EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/17/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Washington Examiner: House Democrats ask Biden administration to deny 73-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline extension
Star Tribune: Eminent domain laws are splitting landowner attitudes toward CO2 pipelines
AgWeek: Gov. Burgum says Summit carbon pipeline will get approval in ND; Iowa hearings set to begin
Belmond News: Supervisors finally agree on pipeline ordinance
Illinois Times: CO2 pipeline stalled in Sangamon County
O’Brien County Bell Times Courier: Legislators Past and Present Discuss Carbon Pipeline Among Issues
Successful Farming: Q&A with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Navigator CO2 Executive
KWQC: Wolf Carbon pipeline proposed for the area
Reuters: Energy Transfer to buy Crestwood in $7.1 billion pipeline deal
Houston Chronicle: Why Texas regulators refuse to investigate role pipelines played in 2021 blackouts
KADN: Propane gas pipeline leak in Atchafalaya Basin leaves nearby waterways closed
KOSA: Pipeline rupture in Ward County causes fire
Bloomberg: Exxon Seeks Order to Block Canal Near Louisiana Pipeline
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: One year in, climate law tests Biden's environmental justice pledge
The Verge: Controversial carbon removal technology just got $1.2 billion from the Biden administration
Climate Change News: US sparks controversy by backing oil company’s carbon-sucking plans
Bloomberg: Natural Gas Groups Seek End To Gulf Of Mexico Lease Sale Case
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Sun: 95 oil and gas wells are in the way of economic development in Frederick. Town officials want the barrier gone.
EXTRACTION
The Hill: Research suggests link between fracking, rare childhood cancers
The Conversation: Rising Methane Could Be A Sign That Earth's Climate Is Part Way Through A 'Termination-Level Transition'
Washington Post: Why the oil giant Shell enlisted a ‘granfluencer’
Guardian: UN Climate Summit Host UAE Failed To Report Methane Emissions To UN
Reuters: BP backs green hydrogen start-up aiming to cut fuel's costs
Houston Chronicle: Chesapeake exits Eagle Ford with sale of last assets to Houston-based SilverBow
OPINION
The Conversation: Michigan pipeline standoff could affect water protection and Indigenous rights across the US
National Observer: Suncor waves the white flag on climate change
PIPELINE NEWS
Washington Examiner: House Democrats ask Biden administration to deny 73-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline extension
Breanne Deppisch, 8/16/23
“A group of 28 House Democrats asked Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Secretary Kimberly Bose to deny a request from the developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to extend the project into North Carolina, arguing in a letter this week that its construction would pose serious climate and environmental risks to affected states,” the Washington Examiner reports. “As Members of Congress committed to addressing the climate crisis, we … urge the Commission to deny an extension of the Certificate for MVP Southgate,” said the lawmakers, led by Reps. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Kathy Manning (D-NC), and Robert Scott (D-VA). The lawmakers cited a study from the North Carolina Department of Environment Quality that found that, if approved, the MVP Southgate extension would affect 301,994 square feet of regulated riparian buffers, 13,986 linear feet of streams, and 12.4 acres of wetlands, causing serious environmental risks, including risks to drinking water quality. “If built, this pipeline would lock homes and businesses in the Southeast into the long-term use of natural gas during a critical moment in which we must transition away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” the lawmakers added. In the letter, lawmakers noted that the Southgate extension, which would expand the Mountain Valley Pipeline by an additional 73 miles, was not included in the debt ceiling deal negotiated this summer by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).”
Star Tribune: Eminent domain laws are splitting landowner attitudes toward CO2 pipelines
Christopher Vondracek, 8/17/23
“A carbon dioxide sequestration pipeline that may ferry climate-heating gas from the stacks of ethanol plants to burial points deep in Illinois rock bed may soon need Minnesota's approval. But first, the project must clear South Dakota regulators. And the farmers attending last month's hearing in a rodeo museum were firmly opposed,” the Star Tribune reports. "We're all pro-ethanol," Kay Burkhart, who farms outside Valley Springs, S.D., which hugs the Minnesota state line, told the Star Tribune. "But they're going to force us to sign an easement that we don't want to sign." “...For Burkhart and others, their opposition is largely over eminent domain. Under that legal authority, her land can be forcibly traversed for a court-approved sum of money — including by CO2 pipeline companies in South Dakota. That's not the case in Minnesota, where farmer sentiment is more mixed on the subject. Under Minnesota statute, only natural gas and oil pipelines possess that authority. So far, that's meant a world of difference in the attitudes toward the CO2 pipeline here compared to in Iowa and South Dakota. In those neighboring states, the proposal has stirred anger, with flurries of lawsuits, tense stand-offs between surveyors and landowners, and calls for legislative special sessions… “The same farmers who could benefit financially often stand opposed to the idea of forced access to their land… “At least in Minnesota, the companies are obligated to pay farmers up-front for entirely voluntary easements. "Every one of the other states we intend to operate in does provide a pathway to condemnation," Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, the vice president of government and public affairs with Navigator CO2, told the Star Tribune. "Minnesota does not." “...Navigator says they've gathered "a bulk" of the easements in Minnesota, though they've yet to formally apply for a route permit from the state's Public Utilities Commission. Similarly, Summit Carbon, which has applied for a permit along one of the three branches it intends to build in Minnesota, says it's netted nearly two-thirds of the private crossings in Minnesota — including more than 90% in Jackson and Otter Tail counties.” The companies declined to discuss whether they've paid Minnesotans more for easements. But Brian Jorde, an Omaha attorney representing landowners in South Dakota and Iowa, told the Star Tribune Minnesota's high legal barrier, at least in theory, means landowners are better protected. "Where they have eminent domain and where they have survey laws that say we can do what we want, they're just more like the Wild West," Jorde told the Star Tribune. "When the law protects people, corporations have to treat people better."
AgWeek: Gov. Burgum says Summit carbon pipeline will get approval in ND; Iowa hearings set to begin
Jeff Beach, 8/16/23
“Campaigning in Iowa for the Republican presidential nomination, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said he is confident that a controversial carbon pipeline will be built despite a setback,” AgWeek reports. “The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Aug. 4 rejected a route permit application from Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions. In North Dakota, the three members of the PSC are elected, unlike Iowa, where the governor appoints the three members of the IUB… “We have been fighting the same fight in Iowa as North Dakota,” the Iowa Sierra Club said in its August newsletter. “If Summit failed to meet the burden of proof there, they have failed to meet it here as well.” The possible use of eminent domain to force landowners to provide a right of way for the pipeline has been a primary issue for landowners, along with concerns about safety, damage to farmland, and property values… “Burgum also sits on the three-member North Dakota Industrial Commission that has authority over carbon sequestration permits in the state… “Summit says it has obtained 80% of the voluntary easements for its pipeline route in North Dakota, but that route is subject to change after the PSC’s ruling.”
Belmond News: Supervisors finally agree on pipeline ordinance
8/17/23
“The Wright County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the final reading of a new ordinance regarding right of ways at the August 14 meeting,” the Belmond News reports. “ August 7, the supervisors had put the brakes on the approval process after two supervisors wanted to have another meeting with Summit Carbon Solutions. Supervisor Rick Rasmussen said, “The meeting went really well.” No changes were made to the proposed ordinance and no other comments were made. The proposed carbon sequestration pipeline project drew questions from several citizens during the public comment portion of the meeting. There were still questions about whether the railroads in several states were on board with allowing the pipeline on their property, how exactly the sequestered carbon dioxide will be stored, how the decision by the North Dakota Public Service Commission to deny a route permit will affect the project, and what are the future plans for the sequestered carbon dioxide. The only comment from a Summit Carbon spokesperson was that all the issues raised are currently being worked on, and there are no plans to “use” the sequestered gas “at this time.”
Illinois Times: CO2 pipeline stalled in Sangamon County
Dean Olsen, 8/17/23
“A recent vote by the Sangamon County Board has given more hope to opponents of the Navigator Heartland Greenway carbon-dioxide pipeline that the proposed project can be defeated in Illinois,” the Illinois Times reports. “The Republican-controlled board voted unanimously on Aug. 8 to enact a moratorium through Dec. 31 on issuing any permits for future underground storage of CO2 from the proposed CO2 pipeline through the county. That moratorium was in addition to a moratorium the board voted to enact through Dec. 31 on permits for construction of the pipeline. The construction moratorium, approved May 25 by the board, replaced an older moratorium that was set to expire in May. The board on Aug. 8 also unanimously approved a resolution opposing state or federal approval for any CO2 pipeline construction or sequestration sites. Kathleen Campbell, a Glenarm resident and vice chairperson of Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline, told the Times opponents "weren't all that hopeful a year ago" that the Heartland Greenway project could be defeated. But actions by county boards in Sangamon and other Illinois counties along the proposed pipeline route, along with a rebuke of the proposal by a key member of the Illinois Commerce Commission staff, have raised opponents' hopes, Campbell told the Times. The Sangamon County actions this month followed a July 17 public hearing conducted by the board at the BOS center that attracted more than 400 people, most of them opponents wearing yellow shirts… “Opponents of the Navigator pipeline say the CO2 could react with underground minerals and poison groundwater supplies… “But Campbell said at the public hearing that Navigator hasn't done enough to ensure safety, and the company hasn't committed to equip rural volunteer fire protection districts and other emergency responders in case of a pipeline rupture along Interstate 55 or near Glenarm and other residential areas that would prevent gasoline-powered vehicles from operating… “Dr. Peter Kieffer, an emergency room physician from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, said at the hearing that "highly pressurized CO2 can be dangerous" during a rupture, "and can quickly cause injury."
O’Brien County Bell Times Courier: Legislators Past and Present Discuss Carbon Pipeline Among Issues
Mari Radtke, 8/16/23
“The public was invited to a forum at the Primghar Community Building on Tuesday August 1,” the O’Brien County Bell Times Courier reports. “Nearly 100 people attended the free event… “Freshman State Representative Zach Dieken and Freshman State Senator Lynn Evans and former Congressman Steve King to bring information to the public of carbon pipeline issues and to give answers to the public about their experience and viewpoints of current Iowa legislative issues in Des Moines… “Three carbon pipeline development projects are in development stages for different routes across Iowa. All three are clear they will use eminent domain to install their pipelines. Property owners are fighting hard against the use of eminent domain for a private, for profit project. The legal actions caused governing bodies across Iowa, from state legislature to county boards of supervisors, to be creative. Putting a minimum of the number of willing property owners affected by the project before eminent domain can be used is one of the tools that has been proposed. Dieken’s vote in favor of requiring at least 90% of the landowners to voluntarily sign an easement, which passed, wasn’t the 100% he indicated he was hoping to get… “King shared how Navigator and Summit (2 of Iowa’s 3 carbon pipeline developers) say they aren’t going to use eminent domain. He went on to describe the routes that the two developers were proposing and that they both transit nearly the entire state in opposite directions and cross each other three times… “King believes these pipelines’ use of eminent domain would be the “biggest taking of land in history.” A point King made about the Kelo decision is that the language of the majority changes the constitutional 5th amendment standard by removing “for public purpose.”
Successful Farming: Q&A with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Navigator CO2 Executive
Cassidy Walter, 8/16/23
“...Successful Farming caught up with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, vice president of government and public affairs for Navigator, to discuss common concerns raised about the project. Burns-Thompson is an Iowa native who grew up on her family’s farm,” according to Successful Farming. “Before joining Navigator CO2 she worked for Chevron Renewable Energy Group, the nation’s leading biodiesel and renewable diesel producer; Iowa Corn Growers Association; and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation… “Let’s start by talking about the 2023 legislative session… “EBT: What we saw pretty holistically is an evolution of understanding. A lot of folks are not very familiar with the state-level siting and permitting processes… “SF: Eminent domain has been a hot-button topic when it comes to CCUS pipelines. What do you think is driving landowners’ concerns? EBT: Misconceptions related to eminent domain and the processes… “SF: The safety of CCUS pipelines is another big concern. How is Navigator addressing those questions? EBT: …When you do the comparisons of over-the-road trucks vs. rail vs. pipelines, pipelines are far and beyond the safest means of transportation… “We followed up with educational training sessions with local first responders across the project footprint throughout January and February. We will come back this fall and develop hyperlocal response plans… “SF: On the topic of safety, there was a video of a CCUS pipeline rupture test making the rounds earlier this year. The massive white plume of carbon dioxide (CO2) that resulted from the rupture had some people nervous. What would you say to readers who saw the video and are concerned about having a CCUS pipeline near their property? EBT:... So, if that video gives you pause or scares you, know that everything that they learned from that, we are proactively incorporating… “EBT: One of the things that I hear a lot is: If I’m not a believer in climate change, then what value is this? Sustainability is both economic and environmental. You do not have to be a believer in climate change in order to see and quantify the value of carbon capture technology and infrastructure projects like ours. The ability to really create an efficient, reliable transportation system for CO2 is an economic opportunity for the Midwest. The ability to match a willing paying customer to a willing supply from the marketplace is capitalism.”
KWQC: Wolf Carbon pipeline proposed for the area
Matt Christensen, 8/16/23
“Major safety concerns are arising about a proposed pipeline in our area,” KWQC reports. “...But now, neighbors along the route are banding together to stop the pipeline – which they say poses dangers for residents and the environment. The Wolf pipeline would cross the Mississippi River north of the metro, near LeClaire and Port Byron. It would carry pressurized carbon dioxide gas from the ethanol plants to an injection well, effectively removing it from the environment. But opponents say the pipelines are unneeded and potentially deadly. Joyce Harant leads the Citizens Against Predatory Pipelines, a group based in Illinois. “Because when these things explode, and you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, the carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it displaces the oxygen, so you can’t breathe, you will become disoriented, and depending on the concentrations, you will just pass out. And if you’re not taken out, you will die,” Harant told KWQC. Meanwhile in Iowa, the Sierra Club is leading the opposition to three proposed pipelines, including the Wolf. It’s building a wide coalition. “This, the group of the coalition that have been working for two years includes environmentalists that includes very conservative landowners and includes county governments and just all different kinds of people. And, you know, whether it’s Democrat or Republican, young or old, rural or urban people are united on this,” Jessica Mazour, Sierra Club conservation program coordinator, told KWQC… “Holly Mirell is a Rock Island-based organizer for the Coalition Against co2 Pipelines. It held a meeting Tuesday night in Port Byron attended by about 100 people. She summed it concerns like this: “This is a scary thing. This is our farmland. This is the land we’re gonna give to our children and grandchildren. We need to be really careful,” Mirell said. “We have some of the best farmland in this country here. And things can go wrong if they’re not done.”
Reuters: Energy Transfer to buy Crestwood in $7.1 billion pipeline deal
Arunima Kumar, 8/16/23
“U.S. energy pipeline operator Energy Transfer (ET.N) on Wednesday agreed to buy rival Crestwood Equity Partners (CEQP.N) in a deal valued at about $7.1 billion including debt,” Reuters reports. “Consolidation in the oil and gas pipeline business has accelerated this year as U.S. production grows and new-pipeline permitting problems make existing operators more valuable. Shares of Crestwood jumped 4.7% in early trading to $27.43, and Energy Transfer gained 2.1% to $12.82. The proposed deal continues an acquisition push by Energy Transfer co-founder and majority owner Kelcy Warren, who earlier this year bought smaller rival Lotus Midstream for $1.45 billion. Warren owns 81.2% of the company's general partner and is moving to expand into liquefied natural gas and chemicals… “The Crestwood deal will give Warren's Energy Transfer a broader footprint in several U.S. shale fields and its first leg into the Powder River basin in Wyoming and North Dakota. Earlier this year, Energy Transfer rival Oneok Inc (OKE.N) agreed to pay $18.8 billion for Magellan Midstream Partners to gain new access to crude oil transportation and storage markets. "The industry is in one of the best financial positions it has been in for years from a perspective of cash flow so there is a lot more flexibility to make big acquisitions," Justin Carlson, co-founder of pipeline data experts East Daley Analytics, told Reuters. "More strenuous" U.S. regulations have also made infrastructure operators more valuable.”
Houston Chronicle: Why Texas regulators refuse to investigate role pipelines played in 2021 blackouts
Chris Tomlinson, 8/16/23
“If a gas station on an interstate highway raised prices by 1,500 percent during an evacuation from a hurricane, state and federal authorities would prosecute the owner to the fullest extent of the law,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “When natural gas companies did precisely that while people froze to death in 2021, state officials rushed to defend them. The $11 billion in excess profits collected by natural gas companies during that week was one of the largest wealth transfers in Texas history. Our elected officials are doing their best to ensure that pipeline companies will continue to enjoy windfalls when the next weather crisis strikes… “Public data, analyzed by industry data firm CirclesX, suggests the profits arose from intentional manipulation of the natural gas supply to drive up profits. CirclesX’s lawsuit seeks the return of those profits on behalf of all Texans, which would go to repay public debt issued in 2021. The data and CirceX’s analysis are compelling enough that CirclesX not only deserves a day in court, but Texas officials should launch official investigations similar to those in Kansas and Oklahoma. But the industry’s political allies have blocked every effort so far.”
KADN: Propane gas pipeline leak in Atchafalaya Basin leaves nearby waterways closed
8/16/23
“A Liquified Propane Gas (LPG) transportation pipeline in the Atchafalaya Basin has ruptured,” KADN reports. “The 12-inch pipeline is located in a rural area approximately 4 1/2 miles north of I-10 in Henderson. The repairs are expected to take several days to complete. A half-mile (1/2) radius buffer zone has been established and State Police are urging the public to avoid the area until further notice. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed the waterways located at Bayou Fordoche / Fusilier.”
KOSA: Pipeline rupture in Ward County causes fire
Micah Allen, 8/16/23
“The company whose pipe caught fire released the following statement about the incident,” KOSA reports. “Northern Natural Gas experienced a pipeline rupture near Monahans, Texas overnight on August 16, 2023. There are no known injuries. There was a fire at the point of the incident, which has been completely extinguished. The site has been secured, and this section of the pipeline system has been isolated. Any residual gas has either burned off or dissipated. There is currently no threat to public safety. Northern Natural Gas appreciates the response of the Monahans Volunteer Fire Department, as supported by units from Barstowm, Pyote, Fort Stockton and Wickett… “The Chief of Monahans Fire Department has confirmed that crews spent the early morning Wednesday battling a fire that started as a pipeline rupture. Officials say that the pipeline rupture was discovered at around 2 a.m.Wednesday morning. Ward, Pecos, and Reeves county officials battled the fire which spread to grass and brush nearby.”
Bloomberg: Exxon Seeks Order to Block Canal Near Louisiana Pipeline (1)
Shayna Greene, 8/16/23
“An Exxon Mobil Corp. unit wants to stop residents from continuing their alleged dredging operation near the company’s pipelines transporting hydrocarbons, including natural gas, in Louisiana to prevent possible damage,” Bloomberg reports. “ExxonMobil Pipeline Company LLC said Tuesday in the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana that the defendants are dredging a canal beyond existing features. Those operations “could cause damage and destruction to its pipelines and ultimately cause a catastrophic incident,” Exxon said. The company said that a nearby pipeline owned by a different company, which it didn’t identify, has been struck by defendants’ equipment…”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: One year in, climate law tests Biden's environmental justice pledge
Maxine Joselow, 8/16/23
“Today marks the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate law that President Biden signed in August 2022,” the Washington Post reports. “...Yet it’s much harder to quantify whether the law is fulfilling one of Biden’s central environmental pledges: Directing at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal climate spending to disadvantaged communities that have historically borne the brunt of pollution. Soon after taking office, Biden established the Justice40 Initiative, vowing that disadvantaged communities would “receive 40 percent of the benefits of key federal investments in clean energy.” But one year in, it’s difficult to determine whether the president’s signature climate law is delivering on this commitment, environmental justice advocates told The Climate 202. For one thing, benefits are much harder to measure than dollars, Peggy Shepard, co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a New York-based nonprofit organization, told the Post. Benefits “is one of those bureaucratic words that’s not well-defined,” Shephard, a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, told the Post. “A lot of us would have preferred that the word ‘benefits’ was not used and it was ‘funds’ instead. Obviously, that would be so much easier to quantify.” “...Under the law, the Environmental Protection Agency must allocate more than two-thirds of this spending to low-income and disadvantaged communities, exceeding the administration’s 40 percent target. But advocates worry that some organizations in poor and minority neighborhoods lack the staff or resources to apply for the money intended for them. “We think that it would be a shame if funds intended for low-income and disadvantaged communities went to a larger organization who has no presence or history of working in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” Lenwood Long Sr., president of the African American Alliance of Community Development Financial Institution CEOs, which plans to apply for the money, told the Post.
The Verge: Controversial carbon removal technology just got $1.2 billion from the Biden administration
Justine Calma, 8/14/23
“The Department of Energy chose the first two locations for “hubs” it envisions for industrial plants that suck planet-heating carbon dioxide out of the air,” The Verge reports. “Projects in Texas and Louisiana will receive up to $1.2 billion from the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop direct air capture (DAC) facilities, backing a purported climate solution that not all environmental advocates support. The Biden administration is funneling billions into direct air capture, a relatively new technology that some governments and companies are beginning to turn to as a way to address pollution they’ve already emitted. This is the first round of funding in a bigger plan to dole out $3.5 billion to develop at least four DAC hubs across the US. But this approach to tackling climate change is divisive even among green groups. President Joe Biden’s move garnered praise from some environmental advocates but ire from others wary of fossil fuel companies’ deep ties to the emerging carbon removal industry… “While proponents of direct air capture still say it shouldn’t replace efforts to transition to clean energy, others warn that companies are using the technology as a license to pollute. “We really see in these announcements, the moral hazard that DAC represents ... Making money from the fossil fuel industry’s [carbon dioxide] waste streams rather than eliminating the generation of that waste — that to me, is deeply concerning,” Nikki Reisch, climate and energy program director at the Center for International Environmental Law, told The Verge… “And yet, other communities living with oil and gas companies’ pollution and pipelines cutting across their land see those hubs as causing more harm. “Direct air capture allows polluting industries to live on when we should be focusing on a just transition to renewables,” co-executive director of the Climate Justice Alliance Marion Gee, who represents a network of grassroots organizations across the US, told The Verge. “It’ll be Black folks, Indigenous communities and poor BIPOC neighbors — sacrificed, yet again in the name of protecting corporate interests.”
Climate Change News: US sparks controversy by backing oil company’s carbon-sucking plans
Joe Lo, 8/15/23
“The US government has been criticised for plans to hand out up to $500 million to help an oil company suck carbon out of the air in Texas,” Climate Change News reports. “The Department of Energy announced it would invest in two direct air capture facilities, which will suck the planet-warming gas out of the atmosphere and store it underground. One of those facilities will be built by Occidental Petroleum, whose CEO Vicki Hollub said earlier this year that direct air capture will help “preserve our industry” and get more oil out of the ground… “IPCC author Zeke Hausfather thinks “carbon dioxide removal is an important part of getting to net zero”. But he tweeted last year that Occidental’s projections are “deeply problematic and oversell the role of CDR” as “there is no world” in which they come true. “CDR is not a replacement for deep emissions reductions, and anyone who says differently is selling something”, he said… “Hollub told the Outrage and Optimism podcast that Occidental’s direct air capture business helps them keep staff happy. “The employees love this, especially our earlier career employees who now had questions about whether or not they should be working for an oil company”, she said. But the initial reason for their interest, she said, was Occidental saw sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as a cheaper long-term way of getting the gas. That makes it cheaper for them to get more oil out of the ground. She explained to the podcast that carbon sucked from the atmosphere is “a long term source, a non-declining source of CO2 and it could be at lower cost if we could get the facilities designed correctly and optimise over time – so that’s what started us down the path”.
Bloomberg: Natural Gas Groups Seek End To Gulf Of Mexico Lease Sale Case
Shayna Greene, 8/16/23
“Chevron USA Inc. and the American Petroleum Institute urged a federal court to reject environmental groups’ challenge to the Interior Department’s approval of an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico,” Bloomberg reports. “Healthy Gulf, the Center for Biodiversity, the Sierra Club, and others claimed that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s supplemental environmental impact statement for Lease Sale 259, covering more than 73 million acres, was flawed and violated the National Environmental Policy Act.”
STATE UPDATES
Colorado Sun: 95 oil and gas wells are in the way of economic development in Frederick. Town officials want the barrier gone.
Mark Jaffe, 8/16/23
“The past, in the form of aging oil and gas wells, has become a barrier to the future for this town, 29 miles north of Denver, especially the wells owned by one operator, the K.P. Kauffman Co,” the Colorado Sun reports. “...Frederick has been growing at 6% to 8% a year, but the more than 300 wells that riddle the town are a constant obstacle, particularly to commercial, industrial and mixed-use developments that Crites said are vital to keeping local taxes reasonable. “We are trying to bring in commercial and industrial growth and we find developers say they are stuck and they cannot develop on land they own because of oil and gas wells,” Crites told the Sun. “It has led to developers not considering the Town of Frederick.” The biggest problem has been K.P. Kauffman, or KPK, which owns 107 wells in town — 95 that produce little or no oil or gas, according to state production records. Still, when a developer seeks to have KPK wells removed the company has demanded between $250,000 to $300,000 to uproot a single well… “In an unprecedented move, Frederick is seeking to have the Energy and Carbon Management Commission, formerly the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, to require KPK to plug and abandon the 95 low-producing wells as part of the new rule that companies show they have the financial resources to restore their sites.”
EXTRACTION
The Hill: Research suggests link between fracking, rare childhood cancers
NICK ROBERTSON, 8/16/23
“New research from the University of Pittsburgh suggests fracking may increase the risk of rare cancers and asthma,” The Hill reports. “Teams working on a pair of publicly funded studies filed through medical information in southwest Pennsylvania near large natural gas fracking operations. They found children were more likely to have rare cancers, and children and adults were more likely to have asthma flare-ups near fracking wells. “Children who lived within one mile of one or more wells had 5 to 7 times the chance of developing lymphoma, a relatively rare type of cancer, compared to children who lived in an area without wells within 5 miles,” according to a release on the study… “The incidence rate of lymphoma is about 0.0012 percent for Americans younger than 20 years old. In populations less than 5 miles from a fracking well, that increases to a rate between 0.006 percent and 0.0084 percent, the researchers said… “People with asthma have a 4 to 5 times greater chance of having an asthma attack if they live near unconventional natural gas development during the production phase,” the release read. The studies were conducted at the request of southwest Pennsylvania residents, who reported concerns about the safety of fracking operations in the region. Residents initially expressed concerns about Ewing sarcoma, an extremely rare bone cancer with dozens of cases in the region. The studies found no significant connection between fracking and the bone cancer… “The Pennsylvania study comes as fracking comes under mounting scientific scrutiny in recent years.”
The Conversation: Rising Methane Could Be A Sign That Earth's Climate Is Part Way Through A 'Termination-Level Transition'
Euan Nisbet, 8/14/23
“Since 2006, the amount of heat-trapping methane in Earth's atmosphere has been rising fast and, unlike the rise in carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane's recent increase seems to be driven by biological emissions, not the burning of fossil fuels,” according to The Conversation. “This might just be ordinary variability—a result of natural climate cycles such as El Niño. Or it may signal that a great transition in Earth's climate has begun. Molecule for molecule, methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂ but it lasts slightly less than a decade in the atmosphere compared with centuries for CO₂. Methane emissions threaten humanity's ability to limit warming to relatively safe levels. Even more troubling, the rate at which methane is increasing in the atmosphere has accelerated recently. Something like this has happened before: sudden surges in methane marked the transitions from cold ice ages to warm interglacial climates.”
Washington Post: Why the oil giant Shell enlisted a ‘granfluencer’
Maxine Joselow, 8/17/23
“The TikTok star Nora Capistrano Sangalang is best known for posting videos about her grandson, in which she describes herself as “our Filipino grandma” and a “granfluencer,” the Washington Post reports. “But in September, she posted something that surprised and irritated some of her 2.3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram: an advertisement for the oil giant Shell’s fuel rewards program. “I love your account and you make me laugh a lot,” one fan commented. “I can’t imagine that you would partner with a company that … contributes significantly to climate change. This is really a very bad image.” Sangalang, who also goes by “Mama Nora,” is not alone. She is one of more than 100 influencers who have used their platforms to promote fossil fuel companies since 2017, reaching billions of people around the globe, according to new research by DeSmog, an investigative climate website. As surveys show young people are increasingly concerned about climate change, fossil fuel companies have turned to TikTok, which more than two-thirds of American teens report using. “They are trying to win the trust of a younger generation,” Sam Bright, DeSmog’s U.K. deputy editor, told the Post. “They’re not just promoting a particular product, but trying to alter their perception in the public eye and maintain their social license.” “...Asked for comment, Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said in an email: “People are well aware that Shell produces oil and gas they depend on every day. Many don’t know we are also, in a disciplined way, investing billions in low-carbon solutions and products in support of a balanced energy transition. Making customers aware of those products by way of advertising on social media is one way we pursue business performance and a valid part of our marketing activities.” Sangalang did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DeSmog also found that Conoco, which split from ConocoPhillips a decade ago, paid a nail artist and content creator named Lizzy to post sponsored videos last year. The videos received more than a million views across TikTok and Instagram, where she has a combined 660,000 followers. Conoco and Lizzy, who doesn’t disclose her last name, did not respond to requests for comment.”
Guardian: UN Climate Summit Host UAE Failed To Report Methane Emissions To UN
8/16/23
“The United Arab Emirates, which will run the crucial Cop28 UN climate summit in December, has failed to report its emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane to the UN for almost a decade,” the Guardian reports. “Its state oil company, Adnoc, whose chief executive, Sultan Al Jaber, controversially will preside over the climate summit, has also set itself a methane leak target far higher than the level it claims it has already reached. Al Jaber recently urged countries and companies to be ‘brutally honest’ about the inadequacy of global action to fight the climate crisis.”
Reuters: BP backs green hydrogen start-up aiming to cut fuel's costs
Ron Bousso, 8/15/23
“BP (BP.L) has invested in a start-up company developing technology seeking to use vapour from heavy industry to sharply reduce the production costs of zero-carbon hydrogen,” Reuters reports. “BP Ventures, the British energy giant's venture capital arm, was among several investors in a $12.5 million Series A financing in U.S.-based Advanced Ionics, the companies said on Tuesday. Other investors include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T), Clean Energy Ventures and GVP Climate. Green hydrogen, produced by splitting water through electrolysis using renewable energy, is expected to play a key role in decarbonising transport and industries. But it is produced today on a very small scale and costs up to five times more than the most common hydrogen produced from natural gas, which is highly carbon-intensive. The investment will allow Advanced Ionics to accelerate the small-scale deployment of its water vapour-based electrolysers for heavy industry. The technology, Symbion, uses heat emitted from a plant's existing operations to drive the electricity use to less than 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) per kilogram of hydrogen compared with more than 50 kWh per kilogram for a typical electrolyser, according to Advanced Ionics. It sharply reduces the cost of electricity for the electrolysis process, which accounts for more than 70% of green hydrogen production costs, the company said.”
Houston Chronicle: Chesapeake exits Eagle Ford with sale of last assets to Houston-based SilverBow
Amanda Drane, 8/15/23
“Chesapeake Energy on Monday said it would complete its exit from the Eagle Ford shale region by selling its remaining assets there to Houston-based exploration and production company SilverBow Resources,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “SilverBow agreed to buy the land, equipment and wells for $700 million to $750 million, depending on the price of oil… “Chesapeake, an energy giant based in Oklahoma, has been selling assets in the shale formation spanning south and central Texas as it focuses on the Haynesville and Marcellus plays in Louisiana and the Northeastern U.S., respectively. It sold 2,300 Eagle Ford wells to global chemicals company INEOS for $1.4 billion earlier this year… “The wells produced roughly the equivalent of 29,000 barrels of oil a day during the second quarter, Chesapeake said. As of December, the company estimated, it had at least 124 million barrels of reserves in the region.”
OPINION
The Conversation: Michigan pipeline standoff could affect water protection and Indigenous rights across the
Mike Shriberg, Professor of Practice & Engagement, School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan, 8/16/23
“Should states and Indigenous nations be able to influence energy projects they view as harmful or contrary to their laws and values? This question lies at the center of a heated debate over Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil and natural gas across Wisconsin and Michigan,” Mike Shriberg writes for The Conversation. “Courts, regulatory agencies and political leaders are deciding whether Enbridge should be allowed to keep its pipeline in place for another 99 years, with upgrades. The state of Michigan and the Bad River Tribe in Wisconsin want to close the pipeline down immediately. My expertise is in Great Lakes water and energy policy, environmental protection and sustainability leadership. I have analyzed and taught these issues as a sustainability scholar, and I have worked on them as the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes regional executive director from 2015 until early 2023. In my view, the future of Line 5 has become a defining issue for the future of the Great Lakes region. It also could set an important precedent for reconciling energy choices with state regulatory authority and Native American rights… “In 2010, another Enbridge pipeline, Line 6b, ruptured near the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan, spilling over 1 million gallons of heavy crude. Line 6b is part of a parallel route to Line 5, and the cleanup continues more than a decade later. The spill, and Enbridge’s slow, bungled response and lack of transparency, led to scrutiny of other Enbridge pipelines, including Line 5… “Line 5 is more than a Midwest issue. It has become a focus for national activism and is a major diplomatic issue between Canada and the U.S. President Joe Biden, who has worked to balance his ties with organized labor and his support for a clean energy transition, has avoided taking a side to date. To continue operating Line 5, Enbridge will have to convince the courts that its interests and legal arguments outweigh those of an Indigenous nation and the state of Michigan. Never before has an active fossil fuel pipeline been closed due to potential environmental and cultural damage. The outcome could set a precedent for other pipeline and fossil fuel infrastructure battles, from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Coast. Ultimately, in my view, Line 5 is an under-the-radar but critical proxy battle for how, when and under what authority the phasing out of fossil fuels will proceed.”
National Observer: Suncor waves the white flag on climate change
Max Fawcett, 8/17/23
“When Suncor Energy announced former Imperial Oil CEO Rich Kruger would be taking over its top job back in April, it was obvious that more change was in the offing. And while the job cuts and cost reductions he’s announced in the months since haven’t surprised many people, the news that Canada's largest emitter was going to abandon any pretense of caring about climate change probably did,” Max Fawcett writes for the National Observer. “Our current strategic framework is insufficient in terms of what it takes to win,” Kruger, also a former ExxonMobil executive, told investors and analysts on the company’s most recent quarterly conference call. “While important, we have a bit of a disproportionate emphasis on the longer-term energy transition.” “...It sold off its wind and solar assets last year, ostensibly to focus on “sustainable jet fuel” and carbon capture and storage projects. And for all of its talk about net-zero targets and lowering carbon emissions, it hadn’t actually done much walking in that direction. Maybe Kruger’s honesty here helps remind us what these companies are really all (and always were) about: making money… “After all, if it wasn’t clear before, it should be by now: the senior executives at oil and gas companies like Suncor are deliberately ragging the puck in order to delay making meaningful investments in the future and are not willing to constrain their ability to shower shareholders with dividends and stock buybacks. The Rich Krugers of the world want to drive up their share price, see their stock options pay out and maximize the amount of cash they can put in their bank account. Yes, they’ll continue to pay lip service to the idea of 2050 targets, but that’s because they know they won’t be the ones who have to do the heavy lifting to reach them… “Suncor Energy is one of Canada's biggest oilsands companies and the single biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the country. So why is its CEO scaling back its already inadequate climate ambitions — and what should Ottawa do about it?”