EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/20/22
PIPELINE NEWS
WXMI: New bill would require pipeline owners to upgrade tech to fight spills
Press release: MINNESOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION CONFIRMS AUTHORITY OVER CARBON DIXOIDE PIPELINES AND INITIATES RULEMAKING
Upstream: Natural gas pipeline to be converted to transport carbon dioxide to Wyoming CCS hub
E&E News: FERC chair on grid: ‘The old way doesn’t work’
Press release: Matterhorn Express Pipeline Reaches Final Investment Decision
KXAN: New pipeline project worries Central Texas landowner
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: House passes gasoline price-gouging bill
CNN: Manchin, Republican lawmakers grill Interior chief over oil and gas drilling plans amid high prices
Press release: Legal Protests Target Biden’s Plans To Resume Oil, Gas Leasing on Public Lands
Press release: HUFFMAN, MERKLEY TEAM UP WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO URGE GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION
Politico: THE CHAMBER’S ENERGY PLAN
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: California lawmakers kill plans to ban oil drilling in state-controlled waters
E&E News: Wyoming oil group protests Biden's oil auction as skimpy
KOB: Video shows methane leak from tanks in Permian Basin
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Chevron, Schlumberger withdraw request for California carbon-capture permit
Reuters: Chevron to launch carbon capture project in San Joaquin Valley
E&E News: How Europe’s energy plan affects U.S. gas, offshore wind
Canadian Press: How the oilsands cut some emissions by exporting them
CNN: Human hair is being used to clean up oil spills
OPINION
The Hill: Carole King: ‘America’s forests are a key climate solution’
PIPELINE NEWS
WXMI: New bill would require pipeline owners to upgrade tech to fight spills
Doug Reardon, 5/18/22
“Companies operating oil pipelines in the Great Lakes Basin would be required to use the latest monitoring and safety technology to prevent spills if new legislation, introduced by Michigan Sen. Gary Peters (D–MI), passes,” WXMI reports. “On Wednesday, Senator Peters introduced the Preventing Releases of Toxic Environmental Contaminants Threatening (PROTECT) Our Great Lakes Act. It would build on his previously authored PIPES Act, which passed unanimously in 2016. That legislation established high-consequence areas or regions that would be especially affected by pipeline disasters. “This legislation builds on that and requires now that those pipelines that exist in high-consequence areas use the best available technology to actually monitor the operations of those pipelines,” said Senator Peters. “What we want to do is put it into law to make sure all pipeline cleanup in the future is done using best techniques.” Pipeline owners in high-consequence zones would foot the bill for the latest monitoring technology to, hopefully, be able to immediately detect and minimize the harm from oil spills that threaten water, wildlife and human life nearby. Senator Peters alluded to the 2010 Kalamazoo River Enbridge oil spill – the most expensive and one of the most catastrophic pipeline spills in U.S. history… “The bill would also enable the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to better anticipate and prepare adequate responses to potential spills of diluted bitumen, a byproduct of petroleum distillation and the same harmful material that threatened the Kalamazoo River in 2010… “The bill was officially introduced on Wednesday and will now head to the Senate Commerce Committee, which Senator Peters serves on.”
Press release: MINNESOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION CONFIRMS AUTHORITY OVER CARBON DIXOIDE PIPELINES AND INITIATES RULEMAKING
5/19/22
“Today the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously voted they have existing authority to permit the siting of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines, including the two multi-state pipelines currently in development. This decision addresses the growing regional demand to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and transport via pipeline. Minnesota statutes require pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and gas to obtain PUC permits prior to construction. The PUC decision asserts that carbon dioxide is a toxic or corrosive gas, therefore subject to the PUC’s existing regulatory authority. “We heard broad-based support for PUC oversight of carbon pipelines from a variety of commenters, including tribal governments, labor unions, environmental groups and citizens” said Chair Katie Sieben. “Minnesotans depend on regulatory agencies, like the PUC, to ensure the permitting process for CO2 pipelines will provide for an orderly review of environmental and socioeconomic impacts when evaluating proposed routes.” This determination by the PUC means the proposed CO2 pipeline projects slated for Minnesota, Midwest Carbon Express and Heartland Greenway, need to apply to the PUC for a route permit in order to move forward in Minnesota. These permitting processes will have opportunities for public participation and review. The PUC also directed its staff to begin a rulemaking to make its rules consistent with state and federal regulations. Commission staff will file a Request for Comments in the State Register, which will provide another opportunity for public engagement.”
Upstream: Natural gas pipeline to be converted to transport carbon dioxide to Wyoming CCS hub
Naomi Klinge, 5/19/22
“US midstream company Tallgrass is expanding the reach of its Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub by planning a carbon capture project at an ADM corn processing complex in Nebraska,” Upstream reports. “Kansas-based Tallgrass will convert its Trailblazer natural gas pipeline to transport carbon dioxide captured from the facility to the storage hub for permanent storage underground. The 400-mile (640-kilometre) pipeline runs through Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska and aims to have the capacity to transport more than 10 million tonnes per annum of CO2. “We’re able to repurpose existing infrastructure to create significant CO2 transportation capacity without impacting natural gas service in that region,” Tallgrass segment president Kyle Quackenbush told Upstream. “At the same time, we are enabling customers to meet their decarbonisation goals, as well as minimising environmental and landowner impact.” Tallgrass had previously announced the hub was awarded grant funding from the Wyoming Energy Authority to drill a characterisation well in connection with its anticipated Class VI permit filing for the hub. This specific CCS project would help food-processing company ADM decarbonise its Columbus, Nebraska, facility. “Earlier this year, we announced an agreement that would allow us to sequester carbon from two of our biggest processing facilities in the US, and now we’re looking forward to working with Tallgrass to continue our work towards meeting our decarbonization goals,” Chris Cuddy, president of ADM’s Carbohydrate Solutions business, told Upstream.
E&E News: FERC chair on grid: ‘The old way doesn’t work’
Miranda Willson, 5/20/22
“The growing threat of power outages fueled by extreme weather calls for new approaches to grid oversight, the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said yesterday, adding that utilities and grid operators should “think differently,” E&E News reports. “...The commission also unanimously approved two new natural gas pipelines and one new natural gas storage facility, even as the commissioners continue to diverge on the issue of how to assess gas projects’ effects on the climate. Earlier this year, the commission proposed new policies for natural gas projects, including a first-ever threshold for evaluating proposed gas facilities’ climate-warming emissions before issuing permits. But in March, the commission set aside the policies — which had been strongly criticized by Christie and Danly — and it’s unclear how FERC may move forward on the issue (Energywire, March 25). At least for now, FERC lacks a formal process for determining whether projects’ greenhouse gas emissions would be significant. But the commission will continue to try to develop new natural gas policies that are “legally durable” as well as supported by all or a supermajority of commissioners, Glick said. As to the projects approved yesterday, one of them — Kern River Gas Transmission Co.’s Delta Lateral Project in Utah — would support the replacement of a coal-fired power plant with a new natural gas plant. For that reason, the pipeline could lower total greenhouse gas emissions at the site, according to Glick. Commissioner Allison Clements, a Democrat, echoed that point, adding that she hoped to finalize new natural gas permitting policies soon. “[Under] any framework the commission might ultimately adopt for determining significance, the GHG emissions associated with the Delta Lateral Project would certainly be deemed insignificant, as they are a net reduction,” she said. Nonetheless, FERC’s reluctance to formally and fully assess projects’ greenhouse gas emissions continues to face criticism from EPA and some legal experts. In a comment last month, EPA urged the commission to disclose the “climate damages and benefits” stemming from the Delta Lateral Project through a metric known as the social cost of carbon.”
Press release: Matterhorn Express Pipeline Reaches Final Investment Decision
5/19/22
“WhiteWater, EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), and MPLX LP (NYSE: MPLX) have reached a final investment decision to move forward with the construction of the Matterhorn Express Pipeline after having secured sufficient firm transportation agreements with shippers. The Matterhorn Express Pipeline has been designed to transport up to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas through approximately 490 miles of 42-inch pipeline from Waha, Texas, to the Katy area near Houston, Texas. Supply for the Matterhorn Express Pipeline will be sourced from multiple upstream connections in the Permian Basin, including direct connections to processing facilities in the Midland Basin through an approximately 75-mile lateral, as well as a direct connection to the 3.2 Bcf/d Agua Blanca Pipeline, a joint venture between WhiteWater and MPLX. “WhiteWater is excited to partner with EnLink, Devon, and MPLX to develop incremental gas transportation out of the Permian Basin as production continues to grow in West Texas,” said Christer Rundlof, CEO of WhiteWater. The Matterhorn Express Pipeline is expected to be in service in the third quarter of 2024, pending the receipt of customary regulatory and other approvals.”
KXAN: New pipeline project worries Central Texas landowner
Candy Rodriguez, 5/19/22
“A new oil and gas pipeline is coming to the Lone Star State and plans show part of it could run through Central Texas,” KXAN reports. “The more than 400-mile-long Matterhorn Express Pipeline will stretch across Texas and run through Travis, Williamson, Lampasas, Burnet and Lee counties. WhiteWater Midstream is the Austin-based company behind the project… “Still, some landowners are worried about what this pipeline project could mean for the future of their property. David Panahi was sitting at home with his wife last Wednesday night when he got a knock on the door… “That Wednesday knock ended with Panahi being served a petition for a temporary restraining order and injunction relief… “If the petition is granted, Panahi will have to allow his Florence land to be surveyed for the Matterhorn Express Pipeline that the Railroad Commission just approved a permit for at the end of March… “Now with the pipeline project in motion, Panahi is concerned about what the future of the land will be — beyond how the pipeline will affect the natural area and what will happen to property values… “Attorney Philip Hundl who focuses on Eminent Domain Condemnation cases told KXAN landowners have options. “Number one, take action. Don’t disregard it,” Hundl told KXAN. “First, getting legal representation from someone that understands eminent domain condemnation proceedings, that’s important, but also just reaching out to the other lawyer on the other side, even you just the landowner, a non-lawyer and say, ‘You know, I’ve got these papers and the date doesn’t work for me. Give me more time, I’m looking for an attorney.’ At least do that, because you’ve made contact, and hopefully the lawyers on the other side, for Matterhorn will take that into consideration, and be flexible and work with you on some dates, if that’s necessary, ultimately.” Hundl told KXAN while he encourages people to find legal representation he understands not everyone can afford to. He said, in that case, people should educate themselves as much as they can online.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: House passes gasoline price-gouging bill
RACHEL FRAZIN, 5/19/22
“The House voted Thursday to pass Democrats’ bill aimed at combating “price gouging” on gasoline,” The Hill reports. “The bill passed 217-207, with no Republicans voting for it and four Democrats voting against it: Reps. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), Lizzie Fletcher (Texas), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) and Jared Golden (Maine). The legislation is unlikely to gain traction in the Senate, where it would need the support of 10 Republicans to advance, but it’s part of a major messaging push by Democrats as they try to blame the oil industry for skyrocketing prices. Their claims of price gouging have been met with some skepticism from analysts, who have blamed market forces — rather than gouging — for high gasoline prices. Still, Democrats point to record profits posted by major oil companies as evidence of an issue. “What’s infuriating is that this is happening at the same time that gas and oil companies are raking in record profits and then putting those dollars into stock buybacks,” bill sponsor Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) said in a floor speech on Thursday. The legislation, from Schrier and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), would outlaw the selling of fuel at an “excessive” price during an energy emergency, though it does not detail any particular price threshold. The bill would also empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to pursue legal action if instances of price gouging are discovered. Lawmakers also approved two additional amendments ahead of the final vote. One, from Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) and others, would require the FTC to investigate whether the price of gasoline is being manipulated by reducing refinery capacity or other means. The other, from Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), would create a new unit at the FTC tasked with monitoring fuel markets.”
CNN: Manchin, Republican lawmakers grill Interior chief over oil and gas drilling plans amid high prices
Ella Nilsen and Liz Stark, 5/19/22
“Interior Sec. Deb Haaland squared off with lawmakers on Thursday at a contentious Senate hearing that addressed high gas prices, oil and gas drilling and delays in the department’s plan to hold more drilling lease sales,” CNN reports. “Haaland told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that her agency plans to release a proposal for its next five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing by the end of June – a timeline that would likely lead to a gap between the current plan and a new one. Sen. Joe Manchin and Republicans on the committee expressed concern that the Department of Interior appeared to be delaying holding more oil and gas lease sales just as gasoline prices are surging in the US. “The President says he wants his administration to encourage more American energy,” said Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming. “Instead your department, Madam Secretary, stalls, postpones and kills oil and natural gas lease sales. Your department is undermining domestic energy production, not expediting it.” Energy experts have told CNN that high gas prices cannot be solved by drilling more oil in the US… “Both she and Deputy Interior Secretary Tommy Beaudreau told lawmakers that the process of drafting a five-year plan is taking longer as the department tries to be “deliberate.” “...Manchin told Interior officials they were taking “a lot longer than the deadline” to get their new five-year plan done.”
Press release: Legal Protests Target Biden’s Plans To Resume Oil, Gas Leasing on Public Lands
5/18/22
“Climate, conservation and community groups from across the country filed administrative protests today challenging the Biden administration’s plans to resume oil and gas leasing in June, saying the president should end new leasing to heed his own climate goals while protecting communities, water and wildlife. The June lease sales, which follow the administration’s brief pause on new oil leasing, involve 144,000 acres in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah, with a majority of acres in Wyoming. Today’s protests say the U.S. Bureau of Land Management isn’t legally required to conduct lease sales and that its plans fail to prevent climate pollution and harm to people and the environment. The leasing plans also ignore the incompatibility of federal fossil fuel expansion with the U.S. goal of avoiding 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, the groups say. The protests, which cite harm to people, air, water, public land and wildlife like the embattled greater sage grouse and other endangered species, call for a halt to federal fossil fuel leasing and a nationwide programmatic environmental review to align federal fossil fuel management with the goal of avoiding climate change’s most catastrophic effects… “The June lease sales come amid record oil and gas industry profit-taking. The watchdog organization Accountable.US reported in February that Shell, Chevron, BP and Exxon made more than $75.5 billion in profits in 2021 — some of their highest profits in the past decade. Major oil companies also reported billions in profits in the first quarter of 2022.”
Press release: HUFFMAN, MERKLEY TEAM UP WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO URGE GLOBAL CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION
5/19/22
“Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) joined Member of the European Parliament Marie Toussaint in a trans-Atlantic effort to transition to clean energy and prevent new liquified natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. The legislators led a joint letter to President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging the recently created US-EU Task Force for Energy Security to develop a plan that ensures no new financing, exploration licenses, or permits for coal, oil or gas extraction, exports, imports, and infrastructure… “Further expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States and Europe is destined to set us back during a moment when we should be doing everything within our power to avert climate catastrophe,” the leaders wrote in their letter. “Such expansion will put both the United States and the European Union on the wrong path to meet our respective Paris Agreement goals, as outlined in the Joint Statement. Continued build out of fossil fuel infrastructure will also build on the already dangerous impacts faced by our frontline and fenceline communities. Hydraulic fracturing wells and LNG infrastructure poison our environment and the air and water that these communities rely on.”
Politico: THE CHAMBER’S ENERGY PLAN
Matthew Choi, 5/19/22
“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has some recommendations for Manchin, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and their bipartisan cohort eking out a new energy and climate bill,” Politico reports. “The policy guidelines include technology-neutral tax credits for decarbonizing energy, transportation and industry — akin to the tax credits in Democrats’ reconciliation package last year and which Granholm said Wednesday she remains optimistic will eventually pass. The Chamber also called for an administration-wide push for energy security, à la President Joe Biden’s all-of-government philosophy on combating climate change, and breaking down barriers to domestic oil and gas production… “The recommendations are likely to be well received by Manchin, whose opening statement at today’s ENR hearing reflects many of the same priorities.”
STATE UPDATES
Los Angeles Times: California lawmakers kill plans to ban oil drilling in state-controlled waters
PHIL WILLON, 5/19/22
“Facing fierce opposition from California’s powerful oil industry and trade unions, legislation to close down operations on three offshore oil rigs off the Orange County coast failed Thursday to win passage in a state Senate committee, seven months after a major spill fouled the beaches and wetlands around Huntington Beach,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “Senate Bill 953 would have allowed the State Lands Commission to terminate offshore oil leases by the end of 2024 if the agency was unable to negotiate voluntary buyouts with the petroleum companies operating the oil platforms. The legislation focused solely on the three oil leases in state waters adjacent to Orange County, not the 23 oil rigs in federal waters along the rest of California’s coastline… “Min’s bill died Wednesday in the Senate Appropriations Committee, a gatekeeper panel that sifts through hundreds of bills and decides whether legislation with a fiscal cost to the state will advance to the full Senate. Min’s bill did not come up for a vote which, in effect, killed the measure the day before the deadline by which bills must move forward… “A number of Senate Democrats earlier expressed concern about the potential financial liability the state faced if the oil leases were terminated, a price tag that could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Ending those leases also would likely be considered in the courts as a “taking” by the state, since the oil leases in question were legally obtained, and the matter could turn into an expensive battle in court… “Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a South Bay Democrat, blamed politically powerful trade worker unions for being one of the biggest impediments to the passage of critically needed health and safety restrictions on California’s billion-dollar oil industry. He told the Times unions used their influence with Democratic lawmakers in 2020 to kill his bill that would have required setback distances between oil and gas wells and residential areas — and that the labor groups did the same years before with his bill to require the area’s major oil refineries to end the use of hazardous hydrofluoric acid.”
E&E News: Wyoming oil group protests Biden's oil auction as skimpy
Heather Richards, 5/18/22
“An industry group in Wyoming is protesting the Biden administration’s upcoming oil and gas lease auction in the state for being too small,” E&E News reports. “The auction scheduled for June 21 and 22 will be one of the first onshore oil sales of the Biden administration, which paused new leasing last year only to have its moratorium reversed by a federal judge. Now, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming — whose members represent 90 percent of the state's oil and gas production — argues in its protest that the Bureau of Land Management has offered the “bare minimum” to comply with the court order. The BLM sale struck three-quarters of the lands proposed by the oil industry from the final sale. “After withholding lease sales for more than a year, the BLM has been dragged, kicking and screaming, to the table by the federal courts,” said PAW President Peter Obermueller in a statement. “Yet, when presented with the opportunity to spur domestic production, they have opted to do less than the bare minimum and now expect the industry to be thankful for the crumbs they have been given.”
KOB: Video shows methane leak from tanks in Permian Basin
Alex Ross, 5/18/22
“Activity in the Permian Basin has made New Mexico the second-leading oil producer in the nation and is largely credited with the state’s budget surplus, but one environmental group says a new video apparently shows methane leaking from some tanks used for oil and gas development,” KOB reports. “You can see emissions coming out of tanks that appear to be poorly maintained,” Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund, told KOB. In April, the group used inferred aerial cameras to take the video, which they say shows methane leaking from some tanks at oil and gas production sites between Hobbs and Eunice. Though methane is a gas not visible to the naked eye, it can be detected using inferred cameras. The Environmental Defense Fund is not releasing the names of the operators of those sites, but Goldstein says the video has been shown to them, along with officials at the New Mexico Environment Department and the state Oil Conservation Division. He told KOB the taking of the video is part of his organization’s work documenting how methane emissions are impacting area communities in Lea and Eddy counties, the two leading oil production counties in the state. “We were looking particularly if we could find emissions problems at smaller, sometimes called marginal well sites, lower producing wells,” Goldstein told KOB… “He says marginal wells, which are wells that produce 15 or fewer barrels of oil a day, are responsible for 50% of methane emissions. They also tend to leak away 10 % of their gas. “These sorts of leaks are one of the biggest sources of methane pollution in the Permian, in New Mexico and in the U.S,” Goldstein told KOB
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Chevron, Schlumberger withdraw request for California carbon-capture permit
Liz Hampton and Sabrina Valle, 5/18/22
“Top U.S. energy companies Chevron (CVX.N) and Schlumberger (SLB.N) have withdrawn an application to capture carbon dioxide emissions and store them deep underground in central California, spokespeople said on Wednesday, putting the clean-energy project on hold after U.S. environmental regulators questioned it,” Reuters reports. “Burying industrial gases has become a focus for energy companies seeking to show investors they are willing to reduce emissions and help fight climate change. Their permit was one of more than a dozen filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requested the application be withdrawn. In a March 25 letter, the EPA said the application was "substantially incomplete," citing changes to the application and the failure to supply financial assurances. The companies had formed a venture to revive an idled biomass-fueled power plant and generate "carbon negative power" in Mendota, near Fresno, California. The project included an underground carbon sequestration site and would remove about 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. “The EPA did the right thing by hitting the brakes on the Mendota carbon capture project," Victoria Bogdan Tejeda, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told Reuters. "Carbon capture is risky, expensive, and incompatible with environmental justice."
Reuters: Chevron to launch carbon capture project in San Joaquin Valley
5/18/22
“Chevron Corp (CVX.N) said on Wednesday it was launching a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project aimed at reducing the carbon intensity of its operations in San Joaquin Valley, California,” Reuters reports. “Oil, gas and chemical firms have embraced carbon capture and sequestration, which involves collecting and sinking greenhouse gas deep underground, to address investor demands to clean up operations and reduce pollution that contributes to global warming… “The CCS initiative would begin at Chevron's Kern River Eastridge cogeneration plant in Kern County, California, the oil major added in a statement.”
E&E News: How Europe’s energy plan affects U.S. gas, offshore wind
Mike Soraghan, Heather Richards, Carlos Anchondo, 5/19/22
“Two European energy plans released yesterday could have implications for the U.S. natural gas and offshore wind sectors, analysts say,” E&E News reports. “The first, a sweeping $315 billion proposal for weaning Europe off Russian gas, came in response to the invasion of Ukraine and called for measures ranging from doubling solar photovoltaic capacity in three years to a ramp up in renewable hydrogen. The “REPowerEU” plan from European Union officials also would advance the continent’s efforts to start importing more liquefied natural gas, but those increases must be “coupled” with efforts to reduce the venting and flaring of methane.“To that end, the EU will cooperate with its fossil fuel supply partners to reduce methane emissions,” the plan stated. The methane provisions could put pressure on U.S. producers exporting to Europe who have resisted tight restrictions on emissions, according to observers. “The U.S. does not look especially good in this regard, so this should send an added signal to gas producers in the Permian and beyond to clean up their act,” Peter Erickson, Climate Policy Program director for the Stockholm Environment Institute, told E&E.
Canadian Press: How the oilsands cut some emissions by exporting them
Jason Franson, 5/19/22
“Canada's big oil companies say they have an ambitious plan that will make oil and gas production net zero by 2050. But so far, oil and gas production emissions have been growing. Emissions from crude oil production increased 67 megatonnes, or 170 per cent, since 1990, according to Canada's latest greenhouse gas emission inventory, submitted to the United Nations in April,” the Canadian Press reports. “That's largely because of the increase in emissions-intensive oilsands production in Alberta, which has nearly doubled since 2005. Oilsands emissions alone have increased 66 megatonnes, or 437 per cent, since 1990. Yet oilsands producers such as Canadian Natural Resources and Cenovus point out that they've drastically reduced the volume of greenhouse gases they generate per barrel of oil in recent years — a measure called emissions intensity. How? The report to the UN credits three factors… “The third factor is that more crude bitumen is being produced without being "upgraded" to synthetic crude oil… “Between 2010 and 2020, non-upgraded bitumen production increased more than 130 per cent, while synthetic crude oil production increased just 41 per cent, Canada's report to the UN says. "The additional energy required to process the crude bitumen (and resulting emissions) is therefore transferred downstream, mainly to export markets where the bitumen is processed at petroleum refineries," it adds. Birn told CP that compared to SCO, dilbit requires higher temperatures to process in the U.S. after export. So exporting dilbit results in lower oil production emissions in Canada, while increasing processing emissions in the U.S. But does it make a difference to the total emissions from production and processing? Birn told CP no. "When you actually compare it on a full lifecycle basis, [dilbit and SCO are] quite similar in terms of their overall profile because you're doing the same sorts of things — you're just doing it in a different place."
CNN: Human hair is being used to clean up oil spills
Nadia Leigh-Hewitson, 5/19/22
“Lisa Gautier receives nearly a dozen parcels of human hair every day. This would be unnerving for most, but Gautier knows that the blonde and brunette locks, and all the other shades, will become something wonderfully “green,” CNN reports. “With her San-Francisco-based non-profit organization Matter of Trust, Gautier turns donated hair into mats used to soak up oil spills on land, and booms (long tubes) used for spills at sea. A standard way to clean up oil from land is to use mats made from polypropylene. But polypropylene is a non-biodegradable plastic, and producing it ultimately means more drilling for oil. Hair, by contrast, is an environmentally friendly resource that can soak up around five times its weight in oil, according to Matter of Trust, and though it doesn’t quite grow on trees, it is abundant. “There are around 900,000 licensed hair salons in the US,” Gautier told CNN. “They can each easily cut a pound or so of hair a week.” “Our project is to divert this from landfill,” she told CNN. “It makes much more sense to use a renewable natural resource to clean up oil spills than it does to drill more oil to use to clean up.” “...In 1989, McCrory had designed a prototype device that used hair to soak up oil, which was tested by NASA and found to function well. Together, Matter of Trust and McCrory developed booms and mats made from human and animal hair. Every day, salons, pet groomers, and individuals send hair cuttings to Matter of Trust’s San Francisco warehouse. The packages are checked for contaminants such a debris, dirt or lice, then the hair is separated, spread over a frame, and run through a custom-built felting machine to make the mats. It takes 500 grams of hair to create a two-foot square, one-inch thick mat, which can collect up to 1.5 gallons (5.6 liters) of oil. Most of Matter of Trust’s clean-up work is on land, either dealing with terrestrial spills or the coastal damage caused by marine spills. It says around half of its products are bought by organizations such as the US Air Force and governmental departments, while other half are donated, often to Matter of Trust clean-up volunteers. According to Gautier, Matter of Trust has produced over 300,000 booms and more than 40,000 hair mats for major clean ups, including the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and many more for non-emergency spills – everything from decontaminating storm drains to soaking up oil from leaking vehicles and machinery.”
OPINION
The Hill: Carole King: ‘America’s forests are a key climate solution’
Carole King is a singer, songwriter, author and environmentalist, 5/19/22
“I was one of four majority witnesses invited to testify before a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Feb. 15, 2022, on H.R. 1755, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. NREPA is a large landscape preservation bill that will protect 23 million acres of federal land owned by all Americans,” Carole King writes for The Hill. “Preserving all those publicly owned forests — and the carbon they store — is an existing natural climate solution known as “proforestation” that will significantly advance President Biden’s Jan. 27, 2021 Executive Order, Section 216 goal to preserve 30 percent of areas of land and water in the U.S. by 2030 (a.k.a. “30 x 30”). Misinformation disseminated under the guise of euphemisms such as “thinning,” “treatment,” “fuel reduction,” “management,” and “restoration” by the timber industry and by government officials has convinced much of the public that commercial logging is necessary to control wildfires. But peer-reviewed studies by independent scientists show that removal of trees from a forest causes fire to burn hotter and faster — and that the most effective way to protect communities is to harden homes. President Biden’s Executive Order on Earth Day 2022 says: “America’s forests are a key climate solution.” Those are good words — but America’s youth want action. Many believe that the federal government is harming them by continuing to subsidize industries that emit massive amounts of carbon. And it’s not just fossil fuels. Annual carbon emissions from logging in the U.S. are comparable to annual carbon emissions in the U.S. from burning coal.”