EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/7/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Michigan Radio: Oil and gas industry groups try to block implementation of rule to better protect the Great Lakes
Green Bay Press-Gazette: Indigenous-led activists protest Wisconsin oil pipeline in Green Bay, around Wisconsin
Nebraska Examiner: With CO2 pipelines planned, landowners call for additional state protections
Aberdeen News: Politics, legislative action play a part in Summit Carbon Solutions' pipeline proposal
Norfolk Daily News: Opponents warn of risks with proposed carbon pipelines
SDPB Radio: Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project explained
KELO: CO2 pipeline explained
KAIT: Activists worry Byhalia pipeline project will be revived under new legislation
WTVF: Lawmakers to consider limiting local governments say in oil, gas pipeline construction in Tennessee
TheEnergyMix: Latest Cost Hike Makes Trans Mountain a ‘Delusion’, Tsleil-Waututh Say
WHYY: Residents near Mariner East say ‘restoration’ work looks like more construction to them
Buffalo News: DEC hasn't given up on trying to stop National Fuel's gas pipeline
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: FERC UNDER FIRE
Politico: FOSSIL FUEL DOMINANCE HARD TO KICK
E&E News: Just how much oil can the U.S. pump?
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Fuel in water deepens Native Hawaiians’ distrust of military
Natural Gas Intelligence: Louisiana LNG Departs for Global Market Uneasy Over Ukraine
The New Yorker: The End of Oil Drilling in L.A.
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Alberta oil can be a solution to U.S. energy supply crunch - minister
CLIMATE FINANCE
National Observer: RBC tells shareholders to look the other way on fossil fuels
Financial Times: BlackRock funds ride high on ethical investment inflows
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Pembroke Observer and News: Enbridge Gas assists Whitewater Region Fire Department with funds to support training materials
OPINION
Windsor Star: Supply chain challenges due to Windsor blockade show importance of Line 5
The Hill: Biden forgets a key message on the environment: Balance
PIPELINE NEWS
Michigan Radio: Oil and gas industry groups try to block implementation of rule to better protect the Great Lakes
Lester Graham, 3/6/22
“A new rule went into effect last month, requiring oil and gas companies to better monitor their pipelines if they are in sensitive coastal areas such as the Great Lakes,” Michigan Radio reports. “Two industry groups, the American Petroleum Institute and GPA Midstream have petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the rule and, until that’s done, stop the rule from being enforced. Congress passed laws in 2016 and 2020 requiring the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to amend its rules to help prevent catastrophic oil spills that damage shorelines and beaches, and lawmakers specifically named the Great Lakes as an area to be protected… “Unusually Sensitive Areas fall under stricter regulations as to how an operator has to maintain the integrity of the pipe, which would lower the possibility of a failure,” Bill Caram, executive director of the watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust, told MR. Caram told MR the filing by the industry groups came as a surprise for many because it was clear that the Great Lakes should have been better protected all along… “The rule specifically cited events involving Enbridge pipelines in its introduction of the rule… “The two industry groups requesting a stay and review of the rule argued that they had not been given adequate opportunity to comment. The petition to the court said the agency issued the rule without first publishing the proposal, providing the public a chance to comment and the agency a chance to amend the Unusually Sensitive Areas definition. This could delay implementation of the rule for months or longer, because if the petition is denied, then the two industry groups can file suit.”
Green Bay Press-Gazette: Indigenous-led activists protest Wisconsin oil pipeline in Green Bay, around Wisconsin
Frank Vaisvilas, 3/5/22
“About a dozen environmental activists took to the streets of downtown Green Bay Friday evening to protest a proposed oil pipeline reroute in northern Wisconsin,” the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. “We’re trying to raise awareness about Line 5,” organizer Justice Peche told the Gazette… “Friday’s Indigenous-led demonstration was one of 16 across the state organized by the The Environmental Justice Task Force of Joshua. Peche, a citizen of the Oneida Nation, told the Gazette it was the first of eight weekly demonstrations leading up to Earth Day on April 22. “These smaller scale events were inspired by (teen environmental activist) Greta Thunberg who started protesting on her own every Friday,” Peche told the Gazette… “An estimated $46 million of the project’s budget will be spent with Native-owned businesses, in tribal communities and on training and hiring Native American workers,” Juli Kellner, spokesperson for Enbridge, told the Gazette. “It’s anticipated Native American workers will make up 10% of the project’s direct workforce.”
Nebraska Examiner: With CO2 pipelines planned, landowners call for additional state protections
PAUL HAMMEL, 3/5/22
“With carbon dioxide pipelines planned across Nebraska, some landowners are asking the state to adopt additional protections for them when such pipelines are abandoned,” the Nebraska Examiner reports. “Meanwhile, a recent Wall Street Journal article raised questions about whether carbon sequestration projects — which would be fed by the pipelines — can be done successfully. Some of the same groups that opposed the Keystone XL pipeline testified in favor of the pipeline proposal, Legislative Bill 1186, at a public hearing last month. The bill would require pipeline companies to remove abandoned pipe and would allow landowners to reclaim easements across their property. It would also set up a reclamation fund, financed by pipeline firms, that would pay for the removal. The bill, advocates said, contains some of the same protections that have been adopted by the States of Iowa and Minnesota. Even Canada — home of the Keystone XL developer TC Energy — requires pipeline firms to contribute to a fund that would finance pipe removals. “Landowners know best what’s best for their land, and should be able to control what happens after the inevitable abandonment of pipelines,” Ken Winston, of Bold Alliance, told members of the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee. Bold Alliance is an environmental group that includes Bold Nebraska, which led the opposition to the Keystone XL. State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, who introduced LB 1186, said the proposal would allow landowners to reclaim an easement granted to a company, once a pipeline is abandoned. It would also facilitate reclamation of the land once the pipe is removed, he said. Winston called the bill a “property rights protection” measure that is especially important now that at least two high-pressure, carbon-dioxide pipelines are being planned that would cross the state. But representatives of the Nebraska Ethanol Board and Nebraska Farm Bureau opposed the bill, saying it could harm the state’s ethanol industry… “One landowner, Megan Hammond of York County, told the Natural Resources Committee that her family had tried unsuccessfully to get local ordinances passed to allow landowners to reclaim their land once a pipeline quit operating. She said her family’s property was once on the route of the Keystone XL and now is being eyed for a carbon-dioxide pipeline.”
Aberdeen News: Politics, legislative action play a part in Summit Carbon Solutions' pipeline proposal
Alexandra Hardle, 3/4/22
“Politics play a part in just about every major project, and Summit Carbon Solution's proposed carbon dioxide pipeline is no exception,” the Aberdeen News reports. “In South Dakota, both the House and Senate have approved a bill that would include carbon capture companies in certain pipeline taxation provisions. The bill, which Summit Carbon Solutions asked for, would mean that all people and businesses involved in the transportation of things like gasoline and carbon dioxide would be taxed… “In South Dakota, questions have been raised about whether the company should be granted eminent domain authority, as well as whether the pipeline is beneficial to the public. "It all boils down to, sadly, politics," Nebraska-based lawyer Brian Jorde told the News. He is with Domina Law Group of Omaha and has clients who are opposed to the project in all five fives states through which the pipeline would run - the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. "The question is, does South Dakota's PUC – is a simple majority of the PUC ready to rubber-stamp this regardless of if it makes sense or not?" Jorde told the News… “South Dakota landowners have raised questions about the political background of some of Summit Carbon Solutions' staff members, noting the team's political ties to both major parties… “Branstad isn't the only one who has connections to the ethanol industry. Summit Carbon Solutions' General Counsel Jess Vilsack has a close connection through a family member. His father is U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, also a supporter of ethanol industry. Tom Vilsack is a Democrat. The pipeline has grown controversial as big-money projects that require private land often do…"It’s unfortunate those against the project and the sustainability of the ethanol industry would create a false narrative to say the project is being politically motivated," the statement read. "The Summit team is committed to ensuring the ethanol and corn industries are strong for future generations of farmers."
Norfolk Daily News: Opponents warn of risks with proposed carbon pipelines
By JERRY GUENTHER, 3/5/22
“When it comes to carbon pipelines, the risks are greater than the rewards,” the Norfolk Daily News reports. “That was the message presented Friday at Divots in Norfolk by a couple of leaders trying to thwart carbon pipelines from being built in Northeast Nebraska — or at least making sure landowners negotiate their best lease with the companies proposing them. Jane Kleeb, president of BOLD Nebraska, said carbon pipelines are “new, untested and unregulated” in Nebraska. She said the Norfolk meeting, which was the third of a series of similar meetings Thursday and Friday, was put on by BOLD Nebraska and Nebraska Easement Action Team (NEAT). Kleeb said the difference between the groups is that BOLD Nebraska is opposed “all the way,” while NEAT has major concerns — especially using eminent domain for private property. But if people are going to sign an easement, NEAT wants to make sure landowners at least sign a lease that represents the best terms possible and that they are fairly compensated, Kleeb said. Tom Genung, whose home place is northwest of O’Neill, said he began learning about pipelines from attorney Dave Domina when NEAT and BOLD Nebraska opposed the Keystone XL pipeline. As Genung had more correspondence with Domina, Genung said he learned that the terms in the easements that landowners sign for a pipeline are more important than the compensation they receive. Kleeb provided her background with BOLD Nebraska, which she founded in 2009. That included the successful defeat of the Keystone XL pipeline… “Regardless of political affiliation, however, Kleeb said Republicans and Democrats can agree on standing up to the taking of land by eminent domain by private companies. Kleeb said one of the problems with easements signed with pipeline companies is that the company owns those easements forever. “That would be the same with any pipeline that you sign with,” Kleeb said, “unless you have a pipeline contract that I have never seen in the over 13 years I have been working on pipelines.”
SDPB Radio: Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project explained
Lori Walsh, 3/4/22
“Summit Carbon Solutions is planning a large-scale carbon capture and sequestration project in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Chris Hill is director of environmental and permitting for Summit Carbon Solutions. SDPB's Lori Walsh talked with Hill about the science, business, and politics of the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions project,” SDPB Radio reports. “...Chris Hill: So currently the plan is permanent sequestration. So everything we're doing is under the assumption that CO2 will never be removed from that geologic formation. So all our financial models, everything we're doing from a design perspective is for permanent sequestration of that CO2…. “Lori Walsh: So is the permanent sequestration environmentally benign? Chris Hill: So, yes… “Lori Walsh: Worst case scenario, is it gas, fire, liquid, what? What happens in the worst case scenario? Chris Hill: So the characteristics of CO2 is it's interesting from a relative standpoint, it has a lower risk profile than a lot of other products folks are used to in a pipeline. Because it's not flammable. It's not explosive. In fact, CO2 is used in fire extinguishers to put out fires. And so from that standpoint, it has a lower risk profile… “What I don't want to do is be dismissive of the risk… “CO2, although it's not combustible or flammable, it can displace oxygen. And in that case, it would be an asphyxia and someone could get really harmed and there could be a fatality… “Chris Hill: And we invited them to participate and provide tribal monitors with our cultural survey crew. So in addition to what we are identifying using Western techniques, we're also providing the opportunity for the tribes to help us identify things that wouldn't necessarily be on our radar and participate in the routing process from the get go. Lori Walsh: And tribes have responded to that? Chris Hill: Yeah. We had 21 tribal monitors that were out on, that participated in our 2021 survey. And that was 21 tribal monitors from seven tribes across the five state footprint. And we've had a couple conversations since then that we expect even more participation in 2022, which we're very excited about.”
KELO: CO2 pipeline explained
Kelli Volk, 3/4/22
“A proposed pipeline that would transport CO2 would run through parts of KELOLAND,” KELO reports. “...Siouxland Energy Cooperative in Sioux Center is one of more than 30 partner facilities already signed on to the project. “We can get our carbon score down significantly. Right now, Siouxland is about a 63.4 and we think Summit can get us down about another 25 points,” Siouxland Energy Cooperative operations director Jeff Altna told KELO… “Kelly Niewenhuis is a Siouxland board member and a longtime Iowa farmer. “My main thoughts about this project, it’s going to be for the next generation of farmers to have a market through ethanol and biofuels,” Farmer and board member Kelly Nieuwenhuis told KELO… “The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club opposes CO2 pipelines, saying these projects don’t address other forms of pollution from fossil fuel extraction and industrial agriculture… “The Sierra Club also says a pipeline leak could poison surrounding communities.”
KAIT: Activists worry Byhalia pipeline project will be revived under new legislation
Brandon Richard, 3/6/22
“Could the Byhalia Connection Pipeline project be revived?” KAIT reports. “Tennessee lawmakers are considering a bill that environmental activists say would make it easier to build the pipeline and others despite local opposition… “But after months of fierce opposition, including from former Vice President Al Gore, the company canceled the project last July. It marked a victory for environmental activists like Justin Pearson, the president of Memphis Community Against Pollution. But now he worries the victory may be short-lived. “The reality is we knew billion-dollar corporations don’t go down quietly or easily and anticipated that they would do something else,” Pearson told KAIT. He’s concerned about House Bill 2246 by State Representative Kevin Vaughan of Collierville. The bill was introduced in January, calling for “a study of the current infrastructure of utilities operating in this state, including pipelines or transmission lines used to produce or distribute a source of energy such as gas or oil, to determine what improvements to the infrastructure are needed to attract development and investment to this state.” However, an amendment was introduced last week that changes the bill dramatically. Vaughan told KAIT his bill, as amended, would preempt localities from creating zoning laws that prohibit the creation of critical infrastructure such as pipelines through their communities… “Pearson told KAIT the bill could undo the victory he and others fought so hard for last year. “We are all deeply concerned that this legislation is going to allow for the creation of the Byhalia pipeline, but also other pipelines without zero local control over zoning that would protect communities and protect drinking water sources,” Pearson told KAIT… “Action News 5 reached out to Plains All American to see if they support the legislation and to ask whether they had plans to revisit the Byhalia pipeline project. A company spokesman has not yet responded.”
WTVF: Lawmakers to consider limiting local governments say in oil, gas pipeline construction in Tennessee
Hannah McDonald, 3/6/22
“Could oil and gas pipelines soon be built closer to local schools and waterways?” WTVF reports. “This week, lawmakers will hear a proposal that would keep local governments from stopping the construction of a pipeline regardless of the plans. The Southern Environmental Law Center is against the idea. "When an out-of-state crude oil pipeline or petroleum pipeline or methane gas pipeline wants to put something through their community, their local government will have no say where it actually placed," George Nolan, Senior Attorney at Nashville's Southern Environmental Law Center office, told WTVF. This week, state lawmakers will consider a bill, drafted to determine what kinds of utility infrastructure improvements are needed to attract development and investment, that also would take away local government's ability to restrict or prohibit pipeline construction. "If an out-of-state methane gas pipeline company decided that the shortest and least expensive route for a big pipeline is near a local school, then a county commission, school board, any local government entity would have absolutely nothing to say about that," Nolan told WTVF.
TheEnergyMix: Latest Cost Hike Makes Trans Mountain a ‘Delusion’, Tsleil-Waututh Say
Charlie Carey, 3/7/22
“In light of the Canadian federal government’s decision to not provide additional funding for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust is calling the viability of the pipeline a “delusion,” and reaffirming its position that the project needs to be halted,” TheEnergyMix reports. “In a February 22 release, the Trust said the expansion continues to infringe on the rights, title, and interests of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, the North Shore News reports. “It will exacerbate climate change, critically threaten the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and put at risk the ability for future generations of Tsleil-Waututh people to thrive,” the release said. The announcement last month from the federal government came after a construction cost update from Trans Mountain placed the estimated cost of the project at C$21.4 billion, a four-fold increase since Canada bought the pipeline in 2018 for $4.5 billion… “Now that we’re talking about over $20 billion in construction costs, it is clearly non-profitable,” Giroux said last week. “It will probably mean losses for Canadian taxpayers whenever the government decides to sell the pipeline to a private sector entity.” Tsleil-Waututh Nation Coun. Charlene Aleck told the North Shore News the writing is on the wall. “The oil and gas industry is coming to a close,” she said. “What they’re doing is so backwards to what Tsleil-Waututh is doing, in trying to clean salmon-bearing streams, cleaning clam garden beds, for the life and the ecosystem and all the habitats.” Aleck said the work of Trans Mountain is in direct contradiction to the Nation’s environmental work… “Aleck said the oil and gas industry is a “sunsetting industry” that wants to make every “red cent” it can before it shuts down… “Aleck cast the federal government’s decision not to provide additional funding to the expansion as the first time the government has publicly “blinked,” but said she’s not getting her hopes up that the project will be scrapped altogether.”
WHYY: Residents near Mariner East say ‘restoration’ work looks like more construction to them
Susan Phillips, 3/6/22
“Residents near a section of the Mariner East natural gas liquids pipeline in Middletown, Delaware County, say construction is continuing, despite an announcement by builder Energy Transfer that work has been finished,” WHYY reports. “The company announced the pipeline’s completion to shareholders in its February quarterly earnings call as well as its March investor presentation. A spokesperson for Energy Transfer told WHYY this week that any additional work is not “construction.” “...But Edgmont resident Lora Snyder told WHYY she watched this past week as a section of pipe was removed and replaced by another — to her, that’s construction. “It’s an ongoing lack of transparency to the community and their own investors,” she told WHYY. “It’s not restoration.” “...Clean Air Council attorney Alex Bomstein told WHYY the work looks to be both construction and restoration. “Restoration shouldn’t involve moving pipe,” Bomstein told WHYY. “It’s very confusing to people when they say they’re done, but clearly they are still working on the pipeline.”
Buffalo News: DEC hasn't given up on trying to stop National Fuel's gas pipeline
Thomas J. Prohaska, 3/6/22
“Although the federal agency that issues pipeline permits said last month its approval of the Northern Access pipeline will stand, the state Department of Environmental Conservation believes the matter should be reopened,” Buffalo News reports. “National Fuel, the company that wants to build the pipeline, said Thursday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should stick with its policy of not relitigating project approvals when developers seek to extend deadlines for their completion… “The state agency argued that since FERC approved the project, New York passed its 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandated sharp reductions in emissions that could lead to climate change and required major reductions in electrical generation from fossil fuel sources… “Also, President Biden's administration has altered federal goals and policies on fossil fuel use and emission reduction since taking office last year, the DEC argued. And FERC itself, with a new chairman and a new commissioner appointed by Biden, has changed its project review policies since Biden became president, taking greater notice of greenhouse gas emissions. A 15-day public comment period on National Fuel's extension request drew more than 130 negative responses from local residents and environmentalists in New York and elsewhere. No one wrote in favor of the request.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: FERC UNDER FIRE
Josh Siegel, 3/4/22
“Manchin and Senate Energy Committee Republicans attacked FERC on Thursday over its recent shift to scrutinize the climate and environmental justice effects from new pipelines and LNG projects, arguing it would strain the U.S.’ ability to help European allies during global emergencies like the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Politico reports. “Opponents floated the notion that Congress could seek to reverse the new policy. Sen. John Barrasso, (R-Wyo.) told FERC Chair Richard Glick he had “no confidence” that he would fix things, and he said the committee "should be prepared to use every tool available at our disposal to clean up this mess." Democratic FERC commissioners, however, defended the policy implemented just two weeks ago, contending that rather than delaying fossil fuel infrastructure projects, the change would head off legal challenges and help resolve many of the current permitting disputes… “Some Republican senators targeted FERC’s newest Commissioner Willie Phillips during the hearing, implying he had misled them during his confirmation hearing in emphasizing that reliability and affordability were of central importance to him. Barrasso said he was “disappointed” in Phillips. “During your confirmation hearing you assured us that ‘the cornerstone of utility service is reliability,’ and emphasized the need to make sure power bills are affordable,” he said. “I can't square those statements with the decision to approve these orders.”
Politico: FOSSIL FUEL DOMINANCE HARD TO KICK
Josh Siegel, 3/4/22
“Carbon emissions would fall just 1.8 percent through 2050 under current U.S. laws and regulations despite renewable energy nearly doubling its share of the nation’s energy mix, the Energy Information Administration said Thursday,” Politico reports. “That’s because the boom in carbon-free energy would not be enough to replace natural gas and petroleum, which would remain the top U.S. fuel sources. EIA projected renewable energy would account for 16 percent of the U.S. energy picture by midcentury, up from 8 percent today, while petroleum and natural gas would remain relatively constant at 37 percent and 32 percent, respectively. EVs would compose 21 percent of the car market, up from 3 percent now. But overall U.S. oil and gas consumption will still grow even if it doesn’t increase market share, EIA’s analysis showed.”
E&E News: Just how much oil can the U.S. pump?
Benjamin Storrow, 3/7/22
“Last week, as the price of oil surged to $115 per barrel, an unexpected thing happened — the number of rigs drilling for oil in America decreased,” E&E News reports. “...The decrease comes as a growing share of the world spurns Russian barrels in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. It also underscores an increasingly pressing question: Just how much more oil can the United States pump? In Washington, a chorus of Republican and industry voices are calling on the Biden administration to boost production by expediting permits, waiving leasing restrictions and permitting the Keystone XL pipeline. Even Elon Musk, CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc., says the United States should increase oil production… “But many analysts said it would take time for U.S. oil output to rise. American oil companies are emerging from a series of lean years. The profligate spending of the early shale boom chastened Wall Street — with lenders prioritizing capital discipline over expansive new drilling programs. Economic shutdowns associated with the Covid-19 pandemic prompted many companies to slash their capital budgets in 2020. And efforts to stand up rigs again have been hampered by a tight labor market and a supply chain crunch. “Demand almost always acts faster than supply,” Daniel Klein, who tracks the industry at S&P Global Platts, told E&E. “You can’t slam on the brakes as hard as we did [in 2020] and expect supply to come back as quickly as it came off. There are more speed bumps on supply than there are on demand.”
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Fuel in water deepens Native Hawaiians’ distrust of military
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, 3/3/22
“A well-known adage in Hawaiian, ola i ka wai, means “water is life.” Native Hawaiians revere water in all its forms as the embodiment of one of the Hawaiian pantheon’s four principal gods. The resource is so valuable that to have it in abundance means prosperity. The Hawaiian word for water — wai — is repeated in the word for wealth — waiwai,” the Associated Press reports. “So when the Navy confirmed petroleum from one of its fuel tank facilities had leaked into Pearl Harbor’s tap water, many Native Hawaiians were not just concerned, they were hurt and offended. “This has been the most egregious assault on a public trust resource in the history of Hawaii,” Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a former trustee of the Commission on Water Resource Management, told AP. Nearly 6,000 people, mostly those living in military housing at or near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, got sick after petroleum-laced water came pouring out of their taps late last year. Residents worry fresh water for broader Oahu also is in danger because the aging tank system sits above an aquifer that provides drinking water to most of the island and has a history of leaks. The Navy is working to address the problem. But many say it has deepened a distrust in the military that dates to at least 1893, when a group of American businessmen, with support from U.S. Marines, overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom. More recently, Native Hawaiians fought to stop target practice bombing on the island of Kahoolawe and at Makua Valley in west Oahu. “The military has a long history of poor stewardship of Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources,” Carmen Hulu Lindsey, chair of the board of trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, told AP..
Natural Gas Intelligence: Louisiana LNG Departs for Global Market Uneasy Over Ukraine
JAMISON COCKLIN, 3/1/22
“The first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has departed the Calcasieu Pass export terminal in Louisiana, providing additional American supplies to a tight market uneasy about war in Ukraine,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “Venture Global LNG Inc., which owns Calcasieu Pass, said a subsidiary of Jera Co. Inc. chartered the Greece-flagged vessel Yiannis to load the first cargo. The vessel, which arrived at Calcasieu Pass Feb. 7, had not declared a destination as of Tuesday. It is likely, however, that the ship would remain in the Atlantic Basin given the clear premiums for U.S. LNG in Europe. Calcasieu Pass produced its first LNG in January. Venture is installing 18 modular liquefaction trains in nine blocks. While commissioning continues, the United States is expected to have the largest liquefaction capacity in the world when the 1.6 Bcf/d terminal comes online, which is expected by the end of the year… “The United States provided about half of all Europe’s LNG imports in January… “Energy exports have so far been excluded from the West’s sanctions against Russia, but the market remains on edge as further measures could limit flows.”
The New Yorker: The End of Oil Drilling in L.A.
Emily Witt, 3/3/22
“Millions of years ago, the Pacific Ocean covered the span of shallow land today known as the Los Angeles Basin,” The New Yorker reports. “...What took millions of years of exquisite natural phenomena to create took a little more than a century to plunder. The first oil well in Los Angeles was dug, by hand, in the neighborhood now known as Echo Park, by two prospectors, Edward Doheny and Charles Canfield, in 1892… “There are now sixty-eight named oil fields within the four-hundred-and-fifty-square-mile area of the Los Angeles Basin, according to the United States Geological Survey… “Lately, though, the tolerance of Angelenos for the oil wells next door has waned. Climate change has made the presence of fossil-fuel extraction in the middle of America’s second-largest city seem increasingly preposterous, even if residents remain among the country’s most petroleum-dependent consumers. American environmentalism has changed, too, focussing somewhat less on the conservation of wilderness and more on combatting environmental racism in urban areas… “In September, after years of grassroots lobbying, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to ban new drilling and phase out existing wells in the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County. The City of Los Angeles passed a similar motion in January. If these laws survive anticipated legal challenges, they will be followed by studies to confirm that the oil companies have got their return on investment, and then the wells will be shuttered… “Like most climate-change policy, however, there’s a tendency toward procrastination that softens the emergency, that puts off the changes until next year or the year after that. Last year, the state issued five hundred and forty-two permits to drill new wells in the state of California, and more than fifteen hundred permits to rework old ones, including several in Los Angeles. The patience of many people who live alongside these wells is running out.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Alberta oil can be a solution to U.S. energy supply crunch - minister
By Arathy Somasekhar, 3/6/22
“Alberta, Canada's main oil-producing region, can help alleviate the global oil supply crunch caused by energy disruptions, Alberta energy minister, Sonya Savage, said on Sunday,” Reuters reports. “Alberta has some spare pipeline and rail capacity and can move more oil to the United States, Savage said in Houston ahead of the CERAWeek energy conference by S&P Global… "We are the solution, not Venezuela and others," Savage told Reuters, an apparent reference to U.S. sending a delegation to Caracas last week to discuss an easing of U.S. oil sanctions. She also told Reuters it was "unconscionable" for any nation to be buying Russian crude oil or refined products in light of its invasion of Ukraine.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
National Observer: RBC tells shareholders to look the other way on fossil fuels
John Woodside, 3/7/22
“RBC is defending its sustainable finance strategy from shareholder activist groups, but critics say the bank is providing nothing but platitudes that break its own international commitments,” the National Observer reports. “Last month, shareholder advocacy group Investors for Paris Compliance filed a resolution with RBC that, if passed, would prevent the bank from financing fossil fuel projects and projects facing significant Indigenous opposition under the banner of “sustainable finance.” Last week, RBC responded to the resolution, urging shareholders to reject it at the bank’s upcoming annual meeting. RBC’s rationale was thin. Not once in its reply did the bank use the term “fossil fuels,” and RBC insisted it already respects the “inherent right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination in accordance with international and domestic law.” However, the bank has investments in fossil fuel companies whose projects face opposition from local Indigenous communities. RBC has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into Enbridge, the Canadian energy giant paying for policing along its cross-border Line 3 pipeline as the project faces Indigenous opposition. The bank is also financing the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which Wet’suwet’en hereditary leadership has been resisting for years. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has condemned the Coastal GasLink project and urged Canada to stop immediately. In its response, RBC highlighted its commitment to provide $500 billion worth of “sustainable finance” by 2025. But by not addressing fossil fuel financing in its answer, RBC is failing to tackle the cause of climate change. An emerging pattern of questionable financing billed as “sustainable” prompted the resolution from Investors for Paris Compliance. Most notably, RBC and a number of other Canadian banks provided $1.1 billion in “sustainability-linked” financing to Enbridge last year, even though the company openly admitted in the term sheets it would not be used for any environmental purpose.”
Financial Times: BlackRock funds ride high on ethical investment inflows
3/7/22
“By building a dominant suite of exchange traded funds, BlackRock has also developed a marketplace for people eager to align their beliefs with environmental and socially-conscious investments,” the Financial Times reports. “Competitors are now springing up, such as the start-up investment fund Engine No. 1. Nevertheless, BlackRock, under chief executive Larry Fink, remains by far the largest player in ETFs that have environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics — via its iShares range. Independent investment research group CFRA calculates that almost 60 per cent of all assets in ESG ETFs are held through BlackRock — and 64 per cent of new net fund flows into such funds in the past year have gone to BlackRock. As a result, BlackRock manages seven of the 10 largest ethically-themed ETFs in the US and the three largest such funds in Europe, according to data provider Morningstar… “This growth in the ESG ETF market in the US has largely been driven by young, millennial investors who manage their own accounts. US law discourages employers from putting ESG funds into 401(k) retirement plans. But, while asset managers push the Biden administration to change this law, demand for ESG ETFs is being “driven by younger investors, specifically those with self-directed accounts”, Ullal told FT. “They want their investments to reflect certain values.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Pembroke Observer and News: Enbridge Gas assists Whitewater Region Fire Department with funds to support training materials
3/6/22
“Enbridge Gas is helping Whitewater Region Fire Department purchase firefighting training materials through Safe Community Project Assist,” the Pembroke Observer and News reports. “Safe Community Project Assist is a program with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council that supplements existing training for Ontario volunteer and composite fire departments in the communities where Enbridge operates. This year’s $250,000 donation from Enbridge Gas will be shared by 50 Ontario fire departments, including the Whitewater Region Fire Department. Funds will be used to purchase educational materials for firefighters to enhance life-saving techniques. Whitewater Region Fire Chief Jonathan McLaren noted Enbridge Gas has been a partner and supporter of the fire service for many years by providing training and emergency scene expertise.”
OPINION
Windsor Star: Supply chain challenges due to Windsor blockade show importance of Line 5
Allan Murphy, interim CEO, Canadian Propane Association, 3/7/22
“Supply chain difficulties of late, particularly via rail, have made the delivery of goods, including propane, very challenging,” Allan Murphy writes in the Windsor Star. “...Given these recent issues that caused supply chain disruptions, we are left to wonder where we would be without Enbridge’s Line 5 — the pipeline that travels through much of Michigan stretching from the Upper Peninsula, through the Straits of Mackinac and into Sarnia… “It’s becoming more important we take decisive action on things within our power to influence. There are no viable alternatives to Line 5 as some would have us believe… “We should not need to be reminded Line 5 is a vital part of the infrastructure between Canada and U.S. Just like the Ambassador Bridge, Line 5 provides essential resources… “Whether it’s moving goods on roads or energy via pipeline, international supply chains must be maintained.”
The Hill: Biden forgets a key message on the environment: Balance
Danielle Butcher is the executive vice president at the American Conservation Coalition (ACC), 3/5/22
“Amid disastrously low approval ratings, President Biden recently gave his first State of the Union address, verbally dodging and weaving around a year filled to the brim with disappointment,” Danielle Butcher writes for The Hill. “For young people especially, the Biden presidency has been disiullionsing. According to a new poll from my organization the American Conservation Coalition, 53 percent of Americans aged 18 to 30 believe we’re on the wrong track as a country… “With so much at stake, the omission of nuclear and natural gas as a viable way to rapidly reduce emissions read as disingenuous… “Dependence on Russian natural gas may not have caused Russia to strike against Ukraine, but there’s no doubt that the dependency emboldened Putin and his allies. We need clean energy, yes, but we also need abundant, secure, domestic energy. We have the tools to achieve both — its not either or. Once again, it’s all about balance. As Biden navigates his second year in office, it’s crucial that climate change continues to be a priority, but it needs to be weighted equally with realistic economic concerns and securing our energy supply. If Biden has any chance of becoming the president he promised young people he’d be, it’s clear that he must course correct.”