EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/19/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Star Tribune: Judge dismisses charges against activists accused of disrupting Enbridge Line 3
Minnesota Reformer: Judge dismisses remaining Line 3 charges against indigenous activists, citing longstanding government mistreatment
Boulder Daily Camera: After felony conviction for oil pipeline protest, Boulder activist vows to keep fighting
Canadian Press: Undo Line 5 shutdown order, Ottawa’s filing urges U.S. appeals court
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit permit process in North Dakota has reached ‘uncharted waters’
Associated Press: Gas leak forces evacuation of Southern California homes; no injuries reported
The Narwhal: What is the Trans Mountain pipeline — and why should I care?
Daily Montanan: Feds drop plan for pipeline in Upper Red Rocks Lake
S&P Global Platts: Feature: Stalled North American crude pipeline projects could mean bottlenecks, price discounts
OilPrice.com: Pipelines Are Limiting U.S. Natural Gas Production
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Markey, Ocasio-Cortez ask Biden to create Civilian Climate Corps by executive order
E&E News: Team Biden goes all in at New York climate week
E&E News: D.C. Circuit leans toward FERC in gas project brawl
InsideClimate News: Errors In a Federal Carbon Capture Analysis Are a Warning for Clean Energy Spending, Former Official Says
STATE UPDATES
Bismarck Tribune: Direct air capture project receives millions in funding; part of broader federal push
WKU Public Radio: TVA studying carbon capture technology at natural gas plants in Kentucky, Mississippi
Santa Fe New Mexican: Study: Producing mild tremors before fracking could help avoid earthquakes
Law360: Enviro Groups Can Join Gulf Lease Sale Fight, La. Judge Says
Courthouse News Service: Long Beach sued over plan to drill for oil and gas
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Aramco, Exxon CEOs push back against forecasts of peak oil demand
Argus Media: Transition is away from emissions, not oil: Alberta
Bloomberg: We plan to eliminate greenhouse emissions from oilsands production by 2050: Pathways Alliance CEO
Reuters: Alberta premier wants to unveil carbon capture storage tax credits at COP 28
Bloomberg: Carbon-Capture Dreaming in the City That Needs It Most
CLIMATE FINANCE
Associated Press: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will sign climate-focused transparency laws for big business
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: The path to net zero: Progressive topics, workable solutions
OPINION
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Money talks in Iowa’s carbon pipeline drama
Agri-Pulse: Opinion: Illinois economy, safety reach new heights with carbon capture
The Hill: Congress must take California out of the driver’s seat on electric car mandates
The American Prospect: The Federal Reserve Could Be a Powerful Weapon Against Climate Change
PIPELINE NEWS
Star Tribune: Judge dismisses charges against activists accused of disrupting Enbridge Line 3
Randy Furst, 9/18/23
“Calling for justice for Native American people, a senior district judge has thrown out criminal charges in Aitkin County against three Native women — including American Indian activist Winona LaDuke — who were involved in a nonviolent protest in 2021 against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline,” the Star Tribune reports. "The charges against these three individuals who were exercising their rights to free speech and to freely express their spiritual rights should be dismissed," Judge Leslie Metzen wrote in a memorandum issued Friday accompanying her ruling. "To criminalize their behavior would be the crime." LaDuke wept when she read Metzen's memorandum, she said Monday — the day the trial was expected to begin. "I was expecting a jury trial of an all-white jury in Aitkin County to convict me, and instead I got justice," LaDuke told the Star Tribune… “LaDuke, Tania Aubid and Dawn Goodwin — all from the Mississippi band of Anishinaabe — were arrested in January 2021 for protesting construction of the Enbridge pipeline while dancing to a drumbeat. They contend the pipeline violated an 1855 treaty with the United States that ceded the land but maintained it as territory for Indians to live and work, LaDuke told the Star Tribune. "A bunch of Indian women came to pray where they drill," she told the Star Tribune. "I stood next to an officer. I kept asking if there was a dispersal order. There was no dispersal order issued." When the order was eventually issued, she said, the three women left and were not arrested. But after video of their protest appeared on social media about four weeks later, the three received letters in the mail charging them with gross misdemeanor trespass and two misdemeanor counts of unlawful assembly… “Citing Native American reverence for the Earth, Metzen wrote that the three women wanted to express "their heartfelt belief that the waters of Minnesota need to be protected from damage that could result from the pipeline." In dismissing the charges, she noted that protesters in other northern Minnesota counties had seen charges dropped or had been issued small fines with admonitions not to commit similar offenses. "I was so relieved," LaDuke told the Star Tribune. "I cried. Then I went to the Battle Point Pow Wow on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and danced in my jingle dress and felt much, much better."
Minnesota Reformer: Judge dismisses remaining Line 3 charges against indigenous activists, citing longstanding government mistreatment
CHRISTOPHER INGRAHAM, 9/15/23
“A Minnesota judge has dismissed misdemeanor criminal charges against Anishinaabeg activist Winona LaDuke and two others accused of disrupting construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project in 2021 while offering a powerful indictment of the prosecution,” the Minnesota Reformer reports. “The decision was accompanied by an impassioned memo from Judge Leslie Metzen citing longstanding concerns over government mistreatment of Indigenous people. “In the last 20 years I have come to a broader understanding of what we, the now dominant culture, did to try to eradicate our Indigenous neighbors,” Metzen writes. “We moved them by force and power and violence off the land where they lived for thousands of years. To make peace, we signed treaties with them that promised many things they never received.” In 2021 LaDuke, Tania Aubid and Dawn Goodwin dressed in ceremonial clothing and sang and danced with other protestors in Aitkin County on the banks of the Mississippi as construction took place on the Enbridge project. They were charged with several crimes related to the incident, some of which have already been dismissed. Metzen wrote that “their presence at various gatherings to protest the construction by Enbridge of the Line 3 pipeline was an expression of their heartfelt belief that the waters of Minnesota need to be protected…In the interests of justice the charges against these three individuals who were exercising their rights to free speech and to freely express their spiritual beliefs should be dismissed,” Metzen concluded. “To criminalize their behavior would be the crime.”
Boulder Daily Camera: After felony conviction for oil pipeline protest, Boulder activist vows to keep fighting
AMBER CARLSON, 9/18/23
“It’s been just over two years since Mylene Vialard headed north to protest a major oil pipeline in Minnesota,” the Boulder Daily Camera reports. “Late last month, Vialard, a veteran activist and member of Boulder’s Police Oversight Panel, returned to Minnesota to stand trial. After an arduous week filled with examples of what she called “egregious” misconduct by the prosecution, Vialard was found guilty on a felony charge of obstructing the legal process. She could face up to a year and a day in prison, but the 54-year-old water protector told the Camera she’d do it all over again if she could. “The message is still the same. The reason I’m fighting in court is still for the same reasons,” she told the Camera. “This is an aberration, that we’re criminalizing people like me — activists — when our planet is burning. We know it’s from the fossil fuel and all the extractive industries, and we’re not doing anything about it. We keep destroying the land, and we keep getting permits for pipelines and extraction. And it has to stop.” “...(Enbridge) didn’t do their due diligence. They didn’t consult all the Indigenous people that were along the pipeline. Throughout the construction, they kept polluting, saying they were cleaning up, but we know that it’s never quite cleaned up. … Indigenous people were at a loss as to how to stop this construction. And the construction was endangering their way of life,” she told the Camera. “There’s a point where I couldn’t just look and forget about it. I had to be there.” “...Asked for comment on the case, Claire Glenn, one of Vialard’s lawyers, told the Camera that she would seek to appeal the verdict… “If constitutional guarantees mean anything, the District Court should reverse Ms. Vialard’s conviction. If not, we will head to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and ask a higher court for justice.”
Canadian Press: Undo Line 5 shutdown order, Ottawa’s filing urges U.S. appeals court
James McCarten, 9/18/23
“Shutting down Line 5 would cause Canada “grave harm” and violate its treaty rights, government lawyers argued Monday as the federal government rejoined the legal fray over the controversial cross-border oil and gas pipeline,” the Canadian Press reports. “An amicus brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit marked Ottawa’s first foray into the ongoing legal dispute in Wisconsin, and its second since Michigan mounted a similar challenge in 2020. A Wisconsin court order issued in June gave Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. just three years — and not a day more — to reroute the pipeline around territory belonging to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa… “Conley’s ruling “violates Canada’s rights under the 1977 treaty; it usurps the ongoing treaty dispute resolution process between the government of Canada and the government of the United States; and it would cause grave harm to Canada and the broader public interest,” the brief reads. “The district court’s shutdown injunction should be vacated, or at least substantially modified, to comply with the 1977 treaty.” The brief goes on to insist the federal government is committed to reconciliation and defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and “respects the rights and interests” of their counterparts in the U.S… “Even with complete and certain information, the market could not adapt to the shutdown of Line 5 without grave harm to North American energy security and economic prosperity,” the brief says… “Environmental groups call the 70-year-old pipeline a “ticking time bomb” with a dubious safety record, despite Enbridge’s claims to the contrary.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit permit process in North Dakota has reached ‘uncharted waters’
JARED STRONG, 9/18/23
“It’s not yet clear how utility regulators in North Dakota will proceed with their reconsideration of a pipeline permit for Summit Carbon Solutions,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The state’s Public Service Commission granted the company’s reconsideration request with a split vote on Friday. It had unanimously denied Summit’s permit application in August because the company didn’t sufficiently show that its carbon dioxide pipeline proposal minimized its effects on the public. State law allows for such reconsiderations but does not dictate how they should proceed and when they should conclude, Victor Schock, director of public utilities for the commission, told the Dispatch… “We’re kind of in uncharted waters to a certain extent,” Schock told the Dispatch… “The plan has suffered setbacks in North and South Dakota, both of which denied the company’s permit applications… “In North Dakota, Summit could appeal a denial in court or submit a new permit application, but it opted for reconsideration because that will likely be the most expeditious path forward. Summit has made hundreds of changes to its route to assuage landowners. It has also moved the route farther away from Bismarck over worries that the project might impede urban development. The company has sought one more public hearing to weigh those changes and to address other concerns of the commission, but the commissioners have yet to determine whether there should be more than one… “Certainly we’re not going to look to rush this, but we’re not going to drag our feet either,” he told the Dispatch… “Those who oppose the project want the rehearing process to be “reopened to all issues,” which might include pipeline safety, eminent domain and other broad points of contention… “The company has indicated it will not build its pipeline in Iowa if it doesn’t get approval from the Dakotas.”
Associated Press: Gas leak forces evacuation of Southern California homes; no injuries reported
9/14/23
“A Southern California neighborhood was evacuated for more than six hours early Thursday due to a large leak of natural gas from an underground pipe, authorities said,” the Associated Press reports. “The leak was detected around 1:30 a.m. in unincorporated West Whittier, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles. An investigation determined the gas was leaking from a 3-inch (7.6-centimeter) line and crews were sent to make repairs, Southern California Gas Co. told AP in a statement. About 75 people were sent to an evacuation center set up at a school.”
The Narwhal: What is the Trans Mountain pipeline — and why should I care?
Carl Meyer, 918/23
“Trans Mountain has hit a fresh obstacle in the drive to finish building a massive expansion of its crude oil pipeline system,” The Narwhal reports. “The controversial government-owned fossil fuel company is trying to get regulatory approval to change its pipeline construction methods and route, after running into problems drilling a tunnel in British Columbia. If the company can’t get regulatory approval, the completion date for the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project could be pushed back again, possibly until next year, incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs. But the Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation, who have a “historical, cultural and spiritual connection” to the lands the pipeline is building on, said they never supported or consented to such a change. If the regulator allows the pipeline company to change its construction methods and route anyway, they said, it would cause “significant and irreparable harm” to their culture, and to the integrity of the spiritually significant lands in question. But let’s take a step back. This pipeline saga has gone on so long that at this point, some of you might be wondering, “Wait, just what is Trans Mountain again — and why should I care?” Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a refresher on some of the major twists and turns in the Trans Mountain story.”
Daily Montanan: Feds drop plan for pipeline in Upper Red Rocks Lake
DARRELL EHRLICK, 9/18/23
“A controversial pipeline proposal that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service would have placed in a designated wilderness area in southwestern Montana has been withdrawn by the federal agency,” the Daily Montanan reports. “A pipeline to deliver oxygenated water to Upper Red Rock Lake at the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was officially scrapped on Sept. 13 by USFWS Regional Director Matthew Hogan. The Fish and Wildlife Service had originally wanted to place a buried gravity flow diversion pipeline to try to help the imperiled arctic grayling, a threatened species of fish. However, the changes to the area, designated as wilderness, require that no man-made modifications can be implemented in areas that receive the “wilderness” designation, as in the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.”
S&P Global Platts: Feature: Stalled North American crude pipeline projects could mean bottlenecks, price discounts
Binish Azhar, Laura Huchzermeyer, 9/18/23
“As the Trans Mountain, Dakota Access and Line 5 pipelines continue to face legal and regulatory setbacks, North American crude output is expected to rise, a situation that could lead to bottlenecks and deeper regional price discounts if shippers need to turn to alternative modes of transportation such as rail,” S&P Global Platts reports. “...S&P Global Commodity Insights expects US crude production to climb to 13.5 million b/d by December 2024 from roughly 12.9 million b/d currently. Western Canadian crude production is expected to increase to 5.5 million b/d total in December 2024 from 4.8 million b/d currently. "Without pipeline expansion, growth in crude production is essentially bottlenecked," Rebecca Babin, a trader at CIBC Private Wealth, told S&P. "You need both to continue to increase crude production…If DAPL does not receive the easement to continue to operate, there would be a significant market impact.” Crude moved by rail or truck would "come at much higher costs," she told S&P. "Consensus is that DAPL will get the easement, but there is some risk it does not, especially as we enter an election cycle in the US." “...If producers do resort to transporting crude by rail or other forms of shipment, crude prices may see discounts to account for the higher transportation costs, widening the differential.”
OilPrice.com: Pipelines Are Limiting U.S. Natural Gas Production
Alex Kimani, 9/18/23
“In its latest biennial assessment delivered last week, the Potential Gas Committee (PGC) reported that U.S. natural gas supply has hit a record 3,978 trillion cubic feet, good for a 3.6% increase from the 2020 estimate with shale gas dominating supply at 61%,” OilPrice.com reports. “...Unfortunately, unlocking that deluge of gas might be limited by the availability of one critical infrastructure: gas pipelines. "Future gas supplies continue to increase as the energy industry innovates, improves processes, optimizes resources, invests in efficiency and reduces emissions. However, to fully realize the potential of this natural gas supply, new infrastructure will be required to connect production zones to demand centers,” Richard Meyer, the American Gas Association's vice president of energy markets, analysis and standards, has said. It’s a viewpoint buttressed by PGC President Kristin Carter, “The availability of pipelines to get the product out of the shale gas fields in particular--there's only so much they can get to market without more of that infrastructure. So for that reason, you might have inactive wells." “Pipeline constraints” is becoming an increasingly common refrain. Over the years, environmental groups In the Appalachian Basin, the country’s largest gas-producing region churning out more than 35 Bcf/d, have repeatedly stopped or slowed down pipeline projects. This has left the Permian Basin and Haynesville Shale as the regions doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to growing LNG exports. Indeed, last year, EQT Corp.(NYSE: EQT) CEO Toby Rice acknowledged that Appalachian pipeline capacity has “hit a wall.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Markey, Ocasio-Cortez ask Biden to create Civilian Climate Corps by executive order
ZACK BUDRYK, 9/18/23
“Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), two of Congress’s most vocal proponents for aggressive climate action, on Monday called for President Biden to establish a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC),” The Hill reports. “The CCC had been a key element in early versions of the Build Back Better Act, the sweeping environmental and infrastructure bill. It was not ultimately included in the slimmed-down Inflation Reduction Act, which nonetheless was the largest climate bill in U.S. history… “In the letter, timed to the 30th anniversary of the bill that created Americorps, Ocasio-Cortez and Markey cited polling indicating the idea has more than 60 percent support. The two have also reintroduced a bill to establish a corps legislatively, though the measure will almost certainly not be given a vote in the Republican-majority House. “A central coordinating body, overseen by the White House, will be essential to create a successful and cohesive Civilian Climate Corps,” they wrote. “Through interagency collaboration, as well as coordination with state climate corps, other state entities, and local non-profit organizations, your Administration can realize the vision of a Civilian Climate Corps that establishes a unified front in the face of climate change — one that looks like America, serves America, and puts good-paying union jobs within reach for more young adults.” The letter is also signed by members of Democratic congressional leadership like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.). Also on Monday, a coalition of more than 50 progressive and environmentalist groups sent a separate letter calling on Biden to establish the CCC, citing its popularity among younger voters in particular.”
E&E News: Team Biden goes all in at New York climate week
Robin Bravender, 9/18/23
“President Joe Biden promised to use the whole federal government to tackle climate change, and he’s sending his climate hotshots to New York City this week in a bid to prove he’s following through,” E&E News reports. “...The Biden administration is flooding New York with top climate and energy officials — including top White House aides and Cabinet secretaries — who will laud the president’s actions so far to drive down emissions, most notably the massive climate law known as the Inflation Reduction Act… “Those officials will “announce new actions to combat the climate crisis, create good-paying jobs, and advance environmental justice,” the White House said… “But even as the president and his team hope to build public support for their climate agenda, some friction points persist. Tens of thousands of people protested in New York on Sunday in an event organizers called a “March to End Fossil Fuels,” the Associated Press reported. Organizers of the march want the Biden administration to cease federal approvals for new fossil fuel projects, to halt production of fossil fuels on public lands and waters, and to immediately declare an official “climate emergency.” The Biden administration hasn’t shown an appetite for taking any of those steps anytime soon. Biden is also skipping a U.N. summit Wednesday where global leaders were asked to bring ambitious plans to tackle climate change, the White House announced last week. The president is expected to send Kerry to represent the United States, but the president’s absence is noteworthy, and some climate advocates see that as a missed opportunity for Biden to hammer home his commitment on the issue that he’s labeled an “existential threat.”
E&E News: D.C. Circuit leans toward FERC in gas project brawl
Niina H. Farah, 9/19/23
“A federal appeals court Monday appeared unlikely to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revamp how it approves the timeline for building fossil fuel projects,” E&E News reports. “In back-to-back oral arguments in two separate cases, the Sierra Club pressed for a three-judge panel to require more analysis from the commission before it approves deadline extensions for energy project construction. If the court rules in FERC’s favor, the agency wouldn’t have new requirements before advancing natural gas infrastructure that is running behind schedule, making it more likely that projects get finished… “Sierra Club attorney Nathan Matthews said the environmental group’s concern in the pipeline case was FERC’s “failure to confront evidence” about the developer’s commitment to complete the project and other factors. The environmental group asked the court to toss out the certificate extension… “Matthews argued that when circumstances change — such as moving out of a pandemic — FERC should reassess whether its original approval of a project still makes sense… “Matthews also argued that New York passed a climate law aimed at reducing natural gas use in the state after the initial approval of the Northern Access pipeline, which would carry the fuel to Northeastern states and Canada. Yet, he claimed FERC had not accounted for how that law would change demand for the pipeline.”
InsideClimate News: Errors In a Federal Carbon Capture Analysis Are a Warning for Clean Energy Spending, Former Official Says
Nicholas Kusnetz, 9/16/23
“A former Energy Department official is warning that the government may not be prepared to assess the effectiveness of new clean energy projects, pointing to what she called serious errors in a recent analysis of a major carbon capture and storage proposal in North Dakota,” InsideClimate News reports. “The errors came in what’s called a life cycle assessment, or LCA, published by the department last month for a $1.4 billion effort that would remove and store millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually from the smokestacks of a coal plant. The assessment is meant to help estimate and compare all the ways a project could increase or decrease pollution. In this case, however, it was riddled with mistakes, said Emily Grubert, an associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame and former deputy assistant secretary of carbon management at the Department of Energy, where she oversaw certain carbon capture programs until last year. “The overall point that I came away with was that whoever did this LCA did not know what they were doing,” Grubert told ICN… “The analysis basically suggests this is not a good project for carbon management,” Grubert told ICN, “and you are recommending to move ahead anyway.” “...Grubert submitted comments to the department last month outlining her concerns, concluding that the life cycle assessment “does not provide accurate and meaningful information to the public.” “...The concerns come as the federal government prepares to spend $12 billion in grants and loans to help build projects that would pull carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions and directly out of the air, part of the Biden administration’s larger goal to eliminate climate pollution nationwide by 2050… “Many environmental advocates and scientists have warned that carbon capture and storage could prove to be an expensive distraction that will fail to meaningfully reduce climate pollution, particularly within the power sector, where wind and solar energy have become cheaper options for generating carbon-free electricity.”
STATE UPDATES
Bismarck Tribune: Direct air capture project receives millions in funding; part of broader federal push
JOEY HARRIS, 9/16/23
“State and industry leaders are seeking to make North Dakota a hub for the growing carbon storage market, and the state recently received millions in federal funding to study a new method for capturing emissions,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “The Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota was awarded $12.5 million from the federal Department of Energy last month for a feasibility study on its Prairie Compass Direct Air Capture Hub… “The EERC will work on the project with Climeworks, a Swiss company that operates the world’s largest commercial direct air capture and storage facility called Orca, in Iceland. It will also work with Minnkota Power Cooperative on the feasibility study, focusing on Minnkota’s already-permitted CO2 storage facility and the cooperative’s potential to provide support services to the project. Minnkota is finishing up the process of deciding whether it will go ahead with construction of Project Tundra, which would be the country's largest CO2 storage project, capturing emissions from the Milton R. Young Station, a coal-fired power plant in Oliver County.” “...Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos has doubts about the technology… “Skokos told the Tribune his organization agrees with the broader goal of removing CO2 from the atmosphere but believes there are better, more proven methods to do so, citing regenerative agricultural practices which he said his group is pushing to secure more funding for in the federal farm bill.
WKU Public Radio: TVA studying carbon capture technology at natural gas plants in Kentucky, Mississippi
Lisa Autry, 9/18/23
“The Tennessee Valley Authority is launching a study on how to reduce carbon emissions at its natural gas plant in Muhlenberg County,” WKU Public Radio reports. “The federal utility is exploring a partnership with TC Energy to add carbon capture technology at the Paradise Fossil Plant in Drakesboro. TVA has retired two coal-fired units there in recent years, and has a goal of shuttering its entire network of coal units by 2035. Reducing emissions at the Paradise Fossil Plant in Drakesboro will help TVA reach its goal of becoming net-zero by 2050… “Natural gas technology is the only mature technology as this time to ensure the reliability of the power grid when the sun isn’t shining, so we need to look at ways to reduce carbon from these existing facilities as we add more solar to the network," spokesman Scott Fielder told WKU.
Santa Fe New Mexican: Study: Producing mild tremors before fracking could help avoid earthquakes
Scott Wyland, 9/17/23
“Hydraulic fracturing has been contentious since it became more extensively used to burrow into underground rock formations to tap oil deposits that were previously inaccessible, partly because it has been linked to earthquakes,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “...Researchers at the University of California, Riverside say there could be a more effective way for fracking operators to avoid triggering earthquakes: Induce a mild tremor to gauge how vulnerable an area is to a full-blown quake, especially if there are sizable faults nearby… “With the use of high-tech instruments, operators could track the induced tremor’s direction and speed toward a large fault; this would give them a clear idea of the path fracking fluid would take and how long they could safely frack before risking an earthquake.”
Law360: Enviro Groups Can Join Gulf Lease Sale Fight, La. Judge Says
Tom Lotshaw, 9/15/23
“A Louisiana federal judge said conservation groups can join a fight over the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s decision to withdraw 6 million acres from an upcoming oil and gas lease sale and add protections for endangered Rice’s whales — a decision the Pelican State and oil companies aim to overturn. In an order issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge James D. Cain Jr. agreed to let the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and Turtle Island Restoration Network intervene in two consolidated lawsuits challenging Lease Sale 261 in the Gulf of Mexico. The judge noted the groups are plaintiffs in a District of Maryland case that challenged existing protections for the Rice’s whale, and thus have an interest in the lease sale’s outcome. The groups and federal government agreed to pause that Maryland suit, Judge Cain said, with the government saying it would reinitiate a consultation on the impact of oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico and take other interim actions, including the changes to Lease Sale 261 now being challenged by Shell Offshore Inc., Chevron, Louisiana and the American Petroleum Institute.”
Courthouse News Service: Long Beach sued over plan to drill for oil and gas
HILLEL ARON, 9/14/23
“An environmental group filed a lawsuit against Long Beach on Thursday, aiming to block the city's authorization of oil and gas drilling for the next five years,” Courthouse News Service reports. “In its complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Center for Biological Diversity claims that Long Beach violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not conducting an environmental review in order to assess the impacts of the oil and gas drilling operations — in fact, the city has never conducted any such review, according to the suit. Emily Jeffers, a staff attorney for the center, called that omission "outrageous." “Drilling for oil and gas is a dirty business, and people in Long Beach have the right to know what these operations are doing to their air and their health,” Jeffers told CNS. “Long Beach claims to be moving toward a zero-carbon future, but the emissions that will come from this drilling are a huge carbon bomb that the city isn’t acknowledging.” “...The complaint raises a number of other concerns, including the use of modern drilling techniques, such as fracking, in which drillers inject water and chemicals into the ground in order to dislodge oil and gas from the ground. Some studies have found a link between fracking and an increased risk of earthquakes.”
EXTRACTION
Reuters: Aramco, Exxon CEOs push back against forecasts of peak oil demand
Nia Williams and Rod Nickel, 9/18/23
“The CEOs of top Saudi Arabian and U.S. oil producers Aramco and Exxon Mobil on Monday pushed back against forecasts that oil demand will peak, and said the transition to cleaner energy to fight climate change would require continuing investment in conventional oil and gas,” Reuters reports. “Their comments come after the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) last week said that the world's energy watchdog's new estimates showed the age of relentless fossil fuel growth is ending and demand would peak by 2030. Speaking at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said talk of peak oil demand had come up often before. "This notion is wilting under scrutiny because it is mostly being driven by policies, rather than the proven combination of markets, competitive economics and technology," Nasser said. He said he expected demand to grow to around 110 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030. Current demand is around 100 million bpd… “We need to invest, otherwise in the mid- to long-term we will have another crisis and we will go backward in terms of using more and more coal and other cheap products that are available today." Exxon CEO Darren Woods, speaking on the same panel with Nasser, said it will be difficult to replace today's energy system because oil and gas are so widely available, and the transition would take time. "There seems to be wishful thinking that we're going to flip a switch from where we're at today to where it will be tomorrow," Woods said. "No matter where demand gets to, if we don't maintain some level of investment industry, you end up running shorter supply which leads to higher prices."
Argus Media: Transition is away from emissions, not oil: Alberta
Brett Holmes, 9/18/23
“The energy rich Canadian province of Alberta is strengthening international alliances during a conference on its home soil this week, but remains at odds with its own federal government over the energy transition,” Argus Media reports. "We're transitioning away from emissions, we're not transitioning away from oil and gas," Alberta premier Danielle Smith said today at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Alberta… "You have to build out the new energy system at the same time as maintaining the existing energy system so you have that continuity," said Smith, who's views on energy align with Saudi Arabia's energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who spoke earlier in the day. "I think he's very pragmatic," said Smith of Prince Abdulaziz's approach to the energy transition, while noting how progressive his country has been with what it can do with captured carbon dioxide (CO2)... "This is not an industry that's winding down," said Smith. "It's an industry that's transitioning away from emissions… "We're not going to phase out production of oil and natural gas, we're just going to change the way in which we use it," she said.
Bloomberg: We plan to eliminate greenhouse emissions from oilsands production by 2050: Pathways Alliance CEO
9/18/23
“Kendall Dilling, president of Pathways Alliance, sits down with Tara Weber to discuss the path to net zero at the World Petroleum Congress,” Bloomberg reports.
Reuters: Alberta premier wants to unveil carbon capture storage tax credits at COP 28
Nia Williams, 9/18/23
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Monday she wanted to announce the details of investment tax credits to support carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects at the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai at the end of this year,” Reuters reports. “...A number of the country's largest energy producers have pinpointed CCS as key to cutting emissions without scaling back oil and gas output, but are reluctant to invest in the costly technology without public funding and have been awaiting details of the Alberta incentives. The federal government in Ottawa announced a separate CCS tax credit last year, but the Pathways Alliance, a group of Canada's six biggest oil sands producers including Suncor Energy (SU.TO) and Cenovus Energy (CVE.TO), has said more government support is needed.”
Bloomberg: Carbon-Capture Dreaming in the City That Needs It Most
Kevin Orland, 9/18/23
“Big Oil’s favored climate fix is getting its star turn this week in the city that needs it most. Calgary, the center of the Canadian oil industry, is hosting the triennial World Petroleum Congress, which this year focuses on “The Path to Net Zero,” Bloomberg reports. “The event will hear from major global oil producers honing in on carbon capture and sequestration as a way to curb their pollution. The technology will be the subject of numerous keynote addresses and panel discussions during the five-day conference… “I don’t think I’m speaking out of school by saying that the oil sands broadly are not thought of as a global climate leader,” Kendall Dilling, who leads the Pathways Alliance of oil-sands producers working on an industry-wide carbon capture plan, told Bloomberg. “We’ve been working really hard to change that narrative, and I think this is a great place to showcase that.” Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, also is likely to be discussed 2,000 miles away in New York, where thousands of activists and dignitaries are gathering for Climate Week NYC. The technology will probably be received more skeptically in the Big Apple. Critics can point to projects that have fallen short of expectations, arguing that government funds subsidizing such ventures would be better spent elsewhere. Carbon capture may get a more sympathetic hearing in Calgary because it offers the prospect of an engineering solution that might keep crude flowing.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Associated Press: California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will sign climate-focused transparency laws for big business
9/17/23
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday that he plans to sign into law a pair of climate-focused bills intended to force major corporations to be more transparent about greenhouse gas emissions and the financial risks stemming from global warming,” the Associated Press reports. “...California lawmakers last week passed legislation requiring large businesses from oil and gas companies to retail giants to disclose their direct greenhouse gas emissions as well as those that come from activities like employee business travel.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: The path to net zero: Progressive topics, workable solutions
9/18/23
“At this week’s 24th World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, Canada, “the future of the entire (energy) sector will be examined under the lens of the path to net zero,” promise forum organizers,” according to Enbridge. “...Enbridge was among the first North American midstream energy companies to set a hard target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our operations by 2050—and as a diversified energy company, we are uniquely positioned to help accelerate the global transition to a cleaner energy future. We also know that the energy transition requires a practical approach. With energy security and energy affordability taking a global spotlight in recent years, Enbridge is committed to lowering emissions while meeting growing energy demand; supporting our customers today while anticipating their needs tomorrow; and developing new energy sources while keeping energy costs in check… “That’s why Enbridge is actively pursuing new projects in the energy transition space, including renewable energy and carbon capture and storage, with Indigenous co-investment as part of the equation from the initial stages of development,” he added.
OPINION
Cedar Rapids Gazette: Money talks in Iowa’s carbon pipeline drama
Todd Dorman, 9/17/23
“Iowa’s carbon pipeline wizard would rather stay behind the curtain,” Todd Dorman writes for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “Opponents of Summit Carbon Solution’s 700-mile carbon pipeline through Iowa want the company’s co-founder, Bruce Rastetter, to testify at an ongoing Iowa Utilities Board public hearing on the project. But according to reporting by Jared Strong of the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Rastetter and his company have dubbed the request an effort to “create an irrelevant sideshow.” Rastetter is clearly not an irrelevant player in Iowa’s carbon pipeline drama… “Naturally, opponents of the project have questions for Rastetter, Strong reports. They want to know how Summit Carbon will interact with Rastetter’s Summit Agricultural Group, which partners with farmers to raise 800,000 hogs annually, farms 14,000 acres and has assets of $3 billion. Critics want to know how Summit Ag’s foreign investment in Brazilian ethanol might affect the ethanol market here. They also want to know who is profiting from the project. Good question… “But Rastetter usually lets his money do the talking. Since 2009, according to campaign finance records, Rastetter has donated nearly $370,000 in direct and in-kind contributions to the Branstad-Reynolds campaign and to Gov. Kim Reynolds. That doesn’t count all the large contributions to state legislative leaders, lawmakers and the Republican Party of Iowa. Reynolds appoints the utilities board. She appointed former Republican lawmaker Erik Helland as board chair earlier this year… “Regulators in North Dakota and South Dakota have rejected Summit’s initial pipeline application… “But those developments don’t seem to matter to the Iowa Utilities Board, which has put the hearing process on the fast track. They must be eager to sequester carbon and save the planet… “This is really all about using more government bucks to prop up the ethanol industry and make its product look more environmentally friendly at a time when cutting carbon emissions is a priority.”
Agri-Pulse: Opinion: Illinois economy, safety reach new heights with carbon capture
Joe Heinrich is the Executive Director of the Smart Carbon Network and Rick Terven, Jr. is the Legislative & Political Director for the Illinois Pipe Trades Association, representing 22 local unions and 30,000 piping industry workers in Illinois, 9/18/23
“The heart of the Midwest, Illinois farms and communities have served the people of their state and nation for generations. Illinois is the country’s second-largest corn-producing state and third-largest producer of ethanol,” Joe Heinrich and Rick Terven write for Agri-Pulse. “…Thanks to carbon capture technology, we can increase demand for Illinois corn and ethanol while spurring job creation, investment, and value-added agriculture… “By expanding Illinois’ carbon capture infrastructure, we can protect the long-term competitiveness of ethanol, the ability to buy corn and supply feed, and expand markets for farmers now and in the future. Beyond increasing the value and demand of corn and ethanol, carbon capture will help strengthen Illinois’ economy by creating thousands of new jobs and attracting billions of dollars in investment. In a study conducted by the Regional Carbon Capture Deployment Initiative, researchers found carbon projects in Illinois can create 4,400 project jobs annually over a 15-year period and more than 2,600 ongoing operations jobs… “As Illinois continues to be a leader in corn and ethanol production, it can also be a leader in other ways, such as being at the forefront of adoption for innovative carbon capture technology. Carbon capture implementation is an economic win for Illinois, from fostering job creation to enhancing the value of agriculture.”
The Hill: Congress must take California out of the driver’s seat on electric car mandates
Steven G. Bradbury is former acting deputy secretary of transportation, and a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, 9/18/23
“Congress is moving forward with legislation to prevent California from canceling gas-powered cars and trucks,” Stephen G. Bradbury writes for The Hill. “On Sept. 14, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, which would prevent the EPA from authorizing California’s climate regulators to limit the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines. The legislation, authored by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), would also require the EPA to revoke any such authorizations previously granted by the Biden administration. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration… “With the stated aim of reaching 100 percent electric for new cars, SUVs, and pickups by 2035, the California Air Resources Board, in close coordination with the Biden administration, is attempting to coerce the auto industry to transition to battery-electric vehicles faster and more broadly than market demand could ever support. CARB is only able to advance its agenda because the Biden EPA has reinstated special waivers from federal preemption under the Clean Air Act, which the Trump administration had previously and wisely revoked… “But even if the Biden administration’s heavy-handed attempts to kill off gas-powered cars and trucks did not impose such enormous costs, they’d still be deeply unpopular. Despite the climate lobby’s best efforts, an overwhelming majority of Americans remain happy with their internal-combustion-engine vehicles and the freedom they make possible. In passing H.R. 1435, Congress can reaffirm that freedom and prove that the people, not executive-branch bureaucrats or California climate activists, still rule in Washington.”
The American Prospect: The Federal Reserve Could Be a Powerful Weapon Against Climate Change
KENNY STANCIL, 9/18/23
“The constant barrage of fossil fuel–driven climate catastrophes is a grim reminder of what humanity faces, and the shrinking window for effective climate action. That’s why hundreds of thousands of people around the globe hit the streets over the weekend to demand a swift and equitable phaseout of coal, oil, and gas,” Kenny Stacil writes for The American Prospect. “In New York City on Sunday, campaigners made clear to the diplomats gathered at the so-called Climate Ambition Summit that anything short of a rapid and just transition to a zero-carbon society is unacceptable. Today, protesters intend to march from the New York Stock Exchange to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which is home to key financial regulators who have acknowledged in writing the grave economic risks posed by climate change—and the fossil fuel financing that drives it—but have so far refused to act accordingly. Of particular interest is Kevin Stiroh, executive vice president of the New York Fed and chair of the U.S. Fed’s Supervision Climate Committee. Stiroh, his boss Michael Barr who heads the central bank’s supervisory and regulatory activity, and Fed chair Jerome Powell are the joint subjects of the activists’ ire. They collectively shoulder the blame for the Fed’s recent aggregate score of 16/130 on a leading assessment of environmental policies adopted by G20 central banks—which significantly trails top performer France’s 70/130 grade. One might think that a central bank logically wouldn’t have much to do with climate policy. But this is wrong, because climate change threatens bankers as it does everyone. The world’s financiers shouldn’t expect to escape unscathed from the fires and floods, even if they helped cause them by funding a rapacious fossil fuel industry that remains heavily subsidized even as it rakes in record profits… “Stiroh and Barr must respond pragmatically to the escalating systemic risks posed by climate change. If they don’t, they may even kiss price stability—the one thing Powell’s Fed seems to take seriously, to the point of seemingly disregarding its full-employment mandate—goodbye, as people will be condemned to suffer increasingly from the soaring price of food and other necessities affected by a deteriorating biosphere. Any financial system ultimately rests on the real economy, and if farms are flooded and factories destroyed, everything is going to get more expensive.”