EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/1/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Washington Post: The clumsy effort to criticize Biden on Ukraine using Keystone
Associated Press: MT pays $60k, settles public records case over pipeline docs
Politico: VA LAWMAKERS PRESS FERC TO END MVP BUILD
Redfield Press: Landowners meet in Redfield to discuss CO2 Pipeline
Center for Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Launched to Protect Endangered Bats From Methane Gas Pipeline
Bismarck Tribune: PSC to hold gas pipeline hearing
The Progressive: The Fight Against Line 3 Isn’t Over Yet
Los Angeles Times: Blame game over O.C. oil spill heats up as pipeline company sues shipping firms
Reuters: Kinder Morgan says it's working to identify cause of Georgia diesel spill
Press release: Energy Transfer Executes Definitive Agreement to Sell Its Interest in Energy Transfer Canada
WASHINGTON UPDATES
STATE UPDATES
Press release: AG Paxton Pushes Back Against Biden EPA’s War Against Texas Oil & Gas
OPB: Zenith Energy appeals land-use ruling on Portland oil terminal permit denial
InsideClimate News: How One Native American Tribe is Battling for Control Over Flaring
Hawaii News Now: Navy Finds High Levels Of Petroleum, Lead, Other Compounds In Tap Water
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Straddling the divide between environmental action and energy revenue
EXTRACTION
Politico: IPCC: A WORLD OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS
CNN: Shell follows BP out of Russia as oil companies abandon Putin
Wall Street Journal: In Symbolic Move, Canada Bans Russian Oil Imports
OPINION
The Globe: Letter: Look for truthful information about carbon pipeline
Star Tribune: In Indian Country, the Biden presidency is a revelation
Madison.com: Ron Spoerl: Let oil and gas pipeline detour tribal land in northern Wisconsin
Esquire: Let's Have a Look at the Latest Climate Report Before We Get to Revisiting the Keystone Pipeline
FOX News: Ukraine crisis: US must lead again on energy before it is too late
PIPELINE NEWS
Washington Post: The clumsy effort to criticize Biden on Ukraine using Keystone
Philip Bump, 2/28/22
“In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been a number of lines of argument aimed at criticizing President Biden for purportedly making the attack possible or inevitable. There have also been arguments that Biden’s decisions made the United States’ position worse, perhaps the foremost of which centers on one of his first moves as president,” the Washington Post reports. “On Jan. 21, 2021, Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline project, an expansion of an existing conduit for tar-sands oil from Canada to the central United States. The pipeline had been a focus of activism for years, with Barack Obama first rejecting and Donald Trump later approving its construction. For a variety of reasons, which we’ll get into in a second, Biden placed the final nail, meaning that the proposal aimed at increasing the amount of product brought into the country by pipeline would not become reality. The argument, then, goes like this: Had Biden not canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, we could have offset the oil that is imported from Russia, giving us more flexibility in imposing sanctions on that country. This is not a strong argument… “That’s the false choice presented by Crenshaw and others. Instead of replacing the energy-generating capacity that is provided by Russian oil (not all of which goes to energy production, of course), why not replace the equivalent amount with non-fossil-fuel-based sources, instead of just Canadian oil? At his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Biden is expected to advocate once again for reducing U.S. emissions, a plan that could reduce the use of oil for electricity generation or for vehicles. Eliminating reliance on Russian oil would be good, but doing so by relying on oil from some other country is not the best path forward.cAn interesting side note to all of this is that Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, decided against imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil industry anyway, worried about the sorts of global market factors that could cause gas prices to spike. There have not been many calls from Biden’s opponents to trigger gas-price increases as a way of inflicting more pain on Russia, largely because the point of the Keystone XL comparison isn’t to hurt Russia in the first place. The point is to hurt Biden.’
Associated Press: MT pays $60k, settles public records case over pipeline docs
2/28/22
“The state of Montana has paid more than $60,000 to the ACLU of Montana to settle a case over its refusal to release documents related to the state's preparations for anticipated protests against the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that was to cross northeastern Montana,” the Associated Press reports. “...The payment covered the ACLU's attorney's fees and court costs. The ACLU sued in February 2020 after records it requested in 2018 were provided in heavily redacted form, while other documents were withheld without legal justification, the ACLU said. The state attempted to place a gag order on the information it did provide, the ACLU said. The ACLU alleged that public records requests it filed with federal agencies in 2018 showed that Montana's Division of Criminal Investigation and Disaster and Emergency Services were working with federal and local agencies to clamp down on potential protests over the now-defunct Keystone XL project. The state initially released fewer than 50 pages of emails and other documents related to the ACLU request, but after litigation in 2020 and 2021, the state eventually released hundreds of documents it had previously withheld, ACLU attorney Alex Rate told AP. The documents that were eventually released showed coordination between law enforcement in Montana and TransCanada — now TC Energy — the company behind the Keystone XL proposal. Emails also showed private security contractors working for TransCanada attended training and provided presentations to law enforcement and other government officials in 2017 and 2018, as plans for the pipeline were being made.”
Politico: VA LAWMAKERS PRESS FERC TO END MVP BUILD
Matthew Choi, 2/28/22
“A group of Democratic Virginia lawmakers urged FERC to issue a stop-work order for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, in a letter sent Friday, given numerous federal permitting setbacks,” Politico reports. “Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit invalidated an environmental review from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers subsequently signaled it would not be able to move forward with its own analysis until a “valid” biological review is issued. But lawmakers are concerned that without FERC intervention project developers will continue to build — risking potential environmental harm. “We have no confidence that MVP, LLC would perform construction procedures without jeopardizing Virginia’s water resources, and our constituents are very concerned that any new ground-disturbing activities may negatively impact their communities,” the 13 lawmakers wrote. “We look for agency assurance that construction efforts will cease until all required federal authorizations have been duly reissued.” One of the pipeline’s developers last week indicated it was skeptical about the project's odds of completion. In an SEC filing, co-developer NextEra Energy said the pipeline had a “very low probability” of being completed, citing “continued legal and regulatory challenges.”
Redfield Press: Landowners meet in Redfield to discuss CO2 Pipeline
Shiloh Appel, 2/24/22
“On the frigid winter evening of Wednesday, February 2nd, at 5:30p.m., landowners from 12 counties were invited to the Spink County 4-H building in Redfield to discuss the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline. Not all 12 counties invited were represented at the meeting, but approximately 80 landowners were in attendance,” the Redfield Press reports. “...In the February 2nd landowner meeting in Redfield, local farmers and ranchers discussed their concerns with the project. They also showed a video of the CO2 pipeline rupture that occurred in Satartia, Mississippi in February of 2020, causing 49 hospitalizations. “We have a lot of concerns on this project. We worry about the safety. With the video that we have shown, there are a lot of things that could potentially happen.We are a little tired. Seems like a lot of our rights are going to be taken away. They just want us to sit out here and pay taxes on it. We have a lot of concern for the future. What are our kids going to have left? What are our grandkids going to have left?” Said a local landowner at the meeting… “I am opposed to it for a couple three reasons. Number one, I don’t think a for-profit company should be able to use eminent domain to take our land,” said Ed Fischbach. “I am also opposed to it because of the safety concern I have on the line. You saw the video in the back of the room there. We’ve had an incident like that happen in Mississippi where several people were poisoned and rendered unconscious… “Mark Lapka also brought up that several affected landowners have signed up for a collective representation with attorney Brian Jorde from Nebraska. “He is one of, if not the best, pipeline attorneys on behalf of landowners in the country. Not just the state of Nebraska,” said Lapka.
Center for Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Launched to Protect Endangered Bats From Methane Gas Pipeline
3/1/22
“The Center for Biological Diversity and Kentucky Resources Council filed a formal notice of intent to sue two federal agencies for failing to protect imperiled bats from harm threatened by the construction of the proposed Bullitt County Transmission Line in Kentucky. The conservation organizations are challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s finding that the project will not jeopardize three bat species, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Act authorization for the pipeline. The three species — Indiana bats, northern long-eared bats and gray bats — all rely on caves and other underground habitat for survival. All three species are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. “The Service and the Corps completely ignored the presence of caves and threats to endangered bat cave habitat when they authorized this pipeline,” said Perrin de Jong, a staff attorney at the Center. “We’re here to say that sticking one’s head in the sand is not a method for avoiding extinction. Kentucky’s bats deserve better.” The path of the proposed pipeline in eastern Bullitt County is laced with abundant karst caves and sinkholes, making it likely that listed bats use the project area as habitat. Documented sinkholes in the path of the pipeline also highlight the danger of a sinkhole collapse rupturing the pipeline, resulting in a fireball that could burn nearby homes and their occupants. Numerous Kentucky pipelines — and their neighbors — have suffered a similar fate in recent years.”
Bismarck Tribune: PSC to hold gas pipeline hearing
AMY R. SISK, 2/28/22
“The North Dakota Public Service Commission is holding a hearing on April 6 in Watford City for a 2.6-mile natural gas pipeline project,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “Caliber Midstream is planning changes to the pipeline and wants to allow gas to flow either direction. The line connects Caliber's Hay Butte Plant to the Northern Border Pipeline west of Watford City in McKenzie County. Northern Border is a major export pipeline taking gas produced in the Bakken and Canada to markets in the middle of the United States. By allowing the gas to flow in either direction, Caliber will be able to transport gas from Northern Border to its compressed natural gas trucking facility adjacent to its Hay Butte Plant. Gas that arrives at the trucking facility could then be delivered for use as fuel in fracking operations, Caliber said in its application to the PSC. The PSC granted temporary approval for the pipeline in November 2021, as the line had been operating since 2014 without a state permit. It's unclear why the line lacked a permit. Commissioners have said it's important in situations such as this to bring companies into compliance before any potential penalties are determined.”
The Progressive: The Fight Against Line 3 Isn’t Over Yet
ABE ASHER, 2/28/22
“Shanai Matteson grew up in Palisade, Minnesota, a small town of several hundred people set on the banks of the Mississippi River as it winds from its headwaters in northern Minnesota toward the border with Wisconsin and south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico,” The Progressive reports. “...When the coronavirus pandemic began, she decided to return to Palisade from Minneapolis—in part so her family could help her with childcare and rent, but also because the Canadian multinational corporation Enbridge was building a tar-sands pipeline through her hometown. She wanted to fight it. “[The police] saw it as a way to get new gear. They all bought new boots, and they got new guns, and they get to keep all that stuff now—and they were able to evolve a way of policing protest movements.” “...But for the activists who fought the pipeline’s construction in Minnesota for nearly a decade—a collection of local Indigenous activists and non-Native allies—the fallout from their battle is still ongoing. Scores of activists face ongoing legal cases, and many more are processing what they learned about the nature of state power and capital, the intricacies of movement building, and the lessons they’ll take into the climate fights to come… “Preston tells the Progressive the Stop Line 3 legal movement has documented some 950 incidents in which the state arrested or cited a protester; he said there has only been one instance, in Itasca County, where a county attorney voluntarily dropped a charge related to Line 3 opposition… “In a number of cases, those charges appear excessive. As The Guardian reported earlier this month, one protester who chained herself peacefully to a vehicle in the middle of a road last June was charged with felony theft—a charge that carries up to five years in prison… “Many protesters have faced recurring court dates and decisions over whether to plead guilty to crimes in exchange for reduced penalties, or to go to trial and risk the possibility of hefty fines and incarceration. They see the prosecutions as emblematic of how the state’s criminal justice system has served Enbridge’s interests during the Line 3 fight.”
Los Angeles Times: Blame game over O.C. oil spill heats up as pipeline company sues shipping firms
LAURA J. NELSON, CONNOR SHEETS, 2/28/22
“Two cargo ships that allegedly dragged an oil pipeline with their anchors during a winter storm should be held liable for a disastrous October oil spill that sent thousands of gallons of crude into the waters off Orange County, the operator of the ruptured pipeline said in a lawsuit filed Monday,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “In a 35-page complaint filed in federal court, Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp. accused two shipping companies and their subsidiaries — based in Switzerland, Panama, Liberia and Greece — of improperly allowing their cargo ships to drop anchor near the pipeline and of failing to notify authorities after the damage occurred. Without the presence of the cargo ship anchors, “the pipeline would not have been displaced or damaged and thus would not have failed,” Amplify said in the complaint. The Marine Exchange of Southern California, which monitors and directs traffic in the busy San Pedro Bay, was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The nonprofit should have been aware of the anchor drags and should have notified the company, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also names as defendants the captains and crews of the two cargo ships, the MSC Danit and the Cosco Beijing… “Amplify is seeking punitive damages, as well as reimbursement for legal fees, the bill to repair and replace the ruptured portions of the pipeline, and the revenue lost while the pipeline has been inoperable. Amplify is also pushing to require the Marine Exchange to notify owners of undersea property of any potential anchor drags within 24 hours of the incident.”
Reuters: Kinder Morgan says it's working to identify cause of Georgia diesel spill
2/28/22
“U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan (KMI.N) said on Monday it was working with regulatory authorities to identify the cause of diesel spillage from its pipeline in Georgia, which resumed service on Saturday evening after repairs were completed,” Reuters reports. “Kinder Morgan said on Monday that "active cleanup and remediation activities are ongoing" at the pipeline after an unknown amount of diesel was discharged on Feb. 22 into a residential area in Lawrenceville. The 26-inch (66-cm) pipeline is operated by its subsidiary, Products (SE) Pipeline Corporation. The regulator, Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA), issued a corrective action order on Friday, requiring Products (SE) Pipeline to take steps to protect the public, property, and the environment from potential hazards… “The PHMSA said there were no fires or injuries reported because of the incident, but five residences were evacuated. The pipeline operator, however, told Reuters no homes were required to be evacuated but it did offer hotel accommodation to nearby residents "due to the inconvenience of the 24-hour repair activities."
Press release: Energy Transfer Executes Definitive Agreement to Sell Its Interest in Energy Transfer Canada
3/1/22
“Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell its 51 percent interest in Energy Transfer Canada ULC (Energy Transfer Canada) to a joint venture which includes participation by Pembina Pipeline Corporation and global infrastructure funds managed by KKR at a valuation of approximately C$1.6 billion (US$1.3 billion) including debt and preferred equity. The sale is expected to result in cash proceeds to Energy Transfer of approximately C$340 million (US$270 million), subject to certain purchase price adjustments. The transaction is expected to close by the third quarter of 2022. Energy Transfer Canada, based in Calgary, is one of Alberta’s largest licensed gas processors. Its assets include six natural gas processing plants that have a combined operating capacity of 1,290 million cubic feet per day and a network of approximately 848 miles of natural gas gathering and transportation infrastructure in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. The agreement allows Energy Transfer to divest its high-quality Canadian assets at an attractive valuation to further deleverage its balance sheet and redeploy capital within its U.S. footprint.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Supreme Court seems ready to limit EPA power plant oversight
By Niina H. Farah, 3/1/22
“Supreme Court justices yesterday grappled with whether they would limit EPA’s carbon rule to technical improvements to individual power plants — even if those changes trigger soaring costs for industry,” E&E News reports. “...Depending on how the justices decide the case, the ruling could not only restrict EPA’s options for addressing climate change going forward, but it could also limit agency powers that extend well beyond emissions regulations. Red state and coal industry challengers had asked the court to find that EPA’s past rulemaking violated the major questions doctrine, which says that courts can’t defer to agency discretion to interpret the law on issues of significant economic or political impact. It was unclear yesterday whether a majority of the justices would get behind that argument… “Some justices signaled discomfort with reaching a ruling that could bar the power sector from using widely used regulatory approaches such as shifting power generation from fossil fuels to renewable sources or adopting an emissions averaging scheme… “The court’s three liberal justices repeatedly questioned the implications for industry of a more limited EPA carbon rule and asked for clarification on how the court was supposed to test whether an agency had overstepped the authority delegated to it by Congress… “Some industry observers anticipated the court would take action to limit EPA’s power. “The oral argument presented today was clear that the Supreme Court should preserve the states’ authority to set emission standards at power plants,” Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, told E&E… “The justices are expected to reach a ruling in the case by early summer.”
Politico: IN COMMITTEE
Matthew Choi, 2/28/22
“The Senate Energy Committee will grill FERC at a hearing Thursday on the commission’s new pipeline policy statement,” Politico reports. “The commission voted to take greater account of environmental justice and climate concerns when approving projects — a move that got pushback from both Republicans and Democratic Senate Energy Chair Joe Manchin. All five FERC commissioners will be at the hearing.”
STATE UPDATES
Press release: AG Paxton Pushes Back Against Biden EPA’s War Against Texas Oil & Gas
2/28/22
“At a time when American gas prices are skyrocketing at the pump, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows again the absolute need for energy independence, Biden chooses to go to war against fossil fuels,” said Attorney General Paxton. “These severe new rules proposed by the EPA are not only unnecessary, but they will create a deliberate disadvantage to Texas and all states who are involved in the production of oil and gas. I will not allow this federal overreach to wreak havoc on our economy or the livelihoods of hard-working Texans.” To that end, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading a 14-state coalition challenging the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on vehicle emissions. Biden’s bureaucratic decrees micromanage greenhouse gas emissions for cars and trucks, far exceeding EPA’s authority and violating the U.S. Constitution’s separation-of-powers principles. The new rule seeks to promote the Biden Administration’s radical climate change agenda by promoting electric vehicle usage over other, superior means of transportation that use abundant fossil fuels. If left in place, the regulations will impose major economic harms on Texas by stressing its electric grid and decreasing the need for gasoline by billions of gallons, effectively destroying Texas’s robust energy industry.”
OPB: Zenith Energy appeals land-use ruling on Portland oil terminal permit denial
Cassandra Profita, 2/28/22
“Oil terminal operator Zenith Energy is taking its land-use dispute with the city of Portland to the Oregon Court of Appeals,” OPB reports. “On Thursday, the Texas-based company filed an appeal of a Feb. 3 decision by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, the state’s special tribunal for conflicts over local land-use rulings. LUBA’s decision in the Zenith case allows the city of Portland to strengthen its argument for denying a land-use approval the company needs to continue operating. Zenith operates a controversial oil-by-rail facility in Portland’s Northwest industrial area that receives crude oil and renewable fuels from trains, stores the fuel in tanks and sends it through pipes to outgoing ships. The company needs a land use compatibility statement from the city in order to renew a state air quality permit that’s required to operate its facility. Zenith has proposed expanding its facility so it could receive more renewable biofuels, but city officials said the project as a whole is not aligned with its comprehensive plan and the city’s goals to reduce dependence on fossil fuels… “Zenith has now appealed that ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals. The company is still operating on its existing air quality permit while legal challenges are pending… “Zenith has until March 17 to send a brief to the appeals court detailing its arguments, and the city and environmental groups party to the case have until April 7 to respond. The court will hear arguments in the case in April and could decide to affirm or change LUBA’s decision. It could also remand the case back to LUBA for further review.”
InsideClimate News: How One Native American Tribe is Battling for Control Over Flaring
Isaac Stone Simonelli, Maya Leachman and Andrew Onodera, 2/26/22
“Powerful flames of burning natural gas shine brightly a few miles in any direction from Mark Fox’s office on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. But when he looks out his window, Fox sees a different future,” InsideClimate News reports. “...The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation sits atop the Bakken Formation, one of the largest oil reserves in the United States and the second most-productive horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing play in the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It’s also home to a massive amount of flaring—the burnoff of natural gas associated with oil production… “Oil and gas development on tribal lands is primarily managed by federal agencies, which require companies to pay royalties on any gas flared beyond federally approved exceptions. But companies operating the approximately 2,600 wells on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation must also adhere to North Dakota’s flare mitigation policy… “The nation pushed for the right to regulate flaring in 2013, when the tribal government passed an ultimately unsuccessful resolution stating that it would regulate flaring because the federal government was failing to do so. Despite the setback, Fox is continuing his fight to wrest control over flaring on tribal lands from the federal government. “If it’s been flared and it’s being burned—it’s being wasted,” Fox told ICN.
Hawaii News Now: Navy Finds High Levels Of Petroleum, Lead, Other Compounds In Tap Water
Christina Jedra, 2/26/22
“The Navy released new water testing results on Friday night and Saturday afternoon that found high levels of contaminants in the water of an Oahu elementary school, a child development center, military housing communities and on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam,” Hawaii News Now reports. “The testing is part of the Navy’s ongoing response to its Red Hill tainted water crisis. Here’s what was found: A sample taken from an outdoor utility sink at a Pier Side Child Development Center tested positive for lead at a level of 49 parts per billion. The state “environmental action level” for lead is 15 parts per billion… “The Navy said it also found elevated levels of beryllium at Pearl Harbor Elementary School. According to the EPA, the limit set for beryllium in drinking water is 4 parts per billion. The sample taken from an outdoor sink at the school showed 5.7 parts per billion… “As the Navy continues to respond to the contamination crisis, “do not drink” advisories remain in effect for all neighborhoods that have not been cleared. Tap water should also not be used for cooking or hygiene.”
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Straddling the divide between environmental action and energy revenue
Isabel Koyama, Sarah Suwalsky, Jimmy Cloutier and Zach Van Arsdale, 2/24/22
“Bright pink flags mark a swath of newly cleared land, rubber water hoses snake along the roadside and pump jacks dot the horizon, all signs of the state’s growth as an oil and gas hub,” the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism reports. “But even as production expands across New Mexico, the state is trying to shrink its global warming footprint through stringent new rules that require oil and gas companies to cut the amount of methane-rich natural gas they push into the atmosphere and more accurately track their emissions. New Mexico ranked second in crude oil production, behind Texas, as of September 2021, and is among the nation’s top producers of natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Those oil and gas operations pump more than $2 billion into New Mexico’s budget every year. That leaves Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham — who campaigned on clean energy and is running for reelection in 2022 — walking a fine line between climate-conscious regulations and preserving an industry crucial to her state’s economy. Shortly after taking office in 2019, the governor ordered the Environmental and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources departments to oversee the development of tough, new regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry… “In the first three years of Lujan Grisham’s administration, however, the state issued 6,970 oil and gas drilling permits — more per year, on average, than her Republican predecessor. Of the nearly 51,000 active oil and gas wells, nearly 2,800 were completed under Lujan Grisham. “You’ve got the governor wanting it both ways,” Tom Singer, senior policy adviser for the Western Environmental Law Center, told the Howard Center. “She likes the money. She loves the oil and gas industry.”
EXTRACTION
Politico: IPCC: A WORLD OF HAVES AND HAVE NOTS
Matthew Choi, 2/28/22
“The world’s top scientists warn that climate change is furthering the divide between the rich and the poor,” Politico reports. “While the richest countries will have better odds weathering the food insecurity, natural disasters and altered temperatures of a warming world, lower income countries will be left defenseless, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released today. And “whether that is worsened or not depends on how fast we draw down” greenhouse gas emissions, Timon McPhearson, director of the Urban Systems Lab at The New School in New York City and a report author, told Politico… “The report gives greater weight to legal and political challenges from both citizen groups and the developing world that rich countries’ contributions to climate change constitute a violation of their rights. Climate inequality was a major point of contention at last year’s U.N. climate summit in Scotland, where many of the countries least responsible for yet most vulnerable to climate change demanded financial assistance from richer countries.”
CNN: Shell follows BP out of Russia as oil companies abandon Putin
By Mark Thompson, 3/1/22
“Shell is getting out of Russia and ditching its joint ventures with Gazprom, including its involvement with the moribund Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline,” CNN reports. “The UK-based oil company said Monday it would dump its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-2 liquified natural gas facility, its 50% stake in a project to develop the Salym fields in western Siberia and its 50% interest in an exploration project in the Gydan peninsula in northwestern Siberia… “Shell's move follows BP's (BP) announcement Sunday that it was abandoning one of Russia's biggest foreign investments by exiting its 19.75% stake in Rosneft and associated joint ventures. Analysts said Monday that BP could take a hit of more than $26 billion as it walks away from its business in the country. Shell earned about $700 million in 2021 from the Sakhalin and Salym joint ventures. Its interests in Russia were valued at about $3 billion at the end of the year, and the company said abandoning the Gazprom projects would probably lead to impairment charges… “The company was one of five that provided 50% of the financing and guarantees for the estimated €9.5 billion ($10.6 billion) cost of building Gazprom's Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany. The project was effectively killed off last week when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the country would halt certification of the pipeline. Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor will also begin to exit its joint ventures in Russia, the company said in a statement Monday… “French oil giant TotalEnergies (TTFNF) on Tuesday condemned Russia's actions and said it would no longer provide capital for new projects in the country.”
Wall Street Journal: In Symbolic Move, Canada Bans Russian Oil Imports
By Kim Mackrael, 2/28/22
“The Canadian government took a symbolic step on Monday in announcing a ban on imports of crude oil from Russia in response to that country’s invasion of Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “While Canada has imported very little amounts [of crude oil] in recent years, this measure sends a powerful message,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. The move isn’t expected to have an impact on the Canadian economy. Canada’s natural-resources minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, said earlier Monday that Canada hasn't imported any crude oil from Russia since 2019. Although Western countries have moved rapidly to impose a number of hard-hitting sanctions on Russia in recent days, one area they have so far avoided is oil and natural gas. Imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products account for roughly 3% of U.S. oil demand, while the EU gets about 40% of its gas imports and more than one-quarter of its oil from Russia.”
OPINION
The Globe: Letter: Look for truthful information about carbon pipeline
Opinion by Phillip Kruger, 2/28/22
“I have written before about being informed. I have found it is not always as easy as one would think. There is a lot of info out there that is not truthful. One example would be the carbon pipeline,” Phillip Kruger writes for The Globe. “I thought this project was being done solely for climate change. After some research, it has been mentioned that this carbon is headed to North Dakota to be stored under ground. Instead, some say the purpose is to use it to aid in the process of getting oil out of the ground. Summit Carbon Solutions (the company promoting to build the pipeline ) says the project is a win for every farmer. This must be why a private company wants to use eminent domain to get this pipeline built. I wonder if it isn't because of the huge tax credit that could amount to $600 million a year. And what is the rush? Is it because they really don't want you to know all the facts? I believe so.”
Star Tribune: In Indian Country, the Biden presidency is a revelation
Angelique W. EagleWoman (Wambdi A. Was'teWinyan), is a law professor, director of the Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, an associate justice on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Supreme Court and an author, 2/27/22
“On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the largest single financial investment in Indian Country in the history of the United States. Reflecting on the Biden-Harris administration, the past year has been filled with historic appointments, federal actions and investments in Indian Country unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime,” Angelique W. EagleWoman writes for the Star Tribune. “...Since his election, he has uplifted Indian Country by listening and responding to some of our most urgent needs. Within his first 100 days, Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline slated to run through the middle of South Dakota, threatening the homelands of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Sioux Nation on their nine reservations in the state… “Within the federal courts, tribal nations have often been forced to litigate the perpetual treaty obligations guaranteed by the U.S. in over 400 treaties ratified by the U.S. Senate. At Biden's 2021 Tribal Summit on Nov. 15, 2021, he announced that 17 federal agencies and departments would work to enforce and protect tribal treaty rights. In this country, tribal leadership entered into treaties of "perpetual peace and friendship" with federal officials representing the U.S. Biden has taken on the dignity of his role to ensure that the U.S. lives up to its binding promises exchanged for lands to build what has become a world leader among nations. If this first year of office is indicative of the next three years, President Joe Biden will go down in history as one of the most beloved U.S. presidents ever known in Indian Country.”
Madison.com: Ron Spoerl: Let oil and gas pipeline detour tribal land in northern Wisconsin
Ron Spoerl owns Hawk Industries in the Washington County village of Jackson and is a tribal member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, 2/26/22
“As a Native American business owner, serial entrepreneur and someone who is proud to call Wisconsin home, I think it’s time to honestly and candidly discuss the Line 5 pipeline relocation in northern Wisconsin and its impact on our region,” Ron Spoerl writes for Madison.com. “Wisconsin needs raw product — crude oil and natural gas liquids — that Line 5 transports… “I support transitioning to “green” energy. As a member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, I share a connection to the earth, have a duty to look after it and work toward technologies to better care for our planet. But I also understand we cannot pull the energy rug out from our friends and neighbors… “If this project is not approved, two possible outcomes could occur. The first is that the 540,000 barrels of raw product now running through the pipeline would be moved over to tanker trucks… “The other option is to remove crude oil and natural gas liquids from our nation’s energy supply. This would lead to propane shortages and price increases in rural Wisconsin and Michigan. A major propane supplier in the Midwest has already warned that a Line 5 shutdown would lead to closures of its Superior and Rapid River propane facilities in Upper Peninsula. Further, two oil refineries in Toledo, Ohio, could close — likely leading to additional price increases at the pump throughout the Midwest. We also can’t ignore the efforts made by Enbridge to minimize long- and short-term impacts on the environment. Technologies such as directional drilling are being used to leave waterways undisturbed… “For these reasons, I support the Enbridge Line 5 relocation project and encourage other entrepreneurs, Native Americans and Wisconsinites to do the same.”
Esquire: Let's Have a Look at the Latest Climate Report Before We Get to Revisiting the Keystone Pipeline
Charles P. Pierce, 2/28/22
“The good people of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued their 2022 report on the state of the climate on Monday. As you might imagine, the state of the climate is double not-good and getting worse,” Charles P. Pierce writes for Esquire. “...Most of this comes from the second part of the report, which is bound to be the most controversial. It tallies up the human cost of ignoring or slow-walking the threat, which too often is the preferred method of political systems to confront the crisis. Right now, conservative American politicians are using the Russian invasion of Ukraine to rave about “energy independence,” as though we don’t import a whopping six percent of our oil from Russia. There are calls to reopen construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, the continent-spanning death funnel and Republican fetish object. And the ocean and the desert, and the sun and the science, don’t gave a damn.”
FOX News: Ukraine crisis: US must lead again on energy before it is too late
Gov. Rick Perry, 2/28/22
“Europe is facing a transformational moment in history as it battles for its future,” Gov. Rick Perry writes for FOX News. “...The consequences of Russia’s belligerence in Ukraine will, unfortunately, be even higher energy prices for Americans, and greater energy insecurity in Europe. American leadership must right the ship before it’s too late…. “Over the past few years, Europe has pursued an extreme and unrealistic energy agenda and attempted a radical transition to fully renewable energy, but progress has been minimal and costly… “Environmental groups in Europe are responsible for these policies, which are increasingly suffocating investment into infrastructure that guarantees security from the geopolitical turmoil we see today. As a result, Europe’s energy crisis is compounded by limited infrastructure to connect natural gas receiving terminals to European consumers… “On day one, President Biden signaled the decline of America’s role as a reliable partner for Europe. He immediately rescinded authorization for the Keystone XL Pipeline and shortly afterward withdrew sanctions on Nord Stream 2. Keystone XL was just the beginning of a disastrous trend. President Biden continues to allow and promote challenges to critical oil and natural gas infrastructure. There are still impending decisions around that corner that will either help alleviate market uncertainty in the coming months or compound the suffering of Americans and Europeans… “There is no doubt that climate change is a challenge to be addressed. Still, our ability to tackle its challenges requires a stable economic foundation and security of supply to provide the flexibility to implement an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy. American energy producers are the solution, not foreign adversaries.”