EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/26/22
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Trouble on pipeline’s path hits home for Manchin
Guardian: ‘It’s a deal with the devil’: outrage in Appalachia over Manchin’s ‘vile’ pipeline plan
Star Tribune: Dozens of Line 3 protesters in Minnesota still facing criminal prosecution
Aberdeen News: South Dakota politicians, candidates hear from constituents about carbon dioxide pipeline proposal
Tri States Public Radio: Landowners file opposition to carbon pipeline
Oelwein Daily Register: Fairbank resolution opposes pipeline
The Messenger: Navigator, IUB hold informational meeting
Morning Journal: Lorain County throws wrench in multi-million dollar tax settlement on NEXUS pipeline
Los Angeles Times: Pipeline operator reaches tentative settlement deal in O.C. oil spill lawsuits
Reuters: Work halted at NGTL pipeline system site in Alberta after injury -regulator
Bloomberg: Energy Transfer Owes Williams $75 Million More After Busted Deal
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Democrats clash over Manchin side deal, raising shutdown risk
East Bay Times: Bill aims to end Big Oil’s tax funded ‘climate misinformation’ campaigns
STATE UPDATES
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Portland adopts limits on fossil fuel terminals
Williston Herald: Inflation Reduction Act includes carbon credits Montana, North Dakota need
The Center Square: Abbott: EPA's attack on Permian Basin oil drilling 'illogical and flawed'
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Would protecting a rare bird in New Mexico threaten the state's oil and gas drilling?
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Fire at Whiting refinery—the Midwest's largest—threatens fuel supplies
OPINION
The Hill: To protect health, EPA must regulate methane emissions
Red Deer Advocate: Editorial: How the Pathways Alliance plans to help get to net-zero
National Review: Biden’s EPA Oversteps Authority to Target Oil and Gas Industry
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Trouble on pipeline’s path hits home for Manchin
Miranda Willson, Hannah Northey, Carlos Anchondo, 8/26/22
“Becky Crabtree dreamed of her daughter living next door when she purchased a tract of land in this rural community near the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. But those plans crumbled five years ago when Crabtree began battling the proposed Mountain Valley pipeline, a project Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is now attempting to help push through to completion,” E&E News reports. “The pipeline bisects Crabtree’s sheep pasture in southern West Virginia and the area where her daughter and son-in-law’s house would have been built… “To Manchin and other supporters of the 304-mile project, Mountain Valley exemplifies the nation’s inefficient and cumbersome permitting process, where pipelines and other critical energy projects are hindered by environmental opponents and permits revoked by the courts. But others who’ve followed Mountain Valley’s eight-year journey say it makes an argument for more robust environmental reviews for energy projects, not less strict ones, and showcases the delays that can occur when federal agencies cut corners… “The notion of Congress driving the completion of Mountain Valley has left Crabtree and other landowners feeling sidelined by their representatives… “We understand politics. We understand you give a little, you take a little,” Crabtree, a high school science teacher who’s running as a Democrat for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates, told E&E. “It doesn’t feel particularly good to be the sacrificial lamb for this particular deal.” “...We are certainly David and MVP is Goliath,” she told E&E. “But I believe that every inch of their construction will be met with resistance in one form or another.” “...The court rulings show the unique challenges around building such a large project through unforgiving terrain, Evan Hansen, president of Downstream Strategies, an environmental and economic consulting firm that’s studied the Mountain Valley pipeline, told E&E… “The fact that so many courts have overturned or delayed permitting decisions over the course of a number of years seems to bear that out,” Hansen told E&E. “That this isn’t just a question of radical environmental groups slowing down an infrastructure project because it’s the courts that have slowed down the project. “If their concerns weren’t valid, they would have been thrown out of court.”
Guardian: ‘It’s a deal with the devil’: outrage in Appalachia over Manchin’s ‘vile’ pipeline plan
Nina Lakhani in Monroe county, West Virginia and Oliver Milman in New York, 8/26/22
“Taking on the fossil fuel industry in West Virginia was always going to be a David v Goliath type battle, but after years of protests, lobbying and lawsuits, 68-year-old Becky Crabtree thought the community-led resistance had beaten the Mountain Valley pipeline (MVP) in a fair fight,” the Guardian reports. “So when news broke earlier in August that the state’s fossil-fuel friendly senator Joe Manchin had resurrected the beleaguered pipeline, Crabtree, a high school science teacher who teaches students about the climate crisis, felt “numb”... “It’s the unfairness that makes me so angry. It’s a deal with the devil,” Crabtree, 68, who owns a 30-acre sheep farm in Lindside, Monroe county, told the Guardian. The deal is a sweet one for the pipeline’s supporters. Democratic leaders agreed to advance separate legislation in September that would “require the relevant agencies to take all necessary actions to permit the construction and operation of the MVP and give the DC circuit jurisdiction over any further litigation”. “...Brett Hartl, a campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Guardian the side-deal was a “vile tribute” to the fossil fuel industry. “These companies are wrecking our climate and raking in record profits, and more federal help is the last thing they deserve.” Campaigners also warn that the slew of concessions will sacrifice another generation of Black, Latin, Indigenous and low-income communities, who will bear the brunt of air pollution, noise and displacement from the new projects… “Crabtree, who was arrested in 2018 after trying to stop construction on her property by chaining herself to her old Ford Pinto, told the Guardian: “I understand how compromises work, and I’m glad that we finally got some action on climate change. But our communities and the environment are being sacrificed for Manchin and his friends, and that’s painful.” “...Just because Joe Manchin wants to fast-track this fossil fuel infrastructure, the facts haven’t changed. The violations, inconsistencies and holes in the permitting are still there. This land is very vulnerable, the threat to our water supply hasn’t changed,” Howdy Henritz, 82, a clean-water advocate and small landowner in Greenville, Monroe county, who relies on spring water, told the Guardian. “Hearing the news was like getting sucker-punched. I will never vote for Manchin again.”
Star Tribune: Dozens of Line 3 protesters in Minnesota still facing criminal prosecution
Jennifer Bjorhus, 8/25/22
“In June 2021, Indigenous protesters and their allies occupied an Enbridge pump station in Clearwater County, some chaining themselves to equipment. Law enforcement moved in later and made arrests,” the Star Tribune reports. “The two activists were making their stand for the environment, latching themselves together inside one of the large pipes during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline in Minnesota. Prosecutors say what they were doing that day in July 2021 was criminal, even beyond what's typically charged after civil disobedience. St. Olaf College student Madeline Bayzaee and Amory Lei Zhou-Kourvo of Michigan were both charged with one count of felony aiding attempted suicide — each other's. They also face charges of felony obstruction of legal process and gross misdemeanor trespass on critical public service facilities… “The charges against Bayzaee and Zhou-Kourvo are among the approximately 200 criminal cases still open from the long series of Line 3 protests, one of the largest environmental actions in Minnesota history. Nearly 800 of several thousand demonstrators were charged with crimes, most of them stemming from protests during last year's construction. The prosecutions jammed county courthouses in northern Minnesota. About a fifth of the cases remain open, Marla Marcum, director of the nonprofit Climate Disobedience Center, told the Star Tribune… “The state's existing "critical public service facilities" statute deems pipeline trespass a gross misdemeanor. Even so, the charges leveled against Line 3 protesters last year were more severe than usual, legal advocates say. Minneapolis civil rights lawyer Jordan Kushner told the Tribune this is the first time he's seen civil disobedience protesters charged with felony theft or with aiding assisted suicide… “He accused prosecutors of overreach. Aitkin County Attorney Jim Ratz told the Tribune that's "patently false." The two protesters could have died in the pipe, he told the Tribune, and the charges are justified: "Their intent there was to die." “...Among the pending cases are three involving veteran Native rights activist Winona LaDuke, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the face of Line 3 opposition in Minnesota… “Bibeau and Glenn are challenging the trespass charges on multiple grounds including that they violated LaDuke's right to freedom of religion as well as her Treaty Rights to be on land ceded to the government by the Ojibwe. They also assert that the charges violate her due process and equal protection guarantees because officers acted "at the direction and behest" of Enbridge due to "financial incentives" created by the public safety escrow account.”
Aberdeen News: South Dakota politicians, candidates hear from constituents about carbon dioxide pipeline proposal
Elisa Sand, 8/25/22
“A private company's use of eminent domain for the development of a carbon dioxide pipeline is a big issue for Public Utilities Commission candidate Jeff Barth,” the Aberdeen News reports. “...In explaining eminent domain, Barth told the News it gives the government the ability to seize control of private land, often for the development of a highway. In the case of this pipeline, though, it would be used to benefit a private company. He sees the carbon dioxide pipeline as a chemical pipeline carrying a dangerous material. Barth is challenging incumbent commissioner Chris Nelson, who has served on the PUC since he was appointed and subsequently re-elected in 2011. "Chris Nelson is a nice guy, but he's a rubber stamp. I'm not going to be a rubber stamp," Barth told the News… “Barth told the News he's not going to approve a carbon dioxide pipeline just because it checks all the right boxes. There are concerns that insurance on a farm will no longer provide property coverage once the Summit line is installed and that landowners could be on the hook for repair costs if there's a break on their land after three years, he said… “Bruce Mack of Leola spent time working at the fair booth opposing eminent domain for private companies… "We want to get eminent domain shut down," Mack told the News. "If Summit can get this done through voluntary easements, go for it."
Tri States Public Radio: Landowners file opposition to carbon pipeline
Rich Egger, 8/25/22
“The group Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline has filed its formal opposition to the carbon capture project with the Illinois Commerce Commission,” Tri States Public Radio reports. “President John Feltham grows corn and soybeans on the Knox County farm that his family has owned for more than a century. Feltham has concerns about possible property damage from the pipeline. He said people should not be fooled by the company’s name – Heartland Greenway. “This is strictly a commercial venture. These people are not planning to build a 1,300 mile linear park with bike trails, picnic tables, and playground equipment for the kiddies,” he told TSPR. “They’re here to make money and they’re now seeking eminent domain authority in Illinois to take land from any reluctant landowner that gets in their way.” Feltham also has safety concerns. He pointed out the Three Mile Island reactor was built and operated by nuclear engineers, yet it failed. And he said no one has built and operated a carbon dioxide pipeline of this length. “All human systems fail. And if a carbon dioxide pipeline fails and you happen to live too close to it, you can be overcome and killed in your sleep without ever waking up,” Feltham told TSPR… “Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline is a not-for-profit group formed so that pipeline opponents could pool their money to pay for legal services. “The cost of legal proceedings at the Illinois Commerce Commission would be prohibitive for most individuals. So the only realistic way for people who own farmland, residential property, or who just live near the pipeline to reasonably be able to afford legal fees is to pool their money with others who are similarly situated,” Feltham told TSPR.
Oelwein Daily Register: Fairbank resolution opposes pipeline
MIRA SCHMITT-CASH, 8/23/22
“The City Council discussed then unanimously approved Monday a resolution pertaining to the proposed carbon dioxide capture pipeline slated to go north and east of Fairbank,” the Oelwein Daily Register reports. “It’s fairly new for this area,” Mayor Pro Tem Ron Woods said. “I think they’re putting the cart before the horse on the whole project,” Councilman Andrew Williams said. “They haven’t studied it enough to know what the major implications are.” “I feel personally it’s a bandaid solution to a bigger problem,” Councilwoman Tamara Erickson said. “I think there must be good money in it and that’s kind of why — it’s kind of a money grab,” Woods said. The resolution was done at direction of the city council on Aug. 8, and the city attorney revised it. It reads in part: “The City of Fairbank is aware that CO2 Pipelines are not currently properly regulated by the Federal Government; “The City of Fairbank does not possess local emergency response crews trained or the equipment for the maintenance or response for a CO2 Pipeline emergency ...”It concludes “that the City of Fairbank, Iowa does not support the construction of the proposed CO2 Pipeline near its municipal borders and expresses its non-support of the same, and requests any and all relevant municipalities, governments or local governmental entities be aware of the City of Fairbank’s position in regards to this matter.”
The Messenger: Navigator, IUB hold informational meeting
KELBY WINGERT, 8/26/22
“Area residents and landowners who would be impacted by a proposed carbon capture pipeline running through Webster County were given the opportunity to ask questions about the project to the company proposing the pipeline and the government board that will ultimately be responsible for approving the pipeline’s permit,” The Messenger reports. “...Around 150 people attended Thursday’s informational meeting at the Webster County Fairgrounds… “Now that Navigator has held a public informational meeting, they can start contacting landowners along the proposed route and attempt negotiations for right-of-way easements on their properties… “One landowner in attendance asked what if the crop yield loss extends past five years — would the landowner continue to be compensated?... “One landowner came up to the mic and asked the audience how many of them were against the pipeline proposal. About a third of those in attendance raised their hands. The subject of eminent domain was not prominent during Thursday’s meeting. Though, at one point, an attendee asked if there was a threshold of how many voluntary easements the company would need to obtain before asking the IUB to utilize eminent domain. Byrnes said there isn’t a threshold or minimum number of voluntary easements needed to ask for eminent domain on uncooperative landowners.”
Morning Journal: Lorain County throws wrench in multi-million dollar tax settlement on NEXUS pipeline
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK, 8/25/22
“Lorain County commissioners followed the advice of County Auditor Craig Snodgrass and voted to approve legislation that essentially blew up a tentative state tax property settlement with a natural gas company that affects 13 Ohio counties and could cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars,” the Morning Journal reports. “...The issue centers on the valuation of NEXUS pipeline, a natural gas line that runs through 256 miles of Ohio, and 13 counties, and has been the center of debate for three years. The state originally valued it at $1.6 billion before adjusting that figure to $1.2 billion after NEXUS filed what’s known as a valuation appeal. The higher the value of the gas line, the more money schools and other government agencies receive in funding from tax money collected in those areas where the gas line operates… “The county was expected to rake in $34 million in tax revenue from the gas line in its first five years of operation. But at the $950 million value, it would take in $7 million less in the same timeframe. Snodgrass said he was not comfortable with the deal. He said he wanted to know how the state and NEXUS determined the value of the pipeline… “To get those answers, he urged the commissioners to pass a resolution at a special Aug. 24 meeting allowing him to hire retain Sansoucy Associates, of Lancaster, N.H., “to provide valuation, valuation analysis, rebuttal, research and general consulting services with regards to the Nexus Gas Transmission Pipeline owned by DT Midstream and Enbridge.” “...By approving the hiring of Sansoucy, the terms and conditions of the settlement are voided, according to documents provided by NEXUS.”
Los Angeles Times: Pipeline operator reaches tentative settlement deal in O.C. oil spill lawsuits
LAURA J. NELSON, HANNAH FRY, 8/25/22
“The Texas company that operates the oil pipeline that sent at least 25,000 gallons of crude gushing into the waters off Southern California in a spill last fall has tentatively agreed to settle more than a dozen lawsuits brought by Orange County business owners and residents,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The chief executive of Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp., Martyn Willsher, did not disclose the terms of the settlement, but said in a statement Thursday that the proposed deal would be a “reasonable and fair resolution” to the disastrous spill… “The deal would resolve civil lawsuits filed in federal court by property owners, business owners and residents who said they suffered financial effects from the October spill. Those plaintiffs include Laguna Beach coastal property owners, a Huntington Beach surf school, a Seal Beach bait and tackle store, and several groups of fishing and seafood sales companies… “The attorneys, Wylie Aitken, Lexi Hazam and Stephen Larson, noted in the statement that their clients have not resolved their claims against the shipping companies that operate two container ships accused of dragging their anchors across the ocean floor and damaging the pipeline, leading to the spill… “In an interview with The Times, Aitken noted that the settlement agreement includes monetary and injunctive relief, and court order requiring certain actions on Amplify’s part… “Other entities, including the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, are still working to get reimbursed from Amplify for the cost of responding to the spill. The October 2021 oil spill disrupted activity along the coast for weeks and forced the cancellation of the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, one of the city’s most popular annual events. “It was devastating for businesses. It was devastating for folks who came out for the air show. It was devastating for the environment,” Huntington Beach Councilman Dan Kalmick told the Times of the oil spill. “There’s long-term impacts here so folks getting made whole is important.”
Reuters: Work halted at NGTL pipeline system site in Alberta after injury -regulator
8/26/22
“The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) said work was stopped at the TC Energy’s NGTL Edson Mainline work site near Caroline, Alberta, after it was notified of a serious, non-fatal injury on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “The NGTL System transports natural gas from Alberta and northeastern British Columbia and connects with TC Energy's Canadian Mainline, Foothills System, and other third-party pipelines. The system supplies natural gas produced in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin to markets in Canada and the United States.”
Bloomberg: Energy Transfer Owes Williams $75 Million More After Busted Deal
8/25/22
“Energy Transfer LP must cover $75 million in legal fees for the Williams Cos. attorneys who won a $410 million breakup fee over the collapse of a $33 billion merger between the two pipeline giants, a Delaware judge said Thursday,” Bloomberg reports. “Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III ruled in favor of Williams a second time, about eight months after he found in December that Dallas-based Energy Transfer—owned by billionaire Kelcy Warren—was responsible for walking away from the 11-figure deal. Glasscock, writing for Delaware’s Chancery Court, rejected Energy Transfer’s argument that the 15% contingency fee Williams agreed to pay its lawyers was incompatible with a merger agreement clause shifting the cost of any court dispute to the losing side… “The decision also resolved a second issue: Interest on the $410 million fee, dated from the time Energy Transfer scuttled the merger, should be compounded quarterly rather than simple, Glasscock found, again ruling in favor of Williams… “The judge also denied Energy Transfer’s request to have the interest tolled for the duration of the litigation, which was delayed first by an error on the part of a discovery vendor for Williams and then by the pandemic.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Democrats clash over Manchin side deal, raising shutdown risk
RACHEL FRAZIN, 8/26/22
“Liberal lawmakers are pressing Democratic leaders in the House to not include a side deal undercutting environmental reviews worked out with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in a short-term measure funding the government,” The Hill reports. “House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is circulating a letter asking leadership to separate the Manchin deal out from a continuing resolution that would temporarily avert a government shutdown. “Don’t attach it to a budget, to a CR, must-pass legislation and therefore take this essential Republican agenda and have Democrats pass it,” he told The Hill earlier this month. The issue is expected to come to a head in September, when lawmakers return from recess, as Democrats try to secure funding for the government and prevent a shutdown. The deal was part of the agreement Manchin made with Democratic leaders as they won his support for their now-passed climate, tax and health care bill… “That sets up a potential shutdown crisis if progressives block a funding bill over the inclusion of the permitting reform language and Democrats can’t find the votes elsewhere… “Grijalva acknowledged that it would likely be difficult for many members to vote against funding the government. “This is not trying to torpedo anything. This is saying the [continuing resolution] and the budget is critical, yes, but let’s do this other one where everybody is accountable,” he told the Hill. While Grijalva’s office declined to say Thursday how many lawmakers are signing his letter, at least a few others have signaled resistance to the deal. “If we want to streamline permitting for critically important projects that help solve the climate crisis there’s absolutely a conversation to be had and maybe a bill that would help with that, but this framework that came out of the smoke-filled room with Manchin and Schumer doesn’t work for me,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told The Hill. He also argued the standoff likely wouldn’t cause a shutdown, suggesting a clean measure known as a continuing resolution or “CR” could be approved to fund the government… “Democratic leaders would face a difficult choice between passing a clean continuing resolution and potentially angering Manchin; convincing their own members to shed their environmental concerns and back the Manchin side deal; or leaning on GOP votes to prevent a shutdown.”
East Bay Times: Bill aims to end Big Oil’s tax funded ‘climate misinformation’ campaigns
BROOKE STAGGS, 8/24/22
“Southern California Rep. Katie Porter wants to make it illegal for Big Oil, and all other companies, to get tax credits for any marketing that promotes the use of oil or gas,” the East Bay Times reports. “Calling credits for such ads “taxpayer-funded climate misinformation campaigns,” Porter, D-Irvine, says oil companies are pitching their products as “green” even when those products contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. “Big Oil has been lying to the American people for decades about the damage they’re causing our environment,” said Porter, who chairs the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. “It’s bad enough these corporations poison the planet; they shouldn’t get taxpayer dollars to cover it up.” The proposal is part of a larger push that’s drawn attention from the likes of the Securities and Exchange Commission to rein in so-called “greenwashing,” where companies capitalize on customers’ desire for more environmentally friendly products and services with little accountability for what’s behind those claims. Porter says, for example, that Chevron regularly markets its products as “green” but only spent 0.2% on renewable resources from 2010-2018… “Porter’s End Subsidies for Fossil Fuel Advertising Act would add marketing that encourages the “extraction, distribution, and consumption of oil and gas and their derivatives” to the list of business expenses that can’t be deducted. Public relations firms and consulting firms that offer “climate disinformation services on behalf of fossil fuel companies” are just one example, Porter’s office said… “There’s no official estimate for how much oil and gas companies deduct for such marketing efforts each year. But Porter’s team believes the deductions are worth “at least in the range of hundreds of millions,” judging by a 2012 story on election year ad spending alone. If the government got to keep that money, her office says it could go anywhere Congress chooses, including to offset new spending in other areas.”
STATE UPDATES
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Portland adopts limits on fossil fuel terminals
Todd Milbourn, 8/24/22
“The Portland City Council voted on Wednesday to limit the expansion of fossil fuel terminals in the city,” Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. “Mayor Ted Wheeler said the move will bolster Portland’s efforts to combat climate change and help safeguard the city in the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Dan Serres, the conservation director at Columbia Riverkeeper, called it “an important first step to protect the health, safety, and climate of Portland’s residents.” The zoning code change prohibits the construction of new fossil fuel terminals and prevents any of Portland’s existing 11 terminals from expanding… “The existing terminals are collectively referred to as the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub. The area — along the bank of the Willamette River in North Portland — houses about 90% of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel used in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Many of the tanks were built before scientists fully understood the region’s seismic vulnerability. The tanks stand atop soils researchers say would likely give way — or liquefy — during a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. A study commissioned by the City of Portland and Multnomah County in 2020 found between 95 million and 194 million gallons of fuel could be released in a major earthquake. The fuel would spew into the air as well as into the Willamette River, and cause $359 million to $2.6 billion in damages, the study found. The city passed a similar ordinance in 2016. Industry groups opposed the measure and appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court. The case eventually went to the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals, which ruled the city needed to modify the ordinance to be consistent with city land-use policies.”
Williston Herald: Inflation Reduction Act includes carbon credits Montana, North Dakota need
Renée Jean, 8/23/22
“The Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law includes some carbon credit sweeteners that both Montana and North Dakota, with their heavy coal production, can likely use to goose carbon capture projects in their states,” the Williston Herald reports. “The bill as passed by Congress also includes direct federal payments for co-ops that decide to implement new energy technologies such as carbon dioxide capture, as well as energy storage, which could help electric co-ops in both states find a way forward for their coal plants in a future low-carbon world… “The IRA also includes a $9.7 billion grant and loan program that was designed specifically for electric co-ops that buy or build new clean energy systems, including carbon capture. North Dakota’s flagship carbon dioxide capture project, called Project Tundra, is among potential beneficiaries of the carbon capture provisions in the IRA. The project plans to capture 90 percent of carbon dioxide from power production at the Milton R. Young Station near Center, North Dakota. Project Tundra will cost an estimated $1 billion. State officials have supported the project, hoping it will help extend the lifetime of its legacy coal power plants.”
The Center Square: Abbott: EPA's attack on Permian Basin oil drilling 'illogical and flawed'
Bethany Blankley, 8/23/22
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday criticized President Joe Biden’s “ongoing attack on the Permian Basin,” the most prolific shale oil basin in the U.S. located in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico,” The Center Square reports. “Abbott sent another letter to Biden Tuesday in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to “attack Texas production based on illogical and flawed grounds.” In June, he sent a letter urging Biden to stop the EPA’s plan to redesignate certain New Mexico and Texas counties in the Permian Basin as being noncompliant with a 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The EPA reenacted the standards after they’d been dropped by the Trump administration in 2017. The president didn’t respond to Abbott’s letter. Instead, the EPA said if it was advancing its action it would notify Abbott and solicit state input. It didn’t address any of the concerns raised in his letter… “The EPA’s plan could jeopardize a quarter of the U.S. gasoline supply, Abbott argues. It’s really designed to end fossil fuels, which would have detrimental impacts on Americans struggling with 40-year-high inflation and high gas prices, he said… “The EPA’s plan is “another example of regulatory overreach … that threatens American families and our nation’s energy security,” Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, told The Center Square. The Texas oil and natural gas industry already has been “actively implementing measures to identify and lower emissions,” Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, told The Center Square.
Carlsbad Current-Argus: Would protecting a rare bird in New Mexico threaten the state's oil and gas drilling?
Adrian Hedden, 8/25/22
“Republican congressional leaders including New Mexico’s U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell are fighting a proposal to provide federal protections to the lesser prairie chicken in multiple western states, arguing such government action would stymie oil and gas and other industries in the region,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “In June 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed designating the species as “endangered” in a southern population zone, encompassing southeast New Mexico and West Texas – the Permian Basin region known as the U.S.’ most active oilfield… “If either a listing as endangered or threatened was ultimately made, Herrell told the Argus it would prove damaging to the oil and gas industry in New Mexico, which is contained within her southern Second Congressional District, and a key driver of the state’s economy… “Herrell herself was recently named ranking member of the House Oversight Committee’s environmental subcommittee and is an ardent supporter of oil and gas and opponent of increased government regulations… “A listing would also have a negative impact on industries both vital to New Mexico’s economy and our national security like energy production and agricultural operations,” Herrell told the Argus.
EXTRACTION
Bloomberg: Fire at Whiting refinery—the Midwest's largest—threatens fuel supplies
8/25/22
“An outage at the largest Midwest refinery is raising wholesale fuel prices regionally just as the agricultural sector gears up for its busiest time of year,” Bloomberg reports. “BP PLC shut two crude units at its 435,000 barrel-a-day Whiting, Indiana, refinery after a fire Wednesday, Wood Mackenzie’s Genscape said. The fire occurred in the power house and caused a loss of cooling water, which could lead to damaged equipment, according to a person familiar with operations. A prolonged shutdown of the plant, which supplies gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to most of the region’s major distribution centers, could tighten fuel markets just as farmers in the nation’s breadbasket prepare for harvesting season. Diesel demand typically starts to rise this time of year because it’s used for heating and to fuel big machinery… “The units shut include Pipestill 12, the region’s largest crude unit with a capacity of 255,000 barrels-a-day, and the 70,000 barrel-a-day Pipestill 11A. Pipestill 12 processes as much as 90% heavy Canadian crude that’s piped in from the oil sands.”
OPINION
The Hill: To protect health, EPA must regulate methane emissions
Deborah P. Brown is the chief mission officer for the American Lung Association. Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong is a pediatrician and environmental public health specialist who currently works as a Medical Education Advisor for Mothers & Others for Clean Air, 8/24/22
“As public health and medical professionals, we are extremely concerned about how the environments where we live, work and play impact our health and well-being,” Deborah P. Brown and Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong write for The Hill. “...Across the U.S, one significant environmental factor affecting people’s health is how close they live to oil and gas wells. Oil and gas extraction and production leaks methane and other air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some VOCs can cause cancer, affect the nervous system, or cause birth defects. Burning methane also emits nitrogen oxides, which can also cause health harm. Additionally, when VOCs mix with nitrogen oxides, they contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone pollution. Exposure to ground-level ozone can cause damage to the lungs and increases the chances of premature death. It causes asthma attacks, aggravates other chronic lung diseases and pre-existing heart problems, as well as contributing to premature birth. Children are particularly vulnerable to both ozone and VOC pollution… “Given the health risks that result from oil and gas extraction and production, we were extremely encouraged to see that the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law on Aug. 16, includes a program aimed at incentivizing companies to take additional steps to reduce emissions across their operations… “The Methane Emissions Reduction Program is an exciting and necessary step in the fight to clean up air pollution — but in order to further reduce health consequences from air pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must also enact stronger regulations on methane… “EPA’s decision to implement (or not implement) strong emissions standards for new and existing oil and gas operations will have a tangible impact on your health, my health, as well as the health of our children and grandchildren. We urge them to prioritize vulnerable children and fenceline communities and swiftly strengthen their proposed rule — we have no time to waste.”
Red Deer Advocate: Editorial: How the Pathways Alliance plans to help get to net-zero
Kendall Dilling, President, Pathways Alliance, 8/25/22
“The world needs secure and affordable supplies of energy from peaceful, stable and responsible countries, such as Canada – as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has emphasized,” Kendall Dilling writes for the Red Deer Advocate. “This recognition of the strategic significance of Alberta’s responsibly produced oil and gas for North American energy security and the longer-term goal of meeting increased overseas demand is welcome news for Albertans. We have benefitted from the jobs and revenues created by the energy sector that pay for our roads, schools, hospitals and community improvements… “The goal of the Alliance is to work collaboratively among the member companies and with the federal and provincial governments to reduce our emissions by 22 million tonnes per year by 2030 and ultimately achieve our goal of net zero emissions from production by 2050. That includes a carbon capture and storage (CCS) network that could capture a stream of CO2 from as many as 20 oil sands facilities, gather it and deposit it permanently and safely deep underground in geological formations. It’s an ambitious vision developed by our team of experts, including the industry’s best engineers and scientists, who have looked at every opportunity to reduce oil sands emissions as fast as possible. However, in a recently released discussion paper, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is proposing an emissions-reduction timeline (42 per cent reduction from 2019 levels by 2030) that is unrealistic… “Given the substantial investments required over many years, and the cyclical nature of oil and gas prices, the Pathways plan cannot be achieved without significant collaboration and investment from governments as well. Although we might disagree on the pace, the federal government has recognized it can’t ask the private sector to reduce carbon emissions rapidly on its own if that will put us at a disadvantage compared to competitors in other countries whose governments are supporting the efforts of their industry. In the last federal budget, Canada provided support via a CCS investment tax credit (ITC) which will go a long way to making these reductions possible.”
National Review: Biden’s EPA Oversteps Authority to Target Oil and Gas Industry
CHRISTI CRADDICK, 8/26/22
“Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had overstepped its authority in trying to control how America generates electricity, the Biden administration’s EPA is using the same playbook to bypass the states and force oil and gas out of the market entirely,” Christi Craddick writes for the National Review. “This abuse of power -- and its impact on American families -- should concern all of us. Biden is unilaterally changing policy to force his “Green New Deal” on states and the American people, one way or another…”