EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/27/23
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline at a stalemate: What’s next?
Pennsylvania Business Report: U.S. lawmaker leads amendment to hasten completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowans largely united in opposition to eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. So why aren’t lawmakers?
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Is green methanol an alternative to CO2 pipelines?
KPTM: Iowa residents raise concern over proposed CO2 pipeline projects
KCHA: IUB Sets Tentative Dates for Public Comments on Summit Carbon Pipeline
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: A decade after the Mayflower oil spill, the Northwoods subdivision moves on but concerns linger over pipeline restarting
WTOP: 30 years after ruptured pipeline, search for drinking water backup for Potomac River continues
Altoona Mirror: Lawsuit: Pipeline destroyed property
Press release: Energy Transfer to Acquire Lotus Midstream in a $1.45 Billion Transaction
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideEPA: House GOP Moves Toward Floor Action On Permit Bill, Amid Hill Splits
Washington Post: ‘I’m Out’: Lawmakers Draw Red Lines On Possible Permitting Deal
Politico: Chamber Teams With Labor And Climate Activists In Rare Joint Permitting Push
Politico: WH Launches CCUS Task Forces
STATE UPDATES
CNN: Pennsylvania school district sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine train derailment
Berkeley News: Black, Latinx Californians face highest exposure to oil and gas wells
E&E News: ConocoPhillips Admits To Late Discovery Of Arctic Gas Leak
Carlsbad Current-Argus: $440K in fines issued to Carlsbad-area oil and gas company for air pollution violations
EXTRACTION
E&E News: Fear of climate lawsuits spreads beyond fossil fuel industry
The Narwhal: B.C.’s latest LNG approval sends mixed messages about commitments to climate and Indigenous Rights
Press release: Woodfibre LNG accelerates Canada’s pathway to net zero
CLIMATE FINANCE
CBC: Effects of not eating 'starting to set in' for McMaster hunger strikers on Day 4 of protest
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Guardian: Big oil on campus: how US universities are ‘colonized’ by the fossil fuel industry
Gettysburg Times: Enbridge to sponsor golf tourney
OPINION
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Support carbon pipeline restrictions in Iowa
Des Moines Register: Letters: Reluctant landowners are not brainwashed
Traverse City Record-Eagle: Letter: Separating fact from Enbridge-related fiction
WV Gazette Mail: Wissman, Burd: Less pipeline regulation key to WV's future
McGill Daily: Divestment, Not Decarbonization
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline at a stalemate: What’s next?
Mike Soraghan, 3/27/23
“...The swath marks the path of the Mountain Valley pipeline, cut into mountainsides around this community outside Roanoke. Covered with gray or green matting, the path generally marks where trees have been cleared but no pipe has been buried. This represents the most visible sign of the regulatory stalemate that has left this region in a state of suspended animation for more than a year,” E&E News reports. “The pipeline’s developers say the best way to resolve the standoff is to let them finish the pipeline, pull up the matting and plant grass along the path. But determined local opponents, backed up by attorneys for well-known environmental groups, are ready to keep fighting. “It’s not a choice. It’s a responsibility,” Roberta Bondurant, a lawyer who lives here and has fought the project for years, told E&E. “We’re not going anywhere.” As another construction season looms, a number of outcomes are possible. The developers could fold and walk away, a possibility they dismiss. Or they could persuade Congress to step in, sweep aside the regulatory process and push the project across the finish line. Or the stalemate could continue playing out in courtrooms, boardrooms and hallways of bureaucracy like a game of rock, paper, scissors… “There’s also a narrow path for the legal fight to end quickly with a victory for the pipeline that allows completion by the end of the year, Christine Tezak, a managing director at energy analysis firm ClearView Energy Partners LLC, told E&E "Can it be done? Yes, it can be done," Tezak, who has followed the project, step-by-step, for years, told E&E. In her estimation, such a swift completion would require a nuanced ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has been a major obstacle to completion of the pipeline… “But Equitrans CEO Tom Karam last year said the best way to finish the project by the end of this year is for Congress to simply pass legislation approving the pipeline… “Equitrans has said in regulatory filings that four or five more months of work remain. The community opponents of MVP tell E&E they’ve heard rumors that some workers have been told to be ready to return. If that happens, the pipeline developers will still face the determined opposition that has dogged the project since it was proposed.”
Pennsylvania Business Report: U.S. lawmaker leads amendment to hasten completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline
KIM RILEY, 3/24/23
“The controversial, under-construction Mountain Valley Pipeline — which upon completion will deliver natural gas from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia to the Carolinas — would be finished “expeditiously” under an amendment introduced on Thursday by U.S. Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV),” according to the Pennsylvania Business Report. “Miller’s Amendment No. 36 was made to the Republican-led Lower Energy Costs Act, H.R. 1, the energy package introduced earlier this month in the U.S. House of Representatives. If enacted, the amendment would ensure that the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which is currently 94 percent completed, would be finished in mere months to deliver natural gas to North Carolina and South Carolina, increasing domestic energy supply and decreasing energy costs for all Americans, according to a bill summary provided by the congresswoman’s office… “To get around them and fast track construction, Miller’s amendment states that for any project that, prior to Jan. 1, 2018, has been granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity by FERC under the Natural Gas Act, and which is still in effect, “shall be constructed expeditiously in the location and form specified in such certificate of public convenience and necessity.” “...Numerous natural gas permitting projects are being held up by a left wing, radical court that should have no jurisdiction over our natural gas,” Miller told PBR. “My amendment helps complete many America First projects, like the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and implements a necessary check on the liberal court who wants to stop energy production.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowans largely united in opposition to eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. So why aren’t lawmakers?
Tom Barton, 3/26/23
“A few dozen landowners and other activists gathered outside the Iowa Capitol last week, using a semi truck emblazoned with “No Hazardous Carbon Pipelines” as a backdrop. They echoed a refrain they’ve been hammering all session: No eminent domain for private gain,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “At a time when the state is deeply divided politically, Iowans across demographics are largely united in their opposition to private companies using eminent domain for carbon-capture pipelines, according to recent polling… “I, personally, am a Democrat, and we’re working with folks on the ground that are staunch Republicans,” Food & Water Watch Senior Iowa Organizer Emma Schmit told the Gazette. “Despite these very different political ideologies, we’ve come together because we can recognize there’s power in uniting, even if we don’t agree on all things.” “...Iowa House lawmakers last week passed a bill that would require carbon dioxide pipeline companies looking to build in Iowa to gain voluntary easements for 90 percent of the pipeline’s route before employing eminent domain. The bill, House File 565, passed 73-20, with nine Republicans and 11 Democrats opposed. The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate, where the measure faces an uphill climb. Several lawmakers have publicly questioned whether the Senate will consider the bill and whether Gov. Kim Reynolds would sign it. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Reynolds said last week she had not spoken with House leaders about the bill. She has previously said she’s open to tweaks to the eminent domain process but emphasized the importance of the CO2 projects to the ethanol industry. Republican leadership in the Senate thus far has signaled an unwillingness to tackle the issue.”
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Is green methanol an alternative to CO2 pipelines?
Erin Jordan, 3/26/23
“Some renewable fuels advocates say carbon dioxide pipelines are the only way to save Iowa’s ethanol industry, but Jeff Reints doesn’t buy it,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “Especially not since he learned about CapCO2, a company marketing a system to capture CO2 from ethanol plants, combine it with hydrogen and turn it into green methanol — a highly sought renewable fuel. “It’s just so much more of a logical, better-for-the-environment, not-destroying-Iowa-farmland concept,” Reints, a Shell Rock farmer, real estate developer and pipeline opponent, told the Gazette. Real Carbon Tech, a Polish firm that developed the technology being used by CapCO2 in the United States, built the system in shipping containers that can be set up outside ethanol plants. As an ethanol plant emits CO2, the gas is captured, compressed and processed with hydrogen. The end product is methanol, a fuel being used in some industries to replace diesel… “Reints, who sells the bulk of his corn to POET Bioprocessing in Shell Rock, criticized a recent study the association commissioned saying 75 percent of Iowa’s ethanol plants would go out of business without pipeline approval. “The whole study was bought and paid for by them. What do you think the outcome is going to be?” he told the Gazette. “It’s really embarrassing the stance that (Association Executive Director) Monte Shaw and others in the renewables industry are taking on this. It’s quite obvious their pockets are being lined.” “...But Bonar and Iowa supporters of CapCO2 tell the Gazette if there’s a market for methanol, why wouldn’t Iowa want to use the waste CO2 from ethanol plants to make something of value? “You can capture the CO2 from ethanol plants right on site so you get the tax credits from that, but you also get the fuel source that is sought after,” Josh Manske, an Algona farmer who sits on the boards of the Iowa Farmers Union and the National Farmers Union, told the Gazette. “I don’t want to say it can solve the pipeline issue, but it kind of can.” “...Navigator didn’t answer the question about whether ethanol plants, like those owned by POET, have the freedom under their letter of intent to explore carbon capture technologies not connected to the pipeline.”
KPTM: Iowa residents raise concern over proposed CO2 pipeline projects
Chandler Farnsworth, 3/26/23
“There are three carbon pipeline projects currently proposed in the Iowa Legislature- it's something some residents are not too happy about,” KPTM reports. “...Opponents of the project say they are concerned that these efforts could damage the land, argue that carbon pipelines are dangerous, and that eminent domain should not be used for private development… “For landowner and resident of Shelby County, IA, Jann Reinig, she's concerned that if built, and the pipelines burst, she may be responsible for the damages- citing a conversation she had with her insurance agent. “For this year it’s okay, because they haven’t started building; but I will not have liability insurance," Reinig told KPTM. "So, if something happens, whether it’s my fault or the pipelines' fault, if someone is injured and there is a lawsuit- I see that I could lose everything that I own, so It’s very serious.” Residents cited the 2020 pipeline rupture in the small town of Satartia, Miss. as reason to raise questions about the safety of these projects. According to a Failure Investigation Report from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 45 individuals were hospitalized as a result of the rupture- no deaths were reported… “They argue that allowing private companies to use already owned private land for "Public Use" seems a bit much. “If they cannot get all the landowners to voluntarily sign an easement, they can seize the property with eminent domain," Jan Norris, resident and landowner in Montgomery County, IA. told KPTM. "The public will pay in 45Q tax credits.”
KCHA: IUB Sets Tentative Dates for Public Comments on Summit Carbon Pipeline
Mark Pitz, 3/25/23
“The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has set tentative dates for the public to voice their concerns regarding the construction of an underground carbon capture pipeline by Summit Carbon Solutions,” KCHA reports. “...The IUB tentatively scheduled public comment meetings for October 16 to 19th in Webster County, which provides a central location for those targeted by the project. Summit’s Bret Dublinske expressed objection to the timing… “Given the fervor the carbon pipeline projects have generated, another representative wondered if four days would be sufficient to hear all public comment. Among those in attendance was Timothy Whipple with Ahlers and Cooney, PC of Des Moines, who is representing Floyd, Butler, Bremer and Delaware counties at IUB proceedings involving the pipelines.”
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: A decade after the Mayflower oil spill, the Northwoods subdivision moves on but concerns linger over pipeline restarting
Will Langhorne, 3/27/23
“A decade after a pipeline rupture sent thousands of gallons of crude oil oozing through the Northwoods subdivision, the Mayflower neighborhood resembles any other quiet suburb,” the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. “Yards once blackened by oil are now green with grass… “On March 29, 2013, what was then known as the Pegasus pipeline split open, releasing more than 100,000 gallons of oil containing toxic compounds including benzene, a carcinogen. The spill prompted a monthslong clean up and the evacuation of 22 homes. Some of the residents never moved back to the subdivision. After the rupture, federal officials ordered Exxon Mobil Corp. to shut down the pipeline to allow for repairs. The company has since sold the roughly 850-mile line to Energy Transfer, which has not announced plans to begin using the conduit to transport oil again. Nevertheless, concerns remain that if the aging pipeline built in the 1940s is reopened, another spill could contaminate Lake Maumelle, a drinking water reservoir for about half a million Arkansans… “As part of its efforts to address the spill, Exxon Mobil purchased and sold at least 31 homes in the subdivision and demolished at least three, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reported… “For Raven Lawson, watershed protection manager at Central Arkansas Water, the possibility of the pipeline reopening is a top concern… “While there are other threats to the water quality of the lake, Lawson told the Democrat-Gazette federal risk analysis has deemed an oil spill to be the primary concern for Central Arkansas Water… “If oil begins flowing through the pipeline again, Lawson told the Democrat-Gazette she believed it would not be a question of "if" but "when" the conduit would rupture again… “Max Shilstone, director of government affairs for Energy Transfer, told Central Arkansas Water in a letter dated May 23 that his company has "no plans to bring the pipeline back into service at this time." Shilstone said "current market conditions" did not warrant restarting the conduit but noted his company would "continue to maintain the pipeline in a safe, idle condition."
WTOP: 30 years after ruptured pipeline, search for drinking water backup for Potomac River continues
Neal Augenstein, 3/24/23
“Next week marks 30 years since the Colonial Pipeline ruptured in Reston, Virginia, launching a geyser of oil, that flowed into the Potomac River — the D.C. area’s main source of drinking water,” WTOP reports. “On March 28, 1993, the Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York, ruptured and spilled 407,736 gallons of No. 2 fuel. “A 50 to 100 foot geyser of oil was observed behind the Reston Hospital Center,” Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, told WTOP. “The oil flowed into Sugarland Run, which a tributary of the Potomac River, and then entered the Potomac at Algonkian Regional Park.” Fairfax Water — one of three water suppliers in suburban Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. — had to shut down its drinking water intakes on the Potomac River for two weeks because of the spill. “We were fortunate in that the spill hugged only the Virginia side of the Potomac River, so it did not interfere with WSSC’s water supply or the Washington Aqueduct,” Nardolilli told WTOP… “The disaster caused severe impacts to wildlife and national park lands, and resulted in $25 million in cleanup costs, and a multi-million dollar settlement with Virginia, D.C., and the federal government,” Nardolilli told WTOP… “Nardolilli and Norton intend to remind Congress that a spill, like the Colonial Pipeline spill 30 years ago, could happen again. “We were fortunate that only one of the water supplier intakes had to be shut down, but that was a wakeup call that we need to build into our system more resiliency, to have supplemental storage or a backup water supply,” Nardolilli told WTOP.
Altoona Mirror: Lawsuit: Pipeline destroyed property
PHIL RAY, 3/25/23
“Ronald J. Shawley, a disabled Navy veteran, and his wife, Jane, opted to live in a wooded area of Jackson Township, Cambria County, but their quiet, idyllic life has been severely tested since 2017 when Sunoco began the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline through the property,” the Altoona Mirror reports. “As part of the construction project, Sunoco Pipeline LP removed more than 60 large trees, including trees in the construction area, Shawley claimed… “A bore hole drilled by Sunoco destroyed Shawley’s water well, and the large machinery that traversed his property crushed much of his on-lot septic system, he said… He said that raw sewage comes up through his kitchen sink and “spills throughout the kitchen.” To make matters worse, Sunoco pumped contaminated groundwater throughout the house, causing damage to the refrigerator, water heater and washing machine. He said in a recent interview, “My quality of life, living here, has been ruined: no water, no sewage. They gave me a water buffalo.” In response to what occurred on his property, Shawley, through two attorneys, John E. Kotsatos of Easton and Scott Edwards of Westchester County, N.Y., in December filed a lawsuit against Sunoco in U.S. District Court in Johnstown, seeking monetary damages, charging the company civilly with creating a “private nuisance” and citing the company for “negligence.” “...He said the government protects the natural gas company and he has been forced to move his lawsuit from the federal court to the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas… “Edwards said he has been an environmental lawyer for more than 30 years and what happened to the Shawley property is a “disgrace.” “...There’s no dispute here. Experts who visit the site can see the water system has been destroyed. They can’t fix what’s broken there,” Edwards explained. But, as for Sunoco, “They want to play hardball,” he said. “In 30 years, I’ve rarely seen a case so strong,” he said of the Shawley lawsuit. When addressing the inability to file the lawsuit in the federal court, Edwards said that’s a problem Congress has got to fix.”
Press release: Energy Transfer to Acquire Lotus Midstream in a $1.45 Billion Transaction
3/27/23
“Energy Transfer LP and Lotus Midstream LLC announced today that the parties have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Energy Transfer will acquire Lotus Midstream Operations, LLC (Lotus Midstream) in a transaction valued at approximately $1.45 billion from an affiliate of EnCap Flatrock Midstream (EFM)... “Lotus Midstream’s Centurion Pipeline Company provides a full suite of midstream services including wellhead gathering, intra-basin transportation, terminalling and long-haul transportation services. Its expansive system, encompassing approximately 3,000 active miles of pipeline, covers major production areas of the Permian with nearly 1.5 million barrels per day of capacity. Lotus Midstream’s Midland Terminal offers 2 million barrels of crude oil storage capacity and additional supply and demand connectivity. The acquisition also includes a 5% equity interest in the Wink to Webster Pipeline, a 650-mile pipeline system transporting more than one million barrels per day of crude oil and condensate from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. Energy Transfer’s acquisition of Lotus Midstream’s Centurion Pipeline assets will increase the Partnership’s footprint in the Permian Basin and provide increased connectivity for its crude oil transportation and storage businesses… “Additionally, upon closing Energy Transfer expects to begin construction on a 30-mile pipeline project that will allow Energy Transfer and its customers the ability to originate barrels from its Midland terminals for ultimate delivery to Cushing. This project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
InsideEPA: House GOP Moves Toward Floor Action On Permit Bill, Amid Hill Splits
3/27/23
“Republicans are moving to debate on the House floor their legislative package that would streamline and relax a host of EPA permit and other environmental requirements for ‘critical energy resources’ and energy projects, even as sharp partisan divisions remain on the issue and the GOP works to smooth its own splits on the measure,” InsideEPA reports. “The House Rules Committee has scheduled a March 27 hearing on H.R. 1, a compilation of proposals from multiple House committees dubbed the Lower Energy Costs Act. That announcement comes as GOP leaders are aiming to begin considering the legislation on the floor next week, and the Rules panel website is citing over 100 possible amendments that could be debated on the floor. The bill includes provisions advanced by the House energy panel that would scale back EPA requirements related to ‘critical energy resources,’ speed approval of gas pipelines and other projects, repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s oil and gas methane fee and $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and scrap a Clean Water Act (CWA) state certification requirement for gas pipelines as part of broader permitting efforts by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The broader legislation also includes House Natural Resources Committee bills to streamline application of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for all types of projects and boost fossil fuel extraction on federal lands, as well as hardrock mining.”
Washington Post: ‘I’m Out’: Lawmakers Draw Red Lines On Possible Permitting Deal
Maxine Joselow, 3/24/23
“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,” the Washington Post reports. “‘How [Republicans] deal with permitting is to basically gut NEPA,’ he told reporters. ‘And if there’s no public participation, then communities are hurt even more.’ The GOP energy package, known as H.R. 1, includes legislation from Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) that seeks to limit litigation over energy projects under NEPA. In contrast, Grijalva yesterday reintroduced a bill to increase public input in projects under NEPA. The legislation, named after the late congressman A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), would vastly expand the ability of people affected by the pollution of a nearby project to reject it during the permitting process. If several other Democrats share Grijalva’s position, a compromise could prove elusive.”
Politico: Chamber Teams With Labor And Climate Activists In Rare Joint Permitting Push
3/27/23
“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is joining forces with the renewable energy industry, labor unions, and climate activists to launch a campaign Monday urging Congress to pass legislation before the end of the summer to ease permitting reviews for clean energy, fossil fuel, transportation, broadband, mining and other projects,” Politico reports. “The campaign, which will include social media, advertising and lobbying, reflects the broad intersection of interests with a stake in building infrastructure projects of all types at a faster pace as the federal government looks to spend hundreds of billions of dollars this decade — funding authorized under the bipartisan infrastructure and semiconductor subsidy and research laws, along with Democrats’ climate and social spending law, the Inflation Reduction Act.”
Politico: WH Launches CCUS Task Forces
3/27/23
“The White House Council on Environmental Quality on Friday announced the members of two new task forces on carbon capture and storage, which were required under the USE IT Act that passed as part of the omnibus in 2020,” Politico reports. “One task force will focus on CCUS permitting and development on federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf, while the other will focus on non-federal lands.”
STATE UPDATES
CNN: Pennsylvania school district sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine train derailment
Zenebou Sylla, 3/24/23
“A Pennsylvania school district is suing Norfolk Southern for negligence stemming from last month’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the subsequent “controlled” release of toxic chemicals at the derailment site, according to a complaint filed Thursday,” CNN reports. “The Blackhawk School District in Beaver County is alleging “the toxic fires and deadly plumes dumped a lethal cocktail on (their) buildings, property, soil, and water supplies where deposits of the toxic materials have been found,” the complaint states. The school district is just over the state border and within a 15-mile radius of East Palestine. Blackhawk School District is demanding a trial by jury and compensation for its students and staff for injuries and damages causing medical problems, the risk for future diseases, and the need for future monitoring of its properties, the complaint continued… “The Blackhawk School District’s primary focus is to ensure the safety of the students, staff, and families within their district. The lawsuit seeks to hold Norfolk Southern responsible for any effects upon the community,” Jordan Shuber, an attorney for the Blackhawk School District, told CNN. “Norfolk Southern needs to step up to the plate in Pennsylvania.”
Berkeley News: Black, Latinx Californians face highest exposure to oil and gas wells
Kara Manke, 3/23/23
“More than 1 million Californians live near active oil or gas wells, potentially exposing them to drilling-related pollution that can contribute to asthma, preterm births and a variety of other health problems,” Berkeley News reports. “A new study appearing today in the journal GeoHealth finds that these Californians are disproportionately Black, Latinx or low-income, and Black Californians are more likely to live near the most intensive oil and gas operations. “When we look across the state of California over the past 15 years, Black, Latinx and low-income people consistently were more likely to live near oil and gas wells,” study author David González, a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, told the News. “Black people, in particular, were more likely to be in places that had the most intensive oil and gas production, which can lead to more exposure to harmful chemicals.” The study also found that while oil and gas production in California has declined over the past 15 years, the rate of decrease has been slower near racially marginalized communities. Earlier work led by González found that disparities in exposure to oil and gas wells can be traced back to the 1930s in Los Angeles and linked to the historical policy of redlining. “What’s emerging is that oil and gas wells have been disproportionately impacting racially marginalized and low-income communities in California for generations,” González told the News. “We found that redlining was strongly associated with the disproportionate siting of oil and gas wells in historically racially marginalized communities, and we’re still seeing disproportionate siting and production of oil and gas infrastructure in many of these same neighborhoods today.”
E&E News: ConocoPhillips Admits To Late Discovery Of Arctic Gas Leak
Heather Richards, 3/24/23
“A large gas leak at an Arctic drilling site last year went undiscovered for days because employees failed to investigate warning signs, ConocoPhillips officials told Alaska regulators on Thursday,” E&E News reports. “The testimony in front of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was the first public reckoning of the causes of the gas release, which sparked an evacuation of workers, anger from some local Alaska Native leaders and national pushback on Arctic drilling. More than 7 million cubic feet of gas were released before the leak was contained at the Alpine drilling site on Alaska’s North Slope. ‘This was a significant event,’ admitted Erica Livingston, ConocoPhillips’ chief engineer in Alaska.”
Carlsbad Current-Argus: $440K in fines issued to Carlsbad-area oil and gas company for air pollution violations
Adrian Hedden, 3/24/23
“A Permian Basin oil and gas operator in New Mexico faced almost half a million dollars in fines resulting from alleged violations of federal air pollutions law at facilities in Eddy County,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Chisholm Energy Operating was found in violation of the Clean Air Act during an aircraft investigation in 2020 throughout the Permian Basin region in southeast New Mexico. On Wednesday the EPA announced Chisholm was ordered to pay $440,000 in fines for violations at eight sites throughout the county, noting leaks and unauthorized emissions from storage tanks owned by the operator at the time and facilities that were built and operated before they were legally permitted. Chisholm Energy sold its Permian Basin assets to Earthstone Operating last year in a $600 million deal, but representatives from both companies did not respond to a request for comment from the Carlsbad Current-Argus… “These included hydrocarbon emissions from process equipment and vapor recovery systems at Chisholm’s facilities, the settlement read, and the company notified EPA of corrective actions of Feb. 22, 2021, and May 12, 2022, to address “some of the compliance issues” found during the flights. Multiple tanks and pressure valves at the eight facilities were found leaking, the settlement read.”
EXTRACTION
E&E News: Fear of climate lawsuits spreads beyond fossil fuel industry
Corbin Hiar, 3/27/23
“The fear of being sued for contributing to climate change was once confined to the boardrooms of oil and gas companies. Now those concerns are spreading to other corporations as the Biden administration prepares to release regulations that could expose the polluting liabilities of every large firm in the United States,” E&E News reports. “More than a dozen companies outside of the oil industry have disclosed climate-change-related legal risks to investors over the last three years, indicating what experts say is a growing sensitivity among businesses to the prospect of facing legal challenges for releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They include American defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., Brazilian financial services giant Itaú Unibanco Holding SA and China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. “We’re consistently seeing all these companies disclosing litigation risk around climate change,” George Georgiev, a professor at Emory Law who reviewed the filings, told E&E. “That’s significant because it’s new. Something is changing — companies are paying more attention.” The emerging trend comes as the Securities and Exchange Commission and regulators in other countries are developing rules that would require large companies to disclose their climate-related risks. Such efforts might expose a broad array of firms to litigation if they are believed to have downplayed their risks to legal challenges or misled investors and consumers about their contribution to rising temperatures.”
The Narwhal: B.C.’s latest LNG approval sends mixed messages about commitments to climate and Indigenous Rights
Matt Simmons, 3/26/23
“On March 14, B.C.'s NDP government approved Cedar LNG, a partnership between the Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corporation. Hours later, the province announced it is implementing new emissions regulations across the oil and gas sector, sending mixed messages about its climate commitments,” The Narwhal reports. “...Critics and climate activists decry B.C.’s approval of another gas export terminal, while supporters applaud the decision as an act of reconciliation. Meanwhile, energy analysts cautiously approved the province’s plan to implement new policies and regulations but question how effective they will be at curbing emissions from already approved projects… “The provincial approval is subject to 16 conditions, including developing an emissions reduction plan that aligns with B.C.’s climate goals. The plant will power its turbines with electricity supplied by BC Hydro, which minimizes — but doesn’t eliminate — emissions produced during the energy-intensive liquefaction process… “According to an industry analysis, liquefaction accounts for less than one-third of emissions produced by the gas sector. The rest is added to the atmosphere during extraction, pipeline transport, shipping, regasification and combustion. And that’s only the emissions we track — invisible methane leaks at every step of the process are a problem industry operators and regulators grapple with worldwide.”
Press release: Woodfibre LNG accelerates Canada’s pathway to net zero
3/23/23
“Woodfibre LNG is proud to announce its Roadmap to Net Zero, a tangible plan to achieve net zero emissions by the time operations start in 2027, 23 years ahead of government regulation. This roadmap will see Woodfibre LNG be the first LNG export facility in the world to achieve net zero, and includes commitments to be net zero both through the construction stage of the Project and during operations. This fast-tracked timeline exceeds the federal requirement to be net zero by 2050, while providing benefits to local First Nations, British Columbians, and Canadians. The Project's net zero roadmap follows the B.C. Government's announcement of a new Energy Action Framework, requiring proposed LNG facilities in or entering the environmental assessment process to develop and submit a credible plan to be net zero by 2030… “Woodfibre LNG is able to achieve net zero in part because of early stage decisions aligned with the Indigenous led environmental assessment process conducted by the Squamish Nation, which resulted in the Nation's own environmental assessment agreement related to the Project in 2015. Among these was the commitment for electric compressors using renewable hydroelectricity from BC Hydro, resulting in 14 times fewer emissions than a conventional LNG facility.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
CBC: Effects of not eating 'starting to set in' for McMaster hunger strikers on Day 4 of protest
Desmond Brown, 3/23/23
“A hunger strike started by a group of McMaster University students on Monday is taking a toll on their bodies, but they are determined to continue until the university takes action, a member of the group said Thursday,” CBC reports. “The students want the university to reverse the decision to install four natural gas-powered generators on Cootes Drive in Hamilton. Navin Garg, one of the students with the McMaster Divestment Project who is striking, told CBC they abstained from food since 11 a.m. on Monday. "I think the effects of not eating are really starting to set in. People are feeling nauseous, lightheaded. I know I'm feeling much weaker and much more tired," Garg told CBC Hamilton on Thursday… “Six students began the hunger strike on Monday, but one had to bow out a day later due to a pre-existing health condition… “The students are calling for McMaster to stop the natural gas-powered generators, and for the university to divest from the fossil fuel industry. They are abstaining from eating food or leaving their spot at the McMaster University Student Centre atrium, except for showering, changing clothes and drinking water… “Garg told CBC the students were told the hunger strike would not expedite a divestment process because financial decisions are too complicated. "The unwillingness of the university to respond to democratic pressure from students, faculty, politicians, community members, and NGOs makes clear that the university does not care what is morally right or democratic, but is only concerned with the bottom line and financial gain," they told CBC. "We will not be calling off our hunger strike until our health necessitates it."
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Guardian: Big oil on campus: how US universities are ‘colonized’ by the fossil fuel industry
Oliver Milman, 3/27/23
“The lecturer looked, and sounded, the part. Sporting a pale blue shirt and Princeton University ID badge, he had his own office on campus, a short stroll from the room where several dozen students were gathered to hear him confidently talk about the challenges in moving away from fossil fuels,” the Guardian reports. “But Tim Barckholtz is not a Princeton professor, but rather a senior scientific adviser at ExxonMobil, the oil giant that has done so much to both perpetuate and downplay the climate crisis. Barckholtz, an affable figure who has fronted adverts for Exxon touting its emissions reduction research, spent around six months sitting in and contributing to lectures and research groups, based in his own office space at the elite university. In September, with the university poised to cut its extensive ties with certain fossil fuel companies including Exxon, Barckholtz even taught a class of engineering students on “negative emissions technologies”, during which, over pizza and sodas, he criticized the divestment decision, warned that the transition away from oil and gas will be “very difficult” and that the unfolding climate emergency was “not our fault”. “It’s hard for me to figure out who wins (from divestment),” Barckholtz told the class, a recording of it shows. “There are like 10 people who win, they are sleeping better at night, but technology is the loser.” Barckholtz then noted that Exxon makes the type of rubber that goes into most car tires. “Are all of the Princeton security cars going to go back to the Flintstones and have no tires?” he asked. “There are some parts of this they didn’t think through completely.” Asked by a student about the Paris climate agreement, Barckholtz expressed doubt that it could be met as it was too hard to ditch fossil fuels. “I’m not optimistic, I’m going to call it the way I see it,” he said. “The system is just too big to be flipped.” “A few of the students thought it was weird he was in the class and that he then taught the class,” said Claire Kaufman, a second year masters student in public affairs who said she started talking to Barckholtz during one of the first negative emissions technology classes and was “quite shocked” to discover he was an Exxon employee. Dozens of US universities, however, retain links with the fossil fuel industry in a variety of ways, despite the growing pressure on them to cut them. Several host Exxon representatives on campus and even provide them with office space, similar to Princeton’s previous arrangement, a Guardian investigation has found.”
Gettysburg Times: Enbridge to sponsor golf tourney
3/26/23
“North American energy delivery company, Enbridge, will be the premiere Event Sponsor for the Adams County Arts Council’s (ACAC) eighth annual Tee it Up Fore the Arts golf tournament, scheduled for Thursday, April 27, at The Links at Gettysburg, according to an ACAC release,” the Gettysburg Times reports. “...We appreciate when a large company like Enbridge is willing to get involved at the local level, meeting and interacting with the people in the communities they serve,” said ACAC Executive Director Lisa Cadigan. Enbridge like to support community events, according to the release. “Enbridge is proud to support the work done by the Adams County Arts Council in making the arts accessible to so many in the community,” said Max Bergeron, Enbridge’s manager of stakeholder relations.
OPINION
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Support carbon pipeline restrictions in Iowa
Staff Editorial, 3/24/23
“On Wednesday afternoon, the Iowa House passed legislation restricting the use of eminent domain to take land easements for two planned carbon capture pipelines. The bill passed by a large, bipartisan margin and is seen as a victory for landowners resisting efforts to take their land for the pipelines,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial Board writes. “The bill would require that pipeline firms Naviga CO2 Ventures and Summit Carbon Solutions obtain 90 percent of the land they need for pipeline routes voluntarily before eminent domain power could be used. Unfortunately, lawmakers removed provisions of the original bill that would halt projects until new federal pipeline safety rules have been adopted and require projects to adhere to local pipeline ordinances. Still, on balance, the legislation is far better than nothing. It does more to protect landowner rights than current law, which allows the Iowa Utilities Board to grant unlimited eminent domain power to pipeline developers. We urge the Iowa Senate to take up the bill and send it to Gov. Kim Reynolds. We concede that’s a tall order. The Senate has resisted even the most modest pipeline restrictions. But we believe Iowans at least deserve an up-or-down vote to see where their senators stand. We also understand pro-pipelined forces are politically powerful. For example, Summit Carbon Solutions’ backers include Republican megadonor Bruce Rastetter and former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad. The company’s general counsel is Jess Vilsack, son of former governor and current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack… “The carbon pipelines would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal tax credits. It’s yet another governmental effort to prop up ethanol. And some environmental groups question carbon capture’s effectiveness in slowing climate change. Upholding Iowa’s long tradition of defending property rights is, in our view, more important than any short-term financial gains for a single industry. It’s worth noting that the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation supports the House bill. The pipeline we really need is one carrying political courage to the Senate. Maybe then Senate GOP leaders would stand on principle and bring the pipeline bill up for a vote.”
Des Moines Register: Letters: Reluctant landowners are not brainwashed
Patricia Schmidt, Camanche, 3/23/23
“As a landowner in Iowa, I am responding to opinion pieces by Summitt Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank in the Des Moines Register and David Kruse in the Commstock Report,” Patricia Schmidt writes for the Des Moines Register. “They both favor the proposed hazardous carbon pipelines but seem to insinuate anyone opposing them is being brainwashed, which I find insulting. I am capable as a landowner of making an educated decision as to whether I want a hazardous pipeline running through or near my land. I attended Wolf Carbon Solutions meetings with an open mind. After doing my own research I came to the conclusion these private pipelines are not going to do anything more than disrupt the land and cost taxpayers billions of dollars in the way of carbon tax credits. I decided my opposition on my own long before I knew the Sierra Club and others were against the pipelines. Perhaps it is not the opposition being duped but the ethanol industry that is apparently relying on pipelines as the only way to lower carbon emissions. There are much safer ways on the horizon that do not involve multi-state hazardous pipelines. The current proposed pipelines are going to create more environmental problems than they solve.”
Traverse City Record-Eagle: Letter: Separating fact from Enbridge-related fiction
Gary Powell, Traverse City, 3/26/23
“Brad Jewett’s letter in the March 19 Record-Eagle about Line 5 lacks factual evidence to support his conclusion that Michiganders should accept Enbridge at its word and allow them to keep Line 5 open for business for many years to come,” Gary Powell writes for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. “Jewett doesn’t mention that the 70-year-old line is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. He also fails to say where the oil is heading. (Answer: to foreign countries). He claims that more than “70% of Michiganders come together” to support the Enbridge tunnel project. Where does he get these numbers? Facts matter, Mr. Jewett. Fact: Michigan is not dependent on Line 5 oil. Fact: Line 5 will leak. Fact: Enbridge’s “tunnel” project will add years of billion-dollar profits to the Canadian company. Fact: Other lines owned by Enbridge have caused environmental and economic disaster. Fact: Enbridge has conducted a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to keep Line 5 open and profitable. Fact: Enbridge contributes millions to the coffers of GOP politicians, who then protect the foreign company by spewing propaganda, including false numbers. By kowtowing to Enbridge, Mr. Jewett may be sending a signal that he is running for higher office – and is open for business.”
WV Gazette Mail: Wissman, Burd: Less pipeline regulation key to WV's future
Stephanie Catarino Wissman is executive director of the American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania, Appalachia Region; Charlie Burd is executive director of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia, 3/26/23
“From its early beginnings in 1860, when the first oil well in West Virginia was completed, the oil and gas industry has generated extraordinary job and economic growth,” Stephanie Catarino Wissman and Charlie Burd write for the WV Gazette Mail. “...But keeping West Virginia on the right track as a top energy producer requires policies that attract investment and keep the state competitive. And that means policies supporting additional pipeline capacity. Today, however, it takes more time to secure all of the permits for a project than to build one… “One critical infrastructure project that has been delayed is the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which spans 303 miles between West Virginia and Virginia… “Producing more natural gas and oil means little, if sufficient infrastructure isn’t in place to deliver it to markets and consumers that demand it. Pipelines are the safest, most efficient way to move energy, operating every day around the clock. Energy infrastructure also is critical for hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. West Virginia has a unique opportunity to leverage its abundant natural gas supply and advance the development of hydrogen technologies… “And an estimated 700,000 jobs could be generated nationally around this emerging industry by 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. West Virginia’s energy sector is poised for unprecedented growth. With the right policies that enable investment in natural gas and oil development, infrastructure and innovation, we can build a stronger economy and bolster American energy security.”
McGill Daily: Divestment, Not Decarbonization
Editorial Board, 3/27/23
“On February 27, McGill Communications announced in an email to the McGill community that some members of the Board of Governors (BoG) had requested to pass a motion on the question of divestment from the fossil fuel industry,” the McGill Daily Editorial Board writes. “...For years, students and faculty have been calling on McGill to divest… “And of course, Divest McGill has been advocating for divestment since 2012, including organizing the longest occupation of a university building in McGill’s history, which took place last year. As of November 2021, McGill has invested more than $65 million in oil and gas companies, about 5.4 per cent of the university’s total endowment… “Furthermore, McGill’s investments in fossil fuels are contradictory to the university’s supposed commitment to Indigenous reconciliation. For example, as of December 2022, McGill invested $2,610,419 in TC Energy, the company responsible for the Coastal GasLink and Keystone XL pipeline projects, both of which attempted to cut through Indigenous territories, including those home to the Wet’suwet’en and the Great Sioux Nation, without consent… “As CAMSR continues to deliberate on the question of divestment, it is crucial that students, professors, and other members of the McGill community make their voices heard to the committee by sending their concerns to bog.mcgill@mcgill.ca… “Support Divest McGill and other groups advocating for divestment and engage in actions at McGill or around Montreal demanding climate justice. It’s also crucial if you are a settler to show solidarity with Indigenous land defenders who are often on the frontlines of the fight against fossil fuel companies. This can involve showing solidarity with actions in your area, educating yourself and others (the documentary Invasion about the Unist’ot’en Campis a good place to start), or donating to a legal defence fund supporting land defenders.”