EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/10/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Enbridge Asks To Trim Wis. Tribe's Pipeline Suit
Vancouver Sun: Coastal GasLink pipeline fined again for lack of erosion control
The Narwhal: Emails reveal how the RCMP changed its story about arresting journalists in Wet’suwet’en raid
Bismarck Tribune: Burleigh County opposes eminent domain for CO2 pipeline
Mother Jones: An Iowa Powerbroker Plans to Make a Windfall From Piping Ethanol Emissions
Public News Service: ND Landowners Build Opposition to Land Use for Carbon Pipeline
KCHA: Summit at 20% of Easements for Iowa Carbon Pipeline
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge Preparing to Build Systems from Canada to Gulf Coast for LNG Projects
Offshore Magazine: Genesis to invest $500 million to expand pipelines in deepwater Gulf of Mexico
WTVG: Well water monitoring at site of Wood County pipeline leak
WWJ Newsradio 950: Environmental risk or deliverer of affordable fuel: What's the deal with the Line 5 pipeline?
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Republicans blast SEC climate rule, demand hearing
STATE UPDATES
Sahan Journal: Activists say Native and lower-income communities are disproportionately harmed by coal and gas power plants. They’re calling on Minnesota Power to adopt more renewable energy and to close some plants.
E&E News: Native American tribes remain opposed in fight over Chaco's future
Wyoming Public Radio: Deep groundwater in Wind River and Bighorn basins could be key for the extractive industry future
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Canada in talks with Repsol, Pieridae Energy about LNG export terminals
Reuters: Trudeau: Canada to be good energy partner with Europe but won't compromise climate goals
Press release: Chevron, talos and carbonvert announce proposed joint venture expansion to enhance the Bayou Bend CCS project offshore Jefferson County, Texas
CLIMATE FINANCE
Wall Street Journal: Energy Stocks Still Have Gas in the Tank
E&E News: Meet the climate investor who challenged Warren Buffett
OPINION
The Intelligencer: Build New Gas Pipelines
Albuquerque Journal: Hydrogen part of clean-energy future: New Mexico can lead way
PIPELINE NEWS
Law360: Enbridge Asks To Trim Wis. Tribe's Pipeline Suit
Humberto J. Rocha, 5/9/22
“Enbridge Energy Co. urged a Wisconsin federal court to dismiss four out of six counts in a suit filed by the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians seeking to shut down its Line 5 pipeline, saying those counts are foreclosed by federal law,” Law360 reports. “In a 35-page brief filed Friday, Enbridge moved for partial summary judgment against four of the six claims filed by the tribe that said its pipeline operations violated public nuisance under federal and Wisconsin law…”
Vancouver Sun: Coastal GasLink pipeline fined again for lack of erosion control
5/9/22
“The Coastal GasLink Pipeline under construction in B.C. has been levied its second fine for allowing erosion and not controlling sediment along the route,” the Vancouver Sun reports. “On Monday, B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office said a $170,000 fine had been issued for non-compliance with a 2014 agreement the company made to protective sensitive wetlands and waterways along the route. A fine of $72,500 was issued by the office in February for similar reasons… “The project is owned by TC Energy, a publicly listed company founded in Alberta.”
The Narwhal: Emails reveal how the RCMP changed its story about arresting journalists in Wet’suwet’en raid
Mike De Souza and Matt Simmons, 5/9/22
“As police helicopters moved into unceded Wet’suwet’en territory and dropped off armed tactical officers accompanied by police dogs on Nov. 19, 2021, photojournalist Amber Bracken was reporting live updates,” according to The Narwhal. “...On this chilly day in November, Bracken captured images for The Narwhal and posted more than a dozen tweets detailing what was happening before someone cut off power and communications. Moments later, she and documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano would be arrested by the RCMP and restrained — Bracken restrained with zip ties and Toledano restrained with handcuffs — preventing them from being able to fully report on the major incident. This was not the first time police in Canada arrested journalists covering Indigenous Rights issues in recent years. Journalists Karl Dockstader and Justin Brake were also arrested under similar circumstances in separate incidents… “In the case of the November arrests, the RCMP initially alleged that Bracken and Toledano had breached a civil injunction that prohibits people from interfering with construction. One month later, Coastal GasLink said that it would no longer pursue charges against the two, but did not explain why. Newly released emails obtained by The Narwhal provide fresh insight into how some of the highest ranking members of the RCMP viewed the work of journalists covering the conflict. They also reveal stunning contradictions between what RCMP officers told their commissioner and members of the public versus what actually happened during the raid.”
Bismarck Tribune: Burleigh County opposes eminent domain for CO2 pipeline
AMY R. SISK, 5/9/22
“Burleigh is the latest North Dakota county to oppose the potential use of eminent domain for a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The resolution passed by the County Commission last week is not binding, but landowners who pushed for it say it will help send a message to the North Dakota Public Service Commission, which regulates such projects… “Richland County landowner Todd McMichael last Monday presented the Burleigh commission with a petition signed by 300 property owners in the Bismarck area asking the board to pass the resolution. He acknowledged the measure does not “have a lot of teeth,” but said it can “help us make our case so they can either move the pipeline, or we have more leverage.” The pipeline would cross through more than 6,000 feet of McMichael’s property. His county, along with Sargent and Dickey counties, have passed similar resolutions in recent weeks… “Still, the project faces opposition in multiple states, among environmentalists and landowners whose concerns include the risk of a leak and the possibility that the pipeline developer will resort to eminent domain to seize land for the project. The company has indicated it could pursue eminent domain down the road if it can't reach voluntary agreements with some landowners. The Burleigh commission voted 4-0 to pass the resolution. Commission Chair Jim Peluso said “there’s no question I’m against” the use of eminent domain. Vice Chair Brian Bitner said he has spoken with local landowners along the route of the pipeline and "of all the conversations I have had, I have not had one person supporting it.”
Mother Jones: An Iowa Powerbroker Plans to Make a Windfall From Piping Ethanol Emissions
TOM PHILPOTT, MAY+JUNE 2022 ISSUE
“For most of his 30-year career, Iowa farmer Dan Wahl never knocked heads with his state’s agribusiness goliaths,” Mother Jones reports. “He was too busy tending his crops and cattle on 640 acres of land. But then, in September 2021, a subsidiary of a private equity firm called Summit Agricultural Group started mailing packets to farmers in his area, pitching its plan to build a 2,000-mile pipeline through 30 Iowa counties as a way of breathing new life into the state’s troubled ethanol industry… “By burying ethanol’s carbon waste, the project would make the fuel more climate-friendly, and by bolstering the ethanol trade, it would boost the price of corn, benefiting the state’s farmers, the pitch goes. Wahl didn’t take the idea seriously at first. But then he heard from some neighbors that Summit was prepared to appeal to the Iowa Utilities Board to seize any land not ceded through voluntary easement. That suddenly sounded to Wahl like a credible threat. After all, Summit’s founder and CEO, Bruce Rastetter, is a heavyweight in Iowa politics with close ties to the state’s past and current governors who have appointed members of that very board. An agribusiness magnate, Rastetter has deftly leveraged his wealth to gain political influence… “Now he’s making what could be his biggest play yet. Summit’s Midwest Carbon Express project would take advantage of federal tax credits meant to mitigate climate change—and it is poised to net him and his investors a massive windfall. Rastetter frames the Midwest Carbon Express as the key to establishing ethanol as a green fuel for the carbon-constrained future. But many environmentalists and academic researchers are appalled by the idea, insisting that the pipeline system would further entrench an industry that has promoted unsustainable agriculture and yielded few climate benefits. And the pipeline has sparked a battle over land rights. In January, Summit applied to the Iowa Utilities Board for a pipeline permit, which, if granted, will automatically trigger eminent domain for land not acquired by agreement with owners. Hundreds of landowners in the pipeline’s path are refusing to cede right of way. “I bought and paid for this [land], and I’ll be damned if you’re gonna take it from me,” Wahl remembers thinking when he learned about Summit’s project. He has since joined a grassroots resistance movement that has prompted commissioners in 15 counties to urge Iowa’s utility board to deny eminent domain.”
Public News Service: ND Landowners Build Opposition to Land Use for Carbon Pipeline
Mike Moen, 5/10/22
“The list of North Dakota counties voicing concerns about a proposed carbon-emissions pipeline is growing longer. Several are now on record opposing the possibility of using eminent domain against property owners,” Public News Service reports. “...But Richland County's Todd McMichael is leading a movement in case eminent domain is used. His county has adopted a resolution opposing such action. He acknowledged it's non-binding, but said it could influence state regulators. "What the resolution does, and what we have seen from the past," McMichael told PNS, "is that the Public Service Commission will really study what's going on out there." McMichael, who owns a farm along the proposed route, said landowners shouldn't be legally forced to surrender property for a project he feels is motivated by corporate profit. Five counties in the state have approved these resolutions. Summit argues it remains focused on voluntary contracts with residents, and that its project will drastically cut emissions from the ethanol industry… “Eliot Huggins, field organizer with the Dakota Resource Council, told PNS his group isn't opposed to all aspects of carbon sequestration. But he said he thinks the company is rushing an unproven approach in areas not ready to embrace it. "Climate solutions should be solutions that benefit, you know, all communities," said Huggins. "In rural America, urban America, everywhere. And so, we don't really think a climate solution should be taking landowners' land without them consenting to it."
KCHA: Summit at 20% of Easements for Iowa Carbon Pipeline
Mark Pitz, 5/9/22
“A company seeking to build a pipeline that would go through north Iowa to transport carbon dioxide (C02) in liquid form has reached voluntary easements with about one-fifth of landowners along its route,” KCHA reports. “...Summit project manager Kylie Kretz told the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors last week that the company has about 20 percent of the voluntary easements from landowners for their pipeline. Kretz says Summit will continue to seek voluntary easements, with a goal of 80% of the landowners. She says if the pipeline isn’t built, ethanol plants are in danger of shutting down. Summit filed paperwork with the Iowa Utilities Board in January, seeking a permit to build the pipeline, but the IUB isn’t expected to take any action on the permit until early next year.”
Natural Gas Intelligence: Enbridge Preparing to Build Systems from Canada to Gulf Coast for LNG Projects
GORDON JAREMKO, 5/9/22
“From British Columbia (BC) to the Gulf of Mexico, accelerating global trade in liquefied natural gas (LNG) has emerged as the growth driver for the Enbridge Inc. pipeline network, CEO Al Monaco said,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “...“The current environment reinforces that our two-pronged strategy to advance both conventional and low-carbon energy investments is a prudent approach,” said Monaco… “In BC, Enbridge announced a capacity auction for a $1 billion addition for 400 MMcf/d on the northern leg of the West coast system to feed the Shell plc-led LNG Canada project under construction in Kitimat. On the Gulf Coast, Enbridge already is developing the Cameron Extension Project in Louisiana to transport feed gas to Venture Global LNG Inc.’s Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana, which is under construction. The pipeline giant has since clinched agreements to build delivery for three more proposed LNG terminals on the Gulf Coast. They include Venture’s Plaquemines LNG facility in Louisiana, NextDecade Inc.’s proposed Rio Grande facility, and the Texas LNG Brownsville LLC project. Rio Grande and Texas LNG each are to be sited in South Texas once sanctioned. Meanwhile, advancing low-carbon goals are in the queue. Enbridge said Friday it is partnering with Denver-based Humble Midstream LLC to design a hydrogen and ammonia production addition at Enbridge’s Ingleside Energy Center oil export site in South Texas. The proposed project would rely on natural gas… “The South Texas project would be a counterpart to Enbridge’s Wabamun Carbon Hub, a carbon capture, use and storage project planned in Alberta.”
Offshore Magazine: Genesis to invest $500 million to expand pipelines in deepwater Gulf of Mexico
5/7/22
“Genesis Energy has announced plans to invest approximately $500 million over the next three years to expand its existing pipeline system and build a new pipeline in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico,” Offshore Magazine reports. “The firm plans to expand the capacity of its Cameron Highway Oil Pipeline System (CHOPS) and construct a new 105-mile pipeline, known as SYNC, to connect one of its existing developments… “The decision follows the signing of agreements by the company to transport the crude oil from two deepwater developments that have a combined production capacity of approximately 160,000 barrels of oil per day, Genesis Energy CEO Grant Sims told Offshore… “Genesis is also reportedly in early talks with undisclosed operators for the incremental production of nearly 150,000 barrels per day.”
WTVG: Well water monitoring at site of Wood County pipeline leak
Shaun Hegarty, 5/9/22
“Well water monitoring is underway in Wood County after a gasoline pipeline break last month,” WTVG reports. “Plenty of work is underway at the site in Troy Township to clean up environmental issues as residents hope conditions do not worsen… “On April 12, 50,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from the Energy Transfer pipeline below ground. “There’s nothing you can do. It is what it is, right?” Troy Township resident Dana Lease told WTVG. Lease lives next door to the property where the leak occurred. He’s one of several residents who received notice that their well water would be monitored… “Wood County emergency officials are monitoring the progress, and so is the Ohio EPA which reports the fuel was stopped within hours of discovering the leak. Most of the contaminated soil is gone and more will be removed when the pipeline is fixed. There are no reports of it getting into Packer Creek but some have gotten into the drainage tiles.”
WWJ Newsradio 950: Environmental risk or deliverer of affordable fuel: What's the deal with the Line 5 pipeline?
5/9/22
“There’s a huge battle ongoing right to the heart of one of Michigan’s most important spots – the Straits of Mackinac,” WWJ Newsradio 950 reports. “Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline has long been an international controversy. During her 2018 campaign, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed to shut down the pipeline, which carries oil nearly 650 miles from Wisconsin to Ontario. But that hasn’t happened yet. In large part because it’s a “spider web of legal fights and regulatory fights.” In a new edition of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark looks at why Line 5 is so controversial, and what would happen if it were to shut down completely.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Republicans blast SEC climate rule, demand hearing
Nick Sobczyk, 5/10/22
“House Republicans are growing increasingly angry with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the agency embarks on a landmark effort to require public disclosure of climate risk and greenhouse gas emissions,” E&E News reports. “In a pair of letters last week, GOP lawmakers blasted the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure rule and called for a hearing with the full commission to discuss its broader agenda. It’s a preview of how Republicans might seek to go after the executive branch and the Biden administration if they take back the House next year.“The Climate Disclosure Rule would represent the largest expansion of SEC authority without a clear legislative mandate from Congress,” wrote one group of House Republicans, led by Oversight and Reform ranking member James Comer (R-Ky.), in a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler. The lawmakers requested documents related to the proposal and a staff briefing this week. The letter comes as part of an ongoing congressional fight over the SEC’s authority and how financial regulators should handle climate risk generally. The SEC voted 3-1 earlier this year to approve a proposal that would require publicly traded companies to disclose the risks they face from climate change, as well as elements of their greenhouse gas emissions footprints.”
STATE UPDATES
Sahan Journal: Activists say Native and lower-income communities are disproportionately harmed by coal and gas power plants. They’re calling on Minnesota Power to adopt more renewable energy and to close some plants.
SHEILA MULROONEY ELDRED, 5/6/22
“Activists are calling on Minnesota Power to revise its plans for a new power plant near Duluth and to close other facilities after a study found that existing plants disproportionately harm Native and lower-income communities,” the Sahan Journal reports. “A collective of organizations is asking Minnesota Power to refrain from burning natural gas to produce electricity at the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center, and instead to use wind and solar power. The collective is also asking Minnesota Power to close a biomass plant in Duluth immediately, and to shutter two coal plants in Cohasset, Minn.,–one by 2029 and another by 2030. Those changes would prevent human deaths and comply with state and federal climate change goals, they argue… “The collective, Clean Energy Organizations, is comprised of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, the Sierra Club, and the Fresh Energy and Clean Grid Alliance. The group recently submitted its requests to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission as part of the planning process for the proposed $700 million Nemadji Trail Energy Center power plant in Superior, Wis.”
E&E News: Native American tribes remain opposed in fight over Chaco's future
Heather Richards, 5/6/22
“Navajo and Pueblo tribal leaders remain entrenched in their dispute over the Biden administration’s proposed 20-year moratorium on oil and gas drilling rights around a sacred Native American site in northern New Mexico,” E&E News reports. “The Interior Department today closes its public comment period on whether to withdraw the lands within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from oil and gas leasing for two decades. This so-called buffer zone has been a longtime request of activists from both tribes, environmental groups and Pueblo governors, who represent the tribes directly descended from the Chacoan people. But the Navajo Nation government, representing dozens of tribal members who have oil and gas mineral rights in the region, has pushed for a 5-mile buffer as a compromise to allow some oil and gas development closer to the park.”
Wyoming Public Radio: Deep groundwater in Wind River and Bighorn basins could be key for the extractive industry future
Caitlin Tan, 5/622
“The Wyoming State Geological Survey published a report that shows waters at certain depths near the Wind River and Bighorn basins are not fit for human and agriculture use; however, the research indicates the water could be used in the extractive industries,” Wyoming Public Radio reports. “The study focused on the groundwater salinity levels. Salinity is the concentration of salts, minerals and metals that are dissolved in water. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality uses it to determine if water should be used for humans, agriculture or industry. Researchers found that at depths between 5,000 and 7,000 feet the Bighorn and Wind River groundwater has high saline levels – five times what is safe for humans. However, this is not a concern for the community, as most residential wells do not go deeper than 1,000 feet, Karl Taboga, lead researcher on the report, told WPR… “Taboga told WPR the water could be repurposed for the coal, oil and gas industries in the state, as an oil and gas well in Wyoming can require up to four million gallons of water for fracking… “In a comment via email, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming said the higher saline water would be considered for use in future projects.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Canada in talks with Repsol, Pieridae Energy about LNG export terminals
By Nia Williams, 5/6/22
“The Canadian government is in discussion with the companies behind two proposed east coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities to see how it can speed up the projects and help boost supply to Europe, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told Reuters. “Wilkinson said the government was looking at Spanish company Repsol's (REP.MC) LNG facility in New Brunswick and the Goldboro LNG facility in Nova Scotia proposed by Pieridae Energy (PEA.TO). Ottawa has held talks with European countries about ways to boost energy exports to the continent after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February upended oil and gas supplies. However, Canada, the world's sixth-largest natural gas producer, does not have any east coast LNG facilities and only one under construction on its west coast… “Pieridae is proposing a 2.4 megatonne per annum floating export facility… “Repsol already operates an LNG import facility in Saint John, and acquired 100% ownership of the project last year… “He added that the C$10 billion Énergie Saguenay LNG project, which both the Quebec and federal governments rejected on environmental grounds, was unlikely to be revived.”
Reuters: Trudeau: Canada to be good energy partner with Europe but won't compromise climate goals
Tom Balmforth, 5/8/22
“Canada wants to be a good energy partner to Europe but will not abandon its climate goals and planned transition to cleaner fuels, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late on Sunday,” Reuters reports. “...Canada is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world, but at the same time, we know how important it is to move even faster on the transition towards net zero," Trudeau said. The government is in discussion with Repsol (REP.MC) and Pieridae Energy (PEA.TO), the companies behind two proposed east coast liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, to see how it can speed up the projects and help boost supply to Europe, Canada's natural resources minister told Reuters on Friday. "We're looking to be good partners on energy with our European friends but we're never slowing down in our fight against climate change," Trudeau said on Sunday. "Part of that is recognizing that the same infrastructure that can be used for LNG can also be used for hydrogen and ammonia that are possibly going to fuel the transition off of fossil fuels."
Press release: Chevron, talos and carbonvert announce proposed joint venture expansion to enhance the Bayou Bend CCS project offshore Jefferson County, Texas
5/3/22
“Chevron U.S.A., Inc., through its Chevron New Energies division, Talos Energy Inc., through its Talos Low Carbon Solutions division, and Carbonvert, Inc. announced today a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) for an expanded joint venture to develop the Bayou Bend CCS offshore carbon capture and sequestration hub currently held by Talos and Carbonvert… “The Bayou Bend CCS project site encompasses over 40,000 gross acres and, based on Talos and Carbonvert’s preliminary estimates, could potentially sequester 225 to 275 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources in the area. The Bayou Bend CCS lease is the first and only offshore lease in the U.S. dedicated to CO2 sequestration… “Since our establishment of Chevron New Energies, we have been consistent in our communication that partnership will be required to grow successful lower carbon businesses. This venture is an example of the potential that partnering can have in moving large-scale lower carbon projects forward,” said Chris Powers, vice president of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) for Chevron New Energies. “Talos and Carbonvert have worked to rapidly advance this project, and as a priority project for Chevron in a key industrial area, we are excited to contribute our experience and capability to develop the leading offshore carbon sequestration hub for the region.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Wall Street Journal: Energy Stocks Still Have Gas in the Tank
Jinjoo Lee, 5/8/22
“Oil and natural gas are hot, and so are American energy stocks. But investors, whether they have been along for the ride or are just thinking of joining now, may be wary of getting burned,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “January through March of this year was the best quarter for the sector since 1970, according to BofA Global Research. While the S&P 500 is down roughly 13% year to date, the energy sector is up 49%. That follows a year when energy stocks beat the broader index by 21 percentage points… “Investors who are tempted by energy’s returns might be wondering if the rally has already run its course. Energy is a cyclical sector, after all: Exhilarating peaks tend to be followed by equally harrowing troughs. Periods of high prices either lead to more drilling or damped demand, until eventually the commodity’s price falls. How far are we into this cycle? It has been a little over two years since the most recent trough (right around the time oil futures briefly went negative) and the sector’s market value has more than tripled since… “But this time may be different. It is notable how disciplined U.S. oil-and-gas companies plan to be with their drilling—and not just as atonement for past excesses. While equipment and labor shortages have been a feature of almost every energy cycle, Dan Pickering, founder and chief investment officer of Pickering Energy Partners, told the Journal that he has never seen today’s level of scarcity… “The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that crude oil production in the U.S. could increase by 800,000 barrels a day in 2022 and then another 900,000 barrels a day in 2023. While that seems like a lot, it is a snail’s pace compared to prepandemic years… “While a cyclical industry is always a risky bet, the energy sector today is—by some measures—the most investor-friendly it has been in a while.”
E&E News: Meet the climate investor who challenged Warren Buffett
Corbin Hiar, 5/10/22
“For decades, Freeda Cathcart was a passive owner of utility company stocks, happy with annual dividend checks and confident that regulators were looking out for her. But all that changed in 2017 when Donald Trump became president, promising to roll back federal oversight of the industry,” E&E News reports. “I was like, I better start paying attention to these annual reports on what’s going on,” Cathcart, who the following year introduced her first climate-related shareholder resolution at the energy and insurance conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc, told E&E. “I can’t trust the government to watchdog what’s happening, so I’m going to be responsible.” Now Cathcart, a 61-year-old former reinsurance specialist, is calling on Dominion Energy Inc. to issue a report on the potential that its natural gas investments could become worthless as part of the global transition to emission-free energy. The stranded asset resolution is one of two climate-related proposals Dominion shareholders will decide on tomorrow at the company’s annual meeting in Norfolk, Va. The other calls on Dominion to set midrange targets for reducing emissions tied to the use of its electricity and natural gas, but Cathcart’s proposal has a better shot of passage because Dominion’s board decided not to oppose it. The resolution also represents the culmination of Cathcart’s transformation from an environmentally minded mother — who home-schooled her four sons and helped conserve an old-growth forest — to a forceful sustainable investment advocate successfully taking on some of the nation’s most powerful companies.”
OPINION
The Intelligencer: Build New Gas Pipelines
EDITORIAL, 5/10/22
“The nations of Greece and Bulgaria, according to an Associated Press article, are building a pipeline to transport natural gas. It’s a step in the right direction. And it’s a step that we — once again — will say that the U.S. needs to follow,” The Intelligencer Editorial Board writes. “The pipeline is a foray into reducing Europe’s reliance on Russian sources of energy. Russia’s disgusting and inhumane attacks on Ukraine more than aptly demonstrate the need to isolate that nation from the global economy and deny it a market for resources it is using to wage war. The efforts by Europe to reduce this reliance also includes a push to renewable energy sources — as it should. But it is not naively dependent on renewable energy, and the inclusion of natural gas is an important and realistic component to the plan. Likewise, the United States should promote new infrastructure to foster its natural gas production. The U.S. also should promote the development of renewable energy without any assumption that we can, at this time, depend on renewable energy… “As Europe and as, more specifically, the suffering of Ukrainians demonstrate, steps toward greater use of our own natural gas are steps that cannot wait.”
Albuquerque Journal: Hydrogen part of clean-energy future: New Mexico can lead way
BY REP. PATRICIA LUNDSTROM, 5/8/22
“Recently I joined several of my fellow state representatives at the World Hydrogen North America Conference in Houston, a two-day conference that brought together leaders across the region for discussions and debate on the opportunities and challenges for clean hydrogen,” Rep. Patricia Lundstrom writes for the Albuquerque Journal. “...Getting in on the ground floor of hydrogen energy production presents New Mexico with a once-in-a-generation opportunity. By adding hydrogen to our energy portfolio, we can drastically mitigate our climate impact, create sustainable jobs and position New Mexico as a global leader in clean energy innovation. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced a hydrogen-powered aviation manufacturing facility at the Albuquerque International Sunport. This facility will employ up to 500 people and provide a cleaner alternative to petroleum-powered aviation. Hydrogen has the potential to support aviation and other industries which do not have the technology to be electrified, such as long-haul trucking and shipping, to transition to cleaner energy sources… “To be frank, New Mexico needs energy jobs. We also need a practical plan to tackle climate change – one that brings all New Mexicans along. Not only is hydrogen in our energy-producing wheelhouse, it offers a just way for our communities that rely heavily on these jobs to transition to clean energy. Hydrogen is here. The question New Mexicans need to answer is what do we want to do with it? Will we jump in and use hydrogen as a tool to shape our own clean energy future? Or will we sit on the sidelines and hope for the best?”