EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/29/23
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit pipeline hearing will resume on Tuesday
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Iowa Landowners, Elected Officials Testify Against Summit CO2 Pipeline at Iowa Utilities Board [VIDEO]
Bleeding Heartland: NC attorney conducting Summit Carbon mediations with Iowa landowners
Times Citizen: Hardin County attorney questions carbon pipeline permitting process
Muddy River News: Proposed carbon dioxide pipeline going through west-central Illinois topic of Thursday meeting in Carthage
WGEM: Hancock County Board proceeding with litigator while CO2 pipeline talks continue
KXNET: Why State Senator David Hogue is pro pipelines
KCZE: Former VP Pence Visits Northeast Iowa, Talks Carbon Pipelines
Capital B: A Gas Storage Plant and New Pipeline Disrupt Life for This Black Community
WASHINGTON UPDATES
FOX News: Biden Interrupted By Climate Protester, Tells Heckler That He Will Meet Him 'Immediately After' Speech
The Hill: Gen Z climate protesters arrested outside McCarthy’s office
New York Times: Biden Said He Would Stop Drilling. Then Reality Hit
E&E News: 4 Things To Watch In Biden's Offshore Oil Plan
The Center Square: Energy Groups Call On Biden To Revise 'Punitive' Leasing Regulation Plan
Pagosa Daily Post: Public Comments Overwhelmingly Support BLM Oil And Gas Rule
The Hill: Haley, DeSantis Get Into Back-And-Forth Over Fracking
E&E News: NRDC lays off dozens of staffers
STATE UPDATES
The Oklahoman: OKC mitigating damage of 88,000-gallon oil spill, one of the state's worst since 2010
NOLA.com: 20,000-acre carbon capture hub planned for Calcasieu, Beauregard parishes
The Center Square: Carbon capture potential reliant on tax credits, like green energy
Capital and Main: Natural Gas Recapturing Process Promises Waste Reduction — but Questions Linger
EXTRACTION
New York Times: Britain to Allow Big North Sea Oil Field, Despite Climate Concerns
Reuters: Exclusive: Shell CEO comes under pressure from within on renewables shift
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Culture, tradition, STEM and learning on the land
OPINION
InForum: Letter: Contrary to what Hennen says, CO2 pipelines can be dangerous
Common Dreams: Pete Seeger Would Have Fought the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Alaska Beacon: Fossil fuel interests press their case with Alaska lawmakers
Cowboy State Daily: Biden’s War On Oil And Gas Continues ‘Full Steam Ahead’
PIPELINE NEWS
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit pipeline hearing will resume on Tuesday
JARED STRONG, 9/28/23
“A regulatory hearing for Summit Carbon Solution’s pipeline permit has concluded for the week and will resume on Tuesday,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “The Iowa Utilities Board had hoped to finish Summit’s evidentiary hearing by the end of this month, but the cross examination of witnesses has gone longer than it initially anticipated. Board chairperson Erik Helland and Summit attorney Bret Dublinske have said pipeline opponents have caused the delays. “This has been a very special-interest and lawyer-driven process,” Dublinske told the Dispatch. He added: “There’s no reason this can’t move faster. There’s no reason this couldn’t have moved faster for weeks.” “...The pace of the hearing has lagged from the start, and two weeks ago the board gave no indication how the hearing would proceed if it didn’t end this week. The board waited until Wednesday to say it had extended its reservation of the hearing venue in Fort Dodge to all of next week, and that it planned to resume on Monday. But due to the late notice, it will instead resume on Tuesday with affected landowners testifying in-person and remotely via video conferencing.”
Pipeline Fighters Hub: Iowa Landowners, Elected Officials Testify Against Summit CO2 Pipeline at Iowa Utilities Board [VIDEO]
9/29/23
“The fourth and fifth weeks of hearings at the Iowa Utilities Board considering Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application for a proposed hazardous CO2 pipeline featured testimony from impacted landowners facing eminent domain seizure of their land against their will for the proposed project, as well as Iowa elected officials including Rep. Charles Isenhart, Rep. Steven Holt, and Sen. Sandy Salmon; a first responder from the 2020 Satartia CO2 pipeline rupture incident; an Iowa economist; and the CEO of a company that aims to capture CO2 from ethanol plants and convert it into green methanol on-site, instead of build 2,000 miles of pipelines to try to stuff it underground. Summit’s permit application hearing before the Iowa Utilities Board began on Tuesday, Aug. 22 in Fort Dodge, IA, and Bold Alliance is capturing video of the proceedings. Landowner witnesses are being questioned by landowners’ attorney Brian Jorde (Iowa Easement Team); Wally Taylor (Sierra Club Iowa Chapter); and attorneys for the Iowa Office of Consumer Advocate, Iowa Farm Bureau, and Summit Carbon, along with the IUB Commissioners and several landowner-intervenors. Many landowners are represented by the Iowa Easement Team legal co-op, and attorney Brian Jorde of Domina Law Group, Omaha, NE: https://iaeasement.org. View all Iowa Utilities Board testimony live here or afterwards on the Bold Nebraska YouTube channel.”
Bleeding Heartland: NC attorney conducting Summit Carbon mediations with Iowa landowners
Nancy Dugan, 9/28/23
“A North Carolina attorney is conducting mediation sessions the Iowa Utilities Board has facilitated between Summit Carbon Solutions and landowners on the company's proposed CO2 pipeline route, the board's general counsel confirmed to Bleeding Heartland. “Shortly after becoming Iowa Utilities Board chair on May 1, Erik Helland presided over a June 6 status conference related to Summit Carbon Solutions' CO2 pipeline project. Foremost on his agenda was the new, experimental idea of offering mediation to landowners and Summit Carbon representatives. Helland explained: Also included in the May 19 order was a proposal about potentially using mediators to assist voluntary landowners with the easement negotiation process… “Similarly, Sierra Club attorney Wally Taylor urged the board to consider Iowa Code section 479B.1, which “clearly says the Board’s priority is the rights of the landowners, and that’s what we need to be concerned about.” “...Statements made during the September 7 and 12 evidentiary hearings in Fort Dodge confirm that at least one mediation has taken place while the hearings are ongoing. On September 26, in response to questions posed by Bleeding Heartland, the board's general counsel Jon Tack indicated that attorney Frank Laney of Carolina Dispute Settlement Services, which operates out of North Carolina, is conducting the mediations… “At this writing, the Iowa Utilities Board has not answered Bleeding Heartland's questions about why the board hired Laney to conduct mediation sessions to aid Summit Carbon in securing easements with landowners. According to Tack, Helland and Laney are not affiliated with each other… “To sum up: mediations are taking place before the Iowa Utilities Board has decided whether or not the Summit Carbon project serves a valid public purpose. As Summit’s Leonard argued on September 26, the board has no role in overseeing voluntary negotiations. His point raises an important question: Is the board acting outside the bounds of its statutory authority by facilitating mediations between landowners and Summit Carbon, with the stated goal of securing voluntary easements?”
Times Citizen: Hardin County attorney questions carbon pipeline permitting process
Elaine Loring, 9/28/23
“Hardin County Attorney Darrell Meyer filed a Motion for Declaratory Order to the Iowa Utilities Board and attended a hearing in Des Moines on Sept. 14,” the Times Citizen reports. “He questioned Summit Carbon Solutions LLC’s permit application. Meyer said Professional Engineer Lee Gallentine with Clapsaddle-Garber Associates, and Hardin County Emergency Management Coordinator Thomas Craighton both testified at the hearing. Gallentine is the designated inspector for the pipeline project, and Craighton spoke about emergency preparation and how “unprepared” the county would be in the event of a pipeline emergency.” “...Summit had already sought permits to go across roads, build driveways from roads into fields, and cross county rights-of-way for drainage districts. “So, they had already subjected themselves to the local permitting process,” Meyer told TC… “Meyer discovered that it was not Summit Carbon Solutions that filed the permit, it was Summit Carbon Solutions Carbon Removal LLC, “another tentacle of the Summit octopus,” Meyer told TC. “If it wasn’t part of the IUB, it’s not part of the pipeline, and didn’t fit the definition of pipeline, it’s a separate feature. So, it’s not covered by the Iowa Code, it’s not covered by the IUB authority.” Meyer told TC he checked with federal regulators who said it was not covered within the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), who regulates pipelines on the federal level. “That’s when I filed the motion so the IUB will be aware that this is totally outside what they’re doing and would also enlighten other counties and cities where these capture facilities are going to be,” Meyer told TC, giving the example with the Navigator CO2 Ventures pipeline going through Iowa Falls, saying it would be a city decision where the capture facility would be built. “There’s 30-plus facilities that these pipelines are going to be connecting to, and I just didn’t think anybody was aware, and it didn’t sound like anybody was aware,” Meyer told TC. “The capture facilities are not a part of the pipeline, and therefore, not subject to the IUB jurisdiction, not subject to the federal jurisdiction, it’s a total local decision.”
Muddy River News: Proposed carbon dioxide pipeline going through west-central Illinois topic of Thursday meeting in Carthage
DAVID ADAM, 9/28/23
“Property rights and a proposed pipeline that will transport carbon dioxide through six Midwestern states will be the topic of a meeting of the Free Soil Coalition at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at Lake Hill Winery in Carthage,” the Muddy River News reports. “Trent Loos, a Nebraska-based agriculture advocate and radio personality who grew up in Adams County, is the executive director of the Free Soil Coalition and plans to speak Thursday in Carthage. He has spoken in 42 states in the past 24 months against the 1,350-mile plus, $3.4 billion pipeline, which seeks to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere and store them underground… “Loos told MRN the issue at hand is he believes three companies are trying to monopolize the next generation of jet fuel… “Navigator projects its pipeline will collect, transport and store up to 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually when it is fully implemented. “I have a major problem with that, because every bit of science says that’s stupid,” Loos told MRN. “That leads to a volcano or an earthquake. If they really wanted to make jet fuel, then what you do is set up a green hydrogen, methanol production facility at the ethanol plant. Don’t put the carbon dioxide in the pipeline. Make it right there at the place.” “...Many opponents have cited safety concerns stemming from the rupture of a carbon dioxide pipeline in Satartia, Miss., in 2020. More than 30,000 barrels of carbon dioxide were leaked. No one died, but 45 people sought medical attention. Loos told MRN Navigator CO2 Ventures will take land for private use by enforcing eminent domain. “How do we continue to stand up for our property rights?” he told MRN. “At every turn, our property and our ability to use our property as we see is eroding. How do we at the county level protect ourselves? We’ve relied on Springfield, Jefferson City or Washington, D.C. We now have to focus on what the Constitution tells us — protect ourselves at the local level. (Thursday’s meeting is) going to be all about empowering counties to do a great job standing up for the citizens of the county.”
WGEM: Hancock County Board proceeding with litigator while CO2 pipeline talks continue
Dylan Smith, 9/28/23
“The Hancock County Board is choosing to proceed with a litigator, or lawyer, for legal representation while discussions surrounding the possibility of a CO2 pipeline continue,” WGEM reports. “...We believe after last months meeting that we had with the taxpayers that they wanted us to continue,” Board Chair Mark Menn said. The board held a public forum during the August full board meeting where residents could voice their support or opposition for continuing with a litigator. In a crowd of about 20 people, a majority spoke in disfavor of the pipeline. Menn said the county has spent upwards of $70,000 on representation in the last year. ”The litigation is to make sure that all rights are obeyed by,” Menn said. “Nobody within the state or federal government really regulates CO2 pipelines at this time, no agency, like they do with the oil and the gas, so that’s the concerns that the county has.”
KXNET: Why State Senator David Hogue is pro pipelines
Adrienne Oglesby, 9/28/23
“The City of Bismarck is attempting to lawyer up as many landowners and citizens are worried about the CO2 pipeline project. But there are others that are for the pipeline,” KXNET reports. “KX News sat down with State Senator David Hogue, who says he not only supports pipelines in general but thinks they’re necessary. “...We also need interstate pipelines and interstate pipelines are an efficient and safe way to move liquids and gas across the United States,” Hogue told KXNET. Hogue told KXNET we have more than 300,000 miles of interstate pipelines that move hazardous materials. And, he told KXNET they don’t take ownership away from landowners. “For the most part, it’s not like an electrical transmission line that farmers have to farm around. It’s not like a highway system that takes away their land. It’s below ground and it’s a safe, reliable way to move liquids,” Hogue told KXNET.
KCZE: Former VP Pence Visits Northeast Iowa, Talks Carbon Pipelines
Mark Pitz, 9/28/23
“Former Vice President and current GOP Presidential candidate Mike Pence made campaign stops in several northeast Iowa cities on Tuesday,” KCZE reports. “Pence held a Chickasaw County meet-and-greet at Klunder’s Kafe in New Hampton. He tells KCHA/KCZE News, as long as landowners’ rights are not infringed, he sees underground carbon capture pipelines as a critical part of the nation’s energy security… “On Monday, Pence held a Town Hall session at the Valero Renewables ethanol plant west of Charles City, which has partnered with the Navigator CO2 Ventures proposed carbon pipeline.”
Capital B: A Gas Storage Plant and New Pipeline Disrupt Life for This Black Community
Adam Mahoney, 9/28/23
“With their heads bowed, eyes shut, and hands locked, the Southwest Crossing Community Initiative starts every meeting with a prayer: “Please, protect us from a deadly explosion,” Capital B reports. “...Southwest Crossing is an aging community in Houston where nearly 20% of residents are over 65. They know, as it is, the average American is expected to live only a decade after retirement. It’s even less for Black people, and much of the disparity concerns the daily stress of racism. Since 2021, the group has been in a life-draining fight with CenterPoint Energy, a $40 billion company. That year, CenterPoint, the only investor-owned electric utility company in Texas, quietly announced a plan to build a facility holding 300,000 gallons of liquid propane against the neighborhood’s back wall… “While environmental justice activists often focus on elevated cancer risks and respiratory illnesses caused by fossil fuel infrastructure, chemical exposure, and pollution, these residents have shifted their attention to the mental health impacts. The small group of Black Southwest Houston residents argue that the movement to ensure environmental parity should factor in these sometimes invisible harms. The group’s mental health struggles stem from what it feels were deceitful actions used by the energy company to place the facility in the neighborhood and the daily worry of a leak or explosion… “Now, once again, with little engagement, CenterPoint is trying to run a new natural gas pipeline through their properties. Residents say they became aware of the plan to build the new pipeline only after noticing company employees surveying their property without permission. Because the pipeline is for gas distribution to CenterPoint customers from a CenterPoint-owned gas facility and not a transmission line between two facilities, it does not require a new operating permit from the state of Texas.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
FOX News: Biden Interrupted By Climate Protester, Tells Heckler That He Will Meet Him 'Immediately After' Speech
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 9/28/23
“President Biden was briefly interrupted by a climate protester Thursday in Arizona, agreeing to meet with the protester after his speech to discuss climate change if he would ‘shush up,’” FOX News reports. “The climate protester, who identified himself as Kai Newkirk, was pressuring the president to declare a national emergency on the climate crisis, which would unlock sweeping new federal regulations and funds to combat the climate emergency. “Why have you yet to declare a climate emergency?” Newkirk yelled, interrupting the president’s remarks about protecting democracy and honoring the late Sen. John McCain at Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe. “Hundreds of Arizonans have died.” “We need you to use your full powers to confront this crisis,” Newkirk said. “And keep your promise. Keep your promise. No new drilling on [federal lands]. Why have you yet to declare a climate emergency?”
The Hill: Gen Z climate protesters arrested outside McCarthy’s office
TARA SUTER, 9/28/23
“Generation Z protesters were arrested outside of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) office Thursday,” The Hill reports. “More than 150 teenagers made their way into McCarthy’s office where they demanded “he support bridge funding to keep the government open, including funding the Federal Emergency Management Administration to respond to climate disasters.” U.S. Capitol Police later arrested 18 of them outside the Speaker’s office, according to the Sunrise Movement, a climate activist group. “Today showed that the GOP is nothing but a group of cowards,” Sunrise Movement organizer Adah Crandall said in a press release. “They chose to arrest a bunch of teenagers instead of facing us. They would rather shut down the government than do their jobs and protect our generation. Our generation is watching and we will hold them accountable for their actions.” “...Today showed that the thousands of young people rising up around the country are stronger than the GOP,” Shiva Rajbhandari, another Sunrise organizer, told The Hill. “Our generation is ready to do whatever it takes to stop the climate crisis and win the Green New Deal: whether it’s getting arrested in the halls of Congress, taking over our schools, or getting elected ourselves.”
New York Times: Biden Said He Would Stop Drilling. Then Reality Hit
Lisa Friedman, 9/28/23
“Tens of thousands of climate protesters who filled Midtown Manhattan last week directed their anger at President Biden, who has done more to combat climate change than any of his predecessors,” the New York Times reports. “But in their view, he has failed in one important way: Mr. Biden has not stopped oil and gas drilling on public lands and in federal waters, as he pledged as a candidate in 2020. Mr. Biden’s promise of ‘no new drilling, period,’ began to dissolve just months after he took office as he confronted a hard reality: The executive may oversee millions of acres of federal property but Congress and the courts can have the final say. “There’s a delicate dance here,” Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, told the Times. “There’s a gap between what some advocates want the president to do, and what he can actually do, especially given a conservative Supreme Court, a hostile House of Representatives and a divided Senate.” “...Young activists, already angry at the president for approving the enormous Willow oil development project in Alaska and the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia, warned Mr. Biden last week that he risked losing their support. “We have really had enough of Biden approving new fossil fuel projects and putting our future at stake for his own political means,” Emma Buretta, 17, of New York City, told the Times as she joined protests in Bryant Park. “What Biden is showing us is that he’s scared,” she told the Times. “He’s scared of fossil fuel companies. But instead, what we’re saying is, he should be scared of us, because we’re the ones voting.”
E&E News: 4 Things To Watch In Biden's Offshore Oil Plan
Heather Richards, 9/28/23
“The Biden administration is barreling toward a self-imposed deadline to release its plan to guide drilling for oil off the nation’s coasts for the next five years,” E&E News reports. “But what President Joe Biden will approve — allowing new oil sales or imposing a moratorium on leasing — remains a mystery. If the program includes new offshore oil auctions, it would spark discord with some of Biden’s voters, as many environmentalists see continued drilling as a path toward climate disaster. But the administration faces political pain in any direction, as industry supporters and GOP lawmakers already view the White House as an antagonist to the industry and will argue that reducing offshore leasing threatens U.S. energy security with limited climate benefits. The administration’s verdict is expected by the last day of September — this Saturday — as Interior Department officials earlier this year told a federal judge they planned to meet that deadline. At the moment, this date carries more significance, as it coincides with the timing of the looming government shutdown that will occur Oct. 1 without a congressional spending deal. Any delay could, therefore, keep interested parties in the dark for an unknown period of time, if federal agencies largely close up shop and send thousands of government workers home on a furlough.”
The Center Square: Energy Groups Call On Biden To Revise 'Punitive' Leasing Regulation Plan
Bethany Blankley, 9/27/23
“Fourteen U.S. energy groups have called on the Biden administration to prioritize U.S. energy production and American’s energy needs by developing fair and consistent federal leasing regulations,” The Center Square reports. “They submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over a newly proposed Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule. The rule implements changes related to royalty rates, rentals, and minimum bids for BLM-issued oil and gas leases and updates bonding requirements for leasing, development and production. BLM argues, “many of the program’s regulatory requirements are outdated, do not adequately protect the fiscal interests of the American public, and do not promote leasing practices that are consistent with diligent development requirements and multiple-use and sustained-yield principles.”
Pagosa Daily Post: Public Comments Overwhelmingly Support BLM Oil And Gas Rule
Aaron Weiss, 9/27/23
“The Center for Western Priorities performed a sentiment analysis on a random sample of 10,000 public comments submitted to regulations.gov as of Monday, September 25, after the close of a 60-day comment period,” the Pagosa Daily Post reports. “Of the 261,000 comments submitted to the website, more than 130,000 were available for download. CWP’s analysis found more than 99 percent of the comments encouraged the Interior Department to adopt the Oil and Gas Rule largely as written. Another one half of one percent of the comments were neutral on the details of the rule, generally requesting that BLM end all oil and gas drilling or take other actions outside the scope of the proposed rule. Just one tenth of one percent of the public comments encouraged BLM to withdraw or significantly weaken the proposed rule. “The overwhelming response to the BLM’s common-sense reforms shows a level of consensus that’s unprecedented for a federal rulemaking. Finding any opposition in the public comments is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
The Hill: Haley, DeSantis Get Into Back-And-Forth Over Fracking
Rachel Frazin, 9/27/23
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley sparred over DeSantis’s energy policies, including on fracking, during Wednesday night’s Republican debate,” The Hill reports. “What you don’t need is a president who is against energy independence. Ron DeSantis is against fracking. He’s against drilling,” Haley said. “Day two in Florida, you banned fracking. You banned offshore drilling,” she added. DeSantis called Haley’s comments “not true.” He pointed to his recently unveiled energy plan that calls for unleashing “oil and gas exploration and development … on Day One.” In response to Haley’s remarks about his policies in Florida, DeSantis said, “In the state of Florida our voters enacted a constitutional amendment—” “You banned it before they voted … and not only that … they didn’t vote on fracking,” Haley interjected.
E&E News: NRDC lays off dozens of staffers
Robin Bravender, 9/28/23
“The Natural Resources Defense Council, an influential New York-based environmental group, announced Thursday that it’s laying off dozens of employees,” E&E News reports. “Manish Bapna, the organization’s president and CEO, told employees in an email that 6 percent of the group’s staff — including dozens of employees — will be leaving NRDC as part of a “reset.” That includes 11 people who have chosen voluntary retirement to depart this year and “fewer than 40 people who will be laid off,” Bapna said in the email… “NRDC is the latest of several national environmental groups hit by layoffs this year. The Sierra Club announced staff layoffs and restructuring in April in what management billed as an effort to cut costs and expand its efforts in red states. The conservation group Defenders of Wildlife announced layoffs in May, citing the “economic and social climate.” Formed in 1970, NRDC employed 775 staffers prior to the layoffs, spokesperson Josh Mogerman said in an email… “The layoff announcement comes as NRDC staffers are asking management to voluntarily recognize their union. A union representing NRDC employees sent a letter to Bapna last week asking that the group voluntarily recognize the Washington-Baltimore News Guild — part of Communication Workers of America — as the staff’s collective bargaining representative. The union’s organizing committee sent a separate letter to Bapna and NRDC’s leadership team laying out concerns about the green group as a workplace, including fears about looming layoffs. Union members said there had been a “lack of transparency” about the layoffs and that as a result “nearly all of us on-staff have had to guess at the likelihood of our departure and decide whether to plan for the possibility that we will have no job, no income, and no healthcare this time next month — all while continuing to do our jobs to help make NRDC as successful as it can be.”
STATE UPDATES
The Oklahoman: OKC mitigating damage of 88,000-gallon oil spill, one of the state's worst since 2010
Jack Money, 9/28/23
“Frontend loaders, backhoes and tractor-trailers carrying tanks and vacuum equipment buzzed across dusty ground next to a housing addition and a busy highway in northwest Oklahoma City on Wednesday as workers attacked potential environmental issues posed by an 88,000 gallon crude oil spill that occurred Monday,” The Oklahoman reports. “The work being done by Energy Transfer, operator of the line near NW 184 and Portland Avenue, and contractors it hired were expected to remain on site for at least the next several days, officials said Wednesday. Tasks involved in the cleanup include recovering small lakes of spilled crude, removing or remediating contaminated dirt and flushing city-owned storm drains with fresh water to prevent any polluted water from flowing into a pond or nearby Bluff Creek. The drain flushing isn't expected to end until water captured at the end of the flows is clean, while work to remove contaminated soil at the spill location is expected to continue until what remains is oil-free. Making sure all the oil is removed matters. If any resulting pollution were to make it to Bluff Creek, it eventually could flow into Deer Creek and ultimately the Cimarron River. Oklahoma City's water supply in Lake Hefner, which is upstream from the spill site, was never in any danger, the city's environmental superintendent told The Oklahoman… “Oklahoma's regulators routinely deal with hydrocarbon spills. Monday's event was not the biggest they've seen, according to Matt Skinner, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's public information manager… “Pipeline Safety Trust, an organization that promotes pipeline safety through education and advocacy, routinely monitors pipeline breaks happening across the nation. It ranks Monday's Oklahoma City spill the eighth-largest inside the state since 2010 using the most recent data available from the U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.”
NOLA.com: 20,000-acre carbon capture hub planned for Calcasieu, Beauregard parishes
ROBERT STEWART, 9/28/23
“A Houston midstream firm and a Mississippi timberland management company are partnering on a carbon capture hub in southwest Louisiana, the two businesses announced Thursday,” NOLA.com reports. “Trace Carbon Solutions LLC of Houston and Molpus Woodlands Group of Mississippi have signed a deal to manage a sequestration hub covering 20,000 acres in Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes, the companies said… “Trace will sequester the carbon dioxide at the site, which will be known as the Evergreen Sequestration Hub. Molpus will manage the aboveground acreage. The companies believe the hub could sequester up to 250 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Trace estimates more than 65 million tons per year of carbon dioxide emissions will be available within 50 miles of the Evergreen Hub. The firms declined to answer questions about the project’s exact location, timeline and cost estimate… “Industrial leaders say it is a necessary tool to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Louisiana and globally, while environmental advocates and some residents have questioned the technology’s effectiveness and safety.”
The Center Square: Carbon capture potential reliant on tax credits, like green energy
ANTHONY HENNEN, 9/28/23
“Carbon capture and storage in Pennsylvania has some energy experts excited, but to get the public on board, it’ll take something more than industry experiments,” The Center Square reports. “The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources held an online webinar Thursday to discuss the future of carbon capture, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for productive use or storage underground, in the commonwealth. And while Pennsylvania’s geography and natural resources make it a prime target to the industry, many experts admit the economics don’t work without tax credits – as is the case for wind and solar power, too… “Carbon capture could give the economy a boost as well as the environment, others argued. “America, fortunately, we have an innovative view and ethos. We really are a ‘both-and’ kind of society,” Perry Babb, CEO of KeyState Energy, said. “With the technology and a lot of hard work, we really can have historic emissions reductions along with historic job creation,” Perry Babb, CEO of KeyState Energy, said. Babb has proposed a $2 billion hydrogen project in Clinton County with carbon capture technology, though the Clean Air Council says the project has “far too many unknowns.” “...So far, a working demonstration has been hard to come by. The Department of Energy has invested more than $1 billion in carbon capture projects since 2009, mainly focused on coal, that have not panned out.”
Capital and Main: Natural Gas Recapturing Process Promises Waste Reduction — but Questions Linger
Jerry Redfern, 9/27/23
“A trio of major oil and gas producers are testing a new-to-New Mexico process to keep natural gas in the ground when it can’t be transported, sold or otherwise shipped through a pipeline,” Capital and Main reports. “Instead of flaring or venting natural gas or completely shutting down wells when a midstream pipeline operator has an issue, the three producers — EOG Resources, Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Chevron Corp. — can now re-route backed-up gas into closed-loop gas capture systems, or CLGC, where it is re-injected into an active oil well. It then can be taken out later when a pipeline again has enough capacity. The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division regulates the state’s oil and gas field operations and issued the orders allowing the state’s pilot CLGC wells. Dylan Fuge, the division’s director, told Capital and Main he expects the process will help reduce venting and flaring… “Occidental was the only one of the three companies to respond to questions about CLGC systems. “CLGC is part of Oxy’s overall strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Jennifer Brice, the company’s director of communications and public affairs, told Capital and Main. She said the process minimizes flaring when third parties are unable to handle the gas [i.e. during mechanical breakdowns], and “keeps production online, and conserves natural resources when produced gas is stored rather than flared.” “...Given that murky picture, it’s not clear how much the pilot CLGC systems may be helping reduce emissions, much less mitigate contributions to climate change.”
EXTRACTION
New York Times: Britain to Allow Big North Sea Oil Field, Despite Climate Concerns
Stanley Reed, 9/27/23
“The British government on Wednesday gave a go-ahead to develop a large offshore oil field known as Rosebank, a move that is expected to provide a modest boost to the country’s oil and gas industry but prompted outrage from environmental groups,” the New York Times reports. “Equinor, the Norwegian state-controlled energy giant that owns 80 percent of Rosebank, said the project would generate 8.1 billion pounds, or about $9.4 billion, in direct investment and support around 1,600 jobs in the construction phase with 450 continuing for around 20 years after oil production begins around 2027… “Environmental groups, however, were dismayed by the decision. “This is yet another colossal failure of leadership from a government that seems determined to ignore the scientific warnings on the climate crisis,” Friends of the Earth told the Times… “But there is heated debate in Britain about whether new oil and natural gas projects in the North Sea should be permitted at all, given the country’s ambitions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Environmental groups have turned what had been a routine process of reviewing applications for new offshore drilling into tests of the government’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions. At present, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is choosing to allow some new petroleum investment, figuring that it is preferable for both environmental and energy security reasons to produce oil and gas in domestic waters than import it from elsewhere.”
Reuters: Exclusive: Shell CEO comes under pressure from within on renewables shift
Ron Bousso, 9/27/23
“Shell (SHEL.L) CEO Wael Sawan has come under pressure over his strategy from within the energy company after two employees issued a rare open letter urging him not to scale back investments in renewable energy, sparking an internal debate,” Reuters reports. “The open letter, posted earlier this month on Shell's internal web and seen by Reuters this week, comes after Sawan outlined at an investor day in June plans to slow investment in renewables and low-carbon business as part of a strategy to boost returns… "For a long time, it has been Shell's ambition to be a leader in the energy transition. It is the reason we work here," said the letter which was addressed to Sawan and the Shell executive committee. "The recent announcements at and after the capital markets day deeply concern us... We can only hope the optics of the CMD announcements are deceiving us and that Shell continues its path as a leader in the energy transition." “...For an organisation at the crux of the energy transition, there are no easy answers and no shortage of dilemmas or challenge," Sawan wrote in his response. "We might not always agree on the way forward, but I feel good about the role Shell is, and will continue, to play. I am proud of how we provide affordable and secure energy to people every day, while we work hard to provide lower-carbon solutions to our customers, as we transition over time to a net-zero emissions business." “...Shell has in recent months exited offshore wind projects in Ireland and France, sold its UK power retail business and said it was seeking to sell stakes in renewable projects in India… “Several senior Shell executives have left the low-carbon and renewables division since the strategy change… “Shell aims to be a net zero emissions company by 2050.”
TODAY IN GREENWASHING
Enbridge: Culture, tradition, STEM and learning on the land
9/28/23
“Learning on the land through observation, storytelling, direct participation and through ceremony has always been the way of teaching in Indigenous communities,” according to Enbridge. Finding a way to align this local knowledge with modern-day STEM teachings is exactly the aim of the Indigenous Youth in STEM Program (InSTEM) from Actua… “Enbridge is committed to fostering sustainable communities where we work and live. In 2023, a $100,000 Fueling Futures grant from Enbridge directly supports five of Actua’s for-school-credit learning camps, while an identical $100,000 Fueling Futures grant has been directed to Actua’s Cyber Smart Education program, continuing a partnership that began in 2021.”
OPINION
InForum: Letter: Contrary to what Hennen says, CO2 pipelines can be dangerous
Jim Tjepkema, 9/28/23
“I have another point of view on CO2 pipelines differing from your recent column on this. CO2 pipelines are dangerous. If they rupture, they can discharge large amounts of dense CO2 that can suffocate people and kill them or cause permanent damage to them. Also, they can rupture and have ruptured. A large number of people nearly died when a CO2 pipeline ruptured in the state of Mississippi,” Jim Tjepkema writes for InForum. “... It has been determined that the federal safety regulations for CO2 pipelines are out of date and they have not yet been brought up to date. These regulations should be in place before more CO2 pipelines are built. Any permits for CO2 pipelines should not be considered until the new regulations are known so that the applications for permits can include information on how these regulations will be met by the company seeking a permit. For example, the new regulations might include adding odor to the CO2 and the request for permit might need to include a section on how odor would be added… “The use of CO2 to aid in oil extraction needs to come to an end very soon. Any state where there are oil fields should be closing these down and turning to clean energy. There should be no need to build any more CO2 pipelines to aid in oil extraction.”
Common Dreams: Pete Seeger Would Have Fought the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Bill Kitchen is an activist living in upstate New York, 9/27/34
“Last week’s climate march and actions, coupled with the annual Farm Aid concert, brought back fond memories of Pete Seeger,” Bill Kitchen writes for Common Dreams. “Ten years ago, at age 94, Pete dragged his long, lean, tired body 130 miles upstream from his Beacon, New York, home to the 2013 Farm Aid concert in Saratoga. His sole purpose for going was to sing an anti-fracking verse he had just written to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land.” Pete had long been a part of New York’s powerful grassroots anti-fracking movement. He would show up every January, banjo in hand, at Albany’s Empire State Plaza, where a raucous crowd always greeted politicians and big wigs on their way to hear Andrew Cuomo deliver his annual State of the State address… “If Pete was still alive and able, I think he would have also made his way down to Virginia and West Virginia to witness and speak out against the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)... “President Joe Biden needs to think more about these younger folks’ future when he considers approving new fossil fuel infrastructure, and he sure shouldn’t let any pipelines get built that might blow up in their backyard or next to their school.”
Alaska Beacon: Fossil fuel interests press their case with Alaska lawmakers
Kate Troll and Kay Brown both have served as the executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance and Conservation Voters, 9/26/23
“As they’ve done for decades, fossil fuel interests and their allies are denigrating climate science and climate activists to protect and enhance their obscene profits at Alaskans’ expense,” Kate Troll and Kay Brown write for the Alaska Beacon. “Curbing fossil fuel use and production, and stopping fossil fuel expansion, is critical to solving the climate crisis… “Despite these warnings, some of our elected officials have been sucked into an unfortunate reality distortion. Maybe they have been misinformed, even outright lied to, by industry lobbyists. There’s a history of that. It is well documented that Exxon and other oil and gas companies had long-standing knowledge of the consequences of climate change, but nonetheless campaigned to deceive and cast doubt. Some of our leaders appear to still be in this fog of doubt. For example, The Alaska LNG project is being touted as a transition step toward increasing renewable energy. Given the intensifying climate crises, the time for natural gas to serve as a bridge or transition fuel has come and gone… “Another misconception is that more oil development will lead to more investment in renewable energy. Not one significant Alaska renewable energy project is being funded by Hilcorp, ExxonMobile or ConocoPhillips… “As we see here in Alaska, more oil development means higher profit margins for the oil industry, which continues to fight efforts to get a fair share of revenues into state coffers… “Although we will have fossil fuel use and production into the future as countries seek to halt and reverse pollutant warming emissions, more aggressive action to stop fossil fuel expansion is needed immediately. As UN Secretary Guterres recently said, “the era of global warming has ended” and “the era of global boiling has arrived.” Let’s not be the last dinosaurs on the planet clinging to a dirty, dying industry while the world moves on. With Alaska’s wealth of renewable energy resources, our state can move forward as well to a prosperous future.”
Cowboy State Daily: Biden’s War On Oil And Gas Continues ‘Full Steam Ahead’
Kevin Killough, 9/27/23
“The Institute for Energy Research (IER), a free-market energy research nonprofit, began last year building a list of actions the Biden administration and Democrats have taken against oil, gas and coal,” Kevin Killough writes for the Cowboy State Daily. “...This month, the IER updated the list to 175 actions taken since President Joe Biden took office that have harmed oil, gas and coal industries. Alex Stevens, manager of policy and communications for IER, told Cowboy State Daily that with 2024 elections on the horizon, Biden is waving his anti-fossil fuel credentials. “It’s obvious that the administration, in order to appease parts of its base, is really focused on continuously rolling out more actions that are going to hurt the oil and gas industry,” Stevens told the Daily. On his first day in office, Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and issued a moratorium on all oil and natural gas leasing activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)... “Rick Whitbeck, Alaska state director for Power The Future, an energy advocacy group, told the Daily that while the U.S. attacks its energy industry, China is building out its coal fleet, which will weaken America’s competitiveness on the world stage… “Every time Biden and his administration take action against the industry, he weakens America’s standing among world powers, while enabling the Chinese and Russians to assume greater control of future resource development opportunities across the globe,” Whitbeck told the Daily.