EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/7/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa PBS: Iowa Press | Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects [VIDEO]
LeMars Sentinel: GOP-controlled Senate kills anti-pipeline bill
West Central Tribune: Efforts to change state rules for carbon pipelines fall short
WGLT: McLean County exploring carbon capture technology, potential guardrails
Energy Intelligence: Industry No Longer Banking on Mountain Valley Pipeline
Wall Street Journal: Utilities Pursue Pipeline Sales as Natural-Gas Bans Catch On
Bloomberg: Enbridge CEO Points to Permian to Allay Oil Unit Growth Concerns
WHRO: Nansemond tribe, environmental groups concerned about Hampton Roads pipeline
WLKY: Residents raise concerns after judge rules in favor of Bullitt County pipeline
Minnesota Public Radio: Winona LaDuke resigns as Honor The Earth leader after sexual harassment case
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: DOE hydrogen hubs: 4 issues to watch
STATE UPDATES
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Environmental groups sue to block law that could force gas drilling in state parks
San Francisco Chronicle: U.S. EPA hits Valero’s oil refinery in Benicia with $1.2 million penalty for two toxic flaring incidents
CLIMATE FINANCE
Guardian: Global banks pledged to cut emissions – but still invest billions on US gas exports
Guardian: Harvard professor lobbied SEC on behalf of oil firm that pays her lavishly, emails show
KPVI: Oregon bill to divest from coal, oil and gas peters out
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Joe Manchin Gets Another Blow
The Hill: A tale of two energy proposals: Only one prioritizes survival
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Guest column: A much-needed change to public land management
The Hill: Stopping America’s LNG exports would hurt producers and send Beijing to Russia’s doorstep
Edmonton Journal: Opinion: Leaks are only part of the problem of tailings ponds
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa PBS: Iowa Press | Carbon Capture Pipeline Projects [VIDEO]
4/7/23
“On this edition of Iowa Press, our guests include Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator CO2, and Jess Mazour, conservation program coordinator for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club. They discuss the proposed carbon capture pipeline projects that could be built in Iowa. Joining moderator Kay Henderson at the Iowa Press table are Erin Murphy, Des Moines bureau chief for The Gazette and Clay Masters, host and lead political reporter for Iowa Public Radio,” Iowa PBS reports.
LeMars Sentinel: GOP-controlled Senate kills anti-pipeline bill
Elijah Helton, 4/7/23
“The Iowa Legislature last week killed a bill that would have restricted eminent domain for CO2 pipelines, effectively ending any chance of legislative action on the issue this year,” the LeMars Sentinel reports. “...It didn’t surprise me, but it’s disappointing, and it’s frustrating, and there’s no way to get around that,” Sen. Jeff Taylor (R-Sioux Center) told the Sentinel… “Rep. Zach Dieken (R-Granville) was one of the 73 “yes” votes. “I had my hopes up for something to happen, and it didn’t. I’m very disappointed. I think, sadly this happens all too often with lots of issues when people make their voices heard and purse strings seem to talk louder,” Dieken told the Sentinel… “Rep. Tom Jeneary (R-Le Mars) told the Sentinel the compromise was key to passing the legislation of the House, and he had some optimism it would at least be debated in the other chamber. “I’m very disappointed that the Senate has chosen to not take up this very important issue,” Jeneary told the Sentinal. “We have heard from the people. It is incumbent on the Legislature to act on their wishes. We are there to represent the people of Iowa.” Amy Solsma is a Republican and a farmer outside Sanborn. Her property is across the road from where one of the pipelines is slated to go. Jennifer Winn is a Democrat and lives in Hawarden, much farther from planned routes. Both have been vocal in support of legislative efforts to curb the CO2 projects and potential use of eminent domain. “I’m extremely disappointed and angry. It’s just such a betrayal of the Republican Party values,” Solsma told the Sentinel. “The lack of spine and lack of political will for Iowa leadership, as far as the GOP Senate, is clear and disgusting,” Winn told the Sentinel… “Organizations such as the Sierra Club have been leading those rallies. Jess Mazour is a coordinator for the group. “Are they just going to let these pipeline companies run roughshod all across the state, suing Iowans, suing counties, lying, bribing, harassing? It’s just unacceptable. We’re going to make sure they do their jobs,” Mazour told the Sentinel.
West Central Tribune: Efforts to change state rules for carbon pipelines fall short
Jeff Beach, 4/5/23
“With a bill to limit the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines dying a quiet death in Iowa, it likely means the status quo for pipeline rules in the Upper Midwest,” the West Central Tribune reports. “Attempts to limit the use of eminent domain were made in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Iowa House had passed a bill to require carbon pipeline developers to secure voluntary easements from at least 90% of landowners before being granted the right of eminent domain. But the Iowa Senate never scheduled a hearing on the bill before a key March 31 deadline, essentially killing the bill… “In North Dakota, the last two of a slew of bills on carbon pipelines failed to advance on March 28, one dealing with access for surveyors and another on landowner compensation that had previously been modified to a study of the issues. Eight bills related to pipelines were filed, including one that required 85% of landowners sign voluntary easements before eminent domain could be granted. In South Dakota, a bill that would have prevented carbon pipeline projects from using eminent domain cleared the House but died in a Senate committee vote in mid-February. In Minnesota, a bill to support carbon capture as a state policy did not gain traction. Language that would clarify that pipelines carrying gas, including carbon dioxide, would be subject to regulation by the state Public Utilities Commission, is included in a Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee omnibus bill… “No significant legislation was proposed in Nebraska, where there is no state agency with authority over carbon dioxide pipelines.”
WGLT: McLean County exploring carbon capture technology, potential guardrails
Eric Stock, 4/6/23
“McLean County government is preparing for the arrival of carbon capture technology,” WGLT reports. “Omaha-based Navigator has submitted plans to federal regulators to store liquefied carbon dioxide underground. The project might include McLean County, but county officials anticipate Heartland Greenway will be the first of many CO2 pipeline projects that could try setting up sequestration wells in the county… “Critics say the technology is not safe, or even green, because of the energy spent to keep carbon out of the environment… “One of the things I find most challenging about this subject is that there are multiple points of view within the scientific community, the ecology community, landowner questions,” McLean County Board member Lea Cline told WGLT… “Navigator has been talking with landowners in southwestern McLean County and several other nearby counties about setting up injection wells on their property, though Cline told WGLT currently the proposed pipeline would run outside the county's borders. Cline told WGLT she’s not aware that any landowner in McLean County has signed off on the project, but indicated more than 70 landowners in neighboring Logan County have granted easement rights… “The county's land use committee has given initial approved to requiring a special use permit for any wells. In that case, each well would be subject to a public hearing… “Cline told WGLT the county also hopes to get clarity on pipeline regulations with two bills that are currently under consideration in the Illinois House.”
Energy Intelligence: Industry No Longer Banking on Mountain Valley Pipeline
Mark Davidson, Bridget DiCosmo,4/6/23
“Years of legal and political setbacks for Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) have reached a critical mass, with many in the gas industry no longer banking on completion of what was once seen as a vital conduit for Appalachian supply,” according to Energy Intelligence.
Wall Street Journal: Utilities Pursue Pipeline Sales as Natural-Gas Bans Catch On
Katherine Blunt, Laura Cooper and Jimmy Vielkind, 4/6/23
“Two of the country’s largest utility companies are weighing potential sales of parts of their natural-gas pipeline networks as efforts to phase out in-home gas use accelerate,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Dominion Energy Inc. is considering selling its gas-distribution companies serving North Carolina, Ohio and parts of the Western U.S., people familiar with the matter told the Journal. Combined, the assets could be worth as much as $13 billion, some of the people told the Journal, though they are unlikely to be sold all together. Meanwhile, National Grid PLC is exploring a possible sale of part of its pipeline network serving the Northeast as lawmakers there look to curtail fossil-fuel use, people familiar with the matter told the Journal… “The potential sales come as lawmakers and regulators across the U.S. debate the future of natural gas for home heating and cooking as more towns and cities look to phase it out. Utilities are working to determine how to modify or repurpose their natural-gas delivery networks in response… “As a result, utilities are beginning to grapple with the likelihood that parts of their gas systems risk becoming stranded assets, or facilities that retire before they pay for themselves, as fewer homes and businesses rely on the networks of pipelines built to serve them. Brattle Group, a consulting firm, has estimated that U.S. gas-distribution infrastructure worth as much as $180 billion might risk becoming stranded as a result of the transition. The momentum first began building at the local level, as cities and towns across the U.S. enacted measures restricting the use of gas in new buildings to reduce carbon emissions in response to concerns about climate change. Potential bans on gas stoves and other restrictions have sparked a fierce backlash in some corners. Republican-run states have generally opposed such measures, while Democratic-run ones have supported them.”
Bloomberg: Enbridge CEO Points to Permian to Allay Oil Unit Growth Concerns
Kevin Orland, 4/6/23
“Enbridge Inc. Chief Executive Officer Greg Ebel said the company’s oil pipeline business has plenty of growth opportunities, with output from both the Permian Basin and western Canada poised to expand in the years ahead,” Bloomberg reports. “Permian output may expand by 2 million barrels a day, and Enbridge’s Ingleside export terminal is poised to benefit from those gains, Ebel told Bloomberg. Output from western Canada may increase by roughly 500,000 barrels this decade, and optimizations on the company’ Mainline system — as well as other projects — will help it capture that growth, he told Bloomberg. “In the pipeline business, we tend to look out 10, 15, 20 years, and I think all those pipes are going to be needed and then some,” Ebel said of western Canada. “I think it’s overstated, this idea that we’ve got plenty of pipes.” The comments hit back at concerns about weaker growth in Enbridge’s liquids unit — which accounted for almost 60% of its adjusted earnings last year — that have weighed on the company’s shares and reduced analysts’ enthusiasm for the stock. Of the analysts that cover Enbridge, only 48% rate the shares a buy. That’s down from 56% last year and 85% two years ago… “The main obstacle for expanding both the liquids and natural gas businesses is the difficulty of obtaining permits for new pipelines, Ebel told Bloomberg. “It’s hard for me to imagine a brand new greenfield pipe getting done very easily under the current conditions in Canada, and in some respects in the United States,” Ebel told Bloomberg. “Permitting drags out so long, has such uncertain timeframes, that customers generally won’t sign up.”
WHRO: Nansemond tribe, environmental groups concerned about Hampton Roads pipeline
Katherine Hafner, 4/6/23
“Leaders of the Nansemond Indian Nation say they’re concerned a proposed local pipeline expansion could impact centuries-old natural and cultural resources,” WHRO reports. “The proposed route of the Virginia Reliability Project would cross the Nansemond River and the northern boundary of the Great Dismal Swamp, both of which are key to the tribe’s heritage. “We've been there the whole time,” Assistant Chief David Hennaman told WHRO. “We're there now, and we like to think of it as a cultural and spiritual place of refuge.” The pipeline project comes from Canada-based TC Energy, which owns the Columbia Gas Transmission system that runs from New York to the Midwest and Southeast. Virginia’s the southernmost of the 10 states it touches… “Marion Werkheiser, a founding partner with Cultural Heritage Partners, represents the Nansemond Indian Nation. In a recent filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on its behalf, Werkheiser wrote that the pipeline expansion “will directly and adversely affect the Nation’s ancestral and contemporary lands, historic properties, natural and cultural resources, air and water quality experienced by contemporary Nansemond citizens, and could impact human burials of the Nation’s ancestors.” Because the tribe was not federally recognized when the pipeline was first built in the 1950s, it has very little information on what happened or what was found during initial construction, Werkheiser told WHRO… “Tribal leaders also take issue with how TC Energy has characterized their history in documents about the Virginia Reliability Project. The company described the Nansemond tribe as having relocated entirely to North Carolina in the early 18th century, Werkheiser said, and has not yet corrected the error. The Nansemond tribe’s roots predate the written record, according to an interactive history produced by the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association… “A Huffington Post investigation last year revealed emails in which TC appears to have drafted letters of support for local mayors to send to FERC, including Chesapeake’s Rick West and Bobby Dyer in Virginia Beach. Some local environmental groups and civic leagues are fighting the expansion, calling it the “Virginia Ripoff Project.” Charles Brown II, a Hampton Roads organizer with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, told WHRO he’s been going door to door in communities near the pipeline, and many residents know little to nothing about it.”
WLKY: Residents raise concerns after judge rules in favor of Bullitt County pipeline
Alexis Mathews, 4/6/23
“A proposed plan by LG&E to put a pipeline through parts of Bullitt County is moving forward following a long-awaited ruling,” WLKY reports. “But, the project is raising concerns from those whose land will be used for it, as well as local officials. A four-year legal challenge between Bernheim Forest and LG&E ended with a judge siding with the utility company. Kentucky's Eminent Domain Law allows them to seize a section of Bernheim's land for a 12-mile natural gas pipeline through the county… “In addition to Bernheim, other landowners have also entered a legal battle for refusing to sell their property for the project. Kimberly Rummage is appealing her ruling after the same judge granted LG&E the right to run the pipeline through her family farm in Coxs Creek. “Land is a huge commodity that we really want to protect, but we really have the safety issues and concerns as well,” Rummage told WLKY. Thomas Clay represents Rummage and three other impacted landowners. He told WLKY their concerns are similar about the pipeline being on their property. “There's concerns about the damage the pipeline will cause if it's placed on their property and the ability of leaks, territorial issues, and terrestrial issues,” he said. “There’s dangers involved with the lay of this pipeline… “Besty Ruhe is sponsoring a Metro Council ordinance opposing the condemnation plan for the Bernheim section and urging LG&E to find another clean energy alternative.”
Minnesota Public Radio: Winona LaDuke resigns as Honor The Earth leader after sexual harassment case
Kirsti Marohn, Dan Kraker, Amy Felegy and Jon Collins, 4/5/23
“Winona LaDuke, executive director of the Native American-led environmental group Honor the Earth, has resigned her national leadership position,” Minnesota Public Radio reports. “The news comes less than a week after the group lost a sexual harassment case to a former employee. In an announcement on Facebook Wednesday, LaDuke wrote she failed former employee Margaret (Molly) Campbell by not responding to her reports of sexual harassment by a coworker. “I did not rapidly and adequately act on the complex personnel and sexual harassment issues our organization faced internally,” she wrote about Honor The Earth, known for opposing the Line 3 pipeline. LaDuke said Honor the Earth had no sexual harassment policies in place in 2014 and 2015, when Campbell complained a co-worker sexually harassed her and used their status as a spiritual leader to commit sexual violence against Native American boys and men. “I take personal responsibility for the mistakes made … I was the executive director, and it was my job to create a good foundation to heal and move forward,” LaDuke’s post read… “Krystal Two Bulls, who was hired as co-executive director of Honor the Earth in December, will now be the sole director.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: DOE hydrogen hubs: 4 issues to watch
David Iaconangelo, 4/7/23
“The Department of Energy is set to begin reviewing dozens of proposals to build the nation’s first “hubs” of low-carbon hydrogen, a critical step that could help determine how much the fuel cuts emissions and which companies benefit from its deployment,” E&E News reports. “Funded with $8 billion in the 2021 infrastructure law, the hubs are meant to demonstrate the production, storage, transport and consumption of “clean” hydrogen made with less than half the carbon emissions associated with natural gas-derived production of the fuel… “Many of the proposals are backed by state governments and industry coalitions that include oil and gas companies and renewable developers… “Yet DOE’s hydrogen hub process is facing tough questions, particularly on whether the fuel will really prove to be as cheap, clean and abundant as its backers say… “Federal subsidies are also an olive branch to the oil and gas industry. Administration officials like Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm often describe clean hydrogen as a new business opportunity for oil and gas companies that would align with U.S. net zero goals. Natural gas companies are eager to blend hydrogen into existing pipelines. The hubs’ designs are likely to draw intense scrutiny from environmentalists, emissions researchers and pipeline safety advocates, however. Many of those groups are wary that publicly funded hubs could still emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases, endanger residents when hydrogen is stored or transported, suck up scarce water resources, prolong the burning of natural gas, or release pollutants that exacerbate respiratory illness.”
STATE UPDATES
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Environmental groups sue to block law that could force gas drilling in state parks
Jake Zuckerman, 4/6/23
“Environmental advocates filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to block a new state law they say could force state agencies to lease their lands to oil and gas companies looking to drill under state parks,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. “Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill, which also redefined climate-warming natural gas as “green energy,” in January. It takes effect Friday. Rather than the merits of the law, the lawsuit focuses on alleged constitutional violations in the procedural maneuvering to pass the bill. The plaintiffs say the bill didn’t meet constitutional requirements that a bill focus on only one subject, and be “considered” by lawmakers three times… “After 4 p.m. on the second-to-last lawmaking day of the two-year legislative session in December, Senate Republicans added several amendments, including: An expansion of oil and gas drilling rights in state parks; Redefining methane gas from shale (a fossil fuel) as “green energy”... “The Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio Valley Allies, Buckeye Environmental Network and the Sierra Club filed the lawsuit, naming the state and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz as defendants… “The bill, they say, changes the status quo by “removing agency discretion to lease state lands for oil and gas development and replacing that discretion with a mandate that state agencies lease to any interested party without proof of insurance, financial assurances, and registration with ODNR.”
San Francisco Chronicle: U.S. EPA hits Valero’s oil refinery in Benicia with $1.2 million penalty for two toxic flaring incidents
Julie Johnson, 4/5/23
“Oil refining giant Valero must pay a $1.2 million penalty for major flaring incidents at its Benicia facility that spewed dark plumes of pollutants into neighborhoods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “The “significant chemical incidents” occurred in 2017 and 2019 and forced people, including schoolchildren, to shelter in place because of the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals, according to the agency. After a federal investigation, Valero executives agreed to make specific changes to their Benicia operations and pay a penalty totaling $1,224,550 in a settlement reached with the EPA. Martha Guzman, regional administrator for the EPA in California, Nevada and New Mexico, said the changes will help protect Valero workers, Benicia residents and the environment… “The EPA’s announcement Wednesday is the latest investigation into problems at the Bay Area’s oil refineries. Earlier this year, health officials in Contra Costa County warned people living near the Martinez Refinery run by PBF Energy to avoid eating foods grown in surrounding neighborhoods, four months after the facility sent 20 tons of dust into the community that coated cars, homes and backyards in a mysterious fine white powder. Last year, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced it had found Valero had been releasing unlawful and potentially harmful amounts of hydrocarbons from its hydrogen stacks — undetected — from 2003 to 2019. Valero said it also hadn’t detected the releases and took steps to end them… “Benicia Mayor Steve Young told the Chronicle the city wasn’t notified by the EPA about its investigation or the findings.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Guardian: Global banks pledged to cut emissions – but still invest billions on US gas exports
Taylor Kate Brown, 4/5/23
“America’s massive gas export boom is about to get bigger. By the end of the decade, the Gulf coast could see as many as 12 new liquefied natural gas terminals (LNG) built along its shores,” the Guardian reports. “This expansion would triple the amount of gas the US currently exports to be burned around the world, adding more than 200 coal plants worth of greenhouse gas emissions each year, according to one estimate. The terminals can’t move forward without money from the megabanks that bankrolled the first boom less than a decade ago. Almost all of these same banks have pledged to work toward a world with net-zero emissions. But for many, their climate targets explicitly exempt LNG projects. Banks have argued LNG exports help reduce climate pollution by replacing coal with gas but critics say the full emissions of the exports, including producing and moving that fuel around the world, make that calculus questionable. “Fossil fuel expansion is fundamentally incompatible with meeting that net-zero goal,” Adele Shraiman, a campaign representative with Sierra Club’s Fossil-Free Finance project, told the Guardian… “About 20 banks have financed the majority of the construction costs for LNG along the US Gulf coast. By the end of 2022, those financial institutions had provided loans or bond underwriting, combined, of more than $110bn, according to data compiled by the Sierra Club. An additional $14bn has been financed this year. About a quarter of the $110bn came from three financial institutions: SMBC, Mizuho and MUFG – Japan’s megabanks, which supported the building of export terminals including Sabine Pass, Corpus Christi and Plaquemines. Japan’s need for LNG in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster led to those investments, and while they have pledged to cut carbon emissions, they have made no promises around LNG. Four of the six largest US banks – Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America – have backed export terminal construction in the region with almost $22bn in loans and underwriting.”
Guardian: Harvard professor lobbied SEC on behalf of oil firm that pays her lavishly, emails show
Josephine Moulds and Nina Lakhani, 4/6/23
“The Harvard environmental law professor at the centre of a conflict-of-interest row lobbied the regulator on behalf of the oil and gas company that pays her more than $350,000 a year, a new investigation can reveal,” the Guardian reports. “Emails seen by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) show that Jody Freeman facilitated a meeting between a director at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and ConocoPhillips, one of the world’s worst polluters that is pushing to weaken forthcoming climate regulations. The company’s Willow drilling project in Alaska was recently approved by the Biden administration, despite scientists warning it will be catastrophic for global heating. Freeman, who has served on the ConocoPhillips board since 2012, vouched for two of the fossil-fuel company’s executives in emails in 2021, which she signed off as a Harvard law professor. Failing to disclose her position at the company appears to breach university policy… “Nathan Phillips, professor of earth and environment at Boston University, told the Guardian he was “shocked but not surprised” by the revelations, and called for Freeman to resign immediately from the ConocoPhillips board – or at least by Harvard’s high-profile climate week of action beginning on 8 May… “The revelations come days after the Guardian reported that Freeman won a prestigious grant to research corporate climate pledges, which led to colleagues and students raising questions about the reputational damage and conflict of interest posed by her fossil-fuel ties. Kyla Bennett, director of science policy with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), whose work with whistleblowers has exposed industry’s influence with regulators, Congress, academia and the media, told the Guardian: “Our current ecological predicament means we can no longer afford to let things like this slide. “History shows us that the tobacco, gun, chemical and fossil fuel industry will greenwash and lie and distort solely to make more money. They are merchants of doubt, pushing science denial and buying scientists, lawyers, and college professors to achieve their goals. We cannot waste time trying to change industry from the inside.” Freeman is a respected name in environmental law and sustainability, serving as an adviser on energy and climate change in the Obama White House and the Biden administration’s climate action plan. She founded Harvard’s environmental and energy law program, and is currently co-chair of the elite institution’s sustainability committee.”
KPVI: Oregon bill to divest from coal, oil and gas peters out
PETER WONG, 4/5/23
“Though other climate-change legislation is proceeding, Oregon lawmakers will not advance a bill prompting faster divestiture of state investments in coal, oil and gas companies,” KPVI reports. “House Bill 2601 would have compelled action by the state treasurer and the Oregon Investment Council by 2035, well before the 2050 target that current state Treasurer Tobias Read has set, and which also is Oregon’s goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 90% from current levels. A House committee conducted two public hearings in February and March, but failed to move the legislation by a deadline of April 4 despite an effort by its chief sponsor and others to work out a compromise… “Speaking on behalf of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees/Oregon, which represents the second-largest group of state workers, Joe Baessler told WPVI he agreed with Read: “We support the goal of this bill and would like to see the state move away from fossil fuels. However, we also are concerned about the impact of this bill on the investment portfolio. …. We believe that the treasurer’s approach to divestment over time in a prudent manner to protect the benefits is a better solution… “But the Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Oregon supported the bill.”
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Joe Manchin Gets Another Blow
The Editorial Board, 4/4/23
“Joe Manchin must feel as afflicted as Job,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “ As the Biden Administration undermines the provisions the West Virginia Senator negotiated in return for his vote last year for the Inflation Reduction Act, a Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Monday struck down another permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline… “Although the pipeline is more than 90% complete, a three-judge Fourth Circuit panel keeps blocking permits needed to finish it. Its latest ruling vacates a permit issued by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection under the Clean Water Act. This permitting authority is intended to give states input into projects, though it has been abused by some such as New York to block gas pipelines. Here the Fourth Circuit panel is abusing its power to usurp state authority… “The panel thus ruled West Virginia’s permit arbitrary and capricious. “It is infuriating to see the same 4th Circuit Court panel deal yet another setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project and once again side with activists who seem hell-bent on killing any fossil energy that will make our country energy independent and secure,” Mr. Manchin said. He’s right, but he could have seen this coming. The Senator could have conditioned his vote for the IRA on Congress first passing permitting reforms. Once the White House and Democratic leaders got what they wanted, they let permitting reform fall by the wayside… “Maybe the Senator will now get behind the House energy bill, which limits the discretion of judges and states to block Clean Water Act permits. It may be the only way to get the Mountain Valley Pipeline built.”
The Hill: A tale of two energy proposals: Only one prioritizes survival
Ben Jealous is the seventh executive director of the Sierra Club, 4/6/23
“There are two very different views of the threat we face from climate change on display in Washington lately. One is a sober perspective that challenges us to consider difficult choices to slow the warming before it’s too late. The other outlook pushes outdated and dangerous policies like a literal gas pedal to speed us toward an unlivable planet,” Ben Jealous writes for The Hill. “Last week, the House of Representatives passed a sweeping energy package that rolls back both longstanding environmental protections and programs created just a few months ago to slow climate decay and achieve energy security. The bill amounts to a corporate polluters’ wish list — everything from gutting environmental reviews by limiting their length and scope to promoting fossil fuel extraction on our coastlines and disapproving President Biden’s decision to nix a pipeline that would carry the dirtiest crude straight through the middle of the country… “In contrast, in its recent annual Economic Report of the President, the White House Council of Economic Advisors included a chapter on “better managing weather risk in the changing climate… “The report describes how the federal government promotes risky behavior on the front end with everything from crop and flood insurance to wildfire fighting and then pays for the aftermath, including the cost of health care for the most vulnerable served by Medicaid and Medicare… “The Republican bill, on the other hand, is all politics and no thinking. It cloaks itself in a false and misleading name while costing us a steady focus on renewable energy, greater electrification and a cleaner economy. In so many ways, we can’t afford it.”
Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Guest column: A much-needed change to public land management
Maddy Munson, 4/6/23
“...Since the mid-20th century, however, the BLM has managed our public lands with an overwhelming focus on oil and gas drilling, grazing, mining, and other extractive uses,” Maddy Munson writes for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. “As a result, the agency has neglected a host of other values and uses, including land conservation, water quality, and cultural preservation, not to mention hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other forms of recreation that underpin Montana’s quality of life and sustain the state’s $2.5 billion outdoor recreation economy. The BLM has taken this extraction-above-all-else approach to public land management even though, in 1976, Congress mandated the agency take a multiple-use approach, which meant giving equal weight to extractive and non-extractive uses alike. The extraction-above-all-else approach has also stood at odds with how much Montanans and other Americans have come to value conservation, healthy wildlife populations, and outdoor recreation. Moreover, the approach has prevented the agency from properly addressing climate change in its planning and on-the-ground management decisions. Last week, however, the BLM took a significant step toward achieving true multiple use in how it manages our public lands. It released the draft of a proposed “public lands rule” that would put non-extractive uses, including conservation, on equal footing with extractive ones. With over 90% of BLM-managed public lands in Montana currently available for oil and gas leasing, there is a clear need for more balanced management of public lands in our state. The rule would protect undeveloped and intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and base management decisions on the best available science and data. It would help ensure healthy wildlife habitat, clean water, access to public lands, and the preservation of archeological sites, historic properties, spiritually significant landscapes, and other cultural treasures. Moreover, it would enable the agency to co-steward and co-manage some public lands with Tribal nations that have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial… “Please join us in commenting in support of this rule by visiting https://wildmontana.org/publiclandsrule”
The Hill: Stopping America’s LNG exports would hurt producers and send Beijing to Russia’s doorstep
Ellen R. Wald is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, 4/6/23
“When Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) quietly reintroduced a bill to ban U.S. oil exports to China in January, it garnered little support or fanfare,” Ellen R. Wald writes for The Hill. “...Banning SPR sales to China will be a symbolic action, but banning the sale of petroleum or liquified natural gas (LNG) to China would have real consequences. In the case of LNG especially, U.S. oil and gas producers would suffer much more than China, American consumers would not see lower energy prices, and closing off this avenue of trade would make diplomacy with China more challenging… “U.S. companies have made plans, secured loans, and invested money with the surety that Chinese buyers would be purchasing their product for 20 years… “Some organizations have argued that exporting U.S. natural gas makes energy prices higher for American consumers and businesses… “We produce more natural gas in the U.S. in certain areas than we can use domestically. But because of infrastructure and shipping constraints, we cannot transport that natural gas to other parts of the country. If this gas doesn’t get liquified and exported, it will create supply gluts in certain gas-producing regions of the country. Natural gas prices in those regions would become depressed, hurting the ability of natural gas producers in those areas to remain solvent… “Without American gas, China will buy more from Russia, allowing this adversary to reap the economic benefits that American companies could be accruing. Congress should consider the negative consequences American companies and consumers will face before proposing a ban on LNG sales to China.”
Edmonton Journal: Opinion: Leaks are only part of the problem of tailings ponds
Dr. Kevin Timoney is an ecologist with 40 years of field and research experience that he uses to solve complex environmental and ecological problems, 4/6/23
“Recent media reports have revealed that bitumen tailings pond water has been leaking for at least nine months onto Crown land north of Imperial Oil’s Kearl lease near the Athabasca River in northern Alberta,” Dr. Kevin Timoney writes for the Edmonton Journal. “This is not news. All tailings ponds leak all the time. They are designed to drain to groundwater; otherwise, they would overflow their dikes. The Kearl leak differed somewhat from chronic tailings leaks in that tailings water escaped to the land surface rather than into the groundwater contamination plume that extends from each tailings pond to the Athabasca River… “In reality, these events represent a minuscule fraction of the ecological damage that has been assiduously hidden from public scrutiny. The bigger story is the chronic, largely hidden, cumulative effects inflicted by the fossil fuel industry with the complicity of regulatory bodies. I recently completed a six-year study (Hidden Scourge, McGill-Queen’s University Press) that examined data from 103,363 fossil fuel industry spills (78,939 of which occurred in Alberta during “upstream” production of hydrocarbons). The investigation revealed unreliable, corrupted, and fabricated regulatory data including thousands of missing spills never reported; inaccurate spill volumes, recovery volumes, spill locations, and spill footprints; wholesale failures to assess environmental impacts, habitat damage, and animal deaths; misinformation on sensitive areas, reclamation, and spill causes; and a consistent failure to provide timely and accurate information to the public. Similar data corruption and environmental impacts exist in other North American jurisdictions, but Alberta’s are the worst… “We have arrived at this juncture through regulatory capture, a quasi-legal form of corruption. The AER sits behind an information firewall insulated from the public while facilitating hydrocarbon exploitation. Independent studies will not change the AER because it is funded and supported by a meta-organization of immense power.”