EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/29/21
PIPELINE NEWS
Enbridge: Line 3 Replacement Project Substantially Completed and Set to be Fully Operational
Press release: WHITE EARTH NATION CALLS ON 'CODE RED' TO PRESIDENT BIDEN! TELL JAIME PINKHAM AND THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO SHUT LINE 3 DOWN ASAP
Bold Nebraska: Landowners, Bold Nebraska Rejoice as TC Energy Abandons Eminent Domain Claims for Terminated Keystone XL Pipeline
Norfolk Daily News: TC Energy abandons eminent domain claims
Facebook: Appalachians Against Pipelines: 2 Mountain Valley Pipeline fighters have locked themselves to pipeline equipment at a construction site in Lindside, WV
Roanoke Times: At DEQ public hearings, opponents decry pipeline and supporters say it’s vital to economic growth
ROI-NJ: Murphy thrilled PennEast project proposal is being dropped: ‘It would have wrecked our state’
Press release: Statement from Governor Murphy on PennEast’s Decision to Cease Development of Pipeline Through New Jersey
Facebook: Coast Protectors: Protect the Planet has asked Department of Fisheries and Oceans to suspend logging and clearing by Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion
Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge inks deals to produce RNG, hydrogen to meet emissions goals
GoodTimes: Climate Activists Protest Banks Supporting Line 3 Pipeline Replacement
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: 3 takeaways from yesterday’s FERC hearing
Politico Morning Energy: FERC FACES THE SENATE
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Gas blowout near Los Angeles leads to up to $1.8B settlement
Associated Press: NM Will Get Part of $6.5 Million For Underpaid Natural Gas Leases
Honolulu Star Advertiser: Hawaii Attorney General backs up county suits against fossil fuel companies for costs of climate change
EXTRACTION
Vermilion Standard: COVID-19 infected more than 5,400 oilsands workers in 20 recent outbreaks
CBC: Alberta energy 'war room' launches Times Square ad, expert questions campaign
ODwyerPR: Canada Gives Tar Sands Oil Another PR Shot
Bloomberg: Crude Rally Helps Canada’s Oil Heartland Weather Covid-19 Surge
Reuters: OPEC forecasts oil demand rebound before post-2035 plateau
Reuters: EU lawmakers back clampdown on potent greenhouse gas methane
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Caisse to exit oil producers by 2022 in climate plan
Politico Morning Energy: THE DIVESTMENT DOMINOES
OPINION
The Hill: Focus on methane is timely and appropriate
PIPELINE NEWS
Enbridge: Line 3 Replacement Project Substantially Completed and Set to be Fully Operational
9/29/21
“Enbridge Inc. announced today the achievement of a major milestone with the substantial completion of the Line 3 Replacement Project and the establishment of an in-service date of October 1. This step marks the full replacement of the entire 1,765-kilometre/1,097-mile-long pipeline from Edmonton, AB. to Superior, WI. With new state-of-the-art, thicker-walled pipe, its completion ensures a safe, reliable supply of North American crude oil to U.S. refineries, helping fuel the quality of life for millions of people. "After more than eight years of many people working together, extensive community engagement, and thorough environmental, regulatory and legal review, we are pleased that Line 3 is complete and will soon deliver the low cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day," said Al Monaco, Enbridge President and Chief Executive Officer. “...More than 1,500 Indigenous people worked on replacing Line 3 in the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, in Minnesota, where Native Americans made up seven percent of the Line 3 workforce, over US$300 million went directly to Native-owned contractors, tribal community investments and training and hiring Native individuals. In total, the Company invested CDN$750 million with Indigenous communities, individuals, and businesses. Throughout the project, Enbridge has shown continuous respect for tribal sovereignty. In Minnesota, 30 tribes took part in the consultation process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project included a first-of-its kind Tribal Cultural Resource Survey led by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa which employed tribal cultural experts who walked the full route identifying and recording significant cultural resources to be avoided. Construction was completed under the supervision of tribal monitors with authority to stop construction to ensure protection of important cultural resources.”
Press release: WHITE EARTH NATION CALLS ON 'CODE RED' TO PRESIDENT BIDEN! TELL JAIME PINKHAM AND THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO SHUT LINE 3 DOWN ASAP
9/27/21
“Enbridge Line 3 construction continues to violate federal 404 and state 401 clean water act permits in Minnesota because the DNR, MPCA and the U.S. Corps of Engineers are unwilling to stop the violators, Enbridge Line 3. “There's a situation growing at Clearwater River crossing near Bagley and Highway 2,” reported drone photographer, Ron Turney, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN ). “Today, I noticed lots of fluids all over the work yard. It looks like an HDD waste containment failure, new black trucks monitoring the pumps, more workers.” “...In a related legal effort to Stop Line 3 construction Manoomin (wild rice) and Water Protectors have filed for another Preliminary Injunction, this time in White Earth Tribal Court of Appeals against the Minnesota DNR to cease all surface and groundwater drawing permits and all discharge and dewatering permits . . . all wanton waste of fresh water related activities… “This is Manoomin ecocide,” said Winona LaDuke of Honor the Earth. “Enbridge screwed up right in the beginning of construction in January 2021 and the independent environmental monitors Enbridge hired told no one for months and the DNR is letting Enbridge continue!?” LaDuke added, “Calling all Water Protectors! CODE RED!! This is our Standing Rock moment for Line 3, right beside U.S. Highway 2 in Bagley, Minnesota. WE THE PEOPLE must RISE and come together, here and now to STOP LINE 3!”
Bold Nebraska: Landowners, Bold Nebraska Rejoice as TC Energy Abandons Eminent Domain Claims for Terminated Keystone XL Pipeline
Mark Hefflinger, 9/28/21
“Bold Nebraska and allied landowners with the Nebraska Easement Action Team rejoiced on Monday at the news that TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) has finally agreed to terminate easements still being sought via eminent domain proceedings in Nebraska county courts for its now-terminated Keystone XL pipeline project. “It is harvest time here in Holt County, and while harvesting the corn and beans is great, this year we’re also reaping a decades-long fight against the condemnation of our land. While we are celebrating these harvests, we know the work continues, because ultimately we have to reform our eminent domain laws,” said Jeanne Crumly, landowner on the cancelled Keystone XL route in Holt County, Nebraska. “A decades-long fight against the Keystone XL pipeline has now ended for these landowners with property rights being restored. Not a single statewide elected official, including Gov. Ricketts — who went on a tour touting property rights — stood with landowners. Land justice happened only because of the hard work of citizens, grassroots organizing, and a legal team who believed the land was worth protecting,” said Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska Founder. Nebraska county courts entered into the formal record on Sept. 27, 2021 orders stating, “Keystone is directed to record a termination of easement with the Register of Deeds.” The date of Sept. 27 is symbolic to pipeline fighters, because it is the same day Bold Nebraska hosted the historic “Harvest the Hope” NoKXL benefit in 2014, featuring Willie Nelson and Neil Young headlining a concert in a corn field along the proposed route in Neligh, NE. The work is not fully completed to protect property rights. Hundreds of other landowners along the proposed route still have easements on their land for a pipeline that will never be built, because Nebraska does not have laws in place to ensure their property rights are restored in the event a pipeline project is cancelled.”
Norfolk Daily News: TC Energy abandons eminent domain claims
9/28/21
“...Bold Nebraska provided some comments from landowners,” according to the Norfolk Daily News. “We are so happy that most of the landowners stuck together. It’s been a long, drawn-out affair, but we are so happy that it is finally over. In the future, we all need to be proactive and aware, so something so wrong doesn’t ever get this far again. Protecting land and water should be everyone’s duty,” said Richard and Maureen Johnson, landowners on the canceled Keystone XL route in Madison County… “The work is not fully completed to protect property rights. Hundreds of other landowners along the proposed route still have easements on their land for a pipeline that will never be built, because Nebraska does not have laws in place to ensure their property rights are restored in the event a pipeline project is canceled. Easement terms are also often signed “in perpetuity.” This means landowners could face another pipeline threat — like the new proposed CO2 pipeline projects in the state — without having any say on the use of their land… “Bold Nebraska is now committed to seeking local, state, and federal legislation on the following issues: New legislation to fix the issue of eminent domain and easements when a proposed project gets cancelled or decommissioned, so that property rights and land deeds are restored fully to the landowners. It is fundamentally wrong that a pipeline corporation could still use eminent domain to seize a landowner’s property, when the intended project does not possess and is not seeking the necessary permits, and even after the project itself has been terminated by its backers.”
Facebook: Appalachians Against Pipelines: 2 Mountain Valley Pipeline fighters have locked themselves to pipeline equipment at a construction site in Lindside, WV
9/28/21
“Water protectors arraigned, bailed out, and released! Both Spit and Loam were charged with 3 misdemeanors after preventing Mountain Valley Pipeline construction today, including obstruction, trespass, and tampering with a vehicle. Bail was set at $3,000 each. In support of today’s action, Roger Crabtree, resident of Lindside, WV, stated: “The process that allowed MVP to take land for private profit is outrageous. Also outrageous were the promises to boost local economies long term. Not happening. Most importantly, the effects of this pipeline on Mother Earth, her water, and the future of her residents are all negative. Stop MVP!” “A better world isn't just possible, it's necessary,” stated Spit and Loam, who are locked to 2 side booms on site. “We are part of a global movement against extraction and exploitation. If you're reading this or watching us, we want you to feel capable, not hopeless. If we want to get to the world we need it will be through the work and struggle of many different groups in many places. We would love to see folks inspired to take action against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We also love to see folks taking a stand for what's right wherever they are, whatever the context. Find each other, learn from each other, organize. Don't back down. We're in this together and our time is now.”
Roanoke Times: At DEQ public hearings, opponents decry pipeline and supporters say it’s vital to economic growth
Laurence Hammack, 9/28/21
“As they have many times before, opponents of building a natural gas pipeline through Southwest Virginia decried its heavy environmental footprint,” the Roanoke Times reports. “And once again, supporters said the Mountain Valley Pipeline is vital to economic growth. Their comments were made Monday and Tuesday night during public hearings held by the Department of Environmental Quality and the State Water Control Board, which are considering a stream-crossing permit for the deeply divisive project. Although much of the 303-mile pipeline is nearing completion, Mountain Valley has encountered repeated regulatory and legal challenges over how the buried pipe will cross nearly 1,000 streams and wetlands in its path. Before the project can be finished, the water board must issue a water quality certification, which would then be followed by a final approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The board is expected to make a decision in December. Of the 53 people who spoke Monday night in Rocky Mount, 35 were in favor of finishing the long-delayed project. The first 20 speakers at Tuesday’s hearing at Radford University, which continued past press time, were evenly split on the issue… “Opponents point to the pipeline’s troubled environmental record since work began in 2018. State regulators have cited Mountain Valley with more than 300 violations of erosion and sediment control regulations. When it rains heavily, muddy water often flows off construction sites and into streams.”
ROI-NJ: Murphy thrilled PennEast project proposal is being dropped: ‘It would have wrecked our state’
Tom Bergeron, 9/28/21
“Gov. Phil Murphy said he likes to give all energy projects the benefit of an evaluation, in an effort to see if they will help New Jersey reach Murphy’s goal of a 100% clean energy economy by 2050. The PennEast pipeline project — a 116-mile natural gas pipeline that would have run from Pennsylvania to New Jersey — was officially dropped Monday by PennEast officials. Murphy said that was gratifying because he felt the project never made the grade,” ROI-NJ reports. “This one was bad,” Murphy told ROI-NJ. “It would have wrecked our state. And, as long as I’m here, that’s not going to happen.” “...Murphy said there are legitimate questions about how states reach their clean energy goals — but that the PennEast project was not a road he wanted to go down. “This is one that has stuck out since before I was governor as incredibly egregious,” Murphy told ROI-NJ. “The need was always questionable, but more importantly, it would have ripped up preserved lands, private lands, some incredibly valuable ecosystems, and done irreparable harm.” “...Murphy, however, was pleased by the outcome — saying he was prepared to do anything and everything to stop the project. “It’s the singular one that I’ve said for a long time … this is one we can’t even think about in this state, and that we would do whatever it took to prevent that from happening,” Murphy told ROI-NJ.
Press release: Statement from Governor Murphy on PennEast’s Decision to Cease Development of Pipeline Through New Jersey
9/27/21
“For the last four years, my Administration has fought back against the unnecessary construction of the PennEast Pipeline, which was wrong for New Jersey and would have destroyed acres of New Jersey’s conserved land and threatened species. Since taking office, we have focused on changing the ways we produce and consume energy, and have made generational investments in creating our offshore wind industry, building our solar programs, and encouraging electric vehicle investments. I welcome today’s decision by PennEast to cease development on this project and am committed to protecting our state’s natural resources and building a clean energy future that works for all New Jerseyans. I will never back down from a fight to protect New Jersey’s best interests.”
Facebook: Coast Protectors: Protect the Planet (PPST) has asked Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to suspend logging and clearing by Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion
9/28/21
“Protect the Planet (PPST) has asked Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to suspend logging and clearing by Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) in the Brunette watershed until TMX remediates unauthorized damage the Crown Corporation has done to two tributaries of the Brunette River. "TMX contractors working on the pipeline have destroyed the riparian areas of Holmes Creek and are about to do the same to Lost Creek, also known as Keswick Creek " said Dr. Tim Takaro. "In addition, they removed vegetation in the Brunette River riparian zone near Highway 1." "TMX was supposed install offsetting habitat measures further upstream in the Brunette by September 30, but it has not started that work", continued Takaro. TMX has been trying to log and remove vegetation in the Brunette watershed but has been stopped twice before due to its own mismanagement and complaints from PPST. The company was stopped in the fall of 2020 in order to ensure spawning salmon were not harmed. The Crown Corporation was also ordered to stop this spring when PPST proved that the logging was destroying nests of migratory hummingbirds in Burnaby.”
Reuters: Pipeline operator Enbridge inks deals to produce RNG, hydrogen to meet emissions goals
Arunima Kumar and Rod Nickel, 9/28/21
“Enbridge Inc said on Tuesday it had signed partnerships with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Vanguard Renewables to make low-carbon fuels, as the Canadian pipeline operator aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions,” Reuters reports. “Enbridge will buy 2 billion cubic feet (bcf) of renewable natural gas (RNG) annually from Vanguard Renewables, while it will collaborate with Shell on potential green and blue hydrogen production. Enbridge, which set emission-reduction targets in November, hopes to be a net zero emitter by 2050, as the industry faces pressure to limit carbon pollution. The company said on Tuesday it would buy RNG from eight anaerobic digesters that Vanguard will spend $200 million to build and operate in the U.S. Northeast, Southeast and Midwest RNG is produced when gas is captured from food waste, manure or landfills and turned into fuel for transportation or heating. Enbridge can replicate the project across the United States, and could double the RNG it sells within several years, Caitlin Tessin, Enbridge's director of market innovation, told Reuters… “Enbridge will spend $100 million on equipment to convert gas from food waste and farm manure into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas and market it to U.S. customers. Coffee chain StarbucksCorp (SBUX.O) and UnileverPlc (ULVR.L), maker of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, are providing food waste to Vanguard for processing into RNG. Enbridge signed an agreement with Shell to explore opportunities to produce hydrogen, using processes that either capture emissions from production or produce hydrogen with renewable power, according to Reuters.
GoodTimes: Climate Activists Protest Banks Supporting Line 3 Pipeline Replacement
ERIN MALSBURY, 9/28/21
“Local organizers of all ages led a protest of Wells Fargo and Chase banks on Friday afternoon. Around 100 people gathered around the clock tower downtown holding signs, fake pipelines and cardboard flames. Both banks loan billions of dollars to Enbridge Inc, the Canadian company behind the controversial Line 3 pipeline replacement project,” GoodTimes reports. “The local group Novasutras organizes small Line 3 protests in front of the Chase bank almost every week, says Santa Cruz High School sophomore Tamarah Minami. “Today, Fridays For Future was calling for a global climate strike, where young people all around the globe walk out,” she told GoodTimes. “So, we thought it would be a good idea to make what had already been happening in Santa Cruz into a bigger event and get the youth to walk out for it.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
E&E News: 3 takeaways from yesterday’s FERC hearing
By Miranda Willson, Jeremy Dillon, 9/29/21
“Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Richard Glick defended the need for tighter scrutiny of natural gas projects yesterday during his first appearance before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee since taking the helm at the agency in January,” E&E News reports. “...Glick has pushed for updating FERC’s approach to reviewing gas pipelines, including accounting for proposals’ greenhouse gas emissions. Republican Commissioner James Danly raised concerns with several recent FERC orders that he said go against agency precedent. “I am concerned that a number of recent commission actions have created such profound uncertainty throughout the natural gas pipeline industry that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the companies that build and operate natural gas pipelines to secure financing or rationally allocate capital,” Danly told lawmakers in his opening remarks… “Republicans on the committee grilled FERC commissioners on whether the agency is needlessly holding up energy projects. In March, the majority of commissioners at the time agreed to start assessing the significance of natural gas projects’ greenhouse gas emissions in a major policy shift. And FERC under Glick has recently begun preparing environmental impact statements — which can take months longer to complete than environmental assessments — for a wide range of gas projects before allowing them to advance. Glick doubled down on the commission’s legal obligation to consider all “reasonably foreseeable” environmental impacts of proposed natural gas projects. Responding to questioning from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Glick also said the independent agency could vote on how to use the social cost of carbon as well.”
Politico Morning Energy: FERC FACES THE SENATE
Matthew Choi, 9/28/21
“FERC’s four commissioners will be in the proverbial hot seats with the Senate Energy Committee today in an oversight hearing on the commission’s jurisdiction,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “FERC Chair Rich Glick is advocating for the commission to consider environmental justice and climate issues more when evaluating pipeline project applications, but the top Republican on the committee John Barrasso accused the commission of dragging its feet on approving natural gas projects. Glick and Democratic Commissioner Allison Clements wrote to Barrasso on Monday defending the need for more scrutiny into the climate impact of pipelines, particularly after the D.C. Circuit appeals court found that the commission wasn’t being stringent enough in its reviews. “Over the last several years, I became increasingly concerned that the Commission majority often cut corners in a manner that fell short of the Commission’s obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Natural Gas Act (NGA),” Glick wrote , adding that such actions could jeopardize projects by potentially subjecting them to judicial scrutiny.”
STATE UPDATES
Associated Press: Gas blowout near Los Angeles leads to up to $1.8B settlement
BRIAN MELLEY, 9/27/21
“Thousands of families sickened and forced from their Los Angeles homes after the nation’s largest-known natural gas leak have reached a settlement of up to $1.8 billion with a utility, attorneys said Monday,” the Associated Press reports. “The settlement with Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company, Sempra Energy, will compensate 35,000 plaintiffs from the 2015 blowout that took nearly four months to control. The Aliso Canyon blowout led to the largest-known release of methane in U.S. history and was blamed for sickening thousands of residents who moved out of homes near the San Fernando Valley to escape a sulfurous stench and maladies including headaches, nausea and nose bleeds. The plaintiffs alleged personal injury for their illnesses and property damage to their homes. SoCalGas spent more than $1 billion on the the blowout — with most going to temporarily relocate 8,000 families. The utility has faced more than 385 lawsuits on behalf of 48,000 people… “Plaintiffs alleged they suffered personal injury and property damage after a natural gas storage well failed and uncontrollably released nearly 100,000 tons of methane and other substances into the atmosphere over 118 days. SoCalGas said it would record an after-tax charge of approximately $1.1 billion this month and expects total settlement payments of up to $1.85 billion… “Matt Pakucko, founder of Save Porter Ranch, issued a statement repeating his call for the permanent shutdown of the facility, where natural gas is stored beneath a mountain in vacant, old oil wells.”
Associated Press: NM Will Get Part of $6.5 Million For Underpaid Natural Gas Leases
9/27/21
“Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corporation has agreed to a $6.15 million settlement agreement with the federal government over allegations it underpaid royalties on federal leases, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday,” the Associated Press reports. “The settlement resolves allegations that Devon underpaid and underreported royalties from federal natural gas leases in Wyoming and New Mexico, the department said in a press release. “The United States allows companies to remove gas from federal lands, which belong to all of us, in exchange for the payment of appropriate royalties,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in a statement. “This settlement demonstrates that the government will hold accountable those who take improper advantage of public resources.”
Honolulu Star Advertiser: Hawaii Attorney General backs up county suits against fossil fuel companies for costs of climate change
Nina Wu, 9/27/21
“Hawaii Attorney General Clare E. Connors is supporting county claims that several major fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for deceptive trade practices and other violations of state law,” the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports. “Hawaii Attorney General Clare E. Connors is supporting county claims that several major fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for deceptive trade practices and other violations of state law. Connors on Friday filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit supporting Honolulu County and Maui County claims that companies including Aloha Petroleum Ltd., ExxonMobil and Chevron corporations, knowingly misled consumers about the harmful effects of fossil fuels and contributed to climate change. Honolulu filed suit against the companies last March in the First Circuit Court of Hawaii, saying oil corporations, and not taxpayers, should be held accountable for the damaging impacts of fossil fuels. Maui County filed suit against the companies in the Second Circuit Court of Hawaii last October, saying they were part of a decades-long campaign of deception and that the rising costs and impacts of climate have been felt there in the form of chronic drought, sustained heat waves and worsening coastal erosion. These oil companies, the brief said, are liable for damages and other costs associated with this deliberate campaign to confuse the public and maintain their profits. In addition, the state agrees with a federal district court judge that state courts – not a federal court — should have jurisdiction over the two Hawaii lawsuits filed against fossil fuel companies. This move, according to the state attorney general’s news release, is an attempt by the oil companies to avoid being held accountable in the state justice system.”
EXTRACTION
Vermilion Standard: COVID-19 infected more than 5,400 oilsands workers in 20 recent outbreaks
Vincent McDermott, 9/28/21
“The third and fourth waves of the pandemic in Alberta saw 5,432 workers get COVID-19 at 20 workplace outbreaks in the oilsands, according to Alberta Health data from Sept. 20. Of those workers, 431 were commuters from outside Alberta. Eleven workers have died during those same outbreaks,” the Vermilion Standard reports. “It is not known how many of those workers are battling long-term side effects from COVID-19. But the Workers’ Compensation Board has accepted 916 claims related to COVID-19 from oil and gas workers between the start of January and end of August this year. The numbers do not count the oilsands workers and contractors that caught COVID-19 on the job but outside an outbreak. The numbers also do not reflect how many workers died from the virus during a period outside an outbreak. CNRL had the worst outbreaks in the oilsands this past spring. At least 2,112 workers have had COVID-19 at the company’s Albian, Horizon and Jackfish locations as of Sept. 20, with 64 active cases. Six workers died from the virus. A supervisor involved in health and safety with Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL) said some contractors that eventually tested positive for COVID-19 were told to hide symptoms and not cooperate with contact tracers. The individual was not authorized to speak with media, but Postmedia was able to verify the individual’s identity and employment. Those contracting companies feared they would be taken off the job if too many workers reported symptoms. Other workers feared they could not afford to lose wages, especially after enduring months of lost hours or unemployment.”
CBC: Alberta energy 'war room' launches Times Square ad, expert questions campaign
Elise von Scheel, 9/28/21
“Alberta's Canadian Energy Centre has launched an ad campaign in Times Square to promote the country's oil and gas industry in the United States,” the CBC reports. “The initiative from the province's so-called energy "war room" is spending $240,000 to push Canada's sector as the solution to "cleaner energy and lower gas prices," according to its website. The centre operates as a private corporation, created by the United Conservative Party government, to promote Alberta energy. It has been beleaguered with branding and messaging problems since its launch… “The video billboards in New York City feature maple leaves pouring from a gas pump nozzle with the caption "Choose Friendly Oil." About 96 per cent of Canada's oil and gas exports go to the U.S., according to Natural Resources Canada. And the centre is asking Americans to write to the Joe Biden administration urging the U.S. government to lean on cleaner Canadian energy instead of requesting more production from Russia and OPEC countries like Saudi Arabia — as surging U.S. gas prices recently reached a seven-year high. But one expert says it's disingenuous to call the Canadian industry clean. "You can read their statement of saying oilsands have gotten cleaner, but the oilsands barrels themselves relative to a global average are still pretty emissions intensive. So there's not really a good way to reconcile what they're saying at Times Square with what we know from the data," Andrew Leach, an energy and environmental economist at the University of Alberta, told the CBC. "All of our data says that the average Canadian barrel is getting more emissions intensive." “...The energy centre will measure success through website hits, media stories and the number of advocacy letters sent, Olsen told the CBC, but he did not provide a specific target number. "The audience for these ads isn't in Times Square. The audience for these ads is in Edmonton and Calgary," Leach told the CBC.
ODwyerPR: Canada Gives Tar Sands Oil Another PR Shot
Kevin McCauley, 9/28/21
“Canada gives the bid to export dirty tar sands oil to the US another PR shot following the collapse of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that president Biden spiked on his first day in office,” ODwyerPR reports. “The Canadian Energy Center, which the Edmonton Journal calls the energy “war room” of the province of Alberta, has launched a $240K digital billboard push in DC and New York to pitch Canada as a “better, close and friendlier” oil supplier compared to Russia and the Saudi Arabia. The effort also includes a grassroots component that encourages America to lobbying Biden and lawmakers about the merits of importing oil from our north of the border ally and trading partner. Tom Olson, CEO of the Centre, notes that though Keystone is dead for now, “there remains urgency in letting Americans know any further threatened sanctions in the US on pipelines by state governments and activist-led court challenges will be detrimental to American families struggling to get back on their feet from the economic impacts of COVID-19.” The Centre says oil derived from tar sands is less dirty now than in past years. It claims oil-sands-produced greenhouse gas emissions went down 22 percent from 2011 to 2019.
Bloomberg: Crude Rally Helps Canada’s Oil Heartland Weather Covid-19 Surge
By Carlos Caminada, 9/28/21
“Rising crude prices are shoring up Alberta’s finances even as the oil-rich Canadian province grapples with the country’s worst resurgence of the pandemic, its finance minister said,” Bloomberg reports. “Alberta, which has almost half of Canada’s current Covid-19 cases, has been able to set up provisions to cope with mounting health costs. Rising oil-royalties revenue is helping offset the impact of the pandemic on the economy, Finance Minister Travis Toews said during the Bloomberg Canadian Fixed Income Conference… “The western province’s economy has been battered in recent years by repeated oil crashes, failure to get export pipeline projects off the ground because of environmental opposition and growing investor reluctance to back its oil sands industry. Now, Alberta is grappling with more than 21,000 active coronavirus cases, about 45% of Canada’s total.”
Reuters: OPEC forecasts oil demand rebound before post-2035 plateau
Alex Lawler, 9/28/21
“Oil demand will grow sharply in the next few years as economies recover from the pandemic, OPEC forecast on Tuesday, adding that the world needs to keep investing in production to avert a crunch despite an energy transition,” Reuters reports. “The view from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries contrasts with that of the International Energy Agency, which in a May report said investors should not fund new oil projects if the world wants to reach net zero emissions. Oil use will rise by 1.7 million barrels per day in 2023 to 101.6 million bpd, OPEC said its 2021 World Oil Outlook, adding to robust growth already predicted for 2021 and 2022 , and pushing demand back above the pre-pandemic 2019 rate. "Energy and oil demand have picked up significantly in 2021 after the massive drop in 2020," OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo wrote in the foreword to the report. "Continued expansion is forecast for the longer term." “...OPEC also lowered its estimates for longer-term oil demand, citing changes to consumer behaviour brought about by the pandemic and competition from electric cars. Global demand is expected to plateau after 2035, the report said… “OPEC expects U.S. tight oil output, another term for shale, to peak around 2030.”
Reuters: EU lawmakers back clampdown on potent greenhouse gas methane
Kate Abnett, 9/28/21
“The European Parliament's environment committee on Tuesday rallied behind EU plans to make companies and countries cut their methane emissions, indicating lawmakers are likely to back upcoming legislation to clamp down on the potent greenhouse gas,” Reuters reports. “...On Tuesday, parliament's environment committee backed by 61 votes to 10 a report supporting the executive Commission's plan, expected to be put forward in December, to make oil and gas companies report their methane emissions and find and fix leaks. EU countries should also face binding targets to cut their own methane emissions, which make up around 10% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, the lawmakers said. "By setting binding methane reduction targets, the EU can play a key role to get the rest of the world to do the same," said Maria Spyraki, the Greek lawmaker who wrote the report. The lawmakers welcomed the Commission's proposals to consider a ban on venting and flaring, when companies release methane into the atmosphere or deliberately burn it. The 27-member EU is the world’s biggest gas importer, and the lawmakers said Brussels should explore applying its methane legislation to fossil fuel imports, which would hit producers in countries, including Russia and Algeria. The full European Parliament will vote on the report next month and the legislation will only become law following a process of scrutiny by EU governments and legislators that could take up to two years.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Bloomberg: Caisse to exit oil producers by 2022 in climate plan
Sandrine Rastello and Paula Sambo, Bloomberg News, 9/29/21
“Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec will sell billions of dollars worth of oil assets, including large equity stakes in Canada’s top crude producers, as part of a new strategy that aims to dramatically cut the emissions from its investments,” according to Bloomberg. “Canada’s second-largest pension manager will divest its remaining oil-production assets, which make up about 1 per cent of its $390 billion (US$308 billion) portfolio, by the end of next year to avoid contributing to the growth of the world’s oil supply, the fund said Tuesday. Caisse also plans to boost its holdings of green assets such as renewable power facilities by 50 per cent to $54 billion by 2025, and will allocate $10 billion to help big industrial polluters reduce their carbon footprint. “The climate situation affects everyone, and we can no longer address it with the same methods used a few years ago,” Charles Emond, chief executive officer of the pension fund, told Bloomberg. “We have to make important decisions on issues such as oil production and decarbonizing sectors that are essential to our economies.” Caisse’s move made waves in oil-rich Alberta, where many still harbor resentment over Quebec’s past opposition to a pipeline to the Atlantic coast that was ultimately abandoned. The western province’s vast oil-sands deposits have made Canada the world’s fourth-largest producer of oil and the largest supplier of crude imported by the U.S. “It’s damaging to Canada and irresponsible to shareholders” as demand for oil and gas is set to reach record levels next year, Tim McMillan, CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told Bloomberg. Instead of reducing oil and gas investment, it will encourage a shift of capital to countries like Russia, he said.”
Politico Morning Energy: THE DIVESTMENT DOMINOES
9/28/21
“Harvard University, the higher learning institution with the richest endowment in the United States, announced this month that it would phase out its current fossil fuel holdings without plans to make future investments in the industry, marking the climax of a long pressure campaign. A few other universities have already followed suit and divestment proponent are hoping to gain further momentum ahead of the UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. Climate activists are going after the 20 largest American college and university endowments, valued at more than $322 billion, pushing them to divest from fossil fuels. It’s a campaign coming from both inside and outside the institutions, with faculty and students demanding the shift. So far, about 58 percent of those endowment dollars are in some process of quitting fossil fuels, POLITICO’s Jordan Wolman reports. But there are still holdouts who argue that divestment isn’t an effective way to combat climate change.”
OPINION
The Hill: Focus on methane is timely and appropriate
Rob Jackson is the Douglas Provostial Professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy. Daphne Wysham is the CEO of the NGO Methane Action, 9/28/21
“Policymakers have gotten the memo about methane’s outsized role in climate change, and thankfully, they’re swinging into action to reduce methane pollution, including a new U.S.-EU pledge to cut methane emissions 30 percent,” Rob Jackson and Daphne Wysham write for The Hill. “But since the promised cuts can’t cover all methane sources, there is uncertainty about how far and how fast they will lower atmospheric methane levels. The best strategy is a two-track approach: aggressively reducing emissions wherever we can, and where we can’t, developing ways to remove methane from the atmosphere… “We must lower emissions from the fossil fuel sector, as Congress and the EPA are focused on doing. But we can’t ignore other major emitters like landfills and especially agriculture, which is the biggest source of anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide… “Some scientists and advocates (including us) believe that the two-track approach of developing methane removal technologies while aggressively reducing emissions might make it feasible to cut atmospheric methane levels in half within decades… “When scientists called for aggressive methane emissions cuts, world leaders listened. Now they’re calling for developing methane removal technologies as part of a two-track strategy to roll back methane-driven warming. Let’s hope leaders are still listening.”