EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/12/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Bloomberg: Mountain Valley Pipeline Developer Weighs Supreme Court Appeal
FOX News: Top lawmakers blast 'activist court' ruling blocking natural gas pipeline
E&E News: Mountain Valley got new lobbyist before debt deal
KELO: PUC asked to pre-empt counties on pipeline regs
KETV: Pottawattamie County one of last to hire inspector for Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline
WHYY: A new sinkhole opens up along the Mariner East pipeline in Chester County
Bloomberg: Trudeau’s Pipeline Marred as Overruns Drive Up Export Costs
Jackson Hole News & Guide: Jackson-bound natural gas pipeline will cleave 'core' sage grouse habitat
CGTN: China's longest carbon dioxide transportation pipeline put into operation
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Why SCOTUS might stop Republican attacks on carbon metric
Roll Call: Republicans take aim at climate funds in spending bills
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Is New Mexico ready for increasing earthquakes? That's what our reporting is tackling
WEWS: Over 450 people in Columbiana County evacuated due to natural gas release from a well
EXTRACTION
Sydney Morning Herald: Chevron’s troubled carbon capture and storage at Gorgon set to worsen in 2023
Canadian Press: Uncertain demand clouds future of Canada’s planned LNG exports, experts say
Enbridge: Ebel: Time to step up on LNG exports, Canada
Seeking Alpha: Woodfibre LNG nearly finalizes all offtake agreements, Enbridge CEO says
Bloomberg: Buffett Takes Control of US LNG Plant With $3.3 Billion Deal
Carbon Herald: National Carbon Capture Center To Launch First DAC Facility Test
CLIMATE FINANCE
NPR: Businesses, Governments Clash Over How To Tackle Climate Change
Canadian Business: Climate Change Is Influencing How Young People Invest Their Money
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Judges Defy Congress to Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Heated: Oil companies are laughing while the world burns
Bloomberg: Capitalism Alone Won’t Save the Planet
Edmonton Journal: Opinion: Allowing oilsands mines to treat and release water key to reclamation
National Observer: Handling of oilsands tailings spill is environmental racism, plain and simple
PIPELINE NEWS
Bloomberg: Mountain Valley Pipeline Developer Weighs Supreme Court Appeal
Shayna Greene, 7/11/23
“Mountain Valley Pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream Corp. is considering filing an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court following the Fourth Circuit’s decision to pause the project’s construction in Virginia’s Jefferson National Forest,” Bloomberg reports. “Equitrans was “disappointed” with the decision, saying the court defied the “will and clear intent” of Congress and the Biden administration that passed legislation to complete the project. “We believe the Court also exceeded its authority, as Congress expressly and plainly removed its jurisdiction,” the company said Tuesday in a statement. “Further, the fact that the Court issued the stay prior to receiving full briefing from the federal government and Mountain Valley is particularly telling and demonstrates why Congressional intervention was appropriate,” the company said. “We are evaluating all legal options, which include filing an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.” “...The Interior Department and Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC argued on Monday in both cases that the court didn’t have jurisdiction due to the language in the debt-limit law. Appalachian Voices claimed that language only applies to new challenges to the project, not litigation prior to the law’s passage on June 3. The Wilderness Society said the court has jurisdiction because their claim has to do with environmental statutes and falls under the Administrative Procedure Act.”
FOX News: Top lawmakers blast 'activist court' ruling blocking natural gas pipeline
Thomas Catenacci, 7/11/23
“Several lawmakers excoriated a federal appeals court ruling Monday granting a coalition of environmental groups' request to block construction of a major natural gas pipeline green-lit under the bipartisan debt ceiling package passed last month,” FOX News reports. “This was a piece of legislation that was passed in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion and signed into law by the president of the United States," Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. "When, on June 3, the Fiscal Responsibility Act became law, it stated the Fourth Circuit was no longer able to rule on these issues." "This is an activist court," Joyce added. "It's a court that stood in the way of this construction too many times. So, the Mountain Valley pipeline obtained all the necessary state, all the necessary federal permits before starting construction way back in 2018, where the cost was estimated to be at $3 billion." "It was legislation that I wrote that stripped the 4th Circuit's jurisdiction in this project," Joyce continued. "Yesterday, even though specifically spelled out, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to halt the Mountain Valley Pipeline." "It's going to slow the whole process down again," he told Fox. "That seems to be really one of the agendas that the 4th Circuit has so adamantly pursued: 'Let's just slow this process down.' But again, they're not allowing individuals who need these energy supplies, the energy supplies that are under the feet of my constituents, they're not allowing the energy independence that America so desperately needs." "...Because the Fiscal Responsibility Act was signed into law, the radical 4th circuit court no longer has jurisdiction over the Mountain Valley Pipeline. These activist judges are blatantly disregarding the law and stopping American energy production," Miller added in a tweet. "I urge all parties involved with the construction of #MVP to ignore the 4th circuit and continue as scheduled. This ruling will not stand."
E&E News: Mountain Valley got new lobbyist before debt deal
Timothy Cama, 7/10/23
“The Mountain Valley pipeline got a new lobbyist to push lawmakers to approve the project just days before legislation was unveiled to do so,” E&E News reports. “Law and lobbying firm Vinson & Elkins LLP said in a disclosure made public Friday that Jeremy Marwell, a partner at the firm, began advocating for the pipeline May 23. Marwell lobbied on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, in which Congress mandated the controversial pipeline’s approval as part of a deal to suspend the federal government’s debt ceiling, Vinson & Elkins said in its disclosure. The bill emerged four days after his lobbying activity started. Marwell is an attorney who works on energy-related matters and represents Mountain Valley in court, including in a recent case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in which environmental groups challenged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2020 decision to extend the project’s construction certificate.”
KELO: PUC asked to pre-empt counties on pipeline regs
Bob Mercer, 7/11/23
“A lawyer representing the Navigator Heartland Greenway carbon-dioxide project wants the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to overrule pipeline ordinances recently passed by several county commissions along the proposed route,” KELO reports. “The motion from attorney James Moore says the ordinances in Minnehaha and Moody counties are “unreasonably restrictive.” He wants the state commission to address those two ordinances, plus another pending in Lincoln County, during the state commission’s permit hearing starting July 25. State commissioners Kristie Fiegen, Chris Nelson and Gary Hanson discussed the county-ordinance question Tuesday but took no action… “Commissioner Nelson originally said Tuesday that he favored reaching a decision on county ordinances as part of the Navigator docket, but that should come only after the permit decision. Moore said Nelson’s approach would create “a parade of horribles” because there’s no state law specifically providing for that… “Ryan Cwach, one of the attorneys representing dozens of landowners opposed to the Navigator project, agreed that the state commission shouldn’t reach an immediate decision on pre-empting county ordinances but said it would be “inappropriate” to it into the permit hearing… “Fiegen, the commission’s chair, said Tuesday that she wants to make sure counties have a voice in the Navigator docket. Commissioner Hanson said he has “such a huge problem” with the commission deciding to override county ordinances. “To just pre-empt on the front end, that’s contrary, inherently wrong,” Hanson said.
KETV: Pottawattamie County one of last to hire inspector for Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline
Alex McLoon, 7/11/23
“More people are supporting a carbon dioxide pipeline running through Pottawattamie County, according to Summit Carbon Solutions,” KETV reports. “A county official says more than 90 percent of Pottawattamie County property owners facing land easements are supporting the CO2 pipeline. "It's time to make a decision on who's going to represent these landowners," said Matt Wyant, director of planning and development. County supervisors have waited to sign an agreement with an inspector. ISG Inc pitched itself to handle calls from residents about issues during construction. ISG has signed 11 agreements with other Iowa counties, including Shelby and Fremont counties. Farmers and landowners worry construction could affect drain tile and topsoil. "The more you stir up the ground, the more erosion I'm going to have, the more soil loss I'm going to have," Shelby County land owner Jann Reinig said. The Iowa Utilities Board will host a public hearing in August. Property owners like Jann Reinig and their attorneys plan to attend in Fort Dodge.”
WHYY: A new sinkhole opens up along the Mariner East pipeline in Chester County
Susan Phillips, 7/11/23
“The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is investigating a newly formed “earth feature” along the Mariner East natural gas liquids pipeline in Chester County,” WHYY reports. “More often referred to as land subsidence or sinkholes, it occurred in the area of Lisa Drive, West Whiteland Township, where multiple sinkholes first appeared during construction of the pipeline in March 2018. At that time, the PUC ordered a temporary shut down of a parallel natural gas pipeline citing a “catastrophic” effect if it led to a leak. At least five homes on Lisa Drive were later sold to the Texas-based pipeline builder and operator Energy Transfer after its work damaged the aquifer and left gaping holes in residents’ backyards. Sinkholes caused by construction continued to appear in Chester County, including near the Chester Valley Trail and the Exton Library. The area sits on limestone, a porous rock that was prone to sinkhole development even before construction of the Mariner East. In this most recent incident, Energy Transfer notified the Department of Environmental Protection that on Thursday, July 6, a new sinkhole, 18 inches in diameter and 54 inches deep, opened up near its natural gas liquids lines along the Lisa Drive right-of-way. The company reported it had excavated and backfilled the sinkhole, according to a DEP spokesperson… “Ginny Kerslake, a Chester County resident and organizer with Food and Water Watch, visited the site after hearing from a nearby resident. On Tuesday, she told WHYY she saw fresh straw on top of what looked to be the site of the newly remediated sinkhole… “Alex Bomstein, an attorney with the Clean Air Council, a plaintiff in the case, was surprised when informed of the new sinkhole. “This was supposed to be put to rest,” Bomstein told WHYY. “So why is this extremely analyzed piece of earth shifting once again beneath our feet?”
Bloomberg: Trudeau’s Pipeline Marred as Overruns Drive Up Export Costs
Sheela Tobben, 7/11/23
“A Canadian pipeline hailed as a cheap and speedy way to send oil to Asia is set to become a $15 billion (C$20 billion) taxpayers’ headache and an expensive option for exporters thanks to cost overruns,” Bloomberg reports. “The expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline will enter service early next year after nearly tripling its capacity, delivering an extra 590,000 barrels of Alberta oil each day to Vancouver. Its route cuts the time to ship Canadian crude to Asia by roughly two-thirds compared to sending via the US Gulf, but it won’t necessarily be more cost effective.”
Jackson Hole News & Guide: Jackson-bound natural gas pipeline will cleave 'core' sage grouse habitat
Billy Arnold, 7/11/23
“A Lower Valley Energy pipeline extension that will deliver natural gas to Jackson Hole will bisect land Wyoming has designated “core habitat” for sage grouse, an icon of the western sagebrush steppe, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports. “The pipeline also will cut through land the state is considering designating as a new sage grouse “core” area. The project will run north and west of Big Piney in Sublette County, where there are a number of natural gas fields that operate in the middle of sage grouse, mule deer and pronghorn habitat. The land and the species that dwell there are no stranger to development. Officials with Lower Valley Energy have said they’re developing as sensitively as possible to maintain sage grouse habitat. And the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said that, while they have concerns, impacts can be mitigated… “Every time you cut a swath through the sagebrush to accommodate a pipeline, you’re fragmenting the sage grouse habitat,” Erik Molvar, executive director of the Western Watersheds Project, told the Guide. “There’s the direct loss of habitat because the sage grouse actually require the sagebrush to survive and then there’s the fact that these pipeline corridors often become invasion corridors for noxious weeds like cheatgrass.”
CGTN: China's longest carbon dioxide transportation pipeline put into operation
7/11/23
“China's longest carbon dioxide transportation pipeline has been put into operation in Zibo City, eastern China's Shandong Province,” CGTN reports. “The 109-kilometers-long pipeline serves the Qilu-Shengli Oilfield CCUS project, the country's first megaton-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage project, setting an example for such projects to reduce carbon emissions. The project will reduce 1.7 million tonnes of carbon emission annually, equivalent to planting 9 million trees. The carbon dioxide captured from the industrial exhaust gas at the Qilu petrochemical refinery will be refined, liquefied and then transported to be reinjected into another area of the oil field to help boost oil output, turning the waste exhaust into something valuable. Before the pipeline was put into use, the liquefied carbon dioxide was transported via vehicles, a low-efficiency approach that attracts an added cost.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Why SCOTUS might stop Republican attacks on carbon metric
LESLEY CLARK, NIINA H. FARAH, 7/11/23
“Republican-led states are urging the nation's highest bench to strike down the Biden administration's method of justifying costly climate regulations,” E&E News reports. “Their efforts may fall flat — even before a conservative-dominated Supreme Court. Missouri's plea for the justices to scrap the Biden administration's social cost of greenhouse gases — a metric that calculates the financial harm of emitting climate pollution and that is used to defend the cost of robust environmental rules — follows the high court's June decision in a separate case that said GOP-led states didn't have the power to sue over an immigration enforcement policy. The immigration decision, United States v. Texas, cast doubt on the court's landmark 2007 environmental ruling, Massachusetts v. EPA, which said states enjoy special legal standing to protect their interests. Robert Percival, director of the environmental law program at the University of Maryland, told E&E the court’s decision in United States v. Texas appears “problematic” for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and other Republican state officials seeking to quash the Biden team's interim climate metric.”
Roll Call: Republicans take aim at climate funds in spending bills
Mike Magner, 7/11/23
“Nearly a year after passage of the budget reconciliation law known as the Inflation Reduction Act, federal money is pouring into Biden administration programs to address climate change while congressional Republicans are doing what they can to stem the tide,” Roll Call reports. “At least four of the fiscal 2024 House Appropriations bills released so far propose to rescind some funding included in the IRA, including a big chunk of a $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund established at the EPA. The rescissions, targeted at the administration’s landmark effort to spend nearly $370 billion to address climate change, have drawn the ire of environmentalists. Republicans have defended them as part of their no-holds-barred campaign to reduce federal spending. David Shadburn, senior government affairs advocate at the League of Conservation Voters, told Roll Call that Republicans “are very aggrieved certainly at how successful the administration has been so far.” “Apparently they are doing the bidding of their polluter donors, being very clear that the Inflation Reduction Act is a big target of theirs, because they don’t want to see the clean energy transition that we need to combat the climate crisis,” Shadburn told Roll Call. Shadburn’s group is part of a coalition of environmental groups, including Public Citizen and the Environmental Defense Fund, that is calling out at least 17 riders in spending bills that they say “fuel the climate crisis, block clean energy measures, and undermine clean water.”
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Is New Mexico ready for increasing earthquakes? That's what our reporting is tackling
Jessica Onsurez, 7/6/23
“The railroad track that runs behind the former Carlsbad Current-Argus office on South Main Street frequently carried trains that shook the old building for minutes. But the shaking that happened on March 26, 2020 was different. It was short and sharp. It set metal cabinets humming and the window panes rattling,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The 5.0 magnitude earthquake recorded that day by the U.S. Geological Survey centered west of Mentone, Texas didn't cause any damage but was at that time the largest recorded quake in the region for at least two decades. Since then, increasingly larger-scale seismic events have struck the same region. The most recent was a 5.2 magnitude quake centered near Midland, Texas on Dec. 16, 2022. Damage from a Nov. 16, 2022 quake was reported in Texas but was relatively minor… “In the last three years, the USGS has recorded 10 seismic events of 4.5 magnitude or higher - and earthquakes aren't only getting stronger, they're getting more frequent, which could mean those living and working in southern New Mexico and west Texas might begin to feel the increasing consequences of seismic activity… “Through our reporting, experts in seismicity and geology have linked the change to a booming oil and gas industry, which disposes of its waste water via injection wells. Those wells see millions of gallons of toxic water pumped back into a geology vulnerable to sinkholes and erosion. And there are hundreds of these disposal wells in the Permian Basin… “In Shaky Ground, the Current-Argus and its reporting partner, KRWG Public Media, explores what increased seismic activity means for residents of the Permian Basin, and how solutions are now being sought to not only mitigate current effects but head off disaster. Lawmakers in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have taken up the issue with legislation that tackles its supposed cause: injection wells and hydraulic fracturing.”
WEWS: Over 450 people in Columbiana County evacuated due to natural gas release from a well
AJ Smith, 7/11/23
“Tuesday morning, a contractor struck a well on the Tarka Pad on Fairfield School Road near Columbiana, causing natural gas to be released, according to a release from Governor Mike DeWine,” WEWS reports. “The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management responded to the location of the incident and is coordinating with local first responders, the operator of the well (Hilcorp Energy Company), Ohio EPA, and oil and gas emergency contractors to mitigate the situation, according to officials. Officials created a one-mile evacuation zone shortly after the incident occurred and more than 450 people have been safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported… “If you are experiencing unusual shortness of breath, dizziness, or clumsiness that you believe may be related to this release contact a health care provider.”
EXTRACTION
Sydney Morning Herald: Chevron’s troubled carbon capture and storage at Gorgon set to worsen in 2023
Peter Milne, 7/12/23
“Chevron expects the performance of its troubled seven-year attempt to bury carbon dioxide from its Gorgon gas export plant to dip in 2023 after a poor year when it only operated at one-third of its design capacity,” the Sydney Morning Herald reports. “This masthead can reveal the US oil and gas giant told the WA government it expected to inject 7 per cent less carbon dioxide under Barrow Island in 2023 than it achieved in 2022. The forecast was based on the need to restrict the rate of injecting carbon dioxide two kilometres under the island to manage the pressure in the formation and keep “induced microseismicity” – or feint earth tremors – within allowed limits… “Its disappointing record to date is tarnishing the credibility of a technology that some tout as essential to slowing climate change and others damn as an excuse to produce more fossil fuels. The predicted poor performance in 2023 that will result in more carbon pollution released to the atmosphere was detailed in an annual report to the WA government obtained with a freedom of information request from WAtoday. As carbon dioxide is injected underground, wells several kilometres away should pump water out of the same formation to ensure the pressure does not become excessive. The water is then injected into a different geological formation under Barrow Island. However, according to the report, the presence of solids, gas and oil in the water pumped to the surface has made the water difficult to dispose of. Chevron, which has already spent $3.2 billion on CO2 injection at Gorgon, plans a “significant additional investment” to modify the water wells and do other work to allow 4.6 million tonnes of water a year to be moved to make way for storing carbon dioxide.
Canadian Press: Uncertain demand clouds future of Canada’s planned LNG exports, experts say
7/11/23
“Canadian liquefied natural gas projects looking to fill gaps in the global market left by the absence of Russian gas may run into more challenging conditions than expected, industry experts say,” the Canadian Press reports. “Officials from the LNG industry at an industry conference in Vancouver say the consensus among economists is that the gas shortage in Europe caused by the Ukraine war is unlikely to last beyond 10 years, while the rise of renewables will cut into demand from 2030 onward. Peter Abdo, chief commercial officer for LNG for German energy giant Uniper, told the conference his company is committed to entering into 10-year contracts with potential suppliers but will want “flexibility” with longer terms because of uncertainty over demand beyond a decade. Meanwhile, U.S.-based natural gas firm Tellurian’s president and CEO, Octavio Simoes, says the biggest opportunity opened by the European gas shortage is in Asia, with countries such as Germany paying more for LNG on the global market and “taking it from the rest of the world.” Simoes tells the conference that the higher prices revealed a fundamental challenge for anyone wanting to sell LNG to Asia, as planned by projects in British Columbia — price will be the ultimate determining factor, not environmental standards touted by the West. Simoes says high prices of LNG pushed Pakistan to abandon plans to buy natural gas and quadruple commitments for coal, and similar trends are happening in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Enbridge: Ebel: Time to step up on LNG exports, Canada
7/11/23
“...As we move toward net zero in 2050, there is another equally fundamental fact for Canada and Canadians to consider: natural gas is the great equalizer to a less turbulent, more equitable and sustainable energy evolution. And we happen to have plenty of it,” according to Enbridge. “In fact, our friends from places like Germany and Japan have been knocking on our door in recent months and asking Canada for natural gas (the great equalizer) . . . to which we’ve said . . . no. So why are we shirking something that’s equal parts opportunity and obligation? “...The Germans, Japanese and South Koreans came to Canada looking for more energy and we’ve turned them away,” said Greg Ebel, president and chief executive officer of Enbridge, the continent’s leading energy infrastructure company that happens to move of 20% of all the natural gas consumed in North America. “What message does that send to our allies, trading partners and the developing world?” “...Ebel also noted of the great potential North American LNG has to lift up many parts of the developing world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 700 million people on the planet have no access to electricity and 2.4 billion are cooking with fuels, like dung, which are harmful to health. “Countries like Canada, the U.S. and others with an abundance of natural gas can and should help others alleviate energy poverty,” Ebel said.
Seeking Alpha: Woodfibre LNG nearly finalizes all offtake agreements, Enbridge CEO says
Carl Surran, 7/11/23
“The Woodfibre LNG project is close to signing offtake agreements for the remaining 30% of its capacity, Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel said Tuesday,” Seeking Alpha reports. “Privately owned Pacific Energy Corp. owns the rest of the planned 2.1M metric tons/year Woodfibre project in British Columbia, which is due to start construction this year and begin operations in 2027. The project already signed 15-year offtake agreements with BP representing 70% of capacity, and deals covering the rest of the capacity are on track to be finalized "hopefully in the next few months," Ebel reportedly said at an LNG conference in Vancouver.”
Bloomberg: Buffett Takes Control of US LNG Plant With $3.3 Billion Deal
Ruth Liao, 7/10/23
“Berkshire Hathaway Energy agreed to buy Dominion Energy Inc.’s stake in a Maryland liquefied natural gas export project for $3.3 billion,” Bloomberg reports. “The deal will boost the company’s limited partnership ownership of the terminal to 75%, while a unit of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners holds the remaining 25%, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire said in a statement Monday. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. first took a stake in the one-train export plant with an annual export capacity of 5.25 million tons in 2020. The deal will give Berkshire control of one of just seven operational US facilities that can export LNG at a time when the fuel has assumed an increased economic and geopolitical significance.”
Carbon Herald: National Carbon Capture Center To Launch First DAC Facility Test
Violet George, 7/12/23
“The National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) has just announced the first on-site test of its installed and commissioned direct air capture (DAC) plant,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The demonstration is to be held in collaboration with Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) and Aircapture. SSEB and Aircapture aim to conduct a series of thorough tests of the project called the Direct Air Capture Recovery of Energy for CCUS Partnership (DAC RECO2UP)... “John Carroll, NCCC principal research engineer stated: “The National Carbon Capture Center has a strong history of supporting the development of post-combustion carbon capture technologies, and we are excited to build on the lessons learned and infrastructure from that work to expand our scope to include direct air capture technologies.” “...The testing is funded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management and National Energy Technology Laboratory.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
NPR: Businesses, Governments Clash Over How To Tackle Climate Change
Tamara Keith, Michael Copley, Domenico Montanaro, 7/10/23
“Companies are making investment decisions based on environmental, social and corporate governance factors, also known as ESG,” NPR reports. “Those financial choices can include backing greener technologies, which rankles leaders in some Republican-led municipalities and states, who are skeptical of climate change. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, climate and corporations correspondent Michael Copley, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.”
Canadian Business: Climate Change Is Influencing How Young People Invest Their Money
Rebecca Gao 7/10/23
“The climate crisis and its effects are front of mind for many Canadians,” Canadian Business reports. “A recent Ipsos study found that 73 per cent of Canadians believe the world is headed towards environmental disaster, unless there’s an effective transition away from fossil fuels and a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Young Canadians in particular are worried about how global warming will impact the future: A 2023 study from Lakehead University found that eight in 10 respondents aged 16 to 25 say their mental health is negatively affected by fears and anxiety related to climate change… “Aside from property decisions, young Canadians are also taking a much different approach than their parents when it comes to investing their cash: They’re opting for eco-conscious options and spending time researching individual companies that better align with their climate beliefs. People under the age of 35 are playing a significant role in the growth of ESG-conscious investing, an approach that considers the environmental, social and corporate governance impact of a company or fund. This might mean taking into account a company’s environmental impact, whether or not a mutual fund has divested from fossil fuels or if a corporation uses toxic chemicals that might wreak havoc on ecosystems. According to Ipsos, 71 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 say that ESG plays an important role in purchasing decisions and investment strategies. “Young people want to feel like their money isn’t doing anything bad,” Jan Mahrt-Smith, an associate professor who teaches sustainable finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and the School of the Environmen, told CBt. “Even if they’re investing through banks, they’re investing in funds that are not investing in entities that are contributing to climate change.”
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Judges Defy Congress to Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline
The Editorial Board, 7/11/23
“Three judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals are doing the legal equivalent of lying down in front of tractors to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “For the umpteenth time, a three-judge panel on Monday halted pipeline construction even though Congress and President Biden have stripped the court of jurisdiction. The 304-mile pipeline to deliver natural gas from Appalachia to the Southeast is 94% complete. But the final parts have been stuck in permitting purgatory as the same three Fourth Circuit judges— Stephanie Thacker, James Wynn and Roger Gregory —nit-pick environmental reviews and order regulators to redo them. A Republican intercession in the debt-ceiling legislation promised to liberate the pipeline from limbo by requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue all necessary permits. The law also exempted government approvals from judicial review and gave the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals exclusive jurisdiction to hear legal challenges to Congress’s rubber-stamp… ?But Congress is well within its authority to impose substantive limits on lawsuits that judges can hear under its laws, including the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act… “Under the debt-ceiling law, plaintiffs can still bring constitutional challenges, but they must do so in the D.C. Circuit. The Fourth Circuit judges on Monday overstepped their authority again by ordering a halt to construction while they review the Interior Department’s record of decision for permitting pipeline construction in the national forest. Three willful judges have improperly usurped the power of Congress and the executive branch. Judges who refuse to honor proper orders from the political branches are begging to have the political branches ignore their rulings.”
Heated: Oil companies are laughing while the world burns
ARIELLE SAMUELSON AND EMILY ATKIN, 7/11/23
“Over the July 4th holiday, while Americans were firing up their barbecues and setting off fireworks, the world broke a new record. Earth had her three hottest days ever recorded since instrumental measurements began in the 1850s,” Arielle Samuelson and Emily Atkin write for Heated. “...Only a few decades ago, no journalist would have dreamed of writing a sentence like, “The Earth is getting too hot for humans to survive.” But we not only write that sentence this week, we expect to write it in weeks to come. And it turns out, it bears repeating—because many in the mainstream media still aren’t connecting these extreme temperatures to climate change. TV is still the main source most Americans get their news, especially the weather. So it’s concerning that TV is one of the last bastions of climate skittishness. Only five percent of TV stations that covered the heat waves in Texas and the Southwest connected them to the climate crisis, a new study from Media Matters found. The majority of major TV networks failed to report the direct link between global warming and record-breaking temperatures… “At this point, failing to connect extreme heat to climate change is more than oversight—it’s misinformation. The scientific evidence that climate change is exacerbating both the frequency and intensity of heat waves is overwhelming. There’s no excuse to leave out the connection… “While making promises that they’ll slash their emissions by 2030, fossil fuel companies are simultaneously investing in new projects… “Worse, the fossil fuel industry is taking more direct action to influence climate policy. The world’s largest climate conference, COP28, is being led this year by a United Arab Emirates oil baron… “Because what the fossil fuel industry has done with its profits over the past 12 months is no different from what they’ve done for the last four decades. At this point, to ignore it is to endorse it.”
Bloomberg: Capitalism Alone Won’t Save the Planet
Mark Gongloff, 7/10/23
“With every record-smashing day, week, month and year of global warming that goes by, finding solutions to climate change becomes more urgent. Capitalism helped get us into this mess, and it will have to help us get out of it. But it isn’t capable of doing the work alone,” Mark Gongloff writes for Bloomberg. “Eco-capitalism hit a notable milestone when green-bond issuance outpaced fossil-fuel borrowing for the first six months of 2023, Bloomberg News reported late last week. Green bonds are debts that supposedly finance clean energy and other climate-friendly projects. Green borrowers raised about $348 billion in the first half of the year, compared with just $233 billion for the oil, gas and coal industries. Unfortunately, this accomplishment is a bit like winning the English Premier League because Manchester City decided to take the season off. Oil, gas and coal companies haven’t needed to borrow all that much this year because they’re still swimming in the oceans of cash they have made since Russia invaded Ukraine, making fossil fuels scarce. And though $348 billion is quite a lot of money — adding to a $4 trillion total market for “sustainable” debt — it’s a far cry from the $6.9 trillion Bloomberg NEF estimates will need to be spent annually on clean energy. That massive investment is probably our best hope of zeroing out the world’s carbon emissions by 2050 and limiting man-made global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial averages… “The bigger problem with these green bonds is that we can’t be sure how green they really are. The market still has no universally accepted standards, leaving borrowers mostly free to use the proceeds and apply the “green” label as they see fit. That has led to accusations of greenwashing and to big investors balking at buying the debt… “A novel idea for financializing climate solutions is risk manager and environmentalist Robert Litterman’s proposal for carbon-linked bonds. These would let investors bet on whether or not carbon will hit a price target set by a government. This would supposedly create a financial incentive to hasten the clean-energy transition. But this idea hinges on having a government willing to set a carbon price and do whatever is necessary to make it a reality. That would require the US government, probably in coordination with other countries, imposing a heavy carbon tax and then sticking to it, no matter which party runs Congress or the White House.”
Edmonton Journal: Opinion: Allowing oilsands mines to treat and release water key to reclamation
Pierre Gratton is president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, 7/12/23
“The recent publication of the Government of Canada’s Introduction to the Crown-Indigenous Working Group for the Potential Oil Sands Mining Effluent Regulations paper provides important information highlighting how regulations could enable the oilsands mining industry to accelerate land reclamation by working towards an important part of the solution — managing major volumes of mine water the sector has to manage and store,” Pierre Gratton writes for the Edmonton Journal. “...Without the ability to safely release treated water, municipalities and industries alike would need to store all of the water that they use and all of the water from rain and snow that falls within their boundaries. This is something that no municipality or industry does — except oilsands mines. While almost all sectors, including the vast majority of Canada’s mines, are able to release treated water to the environment provided that it meets stringent regulatory requirements, there are no such regulations for oilsands mines. Instead, oilsands mines have had to store and accumulate ever-increasing amounts of water since the mines started operating, close to 50 years ago. Why is water release an important water management tool for the oilsands mining sector? Considering how long the oldest mines have been operating, and how much water has accumulated over that time, it very quickly becomes clear why our industry is so committed to ensuring it is able to safely release water the same way others are able to, and this is for a very important reason — reclamation… “Oilsands operators have technologies and have developed processes to safely release treated water back into the environment. Our members are committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous communities and government, including members of the Crown-Indigenous Working Group, to ensure relevant information on the treated-water release process is shared, and that the land is restored in an environmentally sustainable and collaborative way. This new discussion paper is a good start as reclamation — something Canadians rightfully expect of our sector — will only be able to commence with greater speed once water release is prioritized to a greater degree.”
National Observer: Handling of oilsands tailings spill is environmental racism, plain and simple
Independent Sen. Rosa Galvez chaired the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources in the 42 Parliament and currently serves on the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance, 7/12/23
“Our thoughts are with the Athabasca Chipewyan community because this year is particularly hard on them. We must show solidarity and do more to stop what evidence shows is a flagrant case of environmental racism,” Rosa Galvez writes for the National Observer. “...Imperial’s Kearl mine disaster is a scandal due to the quantity of toxic fluid that entered the environment and the fact Indigenous communities were kept in the dark for nine months. The environmental impact of this disaster is expected to be significant, with dire consequences for wildlife and Indigenous communities downstream, such as the Dene and Chipewyan Nations. However, it would be misguided and dangerous to interpret this event as an unforeseen accident. This leak was made possible by the fact that in Canada, we ask polluters to set rules for pollution prevention, and unless we learn from the numerous oil spill cases, they will continue to occur again and again… “For at least 10 months, four tailing ponds at Imperial Oil’s Kearl facility have been leaking toxic sludge into the environment. The Alberta Energy Regulator and Imperial Oil failed to inform Indigenous communities downstream, despite regularly discussing the disaster behind closed doors… “As I have warned before, governments disproportionately consult with industry players when developing regulations, assuming polluters know best how to deal with their pollution… “Policymakers must learn from Lac-Mégantic, from the Imperial Oil disaster, from the record wildfire season we are all enduring and prioritize prevention and rigorously apply the “polluter-pays” principle enshrined in our environmental laws. It is time for Canada, Alberta and the Alberta Energy Regulator to do what governments are meant to do — design, implement and enforce laws that protect people.”