EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/20/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Minnesota Reformer: Opponents of Enbridge Line 3 pipeline shut down bridge in Duluth
Unicorn Riot: Line 3 Opponent Sentenced to Thirty Days in Jail
Facebook: Giniw Collective: This morning, Giniw Collective founder Tara Houska met with UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor
Law360: Minn. Says Enbridge Suits Don't Belong In Tribal Court
Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative: Park Rapids suspends Enbridge water withdrawal from city hydrants
Michigan Advance: Another delay: Line 5 mediation is likely to wrap by late September
Rogue Climate: Jordan Cove LNG Forfeits Permits Required for Export Terminal & Pipeline
CBC: COVID cluster continues to grow at Trans Mountain site near Valemount
WV Gazette Mail: Federal environmental assessment green-lights change in Mountain Valley Pipeline construction method
NRDC: Defenders of Homes, Hills, and Heritage Unite Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Facebook: Free Jessica Reznicek: UPDATE ON APPEAL & PETITION
Stereogum: Watch Bon Iver Play Fest Protesting Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline, Their First Show Since Pandemic
Pitchfork: On the Scene at Bon Iver’s Oil Pipeline Protest Show
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E: EJ advocates want changes to infrastructure package
The Intercept: SIERRA CLUB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESIGNS AMID UPHEAVAL AROUND RACE, GENDER, AND ABUSES
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Federal oil and gas leasing to resume in New Mexico to the chagrin of environmental groups
EXTRACTION
Politico Morning Energy: METHANE MISCHIEF
OPINION
The Center Square: Pipelines in Pennsylvania necessary despite shared climate concerns, industry says
North American Pipelines: Preparing for the Future of Energy Pipelines
PIPELINE NEWS
Minnesota Reformer: Opponents of Enbridge Line 3 pipeline shut down bridge in Duluth
RILYN EISCHENS, 8/19/21
“Line 3 opponents shut down the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge for about half an hour Thursday afternoon in protest of the oil pipeline Enbridge is reconstructing across northern Minnesota,” the Minnesota Reformer reports. “The protest on the bridge, which backed up traffic for blocks, came after a morning March for Manoomin — Ojibwe for wild rice. About 100 project opponents marched through downtown Duluth to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building in Canal Park to call on the agency to revoke a key project permit. Project opponents have hoped that President Joe Biden would block Line 3 by revoking the Army Corps’ permit for the project or ordering it to be redone. Construction on Line 3 started in December following six years of permitting, review and litigation, and Enbridge says it’s more than 80% complete. The company expects the pipeline to carry oil by the end of 2021… “Thursday morning, protesters marched downtown on Superior Street behind an Honor the Earth tour bus. As the march reached Canal Park — Duluth’s restaurant- and shop-filled waterfront district — tourists wandered out of stores and gathered on sidewalks to watch.”
Unicorn Riot: Line 3 Opponent Sentenced to Thirty Days in Jail
By Alex Binder, 8/19/21
“On August 4, 2021, in the first trial prosecuting water protectors since active construction of the Line 3 pipeline in the state, one defendant was acquitted, and the other was found guilty by a jury on two misdemeanors—public nuisance and unlawful assembly,” Unicorn Riot reports. “Water protector and political prisoner Brock Hefel was one of twenty-nine arrested while rallying in a grass ditch off the side of a road on June 15, 2021. Meanwhile in the road, there were two water protectors locked down to a truck carrying massive drill bits for a horizontal drill intended to bore water crossing pathways for Line 3. Unicorn Riot spoke with Hefel through a cellphone provided by the jail, where he has been since Judge Eric Schieferdecker remanded Hefel to the Sheriff’s Office after being found guilty on August 4. Two days later at his sentencing hearing, which he was forced to appear in jail garb and shackles, the Judge gave him the maximum 30-day sentence for a misdemeanor (the prosecution only asked for 15 days). One of Hefel’s attorneys, Bruce Nestor, wrote in a press release that “most people do not even serve time in jail for a misdemeanor.” Hefel told Unicorn Riot he feels like he was only being tried for his political views: “Watching [the Judge] come to the conclusion that I’m just a straight criminal from what I was doing is just astonishing. That activity, how can that warrant such a response? It’s quite sickening.”
Facebook: Giniw Collective: This morning, Giniw Collective founder Tara Houska met with UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor
8/17/21
“This morning, Giniw Collective founder Tara Houska met with UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor to discuss the egregious human rights violations occurring at the hands of police in direct financial relationship with Enbridge. The world is watching… We met with the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders because gross human rights violations are occurring at the hands of police in financial relationship with Enbridge. Minnesota law enforcement has used pain compliance, psychological trauma, threats, rubber bullets, mace, and chemical warfare on people standing up for water which it then bills to a fund Enbridge pays into to the tune of $2M to date — most of these charges are misdemeanors, all of them are non-violent. We pose no threat. Enbridge threatens Anishinaabe cultural survival, the drinking water of millions, and the public’s trust. Since the U.S. government is yet again failing Indigenous people and future generations, we turn to the international community. The world is watching.” Tara Houska (Couchiching First Nation), Founder of Giniw Collective.”
Law360: Minn. Says Enbridge Suits Don't Belong In Tribal Court
8/19/21
“The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that tribal courts are no place for tribes to sue the state over issues related to the contentious Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, asking a Minnesota federal court to enjoin those proceedings,” Law360 reports.
Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative: Park Rapids suspends Enbridge water withdrawal from city hydrants
Barbara With and Rebecca Kemble, August 19, 2021
“Today, the city of Park Rapids, MN stopped selling municipal water to Precision Pipeline, a contractor for Enbridge, who is working on constructing the Line 3 pipeline across 1855 Treaty Territory. The city began selling water out of city fire hydrants earlier this summer to support Enbridge operations,” Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative reports. “...According to the Park Rapids Water and Sewer department website, the average daily demand for municipal water is 500,000 gallons. On August 2, 2021 Precision withdrew 68,000 gallons from just one of the three hydrants, nearly 15% of the average daily demand… “When asked about Park Rapids selling water to contractors constructing Line 3, City Administrator Angelica Weasner told the Coop, “I was notified yesterday by the State of Minnesota that we’ve been elevated to ‘extreme drought‘ conditions, and we need to contact our ten top vendors and at this point in time, they [Precision Pipeline] are one of them, and we are not going to allow them to withdraw any more water. Over the whole timeframe [since early June], they have withdrawn six million gallons.”
Michigan Advance: Another delay: Line 5 mediation is likely to wrap by late September
LAINA G. STEBBINS, 8/19/21
“Mediation between the state of Michigan and Canadian oil company Enbridge has been pushed back one month due to a cancelation, meaning that a federal judge may not make a decision on which court will preside over Michigan’s lawsuit to shut down the Line 5 oil pipeline until late September or early October at the earliest,” Michigan Advance reports. “According to a document filed Wednesday in federal court, the scheduled Aug. 11 mediation session in State of Michigan v Enbridge was canceled. A reason was not provided for the cancelation, but the parties have rescheduled to meet on Sept. 9. “The parties at present anticipate that the mediation could be completed by or about September 30, 2021,” the document reads, which is a full month later than previously anticipated. After that point, it is still unclear how long it will take for Judge Janet Neff to make a ruling on which court — state or federal — Michigan’s lawsuit against Enbridge belongs in… “Despite pressure from the state, Indigenous water protectors and environmentalists — and even a threat from Whitmer that the state seeks to seize all profits from Line 5 after that date — Enbridge refused to comply with Whitmer’s order unless she secures a court order… “If Enbridge succeeds and Neff removes the case to federal court, Enbridge is seen as having the upper hand, as the company intends to rely heavily on federal statutes and international commerce arguments to keep oil flowing through Line 5. Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and the DNR would have the advantage if the case is remanded back to the 30th Circuit Court, where they would point to state laws, public trust doctrine and Enbridge’s easement violations in a bid to force a Line 5 shutdown.”
Rogue Climate: Jordan Cove LNG Forfeits Permits Required for Export Terminal & Pipeline
8/19/21
“Pembina is now missing three additional permits needed to construct the failing Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and fracked gas pipeline,” according to Rogue Climate. “As of this week, Pembina missed deadlines to reapply for four crucial land use permits that were remanded by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) earlier this year. The company is also missing other critical state and local permits that it cannot move forward without. The four land use permits, which have been long opposed by local fishermen, marine biologists, impacted landowners, and other South Coast community members, were approved in 2019 by Coos County and the City of North Bend to allow the development of the LNG export terminal along the North Spit and hydraulic drilling in the bay to place four miles of the associated pipeline… “If Pembina chooses to move the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and pipeline forward, it would need to restart the entire land use permitting process, which takes years. Additionally, to reapply for these permits Pembina would need to address concerns that LUBA raised about how the 300-yard long tankers would impact the fishing industry’s access in the bay, impacts of large-scale dredging to the estuary, and the public safety concerns of building an explosive terminal near a population of over 30,000 people. “The fact that Pembina didn’t try to challenge the rejection of these permits demonstrates that they should never have been granted in the first place,” said Phillip Johnson, executive director of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. “The Jordan Cove LNG project is inappropriate for many reasons, but one is the devastating impact it would have on the Coos Bay estuary, its resources, and the community that depends on them. Our land-use laws worked the way they should to prevent this misbegotten development.”
CBC: COVID cluster continues to grow at Trans Mountain site near Valemount
Kate Partridge, 8/19/21
“The number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 at a Trans Mountain pipeline worksite has jumped to 30 from 16 earlier in the week,” the CBC reports. “Of those, Northern Health says 26 are active at this time. Trans Mountain says about 40 close contacts of those infected are in isolation. The health agency says it is not declaring an outbreak, which is reserved for situations where extraordinary containment measures are required. Unlike the situation at Site C where a new outbreak was declared on Aug. 16, it says the majority of the infections at Trans Mountain do not appear to have been from onsite transmission. Trans Mountain told CBC it is implementing additional measures to manage the COVID cluster, including more rapid testing, reinstating mask mandates for those in close contact and implementing increased sanitation procedures.”
WV Gazette Mail: Federal environmental assessment green-lights change in Mountain Valley Pipeline construction method
Mike Tony, 8/17/21
“Environmental staff members for the federal agency that regulates the natural gas industry have signed off on a proposal from Mountain Valley Pipeline developers to change the construction method across waterbodies and wetlands along the pipeline route as they await the fate of key water permit applications,” the WV Gazette Mailreports. “Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff on Friday released an environmental assessment finding that changing from an open-cut dry crossing method as previously approved by the commission to a trenchless method of construction would reduce environmental impacts… “Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, told the Mail in an email Tuesday that the crossing methods merit “thorough analysis on a crossing-by-crossing basis.” “...Monroe County resident and pipeline opponent Maury Johnson told the Mail in an email Tuesday that he was still analyzing the assessment and that the commission staff’s analysis does not permit Mountain Valley to proceed with water crossing construction. In addition to its pending construction method proposal, Mountain Valley is also awaiting decisions on water permit requests it has submitted to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.”
NRDC: Defenders of Homes, Hills, and Heritage Unite Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Nicole Greenfield, 8/13/21
“Meet five people who are fighting on the ground—from Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina—to stop the destructive fossil fuel project before it’s too late.Though it’s been under construction for the past three years—and in discussion since 2014—the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) has been somewhat easy to overlook. Easy, that is, for those who don’t live along its proposed route: West Virginia landowner Maury Johnson calls it the “ugly stepchild of pipelines” because, compared to high-profile pipeline fights like that against Keystone XL, for a long time only a small segment of Appalachian residents seemed to be talking about the 303-mile MVP… “This is why concerned citizens—including landowners, youth activists, and community leaders—have been fighting the project for years, pointing out how it would devastate lands, waterways, and wildlife, while further fueling the climate crisis. (MVP doesn’t deny the harm it’s already caused: To date, it has agreed to pay millions in penalties for more than 300 water-quality violations in West Virginia and Virginia.) Community members have also witnessed the pipeline’s owners seize land via eminent domain from dozens of residents along its route, upending lives and livelihoods, and adding insult to injury. In May, some relief came in the form of a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommending that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deny a permit that would allow MVP to cross hundreds of streams in West Virginia and Virginia. Activists see this development as a hopeful setback for the project, which is already three-and-a-half years behind schedule and nearly $3 billion over budget, thanks in large part to their organizing and resistance efforts.”
Facebook: Free Jessica Reznicek: UPDATE ON APPEAL & PETITION
8/19/21
“On August 18th the 8th circuit of the US Court of Appeals granted Jessica’s request to extend the deadline for her lawyers to file their briefs for her appeal. The new deadline is September 16th, 2021. The appeal will focus on the terrorism ehancment applied duirng her sentencing. Our team is still looking for groups and non-profits to write or sign onto a friend of the court or amicus briefs to tell the judge that protecting water & climate action is never terrorism… While the planet warms, the Biden DOJ has decided to label Jessica a domestic terrorist for her non-violent actions to protect life on earth, while choosing not to pursue similar enhancements against the January 6th insurrectionists whose acts resulted in the deaths of government employees. While we do not wish federal repression on anyone, this approach reveals an alarming signal that the Biden administration is not recognizing the growing threat of fascism and the climate crisis, while prioritizing the prosecution of climate justice activists. Biden and his DOJ are currently siding with corporate profits over climate action and clean water. They’ve chosen to abuse the courts to preserve a system that is creating a world humans cannot survive in while protecting those who are responsible. If the courts do not remedy this miscarriage of justice, we will call on the executive branch and congress to do so. That is why we amplify our call to reach 100,000 signatures on Jessica’s petition!”
Stereogum: Watch Bon Iver Play Fest Protesting Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline, Their First Show Since Pandemic
TOM BREIHAN, 8/19/21
“Right now, the Canadian oil company Enbridge is proposing Line 3, a massive pipeline expansion to take tar-sand oil from Alberta to Wisconsin. This pipeline would cut across Minnesota, and it could cause environmental devastation and cold violate treaty rights of Anishinaabe peoples and nations. Naturally, a whole lot of people in Minnesota would love to stop this pipeline from being built. Last night in Duluth, as part of a Stop Line 3 benefit, Bon Iver played their first show since the pandemic began last year,” Stereogum reports. “At Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park, Bon Iver headlined the Water Is Life festival, which raised money for Winona LaDuke’s Honor The Earth organization and which also featured a Minnesota-centric bill of artists like Hippo Campus, Lissie, Adia Victoria, and Low’s Alan Sparhawk. Talking to the Star Tribune before the show, Justin Vernon said that he was looking at ways for Bon Iver to reduce their carbon footprint while playing shows, and that the band would show up to Duluth in one car, with no crew and no sound people, hoping to create “renegade, howl-at-the-moon, urgent musical energy.” (When asked if there were any plans for a new Bon Iver album, Vernon said, “Absolutely none!”)”
Pitchfork: On the Scene at Bon Iver’s Oil Pipeline Protest Show
By Andrea Swensson, 8/19/21
“With the ragged last chord of “Blood Bank” still echoing off the hills around Duluth, Minnesota, and a cargo ship passing behind him in Lake Superior, Justin Vernon stepped to the mic to speak,” Pitchfork reports. “We haven’t been on a real stage since March 7, 2020,” the Bon Iver bandleader said, gazing out at the thousands of music fans, environmental activists, and Indigenous tribal members who had amassed in Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park for the Water Is Life: Stop Line 3 festival last night. After 10 hours of performances and pleading speeches about the nearly completed Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline in Northern Minnesota, which experts say would exacerbate climate change, sully sacred Anishinaabe territory, and contaminate the area’s water supply, Vernon used his moment in the spotlight to address the receptive crowd. “Being a music fan can just become, well, ‘I like this band and I like that band,’” he said. “But for me, this whole thing started out as an expression of being alive. And you know the one thing we need to be alive? Water. And that’s why we’re here.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E: EJ advocates want changes to infrastructure package
Kelsey Brugger, 8/19/21
“Several groups are expressing “deep concern” about the bipartisan infrastructure package, saying it stands to shirk environmental review and undermine environmental justice,” E&E reports. “In a letter to congressional leaders today, the organizations argued that the infrastructure package — which cleared the Senate and is now in the House — would cement Trump-era changes to environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. Activists acknowledged that changes are unlikely at this point, but blasted lawamkers who ignored the concerns. “We oppose any efforts to exclude us from decision-making processes, constrict our input and dull our perspectives,” the members of the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum wrote in the letter. The groups include WE ACT for Environmental Justice, the West End Revitalization Association (WERA), PODER, People for Community Recovery, the Indigenous Environmental Network and several others. They said provisions in the infrastructure package, backed by President Biden, “suppress public input,” “limit environmental review of mines” and “extend categorical exclusions” to allow major projects get out of environmental scrutiny altogether (E&E Daily, Aug. 5). Those changes stymie federal agencies' ability to consider the full consequences of proposed actions, they said.”
The Intercept: SIERRA CLUB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESIGNS AMID UPHEAVAL AROUND RACE, GENDER, AND ABUSES
Alleen Brown, 8/19/21
“DURING A SUMMER of extreme heat, wildfires, and floods, the largest environmental organization in the U.S. announced last Friday that its executive director will step down, effective at the end of the year. The resignation of Michael Brune, the head of the Sierra Club, comes amid the fallout of an internal report, the executive summary recommendations of which were obtained by The Intercept, that describes an organizational crisis likely to upend the Club’s volunteer-led structure… “The sharply worded executive summary describes how the organization of nearly 900 staff members fostered a culture lacking accountability for abuse and misconduct, especially when it came from the Club’s 4,000 volunteers, some of whom act as managers for the organization’s employees. The report, which was commissioned after a volunteer leader was publicly accused of rape, underlined that employees and volunteers from historically marginalized groups were most vulnerable to abusive behavior… “Interviews with more than a dozen former and current Sierra Club staff members, as well as several volunteers, echoed the problems the report describes. Most of those interviewed were people of color, and nearly all had a story about racism or sexism from a volunteer or manager. Those who voiced concerns said they saw little action, and some saw the subjects of their complaints receive praise or even promotions. Some of the complainants said they experienced retaliation — allegations echoed in the report findings. Several ultimately quit… “The most serious consequences of the Sierra Club’s lack of strong accountability systems were cases of assault, according to the report summary and recommendations. “In more than one situation, we heard accounts that verified bad behavior — at least at lower levels — was widely known about individuals who perpetrated much more serious harm than was widely discussed,” the authors wrote. “In two of these situations, the more serious harm included multiple instances of assault.”
STATE UPDATES
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Federal oil and gas leasing to resume in New Mexico to the chagrin of environmental groups
Adrian Hedden, 8/18/21
“New Mexico environmental groups condemned the resumption of federal land leasing to the oil and gas industry after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced leasing will resume on public land throughout the U.S., including in the country’s most active oilfield the Permian Basin of southeast New Mexico,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “Upon taking office in January, the administration of President Joe Biden imposed a temporary halt on federal oil and leasing as the Department of the Interior engaged in a review of its fossil fuel program, aiming to implement reforms that could better address pollution, climate change and land management. That meant no lease sales, typically held quarterly for oil and gas companies to purchase tracts of federal land for development, were held in 2021 as of the summer. Carlsbad-based Citizens Caring for the Future, a frequent opponent of pollution from the fossil fuel industry argued the pause on oil and gas leasing of public land enacted in January was needed to ensure the DOI conducted a proper review of its oil and gas program to mitigate pollution and devise better land management practices. Group organizer Kayley Shoup, a resident of Carlsbad in the Permian Basin region, told the Argus fossil fuel extraction was proven to negatively impact public health and in the environment in the areas in communities where the industry operates. “As frontline community members we are extremely disappointed by the news that the Biden Administration will resume business as usual for the oil and gas leasing program, allowing oil and gas companies and executives to continue lining their pockets at the expense of our health and safety,” Shoup told the Argus. “The dangers of fossil fuel extraction are well-documented, and places like the Permian Basin will continue to suffer if serious reforms aren’t implemented now in order to protect our communities and future.”
EXTRACTION
Politico Morning Energy: METHANE MISCHIEF
Matthew Choi, 8/19/21
“An overwhelming majority of oil wells in West Texas emitting methane are doing so without permits, according to a new study by the environmental group Earthworks reported today,”.Politico Morning Energy reports. “Earthworks conducted the study by flying helicopters with methane-detecting sensors over parts of the Permian Basin in 2020. It found that of the 227 flare stakes detected, 84 percent of them didn’t have the required permits with the Texas Railroad Commission, even as the commission has drastically ramped up the number of permits it approves, from a little over a hundred in 2008 to nearly 7,000 in 2019… “The flyovers found emissions coming from wells operated by both small companies and multinational giants, including companies that have made public commitments to rein in emissions. Exxon had six stacks emitting methane without a permit, according to the study, and Shell had eight. The companies disputed the study, with an Exxon spokesperson calling it “deliberately misleading” since some flaring is exempt or pre-authorized by state rules. A Shell spokesperson denied the company was operating flares without a permit.”
OPINION
The Center Square: Pipelines in Pennsylvania necessary despite shared climate concerns, industry says
By Christen Smith, 8/18/21
“Pennsylvania’s extensive network of natural gas pipelines will remain necessary for the next 30 years, even as the industry said it shares the growing worldwide concern about fossil fuels’ impact on climate change,” Christen Smith writes in The Center Square. “My advice would be is that we can’t solve a climate crisis by creating an energy crisis,” said Keith Coyle, chairman of the Marcellus Shale Coalition Pipeline Safety Workgroup. “As long as we are relying on fossil fuels to produce power, we need pipelines to deliver them safely.” Coyle made his comments during a two-hour hearing before the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on Tuesday that investigated the economic benefits of the state’s 1,000-plus miles of gas pipelines. “It’s pretty clear we are going to be relying on natural gas and petroleum for some time,” he said. “There is no other way to do this safely and to move product in bulk besides these pipelines.” Testifiers from across the industry – including the American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania (API), the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association and the Association of Pipelines, among others – reiterated that natural gas production has not only made Pennsylvania a top energy exporter, but lowered harmful greenhouse gas emissions and decreased the nation’s dependency on foreign oil. Paul Hartman, a senior policy advisor for API, said fossil fuels will represent up to 70% of the nation’s energy mix for the next 30 years, even as the federal government pursues decarbonization policies on a broader scale.”
North American Pipelines: Preparing for the Future of Energy Pipelines
Brad Kramer, 8/19/21
“Those in the oil and gas pipeline industry know that fossil fuels will not be so easily replaced as a primary energy source in North America. However, it is clear that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and “decarbonizing” the energy industry has become a key driver for innovation and business development,” Brad Kramer writes in North American Pipelines. “During the first half of the year, numerous energy pipeline and utility companies have announced plans to achieve net zero GHG emissions across their operations. Members of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), for instance, have committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050. Companies that have pledged such goals include Kinder Morgan, Williams Cos. and Enbridge. As one of the largest gas utility companies in the United States, SoCalGas committed to reaching net-zero by 2045… “Hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG) have become major areas for research and development among groups like the Gas Technology Institute and the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition, which are leading efforts to study how hydrogen can be incorporated into the energy mix. Likewise, companies like UGI, Williams, SoCalGas, Dominion and others have launched programs to incorporate hydrogen and RNG. “Energy Transition” is the name of the game, but where do pipelines fit into the picture? Existing pipelines could be called on to carry low-carbon fuels. In the case of hydrogen gas, groups like GTI are looking into the how current infrastructure will be impacted and what — if any — modifications will need to be made to safely and efficiently carry this form of energy.”