EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/28/22
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Manchin’s permitting overhaul: Not dead yet
The Hill: White House hits GOP over removal of Manchin permitting reform
Press release: Sen. Cramer Proposes a Pipeline for a Pipeline on Permitting Reform
E&E News: Manchin backs off permitting reform in spending bill
Bloomberg: Manchin Tones Down Energy Bill Ahead of Key Senate Vote
SeekingAlpha: Mountain Valley Pipeline takes hit as Manchin pulls energy permitting bill
Fayette County Newspapers: Supporters of proposed CO2 pipeline address board
NewsRadio1040: Company Petitions Illinois Commerce to Begin Constructing Carbon Pipeline
KMA: More discussion, no action on Montgomery County pipeline ordinance
Storm Lake Radio: BV Supervisors Hear Update on Navigator Pipeline
Sioux City Journal: Congressional candidate Ryan Melton repeatedly calls out Rep. Randy Feenstra and chastises pipeline plans, in Sioux City stop
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Energy & Policy Institute: Carbon Capture Coalition lobbied to weaken guardrails for expanded carbon capture subsidy
EXTRACTION
E&E News: 96% Of Energy Sectors Off Track To Meet Climate Goals — IEA
Reuters: TotalEnergies says new oil projects still needed until 2030
Reuters: Mexico plans $4-$5 bln LNG hub at Gulf port, president says
Press release: Tallgrass and Equinor to Jointly Pursue Opportunities for Hydrogen and Ammonia Production, Infrastructure Development in North America
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: U.S. climate envoy Kerry calls for ramp-up in financing to slash methane emissions
Reuters: Kinder Morgan sells half of its stake in LNG facility in Georgia for about $565-million
Daily Illini: Students protest in climate strike demanding UI fossil fuel divestment
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Capital and Main: A Petroleum PR Blitz in New Mexico
Enbridge: Revitalizing language, spreading the joy of reading
OPINION
Native News Online: Permitting Reform Chooses the Fossil Fuel Industry Over Tribal Sovereignty
The Center Square: Op-Ed: Don’t let politics get in the way of permitting reform
PIPELINE NEWS
E&E News: Manchin’s permitting overhaul: Not dead yet
Jeremy Dillon, Nick Sobczyk, Emma Dumain, 9/28/22
“Progressive lawmakers, environmentalists and Republicans cheered late Tuesday afternoon when Sen. Joe Manchin waved the white flag on his effort to attach permitting reform to the short-term government funding bill, but the effort still has signs of life,” E&E News reports. “Lawmakers from both parties signaled they’d be willing to work to find common ground on a reform package in the aftermath of the West Virginia Democrats’ decision to punt on legislation that would ease environmental reviews on energy projects. Attention now is turning to bipartisan talks and places where the overhaul bill could land. Options could include the annual National Defense Authorization Act, as one top Republican suggested yesterday. Another landing spot could be a year-end omnibus government spending bill… “Manchin had a lengthy discussion with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the floor during the vote. Afterward, Manchin told E&E Republican leadership had offered to start talks on a bipartisan permitting deal… “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also vowed to find “the best way to ensure responsible permitting reform is passed before the end of the year.” “...Even those most opposed to the Manchin deal are saying they have some interest in entering negotiations now that the threat of a government shutdown has been removed. House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who led a group of nearly 80 House Democrats who said they would not support attaching the permitting language to the stopgap spending bill, said in a statement that he was willing to talk. “Now that the debate over this dirty deal is over, I stand ready to work constructively with my colleagues on other permitting legislative efforts that can accelerate the clean energy transition, while also protecting the already overburdened,” Grijalva said in a statement. Grijalva pitched his “Environmental Justice for All Act,” H.R. 2021, as a starting point. That bill would expand public comment in the permitting process while also investing money in communities that have long been at the forefront of pollution resulting from energy production. House Republicans, however, have universally opposed the legislation as overly burdensome on energy projects while also dismissing the bill as a “conspiracy of racism”... “Manchin would not speculate on the legislative pathway, but Republicans are already suggesting the annual NDAA as a vehicle.”
The Hill: White House hits GOP over removal of Manchin permitting reform
ALEX GANGITANO, 9/27/22
“The White House on Tuesday said it supported Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) decision to have permitting reform language removed from a stopgap government funding bill, blaming Republicans for opposing the plan,” The Hill reports. “We support Senator Manchin’s decision not to press for a floor vote given the misguided Republican decision to put politics over progress by opposing his permitting reform plan,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement… “In her statement, Jean-Pierre reiterated that the White House supported Manchin’s plan. She said permitting reform “is necessary for our energy security, and to make more clean energy available to the American people.” Additionally, Jean-Pierre said the White House will work to find a way to get Manchin’s permitting plan passed. “We will continue to work with him to find a vehicle to bring this bill to the floor and get it passed and to the President’s desk,” she said.
Press release: Sen. Cramer Proposes a Pipeline for a Pipeline on Permitting Reform
9/27/22
“U.S. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, issued the following statement after proposing changes to Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) “permitting reform” legislation: “A pipeline for a pipeline. If Senator Manchin and his Democrat colleagues want to get to yes, it requires input from everyone, not a backroom take-it-or-leave-it proposal. The national significance of the Mountain Valley Pipeline applies to DAPL as well. “Aspirational timelines do not motivate federal bureaucrats or curb the zeal of environmental litigants. We need a ‘shot clock’ for permit approvals which automatically defaults to the applicant within the one- or two-year timeframe outlined in the bill. “If Joe Manchin and his Democrat colleagues want me to get to yes, let’s scrap these proposals to overrun state siting authority, give the timelines some teeth, and treat DAPL the same as the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Let’s make a deal.” Senator Cramer proposed the following amendments: Approving the existing Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Dakota Access Pipeline and explicitly states an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required nor is the EA subject to judicial review; Establishing a shot clock for infrastructure permits. If a project is not approved within the 1-year and 2-year timeframe, the project is deemed approved; and Striking the transmission siting section of the bill.”
E&E News: Manchin backs off permitting reform in spending bill
Jeremy Dillon, 9/27/22
“Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin pulled his permitting reform package from a government spending bill Tuesday afternoon as it became clear the combined effort didn’t have enough votes to advance,” E&E News reports. “A failed vote on something as critical as comprehensive permitting reform only serves to embolden leaders like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin who wish to see America fail,” the West Virginia Democrat said in a statement… “Senate Republicans have made very clear they will block legislation to fund the government if it includes bipartisan permitting reform,” Schumer said, “because they’ve chosen to obstruct, instead of work in a bipartisan way to achieve something they’ve long claimed they’ve wanted to do.” The permitting reform effort is not dead, Schumer said. “Senator Manchin, myself and others will continue to have conversations about the best way to ensure responsible permitting reform is passed before the end of the year,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.”
Bloomberg: Manchin Tones Down Energy Bill Ahead of Key Senate Vote
Ari Natter, 9/27/22
“Senator Joe Manchin toned down his energy bill ahead of a pivotal Senate vote on Tuesday, axing proposed changes to an environmental law that would make it harder for states to block the construction of pipelines,” Bloomberg reports. “The change comes amid pushback from Capitol Hill, where lawmakers from both parties have voiced concerns. Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, is struggling to amass enough votes to pass the underlying legislation, which seeks to speed up the permitting of energy infrastructure across the US. The now-deleted provision -- which would have put into law changes originally made by former President Donald Trump -- concerns states’ authority to vet water-quality impacts of proposed infrastructure within their borders… “An overhaul of the section of the law, which included a new one-year timeline for states to issue those permits and other tweaks opposed by environmentalists, wasn’t included in the latest version of the legislation. The relevant part of the Clean Water Act, known as section 401, allows states and tribes to reject projects they deem a threat to water supplies and the environment. Section 401 has been the target of the natural gas industry and others who see it as giving states veto powers over projects with a national impact.”
SeekingAlpha: Mountain Valley Pipeline takes hit as Manchin pulls energy permitting bill
Carl Surran, 9/27/22
“Equitrans Midstream (NYSE:ETRN) -4.1% post-market on Tuesday after Senator Joe Manchin said he asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to remove his energy permitting legislation from a stop-gap government funding bill because it would not have received enough votes to pass,” SeekingAlpha reports. “Manchin's bill drew opposition from the right and left of the political spectrum; Republicans said it did not go far enough in removing permitting hurdles for energy projects, and Democrats said speeding up such projects could risk damage to the environment… “Construction on the 303-mile MVP project - which crosses Manchin's home state of West Virginia - has been stalled after a federal court in January rejected a permit to cross a national forest.”
Fayette County Newspapers: Supporters of proposed CO2 pipeline address board
MIKE VANSICKLE, 9/27/22
“The Fayette County Supervisors on Monday heard from a pair of Fayette County ag producers, who support the proposed Heartland Greenway System CO2 pipeline,” Fayette County Newspapers reports.”The current plan would lay about 800 miles of pipe across the state from the northwest to southeast, including the southwest corner of Fayette County near Fairbank. “After reading about it in the newspaper, I was a little surprised to hear all of the opposition to the project that was shared at the recent meeting in Oelwein,” said Arlington farmer Tim Burrack. “The people speaking in opposition of the project didn’t even seem to be affected or in direct line with the project.” Noting many corn producers, like himself, share crops with the ethanol plants, he asked the supervisors not to write any type of letter in opposition of the proposed pipeline to the Iowa Utilities Board… “While cautioning that without these types of projects, it could mean the end of ethanol, he noted an additional source of revenue like this has not been realized since ethanol’s creation. Burrack reported estimates are that the CO2 project would provide an increase in profit to the ethanol producers by 15- to 30-cents a gallon and would enable these producers to pay the corn growers 50-cents to $1 more per bushel of corn… “I would like to ask those against the project, ‘If you didn’t like $3 a bushel corn, what are you going to say about $1 corn, if we don’t have ethanol?’” added Burrack… “Following the discussion, no motion was made by the supervisors to forward any letter to the Iowa Utilities Board, of any opinion on the proposed pipeline. The agenda had made room for “discussion and decision regarding letter to the Iowa Utilities Board concerning pipeline.”
NewsRadio1040: Company Petitions Illinois Commerce to Begin Constructing Carbon Pipeline
Danielle Blake, 9/27/22
“Navigator CO2 Ventures is filing for a certificate of authority from the Illinois Commerce Commission that needs to be approved before the construction of the 13,000-mile carbon pipeline,” NewsRadio1040 reports. “...Representatives from the Coalition to stop CO2 Pipelines will speak to the Knox County Board near the Quad Cities to voice concerns tomorrow at 6 pm. Navigator has not yet filed for permission to build the pipeline in the four other states.”
KMA: More discussion, no action on Montgomery County pipeline ordinance
Mike Peterson, 9/27/22
“During Tuesday morning's county board of supervisors meeting, Supervisors Chair Mark Peterson and Supervisor Randy Cooper recapped developments at the most recent Shelby County Planning and Zoning Board meeting,” KMA reports. “Peterson says approximately 50 people attended the meeting--many of whom speaking against Summit Carbon Solution's proposed CO2 pipeline planned for a good portion of western Iowa--including Montgomery County. Saying there's unanswered questions regarding the proposed pipeline, Cooper says it's important for the supervisors to work on an ordinance. He cited a proposed ordinance from Wright County specifying the supervisors' responsibilities in protecting the county. "The board of supervisors should exercise any power or perform any function it deems appropriate to protect and preserve the rights, privileges and property of the county and its residents," said Cooper, "and to preserve the peace, safety, health, welfare and comfort of our residents. I think that's what's important. We need to protect the county, our land, our citizens and anything we can do will help." Supervisor Mike Olson reiterated that the Iowa Utilities Board--not the county--will make the ultimate decision on the pipeline's fate. He also expressed concerns regarding legal fees associated with any litigation involving the project. "Who's going to pay for this litigation that we're going to enter into," asked Olson, "when Summit Carbon sues us because we have mandated through an ordinance something that is undoable? So, we end up in court, and this goes on for two or three years--which I think is what they want anyway, is to drag this out as long as they can. Who's going to pay for that?".. “Supervisor Charla Schmidt, however, replied that the county shouldn't be afraid of litigation on the issue. "If we base our total decision on whether or not we're going to get sued," said Schmidt, "I don't think that makes us look very wise. I think that's a fear factor, that we're going to get sued. Then to me, if they are going to sue us, they they're bullies. Then, we have some more bullies. To me, it's just a fear factor."
Storm Lake Radio: BV Supervisors Hear Update on Navigator Pipeline
9/27/22
“The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors this (Tues) morning were given a brief update on the Navigator pipeline,” Storm Lake Radio reports. “Laney Feight is with the CR3 Connect Consulting Group...Feight told Storm Lake Radio Navigator is in the process of finish up studies to determine exact project placement. The Iowa Association of Pipelines is having a conference tomorrow (Wed). Supervisor Paul Merten said he hasn't heard much from county farmers regarding the pipeline. Merten said it's important to make sure correct information gets shared.”
Sioux City Journal: Congressional candidate Ryan Melton repeatedly calls out Rep. Randy Feenstra and chastises pipeline plans, in Sioux City stop
JARED MCNETT, 9/27/22
“Though Ryan Melton is running against Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) this fall, the Democratic challenger in Iowa's Fourth Congressional District race found himself namechecking the previous office holder during a Tuesday afternoon event,” the Sioux City Journal reports. "Randy Feenstra's voting record is Steve King's voting record," Melton told a crowd of more than 30 people gathered for a Siouxland Progressive Women's luncheon at Famous Dave's in Sioux City… On Friday, Sept. 30, Navigator Heartland Greenway developers looking to run a carbon capture pipeline through Woodbury County will appear before a district judge to to argue for an injunction against property owners in Moville, Iowa who have twice denied the company's agents access to their land that composes part of the pipeline's proposed route. Melton told the luncheon crowd he's against such measures and has been since "Day one." "I don't believe that we should be using eminent domain to take private landowner land," Melton said. "This is another one of those issues, along with reproductive rights and public education that really is disregarding political affiliation." He then went on to say carbon capture pipelines can pose a threat to the environment when they leak, citing a pipeline rupture near Satartia, Mississippi in 2020 which caused the evacuation of 200 residents and the hospitalization of dozens. Per Melton, multiple Steve King voters have come up to him at events and said they're going to vote for him because of his stance on carbon capture pipelines.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Energy & Policy Institute: Carbon Capture Coalition lobbied to weaken guardrails for expanded carbon capture subsidy
Joe Smyth, 9/26/22
“The Inflation Reduction Act includes a major increase of the tax credits that subsidize carbon capture projects, as well as changes that weakened a key guardrail that was included in the earlier Build Back Better bill that would have required carbon capture projects at power plants to capture at least 75% of a facility’s emissions. That change followed lobbying against the 75% capture rate requirement by the Carbon Capture Coalition, whose members include coal, oil, and power companies,” the Energy & Policy Institute reports. “Between the Inflation Reduction Act’s introduction on July 27 and its passage on August 7, another change further weakened those guardrails in a way that allows power companies to increase the output of coal and gas power plants after installing a carbon capture project in order to maximize revenue from the carbon capture tax credit, without increasing the size of the carbon capture facility. Combined, the changes could allow power plant operators to receive generous taxpayer subsidies for carbon capture projects, even while increasing their greenhouse gas emissions… “That language was changed in the Inflation Reduction Act; instead of requiring the carbon capture project to actually capture 75% of a power plant’s emissions, the carbon capture project just has to have a “capture design capacity” of 75% of the baseline emissions. Moreover, the Inflation Reduction Act language was also changed to apply at the unit level, instead of Build Back Better’s requirement that emissions be reduced at the facility level. That means that a power plant with multiple units could install carbon capture equipment on just one unit, receive subsidies through the 45Q tax credit, and continue to operate other units without carbon capture… “The Carbon Capture Coalition also distributed talking points against the 75% capture rate requirement, including in an email to Wyoming Governor staffers obtained by EPI through a public records request… “Members of the Carbon Capture Coalition include coal mining companies including Peabody Energy and Arch Resources, oil companies including Shell and Occidental, power companies including DTE Energy and NRG, and environmental groups including Clean Air Task Force and National Wildlife Federation. The group was originally called the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative, but rebranded in 2018 after Congress increased the 45Q tax credit from $20/ton to $50/ton, and from $10/ton to $35/ton for enhanced oil recovery projects.”
EXTRACTION
E&E News: 96% Of Energy Sectors Off Track To Meet Climate Goals — IEA
David Iaconangelo, 9/27/22
“Most of the world’s energy sectors are failing to clean up their emissions fast enough to stay on course with Paris Agreement goals, according to a new International Energy Agency report,” E&E News reports. “In an analysis this month, IEA broke down global energy systems into 55 components, ranging from specific technologies like heat pumps to climate problems like methane emissions from oil and gas. It found only two of the components — electric vehicles and lighting — are evolving in a way that will allow them to zero out carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. ‘This new IEA analysis shows the need for greater and sustained efforts across a range of technologies and sectors to ensure the world can meet its energy and climate goals,’ Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director, told E&E. The mismatch with climate goals is occurring even though many low-carbon industries are seeing rapid growth, according to IEA. Carbon capture and hydrogen projects are beginning to proliferate, while sales of electric heat pumps and renewables have hit record levels, for instance. But the energy transition is still happening too slowly overall to hold global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, the agency said.”
Reuters: TotalEnergies says new oil projects still needed until 2030
9/27/22
“French oil and gas major TotalEnergies said further efforts would be needed in terms of decarbonisation, as it presented its 'Energy Outlook 2022' document, and that new oil projects would still be needed until the mid-2030s,” Reuters reports. “TotalEnergies added that the current energy crisis should provide an occasion to really anchor in stone means to come up with more energy efficient solutions… “The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Europe's dependency of fossil energies and the impact of high energy prices has pushed some governments to scramble for less environment-friendly solutions. "(...) new oil projects are still needed until the mid-2030s to meet demand and avoid prices spikes," TotalEnergies said. Overall oil demand will rise until the early 2030s and then decline by 2.3% per year, the French company added in a presentation.”
Reuters: Mexico plans $4-$5 bln LNG hub at Gulf port, president says
9/27/22
“Mexico plans to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hub worth between $4 billion and $5 billion in the Gulf of Mexico that will help serve European demand, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “The planned LNG facility in the port of Coatzacoalcos, in the eastern state of Veracruz, would transport gas by boat to Europe, Lopez Obrador said. "We're about to promote private sector involvement, it's going to be an investment of $4-5 billion this plant," he told a regular news conference… “In August, Canadian firm TC Energy inked a deal with Mexican state power utility Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to build a $4.5 billion gas pipeline connecting the port of Tuxpan with Coatzacoalcos, and the ports of Veracruz and Dos Bocas.”
Press release: Tallgrass and Equinor to Jointly Pursue Opportunities for Hydrogen and Ammonia Production, Infrastructure Development in North America
9/27/22
“Tallgrass and Equinor have announced a collaborative effort to pursue opportunities for development of large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia projects in North America. The partners will assess the production and market potential for hydrogen and ammonia, and associated distribution infrastructure to help facilitate broad decarbonization… “The study will be focused on large-scale hydrogen production, incorporating the capture of a minimum of 95% of the CO2 for permanent sequestration, coupled with ammonia for efficient transportation and storage. As part of the study, Tallgrass and Equinor are evaluating multiple regional energy centers across the US. Recent policy developments further confirm the US commitment to decarbonized energy projects and reflect the important role that a full-scale hydrogen economy could play in providing communities with clean and reliable energy. Equinor and Tallgrass share a similar commitment and will work together towards advancing the integration of low- or zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia into regional clean energy clusters, while taking a holistic approach to full value-chain emissions and resource conservation… "The magnitude of annual emissions reductions from our potential regional energy centers equates to eliminating the CO2 emissions of over one-third of the total automobiles on the road in states as populous as Colorado, Arizona, and Massachusetts," added Mr. Bashford. "It is this type of meaningful decarbonization that we are committed to rapidly advancing."
CLIMATE FINANCE
Reuters: U.S. climate envoy Kerry calls for ramp-up in financing to slash methane emissions
Valerie Volcovici, 9/27/22
“Countries need to ramp up spending dedicated to cutting methane emissions in order to rapidly slash greenhouse gases and meet global climate goals, John Kerry, U.S. special presidential climate change envoy, said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “In prepared remarks opening the Global Methane, Climate, and Clean Air Forum, Kerry called on countries to keep up momentum building since last year, when more than 100 countries joined the Global Methane Pledge alongside the United States and the European Union, promising to reduce global methane emissions 30% by 2030. Trillions of dollars worldwide will be needed to help countries implement their national plans to slash methane, Kerry said in the remarks reviewed by Reuters. "On finance, we have an immense uphill battle," Kerry said, noting that less than 2% of global climate finance goes to methane, even though methane is responsible for nearly half of net global warming. "We need this tide to change." “...But if countries fail to implement plans to meet the pledge's goals, methane would go up by 13% by 2030, Kerry said, citing a report that will be released soon by the United Nations Environment Programme. He also said investments will be needed to tackle methane from sectors beyond oil and gas, including livestock productivity, reducing food loss and waste, and keeping organic material out of landfills.”
Reuters: Kinder Morgan sells half of its stake in LNG facility in Georgia for about $565-million
9/27/22
“U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc said it had sold half its stake in a liquefied natural gas facility in Georgia to an undisclosed buyer for about $565-million, and would use the funds to pay short-term debt and buy back shares,” Reuters reports. “The stake sale in the Elba Liquefaction Company (ELC) comes at a time when demand for U.S. LNG exports is booming as Europe loses access to Russian fuel. “Recent geopolitical events have proven how critical (LNG) infrastructure is to meeting global energy demand,” said Kimberly Watson, Kinder Morgan’s Interstate Natural Gas President. The ELC liquefaction facility is located in Elba Island in Chatham County and has a capacity to liquefy about 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year for export from the U.S. East Coast. After the sale, Kinder Morgan will hold a 25.5 per cent interest in ELC and continue to operate the facility. Private equity giant Blackstone Inc’s credit investment unit, Blackstone Credit, will continue to hold its 49 per cent stake it bought in May.”
Daily Illini: Students protest in climate strike demanding UI fossil fuel divestment
FIZA DAHRA AND AIDAN SADOVI, 9/26/22
“Organized by the Students with Environmental Concerns RSO, students converged by Alma Mater at noon on Wednesday as part of a climate strike that aimed to draw attention to the climate crisis and demand that the University divest from its economic holdings in fossil fuels and nonrenewable energy,” the Daily Illini reports. “The University of Illinois has a fifth of a billion dollars invested in companies that profit from the extraction, transportation and refinement of natural gas, petroleum or coal,” Gabriel Kosmacher, senior in LAS and president of SECS, told the DI. “Our demand is that the University of Illinois fully divest from these such companies by the year 2025.” Kosmacher also told DI that students voted to set that goal in a referendum in 2019. “We’re out here … to make sure the powers that be keep their word,” Kosmacher told DI.
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Capital and Main: A Petroleum PR Blitz in New Mexico
Jerry Redfern, 9/23/22
“In the past seven months, oil and gas companies have dramatically stepped up their outreach and public relations spending at some of New Mexico’s best-known, best-loved events,” Capital and Main reports. “...And when the state’s volunteer Legislature eventually returns to session in January, it will have to contend with an industry that spent the previous 11 months burnishing its image in ways that unpaid, part-time public servants simply can’t. “That PR piece has always been a center of the work of extractive industries,” Angelica Rubio, state representative from Doña Ana County, told Capital and Main. She grew up in the Permian Basin, home to the largest oil and gas play on the planet, and she remembers how companies paid for scholarships and sports fields at her high school. “It’s kind of like, ‘OK, while we’re poisoning your water, we’re gonna go ahead and pay for this football field,’” she told Capital and Main. The scope and tone of the current PR blitz covers the gamut from — literally — hot air to cold cash. Early in the year, ExxonMobil became the prime sponsor of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, one of the state’s signature tourist draws. The company also ponied up to be a corporate backer of New Mexico United, the state’s wildly popular soccer team… “These are miniscule amounts of money for the companies to do their unlimited amounts of public relations here in the state,” Jeff Steinborn, a state senator from Las Cruces, told Capital and Main. And it’s public messaging that the Legislature will have to address anew when it finally starts its own deliberations — deliberations often over how to regulate the state’s most profitable industry, deliberations paid for in large part by oil and gas revenues. “This is a leadership moment where there are real-world negative consequences of us not investing in a professional legislature,” Steinborn stold Capital and Main. Companies and industries are able to hire and fund full-time lobbyists who essentially end up competing with the state’s part-time, unpaid Legislature, and “It really, really gives deference to paid interest groups and lobbyists who have an outsized voice and muscle in setting the table on what gets worked on,” he told Capital and Main.”
Enbridge: Revitalizing language, spreading the joy of reading
9/27/22
“In a delightful moment of improvisation, children at a book launch blurred the line between fiction and reality,” according to Enbridge. “...IFL, which will rebrand as Chapter One in 2023, published Ice Fishing with Nimkii as part of its series of e-books produced for and in conjunction with partner communities across the country, the majority of which are Indigenous… “Enbridge is a proud supporter of IFL, which also operates in the United States and United Kingdom. Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning and education, and with Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation fast approaching on Friday, this unique e-book project makes real strides to help children and youth develop their potential, as well as honor and protect their culture. We recently provided a C$62,000 Fueling Futures grant to IFL in Canada to support its high-impact, one-on-one tutoring and read-with-a-virtual-coach enrichment programs, and develop two new e-books. We also provided US$66,000 funding in the U.S. to support IFL’s tutoring programs and storybooks stateside as well.”
OPINION
Native News Online: Permitting Reform Chooses the Fossil Fuel Industry Over Tribal Sovereignty
Jordan Harmon (Mvskoke/Creek) is the Policy Advisor to the Indigenous Environmental Network, 9/26/22
“As early as next week, Congress is planning to introduce legislation that would offer up important land and resources to the fossil fuels industry on a silver platter and run roughshod over tribal sovereign interests,” Jordan Harmon writes for Native News Online. “Brokered as a back-door deal between two Democratic senators, Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) and Sen. Joe Manchin, (D-WV), and labeled as “permitting reform,” the so-called “Energy Independence and Security Act” proposes to gut the review process under the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act in favor of fast-tracking federal permitting for extractive industries. Despite the fact that it is tribal lands and resources primarily on the chopping block, Congress plans to shuffle this legislation through a “must-pass” government funding bill without a proper hearing or any input or meaningful consultation from tribes or affected communities… “The National Environmental Policy Act, or “NEPA,” and the Clean Water Act, or “CWA,” are already fragile protections for tribal and other communities against the lifeless force of profits for extractive industry corporations… “The type of “reform” needed for communities would increase public input and increase accessibility to challenge bad projects. Rep. Grijalva (D - AZ) is offering an alternative, the RESPECT Act, or the Requirements, Expectations, and Standard Procedures for Effective Consultation with Tribes Act. This act requires federal agencies to consult with tribal governments before taking or permitting actions that would significantly impact them. It would not only include federal agencies to identify sacred sites that could be affected, but also to contact any and all tribal governments whose land may be affected by any projects, among many other important acts.”
The Center Square: Op-Ed: Don’t let politics get in the way of permitting reform
Michael P. Flanagan is a former member of U.S. Congress representing portions of Chicago in Illinois from 1994 to 1996, 9/26/22
“This summer, Congress passed the costly Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included key portions of President Joe Biden’s tax, climate, and IRS priorities and cost a massive $740 billion. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, the 50th critical vote that allowed the bill to pass on party lines, supported the legislation on the condition of a quid pro quo promise that comprehensive permitting reform legislation, including changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), would clear both the House and Senate by the end of September,” Michael P. Flanagan writes for The Center Square. “But the likelihood that a permitting package will pass is not looking good as progressives are ready to tank the deal that Democratic leadership promised behind closed doors… “Without legislation to enact comprehensive permitting reform and to update NEPA, the consistent restrictions on boosting America’s energy supply will be exacerbated over and above the actions this administration has already taken… “We cannot allow politicians to continue to ignore the realities behind our energy use and it’s contributions to our economy. Yet progressives, who generally approve of any and all bottlenecks to oil and gas projects, are ready to impede these commonsense reforms… “The Democratic leadership must move past the progressives’ knee-jerk opposition. Such opposition to NEPA reform puts politics above the needs of our nation.”