EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/21/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha Hears Iowa Counties’ & Landowners’ Defense of Ordinances Passed to Protect Communities from CO2 Pipelines

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: U.S. appeals court hears Summit case against Shelby and Story counties

• WOWT: Court hears arguments over Iowa counties’ carbon pipeline zoning ordinances

• KGAN: Iowa counties ask judge to reconsider letting their pipeline zoning ordinances take effect

• Politico: The Trump team’s plan to resuscitate a dead oil project

• Canadian Press: TC Energy CEO sees opportunity in Trump win as company refocuses on natural gas

• Sludge: Trump Taps Ex-Pipeline Lobbyist Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary

• Canadian Press: TC Energy announces four new projects totalling $1.5 billion in capital spending

• The Narwhal: ‘A casual coffee/beer’: docs reveal relationship between TC Energy and B.C. premier’s office

• Law360: FERC Made Climate Case For Tennessee Pipeline, DC Circ. Told

• Farm and Dairy: Enbridge Gas Ohio is fined $350,000 for violating pipeline safety regulations

• KSTU: Neighbors frustrated with gas company after South Jordan explosion report

• KIAH: Deer Park officials release updated statement regarding pipeline fire

• Washington Post: This substitute for lead pipes could carry its own risks

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Politico: Q&A: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, incoming EPW chair

• E&E News: Republicans plot rule-busting plans for next year

• E&E News: DOE writes big check for ‘clean’ hydrogen. Will Trump back it?

• Los Angeles Times: Native Americans Press Biden To Designate Three New National Monuments In California 

• The Hill: Lee to lead Senate Energy committee next year

• E&E News: Democrats prep for fight over top spot on Natural Resources

• Law360: Feds Defend BLM Authority In States’ Methane Rule Challenge 

STATE UPDATES

• Houston Chronicle: Texas carbon storage projects are in flux as Trump promises federal budget cuts

• E&E News: Pennsylvania ‘fast tracks’ project reviews, clears oil permit backlog

• KOKI: Lawsuit Alleges Oil And Gas Companies Are Cheating Native American Landowners In Eastern Oklahoma 

• Colorado Sun: Erie residents fend off Weld County oil wells that would have extended 5 miles under their town — for now

• S&P Global: Latest New Mexico Oil, Gas Lease Sale Attracts $5.5 Mil In High Bids 

• Grand Junction Sentinel: 10,390 Acres NW Of Meeker Considered For Oil, Gas Lease Sale 

• Houston Chronicle: Chris Wright is Trump’s pick for energy secretary. Here’s what he said about Houston and Texas.

• New Haven Independent: Oil Tank Biz Settles Fake-Inspection Case For $2M

EXTRACTION

• DeSmog: Havas Warns of Reputational Risks Over Fossil Fuel Clients Following Shell Backlash

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Guardian: ‘Capitalism incarnate’: inside the secret world of McKinsey, the firm hooked on fossil fuels

• Guardian: BlackRock accused of contributing to climate and human rights abuses

• Utility Dive: JPMorgan unveils ratio of green energy to high carbon financing following shareholder proposal

OPINION

• Inforum: Port: How much will lawfare against the Summit carbon pipeline cost taxpayers?

• Wisconsin State Journal: Enbridge’s Line 5 is too important to Wisconsin for delays 

• Arizona Daily Sun: Spotlight on Climate: Pipeline through Navajo perpetuates environmental justice
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha Hears Iowa Counties’ & Landowners’ Defense of Ordinances Passed to Protect Communities from CO2 Pipelines
11/20/24

“Landowners impacted by proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines attended oral arguments before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha on Wednesday, where Shelby and Story Counties in Iowa defended the ordinances passed by their elected board members to address concerns and challenges posed to existing and future infrastructure and development should hazardous CO2 pipelines be proposed for their communities,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. As the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has stated previously, and in fact recently reiterated in a Sept. 15, 2023 letter addressed directly to Summit CEO Lee Blank – “the responsibility for siting new carbon dioxide pipelines rests largely with the individual states and counties through which the pipelines will operate and is governed by state and local law.” “How hazardous pipelines are constructed, assembled and installed must follow uniform standards – these are known as safety standards. You don’t want a pipeline in Iowa to be constructed with different specifications than the pipeline it is connected to in Minnesota. But the idea of considering safety when determining commonsense county setbacks for hazardous infrastructure is totally different. The fact a county supervisor may have had a thought of safety as well as economic development in their mind when considering a county level ordinance is not and has nothing to do with federal “safety standards” – they are not the same. We feel confident federal law does not prevent the multi-century precedent of local governments ability to enact zoning regulations. Routing and locating CO2 pipelines is expressly up to the states through county ordinances and state permitting agencies,” said Brian Jorde, attorney for Iowa Easement Team with Omaha-based Domina Law Group who filed a “friend of the court” brief on behalf of impacted Iowa landowners, supporting the counties. “As a Shelby County landowner, I am grateful my county passed an ordinance to put the welfare of people before the wealth of a pipeline company. I’m proud they are fighting for us and hope the Court offers a just decision in our favor,” said Sherri Webb, an impacted landowner on the proposed Summit pipeline in Shelby County, Iowa. “We strongly believe counties know the needs of their communities best and have a right to enact ordinances regarding hazardous carbon pipelines. We deserve a voice in what happens in our communities. We hope the Court concurs,” said Emma Schmit, Pipeline Fighters Director, Bold Alliance.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: U.S. appeals court hears Summit case against Shelby and Story counties
Cami Koons, 11/20/24

“Judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit heard oral arguments Wednesday in Omaha for cases between Iowa counties and Summit Carbon Solutions, an Iowa-based company seeking to build a 2,000-mile carbon sequestration pipeline,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Shelby County and Story County had enacted county ordinances stipulating the proximity of hazardous liquid pipelines to residences and on providing emergency response plans in the event of a pipeline rupture… “Sherri Webb traveled to Omaha for the oral arguments from Shelby County, she told the Dispatch, because she felt her county did its job in enacting the ordinance to protect the land, the people and its character. “Why couldn’t they have done another route?” Webb told the Dispatch and noted she was concerned about erosion to her grandmother’s land. “We’re trying to save her land from being ruined.” Jason Craig argued on behalf of the counties on Wednesday at the Roman L. Hruska Federal Courthouse. “The district court erred and should be reversed because local land use regulations, zoning regulations, are not preempted safety standards under the Pipeline Safety Act,” Craig argued… “Craig said the thickness of a pipe, or the “actual design and construction of the pipeline” would be safety standards with federal oversight. The county ordinances pertained to the location of the pipeline, not how it would be constructed. “Summit is asking this court to basically expand the scope of the version of a preemption clause to hold that any local law that’s concerned with safety is preempted,” Craig said.”

WOWT: Court hears arguments over Iowa counties’ carbon pipeline zoning ordinances
Conner Hendricks, 11/20/24

“Two Iowa counties are asking a federal court to allow them to place zoning restrictions on proposed carbon capture pipelines,” WOWT reports. “…Some counties have placed zoning restrictions on the proposed pipeline, like requirements that it has to be a certain distance from a city due to safety concerns… “Attorneys for Shelby and Story Counties argue that the safety standards the feds have control over are things like the thickness of the pipe and how it’s welded, but local authorities have the ability to regulate the route. Jason Craig, an attorney representing the counties said, ”The statute is clear that routing and locations of pipelines is a separate field from those types of safety standards and states and local authorities have authority to regulate location and routing.”

KGAN: Iowa counties ask judge to reconsider letting their pipeline zoning ordinances take effect
Skylar Tallal, 11/20/24

“Three federal judges heard oral arguments Wednesday over whether or not Iowa counties could put in their own hazardous liquid pipeline ordinances,” KGAN reports. “Two Iowa counties appealed a federal judge’s decision to permanently block their zoning ordinances that would limit where Summit Carbon Solutions could build their pipelines… “Our role as county supervisors is to protect the health, the well-being and the property of our residents,” Steve Kenkel the Shelby County Supervisor told KGAN. “That’s what zoning ordinances do. So we want to make sure our economic development areas are protected, our tax base is protected.” “…Shelby County landowner Sherri Webb’s been fighting against the pipelines for the past three years. She drove more than an hour to be in the courtroom on Wednesday. Webb told KGAN she’s feeling better about the case, since the judges were very involved in the hearing and asked both sides multiple questions.”

Politico: The Trump team’s plan to resuscitate a dead oil project
Ben Lefebvre, 11/20/24

“Donald Trump is looking to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline on his first day back in the White House, according to three people familiar with the president-elect’s plan, even though no companies are trying to build it anymore,” Politico reports. “Trump believes declaring the 1,200-mile Canada-to-Nebraska crude project back on the table would drive the pro-oil message he delivered in his campaign, people involved in the transition team discussions about the idea told Politico. Trump also wants to show he can defy President Joe Biden, who reversed Trump’s initial 2017 approval of the project, which was strongly opposed by the climate movement. “It’s on the list of things they want to do first day,” one of the people familiar with Trump’s plan, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, told Politico. But Trump’s renewed interest in the pipeline faces a sharply different reality now than existed than when he first entered office… “After that, TC Energy, the pipeline’s developer, said it would no longer pursue its construction. Calgary-based TC Energy no longer owns the pipeline system that the Keystone XL was intended to complement. And the portions of the pipeline that TC Energy had put in the ground in both Canada and the United States in anticipation of the cross-border permit approval have been dug up. Replacing that pipe would require any company that wants to rebuild it to again obtain local permits for the project. And since Keystone XL’s demise, U.S. oil output has surged to record levels, making the economic case for the Canadian crude shipments to the Gulf Coast less attractive… “How to get the pipeline built given the original project has ceased to exist was a topic the transition team was discussing, a second person familiar with effort told Politico. But the pro-oil message it would send was something Trump was interested in delivering, the person told Politico, even if an actual pipeline didn’t materialize right away… “Any company building the pipeline would have to once again acquire land for the pipeline route, at least in Nebraska, Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and head of Bold Alliance, a progressive group that fought against Keystone XL the first time around, told Politico. That could once again raise bad feelings even among conservative landowners fearful about a private company’s use of eminent domain rights to gain access to land, Kleeb added. “They can try, but they’ll be starting from scratch,” Kleeb told Politico. “When the federal permit got revoked, we just didn’t celebrate — we went all the way through the court system to make sure the easements were returned to landowners” in Nebraska… “Andy Lipow, head of oil market consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates told Politico the current oil market conditions don’t support undertaking what would be a multibillion-dollar pipeline… “A lot of the impetus for Keystone XL that we had seen in years past is not there today,” Lipow told Politico.

Canadian Press: TC Energy CEO sees opportunity in Trump win as company refocuses on natural gas
Amanda Stephenson, 11/19/24

“Donald Trump’s return to the White House is good news for Canada’s energy sector and an opportunity for TC Energy Corp., the CEO of the Calgary-based pipeline company said Tuesday,” the Canadian Press reports. “François Poirier made the comments in a phone interview following TC Energy’s investor day presentation in Toronto. He told CP the former U.S. president’s re-election has been “top of mind” for the company, which has a network of natural gas pipelines in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico… “Keystone was then revived under the first Trump administration, before President Joe Biden killed it again by revoking the pipeline’s permit on his first day as president in 2021. Last month, TC Energy completed the spinoff of its crude oil pipeline business into a new company called South Bow Corp., and as a result, TC is no longer the owner of the Keystone system. South Bow “supports efforts to transport more Canadian crude oil to meet U.S. demand,” the company told CP in an emailed statement provided Tuesday by spokeswoman Katie Stavinoha. “South Bow’s long-term strategy is to safely and efficiently grow our business,” the statement said. But Poirier told CP the Alberta government has already reached out to TC in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, keen to see if that project could be revived or if there are other ways to increase Alberta’s oil and gas pipeline export volumes to the U.S… “We’ve had high-level conversations (with the Alberta government) around Keystone XL. We did mention that project is owned by South Bow … and for conversations around increasing the export of crude oil from Alberta, that would be for South Bow to consider,” Poirier told CP. “Our conversations have been more around expanding access to U.S. markets for natural gas — both for export to international markets as well as into the U.S. markets, particularly in the northwest and the Midwest of the U.S. where Canadian natural gas has important market share.”

Sludge: Trump Taps Ex-Pipeline Lobbyist Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary
David Moore, 11/20/24

“President-elect Trump has tapped Sean Duffy, a former congressman and lobbying firm principal, to lead the Department of Transportation, overseeing the largest greenhouse gas emissions-producing sector of the United States,” Sludge reports. “Trump’s nomination of Duffy was a bit unexpected given Duffy’s lack of experience on transportation issues, though not wholly unusual for the department’s heads. Duffy does have some previous contacts with the Department of Transportation, though: Duffy has lobbied the DOT for pipeline giant Enterprise Products Partners, among other clients that fall under its rules.”

Canadian Press: TC Energy announces four new projects totalling $1.5 billion in capital spending
Amanda Stephenson, 11/19/24

“TC Energy Corp. announced it is going ahead with a total of about $1.5 billion in capital spending across four new projects,” the Canadian Press reports. “As part of an investor day presentation, the company says it has sanctioned two projects on its Columbia Gulf System in the U.S. that will help with the coal-to-gas conversion at two existing power plants. It says it will spend US$400 million on its Pulaski project and US$400 million on its Maysville project. Each project is underpinned by 20-year take-or-pay contracts, with estimated in-service dates in 2029. TC Energy also says it has sanctioned the US$300 million Southeast Virginia Energy Storage Project which has a targeted in-service date of 2030. In Ontario, the company says its share of the capital required at an expansion at Bruce Power is about $175 million.”

The Narwhal: ‘A casual coffee/beer’: docs reveal relationship between TC Energy and B.C. premier’s office
Matt Simmons, 11/20/24

“In April 2023, François Poirier, president and CEO of Calgary-based TC Energy, wrote a letter to B.C. Premier David Eby, applauding the NDP government’s decision to approve Cedar LNG, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility that will be built by the Haisla Nation in Kitimat, B.C.,” The Narwhal reports. “Poirier noted in the letter how TC Energy was “closely reviewing with great interest” the province’s plans to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector — announced hours after approving Cedar LNG. The fossil fuel executive also asked the premier for a meeting to discuss “how the province and TC Energy can work together to support efforts to combat climate change in B.C. and around the globe.” “…While Poirier’s letter reflects what the energy company has publicly stated about its priorities, some other correspondence reveals TC Energy also pressed provincial officials for a more casual partnership between industry and government. “I’d like to take the time to meet with you before the … meeting to allow you and I to say hi : ) and the opportunity to learn more about the project, our partnership with Nisg̱a’a and our net-zero plans,” then TC Energy lobbyist Liam Iliffe wrote in an email to a senior staffer in the premier’s office on June 22, 2023, adding, “I’d love to grab a more casual coffee/beer in Victoria or Vancouver soon.” Revelations about the “casual coffee/beer” invitation come in the wake of reporting earlier this year by The Narwhal about how some TC Energy executives described their strategies and tactics to influence public policy decisions on internal calls. Company officials discussed how those tactics could include setting up casual or seemingly serendipitous meetings with influential politicians and senior bureaucrats, writing up briefing notes and persuading governments that their priorities aligned with what the company wanted. Nicolas Graham, an academic who studies corporate influence on government climate policies, told the Narwhal the “tone and tenor of the relationship” described in the email correspondence suggests TC Energy and the provincial government are working in a “kind of partnership” rather than working at “arm’s length.” “It does suggest a certain closeness,” Graham, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of British Columbia’s sociology department, told The Narwhal. “Does maintaining those relationships across or between governments have an influence or impact? We can only say that it’s very likely. Industry wouldn’t do it if they didn’t think that it had an effect.”

Law360: FERC Made Climate Case For Tennessee Pipeline, DC Circ. Told
Madeline Lyskawa, 11/20/24

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission properly considered the climate change benefits of a Tennessee pipeline project that will serve a Tennessee Valley Authority gas-fired power plant set to replace a coal-fired power plant, the project’s developers and customers told the D.C. Circuit,” Law360 reports. 

Farm and Dairy: Enbridge Gas Ohio is fined $350,000 for violating pipeline safety regulations
Liz Partsch, 11/20/24

“Enbridge Gas Ohio will pay $350,000 for violating state and federal natural gas pipeline safety regulations in a recent settlement agreement with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio,” Farm and Dairy reports. “Enbridge Gas Ohio, formerly known as Dominion Energy, has violated pipeline safety regulations several times since 2012, which previously resulted in three explosions. The most recent set of violations pertains to the company’s pipeline operations across Ohio. This includes a failure to maintain proper construction, abide by necessary procedures and ensure proper qualifications for outside contractors. PUCO staff conducted a routine inspection at several Enbridge Gas Ohio locations between February and March 2023 and found several issues, including 36 instances of exposed pipelines… “State Fire Marshall and PUCO investigators determined the explosion was a result of two gas line pressure regulators that failed on a village street. This sent highly pressurized gas from delivery lines into homes. The incident was the result of improperly designed regulators and the lack of an annual safety inspection, according to PUCO. Dominion Energy estimated a cost of $1.3 million in damages. PUCO later fined the company $500,000.”

KSTU: Neighbors frustrated with gas company after South Jordan explosion report
Jenna Bree, 11/20/24

“David Hanson says he speaks for all his neighbors: they want Enbridge Gas to give them answers,” KSTU reports. “It’s just a deep sense of frustration that that could have been prevented and that it could have been any one of us,” he told KSTU. “The shock and general feeling that’s been shared with me is deep concern that we have heard nothing.” In Enbridge’s investigation after the Nov. 6 explosion, Enbridge found a leak on a line and what it called subsurface gas between the main gas line and two homes, including the one that exploded, according to The National Transportation Safety Board’s report. Enbridge also detected gas in the atmosphere of the home next door after the accident. “One would have thought that Enbridge would have been out here knocking on doors and informing us they’ve been in our yards, putting sniffers into the soil, still finding gas apparently, but have shared no information with any of the neighbors,” Hanson told KSTU. “This event could have been my house as easily or any of my neighbors’ houses.”

KIAH: Deer Park officials release updated statement regarding pipeline fire
Todd Travon Rogers, 11/21/24

“The City of Deer Park officials released a statement regarding the update on the Energy Transfer Pipeline explosion that took place in September,” KIAH reports. “According to the update, it has not been determined whether the cause of the explosion was intentional. Officials have not received the Medical Examiner’s report and until then, Deer Park Police Department will not be able to conclude the criminal investigation.”

Washington Post: This substitute for lead pipes could carry its own risks
Amudalat Ajasa,11/20/24

“As water utilities mobilize to replace millions of lead pipes across the country, they are sometimes choosing plastic, which some advocates worry can pose its own risks to drinking water,” the Washington Post reports. “Last month, the Biden administration finalized a landmark rule requiring the removal of all lead pipes within a decade, a decision that has renewed awareness of materials often used in their place. One common substitute is polyvinyl chloride, which is made from the chemical vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen. There is an ongoing debate about the amount of vinyl chloride that’s in PVC pipes and whether the substance can leach into drinking water. Many industry and water officials argue plastic pipes pose no health risks. Yet, environmental advocates are sounding the alarm about the threat of exposure through drinking water. They point to instances such as the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which spotlighted the threat of vinyl chloride when massive plumes of the chemical were sent into the air. Vinyl chloride has been linked with liver, brain, lung and breast cancer, and other health problems. “Communities that are installing PVC pipes are going to be right back where they were with lead pipes in toxicity,” Judith Enck, who heads the advocacy group Beyond Plastics and whose organization called PVC pipes a “regrettable substitution” for lead ones in a 2023 report, told the Post. “Let’s not relive the whole saga with what we’ve seen with lead pipes.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Politico: Q&A: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, incoming EPW chair
Josh Siegel, 11/20/24

“Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is planning to roll back elements of the Democrats’ climate law as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee next year, eliminating “frivolous” spending while pushing to keep the parts that have created new clean energy jobs,” Politico reports. “In an interview with POLITICO, the West Virginia Republican laid out her priorities, including digging into a permitting rules overhaul and maintaining a focus on helping nuclear power grow — an area that’s also drawn support from Democrats on the committee… “Capito told Politico she’s hoping to move legislation streamlining permitting reviews through the National Environmental Policy Act — including potentially including measures in a filibuster-proof reconciliation package Republicans are expected to pursue early next year to extend the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts. But she acknowledged Republicans won’t be able to “claw back” grants the EPA has distributed to recipients through the Inflation Reduction Act, including $27 billion under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a “green bank” to help fund clean energy projects in low-income areas that often struggle to attract private sector financing… “We’re going to look at permitting reform, which has to be done to meet the energy demands… “Should Republicans hold out on permitting action until next year and not in the lame duck? Senate Energy Chair Joe Manchin told me he’s contemplating changes to his bill, including NEPA reform, to entice Republicans and that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to pass a bill while Democrats still have Senate control. We have to have NEPA reform so we can move projects along. That comes out of my committee. We’re not skirting any environmental regulations, but we have issues of timeline and legal pushback. So [I want] some judicial reform for all projects, not just energy. The ones that Manchin [put] in his permitting bill [are] only focused on energy projects. We have transportation issues. We have manufacturing issues, broadband, siting, all of these different things that we’re trying to permit have issues… “Do I think we can get something by the end of the year? I’m fully supportive of what Manchin and [Sen. John] Barrasso have done on the Energy Committee, but I do think we can go bigger after the first of the year, and we may be able to incorporate some of this into reconciliation, so that may be a better strategy.”

E&E News: Republicans plot rule-busting plans for next year
Kelsey Brugger, 11/20/24

“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared Tuesday that Republicans are plotting to use the Congressional Review Act to kill Biden administration rules,” E&E News reports. “The Kentucky Republican, who’s stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, said the incoming Senate majority was preparing to use the CRA “to rein in Washington bureaucrats’ expensive interpretation of the powers over working Americans.” “Under the Biden administration, Democrats have worked relentlessly to resurrect the Obama administration’s regulatory regime,” he told E&E, “from student loan socialism to job-killing energy policies to blatant infringements on property rights.” The CRA allows Congress to undo rules issued within a certain amount of time. Only simple majority votes are required in the House and Senate, and the president’s signature. A number of recently issued rules or upcoming Biden administration actions are vulnerable.”

E&E News: DOE writes big check for ‘clean’ hydrogen. Will Trump back it?
Carlos Anchondo, Brian Dabbs, 11/21/24

“The Department of Energy’s announcement Wednesday of $2.2 billion in new “clean” hydrogen funding is renewing questions about the future of the low-carbon industry after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January,” E&E News reports. “DOE said it’s committing up to $1.2 billion in federal cost share for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub and as much as $1 billion to the Midwest Hydrogen Hub (MachH2) — two pledges meant to cement the Biden administration’s ambition to build up the U.S. sector… “The two hubs are part of a $7 billion Biden administration effort to jump-start the nascent industry using funds from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. The administration considers clean hydrogen to include “blue” hydrogen, which involves burning fossil fuels and trapping the emissions through carbon capture and storage, as well as “green” hydrogen made with renewables and “pink” hydrogen produced with nuclear power… “For the Midwest hub, planned production sites are located in Michigan, Illinois, Indian and Iowa, according to a department fact sheet. The plan envisions using wind, natural gas and nuclear power for hydrogen production to decarbonize power generation, as well as heavy industries like steel. The hub, which is led by the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, would create approximately 12,000 jobs over its lifetime, DOE said. Project sites for the Gulf Coast hub are located in the Houston area and in South Texas. Led by HyVelocity, the hub plans to produce hydrogen from both low-carbon sources and natural gas tied to carbon capture. DOE said the Gulf Coast hub would create roughly 45,000 jobs over the project’s lifetime. While DOE’s pledge for the two hubs is $2.2 billion, the department awarded roughly $22 million to each project Wednesday to launch their initial respective phases, which includes “planning, design, and community and labor engagement” work… “It’s unclear how much hydrogen and other infrastructure funding could be rescinded administratively or through new legislation in a Republican Congress next year. Trump’s views on hydrogen hubs are not fully known, although his campaign website criticizes the fuel as “untested” and “plagued with safety and effectiveness concerns.”

Los Angeles Times: Native Americans Press Biden To Designate Three New National Monuments In California 
Lila Seidman, 11/19/24

“A Native American-led coalition is pressing the Biden administration to designate three new national monuments in California, with some fearing the chance to protect these areas from mining, drilling and logging could be jeopardized after President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The lands being sought for monument status encompass more than 1.2 million acres, the largest being the proposed Chuckwalla national monument on more than 620,000 acres stretching from the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea to the Colorado River. Backers led by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and other tribes also want neighboring Joshua Tree National Park expanded by nearly 18,000 acres. In addition, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is seeking to establish the 390,000-acre Kw’tsán national monument on nearby desert lands in the southeast corner of California, abutting the Colorado River and hugging the border with Mexico. And the Pit River Nation is requesting designation for roughly 200,000 acres of their ancestral territory and spiritual sites in Sáttítla, or the Medicine Lake Highlands, which encompasses striking volcanic formations in Northern California.”

The Hill: Lee to lead Senate Energy committee next year
Rachel Frazin, 11/19/24

“Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) will lead the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next year,” The Hill reports. “He’ll take over for the panel’s current top Republican, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who will become the upper chamber’s No. 2 Republican next year.  Current Chairman Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) is retiring. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will take over as ranking member.”

E&E News: Democrats prep for fight over top spot on Natural Resources
Emma Dumain, Kelsey Brugger, 11/21/24

“House Democrats, still smarting from their Election Day losses, are now faced with a divisive internal fight to lead a key committee,” E&E News reports. “That’s because Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) formally announced his intent to run for ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. That bid would require him to go up against the panel’s current top Democrat, Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, who returned to Washington this week after a seven-month absence getting treatment for lung cancer. If Huffman goes through with his plans, it will mark the first time in nearly 16 years that a member has sought to take another colleague’s committee leadership position and bring it to a vote. That last happened in 2008, when then-Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) wrested the Energy and Commerce gavel from then-Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who had been serving as the top Democrat on the panel since 1981. Huffman is busy preparing. He has launched a whip operation ahead of an internal vote in December, and he and his allies are pointing out that he has widely outperformed Grijalva when it comes to fundraising and dues-paying.”

Law360: Feds Defend BLM Authority In States’ Methane Rule Challenge 
Rae Ann Varona, 11/19/24

“The Biden administration has urged a North Dakota federal court to grant it a summary judgment win in five states’ lawsuit challenging a new rule aimed at cracking down on natural gas waste, defending the rule’s creation as being well within the Bureau of Land Management’s statutory authority,” Law360 reports. “The U.S. Department of the Interior argued in a motion for summary judgment filed Friday that contrary to what a North Dakota-led alliance of states has argued, the rule was merely a ‘careful and modest update’ to long-standing — but outdated and burdensome — BLM regulations.”

STATE UPDATES

Houston Chronicle: Texas carbon storage projects are in flux as Trump promises federal budget cuts
James Osborne, 11/20/24

“Off the coast of Texas, geologists are scanning the sea floor for what they hope will be the next big thing in energy development — undersea storage sites for carbon dioxide emissions,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “But first, developers must convince President-elect Donald Trump, a noted climate change skeptic, to support a technology reliant on tax incentives that could cost the federal government billions of dollars a year by 2030. Companies including Exxon Mobil, BP and Chevron, which are already in the early stages of developing carbon storage projects in the Gulf of Mexico, are lobbying for Trump to continue an $85 per ton tax credit for carbon storage signed into law in 2022 by the Biden administration. “These are important projects to decarbonize our industries and make our products more attractive. Regardless of what people in this country think of climate change, the world does take (carbon intensity) into consideration,” Alex Tiller, CEO of Carbonvert, a carbon storage developer with projects off the coast of Corpus Christi and western Louisiana, told the Chronicle. “I think this is an area where he might not take a sledgehammer to the incentive structure.” The Trump transition team declined to comment for this story. Some in Washington are unsure that Trump will continue to support a technology that has struggled to gain commercial traction after more than 15 years of federal support.  The oil companies developing carbon storage in the Gulf are among Trump’s largest donors, but the president-elect is also under pressure to rein in spending. “It may mean if a cow isn’t sacred, it gets slaughtered,” Bob McNally, president of the Rapidan Group, a Washington consulting firm, told the Chronicle. “I don’t think (carbon capture and storage) is as sacred to Republicans and the oil industry as other cows, so to speak.” “…Permitting delays crept into the process, and made investment much less likely,” Charles McConnell, executive director at the University of Houston’s Center for Carbon Management in Energy, told the Chronicle. “The problem is the Biden administration in put a much of money out there, but let the EPA sit on their hands.”

E&E News: Pennsylvania ‘fast tracks’ project reviews, clears oil permit backlog
Adam Aton, 11/20/24

“Pennsylvania is expanding “fast track” permitting for energy, infrastructure and other major economic development projects,” E&E News reports. “Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Tuesday to launch he Pennsylvania Permit Fast Track Program, which aims to offer a more unified permitting process for complex projects. While major projects would still be subject to the same reviews they are today, the state would do more to coordinate information, meetings and timelines across agencies. Drawing inspiration from a federal program, the effort progress will be tracked on a public dashboard. Shapiro’s executive order builds on a state pilot program that applied the system to three projects, including the Martinsburg Community Digester, a community-scale effort to convert manure from 10 dairy farms into biogas.”

KOKI: Lawsuit Alleges Oil And Gas Companies Are Cheating Native American Landowners In Eastern Oklahoma 
11/19/24

“The Indian Law attorneys at mctlaw filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Native Americans for breach of trust and unconstitutional action in regard to their natural gas resources,” KOKI reports. “The case includes the heirs to an allotment located on the Choctaw reservation in eastern Oklahoma and addresses issues in how government officials have managed oil and gas leases under the 1947 Stigler Act. Members of the Five Civilized Tribes were given individual land allotments in Oklahoma in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These allotments were expected to be protected under federal law, requiring federal approval for any leasing or sale. One of these land allotments was given to Noel Pope, a full-blood Choctaw, in 1903. The 89-acre plot contained natural gas, which was discovered around 1930. Oil and gas companies have operated on the land through leases with the Pope family since then.”

Colorado Sun: Erie residents fend off Weld County oil wells that would have extended 5 miles under their town — for now
Mark Jaffe, 11/20/24

“This was the dilemma state oil and gas regulators faced: A proposed oil and gas development was overseen by Weld County, but the impacts would be on residents in the town of Erie, which had no direct say over the plan,” the Colorado Sun reports. “The solution: Go back to the drawing board and look at another site where Erie, not Weld County, would be able to approve and call for changes to the Extraction Oil and Gas drilling plan. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission found itself juggling issues of jurisdiction, balancing oil and gas development with new suburban neighborhoods and its own priorities on how to protect residents from the impacts of drilling. Their solution on Nov. 15 was a temporary stay on Extraction’s application and urging the company to consider an alternative site for the Draco pad within Erie, enabling the town to more directly oversee the drilling plan… ”Faced with the opposition and the lack of town oversight, the commission stayed the plan and advised Extraction to work with Erie on an alternative site in the town, which the company had initially rejected.”

S&P Global: Latest New Mexico Oil, Gas Lease Sale Attracts $5.5 Mil In High Bids 
Starr Spencer, 11/20/24

“New Mexico’s latest monthly state oil and gas lease sale attracted $5.5 million in high bids Nov. 19 — lower than the last few sales but higher than others earlier in 2024, post-auction records released by the State Land Office showed,” S&P Global reports. “The second-highest offer of the auction was $1.24 million, or 22% of the total high bids, placed by Federal Abstract Co. — a frequent bidder in New Mexico state land sales. Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Federal Abstract provides complete records of the chain of title and interest holders in a lease on federal, state and indigenous lands. The Federal Abstract bid, plus the Dudley bid, together accounted for two-thirds of the total $5.5 million in high bids.”

Grand Junction Sentinel: 10,390 Acres NW Of Meeker Considered For Oil, Gas Lease Sale 
Dennis Webb, 11/18/24

“The Bureau of Land Management is considering offering nearly 10,400 acres northwest of Meeker in an oil and gas lease sale next year,” the Grand Junction Sentinel reports. “The agency has begun a 30-day period to gather initial public comments on a proposal to possibly offer 13 parcels in Colorado totaling 12,115 acres in a lease sale next September. Some of the acreage is in eastern Colorado, but 10,390 acres lies primarily in Rio Blanco County, with one 998-acre parcel straddling the Rio Blanco/Moffat county line. The parcels lie on both sides of the White River and stretch from roughly a quarter of the way to half-way between Meeker and Rangely. Three of the northwest Colorado parcels involve split estates, where the federal government owns the underlying minerals but not the land above them. A 16.67% royalty rate will apply to any production from the leases, up from a previous rate of 12.5% for federal wells. The higher lease rate is included in a BLM leasing rule and reflects direction from Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the BLM says.” 

Houston Chronicle: Chris Wright is Trump’s pick for energy secretary. Here’s what he said about Houston and Texas.
Claire Goodman, 11/19/24

“President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Chris Wright, a CEO of a fracking company, as his pick for secretary of the Department of Energy,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “…Wright is the CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, which has ties to Houston. Here are some things he’s said about issues related to Houston and Texas… “Wright in 2022 told the Texas Public Policy Foundation that he thinks the climate crisis is “a false and dishonest narrative” and that there is “no meaningful trend” in weather patterns like hurricanes, in a speech to the foundation… “The summary on extreme weather is that hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, floods: there’s no meaningful trend in any of that,” Wright said. “The risk of death from extreme weather is perhaps the lowest it’s ever been, yet the fear and anxiety of it has never been worse.” “…The fossil fuels extracted from fracking, Wright said, are key to offering clean and safe energy to global communities. “A third of humanity cook their daily means burning wood, dung and agricultural waste,” Wright said in a TexTalk summit. “That’s about 10 million deaths a year, simply because of lack of access to basic energy.”

New Haven Independent: Oil Tank Biz Settles Fake-Inspection Case For $2M
Thomas Breen, 11/19/24

“An oil tank operator in New Haven’s industrial port has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a state lawsuit that accused the company of falsifying inspection reports and undertaking construction and demolition without pulling the proper permits,” the New Haven Independent reports. “State Attorney General William Tong, state Department of Energy and Environmental Policy (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes, and Mayor Justin Elicker announced that settlement Tuesday morning at a press conference held on the second floor of the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf… “That lawsuit accuses Pike Fuels, formerly known as Gulf Fuels, of flouting the state’s clean-air law and other Connecticut environmental regulations in its operation of a bulk petroleum distribution terminal located at 500 Waterfront St. in the Annex… ”The proposed settlement would assess $1.2 million as a ​“civil penalty” against Pike Fuels.”

EXTRACTION

DeSmog: Havas Warns of Reputational Risks Over Fossil Fuel Clients Following Shell Backlash
Ellen Ormesher, 11/13/24

“Paris-based advertising giant Havas has warned investors of the reputational risks associated with its work for fossil fuel companies in the latest fall-out from its decision to work with UK oil major Shell,” DeSmog reports. “Havas, whose CEO Yannick Bolloré had repeatedly voiced concern over the climate crisis, faced criticism from climate advocates last September when news broke that one of its agencies, Havas Media, had won a major Shell advertising contract. In July, B Lab — the nonprofit that awards “B Corp” status for high environmental, ethical and governance standards — withdrew the certification from four other Havas agencies in response to complaints raised over the Shell deal. In a prospectus for a listing on the Dutch stock exchange, Havas disclosed risks including that it “may fall short of stakeholder expectations relating to ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations” in ways that could “materially adversely impact the Group’s business.” Havas said that it was likely to continue to face “negative publicity” based on the identity of its clients, including those in the fossil fuel, defense, tobacco, and alcohol sectors, as a result of “the public’s (or certain segments of the public’s) view of those clients.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Guardian: ‘Capitalism incarnate’: inside the secret world of McKinsey, the firm hooked on fossil fuels
Ben Stockton, Hajar Meddah, 11/20/24

“For American consulting giant McKinsey & Company, its advising on this project appears to be making good on the firm’s green promises. But behind closed doors, it has also helped the Saudi kingdom find lucrative ways to keep its oil industry afloat,” the Guardian reports. “While the identities of the firm’s clients and how much they pay for its advice are closely guarded secrets, documents analysed by the Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR) and the Guardian reveal that Neom accounted for at least 5% of McKinsey’s revenue in the United Arab Emirates in 2023. Meanwhile, state-owned Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil company by output, accounted for between 1% and 5% of McKinsey’s UAE revenue in the same period. (McKinsey’s operation in the UAE is a major hub for its work across the Middle East.) Aramco’s CEO earlier this year described the phase-out of oil as a “fantasy” that should be abandoned. McKinsey has even quietly worked on a government program which aims to keep poorer nations hooked on Saudi oil, sources alleged. It’s just one example of the firm claiming to help the world move to cleaner energy while quietly advising its clients on boosting fossil fuel production or sales… “Entities the firm identifies as having “client connections” with McKinsey include the operator of one of the world’s largest open pit coalmines; companies exploiting Canada’s dirty oil sands; and Koch Industries, the wealth generated from which has been used to thwart action on the climate crisis for decades, critics say, through the creation and support of thinktanks and climate-denial groups. “In a year set to be the hottest on record, it is unconscionable to have a clientele list that reads as the ‘whodunit’ of the climate crisis,” Rachel Rose Jackson from campaign group Corporate Accountability told the Guardian . “The more [McKinsey] continues to partner closely with and profit from the very actors condemning people and the planet, the more complicit it becomes.”

Guardian: BlackRock accused of contributing to climate and human rights abuses
Jonathan Watts, 11/20/24

“BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset management company, faces a complaint at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for allegedly contributing to environmental and human rights abuses around the world through its investments in agribusiness,” the Guardian reports. “Friends of the Earth US and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil accuse BlackRock of increasing investments in companies that have been implicated in the devastation of the Amazon and other major forests despite warnings that this is destabilising the global climate, damaging ecosystems and violating the rights of traditional communities. The complaint, revealed exclusively to the Guardian, was filed under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which are recommendations from governments to private companies on responsible business conduct. In the absence of legally binding international regulations, these are seen as a reference for corporate accountability… “We hope this complaint prompts BlackRock to fulfill its obligations under international frameworks and steer investment away from agribusinesses driving climate chaos and gross human rights abuses,” Gaurav Madan, senior forest and land rights campaigner at Friends of the Earth US, told the Guardian… “Conservation organisations and Indigenous peoples have repeatedly asked BlackRock to stop financing companies that deforest the Amazon and violate communities’ land rights, Dinamam Tuxá, executive coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), told the Guardian. “BlackRock has failed to prevent its investments from endangering entire peoples’ way of life,” he said in a statement. “For the sake of our future, we call on BlackRock to stop making excuses and stop funding companies driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, and violence against our communities.”

Utility Dive: JPMorgan unveils ratio of green energy to high carbon financing following shareholder proposal
Lamar Johnson, 11/19/24

“JPMorgan Chase spent $1.29 supporting solutions that contribute to green energy solutions for every dollar it spent financing high-carbon intensive or unabated fossil fuel supply in 2023, the bank shared earlier this month.” Utility Dive reports. “The calculation includes its lending, facilitation and tax oriented financing for zero- and low carbon power generation, low-carbon fuels and other solutions, compared to its financing for things including oil and gas refining and coal, oil and natural gas power, according to a methodology released Thursday, the same day the bank released its annual climate report… “The green financing ratio disclosure was prompted by a shareholder proposal New York City Comptroller Brad Lander submitted to the bank. This proposal was also submitted to four other major U.S. banks and the Royal Bank of Canada, in the spring. JPMorgan was the first to agree to publish the ratio, a decision that followed “extensive engagement” with shareholders, the bank’s CEO Jamie Dimon said in the climate report. Lander subsequently withdrew his proposal.”

OPINION

Inforum: Port: How much will lawfare against the Summit carbon pipeline cost taxpayers?
Rob Port, 11/20/24

“…The Midwest Carbon Express, a pipeline being constructed by Summit Carbon Solutions, recently obtained the requisite permit for its project from the Public Service Commission. The company has also secured voluntary easements from property owners along 80% of its route in North Dakota, including property owners along about 60% of its route in Burleigh County. Yet, despite the project’s progress, Burleigh County’s elected leaders have been profligate in spending taxpayer dollars on a legal crusade against it,” Rob Port writes for Inforum. “According to the Bismarck Tribune, “just over $127,000 in legal fees has been spent by the county” so far. Emphasis on “so far,” because if this lawfare campaign continues, it will cost Burleigh County taxpayers many multiples of that price tag. In pursuit of what, exactly? Is this agitation against the pipeline a reflection of the will of the people? Or is this the example of politicians using their elected positions to pander to powerful special interests and a minority of noisy gadflies?… “Whatever the broader public sentiment, some influential people oppose the project, and they speak louder than the rest of us… “I’ll not disparage any property owner’s objection to the pipeline, and there have been times when Summit has done a less-than-stellar job in dealing with landowners… “By spending big money on legal wrangling against a project that is vital to the future of North Dakota’s core industries, are the Burleigh County commissioners serving their constituents? Or a small faction of cranky activists and deep-pocketed interests?”

Wisconsin State Journal: Enbridge’s Line 5 is too important to Wisconsin for delays 
Laura Welch, Fox Lake, 11/20/24

“At a time when it seems like everyone is disagreeing about everything, one issue has brought together a politically diverse group of unions, businesses and farmers. That issue is the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline project in northern Wisconsin,” Laura Welch writes for the Wisconsin State Journal. “…This project seems to be supported by everyone, including the pipeline’s owner, except for the unreasonable environmental groups that continue to push expensive and unworkable energy on us… “With over 250,000 homes in Wisconsin depending on propane, and with a major propane supplier warning that prices could jump without a Line 5, this shouldn’t be a political football. It’s too important to the livelihood of many Wisconsinites. The relocation of Line 5 needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon.”

Arizona Daily Sun: Spotlight on Climate: Pipeline through Navajo perpetuates environmental justice
Eleanor Smith, Community Organizer with Tó Nizhóní Ání, and the Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance, 11/20/24

“Navajo traditional values and Diné Fundamental Laws are founded on the original teachings of how to live in balance with the Earth and for maintaining relations with all elements of life. Unfortunately, these values are not shared by federal and state governments, nor by the corporations that have been extracting fossil fuel resources from Diné lands for over 100 years,” Eleanor Smith writes for the Arizona Daily Sun. “Fossil fuel extraction has given industry reign over tribal resources and a back door to pedal influence within the Navajo Nation Council. Decades of extraction of our Navajo natural resources should have made us the richest tribe, yet we remain one of the poorest. Decades of carbon emissions from burning coal, oil, and gas contribute to the climate crisis we are now experiencing. Our lands, air, water, and health have been sacrificed for unprecedented profits by energy developers, state utilities, border towns, and distant cities. While the Navajo Nation has fueled and electrified off-reservation cities for over a century, the Navajo people have been left with little economic benefit and bearing all the environmental and health costs.”