of breaking a little-known law by investing in the fossil fuel companies responsible for the climate emergency,” the Guardian reports. “The students from Yale, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Vanderbilt wrote to the attorneys general of their respective states on Wednesday asking authorities to investigate breaches of the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, which requires universities to invest in a manner consistent with their “charitable purposes”. The novel legal strategy, developed with lawyers from the Climate Defense Project, argues that the law imposes a legal duty to put the public interest first and that their universities, among the wealthiest and most prestigious colleges in the country, are failing to do so by investing in fossil fuel companies that cause damage to the environment and health. In addition, the complaints say that investments in coal, oil and gas are not financially responsible, as required by the law, because the industries have an uncertain future… “In their letter to Tennessee’s attorney general, Herbert Slatery, students, faculty and alumni at Vanderbilt University accused the college’s board of trustees of breaching its duties with investments from its $10bn endowment. “We ask that you investigate this conduct and use your enforcement powers to bring the Board of Trust’s investment practices into compliance with its fiduciary obligations,” the letter said. Hannah Reynolds, an anthropology student and co-coordinator of Divest Princeton, told the Guardian the group filed the complaint after her university failed to act on earlier proposals to shed investments in fossil fuel companies. “There’s been nine years of fossil fuel divestment organising at Princeton and no commitment or action by Princeton. We’ve exercised every option, we’ve made every argument that we can, and Princeton hasn’t taken it seriously,” she told the Guardian.
Marketwatch: Influential fund manager Green Century tells insurers to drop Big Oil
Rachel Koning Beals, 2/17/22
“Green Century Capital Management tried to use shareholder muscle to persuade at least a trio of insurance companies to drop fossil-fuel clients,” Marketwatch reports. “So far, the insurance firms aren’t biting; all three have filed no-action requests with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The resolutions, in advance of proxy season this spring, call on Chubb CB, -0.70%, Travelers TRV, -1.30% and The Hartford HIG, -0.28% to take this bold step as private-sector efforts to curb global warming from the burning of coal, oil CL00, -1.98% and gas NG00, -2.40% pick up, alongside global government action. The insurance resolutions represent the first time that shareholders have laid down this sizable challenge to this industry for what the activists say are its contributions to the climate crisis… “The insurance resolutions call on each company’s board of directors to “adopt and disclose new policies to help ensure that its underwriting practices do not support new fossil fuel supplies, in alignment with the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s net-zero emissions by 2050 scenario.” “Investors are demanding that insurance companies stop supporting the rampant expansion of fossil fuels that is driving the climate crisis,” Elana Sulakshana, senior energy campaigner at Rainforest Action Network, an environmental advocate that tracks financial services relationships with companies it believes hurt the Amazon rain forest and other areas, told Marketwatch. “But instead of taking concrete action to limit fossil fuel insuring and investing, Chubb, Travelers and The Hartford are trying to silence their shareholders and continue business as usual.”
Insure Our Future: U.S. INSURANCE INDUSTRY OPPOSES SHAREHOLDERS ON CLIMATE
2/16/22
“Green Century Capital Management has filed resolutions calling on insurers Chubb, Travelers, and The Hartford to stop underwriting new fossil fuel projects,” according to Insure Our Future. “All three have filed no-action requests with the SEC. These resolutions represent the first time that shareholders have made a broad challenge to the insurance industry for its contributions to the climate crisis. “Investors are demanding that insurance companies stop supporting the rampant expansion of fossil fuels that is driving the climate crisis. They are part of a growing shareholder movement calling on companies to align their business with a 1.5ºC pathway. But instead of taking concrete action to limit fossil fuel insuring and investing, Chubb, Travelers, and The Hartford are trying to silence their shareholders and continue business as usual,” said Elana Sulakshana, Senior Energy Campaigner at Rainforest Action Network. The resolutions filed by Green Century, which are part of a larger wave of shareholder activism against both fossil fuels companies and their financial backers, call on each company’s board of directors to “adopt and disclose new policies to help ensure that its underwriting practices do not support new fossil fuel supplies, in alignment with the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario.” The IEA has concluded that there is no room for any fossil fuel expansion if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.
Bloomberg: Canada’s Biggest Bank Faces Shareholder Vote on Climate Standards
Alastair Marsh and Natasha White, 2/16/22
“Royal Bank of Canada shareholders will vote on whether the bank should tighten its standards for sustainable finance, action inspired by a 2021 pipeline financing deal that was criticized for greenwashing and general concern over lax standards for so-called sustainability-linked debt,” Bloomberg reports. “Investors for Paris Compliance, a shareholder advocacy group set up last year to hold Canadian companies accountable for their net zero commitments, filed a resolution calling on Canada’s biggest bank to “update its criteria for ‘sustainable finance.’” Debt with that label should “preclude fossil fuel activity and projects facing significant opposition from indigenous peoples,” the group told Bloomberg.”
Quartz: European banks “eliminating” carbon lent $38 billion to fossil fuels
Tim McDonnell, 2/18/22
“In a bluegrass song by Gillian Welch, a woman, Miss Ohio, drives down the highway, the ragtop of her convertible down. She is trying hard to listen to her better angels, but can’t quite hear them. “I wanna do right,” she says in Welch’s song, “but not right now,” Quartz reports. “That, effectively, is the soundtrack for the world’s biggest financial institutions right now. They’re ready to talk about eliminating carbon emissions from their lending portfolios—just not do it quite yet. More than 100 commercial leading banks have set net-zero targets. But many of the same banks continue to pour tens of billions of dollars into the oil, gas, and coal industries, according to two new reports out this week. The reports show the scale of finance supporting companies with plans to expand their fossil fuel production, at a time when scientists and analysts agree they should instead be rapidly switching to cleaner alternatives. European banks have provided $400 billion to oil and gas companies…”
OPINION
Ottumwa Courier: LETTER: Carbon pipeline is dangerous, ill-conceived
Carole Simmons, Fairfield, 2/3/22
“The proposed CO2 pipelines currently threatening to cross the Iowa landscape need to be stopped,” Carole Simmons writes for the Ottumwa Courier. “At recent meetings for the Navigator Heartland CO2 pipeline held in Wapello and six other southeast Iowa counties, landowners were clearly opposed. Their experience with the Dakota Access pipeline was of broken promises and uncompensated damage to their fields. These folks are not inclined to believe the promises from Navigator about how carefully the pipeline will be installed… “Eminent domain should not be used to acquire the right-of-way for these pipelines. Eminent domain is meant for projects that are for public use, such as electricity grids or natural gas. The proposed multi-billion dollar CO2 pipelines cannot be described that way. They are not real solutions to climate change, but instead take advantage of taxpayer-funded programs to generate huge profits for out-of-state investors… “Ask your county supervisors to join the eighteen Iowa counties that have gone on record with the IUB in opposition to these CO2 pipelines. Urge your state legislators to support a bill to limit the use of eminent domain to projects that are truly in the public good. Help protect our state from this dangerous and ill-conceived boondoggle.”