EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/7/22
PIPELINE NEWS
NPR: An unfinished natural gas pipeline in West Virginia is back in the national spotlight
Bloomberg: Sen. Manchin's plan to fast-track energy projects, including MVP Pipeline in West Virginia, headed for showdown
Press release: More Than 80 Conservation Groups Urge Congress to Reject Mountain Valley Pipeline in Manchin Side Deal
Canadian Press: Michigan signals intent to appeal decision keeping Line 5 dispute in federal court
Manchester Press: Supervisors oppose CO2 pipeline
Bismarck Tribune: State investigators continue to probe cause of massive pipeline spill
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: EQT to acquire West Virginia companies for $5.2 billion, expanding pipeline reach
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: DNC weighs Manchin's permitting reform deal
InsideEPA: Energy Permitting Deal Seen Likely Despite Some Democrats’ Angst.
Bloomberg: Manchin Permit Deal May Snag Funding Talks
Oil and Gas Watch: Investigation: Carbon capture tax credits in climate bill riddled with verification failures and other problems
Reuters: Biden administration denies Cheniere's request to sidestep LNG pollution rule
Bloomberg: Federal Office Inks Contractor Deals to Help on Permitting
EXTRACTION
E&E News: EJ communities are wary as CCS racks up policy wins
Reuters: Exclusive: Scientists detect second 'vast' methane leak at Pemex oil field in Mexico
CLIMATE FINANCE
Financial Times: Deals pick up in US oil and gas patch among companies flush with cash
Wall Street Journal: Anti-ESG Activist Investor Urges Chevron to Increase Oil Production
OPINION
Ames Tribune: Opinion: Carbon capture project provides economic opportunities in central Iowa
Pilot Independent: Letter to the editor: Enbridge impact
PIPELINE NEWS
NPR: An unfinished natural gas pipeline in West Virginia is back in the national spotlight
LAURA BENSHOFF, 9/6/22
“To get Joe Manchin's vote on a budget bill, Democratic leaders promised to consider legislation that would help a natural gas pipeline get built in his state. But the pipeline still faces opposition,” NPR reports. “In a narrow valley in the Appalachian Mountains, Maury Johnson walks the land he says his family has farmed for generations… “He's become an activist fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline. At the bottom of the hill, he points out where construction stopped - a symbol of its opponents' success so far… “Manchin's offers released a one-page summary of energy permitting changes he bargained for in exchange for climate spending. It includes changing which court hears lawsuits over the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Joe Lovett, a local environmental attorney involved in many of those cases, told NPR that's concerning. “It undermines our judicial system, generally, to have the belief that powerful people, when they don't like decisions they're getting in a court, can then just change courts.” Manchin also wants changes to the environmental review process for other energy infrastructure projects and calls for the federal government to help finish the pipeline… “For the environmental community and certainly components of it, every incremental pipeline is one pipeline too many. Maury Johnson, the farmer we heard from earlier, is in that group. He's heading to Washington, D.C., later this week to join a protest against permitting legislation. And he's not going alone… Johnson says communities near fossil fuel infrastructure like Mountain Valley didn't get a say in the pipeline deal - and now, they want to be heard.”
Bloomberg: Sen. Manchin's plan to fast-track energy projects, including MVP Pipeline in West Virginia, headed for showdown
Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, 9/6/22
“Congress is headed for a showdown this month over Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s plan to fast-track federal approvals of energy projects ranging from natural gas pipelines to wind farms,” Bloomberg reports. “Manchin secured a pledge from congressional leaders to advance the legislation, but the proposal is already drawing fierce opposition from environmental activists and progressive Democrats, and the outcome is far from certain… “But even some of the measure’s champions doubt it would achieve the sweeping permitting reform that’s been promised. And it’s not clear that the legislation, which could be unveiled as soon as this week, will make it through Congress… “It’s basically an industry wish list that’s been around forever,” Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who chairs the Natural Resources Committee, told Bloomberg. “I don’t feel compelled to back this up simply because it was a deal that was made in the Senate.” Other Democrats insist they aren’t bound by the Schumer-Manchin agreement. “To pretend that all of our hands are tied because Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin cut a deal?” Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California, told Bloomberg. “Sorry, I don’t think it works that way.” Some Republicans, angry that Democrats jammed Manchin’s climate bill through the Senate on party lines, are also vowing to oppose the legislation even though it aligns with long-held energy industry priorities. Others tell Bloomberg the legislation won’t achieve the permitting overhaul that’s needed… “But environmentalists, many of whom are planning a Sept. 8 rally in opposition to the permitting reform deal steps away from the Capitol, counter that the reviews are as important now than ever.”
Press release: More Than 80 Conservation Groups Urge Congress to Reject Mountain Valley Pipeline in Manchin Side Deal
9/7/22
“More than 80 conservation groups sent a letter today urging congressional leadership to reject Sen. Joe Manchin’s proposal to fast-track the approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline as part of any “permitting reform” deal struck between Manchin and Democratic leaders. “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is an ecological and climate disaster that threatens one of the largest remaining wild landscapes in the eastern United States,” the groups’ letter said. “This destructive pipeline was rejected by the federal courts in part because of the devastation it would cause to endangered species and sensitive ecosystems along its path… A Congressional override and approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline would send a clear message that Congress is willing to ignore climate science when it is inconvenient, and species can go written off to the dustbin of extinction when it is politically expedient to do so. Thus, we urge you to reject these callous attempts by Sen. Manchin and the fossil fuel industry to ram through this irresponsible pipeline and any other fossil fuel project that will cause irreparable harm to our nation’s endangered wildlife and natural heritage.”
Canadian Press: Michigan signals intent to appeal decision keeping Line 5 dispute in federal court
9/6/22
“Michigan's chief law enforcement officer isn't quite ready to give up on getting the dispute over the cross-border Line 5 pipeline remanded back to state court,” the Canadian Press reports. “Attorney General Dana Nessel, whose strategy hinges on getting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's bid to shut down the Enbridge-owned pipeline heard at the state level, wants to appeal last month's decision to keep it in federal court. Michigan “believes that there is room for reasonable jurists to disagree with the court's holdings,” Nessel writes in a brief filed last week in support of her motion… “At issue for Nessel is last month's decision by Michigan District Court Janet Neff to reject her request to send the current legal action back to the circuit court level, where it originated in 2019… “Whitmer and environmentalists want it shut down, fearing that an anchor strike or technical failure would trigger a catastrophe in the ecologically delicate straits, which connect Lake Michigan to Lake Huron and separate Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas.”
Manchester Press: Supervisors oppose CO2 pipeline
Mike Putz, 9/7/22
“The Delaware County Board of Supervisors has sent a letter to the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) opposing a CO2 pipeline project proposed in Delaware County by Navigator Heartland Greenway, LLC,” the Manchester Press reports. “As a County, we stand for the health, safety and wellbeing of our residents and businesses for the present and future,” the letter said. The letter addressed concerns during the construction of the pipeline and the long-lasting effects of the ground as a result of the construction, citing long-term compaction, proper repair of damaged drain tile and future loss of crop yield. The letter also addressed the safety of the pipeline, noting that the pipeline operates at a pressure of 1,300 to 2,100 PSI, increasing the risks of leaks. “We feel the threats of personal safety from the proposed Navigator Heartland Greenway would cause undue burdens on public safety. As of 8/22/22, no contact had been made with our emergency management director and related emergency service providers. A CO2 pipeline through our county and adjoining counties would cause a need for additional emergency services, additional emergency training, and additional expense to prepare for an unfortunate event that could cause great harm.” The letter also addressed using eminent domain to secure property. “The threat of eminent domain by this private company is wrong. We strongly feel eminent domain should not be used for private companies to acquire property to construct, install, and operate the proposed Navigator Heartland Greenway CO2 pipeline.” At their meeting earlier in the week, supervisors heard from several concerned citizens who asked the supervisors to do what they can to stop the pipeline. John Hoffman shared his concerns, telling supervisors, “Right now there just isn’t enough information on safety factors. It’s less than two miles from some of these farms to town and to the schools. There wouldn’t be enough time to get everyone out of the school if there was a fractured line. Will the supervisors be held accountable for not digging into this and doing the research?”
Bismarck Tribune: State investigators continue to probe cause of massive pipeline spill
JACKIE JAHFETSON, 9/6/22
“State regulators continue to investigate the cause of the oilfield wastewater spill discovered last month in northwestern North Dakota that discharged more than 1.4 million gallons,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “Impacts to crop land have been reported, but no wildlife have been affected, according to state investigators. The initial spill report made by owner Hess Corp. on Aug. 15 was a leak of 8,400 gallons of produced water from a 6-inch flexible, steel-reinforced composite pipeline 8 miles north of Ray. Hess then updated the spill amount estimate on Aug. 19. Regulators have said the spill is believed to be among the largest in state history. Produced water is saltwater that can contain oil and drilling chemicals. There are no known surface water impacts from the spill, but there is evidence of localized groundwater contamination, Karl Rockeman, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Quality, told the Tribune. He estimated cleanup could take more than a year… “Evan Whiteford lives in the Ray area and raises more than 300 head of goats. His property is 2 miles northwest from where the pipeline spill occurred and has the closest occupied water well. Whiteford, who's with the Laborers International Union of North America North Dakota, told the Tribune he's an advocate for pipelines and it's an industry that has supported his family for several years. However, with his goat operations, he worries the spill will leak into his water system. "... To have a spill go off like this to go undetected, how bad is it? How is my groundwater? And everybody keeps saying, 'I'm upstream from the spill.' Well, who knows that?" Whiteford told the Tribune.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: EQT to acquire West Virginia companies for $5.2 billion, expanding pipeline reach
Anya Litvak, 9/6/22
“Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. announced a $5.2-billion deal to acquire oil and gas producer Tug Hill and pipeline company XcL Midstream with operations in West Virginia,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. “...Already the largest natural gas producer in the U.S., EQT’s expansion in Marshall and Wetzel counties would boost its daily gas volumes by about 15% if the deal closes as planned. EQT’s CEO Toby Rice, speaking to analysts on Tuesday evening, said Tug Hill is “the largest private operator remaining in southern Appalachia.” “...And, critically, it adds pipeline capacity to the company’s arsenal. XcL’s 97 miles of pipelines connect to eight interstate pipelines, which would expand EQT’s access to markets outside of Appalachia, where gas trades at a discount to the benchmark price set at the Henry Hub in Louisiana… “I admire his ability to execute on the plan he has outlined, and I believe in his future goals,” Mr. Radler said, specifically calling out Mr. Rice’s advocacy of increasing natural gas exports through the construction of new pipelines and liquified natural gas facilities. When asked how the acquisition would help advance those goals, Mr. Rice said: “We now have access to more pipelines. That’s helpful in allowing us to access more markets, including LNG markets.”
WASHINGTON UPDATES
Washington Post: DNC weighs Manchin's permitting reform deal
Maxine Joselow, 9/7/22
“The Democratic National Committee will vote this week on a resolution opposing a push by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) to overhaul the nation's permitting process for energy infrastructure,” the Washington Post reports. “Although the resolution is not expected to pass, it highlights a growing rift in the Democratic Party over permitting reform, a critical issue on the congressional agenda this fall… “In addition, the resolution urges Democratic leadership to hold a vote on the permitting bill as a stand-alone measure. Leadership is planning to attach the permitting bill to a stopgap funding measure that must pass by Sept. 30 to avert a government shutdown. The resolution was introduced by RL Miller, a DNC member from California and the founder of Climate Hawks Vote, a climate advocacy group. It has garnered support from Michelle Deatrick, chair of the DNC's Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis; Judith Whitmer, chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party; and Janet Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party… “In a letter to Harrison on Tuesday, 51 state and local Democratic officials urged support for the resolution, saying the permitting bill would threaten communities that are already “suffering from escalating heat waves, droughts, fires, storms, flooding, and extreme weather inflicted by the worsening climate emergency — overwhelmingly caused by the burning of fossil fuels.”
InsideEPA: Energy Permitting Deal Seen Likely Despite Some Democrats’ Angst.
9/6/22
“As Congress returns to Capitol Hill, environmentalists and other observers are expecting lawmakers to enact a promised bill to expedite permitting for various types of energy projects, though questions persist about whether a deal will occur this month or instead advance as part of a year-end appropriations bill,” InsideEPA reports. “‘Sadly, I think it is going to happen, and I think it is going to happen this month,’ one environmentalist critical of the emerging permitting overhaul legislation told InsideEPA. Similarly, Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), tells Inside EPA’s Climate Extra that the most likely scenario is that the Senate forces the House to pass a continuing resolution (CR) with stop-gap federal agency spending at the end of September, with the permitting bill attached to that legislation. For now, groups like his are ‘trying our best to explain how terrible the bill is likely to be, which is all we can do as we watch the upcoming train wreck.’ One industry source, however, is offering a somewhat different appraisal regarding the timeframe for advancing the permitting package. This source argues there is probably not enough time to reach an agreement in September, but that a deal is likely to be reached in either November or December, after the midterm elections.”
Bloomberg: Manchin Permit Deal May Snag Funding Talks
9/6/22
“Negotiations on a short-term government funding bill are set to begin as Congress returns from recess,” Bloomberg reports. “A potential blip could come from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who was promised by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) during talks on the tax, health, and climate deal (Public Law 117-169) that a measure easing permitting for federal energy projects like natural gas pipelines under the National Energy Policy Act would get a vote. That legislation could get included in the CR, which would chafe progressives wary of expedited pipeline approvals. Leaders are meeting privately with their caucuses tomorrow.”
Oil and Gas Watch: Investigation: Carbon capture tax credits in climate bill riddled with verification failures and other problems
Tom Pelton, 8/31/22
“Although the climate bill recently signed by President Joe Biden provides billions of dollars in additional tax incentives for carbon capture projects, about half of the carbon sequestration credits claimed by industry over the last decade were later revoked by the IRS because the companies failed to monitor or verify their capture of the greenhouse gas as required by EPA, according to public records,” OIl and Gas Watch reports. “From 2010 to 2019, companies claimed $894 million in federal tax credits for injecting carbon dioxide into the ground, “even though they did not have an EPA-approved MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) plan in place,” IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig wrote to Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey on June 29, 2020. “The IRS has pursued enforcement against some of those taxpayers, disallowing approximately $531 million of those credits.” “...At least 29 proposed oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities across the U.S. –including seven liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Louisiana and Texas; 12 nitrogen fertilizer plants across the U.S.; and three petrochemical and plastics plants – are planning to use carbon capture and sequestration techniques, according to a review of public records in the Oil &Gas Watch database… “The Inspector General reported that 10 companies claimed the lion’s share of the federal taxpayer subsidies, totaling more than $1 billion from 2010 to 2019. Of these 10, seven did not have monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) plans required by EPA to make sure the carbon dioxide was actually being captured and secured in the earth, according to the Inspector General’s Office.”
Reuters: Biden administration denies Cheniere's request to sidestep LNG pollution rule
Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom, 9/6/22
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Tuesday it has denied a request from leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG.A) to exempt turbines at its two U.S. Gulf Coast terminals from a hazardous pollution rule,” Reuters reports. “The rejection raises questions about whether the Texas-based company will have to reduce exports of the supercooled fuel to install new pollution control equipment at its facilities at a time that Europe is depending on increased shipments of LNG from the United States to offset cuts from Russia… "Though EPA is denying Cheniere's request for a special subcategory to comply with the turbines rule, the Agency will continue to work with them and with other companies as needed to assure they meet Clean Air Act obligations," EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll told Reuters. Owners and operators of gas turbines had a Sept. 5 deadline to comply with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), which the administration of President Joe Biden put into effect after an 18-year stay. The rule imposes curbs on emissions of known carcinogens like formaldehyde and benzene from stationary combustion turbines, like those used by LNG facilities. Cheniere had asked the Biden administration to exempt a specific kind of turbine that it installed at its LNG terminals from the NESHAP limits, arguing they would reduce shipments from the top U.S. exporter for an extended period and endanger the country's efforts to ramp up supplies to Europe.”
Bloomberg: Federal Office Inks Contractor Deals to Help on Permitting
9/2/22
“An independent federal consulting office has signed agreements with seven contractors to help agencies tap into a network of industry experts, easing the load on their environmental permitting staff,” Bloomberg reports. “The agreements announced on Thursday by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council are aimed at helping agencies inundated with project proposals funded by last year’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law (Public Law 117-58), which provided money for a vast range of roads, bridges, remediation work, and electric vehicle charging stations. The new basic order agreement is meant to create a “marketplace of General Service Administration-approved vendors that offer a wide variety of …”
EXTRACTION
E&E News: EJ communities are wary as CCS racks up policy wins
Jean Chemnick, 9/7/22
“Carbon capture and storage may finally be gaining traction as a way for power plants, natural gas terminals and industrial facilities to lower their emissions. But environmental justice advocates worry that it will become a lifeline for fossil fuels in a carbon-constrained world — one that comes at an unacceptable cost to the communities that have long suffered from the polluting facilities built next door,” E&E News reports. “It blocks communities suffering for decades with toxic pollution from being able to find a transition from that,” Monique Harden, assistant director for public policy at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) in New Orleans, told E&E. “Which would mean that those toxic emissions would continue, and CCS would serve as fig leaf cover justifying that continued pollution.” CCS has gone through years of false starts and abandoned investments. But this summer could be a turning point, thanks to a new climate law brimming with tax incentives for the technology. A Supreme Court decision curtailing EPA’s regulatory options — and nudging the administration to shift focus to on-site emission reductions — could further set the stage for CCS to be deployed more broadly. That makes environmental justice advocates wary. Not only could the application of CCS delay retirement of dirty infrastructure, they say, but it could lead to a boom in pipelines, which have historically been routed through poor and minority communities. “Pipelines are environmentally racist in the Gulf South,” Naomi Yoder, a member of the science team at Healthy Gulf in New Orleans, which with DSCEJ is opposing the introduction of liquefied natural gas terminals with CCS in the Gulf of Mexico, told E&E. “Pipelines have always been, and continue to be, sited and located disproportionately in communities with lower income and higher minority populations, and higher Indigenous populations.”
Reuters: Exclusive: Scientists detect second 'vast' methane leak at Pemex oil field in Mexico
Stefanie Eschenbacher, 9/2/22
“Satellites recorded another large methane leak at an offshore platform belonging to Mexico's Pemex in August, according to exclusive data shared with Reuters, even as pressure mounts on the state oil company to reduce these emissions,” Reuters reports. “...During these days, some 44,064 tons of methane were released into the atmosphere from the Zaap oil field in another "ultraemission", Irakulis-Loitxate estimated. This is equivalent to 3.7 million tons of CO2. Reuters was unable to determine the cause of the leak but experts have expressed concern over ailing infrastructure… “The work is part of a wider study funded by the European Space Agency, in which scientists are working to detect and quantify human-made emissions from space.”
CLIMATE FINANCE
Financial Times: Deals pick up in US oil and gas patch among companies flush with cash
Justin Jacobs and James Fontanella-Khan, 9/6/22
“US oil and natural gas producers have embarked on a number of new deals, looking to spend cash windfalls received after commodity prices surged after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the Financial Times reports. “EQT, the largest natural gas producer in the US, is nearing a deal worth about $5bn to buy rival THQ Appalachia, which produces gas and owns pipelines in the prolific Marcellus shale region in the north-east US, according to sources familiar with the talks… “On Tuesday, a $4.8bn tie-up was announced between two of the largest mineral and royalty rights holders in the Permian oilfield of Texas and New Mexico… “On Friday, oil supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell said they were selling their California-focused oil and gas producing venture, Aera Energy, to German asset manager IKAV for about $4bn. The uptick in deals comes as high energy prices deliver a record cash haul for producers and prompt investors to rethink oil and gas sector valuations. A recent report from the consultancy Deloitte said that US oil and gas groups are on pace to generate $275bn of free cash flow in 2022 and 2023, wiping out a decade of steep losses and transforming the finances of an industry that was ravaged by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic-driven commodity crash… “While oil and gas companies have seen an influx of cash, they remain under pressure from shareholders to keep a lid on spending on new drilling, instead funnelling money towards share buybacks, dividends and paying down debt. Analysts and bankers have said that oil and gas executives are also likely to turn to acquisitions to deploy cash, generate growth and consolidate a still fractured shale industry.”
Wall Street Journal: Anti-ESG Activist Investor Urges Chevron to Increase Oil Production
Amrith Ramkumar, 9/6/22
“A conservative activist turned investor who has criticized Wall Street’s efforts to address climate change and other issues is publicly urging Chevron Corp. to pump more fossil fuels over the next decade,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Vivek Ramaswamy, who launched an energy-focused exchange-traded fund nearly a month ago, is among the most prominent critics of so-called environmental, social and governance—or ESG—investing. He quickly turned his sights on Chevron, arguing the country’s second-biggest fossil-fuel company should slow spending on its energy-transition plan, which he said was partially motivated by pressure from top shareholders such as BlackRock Inc.” In the letter Tuesday to Chevron CEO Mike Wirth and the company’s board, Mr. Ramaswamy said he wanted to “liberate you from constraints imposed on Chevron by its ESG-promoting ‘shareholders.’ ” Mr. Ramaswamy writes that he looks forward to engaging with the company before next year’s proxy voting season… The author of “Woke, Inc.”, a book arguing businesses shouldn’t be affected by politics, Mr. Ramaswamy invested in Chevron through his Strive Asset Management’s ETF nearly a month ago. The ETF tracks an index of energy stocks. Strive, which counts investor Bill Ackman and tech executive Peter Thiel among its backers, is part of a pushback by conservatives against ESG investing.”
OPINION
Ames Tribune: Opinion: Carbon capture project provides economic opportunities in central Iowa
Lawrence Cunningham is board chair of the Ames Chamber of Commerce. Kevin Brooks is board chair of the Ames Economic Development Commission. Dan Culhane is president and CEO of the Ames Chamber of Commerce, 9/4/22
“Agriculture and ethanol are vital to Iowa’s economy, which is a point of pride for our Ames metropolitan statistical area. As a core industry in our region, including Lincolnway Energy in Nevada, it is important that we invest for future generations, and there is an opportunity to do that now through the Summit Carbon Solutions project,” Lawrence Cunningham, Kevin Brooks and Dan Culhane write for the Ames Tribune. “Both the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Ames Economic Development Commission Board of Directors are in support of the Summit Carbon Solutions investment in our region. The project will be a driving force in economic development and job creation for Story County and central Iowa… “Given that over half of Iowa's corn crop goes directly to local ethanol plants, this type of project must be a priority. Carbon capture and sequestration projects like this one will ensure our farmers continue to thrive by safeguarding ethanol's sustainability… “The economic value that this project brings to our area extends beyond ethanol. Implementing a project of this size will provide new jobs to our region throughout the construction process, but also long term to operate the pipeline. The positive economic impact will be felt by our hotels, restaurants, and numerous other businesses. Summit is also estimated to pay $1.5 million in new property taxes to the Story County that will filter down to support improvements in local schools and infrastructure.”
Pilot Independent: Letter to the editor: Enbridge impact
Mike Paulus, executive director, Cass County Economic Development Corporation, 9/6/22
“In 2020 and through 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic raged and the negative effects of the economic shutdown lingered, Enbridge stepped up to the plate and invested billions of dollars into the northern half of Minnesota,” Mike Paulus writes for the Pilot Independent. “With the Line 3 replacement, the Enbridge economic boost came at a time when businesses in our area were facing the very real potential outcome of cutting jobs or closing altogether. Until now, I could only generalize the economic impact of this massive Enbridge project, using anecdotes shared with me by business owners in Cass County. But with the release of an economic impact report by APEX, we have a clearer measure of the true economic outcome. According to the report, Enbridge made a $4 billion investment over the seven-year project. There was an additional $0.65 spent locally for each project dollar invested, for a value-added total of $2.2 billion. Of this amount, $132.1 million was spent on lodging, meals, and other incidentals. Whereas this data is not specific to Cass County but rather all of Northern Minnesota, I believe it effectively highlights the economic stimulus to our local economies during a period of otherwise bleak prospects.”