EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/26/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Star Tribune: More than 1,000 protest Enbridge Line 3 at Minnesota Capitol
KSTP: Line 3 pipeline protesters gather at Minnesota Capitol
WCCO: Protesters Gather At State Capitol In Opposition Of Line 3 Pipeline
Facebook: MN350 [PHOTOS]: Big, big crowds at the Treaties Not Tar Sands rally happening now at the state capitol
Blue Virginia: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Releases Draft Recommendation to Approve Key State Water Permit for Controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline
Allegheny Front: FEDERAL PIPELINE AGENCY ISSUES WARNING LETTER TO SHELL FOR FALCON PROJECT
Financial Times: Oil and gas pipeline groups attempt reinvention with carbon capture plans
Reuters: Spire could get more time to operate Missouri STL natgas pipeline -analysts
KPHO: Pinal County cotton farmer concerned over exposed petroleum pipeline
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Progressives eye halt to ANWR drilling in reconciliation bill
Politico Morning Energy: LOBBYING MONEY IS POWER
Politico Morning Energy: DIGGERS DON’T DIG OIL AND GAS
EXTRACTION
Calgary Herald: CNRL to require rapid tests for unvaccinated oilsands workers
Canadian Press: Imperial to produce renewable diesel at refinery near Edmonton using locally grown crops
RESEARCH & SCIENCE
Associated Press: Recommendations target US oil, gas leasing across the West
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Insurers Need to Accelerate Exit From Oil & Gas Industry to Meet Climate Goals: Report
Press release: Macalester College Divests From Oil and Natural Gas in Response to Student Activism Against the Line 3 Pipeline
DeSmog: Central Banks Helping Funnel Trillions of Dollars into Fossil Fuels Despite Climate Pledges, Research Finds
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Detroit Lakes Online: Mahnomen and Waubun superintendents say Enbridge grant will greatly improve broadband accessibility, affordability
OPINION
The Hill: Joe Biden and the last tar sands pipeline
Nature: Control methane to slow global warming — fast
PIPELINE NEWS
Star Tribune: More than 1,000 protest Enbridge Line 3 at Minnesota Capitol
Zoë Jackson, 8/25/21
“Indigenous leaders and anti-pipeline activists gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol in protest Wednesday as construction on Enbridge's Line 3 nears completion,” the Star Tribune reports. “Opponents of the controversial Line 3 planned a series of Treaties Not Tar Sands demonstrations that began Monday at the Capitol in St. Paul. Wednesday's protest called on Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to halt construction of the 340-mile pipeline, which will carry oil from Canada to Superior, Wisconsin. At least 1,000 people gathered on the Capitol grounds Wednesday afternoon, where protesters young and old danced on the lawn, some holding signs that read "Break free from fossil fuels" and "Honor the treaties." “...In a statement, Enbridge said it has "demonstrated an ongoing respect for tribal sovereignty." The company said that with its new route for Line 3, it purposely avoided crossing the White Earth and Fond du Lac reservations, which currently host all six Enbridge pipelines across Minnesota. The Fond du Lac band fought hard against new Line 3. But once the PUC approved it, the band allowed the new pipeline to cross its land on the current Line 3 route, getting an undisclosed amount of compensation from Enbridge in return. Pipeline opponents argue that the new pipeline still crosses lands where they have treaty rights to hunt, gather and fish.”
KSTP: Line 3 pipeline protesters gather at Minnesota Capitol
Rebecca Omastiak, 8/25/21
“Wednesday, hundreds of protesters gathered amid a four-day event calling on state and federal leaders to stop the progress of Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline,” KSTP reports. “The number of people in attendance was approximated by the organizers of the event. Protesters were gathering for the "Treaties not Tar Sands Rally to Stop Line 3" at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. "I think my whole life and my whole history is defined by water," Karen Goulet, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe who is helping to lead the rally, said in a statement. "We are here for healing and prayer, and to shift the paradigm. We want to make a difference for the land, and for the water." Organizers said tipis were erected across the capitol lawn as part of the rally. Meanwhile, St. Paul police reported protesters marched toward the capitol Wednesday afternoon.”
WCCO: Protesters Gather At State Capitol In Opposition Of Line 3 Pipeline
Caroline Cummings, 8/25/21
“Hundreds of people who descended on St. Paul Wednesday to oppose Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline were met with a heightened security presence of state patrol officers lining the barricade around the building,” WCCO reports. “Nancy Beaulieu, one of the event’s organizers and a co-founder of the RISE Coalition, joined others to speak out against the project’s construction, a years-long effort that opponents say intrudes on Indigenous lands and harms the environment. “We’re saying right now today and every day after that this is not acceptable and we’re going to keep showing up and asserting our treaty rights until we’re heard,” she said. But having a fence around the capitol, she said, feels like an affront. “This is our house—all of our houses. We belong here, especially the Native people,” Beaulieu said. “To see this is really oppression on behalf of the state of Minnesota.”
Facebook: MN350 [PHOTOS]: Big, big crowds at the Treaties Not Tar Sands rally happening now at the state capital
8/25/21
“Big, big crowds at the Treaties Not Tar Sands rally happening now at the state capital, including Winona LaDuke who rightly said: “I’m not a criminal. I’m a water protector. Enbridge is the criminal.” There's time to join us; we'll be out all afternoon and evening, asking for the Army Corps of Engineers to rescind Line 3 permits and conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement.”
Blue Virginia: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Releases Draft Recommendation to Approve Key State Water Permit for Controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline
From Food & Water Watch, 8/25/21
“Today, after the better part of a decade of pushback from local and national groups urging ruling bodies to stop the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a draft recommendation to approve a key state water permit that would allow the project to move forward. Environmental and social justice groups decry the DEQ’s draft ruling, which was expedited in recent months, and which ignores a recent EPA recommendation arguing for the permits to be denied… “Earlier this summer, the EPA recommended against issuing a key water permit for the project, citing insufficient information and serious threats to waterways. The DEQ’s draft ruling disregards that July recommendation to the Army Corps of Engineers, but fails to provide sufficient reasoning as to why the project might not pose a threat to waterways as the EPA had found. “This is a sad day for the community and all that is affected by the proposed pipeline,” said 7 Directions of Service Co Founder, Crystal Cavalier-Keck… “In tandem with the draft ruling, DEQ has opened a public comment period that runs from August 28th until October 13. The agency will also host public hearings on the project on September 27th and 28th in Rocky Mount and Radford respectively with no official indication of a remote participation option. The ultimate decision on the key MVP permit will fall with the State Water Control Board, who will vote on the VWP Permit after reviewing DEQ’s draft permit and public comments.”
Allegheny Front: FEDERAL PIPELINE AGENCY ISSUES WARNING LETTER TO SHELL FOR FALCON PROJECT
REID FRAZIER, 8/25/21
“The federal agency in charge of pipeline safety issued a July 16 warning letter to Shell for safety problems on a pipeline that will feed its Beaver County ethane cracker,” Allegheny Front reports. “In August 2020, inspectors from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) examined a section of the Falcon pipeline, which will carry natural gas liquids to the plant. The agency alleged Shell committed two “probable violations” by failing to place pipeline sections at a construction site in Beaver County on protective padding. The maximum penalty allowed under the law would have been $225,134 per violation, per day. However, the agency chose not to issue a fine. Instead, it ordered the company to correct the alleged deficiencies. In a letter to PHMSA, Shell says the two infractions were isolated, and that it’s inspected the 97-mile pipeline, which goes through Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, multiple times. This included one final inspection, known as a “jeep,” before the entire length was lowered into the ground. It says it will perform a full safety check on the line in two years, ahead of the five years mandated by federal regulations. The pipeline had previously been the subject of scrutiny from PHMSA in a separate case. A whistleblower complaint in 2019 alleged contractors working on the pipeline used defective corrosion coatings. But PHMSA ended that investigation — which was not related to the recent warning letter — without issuing any penalties against Shell.”
Financial Times: Oil and gas pipeline groups attempt reinvention with carbon capture plans
Justin Jacobs, 8/25/21
“The US oil and gas pipeline industry is looking for new opportunities to lay steel in the ground with pipes that carry the carbon dioxide produced when fossil fuels are burnt,” the Financial Times reports. “The midstream energy sector has clashed with climate campaigners who oppose pipeline projects as infrastructure that locks in greenhouse gas emissions. Wall Street is pushing the industry to show how it will adapt to demands for a lower-carbon world. In response, pipeline operators are pointing to their potential as a link in carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems, in which CO2 emissions are trapped in underground reservoirs where they can be kept out of the atmosphere. Pipelines would move CO2 from industrial flues to the reservoirs. “It’s hard to see how climate objectives are met without pretty widespread carbon capture and sequestration,” Steven Kean, chief executive of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest US pipeline companies, recently told analysts. “We think we’ve got the expertise on the pipeline side of it.” “... A July report from the Biden administration’s Council on Environmental Quality said that a CCS industry large enough to help meet the country’s goal of “net zero” emissions by 2050 could require 68,000 miles of new CO2 pipelines at a cost of as much as $230bn. That is roughly comparable to US liquid fuel pipeline mileage built since 2000, a boom time for the oil industry… “Many environmentalists see CCS as a fossil-fuel industry boondoggle and distraction from expanding renewable power and other zero-carbon technologies. Doubts have been underscored by failures of high-profile projects such as Petra Nova, a CCS-fitted coal-fired power plant in Texas that shut down last year. The $1bn project had received a $195m grant from the US government.“
Reuters: Spire could get more time to operate Missouri STL natgas pipeline -analysts
8/25/21
“U.S. natural gas company Spire Inc (SR.N) will likely get more time to keep its STL pipeline in Missouri operating, analysts said, after the environmental group that won a court decision requiring the pipe's shutdown urged the court to reject Spire's request for a rehearing,” Reuters reports. “Spire has warned that the shutdown of the 65-mile (105-km) pipeline could cause gas outages for as many as 400,000 in St. Louis during peak cold conditions this winter… “In June, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the certificate for the roughly $285 million Spire STL pipeline issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2018. The panel ruled that FERC adopted an "ostrich-like approach" when it found a market need for the line despite only one gas supplier, an affiliate of the line's operator, committing to use it. Spire asked FERC in July for emergency authorization to keep the pipe operating to avoid gas shortages this winter. Spire also asked the D.C. Circuit to reconsider its ruling… "We continue to think FERC is likely to allow Spire STL to continue to operate on a temporary/emergency basis," analysts at ClearView Energy Partners LLC said in a note on Wednesday.
KPHO: Pinal County cotton farmer concerned over exposed petroleum pipeline
CARISSA PLANAL, 8/25/21
“A pipeline runs along the edge of a cotton farm in Picacho could be a hazard to the environment and people who live and work in the area,” KPHO reports. “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” Jack Dixon told KPHO as he points to the visible pipeline. He tells KPHO Kinder Morgan installed a petroleum pipeline on the edge of his cotton farm years ago, and he’s had problems with it since day one. “They just kind of went through and started tearing stuff up,” says Dixon. Dixon accuses Kinder Morgan of breaking a dyke with the heavy machinery used to install the pipe. He says the destruction didn’t stop there. “Couple of years later, it rains. Sure enough, it washes all of that out, floods my whole farm, costing us probably $800,000 worth of damage they did,” says Dixon. “I don’t have the money to fight them in court. That’s all there is to it, so basically, they don’t care.” Today the pipeline is visible after erosion and severe storms. Dixon told KPHO Kinder Morgan contractors have come out to cover the exposed pipeline in the past, but they do shoddy work. Dixon says the dirt just washes away. The soil is so soft, farmers in the area have a word for it. “They call it sugar dirt,” says Dixon. “A little bit of water, and it just melts.” Earlier this month, an incident involving a Kinder Morgan pipeline left two people dead in Coolidge. Luis Alvarez and his teen daughter Valeria were killed in a natural gas line explosion. Valeria’s mother, Rosalina, was hospitalized with severe burns on half her body. Dixon fears a tragedy like the one in Coolidge could happen in Picacho if Kinder Morgan does not properly bury the pipeline on his property. “Just do your job,” says Dixon. “If it had been your family that got killed, it would be a little bit different.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: Progressives eye halt to ANWR drilling in reconciliation bill
Emma Dumain, 8/25/21
“Congressional Democrats and their environmentalist allies are increasingly confident they’ll be able to stop drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the reconciliation process,” E&E News reports. “...On the House side, the effort is being championed by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, who has sponsored legislation to stop ANWR lease sales slated for 2024… “Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, told E&E there is “strong support from leadership and from key allies on the Hill, so we’re optimistic it will be included.” This push comes as environmental groups and congressional Democrats are also pursuing a host of other reforms to the government’s oil and gas drilling program, including increasing century-old royalty rates for onshore federal leases and strengthening bonding requirements — the amount that oil companies must secure in order to drill for federal minerals. The League of Conservation Voters, alongside NWF, was among the 33 groups that signed a letter to House and Senate leaders Monday night calling for reconciliation to address these policies… “The panel’s Senate counterpart, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, could be a harder sell. Across the Capitol, Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) could feel obliged to keep the provision out of his piece of the reconciliation package as a favor to his close friend, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who four years ago authored the language allowing ANWR leasing to commence.”
Politico Morning Energy: LOBBYING MONEY IS POWER
Matthew Choi, 8/25/21
“As the oil and gas industry became dominated by fewer, bigger companies, those firms spent more on lobbying the federal government, according to new research out today by anti-monopoly group American Economic Liberties Project,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “The study takes a deep dive into the tech, pharmaceutical and oil and gas industries, looking at how the number of companies in the market impacts lobbying over time. (Fair warning for the less math-inclined: there are a lot of graphs and equations). The results show a strong correlation between lobbying dollars and the concentration level, meaning that while the industry shrunk in terms of the number of companies, the amount of money spent to influence the government rose. Since 1998, oil and gas companies have spent nearly $2 billion dollars on federal lobbying, when adjusted for inflation. The industry comes in fifth place, spending $126 million in 2017. Study author Reed Showalter, now of Kanter Law Group, the law firm started by Justice Department antitrust nominee Jonathan Kanter, acknowledged that lobbying in itself is not bad. “But as industries become more consolidated, they don’t spend resources on competing with each other. They turn their eyes to rent-seeking and government influence,” he told Politico. “That’s not the goal of what we want businesses in America doing.”
Politico Morning Energy: DIGGERS DON’T DIG OIL AND GAS
Matthew Choi, 8/25/21
“A century of oil and gas development has significantly changed the Southwest landscape, and changes in how the Interior Department leases and regulates extraction are necessary to protect archaeological and cultural sites, the nonprofit group Archaeology Southwest argues in a new report,” according to Politico Morning Energy. “While individual sites are easier to protect, "it is the larger, connected ancient and historic landscapes that are some of the most significant—and at-risk—resources on our public lands," wrote archaeologist Paul F. Reed, a longtime critic of oil and gas development’s archaeological impacts in Chaco Canyon. Recommendations include: Proactively removing sensitive areas from leasing zones before sales; review previously leased lands for "enhanced rehabilitation"; "meaningfully consult" with tribes earlier in the process and truly hear their concerns; and develop new guidelines that consider holistic preservation analyses of "soundscapes and viewsheds." Reed told Politico he is "optimistic" that many of these issues will be addressed in the Biden administration's forthcoming review of the program.” Coming soon? Brian Vallo, governor of the Pueblo of Acoma, told reporters on Tuesday that a meeting is being planned between tribal leaders and the Biden administration "and this will likely be one of those central issues that will be discussed during this gathering."
EXTRACTION
Calgary Herald: CNRL to require rapid tests for unvaccinated oilsands workers
Jason Herring, 8/25/21
“In a memo sent to workers and contractors Tuesday and obtained by Postmedia, a CNRL executive announced all employees, contractors and service providers on-site at the company’s Horizon and Albian camps will be required to undergo rapid testing to gain access to the workplace if fewer than 14 days have passed from their final vaccine shot,” the Calgary Herald reports. “The policy comes into effect Friday. It applies to anyone who is not fully immunized or who is unwilling to disclose their vaccination status. The testing will take place before flights to the camps at the Calgary or Edmonton international airports, and at the access gates at the Horizon and Albian sites… “Both CNRL sites subject to the mandate saw significant COVID-19 outbreaks during the virus’s third wave. Horizon has been linked to 1,630 total cases since early October 2020, while Albian has been linked to 351 total cases since the same month. Six workers at the sites died from the virus. Though each site currently has fewer than 10 active cases, the CNRL policy comes amid a surging fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in Alberta driven by the ultra-contagious Delta variant, as well as an increasing willingness by companies to impose vaccine mandates on their staff and patrons.”
Canadian Press: Imperial to produce renewable diesel at refinery near Edmonton using locally grown crops
8/25/21
“Imperial Oil Ltd. plans to build a renewable diesel complex at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton,” the Canadian Press reports. “Imperial says the facility will be the largest of its kind in Canada. It will use blue hydrogen and locally grown crops to produce low-carbon diesel fuel. The facility will produce up to 1 billion litres per year of renewable diesel. Imperial says that could mean a 3 million tonne reduction in annual C02 emissions from the Canadian transportation sector. Imperial says moving ahead with the project will depend on market conditions and government support. It says it's in partnership discussions with the governments of Alberta and B.C. Imperial is not disclosing a price tag for the project. It says production could start in 2024.”
RESEARCH & SCIENCE
Associated Press: Recommendations target US oil, gas leasing across the West
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, 8/24/21
“An Indigenous leader from New Mexico and former U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt called on the federal government Tuesday to overhaul its oil and gas leasing program to ensure the protection of cultural resources, saying for far too long tribal expertise has been ignored to the detriment of sacred landscapes,” the Associated Press reports. “Acoma Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo and Babbitt highlighted recommendations outlined in a new report that looks at the government’s leasing policies and how they have been implemented across the West over several decades. It seeks ways to better protect areas including Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. The recommendations are centered on how land managers can incorporate tribal expertise into decision-making to better understand what resources could be at risk before permitting and development begins. They also call for the Bureau of Land Management to take a lead role in determining which areas can be developed rather than industry nominated parcels for drilling. “...Paul Reed, an archaeologist and Chaco scholar who prepared the report, told AP the current approach prioritizes development over preservation and that the federal government has failed to consult with tribes. Vallo echoed those concerns. Even though tribal consultation occurs, he said federal policies and processes are not necessarily designed to incorporate the recommendations of Indigenous communities. “Until we have some equity here and until we see that our voice and our recommendations and our knowledge is considered in decision-making, we will not have achieved the government-to-government or nation-to-nation relationship that we should all be working towards,” Vallo told AP. According to his report, the 12 western states have more than 1.65 million archaeological, historical and traditional cultural sites in their respective management databases. He also notes that no more than 15% of any Western state has been surveyed, meaning there are more cultural resources out there.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Insurers Need to Accelerate Exit From Oil & Gas Industry to Meet Climate Goals: Report
By Tim Quinson, 8/26/21
“For the insurance industry to fulfill its stated commitment to combat climate change, it may want to accelerate its efforts to exit the oil and gas industry,” Bloomberg reports. “To date, just one insurer has promised to take “significant action” in this regard, according to analysts at Societe Generale SA. Australia’s Suncorp was the first to announce it would no longer provide coverage for all new oil and gas production projects. While insurers (23 in all) have moved to end their underwriting of coal-related activities, they have been slow to act on oil and gas. That’s mainly because the insurance market for those fossil fuels is considerably larger, with estimated premiums of more than $17 billion in 2018, compared with $6 billion for coal power, Peter Bosshard, program director at the Sunrise Project and global coordinator of Insure Our Future (IOF), told Bloomberg. Reducing exposure to oil and gas has to be the next environmental objective for the insurance industry, Nick Holmes, the London-based head of the insurance research team at SocGen, told Bloomberg. “Oil and gas accounts for 55% of all global carbon dioxide emissions unrelated to land-use such as deforestation, compared with 40% for coal, according to a group called Global Carbon Atlas.”
Press release: Macalester College Divests From Oil and Natural Gas in Response to Student Activism Against the Line 3 Pipeline
8/25/21
“In a statement released on Monday, Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota announced their intentions to “divest of all dedicated, publicly traded oil and gas assets, including all shares of Enbridge, Inc.” and to “adopt a college investment policy that prohibits new investments that are solely invested in oil and gas assets.” The decision was made in response to a student proposal submitted to the college’s leadership in February of 2021, which called on the Board of Trustees to divest from Enbridge Energy in protest of the Line 3 tar sands pipeline. Students have been campaigning for fossil fuel divestment at Macalester since 2012. Although the college made some initial commitments in 2019, this week’s announcement is a substantial financial commitment and makes Macalester college the school with the most assets intentionally divested from fossil fuels in Minnesota, followed by St Olaf College. The college divestment movement has made major gains since it began in 2012, with dozens of colleges across the US and abroad having divested from coal, oil, and natural gas… Reflecting on the Board’s decision, Emma Harrison, class of 2021, said, “We submitted this proposal in February, during the early days of construction. I’m disappointed to see the college come to a decision so late and I’m heartbroken to see Line 3 construction nearing completion. But Macalester’s decision is still a commitment that challenges the financing of pipelines like Line 3, Trans Mountain, DAPL, and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and none of these resistance campaigns are over yet.”
DeSmog: Central Banks Helping Funnel Trillions of Dollars into Fossil Fuels Despite Climate Pledges, Research Finds
Theodore Whyte, 8/25/21
“Central banks are continuing to help channel trillions of dollars into fossil fuels through policy decisions and direct financing, with overall sums rising in recent years, a new report has found,” DeSmog reports. “None of the twelve banks examined are on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets despite many of them recently pledging to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the US-based environmental organisation Oil Change International (OCI) said. The report calls on governments to update the mandates of the banks to support the managed decline of fossil fuels… “The report looked at 12 central banks from the UK, US, European Union, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia and Switzerland. It analysed three key functions of central banks to make its conclusions: asset management; rules and support for commercial banks for financing fossil fuels; and policy and research that could guide decision making in the future. Some central banks have taken steps to increase their transparency and reporting of climate related risks, but the report says this has been overshadowed by a failure to reduce financial flows to the fossil fuel industries, at an estimated $3.8 trillion in the four years following the Paris Agreement. Financial flows are also increasing to projects linked to the exploration and development of new fossil fuel resources, indicating that central banks are not using their influence as regulators of commercial banks to stem the flow of capital to polluting activities.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Detroit Lakes Online: Mahnomen and Waubun superintendents say Enbridge grant will greatly improve broadband accessibility, affordability
Vicki Gerdes, 8/25/21
“When Enbridge announced last Thursday, Aug. 21, that the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth and Mahnomen-Naytahwaush school districts would be the recipients of a $366,000 grant for enhanced broadband access and affordability, it was the culmination of a months-long collaboration between the three entities,” Detroit Lakes Online reports. "They reached out to us at the end of the (2020-21) school year," Mahnomen Superintendent Jeff Bisek told DL, noting that both districts already had a relationship with Enbridge that was established during an earlier grant application process. "Whenever Enbridge is working in your area, they have a kind of community outreach program where they try to invest in the community," explained Waubun Superintendent Lisa Weber. Enbridge had reached out to both districts in 2020, asking if they had any COVID-19 related needs for things like personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. Both districts then wrote successful grant requests for those items.”
OPINION
The Hill: Joe Biden and the last tar sands pipeline
Winona LaDuke is the co-founder and executive director of the Indigenous-led environmental justice non-profit, Honor the Earth, 8/25/21
“Native Americans stood for then-candidate Joe Biden and we helped him get elected. Now it’s time for him to end what seems like an ongoing war against tribal nations,” Winona LaDuke writes in The Hill. “Our sacred rivers are drying, the Mississippi State Headwaters Forest is scorched, the skies are red and smokey, meanwhile, the United Nations (U.N.) has just issued a “code red for humanity.” About 800 people have been arrested in northern Minnesota, and Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, has seven oil pipes in that region. The construction of these pipelines is threatening to burn our wild rice and to destroy our delicate wetlands as we speak. This is our land. We have no place to move. President Biden needs to step up for democracy, for Native Americans and for Mother Earth. He needs to stop Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline. It stands to impact the Anishinaabe people and others who live in the north of the state... “If Biden values our democracy and truly wants to safeguard the environment, he will stop this madness. Over 68,000 people testified against this pipeline and less than 4,000 for it. Now Line 3 opponents — Water Protectors — are going to jail, including me… “Biden failed us on Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), 28 percent of which is owned by Enbridge; in its last move, it succeeded in getting oil into that pipe, with a flawed federal environmental impact statement — and it ignored a federal court ordering DAPL to shut down. In the case of Line 3, we have had no federal environmental review — only a rubber stamp. For the Native people who rocked the vote for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who drove people hundreds of miles to the polls for them, we deserve better. It’s time to send the Canadians back to Alberta and their scorched-earth tar sand oil pits and take care of the home team.”
Nature: Control methane to slow global warming — fast
Editorial, 8/25/21
“There’s no substitute for eliminating fossil fuels and halting the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to avoid the painful and disruptive effects of global warming,” begins an Editorial published by Nature. “...Methane is of concern because it has an outsized impact on the climate. The gas makes up a tiny fraction of our atmosphere — CO2 levels are more than 200 times higher. But in the first 20 years after release, methane is around 80 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere. It also breaks down much more quickly than CO2, with an average lifetime of around a decade, compared with centuries for CO2. This means that curbing methane emissions could provide short-term relief while governments and businesses negotiate the more difficult transition from fossil fuels to clean energy… “Global methane emissions could be cut by 57% by 2030 using existing technologies, Ocko and her colleagues report. And almost one-quarter of the global methane total could be eliminated at no net cost. The oil and gas industry could make the biggest difference here, having both the infrastructure and the incentive to minimize methane losses: more methane in their pipelines means more revenue… “The world will continue to warm as long as CO2 is being pumped into the atmosphere. But curbing emissions of methane and other powerful greenhouse gases might reduce the sting. That is why governments and businesses should seize the opportunity, buying humanity a bit more time to do what needs to be done.”