EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/24/21
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Line 3 is about to come online. What will Biden do?
Minnesota Reformer: ‘We can’t just walk away’: Line 3 is almost done, but opponents aren’t giving up
Brainerd Dispatch: Police, Line 3 protesters again meet at Backus site
Democracy Now: Lawmakers Call on Biden to Halt Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline as Police Step Up Attacks on Protesters
Politico: Severe oil leaks worsened Keystone pipeline’s spill record, GAO finds
Reuters: U.S. report finds multiple problems with Keystone pipeline
Law360: Keystone Pipeline Had Safety Concerns, GAO Report Says
Pine and Lakes: Cass County Board: Grant helps alleviate some of nearly $4 million tax refund owed to Enbridge
WASHINGTON UPDATES
National Law Review: D.C. Circuit Rejects FERC’s Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Justice Issues for Texas LNG Facilities
Politico Morning Energy: THE METHANE FACTOR
Politico Morning Energy: CHATTERJEE OUT
Politico Morning Energy: NRDC’S NEW LEADER
STATE UPDATES
Topeka Capital-Journal: Fact check: Climate experts review 8 claims made by Kansas Sen. Mike Thompson at oil and gas convention
Colorado Sun: Nearly half of Colorado’s 52,000 wells produce little or no oil. Who’ll pay to plug them?
Sierra Club: Can Portland, Oregon, Stand Up to the Oil Industry?
CLIMATE FINANCE
Canadian Press: Insurance industry seeks to limit fossil fuel exposure
OPINION
Truthout: Methane Is Flaring Out of Control. Biden Administration, Congress Must Step In
Truthout: Tech “Solutions” Are Pushed by Fossil Fuel Industry to Delay Real Climate Action
Holland Sentinel: Citizens' Climate Lobby: Replacing natural gas with hydrogen
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Line 3 is about to come online. What will Biden do?
Hannah Northey, Carlos Anchondo, 8/24/21
“The embattled Line 3 project could be operational next month, putting pressure on the Biden administration to weigh in as protesters march on the nation’s capital and legal fights heat up,” E&E News reports. “...The plans have sparked criticism from environmentalists and Democrats in Congress, creating a challenge for Biden as he aims to appeal to his base as well as moderate lawmakers backing the bipartisan infrastructure deal and labor unions. Yesterday, protesters gathered in front of the Army Corps of Engineers’ headquarters in Washington, unfurling a black tube marked with the message “Biden: Stop the Black Snake” that was then carried through city streets. The group also demonstrated at the White House and the home of Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff… “The Army Corps declined to comment on the fate of Line 3, citing ongoing litigation. On Capitol Hill, some Democrats like Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon are calling on the White House to direct the Army Corps to revoke a critical water permit for the project, which involves replacing sections of the existing Line 3 with larger diameter pipe in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin… “The Biden administration is likely concerned about certain parts of its constituency, both in the Senate and in the public — namely labor groups — and doesn’t want to appear too opposed to infrastructure. Line 3 has the backing of various unions, including the Laborers’ International Union of North America and a local chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers… “Other policy experts warn starting up Line 3 could mar President Biden’s climate record, particularly since it would carry oil sands crude, which can require more energy to extract than traditional forms of oil. “I think we’re in a new moment in the climate crisis where decisions like this take on a bigger value in terms of the administration’s credibility,” Paul Bledsoe, a former White House climate adviser in the Clinton administration, told E&E. “Ahead of consideration of the infrastructure bill, reconciliation and COP 26, this doesn’t send a consistent message.”
Minnesota Reformer: ‘We can’t just walk away’: Line 3 is almost done, but opponents aren’t giving up
RILYN EISCHENS, 8/23/21
“A cloud of road dust obscured the group outside the Enbridge pump station. Backlit by the wavering early morning sun, they held a prayer before moving into action,” Minnesota Reformer reports. “The only witness: A crude, wooden-rifle-clutching dummy propped up next to signs reading “Minnesotans for Line 3” and “No trespassing — I own firearms and a backhoe.” A few of the opponents of Enbridge’s Line 3 oil pipeline scrambled under the metal fence. Two people locked their arms into PVC pipe inside concrete-filled barrels in the pump station entrance. A group carrying “Stop Line 3” signs gathered behind them. Then, with no law enforcement in sight, the equipment-filled workyard became their catwalk. The 50-some participants had been encouraged to dress in drag for the protest Friday in support of Two-Spirit and LGBTQ members of the anti-Line 3 movement. Clad in dresses, Daisy Dukes, cat ears and face jewels, they strutted to Britney Spears as fellow protesters cheered. The dog days of summer have been bittersweet for “water protectors,” as members of the fight against Line 3 call themselves. Moments of joy like these take place even as a devastating reality sinks in: The pipeline is weeks away from completion, and they won’t be able to stop it. Many feel betrayed by a governor and president who pledged to prioritize tribal relations and environmental issues, then remained silent as construction barreled ahead. They’re considering how to use lessons learned for future fights, even as they mourn the loss of this one. “It’s like that David and Goliath story, but this time, Goliath still won,” Jaike Spotted Wolf, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Sahnish Nation, told the Reformer. “But when the pipeline is over, there’s a lot of other Indigenous issues that need to be addressed. We can’t just walk away.”
Brainerd Dispatch: Police, Line 3 protesters again meet at Backus site
Travis G. Grimler, 8/23/21
“Law enforcement responded to a Line 3 oil pipeline construction staging area Monday, Aug. 23, just south of Backus on Highway 87, where 18 protesters blockaded two entrances on the east side of the road by chaining themselves in the way,” the Brainerd Dispatch reports. “In addition, a vehicle was turned on its side at one of the entrances and protesters secured themselves to it, making arrest more difficult… "This morning we were notified of protesters trespassing on approaches to the mat yard," Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch told the Dispatch in the early afternoon as arrests were ongoing. "When we got there we located several people locked down to an abandoned vehicle and several other protesters in the road right of way." “...Several were arrested by awaiting law enforcement… “Tara Houska, who was present on the west side of the highway, told the Dispatch the protest was to bring attention to several issues. One ongoing complaint is the question of the Line 3 pipeline's impact on treaty lands and the protection of wild rice waters, though other topics were broached as well. "There are hundreds of workers that are out destroying my people's territory," Houska told the Dispatch. "We are bringing awareness to the multiple sex trafficking rings that have had Enbridge employees busted during the construction here in Minnesota. We warned the governor about that. We warned the company about that. We warned everyone about that and it happened."
Democracy Now: Lawmakers Call on Biden to Halt Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline as Police Step Up Attacks on Protesters
8/23/21
“More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Biden to halt construction on the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota until a thorough environmental review is undertaken,” Democracy Now reports. “Meanwhile, Indigenous leaders Winona LaDuke and Tara Houska met with the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights defenders last week to share the police violence suffered by water protectors at the Line 3 construction site. Activists say law enforcement ramped up their brutal attacks last week, dislocating one person’s jaw. But land and water defenders say they will continue their resistance.”
Politico: Severe oil leaks worsened Keystone pipeline’s spill record, GAO finds
By BEN LEFEBVRE, 8/23/21
“The company behind the controversial Keystone XL project that President Joe Biden effectively killed on his first day of office had an oil spill record "worse than the national average" over a five-year period thanks to two major spills, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Monday,” Politico reports. “The two spills from the Keystone pipelines dumped a combined 12,000 barrels of oil in the Dakotas even as operator TC Energy was planning to expand that pipeline with its proposed Keystone XL project, which would have tripled the amount of crude the pipeline system would carry from Canada into the United States. Biden revoked the permit necessary to allow Keystone XL to cross the U.S.-Canada border, essentially killing the project in a bid to demonstrate his climate bona fides. TC Energy is now in court seeking $15 billion from the U.S. government for the cancellation. Despite the quick action on Keystone, environmental justice advocates have criticized the Biden administration for failing to take similarly decisive action to shut down other Canada-U.S. pipelines, such as the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota. The decision to revoke the Keystone permit cheered Democrats but was criticized bitterly by Republicans. Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party who has been opposing pipelines including Keystone XL for years, said the GAO report highlighted issues that environmental groups had already voiced concern over. But having the information in an official government report would help people in future protests against pipelines, she said. “These are not new weapons per se,” Kleeb said of the report’s description of the faulty material and subpar construction. “But I am deeply grateful that this is now in the formal record.”
Reuters: U.S. report finds multiple problems with Keystone pipeline
8/23/21
“A U.S. government watchdog found multiple problems with the construction, manufacture and design of the Keystone pipeline, validating President Joe Biden's decision to revoke the permit for a Keystone XL extension, leaders of several House Democratic committees said on Monday,” Reuters reports.”The lawmakers requested the Government Accountability Office report in November 2019 after more than 11,000 barrels of oil leaked from the pipeline system in two releases in less than two years. "GAO found that preventable construction issues contributed to the current Keystone pipeline’s spills more frequently than the industry-wide trends," they said in a statement. Keystone's four largest spills were "caused by issues related to the original design, manufacturing of the pipe, or construction of the pipeline," the GAO report said. "TC Energy’s record among its peers is one of the worst in terms of volume of oil spilled per mile transported," a statement from the lawmakers said. The lawmakers included Representative Frank Pallone, energy and commerce committee chair… “The company said in response to the report it has had "zero high-impact incidents in 18 months," after taking measures to strengthen safety and prevent incidents.”
Law360: Keystone Pipeline Had Safety Concerns, GAO Report Says
8/23/21
“Construction issues on TC Energy’s Keystone pipeline have caused increased spill rates in recent years, according to a new report released Monday and heralded by Biden administration allies as validation of the president’s decision to quash an expansion of the system,” Law360 reports.
Pine and Lakes: Cass County Board: Grant helps alleviate some of nearly $4 million tax refund owed to Enbridge
Kyndra Johnson, 8/24/21
“A state grant will help Cass County cover a portion of its tax refund to Enbridge Energy,” Pine and Lakes reports. “Chief Financial Officer Sandra Norikane provided the update on Enbridge’s tax lawsuit during the Tuesday, Aug. 17, Cass County Board meeting. Norikane said on June 30 a settlement agreement was reached between Enbridge and the Department of Revenue for assessment years 2012-2016 to be paid with interest and assessment years 2018-2019 without payment of interest. Cass County is one of 13 counties affected by this settlement, and its total tax refund liability to Enbridge is $3,824,072, with interest calculated in the amount of $711,446.43. At a previous board meeting, the commissioners approved adopting a resolution to request the state of Minnesota pay any refund payable to Enbridge Energy. On Tuesday, Norikane told the board local governments were awarded a one-time grant to help cover this tax liability. Cass County received a grant in the amount of $2,631,052. Though it still leaves the county with owing money to Enbridge, Norikane noted the county can now negotiate with Enbridge Energy. She mentioned some neighboring counties have already paid full amounts and some counties are going to try to negotiate the interest rate from the current 4% down to 2%. Norikane first suggested the county pay the amount immediately, but after being notified of a possible negotiation, it was recommended the county wait.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
National Law Review: D.C. Circuit Rejects FERC’s Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Justice Issues for Texas LNG Facilities
8/20/21
“On August 3, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC Circuit) rejected the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) environmental analysis of a group of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline and export facilities near Brownsville, Texas, concluding that FERC had failed to adequately analyze both the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with the facilities and their impacts on minority and low-income communities,” the National Law Review reports. Although the Court ultimately declined to vacate FERC’s certificates for the LNG facilities, the decision illustrates the necessity of carefully evaluating GHG, Environmental Justice (EJ), and other environmental issues early in the permitting process to avoid delays and the danger of having project permits vacated on appeal. Construing regulations that require agencies to use accepted scientific methods when evaluating the difficult-to-assess environmental impacts of a proposed project, the Court concluded that FERC is required to use the Social Cost of Carbon or some other method to evaluate the GHG impacts of a project, rejecting FERC’s contention that it lacked the analytical tools to evaluate the discrete impacts of GHG emissions associated with a specific project. The Court rejected FERC’s EJ analysis because it considered impacts only in poor and minority communities in census tracts within two miles of the proposed facilities, while its analysis demonstrated that the projects could cause air pollution impacts up to 31 miles from the projects. Despite rejecting FERC’s environmental analysis, the Court declined to vacate FERC’s permits for the projects, concluding that FERC is likely to be able to remedy its errors in remand proceedings without having to vacate its permits and that the project sponsors would be unable to proceed with financing if the permits were invalidated.”
Politico Morning Energy: THE METHANE FACTOR
Matthew Choi, 8/23/21
“Though carbon emissions get much of the spotlight when talking about global emissions, Democrats are looking for ways to combat the second most responsible greenhouse gas for climate change: methane,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “The gas traps heat 86 times more effectively over 20 years than carbon dioxide, and emissions have boomed in the past several years, with the shale revolution playing no small part. The UN’s latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows that methane concentration in the atmosphere is at its highest now in 800,000 years. Combating methane emissions is becoming a major target for some Democrats in Congress and the administration. And fossil fuel majors would seem like a likely supporter for stopping emissions, with the methane lost to the atmosphere a potential commodity they could sell. But efforts could be at a nexus of conflict with the agriculture sector and small drillers who find additional regulations potentially onerous and harmful to their bottom lines. Agriculture accounts for about 40 percent of methane emissions, and any regulations that would impact everyday Americans’ access to beef is a political third rail… “Democrats are eyeing a methane polluter fee to include in their $3.5 trillion budget resolution, and several lawmakers introduced their own legislation this month for refiners and producers to pay into a fund based on a share of their global carbon and methane emissions. Meanwhile in the administration, EPA is working on new rules for next month that build on methane regulations revived by the Congressional Review Act earlier this year. And White House climate czar Gina McCarthy’s office is working on a social cost of methane.”
Politico Morning Energy: CHATTERJEE OUT
Matthew Choi, 8/23/21
“FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee is stepping down from his post next Monday, he revealed last week,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “His term formally expired back in June, but the law lets him keep his seat until either a replacement is found or the year ends. “I will continue to carry out my responsibilities until that date. Serving on the Commission has been the honor of a lifetime,” he tweeted. Biden hasn’t made clear whom he plans to pick to replace Chatterjee. Rumored contenders include Massachusetts state Rep. Maria Robinson, D.C. Public Service Commission Chair Willie Phillips and IBEW attorney Tom Dalzell. Nevada lawmakers, including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, have recently pitched Biden on Dalzell.”
Politico Morning Energy: NRDC’S NEW LEADER
Matthew Choi, 8/23/21
“Manish Bapna takes the reins as the new president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council today,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “Bapna chatted with ME on Friday about what he views as the NRDC's biggest policy priorities regarding the infrastructure legislation on the Hill and the upcoming COP26 in Glasgow. Bapna, who has extensive experience in international development at the World Resources Institute and World Bank, said dealing with climate change will be a “collective action” problem and urged progress from Glasgow on ambitious but achievable mitigation targets for 2030, climate finance to build trust among developing countries bearing many of the worst impacts of climate change, and creating accountability for non-state actors like banking and other businesses. When asked about some of the internal problems that have plagued other high-profile environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, Bapna responded that equity and inclusion are vital to not only the work that groups do but also the way they do it. Diversity and inclusion were a major priority for Bapna while at WRI. “Clearly the issues of inclusion, equity, diversity, are absolutely critical both to how environmental organizations are run but also to the work that environmental organizations do,” Bapna told ME. “And clearly there’s a lot more work that needs to be done.”
STATE UPDATES
Topeka Capital-Journal: Fact check: Climate experts review 8 claims made by Kansas Sen. Mike Thompson at oil and gas convention
Jason Tidd, 8/23/21
“Do humans and carbon dioxide have no effect on climate change? Is science being weaponized, and are scientists comparable to Nazi propagandists? That's what one politician told the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association during its annual convention in Wichita last week,” the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. “Sen. Mike Thompson, a Republican from Shawnee, is the chair of the Senate utilities committee. He is also a retired meteorologist. The convention was held one week after the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report was released. International officials referred to its findings as a "code red for humanity." Following are eight claims Thompson made during a seminar on "The Weaponization of Climate Science" — and what the climate experts at the University of Kansas contacted by The Topeka Capital-Journal had to say in response.”
Colorado Sun: Nearly half of Colorado’s 52,000 wells produce little or no oil. Who’ll pay to plug them?
Mark Jaffe, 8/22/21
“Sticking out like a sore thumb in the otherwise bucolic, rolling pastures and fields of hay, sit four rusting oil tanks, “Out of Service” stenciled on their sides, along with a scattering of other weathered and unusable equipment,” the Colorado Sun reports. “For the better part of three years, Jon and Susanne Stephens have, without success, been trying to get Noble Energy to plug four wells the oil company has “temporarily” abandoned and remove the defunct equipment and underground flowlines from their land. The wells haven’t produced any oil or gas since 2017 and Noble says it will at some point remove the equipment from the fields near Milliken, in Weld County, and plug the wells. “We will notify you when this activity is eventually scheduled,” the company, which is now part of Chevron Corp., told the Stephenses’ attorney in an email. “When I was living in Iran, this was around the time of the fall of the shah of Iran, they had a saying he’d take the milk and leave the cow,” Jon Stephens, 83, told the Sun. “That’s how I feel about the oil companies. They take what they want and leave us to deal with the rest.” Low-producing and inactive wells, such as those in Stephenses’ fields, stipple Colorado and are a major focus of rulemaking to ensure there are enough operator funds to plug and remediate all of the nearly 52,000 oil and gas wells in the state. In 2020, there were 17,196 inactive wells – producing less than the equivalent of 1 barrel of oil a day, including 9,585 wells that produced no oil or gas at all. There were another 8,538 low-producing wells with an output of between 1 and 5 barrels a day, according to state data. Together the two categories – which were defined in a draft state rule – account for almost half of all the wells in Colorado.”
Sierra Club: Can Portland, Oregon, Stand Up to the Oil Industry?
By Nick Cunningham, 8/23/21
“In 2016, the city of Portland, Oregon, adopted a zoning ordinance that banned new fossil fuel storage facilities and terminals, a move that was viewed as groundbreaking climate policy at the time, aimed at halting the expansion of fossil fuels,” according to the Sierra Club. “In July 2020, Portland issued a “climate emergency declaration,” another step that seemed to position the city at the forefront of the strengthening climate movement. This summer, Portland finally has the chance to put words into concrete action. A crucial land-use permit for an oil-by-rail facility within city limits needs the approval of the city government. A rejection would deal a devastating setback to what has become a substantial fossil fuel operation, potentially leading to its eventual shutdown. Community activists have been pressuring the city council to reject the permit, showing up to town halls, leafleting Portland neighborhoods, holding webinars, and demonstrating downtown. A barrage of letters, emails, and phone calls have swamped city offices. Some protesters have even kayaked up to the oil terminal itself on the Willamette River. Dozens of neighborhood associations have come out against the permit. County officials and some representatives in the Oregon state legislature have joined the cause. A decision is expected before the end of August. Activists fear that the city, when given the chance to take on the fossil fuel industry with more than just words on paper, is on the verge of backing down over fears of a legal battle.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Canadian Press: Insurance industry seeks to limit fossil fuel exposure
Amanda Stephenson, 8/23/21
“With global climate change threatening to wreak havoc on their industry, insurance companies are increasingly looking to limit their exposure to the fossil fuel sector,” the Canadian Press reports. “This was not an issue that was central in the insurance sector, even 7 years ago,” Robin Edger, national director of climate change for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, told Bloomberg. “But now it is moving at light speed.” In the past three years, 23 major global insurance companies have adopted policies that end or limit insurance for the coal industry, and nine insurers have ended or limited insurance for the Canadian oilsands. Other insurance companies are making changes on the asset side of their books, divesting fossil fuel investments and adding green energy to their investment portfolios. In July, eight of the world's largest insurance companies - including Swiss Re, Zurich Insurance Group and Aviva - committed to transitioning their portfolios to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050… “But even in the U.S. and Canada, where the disclosure of fossil fuel holdings is not required, the issue is gaining momentum, Adesanya said. Manulife Financial, for example, has committed to assessing its own $411-billion portfolio with the goal of getting to net-zero by 2050. “For them (North American insurers) to just turn off the taps and stop investing right away, I don't see that happening,” Adesanya told Bloomberg. “But there's a trend that has started, and it will begin to ramp up.”
OPINION
Truthout: Methane Is Flaring Out of Control. Biden Administration, Congress Must Step In.
Leanna First-Arai, 8/21/21
“This summer, methane got a nickname that stuck. Climate scientists and policy analysts have been calling the greenhouse gas a “low-hanging fruit” for years, but the term seems to have caught on more broadly among world leaders, journalists and organizers, due in part to a major United Nations report on methane and the most dire Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment issued yet,” Leanna First-Arai writes for Truthout. “Methane is the second greatest contributor to the climate emergency after carbon dioxide, but unlike CO2, it only sticks around the atmosphere for about a decade. So cutting methane emissions drastically and immediately can have a sizable impact on keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius and thereby averting the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, such as global food shortage.In total, the oil and gas industry is responsible for over one-third of methane emissions, some of which occur through flaring and venting: the practice of burning off, or releasing unwanted methane gas in the process of drilling, pumping, transporting and refining fossil fuels… “The report concludes with a handful of actions state lawmakers and regulators could take to bring protocols in line with the regulatory agencies’ purported missions, including making all permitting data and enforcement actions publicly available online; updating Rule 32 such that it clearly identifies what justifications warrant a flaring permit or an emergency exemption; and creating an impartial panel free of oil and gas interests within the RRC to review all flaring permits.”
Truthout: Tech “Solutions” Are Pushed by Fossil Fuel Industry to Delay Real Climate Action
C.J. Polychroniou, 8/22/21
“This month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world authority on the state of Earth’s climate, released the first installment of its Sixth Assessment Report on global warming. It was signed off by 195 member governments. It spells out, in no uncertain terms, the stakes we are up against — and why we have no time to waste in taking dramatic steps to build a green economy,” C.J. Polychroniou writes in Truthout. “...Yet, in spite of all the dire climate warnings by IPCC and scores of other scientific studies, the world’s political and corporate leaders continue with their “business-as-usual” approach when it comes to tackling the climate crisis… “Unfortunately, there is a long history of technological promises to address the climate crisis, and the main result is delaying action towards decarbonization and a shift to clean energy, as researchers from Lancaster University have so convincingly argued in a published article in Nature Climate Change. As things stand, technological solutions to global warming are largely procrastination methods favored by the fossil fuel industry and its political allies. The carbon removal industry is still in its infancy, costs are extremely high, and the methods are unreliable. Nonetheless, both governments and the private sector are investing billions of dollars in the industry and attempts are being made to sell the idea to the public as a necessary step in avoiding a climate catastrophe… “In the U.S., Republican lawmakers have also been very aggressive in touting carbon capture and storage technologies since the introduction of the Green New Deal legislation by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Edward Markey in 2019. It all adds up. Relying on technology to attempt to meet climate targets at this stage of the game is meant to obstruct the world from moving away from the use of fossil fuels. If we emphasize those false “fixes,” we are simply quickening the pace of a complete climate collapse with utterly catastrophic consequences.”
Holland Sentinel: Citizens' Climate Lobby: Replacing natural gas with hydrogen
John Fulenwider, Citizens' Climate Lobby, 8/20/21
“Whether you are a climate change believer or denier, it’s clear that our planet is in the throes of worsening storms, heat waves, and sea level rise,” John Fulenwider writes in the Holland Sentinel. “...In the natural gas sector, the potential to transition to hydrogen is an emerging option. University of Texas professor Michael Webber cites several possibilities. He says: “Turbines can burn hydrogen to generate electricity for the grid, and internal combustion engines can burn it in heavy duty vehicles. Hydrogen in fuel cells can produce electricity for cars, homes or offices. Burning it or reacting it in Fuel Cells does not produce CO2.” There are engineering challenges yet to be faced in the construction of hydrogen pipelines. Replacing natural gas in a pipeline with pure hydrogen is problematic. Special pipeline alloys would be needed to transport gas with greater than 20 percent hydrogen to prevent embrittlement of the pipes. Also, leaked hydrogen does have a climate warming effect, but just a fraction of that of methane… “Transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen offers multiple climate and business advantages. By decarbonizing natural gas, we retain the gas infrastructure and with hydrogen we can reach the zero CO2 emissions goal.”