EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/28/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Lincoln Journal Star: 'Wild West territory': New fight over pipelines emerging in Nebraska
Aberdeen News: Landowners voice concerns about proposed carbon pipeline at Aberdeen PUC meeting
AgWeek: Amendment would put carbon pipeline proceedings on hold in Iowa
The Gazette: Prospect of pipeline motivates Jessica Wiskus to run for Iowa Senate
Madison Daily Leader: Dakota Ethanol supports CO2 pipeline for environmental reasons
LocalMemphis.com: The fight for Byhalia | Students protest against pipeline bill that could impact many, if passed
Grist: A new report reveals how the Dakota Access Pipeline is breaking the law
Associated Press: Attack on Alabama pipeline prompts reward
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Biden’s LNG deal with Europe jolts gas critics
Politico: TURNING UP THE TAPS FOR EUROPE
Politico: FERC 180
STATE UPDATES
The Advocate: What to expect in Louisiana following Biden’s move to boost LNG exports
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Why the Global Oil Market Hinges on Five U.S. Counties
Bloomberg: Exxon Weighs Taking Gas-to-Bitcoin Pilot to Four Countries
CLIMATE FINANCE
Wall Street Journal: Higher Prices Spark Fresh Investor Interest in Oil and Gas
OPINION
New York Times: The Boring Bill in Tennessee That Everyone Should Be Watching
Register-Herald: Sen. Manchin wrong on fossil fuels, pipeline
Houston Chronicle: Opinion: Last thing Port Arthur needs is a leaky pipeline through Sabine Lake
Mountain Xpress: Letter: Dominion pipeline proposal needs further study
PIPELINE NEWS
Lincoln Journal Star: 'Wild West territory': New fight over pipelines emerging in Nebraska
Chris Dunker, 3/27/22
“When TC Energy — formerly TransCanada — canceled its Keystone XL pipeline permit in June 2021, Ron and Jeanne Crumly did not celebrate,” the Lincoln Journal Star reports. “Although they were among the few dozen landowners who refused to sign an easement allowing tar sands from western Canada to be pumped across 1,189 feet of their Holt County farm near Page, experience told the Crumlys to never presume the pipeline dead. Only after condemnation proceedings on a swath of land about a quarter-mile north of their home was rescinded in September did the Crumlys breathe a sigh of relief. “We went, ‘OK, we’re good,’” Jeanne Crumly, a retired English teacher, told the Journal Star. "For now." The "for now" didn't last long. A few weeks later, in October, the Crumlys began fielding phone calls from panicked neighbors who had been contacted by a new pipeline company. The new project was different, and something many had never heard of before, and they turned to the Crumlys, who had experience in asserting their rights as landowners, for guidance on what to say and do… “(Summit) called and said the pipeline was going through our land and a fellow was coming out in the morning and wanted to get papers signed,” Jeanne Crumly said. “And we said, ‘Well, we’re not going to sign any papers.’” “...The next morning, despite their denial, a black SUV pulled into the Crumlys’ driveway… “You realize this is the Keystone route?” she told the representative. “You realize we fought for 12 years? And you realize we turned down a lot of money? “I don’t think this is where you want to be running this project.” “...Ron Crumly isn't sold on the science of converting carbon dioxide from a gas to a liquid, maintaining the correct pressure to safely pipe it thousands of miles away, and injecting it underground as a long-term storage option. And he remains firmly opposed to the use of eminent domain in order to do so… “The announcement of the carbon pipeline projects last summer, as well as other zoning issues brought to local officials' attention, led Holt County to hire a consultant to conduct the first full review of its land-use regulations since 1980… “Diana Steskal, who along with her husband, Byron, was on the front lines of the fight against Keystone XL, told the Journal Star zoning regulations quickly enacted by Holt County in 2010 afforded just enough protections for landowners. A moratorium, she added, would give the commission time to ensure its regulations continued to protect those individuals and prevent them from going through the same emotional and financial stress for another dozen years… “Jane Kleeb, who started Bold Nebraska to fight the Keystone XL pipeline, told the board a moratorium was "common sense," even if the county ultimately decided to grant Summit a permit. As it stands, without action by the Legislature, Nebraska's counties have authority over whether to allow the pipelines to operate, Kleeb said at the meeting. "We are now in Wild, Wild West territory, where the only safeguard landowners have is their county board."
Aberdeen News: Landowners voice concerns about proposed carbon pipeline at Aberdeen PUC meeting
Alexandra Hardle, 3/26/22
“Safety and eminent domain were two major topics as landowners and pipeline opponents voiced their concerns in front of the Public Utilities Commission on Friday afternoon,” the Aberdeen News reports. “...The meeting lasted nearly four hours, with landowners questioning everything from pipeline safety to Summit’s transparency. It's the fifth and last meeting of the week after commissioners made several stops along the route of the pipeline to hear public input… “Along the way, landowners have voiced their concerns regarding the company’s transparency, political ties and the safety of the pipeline… “Jane Kleeb, a resident of Nebraska, spoke at the meeting. She said that Nebraska does not have a similar public input process, and so has been traveling to nearby states like South Dakota and Iowa. Kleeb said she worked to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline project. She expressed concern that Summit will potentially use eminent domain for private gain and will offer landowners lifetime easements that can be sold to other companies if Summit decides it is finished with the project. Sid Feickert, who is from Long Lake and is a member of the McPherson County Commission, spoke about the commission’s decision to enact a six-month moratorium, which essentially halts the pipeline process until the county can enact new zoning ordinances. Feickert said that the commission has heard reports of people being pressured into signing easements, although Feickert said he’s only aware of three easements being signed within the county out of 150. “We have heard so many different numbers from one meeting to the next from Summit. No one knows what to believe,” said Feickert… “Hill told the News that if Summit were to ever sell the easement to another company, that company would need to get a permit and would need to follow the same conditions that were listed in Summit’s original easement… “Safety was another concern repeatedly brought up in the meeting, with several attendees also saying they were concerned about who would be held liable for any pipeline damage. Joye Braun of Eagle Butte spoke as an organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network and said that the pipeline will pose a risk to livestock. “Who’s going to pay you when your cows die? … Can you afford to be going to court with these guys? They’ve got all kinds of money,” said Braun.
AgWeek: Amendment would put carbon pipeline proceedings on hold in Iowa
Jeff Beach, 3/25/22
“The Iowa House of Representatives has passed an amendment that would put a hold on hearings for carbon capture pipelines,” AgWeek reports. “Landowners have been outspoken in opposition to letting pipeline developers use eminent domain to get the land they need to build a pipeline. The amendment passed Thursday, March 24, would prohibit the Iowa Utilities Board from scheduling a hearing before Feb. 1, 2023, for carbon pipelines seeking the use of eminent domain… “Emma Schmit, of Food and Water Watch, one of the groups opposed to the pipeline, issued this statement: "Rep. Kaufmann's amendment opened the door, and we are now looking to the Senate to strengthen this language to enact permanent measures that protect Iowans from the harms these pipelines cause and the manipulative tactics being employed by pipeline companies. Our rights, our land, and our lives are not for sale." Earlier in the Iowa legislative session, a Senate bill to curb the use of eminent domain was not acted upon in committee, effectively killing the bill for the session.”
The Gazette: Prospect of pipeline motivates Jessica Wiskus to run for Iowa Senate
James Q. Lynch, 3/28/22
“Fighting to stop a proposed carbon pipeline that could pass through or near her rural Linn County home was the catalyst for Jessica Wiskus to run for the Iowa Senate,” The Gazette reports. “Wiskus, who also has been organizing against the Navigator CO2 Ventures carbon pipeline after learning her property was in the corridor, is running as a Democrat in Senate 42. The district covers rural Linn County, wrapping around the Cedar Rapids metro area, and eastern Benton County. There is no Senate incumbent in the district… “It was never my personal ambition to run for political office, but fighting the carbon pipelines has made me realize how important it is to stand neighbor-to-neighbor and make sure that rural values are honored in Des Moines,” Wiskus told the Gazette. “When a need arises, people in my community have always stood up and supported each other. That’s how our families have survived here for so many generations — we help each other, and we stand for something greater than just ourselves as individuals.” Being in the half-mile-wide “pipeline corridor,” Wiskus told the Gazette she began learning about the project and organizing with her neighbors very early on. “But now that I know more about the CO2 pipelines, I am committed to fighting them wherever they are, because in a very real sense every Iowan is a neighbor who deserves to be treated better than this,” she told the Gazette… The potential use of eminent domain “put the safety of our families and neighbors, the integrity of our land, and the vitality of our small towns at risk.” “We need legislators who are on the side of hardworking Iowans, who respect the dignity and rights of all Iowans, and have a vision for our rural communities,” she said.
Madison Daily Leader: Dakota Ethanol supports CO2 pipeline for environmental reasons
MARY GALES ASKREN, 3/27/22
“Dakota Ethanol will survive with or without Summit Carbon Solution’s CO2 pipeline. At least, that’s what CEO Scott Mundt said the day after a public meeting in Sioux Falls was held to receive public comments regarding the application SCS Carbon Transport, LLC, has submitted to the Public Utilities Commission,” the Madison Daily Leader reports. “Dakota Ethanol has signed on to the project, but not because the company’s survival depends upon it. “We believe this is a really good environmental project,” Mundt told the Leader. At the public meeting, Chris Hill, director of environmental and permitting for Summit Carbon Solutions, explained that for every three pounds of corn used for ethanol production, one pound of CO2 is released into the atmosphere. He said the goal of the project is to “turn this commercial risk into a commercial opportunity.” “...Mundt wasn’t surprised to learn the majority of those who spoke at Wednesday night’s meeting were opposed to the pipeline. “Pipelines themselves have a negative stigma,” he said, and then pointed out how much society today depends on underground pipelines, including natural gas pipelines for homes and businesses. “If you think about the world we live in, there’s a lot in the ground,” Mundt told the Leader. He believes that once the pipeline is in the ground, people will forget about it… “At Wednesday night’s PUC meeting, Walt Wendland, CEO of Ringneck Energy, and Jim Seurer, CEO of Glacial Lakes Energy, spoke of the CO2 pipeline in terms of survival. Mundt sees it simply as another revenue stream for Dakota Ethanol.”
LocalMemphis.com: The fight for Byhalia | Students protest against pipeline bill that could impact many, if passed
Lakeeda Johnson, 3/27/22
“A group of student protestors in Memphis held a rally to raise awareness for a bill that Tennessee lawmakers proposed in the state legislature earlier this week,” LocalMemphis.com reports. “I think the number one thing that we’re worried about is that this bill would allow the Byhalia Pipeline to be built again because it would overturn the Memphis City Council's decision to bar it last July,” Stop Poverty with Policy Co-founder Sophia Overstreet expressed. The student-led organization, Stop Poverty with Policy seeks to stop systems that lead to poverty. Protester Makhia Smith, who stood with the group, told ABC the proposed bill is one that they had to speak up about. “I feel like this needs to be a community thing where we’re able to come together and say, ‘We want to fight against this because we care about our now, and we care about our future,’ and if don’t care about it that just gives them free rain to pass any votes they want,” Smith expressed. She is referring to HB2246/SB2077, which would largely strip the ability of local governments to stop oil and gas pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure projects if they do not want them in their cities and counties. The bill comes on the heels of a win by environmentalists in July, when Byhalia Connection canceled plans to build an oil pipeline through southwest Tennessee and north Mississippi.”
Grist: A new report reveals how the Dakota Access Pipeline is breaking the law
Joseph Lee, 3/28/22
“The federal government and the Dakota Access Pipeline’s parent company, Energy Transfer, misled the public, used substandard science, utilized poor technology, and broke the law by not cooperating with impacted Indigenous Nations. That’s according to a new report that also criticizes the Army Corp of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency for not completing a realistic analysis of the environmental damage the pipeline could cause,” Grist reports. “The report, written by NDN Collective, an Indigenous nonprofit, provides the first comprehensive timeline of the controversial pipeline’s legal and environmental violations. Working with a team of engineers, the report’s authors included new information about oil quality, spills, leakage, and faulty infrastructure that NDN Collective says could be pivotal in the ongoing battle to stop the pipeline. The report comes as tribes await the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a new, court-mandated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a section of pipeline under Lake Oahe, a reservoir on the Missouri River to which tribes have treaty rights. The EIS is expected to be released in September, after which a public comment period will open… “This report shows how the Army Corps of Engineers violated their own processes, and continues to violate our human rights for the benefit of a destructive, violent, and extractive energy company,” Nick Tilsen, Oglala Lakota and CEO of NDN Collective, told Grist. “We cannot sit on the sidelines with this information. It’s time for accountability and it’s time to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, once and for all.”
Associated Press: Attack on Alabama pipeline prompts reward
3/27/22
“A late-night explosion at a natural gas pipeline in rural west Alabama is under investigation by federal agents, authorities said Friday, and a company said it was offering a $25,000 reward for what it called an attack linked to a labor dispute,” the Associated Press reports. “...Agents with both the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating, FBI spokesperson Paul Daymond told AP. Warrior Met Coal, where workers with the United Mine Workers of America have been on strike for nearly a year, told AP it believed the explosion was an “attack” linked to labor strife. It offered the reward in a statement from the Alabama Mining Association, a trade group that also called the explosion an attack… “The United Mine Workers went on strike April 1, 2021, at two company facilities with more than 1,100 workers after contract negotiations with Warrior Met Coal failed to produce a deal. Both the union and the company have accused each other of violence during the walkout.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Biden’s LNG deal with Europe jolts gas critics
Mike Soraghan, Carlos Anchondo, 3/28/22
“Natural gas producers are applauding President Biden’s pledge to export more U.S. gas to Europe as environmental groups fume that the trans-Atlantic deal undercuts Biden’s commitment to address climate change,” E&E News reports. “It’s a familiar divide in U.S. politics, with the Biden administration prioritizing European energy security in the short term… “But environmental justice and advocacy groups blasted the Biden administration for guaranteeing a long-term market for LNG, which is primarily methane, a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. “With the current international conflict and escalating energy prices, it is time for the administration to move away from fossil fuels, including halting LNG exports and infrastructure buildout,” Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, told E&E. “Building even more LNG export terminals would lock in fossil fuel infrastructure and pollution for decades to come.” “...With 14 LNG projects federally approved but not yet built, the U.S. industry could roughly double its export capacity if company sponsors move forward with investments. To do so, exporters need buyers. In concrete terms, gas utilities or other buyers in Europe need to commit to LNG supply contracts that lock in longer-term investments… “There are eight such terminals operating in the United States right now. All but two of the 14 unbuilt projects with federal permits are on the Gulf Coast. Another six projects are before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The gas industry is pressing the administration for faster approvals.”
Politico: TURNING UP THE TAPS FOR EUROPE
Matthew Choi, 3/25/22
“The U.S. will work to ensure 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas shipments are directed to Europe this year to help the continent quit Russian energy imports, the White House and EU announced this morning,” Politico reports. “The U.S. will collaborate with "international partners" to amp up the shipments and with the EU to build out LNG infrastructure, which they pledged will be developed in ways that reduce their greenhouse gas intensity. The U.S. will also work with the EU to reduce its natural gas demand via energy efficiency measures and greater clean energy use in line with both Brussels' and Washington's climate goals.”
Politico: FERC 180
Matthew Choi, 3/25/22
“After a whole lot of uproar over its new natural gas policy statements, FERC changed course and unanimously agreed to withdraw them and downgrade the plans to draft status — conceding to the concerns of the industry, Republicans and Senate Energy Chair Joe Manchin,” Politico reports. “The commissioners also agreed not to apply the statements ex post facto to projects that had applied for FERC approval before the policies are finalized. The policy statements the Democratic commissioners had approved would have increased the weight of environmental justice and climate considerations in gas project permitting, measures that were in line with the Biden administration’s priorities. But industry interest groups decried them as adding needless bureaucratic hurdles to permitting when the country is trying to amp up its gas capacity to supplant Russian gas. Senate Republicans, including Energy ranking member John Barrasso and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Democrat Manchin had pilloried the policy statements as federal overreach.”
STATE UPDATES
The Advocate: What to expect in Louisiana following Biden’s move to boost LNG exports
BY ROBERT STEWART, 3/25/22
“As the Biden administration attempts to ramp up the United States’ liquefied natural gas exports to Europe amid Russia’s war with Ukraine, Louisiana oil and gas authorities on Friday repeated a familiar refrain: Don’t expect the state’s export totals to shoot through the roof anytime soon,” The Advocate reports. “Lengthy construction timelines, maxed-out capacities, regulatory pressures and opposition from environmental advocates could all prevent a short-term gain for Louisiana… “U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, called Biden’s LNG move — along with the Department of Energy’s decision to approve increased capacity at a pair of LNG facilities, including Sabine Pass in Cameron Parish — “another step in the right direction.” However, he told the Advocate the Department of Energy needs to do more. “Until they clear the backlogged export terminal permits and allow new LNG facility construction, our ability to replace dirtier Russian gas is constrained,” Graves said in a statement… “Mike Moncla, president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, told the Advocate Louisiana’s LNG terminals are at “100% maximum capacity” at the moment… “Moncla told the Advocate the key is to get federal approval on permits for the new terminals waiting in the wings… “To be clear, more terminals are on the way. Venture Global plans to build four in Louisiana, Tellurian Inc. will build Driftwood LNG in Calcasieu Parish, and Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP plans to convert its Lake Charles LNG import facility into an export facility. Commonwealth LNG is also planning a Cameron Parish terminal. But it will be years until the terminals are built, and that’s assuming everything goes smoothly… “Environmental groups have pushed back on the move toward more LNG, saying it isn’t as green as industry advocates say it is. “It will take years and cost billions to build out new LNG infrastructure that will lock in expensive fossil dependence and dangerous pollution for decades to come,” Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen said in a statement. “Investing in new LNG is not a near-term fix for getting off Russian gas in Europe.”
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Why the Global Oil Market Hinges on Five U.S. Counties
By David Wethe, Sheela Tobben, Kevin Crowley and Paul Takahashi, 3/24/22
“Where can the world quickly turn to for more oil? The answer, it turns out, isn’t the traditional powerhouse of OPEC or the promising new offshore fields of Brazil. Instead, the weight of the oil world is falling squarely on the shoulders of a few counties tucked into lonely corners of the U.S. Southwest,” Bloomberg reports. “The Permian Basin a sprawling shale patch that lies beneath Texas and New Mexico, is uniquely positioned to become the world’s most important growth engine for oil production. The bulk of that expansion will come from just five counties that make up about 15% of its total area. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed to the broader world what those who follow energy markets have been flagging for some time: Oil markets are tight—really tight. Supplies are so fragile that the threat of disruption to Russian exports immediately sent prices racing past $130 a barrel in a dizzying surge… “To cool things down, all eyes are on the Permian. That makes the debate raging among drillers in the basin—whether to unleash the drill rigs or not—extremely pressing to a world dealing with the inflationary blow of oil’s price surge.”
Bloomberg: Exxon Weighs Taking Gas-to-Bitcoin Pilot to Four Countries
Naureen S Malik, 3/24/22
“Exxon Mobil Corp. is running a pilot program using excess natural gas that would otherwise be burned off from North Dakota oil wells to power cryptocurrency-mining operations and is considering doing the same at other sites around the globe, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reports. “The oil giant has an agreement with Crusoe Energy Systems Inc. to take gas from an oil well pad in the Bakken shale basin to power mobile generators used to run Bitcoin mining servers on site, said the people, who asked to not be named because the information isn’t public. The pilot project, which launched in January 2021 and expanded in July, uses up 18 million cubic feet of gas per month that would have otherwise been burned off -- or flared -- because there aren’t enough pipelines… “The gas is still burned, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but the energy is put to use instead of simply being wasted.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Wall Street Journal: Higher Prices Spark Fresh Investor Interest in Oil and Gas
Luis Garcia, 3/28/22
“Rising commodity prices are rekindling investors’ interest in oil- and gas-focused private-equity strategies after years of depressed fundraising, while more frequent exit deals give investors additional capital to redeploy in the sector,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “We see investors more interested in investing in our new funds going forward than we’ve seen in the last 18 to 24 months,” Frost Cochran, a managing director and founding partner at Post Oak Energy Capital, a private-equity firm that backs oil-and-gas businesses, told the Journal.
OPINION
New York Times: The Boring Bill in Tennessee That Everyone Should Be Watching
Margaret Renkl, 3/28/22
“When a new energy infrastructure bill was introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this month, people could be forgiven for paying little attention,” Margaret Renkl writes for the New York Times. “...Thing is, almost nothing undertaken by the Tennessee General Assembly can be safely overlooked. That boring energy infrastructure bill, which passed the Tennessee Senate last Thursday, would let the state override local laws blocking fossil-fuel projects in their communities. In other words, if this bill becomes law, the state could allow an oil company to run a pipeline through a city over the objections of the city itself… “Legislative pre-emption is part of a political ground war down here. These routine bills rarely rise to the level of national attention, but their presence explains as much about our national politics — and about what shapes our national elections — as any newly restrictive abortion law or newly lax gun bill does. Derived from the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, the doctrine of pre-emption allows a higher legal authority to override a law passed by a lower legal authority when the two are in conflict… “Justin J. Pearson, founder and president of Memphis Community Against Pollution, which led the effort to defeat the Byhalia Connection pipeline, goes even further. “This legislation is making county commissions and county mayors toothless against these fossil fuel giants, which is why the fossil fuel industry is bringing this bill to our legislature,” he wrote in an email. “This bill has used our successful fight against the Byhalia Pipeline as a catalyst to silence any community’s ability to protect their drinking water source from pipelines, their homes from oil tank farms, and their neighborhoods from a proliferation of gas stations.” Fortunately, a coalition of local environmentalist groups — which, in addition to Memphis Community Against Pollution, includes Protect Our Aquifer, the Sierra Club, the Tennessee Environmental Council and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, among others — isn’t giving up on stopping this bill, or any other thumb-on-the-scale bill taken up by the Tennessee General Assembly. “Communities across the state are rising up to find ways to protect their communities,” Mr. Pearson said. “We’re in the fight and always will be.”
Register-Herald: Sen. Manchin wrong on fossil fuels, pipeline
Maury Johnson, Greenville, WV, 3/25/22
“Senator Manchin is dead wrong,” Maury Johnson writes for the Register-Herald. “In the last several weeks, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has been touting how we need to ramp up all kinds of fossil fuel infrastructure and production in order to help Ukraine and become energy independent. He is also trying to help his fossil fuel friends from whom he has taken enormous sums of money in the last year. When I say enormous, I mean ENORMOUS! It appears he is willing to even write legislation to advance their cause and spout their propaganda. I hate to tell him but he is just plain wrong… “As a landowner along the path of one of these pipelines, being built in some of W.V’s last pristine places, I am appalled at Sen. Manchin’s attempts to leverage himself into a position of power. I wish I could ignore his destructive views on fossil fuels and his misguided attempt to push through these destructive projects… “There is no reason to build new pipelines. We have far too many destructive pipelines already. We need to fully electrify our energy sector with renewable energy and build a smart, modern electrical grid. Joe Manchin is not only wrong, he is DEAD wrong and the human race will be, too, if we continue down the path that he is proposing.”
Houston Chronicle: Opinion: Last thing Port Arthur needs is a leaky pipeline through Sabine Lake
John Beard is a long-time Port Arthur resident and former city council member. He previously worked at an Exxon plant and now advocates for his community’s health and environment, 3/27/22
“Sabine Lake is one of the best things about living in Port Arthur and now a giant energy company wants to ruin it,” John Beard writes for the Houston Chronicle. “Energy Transfer has proposed building a giant crude oil pipeline right through the middle of Sabine Lake and down to an offshore export terminal off the coast of Louisiana. The so-called “Blue Marlin” pipeline would move nearly 2 million barrels per day through our lake. Calling it “Blue Marlin” is especially offensive since it could devastate fishing around here. Sabine Lake and neighboring Bessie Heights Marsh are two of the most important fisheries and bird habitats on the Gulf. Anglers and commercial fishermen, boaters, birdwatchers and lots of tourists visit each year, bringing money to local businesses. Migratory birds also stop over here; ducks, ospreys, bald eagles and pelicans all call the lake and marshes home… “If the Blue Marlin oil pipeline and export terminal are anything like many of Energy Transfer’s other projects, I fully expect Sabine Lake and Port Arthur to end up devastated. According to ViolationTracker.com, over the last 21 years, Energy Transfer and its subsidiaries have incurred over $589 million in fines for everything from environmental offenses, to workplace safety incidents, to market manipulation. But my biggest concern is Energy Transfer’s long history of pipeline spills. Between 2002 and 2018, Energy Transfer, its subsidiaries and joint ventures spilled 3.6 million gallons of hazardous liquids. This included 2.8 million gallons of crude oil in 527 separate incidents… “People in my community have had enough, and the last thing we want is an oily dagger through the heart of Sabine Lake. We will fight hard to prevent Energy Transfer from bulldozing through our communities, taking our land and polluting our water. I hope our public officials will stand with us in this fight.”
Mountain Xpress: Letter: Dominion pipeline proposal needs further study
Steven Norris, Fairview, 3/26/22
“Dominion Energy, which markets fossil (“natural”) gas in the Asheville area, has applied to the National Park Service for a permit to construct a 12-inch gas pipeline underneath our Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail near the French Broad River,” Steven Norris writes in the Mountain Xpress. “In its EA (environmental assessment) to NPS, Dominion claims that the pipeline will have no impact on people, water, animals or vegetation, and those impacts can be “dismissed.” In fact, Dominion’s pipeline drilling and installation could have a number of harmful impacts, which cannot be dismissed... “Everyone who lives in these mountains knows — but Dominion has chosen to ignore — that our mountains are full of underground streams and aquifers, which the drilling could clog, disrupt or even poison. Many of us drink this underground water out of springs and wells. Many animals do, too. Since water is life, its drilling would impact life on the surface. The EA must analyze these impacts… “Although Dominion started developing planning four years ago, the public was given only one month to comment. This is insufficient time for an adequate response to a complicated and potentially environmentally and life-damaging project. We are asking NPS to extend the EA comment period two months; hold public hearings; and require Dominion to submit a much more detailed environmental impact statement. NPS must learn from past experiences with Duke Energy’s coal ash pollution, Chemtronics and CTS Superfund sites and other environmental disasters in the Asheville area, and not allow Dominion to get by with an inadequate environmental assessment.”