EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/21/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline delayed as costs climb

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: County pipeline ordinances await federal appeals decision

• News Channel Nebraska: Stanton County Commissioners say no to CO2 pipeline

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Stanton County, Nebraska Board Unanimously Denies Permit for Summit Carbon Pipeline

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Iowans Won’t Give Up the Fight Against Carbon Pipelines

• Dickinson County News: Supervisors, P&Z hold joint session to work out pipeline, turbine zoning

• Legal Planet: New Bill Targets Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Leaks

• E&E News: FERC greenlights projects that could unleash gas exports

• Reuters: Analysis-Trans Mountain expansion may not give long-term price relief to Canada’s booming oil output

• Canadian Press: TC Energy open to exceeding $3B asset divestiture target this year: CEO

• Houston Chronicle: Pipeline repairs underway 3 months after oil spilled into Gulf of Mexico

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Biden touts health studies for Ohio train wreck site

• Politico: GAO Tells Interior To Strengthen Enforcement Of Offshore Oil Well Decommissioning 

STATE UPDATES

• Chicago Tribune: Chicago sues oil and gas companies for their role in contributing to climate change

• Grist: 8 states move to ban utilities from using customer money for lobbying

• Carbon Herald: ExxonMobil Carbon Capture Project In Montana Draws Public Criticism

• Casper Star-Tribune: Leaders poised to double down on carbon capture mandate

• WyoFile: Wyoming’s coal carbon capture mandate makes legislative advances

• Alaska Beacon: Alaska legislators give closer look at bill aimed at storing carbon emissions underground

• Cleveland Plain Dealer: Environmental Groups Ask Court To Slow The March Toward Oil And Gas Fracking On State Land 

• Colorado Sun: Rules to ensure there’s cash to plug all Colorado oil wells may not be enough, study says

• WPLG: Authorities investigate oil spill in Fort Lauderdale’s New River

EXTRACTION

• CBS News: Cocaine washes ashore near mystery shipwreck that caused massive oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago

• Turks And Caicos SUN: 1,000 Volunteers Scramble In Caribbean To Clean Up Massive Oil Spill By Trinidad And Tobago Just Before Carnival

• Ethanol Producer: How CCU Platforms Stack Up

• Reuters: Exxon warns EU that red tape might push it to invest elsewhere, FT reports

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Portland Tribune: Oregon House OKs coal divestment plan

OPINION

• Scientific American: The False Promise of Carbon Capture as a Climate Solution

• The Blaze: Kristi Noem stays silent as South Dakota GOP cedes property rights

• The Hill: Big Oil claims Biden’s LNG pause harms national security — don’t believe the hype 

• Washington Post: Investor climate activism isn’t working. Here’s what would.
  

PIPELINE NEWS

E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline delayed as costs climb
Carlos Anchondo, 2/21/24

“Developers of the embattled Mountain Valley pipeline are delaying its completion date, marking the latest setback for a project championed by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and supported by the 2023 debt deal,” E&E News reports. “In earnings results released Tuesday, Equitrans Midstream said the natural gas pipeline will be finished sometime in the second quarter of 2024, instead of before the end of March as previously planned. The Pittsburgh-based company also raised the project’s cost by nearly 6 percent, putting the latest estimated price tag between $7.57 billion and $7.63 billion. Equitrans CEO Diana Charletta said on a call with investors that workers on the pipeline encountered “unforeseen construction challenges” and “considerably adverse weather conditions” throughout January, including above-average precipitation.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: County pipeline ordinances await federal appeals decision
JARED STRONG, 2/20/24

“The fate of several county ordinances that restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines in Iowa might hinge on the federal court appeals of two lawsuits,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Shelby and Story counties were the first of five counties sued by Summit Carbon Solutions over their ordinances that require the pipelines to be located minimum distances from houses, schools, medical facilities and other places where people and livestock congregate. Those first lawsuits were filed in November 2022, and a federal judge decided in December 2023 that the county restrictions are overruled by the authority of state and federal regulators and, as such, cannot be enforced… “Shelby and Story counties appealed the decisions later that month. Those appeals have been consolidated into one set of proceedings, and an initial brief from the counties is due March 8, court records show. It’s unclear when the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals might issue a final decision. Summit’s lawsuit against Emmet County — the third it filed, in March 2023 — was recently paused, pending the appeals… “The newest lawsuits against Kossuth and Palo Alto counties were filed in January, and requests to pause those proceedings until the appeals court rules are pending.”

News Channel Nebraska: Stanton County Commissioners say no to CO2 pipeline
Luke Stara, 2/20/24

“An over 2000-mile carbon pipeline will have to regroup after an eight-and-a-half-mile stretch was denied in Stanton County by the county commissioners on Tuesday,” News Channel Nebraska reports. “Summit Carbon Solution’s anticipated pipeline runs over 163 miles in Nebraska beginning in Atkinson and running through seven counties before combining with the carbon pipeline in Iowa… “The Stanton County Planning Commission approved the application for the CUP at their meeting on Feb. 12 with a vote of 5-2… “Commissioner Duane Rehak said Summit should not have paid the landowners without getting all of them on board. “Go get all the people that want it…Okay, great, but you don’t get payment until everyone agrees on it because you guys actually threw money away now if it doesn’t go through,” Rehak said. “Whatever you guys spent is thrown in a wastepaper basket.” Those for and against the pipeline spoke to the commissioners and one of the major revolving concerns was the unknown health risk the pipeline could cause Stanton County. “Until and unless that we can be absolutely certain that this is the safest method of transporting this gas, we must not submit our population to this pipeline,” said Marta Chenoweth, Stanton County resident. Stanton County resident Neil Heimes echoed Chenoweth’s sentiment of safety. “I will accept your offer of a pipeline, if you can prove and guarantee in writing that it is 100% safe,” said Neil Heimes, Stanton County resident… “Commissioners said they are all for the pipeline, but Summit needs to provide more information to those affected by the pipeline in the county. They voted unanimously to deny the application and asked for more information to give the public about the project and, potentially, review the pipeline’s path through Stanton County. The permit was denied, but Summit is able to re-submit a CUP application to the planning commission, and after doing so, present their plan to the Stanton County Commissioners.”

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Stanton County, Nebraska Board Unanimously Denies Permit for Summit Carbon Pipeline
2/20/24

“The Stanton County, Nebraska Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to deny a permit application request from Summit Carbon Solutions for its proposed CO2 pipeline that would travel through the county, following a packed public hearing where landowners testified against the dangerous project,” according to the Pipeline Fighters Hub. “Meanwhile, the Dakota County, Nebraska Board of Commissioners also put the brakes on Summit’s request for a permit to construct, moving during its Tuesday meeting to table the company’s permit application until April 16th. The public hearing on Summit’s application for “conditional use permits” (CUP) to build the pipeline through Stanton County included testimony from landowners concerned about safety in the event of a pipeline rupture, like what happened in Satartia, MS in 2020 when hundreds were evacuated and dozens hospitalized, some still reporting adverse health impacts to this day. Doug Huttman, Commissioner for District 1, stated during the hearing that not one landowner had come forward to support the pipeline, adding that he was still receiving text messages from landowners during the meeting. Huttman also addressed safety, requesting a CO2 plume dispersion model that could show where CO2 might flow after a rupture and help inform landowners and the community, but a Summit representative said that could only be provided to Board members in secret. Commissioners questioned Summit about foreign owners and investors as well, stating they do not want foreign countries or investors owning the easements, and they needed to know before anything could be approved. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Stanton County Board voted unanimously to deny Summit’s permit application. “I want it to be advertised that counties, or at least one, as of now was presented with this decision and denied it – unanimously denied,” said Stanton County landowner and Nebraska Easement Action Team landowners’ legal co-op member Justin Kennedy. “Not one landowner has come forward saying he wants this pipeline.” “This proves that landowners and concerned citizens need to pay attention to what their county’s commissioners or supervisors and zoning boards are doing. In Stanton County, the landowners and citizens were very concerned about this hazardous pipeline and contacted the commissioners by phone, email and text in order to show their opposition, which led to a Commissioner stating, “not one landowner has come forward in support of this pipeline,” said Shelli Meyer, landowner organizer with Bold Alliance’s Nebraska Easement Action Team whose family’s land is on the proposed CO2 pipeline route. “This proves that when you show up or speak up for what you want – or don’t want – which sometimes is more important, the commissioners are overwhelmed with your input and it makes a huge difference.”

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Iowans Won’t Give Up the Fight Against Carbon Pipelines
Emma Schmit, 2/20/24

“For over two years, Iowans from every corner have been threatened with the possibility of hazardous carbon pipelines harming the land, public safety, and the very future of the state,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “Three carbon capture pipeline projects were originally proposed, but fierce resistance has whittled the proposals down to two – an estimated 1,000-mile pipeline by Summit Carbon Solutions and a nearly 100-mile pipeline by Wolf Carbon Solutions and ADM. Of the two existing proposals, Summit is furthest along, with the Iowa Utilities Board currently deciding whether to issue a permit for 700 miles of the project. Many Iowans objected to the rushed proceedings – the permit hearing largely took place during harvest, leading one affected landowner to provide testimony from the cab of his tractor, while many other voices, including tenants of impacted farm ground and nearby neighbors, were silenced completely. As hundreds of Iowans await a decision on whether a privately-owned corporation will be granted powers to take their land against their consent, and thousands more are biding time uncertain if they will have to live next to a lethal, proven-to-fail pipeline, they are urging the Iowa legislature to take action. Iowans have a vast number of worries regarding risky carbon pipelines and the associated carbon capture facilities. People affected by the proposed pipelines have offered testimonials sharing their experiences and concerns in the hopes that Iowa’s leaders will step in and protect communities from exploitative carbon pipeline projects. Brenda Barr, Hancock County landowner: “At 83 years old, life has taught me not to be easily intimidated, especially by a company like Summit Carbon Solutions. I’ve faced hardships before and overcome – like the 2020 stroke that left the right side of my body paralyzed or the years I spent treating every multitude of medical crises as an emergency room nurse… “I’ve seen what carbon dioxide can do. Two men came into the emergency room one day after being exposed to toxic levels of CO2. They were very confused and couldn’t follow basic directions. They were acutely anxious because they were struggling to breathe. The skin was peeling off their hands, deeply burned from the carbon dioxide. Summit doesn’t mention those risks. Why should we have to put our safety, our lives on the line for a pipeline project that offers us nothing in return? The Iowa Legislature needs to take action to protect the people of this state from unnecessary carbon capture projects!” Patty Beyer, Cherokee County landowner: “Summit Carbon Solutions proposes to run a 12 inch pipeline carrying lethal amounts of carbon dioxide across 3,398 feet of our farmland. If Summit is allowed to take this land against our consent, their hazardous carbon pipeline will be 715 feet from our neighbor’s doorstep and 574 feet from the children’s jungle gym in their yard. Plume modeling has shown that the rupture of a CO2 pipeline of similar size and pressure would be fatal to anyone within 760 feet in under a minute. Our neighbors are facing the prospect of asphyxiating to death before they even know what is happening to them.”

Dickinson County News: Supervisors, P&Z hold joint session to work out pipeline, turbine zoning
2/20/24

“Dickinson County officials hammered out additional details for some proposed hot-button zoning changes Tuesday afternoon,” the Dickinson County News reports. “The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors and the county’s planning and zoning commission held a joint work session to take another run at updating ordinances related to wind turbines and hazardous liquid pipelines.”

Legal Planet: New Bill Targets Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Leaks
Jennifer Imm, 2/20/24

“Last week, Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula introduced AB 2623, a bill designed to guard California communities against the dangers of transporting carbon dioxide in pipelines,” Legal Planet reports. “These risks aren’t hypothetical: A leak from a carbon dioxide pipeline already caused serious health harms in Satartia, Mississippi, where 45 people were hospitalized following a pipeline rupture in early 2020… “You might also be surprised to know that there are currently no state regulations covering pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide in California… “The pipeline transportation of liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide at less than 90% concentration remains completely unregulated… “In 2022, the Legislature passed SB 905, which placed a moratorium on transportation of carbon dioxide until the PHMSA regulations are updated. However, it is unclear how protective the new federal regulations will be… “If passed, AB 2623 would close regulatory loopholes and ensure the safe transportation of carbon dioxide in California. It would: Prohibit the pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide in forms and concentrations not currently covered by PHMSA regulations; Prohibit the transportation of carbon dioxide in pipelines built to transport materials other than carbon dioxide; Direct the State Fire Marshal (SFM) to develop regulations that establish standards for the design, operation, maintenance, and safety of carbon dioxide pipelines; Grant SFM the authority to enforce these safety regulations; Modify the existing moratorium on pipeline transportation of carbon dioxide to remain in place until both the new federal PHMSA regulations and state SFM regulations are in place.”

E&E News: FERC greenlights projects that could unleash gas exports
Zach Bright, 2/16/24

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved two natural gas projects Thursday that seek to boost gas exports as a rift widens between the fossil fuel industry and environmental critics,” E&E News reports. “FERC approved the Saguaro Connector pipeline — proposed by Oneok — that would run about 500 miles and transport 2.8 billion cubic feet of gas per day from Texas to the coast of Mexico. Commissioner Allison Clements, a Democrat, issued a partial dissent that urged FERC to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions of such projects. But she said the Saguaro project’s potential greenhouse gas emissions appeared to be insignificant and concurred with the overall decision. The commission also approved a three-year extension to complete the Driftwood pipeline and liquefied natural gas terminal proposed by Tellurian in Louisiana. The project now needs to be completed by 2029. Ninety-six miles of pipeline would deliver gas to an LNG facility being built on a 1,200-acre site south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, that aims to ship more than 27 million metric tons of LNG each year to customers… “Environmental critics of natural gas railed against FERC’s gas decisions Thursday. “It’s alarming that FERC would approve the Saguaro Connector Pipeline based on a narrow environmental assessment that ignores the vast majority of the project and its impacts,” Doug Hayes, senior attorney for Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, told E&E. Hayes called FERC “out of step with the reality of the climate crisis and communities impacted by these projects.”

Reuters: Analysis-Trans Mountain expansion may not give long-term price relief to Canada’s booming oil output
Nia Williams, 2/21/24

“Canadian oil producers expect the discount on their crude to shrink significantly when the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) starts this year, but the relief may be short-lived as surging supply looks set to exceed the country’s pipeline capacity in just a few years,” Reuters reports. “…Still, oil sands production is rising so rapidly that some market players think Canada could again run out of pipeline space in less than two years, RBN Energy analyst Martin King told Reuters. “Originally it was thought TMX would give us a four- or five-year window,” King told Reuters. “It now looks like that window of spare capacity might actually be a lot smaller.” Canadian producers could add up to 500,000 bpd of supply this year and next year alone, Colin Gruending, executive vice president of liquids pipelines at midstream firm Enbridge Inc, estimated on an earnings call this month. The prospect for more bottlenecks would likely widen the discount again, and could deter companies from longer-term investments in growing Canada’s production. For existing pipeline operators, the rising production and strong demand for capacity is good news. Enbridge said it may continue rationing space on its 3.1 million bpd Mainline pipeline system even once TMX starts operating, allaying concerns among some analysts the company could see a drop in volumes and revenues… “The potential for brand new pipelines getting built is pretty close to zero,” RBN’s King told Reuters.

Canadian Press: TC Energy open to exceeding $3B asset divestiture target this year: CEO
2/21/24

“TC Energy Corp. is open to selling off more than its previously announced target of $3 billion in assets this year, the company said recently, and is currently engaging with multiple interested buyers for what will likely be two to four separate transactions,” the Canadian Press reports. “CEO François Poirier said the Calgary-based pipeline operator has several divestiture processes underway and hopes to be able to make at least one asset sale announcement in the first half of the year. “We’ve got many conversations going on, and not only is there competition within processes, but there’s competition between processes,” Poirier told analysts on a conference call to discuss TC Energy’s fourth-quarter earnings.  “So to the extent we could see some compelling valuations, we would be open to considering exceeding the $3 billion target.” The $3 billion, which Poirier said the company is “steadfast” on achieving in 2024, comes on the heels of last fall’s announcement by TC Energy that it had completed the sale of a 40 per cent stake in its Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf systems to New York-based Global Infrastructure Partners for $5.3 billion. While the deals the company hopes to strike in 2024 will not be as large, Poirier said they have generated significant interest from the market… “Coastal GasLink — which will transport natural gas from Western Canada to the Shell-led LNG Canada processing and export facility currently being built in Kitimat, B.C. — was one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in recent Canadian history and its successful completion is a significant accomplishment for TC Energy. But the project has also put pressure on the company’s balance sheet. Throughout the course of construction, the project’s budget ballooned from an initial $6.2 billion to $11.2 billion and then increased again to $14.5 billion… “The new pipeline business, which will be called South Bow Corp., will be headquartered in Calgary with an office in Houston, Texas. It will focus on enhancing the value of the company’s existing 4,900 kilometres of crude oil pipelines, including the critical Keystone pipeline system which transports oil from Alberta to refining markets in the U.S. Midwest and U.S. Gulf Coast.”

Houston Chronicle: Pipeline repairs underway 3 months after oil spilled into Gulf of Mexico
Amanda Drane, 2/21/24

“A pipeline system involved in a November spill that released an estimated 1.1 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico is being repaired, the Coast Guard said Monday, solving only a piece of the puzzle that has appeared to confound investigators for three months,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “Investigators identified a structural failure in a connector, a leak-prone area where sealed flanges are used to merge pipes together. This failed connector likely released a small amount of oil, causing the small secondary sheen discovered two weeks after the original spill, the Coast Guard said, but as of Monday it hadn’t linked the structural failure to the larger release. Asked if ongoing repairs to remove and replace the faulty section of pipe would complicate efforts to identify the source of the larger spill, the Coast Guard told the Chronicle that wasn’t the case… “The 67-mile Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline operated by Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure has been shut down since the Nov. 16 spill offshore Louisiana, halting associated oil production from Houston-area oil companies including Occidental Petroleum, Talos, W&T Energy, Walter Oil and Gas and Arena Offshore… “Daniel Nagala, a longtime pipeline leak detection specialist and founder of Friendswood leak detection company UTSI, told the Chronicle the decision to allow repairs to take place while the investigation is ongoing was “a little weird.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Biden touts health studies for Ohio train wreck site
Kevin Bogardus, 2/20/24

“President Joe Biden traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday to take stock of his administration’s response to the fiery train wreck and chemical spill that grabbed national attention a year ago,” E&E News reports. “The president announced that six National Institutes of Health grants had been awarded to research universities to study the long-term health impacts from the derailment. “You’ll have a top researcher with you as long as you need, as long as it has to go on,” Biden said.

Politico: GAO Tells Interior To Strengthen Enforcement Of Offshore Oil Well Decommissioning 
Ben Lefebvre, 2/20/24

“The Interior Department needs to strengthen its oversight of old oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico to guard against spills, a government watchdog said Tuesday,” Politico reports. “Details: Interior needs to review and revise regulations at its Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to better push companies to plug up wells and remove offshore oil platforms that are no longer in use on federal land, the Government Accountability Office said in a report. More than 2,700 wells and 500 platforms were overdue for decommissioning in the Gulf of Mexico, the GAO stated… “These enforcement issues have contributed to widespread decommissioning delays that have grown into a substantial backlog,” GAO said.”

STATE UPDATES

Chicago Tribune: Chicago sues oil and gas companies for their role in contributing to climate change
CAROLINE KUBZANSKY, 2/20/23

“The city of Chicago is suing five oil and gas companies and a trade group that represents them over their role in contributing to climate change and its effects, arguing that the companies have misled the public about how the use of fossil fuels affects city residents’ well-being,” the Chicago Tribune reports. “The suit, filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court, accuses BP, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute of mounting a “climate deception campaign” about burning fossil fuels to protect their profits. Chicago is the latest in a slew of government bodies taking legal action against fossil fuel distributors over how climate change has affected cities and states. Cities in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Puerto Rico have taken similar actions since 2017, according to a release from the Center for Climate Integrity. Chicago, represented by its own attorneys and lawyers from Chicago firm DiCello Levitt and San Francisco firm Sher Edling, is not seeking a specific sum from the defendants. However, it is demanding they reimburse the city on the costs incurred from climate change-related events such as infrastructure and property damage.

Grist: 8 states move to ban utilities from using customer money for lobbying
Akielly Hu, 2/21/24

“When households in the United States pay their gas and electric bills, they’re paying for energy, the wires and pipelines it takes to get that energy into their home, and the costs of maintaining that infrastructure. But those monthly payments could also be funding efforts by utilities to lobby against climate policies,” Grist reports. “While federal law prohibits utilities from recovering lobbying expenses from customers, consumer advocates say that those rules lack teeth and aren’t sufficiently enforced. Now, states are taking the lead to ban the practice. According to the utility watchdog group Energy and Policy Institute, lawmakers in eight states, including California and Maryland, have introduced bills this year that would block utilities from charging customers for the costs of lobbying, advertising, trade association dues, and other political activities. The measures build on a growing trend in state policy: Last year, Colorado, Connecticut, and Maine became the first states in the nation to pass comprehensive laws preventing utilities from passing on the costs of lobbying to ratepayers.  “There is a lot of recent success that states can look to for inspiration,” Charles Harper, power sector policy lead at the climate advocacy group Evergreen Action, told Grist. “People are starting to pay attention because they’re realizing that they’re paying for climate denial in their bills every month.” Over the years, utility companies have come under fire for lobbying to stall climate policies and keep fossil fuel plants running. In several high-profile instances, governments have discovered that those lobbying campaigns were funded in part by consumers.”

Carbon Herald: ExxonMobil Carbon Capture Project In Montana Draws Public Criticism
Theodora Stankova, 2/21/24

“The Snowy River Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Project in Eastern Montana, an ambitious carbon capture and storage (CCS) endeavor by a subsidiary of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), is facing criticism during the public comment period by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM),” the Carbon Herald reports. “Input is being sought from stakeholders until March 18, with two meetings scheduled for March 5 and March 6… “While ExxonMobil seeks to address environmental concerns and the evolving energy landscape, critics from environmental groups worry about potential hazards related to the project, according to local newspaper Ravalli Republic. These concerns include groundwater contamination, threats to wildlife, risks to local agriculture, and the possibility of CO2 leaks triggered by seismic activity… “However, some stakeholders, like the Alliance for the Wild Rockies (AWR), have expressed skepticism, urging for a comprehensive environmental impact study to address potential risks adequately.”

Casper Star-Tribune: Leaders poised to double down on carbon capture mandate
Zakary Sonntag, 2/20/24

“State leaders are poised to double down on a mandate that requires utilities to implement carbon capture systems (CCS) on coal fired power plants with the unanimous advancement of SF42 out of the Senate Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee last week,” the Casper Star-Tribune reports. “The bill amends an existing law, HB200, and extends the deadline for compliance while simultaneously speeding up the due-date for utilities’ implementation plans, marking the latest in the state’s broader effort to sustain a legacy industry while keeping dispatchable energy on the western grid. Yet even as the bill could shore up Wyoming’s flagging coal sector, the brow-raising price tag of carbon capture systems raises concern amongst consumer advocates who say the bill is destined to drive up electricity rates in the Cowboy State. Indeed, the effort is on the cusp of raising rates already… “Furthermore, the expense of strapping carbon capture systems onto coal-power facilities will drive prices significantly higher still. The ballpark cost to implement a new CCS project at an existing coal-fired unit, for instance, is estimated at around $1 billion… “It’s likely that the end result of all of this will be the absence of a viable project, and ratepayers will have paid millions into something that is never going to be put to useful life for customers in Wyoming,” said Shannon Anderson, attorney for the consumer group Powder River Basin Resource Council, speaking before the committee last week.”

WyoFile: Wyoming’s coal carbon capture mandate makes legislative advances
Dustin Bleizeffer, 2/20/24

“Wyoming’s carbon capture mandate at coal-fired power plants saw several amendments last week and will head to the Wyoming Legislature’s Senate Appropriations Committee before potentially being considered on the Senate floor,” WyoFile reports. “…Proponents of SF 42, including Gov. Mark Gordon, say the 2020 law must be updated — primarily to move a compliance deadline of 2030 back by several years to allow carbon capture technologies to advance and to garner more interest from private investors. Senate File 42 would also exempt utilities with fewer than 10,000 customers due to the financial burden of studying and potentially retrofitting coal plants with the technology. Actually implementing carbon capture at existing coal plants in Wyoming could come with a price tag of $500 million to $1 billion per coal unit, according to initial estimates reported by utilities Black Hills Energy and Rocky Mountain Power. There are five coal units currently under consideration for such retrofits… “Luthi admitted that retrofitting old coal plants — some of which range from 40 to 50 years old — might not be economically feasible. But if Wyoming can successfully demonstrate even a single carbon capture retrofit, it might convince other states to continue burning Wyoming coal and buying Wyoming coal-based electric power generation.”

Alaska Beacon: Alaska legislators give closer look at bill aimed at storing carbon emissions underground
STEFAN MILKOWSKI, 2/19/24

“Alaska legislators are considering a bill proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy last year to store carbon emissions, which could have implications from Cook Inlet to the North Slope,” the Alaska Beacon reports. “…House Bill 50, the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Act, would allow the state to lease subsurface rights for the purpose of storing carbon dioxide, the largest contributor to human-caused climate warming. Combined with generous federal subsidies, the bill could enable everything from enhanced oil recovery using carbon dioxide to the sequestration of emissions from new coal-fired power generation to removing carbon dioxide directly from the air. According to a consultant hired by the state, a carbon capture framework could even make it economic for the state to export North Slope natural gas not as gas but as hydrogen or ammonia, with the carbon dioxide from processing sequestered underground. The legislation could also help maintain existing fossil fuel production and justify new development amid pressure to reduce carbon emissions… “Opponents of the bill described subsidies for carbon capture as misguided and prone to abuse. A letter submitted by a group of environmental, justice and religious organizations described carbon capture as “a dangerous distraction.” “…In an interview, Rep. Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage and House Finance Committee member, expressed concern over long-term liabilities to the state, earthquake risks, and the idea of carbon dioxide imports.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Environmental Groups Ask Court To Slow The March Toward Oil And Gas Fracking On State Land 
Laura Hancock, 2/20/24

“The Ohio Environmental Council and Earthjustice filed a motion Tuesday to halt an Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting scheduled for next week, arguing it will expedite the bidding process for drilling and fracking in Salt Fork State Park and other state lands by nearly three months sooner than required by state law,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. “Earthjustice is representing the council and the grassroots group Save Ohio Parks in the motion, which is part of a lawsuit filed last November in Franklin County. Once the state commission selects the highest and best bids among the private-sector oil and gas companies, state law requires the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to lease the lands to them… “Chris Tavenor, the council’s lawyer, told the Dealer that the Feb. 26 meeting will pause ‘the bureaucratic steamroller’ that the commission has put in place when it issued orders to begin the process.” 

Colorado Sun: Rules to ensure there’s cash to plug all Colorado oil wells may not be enough, study says
Mark Jaffe, 2/20/24

“New Colorado rules to insure there is enough cash to plug each oil and gas well in the state at the end of its life may not generate enough money to do the job, according to an analysis by Carbon Tracker,” the Colorado Sun reports. “The report by the nonprofit environmental think tank said that in the short-run the state may end up with less in financial guarantees than it had before the new rules were adopted nearly two years ago and about 39% of oil and gas companies still have not completed financial assurance plans. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission, which adopted and administers the financial assurance rules, disputes those findings. In April 2022, the state held 1,593 active bonds totaling about $243 million, the commission said in a statement to The Colorado Sun. The new rules were adopted in March 2022, and the ECMC now has 1,827 active bonds totaling $399 million.”

WPLG: Authorities investigate oil spill in Fort Lauderdale’s New River
2/20/24

“An oil spill was spotted in Fort Lauderdale’s New River on Monday,” WPLG reports. “Authorities spent the day trying to get to the bottom of its source… “Officers were able to follow the fuel along the New River however, due to the outgoing tide, they were unable to determine the source of the spill.” “…The U.S. Coast Guard later said, as it continued to investigate the source of the spill, that the oil appeared to be dispersing with the tide Monday evening.”

EXTRACTION

CBS News: Cocaine washes ashore near mystery shipwreck that caused massive oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago
2/20/24

“A black plastic bag containing more than a kilogram of cocaine has washed up on a beach near the spot where a mysterious barge capsized and spilled oil off the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, authorities said Monday,” CBS News reports. “The cocaine, valued at $75,000, was found “washed ashore” at Cove Estate on Tobago, police said in a statement. Authorities have not linked the drug find to the capsized vessel, which is lodged on a reef about 500 feet from Cove Estate. Intrigue surrounds the vessel which capsized on February 7 in waters off the Caribbean island, having made no emergency calls and with no sign of any crew. As a trail of oil leaked into the ocean at the height of the tourist season, authorities last week determined at least two vessels — the barge and a tugboat — had been involved in the accident… ”Last week, Prime Minister Keith Rowley declared a national emergency as crews raced to contain the spill… “On Sunday, the agency hailed all the volunteer groups contributing to the cleanup.”

Turks And Caicos SUN: 1,000 Volunteers Scramble In Caribbean To Clean Up Massive Oil Spill By Trinidad And Tobago Just Before Carnival
2/19/24

“Emergency workers in Trinidad and Tobago are scrambling to clean up a massive oil spill after a mystery vessel ran aground near the Caribbean island, casting a pall over Carnival tourism,” the Turks And Caicos SUN reports. “At least 15km (around 10 miles) of coastline have been affected in Tobago and authorities were poised to declare a national emergency, Farley Augustine, chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, told reporters on Saturday… “Augustine said the government may elevate the accident to a Level 3 disaster, adding, “everything indicates that we are going in that direction”… “The agency released photos of an estimated 1,000 volunteers in protective white jumpsuits working to remove oil from beaches… “For now, according to one government source, “all the coastguard’s efforts are aimed at containing the oil spill”. The source, speaking on grounds of anonymity, said it would be “some time” before investigators could determine the ship’s origins, ownership and intended destination.”

Ethanol Producer: How CCU Platforms Stack Up
LUKE GEIVER, 2/12/24

“Carbon capture and sequestration—and the quest to build pipelines for it—is not the only near-term CO2 utilization option available to U.S. ethanol producers,” Ethanol Producer reports. “Companies like Carbon Sink LLC, CapCO2 Solutions, and HYCO1 have developed on-site carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology platforms capable of turning waste CO2 streams into high-value products. Their respective tech packages have different origins and serve different end-use industries, but each offers a viable alternative for ethanol plants still waiting for—or off route from—one of the proposed multistate carbon pipelines still jostling through the middle stages of regulatory development and land right-of-way negotiations… “Formed roughly three years ago, Carbon Sink has signed agreements with Maersk, the global shipping giant, along with Haldor Topsoe, a global technology provider. The company’s focus is green methanol, which it produces via renewable energy from hydrogen derived from water and waste CO2—preferably in pure form, like the CO2 captured from corn ethanol plants. Shipping companies want to use green methanol in place of diesel—and they need a lot of it… “CapCO2 Solutions, based out of New York, is also developing a process to produce green methanol using CO2 sourced from ethanol production as a main feedstock… “Adkins Energy, an ethanol plant in Illinois, is the first U.S. ethanol facility to sign on with CapCO2. Bonar expects the system to be up and running this summer. The Adkins facility sources its electricity from nuclear energy, which helps the plant’s carbon score. Other plants not linked to nuclear energy will need to have access to wind, solar, or other forms of renewable energy… “The CapCO2 process can reportedly reduce a plant’s CI score by roughly 25 to 30 points. The company’s website claims the system could potentially generate $100 million—per plant (based on 260,000 tons of CO2 captured per year)— in annual revenue. “Our plan is to do carbon capture and utilization as a service,” Bonar says. “We’ll supply the equipment, and we’ll arrange the green methanol buyer, and then we’ll have a generous revenue split.”

Reuters: Exxon warns EU that red tape might push it to invest elsewhere, FT reports
2/19/24

“ExxonMobil has warned it would withhold billions of dollars in climate-related investments in Europe unless Brussels cuts environmental red tape, which the company blames for the “deindustrialisation of the European economy”, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday,” according to Reuters. “Exxon had $20 billion set aside for decarbonisation projects between 2022 and 2027, the newspaper reported, citing an interview with Karen McKee, president of the company’s product solutions division. McKee told the FT that Exxon was likely to prioritise “other parts of the world” due to increasing frustration at the regulatory burden linked to getting projects off the ground in Europe.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Portland Tribune: Oregon House OKs coal divestment plan
Peter Wong, 2/19/24

“Oregon’s public pension fund would head toward divesting itself of $1 billion in publicly traded investments in coal companies under a bill that won approval by the House,” the Portland Tribune reports. “The 33-24 vote on Monday, Feb. 19, was along party lines — no Democrat voted against it, and no Republican for it — and House Bill 4083 heads to the Senate. Unlike broader versions that failed to advance from a House committee last year, the current bill is limited to coal used for fuel — but not oil or gas companies. It calls for no new investments in coal, advises but not mandates the state treasurer to phase out current investments, and requires a report to the Legislature by Jan. 15 of each year. Also, there is no target date for divestment. The earlier legislation would have required complete divestment by 2035… “This legislation is carefully crafted so that it protects the treasurer’s discretion and fiduciary duty, while also sending a signal that Oregon will phase out investing in thermal coal and has a minimal fiscal impact,” Rep. Khanh Pham told the Tribune.

OPINION

Scientific American: The False Promise of Carbon Capture as a Climate Solution
Naomi Oreskes  is a professor of the history of science at Harvard University, 3/1/24

“…It’s the idea that we can still use fossil fuels as long as the carbon dioxide emitted is captured and stored in the ground. In the U.S., the oil and gas industries have been pushing this approach as one of the key solutions to the climate crisis. But how realistic is it?,” Naomi Oreskes writes for Scientific American. “…In recent years the oil industry has tried to pour this old wine into new bottles, casting the practice as a method of mitigating climate change because some of the injected CO2 might otherwise end up in the atmosphere… “We all know the saying that what goes up must come down, but the opposite is largely true, too (at least if the materials involved are liquid or gas), because fluids migrate through the microscopic holes and fractures that are found in even the most solid of rocks. After the U.S. government spent billions evaluating a potential civilian nuclear waste disposal site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, the proposal failed in part because scientists could not guarantee that the waste would stay put… “Many geologists (myself included) believe there are places on Earth where long-term CO2 storage could be safely achieved, but it would require what scientists call “site characterization.” “…But site characterization takes time that we don’t have. The DOE spent more than 20 years evaluating Yucca Mountain… “Despite the U.S. government having spent billions on failed CCS projects, under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it is set to spend many billions more, a lot of it in tax subsidies to fossil-fuel companies… “Although it might be part of the solution down the road, right now it’s mostly a dangerous distraction. Our focus—and our tax dollars—should be trained on scaling up production of cost-competitive renewable energy, grid-scale batteries for storing that energy and efficiency measures to conserve it as fast as we possibly can.”

The Blaze: Kristi Noem stays silent as South Dakota GOP cedes property rights
DANIEL HOROWITZ, 2/19/24

“It’s shocking that South Dakota lacks statewide leaders who speak with conviction about the fraud of global warming and the carbon capture grift,” Daniel Horowitz writes for The Blaze. “Remember Summit Carbon Solutions and that Green New Deal pipeline the company wanted to lay through the Dakotas, seizing people’s land in the process? Well, the project is back, and it’s stronger than ever… “The state Senate’s Commerce and Energy Committee last week passed SB 201, which pre-empts all local ordinances and restrictions on carbon capture pipelines… “Local South Dakota counties have thrown up zoning and ordinance barriers to the pipelines’ construction. So Summit tried to get the state Public Utilities Commission to circumvent local ordinances. When that didn’t work, Summit lobbyists set about pre-empting local control by changing the law… “Where is Kristi Noem? It’s hard to imagine this bill would get so much support from Senate leadership if she were vociferously opposed to it. She is on TV every night decrying the invasion at the border, but what about the invasion of local property rights by a foreign-backed green energy company subsidized through government green energy subsidies and mandates? Not only should Noem oppose the bill stripping local governments of the authority to regulate carbon pipelines, but she should champion the effort to bar eminent domain for such pipelines statewide. HB 1219 by Rep. Jon Hansen (R) would prohibit the exercise of eminent domain for the construction of pipelines carrying carbon oxide.”

The Hill: Big Oil claims Biden’s LNG pause harms national security — don’t believe the hype 
Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré (Ret.) is a former U.S. Army commander. He is head of The Green Army, an organization dedicated to finding solutions to pollution; Svitlana Romanko, Ph.D., is an international environmental attorney and founder of Razom We Stand, an independent Ukrainian movement dedicated to the permanent defeat of Russian fossil fueled aggression, and a clean energy future for Ukraine and the world, 2/17/24

“On Jan. 26, the Biden administration made what might be the most important decision on climate policy in history. Rather than rubber-stamping permits for new liquified natural gas export terminals — “LNGs,” in industry parlance — regulators will now pause to consider the impacts of such massive new plants on energy costs, America’s energy security and our climate,” Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré and Svitlana Romanko write for The Hill. “It’s a moderate move that gives the federal government time to compare the purported benefits of gas exports against the evidence of their greenhouse gas emissions. And it does nothing to stop the short-term surge, with U.S. exports expected to rise by 80 percent by the end of 2028. According to the industry, however, the pause is a radical decision that harms U.S. national security and the security of our allies in Europe. They want business as usual, and that means expanding the annual subsidies for fossil fuels they receive at taxpayer expense beyond the current $7 trillion per year, according to an International Monetary Fund study. As a retired United States Army commander and a Ukrainian leader fighting against Russia’s attack on Ukraine, we know the facts about American and European security. And we’re sickened by the industry’s naked attempts to use fear and human suffering to control U.S. policy and line their pockets… “Moving away from fossil fuels is the only way we’ll starve Putin’s war machine, achieve peace and preserve the future of our climate.”  

Washington Post: Investor climate activism isn’t working. Here’s what would.
Editorial Board, 2/20/24

“When activist investors tried to put a climate-related resolution before ExxonMobil’s board, they might not have imagined that they would be the ones defending themselves. But the oil giant has sued investor group Follow This and investment adviser Arjuna Capital for pushing a motion calling on the company to speed up reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Even after the activists dropped their motion, Exxon refused to end its suit against them,” the Washington Post Editorial Board writes. “This hardball is not surprising from an oil firm that hopes the world uses fossil fuels as long as possible. More remarkable is that these activists expected to make much progress, after bringing similar resolutions year after year, gaining little shareholder support. The lesson, for the many activists eager to force corporate America to trim greenhouse gas emissions, is that relying on inside strategies and corporations’ good will is unlikely to result in much, no matter how legitimate the cause. If activists want to affect what matters — emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases — they should devote most of their effort to the political process, to get policymakers to build regulations, incentives and constraints that will force companies into line. As it stands today, even the most heralded investor activism has done next to nothing to move the needle. The divestment movement — which counts on 1,550 organizations representing more than $40 trillion in assets committed to getting rid of fossil-fuel-related investments — has proved irrelevant or even counterproductive. It has failed at its primary goal: to hit the share prices of fossil fuel companies and raise their capital costs to the point they struggle to invest and survive. A recent study by economists at Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania concluded that “the impact on the cost of capital is too small to meaningfully affect real investment decisions.” Somehow activists missed that each share a green investor sells is purchased by somebody with lesser green credentials, less interest in climate change. This substitution could actually lead to more rather than fewer carbon emissions… “Pressuring the Securities and Exchange Commission to impose a rule for public companies to report corporate emissions is likely to be much more effective than activist skirmishes with ExxonMobil.”