EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/27/22
PIPELINE NEWS
Politico: Protests heat up against Mountain Valley Pipeline amid Manchin's permitting push
The New Republic: A Company Behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline Is Showering Schumer With More Donations Than Manchin
KCHA: Floyd County Supervisors to Register Carbon Pipeline Concerns with IUB
WQAD: Coalition to present concerns about proposed carbon capture pipeline to Knox County Board Wednesday
WQAD: Proposed carbon capture pipeline continues to draw criticism in Knox Co. (VIDEO)
KHAK: ANOTHER PIPELINE TAKES THREE MORE IOWA FAMILIES TO COURT
The Gazette: Stop eminent domain and diversify from ethanol, Western Iowa Democrat says
The Narwhal: ‘Would it be able to get into where I fish?’: Lake Huron communities on the risks of a Line 5 oil spill
Law360: Pipeline Co. Says Feds Can't Countersue For Trespassing
Guardian: Huge expansion of oil pipelines endangering climate, says report
Banner Graphic: Pipeline leaking product into creek near Fillmore
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Manchin faces make-or-break vote on permitting reform
The Hill: Senate GOP leadership whipping against Manchin permitting bill
The Hill: Manchin surprised by McConnell opposition: ‘You can be a hero one day and a villain the next’
The Hill: Republican AGs call on Senate leadership to oppose Manchin permitting reform bill
Bloomberg: Manchin Appeals to GOP on Permitting Bill
Bloomberg: Manchin Permitting Bill’s Benefits Touted by Energy Secretary
Truthout: Sanders, Warren Say Manchin Big Oil Deal Would “Steamroll” Frontline Communities
Canary Media: Manchin’s permitting-reform bill splits Dems, pro-renewables groups
Bloomberg: Biden Tells Oil Companies ‘Bring Down Prices You’re Charging’
InsideClimate News: At a Global Conference on Clean Energy, Granholm Announces Billions in Federal Aid for Carbon Capture and Emerging Technology
E&E News: Regan launches EJ office as step toward keeping equity vows
STATE UPDATES
The Advocate: Livingston Parish leaders ask federal, state agencies to pause CO2 injection well permits
E&E News: Hundreds to sue feds over water contamination at Hawaii base
Texas Tribune: Texas Democrats try to convince voters they aren’t bad for oil and gas
EXTRACTION
Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance: In the face of the energy crisis, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance reiterates call for a managed phase-out of oil and gas production
Clean Technica: If You’re A Climate Activist, Beware — Fossil Fuel Companies May Target You Next
Billings Gazette: High Plains Book Awards finalist: 'Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice' by Katherine Wiltenburg Todrys
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Suncor to Buy Back Debt After Oil Drop, Ratings Downgrade
Associated Press: Emissions declarations by equity firm Carlyle under question
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Both Parties Should Support My Permitting-Reform Bill
Wall Street Journal: My Native Alaskan Community Needs the Willow Oil Project
National Observer: Canada's oil companies won't do what they promise — instead, they bide their time, awaiting Poilievre
PIPELINE NEWS
Politico: Protests heat up against Mountain Valley Pipeline amid Manchin's permitting push
CATHERINE MOREHOUSE, 9/23/22
“Environmentalists are raising the alarm over West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s Mountain Valley Pipeline efforts by filing legal challenges, disrupting FERC meetings and heckling the senator himself during his speech at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh,” Politico reports. “Two environmental groups on Thursday filed a challenge against FERC’s approval of MVP’s request for more time to finish its embattled natural gas pipeline. Another group disrupted the commission’s monthly meeting four times, forcing the agency to pause as guards led the protestors out. And before Manchin’s speech Friday, more protesters were escorted away as they began a round of yelling and cheering against the West Virginia Democrat’s attempt to speed the permitting process for natural gas and oil pipelines.”
The New Republic: A Company Behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline Is Showering Schumer With More Donations Than Manchin
Kate Aronoff, 9/27/22
“At the center of the ongoing debate over permitting reform—now encapsulated in Senator Joe Manchin’s Energy Independence and Security Act—lies a single unfinished piece of energy infrastructure: the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” The New Republic reports. “...Manchin’s enthusiasm for the project, which has faced fierce opposition along its route, is predictable. He’s long tried to promote his state’s fossil fuel industry and has accepted generous donations from backers of the pipeline. Gas pipeline companies have ratcheted up their spending on Manchin this year, from $20,000 in 2020 to $331,000 in 2022 so far. He’s the industry’s largest recipient of campaign funds overall. The deal to greenlight the Mountain Valley Pipeline, then, has been portrayed in the media as necessary and savvy bit of politicking to guarantee Manchin’s vote on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who brokered the deal, may not have wanted to fast-track the Mountain Valley Pipeline, but it’s a small price to pay for the IRA’s climate policies. This is the dominant media narrative right now. But it doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Schumer, not Manchin, is the single largest recipient of donations from one of the pipeline’s backers this year, NextEra. Schumer has received four times as many donations from employees and the company’s PAC this year than Manchin has… “NextEra has been Schumer’s second-largest donor this year overall, despite never having breached his top-five list of donors previously… “The broader fight around permitting reform has caused a sizable rift within the Democratic coalition, and an odd-bedfellows alliance of progressives wary of fossil fuel provisions and centrists disgusted by the process. Getting donations from fossil fuel interests, meanwhile, remains a thoroughly bipartisan enterprise.”
KCHA: Floyd County Supervisors to Register Carbon Pipeline Concerns with IUB
Mark Pitz, 9/26/22
“The Floyd County Supervisors have not come out for or against the building of carbon capture pipelines in the County, but they do have construction concerns to express to the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB),” KCHA reports. “ Both Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator CO2 Ventures have proposed building underground pipelines in Floyd County to transport carbon dioxide in liquid form. The IUB ultimately decides on permits and whether to invoke eminent domain to build on land the companies don’t have voluntary easements with landowners. Supervisor Linda Tjaden told KCHA the time has come to file their concerns with the IUB. The Board voted to send one letter to the IUB regarding Summit that added certain economic concerns with that project and a separate letter geared towards Navigator… “Supervisors also cannot adopt an ordinance that prevents the pipelines from being built in the County.”
WQAD: Coalition to present concerns about proposed carbon capture pipeline to Knox County Board Wednesday
Jenna Webster, 9/26/22
“Navigator CO₂ Ventures has filed for a certificate of authority from the Illinois Commerce Commission, a petition it needs to get approved before it can start construction on the 1,300-mile carbon capture pipeline,” WQAD reports. “...Opponents are concerned about the pipeline permanently damaging farmland and threatening the safety of residents living nearby. John Feltham is one of those opponents. He owns and operates 222 acres of farmland near Williamsfield in Knox County. He said the pipeline will run through half a mile of his property. "It's going to go through... three layers of erosion control terraces, which overlay drain tile extending across a grass waterway that overlays a parallel drain tile," Feltham told WQAD. "The pipeline will cut all of those tile and as it leaves the farm, it's going to pass through one more inlet, or riser, as we call it on the tile system, and if those tiles are obstructed by the pipeline and cannot be reconnected, farmland is permanently damaged." He's also the president of the Citizens Against Heartland Greenway Pipeline organization. On Wednesday, Sept. 28, representatives from the Coalition to Stop CO₂ Pipelines will be speaking to the Knox County Board about its concerns. They'll also be asking the board to intervene in the ICC's proceedings… "The Knox County Board has an opportunity to make itself heard at the proceeding," Feltham told WQAD. "So we want to make sure that the members of the board and the Knox County State's Attorney are aware of what they can actually do." "...If the Illinois Commerce Commission rules against us, I'm going to encourage our membership to litigate the constitutionality of the Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Sequestration Act, because I think it contains a glaring 14th Amendment violation because it denies landowners the opportunity to contest the need for the pipeline. And it also denies the Illinois public that same need," Feltham told WQAD. "I'd like to take this to the Supreme Court of the United States."
WQAD: Proposed carbon capture pipeline continues to draw criticism in Knox Co. (VIDEO)
9/26/22
“Navigator CO₂ Ventures proposed 1,300-mile long pipeline would run through five Midwestern states, including 13 counties in Illinois,” WQAD reports.
KHAK: ANOTHER PIPELINE TAKES THREE MORE IOWA FAMILIES TO COURT
Kailey Foster, 9/26/22
“Landowners are pushing back against carbon pipelines and it’s been getting the attention of the pipeline companies,” KHAK reports. “Last week another pipeline company pushed back and has taken the matter to court. In August, Navigator CO2 Ventures sued four sets of landowners to gain access to their properties in order to survey it. The company had petitions filed for injunctive relief, stating landowners repeatedly refused to grant access to their land and threatened land agents. Summit Carbon Solutions is the next company trying to build a pipeline through Iowa that has turned to the courts for help. The pipelines are suing the families saying state laws allow for surveys for hazardous liquid pipeline companies who have held informational meetings and sent landowners written notice… “The pipelines are on a time crunch to get these land surveys done before the ground freezes. When surveying the land, agents must be able to bore the land which will be hindered if the land is frozen.”
The Gazette: Stop eminent domain and diversify from ethanol, Western Iowa Democrat says
Erin Murphy, 9/23/22
“Ryan Melton differs from many of his fellow Democrats on ethanol policy. He embraced Iowa landowners’ opposition to proposed carbon capture pipelines sooner than his fellow Democrats,” The Gazette reports. “...Regardless, Melton, who is challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in this fall’s election, insists that he has thought through his policy positions, and not arrived at them merely for political gain… “Melton appeared as a solo guest on this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” after Feenstra declined an invitation from Iowa PBS to debate Melton… “Melton said he does not believe eminent domain — the government acquiring private land for use for a project — should be used for carbon capture pipelines, three of which have been proposed in Iowa. Many Republican elected officials in Iowa have either supported the pipeline projects or failed to support any policies that would delay or halt them. Democrats have been hesitant to embrace opposition to the pipeline projects, although Melton said he believes more are coming around to his position. “I have been opposed to carbon capture pipelines since Day 1,” Melton told Iowa PBS. “I have been so outspoken about it since the beginning that more and more candidates have come to my position over the course of the year. I think a lot of it is the carbon capture pipeline companies are attempting to green wash these projects as environmentally friendly projects, when all they’re really going to do is take the liquefied CO2 and grab more, harder-to-extract oil. It’s not a climate change solution. But it is sold that way.”
The Narwhal: ‘Would it be able to get into where I fish?’: Lake Huron communities on the risks of a Line 5 oil spill
Emma McIntosh, 9/23/22
“The rugged coasts of the islands separating Lake Huron’s north channel from its open waters to the south are famous for rocky vistas, pristine sand beaches and windswept pines,” The Narwhal reports. “...But there’s a potential threat beneath the surface to the west: Line 5, which pumps 540,000 barrels per day of crude oil and natural gas liquids from Western Canada through the United States to refineries in Sarnia, Ont. Its twin pipes run bare and exposed for 6.5 kilometres under the Straits of Mackinac on the U.S. side of the border, where unpredictable currents pull water back and forth between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, reversing direction every couple of days… “Indigenous communities, environmentalists and scientists have long warned that any spill there could be a disaster. Some critics have said improved environmental rules would prevent the project from being approved if it were proposed today… “Enbridge, which is fighting Whitmer’s order, says the pipeline is safe. Line 5 has not leaked in the Straits of Mackinac, though it has leaked 29 times on land since 1968… “Over the course of a few days in early September, The Narwhal spoke to over a dozen locals, visitors and Indigenous leaders about the Lake Huron shorelines that could be at risk. Some were worried that a spill could hurt places they love and the waters they fish from. Others felt the risk was minimal, or were supportive of pipelines as long as companies take steps to make them safe. Nearly everyone wanted more information about Line 5, and many didn’t know the pipeline was there at all… “Skeptics point to other incidents that raise doubts about Line 5’s safety and Enbridge’s track record… “ In 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Enbrige US$6.7 million for failing to repair cracks and dents throughout the Lakehead System, as it had promised to do after the Kalamazoo spill… “Pat Madahbee, a former Anishinabek Nation grand chief who lives on Manitoulin Island, told the Narwhal people often focus on the economic benefits of the pipeline but fail to consider the economic benefits of water. Manitoulin’s economy partially relies on tourism, which could be impacted if oil were to reach its shores. Supplying clean drinking water to the region in the case of a spill could be quite costly. “The Canadian government and Enbridge are all hell bent on… not taking this seriously, and this is part of a big problem,” he told the Narwhal. “The reality is, I don’t think enough people are really aware of the dangers.”
Law360: Pipeline Co. Says Feds Can't Countersue For Trespassing
Caleb Symons, 9/26/22
“An oil pipeline operator says the U.S. government cannot accuse it of trespassing on tribal land in North Dakota as part of litigation in which the company seeks to maintain access to that area, telling a federal judge that the counterclaim is an invalid response to its “narrowly tailored” suit,” Law360 reports.
Guardian: Huge expansion of oil pipelines endangering climate, says report
Damian Carrington, 9/27/22
“More than 24,000km of new oil pipelines are under development around the world, a distance equivalent to almost twice the Earth’s diameter, a report has revealed. The projects, led by the US, Russia, China and India, are “dramatically at odds with plans to limit global warming to 1.5C or 2C”, the researchers said,’ the Guardian reports. “The oil pumped through the pipelines would produce at least 5bn tonnes of CO2 a year if completed, equivalent to the emissions of the US, the world’s second largest polluter. About 40% of the pipelines are already under construction, with the rest in planning… “The developers of the 10,000km of pipelines in construction stand to lose up to $75bn (£70bn) if action on the climate crisis prevents the new pipelines being fully used, according to the analysts at Global Energy Monitor (GEM) who produced the report… ““For governments endorsing these new pipelines, the report shows an almost deliberate failure to meet climate goals,” Baird Langenbrunner at GEM told the Guardian. “Despite climate targets threatening to render fossil fuel infrastructure as stranded assets, the world’s biggest consumers of fossil fuels, led by the US and China, are doubling down on oil pipeline expansion.” “...The new report found that the length of pipeline in construction has more than doubled compared with GEM’s assessment in 2019, while the length of proposed pipeline has roughly halved. The US is the world leader for pipelines in development. “A major push to increase crude oil export capacity out of the Permian basin [in Texas and New Mexico] along the Gulf coast is arguably a make-or-break moment for the industry, which is gradually losing its social licence to build new projects as the impacts of the climate crisis become more severe,” the report said… “Data on the capacity of the new pipelines was only available for two-thirds of the pipelines in the report, but these would carry 30bn barrels a day for decades if they continued operating to the end of their typical lifetimes. When burned, this oil would produce 4.6bn tonnes of CO2 annually.”
Banner Graphic: Pipeline leaking product into creek near Fillmore
BRAND SELVIA and JARED JERNAGAN, 9/26/22
“Local, state and federal emergency agencies are on the scene of a natural gasoline leak that occurred near Fillmore,” the Banner Graphic reports. “By information provided to the Banner Graphic by Darrel Bunten of the Fillmore Volunteer Fire Department, Putnam County Dispatch was receiving calls around 9:30 p.m. Sunday for an odor of propane in the area of 707 S. CR 525 East.Firefighters checked houses in the vicinity from east to west and then north toward Fillmore, noticing that the smell dissipated the farther they went. A definite film was found on top of the water in Dyer Creek, which itself feeds into Deer Creek. Marathon Pipeline was contacted and its Robinson-Indiana-Ohio (RIO) pipeline near the creek was shut down. The company then confirmed that natural gasoline was leaking from the pipeline. Not to be confused with natural gas, the product leaking into Dyer Creek, natural gasoline, is a liquid with properties more consistent with gasoline than natural gas. Aside from fish poisoned in the creek, it was determined that fumes killed wildlife including a squirrel and raccoons. Otherwise, no injuries have been reported in connection to the leak and no evacuations have been ordered. The Putnam County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Environmental Protection Agency were called to the area.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
The Hill: Manchin faces make-or-break vote on permitting reform
ALEXANDER BOLTON, 9/27/22
“West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) faces a make-or-break moment for his top policy priority when the Senate holds a key procedural vote Tuesday on his permitting reform bill, which Republican leaders are working hard to defeat,” The Hill reports. “The Senate will vote at 5:30 p.m. on a motion to proceed to a House-passed “shell” bill that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) hopes to use as a legislative vehicle to pass a government funding bill with Manchin’s permitting reform legislation attached… “But Manchin’s side of the arrangement could fall apart because Republicans — still angry about his deal with Schumer — don’t want to give him a political win… “The defeat of his bill, which would include approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline — a project estimated to support 3,700 construction jobs in West Virginia — would serve as a major rebuke from Republicans and an embarrassment for Manchin, who has called for bipartisan comity throughout 2021 and this year. Manchin admitted on Monday that Republican opposition caught him by surprise. He said he expected progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to oppose his permitting reform proposal, but not backlash from GOP colleagues. “I never did think I’d have Bernie and some of the extreme far left,” he told Fox News host Neil Cavuto. “What I didn’t expect is that Mitch McConnell and my Republican friends would be sacking up with Bernie or trying to get the same outcome by not passing permitting reform.” Senate GOP leaders, including McConnell (R-Ky.), the minority leader, are treating the procedural vote as a test vote on Manchin’s permitting bill and are urging fellow Republicans to oppose it in favor of rival legislation from his West Virginia colleague, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R). “There’s a concerted effort in the Republican conference to stay united in our support for Capito’s legislation and to stay united in our opposition to Manchin,” a GOP aide told The Hill.”
The Hill: Senate GOP leadership whipping against Manchin permitting bill
ALEXANDER BOLTON, 9/26/22
“Senate Republican leaders are urging their GOP colleagues to stay unified against a permitting reform bill sponsored by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) and to support instead a competing bill sponsored by his home-state colleague, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.),” The Hill reports. “Senate GOP sources tell The Hill Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) is doing most of the whipping but that Senate GOP leadership is united in trying to push colleagues to Capito’s bill. “There’s a concerted effort in the Republican conference to stay united in our support for Capito’s legislation and to stay united in our opposition to Manchin,” a Republican aide told The Hill. The one wrinkle in their plan is that Capito last week announced her support for Manchin’s bill, even though prominent GOP experts on permitting reform such as Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, say Manchin’s bill is too weak. But Senate Republicans opposed to Manchin’s bill tell The Hill that Capito’s support is primarily motivated by her home state’s interest in approving the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 304-mile natural gas pipeline that runs through West Virginia and Virginia. Manchin’s bill would greenlight its approval… “Senate Republican sources told The Hill the Tuesday vote on the House shell bill will be the test vote for Manchin’s permitting reform. They expect it to fall short of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.”
The Hill: Manchin surprised by McConnell opposition: ‘You can be a hero one day and a villain the next’
ALEXANDER BOLTON, 9/26/22
“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) admitted Monday that he was caught by surprise when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other Senate Republicans decided to oppose his permitting reform bill, which means it will likely fail on the Senate floor this week,” The Hill reports. “Manchin said he expected Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an outspoken progressive, and other “far-left” liberals to oppose his legislation to limit federal agency authority to review new energy projects but was stunned when Republicans also came out in opposition last week… “Manchin warned that this week’s vote in the Senate could be the last chance of passing permitting reform for the foreseeable future and expressed dismay that his bill is now likely to go down in defeat because Republicans are angry he cut a deal with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to reform the corporate tax code and pass hundreds of billions of dollars to fight climate change. “I don’t see it ever coming back again. People just aren’t going to be there at all,” he said. Manchin pointed out that he’s voted with Republicans repeatedly on permitting reform bills during his 12 years in the Senate and said that now that Democrats are ready to vote for a permitting reform bill, Republican colleagues should join in. “Every time there was permitting reform, I’d vote for it. I was the only Democrat. Now all of the sudden we got a majority of the Democrats, an overwhelming majority of Democrats, that will support a very balanced procedure forward. Is it a perfect bill? No. Does it move the needle? Absolutely,” he said… “He marveled over his sudden drop in popularity among his Senate GOP colleagues. “You can be a hero one day and a villain the next,” he said, alluding to the praise he received from Republicans after sinking Biden’s Build Back Better framework in December.”
The Hill: Republican AGs call on Senate leadership to oppose Manchin permitting reform bill
ZACK BUDRYK, 9/26/22
“A coalition of Republican attorneys general voiced opposition to an energy-permitting reform bill spearheaded by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in a letter to Senate leadership Monday,” The Hill reports. “In the letter, the 18 officials called the proposal a federal overreach due to its expansion of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) authority. The letter specifically takes issue with provisions in text released by Manchin’s office that would allow FERC to order the construction of new transmission facilities where there is deemed to be a national interest. “This would create the scenario where FERC would have the authority to determine the national interest and require companies to build what it orders and where,” they wrote. “This is a massive expansion of FERC’s authority which currently only allows FERC to order public utilities to physically connect their existing transmission lines.” Signers of the letter include the Republican attorneys general of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Alaska, Arizona, Montana, Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, Utah and Virginia.”
Bloomberg: Manchin Appeals to GOP on Permitting Bill
9/26/22
“Sen. Joe Manchin Sunday appealed to GOP lawmakers while also expressing confidence he had “overwhelming” support from Democrats to pass his energy permitting legislation this week,” Bloomberg reports. “But lawmakers are running short on time to come to an agreement on the measure, which is slated to ride on legislation that would fund the government and prevent a shutdown after Sept. 30. And while Manchin’s bill has won the backing of his fellow West Virginian, Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito, other Republicans have been wary of lending their support and dozens of Democrats have opposed attaching the measure to a stopgap.”
Bloomberg: Manchin Permitting Bill’s Benefits Touted by Energy Secretary
9/23/22
“Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Friday backed the much-debated permitting overhaul provisions unveiled in Congress this week, saying they would enhance the department’s efforts to speed up electric transmission lines that connect clean energy to the grid,” Bloomberg reports. “We are very excited at DOE about the potential for streamlined permitting on clean energy projects,” Granholm told reporters on the sidelines of the Global Clean Energy Action Forum in Pittsburgh… “The permitting bill would speed up that process for long-haul power lines that can deliver renewable generation to areas of consumer demand, Granholm said. “Obviously, the transmission process has been ridiculously slow, and so many NIMBY issues related to it,” Granholm said, using an acronym for the “Not In My Backyard” movement. The department’s new Grid Deployment Office is focused on delivering money for transmission and grid upgrades established by last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law (Public Law 117-58) and the climate-and-tax measure (Public Law 117-169) passed in August, Granholm said. “It’s the thing that keeps me up at night—the amount of transmission and certain energy capacity that’s needed” and the delays that can keep projects waiting in queues, Granholm said. “We are focused intensely on how we can break that.” Federal energy officials are trying to figure out how to deploy clean energy projects while also being sensitive to communities along the long-haul transmission route that may not see any benefit.”
Truthout: Sanders, Warren Say Manchin Big Oil Deal Would “Steamroll” Frontline Communities
Sharon Zhang, 9/23/22
“As environmental groups and experts express fury and frustration over coal millionaire Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-West Virginia) fossil fuel permitting overhaul deal released on Wednesday, Senate Democrats are highlighting concerns that the deal could set environmental justice advances back by years,” Truthout reports. “In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) on Thursday, eight senators, led by Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), wrote that they share concerns expressed by environmental justice groups in recent weeks. They emphasized that the deal, which would blow open the permitting process for federal fossil fuel projects and fast track dangerous projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline and potentially dozens of others, is especially dangerous for communities on the frontline of the climate crisis… “The letter was signed by prominent lawmakers like Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts). Lawmakers said that Manchin’s (and the American Petroleum Institute’s) proposed changes to landmark environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Clean Water Act threaten to “steamroll over” protections for and public comments from frontline communities… “Environmental, Appalachian, and other frontline groups have expressed strong discontent with the deal, and have spent the last weeks waging protests and sending letters in attempts to block the legislation from being passed. They say that allowing a deal like Manchin’s to go through is tantamount to creating “sacrifice zones” out of communities that would experience the pollution and environmental degradation that inevitably comes with projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Climate advocates and experts have said that the proposal shouldn’t be characterized as a small deal made to appease Manchin, but rather as a massive fossil fuel expansion bill — one made to fulfill the industry’s long-held wishes to weaken laws that force agencies to consider environmental impacts when reviewing federal projects. Indeed, Big Oil and Republicans have been trying for years to slash NEPA and other environmental laws, just as Manchin has proposed.”
Canary Media: Manchin’s permitting-reform bill splits Dems, pro-renewables groups
9/23/22
“The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022, the permitting-reform bill introduced by Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday, has split clean-energy advocates and Democrats in Congress over a fundamental question: whether to support a law that could make it easier to build harmful fossil fuel infrastructure — but would also make it easier to build the clean energy infrastructure needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change,” Canary Media reports. “...But groups representing clean energy manufacturers, developers and corporate buyers have joined Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and President Joe Biden in backing the bill. They say it could dramatically streamline and speed the development of solar and wind power, energy storage projects and other key carbon-free resources… “Transmission policy reform could thus be “one of the single best ways to ensure that we have clean, renewable energy and that it’s not stranded — that it reaches where it needs to reach,” Allison Nyholm, vice president of policy at the American Council on Renewable Energy, which is supporting the permitting-reform bill, told Canary… “Opponents say those parts of the bill would strip protections against new fossil fuel pipeline projects from the communities at most risk of being harmed by them… “But groups that oppose the bill say that the potential to use these streamlining provisions to proceed with fossil fuel pipelines against the interests of states, communities and the environment outweighs whatever potential benefits the bill’s provisions could provide for clean energy development. “We don’t need to gut the Clean Water Act and other bedrock environmental laws to build out wind and solar energy,” Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Canary. “Any member of Congress who claims this disastrous legislation is vital for ramping up renewables either doesn’t understand or is ignoring the enormous fossil fuel giveaways at stake.” That view was also expressed in a letter signed by more than 400 climate scientists and energy researchers such as Mark Jacobson and Michael Mann asking Pelosi and Schumer to reject the bill.”
Bloomberg: Biden Tells Oil Companies ‘Bring Down Prices You’re Charging’
Simon Casey and Jennifer Jacobs, 9/26/22
“While US gasoline prices have come down from the highs seen this summer, they’re clearly still weighing on President Joe Biden, who on Monday repeated demands for oil companies to charge less,” Bloomberg reports. “Last month, the price of oil worldwide is down,” Biden said at a meeting of the White House Competition Council. “We haven’t seen the lower prices reflected at the pump, though. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies are still making record profits -- billions of dollars in profit.” US oil futures fell 9.2% in August. Gasoline prices during the same month were also down, dipping 9.2%, according to American Automobile Association data. Still, as Biden noted, gasoline prices across the country remain uneven; they are substantially higher in western states due to a lack of refining capacity. “My message is simple,” Biden said. “To the companies running gas stations and setting those prices at the pump: Bring down the prices you’re charging at the pump to reflect the cost you pay for the product. Do it now.”
InsideClimate News: At a Global Conference on Clean Energy, Granholm Announces Billions in Federal Aid for Carbon Capture and Emerging Technology
Katie Surma, 9/26/22
“As world leaders gathered in New York City last week for the 77th U.N. General Assembly, another international conference focused on a global transition to clean, renewable energy took place here in what has been the epicenter of the American steel industry,” InsideClimate News reports. “At stake was how trillions of dollars will be spent to catapult technologies like carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and long-term battery storage from the research and development phase to commercialization over the next decade… “But outside the conference, local community activists, students, Indigenous groups and environmentalists denounced some of the promoted technologies, calling them expensive diversions from renewable energy options with less harmful tradeoffs, like wind and solar power. “On the agenda in the ministerial are some technologies that are being discussed as clean but we are calling them false solutions. Those are technologies like carbon capture and sequestration and hydrogen power derived from fossil fuels and fracked gas,” Beka Economopoulos, an environmental justice advocate and a founder of Not An Alternative, a nonprofit arts and activist collective, told ICN. The gathering was part of a week-long series of events organized by a coalition of environmental groups called Clean Energy Justice Convergence… “Other advocates criticized the notion that technological advances alone can prevent harmful levels of global warming. Sun Dance Chief Rueben George from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation told ICN that the way humanity thinks about its relationship with the Earth needs to shift away from an extractive mindset… “George was part of a group of Indigenous elders and youth transporting a totem pole from Washington State to promote climate justice and support communities in Appalachia and around the world that are affected by fossil fuel production… “On Thursday, Granholm announced the Energy Department’s launch of a massive $7 billion grant program to establish as many as 10 hydrogen hubs across the country… “On Friday, Granholm announced the Energy Department’s plan to achieve 100 percent carbon-neutral aviation fuel by 2050 and $4.9 billion in funding for carbon capture and storage systems.”
E&E News: Regan launches EJ office as step toward keeping equity vows
Kelsey Brugger, 9/26/22
“EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the creation of a national environmental justice and civil rights office Saturday before a crowd of activists who were the first to awake the country to environmental racism,” E&E News reports. “The office will be elevated to the highest levels of the agency — placing it on par with other program offices that regulate air and water pollution and are led by a Senate-confirmed assistant administrator… “The new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will merge three existing programs — the Office of Environmental Justice, External Civil Rights Compliance Office, and Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center, according to an EPA press release. It will be tasked with providing technical assistance to communities and enforcing civil rights laws, among other duties. The objective is to infuse equity and environmental justice principles into everything the agency does. Initially, the new office will be run by Marianne Engelman-Lado, Matthew Tejada and Lilian Dorka, and will have more than 200 staff members. The office is also expected to manage a new $3 billion environmental justice block grant program, funding that stems from the new federal climate law… “Regan’s announcement comes at a trying time for the cause. Environmental justice leaders have been increasingly vocal in their disappointment with an administration that came into power promising to enact rapid change. “Things have been very, very slow,” Peggy Shepard, who runs the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, said at an Institute of Policy Integrity panel in New York City last week, according to E&E. “It’s been hard to get responses within months sometimes.” “...Vernice Travis-Miller — whose long career in environmental justice stemmed from the 1982 protests — told E&E her research has shown 3 out of 5 hazardous waste fields across the country have been cited in communities of color, predominantly Black, Latino and other nonwhite people. “Even more importantly, we found race proved to be the most statistically significant indicator in where these landfills were located.”
STATE UPDATES
The Advocate: Livingston Parish leaders ask federal, state agencies to pause CO2 injection well permits
JACQUELINE DEROBERTIS, 9/22/22
“Two weeks after the Livingston Parish Council imposed a year-long moratorium on carbon capture injection wells, members unanimously approved a resolution asking state and federal agencies to pause permitting for projects associated with the technology,” The Advocate reports. “I want to make sure agencies responsible for permitting these activities understand we are opposed,” said Councilman Shane Mack, who introduced the resolution during Thursday's council meeting. Carbon capture and storage is a process by which carbon emissions are captured at an industrial site and injected deep underground. The practice has been lauded by industry as the future of emissions reduction but roundly criticized by environmental groups that argue it is too risky and ineffective. The council requested in their resolution that the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Natural Resources, among other agencies, hold off on issuing permits for "any activities associated with Class V and VI wells … specific to geologic testing of rock formation, monitoring, drilling, and/or injecting of CO2 for long term storage." “...The resolution also seeks to suspend such activities in Livingston Parish, including the parish waterways, until the council can develop and establish local government regulation to ensure safety… “Many Livingston Parish residents, along with council members, have expressed their unease about the technology. Their concerns primarily focus on safety and potential repercussions decades from now… “Councilman Tracy Girlinghouse was unmoved: “For the people I represent, I’ve got to be sold a lot harder before I’m for it."
E&E News: Hundreds to sue feds over water contamination at Hawaii base
Lamar Johnson, 9/26/22
“Hundreds of people are in the process of suing the government over illness and disruption to their lives they attribute to water contamination from Navy fuel spills in Hawaii last year, according their attorney,” E&E News reports. “Two fuel leaks from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in 2021 contaminated water for thousands of residents. The Navy admitted operator error for two leaks, with at least one contaminating the water for the base. Four plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the government in Hawaii District Court on Aug. 31, and Kristina Baehr, attorney for the plaintiffs, said she has more than 700 additional plaintiffs in the process of filing. “We’ve seen what happens, we know what happened at Camp Lejeune,” Baehr told E&E. “That’s what’s going to happen to these families. This is Camp Lejeune in real time.” Her clients and their families attribute ongoing migraines, neurological issues, gastrointestinal issues and seizures to the water contamination. The suit was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, according to a brief, and charges the government with “negligence, nuisance, medical negligence, failure to treat, delayed care, and infliction of emotional distress.” “The disruption to people’s lives, very real,” she toldE&E. “Illness, not just the illness that has happened already, but the risk of illness in the future, and the medical monitoring that these families need for the rest of their lives. “I understand the strategic value of fuel on Hawaii, but I do not believe that it needs to be in the Red Hill tanks,” Army Maj. Amanda Feindt told E&E. “Those things have been leaking since they truly existed.” Feindt is among the original filers and has since gotten a change of assignment. She told E&E she moved to Hawaii in July 2020 and began experiencing symptoms after moving on base in May 2021.”
Texas Tribune: Texas Democrats try to convince voters they aren’t bad for oil and gas
PATRICK SVITEK AND MITCHELL FERMAN, 9/27/22
“In 2020, some Texas Democrats cringed as Joe Biden said during the final presidential debate that he would “transition" from oil, lending credence to Republican attacks that their party is a threat to the state’s biggest industry. Two years later, Texas Democrats are working to send a different message,” the Texas Tribune reports. “With the war in Ukraine underscoring the need for domestic energy production, they are trumpeting the international importance of the state’s oil sector and acknowledging the reality that it is not going away anytime soon. They still want to make sure that the state is working toward a cleaner, more renewable energy future, but their overall message toward the oil industry is one of solidarity, not hostility. In a recent interview, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke recalled an encounter with a woman at a town hall in Midland who said she never voted Democratic before and had seven sons working in the oilfield. She asked him what he would do to make sure they do not lose their jobs. “I said I’m gonna fight to make sure that we continue to be the leader in oil and gas globally, now more than ever,” O’Rourke said, citing the war in Ukraine. “We’re gonna have to produce this somewhere — I want it to be Texas. I want the jobs to be here.” Republicans scoff at such talk, suggesting that if Democrats’ own positions do not sink them with voters who care about oil and gas, their unpopular president will… “Democrats are embracing the oil and gas industry beyond the governor’s race, too. The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Mike Collier, is planning to spend the closing weeks of the race emphasizing his long resume in the industry, starting out as a landman for ExxonMobil. Collier is releasing a TV ad Tuesday that leans into his oil-and-gas background.”
EXTRACTION
Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance: In the face of the energy crisis, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance reiterates call for a managed phase-out of oil and gas production
9/26/22
“The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), launched in Glasgow in November 2021, today called for an acceleration in the transition away from fossil fuel dependency and “massive increase” in investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy to deliver long-term climate and energy security. In the face of soaring global energy prices driven in part by the war in Ukraine, the Alliance issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to a managed, orderly phaseout of oil and gas production. Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities of Denmark, Dan Jørgensen, said: “The ongoing energy crisis has underscored the importance of the mission of BOGA. Oil and gas are not only causing climate change. They are also harming markets and price stability, while increasing the cost of living globally. A managed transition away from oil and gas production is not only possible, but the only responsible thing to do.” Last Monday, alongside the opening of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, BOGA brought together leaders from government, philanthropy, public and private finance to spur action on delivering a world ‘beyond oil and gas.’ “...The BOGA statement follows an urgent call from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to “end our global addiction to fossil fuels,” citing renewable energy sources as “the only credible path” to energy security… “The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) is an international alliance of governments and stakeholders working together to facilitate the managed phase-out of oil and gas production. Led by the governments of Denmark and Costa Rica, the alliance aims to elevate the issue of oil and gas production phase-out in international climate dialogues, mobilize action and commitments, and create an international community of practice on this issue. BOGA members include France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden, Wales, New Zealand, Portugal, and California. Italy, Finland, and Luxembourg are Friends of BOGA.”
Clean Technica: If You’re A Climate Activist, Beware — Fossil Fuel Companies May Target You Next
Carolyn Fortuna, 9/26/22
“Being a climate activist is a noble calling. It’s a way of putting pressure on national and business leaders to accept responsibility to safeguard a livable future,” Clean Technica reports. “...Climate activists have used a variety of tactics to pressure companies and political leaders to reduce global reliance on fossil fuels, from direct actions like blocking pipeline construction to lobbying politicians and raising awareness. Coming together as collectives and communities has put pressure on policy makers and modeled alternative pathways toward sustainable living. Public discourse can also make a climate activist a target of judicial harassment from the fossil fuel industry… “EarthRights International has uncovered a trend in the US and abroad of closing civic space, where those who exercise their fundamental rights to speak up about matters of public interest face retaliation in the form of judicial harassment and physical violence. Their investigation identified 152 cases in the past 10 years where the fossil fuel industry has used strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) and other judicial harassment tactics in attempts to silence or punish its critics in the US… “Judicial intimidation tactics have been used to stop critics from organizing against oil, gas, and coal extraction, including 93 strategic lawsuits against public participation and 49 “abusive subpoenas” directed at individuals and groups. The report, titled “The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Use of SLAPPs and Judicial Harassment in the United States,” is the first to quantify the lengths fossil fuel companies go to within the judicial system to silence their critics.”
Billings Gazette: High Plains Book Awards finalist: 'Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice' by Katherine Wiltenburg Todrys
TIM SWEENEY, 9/26/22
“In Katherine Wiltenberg Todrys’ “Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice,” we are given a compelling example of how communities with little access to power and resources can shape international consciousness, save their land and water and build a community,” the Billings Gazette reports. “Todrys, a human rights lawyer and researcher, is a finalist in the First Book category of the High Plains Book Awards. The book is centered around the stories of four native women - LaDonna Allard, Jasilyn Charger, Lisa DeVille, and Kandi White - who lead different aspects of the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Among many concerns, the pipeline threatens the water supply for native and non-native communities. In heart rendering storytelling, we are taken on the painful but inspiring journeys of these leaders. “Jasilyn began to think of herself as part of the seventh generation, a concept from a Lakota prophecy from the time of the nineteenth-century leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. After seven generations, the youth awaken and rise up. Another prophecy foretelling that a terrible black snake would enter the Lakota homeland and spread death and ruin across the earth, beginning with the water… Jasilyn believed they were living in that time.” The author shares complicated yet clear eyed lessons in the tactics and compromises required to challenge entrenched corporate power. While the dizzying array of government agencies and political and judicial players can be hard to follow, the author grounds the narrative through the eyes of the leadership decisions of four incredible women.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Suncor to Buy Back Debt After Oil Drop, Ratings Downgrade
Esteban Duarte, 9/26/22
“Suncor Energy Inc. is pushing ahead with a bond buyback as oil prices near this year’s lows amid recession worries,” Bloomberg reports. “Calgary-based Suncor plans to buy up to C$1.75 billion ($1.27 billion) of securities from 10 series of outstanding notes in US and Canadian dollars, the company said in a statement Monday. Cenovus Energy Inc., another large Canadian oil company, did a similar offer earlier this month. Suncor is going ahead with the tender weeks after S&P Global Ratings downgraded the company for a second time in less than three years as the ratings firm tightens credit ratio thresholds for Canadian oil companies, citing their more-volatile operating performance than North American peers… “Canadian “oil sands producers have benefited significantly from high crude prices and the decline in heavy-crude imports to the US from Venezuela” said Jaimin Patel, a credit analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see further debt reduction for these companies.” S&P cut Suncor by one step to BBB, its second-lowest investment grade, with a negative outlook as share buybacks may put the company below the ratios demanded by such rating even as Suncor is expected to continue reducing debt, the rating firm said in Aug. 31 statement.”
Associated Press: Emissions declarations by equity firm Carlyle under question
ED DAVEY, 9/26/22
“At the start of 2022, the Carlyle Group, one of the world’s leading private equity firms, published a report on its financial risk from greenhouse gas emissions. Yet something was not in the report,” the Associated Press reports. “As the climate crisis worsens and emissions get more scrutiny, what major companies decide to disclose is increasingly important. Carlyle’s largest oil and gas investment, NGP, was not included. A “note on scope” halfway through the document said this was due to a “different business model.” “...They are telling one story to investors and doing something else that gets results,” Dr. Sean Field, of the Centre for Energy Ethics at University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told AP. NGP is also a private equity firm, originally called Natural Gas Partners, with $10.4 billion under management at the close of 2021. Carlyle’s own filings show NGP is probably its most carbon-producing investment… “NGP makes up some 8% of Carlyle total earnings on average over the last five years, the company said in an email. But due to high oil and gas prices since the Ukraine war, in the first half of 2022 NGP made $512 million for Carlyle - more than 20% of its total revenues and 49% of its profit… “Jorge Guira, a professor in climate law and finance at the University of Reading, England, told AP it was telling that the Carlyle’s mention of NGP appeared in a footnote. Although Carlyle was undoubtedly legally compliant, he told AP, its approach raises “challenging questions.” That’s because U.S. companies are required to show good corporate citizenship, said Guira, who is also a member of the Florida Bar and a practicing lawyer for 30 years. “This reporting and exercise of duties may not meet everyone’s definition of that standard,” he told AP.
OPINION
Wall Street Journal: Both Parties Should Support My Permitting-Reform Bill
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, 9/25/22
“Congress votes this week on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022. It’s a defining moment. Will we promote energy security and independence, or will we allow extreme ideologies and politics to embolden our nation’s enemies? Will we allow toxic tribal politics and the Vladimir Putins of the world to dictate our future, or will we protect our nation’s energy security?” Sen. Joe Manchin writes in the Wall Street Journal. “...Some have said the legislation was crafted without Republican input or that it would make it harder for fossil fuels to be permitted. They are simply wrong. They aren’t being honest about what’s in the bill and how it came to be. Democrats and Republicans, along with leaders in the energy industry and stakeholders of all stripes, were instrumental in the substance of this balanced legislation. These essential reforms have been advocated by developers of all types of American energy—oil and gas, electric transmission, mining, solar and wind, and more. In fact, it is the kind of balanced and all-of-the-above energy approach America needs if we are to defend this nation’s energy security from those who seem hell-bent on weakening it… “Permitting reform has long been a priority for advocacy groups representing a diverse mix of energy companies and stakeholders across the political spectrum… “Even during this historic moment, some say it isn’t enough. They stand in the way of major progress on realistic reforms. Instead they offer a wish list with no chance of passing an evenly divided Senate… “At such a consequential moment in our nation’s history, now is the time for those fortunate enough to be elected leaders to push away the noise of partisan politics that is drowning out common sense. We must ignore the toxic “all or nothing” legislative approach that has made it hard to discern what is truly essential for our nation.”
Wall Street Journal: My Native Alaskan Community Needs the Willow Oil Project
Harry Brower Jr. is mayor of Alaska’s North Slope Borough and a whaling captain in Utqiaġvik. Amaulik Edwardsen is president of the North Slope Borough Assembly, 9/26/22
“The long-delayed Willow oilfield project, which is located within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), is vital for Alaska’s economy, for America’s energy security, and for further modernizing the North Slope region,” Harry Brower Jr. and Amaulik Edwardsen write for the Wall Street Journal. “Some of our residents still live in homes that aren’t connected to running water and basic sewage systems. We have no roads connecting our communities because the federal government won’t allow us to build them. According to Bureau of Land Management estimates, Willow could generate between $8 billion and $17 billion in new revenue for the federal government, the state of Alaska and communities such as Utqiaġvik. Willow is located on the ancestral lands of the Iñupiat people but isn’t an Iñupiat project. That’s because the federal government claimed the National Petroleum Reserve for itself before the Alaska’s native people had an opportunity to settle our land claims… “The fossil-fuel extraction industry has for 50 years enabled us to provide basic services to the eight Iñupiat villages on the North Slope. This money supports essential services in all our villages, including health clinics, schools, Alaska’s only tribal college, water and sewer infrastructure, fire and search-and-rescue services, and our own department of wildlife management… “The environmental extremists seeking to stop all development of oil and gas in our region are trying to rob my people of our right to self-determination… “We are tired of outside groups trying to turn this project and every other oil and gas project in our region into the poster child for a global movement away from fossil fuels. This is more than a political oil debate for us; it’s about access to land we were promised many years ago. Without projects like Willow and their crucial economic benefits, many of my neighbors would be forced to leave the lands they and their ancestors have inhabited for thousands of years.”
National Observer: Canada's oil companies won't do what they promise — instead, they bide their time, awaiting Poilievre
Max Fawcett, 9/27/22
“If money talks, then Canada’s oil and gas companies ought to have a lot to say right now,” Max Fawcett writes for the National Observer. “While commodity prices have softened recently, they’re still on track to post one of their most profitable years ever — one that will see record-high production on record-high revenue. But while they’ve said a lot about returning money to shareholders and paying down debt, they’ve been conspicuously quiet about anything to do with climate change. That’s because, as a new report from the Pembina Institute shows, they’ve barely spent any money on it. Take Canada’s biggest oilsands companies, which formed the Pathways Alliance more than a year ago and very loudly proclaimed their shared commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and eliminating 22 megatonnes of greenhouse gases by the end of this decade. Getting anywhere close to that target will require the construction of multiple carbon capture and storage projects, but not a single one of those companies has made a final investment decision yet. Instead, they’ve funnelled their growing cash flows to investors, with more than $10 billion going towards share buybacks and dividends in the second quarter of 2022 alone — a 400 per cent increase on what they spent in the second quarter of 2019… “As federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault told The Canadian Press, "If (oil and gas companies) don't make those investments while they're making record-level profits, then when would it be a good time for them to make those investments? If not now, then I don't know when." So, what’s the holdup? According to the companies and their spokespeople, it’s the government’s fault. "Expectations by the Pembina Institute that Pathways Alliance companies make final investment decisions on these multibillion-dollar projects before governments have finalized regulatory frameworks to support them are unrealistic," Pathways Alliance president Kendall Dilling told me in an emailed statement… “But as the Pembina Institute’s report noted, this is a red herring — one designed to extract further concessions from a government that has already offered up more than enough of them. “U.S. incentives for CCUS have no bearing on the need for existing oilsands operations in Canada to decarbonize — given that oilsands operations in Canada cannot be transferred to the U.S. — and there is therefore no reasonable rationale for Canada to consider further subsidies for CCUS.”