EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/10/21
PIPELINE NEWS
KFGO: Nearly two dozen arrested in latest Enbridge pipeline demonstration
Law360: Ojibwe Tribe Fights for Jurisdiction Over Pipeline Case
Associated Press: Feds, North Dakota to negotiate pipeline policing costs
West Coast Environmental Law: Trans Mountain: Delays into 2023 will add millions to public cost
Associated Press: 2nd woman convicted of railroad track sabotage in Washington
WFPL: U.S. Army Corps Grants LG&E Permit For Gas Pipeline Through Bernheim Forest
Popular Resistance: SCIENCE SHOWS WE MUST STOP PIPELINES: THIS IS HOW WE DO IT
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Common Dreams: Climate Campaigners Demand 'Action, Not Words' After Biden's 'Code Red' Comments
E&E News: Biden picks D.C. utility regulator for FERC commissioner
Politico Morning Energy: CUT THE METHANE
Politico: Judge Deals Blow To Obama Fossil Fuel Royalty Rule
STATE UPDATES
Energy News: Ohio bills call for a ‘radioactive subsidy’ for one company’s oil and gas byproduct, critics say
Colorado Politics: Colorado oil and gas producers urge Senate to reject fees on methane
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: The world’s biggest plant to capture CO2 from the air just opened in Iceland
RESEARCH & SCIENCE
Argus Media: Climate study shows scale of stranded-asset risk
BIC Magazine: Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition releases new report
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Crimson: Harvard Will Move to Divest its Endowment from Fossil Fuels
OPINION
Cap Times: Editorial: Joe Biden should block Line 3
Baraboo News Republic: Minnesota pipeline controversy impacts Wisconsin users
Wisconsin Examiner: We can’t stop climate change by investing in fossil fuels
Safety Compass: SAN BRUNO VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES DESERVE LONG-OVERDUE ACTION
Business Insider: Renominating Jerome Powell for Fed chair is a mistake that will have serious consequences for our planet
IEA: The case for regulating downstream methane emissions from oil and gas
PIPELINE NEWS
KFGO: Nearly two dozen arrested in latest Enbridge pipeline demonstration
Paul Jurgens, 9/9/21
“23 people were arrested Tuesday in Clearwater County in the latest protest over the Enbridge pipeline project,” KFGO reports. “The protestors left behind debris that needed to be cleaned up. Authorities responded to the protest on reports of upwards of 100 people placing items on the road. Deputies found debris spread out for about a mile. The debris included three 55 gallon barrels filled with concrete, an overturned car and a boat. The sheriff’s office says it took about seven hours to remove several people who had attached themselves to the objects. The 23 people arrested were from Massachusetts, Oregon, Maine, Illinois, South Dakota, Washington DC, New York and Texas. They were charged with creating a public nuisance and obstructing the legal process.”
Law360: Ojibwe Tribe Fights for Jurisdiction Over Pipeline Case
Victoria McKenzie, 9/9/21
“An Ojibwe tribe has asked a federal judge to reject Minnesota’s “meritless” resistance to an Enbridge Pipeline-related lawsuit in tribal court, saying the state is trying to dodge tribal court jurisdiction,” Law360 reports.
Associated Press: Feds, North Dakota to negotiate pipeline policing costs
9/9/21
“Federal and state lawyers will meet in North Dakota next week to negotiate a settlement for money that the state claims it spent on policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline,” the Associated Press reports. “North Dakota filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2019, seeking to recover more than $38 million in damages from the monthslong pipeline protests almost five years ago. State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and other state lawyers will meet with attorneys from the Corps and Justice Department at the federal courthouse in Bismarck on Sept. 16. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alice Senechal will preside over the negotiations, which are closed to the public… “If no settlement can be reached, a trial is set for May 1, 2023. Thousands of pipeline opponents gathered in southern North Dakota in 2016 and early 2017, camping on federal land and often clashing with police. Hundreds were arrested over six months. Stenehjem has long argued that the Corps allowed and sometimes encouraged protesters to illegally camp without a federal permit. The Corps has said protesters weren’t evicted due to free speech reasons. The Army Corps of Engineers had argued that it has “limited authority to enforce its rules and regulations” on land it manages.”
West Coast Environmental Law: Trans Mountain: Delays into 2023 will add millions to public cost
Eugene Kung, Staff Lawyer, Jack Jones, Law Student, 9/8/21
“With construction underway on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX), many Canadians are seeking greater transparency about the delays and rising costs associated with this publicly-funded pipeline and tanker project,” West Coast Environmental Law reports. “West Coast Environmental Law analyzed hundreds of regulatory documents and construction reports and projected that the Trans Mountain pipeline is delayed into 2023, adding millions to the cost. This report compiles and analyzes various Trans Mountain documents, including regulatory filings, sworn affidavits and Trans Mountain’s own website to estimate and project the current state of delays to construction and their potential cost implications. Our analysis found evidence of delays in each of the seven segments (or spreads) of the project, ranging from two to 23 months. Without a complete and detailed updated project timeline, there are serious questions about how Trans Mountain is maintaining its proposed in-service date of December 2022, or if it can adapt its construction schedule as numerous critical construction windows continue to be missed. West Coast recommends that the next federal government immediately provide an updated, detailed, and transparent cost analysis and revised schedule for the Trans Mountain expansion project, taking into account the climate costs of the increased fossil fuel consumption facilitated by this expansion.”
Associated Press: 2nd woman convicted of railroad track sabotage in Washington
9/9/21
“A second defendant has been convicted of sabotaging railroad tracks near the U.S.-Canada border in Washington state just before a train carrying crude oil was due to pass through — apparently part of a campaign to protest construction of a pipeline across British Columbia,” the Associated Press reports. “Following a two-day trial and three hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Seattle on Thursday convicted Ellen Brennan Reiche, 28, of Bellingham, of violence against a railroad carrier. Her co-defendant, Samantha Frances Brooks, 24, pleaded guilty in July… “Deputies found a shunt buried under rocks on the tracks nearby. Such devices, consisting of a wire stretched across the tracks, mimics the signal of a train on the tracks and can disable railroad crossing guards and cause trains to automatically brake and disable railroad crossing guards. It was one of dozens of shunts placed on the tracks last year, apparently to slow the delivery of oil and supplies in protest of a natural gas pipeline across through Indigenous land in British Columbia. Opponents say the 416-mile (670-kilometer) Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project will worsen environmental damage. TC Energy, the Alberta company behind the pipeline proposal, has said it’s committed to partnering with the 20 First Nations that have executed agreements related to the project and has provided them an opportunity to invest in it.”
WFPL: U.S. Army Corps Grants LG&E Permit For Gas Pipeline Through Bernheim Forest
By Ryan Van Velzer, 9/9/21
“Louisville Gas & Electric has cleared another hurdle to constructing a natural gas pipeline that crosses through conservation lands and farms in Bullitt County on its way to serve its primary user — the makers of Jim Beam bourbon,” WFPL reports. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved LG&E’s permit to build the nearly 12-mile-long pipeline in late August. A spokesperson for LG&E said the company has now received the major state and federal permits necessary for construction, though several obstacles remain… “On it’s path, it would cross at least six major waterways impacting wetlands, sinkholes and habitat for more than a half-dozen threatened or endangered species, in addition to removing nearly 40 acres of forest, according to an LG&E stormwater pollution prevention plan. The proposed path has sparked protests and advocacy campaigns, in addition to legal challenges… “LG&E has ongoing litigation with Bernheim and the owners of seven tracts of land along the planned route, Collins told WFPL. Bernheim Forest conservation director Andrew Berry told WFPL they’re committed to defending the conservation lands, which have deed restrictions that prevent development projects such as gas pipelines… “Back in May, a Bullitt County judge ruled LG&E could use eminent domain to seize property from landowners. In that case, the landowners’ attorney argued his clients should not have to turn over their land when the true purpose of the pipeline is to serve a single customer, Beam Suntory — the makers of Jim Beam bourbon.”
Popular Resistance: SCIENCE SHOWS WE MUST STOP PIPELINES: THIS IS HOW WE DO IT
By Margaret Flowers, 9/6/21
“A new report finds that almost one-third of people living in the United States have been directly impacted by the climate crisis so far this year,” Popular Resistance reports. “This includes fires, floods and extreme heat. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the climate crisis is undoubtedly being caused by human behavior. We must stop emitting carbon now but pipelines for oil and gas are still being built across the country. Clearing the FOG speaks with Deborah Kushner of Appalachians Against Pipelines about her work to stop the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. Deborah and two others shut down construction of the MVP in June. Their trial took place last week. She talks about pipeline resistance and how she found the courage to take action.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Common Dreams: Climate Campaigners Demand 'Action, Not Words' After Biden's 'Code Red' Comments
BRETT WILKINS, 9/9/21
“Responding to U.S. President Joe Biden's recent comments calling the climate emergency a "code red" situation, environmental and Indigenous leaders representing a coalition of advocacy groups on Thursday implored the administration to act accordingly by declaring a climate emergency and stopping all fossil fuel projects,” Common Dreams reports. "President Biden has acknowledged that the climate crisis is here. In fact, to quote him, he said 'climate change poses an existential threat to our lives and our economy, and the threat is here,'" Jane Kleeb, president and founder of Bold Alliance and Bold Nebraska, said during a press call organized by the Build Back Fossil Free campaign. Kleeb referenced Biden's Tuesday visit to the Tri-State Area in the wake of the deadly devastation wrought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, during which he said: "They all tell us this is code red. The nation and the world are in peril. And that's not hyperbole. That is a fact." "Climate change poses an existential threat to our lives, our economy, and the threat is here," the president added. "It's not going to get any better. The question is: Can it get worse?" Kleeb replied that "all of us who work with frontline communities are here to answer President Biden's question: It can get worse—and with his administration's decisions—it is getting worse." "President Biden has the full authority right now—without Congress—to hit a pause button on all proposed fossil fuel projects," she said. "If President Biden believes this is an actual 'code red' situation, he should treat it as such by declaring a climate emergency immediately through an executive order and stopping all fossil fuel projects."
E&E News: Biden picks D.C. utility regulator for FERC commissioner
By Miranda Willson, 9/9/21
“President Biden will nominate the chair of the District of Columbia’s Public Service Commission to fill a vacancy on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the White House announced today,” E&E News reports. “If confirmed by the Senate, Willie Phillips, a Democrat, would tip the political scale in favor of Biden’s party on the five-member commission that regulates wholesale power markets and large energy projects and is crucial for the success of the administration’s climate agenda. Compared to other candidates who had reportedly been under consideration for the job, Phillips appeared to be less a controversial choice, ClearView Energy Partners said in a note to clients… “Clean energy and natural gas trade groups welcomed today’s announcement, saying that the commission is most effective when it has five members… “Some environmental justice and climate-focused groups expressed disappointment with the nomination. Earlier this summer, groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity, WE ACT for Environmental Justice and others had campaigned for different candidates for the position who they said would champion policies to phase out fossil fuels and protect vulnerable communities. "We hope the Senate will ask the tough questions of Mr. Phillips about his commitment to ending FERC’s disastrous status quo so we can finally prioritize environmental and energy justice in our energy policies," Jean Su, director of the energy justice program at the Center for Biological Diversity, told E&E.
Politico Morning Energy: CUT THE METHANE
Matthew Choi, 9/9/21
“A collection of 72 environmental and public health groups are writing to EPA Administrator Michael Regan today proposing priorities to curb methane emissions as the agency prepares to issue new rules for the potent greenhouse gas. Regan has vowed to put in place rules that have “never been done as aggressively as we plan to do it,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “The groups, which include Clean Air Task Force, Environmental Defense Fund, League of Conservation Voters and Natural Resources Defense Council, are pushing for EPA to include measures to find and fix leaks, particularly in smaller wells, in its new regulations. They also hope to require technology to curb emissions, including zero-emitting pneumatic devices, as well as an end to gas flaring, and imposing stronger shutdown and plugging requirements for retired wells. Read the groups’ letter here. Democrats in Congress are also hoping to tackle methane emissions via The Methane Reduction Act of 2021 (S. 645 (117)), which could be included in the Senate reconciliation package and would charge companies fees for methane emissions. The oil and gas industry came out strongly against the fees on Tuesday, arguing regulations would be a more equitable and less financially punitive way to tackle emissions.”
Politico: Judge Deals Blow To Obama Fossil Fuel Royalty Rule
9/8/21
“A federal judge yesterday struck down Obama-era regulations on royalty valuations for coal mined from public lands but kept parts of the rule related to oil and gas payments,” Politico reports. “The 2016 rule by the Interior Department’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue aimed to rein in mining companies’ practice of selling coal at a discounted rate to their own subsidiaries, deflating the royalty fees owed to taxpayers for developing publicly owned fossil fuels. The rule placed the royalty valuation on the first ‘arm’s length’ sale of coal, or when the mining company sells it to an unaffiliated organization.”
STATE UPDATES
Energy News: Ohio bills call for a ‘radioactive subsidy’ for one company’s oil and gas byproduct, critics say
by Kathiann M. Kowalski, 9/9/21
“Ohio law allows produced water pumped out of wells alongside oil and gas to be spread on roads to control ice or dust, but its sale and application are tracked and regulated,” Energy News reports. “Now Senate Bill 171 and House Bill 282 would do away with those requirements for one company’s processed oil and gas byproduct. Due to its high salt content, the produced water is often called brine, although it can contain heavy metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials, such as radium 226 and 228. Critics see both the proposed bills and current law as giving improper competitive advantages to the state’s fossil fuel industry. The bills’ proposal is “literally a radioactive subsidy … that all Ohioans would pay for with our health,” Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson told Energy News. And in critics’ eyes, even current law lets companies more cheaply dispose of a byproduct without proper regard for health and environmental risks. “You hear these oil and gas people say, ‘Oh, alternatives are too expensive,’” John Stolz, director of Duquesne University’s Center for Environmental Research and Education, told Energy News. “The reality is: If they had to pay what they should be paying to deal with their messes, then we’re leveling the playing field.” Ohio is one of several states that allows oil and gas wastewater to be spread on roads for de-icing or dust suppression, according to a July 2021 review by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The practice has been allowed for brine from conventional drilling wells since 1985, but not from fracked, horizontal wells, Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Stephanie O’Grady told Energy News.
Colorado Politics: Colorado oil and gas producers urge Senate to reject fees on methane
By JOEY BUNCH, 9/8/21
“Colorado oil and gas interests are among those urging U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in a letter to oppose a fee on methane,” Colorado Politics reports. “The American Petroleum Institute, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, Colorado Concern, Consumer Energy Alliance-Rockies, West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association and the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and others were among 130 energy, manufacturing, business and labor trade organizations who signed the letter. The organizations contend the fee “could jeopardize affordable and reliable energy with likely little reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions," citing "cost-effective regulation" as a better solution… “If the objective is to reduce methane emissions, direct regulation of methane is the best method to implement such a government policy and do so in an equitable manner that is tied to actual emissions,” the letter continues. “EPA is best-suited to address the challenges in reducing methane emissions because regulation stipulates the installation of cost-effective control technologies — as well as leak detection and repair requirements — that prevent and reduce methane emissions at oil and natural gas facilities.”
EXTRACTION
Washington Post: The world’s biggest plant to capture CO2 from the air just opened in Iceland
By Michael Birnbaum, 9//9/21
“A major new facility to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere started operating in Iceland on Wednesday, a boost to an emerging technology that experts say could eventually play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet,” the Washington Post reports. “The carbon capturing plant, perched on a barren lava plateau in southwest Iceland, is the biggest of its kind, its builder says, increasing global capacity for the technology by more than 40 percent. Many climate experts say that efforts to suck carbon dioxide out of the air will be key to making the world carbon neutral in the coming decades. By 2050, humanity will need to pull nearly a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year through direct air capture technology to achieve carbon neutral goals, according to International Energy Agency recommendations from earlier this year. The plant in Iceland will be able to capture 4,000 metric tons annually — just a tiny fraction of what will be necessary, but one that Climeworks, the company that built it, says can grow rapidly as efficiency improves and costs decrease… “World leaders see a promising new possibility, too. “This is indeed an important step in the race to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, which is necessary to manage the climate crisis,” Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said Wednesday at the ceremony marking the opening of the Orca plant. “This almost sounds like a science fiction story, but we do have other examples in our history of amazing advances in technology.”
RESEARCH & SCIENCE
Argus Media: Climate study shows scale of stranded-asset risk
9/9/21
“Much of the world's proven oil and gas reserves, along with most of its coal, must stay in the ground if the Paris agreement's climate goals are to be achieved, a new academic report has found, once again raising the possibility that companies operating in these sectors are sitting on stranded assets,” Argus Media reports. “The study 'Unextractable fossil fuels in a 1.5°C world', from University College London (UCL) and published in the academic journal Nature, says that by 2050 nearly 60pc of oil and gas reserves and almost 90pc of coal reserves must remain where they are if global warming is to be limited to below 1.5°C compared with pre-industrial levels. For oil and gas, this means that production must fall by 3pc/yr globally until 2050, implying that "most regions must reach peak production now or during the next decade", the study says. But it warns that its scenario is "very probably an underestimate of what is required and, as a result, production would need to be curtailed even faster". This is the latest in a recent slew of reports warning of the dangers of unfettered fossil fuel production… “The UCL study shows the inherent risks that oil and gas companies face, because it deals specifically with reserves that are assumed to be recoverable with current technologies and prices or are already producing. Firms in the hydrocarbon sector are facing a rising level of investor disquiet that their monetary worth may be undermined if assets become stranded.”
BIC Magazine: Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition releases new report
9/9/21
“The Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition (the Coalition) released the first edition of its Methane & Emissions Report, which details how the Texas oil and natural gas industry is working to reduce methane and other emissions to protect and preserve the environment,” BIC Magazine reports. “Industry has made and continues to make tremendous strides in reducing methane emissions resulting from oil and natural gas operations. In fact, the percentage of natural gas flared out of all the natural gas produced in Texas decreased 72% between June 2019 and May 2021, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas. During the same period, the volume of gas flared decreased by approximately 73%. In Texas, natural gas that is flared represents less than 1% of all natural gas produced, and innovation and new technologies continue to drive this number down. Beyond Texas, methane emissions from five of the largest energy-producing regions across the U.S. have fallen by nearly 70% – even as natural gas production in those regions tripled from 2011-2018.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
The Crimson: Harvard Will Move to Divest its Endowment from Fossil Fuels
By Jasper G. Goodman and Kelsey J. Griffin, 9/9/21
“Following years of public pressure, Harvard said Thursday it would allow its remaining investments in the fossil fuel industry to expire, paving the way for it to eventually divest from the sector,” The Crimson reports. “The move marks a stark twist in a decade-long saga that has pitted student activists against University administrators and dominated campus politics for years. In an email to Harvard affiliates Thursday afternoon, University President Lawrence S. Bacow — who has for years publicly opposed divestment — stopped short of using the word divest, but said that “legacy investments” through third-party firms “are in runoff mode,” and called financial exposure to the fossil fuel industry imprudent. Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard, which has been pushing the University to pull its investments in the fossil fuel industry since it was founded in 2012, declared victory. “So long as Harvard follows through, this is divestment,” Connor Chung ’23, a Divest Harvard organizer, told the Crimson. “This is what they told us for a decade they couldn’t do, and today, the students, faculty, and alumni have been vindicated.” Bacow wrote that the Harvard Management Company, which manages the University’s $41.9 billion endowment, “does not intend” to make future investments in the fossil fuel industry. He said the University would not renew HMC’s partnerships with private equity funds that have holdings in the sector once its current obligations to them expire. “Given the need to decarbonize the economy and our responsibility as fiduciaries to make long-term investment decisions that support our teaching and research mission, we do not believe such investments are prudent,” Bacow wrote. Fossil fuels make up less than 2 percent of the University’s endowment — but they won’t disappear overnight.”
OPINION
Cap Times: Editorial: Joe Biden should block Line 3
9/8/21
“Joe Biden started his presidency by cancelling the permit that would have allowed the Keystone XL pipeline to cross the border from Canada into the United States,” the Cap Times Editorial Board writes. “...The new president’s decision to revoke the Keystone XL permit sent a powerful signal regarding the need to fight climate change, seek alternatives to fossil fuels and respect the rights of indigenous peoples and farmers in the heartland. It defined this administration’s values. Even in the face of immense pressure from the fossil fuel industry, Biden stood firm in his faith that, “Where the Federal Government has failed to meet that commitment in the past, it must (now) advance environmental justice.” That faith is tested anew by the question of whether to block completion of Enbridge Inc.’s new Line 3 pipeline, a 1,097-mile project to carry Canadian tar sands crude oil from Alberta to Superior in northern Wisconsin. A 1991 rupture on the old pipeline saw 1.7 million gallons of oil flow into Minnesota’s Prairie River, and the corroded and cracked line has continued to leak and spill ever since. The old line needed to be shut down, and it did not need to be replaced — as the tar sand industry is tanking. But Enbridge has gone all in for a new line that is now nearing completion. The building project has been a mess. Just a few weeks ago, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced that there had been 23 drilling fluid releases at 12 river crossing locations from June 8 to Aug. 25 of this year… “That’s not a risk that should be taken. Biden was right to block the Keystone XL pipeline, and he now needs to take the necessary steps to block the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. The Army Corps of Engineers can and should revoke Line 3's current water permit and, as the Sierra Club proposes, order the preparation of “an Environmental Impact Statement that takes into account the full impacts of a toxic tar sands oil pipeline on clean water, Indigenous rights, and the climate.” Such a review, we are certain, will lead to the shutting down of the entire Line 3 project — a move that, in our view, is long overdue.”
Baraboo News Republic: Minnesota pipeline controversy impacts Wisconsin users
SCOTT FROSTMAN, 9/9/21
“We’ve been down this pipeline before. Once again, we find an oil pipeline in the news,” Scott Frostman writes in the Barbaroo News Republic. “... Another controversy is center stage, primarily in our neighboring state of Minnesota, over the completion of the Enbridge Line 3, a 1,097-mile pipe, which is planned to run from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to Superior… “The near-completion of an approved project replacing an existing dated pipeline didn’t stop some very progressive members of the House nicknamed “The Squad” from visiting Minnesota on Sept. 3. A WCCO-Channel 4 story that described the pipeline as “more than 90% done” featured a Minneapolis press conference with Minnesota’s own Ilhan Omar, and where Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib stated, “look, I’m here to shut it down.” “...The fact of the matter is that millions of barrels of crude oil are shipped out to the Alberta oil fields to our home state of Wisconsin on a daily basis, and no number of solar panels or windmills available today is going to stop that from happening. This is simply a way to transport the needed crude oil in a safer, more efficient manner, and we should all be able to support those efforts. The pipeline is needed to support current and future demands. If Enbridge didn’t see any economic feasibility in replacing the existing pipeline, they would simply abandon its use over time. You rely on the efficiency of pipelines and the products they deliver every time you pull up to a gas pump. Do you want to see the price of a gallon go up, or go down? Your choice. More availability means lower costs, as more oil can be delivered in the upgraded pipeline. It’s rather likely that you have a natural gas pipeline leading to your home to deliver heat in the winter, and if not, that source of heat may be from fuel oil, or propane, which are all derived from crude oil. Anybody own anything made of plastic? Use your cell phone lately? The products created from petroleum are endless.”
Wisconsin Examiner: We can’t stop climate change by investing in fossil fuels
Elizabeth Ward is the director of the statewide branch of the Sierra Club, 9/9/21
“The latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reiterated what we already know: We need to be taking swift, bold action to address climate change. If we don’t, the consequences are dire,” Elizabeth Ward writes for the Wisconsin Examiner. “The report called it a “code red for humanity.” While Gov. Tony Evers and President Joe Biden have committed to action on climate change and are taking steps to move forward, energy companies are moving forward with proposals to build much more fossil fuel infrastructure. We’re at a crossroads. We can continue our path towards progress. Half of Wisconsin’s coal plants were slated for retirement in the span of a little over a year and we’ve seen tremendous amounts of clean energy come online. We can continue moving down this road. Or we can allow companies to greenwash their fossil fuel projects as “cleaner” while they are actually locking us into a climate catastrophe… “Building fossil fuel infrastructure while trying to address climate change is like stopping for an errand when you’re already late or going on a shopping spree when on a budget. It’s counterproductive and nonsensical. Based on the IPCC report, we can’t afford to be counterproductive. We can’t stop climate change by investing in fossil fuels and we need Wisconsin regulators to reject these fossil fuel proposals accordingly.”
Safety Compass: SAN BRUNO VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES DESERVE LONG-OVERDUE ACTION
Jennifer Homendy, 9/9/21
“Today marks 10 years since the devastating natural gas pipeline rupture that shattered a residential neighborhood in San Bruno, California,” Jennifer Homendy writes for Safety Compass. “The September 9, 2010, explosion destroyed 38 homes and damaged 70 others. Even worse, 8 people were killed, 10 people sustained serious injuries, and many others suffered minor injuries. When I think of San Bruno, I struggle with the ‘right’ words to describe the horrific events that unfolded shortly after 6:00 p.m.—a time when many families across our nation are just sitting down for dinner. In the moments after the rupture, calls flooded into 911, with reports of what many thought was a plane crash, a gas station explosion, or some combination of the two. One caller said it felt like an earthquake, and a fire captain who was on scene said, “It looked like Armageddon.” In fact, the rupture was so explosive that it produced a crater about 72 feet long by 26 feet wide and launched a 28-foot section of failed pipe about 100 feet south of the crater. The released gas almost immediately ignited. Emergency responders arrived within minutes to battle the ensuing inferno, yet it took Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) an astonishing 95 minutes to shut off the flow of gas that was intensifying the destruction. Firefighting efforts continued for 2 days, with 600 firefighters and 325 law enforcement personnel on scene… “In other words, PHMSA’s solution won’t prevent another San Bruno disaster. Given that there are 2.6 million miles of gas pipelines in the United States, most of which date back to the 1950s and the NPRM doesn’t address any of them. With those numbers, another tragic accident is destined to occur, and if I’m the member on scene—or even if I’m not—I’ll remind PHMSA and industry, yet again, of all the ruptures we’ve investigated and all the opportunities they had to save lives. To all those who lost loved ones in San Bruno or in another pipeline tragedy, you remain in our hearts. We are still fighting for you.”
Business Insider: Renominating Jerome Powell for Fed chair is a mistake that will have serious consequences for our planet
Yevgeny Shrago is a Policy Counsel in Public Citizen's Climate Program. David Arkush is the managing director of Public Citizen's Climate Program, 9/9/21
“...A rapid transition to clean energy would create millions of jobs, improve public health, and reduce energy costs. But banks are still making massive investments in oil wells and gas pipelines, even though such investments will become worthless if we are to get emissions under control in time to avert catastrophe. If President Biden doesn't nominate a Fed Chair and Board who will take an active role, the transition is likely to disrupt employment, retirement savings, and the entire economy… “Last year, the Fed finally joined other central banks in acknowledging that climate change poses a threat to the financial system. Since then, current Chair Jerome Powell has repeated that it's early days on climate, and that the Fed won't act before studying the issue more. His speech at the Fed's annual Jackson Hole symposium, which he used as a de facto pitch for reappointment to a second term, didn't even mention climate. This approach invites disaster. To cushion the financial system from climate shocks that will dwarf the 2008 financial crisis, the Fed must act now. With a Chair who appreciates the threat, the regulator has the power to mitigate both the damage climate change does to the financial system, and the damage the financial system is doing to the planet… “This is climate change's eleventh hour. The Biden administration has acknowledged climate change as an urgent threat to the financial system. But in the absence of Congressional action, Powell seems determined to sit on his hands and let the financial system fund its own oblivion. Biden must nominate a Chair and Board members who recognize the scale and urgency of the threat — and who will fulfill the Fed's mission to protect the economy from climate-related threats using its full range of powers.”
IEA: The case for regulating downstream methane emissions from oil and gas
Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol, Energy and Environmental Policy Analyst, Energy Supply and Investment Outlook Division & K.C. Michaels, Legal Advisor, Office of Legal Counsel, 9/8/21
“The downstream segment of the oil and gas value chain is a significant contributor to climate change, predominantly due to its methane emissions,” Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol and K.C. Michaels write for the IEA. “Worldwide, downstream methane amounted to an estimated 16 Mt in 2020 – more than all the oil and gas methane emissions from the continent of North America combined. In major importing countries, including Japan and several European Union member states, the downstream segment is responsible for more than 80% of the methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The downstream segment accounted for 20% of total fossil methane emissions in 2020. Refining, transmission, storage and distribution operations are the primary sources of energy-sector methane emissions among major fuel importers. For these countries, tackling downstream emissions must be at the forefront of efforts to reduce methane emissions alongside actions to mobilise upstream suppliers to address methane abatement. Thanks to advances in measurement technologies, significant downstream emissions have been detected across developing and developed economies alike... “Solutions such as leak detection and repair programmes or infrastructure upgrades can often drastically reduce emissions from these segments. Although abatement is technically feasible, there are still institutional issues that can complicate efforts to address downstream methane leaks. For one, the regulators that oversee downstream operations are usually different from the ones that monitor upstream activities. Often, downstream regulatory bodies are primarily responsible for gas markets, consumer prices or public safety. The task of reducing emissions, by contrast, tends to be closer to the core mission of upstream regulators – either the environmental agencies charged with mitigating air pollution, or those empowered to protect and manage natural resources. Further, transmission operators do not always own the gas they transport, which can limit incentives for abatement action. Downstream emissions can be reduced by 75% with existing technology…”