EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 2/22/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Nebraska Examiner: Northeast Nebraska county delivers blow to plans for carbon pipeline

• KXLG: “Compromise” carbon pipeline bill passes Senate without emergency clause

• DRG News: Noem signs state retirement system, hydrogen pipeline bills into law

• Raleigh News & Observer: Dominion plans 45-mile pipeline to boost natural gas flow in NC, supply Duke Energy 

• Law360: Green Groups Press FERC To Rescind Tenn. Pipeline Approval

• People for the American Way: Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Give Ranch the Opportunity to Prove that Corporation’s Fuel Pipeline Leak Caused Environmental Damage

• FOX Business: Pipeline workers concerned for their jobs, livelihoods due to Biden’s renewable agenda [VIDEO]

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Reuters: Democratic US senator opposes Biden pause on liquefied natural gas exports

STATE UPDATES

• InsideClimate News: California’s Oil Country Hopes Carbon Management Will Provide Jobs. It May Be Disappointed

• Helena Independent Record: Massive ExxonMobil carbon capture project in Eastern Montana reviewed

• Ohio Capital Journal: Corruption tax? Policy expert says that’s basically what Ohio utility consumers have been paying

• Denver Post: Jury awards $30 million to Colorado oilfield worker injured in explosion, but state cap will cut that in half

• WCSC: Coast Guard, others clear Charleston oil spill near Chevron facility

EXTRACTION

• Inkl: Farmers urge Labor leaders to fight carbon capture plan

• Associated Press: Trinidad hires foreign experts to help contain oil spill and remove capsized barge

• Reuters: Occidental explores $20 bln-plus sale of Western Midstream, sources say

• Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA): Europe’s gas consumption falls to 10-year low as peak LNG demand nears

• Smithsonian Magazine: New Satellite Will Track Methane Emissions From Space AND Pinpoint Their Sources With A.I. 

• Reuters: Canada secures surrender of all offshore Pacific coast oil and gas permits

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Public Citizen: Risk Exposure: The Insurers Secretly Backing the Methane Gas Boom in the U.S. Gulf South

OPINION

• Roanoke Times: Pipeline benefits from loophole

• Wall Street Journal: Say Goodbye to Dirt Cheap Canadian Oil

• Todayville: Hubs are the future of carbon capture and storage: Why Alberta is an ideal place to make it happen
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Nebraska Examiner: Northeast Nebraska county delivers blow to plans for carbon pipeline
PAUL HAMMEL, 2/21/24

“A rural Nebraska county delivered a blow Tuesday to plans by an Iowa corporation to build a pipeline carrying carbon dioxide across the state,” the Nebraska Examiner reports. “On a 3-0 vote, the Stanton County Board denied a conditional use permit for Summit Carbon Solutions, which is seeking to build a CO2 pipeline from more than 50 ethanol plants in the Midwest to a sequestration site in North Dakota. Stanton County Clerk Wanda Heermann said commissioners stated that they needed more information about the health risks and possible foreign ownership of the company and that they wanted to see more public education and consideration of alternative routes. Summit, Heermann said, would have to reapply for a conditional use permit if it wants to cross the northeast Nebraska county. One Stanton County landowner who opposes the project noted that not one landowner testified in favor of the pipeline prior to the county board’s vote Tuesday. “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,” Justin Kennedy, a member of an opposition group, the Nebraska Easement Action Team, told the Examiner. It is a wing of the Bold Alliance, which led the opposition to the crude-oil Keystone XL pipeline. A Summit spokeswoman told the Examiner the company “respects the decision of the Stanton County Commissioners and will address their feedback.” “…Also Tuesday, the Dakota County Planning and Zoning Commission tabled until April a decision on whether to recommend approval of a county conditional use permit for Summit. Commissioners said they needed more information, according to Joe O’Neill, the county’s zoning administrator… “Opponents have questioned the safety of the high-pressure, liquid pipeline, pointing to a pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi, in 2020 that caused an evacuation and sent several people to the hospital. Questions have also been raised about whether the technology of sequestering carbon in deep underground formations is sound… “In a press release, Bold Alliance said one of the Stanton County commissioners, Doug Huttman, asked Summit at Tuesday’s meeting for a model of how CO2 would disperse and flow in the event of a rupture.”

KXLG: “Compromise” carbon pipeline bill passes Senate without emergency clause
Todd Epp, 2/21/24

“It took a procedural rule to pass the “compromise” carbon dioxide pipeline bill in the Senate this afternoon (Wednesday),” KXLG reports. “SB201, the so-called “compromise” bill to bridge the gap between supporters and opponents of carbon dioxide sequestration, failed and then passed the upper chamber on identical 23 to 11 votes. The original bill contained an emergency clause, which would have made the bill law immediately upon the governor’s signature (if also passed in the House). The emergency clause also would have blocked the law from being referred by citizens. The bill came up one vote short of receiving the necessary two-thirds vote–24 votes–to pass the Senate. However, under Senate rules, if a bill requiring a two-thirds vote fails but gains a simple majority, it can be immediately reconsidered without the emergency clause. Without the emergency clause, the bill passed and now goes to a House committee… “The measure now heads to a House committee. Which House committee could be significant… “As of late afternoon today (Wednesday), the bill had not yet been assigned to a House committee.”

DRG News: Noem signs state retirement system, hydrogen pipeline bills into law
Jody Heemstra, 2/21/24

“South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed the following six bills into law,” DRG News reports. “…HB 1034 requires hydrogen pipelines to be permitted by the Public Utilities Commission… “Noem has signed 77 bills into law this legislative session.”

Raleigh News & Observer: Dominion plans 45-mile pipeline to boost natural gas flow in NC, supply Duke Energy 
ADAM WAGNER, 2/21/24

“Dominion Energy is planning to build a new pipeline across three northern North Carolina counties, a key link in the utility’s plan to supply Duke Energy’s planned natural gas power plants on Hyco Lake’s southern shore,” the Raleigh News & Observer reports. “When complete, the new pipeline would connect first with the Transco Pipeline, the only one currently pumping natural gas into the state, Dominion spokeswoman Persida Montanez wrote in an email. In time it could also connect with the proposed MVP Southgate, which is planned to enter North Carolina from Virginia and end near Eden, where the Dominion pipeline would start. Dominion’s pipeline would span 45 miles, starting near the eastern shore of the Dan River. It would run southeast in an existing Dominion pipeline corridor and make a make a sharp turn to the north for about eight miles to reach Duke’s two planned natural gas plants near the existing Roxboro coal-fired power plant… “The new pipeline is needed as we work to modernize our system to comply with federal safety regulations and meet natural gas demand,” Montanez said in a statement… “Environmental groups in North Carolina have opposed the continued buildout of natural gas infrastructure in the state, citing climate concerns… “There’s just a lot of proposed gas infrastructure in this area. That’s very concerning at a time when we need to be moving toward renewable energy, not doubling down on fossil fuel infrastructure,” Caroline Hansley, a senior field organizer with the Sierra Club told the News & Observer. 

Law360: Green Groups Press FERC To Rescind Tenn. Pipeline Approval
Keith Goldberg, 2/21/24

“Environmentalists on Tuesday urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to undo its approval of a Tennessee pipeline project that will serve a Tennessee Valley Authority gas-fired power plant that is replacing,” Law360 reports. 

People for the American Way: Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Give Ranch the Opportunity to Prove that Corporation’s Fuel Pipeline Leak Caused Environmental Damage
Elliot Mincberg, 2/21/24

“Judge Veronica Rossman, nominated by President Biden to the Tenth Circuit court of appeals, cast the deciding vote to reverse a grant of summary judgment and give a ranch the opportunity to prove to a jury that a corporation’s fuel pipeline leaked and caused environmental harm to individuals and to its property,” according to People for the American Way. “The February 2024 decision was in Lazy S Ranch Props. v Valero Terminating and Distribution Co.”

FOX Business: Pipeline workers concerned for their jobs, livelihoods due to Biden’s renewable agenda [VIDEO]
2/21/24

“FOX Business’ Grady Trimble reports from Houston-based Troy Construction, where the CEO and contract workers voice concerns over executive energy policy,” FOX Business reports. 

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Reuters: Democratic US senator opposes Biden pause on liquefied natural gas exports
2/18/24

“Democratic U.S. Senator Michael Bennet opposes President Joe Biden’s decision to pause approvals of new exports of liquefied natural gas, saying on Sunday that it could undercut U.S. efforts to supply gas to Europe as it replaces Russian exports,” Reuters reports. “Bennet’s comments were a sign that Biden faces dissent from his fellow Democrats on the move, which attempts to balance his climate goals with support for Europe during Russia’s war on Ukraine… “Bennet, whose home state of Colorado is a natural gas producer, called Biden’s decision “short-sighted” during an interview on Fox News Sunday but did not say whether he would support legislation to reverse it.”

STATE UPDATES

InsideClimate News: California’s Oil Country Hopes Carbon Management Will Provide Jobs. It May Be Disappointed
Emma Foehringer Merchant, Joshua Yeager, 2/21/24

“On a recent Tuesday evening, several oil workers in Kern County, California, spoke out in support of a project that they hope will create much-needed jobs…The proposed project, known as Carbon TerraVault 1, would store millions of tons of planet-warming carbon a mile beneath the nearby Elk Hills Oil Field,” InsideClimate News reports. “…Some environmental advocates are skeptical of the carbon removal industry — and its ability to create a significant number of jobs — but California policymakers view carbon removal and storage as a necessary tool to manage greenhouse gas emissions. The fledgling technology is a key part of the state’s plan to fight climate change, which also includes phasing out oil drilling by 2045. The county and California Resources Corporation (CRC), the oil company hoping to build the TerraVault, see carbon management as a vital new revenue stream. Kern County stands to lose thousands of jobs and millions in tax dollars as drilling declines. But carbon storage facilities themselves are not currently projected to generate large numbers of jobs, according to a report prepared for the county. Kern’s own analysis shows the initial phase of the TerraVault project will only produce five permanent positions.”

Helena Independent Record: Massive ExxonMobil carbon capture project in Eastern Montana reviewed
Tom Lutey, 2/19/24

“A massive southeast Montana carbon sequestration project, 14 years in the making, is under environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management,” the Helena Independent Record reports. “Exxon Mobil’s Shute Creek gas processing plant in southwest Wyoming captures carbon dioxide for sale to other companies for enhanced oil recovery. Research into carbon capture was recently criticized by some environmental groups, even as industry seeks ways to make coal viable despite market and climate change pressures… “The project has raised concerns about well water contamination and wildlife endangerment, as well as risks to local livestock operations and the possible leakage of carbon dioxide resulting from earthquakes… “The Bureau of Land Management in 2022 made carbon dioxide storage on public lands a part of a comprehensive strategy for addressing climate change. “They basically said they had given up on reducing carbon and they were going to focus on carbon capture instead,” Michael Garrity of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, told the Record… “The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comment on the Snowy River Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Project, 100,000 subsurface acre project along Greencore Pipeline, which delivers industrial carbon dioxide from Wyoming to oil wells in southeast Montana and North Dakota… “As the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found in 2022, half of Shute Creek’s carbon pollution wasn’t being captured. A modest 3% of the pollution was being sequestered and not sold.”

Ohio Capital Journal: Corruption tax? Policy expert says that’s basically what Ohio utility consumers have been paying
MARTY SCHLADEN, 2/21/24

“…But since 2009, Ohio’s leadership has gone along with a number of questionable rate hikes demanded by regulated utilities. They’ve functioned in the same manner as tax increases — regressive ones with unsavory origins,” the Ohio Capital Journal reports. “…The state charges filed this month against two top FirstEnergy executives and the state’s top regulator pertain to those crimes. But they also describe more than a decade’s worth of additional shady increases in which payoffs played a central role… “Those increases are in addition to a whole slew of other rate hikes that Ohio’s erstwhile regulator has granted, but the state Supreme Court later ruled to be illegal. They total more than $1.5 billion worth altogether. Even though the gains have been ruled unlawful, utilities have gotten to keep them because the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio keeps granting such increases without building in a refund mechanism in the event they’re struck down… “So Ohio ratepayers have shelled out billions in illegal electric payments and untold millions more as the consequence of shady kickbacks to powerful companies. Those who allowed such payments are responsible for what is the functional equivalent of a tax increase, Rob Moore, principal of Scioto Analysis, a Columbus firm that applies economics to questions of public policy, told the Journal.”

Denver Post: Jury awards $30 million to Colorado oilfield worker injured in explosion, but state cap will cut that in half
Noelle Phillips, 2/20/24

“A Colorado jury has awarded $30 million to an oilfield worker who was severely injured when a fracking tank exploded in Weld County four years ago, but he’ll be unable to collect the full amount because state law limits how much companies are required to pay in damages when they lose lawsuits,” the Denver Post reports. “Last week’s verdict in federal court comes as a group called Coloradans for Accountability, supported by the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, is organizing a ballot initiative to put before voters in November that would eliminate the cap on non-economic damages in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. “This is something that has 100% benefit to insurance companies and defendants, and zero benefit to anyone who has been hurt,” Steven Straughen, the oilfield worker injured in the 2019 blast, told the Post. “This is a biased law by a huge margin.” Straughen, a married father of two and a U.S. Air Force veteran who lives in Idaho, was working at the time of the explosion as a well tester for a contractor who assigned him to a well pad in Greeley… “The explosion and the subsequent fall caused a fractured pelvis, spine, ankle and hip, and a mild traumatic brain injury. Straughen spent months in a hospital and then a rehabilitation center. He ultimately had his right foot amputated because of ongoing pain… “Straughen filed a federal personal injury lawsuit against BHS Inc. and, on Thursday, after a nine-day trial in U.S. District Court in Denver, a jury delivered a $30 million verdict in favor of Straughen and his wife Ashley… “The cap is $600,000, Zaner said. So the $15 million is “money that will just go away,” he said. “The law has taken away the justice that was rendered.”

WCSC: Coast Guard, others clear Charleston oil spill near Chevron facility
Patrick Phillips, 2/20/24

“Coast Guard Sector Charleston confirmed work was completed to remove 5,000 gallons of an oily water mixture after responding to a reported oil spill,” WCSC reports. “Sector Charleston’s Incident Management Division responded along with members of the Charleston County Emergency Management Department and the Charleston Water Management Department after receiving a report of oil in a storm drain near a Chevron facility. Crews deployed a boom to remove the mixture by vacuuming the drainpipe, the Coast Guard said in a release. The work to remove all of the oil ended on Feb. 12 with “no evidence of additional oil for future potential discharge, recoverable product, or threat to the marine environment,” the agency said in a release.

EXTRACTION

Inkl: Farmers urge Labor leaders to fight carbon capture plan
2/21/24

“Labor leaders should be pressuring Queensland to reject the storage of power station emissions in the Great Artesian Basin, farmers say,” Inkl reports. “Farming lobby group AgForce has ramped up its campaign against a carbon capture and storage trial proposed by a subsidiary of coal producer Glencore. CTSCo plans to capture carbon dioxide from the coal-fired Millmerran power station in southern Queensland, liquefy it and store it 2.3km underground, in the Precipice Sandstone aquifer. It says no damage will come from its test injection of 330,000 tonnes into an aquifer that lies between two impermeable rock layers, meaning it’s isolated from other aquifers that are tapped for agricultural or human use. But AgForce fears the three-year trial could be dangerous for the entire basin, which supports $13 billion of economic activity across Queensland, NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory… “Glencore says its disappointed by the farming sector’s “misinformation campaign”, which has included paid advertisements.”

Associated Press: Trinidad hires foreign experts to help contain oil spill and remove capsized barge
2/20/24

“The government of Trinidad and Tobago announced Tuesday that it is partnering with international experts to remove the wreckage of a barge that capsized in nearby waters and caused a major oil spill,” the Associated Press reports. “T&T Salvage, a Texas-based company, and QT Environmental, of Minnesota, will work with local officials to also clean up the spill that has contaminated waters and beaches in the eastern Caribbean nation, according to its Ministry of Energy. The spill occurred nearly two weeks ago, prompting the government to declare a national emergency and forcing the closure of at least two schools. Divers are expected to find and plug leaks on the overturned barge while crews deploy an underwater oil-detection system, officials said. In addition, the government hired a remote operated vehicle to help with the ongoing work… “Trinidad’s Fishermen and Friends of the Seas, a nonprofit organization, has questioned who will pay for the cleanup costs and compensate fishermen whose livelihood and equipment were affected by the spill.”

Reuters: Occidental explores $20 bln-plus sale of Western Midstream, sources say
2/20/24

“Occidental Petroleum is exploring a sale of Western Midstream Partners, a U.S. natural gas-focused pipeline operator that has a market value of close to $20 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter,” Reuters reports. “…The company was formed by Anadarko in 2007. Occidental set up Western Midstream as a standalone company when it took over Anadarko late in 2019. Dealmaking in the pipeline sector has been picking up as some companies look to cut costs while others seek more access at scale to attractive oil and gas producing regions, including the Permian basin, as well as export facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Last year, ONEOK bought Magellan Midstream for $18.8 billion including debt, while Energy Transfer took over Crestwood Equity Partners for $7.1 billion including debt at the start of November. Last month, Sunoco agreed to acquire NuStar Energy for $7.3 billion including debt.”

Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA): Europe’s gas consumption falls to 10-year low as peak LNG demand nears
Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, 2/21/24

“Europe’s gas consumption in 2023 fell to its lowest level in 10 years as countries scale up efficiency measures and renewables deployment. In the two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, gas demand has declined by 20% across the continent,” according to the  according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). “The latest version of IEEFA’s European LNG Tracker reveals that falling gas demand has been driven mainly by Germany, Italy and the UK. The continent’s LNG consumption is forecasted to peak in 2025 as a result. With markets rapidly curbing their reliance on Russian gas in the wake of the invasion, IEEFA had forecasted that imports of LNG would rise in 2023 to make up for the shortfall; however, Europe’s LNG demand was in fact flat year on year. Despite this, countries continue constructing new LNG infrastructure: Eight import terminals have come online since February 2022, and a further 13 projects are expected to be operational by 2030. This means that the combined capacity of Europe’s LNG terminals could be three times higher than its expected LNG demand by the end of the decade. “Two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s energy system is more diversified and resilient. The crisis has been controlled to an extent, efficiency measures have been scaled up and renewables and heat pump installations have accelerated. This has set up the continent to continue reducing gas demand,” said Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, lead energy analyst, Europe, at IEEFA.

Smithsonian Magazine: New Satellite Will Track Methane Emissions From Space AND Pinpoint Their Sources With A.I. 
Will Sullivan, 2/20/24

“A satellite to locate and measure methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and other sources is slated to launch to space next month,” Smithsonian Magazine reports. “Called MethaneSAT, the mission is developed and funded by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a nonprofit environmental organization. In a blog post last week, Google announced that it will use artificial intelligence to create a map of oil and gas infrastructure that will help determine the sources of methane emissions… “The new collaboration aims to track both specific point sources of methane emissions and broader dispersed sources, as well as emission rates and how emissions of the gas are changing over time. “We’re effectively putting on a really high-quality set of glasses, allowing us to look at the Earth and these emissions with a sharpness that we’ve never had before,” Steve Hamburg, chief scientist and MethaneSAT project lead at EDF, said in a call with reporters, per MIT Technology Review’s James O’Donnell.

Reuters: Canada secures surrender of all offshore Pacific coast oil and gas permits
2/21/24

“Canada has secured the surrender of the last remaining permits for oil and gas development off its Pacific Coast, the federal natural resources minister said on Wednesday, after Chevron Canada voluntarily relinquished 23 permits this month,” Reuters reports. “Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the relinquishment of the permits marked an important milestone in permanently protecting the ecologically rich waters of Canada’s west coast. While there has been a federal moratorium on oil and gas exploration off the Pacific coast since 1972, permits issued before that date were still valid. U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil also relinquished a number of permits last year.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Public Citizen: Risk Exposure: The Insurers Secretly Backing the Methane Gas Boom in the U.S. Gulf South
2/21/24

“At least 35 different insurance companies are responsible for underwriting liquified methane export terminal projects across the U.S Gulf South, according to a report released today by Rainforest Action Network and Public Citizen. The analysis, based on documents obtained through open record requests, details the insurance coverage for existing and projected methane gas infrastructure that, if built, will export the same yearly greenhouse gas emissions as 239 coal plants.mThe report, Risk Exposure: The Insurers Secretly Backing the Methane Gas Boom in the US Gulf South reveals, Axis, Chubb, Swiss Re, and Sompo as backers, a surprising find as these companies earned better ratings for their climate policies in the most recent Insure Our Future scorecard. Other insurers include the usual supporters of fossil fuels like Liberty Mutual, AIG, The Hartford, Travelers, Berkshire Hathaway, and Lloyd’s of London. The insurance industry seldom reveals which fossil fuel project or company is underwritten by a given insurance provider. The documents unearthed in government requests allow the public transparency around who is insuring which project… “Estimates done by Insuramore suggest that fossil fuel premiums earned the insurance industry around $21.25 billion in 2022… “If built, Texas LNG, Rio Grande LNG, and their proposed Rio Bravo Pipeline would destroy our low-income Latine community’s way of life. Pollution from these mega LNG/methane export terminals would degrade the waterways where shrimp lay their eggs, and our people fish to feed their families. We’re calling on these insurance companies to stop insuring LNG/methane terminals because they are blatant environmental racism,” said Bekah Hinojosa, South Texas Environmental Justice Network. 

OPINION

Roanoke Times: Pipeline benefits from loophole
James McGrath, Eggleston, 2/22/24

“Mountain Valley Pipeline-caused water problems in Newport are further exacerbated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s biased policy for pipelines on floodplains,” James McGrath writes for the Roanoke Times. “The agency regulates these projects under the National Flood Insurance Program but enables these projects to escape mandatory insurance by not certifying them as insurable. FEMA protects property against water damage but intentionally does not protect the nation’s waters against industrial damage.”

Wall Street Journal: Say Goodbye to Dirt Cheap Canadian Oil
Jinjoo Lee, 2/21/24

“For years U.S. drivers have been getting a gift at the expense of their northern neighbor—artificially cheap oil. That could change in the coming months when a major pipeline expansion will allow Canadian oil more access to global markets. How will it impact the main beneficiaries of that yearslong glut, U.S. refiners that pocketed much of the difference?,” Jinjoo Lee writes for the Wall Street Journal. “The U.S. imports about 4 million barrels a day of Canadian crude oil, which represents more than a fifth of the country’s operating refining capacity. Western Canadian Select was on average about $18 to $19 a barrel cheaper than the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate in 2022 and 2023, according to data from the Alberta Energy Regulator. Part of that discount is because the WCS is a heavier blend that requires more processing and involves higher operating costs, but lack of pipeline capacity was another reason. That will change in the coming months when Canada opens up its expanded Trans Mountain pipeline, adding 590,000 barrels-a-day of takeaway capacity… “The biggest negative impact will be on inland refineries such as those in the Midwest using Canadian crude because they don’t have easy access to other types of heavy crude. Refiners on the Gulf Coast have the option of importing heavy crudes from Mexico and Venezuela… “And, just as in the U.S., incremental pipeline capacity is hard to come by in Canada given how politically charged such projects can get. The windfall from Canada’s glut will be missed, but it shouldn’t be a shock to the system.”

Todayville: Hubs are the future of carbon capture and storage: Why Alberta is an ideal place to make it happen
Deborah Jaremko, 2/21/24

“So-called “hubs” or networks are becoming the leading development strategy for carbon capture and storage (CCS) as the world moves faster to fight climate change, according to the Global CCS Institute,” Deborah Jaremko writes for Todayville. “Alberta, with its large industrial operations and more CO2 storage capacity than Norway, Korea, India, and double the entire Middle East, is an early leader in CCS hub development. “For Alberta, the concept of CCS hubs makes a lot of sense because you have many industry players that are trying to reduce their emissions, paired with beautiful geological opportunities beneath,” says Beth (Hardy) Valiaho, vice-president with the International CCS Knowledge Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan… “Valiaho says Alberta is an encouraging jurisdiction to develop CCS hubs in part because the government owns the geological pore space where the CO2 is stored, rather than developers having to navigate dealing with multiple resource owners… “There are 26 CCS storage project proposals under evaluation in Alberta that could be used as shared storage hubs in the future, including the project proposed by the Pathways Alliance of oil sands producers. If just six of these projects proceed, the Global CCS Institute says they could store a combined 50 million tonnes of CO2 per year, or the equivalent emissions of more than 11 million cars.”