EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 8/7/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota regulators reject permit for Summit CO2 pipeline; Summit intends to reapply
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners, Farmers, Property Rights Advocates Praise North Dakota Public Service Commission’s Rejection of Summit Carbon Pipeline Permit
AgWeek: North Dakota denies Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline permit
KFYR: CO2 pipeline permit denied
Des Moines Register: North Dakota denies Summit pipeline permit; opponents call for delaying Iowa hearing
Iowa Capital Dispatch: North Dakota denies Summit Carbon a pipeline permit
NWestIowa.com: 'It is a war' on CO2 pipelines, King says
Sioux Falls Argus Leader: PUC analyst withholding recommendation on Navigator pipeline
South Dakota Searchlight: Farmers voice concern about accidental damage to proposed carbon pipeline
South Dakota Searchlight: Contrasting safety views aired at CO2 pipeline permit hearing
WCAV: Company ordered to take corrective measures following pipeline failure
Reuters: Canada guarantees up to $2.2 billion in fresh loans to Trans Mountain expansion project
BIV: Construction of FortisBC's Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline set to begin in Squamish
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: House Dem Leaders Endorse Pro-Oil And Gas Colleague
Associated Press: After Helping Prevent Extinctions For 50 Years, The Endangered Species Act Itself May Be In Peril
InsideClimate News: ‘Halliburton Loophole’ Allows Fracking Companies to Avoid Chemical Regulation
STATE UPDATES
Sacramento Bee: Can gas plants be climate friendly? Yuba City carbon capture project wants to be the nation’s first
E&E News: In DeSantis’ Fla., schools get OK for climate-denial videos
Washington Post: The Montana youths behind a historic climate lawsuit, and the places they love
EXTRACTION
The New Yorker: What Should You Do with an Oil Fortune?
Manufacturing Drive: Walmart partners with biotech firm to reduce manufacturing emissions
OPINION
Courier Journal: Letter: LG&E is deaf to public outcry opposing its pipeline through Bernheim Forest
Des Moines Register: Opinion: Carbon capture is a responsible solution for Iowa
New York Times: As the Planet Bakes, Big Oil’s Support for Clean Energy Is Still Well Short of What’s Needed
PIPELINE NEWS
Bismarck Tribune: North Dakota regulators reject permit for Summit CO2 pipeline; Summit intends to reapply
JOEY HARRIS and DAVID VELÁZQUEZ, 8/4/23
“North Dakota regulators on Friday rejected a route permit for a regional carbon dioxide pipeline that has been opposed by some landowners and public officials in several counties, and in some other states,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The unanimous vote by the three-member Public Service Commission comes after five public hearings over the course of four months earlier this year that drew large crowds comprised mostly of people who spoke against Summit Carbon Solutions' $5.5 billion Midwest Carbon Express project. Iowa-based Summit “failed to meet its burden of proof to show the location, construction, operation and maintenance of the project will produce minimal adverse effects on the environment and upon on welfare of the citizens of North Dakota,” Commission Chair Randy Christmann said. Summit in a statement said it "respects the decision by the North Dakota Public Service Commission, and we will revisit our proposal and reapply for our permit." “...The commission cited several reasons for its decision. They included that Summit had not adequately addressed how the project would impact sensitive areas including cultural sites, some wildlife areas and unstable geological areas. The PSC in its order also said that Summit “has not taken the steps to address outstanding legitimate impacts expressed by landowners during the public comment or demonstrated why a reroute is not feasible.” The commission also found that Summit did not properly address concerns related to future property values and development, which was a primary concern of local developers who hope to build properties to the north and east of Bismarck… “The company might also face a North Dakota investigation into whether the project has foreign investors that are prohibited under new state laws… “Several groups that advocate for landowners and the environment issued a joint statement praising the PSC decision. The Bold Alliance, Domina Law Group and Dakota Resource Council called the Summit project a “pipeline to nowhere,” with the North Dakota portion leading to the disposal site rejected… “They have to show that there’s a necessity for it; if you don’t have a pipeline that gets CO2 to a storage area you don’t need a storage area,” landowner attorney Derrick Braaten told the Tribune.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners, Farmers, Property Rights Advocates Praise North Dakota Public Service Commission’s Rejection of Summit Carbon Pipeline Permit
8/4/23
“Landowners who are facing the seizure of their property via eminent domain for Summit Carbon’s proposed CO2 pipeline project in North Dakota and across the Midwest praised the North Dakota Public Service Commission’s unanimous decision issued on Friday to reject Summit’s permit application for a route in the state of North Dakota. “When advocates, landowners and a legal team come together with the goal of protecting property rights and our rural towns we have proven over and over again that we win. The denial of Summit’s risky carbon pipeline in North Dakota means their proposal in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota are a pipeline to nowhere since they now have no injection points to dump their toxic waste. Carbon pipelines from the beginning were a boondoggle for corporations leaving rural people with all of the risks. It’s time for our country to turn a page away from pipelines to more clean energy that generates wealth for rural towns and energy for America,” said Jane Kleeb, Bold Alliance director. “It has been a long and painful journey for North Dakota landowners concerned about a foreign owned company forcing itself upon them and targeting landowners’ property for private profits, funded by the American taxpayer. We applaud the Public Service Commission for their courage and thoughtfulness in denying Summit’s application and encourage the other states to follow suit,” said Brian Jorde, lead attorney for landowners with Domina Law Group. “This victory is a testament to the strength of our community and the power of collective action across the political spectrum. Together, we have shown that when ‘We the People’ stand together, we can make a difference to protect property rights and our environment for future generations,” said Scott Skokos, Executive Director of Dakota Resource Council. The proposed Summit project is now another “pipeline to nowhere” — as North Dakota is where Summit had planned to sequester the toxic carbon dioxide waste underground, and the corporation now has no place to put the gas. The same situation faces Navigator CO2 Ventures’ proposed CO2 pipeline that the corporation has said it intends to terminate within the state of Illinois, yet it had secured just 13% of easements with landowners for the pore space it would need after more than a year of efforts. It’s clear that landowners across the Midwest reject these dangerous and unregulated carbon pipeline projects that are abusing eminent domain for private gain to chase billions of dollars in federal tax credits.”
AgWeek: North Dakota denies Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline permit
Jeff Beach, 8/4/23
“The North Dakota Public Service Commission has denied a route permit for the controversial carbon capture pipeline project planned by Summit Carbon Solutions,” AgWeek reports. “Meeting in Bismarck, the commission outlined several areas where Summit’s permit application was deficient: Summit did not sufficiently explore an alternate route south of Bismarck instead of east and north of the city. Summit did not adequately explore route alternatives for some landowners along the route. Summit did not adequately mitigate impacts of some waterfowl protection areas along the route. The application did not adequately address impacts on cultural resources. Commission Chairman Randy Christmann said after the vote that Summit could choose to start over and reapply or appeal the decision to the courts. “My decision on this case is not indicative of my opinions regarding CO2 sequestration or importation of CO2 via pipeline at all,” Christmann said. “This is only about this project in this location under these circumstances.” “...Opponents cite potential problems such as damage to farmland, negative effects on property values, and safety hazards. Summit would need to obtain a separate permit for the underground storage area for the liquid carbon dioxide.”
KFYR: CO2 pipeline permit denied
Linnette Miner, 8/4/23
“The Public Service Commission has denied a siting permit for a liquid carbon dioxide pipeline that they planned on running through North Dakota,” KFYR reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions filed an application last October to construct a 320-mile pipeline in the state. The proposed route would run just North of Bismarck. The Commission held four public meetings and received extensive public concern about the safety of the pipeline.”
Des Moines Register: North Dakota denies Summit pipeline permit; opponents call for delaying Iowa hearing
Donnelle Eller, 8/4/23
“Summit Carbon Solutions lost its bid Friday to build a carbon capture pipeline 320 miles across North Dakota, about two weeks before Iowa regulators are slated to begin hearing the company's permit request,” the Des Moines Register reports. “...Iowa opponents to the $5.5 billion pipeline project said the Ames company should put the project on hold without permit approval in North Dakota, which is where Summit plans to sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide deep underground. “Summit’s hearing in Iowa needs to be delayed because this decision means Summit no longer has a way to sequester the CO2,” said Dan Wahl, Dickinson County farmer impacted by the Summit pipeline, in a statement. Wahl said many of the issues North Dakota regulators cited in its permit denial are concerns Iowan have raised with the Iowa Utilities Board. “We're fighting the same fight here in Iowa as North Dakota. If Summit failed to meet the burden of proof there, they have failed to meet it here, too,” Wahl said… “The three-person North Dakota commission said several landowners, with "specific and unique" concerns, testified they contacted Summit to reroute the project on or around their property but heard nothing back. The commission "felt that Summit has not taken steps to address outstanding legitimate impacts and concerns expressed by landowners or demonstrated why a reroute is not feasible,” it said. And regulators failed to get requested “information on a number of issues that came up during the hearings,” commission members wrote. “Summit either did not adequately address these requests or did not tender a witness to answer the questions." “...Summit said in a statement it "respects the decision by the North Dakota Public Service Commission, and we will revisit our proposal and reapply for our permit… “Brian Jorde, an Omaha attorney representing landowners in North Dakota, Iowa and elsewhere, said other state regulators should follow North Dakota’s “courage and thoughtfulness” and deny Summit’s pipeline permit request… “Among their findings filed Friday, the panel concluded that Summit "failed to meet its burden of proof to show the location, construction, operation and maintenance of the project will produce minimal adverse effects on the environment and upon the welfare of the citizens of North Dakota."
Iowa Capital Dispatch: North Dakota denies Summit Carbon a pipeline permit
JARED STRONG, 8/4/23
“Summit Carbon Solutions has failed to minimize the negative impacts of its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in North Dakota and will not be permitted to construct it, state regulators decided on Friday,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “...Summit can appeal the decision in state court but indicated on Friday that it will file a new application with a revised proposal. “...Zenor did not say when that new application would be submitted. The application that was denied was submitted in October 2022, and the process took about 10 months, according to state records… “There is also growing public outcry over property rights of landowners in the path of the projects. A substantial portion of Summit’s route in Iowa — more than a quarter of it — might require the use of eminent domain to obtain forced easements for the pipeline… “Pipeline opponents said the commission’s decision is a significant win for them. “I think it’s precedent setting,” Jess Mazour, of the Sierra Club of Iowa, told the Dispatch. “It shows us that organized people who are willing to work together for a common cause can beat big money, like Summit’s pipeline. … It also shows us that Iowa needs to slow down.” “...We applaud the Public Service Commission for their courage and thoughtfulness in denying Summit’s application and encourage the other states to follow suit,” Brian Jorde, an Omaha, Nebraska attorney who represents dozens of landowners in several states who oppose the pipeline projects, told the Dispatch.
NWestIowa.com: 'It is a war' on CO2 pipelines, King says
Elijah Helton, 8/5/23
“Some of the fiercest critics of CO2 pipelines merged Tuesday, Aug. 1, to attack the colossal proposals hovering over the ethanol industry,” NWestIowa.com reports. “Former U.S. Rep. Steve King spoke at the joint engagement with Tammy Kobza of the John Birch Society. Both have long been opposed to carbon-capture pipelines pending approval in the Midwest, addressing a crowd of about 75 at the Primghar Community Center… “These people are so rich, so powerful, looking at so much money. There’s no decision anywhere along the line that’s going to deter them. Not one. They will find more money, more lawyers. They’ll get the legislatures to change the law for them if they need to,” King said… “The central question for many N’West Iowans is whether a CO2 pipeline’s purpose is worth the eminent domain needed to build it… “King kept focused on the money. Regardless of the climate situation, the former congressman said, CO2 pipeline companies stand to rake in a lot of revenue. “These moguls have taken this thing and they want to exploit it. We have to defend it and we have to reverse it,” he said… “Hartley resident Connie Olhausen owns affected land. She was quick in summing up anti-pipeliners like her. “They’re basically invasive,” Olhausen said, “and we don’t like invaders.”
Sioux Falls Argus Leader: PUC analyst withholding recommendation on Navigator pipeline
Dominik Dausch, 8/5/23
“A staff member for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission raised concerns about missing information pertaining to occupied buildings that would be near Navigator Heartland Greenway's proposed pipeline in South Dakota,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. “PUC Utility Analyst Jon Thurber addressed the commission Saturday about a filing by the pipeline company that disclosed multiple occupied residences along the pipeline's route sit within buffer zones… “Brian Jorde, an attorney representing affected landowners, formed an argument around Thurber's Saturday testimony that Navigator's permit application was missing crucial information necessary for the commission to rule on… “He later clarified he would be withholding any recommendation, since Navigator has yet to provide a rebuttal case regarding Jorde's argument… “Thurber ― whom Commissioner Nelson referred to as the "most anticipated witness on this docket" ― said staff submitted a confidential request to the company for more information on affected residences within five of the buffer zones. The company has so far elaborated on two out of the five areas, Thurber testified. "I have concerns that we haven't been able to conduct an analysis to determine … what type of additional mitigation measures are needed," Thurber testified… “The regulators body called for a confidential session at Thurber's request near the end-point of the testimony regarding Navigator's plume data and "the parts per million impacts of CO2 on humans." “...Jorde also argued the listed distances between cities and Navigator's pipeline provided as provided by the company to Thurber did not account for future growth of affected municipalities.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Farmers voice concern about accidental damage to proposed carbon pipeline
JOSHUA HAIAR, 8/4/23
“Farmers expressed concerns Friday about the potential for accidental damages to a proposed liquid carbon dioxide pipeline,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “It was the eighth day of a permit hearing in Fort Pierre before the state Public Utilities Commission for the Heartland Greenway project proposed by Navigator CO2. Commissioners said the hearing will continue Saturday and probably also next week… “At the Navigator CO2 hearing in South Dakota, Denis Anderson, who has farmland near Brandon and Valley Springs, said carbon pipelines are “one of the worst things for a community.” Anderson and others worry that heavy farm machinery might disturb Navigator CO2’s proposed 1,300-mile, five-state pipeline. They also fear its installation could harm their drain tile, which is perforated pipe installed beneath cropland to manage water levels… “Some farmers are concerned about potential liability should they accidentally damage the pipeline. Jeffrey L. Pray, a property insurance agent at Fischer Rounds & Associates, said such mishaps would typically be covered by insurance… “Pray noted that each policy varies and would not necessarily prevent farmers from getting sued by the company… “The hearing is scheduled to conclude Saturday, but commissioners said it’s likely to continue on Tuesday. A decision is expected by Sept. 26.”
South Dakota Searchlight: Contrasting safety views aired at CO2 pipeline permit hearing
Joshua Haiar, 8/4/23
“Opposing sides debated the safety of the proposed Heartland Greenway pipeline Wednesday during the sixth day of a permit hearing at the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “...The project includes “a laundry list of techniques” to ensure safety, according to William Byrd, president of RCP Inc., a pipeline consulting firm with a focus on federal regulations… “The point was echoed by other witnesses, including State Geologist Tim Cowman, with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He is aware of no “geologic concerns” after reviewing the project, he testified… “Brian Jorde, representing landowners along the proposed pipeline route, argued the answer to those questions is “no.” He said the company has never built a carbon pipeline, and federal regulators are currently reviewing their pipeline safety rules – a development that caused California to put a pause on the construction of carbon pipelines in that state… “Company spokespeople earlier testified that federal regulators are aware of the project and have not reached out with concerns… “The hearing is scheduled to continue through Saturday, and a decision by the Public Utilities Commission is due by Sept. 26.”
WCAV: Company ordered to take corrective measures following pipeline failure
8/4/23
“The company responsible for a pipeline that exploded last month in Shenandoah County has been ordered to take several steps to protect the environment from potential hazards associated with that incident,” WCAV reports. “On the morning of July 25, staff in the Columbia Gas Transmission LLC control room noticed a sudden pressure drop, which indicated that a pipeline had potentially failed not far from Strasburg… “The failure affected about 250 feet of pipeline, which was part of a section of pipeline that had just been part of a class location replacement project between May 30 and July 24. The pipeline had gone back into service about 13 hours before it failed. According to a report, officials say the continued operation of the pipeline, which was originally built in 1950, should be halted until corrective measures are made… “The restart plan must include daytime surveillance of the impacted pipeline as well as advance notification of local emergency response personnel and landowners.”
Reuters: Canada guarantees up to $2.2 billion in fresh loans to Trans Mountain expansion project
8/5/23
“A Canadian government agency has guaranteed fresh commercial loans of up to C$3 billion ($2.2 billion) to the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project that has suffered repeated cost overruns,” Reuters reports. “The information disclosed by Export Development Canada (EDC) showed that a new loan guarantee of C$2.75-C$3 billion was signed in July, though it first appeared on EDC's website late on Friday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government bought the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018 from Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI.N) to ensure the expansion project got built and provided a C$10 billion loan guarantee to TMC… “But the project has been hampered by regulatory obstacles, environmental opposition, and construction delays, and is now anticipated to cost C$30.9 billion, more than quadrupling the C$7.4 billion budgeted in 2017. The cost blowout and the impact of taxpayer has made the government's ongoing support a contentious issue. Last year, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said that no more public funds would be committed in the project, and TMC has stated that it is looking for external funding. Critics have also slammed the ownership of a pipeline project by the Liberal government, which they argue runs counter to Trudeau's ambitious climate goals.”
BIV: Construction of FortisBC's Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline set to begin in Squamish
Jennifer Thuncher, 8/4/23
“Construction on FortisBC’s Eagle Mountain – Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project, which is necessary for the upcoming Woodfibre LNG export facility, is set to begin,” BIV reports. “The company has sent out notices to locals and the media stating that work will begin in Squamish on or after Aug. 28… “The company expects up to around 150 non-local workers to be in town for the work, at peak, in 2023… “FortisBC has received an icy reception from Squamish council in regards to the applications for temporary use permits. Councillors have been critical of what they say is a lack of information and planning by FortisBC for its work lodge and laydown yard. The permits were before council for feedback in February and July. They have yet to be granted. The temporary use permits are scheduled for a council meeting on Sept. 26, at Brennan Park Recreation Centre. A public meeting will be held before the council decision, according to the District… “According to the news release, all told, the FortisBC construction related to Woodfibre LNG will include: The pipeline: An approximately 38 kilometre-long and 24 inches in diameter natural gas pipeline that begins north of the Coquitlam Watershed, runs through the Hixon Creek, Indian River and Stawamus River Valleys and the District of Squamish. Other pipeline components include a three-kilometre twinning of an existing FortisBC pipeline in Coquitlam, and the relocation of a section of an existing FortisBC pipeline in Squamish. Pipeline tunnel: An approximately nine-kilometre tunnel that starts at the Squamish BC Rail site, runs under the Skwelwil’em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area, and ends at Woodfibre LNG.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: House Dem Leaders Endorse Pro-Oil And Gas Colleague
Kelsey Brugger, 8/3/23
“House Democratic leaders are throwing their support behind one of the chamber’s most pro-oil and gas Democrats. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) announced Thursday that party leaders are backing his reelection campaign to represent the state’s 28th District, spanning the San Antonio suburbs to the southern border,” E&E News reports. “The area sits atop the Eagle Ford Shale formation. “Henry Cuellar is an accomplished advocate for the people of South Texas who is working hard to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement… “Cuellar raked in more than $350,000 in oil and gas donations in the last election cycle. And he was one of four Democrats to back H.R. 1, a bill with no chance of becoming law but that represented the Republican opening bid on energy policy this Congress. When asked, he has stressed that the oil and gas industry provides more than 40,000 jobs for his district. Even still, Cuellar, who has represented the district since 2005, did not support the Republican effort to insert H.R. 1 into debt limit talks in June. ‘Keep them apart,’ he told E&E News at the time.”
Associated Press: After Helping Prevent Extinctions For 50 Years, The Endangered Species Act Itself May Be In Peril
John Flesher, 8/3/23
“Biologist Ashley Wilson carefully disentangled a bat from netting above a tree-lined river and examined the wriggling, furry mammal in her headlamp’s glow,” the Associated Press reports. “ ‘Another big brown,’ she said with a sigh. It was a common type, one of many Wilson and colleagues had snagged on summer nights in the southern Michigan countryside. They were looking for increasingly scarce Indiana and northern long-eared bats, which historically migrated there for birthing season, sheltering behind peeling bark of dead trees. The scientists had yet to spot either species this year as they embarked on a netting mission. ‘It’s a bad suggestion if we do not catch one. It doesn’t look good,’ said Allen Kurta, an Eastern Michigan University professor who has studied bats for more than 40 years. The two bat varieties are designated as imperiled under the Endangered Species Act, the bedrock U.S. law intended to keep animal and plant types from dying out. Enacted in 1973 amid fear for iconic creatures such as the bald eagle, grizzly bear and gray wolf, it extends legal protection to 1,683 domestic species.”
InsideClimate News: ‘Halliburton Loophole’ Allows Fracking Companies to Avoid Chemical Regulation
Jon Hurdle, 8/4/23
“For almost 20 years, U.S. public-health advocates have worried that toxic chemicals are getting into ground water and harming human health because of an exemption to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that allows operators of oil and gas fracking operations to use chemicals that would be regulated if used for any other purpose,” InsideClimate News reports. “The so-called Halliburton Loophole, named after the oil and gas services company once headed by former Vice President Dick Cheney, means that the industry can use fracking fluid containing chemicals linked to negative health effects including kidney and liver disease, fertility impairment and reduced sperm counts without being subject to regulation under the act. While environmentalists and public-health campaigners have long called for closing the loophole, they haven’t known how many of the regulated chemicals are used by the industry, how often the industry reports their use in its fracking disclosures, what quantities of the chemicals are used and how often the industry chooses not to identify its chemicals on the grounds that they are proprietary. Now, some of that data is publicly available in a study by researchers at Northeastern University and three other colleges. The paper, published in its final form in February, reports that the industry uses 28 chemicals regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and discloses them in up to 73 percent of its reports of fracking activities to FracFocus, an industry-sponsored database. Between 2014 and 2021, the industry used 282 million pounds of the regulated chemicals, a number dwarfed by the 7.2 billion pounds of chemicals that were reported but not identified on the grounds that they are proprietary or trade secrets, the paper said. The chemical most frequently reported to the database during that period was ethylene glycol, used by the industry as a friction-reducer and gelling agent, that can harm the eyes, skin, kidneys and respiratory system and even kill humans if swallowed, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… “Vivian Underhill, a postdoctoral research fellow at Northeastern’s Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, and the lead author of the study, told ICN it appears to be the first to aggregate the regulated chemicals used by the fracking industry, based on self-reported data… “Because of the Halliburton Loophole and the fact that it exempts fracking from these reporting requirements, it makes it very difficult to understand how these chemicals are moving in the environment,” Underhill told ICN. “It makes it more difficult to do a more in-depth exposure or toxicological assessment.”
STATE UPDATES
Sacramento Bee: Can gas plants be climate friendly? Yuba City carbon capture project wants to be the nation’s first
ARI PLACHTA, 8/5/23
“In the fight against climate change, California is betting on the removal of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air by 2045. A significant development in the technology that’s needed might soon take place outside Yuba City,” the Sacramento Bee reports. “Calpine, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, hopes to build a $1 billion carbon capture and storage project on a gas-fired power plant about 40 miles north of Sacramento that would be the first facility of its kind in the country. To prove its feasibility, an 18-month demonstration pilot was unveiled last month at another gas plant in the East Bay Area city of Pittsburg. The project marks an early test of California’s wager on nascent carbon removal technology to cut industrial pollution. The technology has long been criticized by environmental advocates and experts as unproven. But it’s now drawing strong support from state and federal agencies eager to preserve energy reliability and achieve ambitious climate targets. “We want this technology to be effective. We want it to work and we want it to achieve the emissions that we need to see,” California Air Resources Board chair Liane Randolph said at the pilot’s unveiling last month… “It’s really kind of a numbers game that’s being used to make promises of technology that hasn’t been proven to actually work in order to continue to perpetuate old, dirty practices,” Catherine Garoupa, executive director of the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, told the Bee… “Activists have also pointed to strong ties between regulators and the ascending carbon removal industry. The Los Angeles Times reported last year that the research from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — which was cited by the Air Resources Board in its support for CCS — was funded in part by a group tied to a Michigan energy company that stands to benefit from California’s incentives. Instead of these technologies, Garoupa said California should focus on renewable energy and battery storage, decarbonizing buildings, cutting emissions from the transportation sector and restoring ecosystems that naturally remove carbon — or finding ways to use less energy.”
E&E News: In DeSantis’ Fla., schools get OK for climate-denial videos
Scott Waldman, 8/7/23
“Climate activists are like Nazis. Wind and solar power pollute the Earth and make life miserable. Recent global and local heat records reflect natural temperature cycles. These are some of the themes of children’s videos produced by an influential conservative advocacy group. Now, the videos could soon be used in Florida’s classrooms,” E&E News reports. “Florida’s Department of Education has approved the classroom use of material from the Prager University Foundation, a conservative group that produces videos that distort science, history, gender and other topics. Education experts call the videos dangerous propaganda. Florida is the first state to allow PragerU materials in public schools, where teachers will have the option of showing the five- to 10-minute videos in their classrooms… “PragerU CEO Marissa Streit told E&E the videos will rebalance schools that have been “hijacked by the left.” “Young kids are being taught climate hysteria,” Streit told E&E… “The climate is always changing,” Streit added, repeating a climate-denial motto that rejects fossil fuel burning as the cause of continuing record-high temperatures… “Florida’s approval is alarming because children will watch the videos when they are at their most impressionable stage, in kindergarten through 5th grade, Adrienne McCarthy, a researcher at Kansas State University who tracks PragerU, told E&E… “PragerU’s videos use talking points from fossil fuel companies to frame climate science and policy. Many of the videos attack renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. An eight-minute video, “Poland: Ania’s Energy Crisis,” exemplifies how PragerU introduces climate denialism to children by subtly attacking established science and the people concerned about global warming. In the video, teenager Ania is concerned about climate change because of what she learned at school. The fossil fuel industry’s climate-denial talking points are introduced almost verbatim in the trusted voice of Ania’s mother and father.”
Washington Post: The Montana youths behind a historic climate lawsuit, and the places they love
Kate Selig, 8/5/23
“It has been described as “landmark” litigation, “groundbreaking” and “first-of-its-kind.” But behind one of the nation’s most watched climate lawsuits — aimed at demonstrating that Montana’s promotion of fossil fuels violates the state’s constitution — are 16 young people, driven by passionate dread over the places they cherish,” the Washington Post reports. “This is a case out of love,” Grace Gibson-Snyder, a 19-year-old plaintiff from Missoula, told the Post. She then paused, and added: “And a certain amount of fear, for sure. But the fear of loss comes from our love for these places.” Proceedings in the Montana climate lawsuit ended on July 20, and a judge could rule on the case any day. In testimony and court exhibits, the plaintiffs — helped by an environmental legal nonprofit, Our Children’s Trust — argue that climate change will irrevocably alter the natural places that they love. Part of Montana’s constitution guarantees a right to a “clean and healthful environment,” and the plaintiffs argued state lawmakers violated this right by barring agencies from considering the climate impacts of proposed energy projects. It is far from clear the 16 young Montanans will prevail. But the case, the first constitutional and first youth-led climate lawsuit to go to trial, could reshape the nation’s climate litigation — and, the plaintiffs say, spur action that would slow the destruction of the places most special to them… “Below are some of the young people who have captured the nation’s attention, by taking the climate to the courts.”
EXTRACTION
The New Yorker: What Should You Do with an Oil Fortune?
Andrew Marantz, 8/7/23
“Let’s say you were born into a legacy that is, you have come to believe, ruining the world,” The New Yorker reports. “...Or you could just give it all away—to a blind trust, to the first person you pass on the sidewalk—which would be admirable: a grand gesture of renunciation in exchange for moral purity. But, if you believe that the world is being ruined by structural causes, you will have done little to challenge those structures. When Leah Hunt-Hendrix was an undergraduate at Duke, in the early two-thousands, she wasn’t sure what to do with her privilege… “If Leah Hunt-Hendrix had accepted the notion that she was merely an atomized individual, unencumbered by history, then all of this might have seemed like little more than a coincidence. Her grandfather had died before she was born. Why should she do penance for his sins? And yet, no matter how many times she repeated this argument to herself, she remained unconvinced… “Hunt Oil is still family-owned, and still among the largest private oil-and-gas companies in the U.S… “She wanted to devote her life to rectifying society’s imbalance of wealth and power, but none of the familiar options—endow a professorship? work at a soup kitchen?—seemed to get to the root of the problem… “Basically, she is a philanthropist, though she is reluctant to use the word, given her skepticism toward much of what passes for philanthropy. She donates money to leftist social movements, and she leverages her connections to persuade other rich people to do the same… “Leah was clearly preoccupied with how a person of extreme privilege can live responsibly in the world,” Stout told me. “That seemed to be, for her, an existential question.”
Manufacturing Drive: Walmart partners with biotech firm to reduce manufacturing emissions
Tatiana Walk-Morris, 8/2/23
“Alongside others pursuing sustainable manufacturing, Walmart partnered with Rubi Laboratories, a San Francisco-based biotech company, to introduce carbon capture technology in its supply chain and experiment with garments made from captured carbon emissions, the retailer announced Thursday,” Manufacturing Drive reports. “As part of the pilot, Walmart will explore whether it can integrate Rubi’s technology across its supply chain and test Rubi’s carbon capture capabilities at some of its facilities. The companies are also testing the performance of apparel that uses the fibers Rubi produces from carbon emissions. If a prototype garment using Rubi’s technology is successful, Walmart may make a full clothing collection and sell it in stores, according to the announcement. The retailer’s aim is to create a line of affordable, sustainable clothing that can be produced at scale.”
OPINION
Courier Journal: Letter: LG&E is deaf to public outcry opposing its pipeline through Bernheim Forest
Deborah Potts Novgorodoff is With the Save Bernheim Now Coalition, 8/7/23
“...The Louisville metro area continues to rally in support of Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, raising its collective voice against LG&E’s plan to run a high-pressured methane gas pipeline through an important wildlife corridor on Bernheim’s property,” Deborah Potts writes for the Courier Journal. “In April, Louisville Metro Council passed a resolution opposing the pipeline, and this summer multiple events are being held to raise voices against this initiative by LG&E. However, LG&E is plowing ahead with its plan, deaf to the outcry. LG&E management and its parent company PPL repeatedly say that the land is a small fraction of Bernheim’s total property, minimizing the importance of this wildlife corridor that connects two large conservation preserves. Such land is critical for native species to flourish. We are in a dual crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss. This pipeline and all new fossil fuel infrastructure ignores the impact on climate and wildlife. We will see more and more severe weather-related events unless we act now and stop LG&E from this reckless plan. Perhaps it’s time that LG&E lose its monopoly status, and that we buy our energy from a company more responsible and responsive to the long-term impact of its decisions. Go to SaveBernheimNow.org for more information.”
Des Moines Register: Opinion: Carbon capture is a responsible solution for Iowa
Joe Heinrich is a Jackson County farmer and executive director of the Smart Carbon Network business association, 8/7/23
“Our farm has been in our family for 150 years,” Joe Heinrich writes for the Des Moines Register. “...As executive director of the Smart Carbon Network, I have been traveling throughout Iowa to speak with farmers, property owners, local farm associations, elected officials and more about carbon capture pipelines — an innovative method of carbon management that will bring lasting economic benefits to farmers and rural communities across the country… “Being a farmer myself, I recognize how critically important the preservation of land and protection of property owner rights are to Iowa communities… “Thankfully, for over 50 years, carbon capture projects have had an extremely strong safety record due to their strict regulations and monitoring… “As the nation transitions to lower-carbon fuel sources, carbon capture technology will help put ethanol into the spotlight as a viable low-carbon biofuel — and as ethanol demand increases, so will the demand for corn… “Iowa farms would lose local markets as much as 1.18 billion bushels of corn and drop their farm income by more than $10 billion annually. The adoption of carbon capture in Iowa is crucial to avoiding detrimental damage to Iowa’s farms, local communities, and economy… “By embracing carbon capture technology together, we can secure a more sustainable and prosperous future for our friends, family, neighbors, and future generations of Iowans.”
New York Times: As the Planet Bakes, Big Oil’s Support for Clean Energy Is Still Well Short of What’s Needed
Jason Bordoff is the founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, 8/7/23
“If you’ve been listening to the world’s major energy companies over the past few years, you probably think the clean energy transition is well on its way. But with fossil fuel use and emissions still rising, it is not moving nearly fast enough to address the climate crisis,” Jason Bordoff writes for the New York Times. “...The industry can point to efforts to reduce emissions and pursue green energy technologies. But those efforts pale in comparison with what they are doing to maintain and enhance oil and gas production. As the International Energy Agency put it, investment by the industry in clean fuels “is picking up” but “remains well short of where it needs to be.” Overall, oil and gas companies are projected to spend more than $500 billion this year on identifying, extracting and producing new oil and gas supplies, and even more on dividends to return record profits to shareholders, according to the I.E.A. The industry has spent less than 5 percent of its production and exploration investments on low-emission energy sources in recent years, according to the I.E.A. Indeed, the fact that many companies (with some notable exceptions) seem to be prioritizing dividends, share buybacks and continued fossil fuel production over further increasing their clean energy investments suggests they are unable or unwilling to power the transition forward… “The fact that shareholders seem to prefer that oil profits be distributed as dividends rather than reinvested more in low-carbon energy solutions suggests they are also skeptical about the industry’s ability to be as profitable in clean energy. Their behavior suggests a preference for investing in other companies they believe have a competitive advantage in those technologies… “A successful transition will be easier to achieve if the big energy companies play a larger part in it. Low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and hydrogen are well suited to the oil industry’s skills and capital budgets.”