EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/14/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• E&E News: Markey introduces bill to tighten pipeline standards

• Common Dreams: Markey Bill Would Greenlight Criminal Prosecution for Negligent Fossil Fuel Pipeline Operators

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Rastetter resists subpoena request as ‘irrelevant sideshow’ for Summit permit

• Madison Daily Leader: Landowners, ethanol plant reacts to pipeline permit denial

• Storm Lake Radio: Summit VP Comments on Other States Denials Regarding Iowa Pipeline Permit; Storm Lake Attorney Responds

• KSFY: After CO2 pipeline denials: Experts offer alternatives

• Pekin Daily Times: CO2 pipeline proposal a cause for concern for Pekin area residents, officials

• Bleeding Heartland: Summit Carbon's annual water use in Iowa could be hundreds of millions of gallons

• Charleston Gazette Mail: Mountain Valley Pipeline seeks federal approval for increased service cost, higher transportation rates

• WHRO: Nansemond nation escalates dispute with pipeline company, claiming human-rights violations

• Marcellus Drilling News: Lefties Say Columbia Virginia Reliability Pipe Project is Racist

• Pipestone Star: Opposition expressed to pipeline reroute plan

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• National Energy Technology Laboratory: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES $17.2 MILLION TO USE CARBON DIOXIDE FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIRS, COMBINED WITH CARBON STORAGE

• Energy & Policy Institute: Department of Energy analysis says coal carbon capture project would emit more greenhouse gases than it stores

• Energy News Network: Why everyone’s talking about carbon capture all of a sudden

• E&E News: Interior Deputy: No 'Sudden Changes' In Energy Transition 

• E&E News: DOJ: Montana climate ruling doesn't help Juliana lawsuit

• Rigzone: API: Cancellation Of Alaska Leases Sets Concerning Precedent 

STATE UPDATES

• Cleveland.com: Top Dem, Environmentalists Call For Probe Of Comments Urging Fracking In Ohio State Parks 

• Grand Canyon Trust: Estonian Oil Shale Giant Abandons Federal Oil Shale Lease, Loses Colorado River Basin Water Deal

• Courthouse News Service: Oil and gas developments along California coast fall out of favor with lawmakers

EXTRACTION

• Guardian: US behind more than a third of global oil and gas expansion plans, report finds

• Oil Change International: Planet Wreckers: How 20 Countries’ Oil and Gas Extraction Plans Risk Locking in Climate Chaos

• CNBC: Demand for oil, gas and coal will peak by 2030, but that’s not fast enough to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees, says IEA chief

• Wall Street Journal: Inside Exxon’s Strategy to Downplay Climate Change

• E&E News: Chevron bets big on massive U.S. 'green' hydrogen project

• Canadian Press: UNESCO approves report outlining threats to northern Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park

• DeSmog: Meet the Shadowy Network Vilifying Climate Protestors

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Guardian: World Bank spent billions of dollars backing fossil fuels in 2022, study finds

• E&E News: House committee sets vote on more anti-ESG bills

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• E&E News: Initiative will explore gas' role in carbon-cutting efforts

• Enbridge: Dust suppression to help a First Nation’s celebration

OPINION

• InForum: Plain Talk: Lawmaker says Summit Carbon pipeline controversy is driving down corn prices

• InForum: Port: The Dakota Access Pipeline saga is an emblem of America's dysfunction

• Environmental Defence: Alberta’s attack on renewables makes the case for a stop to oil sands production

• Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coco Gauff Won. So Did Climate-Change Protestors.
  

PIPELINE NEWS

E&E News: Markey introduces bill to tighten pipeline standards
Andres Picon, 9/14/23

“Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey introduced legislation Wednesday that would further empower federal pipeline regulators to enforce safety standards and mitigate pollution,” E&E News reports. “The bill comes exactly five years after a series of home explosions rocked communities north of Boston. Investigators blamed excessive pressure in a natural gas pipeline. The blasts killed one person, destroyed more than 100 structures and left thousands of homes without gas service for several months. "The Merrimack Valley is still healing," Markey said in a statement. “We must continue making progress by delivering stronger protections and allowing our federal regulators to make swift, effective safety standards. Federal regulators should have all the tools they need to hold bad actors accountable — not be held hostage by industry interests." The “Penalizing and Improving Prevention of Emergencies (PIPE) Act” would allow the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to apply newer regulations to older pipelines and eliminate a requirement for a cost-benefit analysis that Markey said “prioritizes company profits in safety rulemakings.” It would prohibit the release of gas or hazardous liquids from pipelines above certain levels. PHMSA would also be able to set greater civil penalties for violations and “hold bad actors criminally liable,” according to a release. PHMSA’s current authorization runs out this year. It’s not clear whether Markey will seek to include the "PIPE Act" in an upcoming reauthorization. The bill has the support of the nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust. Bill Caram, the group’s executive director, told E&E in a statement that Markey’s bill “gives PHMSA more freedom to enact rules to begin making a difference on pipeline safety.”

Common Dreams: Markey Bill Would Greenlight Criminal Prosecution for Negligent Fossil Fuel Pipeline Operators
JULIA CONLEY, 9/13/23

“Marking the fifth anniversary of deadly gas line explosions in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey introduced legislation that would hold pipeline companies criminally liable for wrongdoing that leads to such disasters,” Common Dreams reports. “The Penalizing and Improving Prevention of Emergencies (PIPE) Act, said the Massachusetts Democrat, would "close loopholes and lift barriers so the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) can better protect communities from pipeline accidents and disasters and ensure companies are held accountable." “...The explosions that resulted from Columbia Gas' mismanagement caused numerous fires across the three towns, including one that brought down a chimney on top of a car, killing 18-year-old Leonel Rondon. At least 22 others were hospitalized, more than 130 homes and other buildings were damaged, and 50,000 people had to be evacuated as a state of emergency was declared in the region… “The senator noted in a video message on social media that Columbia Gas was ordered to pay $53 million in connection with the gas explosions—the largest-ever criminal penalty imposed under the Pipeline Safety Act—but said the fine "was still nothing compared to the price paid by our communities." According to Markey's office, the PIPE Act would: Remove a requirement for an unnecessary analysis that prioritizes company profits in safety rulemakings; Close a loophole in the law that restricts the PHMSA from applying updated regulations to pipelines that are already installed; Empower PHMSA to deliver greater civil penalties and hold bad actors criminally liable for violating rules; and Prohibit the release of gas or hazardous liquids from any pipeline… “Because of Congress' meddling, we are not making progress on long-term trends of pipeline failures," Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, told Common Dreams. "This bill would address these systemic weaknesses and enact commonsense improvements, like making it illegal to spill large amounts of oil. This bill finally gives PHMSA more freedom to enact rules to begin making a difference on pipeline safety."

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Rastetter resists subpoena request as ‘irrelevant sideshow’ for Summit permit
JARED STRONG, 9/13/23

“A request to compel the testimony of Bruce Rastetter, an influential agriculture executive, during Summit Carbon Solution’s permit hearing in Iowa is merely an attempt to “create an irrelevant sideshow,” Rastetter and his company, Summit Agricultural Group, allege,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Some opponents of Summit Carbon’s proposed carbon dioxide pipeline seek Rastetter’s under-oath testimony for more information about the company’s relationship with Summit Agricultural Group, which he founded. Opponents also want to know who will profit from the project. Rastetter is also co-founder of Summit Carbon. If the Iowa Utilities Board grants the subpoena request, it could open Rastetter to questions beyond the scope of the companies’ structures. Pipeline opponents have long alleged that Rastetter’s political influence and money have helped accelerate the pipeline project to approval in Iowa and have sought proof of it. An attorney for Rastetter and Summit Agricultural Group argued Wednesday that Rastetter’s testimony is inappropriate because the two companies are separate entities and that one does not exert unilateral control over the other. “While Mr. Rastetter is an investor in Summit Carbon Solutions, and serves on the board of Summit Carbon Solutions, Mr. Rastetter is only one of eight board members and does not have the ability to control the corporate strategy of Summit Carbon Solutions,” attorney Spencer Cady wrote… “The subpoena motion was filed Sept. 7 by the daughter of a landowner affected by the project. The Sierra Club of Iowa and a group of state lawmakers have since joined that motion. They have questioned whether Summit Agricultural Group’s investments abroad might adversely affect Iowa-produced ethanol and want more information about who will profit from the pipeline. “Even if this pipeline proposal were free of disputes on due process and allegations of the appearance of impropriety, the potential risks to public safety involved in this proposal would merit careful public scrutiny of the pipeline’s ownership,” wrote Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, on behalf of the Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice… “It’s unclear when the IUB will decide the subpoena request.”

Madison Daily Leader: Landowners, ethanol plant reacts to pipeline permit denial
WREN MURPHY, 9/13/23

“The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) denied a permit for the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon dioxide pipeline Monday,” the Madison Daily Leader reports. “...Scott Mundt, the CEO of Dakota Ethanol, told the Leader the company is “very supportive” of the project. While Dakota Ethanol is not involved in the management or construction of the pipeline, Mundt told the Leader the company hopes Summit’s next application is approved… “Rita Brown and Betty Strom, two Lake County landowners, attended the Sept. 11 PUC hearing in hopes of testifying down the road, but they cut their trip short when the PUC denied the permit on the first day of several weeks of planned hearings. Both women were served eminent domain lawsuits after they refused to sign easement agreements with Summit… “For Brown, attending the PUC hearing was important because it showed her opposition to the project, even if she wouldn’t get the chance to testify. While she told the Leader she’s “relieved” about the denial of the permit, she said it’s only temporary… “Strom, who owns property south of Madison, told the Leader she hasn’t signed due to concerns about safety, property rights and property value. She told the Leader the PUC reaffirming county ordinances is encouraging, as she has asked the Lake County Commission to put in place an ordinance, only for the commissioners to state they would not due to legal concerns. While, like Brown, she feels the permit denial is a relief, she plans to continue attending hearings and County Commission meetings. “We know it’s not over,” she told the Leader.

Storm Lake Radio: Summit VP Comments on Other States Denials Regarding Iowa Pipeline Permit; Storm Lake Attorney Responds
9/12/23

“A vice president for Summit Carbon Solutions says rejected requests to build the company’s carbon pipeline in North and South Dakota should not impact its pursuit of a construction permit in Iowa,” Storm Lake Radio reports. “Micah Rorie is in charge of land acquisition for the company and he testified today (Tues) at an Iowa Utilities Board hearing in Fort Dodge…Storm Lake attorney John Murray, who represents property owners who don’t want the pipeline on their land, quizzed Rorie about yesterday’s (Monday’s) permit denial in South Dakota…Murray also asked Rorie about last month’s denial of a permit to extend Summit’s pipeline through NORTH Dakota, where the company plans to store its liquid carbon underground…Rorie says over 12-hundred Iowa landowners have voluntarily signed easements that give Summit access to over 33-hundred parcels of land along its proposed route through Iowa. The company is asking the Iowa Utilities Board for eminent domain authority to force 469 Iowa landowners who object to the project to sign property easements.”

KSFY: After CO2 pipeline denials: Experts offer alternatives
Beth Warden, 9/13/23

“After the recent decisions by the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to deny both the CO2 pipeline applications, some may be asking what’s next for CO2 capture,” KSFY reports. “Although both Navigator and Summit Carbon Solutions may re-apply for a CO2 pipeline in the state, the process could take time. Our I-team is looking at other alternatives that could remove CO2 to benefit ethanol plants without the use of a CO2 pipeline. The recent PUC meetings reviewing CO2 pipelines captured the attention of landowners, those in the ethanol industry, and scientist Jeff Bonar, CEO of Cap CO2 Solutions. “You know, I think the pipelines are starting to be exposed as other than a good financial engineering job,” Bonar told KSFY. He developed a new way to allow ethanol plants to make money from the CO2 produced and help the environment. Bonar believes the answer is Green Methanol, used in the shipping industry… “The process of converting the CO2 to green methanol can be done on-site at the plant, using electricity coming from an environmentally friendly source. The CO2 is electrically converted, cooled, and exits as non-compressed methanol, less flammable than ethanol. “You have to supply electricity, more than the ethanol plant is using now. You have to supply the CO2, and you have to supply the railroad car to fill up as you’re making it,” Bonar told KSFY. The green methanol could be delivered via rail to buyers on the Gulf Coast.”

Pekin Daily Times: CO2 pipeline proposal a cause for concern for Pekin area residents, officials
Mike Kramer, 9/13/23

“A proposed CO2 pipeline appears to have stirred up the proverbial hornet’s nest in Tazewell County,” the Pekin Daily Times reports. “In June, the energy company Wolf Carbon Solutions LLC US applied with the Illinois Energy Commission to install just under 168 miles of new carbon dioxide pipeline and 33 above-ground CO2 facilities in Illinois… “Concerned residents filled the James Carius Community Room in the Tazewell County Justice Center to overflowing at last month’s Tazewell County Board meeting to voice their concerns about the project. And the Facebook group "Tazewell County: Stop the CO2 Pipeline," has grown in membership from 144 to more than 1,700 since it was founded last month… “Wolf’s proposal to construct and operate a pipeline system also led to the formation of the anti-pipeline group Citizens Against Predatory Pipelines (CAPP). CAPP secretary treasurer Tracy Fox gave a presentation to the Tazewell County Board outlining the group’s objections to the pipeline. The group’s three main concerns, she said, are that the pipeline could take farmland out of production, create health and safety risks for area residents, and create an adverse impact on the local air quality. “We've got the unknown of what it's going to take to capture CO2,” Fox said. “I worry about the chemicals and the capture. I worry about the additional smokestack emissions. There's the pollution from the capture, and there's the harms of a CO2 accident itself. That's going to play out in terms of human health.” "Tazewell County: Stop the CO2 Pipeline" group member Jamie Fornoff said she opposed to the project because of her apprehension about the pipeline running through Pekin’s Rankin School District. “There are over 200 students from (kindergarten through eighth grade) that attend there, in addition, to 50 staff members,” she said. “How is that going to look with this pipeline running through their school district? They’re actually going to have to come up with new hazard plans.” Tazewell County officials are apparently also uneasy about how the Mount Simon Hub project will affect residents. On behalf of the Tazewell County Board, Tazewell County State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson’s office filed a petition Sept. 1 to intervene with the ICC.” 

Bleeding Heartland: Summit Carbon's annual water use in Iowa could be hundreds of millions of gallons
Nancy Dugan, 9/11/23

“While testifying before the Iowa Utilities Board on September 5, Summit Carbon Solutions chief operating officer James "Jimmy" Powell outlined the company's need for large amounts of water at each of the sites identified as pipeline “partners” throughout the five-state route proposed for a CO2 pipeline,” Bleeding Heartland reports. “We’ll need the water supply at every plant, so we’re working with individual plants,” he said. According to the Summit Carbon website, the pipeline would connect to thirteen ethanol plants in Iowa. Online records from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office show that twelve Summit-affiliated LLCs filed Certificates of Authority as foreign limited liability companies on the afternoon of August 31. A thirteenth LLC, Saint Ansgar SCS Capture, LLC, filed an application for a Certificate of Authority on July 3, which was approved on the same day. All are identified as member-managed firms formed in Delaware, and all share an address with Summit Carbon Solutions in Ames… “During his September 5 testimony, Powell said water demand for each of the carbon capture projects will depend on the production volume at each facility. “They’ll range from 20 gallons a minute to 120 gallons a minute,” he added… “When asked if he would agree that this new potential draw on Iowa’s water resources might negatively impact surrounding users, Powell responded that Summit would depend on guidance from the Department of Natural Resources in Iowa and other states to confirm availability. He later stated, “There are other sources of water,” although he did not specify what those were… “The median of 20 to 120 gallons of water per minute, Powell’s estimate of facility usage, is 70 gallons of water per minute. It is difficult to calculate with any precision just how much water Summit Carbon will use to capture CO2 at its thirteen partner ethanol plants in Iowa. Hypothetically, assuming thirteen plants are operational around the clock, 365 days a year, yields an estimated withdrawal rate of 478,296,000 gallons per year.”

Charleston Gazette Mail: Mountain Valley Pipeline seeks federal approval for increased service cost, higher transportation rates
Mike Tony, 9/12/23

“Mountain Valley Pipeline developers have absorbed billions in project cost increases. Now they’re looking for some relief,” the Charleston Gazette Mail reports. “Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, the joint venture behind the 303-mile gas pipeline, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Tuesday to approve a significantly higher cost of service and higher transportation rates than the rates the company filed with them in 2015. Mountain Valley requested approval of an annual cost of service of roughly $1.28 billion, a 45% increase above its 2015 proposal of approximately $710 million for fixed costs. The company requested a monthly incremental pipeline transportation reservation rate nearly double what it reported requiring in 2015. The Cecil Township, Pennsylvania-based firm said permitting-related delays were to blame for cost increases for the project first announced in 2014. Mountain Valley requested FERC issue an order by Oct. 27, calling it “essential” to do so to place the project facilities in service. The company said there was no need for FERC to provide a “lengthy” public comment period for its proposed changes. “[A]ll interested parties have had ample opportunities over the past nine years to file comments regarding the Project,” Mountain Valley said in its application. Mountain Valley said the project always has been and still is fully subscribed by binding long-term agreements with shippers for transportation service that will extend for at least a 20-year term.”

WHRO: Nansemond nation escalates dispute with pipeline company, claiming human-rights violations
Katherine Hafner, 9/13/23

“The Nansemond Indian Nation is elevating its fight with TC Energy, the company planning to replace and expand a pipeline in Hampton Roads,” WHRO reports. “The tribe recently sent a formal grievance to TC’s leaders in Canada, claiming the company has violated its own policies on Indigenous relations, as well as human rights outlined by the United Nations. “We have done everything that a good-faith participant in the whole permitting process should do,” Nansemond Assistant Chief David Hennaman told WHRO. “And yet [the company] still just refuses to give us even the basic respect so far as consultation and keeping us aware of what they’re doing.” The grievance is the latest in a series of debates over what’s called the Virginia Reliability Project… “Several local environmental groups are fighting the expansion and call it the “Virginia Ripoff Project.” The Nansemond Indian Nation started raising its own concerns last year through the federal regulatory process… “Because the Nansemond nation was not federally recognized when the pipeline was first built in the 1950s, it has very little information on what happened or what was found during initial construction, Marion Werkheiser, one of the tribe’s attorneys with Richmond-based Cultural Heritage Partners, told WHRO. Gaining federal recognition in 2018 gave them a new seat at the table for such projects, and they’ve invested in doing so, Hennaman told WHRO. “Sadly, at every turn [TC] has treated the Nation with disdain or indifference,” the tribe wrote in recent comments to federal regulators. The tribe said the existing pipeline has damaged or destroyed at least 13 archaeological and cultural sites associated with the nation and they worry the expansion could harm more. They also said that TC has mischaracterized the nation’s history by stating that it relocated to North Carolina centuries ago and no longer exists in its homelands. Werkheiser told WHRO the tribe sent the recent grievance to TC Energy because communications have worsened in recent months.”

Marcellus Drilling News: Lefties Say Columbia Virginia Reliability Pipe Project is Racist
9/13/23

“In August 2022, Columbia Gas Transmission (a subsidiary of TC Energy) filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build the Virginia Reliability Project (VRP), which includes two new compressor units and the replacement of existing pipeline,” Marcellus Drilling News reports. “VRP will add 100 MMcf/d of incremental capacity on Columbia’s system to service delivery points in southeast Virginia, namely Virginia Natural Gas. In April of this year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a draft Environmental Impact State (dEIS) that finds the project won’t hurt Mom Nature (see Columbia Virginia Reliability Pipe Project Gets Favorable dEIS). Like mind-numbed robots, the radical left continues to spout nonsense that VRP is racist.”

Pipestone Star: Opposition expressed to pipeline reroute plan
Kyle Kuphal, 9/13/23

“The Pipestone City Council has expressed opposition to Magellan Pipeline Company’s proposed rerouting of a pipeline that previously ran through Pipestone National Monument and land managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) north of Pipestone,” the Pipestone Star reports. “Magellan decommissioned the .74-mile segment of pipe that ran through the federal lands late last year. It then filed a route permit application in April for a new section of pipeline that would be located on private properties west and north of the federal lands. Gabriel Yellowhawk and Bud Johnston expressed opposition to the pipeline reroute plan during the Pipestone City Council’s Sept. 5 meeting. Yellowhawk read a comment to that effect that he submitted on behalf of the Pipestone Human Rights Commission, of which he is the chairman, to the Minnesota Department of Commerce prior to the Sept. 6 deadline for public comments regarding the proposed pipeline reroute project. Yellowhawk said the human rights commission had identified Magellan’s pipeline proposal as a threat to the human rights of the community, primarily as a threat to the spiritual way of life for members of the indigenous community of Pipestone. He explained that pipestone is considered sacred and shared the story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who is said to have brought the first pipe made of the stone 19 generations ago and explained that it should be used in the sacred ceremonies of the Lakota people… “Yellowhawk said it’s not Pipestone National Monument that is sacred, but the stone itself. He said the original pipeline, which was installed in 1947, went over the pipestone vein and that the proposed new pipeline would too, even though it will be on private land. Yellowhawk also pointed out that Magellan’s preferred route for the new pipeline would go between Old Woodlawn and New Woodlawn cemeteries. “The pipeline therefore will not only vandalize the blood of my ancestors, or our ancestors, but disturb the souls of Pipestone’s departed as well,” Yellowhawk said. Johnston spoke in support of Yellowhawk’s comments and of his efforts to have the previous pipeline through Pipestone National Monument decommissioned. He told the council that any help it could provide to stop the proposed new pipeline would be appreciated. “If that thing were to ever rupture, it would destroy our use of pipestone, which really is the blood of our ancestors, according to so many tribal stories,” Johnston said. Mayor Dan Delaney said he saw the proposed pipeline as a hazard that could damage the environment, the area where the sacred stone is located and the cemetery if it ruptured. He motioned that the city express opposition to a pipeline anywhere near Pipestone National Monument or the cemeteries. The motion was unanimously approved by the council.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

National Energy Technology Laboratory: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES $17.2 MILLION TO USE CARBON DIOXIDE FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIRS, COMBINED WITH CARBON STORAGE
9/13/23

“The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) today announced up to $17.2 million to evaluate the potential for unconventional oil production through a combined process that uses captured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to recover residual oil—called CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR)—while safely and permanently storing that CO2 underground in the oilfield. The research targeted through this funding will help to accelerate carbon storage operations in depleted domestic oilfields, repurposing existing infrastructure in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic decarbonization goals. “Integrating geologic storage of carbon emissions into our key energy production processes is an important component of broader decarbonization and achieving President Biden’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. “Combining carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery operations with permanent storage of captured carbon dioxide emissions in the same geologic formations provides an important pathway to accelerate carbon storage and help reduce the overall carbon footprint of that oil we will continue to produce while we transition to a net-zero energy and industrial economy.” CO2-EOR is a technique used to recover oil, typically from mature fields that are no longer productive using traditional oil recovery methods, which can leave up to two-thirds of the original oil in place. In conventional oilfields, the CO2-EOR process is not only effective in increasing ultimate oil recovery, but also in its ability to geologically store CO2 emissions through the recovery process. Following the CO2-EOR operations, the captured CO2 remains permanently underground in the geologic formation, thereby prevented from entering the atmosphere. This funding opportunity focuses on examining the effectiveness of this process when applied to low-permeability, light-oil fields that have dominated new production in recent years.”

Energy & Policy Institute: Department of Energy analysis says coal carbon capture project would emit more greenhouse gases than it stores
Joe Smyth, 9/14/23

“An environmental assessment published by the Department of Energy found that Project Tundra, a major coal carbon capture project proposed in North Dakota, would emit more greenhouse gases than it stores,” according to the Energy & Policy Institute. “The environmental assessment also “includes numerous egregious errors” and “does not even meet the basic standards” for a life cycle assessment, according to Dr. Emily Grubert, former deputy assistant secretary of carbon management at the Department of Energy. As the Department of Energy considers funding the coal carbon capture project, documents show that cost estimates for Project Tundra have nearly doubled, engineering studies have taken three times as long as initially planned, and emissions reductions claims have been scaled back… “Minnkota Power, the generation and transmission association that operates the coal plant, said in June that it has also applied for a $350 million grant from the DOE Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program to help fund the construction of the carbon capture facility. Project Tundra is unlikely to be built without DOE funding; in a presentation last year to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Project Tundra consultant David Greeson said that “we’re really counting on a demonstration grant from the Department of Energy.” The DOE environmental assessment also found that Project Tundra likely “would not be constructed” without federal funding. The environmental assessment includes a life cycle analysis that determined that “There is an expected 3.23 kg of CO2e emitted per kg of CO2 stored.”

Energy News Network: Why everyone’s talking about carbon capture all of a sudden
Ken Paulman, 9/13/23

“You’re hearing a lot about carbon capture lately,” Energy News Network reports. “It’s a technology that, until now, has been at the periphery of climate discussions — expensive, theoretical, with potentially harmful unintended consequences, including accidental releases and extending dependence on fossil fuels. That’s all changed with a massive influx of federal incentives, and a draft EPA rule that calls for power plants to be nearly zero-emissions by 2040 in part with carbon capture technology that utilities have long assured us would be possible. And even if you can successfully pull CO2 from smokestacks, you have to put it somewhere. That’s creating a buzzsaw of opposition in the rural Midwest, including recently in Indiana, where a developer admitted to a roomful of landowners that it is planning to pipe carbon to a rural area to avoid generating controversy in more populated areas nearby. Opposition to pipeline projects in states like Iowa and South Dakota is creating a common cause among deeply conservative farmers and renewable energy advocates. There will certainly be more to come; federal applications to inject CO2 into rock formations have jumped from 14 to 119, as some states seek authority over permitting to move the projects along. And Microsoft last week announced it will purchase $200 million in carbon credits from a direct-air capture startup.” 

E&E News: Interior Deputy: No 'Sudden Changes' In Energy Transition 
Heather Richards, 9/13/23

“As the Biden administration finalizes its plan for the offshore oil program, Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau said Tuesday officials are weighing the necessity to act on climate change against the need to maintain a domestic supply of oil,” E&E News reports. “We all feel the urgency to do our utmost to tackle the climate crisis, which is being driven by carbon emissions,” he said in an interview with E&E News. “The balance, obviously, though, involves consideration of the United States’ economic needs and energy needs.” From his perch at the Interior Department, Beaudreau is on the front lines of crafting and carrying out the the White House’s energy and public lands strategies. The agency has a hand in mining, oil drilling, wind, solar and transmission on public lands and waters, which it juggles alongside environmental and climate policies. His comments come as the department he helps lead prepares to release the final environmental review of a five-year offshore oil and gas program, a plan that carries long-lasting impacts for the national oil supply. It is expected to be released sometime this month. … He said the energy transition is ‘underway.’ He noted that the Inflation Reduction Act — which includes more than $300 billion to fuel the growth of electric vehicles, ready the electricity grid for the energy transition and boost replacement power sources like offshore wind — will help blunt the future demand for oil and gas.”

E&E News: DOJ: Montana climate ruling doesn't help Juliana lawsuit
Lesley Clark, 9/13/23

“The Biden administration has told a court that a big youth-led climate victory in Montana should have no bearing on a similar lawsuit lodged against the federal government,” E&E News reports. “Justice Department attorneys in a filing last week with the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon said the August ruling in Held v. Montana “is not germane” to Juliana v. United States, which accuses federal officials of violating young people's constitutional rights by embracing fossil fuels. The DOJ filing comes as the law firm behind Held and Juliana told the Oregon District Court last month that their win in Montana shows that young people can demonstrate that they are harmed by the burning of oil and gas — and that courts can provide a remedy to their injury. But Todd Kim, head of DOJ’s environment division, wrote that although a Montana judge found that any reduction in the state's greenhouse gas emissions would give some relief to the young challengers in the Held case, federal judges in the Juliana litigation are bound by precedent that “merely slowing or reducing” emissions would not provide relief.”

Rigzone: API: Cancellation Of Alaska Leases Sets Concerning Precedent 
9/12/23

“The American Petroleum Institute (API) has condemned the rescindment of oil and gas leases covering over 430,000 acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, warning the latest tightening on the industry by the Biden administration sets a ‘concerning precedent’,” Rigzone reports. “The Department of the Interior (DOI) said last week it had canceled the remaining leases awarded by the Trump administration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over alleged legal shortcomings in environmental clearance. The decision means all nine leases issued under the Coastal Plain Leasing Program have now been canceled following a review ordered by the government of President Joe Biden. “Today’s announcement sets a concerning precedent for the future of oil and natural gas leasing, exploration and production on federal lands,” API vice-president for upstream policy Holly Hopkins told AP in a statement on behalf of the group.”

STATE UPDATES

Cleveland.com: Top Dem, Environmentalists Call For Probe Of Comments Urging Fracking In Ohio State Parks 
Jake Zuckerman, 9/11/23

“Two environmental advocacy organizations and the ranking Ohio House Democrat demanded concrete actions, investigative and otherwise, in response to dozens of Ohioans saying their names were used without their knowing permission on letters to regulators urging fracking in state parks,” Cleveland.com reports. “Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Sunday reported that 38 people said their names were used without knowing consent in public comments to the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission. They included an older blind woman and the mother of a 9-year-old girl whose name appeared on the troves of pro-fracking submissions, which urge the state to ‘responsibly’ lease rights to minerals under state parks to oil and gas drillers. In a statement, Roxanne Groff, a steering committee member of Save Ohio Parks, a grassroots organization that formed to oppose fracking in state parks enabled by a new state law, said her organization noticed ‘anomalies’ with hundreds of pro-fracking comments and brought it to the commission’s attention two months ago. Those comments, as was reported, trace back to the Consumer Energy Alliance, a Houston-based nonprofit that advocates for the oil and gas industry. “The Commission must strike these comments from the record,” Groff said. “Anything less makes a mockery of the public engagement process.”

Grand Canyon Trust: Estonian Oil Shale Giant Abandons Federal Oil Shale Lease, Loses Colorado River Basin Water Deal
9/12/12

“Estonian state-owned oil shale company Enefit American Oil is abandoning its lease to mine oil shale on federal public land in northeastern Utah’s Uinta Basin,” according to the Grand Canyon Trust. “The decision marks the end of the George W. Bush-era federal oil shale leasing program and came just weeks before a settlement agreement cut the oil shale giant’s planned strip mine and processing facility off from its water supply. The settlement prevents Enefit from exploiting a previous deal to siphon billions of gallons of water from the Green River, above where it flows into the Colorado River, to build the first commercial-scale oil shale mine and processing plant in the U.S. in the Utah desert… “Surrendering the RD&D lease, issued in 2007, means the company is also abandoning efforts to mine an adjacent 4,960-acre "preference lease right area" of federal public lands. "The good news is that the Bush-Cheney nightmare vision of strip mining thousands of acres of wildlife habitat on public lands to produce the most carbon-polluting gasoline in the world appears to finally be ending," said Ted Zukoski, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Enefit was the last company holding an oil shale research lease on BLM land that hadn’t expired or been relinquished." Major players Chevron and Shell had pulled out of their leases by 2017.” 

Courthouse News Service: Oil and gas developments along California coast fall out of favor with lawmakers
NATALIE HANSON, 9/12/23

“California lawmakers passed new legislation Tuesday to remove provisions in state law which favor the approval of oil and gas developments along the Golden State's famed coastline,” Courthouse News Service reports. “More than 80% of the state's Assembly and Senate members voted “yes” on Senate Bill 704. If signed, the bill will amend the California Coastal Act to remove an “industrial override” provision favoring approval for oil and gas developments along the coast — regardless of whether those proposed developments meet state resource protection policies. If Governor Gavin Newsom signs the bill, new or expanded oil and gas developments, including refineries and petrochemical facilities, will face oversight under policies meant protect California’s ocean and coast. The bill's author, state Senator Dave Min — a Democrat representing Orange County — said on X, formerly Twitter, that "SB 704 levels the playing field and closes the lingering loopholes that, for too long, permitted unchecked oil and gas development."

EXTRACTION

Guardian: US behind more than a third of global oil and gas expansion plans, report finds
Fiona Harvey, 9/12/23

“The US accounts for more than a third of the expansion of global oil and gas production planned by mid-century, despite its claims of climate leadership, research has found,” the Guardian reports. “Canada and Russia have the next biggest expansion plans, calculated based on how much carbon dioxide is likely to be produced from new developments, followed by Iran, China and Brazil. The United Arab Emirates, which is to host the annual UN climate summit this year, Cop28 in Dubai in November, is seventh on the list. The data, in a report from the campaign group Oil Change International, also showed that five “global north countries” – the US, Canada, Australia, Norway and the UK – will be responsible for just over half of all the planned expansion from new oil and gas fields to 2050… “Romain Ioualalen, the global policy lead at Oil Change International and co-author of the report, told the Guardian countries must call a halt to fossil fuel expansion. “It’s simple: when you are in a hole, the first step is to stop digging,” he told the Guardian. “The climate crisis is global in nature, but is atrociously unjust. A handful of the world’s richest nations are risking our future by willingly ignoring the calls to rapidly phase out fossil fuels.” The report, titled Planet wreckers: how 20 countries’ oil and gas extraction plans risk locking in climate chaos, published on Tuesday, found that 20 countries were responsible for plans for new oil and gas developments by 2050 that would add about 173bn tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. That amount is the same as the lifetime emissions of 1,100 coal-fired power plants, or more than 30 years of the US’s annual emissions.”

Oil Change International: Planet Wreckers: How 20 Countries’ Oil and Gas Extraction Plans Risk Locking in Climate Chaos
9/12/23

“Only 20 countries, led overwhelmingly by the United States, are responsible for nearly 90 percent of the carbon-dioxide (CO2) pollution threatened by new oil and gas fields and fracking wells planned between 2023 and 2050,” according to Oil Change International. “If this oil and gas expansion is allowed to proceed, it would lock in climate chaos and an unlivable future. This new report, titled Planet Wreckers: How 20 Countries’ Oil and Gas Extraction Plans Risk Locking in Climate Chaos, is released days ahead of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ Climate Ambition Summit in New York City. Guterres has called for countries to show up with commitments to stop oil and gas expansion and plan a phase out of existing production in line with the 1.5°C limit. The report shows that: Only 20 Planet Wrecker countries are responsible for nearly 90 percent of the carbon-dioxide (CO2) pollution from new oil and gas fields and fracking wells planned between 2023 and 2050. If these 20 Planet Wreckers said “no” to their planned new oil and gas production, as the UN Secretary General is urging them to, 173 billion tonnes (Gt) of carbon pollution would be kept in the ground. That is equivalent to the lifetime pollution of nearly 1,100 new coal plants, or more than 30 years of annual U.S. carbon emissions. Oil and gas expansion by the 20 Planet Wrecker countries would make it impossible to hold temperature rise to 1.5°C. Even extracting just the fossil fuels from existing sites globally would result in 140 percent more carbon pollution than the allowed budget for 1.5°C. If these countries proceed with their new extraction, committed carbon pollution will be 190 percent over the 1.5°C budget, risking locking in more than a dangerous 2°C of warming.”

CNBC: Demand for oil, gas and coal will peak by 2030, but that’s not fast enough to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees, says IEA chief
Catherine Clifford, 9/12/23

“Demand for fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal will hit an all-time high before 2030, according to Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency,” CNBC reports. “That’s due to changing energy governmental policy around the globe, the surge in development of clean technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles, the rise in use of heat pumps, and the forced accelerated move off of gas in Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine, Birol said. While the pace in moving away from fossil fuels, which cause global warming, is faster than previously expected, it is not fast enough to keep global warming to within the 1.5 degree threshold that international leaders are targeting, Birol said. “Despite recurring talk of peak oil and peak coal over the years, both fuels are hitting all-time highs, making it easier to push back against any assertions that they could soon be on the wane. But according to new projections from the International Energy Agency, this age of seemingly relentless growth is set to come to an end this decade, bringing with it significant implications for the global energy sector and the fight against climate change,” Birol wrote in an op-ed published in the Financial Times.

Wall Street Journal: Inside Exxon’s Strategy to Downplay Climate Change
Christopher M. Matthews and Collin Eaton, 9/14/23

“Exxon Mobil issued its first public statement that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change in 2006, following years of denial. In public forums, the company argued that the risk of serious impact on the environment justified global action,” the Wall Street Journal reports. 

E&E News: Chevron bets big on massive U.S. 'green' hydrogen project
DAVID IACONANGELO, 9/13/23

“Chevron USA Inc. said Tuesday it bought a majority stake in a landmark Department of Energy-backed hydrogen project, underscoring efforts by the oil and gas industry to benefit from federal backing for the emerging technology,” E&E News reports. “If completed, the Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project, as it's known, would transform a Utah salt cavern into one of the biggest hydrogen storage facilities in the world, and produce massive volumes of "green" hydrogen made using electricity and water. The project won a $504 million loan guarantee from DOE last year. Chevron said it had closed a deal to obtain full ownership of Magnum Development LLC, a fuel-storage developer that owns the Utah caverns… “The company did not disclose a price for its acquisition. But Knight said last year at a Financial Times conference that his company was planning to spend about $2.5 billion on developing its hydrogen business as part of a larger $10 billion pledge through 2028 to develop emerging energy technologies… “The prospect of earning billion-dollar federal subsidies for lower-carbon hydrogen has spawned interest across the oil and gas sector. For instance, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Shell PLC are partners with Chevron in a Texas industry coalition that is seeking up to $1.25 billion in funds from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to build hydrogen "hubs,” or large-scale demonstration of hydrogen production, storage, transport and consumption BP PLC, Equinor ASA and TC Energy Corp. are board members of part of the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition, a group of large energy companies supporting the fuel, that has been vocal about the Treasury Department's implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits for "clean" hydrogen production. In multiple letters, the coalition asked Treasury not to slap tight emissions rules on green hydrogen producers who want to claim the credits, suggesting members' interest in receiving federal support for hydrogen projects… “But Chevron's announcement also comes at a moment when environmentalists and hydrogen researchers are leveling intense scrutiny on federal subsidies for reportedly clean varieties of the fuel. In a report released Tuesday, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis denounced the idea of committing public dollars to "blue" hydrogen — a version of the fuel made from natural gas and paired with carbon capture systems. "[T]he reality is that blue hydrogen is neither clean nor low-carbon," wrote researchers with the group, which has been among the longtime skeptics of federal investments in hydrogen. "In addition, pursuing it will waste substantial time that is in short supply and money that could be more wisely spent on other, more effective investments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the immediate future," they concluded in the report.

Canadian Press: UNESCO approves report outlining threats to northern Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park
9/13/23

“The United Nations body that oversees World Heritage Sites is approving a report that finds Wood Buffalo National Park's place on that list is in danger,” the Canadian Press reports. “At a meeting in Saudi Arabia, UNESCO delegates voted to approve an investigation that found the park remains under environmental threats from dam construction in British Columbia, oilsands development and climate change. Delegates voted to recommend that Canada implement 17 recommendations in the report. Five of those recommendations pertain specifically to threats posed by the oilsands, upstream of the park. The report is the latest step in UNESCO's ongoing examination of concerns originally expressed by the Mikisew Cree First Nation almost a decade ago.”

DeSmog: Meet the Shadowy Network Vilifying Climate Protestors
Amy Westervelt and Geoff Dembickion, 9/12/23

“Earlier this year, news footage began making the rounds on social media of young activists from the German climate organization Letzte Generation (Last Generation) being assaulted by their fellow citizens as they obstructed streets in an effort to draw attention to the German government’s inaction on climate,” DeSmog reports. “A young woman, with her hand glued to a road was ripped off the road by her hair; a young man was run over by a truck driver; a passerby punched the protestors and was cheered on. A few months later, German police raided the homes of Last Generation activists and seized their bank accounts… “It makes slightly more sense if we go back in time a couple of years and follow how one right-wing politician has been talking about The Last Generation. Frank Schäffler, of the Free Democratic Party, or FDP, is a member of the German parliament, or Bundestag, and is well known for hard-right positions… “Almost as soon as Last Generation began staging protests, in early 2022, Schläffler began describing them as extremists. When they threw mashed potatoes on a Monet in Potsdam, Schäffler took to Twitter to describe the act as “terrorism.” “...Last Generation, by contrast, are unarmed activists who have committed no acts of violence. Yet Schläffler has continued to call Last Generation terrorists in one way or another; Schläffler also began describing the group as a “criminal organization,” and publicly calling for it to be investigated for organized crime. It’s a lot easier to justify ripping an activist off the road by their hair, or punching them in the face, when a prominent politician is comparing them to violent terrorists, and a major media outlet is repeating that frame, as both conservative publisher Welt and the more mainstream Der Spiegel have done with Schläffler. Just six months later, in May 2023, German police conducted nationwide raids on Last Generation activists. Police said the raids were the result of an investigation into Last Generation activists for forming “a criminal organization that was fundraising for the purpose of committing further criminal action.” It was almost exactly the response to Last Generation that Schäffler had recommended… “But something important happened between his debt and climate crusades that helps to explain his sudden influence: Schäffler started a think tank — The Prometheus Institute — and he plugged that think tank into a little-known but enormously powerful network called the Atlas Network. Atlas is a global network of more than 500 member think tanks, advocating for “free market” policies in the majority of democratic countries… “To understand the role Atlas Network think tanks are playing today to help frame climate activists as the biggest threat facing society, it helps to understand the network’s history, its long-standing relationship to extractive industry, and its ideological foundation.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Guardian: World Bank spent billions of dollars backing fossil fuels in 2022, study finds
Fiona Harvey, 9/12/23

“The World Bank poured billions of dollars into fossil fuels around the world last year despite repeated promises to refocus on shifting to a low-carbon economy, research has suggested,” according to the Guardian. “The money went through a special form of funding known as trade finance, which is used to facilitate global transactions. Urgewald, a campaign group that tracks global fossil fuel finance, found that the World Bank supplied about $3.7bn (£2.95bn) in trade finance in 2022 that was likely to have ended up funding oil and gas developments. Heike Mainhardt, the author of the research, called for reform of the World Bank and its private finance arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to make such transactions more transparent and to exclude funding for fossil fuels from its lending. “They can’t say that they are aligned with the Paris agreement, because there isn’t enough transparency to be able to tell,” she told the Guardian. Fossil fuel companies would take advantage of this, she added. “They can see that they can access public money this way, without drawing attention to themselves, and they’re very clever, so they will do this,” she told the Guardian.

E&E News: House committee sets vote on more anti-ESG bills
Rebekah Alvey, 9/13/23

“The House Education and Workforce Committee will consider Republican bills this week against the administration's green investing agenda,” E&E News reports. “During a markup Thursday, the panel will vote on four proposals that GOP committee members — led by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) — introduced as a package earlier this month. All bills would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to make sure financial institutions prioritize returns in retirement plans over environmental, social and governance investing, according to supporters. H.R. 5339, the “Roll back ESG To Increase Retirement Earnings (RETIRE) Act," from Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.), would clarify that financial institutions must make investment decisions based on economic factors. “Under so-called 'Bidenomics,' Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities like gas and groceries. The last thing hardworking taxpayers need is for their retirement savings to be depleted due to politically-motivated mismanagement,” Allen said in a statement. “The RETIRE Act would right this wrong and ensure Americans have a say in their financial future," Allen added.

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

E&E News: Initiative will explore gas' role in carbon-cutting efforts
Carlos Anchondo, 9/13/23

“The Bipartisan Policy Center is starting an initiative to probe how natural gas could boost an ongoing shift to a cleaner energy system, the centrist think tank announced Tuesday,” E&E News reports. “The goal of the Future of Natural Gas Policy Initiative is to “advance a thoughtful and pragmatic national policy agenda for natural gas,” the Washington-based center said in a statement. That means aligning priorities across economic, environmental and social concerns, the policy center said. “We think that there is a way to design a policy framework where gas can actually help to accelerate the energy transition if we think about it comprehensively and strategically from a production standpoint, from an infrastructure standpoint and of course from a gas utilization standpoint,” Sasha Mackler, executive director of the policy center’s energy program, told E&E. The initiative is convening utility executives as well as Neil Chatterjee — who chaired the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under former President Donald Trump — and labor and environmental groups to develop policy recommendations in several areas. They include gas infrastructure, exports, employment and emissions.”

Enbridge: Dust suppression to help a First Nation’s celebration
9/14/23

“The storytelling begins with the drummers, each of their beats bringing those present into balance with the pulse of the earth. Vocalists join the thunderous rhythm, their tones merging music with spirit as the sound fills the peak of the towering tent. The Ojibwe people’s traditional clothing, too, recounts the narrative, shows the history of craftsmanship in the careful bead and feather work. The story of this performance is one of celebration. It’s the 25th anniversary powwow of the Swan Lake First Nation (SLFN), held this past Canada Day long weekend in south-central Manitoba,” according to Enbridge. “...Safety being the foundation of everything we do at Enbridge, we saw an opportunity to support SLFN’s 25th anniversary powwow by proactively making the roadways safe for attendees. We awarded SLFN a $50,000 Fueling Futures grant to help cover costs of controlling dust on the unpaved roads, and we partnered with two Canadian companies to make it happen.”

OPINION

InForum: Plain Talk: Lawmaker says Summit Carbon pipeline controversy is driving down corn prices
Rob Port, 9/13/23

“If constructed, the Midwest Carbon Express, a carbon pipeline project pursued by Summit Carbon Solutions, would gather carbon emissions from ethanol plants across the Upper Midwest and bring it to North Dakota for storage. Controversy around the pipeline, particularly from some landowners and farmers who say their land will be stolen through eminent domain, or that the pipeline itself is dangerous, has made headlines. But two North Dakota lawmakers with deep ties to agriculture in the state are pushing back,” Rob Port writes for InForum. “Sen. Terry Wanzek and Rep. Mike Brandenburg, both Republican members of the North Dakota Legislature, recently wrote a letter to the editor arguing that "the future is here, and it demands that we incorporate innovative solutions like carbon capture and storage to ensure the continued prosperity of our leading industries." Rep. Brandenburg joined this episode of Plain Talk to explain his argument. "It's time we start talking about the positive things with this pipeline," he said… “Canada, a major importer of American ethanol, has implemented new emissions standards, and without carbon capture, American farmers and ethanol producers will be at a disadvantage… “Brandenburg also said that North Dakota farmers are being misled by people such as Daryl Lies, the president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau who uses his Bismarck-based talk radio show to inveigh against carbon capture and Summit's pipeline.”

InForum: Port: The Dakota Access Pipeline saga is an emblem of America's dysfunction
Rob Port, 9/13/23

“Is there any more egregious example of the dysfunction of our federal government than the Dakota Access Pipeline saga?,” Rob Port writes for InForum. “It's farcical. The pipeline has been operating safely for years, moving hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil daily, yet we're still debating whether the thing should be built… “Again, we built a pipeline. It's operating safely. It's been a boon to North Dakota's economy, allowing our state's oil producers to be far more price-competitive than they were without it. But for reasons rooted in the intransigence of this political moment, we're still fighting over whether it should be built… “Since then the federal courts, acquiescing to the demands of the anti-pipeline activists, have ordered another environmental impact review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Yes, I wrote "another." This review is the third NEPA analysis of the roughly 1,000-foot crossing. The third. This one was ordered on a pipeline that, I cannot stress this enough, has already been built… “It's hard to imagine how any process could satisfy a group of people who think that building a pipeline, no matter how safe, is an unacceptable outcome. The rest of us, meanwhile, are obliged to live in the real world, where oil is necessary, and pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective way of transporting it… “We can all hope that the courts allow DAPL to continue operating as-is, but zooming out from this specific issue for a moment, we should ask ourselves what this byzantine process is telling the rest of the world what it's like to do business in modern America. I'm worried that many look at our country and wonder why anyone would want to do business here.”

Environmental Defence: Alberta’s attack on renewables makes the case for a stop to oil sands production
Alienor Rougeot, 9/13/23

“Alberta’s current pause on new wind and solar projects is bad for business and for Alberta’s climate goals. However, it is true that no industry should operate without a clear understanding of the potential environmental impacts of their projects, and a clear plan for how they will clean up any mess left behind. And so, Alberta just made the case for a  moratorium on production in the tar sands,” Alienor Rougeot writes for Environmental Defence. “Although no Alberta government has used a moratorium to deal with environmental liabilities before, the province is scarred with abandoned oil and gas wells and vast toxic tailings ponds, large enough to cover Canada’s major cities. Better late than never! Now that the government stomped its foot down on renewables, it can show its full commitment to fairness and responsible development by ordering a stop to production in the tar sands… “A leaked internal briefing note from the AER estimated the clean-up cost for the tar sands alone could be $130 billion, of which only about 1 per cent of that sum has been collected from companies by Alberta. The environmental and human health benefits of a pause in the tar sands and stronger regulations would be significant. The toxic tailings are contaminating the water and land surrounding the operations. Migratory birds regularly perish after landing on the toxic tailing ponds. Indigenous nations living downstream of the industrial activity are experiencing adverse effects such as rare cancers, respiratory diseases, the disappearance of wildlife, and an inability to access their traditional territories… “Pollution from fossil fuel production, from the sprawling and leaking tailings ponds to the abandoned orphan wells, poses a much greater threat to communities and the environment in Alberta than renewables. The Alberta government must declare an immediate moratorium on production in the tar sands until the industry has found a scientifically rigorous, and fiscally responsible, solution to its toxic tailings problem.”

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Coco Gauff Won. So Did Climate-Change Protestors.
Margaret Klein Salamon, 9/12/23

“Last week, at the women’s singles semi-final match at the U.S Open, climate protesters from the group Extinction Rebellion halted play for 49 minutes, shouting “no tennis on a dead planet” and “end fossil fuels.” One protester even glued his bare feet to the floor so it would be harder to remove him. The incident generated nearly as much news coverage as Coco Gauff’s victory,” Margaret Klein Salamon writes for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. “Many people assume the annoyance factor of such stunts makes them counterproductive. For example, the activists at the U.S. Open were booed and denounced on social media. As a result, disruptive activism rarely receives philanthropic funding. But it should.”