EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/1/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Press release: TC Energy provides Coastal GasLink Project update

• Vancouver Sun: More environmental concerns on pipeline river crossing in northern B.C.: Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Judge: Pipeline trespassing case should go to trial

• KMA: Page County board seeking more info on carbon pipeline ordinance

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Press release: CAPITO WORKING ON BIPARTISAN FEDERAL PERMIT REFORM BILL

• E&E News: Interior-EPA Appropriator: ‘Substantial Reductions’ Coming

• InsideEPA: Fearing ‘Flood’ Of NEPA Suits, API Seeks Court Review Of Fracking Case

• U.S. Dept. of Energy: DOE Invests More Than $130 Million to Lower Nation’s Carbon Pollution

STATE UPDATES

• KTAB: Explosion reported at Kinder Morgan Plant in Snyder

• WJCL: Diesel oil spill expected to cause ‘significant delays’ for Chatham County drivers

• Associated Press: Calif. climate bill would make companies disclose emissions

• Bloomberg: New Mexico Investigates Permian Basin Methane Cloud Spotted by Satellite

EXTRACTION

• New York Times: Oil Giants, After Surge in Profits, Are Wary About Spending

• Reuters: Imperial Oil CEO Optimistic Alberta Gov’t Will Add to Carbon Capture Funding

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Fossil Free California: Bill announced today to divest California’s public pensions from oil and gas

• Nebraska Examiner: Bankers say proposal on ‘environmental, social and governance’ too broad, amendments needed

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Midland Today: Joint Midland-Penetanguishene Fire get $10,000 grant from Enbridge

• Global News: Enbridge Gas $5,000 donation supports Kawartha Lakes Fire and Rescue firefighters’ training

OPINION

• MinnPost: Op-Ed: At The Local, State, And Federal Levels, We Need Permitting Reform To Meet Our Climate Goals

• Financial Post: Greg Ebel: The world wants and needs Canada’s energy — especially LNG

• GoErie: Methane pollution, Pennsylvania’s clean air unfinished business
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Press release: TC Energy provides Coastal GasLink Project update
2/1/23

“TC Energy Corporation today announced updated cost estimates for the Coastal GasLink Project (the Project). The Project continues to face material cost pressures that include challenging conditions in the Western Canadian labour market; shortages of skilled labour; impacts of contractor underperformance and disputes; as well as other unexpected events like drought conditions and erosion and sediment control challenges… “As a result of the CSRA, TC Energy’s estimate of the costs to complete the Project has increased to approximately $14.5 billion… “TC Energy expects to fund the incremental revised project costs and is actively pursuing cost mitigants and recoveries that may partially offset a portion of these costs, some of which may not be conclusively determined until after the Project is in service… “The CSRA review also considered the potential impact of an extension of construction well into 2024. In that event, costs would increase further by up to $1.2 billion. Due to the increase in the expected cost of the Project and the additional funding required, TC Energy will recognize an impairment to its equity investment in Coastal GasLink LP in its fourth quarter 2022 financial results… “We are disappointed with the increase in the Coastal GasLink Project costs. We continue to be laser-focused on safely completing this critical piece of energy infrastructure at the lowest possible cost, which will enable Canada’s first direct path for LNG exports,” said TC Energy President and CEO François Poirier.

Vancouver Sun: More environmental concerns on pipeline river crossing in northern B.C.: Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs
Gordon Hoekstra, 1/31/23

“A pair of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs are calling for B.C. and federal regulators to halt construction on a Coastal GasLink pipeline river crossing in northwest B.C. because of continuing concerns about environmental damage,” the Vancouver Sun reports. “Just weeks after raising questions about damage to fish spawning habitat on the Clore River crossing, the hereditary chiefs and the David Suzuki Foundation now claim there has been environmental damage from flooding at the same site. Photos taken Jan. 29 show there were openings in dams meant to hold back water to allow construction at the river crossing in remote northwest B.C., southeast of Terrace. The crossing is part of TC Energy’s $11-billion natural gas pipeline that will feed Canada LNG’s $18-billion export liquefied natural gas plant near Kitimat… “Coastal GasLink, a subsidiary of TC Energy, says there was a “temporary” overflow of its barrier at the Clore River on Sunday to manage the rise in water levels due to high temperatures. The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission, which has responsibility for pipeline river crossings, says its inspectors plan to visit the site on Thursday but have not noted any non-compliance based on information they have so far… “Coastal GasLink has lost control of this river crossing, and our fish are paying the price,” Tsebesa, a chief in the Likhts’amisyu (Fireweed) clan, whose traditional territory encompasses the site, told the Sun. Tsebesa, also known as Lillian Smith, is calling for work to stop until hereditary chiefs can meet with B.C. and federal regulators to ensure there are “people and plans in place to uphold the law.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Judge: Pipeline trespassing case should go to trial
JARED STRONG, 1/31/23

“A district court judge has rejected a request to dismiss the trespassing charge against a land surveyor who attempted to evaluate a northwest Iowa property in August for Summit Carbon Solutions, according to court records,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “A tenant of the property had previously turned away another Summit survey crew in April 2022 and told them not to return. The surveyor who was charged with trespassing, Stephen James Larsen, 28, of Arlington, South Dakota, was not part of that first crew and went to the rural Spirit Lake property after the company had attempted to notify the landowner and tenant of the survey, as required by Iowa law… “The Dickinson County attorney who is prosecuting the trespassing charge has argued that the company should have obtained a court-ordered injunction to facilitate the survey, which is also allowed by Iowa law when landowners object… “Ditsworth scheduled a non-jury trial for the case for March 23. The constitutionality of the law that allows the land surveys is being challenged in separate cases by several landowners — who assert that it violates their land rights — and an Iowa Senate bill that would bar the surveys without landowner permission is pending.”

KMA: Page County board seeking more info on carbon pipeline ordinance
Ethan Hewett, 1/31/23

“Page County officials are planning to take a harder look at the possibilities of establishing a carbon pipeline ordinance,” KMA reports. “Meeting in regular session Tuesday night, the Page County Board of Supervisors heard from multiple residents and discussed the next steps in adopting such an ordinance that could regulate projects such as Summit Carbon Solution’s Midwest Express CO2 pipeline… “Jacob Holmes says he intends to participate in a statewide county supervisor meeting in Des Moines Thursday regarding county pipeline ordinances. “Ahlers and Cooney is going to be there with all their preparation and giving a whole big training on it, and then in the afternoon Summit is going to give their side of it I think, so I plan on going up there and attending it,” said Holmes. “Just to see what I can get out of it and talking to all the other supervisors and bring back whatever information I can. We also have Shelby County’s ordinance which is kind of the ‘flagship’ that they’ve prepared and I’d imagine they’ll go over it nearly line by line, maybe.” “…Maher re-emphasized a county ordinance is not to stop a project like Summit’s from happening but instead provide necessary protections for landowners and residents. “They’re trying to set setback distances from houses, towns, water wells, sewage treatment plants, schools, hospitals, and livestock facilities so that if there is a release, that there would a little safety factor,” he said. “It’s not guaranteeing anything, but at least there would be some safety factor as opposed to having a pipeline within 300 feet of your house.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Press release: CAPITO WORKING ON BIPARTISAN FEDERAL PERMIT REFORM BILL
1/31/21

“Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is going full steam ahead on pursuing federal perming reform, which would help speed up the process of completing the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). Capito said last week during a virtual press briefing two different committees are being urged to work on a compromise bill that would shorten the time it takes for permitting, especially in the energy sector. The MVP, a 300-mile, 42-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline from north-central West Virginia running to Chatham, Va., is more than 90 percent complete but continues to be delayed by lawsuits over federal permits. Both Capito and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have been trying to provide a way to fast track the process of obtaining a federal permit as well as speed up court cases to get the MVP open and to help other energy-related projects move ahead faster… “In September 2022, Capito introduced her own bill, the Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act, a comprehensive federal regulatory permitting and project review reform legislation similar to what Manchin wants… “Capito said she is urging the two committees to formulate a permitting bill by finding portions that are relevant to each committee and combine it into one bipartisan bill.”

E&E News: Interior-EPA Appropriator: ‘Substantial Reductions’ Coming
Kelsey Brugger, Kevin Bogardus, 1/30/23

“Lawmakers have talked up the possibility of bipartisan legislation to upend the country’s infrastructure permitting, even if progressives and Republicans remain far apart on the particulars,” E&E News reports. “Simpson told E&E former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump as well as Biden have all wanted to amend the process. ‘I think there’s common ground there that we could find if we can sit down and talk about it,’ he said. ‘Get rid of the partisanship, get rid of the ‘I’m a Democrat, you’re Republican.’ How do we solve this problem? And I think that’s possible.’ Yet fights between Republicans and Democrats are certainly expected to dominate the 118th Congress. On appropriations, Republicans are expected to attach policy riders to the spending bills that will target the Biden administration’s various regulations. Simpson told E&E he would rather committees draft legislation to address the underlying statue but he does anticipate some. Several EPA rules could be in the crosshairs, including the agency’s controversial ‘Waters of the U.S.’ rule.”

InsideEPA: Fearing ‘Flood’ Of NEPA Suits, API Seeks Court Review Of Fracking Case
1/30/23

“The American Petroleum Institute (API) and other industry groups are asking the Supreme Court to review an appellate ruling that blocked new permits for West Coast offshore hydraulic fracturing and other well-stimulation projects, arguing the lower court misapplied key administrative and environmental laws and opened the door to a ‘flood of challenges at each stage’ of the environmental review process,” InsideEPA reports. “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ‘badly erred by misinterpreting both the [Administrative Procedure Act’s (APA)] finality requirement and the [Coastal Zone Management Act’s (CZMA)] consistency-review provisions, with enormous practical and legal consequences,’ states a petition to the high court filed Jan. 25 by API, Exxon Mobil Corp. and DCOR LLC, an offshore energy company. The groups are seeking high court review of a June 3 9th Circuit decision in Environmental Defense Center (EDC) v. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) that reversed a district court ruling by finding BOEM failed to conduct a more rigorous environmental impact statement (EIS) as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on unconventional drilling practices after finding that an earlier review fell short of the law’s requirements.”

U.S. Dept. of Energy: DOE Invests More Than $130 Million to Lower Nation’s Carbon Pollution
1/30/23

“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $131 million for 33 research and development projects to advance the wide-scale deployment of carbon management technologies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution. The projects will address technical challenges of capturing CO2 from power plants and industrial facilities or directly from the atmosphere and assess potential CO2 storage sites, increasing the number of sites progressing toward commercial operations. Expanding commercial CO2 storage capacity and related carbon management industries will provide economic opportunities for communities and workers, helping to deliver on President Biden’s goal of equitably achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050… “Carbon dioxide removal pathways, such as direct air capture with storage, remove CO2 pollution directly from the atmosphere to draw down the concentration of CO2 and reduce the impacts of climate change. Both carbon capture and carbon removal have the potential to eliminate hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 pollution per year.  DOE is investing $38 million in 22 projects awarded under the “Carbon Management” funding opportunity that will develop technologies to capture CO2 from utility and industrial sources or directly from the atmosphere and transport it either for permanent geologic storage or for conversion into valuable products such as fuels and chemicals… “DOE is investing $93 million in 11 projects awarded under the “CarbonSAFE: Phase II – Storage Complex Feasibility” funding opportunity that will improve procedures to safely, efficiently, and affordably assess onshore and offshore CO2 project sites within a storage complex at a commercial scale.”

STATE UPDATES

KTAB: Explosion reported at Kinder Morgan Plant in Snyder
Erica Garner, 1/31/23

“An explosion was reported at Kinder Morgan Plant in Snyder Tuesday morning,” KTAB reports. “The Snyder Volunteer Fire Department says they believe an electrical transformer blew at the gas plant off FM 1611 around 7:00 a.m. Residents around town reported hearing the explosion, some even noticing windows and buildings shake. Right now, no injuries have been reported and the situation is considered stable, but the roads around the plant are currently closed as a precatuion.”

WJCL: Diesel oil spill expected to cause ‘significant delays’ for Chatham County drivers
Graham Cawthon, 2/1/23

“Police say an oil spill is to blame for an interchange being closed Wednesday morning,” WJCL reports. “According to Port Wentworth Police, the Sonny Dixon Interchange between Highway 21 and the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway is closed in both directions after a diesel oil spill… “The road is expected to be closed several hours and “significant delays will require motorists that use the Sonny Dixon Interchange to find alternate routes,” police posted on Facebook.”

Associated Press: Calif. climate bill would make companies disclose emissions
SOPHIE AUSTIN, 1/31/23

“Democratic lawmakers in California introduced a package of climate bills Monday aimed at holding corporations accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions,” the Associated Press reports. “The bills include legislation to require companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions to the public, ban the state’s public pension funds from investing in major fossil fuel companies, and create a group to analyze climate-caused financial risks for corporations. Similar efforts in prior sessions have failed to win enough support, but the Democratic lawmakers behind them say they’re hopeful for a different outcome this year… “U.S. corporations that bring in at least $1 billion in revenue and do business in California would have to annually report their greenhouse gas emissions to the public under a bill re-introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat… “Democratic Sen. Lena Gonzalez, of Long Beach, introduced a bill aimed at prohibiting the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System from investing in the largest fossil fuel companies, including oil, gas and coal producers… “Democratic Sen. Henry Stern, who represents part of Los Angeles County, introduced a bill that would create a group to review financial risks of climate change reported by companies.”

Bloomberg: New Mexico Investigates Permian Basin Methane Cloud Spotted by Satellite
David Wethe and Zachary Mider, 1/31/23

“New Mexico is investigating a methane cloud observed by high-resolution satellite that appears to show the powerful greenhouse gas spewing from an APA Corp. oil and gas facility late last month,” Bloomberg reports. “The probe is at least the fourth state or federal investigation launched in the US in the last several years by regulators alerted to methane releases by Bloomberg News, which tracks emissions of the gas through satellites. The New Mexico cloud is the latest incident to suggest releases of the greenhouse gas from fossil-fuels operations may be more common and intense than is often reported by operators. New Mexico authorities said they weren’t aware of the methane plume before being contacted by Bloomberg. APA, formerly known as Apache, wasn’t aware of the methane emissions prior to being informed of them by Bloomberg either. The company sent an initial statement Jan. 13 that an operational upset at a third-party facility triggered emergency flaring at a group of connected storage tanks, without acknowledging a methane release… “The plume was observed by the Sentinel-2 satellite on Dec. 24 and had an emissions rate of 5 metric tons of methane an hour, according to an analysis of the data by geoanalytics firm Kayrros SAS. Because the satellite orbits the Earth there was no estimated duration. However, if the release lasted an hour at that rate, it would have the same short-term climate impact as the annual emissions from 91 gasoline powered cars in the US.”

EXTRACTION

New York Times: Oil Giants, After Surge in Profits, Are Wary About Spending
Clifford Krauss, 2/1/23

“Exxon Mobil made $56 billion in profit last year, its largest annual haul ever. Chevron earned $36 billion, also a company record. But after a bountiful 2022, the outlook for those companies and other big oil and gas producers is cloudy,” the New York Times reports. “They benefited for much of last year from higher prices for nearly all fuels as the continued recovery from the pandemic slowdown increased demand and the Russian invasion of Ukraine strained supplies. The landscape already looks different… “We don’t know what’s ahead in 2023,” Mike Wirth, Chevron’s chief executive, told analysts last week, adding that the uncertainty called for “operational discipline.” “…Oil and gas companies expect a profitable 2023, but revenues and profits should drop below those in 2022. And even while celebrating their profits, executives caution that the oil business is subject to abrupt swings in supply and demand. So the companies have promised investors not to repeat the past mistake of drilling so much that prices crash. They have been hesitant to move aggressively to expand production — as President Biden urged them to do when supplies were pinched — or take meaningful steps to build profitability around cleaner fuels. That restraint could mean tighter markets and higher prices unless there is a serious recession. Instead, executives said they were committed to returning surplus cash to shareholders by increasing dividends and buying back shares. Chevron announced a $75 billion buyback program last week. Exxon announced its own $50 billion repurchase plan in December. While critics often accuse the oil industry of profiteering when prices are high, executives say their companies are prone to cycles… “The variables that will determine oil companies’ profitability this year are largely out of their control — in both supply and demand. The war in Ukraine could expand or not; a recession in the United States and Europe could be deep or averted entirely. Prices for fuels, and inflation generally, will largely depend on how events play out.”

Reuters: Imperial Oil CEO Optimistic Alberta Gov’t Will Add to Carbon Capture Funding
Nia Williams and Arshreet Singh, 1/31/23

“The chief executive of Canada’s Imperial Oil on Tuesday expressed optimism that the Alberta government will contribute funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the province, adding to tax credits unveiled by the federal government,” Reuters reports. “CEO Brad Corson’s comments came as Imperial reported a higher fourth-quarter profit than a year earlier, helped by elevated energy prices and tight global supplies… “The federal government last year announced a 50% investment tax credit to help fund CCS development in Canada, but Pathways says additional public money is needed and Ottawa and the Alberta government each say the other should contribute more. “We’ve always said we need more than that 50%. We’re also optimistic that the province will contribute to that as well,” Corson said on a call to discuss the company’s results. “It’s really a tri-party discussion that’s going on between Pathways and the federal government and the provincial government.” Corson said he was unsure whether clarity on CCS support would come in Canada’s upcoming federal budget speech this spring, or soon after. “I’m optimistic that if it’s not in the budget speech, it’ll be soon thereafter that we’ll get not just clarity, but resolution so we can move forward on these projects,” he added.

CLIMATE FINANCE

Fossil Free California: Bill announced today to divest California’s public pensions from oil and gas
1/30/23

“Today amidst devastating flooding, an historic mega-drought, wildfires, and fossil-fueled public health crises, students, retirees, and California communities across the state celebrate as Senator Lena Gonzalez, joined by Sen. Scott Wiener, and Sen. Henry Stern announced that they will introduce new Senate legislation, the California Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (SB 252), which will divest the state’s public pension funds–CalSTRS and CalPERS– from fossil fuels. This new bill is a key part of the slate of bills the Senators introduced today: the Climate Accountability Package. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) are the two largest public pension funds in the United States have an investing power of $442 billion and $302 billion, with an estimated $9 billion invested in fossil fuel companies. This legislation will end the contradictory and incongruous policies that place the state of California as a leader in the fight against climate change, even while the state is continuing to channel billions directly in the fossil fuel companies that are causing climate change. If passed, this critical bill would protect the retirement savings of California’s teachers, firefighters, and state workers from being used to finance oil, gas, and coal — the very drivers of the climate chaos upending Californians’ lives… California students, youth, frontline communities, and pension members have campaigned for CalPERS and CalSTRS to divest for nearly a decade.”

Nebraska Examiner: Bankers say proposal on ‘environmental, social and governance’ too broad, amendments needed
PAUL HAMMEL, 1/30/23

“A proposal aimed at preventing a Nebraska State Treasurer from using state funds for “social and political” goals ran into complaints Monday that it was too vague and meddled too much in banking decisions,” the Nebraska Examiner reports. “Robert Hallstrom of the Nebraska Bankers Association said that banks have traditionally been free to “lend to, invest in and generally do business with any activity or entity that is legal.” Hallstrom told the Legislature’s Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee that Legislative Bill 67 would require a State Treasurer to try to dictate a bank’s business. He provided amendments to the bill, discussed with the introducer of the bill, State Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, and State Treasurer John Murante, that Hallstrom said would remove opposition by the bankers association and make it clear that state treasurers were not guiding investment policies of banks. LB 67 is a local salvo in a nationwide battle over whether financial firms should invest state funds with “environmental, social and governance” goals in mind. Should, for instance, investments be shifted to “green” energy rather than fossil fuels due to concerns about climate change, and should a company’s diversity policies be considered, not just its return on investment. Conservative critics of ESG, which include Murante, call it “woke capitalism” and contrary to the goal of maximizing investment returns… “In December, then-Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson issued a report warning that ESG was a threat to democracy. The issue has also inspired a backlash by 13 state treasurers, including those in Colorado, Wisconsin and New York, who say such anti-ESG bills restrict access to major financial firms and, in the end, hurt taxpayers. Peterson’s report was panned by some as “political theater.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Midland Today: Joint Midland-Penetanguishene Fire get $10,000 grant from Enbridge
Derek Howard, 1/31/23

“Fire service representatives were on hand from Midland and Penetanguishene to receive a $5,000 cheque from Enbridge Gas Inc. toward educational supplements in firefighter training,” Midland Today reports. “Hearts were warm inside the Midland Fire department headquarters this week as the joint municipalities of Midland and Penetanguishene received a $10,000 total donation from Enbridge Gas Inc., as part of a program to assist with training materials for firefighters. Safe Community Project Assist is a program through the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council which supplements Ontario communities where Enbridge Gas operates, with donations to volunteer and composite fire departments. This year, 50 provincial fire departments including Midland and Penetanguishene were in receipt of the $250,000 total donation.”

Global News: Enbridge Gas $5,000 donation supports Kawartha Lakes Fire and Rescue firefighters’ training
Greg Davis, 1/31/23

“Enbridge Gas has provided $5,000 to Kawartha Lakes Fire and Rescue to purchase firefighting training materials,” Global News reports. “A presentation was made Monday at the fire hall in Lindsay, Ont., in the City of Kawartha Lakes. The donation is among $250,000 distributed to 50 Ontario fire departments via Enbridge’s Safe Community Project Assist — a program with the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council that supplements existing training for volunteer and composite fire departments in communities when Enbridge Gas operates… “We are extremely grateful to Enbridge Gas and the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council for this program,” said fire Chief Terry Jones. 

OPINION

MinnPost: Op-Ed: At The Local, State, And Federal Levels, We Need Permitting Reform To Meet Our Climate Goals
Scot Adams is a mathematics professor, member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and resident of Eden Prairie, 1/27/23

“For those who primarily think of permitting as a way to slow down or stop fossil fuel projects, please keep in mind that it also has a negative effect on our ability to transition to clean energy,” Scot Adams writes for MinnPost. “…It is also worth considering that permitting reform is a topic that builds bipartisan support. While the U.S. Senate did not include Sen. Joe Manchin’s permitting bill into the National Defense Authorization bill, there were six Republicans among the 47 Senators who voted in favor. Finally, permitting reform does NOT mean permitting abolition. We must safeguard our communities from the environmental impacts of all sorts of construction projects. The goal is to streamline the process, something too complicated to detail here. For readers who would like to see an example of a serious permitting reform bill, it’s easy to search on ‘Manchin’s permitting reform bill text’. The text is about setting deadlines, avoiding duplication of efforts, resolving disputes, etc. How far we should go is, of course, open to discussion. I only argue that, in the face of particulate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the greater good is achieved by seeking reasonable efficiencies in the permitting process.”

Financial Post: Greg Ebel: The world wants and needs Canada’s energy — especially LNG
Greg Ebel is CEO of Enbridge Inc, a North American energy infrastructure company, 1/31/23

“The recent visit to Canada of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida clearly demonstrates Japan is actively searching for more supplies of energy, including LNG, from allies as it shifts away from Russian imports,” Greg Ebel writes for the Financial Post. “The world wants and needs Canada’s energy, specifically Canadian LNG… “Europe and Asia want our energy for energy security and to displace fuel like coal to combat climate change. But others need it too… “But starving the world of cleaner, more affordable and dependable energy is not the answer to the energy crisis or climate change — it will make both of these problems worse. Whether it’s feeding your family, enabling prosperity and a better quality of life or, importantly, addressing climate change, energy is not the problem, it’s the solution… “But if we really want to combat climate change, we must set our sights higher — on the 98.5 per cent of global emissions outside of Canada. That can be done through LNG… “LNG can also play an important role in Indigenous nation building and reconciliation… “The single biggest obstacle is a regulatory system that impedes action and slows development — this has to be turned on its head. Regulatory and permitting processes need to focus on how a project happens in the right way, which means figuring out how we can give proponents — and our international customers — confidence that Canada can get projects built.”

GoErie: Methane pollution, Pennsylvania’s clean air unfinished business
John Rutecki is regulatory and legislative manager for the Environmental Defense Fund. John Walliser is senior vice president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, 1/31/23

‘As we begin 2023, Pennsylvanians can be grateful for the progress made on both the state and federal level in addressing climate change,” John Rutecki and John Walliser write for GoErie. “…While the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are already providing economic and environmental benefits, there is a critical and unfinished piece of business that will substantially clean Pennsylvania’s air: strengthening and finalizing an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the oil and gas industry. This rule matters because Pennsylvania, with perhaps the longest legacy of oil and gas production in the nation, has a great many wells with equipment known to malfunction that drive a disproportionate amount of pollution. These wells, sometimes decades old, often have no monitoring requirements and the reality is that far too many of them are spewing methane — a greenhouse gas over 80 times more powerful than C02 in the near term — into our air and contributing to poor public health outcomes. And frankly, we don’t have a true accounting of leaks for much of the related oil and gas infrastructure across the state. That matters everywhere in Pennsylvania, from frontline communities in western Pennsylvania to the citizens of Philadelphia, which has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the nation. .. “The EPA has opened a public comment period on its proposed rule and we encourage residents of the commonwealth to show their support at the agency portal by Feb. 13. The rule is expected to be finalized by spring 2023 and once it is, it will help reduce air pollution, improve the health of Pennsylvanians, and combat climate change. Supporting this rule is common sense, benefiting Pennsylvanians now as well as future generations. ”