EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/24/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Enbridge disappointed as U.S. regulators extend Line 5 tunnel permit process
Press release: Corps of Engineers revises Enbridge Line 5 EIS schedule to ensure thorough analysis
WCBU: Talks of the Navigator carbon capture pipeline are extending beyond the original footprint
The Gazette: Linn County HAZMAT chief talks train derailments, Marengo explosion, CO2 pipelines
York News-Times: Carbon pipeline company says they are gaining easements in York County
Natural Gas Intelligence: TC Eyes Haynesville Natural Gas as North America Growth Driver
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideEPA: Aligning With Industry, White House Seeks More Permitting Transparency
Washington Post: Lawmakers in both parties are identifying their dealbreakers on permitting
Washington Post: House Democrats launch task force on permitting
Politico: House GOP Eyes A New Demand In Debt Talks: Energy Permitting
E&E News: Republicans Keep Daring Democrats On Energy Package
E&E News: Amendments could scramble House GOP energy bill
E&E News: Progressives Push Broad EJ Bill In House Permitting Debate
Politico: Could FERC Bridge Permitting Divide?
E&E News: 8th Circuit delivers climate blow to Big Oil
Law360: Enviro Review Uncertainty After 4th Circ. NEPA Ruling
The Hill: Buttigieg: Transportation Department reviewing hazardous material definitions after East Palestine disaster
The Hill: House fails to override Biden’s first veto
E&E News: Takeaways From Granholm's House Hearing
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Official: Willow oil project holds promise, faces obstacles
Energy News Network: ‘Reversing’ coal mining: Minnesota startup uses plants to trap carbon emissions
Washington Post: East Palestine mom sounds alarm about toxins at railroad safety hearing
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta Energy Regulator cites oil company for causing seismic events in Peace River area
Stanford University: Stanford study finds wastewater disposal from oil production triggered major earthquake in Canada
CBC: First Nation residents demand answers on oil sands leak [VIDEO]
Press release: Friends of the Earth International reaction to IPCC synthesis: “betting on carbon removal is dangerous"
CNBC: Major registries in the carbon offset market are allowing dubious credits, report says
CLIMATE FINANCE
Quartz: The temptation of high oil prices is shaking Norway’s climate commitments
OPINION
Fort Madison Daily Democrat: There are better investments than the pipeline projects
Cal Matters: Hydrogen may help replace fossil fuels in California but it’s still a greenhouse gas
DC Journal: To Protect Whales, We Should Ban Offshore Oil and Gas, Not Wind Farms
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Enbridge disappointed as U.S. regulators extend Line 5 tunnel permit process
Nia Williams, 3/23/23
“Canada’s Enbridge Inc said on Thursday it was “disappointed” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to extend the federal permitting process for the company’s proposed Great Lakes Tunnel that would rehouse its Line 5 oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac,” Reuters reports. “Calgary-based Enbridge told Reuters the move will delay its plan to replace a section of the existing Line 5 pipeline, which runs underwater for four miles (6.4 km) between Lakes Michigan and Huron, and push back the start of construction until 2026. “While we are supportive of a thorough, comprehensive and carefully considered permitting process that ensures adequate opportunity for review and comment, we are disappointed with the extended timeline for a project of this scope,” Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy told Reuters… “The regulator had originally planned to publish a draft environmental impact statement on the Line 5 tunnel project in late 2023, but has pushed that back to spring 2025.”
Press release: Corps of Engineers revises Enbridge Line 5 EIS schedule to ensure thorough analysis
3/23/23
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, revises schedule following public scoping for Enbridge Line 5 Tunnel permit application review… “The Detroit District, responsible for evaluating the permit application, received more than 17,000 public comments during the NEPA scoping period which ended on October 14, 2022… “We greatly appreciate the meaningful input received throughout scoping and will use this information to shape studies and continuing consultations throughout development of our draft environmental impact statement” said Detroit District Commander Lt. Col. Brett Boyle. The Detroit District had originally planned to publish the draft environmental impact statement in late 2023 but is now projecting a Spring 2025 publication… “Discharges and activities associated with construction of Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel require a permit under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act in accordance with federal regulations and policies.”
WCBU: Talks of the Navigator carbon capture pipeline are extending beyond the original footprint
Tim Shelley, 3/23/23
“A company's plans to store liquefied carbon dioxide in underground storage sites may involve a larger geographical swath of Central Illinois than previously thought,” WCBU reports. “...Those plans have led to a lot of outcry from the people whose lands the pipeline would run near or under. They say the pipeline could have a negative impact on agriculture land use, and they're also concerned about the dangers of a CO2 pipeline rupture. But the company is having conversations about sequestration with landowners in Tazewell, McLean, and Logan counties, among other Central Illinois communities, a company spokesperson told WCBU. It is unclear what specific routes the pipeline could potentially take through these areas… “A new offshoot pipeline in the new application would start south of Springfield and run 42 miles south to a "termination and delivery point in Montgomery County for sequestration areas being developed" by the company… “Navigotor’s Burns-Thompson told WCBU the company already has another phase planned as additional ethanol plants sign contracts to participate in an expanded buildout of the Heartland Greenway pipeline that would include sequestration sites at multiple sites throughout Central Illinois… “Pam Richart, the lead organizer for the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, told WCBU there's a number of reasons why the Navigator Greenway pipeline is generating backlash. "Landowners don't want it. And you know that if you're along the pipeline route, that's a safety concern and a risk that people are not willing to take," she told WCBU, alluding to the February 2020 pipeline rupture in rural Mississippi that led to evacuations and hospitalizations… “Navigator CO2 pulled its first application after they failed to secure enough landowners to support it… “"What it's doing is diverting all of our resources, from things we know that work, and I'm talking about both the renewables and energy efficiency, conservation, and land use changes, which would help us with biological sequestration," she told WCBU… “She also told WCBU pipelines running through Tazewell, Logan, and McLean counties are particularly concerning because the Mahomet aquifer runs through large parts of the region. It's a major drinking water source.”
The Gazette: Linn County HAZMAT chief talks train derailments, Marengo explosion, CO2 pipelines
Emily Andersen, 3/24/23
“...The Gazette recently spoke with Tom Ulrich, the chief of the Linn County HAZMAT team, about what sorts of emergencies the team responds to and how prepared they are to respond to large-scale hazardous material emergencies, like the explosion at a shingles recycling plant in Marengo in December, or the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February... “Q: Have you been involved in any discussions related to the proposed CO2 pipelines that would go through Iowa? A: “We’ve been in all kinds of discussions. We’ve been at Linn County Planning and Zoning ordinance meetings. We’ve been at safety briefings for two different companies. Honestly, in order to get that hazardous waste away from those businesses, we have to have somewhere, some way to go with it. “My recommendation was to make the pipeline companies buy, for the departments that would respond along their jurisdiction, make them buy the CO detectors that would go on the truck. So, if they responded somewhere they’d have a CO detector. I also suggested buying the HAZMAT team vapor detection, that detects any type of vapor leakage from a pipeline, so if there was a possible break in the line we could go out with this and see the vapor. They’re like a hundred grand, so I don’t know if they’d be willing to do that, but it would be a very good gesture on their part to do that… “So, we actually had a private meeting with them on safety, and they did quite a presentation on what their safety program is for their Calgary, Canada, pipeline. I thought it was pretty good.”
York News-Times: Carbon pipeline company says they are gaining easements in York County
Melanie Wilkinson, 3/23/23
“Ben Fuller and Eric Welsch from Summit Carbon Solutions – the company working to create a carbon capture pipeline that will have a leg through York County – met with the York County Commissioners this week, stating they are gaining on easements in York County and throughout Nebraska,” the York News-Times reports. “...The last time we were here was in December and at that time, we had about 28% of the easements (needed for the project) in the county. Now we are at 41% with 7.69 miles of voluntary easements. Statewide, we are at 59.86% or 189.73 miles,” Fuller told the county board members. “So far, we have paid $1.7 million in landowners in York County and $31 million in Nebraska.” Fuller and Welsch said the company has submitted road crossing permits with the county’s road department and they’ve talked with the county’s zoning administration about requirements, with the understanding a zoning meeting is coming up in the near future… “Who pays for this?” asked Commissioner Stan Boehr. “Who is paying for this pipeline?” The Summit representatives said private investors – by investing in their company – pay for this project and in the long run earn federal tax credits. “So you are all getting a federal rebate,” said Commissioner Sikes. “In the form of federal tax credits,” Welsch acknowledged. “So it is federal dollars, taxpayers’ dollars,” Sikes responded. “In the end, it comes back to the people, the people will pay for it one way or another.” “...Would this carbon ever be used for fracking?” asked Commissioner Woody Ziegler. “No, it has no place in that process,” Welsch responded, with Fuller saying such a practice would also negate the ethanol plants’ efforts and subsequent tax credits… “Per Grotz’s request, they will be providing a more detailed map of the proposed pipeline route in York County.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: TC Eyes Haynesville Natural Gas as North America Growth Driver
JACOB DICK, 3/23/23
“As TC Energy Corp. plans to continue investing billions to expand North American natural gas pipeline capacity through the decade, CEO Francois Poirier said political momentum for permitting reform and an appreciation for infrastructure could pave the way for expansions and greenfield projects to boost LNG exports,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “On the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global Conference in Houston, Poirier told NGI that the Calgary-based midstream giant expects to see regulatory support for more infrastructure… “While other energy executives and some regulators at the conference emphasized a need for permitting reforms and more dialogue on the importance of natural gas projects, Poirier told NGI he believed attitudes already were changing, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine. The volatility in Europe helped strike a “balance” between the focus on sustainability and energy security, he told NGI. “It’s no accident, in my view, that in the United States, both parties are voicing support for reforming the permitting process,” Poirier told NGI… “Poirier told NGI while some projects have faced increased opposition, some operators have finished substantial projects by working with stakeholders and regulators… “I think that is tangible evidence of our ability to actually get projects permitted, built and put into service,” Poirier told NGI. “We all have to be more agile and strong communicators in dealing with the multitude of stakeholders that now want and expect a say in sanctioning of infrastructure.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideEPA: Aligning With Industry, White House Seeks More Permitting Transparency
3/22/23
“EPA and other agencies are preparing to submit plans to the White House to speed permitting, part of a Biden administration plan to improve permitting for clean energy and other infrastructure projects using existing authorities in a move that could also align with recent calls from industry for greater transparency into permitting requirements,” InsideEPA reports. “According to recent guidance from the White House, agencies are facing an April 5 deadline to submit ‘agency action plans’ to speed and improve permitting, which the Biden administration would review. The March 6 guidance -- crafted by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council -- comes as top officials are flagging a forthcoming agreement between the Energy and Interior departments for streamlining review of transmission projects that cross federal land. Specifically, the guidance calls for agency plans under the administration’s 2022 permitting action plan that CEQ Chairwoman Brenda Mallory released last May. The guidance includes five core elements: accelerating permitting through early cross-agency coordination; establishing clear timeline goals and tracking for key project information; engaging early in early and meaningful outreach; improving responsiveness; and ensuring agencies have adequate resources to improve environmental and community outcomes.”
Washington Post: Lawmakers in both parties are identifying their dealbreakers on permitting
Maxine Joselow, 3/23/23
“The House is expected to pass a sweeping Republican energy package next week along party lines. But its elements will be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate — with one key exception,” the Washington Post reports. “…So today, we’re looking at the red lines drawn by lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill — and how they could complicate permitting talks in the coming weeks: Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.), top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said yesterday he wouldn’t vote for any permitting bill that undermines the National Environmental Policy Act, an environmental law that requires the federal government to analyze the environmental impact of a major project — and to seek public input — before approving it… “If several other Democrats share Grijalva’s position, a compromise could prove elusive. However, some centrist Democrats such as Rep. Scott Peters (Calif.) have sought to convince their colleagues that amending NEPA is necessary for building more clean-energy projects, as we previously reported. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), one of the most vocal climate hawks in the Senate, has argued that a permitting bill should make it easier to build transmission lines that carry clean electricity across the country. Yet the GOP energy package doesn’t include a proposal backed by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) to give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission more authority to site transmission lines. Schatz said yesterday the issue is a dealbreaker for him. “If there’s nothing on transmission, I’m out,” he told the Post. “Transmission is the problem on the clean-energy side. So if we don’t change the statutes related to transmission, then there’s not much in it for clean tech.”
Washington Post: House Democrats launch task force on permitting
Maxine Joselow, 3/24/23
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus on Thursday launched a task force on accelerating the permitting process for clean-energy infrastructure,” the Washington Post reports. “The task force, led by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), comes as the House prepares to vote next week on a Republican energy package, which includes a GOP permitting bill and is expected to pass along party lines. Huffman told the Post that liberal House Democrats had two main motivations for establishing the group: Providing a forum for discussing the construction of clean-energy projects and countering some “bad ideas” on permitting from House Republicans. “We are really interested in expediting clean-energy projects,” Huffman told the Post. “But the second [motivation] is that frankly some bad ideas are being floated in the name of permitting reform, and that's concerning. You know, some false choices that suggest you need to choose between clean energy and environmental justice.” Members of the task force include Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.), House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Paul Tonko (N.Y.), and Reps. Mike Levin (Calif.), Joe Neguse (Colo.) and Melanie Ann Stansbury (N.M.). Huffman left open the possibility that the task force would draft its own permitting legislation as a counterproposal to Republicans’ fossil-fuel-friendly energy package. In the meantime, Huffman told the Post he hopes the task force will meet with Biden administration officials, including White House climate adviser John D. Podesta and experts at the Energy Department and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.”
Politico: House GOP Eyes A New Demand In Debt Talks: Energy Permitting
Sarah Ferris, Jordain Carney, 3/23/23
“A growing bloc of House Republicans is urging Speaker Kevin McCarthy to consider demands beyond the budget — like energy permitting — in the party’s opening offer to Democrats on raising the debt limit,” Politico reports. “While many GOP lawmakers tell Politico they’ve stayed intentionally mum on how their party leaders should proceed with talks, a growing number are now floating their own ideas to stem the looming fiscal crisis. One idea that’s been gaining traction recently is linking the debt limit debate to the GOP’s proposal to speed up energy permitting, according to interviews with roughly a half dozen lawmakers. ‘I think permitting’s got to be part of the debt limit discussion,’ Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), who chairs the Republican Policy Committee and sits on McCarthy’s leadership team, told Politico. House Republicans see plenty of upside in attaching energy permitting to debt talks. In addition to giving them a guaranteed policy win, pushing through a permitting bill that already has keen interest from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who is preparing for a potentially brutal 2024 reelection bid. The Republican Study Committee, the House GOP’s biggest group, has gone even further in its advocacy of the move. It recently polled its 175 members about their priorities for the looming debt talks and found that members’ top priority for inclusion was energy permitting.”
E&E News: Republicans Keep Daring Democrats On Energy Package
Emma Dumain, 3/23/23
“Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the House Republican permitting reform and energy package is ‘dead on arrival’ in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but GOP lawmakers insist they’ll be able to force the New York Democrat’s hand on some of its core components,” E&E News reports. “They have some new ammunition: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is reviewing the legislation Republicans are preparing to put on the House floor as early as next week. ‘Senator Manchin is taking a close look at [the bill] and is hopeful there might be a pathway to permitting legislation that could gain bipartisan support,’ Sam Runyon, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Democrat, said in a statement to E&E News on Wednesday. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced he would introduce companion legislation in the Senate to H.R. 1, the ‘Lowering Energy Costs Act.’”
E&E News: Amendments could scramble House GOP energy bill
Kelsey Brugger, Jeremy Dillon, Emma Dumain, 3/24/23
“House Republicans were hoping to iron out last-minute wrinkles in their massive energy package during their Florida retreat this week, but demands for amendments are complicating leadership’s plans,” E&E News reports. “...I do think there are a few cats and dogs that are going to need to be resolved,” Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), who wrote the energy permitting section of the bill, told E&E… “Instead, they spoke in broad strokes about outstanding concerns, including offshore oil and wind in the Gulf of Mexico, fracking in the Delaware River Basin and approval of the high-profile Mountain Valley pipeline. The House Rules Committee, which sets the parameters for floor debate, is scheduled to meet Monday afternoon to choose which amendments will be considered. The energy bill is expected to be offered as a “structured rule,” where not all amendments are made in order, rather than a free-for-all “open rule,” where anyone can force a vote on any germane issue related to the underlying legislation… “House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told E&E that Republicans were still eyeing next week for consideration and passage of the energy package, and there’s no indication at the moment that the outstanding issues will result in the measure being delayed. Still, the current ideological differences in a closely-divided House could mar leadership’s hope for unity on legislation so significant to Republicans’ agenda and political platform that they assigned it as “H.R. 1.” It’s also the first major policy bill of the House GOP’s new majority.”
E&E News: Progressives Push Broad EJ Bill In House Permitting Debate
Kelsey Brugger, 3/23/23
“Progressive lawmakers on Wednesday sought to draw a clear contrast between the Republicans’ sprawling energy package and their own effort to revive environmental justice legislation,” E&E News reports. “A group of Democrats unveiled the ‘A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act,’ named for the late Virginia representative who co-sponsored earlier versions of the bill. ‘As Republicans go forward and close their eyes to the climate crisis, we’re proposing to create a balance,’ said House Natural Resources ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) during a press conference on Capitol Hill. The bill would expand public input and embolden frontline communities in the permitting process for energy and other projects. Those communities would have more power to reject projects that exacerbate pollution known to cause lung and heart problems. The bill is unlikely to get any traction in the Republican-controlled House.”
Politico: Could FERC Bridge Permitting Divide?
3/23/23
“In a sign they may find common ground with Democrats, some House Republicans involved in permitting negotiations said Wednesday they are open to strengthening FERC’s siting authority for energy projects — as long as it speeds up both renewable and fossil fuel projects,” Politico reports. “‘Even if I don’t love FERC, I’m more interested in having one centralized place to do it,’ Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) told reporters. ‘And [Democrats are] open to that on transmission lines, but when we try and do it on a cross-border permitting bill, then all of a sudden we’re not.’ Rep. Graves — whose BUILDER Act is the basis for the permitting provisions of the GOP energy package — agreed to the need for a single decision maker. And while the GOP’s opening proposal to speed permitting mostly involves changing the National Environmental Policy Act, some Democrats who are loath to touch longstanding environmental laws have said they would rather hasten the process by granting FERC greater authority to site transmission lines — more in line with its existing authority for domestic pipeline projects.”
E&E News: 8th Circuit delivers climate blow to Big Oil
Lesley Clark, 3/24/23
“Oil and gas companies on Thursday lost what may have been their best shot at creating disagreement between federal appeals courts — a key consideration for Supreme Court review — on a jurisdictional issue that has the potential to quash a broad set of climate challenges launched by local governments that want industry to pay up for the impacts of a warming planet,” E&E News reports. “The finding from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Minnesota’s case belongs before state, rather than federal, judges is the sixth such ruling from courts across the country in nearly two dozen climate liability lawsuits. Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and other companies have attempted to remove the cases to federal court, where industry lawyers believe they are more likely to prevail… “The 8th Circuit also rejected the energy companies’ argument that the activity causing injury in the case is not the production of fossil fuels, “but rather the alleged ‘misinformation campaign’ carried out via false advertising and misrepresentations in Minnesota.” The decision by the three judges — all Trump appointees — comes as a blow to the fossil fuel industry, which had hoped the court would rule in its favor, creating a “circuit split,” or disagreement between appellate courts, that could help the oil industry attract the attention of the Supreme Court in its bid to dismiss the climate litigation.”
Law360: Enviro Review Uncertainty After 4th Circ. NEPA Ruling
Daniella Einik, Jane Borthwick Story, 3/23/23
“In December 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied environmental groups’ appeal to revive Wild Virginia v. Council on Environmental Quality, which challenged the 2020 amendments to the CEQ’s National Environmental Policy Act regulations,” Law360 reports. “This coalition of environmental groups attempted to invalidate NEPA modifications effectuated by the Trump administration in the 2020 rules. After the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia dismissed one of their claims for lack of jurisdiction, the Fourth Circuit affirmed on ripeness grounds and explained that the plaintiffs’ claims were moot considering the Biden administration’s partial retraction of the 2020 rules last April. The unanimous three-judge panel added that the plaintiffs provided no evidence of past or anticipated future injury that would give the court jurisdiction. The panel concluded, however, by clarifying that its holding was limited to the plaintiffs’ injury allegations and that the groups may challenge again if they face actual imminent harm.”
The Hill: Buttigieg: Transportation Department reviewing hazardous material definitions after East Palestine disaster
ZACK BUDRYK, 3/23/23
“Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that the agency is reviewing its definition of a high-hazard flammable train in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment,” The Hill reports. “Buttigieg made the remarks in response to questioning from Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) during a hearing on the Transportation Department’s budget request. “We’ve been here before with crude oil incidents, and I worked with the administration then… to require comprehensive oil spill response plans” for railroads, Murray said. “Could you expand those efforts now for other hazardous materials?” “The short answer is yes,” Buttigieg replied. “Often what happens is that America learns from experiencing disasters.” “Questions arose in the wake of East Palestine from those who asked the very reasonable question, looking at that horrific smoke column coming out of the vinyl chloride controlled burn, that if this train did not meet the legal and technical definition of a high-hazard flammable train [HHFT], what would?” he continued. The derailment, Buttigieg said, “is compelling us” to review and revise the department’s HHFT definitions as well as a broader examination of such definitions, some of which he noted are defined in law. The transportation secretary added the department “welcomes” revisions from Congress in those cases, such as larger fines for safety violations and more specific technical measures. Buttigieg added that the department is also calling on industry itself to “not wait” for new requirements but rather voluntarily implement new safeguards in the meantime.”
The Hill: House fails to override Biden’s first veto
RACHEL FRAZIN AND MYCHAEL SCHNEL, 3/23/23
“The Republican-led House on Thursday failed to override President Biden’s first veto, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to revive the resolution targeting an administration rule related to ESG investing, which takes environmental and social factors into account,” The Hill reports. “The chamber voted 219-200, with Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) voting with every Republican in favor of overriding the veto. Both the House and the Senate approved a resolution that would undo the administration’s rule, sending it to Biden’s desk and forcing the first veto of his presidency… “The Biden administration rule targeted by Republicans clarifies that money managers can weigh climate change and other ESG — which stands for environmental, social and governance — factors when they make investment decisions related to retirement accounts. It replaces a previous Trump administration rule that said money managers could only make investments based on financial considerations… “The pushback against the Biden administration rule is part of a larger Republican effort opposed to ESG investing, which some legislators have decried as “woke.” Republicans argue that considering these types of factors can come at the expense of profits, and they warn that it could harm the fossil fuel industry.”
E&E News: Takeaways From Granholm's House Hearing
Brian Dabbs. 3/24/23
“Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm threw her weight Thursday behind a growing — but opaque — Biden administration effort to assess the greenhouse gas emissions of liquefied natural gas shipments globally,” E&E News reports. “...Our Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Office is working on a methane strategy to be able to reduce and eliminate, in many cases, methane upstream,’ Granholm said. ‘There’s great excitement about being able to have a sort of objective certification process on our LNG, so that we are the LNG providers of choice.’ … At the hearing Thursday, Granholm again endorsed some type of permitting reform legislation on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers work through stark divisions on the issue. ‘The president has wanted us to accelerate transmission to the extent we can on the executive branch side…Just yesterday at the White House, we [had] a group working on what that can look like, while Congress hopefully gets a bipartisan permitting bill through so that we can accelerate clean energy and transmission — because both have to happen on public lands.’”
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Official: Willow oil project holds promise, faces obstacles
BECKY BOHRER, 3/23/23
“The Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope is part of a “new era” of large-scale development in the region but it isn’t a sure thing, with litigation and costs among the factors that stand as potential impediments, a state official told lawmakers Thursday,” the Associated Press reports. “John Crowther, deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, said the scale of projects like Willow, which is on federal lands in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and was approved by the Biden administration last week, is “tremendous” and would benefit Alaska… “But he also said multibillion-dollar, multi-year projects are complex and there is “significant runway” for the ConocoPhillips Alaska-backed Willow project to get to the development and production stages… “Environmental organizations and an Alaska Native group have filed lawsuits challenging Willow’s approval, arguing in part that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management failed to consider an adequate range of alternatives. A federal judge is expected to decide by early April whether to halt construction activities related to the project pending resolution of the cases, something the groups are requesting… “ConocoPhillips Alaska is intervening in the litigation in support of the federal agencies being sued over the approval. Arctic Slope Regional Corp., an Alaska Native regional corporation; the North Slope Borough; Kuukpik Corp., an Alaska Native village corporation and the state have also intervened in support of the approval.”
Energy News Network: ‘Reversing’ coal mining: Minnesota startup uses plants to trap carbon emissions
Frank Jossi 3/23/23
“A Minneapolis startup company wants to become a leader in the emerging carbon capture and storage market,” Energy News Network reports. “Carba, co-founded by a University of Minnesota chemical engineering professor and a former student, has developed a portable reactor that converts plant waste into a charcoal-like substance called biochar. That material can then be buried to seal carbon in place for generations. The company’s backers believe it could prove to be an inexpensive and energy-efficient method to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — something the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, released Monday, says will be necessary for preventing the most devastating effects of climate change… “Carba’s answer: let trees and plants do the work of pulling carbon from the atmosphere, and then lock that biomass into a stable form before it can decay… “If we harvest all the biomass waste out there and convert it to something more stable, like a char, then bury it underground, we’re reversing the coal mining process,” Jones told ENN. “We can take 1 trillion tons of CO2 that we’ve dug up and put into the air, suck it into the trees and the plants, take their waste product, bury it underground, and store it indefinitely.”
Washington Post: East Palestine mom sounds alarm about toxins at railroad safety hearing
Maxine Joselow, 3/23/23
“Members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday heard from an East Palestine, Ohio, resident who voiced concern about whether it’s safe to live in the town,” according to the Washington Post. “I think a lot more data needs to come out,” Misti Allison, a member of the group Moms Clean Air Force, testified at the hearing. “We just want to make sure that everything is being tested that should be tested, and we’re not really sure if that’s been done or not.” Monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency has shown that the air, soil and water in East Palestine is not toxic — at least in the short term. But an analysis by independent researchers found that several air pollutants are present at elevated levels in the town. (The toxins would need to remain at those high levels for decades to surpass safety thresholds for long-term exposure, the researchers said.) Norfolk Southern chief executive Alan Shaw also faced tough questions on the railroad’s safety record following the derailment of one of its trains last month in East Palestine.”
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta Energy Regulator cites oil company for causing seismic events in Peace River area
Bob Weber, 3/23/23
“The Alberta Energy Regulator has cited an energy company for causing a series of earthquakes, including the largest recorded tremblor in the province’s history,” the Canadian Press reports. “The environmental protection order issued against Obsidian Energy Ltd. Thursday came the same day a scientific paper was published showing those earthquakes were caused by industry activity — not natural causes, as the regulator initially suggested. In November, parts of Alberta near the northwestern town of Peace River were rocked by a series of quakes culminating in one that reached a 5.6 magnitude. Residents reported being knocked to their knees.The earth was pushed upward by more than three centimetres — enough to register on satellites. Then on March 16, more earthquakes were recorded in the same part of northern Alberta… “This event was caused by wastewater disposal,” Ryan Schultz, a Canadian seismologist who helped conduct the research while at Stanford University in California, told CP. “The clusters of earthquakes were right on top of a deep disposal well.” “...Under the order, the AER said Obsidian must: Submit plans and take actions acceptable to the AER to reduce the frequency and magnitude of the events; Establish seismic monitoring in the surrounding area that detects events above a local magnitude of 2.0; Install accelerometers at strategic locations within a 10-kilometre radius of the disposal operation to measure vibration… “So-called carbon capture and storage could have the same seismic effects as deep wastewater disposal, Schultz told CP. “If carbon capture is going to be done at a scale that is going to combat climate change, then significant amounts of volume need to be put in the ground…You might expect then also getting these types of earthquakes the more volume that you store.”
Stanford University: Stanford study finds wastewater disposal from oil production triggered major earthquake in Canada
ADAM HADHAZY, 3/23/23
“A new study by Stanford University researchers has found that one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Alberta, Canada, was likely caused by oil and gas activity. On November 30, 2022, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook the remote Peace River region in northwestern Alberta, a part of Canada’s oil sands region. Although people felt shaking more than 400 miles away, residents and businesses have not reported injuries or damage. Energy regulators for the region described the earthquake as a natural tectonic event. A rigorous new analysis by Stanford geophysicists suggests, however, that oil industry activity – specifically, disposal of wastewater deep underground – most likely triggered the tremor. Three slightly smaller earthquakes struck the same area again on March 16, less than a mile from last year’s big quake. Researchers have long linked earthquakes to fracking and wastewater disposal in other parts of Alberta and British Columbia, provinces that straddle the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The new study, published March 23 in Geophysical Research Letters, is the first to link such a large earthquake to human activities this far away from the mountain range, in a region where industry centers on exploiting oil sands rather than fracking for natural gas. The results have safety implications for ongoing and future energy-related operations, such as the underground storage of carbon dioxide to help mitigate climate change. “Earthquakes of similar magnitude to the Peace River event could be damaging, even deadly, if they happened in more populated areas,” said study lead author Ryan Schultz, who recently completed his PhD in geophysics at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability… “The Stanford researchers hope that expanding seismic monitoring in active petroleum recovery sites, in Peace River and elsewhere, will help scientists better understand when and how human activity leads to earthquakes.”
CBC: First Nation residents demand answers on oil sands leak [VIDEO]
3/23/23
“Imperial Oil faced angry questions in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., over why it took nine months to disclose a major tailings pond leak at the company's Kearl oil sands project,” CBC reports.
Press release: Friends of the Earth International reaction to IPCC synthesis: “betting on carbon removal is dangerous"
3/20/23
“The UN climate science body highlights the peril of accelerating climate impacts, warns of the need for rapid emissions cuts and transformational system change, but puts dangerous negative emissions technologies on the table,” according to Friends of the Earth International. Sara Shaw, Programme Coordinator at Friends of the Earth International, commented: “It’s very alarming to see carbon dioxide removal featuring in the IPCC report. We can’t rely on risky, untested and downright dangerous removals technologies just because big polluters want us to stick to the status quo. A fair and fast phaseout of oil, gas and coal needs to happen in this decade, and it can, with the right political will. “This report is the most dire and troubling assessment yet of the spiralling climate impacts we all face if systemic changes are not made now. We must heed the IPCC’s urgent messages, without falling into the trap of assuming that carbon dioxide removal will save the day.” “...Friends of the Earth International is concerned that, despite the dire and profound warnings from scientists, many of the report’s predictions for the future assume that the world will overshoot 1.5 degrees of warming, but can rely on negative emissions technologies to reverse it later on… “Friends of the Earth International’s research has shown the myriad problems with nature based removals: such projects spell landgrabbing and rights violations, mainly of vulnerable communities in the Global South, and are set to worsen the climate crisis, not solve it.”
CNBC: Major registries in the carbon offset market are allowing dubious credits, report says
Emma Newburger, 3/23/23
“Major registries in the carbon offset market are systematically over-crediting projects and delivering dubious carbon offsets, allowing some companies to claim more climate benefits than deserved, according to a new report,” CNBC reports. “A group of researchers led by Barbara Haya, director of the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project, studied nearly 300 carbon offset projects across the world that comprise 11% of all carbon offset credits to date. Carbon offset projects allow businesses and governments to balance out their own carbon emissions by supporting green initiatives that reduce or sequester an equal amount of carbon pollution… “The researchers assessed carbon offset credits from forest management programs, which typically fall into three broad categories: conserving existing forests, boosting forests through processes like reforestation, and changing the management of existing forests to increase carbon sinks in forests. They found that in the current unregulated market, flexible rules have resulted in a major portion of credits being generated from claims that projects prevent forest carbon loss with large reductions in timber harvesting. Such projects look more similar to conservation or avoided degradation projects than to improved forest management, the report said… “Researchers found that the registries did not follow standards to make sure projects have a real and tangible impact on carbon levels or confirm that credits were funding programs that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Quartz: The temptation of high oil prices is shaking Norway’s climate commitments
Aurora Almendral, 3/24/23
“Offshore oil is booming. According to the research firm, Rystad, spending on offshore oil investments exceeded $100 billion in 2022 for the first time in a decade, and will do so again in 2023 and 2024,” Quartz reports. “Norway, the Scandinavian country that has positioned itself as a climate leader, is driving some of this boom. Norway is spending $21.4 billion on oil projects this year, an increase of 22% from the previous year. Norway’s investment in offshore oil is among the highest in the world this year, according to Rystad. It lands behind the $33 billion that will be spent on offshore projects in the Middle East, but ahead of countries like the US, which is putting $17 billion in offshore investments, and the UK with $7 billion. Offshore projects are designed to pump oil for decades; investments that begin this year could continue to churn out oil well into the 2050s… “Norway’s fuzzy commitments to easing climate change feel like solutions to a problem that is, in no small part, of its own making. Norway is one of the world’s top exporters of oil. Since the 1990s, the country has funneled its oil revenues into the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund—which, with $1.4 trillion in assets, is now the world’s largest. The fund is among the biggest investors in the world, and it uses its considerable financial influence to advance its values. In recent years, it has dropped or put under close observation Thai, Israeli, Polish, Chinese and Indian companies over human rights abuses, and has wielded its power to bend companies toward net-zero goals… “But high oil prices are also inspiring other priorities, and Norway is joining a trend among flush oil companies and countries to refocus on fossil fuel extraction, sometimes at the expense of renewables.”
OPINION
Fort Madison Daily Democrat: There are better investments than the pipeline projects
Kenn Bowen, Iowa City, Iowa CCI member, 3/24/23
“Iowa needs long term, good-paying union jobs. CO2 pipeline development would only create a handful of jobs for a short time, if they’re built. The long-term damage and risks from the pipelines simply are not worth it,” Kenn Brown writes for the Fort Madison Daily Democrat. “Rather than supporting yet another extractive agribusiness in Iowa, why don’t we use federal resources from the Inflation Reduction Act to create thousands of jobs installing and maintaining solar panels on buildings? Or, given that between 2018 and 2022 76% of Iowa kids age 6 and younger had lead detected in their blood, how about we invest in replacing countless lead pipes across the state? That’s the kind of job creation strategy we can get behind. We need stable, long-term employment that reduces pollution, invests in our children’s well-being and future, and protects our communities rather than propping up corporate profits for pipeline companies like Summit, Navigator and Wolf/ADM.”
Cal Matters: Hydrogen may help replace fossil fuels in California but it’s still a greenhouse gas
Josh Lappen is a doctoral candidate studying the development of California’s energy systems at Oxford University, 3/23/23
“Last month, the Los Angeles City Council authorized the city’s Department of Water and Power, or DWP, to begin converting its 80-year-old Scattergood Generating Station from natural gas to hydrogen. The department argued that the new hydrogen plant will be a critical piece of their plan to go carbon-neutral by 2035,” Josh Lappen writes for Cal Matters. “While burning hydrogen is carbon-free, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for the climate. A growing body of research warns that hydrogen itself can be a powerful contributor to global warming – but neither DWP nor state climate agencies seem to be paying attention. As DWP decarbonizes, it has decided to rely on hydrogen to fill in the dark, windless hours when renewable technologies can’t produce enough power – and to serve as a local counterbalance to the Los Angeles Basin’s overtaxed long-distance transmission lines… “DWP is hardly the only Californian institution rushing to commit to hydrogen. SoCalGas, one of the state’s largest natural gas utilities, hopes to blend hydrogen into the gas network that supplies homes and businesses across Southern California. To do that, it has begun work on a massive hydrogen pipeline project called the Angeles Link, and is planning tests in campus buildings at UC Irvine… “While DWP hasn’t publicly addressed the threat of hydrogen leakage, SoCalGas has claimed that its future hydrogen pipelines should be no leakier than its existing natural gas system. That’s extremely unlikely: Because hydrogen is the smallest molecule in existence, it’s also among the hardest to contain. Even taken at face value, though, SoCalGas’ claims are cold comfort considering their current system’s long history of leaks… “The climate threat posed by these middle-ground projects will depend on the details of their design, so it’s critical that regulators start pushing to minimize the chance of hydrogen leakage. To prevent a moment of climate opportunity from becoming a new climate disaster, California needs to regulate hydrogen.”
DC Journal: To Protect Whales, We Should Ban Offshore Oil and Gas, Not Wind Farms
Angelo Villagomez is a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress and the Ocean Co-Lead for the America for Beautiful for All Coalition; Chris Parsons is an associate professor at the University of Exeter in England; he has been involved in whale and dolphin research for three decades, 3/23/23
“The bloated corpse of a humpback whale washed up on the New Jersey coast March 1. That was the 23rd whale or dolphin to have washed up on the Atlantic coast since December, Angelo Villagomez and Chris Parsons write for DC Journal. “... Some groups — without evidence — have tried to blame offshore wind development. There have been protests about the effect of the renewable energy industry. The New Jersey-based Clean Ocean Action has called for a halt to ocean wind projects. Twelve mostly Republican Jersey Shore mayors and several members of Congress, including representatives Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Andy Harris, R-Md., have been vocal about halting offshore renewable energy development. Conservative news outlets have also blamed renewable energy for the whale deaths, even accusing scientists of conspiring to hide the truth about whale strandings… “But if seismic surveys are the culprit, why aren’t these local government officials and members of Congress going after the oil industry? After all, oil and gas exploration uses seismic equipment that is much louder and travels much farther than that used for offshore wind. Yet, no one is pointing a finger at oil companies or calling for a new oil and gas exploration ban. If the critics were concerned about whales, they would be demanding the removal of all oil rigs in the habitat of the Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico… “Instead of unfairly blaming renewable energy development, we should call for speed restrictions (less than 10 knots for vessels 35 feet or larger) on vessel traffic where these washed-up whales are being discovered. Strangely these politicians and conservative talking heads aren’t discussing these issues and solutions. It’s almost as if they aren’t concerned about the whales.”