EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/30/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: A Tale of Perfect Goose Eggs: CO2 Plume Computer Modeling Options

• Gatesville Messenger: Pipeline discussed during visit by Federal Regulatory Commission

• Greater Milwaukee Today: TC Energy hosts open house about Wisconsin Reliability Project

• Press release: Lawsuit Launched Over Outdated Drilling Plans as Aging California Oil Platforms Near Restart

• RBN Energy: EPIC Crude Pipeline Running At Capacity, Spurring Talk About A Possible Expansion

• Texas Observer: A Texas Pipeline Giant is Backing a Regulatory Disaster

• WLUC: Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hosts documentary screening

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Permitting Talks Create Tension Between Democrats, Greens 

• E&E News: Energy wonks, rejoice! Harris campaigns on permitting reform.

• E&E News: DOE unveils $1.3B funding plan to boost carbon capture

• Press release: OCED Announces Notice of Intent to Fund $1.3 Billion for Transformational Emissions Reducing Technologies to Support Our Clean Energy Future

• E&E News: Permitting, IRA A Focus In Energy And Commerce Race 

• E&E News: Republicans Escalate Pressure On LNG Export Study 

• E&E News: Could White House Action Imperil A Bipartisan Carbon Bill? 

• E&E News: Who Would Lead Harris’ DOE? 

• Reuters: Natural gas producers press Harris for answers in battleground state

• Guardian: If Trump Wins The Election, This Is What's At Stake 

• E&E News: What Would A Trump 2.0 ‘Energy Emergency’ Look Like? History Offers Clues 

STATE UPDATES

• Vail Daily: Sen. Bennet announces federal legislation to protect more than 700,000 acres of Colorado Western Slope land

• Dallas Express: Paxton Sues Biden Over Lizard Classification 

• Reuters: Texas approves plan to boost oil and gas drillers' power grid access

• North Dakota Monitor: PSC approves huge natural gas processing plant

• CBS Sacramento: Petroleum spills into Stockton canal, clean-up efforts underway

EXTRACTION

• Washington Post: These activists were jailed for throwing soup on a Van Gogh. Hours later, their group did it again.

• E&E News: CCS Projects Are Behind Schedule To Meet Climate Goals, Study Finds 

• Euronews: Commission sees role for nuclear and carbon capture in production of low-carbon fuels

• E&E News: Clean Energy Transition Requires Natural Gas — Report 

• CBC: The Alberta government wants to incentivize oilsands companies to hire more locals. Here's why

• Reuters: At Least Two People Dead After Oil Barge Sinks in Venezuela, PDVSA Says

• Wall Street Journal: FTC Plans To Block Hess CEO From Chevron Board 

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Rigzone: ING Halts Funding of Upstream Firms, LNG Terminals

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• CBC: Fossil fuel ads on the TTC will now face pre-screening

OPINION

• Globe and Mail: Canada’s oil companies are falling short on climate
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Pipeline Fighters Hub: A Tale of Perfect Goose Eggs: CO2 Plume Computer Modeling Options
Paul Blackburn, 9/30/24

“Now that we’ve reviewed the potential risks and health impacts of CO2 pipeline ruptures, how can you predict whether or not you, your family, and your animals might be exposed to high concentrations of CO2, putting you in the danger zone? The primary tools available for determining CO2 pipeline danger zones are different types of computer models that predict how far dangerous concentrations of CO2 would extend from a rupture site,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “...There are different two types of computer models: dispersion models and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models. Each type has its strengths and limitations… “Many factors affect the movement, size, and concentrations of a CO2 plume following a pipeline rupture, including the diameter of the pipeline, the length of pipe vented, whether isolation valves work properly, the density of the CO2 at the time of the rupture, how the pipe physically ruptures, wind speed and direction, atmospheric turbulence, air temperature, topography/landscape, and even the type of vegetation near a rupture site… “Modeling cannot predict exactly where CO2 from an actual rupture will go, because that depends to a large degree on the wind and other factors at the time of a rupture that may change from hour-to-hour or even minute-to-minute… “The Abraham Paper found that PHAST, which is owned by DNV, a European standard setting and consulting group that provides services to the U.S. pipeline industry, produced very large errors during early experiments, and in more recent studies continued to significantly under-predict CO2 concentrations… “The Abraham Paper describes dispersion models as being inherently limited and “crude” due to the relative simplicity of their mathematics… “The Abraham Paper also modeled the Satartia rupture to determine if the CFD model would have predicted that the people of Satartia were at risk… “Instead, it shows two distinct plumes of CO2 with between 5% and 8% concentration in and near Satartia, the center of which was approximately 1 mile from the rupture site.  The CFD model predicted that the CO2 would settle to both the east and west of the ridgeline and Highway 433, and then flow downhill toward Satartia on both sides of this ridge.  It also shows that up to about one-half mile from the rupture site, CO2 concentrations were at least 10% – high enough to rapidly render victims unconscious and stall a car engine.  It should be noted that the concentrations shown are time averaged.  Short-term concentrations may have significantly exceeded these averages, especially nearer the rupture site.  If this CFD model had been used by Denbury prior to its rupture, it would have predicted that the people of Satartia were at risk.  Moreover, the predicted CO2 concentrations are in accordance with observed health impacts by the Satartia rupture.” 

Gatesville Messenger: Pipeline discussed during visit by Federal Regulatory Commission
David Scott, 9/27/24

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently welcomed Coryell County residents to a public “scoping session” to gather information from the public about the proposed pipeline,” the Gatesville Messenger reports. “...Anxious landowners check maps to discover if their property would be affected by the proposed pipeline. Individual oral comments were taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter. This format was designed to receive the maximum amount of oral comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted… “DeLa Express plans to construct and operate an approximately 645.5-mile-long, 42-inch-diameter natural gas transportation mainline pipeline originating in Winkler County, Texas to a termination point in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana… “Some residents expressed some opposition to the proposed pipeline: They stated that it would destroy portions of their property, hurt land values and, sometimes, impede access to and from their homes. A representative of DeLa Express told the Messenger that they would file their application for the pipeline in February of 2025 and probably get the permit in the first or second quarter of 2026. 

Greater Milwaukee Today: TC Energy hosts open house about Wisconsin Reliability Project
Andrew Abler, 9/28/24

“TC Energy hosted an open house event in Homestead Hollow County Park in Germantown on Thursday to help inform residents and community members about the upcoming Wisconsin Reliability Project and the work planned for the coming year,” Greater Milwaukee Today reports. “According to TC Energy External Relations Manager Aaron Thompson, the event was held as a matter of transparency to allow people to learn about the project itself as well as the way it may impact visitors to the area… “Our existing line operates through the eastern portion of the park, but due to growth — particularly to the south — there is a larger reroute that is occurring,” Thompson told GMT. “So, next year we’ll be doing a construction through the southern portion of the park.” For this project, TC Energy will be upgrading and replacing compressor units, replacing 51 miles of pipelines and installing enhanced compressor units across Wisconsin and Illinois.”

Press release: Lawsuit Launched Over Outdated Drilling Plans as Aging California Oil Platforms Near Restart
9/26/24

“The Center for Biological Diversity and the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation filed a formal notice today of their intent to sue the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management over the agency’s failure to require updated development plans for oil drilling at the troubled Santa Ynez Unit off the California coast. The unit’s three platforms have been shut down since May 2015, when a corroded pipeline ruptured and released what is believed to be about 450,000 gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach. The oil spill killed hundreds of birds and marine mammals, including dolphins and sea lions. Sable Offshore Corp., the pipeline’s new owner, wants to restart production at the Santa Ynez Unit relying primarily on outdated development plans written in the 1970s and 1980s. BOEM has not required Sable to revise or supplement the plans. “I’m horrified that these zombie oil platforms may be allowed to restart after a decade of dormancy,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Offshore drilling is always dangerous but relying on woefully outdated plans raises the safety and environmental risks. If the agency tasked with managing ocean drilling isn’t even asking for a plan from this century before letting companies extract oil, our coastlines are really in trouble. It’s so frustrating that we have to sue the regulator to get them to do their job.” Today’s notice says BOEM would be violating the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act if it allows drilling at the Santa Ynez Unit to proceed in federal waters without requiring updated plans. The agency is ignoring numerous harms from offshore oil and gas activity, including air pollution, risk of oil spills and contributing to climate change… “The letter notifies BOEM that the Center will file suit unless the agency requires Sable to provide updated development plans before obtaining approval for restarting offshore drilling at the Santa Ynez Unit.”

RBN Energy: EPIC Crude Pipeline Running At Capacity, Spurring Talk About A Possible Expansion
Taylor Noland, 9/30/24

“Hundreds of miles separate the Permian Basin from the U.S. Gulf Coast, but in the Shale Era traversing that span has become increasingly important to Permian producers,” RBN Energy reports. “Billions of dollars have been invested to expand capacity to move Permian production — crude, natural gas or NGLs — to the Gulf Coast to take advantage of surging export markets. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll focus our attention on EPIC Midstream and its EPIC Crude Pipeline, which has operated above its nameplate capacity for much of this year… “Now, Diamondback and pure-play Permian midstream company Kinetik Holdings (formed in 2022 by the merger of Altus Midstream and the corporate parent of EagleClaw Midstream) together have acquired an additional 30% equity interest in the EPIC Crude pipeline system… “A big part of EPIC Crude’s success can be attributed to its destination — Corpus Christi — which has become a preferred export location, in part because of the ability of both the Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center (EIEC) and Gibson’s South Texas Gateway (STG) to receive and partially load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs)... “EPIC has been operating at full capacity (nearly bustin’ at the seams) for some time now, while the owners of its neighbor, Gray Oak (our next blog in this series), have already greenlit an expansion. Despite the available takeaway capacity out of the Permian to Cushing, Houston and Nederland, demand for more capacity to Corpus may still be desired… “Given the recent news, the expansion might be closer than you think.”

Texas Observer: A Texas Pipeline Giant is Backing a Regulatory Disaster
TONI AGUILAR ROSENTHAL, WILL ROYCE, 9/27/24

“A massive pipeline fire broke out last week outside of Houston, generating billowing black clouds of smoke that hovered over the industrialized suburb of Deer Park for multiple days. That fire began after an SUV hit a 20-inch-wide natural gas pipeline owned by Energy Transfer,” the Texas Observer reports. “...Energy Transfer, a corporate energy infrastructure giant, delayed issuing a response, including waiting more than three hours before confirming that it owned the exploded valve, misstating the amount of people injured by the fire, and seemingly refusing to answer questions from the public and the press. Unfortunately, this is par for the course for the company, also behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, and its infamous Executive Chairman (and ex-CEO) Kelcy Warren… “Warren and other Energy Transfer leaders and lawyers now seem poised to manipulate the system in favor of the pipeline company once again, this time in the federal courts… “In 2022, an unidentified employee of Energy Transfer’s subsidiary La Grange Acquisition filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company, alleging that it had retaliated against him for complaining about unsafe working conditions, including “radioactive material and hazardous dust in work areas.” “...In 2024, Energy Transfer sued the NLRB, seeking to halt the administrative proceedings and joining SpaceX, Amazon, and other corporations in basically arguing that the board’s foundational structure is unconstitutional. That argument threatens the basic function of the NLRB (and other agencies like it) and could have sweeping consequences for its ability to conduct investigations or engage in basic enforcement actions for violations of labor rules and regulations.” 

WLUC: Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hosts documentary screening
Molly Birch, 9/29/24

“On Sunday, community members had the chance to learn more about the Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians,” WLUC reports. “The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians hosted a free showing of the documentary ‘Bad River’ at Thomas Theatres in Marquette… “This documentary highlights the tribe’s efforts to have Enbridge’s pipeline shut down, in order to protect Lake Superior and other water sources in Michigan. Senior Councilwoman for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Liz Arbuckle told WLUC being able to share the tribe’s story with the rest of the nation is vitally important for protecting tribal sovereignty. “As a tribal member, I am 100% in support of the fellow tribal members who stand up and have taken this stand, and I’m here to support my colleagues, friends, my neighbors, my relatives and most importantly my tribe as we work to preserve our sovereignty, and work to remain a part and a piece of the land that our people have always occupied,” Arbuckle told WLUC.

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Permitting Talks Create Tension Between Democrats, Greens 
KELSEY BRUGGER, 9/27/24

“A recent meeting on Capitol Hill between leaders in the environmental community and one of their biggest allies in Congress grew tense,” E&E News reports. “Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) was firm in backing compromise permitting and grid legislation, but advocates were not sold, people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to speak candidly told E&E. Heinrich, poised to be the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, deflected when asked if the tenor of the meeting was tense. He described it as ‘honest’ and ‘constructive.’ ‘I have an approach that is really rooted in the modeling and the math,’ he told E&E. ‘And I think it’s really important that as we try to solve climate change that these conversations are about the math. We have to reduce our emissions.’ Heinrich — like some other Democrats — voted in committee for legislation from Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) meant to ease approvals for energy projects and boost the grid. Both are green priorities. But S. 4753 also includes provisions to boost fossil fuel development — including forcing the administration to decide whether to issue liquefied natural gas export terminal permits. The ‘honest’ meeting was just one of many in recent weeks between Democratic lawmakers and aides and environmental advocates from the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, the Climate Action Campaign, Earthjustice and others.”

E&E News: Energy wonks, rejoice! Harris campaigns on permitting reform.
Adam Aton, 9/30/24

“Vice President Kamala Harris is embracing a surprising election strategy: elevating the technocratic subject of permitting reform into a pillar of her presidential campaign,” E&E News reports. “The Harris campaign last Thursday released an economic policy blueprint that calls for a double-barreled approach to hastening the renewable energy transition: more federal subsidies, combined with easier permitting rules. That follows a major speech Harris gave Wednesday spotlighting the role federal permitting plays in areas such as housing supply and manufacturing investment. It’s there she promised to “cut red tape and get things moving faster.” “The simple truth is, in America, it takes too long and it costs too much to build,” Harris said at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh. “Whether it’s a new housing development, a new factory, or a new bridge, projects take too long to go from concept to reality. It happens in blue states, it happens in red states, and it’s a national problem.” “...Permitting reform has historically alarmed environmentalists, including environmental justice advocates who see the permitting process — and the litigation it can spawn — as one of their best defenses against heaping more burdens onto communities that already experience high cumulative impacts of pollution and climate change… “Harris’ turnabout on permitting echoes some other greens who are softening their positions now that the Inflation Reduction Act has spurred a rush of clean energy investment… “But when it comes to Harris’ permitting reforms, even the most progressive groups have given her cover. One reason is her plan doesn’t spell out exactly what permitting changes she would seek. The other is that they think those fights can wait until after the election.”

E&E News: DOE unveils $1.3B funding plan to boost carbon capture
Carlos Anchondo, 9/30/24

“The Department of Energy plans to set aside up to $1.3 billion to help advance carbon capture projects, including ones tied to industrial and electricity plants,” E&E News reports. “In a notice of intent released Friday, DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations said the largest portion of the total funds available — up to $750 million — would help carbon capture demonstration projects at potentially one coal-fired power plant and as many as two industrial facilities. The initiatives would be integrated with carbon dioxide transportation and storage infrastructure, according to DOE. While Friday’s notice is for informational purposes only, the department has recently awarded funding to carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. That includes nearly $4.2 million for a planned CCS project at a coal plant in central North Dakota — sponsored by the Minnkota Power Cooperative — and nearly $4.4 million for a CCS proposal on a pulp and paper mill in Mississippi.”

Press release: OCED Announces Notice of Intent to Fund $1.3 Billion for Transformational Emissions Reducing Technologies to Support Our Clean Energy Future
9/27/24

“As part of Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to fund up to $1.3 billion to catalyze investments in transformative carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies. This funding—made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under the Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program and the Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilot Projects Program—will help create good-paying jobs, reduce pollution to deliver healthier communities, and ensure America’s global leadership in developing the cost-effective emissions reducing technologies needed to decarbonize the nation's electricity generation and hard-to-decarbonize industrial sectors… “DOE estimates that reaching our nation’s climate goals will require capturing and storing 400 million to 1.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually by 2050. Commercial demonstration of advanced carbon capture technologies, integrated with reliable transportation and storage infrastructure, is necessary for the widespread deployment of these carbon capture technologies. OCED, in collaboration with the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, anticipates offering funding in the following three topic areas: Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects (Topic Area 1): Up to $750 million for commercial-scale carbon capture demonstration projects integrated with CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure at up to one coal-fired power plant and up to two industrial facilities that advance technical maturity, reduce uncertainty in cost and performance, and increase the potential for the technology to be replicated and deployed at additional facilities. Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilot Projects (Topic Area 2): Up to $450 million for large-scale carbon capture pilot projects that demonstrate transformative technological advances in carbon capture, enabling increased capture efficiency, reduced cost, and improved environmental performance. Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program – Infrastructure Planning and Design (Topic Area 3): Up to $100 million for planning and design activities to support the development of networks that can share CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. This support aims to demonstrate how bringing different carbon capture projects together can reduce the cost for carbon capture and storage and enable more widespread adoption of carbon capture and storage by a broader range of emitters.” 

E&E News: Permitting, IRA A Focus In Energy And Commerce Race 
EMMA DUMAIN, NICO PORTUONDO, 9/27/24

“Major energy and environment policy battles will likely be a big focus for the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress, and the race to be the next top Republican on that panel is coming into focus,” E&E News reports. “Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), the two members currently vying to lead their party on the influential committee, are both longtime Energy and Commerce members who take a cautious, mainstream GOP approach to energy policy. In recent, separate interviews with POLITICO’s E&E News, each subscribed to an ‘all of the above’ philosophy that acknowledges a role for renewables alongside oil, gas and coal. They expressed support for permitting overhaul legislation that would speed up approval for energy projects and limit avenues for slowing down the process with extended judicial reviews and litigation. And while they both took a somewhat neutral stance towards the slate of clean energy tax credits codified by the Inflation Reduction Act — which are leading to major economic booms in red districts across the country — they didn’t rule out targeting some incentives for repeal if Republicans achieve a governing trifecta next year.”

E&E News: Republicans Escalate Pressure On LNG Export Study 
NICO PORTUONDO, 9/27/24

“Hill Republicans are upping the ante against a contentious study critics say may have been used to justify the Department of Energy’s pause on liquefied natural gas export terminal permits,” E&E News reports. “On Thursday, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) led a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm saying the pause was ‘heavily influenced’ by a recent study from Cornell professor Robert Howarth that called LNG ‘worse than coal’ when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. That study has been called into question by the think tank Breakthrough Institute, which claimed in a recent report that Howarth’s methodology was fundamentally flawed… “The Republicans in the most recent letter go even farther in their line of questioning. They ask whether Granholm herself directed Howarth to conduct the study, and if DOE received any preliminary results or draft findings.”

E&E News: Could White House Action Imperil A Bipartisan Carbon Bill? 
EMMA DUMAIN, 9/27/24

“Members of Congress in both parties and chambers have expended significant time, effort and political capital to get support for legislation to study the carbon intensity of certain industrial products in hopes of tying trade policy to climate action,” E&E News reports. “Their efforts to build a diverse coalition around the idea may have led to a Biden administration decision, announced earlier this week, to take up this task at the executive branch level — but it’s far from clear that effort will lead to a desired outcome. Some lawmakers and advocates told E&E the newly announced pilot project to be run by the White House Task Force on Climate, Trade and Industrial Competitiveness, with assistance from the Department of Energy, should not supersede the ongoing efforts to pass a bill that would do something similar with more guardrails and less uncertainty. “I am glad that the administration agrees with us and is beginning this work to study the emissions of industrial products,” Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who with Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) is the leading H.R. 8957, the ‘Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act,’ told E&E. But, Peters added, ‘While the move is welcome news, it is no substitute for law, which cannot be as easily undone by a future administration.’ Yet some supporters of the ‘PROVE IT Act’ are worried the administration’s move, just weeks before the November elections, could do exactly that, complicating or even undercutting efforts to get the bill passed at all.”

E&E News: Who Would Lead Harris’ DOE? 
Brian Dabbs, 9/30/24

“If Kamala Harris wins in November, would Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stick around? That question is central to how a potential Harris administration would staff an agency crucial to the trillion-dollar effort to boost clean energy production and manufacturing,” E&E News reports. “With the election just six weeks away, Department of Energy veterans and energy experts are already talking about the most likely candidates to replace Granholm if she leaves — or join her team if she stays. Granholm said she was ‘open to whatever’ when asked last week if she would consider staying in her role… “Among the top prospects to replace Granholm in a Harris administration are Arun Majumdar, a dean at Stanford who serves on Granholm’s advisory board, key Biden administration officials like climate adviser Ali Zaidi and Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk and Western governors including Jared Polis (D-Colo.), according to interviews with more than a half-dozen DOE veterans and experts.”

Reuters: Natural gas producers press Harris for answers in battleground state
Jarrett Renshaw, 9/26/24

“Drillers in energy-rich Pennsylvania this week called on Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to detail her position on natural gas, a fuel the energy industry bills as clean but which climate activists say is a global warming menace,” Reuters reports. “President Joe Biden put a freeze on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits in January to study its environmental impacts, in an election-year move aimed at making gains with the party’s green voting blocks. But it is now Harris squaring off against Republican rival Donald Trump, who has said he would immediately lift the permit freeze if elected. If she wins, she will likely be tasked with unwinding the pause and incorporating any new recommendations from the promised review, which the administration says is expected to land after November’s election… “Reuters talked to a dozen natural gas and drilling executives who attended the conference, all of whom said they are still guessing about Harris’s energy policy… “A spokesperson for Harris’ campaign acknowledged the industry’s need for clarity, but suggested the details of her approach on LNG need to be guided by the outcome of the review. “The Vice President believes that we need to make decisions informed by the best economic and scientific information -including projected impacts on energy costs, energy security, the environment, and public health,” the campaign aide told Reuters.

Guardian: If Trump Wins The Election, This Is What's At Stake 
Adam Federman and Jimmy Tobias, 9/28/24

“Imagine, for a moment, oil and gas infrastructure carving up Alaska’s far northern tundra, a refuge for migrating caribou and polar bears. Copper-nickel mines on the doorstep of one of the largest wilderness areas east of the Rockies, a nearly 1.1m-acre (450,000-hectare) expanse of pristine lakes and forests full of loons, wolves and moose. Or uranium and coal exploration in once-protected landscapes, including areas bordering the Grand Canyon. If Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November, these projects will probably be on the table as part of an energy-dominance agenda focused on resource extraction,” the Guardian reports. “...Indeed, early plans suggest that Trump aims to radically remake the Department of the Interior, which oversees more than 500m acres (200m hectares) of public lands, manages the country’s national parks and wildlife refuges, and is responsible for protecting endangered species. Whereas Joe Biden made safeguarding public lands and the transition to green energy a centerpiece of his time in office, Trump and his allies would reverse many of Biden’s policies, remake the civil service and implement a new agenda focused on slashing regulations, weakening environmental protections, and expanding oil and gas development across the American west.”

E&E News: What Would A Trump 2.0 ‘Energy Emergency’ Look Like? History Offers Clues 
PETER BEHR, 9/27/24

“Officials under then-President Donald Trump had an idea for how to stop America’s aging coal and nuclear plants from closing: Call the closures a threat to national security,” E&E News reports. “Under the 2018 plan, the Department of Energy would declare an ‘emergency’ and use existing authority to order utilities to buy two years’ worth of power from coal and nuclear generators most at risk of shutting down. Marked ‘Privileged & Confidential,’ the memo dated May 29 set up a planned meeting a few days later inside the National Security Council. The White House confirmed that Trump wanted the policy. But when the memo leaked, it hit like a ton of bricks. Free market Republicans saw the rescue plan for dozens of older, smaller, money-losing coal plants as just the kind of heavy-handed federal intrusion they stood against… “Six years later, Trump the candidate — vowing to reverse parts of President Joe Biden’s largest-ever federal investment in clean energy — is again reviving the idea of declaring an ‘energy emergency’ and using a second Trump presidency to expand fossil fuel power generation. This time, it’s to keep up with the competition.”

STATE UPDATES

Vail Daily: Sen. Bennet announces federal legislation to protect more than 700,000 acres of Colorado Western Slope land
Robert Tann, 9/26/24

“...Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, on Thursday released the Gunnison Outdoor Resource Protection (GORP) Act, a new legislative proposal that would safeguard more than 700,000 acres of public land in and around Gunnison County, if enacted by Congress,” the Vail Daily reports. “The bill would place different types of federal land designations throughout the region aimed at enhancing protections for undeveloped and wildlife areas, managing recreation use and spurring more research and education. Additionally, it would withdraw more than 74,000 acres of key lands in Delta County’s North Fork Valley from oil and gas development and secure public access to a boat ramp at the Gunnison Forks Day Use Area. It would also transfer over 18,000 acres of Ute Mountain Ute Tribe land from fee ownership to trust ownership, a first for a public lands bill in Colorado, Bennet told the Daily. Doing so would unlock the potential for these lands to access more federal funding and programs while protecting the tribe’s sovereignty.” 

Dallas Express: Paxton Sues Biden Over Lizard Classification 
JOE EDWARDS, 9/29/24

“Att. Gen. Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration, challenging the federal classification of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard as endangered,” the Dallas Express reports. “The lawsuit targets the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and several key administration officials, alleging that the decision to categorize the sagebrush lizard as endangered was made unlawfully and undermined the power of the state’s oil and gas industries. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s unlawful misuse of environmental law is a backdoor attempt to undermine Texas’s oil and gas industries which help keep the lights on for America. I warned that we would sue over this illegal move, and now we will see them in court,” said Paxton via press release. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the U.S. FWS’s decision earlier this summer to classify the species as endangered allegedly aims to protect the lizard’s habitat in southeast New Mexico and West Texas, where over 95% has been lost to human activities.”

Reuters: Texas approves plan to boost oil and gas drillers' power grid access
Georgina Mccartney, 9/26/24

“A Texas commission unanimously on Thursday approved the Permian Basin Reliability Plan, which is designed to expand power grid infrastructure in the United States' largest oilfield to accommodate rapidly growing demand from the oil and gas industry,” Reuters reports. “The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) directed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to compile the plan in December last year, two months after ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Pioneer Natural Resources, Diamondback, Chevron and Devon Energy submitted a report with financial information company S&P Global warning the commission of a significant increase in electric load demand in the Permian basin in the coming years. Electrifying oilfield operations can reduce emissions and eliminate pollution and noise associated with diesel-powered rigs and fracking equipment.

North Dakota Monitor: PSC approves huge natural gas processing plant
JEFF BEACH, 9/27/24

“North Dakota utility regulators on Friday approved a Canadian company’s large-scale project to convert natural gas into higher-value products such as diesel fuel and lubricants,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “Cerilon will build the $3.2 billion gas-to-liquids plant near Trenton, west of Williston in Williams County… “Traffic was a main concern of residents when the commission held a public hearing on the project in Williston in June… “Harding said Cerilon is still working on air and water discharge permits but expects to have those approved by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality by the end of the year. Cerilon also plans to capture carbon emissions from the gas-to-liquid plant. The carbon dioxide would be sent through a pipeline to a sequestration site. Harding said the gas-to-liquids plant can operate without carbon capture.”

CBS Sacramento: Petroleum spills into Stockton canal, clean-up efforts underway
Brandon Downs, 9/29/24

“A clean-up effort is underway after petroleum spilled into a canal near Stockton, officials told CBS Sacramento. Petroleum is reported to be from an oil burned that holds up to 380 gallons, the U.S. Coast Guard said… “In an update Sunday, the Coast Guard said the petroleum was contained to a mile-and-a-half stretch in the canal… “However, people are urged to avoid the area. Fish and Wildlife said it rescinded a closure to fishing but still advised to not consume any fish or shellfish from the Port of Stockton due to a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination unrelated to the oil spill.”

EXTRACTION

Washington Post: These activists were jailed for throwing soup on a Van Gogh. Hours later, their group did it again.
Shannon Osaka, 9/27/24

“Two young climate activists shocked the world in October 2022 when they flung cans of tomato soup over the renowned painting “Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh,” the Washington Post reports. “Now, Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, have been sentenced to jail — part of a new crackdown on the radical climate protests that have swept the world in the past few years. Plummer was given two years; Holland got 20 months. “I made my choices and I’m happy with them,” Plummer said Friday during the sentencing phase of the trial. “I’ve found peace in acting on my conscience.” Just hours later, three protesters wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts threw soup on two other Van Gogh paintings at the National Gallery in London. “There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas,” one of the protesters shouted in a video posted to social media. Other museum visitors gasped and cried “No!” “...“Protest is by its nature inconvenient and occasionally messy,” Will McCallum, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, told the Post “This is a draconian and disproportionate punishment for a protest that caused minor damage to a picture frame and none to the actual canvas.” Experts are divided on the effectiveness of such protests for climate awareness. Some have pointed to research that shows that radical tactics are seen as less effective by the broader public. Others have argued that new and creative tactics attract media attention and conversation.”

E&E News: CCS Projects Are Behind Schedule To Meet Climate Goals, Study Finds 
Carlos Anchondo, 9/27/24

“Global deployment of carbon capture is not happening quickly enough to meet key climate targets, according to a new report,” E&E News reports. “In a study released this week, researchers from three European universities said major efforts are needed to boost deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to help lock away carbon dioxide. They also cited a need to reduce the failure rate of projects. Authors of the paper — which was published in the monthly journal Nature Climate Change — said carbon capture has an important role to play in many strategies to address climate change. The researchers said their work underscores a need for strong policy backing for CCS, along with a rapid expansion of other technologies to cut climate-warming emissions. The study’s ‘results show that major efforts are needed to bridge the gap between the demonstration projects in place today and the massive deployment we need to mitigate climate change,’ said Jessica Jewell, associate professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, in a news release. In a supplemental document, the researchers called decreasing the failure rate of individual projects ‘the key policy priority.’”

Euronews: Commission sees role for nuclear and carbon capture in production of low-carbon fuels
Robert Hodgson, 9/27/24

“Trains, automobiles and even planes could be run on nuclear power or even natural gas while being treated as ‘green’ under proposed EU rules,” Euronews reports. “...To qualify as a low-carbon fuel, the hydrocarbon in question – which could be anything from kerosene used to power aircraft, methane for heating, or hydrogen to drive industrial processes – must have an overall carbon footprint at least 70% smaller than burning the fossil equivalent. The EU executive says electricity drawn from the power grid to produce hydrogen should be assumed to entail zero emissions as long as the amount used corresponds to the periods when renewables or nuclear dominated production and set the wholesale market price… “Any deployment of CCS would have to take into account “the capture rate of CO2 from low carbon fuel production, as well as all emissions from the operation activities for carbon capture, transport of CO2 and emissions from injection into the permanent storage site”, the draft legislation stipulates… “Green groups have demanded stringent standards for the certification of such fuels, and urged the EU executive not to rush through the regulation, which it is not required to adopt until August next year.”

E&E News: Clean Energy Transition Requires Natural Gas — Report 
MIKA TRAVIS, 9/30/24

“The ‘fastest and most efficient transition’ to renewable energy requires using natural gas for backup power, according to a new report,” E&E News reports. “The report, published Monday by the nonprofit Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, says that natural gas should not supplement clean power forever, as the end goal is to reach net-zero emissions. But it finds that relying solely on wind and solar energy production, which varies day to day and seasonally, could cause grid instability without a sufficient backup source. “We don’t want to be in a position 20 years from now where we’ve committed to wind and solar and, suddenly, we don’t have power,” Robin Gaster, the report’s author and director of research at ITIF’s Center for Clean Energy Innovation, told E&E. “We have to keep the lights on.” “...Other forms of so-called dispatchable power are not as viable as backup solutions, according to the report. Nuclear power, for instance, isn’t expected to grow significantly by 2050. And while hydropower is relatively cheap, it is usually one of the first choices of electricity and therefore not available as a backup source since it is used up first.”

CBC: The Alberta government wants to incentivize oilsands companies to hire more locals. Here's why
Dennis Kovtun, 9/29/24

“The Fort McMurray oilsands have long hosted a large number of transient workers. Now, there's a fresh push for companies operating at the epicentre of Canada's oil and gas extraction to make their workforce more local,” the CBC reports. "Work camps are just not good for people and not good for communities," Alberta's Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean told CBC. "They don't help our community and they don't help the communities that people are from." Jean told CBC the fly-in-fly-out model is "hollowing out" resource towns. "We are making it an advantage for people to fly from other provinces and other countries to come here and take our resources, to take our jobs, and actually take that money back to their hometown, he told CBC. "That's not reasonable. That's not right. And quite frankly, I find it disgusting." “...Sandy Bowman, the mayor of Wood Buffalo, told CBC that increasing the region's population is his priority, including those who are there temporarily.  "As someone that loves this region and knows it's a great place to live, work and raise a family, we want as many people living here as possible, including workers that are living in oilsands project accommodations," he told CBC. 

Reuters: At Least Two People Dead After Oil Barge Sinks in Venezuela, PDVSA Says
9/26/24

“At least two people died and four were declared missing following the sinking of an oil barge operated by a contractor of Venezuelan state-run energy company PDVSA at Lake Maracaibo, PDVSA said on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “...Another 19 people were successfully rescued on Thursday morning at the accident site, the report said. Incidents involving barges that carry Venezuelan oil and fuel between domestic ports and to the Caribbean have become frequent. A large fuel oil spill near Tobago from a capsized barge navigating from Venezuela hit several Caribbean nations in March.”

Wall Street Journal: FTC Plans To Block Hess CEO From Chevron Board 
Benoît Morenne, Dave Michaels, 9/26/24

“Antitrust enforcers are set to bar Hess’s chief executive from joining the board of Chevron as part of a deal to approve a $53-billion tie-up between Hess and Chevron, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Chevron tentatively agreed to this condition to get approval for the deal, the people told the Journal. An agreement would lift a major hurdle for the oil giant, but Chevron would still need to prevail in an arbitration case pitting it against rival Exxon Mobil and China’s Cnooc to close its megamerger… “A key arbitration hearing will take place in May 2025. Bloomberg earlier reported the tentative agreement between Chevron and the FTC. It was unclear on what grounds the FTC insisted on keeping Hess from joining Chevron’s board.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Rigzone: ING Halts Funding of Upstream Firms, LNG Terminals
Rocky Teodoro, 9/27/24

“Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation ING is halting the funding of upstream oil and gas companies,” Rigzone reports. “In its Climate Progress Update 2024, ING said it will “stop all new general financing to so-called pure-play upstream oil and gas companies that continue to develop new oil and gas fields,” effective immediately. The bank also said that it has decided to stop providing new financing for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals after 2025, guided by the IEA World Energy Outlook 2023. This follows ING’s announcement in December 2023 that it would be phasing out the financing of upstream oil and gas to zero by 2040, as well as setting emissions intensity targets to reach net-zero-by-2050 targets. “I am proud to see our climate approach keep on developing every year,” ING CEO Steven van Rijswijk said. “In the past year, we’ve taken several important steps to sharpen the way we engage with clients on their transition towards net-zero. We assessed the sustainability disclosures of around 2,000 of our largest clients with an online tool we’ve developed. This gives us the foundation for more data-informed discussions with our clients about their progress and how we can support them in their transition and drive down their emissions. The urgency of climate change is becoming more evident all the time and ING wants to play a leading role in accelerating the global transition to a low-carbon economy. We all have a part to play, and we can all make the difference for present and future generations if we work together towards the same goals”. ING reiterated its longstanding Environmental and Social Risk (ESR) policies for the energy sector, in which it said it does not finance activities in the exploration, development and production of oil sands, including pipeline infrastructure dedicated to the exclusive use of transporting oil from oil sands and the trading of crude oil derived from oil sands. The bank also is against financing activities for the exploration, development and production of shale gas in Europe; exploration, development and production and trading of oil and gas in the Amazon in Ecuador and Peru; and Arctic offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration and production.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

CBC: Fossil fuel ads on the TTC will now face pre-screening
9/29/24

“Some fossil fuel advocate advertising will now be pre-screened by TTC staff before it runs on vehicles, as the transit agency takes steps to ensure the groups are making factual claims in their messages to the public,” the CBC reports. “The TTC board directed staff to review all future advertising from a pair of fossil fuel advocates to confirm the claims they're making have been independently verified. The board has also asked staff to propose changes to current policies that would allow the city to decline fossil fuel ads if they don't align with Toronto's own climate change policy, TransformTO… “Coun. Dianne Saxe brought the issue before both committees because she thinks the city's policies are weak. "This lends our brand and our credibility to fossil fuel advocacy, which is specifically designed to undercut climate action," she told CBC. "(If) we're not going to take any specific role or responsibility for what appears on our vehicles, I think it is unwise. I'd go so far, personally, to think it's immoral." “...Greenpeace Canada's Keith Stewart urged the city to pre-screen their ads. "Oil and gas companies want to block or delay action, which would reduce demand for the product they are selling," he told CNC. "Even though they know very well that the production and use of oil, coal and gas are the primary driver of the climate crisis." The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment urged city council to press forward with the pre-screening of fossil fuel advertisements to prevent the spread of misinformation.”

OPINION

Globe and Mail: Canada’s oil companies are falling short on climate
Editorial Board, 9/30/24

“In the nine years since late 2015, when Justin Trudeau became prime minister and countries around the world agreed to a landmark climate treaty in Paris, Canada’s production of oil and natural gas has continually climbed higher to new records,” the Globe and Mail Editorial Board writes. “...As output rose, the industry over several years has doled out tens of billions in profits to investors. But it is not delivering on its pledges to cut its voluminous greenhouse gas emissions… “For Canada to make significantly more progress, the oil industry must deliver on its promises. Instead, it appears to be moving slowly, and awaiting a possible change in government… “Meanwhile, Canadian Natural Resources and Suncor, the top two producers, have returned $19.6-billion to their investors in dividends and share buybacks, since just the start of last year. There is also a massive amount of public subsidies on offer: Ottawa and Alberta have put tax credits for carbon capture on the table worth roughly $15-billion for all industries but targeted at fossil fuels, the country’s leading export. Yet the oil sands group’s climate spending remains provisional. In March, they filed regulatory documents in Alberta for their carbon-capture project but haven’t disclosed spending this year. And following new rules on greenwashing in the Competition Act, the oil sands group and companies such as Canadian Natural and Suncor have hidden the bulk of their previous climate publications. Industry needs to be pushed, this space has argued repeatedly, and early policy work has been successful… “But the oil industry does not have an inspiring history on the environment, from Exxon’s decades of climate denial to the many old oil and gas wells on the Prairies that have not been cleaned up. Last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith talked of using public money to address the industry’s messy legacy. This has to change. The oil industry must heed its own declarations about a carbon-free future.”