EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/23/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Canada-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline not profitable -budget officer
Bloomberg: Trudeau’s Oil Pipeline Is a ‘Net Loss’ for Taxpayers, Watchdog Says
KVRR: Honor The Earth wants Walz Administration to drop charges against Line 3 protests
Sioux City Journal: Winnebago Tribe pushing for CO2 pipeline environmental impact study
Aberdeen News: Here's what to expect from Navigator and POET's new partnership in the coming months
KMA: Page County board gets update on Summit carbon pipeline
WPDE: SC woman concerned over new gas pipeline in front of home, officials say it's legal
WVLT: Morgan County residents react to possible new natural gas pipeline
U.S. Energy Information Association: Two new U.S. crude oil pipeline projects have been completed this year
The Hill: US gas pipeline leaks occur every 40 hours: report
NPR: Encore: Keystone XL Pipeline gets renewed interest, but the company has moved on
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: THE CASE OF WYOMING WAIVERS
STATE UPDATES
WOOD: Michigan researchers develop sensors to detect oil spills in real-time
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta premier, oilsands execs in U.S. capital to rehabilitate Canada's energy image
Bloomberg: Canadian oil execs tout energy security, progress on emissions in Washington
Carlsbad Current-Argus: $3.5 billion sale targets Permian Basin oil and gas as drilling grows in the region
New York Times: Can Natural Gas Be Used to Create Power With Fewer Emissions?
Press release: Hyzon Motors to collaborate with Schlumberger in decarbonizing oil & gas field operations with high-power fuel cells
OPINION
Omaha World-Herald: The Public Pulse: Pipeline information
Washington Post: Restricting U.S. oil exports would betray European allies and benefit Russia
SaskToday: Opinion: Canadian technology lowering emissions from oil and gas drilling
PIPELINE NEWS
Reuters: Canada-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline not profitable -budget officer
Rod Nickel and Ismail Shakil, 6/22/22
“The Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline is no longer profitable after cost over-runs and delays to its expansion project, the country's parliamentary budget officer (PBO) said on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “A report from PBO Yves Giroux said the pipeline has a net present value of negative C$600 million (negative $463.03 million), based on the difference between Trans Mountain's cash flows and its C$4.4 billion purchase price. The report from the PBO, which provides independent advice to Parliament, is a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government bought the pipeline in 2018 to ensure that the expansion proceeded despite protests. Expansion of other pipelines has since smoothed the flow of crude, one of Canada's most valuable exports. Trudeau faces criticism that expanding the pipeline is contrary to Canada's goals of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Additional delays and increased construction costs would further reduce Trans Mountain's value, the PBO said. If Ottawa cancels the expansion, the government faces a C$14.4 billion write-off, the PBO said. The cancellation scenario is hypothetical, and the government has no such plans, a government source told Reuters… “The expansion is critical for Canada's oil industry, ensuring its long-term stability and providing more diverse market access, Reg Curren, spokesman for producer Cenovus Energy, told Reuters. The government should cancel the expansion and cut its losses, Julia Levin, national climate program manager at Environmental Defence, an environmental advocacy group, told Reuters.
Bloomberg: Trudeau’s Oil Pipeline Is a ‘Net Loss’ for Taxpayers, Watchdog Says
Robert Tuttle, 6/22/22
“Canadian taxpayers will lose money from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to nationalize a pipeline after costs escalated amid delays in expanding the system, according to the country’s budget watchdog,” Bloomberg reports. “A project to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline, Canada’s sole conduit for crude from Alberta’s oil sands to the Pacific Ocean, has faced repeated delays and cost increases since Trudeau’s government bought the system from Kinder Morgan Inc. in 2018. In February, Trans Mountain announced a 70% jump in expansion costs to C$21.4 billion ($16.55 billion) partly due to delays, the effects of the pandemic and flooding last year. While the government said it would spend no additional public money on the pipeline, it guaranteed a C$10 billion loan for it in May. The company said when the cost increase was announced that the “business case supporting the project remained sound.” The net present value of the system is now C$3.9 billion, C$600 million lower than the purchase price, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said Wednesday in an updated costing report… “Trudeau’s government stepped in to buy Trans Mountain to ensure work on increasing its capacity to 800,000 barrels a day from 300,000 would be completed after Kinder Morgan threatened to cancel the project amid fierce opposition in British Columbia. Canada’s oil producers have struggled for years with a shortage of export pipelines, lowering the price they receive for their oil and hindering growth in Alberta’s oil sands… “But critics of the pipeline seized on the report as evidence the government can’t have it both ways on climate and helping the oil industry. “The federal government is losing money on the pipeline whose profits they promised would pay for green energy,” Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist for Greenpeace Canada, told Bloomberg “Rather than pouring billions more into a money-losing, climate-destroying pipeline that only benefits oil company bottom lines, let’s spend it directly on green energy solutions.”
KVRR: Honor The Earth wants Walz Administration to drop charges against Line 3 protests
Hami Arain, 6/22/22
“Mark Ruffalo, Jackson Browne, Jane Fonda and more join Honor the Earth and other Indigenous leaders condemning the charges against more than 800 activists who were arrested one year ago for protesting the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline,” KVRR reports. “A lot of people support water protectors and a lot of people believe that water should be protected over the rights of a Canadian corporation. A lot of people are deeply concerned with the fact that Minnesota took over $8 million from a Canadian multinational to arrest, charge and harass people like us,” Honor The Earth Executive Director Winona LaDuke told KVRR. Honor the Earth has sent a letter featuring celebrities and several Indigenous tribes calling for Minnesota leadership to drop charges or have Attorney General Keith Ellison lead Line 3 cases as a special prosecutor… “There were some people however that were charged with felonies including a theft of time. They were charged with stealing time from Enbridge. Stealing time. I found that was a very interesting suggestion. I feel that Enbridge stole years of my time. Years of my life so maybe I can charge them with that,” LaDuke told KVRR… “The price of oil is too high in terms of blood and arrests and certainly the environment. I can never accept Enbridge’s fantasy world where they believe they have done us a good favor.” LaDuke told KVRR North Dakota and Minnesota governments are too focused on short-term profits and election favors instead of thinking about how their negligence affects future generations.”
Sioux City Journal: Winnebago Tribe pushing for CO2 pipeline environmental impact study
Mason Dockter, 6/22/22
“The Winnebago Tribal Council this spring unanimously approved a resolution requesting an environmental impact study be conducted on the proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline and the proposed Navigator Heartland Greenway Carbon Pipeline, which would run near the tribe's lands,” the Sioux City Journal reports. “The Tribal Council has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, Dakota County Commissioners and the Iowa Utility Board to require a study be done before any permits for the carbon pipeline are issued, the tribe said in a press release Tuesday. The Council is requesting each entity provide a response to the Tribe in writing. The resolution was passed in March and letters were sent out about two months later; the tribe is currently awaiting a response, a tribal spokesman said Tuesday. “The Winnebago Tribe has consistently opposed the issuance of pipeline permits that could negatively impact our lands or water... An Environmental Impact Study would outline the effects of the proposed pipelines on the environment and should provide sufficient information to evaluate the relative merits of the proposed pipelines and alternatives. The permit-issuing bodies cannot make reasoned or informed decisions without this information. Nor can the general public," the Tribal Council said in the resolution… “The Tribal Council's press release noted that the pipeline construction would take place north of the reservation, "but would cross at the Missouri River, where the tribe is downstream," Winnebago Tribal Secretary Lorelei DeCora told the Journal. The tribe is further concerned about the construction paths being on tribal ancestral lands and the possibility the pipelines could disturb burial sites, along with the possibility that, if constructed, the pipelines could fail and endanger the health of the tribe… “The Winnebago Tribe stands in solidarity with area farmers who oppose these pipelines and the use of eminent domain to acquire access to lands without landowner consent. The health, well-being, and rights of everyone is important to us all," Winnebago Tribal Chairwoman Victoria Kitcheyan said in a statement.
Aberdeen News: Here's what to expect from Navigator and POET's new partnership in the coming months
Alexandra Hardle, 6/23/22
“Landowners might be wondering what to expect after the recent announcement that POET and Navigator CO2 Ventures have signed a long-term contract,” the Aberdeen News reports. “Eighteen of POET's 33 plants will be participating, POET President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Lautt told the News. Previously, only Valero's Aurora ethanol plant was signed onto the project in South Dakota, meaning there were plans for the line in Moody, Minnehaha and Brookings counties. But POET's participation has pushed the number of South Dakota plants to six… “Navigator has not yet released county maps for the project, and it's unclear exactly how many counties will be affected. Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator, said the route has not yet been determined. Routing due diligence has not yet been done, she said. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions isn't a new goal for POET, Lautt told the News… “He said the pipeline project has been in discussion for about 12 to 18 months. One of POET's goals is do reduce carbon emissions, and the company came to the conclusion that Navigator is the right partner, he said… “Asked about the 45Q tax credit, Lautt again declined to comment on specifics, but said the it is a key incentive given by the federal government to help businesses that want to help the environment… “In the coming months, Burns-Thompson told the News people can expect to be notified if they might be along the pipeline route. Navigator hosted public meetings in Brookings, Minnehaha and Moody counties in December and January and will begin to plan new meetings. They could be at big summer events such as county fairs.”
KMA: Page County board gets update on Summit carbon pipeline
Ethan Hewett, 6/22/22
“There's still a good amount of ground for carbon dioxide pipeline representatives to cover to secure 100% voluntary land easements for Summit Carbon Solution's five-state pipeline,” KMA reports. “Meeting in regular session Tuesday morning, the Page County Board of Supervisors received an update from Tyler Hanson of Turnkey Solutions on Summit's proposed Midwest Carbon Express pipeline… “Hanson informed the board that of the 685 miles of pipeline in Iowa, just over 30% of the land has been acquired through voluntary easements, with a smaller number for the seven miles of anticipated pipe in Page County… “While Hanson says the hope is to acquire as much as possible through easements, Summit's permit application to the Iowa Utilities Board submitted in January did include requesting the ability to use eminent domain -- or the right to seize land for public use. Page County was among several counties around the state sending a letter to the IUB stating their objection to eminent domain. Hanson says the investment in Page County is over $6 million as the pipeline -- which is expected to assist the ethanol industry in selling to low carbon markets -- works towards Green Plains Shenandoah in Fremont County. "Based on the physical pipeline being installed in the ground and auxiliary facilities -- that's approximately seven miles in total with a six inch pipeline -- that total investment is around $6.4 million." said Hanson. "The estimated new property tax after that project goes into service is around $245,000 a year based on current tax statutes and regulations." “...IUB officials have indicated any action or public hearing on Summit's permit application is not expected before February 2023. Summit officials expect pipeline construction to begin in summer 2023, pending approval.”
WPDE: SC woman concerned over new gas pipeline in front of home, officials say it's legal
Emma Parkhouse, 6/22/22
“A woman living in Atlantic Beach reached out to ABC15 with concerns after she said a gas pipeline was installed in front of her home -- without notice,” WPDE reports. “Kathy Andrews told WPDE the home she's lived in for nearly two decades on 32nd Avenue in Atlantic Beach was disrupted a couple of weeks ago. Andrews told WPDE she walked out of her door to see Dominion Energy workers digging a hole in her front yard; something she said she never gave permission or received a notice for… “According to Andrews, the workers told her they were placing the start of a new gas pipeline along the public right of way for a new home being built just a few lots away… “Andrews works with the local Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and said she's worried about the environmental safety impact this gas pipeline would have… “ABC15 reached out to the Atlantic Beach town manager, Benjamin Quattlebaum, to ask why Andrews wasn't notified of the installation before it happened. He told WPDE there are no laws or requirements for public or private companies installing utilities to notify the town or residents and this includes gas pipelines. He explained this is because Dominion Energy crews are working in the legal ten-foot right of way designated by the state… “Following Andrews' concerns, Quattlebaum said he's asking Dominion Energy to notify the Town of Atlantic Beach before beginning projects as a courtesy, but when it comes to individually notifying residents, he said that will only be done at Dominion Energy's discretion.”
WVLT: Morgan County residents react to possible new natural gas pipeline
Sam Luther, 6/22/22
“A Canadian based energy company, Enbridge, held an open house at Wartburg Central High School to answer questions and go over details of a proposed 125-mile pipeline what would cut through Middle and East Tennessee,” WVLT reports. “It’s a plan that will only come to fruition if the TVA decided to close the Kingston plant, and chose natural gas as their new source of energy instead of solar power, or a combination of the two. Although a decision on what’s next won’t come until 2023, Enbridge and residents of the impacted areas were still thinking about what’s best for their way of life… “More than 50 people came to Wartburg Central High School to go over what this proposal would look like for them, but not everyone felt the same way. “There are other options than pipelines and gas plants.” said Brady Watson who was lobbying for solar power instead of the proposed pipeline project. While a TVA spokesperson didn’t speculate as to which option they would select if the Kingston plant closes, they said that overall their goal is to be more involved with natural gas by the year 2035.”
U.S. Energy Information Association: Two new U.S. crude oil pipeline projects have been completed this year
6/23/22
“As of June 3, 2022, pipeline companies completed two crude oil pipeline projects in the United States, according to our recently updated Liquids Pipeline Projects Database,” the U.S. Energy Information Association reports. “No new hydrocarbon gas liquids or petroleum product pipeline projects were completed in the first five months of 2022. The completed crude oil pipeline projects are: Energy Transfer Ted Collins Pipeline, a 275,000 barrel per day (b/d) pipeline that transports crude oil along the Gulf Coast from the Nederland terminal to the Houston Ship Channel, which are both in Texas. Energy Transfer Cushing South Phase II, a 55,000 b/d expansion of the Cushing South project. The Cushing South project includes three existing Energy Transfer pipelines and a reversal and interconnection with the Centurion pipeline that transports crude oil from terminals in Platteville, Colorado, and Cushing, Oklahoma, to Energy Transfer’s terminal in Nederland, Texas… “Two announced projects and two under-construction projects are scheduled to come online later this year. As of June 2022, an additional 13 projects have been permanently canceled, and 2 projects have been put on temporary hold. The current status is unknown for five projects.”
The Hill: US gas pipeline leaks occur every 40 hours: report
SHARON UDASIN, 6/23/2
“U.S. natural gas pipelines are experiencing the equivalent of one leak every 40 hours, a new report has found,” according to The Hill. “From 2010 to 2021, almost 2,600 such leaks occurred that were serious enough to require federal reporting — with 850 resulting from fires and 328 from explosions, according to the study, released by U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (U.S. PIRG) Educational Fund. These incidents killed 122 people and injured 603, with total costs in property damage, emergency services and the value of unintentionally released gas totaling nearly $4 billion, the authors observed. Such events also led to the leakage of 26.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas — the equivalent to more than 2.4 million passenger vehicles driven for a year, according to the report, published together with Environment America Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group think tank. “House explosions and leaking pipelines aren’t isolated incidents — they’re the result of an energy system that pipes dangerous, explosive gas across the country and through our neighborhoods,” co-author Matt Casale, environment campaigns director for U.S. PIRG Education Fund, said in a statement. “It’s time to move away from gas in this country and toward safer, cleaner electrification and renewable energy.”
NPR: Encore: Keystone XL Pipeline gets renewed interest, but the company has moved on
ARIELLE ZIONTS, 6/23/22
“In response to calls for a global boycott of Russian oil, some say the U.S. should revive the Keystone XL Pipeline, but the company is selling assets… Story first aired on March 17, 2022,” NPR reports.
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Politico: THE CASE OF WYOMING WAIVERS
Matthew Choi, 6/22/22
“Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is asking the Interior Department’s Inspector General to investigate whether the Bureau of Land Management erred in granting waivers to oil companies looking to drill on federal land set aside as habitat for the endangered sage grouse in Wyoming,” Politico reports. “PEER says documents received via a public records request shows that three BLM offices in Wyoming gave a total of 80 such waivers over nearly four years leading up to November 2021. The agency hasn’t handed over requested records from seven other BLM offices in the state, PEER says, meaning the total could be even higher. “These records raise questions about the effectiveness of sage grouse protections if they are routinely waived,” stated Rocky Mountain PEER Director Chandra Rosenthal in a press release.”
STATE UPDATES
WOOD: Michigan researchers develop sensors to detect oil spills in real-time
Matt Jaworowski, 6/21/22
“The recent oil spill on the St. Marys River has pressed a new program from Lake Superior State University into action,” WOOD reports. “The university’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education is testing four self-sufficient real-time sensors to monitor for pollutants, with the goal of catching spills earlier and preventing more damage. Kevin Kapuscinski, the assistant director of research at the CFRE, told WOOD the project is still in its early stages and that researchers rushed to get the sensors in the water after an estimated 5,300 gallons of gear oil spilled at the Algoma Steel mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on June 9. “We have four sensors out there. At this point it’s a proof-of-concept pilot project,” Kapuscinski told News 8. “Three of them are for refined oil products, one of them is for crude oil products. But they are all on their own independent power sources and can upload data in real time.” “...It primarily has been focused on small streams and real-time monitoring of water quality — so dissolved oxygen, temperature connectivity, discharge — but there has been increasing interest and concern over the potential for oil spills in the Great Lakes.” “...Currently, the CFRE has three main partners on the MiWaterNet project — LimnoTech, which is helping with the sensors, the Bay Mills Indian Community, which has provided access around Sugar Island to place the monitors, and CIGLR, the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, which has provided $10,000 in funding to help cover the first sensors.”
EXTRACTION
Canadian Press: Alberta premier, oilsands execs in U.S. capital to rehabilitate Canada's energy image
James McCarten, 6/22/22
“Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and oilsands industry executives are in the U.S. capital as part of a fresh push to rehabilitate the public image of Canada's fossil fuels,” the Canadian Press reports. “At the core of their effort is the Pathways Alliance, a coalition of oilsands producers — originally christened the Oil Sands Pathway to Net Zero Alliance — with an ambitious and expensive plan to capture and store all of the industry's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050… .”The alliance is proposing a multibillion-dollar carbon capture and storage system that would collect those emissions from more than 20 oilsands facilities, transporting and storing them deep in the porous soil and rock of the Canadian Prairies. That's the long-term goal, with the aim of capturing 20 million tonnes of emissions a year by 2030. The immediate goal is to convince the world, beginning with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, that the oilsands can be part of the solution to climate change instead of part of the problem. "Right now, we have a label of, 'Canada has dirty oil,'" Rhona DelFrari, chief sustainability officer at Cenovus Energy, one of the six Canadian producers that comprise the alliance, representing 95 per cent of all oilsands production, told CP. "We want to completely erase that label and instead have people around the globe saying, 'Canada is producing oil like the rest of the world should be producing oil.'" It won't be cheap: DelFrari told CP the industry expects a final tab of about $2.5 billion a year between now and 2050, including roughly $20 billion to meet that initial target of storing or otherwise eliminating 20 million tonnes of emissions by 2030. And companies have already indicated that they won't foot the bill alone. Cenovus CEO Alex Pourbaix told analysts back in April that the federal government's new suite of tax credits for carbon capture projects simply won't be enough to provide the sort of long-term stability required to placate nervous investors… "Our companies will not be able to move forward with these types of multibillion-dollar projects unless there is partnership with governments," DelFrari told CP… “But the federal and provincial governments are also beneficiaries of a healthy oilpatch, and stand to gain from one that can reduce emissions while continuing to produce energy, Mark Cameron, the alliance's vice-president and senior adviser, told CP. "The two alternatives really are, you can invest in technology to reduce emissions, or you can mandate reductions in production. But that means less royalties, less jobs, less taxes, less of all of these things.”
Bloomberg: Canadian oil execs tout energy security, progress on emissions in Washington
Daniel Johnson, 6/22/22
“Alex Pourbaix, the president and chief executive officer at Cenovus Energy Inc., is in Washington, along with other major oil industry leaders, to make the case for Canadian oil’s ability to increase energy security and to highlight progress made on emissions reductions,” Bloomberg reports. “We really are the definition of energy security, but also [we are here] to remind politicians and legislators that we are not standing still on our environmental performance. The real focus is to bring people up to speed on the effort of the oil sands industry to really drive down emissions,” Pourbaix told Bloomberg. He’s attempting to showcase Canadian oil as part of the answer to energy security issues that have been thrust into the spotlight following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Canadian oil can act as a solution, Pourbaix told Bloomberg, due in part to improvements in takeaway capacity after the expansion of Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline and enhanced rail capacity. Developments in these areas has resulted in the ability to move about one million barrels out of the country each day, according to Pourbaix. “And on top of that, we have presently largely unutilized rail capacity. So our visit [to the U.S.] is not really about infrastructure, but rather the ability of the Canadian barrel to continue to reliably supply the U.S. and the world.”
Carlsbad Current-Argus: $3.5 billion sale targets Permian Basin oil and gas as drilling grows in the region
Adrian Hedden, 6/22/22
“A Houston-based oil and gas midstream company became the latest to sign a multi-billion-dollar purchase of operations in the Permian Basin and its western Delaware-sub basin in southeast New Mexico,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “Targa Resources announced it purchased Permian operator Lucid Energy in a $3.5 billion deal, intending to increase the company’s presence in the Delaware – viewed as busiest portion of the Permian which is the U.S.’ most active shale play… “It was part of a broader trend seeing oil and gas companies throughout the supply chain merge and purchase existing assets, intending to drive up profits and returns for shareholders rather than spending more on new production.”
New York Times: Can Natural Gas Be Used to Create Power With Fewer Emissions?
John Schwartz, 6/21/22
“It wasn’t like it is in the movies. Nobody pulled down a big switch on the wall, producing a satisfying “thunk” and crackle of electricity. Instead, one evening last November, a shift supervisor for NET Power, a clean-energy technology company, clicked a mouse several times in a control room set in a double-wide trailer,” the New York Times reports. “With the last click, the company’s generator synchronized with the Texas grid, a major step toward providing power to homes and businesses. Twenty-seven minutes later, the supervisor cut off the connection. It might not sound like much, but that brief display at this demonstration plant — with a fraction of the capacity of a full-scale facility — showed that a novel way of generating electricity that burns natural gas but doesn’t generate the same greenhouse gas emissions as fossil fuels, could play nicely with the nation’s power grid… “It combusts a combination of natural gas and oxygen inside a circulating stream of high-temperature carbon dioxide under tremendous pressure. The resulting carbon dioxide drives the turbine in a form known as a supercritical fluid. In other power plants, capturing carbon dioxide means adding separate equipment that draws considerable energy. NET Power’s system captures the carbon dioxide it creates as part of its cycle, not as an add-on. The excess carbon dioxide can then be drawn off and stored underground or used in other industrial processes. The plant’s operations produce none of the health-damaging particulates, or the smog-producing gases like oxides of nitrogen and sodium, that coal plants spew… “With commercial success, NET Power believes it will meaningfully reduce global carbon emissions, Ron DeGregorio, the company’s chief executive, told the Times. Many potential customers could still opt for coal power, but “bring this credibly to market, and this changes the world.” “...The technology has spawned criticisms, particularly of its reliance on methane infrastructure and of the present-day limitations of carbon storage. Many environmentalists oppose L.N.G. terminals, in large part because they extend the use of fossil fuels; the Sierra Club recently targeted those planned for Cameron, in Southwest Louisiana, including G2 Net-Zero, arguing that they will cause grave environmental damage to the area. “As long as a power plant is being powered by methane gas, it will continue to harm our climate and communities,” Jeremy Fisher, senior adviser for strategic research and development for the Sierra Club, told the Times. “This technology would do nothing to protect families living with pollution from fracking wells or next to dangerous gas pipelines, and it would continue to allow for the massive — and often undercounted — amount of climate-warming methane leaked from wellheads, pipelines and plants.”
Press release: Hyzon Motors to collaborate with Schlumberger in decarbonizing oil & gas field operations with high-power fuel cells
6/23/22
“Hyzon, a global supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen-powered and fuel cell electric commercial vehicles, announced today a joint development agreement (JDA) with Schlumberger, the world's leading provider of technology to the global energy industry. Under the JDA, Hyzon will utilize its expertise in engineering and manufacturing high-power fuel cell systems for heavy-duty commercial mobility to co-develop zero-emissions fuel cell power generation solutions initially for North American oil & gas well construction for land drilling rigs, with opportunities for collaboration into other field operations in the broader oil & gas market.”
OPINION
Omaha World-Herald: The Public Pulse: Pipeline information
Ernie Boykin, Omaha, 6/22/22
“Please know that tar sands oil is thicker, more acidic and more corrosive than lighter conventional crude. Since it first went into operation in 2010, TC Energy’s original Keystone Pipeline System has leaked more than a dozen times,” Ernie Boykin writes for the Omaha World-Herald. “Less than two years before the project was finally pulled, the Keystone tar sands pipeline was temporarily shut down after a spill in North Dakota of reportedly more than 378,000 gallons in late October 2019. Also back in 2010, tar sands oil also spilled in Kalamazoo River, Michigan, it cost Enbridge more than a billion dollars in cleanup fees. Experts tell us that the Keystone XL pipeline cancellation isn’t affecting what’s happening in the oil market today. It was not slated to go into service until 2023, according to a press release from TC Energy, the company constructing the project. The U.S. is still receiving oil from Canada through other means, like railways and other operational oil pipelines running in the US. Just wanted to clear up some things I heard during the Senate debate earlier this month.”
Washington Post: Restricting U.S. oil exports would betray European allies and benefit Russia
Josh Rogin, 6/22/22
“As the Biden administration scrambles to find ways to bring down soaring gas prices, several old ideas are gaining new life in public debate and inside the White House. The latest is a proposal to ban or restrict U.S. oil exports, which wouldn’t fix the problem and would very likely hurt our European allies while handing a financial windfall to Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Josh Rogin writes for the Washington Post. “...The following day, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) publicly called for a full ban on U.S. oil exports, resurrecting an idea he and other progressive Democrats had advocated for last autumn, when gas prices began to rise… “Oil producers and exporters point out that progressive Democrats have been trying unsuccessfully for years to reverse the Obama administration’s 2015 decision to lift the U.S. ban on exports. Progressives want to move on from petroleum, not expand the industry’s global markets. In the current crisis, though, the Biden administration and Democrats are caught between that priority and the reality that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made oil exports a crucial instrument of foreign policy… “Even if the export restriction applied only to refined products such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel, any benefits to U.S. consumers would be small and temporary, McNally told the Post. The Biden administration would also be undermining its own effort to push U.S. energy companies to expand refining capacity, which is already going down despite surging demand… “In the long term, the goal to move away from petroleum to renewable energy sources is wise. But in the short term, the cold reality is that there is no way to quickly bring down gas prices much — not even by going hat in hand to beg Saudi Arabia to increase production.”
SaskToday: Opinion: Canadian technology lowering emissions from oil and gas drilling
Deborah Jaremko is director of content for the Canadian Energy Centre, an Alberta government corporation funded in part by taxes paid by industry on carbon emissions, 6/22/22
“When Nicole Romanow looks at drilling rigs from 30 years ago, she’s impressed by the change and innovation that has occurred in Canada’s oil and gas industry – and what is yet to come,” Deborah Jaremko writes for SaskToday. “...While Canada’s oil sands sector often makes news for innovations that reduce environmental impacts like emissions per barrel and water use, similar efforts by the ‘conventional’ industry – basically everything that’s not the oil sands – can get overlooked, says Mark Scholz, CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC)... “Rigs are being outfitted with new technology to reduce emissions, in a highly competitive business that doesn’t allow for much flexibility on costs… “Beyond batteries and the benefits of using power from the electrical grid, Connolly expects that the future will involve more new technologies like carbon capture. But the application will require different systems than those used at an oil sands project or fertilizer plant. “Carbon capture projects have been focused primarily at the facility level or stationary areas, not mobile equipment,” she says. “We’re working on developing that. We are also exploring how fuel cell technology and hydrogen as a fuel source can be implemented into drilling operations.” Scholz says the drilling industry’s commitment to innovation and lower environmental impacts should help recruit the many new workers needed as global oil and gas demand continues for decades to come.”