Extracted

EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/18/24

Mark Hefflinger, Bold Alliance (Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/Des Moines Register

By Mark Hefflinger

March 18, 2024

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PIPELINE NEWS

Inside Climate News: To Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a Young Activist Spends 36 Hours Inside it
North Dakota Monitor: Summit avoids landslides in North Dakota pipeline route changes
Sioux Falls Argus Leader: New South Dakota property rights group plans to initiate referendum on pipeline bill
South Dakota Searchlight: New group aims to refer carbon pipeline law to voters
Dakota Scout: Anti-pipeline group wants South Dakota voters to decide fate of ‘Landowner Bill of Rights’
Press release: South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance Mobilizes Against SB 201
KDLS: Iowa Utilities Board rejects Summit’s newly proposed info meeting dates for new routes to pipeline project
Des Moines Register: Opponents want Summit to consolidate permits, possibly delaying carbon pipeline ruling
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Which bills survived, which died as second ‘funnel week’ ends at the Iowa Capitol
The Courier: Proposed pipeline ‘boondoggle’ challenged in Waverly during Free Soil Foundation event
KLMJ: Wright supervisors to discuss carbon pipeline project
E&E News: DC Circuit case pits pipeline expansion against NJ’s climate ambitions
Politico: Federal court wrestles with pipeline case that could derail New Jersey’s climate goals
North Dakota Monitor: 4 highlights from the 4-week DAPL protest trial
World Pipelines: DNV embarks on hydrogen blending feasibility studies
Canadian Press: Unplanned shutdown of Imperial pipeline affects delivery of fuel to Winnipeg
Wisconsin Public Radio: A new documentary details the Bad River Band’s fight for tribal sovereignty

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Bloomberg: Oral Arguments Set In Monuments Case Aimed At Supreme Court
E&E News: Major LNG developer lashes out at FERC delays
Heatmap: Carbon Removal Is Getting Gamified
E&E News: Republicans Announce Long-Anticipated ‘Energy Week’

STATE UPDATES

Cowboy State Daily: $80 Million Raised To Build Giant Carbon Capture Project In Wyoming
The Columbian: Oil trains in the Gorge: Are we ready for a spill?
KOCO: Hundreds of gallons of oil spilled into a creek in PerryCNN: Vessel ‘accidentally discharged’ 500 gallons of diesel fuel off Northern California coast, Coast Guard says
Inside Climate News: A Gas Tanker Crashed in Birmingham and Spilled 2,100 Gallons Into Nearby Village Creek. Who Is Responsible?
Cleveland.com: Drillers ask Ohio for permission to frack natural gas under Keen Wildlife Area
Oregon Capital Chronicle: All gas companies in Oregon fail to gain approval for plans on meeting state’s climate goals
WOOD: Federal grant bolsters WMU carbon capture project

EXTRACTION

Common Dreams: ‘North Sea Fossil Free’: Activists in 6 Countries Protest ‘Unhinged’ Oil and Gas Development
E&E News: French oil major faces climate lawsuit
Reuters: Oil mergers, clean fuels vie for attention at Houston energy conference
Agence France-Presse: Climate: Carbon capture tech is booming, and confusing
Gas Compression Magazine: Enbridge Acquires The East Ohio Gas Company
Reuters: LNG developer Tellurian to explore sale among other options, CEO steps down
Reuters: Talos Energy to sell carbon capture unit to TotalEnergies for $148 mln
UK Tech: Bill Gates fund backs UK carbon capture startup
Utility Dive: Hydrogen could compete with natural gas by 2030, but there’s a catch: report
Guardian: UK company directors may be liable for climate impacts, say lawyers

CLIMATE FINANCE

The Hill: Court halts SEC climate disclosure rule
E&E News: Democrats mull punishment for US Chamber ‘greenwashing’
Inside Climate News: ‘Greenhushing’ Is On the Rise as Companies Go Silent on Climate Pledges
New York Times: The Zombies of the U.S. Tax Code: Why Fossil Fuels Subsidies Seem Impossible to Kill

OPINION

Sioux City Journal: Ethanol, pipeline plans ignore drought in Iowa
Chicago Defender: Water is Life. The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Threatens So Much of It.
Context: The criminalisation of climate activists must stop now
Washington Times: Biden Overreaching In Using Antiquities Act To Create National Monuments
Times Union: Mr. DiNapoli, why is the state pension fund still investing in fossil fuels?
Washington Post: Joe Manchin: Our energy policy is a success. President Biden should be proud.

PIPELINE NEWS

Inside Climate News: To Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a Young Activist Spends 36 Hours Inside it
Keerti Gopal, 3/17/24

“Last week, a 22-year-old activist spent nearly 36 hours inside the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia, halting construction on a section of the pipeline for two days,” Inside Climate News reports. “The activist—who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of harassment and legal repercussions—had climbed inside the pipeline to protest and delay its construction, part of a broader movement of opposition to the controversial natural gas pipeline system, which will stretch from West Virginia to Virginia. After exiting the pipeline on Friday, March 8, at around 4:35 p.m., the activist was charged with four misdemeanors and released on a $3,500 bail. “This project is worth fighting until the end,” the activist told ICN. “Winning looks so much bigger than just stopping this pipeline…It’s a win because, whether or not this pipeline ever has gas running through it, the legacy of resistance in Appalachia still lives.” The arrest marked the end of a jam-packed week at the Mountain Valley Pipeline. On March 4, two other pipeline resistors—aged 81 and 63—locked themselves to a broken down vehicle on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia, for more than nine hours. The same day, seven others were arrested on the other side of the mountain for entering a construction site, and were held in jail for between two and five days before being allowed to post bail and be released… “The company’s response to the opposition of the pipeline has included multiple lawsuits against protesters. In one lawsuit, Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sued 41 individuals as well as Appalachians Against Pipelines and Rising Tide North America—the latter of which was recently dropped from the lawsuit—for more than $4 million in damages, claiming that they are “unwilling to accept the fact that the project has been approved.” Critics have called the company’s lawsuits SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, intended to dissuade public criticism, partly by tying up opposition with expensive and time consuming legal roadblocks. “They just want to wear people out,” Nadia Ahmad, an associate professor of law at Barry University in Florida whose research relates to pipeline protests, told ICN. “They think these lawsuits are going to be a way to send a message…that nobody else should try and fight.” “…Virginia State Police Sergeant O.J. Lilly, whose jurisdiction includes Giles County, where the activist occupied the pipeline and was arrested, told ICN that the pipeline protests in his jurisdiction are “not anything out of hand.” “They have the right to exercise their freedom of speech,” Lilly told ICN of the protesters.” “…For Hinz, the choice to engage in civil disobedience is a result of desperation. He would rather not get arrested, but watching emissions rise, accelerating climate change as projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline overcome citizen opposition, he feels like he has no other choice. “We’re getting arrested because we’ve tried everything else,” Hinz told ICN. “And we have to try everything, because the future of our biosphere depends on it.”

North Dakota Monitor: Summit avoids landslides in North Dakota pipeline route changes
JEFF BEACH, 3/17/24

“Changes made by Summit Carbon Solutions to its pipeline route in North Dakota include avoiding areas where landslides are likely to occur,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “It also has moved farther east of Bismarck and some Bismarck intervenors have withdrawn from the case. North Dakota is one of the few states to have possible landslide areas mapped, according to State Geologist Ed Murphy… “Murphy submitted a letter dated March 7 that says Summit has addressed those concerns, including rerouting the pipeline around some landslide areas… “A landslide contributed to an oil pipeline spill in North Dakota in 2016 and shifting soil caused a carbon pipeline rupture in Mississippi in 2020, a case that many carbon pipeline opponents point to as an example of their safety hazards… “In Satartia, Mississippi, a PHMSA report blamed heavy rain and a landslide for the rupture of a CO2 pipeline… “The Liquid Energy Pipeline Association, citing PHMSA data, says that 99.999% of crude oil and petroleum products delivered by pipeline reach their destination safely. In addition, it says CO2 pipelines have a lower incident rate than pipelines for both crude oil and refined energy products… “The PSC meets Monday to discuss a schedule for a rehearing… “Brian Jorde is an attorney with Domina Law of Nebraska that represents landowners along the pipeline route in multiple states. He told the Monitor he still has North Dakota clients opposed to the Summit route and expects to hear from others. “When you’re heating up and there’s a scheduling order for the hearings, we tend to hear from people,” he told the Monitor.

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: New South Dakota property rights group plans to initiate referendum on pipeline bill
Dominik Dausch, 3/15/24

“A new South Dakota property rights group wants to put a carbon dioxide pipeline-related bill signed by Gov. Kristi Noem before voters this November,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. “South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance, which calls itself “an alliance of local citizens, property owners, and leaders at the county, township, and state levels,” announced its formation Friday. The newly-formed group is opposed to South Dakota Senate Bill 201, a bill that allows counties to impose a $1 per linear foot annual surcharge on pipelines and establishes a “Landowner Bill of Rights.” “…Rick Bonander, a member of the alliance, told the Argus Leader the group plans to initiate a referendum on SB 201, with the ultimate goal of repealing SB 201. “The nice thing about South Dakota is we can use a referendum and the people can vote to decide how they want to be ruled,” Bonander told the Arguls Leader. “If they want authoritarian rule or if they want to have democratic rule — It should be up to the citizens, what they want.” “…Their complaints against the bill includes the arguments that SB 201 violates South Dakota Constitution Article III, which states the legislature is prohibited from enacting laws that “regulating county and township affairs.” These lawmakers also argue the bill violates the state’s “single-subject rule,” which prohibits laws from including more than one subject in its title… “However, county setback ordinances will no longer apply to permitted pipeline projects once the SB 201 takes effect July 1, unless the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission requires pipeline developers to abide by an ordinance as a condition of their permit.”

South Dakota Searchlight: New group aims to refer carbon pipeline law to voters
JOSHUA HAIAR, 3/15/24

“Voters could be asked to reject a new state law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “The law was passed during the recently concluded legislative session and signed by Gov. Kristi Noem. Supporters said it will implement new protections for landowners while providing a path forward for the pipeline project. Opponents view it as a capitulation to the pipeline company. Some of those opponents announced Friday that they’ve organized an effort to refer the law to voters. “What we’re really concerned about here is the loss of the rights we are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution as well as the state constitution,” Rick Bonander, a rural Valley Springs landowner and pipeline opponent, told Searchlight… “Bonander and others recently founded the South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance to seek a repeal of the recently adopted law. The alliance needs petition signatures from 17,508 registered South Dakota voters by May 7 to refer the law to the Nov. 5 general election… “Bonander told Searchlight the bill undermines local control by preempting local regulations… “The final, approved version of the legislation says the commission’s permitting process overrules local setbacks and other local rules regarding pipelines, unless the commission requires compliance with any of those local regulations.”

Dakota Scout: Anti-pipeline group wants South Dakota voters to decide fate of ‘Landowner Bill of Rights’
AUSTIN GOSS, 3/15/24

“South Dakota voters might end up getting the final say over the “Landowner Bill of Rights” legislation touted by the state’s top lawmakers and Gov. Kristi Noem as a compromise between property rights and carbon pipeline interests,” the Dakota Scout reports. “A newly-formed campaign committee calling itself the South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance (SDPRLCA) has launched a referendum initiative to repeal Senate Bill 201, a landmark measure adopted by the Legislature and signed into law last week that sought to strike a balance between landowners opposed to Summit Carbon Solutions’ planned pipeline and the Iowa-based company’s right to use eminent domain for its project, while providing protections and incentives for landowners and counties along the pipeline’s path.”

Press release: South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance Mobilizes Against SB 201
3/14/24

“Today, the South Dakota Property Rights and Local Control Alliance (SDPRLCA) announced its formation and its commitment to initiate a referendum on Senate Bill 201 (SB 201). This controversial bill removes local autonomy from counties, municipalities, and townships, paving the way for a single private entity to profit at the expense of South Dakota taxpayers and property owners. SDPRLCA is an alliance of local citizens, property owners, and leaders at the county, township, and state levels. This grassroots organization is established to block the enactment of SB 201. The primary goals are to heighten public understanding of how SB 201 threatens everyone’s constitutional rights, expose the potential dangers it poses to public safety, and give South Dakotans a chance to decide if legislation that takes away our freedom and authority for local control should stand in our state. We will advocate to block the enactment of SB 201 and secure a “No” vote in the November 5th election. “What works for Hand County probably won’t work for Lincoln County,” said Jim Eschenbaum, Hand County Commissioner, Chair of SDPRLCA, and local control advocate. “Many of our counties have worked for years to put together comprehensive plans and work alongside municipalities and townships to ensure their residents’ safety, prosperity, and well-being. And, although Hand County didn’t change a single word of our Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance, and my farm is 30 miles away from this pipeline, so I’m not directly impacted, I still advocate for personal property rights and local authority. I believe that our legislators got too authoritarian with SB 201.” “…Violation of the South Dakota Constitution: SB 201 violates the constitutional mandate prohibiting the Legislature from enacting private or special laws that regulate county and township affairs. The bill’s preemption of local land use, zoning, and building regulations undermines South Dakota’s 135-year-old tradition of established local control. Furthermore, the South Dakota Constitution mandates, “No law shall cover more than one subject, which must be clearly stated in its title.” The title of SB 201 encompasses three distinct and separate subjects, while the bill’s content incorporates several additional topics not reflected in its title. Erosion of Local Control: The bill changes current law by mandating that transmission facility regulations be subject to Public Utilities Commission (PUC) orders, stripping local communities of their decision-making powers. Misleading “Landowner Bill of Rights”: SB 201’s so-called protections fail to address eminent domain abuse—the critical issue—by facilitating easier land acquisition and use by private pipeline companies at the expense of South Dakotans’ inherent property rights… “With the passage of SB 201, South Dakota became a state where profits trump property rights. The SDPRLCA stands firm in its conviction that South Dakotans deserve the right to decide on legislation that directly impacts their freedom, local control, and safety. The Alliance calls upon all South Dakotans and concerned organizations to join its efforts to challenge SB 201 and protect the state’s constitutional and local governance integrity.”

KDLS: Iowa Utilities Board rejects Summit’s newly proposed info meeting dates for new routes to pipeline project
Coltrane Carlson, 3/17/24

“The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) recently ruled against Summit Carbon Solutions for its newly proposed informational meeting dates,” KDLS reports. “According to the IUB, they voted 2-1 to deny Summit its 23 informational meetings that the company had proposed to hold in the 23 counties where they want to expand the underground pipeline project, including Greene and Guthrie Counties. The Board asked Summit to re-submit the meetings with alternative dates and times, and they recommended to Summit to not allow those meetings to go earlier than this June. The original dates that were proposed started April 22nd and went through May 9th. The new routes would connect to the existing pipeline, due to adding Valero Renewables and POET Biorefining. Summit filed the proposal on March 11th and the IUB had ten days to respond, which they did on March 14th.”

Des Moines Register: Opponents want Summit to consolidate permits, possibly delaying carbon pipeline ruling
Donnelle Eller, 3/15/24

“Some groups want Iowa regulators to force Summit Carbon Solutions to consolidate its requests to build an $8.5 billion carbon capture pipeline across the state, a move that could delay a ruling on a permit for the controversial project,” the Des Moines Register reports. “…The Iowa Utilities Board is believed to be nearing a decision on Summit’s 2001 request for a permit to build a 690-mile segment of the multistate pipeline across 29 Iowa counties, serving 12 ethanol plants. But earlier this month, Summit filed 14 permit requests to add 340 miles of pipeline that would connect to 17 POET and Valero ethanol plants. The companies, the nation’s largest ethanol producers, joined the Summit project after another company, Navigator CO2 Ventures, killed its proposed $3.5 billion carbon capture pipeline late last year, citing regulatory barriers… “The Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation have filed motions asking the board to “reopen the record” on Summit’s pipeline proposal. The record was closed after an eight-week hearing last fall. Seven counties and landowners who oppose the project joined the motions. “These new trunk lines are clearly part of the same project,” wrote Tim Whipple, a Des Moines attorney who represents counties that are in a legal battle with Summit after setback requirements for the pipelines that are stricter than the state’s… “This is not a situation where a pipeline is already constructed and years later a single lateral pipeline is proposed,” wrote Wally Taylor, representing the Sierra Club. “This is a situation where the original pipeline project has not even been permitted yet, and the 14 additional lines make this an entirely new and different project.” If the pipeline permit requests aren’t consolidated, Taylor asked that the board stay action on the 14 additional permit requests until the original permit is decided.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Which bills survived, which died as second ‘funnel week’ ends at the Iowa Capitol
ROBIN OPSAHL, 3/14/24

“As lawmakers ended the second “funnel” deadline of the 2024 legislative session, many of the priorities laid out by Republican leadership at the beginning of the session remain in limbo – while many more were taken out of the running for consideration,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “…Under the deadline, bills must pass floor debate in one chamber and be approved by a committee in the other chamber to remain eligible for consideration… “Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver told reporters he believes “Iowa is in a really good spot, and we don’t need that many bills, in my opinion, to make Iowa strong and to keep Iowa strong.” “…Eminent domain: House File 2522 would allow those who are subject to pending eminent domain requests to petition a district court judge to decide whether the requests are proper, prior to a final ruling by the Iowa Utilities Board. The bill has not advanced but remains eligible in the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.”

The Courier: Proposed pipeline ‘boondoggle’ challenged in Waverly during Free Soil Foundation event
Andy Milone, 3/18/24

“The controversial carbon capture pipeline issue did not vanish from Northeast Iowa after Navigator CO2 bowed out and abandoned its proposed project in October,” The Courier reports. “The Free Soil Foundation, a newly formed grassroots organization backed by the likes of former Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King, reminded people Friday of the issue’s reemergence in the wake of Summit Carbon Solutions’ latest application at the desk of the three-member Iowa Utilities Board… “About 100 people attended a ‘Stop Summit CO2 Pipeline’ meeting Friday at the Waverly Area Veterans Post. The recent developments were no surprise to Kim Junker, a Butler County farmer who has fought against projects she says would impede on Iowans’ property rights if eminent domain were invoked. “It’s going to be really difficult for the Iowa Utilities Board to grant this company a permit if they have very few easements signed,” said Junker to a crowd of about 100 people. “It’s just like the Rock Island Clean Line. It’s just like the wind farm – very few easements, and these companies are going to go away. We need to stick together all us landowners.” “…The Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter has scheduled a rally for 11:30 a.m. March 26 at the State Capital Building in Des Moines in an attempt to “strengthen” proposed legislation and push back against the projects all together… “Another concern is the company’s contention that the pressurized, liquefied CO2 is “as safe as a can of pop,” said Jess Mazour, conservation coordinator at Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club… “Cerwinske and Mazour noted the IUB ruled Thursday that the public information meetings – which would mark the start of Summit being allowed to approach property owners about voluntary easement agreements – will be pushed back from last month until at least June. The Sierra Club is pushing for the company’s many permit applications to be considered all together since the original ones, which had been further along than Navigator’s, are still pending. Anything else is a “blatant attempt to undermine the opposition to the current pipelines because you can’t expand something that doesn’t exist,” said Mazour. “They don’t have approval for their first docket, so what are they expanding?” she said. “All of these dockets need to be consolidated into one, so that we can start over and every landowner around the route has a fair shot.”

KLMJ: Wright supervisors to discuss carbon pipeline project
BRIAN FANCHER, 3/16/124

“The Wright County Board of Supervisors Monday will discuss the latest on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project,” KLMJ reports. “Jeremy Abbas, the assistant county engineer, will also report on a public hearing held with the county planning and zoning board. The Wright County Board of Supervisors meet Monday at 9am at the courthouse in Clarion.”

E&E News: DC Circuit case pits pipeline expansion against NJ’s climate ambitions
Niina H. Farah, 3/18/24

“An appeals court on Friday grappled with federal energy regulators’ approach to deciding whether a new gas project was in the public interest in light of New Jersey’s goal to wean itself off fossil fuels,” E&E News reports. “During two hours of oral argument, judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit questioned whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission properly approved construction of a $1 billion gas expansion project to serve about 3 million customers in New Jersey and other Eastern states. The panel delved into FERC’s finding that the project was necessary to ensure reliability, as well as the agency’s decision not to consider the project’s climate impact “significant” when critics warned the expansion would account for a large percentage of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Judge Brad Garcia pushed back on the notion that FERC needed to approve more capacity to buffer against the unpredictable demand from climate-driven weather events. “If we can say climate change is getting bad, that is going to justify any project,” he said. “Why can’t we ask for a little more information?” Advocacy groups led by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation claimed that the Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project would account for 12 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas inventory initially and would contribute about 50 percent of the state’s emissions by 2050 — the same year New Jersey plans to switch to 100 percent clean energy. Garcia, a Biden appointee, asked why those estimates weren’t significant. He asked FERC for evidence in the record to show where it found that the benefits of the project outweighed its “seemingly large” greenhouse gas emissions… “The FERC case is playing out as parallel questions are under review at the Department of Energy about what makes a gas project in the public interest. DOE has ordered a pause on new liquefied natural gas export authorizations as it considers how to account for climate risks before greenlighting exports to non-free-trade-agreement countries. Advocacy groups are now looking for a court-ordered climate reckoning at FERC. In the New Jersey case, challengers criticized FERC’s reliance on purchasing agreements to show that the pipeline expansion was necessary, without properly balancing the project’s climate risks… “The groups claimed that FERC violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Natural Gas Act and procedural law when it issued the certificate for the REAE project by Williams Cos. subsidiary Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line.”

Politico: Federal court wrestles with pipeline case that could derail New Jersey’s climate goals
RY RIVARD, 3/15/24

“A federal court spent two hours wrestling Friday with a case that alleges energy regulators approved a major gas pipeline expansion by ignoring New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s climate change goals and, in turn, made them even harder to meet,” Politico reports. “The case, pending before a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, pits a blue state trying to wean itself off natural gas against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which last year approved a project to send enough gas for several million homes in the Northeast, mostly New Jersey. The expanded pipeline would be responsible for nearly half of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 if Murphy’s goal of cutting other emissions 80 percent by then is met, according to New Jersey’s ratepayer advocate, which helped bring the case along with environmental groups. The judges, who were scheduled to hear a half-hour of oral arguments Friday morning, instead kept attorneys from New Jersey, FERC, environmental groups and the pipeline company arguing for nearly two hours. The back-and-forth pitted courts’ deference to federal regulators against the eye-popping claims about FERC failing to seriously consider how it might ruin New Jersey’s climate goals. The panel of judges — all appointed during the Biden or Obama administrations — also wrestled with how a ruling for New Jersey could change the way FERC has to deal with pipeline projects in other states that have ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. “If your criticism is valid, then this problem would be endemic,” Judge Cornelia Pillard told an attorney for environmental groups challenging FERC.”

North Dakota Monitor: 4 highlights from the 4-week DAPL protest trial
MARY STEURER, 3/16/24

“A marathon trial on the Dakota Access Pipeline protests featuring testimony from over 30 witnesses wrapped up Thursday,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “Over the span of 18 days, law enforcement, government officials, protesters and outside experts took the court through virtually every part of the demonstrations that drew national attention… “Attorneys for the state argued that the Corps allowed protesters to occupy its land despite knowing they were not authorized to be there, creating a safe haven for the protests against the wishes of North Dakota leaders. The state also claimed federal agencies refused to dispatch law enforcement and other resources to North Dakota, despite multiple calls for help from local, state and federal officials. The United States countered that the state exaggerated its policing expenses, that the Corps handled the protests the best it could and that North Dakota police retained jurisdiction to enforce state law on Corps land… “U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor is expected to rule after staff finalize an official transcript of the trial and attorneys file additional summary documents, which could take a few months. Traynor’s decision may be appealed to Eighth Circuit judges for review… “Chase Iron Eyes, director and lead counsel for the Lakota People’s Law Project, told the Monitor given the federal government’s history of violating agreements with Indigenous tribes, many Native people feel direct action is their only recourse. “We don’t like our chances in court,” he told the Monitor after his testimony as a witness for the United States… “We signed a treaty with the Americans and we didn’t forget,” Iron Eyes, who grew up on the Standing Rock Reservation, told the Monitor. “Some people act like it’s ancient history, but we didn’t forget.” The United States also called environmental activist Winona LaDuke, former executive director of Honor the Earth, as a witness. LaDuke was critical of the lawsuit, arguing the state of North Dakota should pay the expenses. “I think it’s ridiculous,” LaDuke, a member of Minnesota’s White Earth Reservation, told the North Dakota Monitor. “No one told them to spend $38 million. I think they should pay.”

World Pipelines: DNV embarks on hydrogen blending feasibility studies
Isabel Stagg, 3/15/24

“DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, is executing hydrogen blending feasibility studies for Enbridge, Inc. (Enbridge) and FortisBC Energy Inc. (FortisBC),” World Pipelines reports. “The two individual studies will determine the percentage of hydrogen that can be safely transported through existing natural gas pipe-line infrastructure, including Enbridge’s transmission system and FortisBC’s distribution system, both located in British Columbia, Canada. These studies, which are the largest blending studies undertaken in North America, will be used to develop the codes and standards required to safely transport hydrogen as the first step in forming a sustainable commercial hydrogen market… “Blending clean hydrogen with natural gas is a key step in the energy transition, and the work DNV is undertaking for Enbridge and FortisBC will help to decarbonise the energy supply in British Columbia and provide a framework for future hydrogen blending projects globally,” Richard S. Barnes, Region President, Energy Systems North America at DNV, told WP. “At Enbridge, we are working hard to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon intensity of the energy we transport,” said Cynthia Hansen, Enbridge Executive Vice President and President, Gas Transmission and Midstream. “One way we’re doing this is by using our existing energy infrastructure to transport low-carbon forms of energy such as hydrogen. This important study will play a critical role in determining how existing energy infra-structure can be used to transport hydrogen and how we can continue to work to advance the energy transition.”

Canadian Press: Unplanned shutdown of Imperial pipeline affects delivery of fuel to Winnipeg
3/17/24

“The Manitoba government says it’s taking measures to mitigate potential impact to the province’s economy after Imperial Oil Ltd. announced it has temporarily shut down a pipeline that supplies gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Winnipeg and the surrounding area,” the Canadian Press reports. “The province says in a news release that the line runs between Gretna, Man., at the U.S. border, and Winnipeg, and it says the decision by Imperial to shut it for repairs followed “proactive pipeline inspections” that identified “integrity concerns” in a section of pipe just south of St. Adolphe, Man. The news release says the line was not compromised and no materials were spilled into the environment. Imperial says in a separate news release that “unplanned maintenance” work includes replacing a section of the pipeline that runs under the Red River south of Winnipeg. It says that as a result of the work, the line will be out of service for approximately three months… “In addition to utilizing truck and rail, Imperial said it is also identifying alternative terminal locations where customers can pick up their products, including at the terminal in Gretna, which it said remains connected to pipeline supply.”

Wisconsin Public Radio: A new documentary details the Bad River Band’s fight for tribal sovereignty
MALLORY CHENG, 3/14/24

“For almost five years, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has been engaged in a legal battle with Canadian energy firm Enbridge,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. “The tribe wants to shut down the company’s oil and gas pipeline on tribal lands. They fear erosion near its Line 5 pipeline could lead to an oil spill in nearby waters and Lake Superior. A new documentary called “Bad River” chronicles the tribe’s ongoing fight for sovereignty. Morning Edition Host Alex Crowe spoke with Mary Mazzio, the film’s director… “Mary Mazzio: So it’s a story about this really small group of people, the Bad River people. And they are, with really monumental effort, trying and fighting to protect a resource, Lake Superior, which is one of the world’s most precious resources in terms of freshwater drinking water. And they’re doing it for all of us, and really at considerable cost to themselves. And so it’s really an extraordinary story of resilience, of resistance. And as one band member said to me, “Win, lose or draw, we’re gonna stand up for what we believe in, and we’re going to fight the good fight.” “…What are you hearing from tribal members about how they’re feeling now about how things are playing out in court? MM: It’s really difficult. An open letter to the band was just published, so it’s public knowledge that the band has been offered $80 million to settle the lawsuit. And the current chairman has responded saying our treaty rights are not for sale. Obviously there’s an extraordinary amount of pressure on this small community and the fact that they would turn down $80 million to safeguard this precious resource is jaw dropping in many ways.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Bloomberg: Oral Arguments Set In Monuments Case Aimed At Supreme Court ?
Bobby Magill, 3/14/24

“The Tenth Circuit set oral arguments for September in litigation challenging President Joe Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to re-establish Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments,” Bloomberg reports. “In-person oral arguments in the case are scheduled for a yet-to-be determined date in September in Denver, according to a notice filed Thursday. The court on Wednesday had scheduled oral arguments for May 15, but on Thursday vacated that date because some of the attorneys arguing the case said they’re not available. Arguments have been reset for a date between Sept. 23 and Sept. 27. Judicial review is expected to be the biggest question before the appeals court after Judge David Nuffer of the US District Court for the District of Utah in 2023 dismissed Utah’s lawsuit against the monuments because he ruled that Biden’s actions under the Antiquities Act aren’t reviewable by the courts. The outcome of the case, Garfield County v. Biden, could determine whether it’s legal for any president to use the Antiquities Act to set aside large regions of federal land to block mining, oil and gas drilling, and other development by creating large national monuments.”

E&E News: Major LNG developer lashes out at FERC delays
CARLOS ANCHONDO, ZACH BRIGHT, 3/15/24

“The developer of a high-profile natural gas terminal blasted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday for leaving the project off the agency’s monthly agenda,” E&E News reports. “Venture Global, the developer of the Calcasieu Pass 2 project, said in a statement on X — formerly known as Twitter — that it’s “deeply disappointed” the project is “yet again absent” from FERC’s agenda. The project, planned for Louisiana’s Cameron Parish, seeks to liquefy and export 20 million metric tons of gas overseas annually. “It has been eight months since FERC issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for CP2, making it one of the longest to ever sit before the Commission. We remain confident that we have met or exceeded all regulatory requirements that are necessary to move forward with the project,” Venture Global said. FERC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, Venture Global sent a letter to FERC urging the commission to “issue an order authorizing the Project no later” than FERC’s open meeting March 21. FERC has the ability to make a decision on the pipeline outside of its monthly open meetings.”

Heatmap: Carbon Removal Is Getting Gamified
EMILY PONTECORVO, 3/15/24

“The Department of Energy wants YOU to purchase carbon removal. Well, maybe not you, personally, but your city, state, or employer. And as an incentive, it’s turning the buying process into the equivalent of an arcade game, inviting companies to try to make it to the top of a new carbon removal buyers leaderboard,” Heatmap reports. “The agency soft-launched the concept on Thursday under the banner of the “Voluntary Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Challenge.” There’s no prize money associated with the challenge — it’s not even clear whether there will be any winners. The goal is to encourage companies to make “bigger and bolder” public commitments to purchase carbon removal. At least one company, Google, has already said it would commit $35 million this year. As the world has delayed climate action, developing the capacity to remove carbon from the atmosphere has become an imperative. Scientists now suggest it is “unavoidable” if we want to limit warming to internationally agreed-upon levels. Carbon removal offers both a way to cancel out emissions from activities like flying and growing food that could take decades to figure out how to eliminate, and an antidote for some of the legacy carbon that’s already been emitted. But today, existing carbon removal methods and technologies are too small-scale and expensive to make a meaningful difference. Many also lack adequate techniques to measure and verify how effective they are. That’s why last year the Department of Energy announced that it would spend $35 million to purchase carbon removal from promising companies. The initial winners are expected to be announced later this year… “Companies have no apparent incentive to participate other than to see their names on the list, and possibly try and get to the top. In the words of DOE, it offers a “a unique opportunity to enter the carbon removal market with a splash!” (Exclamation point added by me.) “…The agency also said it would evaluate additional carbon removal projects beyond those it has assessed for its purchase pilot, and publish a list of available credits that have garnered a government stamp of approval.”

E&E News: Republicans Announce Long-Anticipated ‘Energy Week’
3/15/24

“House Republicans announced Thursday that they’ll soon unleash their long-promised ‘energy week,’ but it seems unlikely any of their efforts will bear much fruit beyond campaign messaging,” E&E News reports. “In comments at the House GOP’s annual issues conference here, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana said Republicans would try to move bills on the floor next week to promote lower energy costs for families. In a later interview, he said the chamber would be moving bills that have come out of two key committees. Still, some top lawmakers said they were mostly in the dark about what exactly an ‘energy week’ would entail. Nevertheless, talk of energy issues at the retreat — a sparsely attended one held at the historic and plush Greenbrier resort — were woven into many of the top Republican talking points: prices at the pump, the cost of groceries for families, and foreign policy and national security. There was no mention of climate change, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda, another example of how far apart the parties are on the issue.”

STATE UPDATES

Cowboy State Daily: $80 Million Raised To Build Giant Carbon Capture Project In Wyoming
Pat Maio, 3/14/24

“A pair of privately held companies are moving forward with their Project Bison machines in southwestern Wyoming to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, having received one of the largest ever investments in this field of clean air technology,” the Cowboy State Daily reports. “One of the companies, CarbonCapture Inc. headquartered in the venture-capital hotbed of the arts district of downtown Los Angeles, raised $80 million from well-heeled investors this week to build what is considered the world’s largest direct air capture of carbon dioxide and storage project. “It’s a big deal,” Patricia Loria, vice president of business development with CarbonCapture, told the Daily. Construction of the project on private land held by ranchers in Sweetwater County could begin before the end of the year, she told the Daily. The project is massive in scope and would require hundreds of 40-foot-long shipping containers equipped with filters that would absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Once the filters are saturated, they are heated up and the carbon is extracted from the modules and pumped deep underground in saline aquifers for permanent storage… “One of the major investors in the $80 million fundraise includes Saudi oil giant Aramco, but there are other big names as well. The $80 million funding round was led by Prime Movers Lab and includes Amazon’s new $2 billion venture investment fund, called Climate Pledge Fund, German-based Siemens Financial Services, New York-based venture fund Idealab X, and Marc Benioff’s investment fund Time Ventures.”

The Columbian: Oil trains in the Gorge: Are we ready for a spill?
Chuck Thompson, 3/16/24

“On June 13, 2023, shortly after 9 a.m., Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill was among the first to receive the report of an event everyone in the Columbia River Gorge dreads. An oil train with 23 tank cars carrying 540,000 gallons of crude oil had derailed near the confluence of the Columbia and Deschutes rivers in Oregon. Crude oil was gushing into the Deschutes and threatening the Columbia,” The Columbian reports. “…If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of a major oil spill in the Columbia and Deschutes last summer, it’s because it never happened. The imaginary “report” Magill and others received was part of a two-day “discharge train derailment scenario” emergency response drill held at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles, Ore. The multi-agency simulation — which included more than 150 people from federal, tribal, state, county and municipal agencies, and BNSF Railway — is a legal requirement in Oregon per a 2019 law that requires railroads that transport oil to prepare and practice spill response plans… “Many residents believe another derailment is inevitable in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, an 80-mile-long stretch shared by Oregon and Washington. “It’s not a matter of if trains are going to derail again, it’s where and when,” former Mosier Mayor Arlene Burns told The Columbian. On June 3, 2016, a Union Pacific Railroad train carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire in the Columbia River Gorge community of Mosier, a town of fewer than 500 residents about 70 miles east of Portland. Traveling at 24 mph, 16 oil tank cars jumped the tracks some 800 feet from the river, spilling thousands of gallons of Bakken crude oil. Three rail cars burst into flames. Firefighters worked for 14 hours to put out the blaze. But for a rare lack of wind that day, the entire town could have been engulfed… “Even before the accident, however, the Yakama Nation and other tribes opposed the transportation of fossil fuels through the Gorge. “We should not have any fossil fuels coming through our ancestral homeland, especially along the river,” said Austin Greene, tribal chairman for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, after the 2016 Mosier derailment.”

KOCO: Hundreds of gallons of oil spilled into a creek in Perry
Jason Burger, 3/16/24

“Ranchers and landowners in the town of Perry are dealing with a mess after hundreds of gallons of oil spilled into a creek that runs through several properties that raise livestock,” KOCO reports. “The Oklahoma Corporation Commission estimates about 10 barrels of oil got into the water, which means around 450 gallons. KOCO 5 talked with Glenn Rard, a ranch manager in the area, about what he saw. “I walked behind the tanks, and then the creek was just plum full of oil. We’ve got cattle, our cattle drink out of this creek. We’ve got neighbors, and their cattle drink out of this creek,” Rard told KOCO.. Due to the spill, he’s had to move cattle away from the pasture altogether. “We’ve put fences and everything to put cattle here, but it’s just such a mess all the time,” Rard told KOCO. He’s worked on the land for the last 25 years and told KOCO in that time, there have been several issues with the oil tanks and chemicals leaking. “We’ve lost horses that go down to the well right over there, it’s leaked salt water. They like the salt, and it kills them. We’ve had a few colts — just dead,” Rard told KOCO. While it’s estimated that 25 barrels of oil spilled, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission told KOCO about 10 barrels got into the creek. It has been contained to less than a mile of creek-bed, but the commission says it’s still a serious situation… “The commission said “Blackcat Oil Company” is the operator.”

CNN: Vessel ‘accidentally discharged’ 500 gallons of diesel fuel off Northern California coast, Coast Guard says
Taylor Romine, 3/16/24

“A US Coast Guard vessel “accidentally discharged” about 500 gallons of diesel fuel off the coast of Northern California, District 11 of the military branch said in a news release,” CNN reports. “…Coast Guard officials said they are investigating and “evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites” but do not expect the shoreline to be affected… “An oil sheen that appeared near Southern California’s Huntington Beach was likely ‘local crude oil,’ Coast Guard says… “The spill follows an incident off Southern California’s coast last week in which about 85 gallons of what appeared to be “lightly weathered crude oil” was found off the coast of Huntington Beach… “Both incidents occurred more than two years after as many as 131,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from an Amplify Energy oil pipeline into the Huntington Beach area of the Pacific Ocean in October 2021, prompting beach closures for about a week.”

Inside Climate News: A Gas Tanker Crashed in Birmingham and Spilled 2,100 Gallons Into Nearby Village Creek. Who Is Responsible?
Lee Hedgepeth, 3/16/24

“As Kacey Brantley entered her neighborhood earlier this month, she thought the car in front of her was having some kind of mechanical issue. A pungent smell, like gas and burnt plastic, filled her lungs. “I started gagging it made me so nauseous,” she told Inside Climate News. “It wasn’t just the car in front of her. The whole neighborhood smelled. The smell, Brantley would later find out, came from a gasoline spill caused by a tanker accident a little over a mile from her home. In the early morning hours of March 2, an 18-wheeler carrying 7,500 gallons of gasoline collided with a guardrail on Interstate 59 in northeast Birmingham, causing it to flip on its side, according to emergency management officials. An SUV soon collided with the crashed truck, officials said, compounding the damage. First responders extracted the drivers of both vehicles and transported them to a local hospital for treatment… “A “significant amount of fuel” flowed into a drainage outlet and eventually spilled into nearby Village Creek, “resulting in a significant fish kill in the area.” Local, state and federal officials responded to the site for an immediate cleanup, but local environmentalists have said more needs to be done to ensure a thorough cleanup is undertaken and that those responsible for the crash and resulting gas spill are held accountable. Kenan Advantage Group (KAG), the company that state officials said operated the truck involved in the accident, has a lengthy record of safety violations, according to federal records reviewed by Inside Climate News. The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment… “Brantley told ICN officials never notified her or her neighbors about the impacts of the spill. She told ICN she and her mother reached out to various entities to find out more but were only told that if an evacuation was necessary, someone would come to their door. “The smell caused me headaches for two days,” Brantley told ICN. “I am still getting headaches at night.” Brantley’s primary care physician told her that if she can leave her home, she should. But Brantley told ICN it isn’t so simple financially or logistically to round up her pets and find somewhere else to stay, even temporarily. So she’s done what she can to limit her exposure to the air, particularly in the backyard near Village Creek. She’s made sure all her windows are shut tight. She’s put wet towels under the bottoms of her doors.”

Cleveland.com: Drillers ask Ohio for permission to frack natural gas under Keen Wildlife Area
Jake Zuckerman, 3/15/24

“An unidentified driller asked the state to open all 85 acres of Keen Wildlife Area in Harrison County for oil and gas extraction,” Cleveland.com reports. “This marks the second land lease request in a week to the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission, which is also considering opening Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County for development… “The applicant, whose identity is shielded by state law, would access the underground gas via a well pad less than a mile away. Drillers can reach subterranean gas in state parks via surface-level well pads at adjacent properties via a process known as hydraulic fracturing, where they dig down thousands of feet before turning laterally… “Environmental advocates have criticized the state for its expanding relationship with the gas industry despite the climate changing effects of leaking methane or the carbon it produces upon combustion, plus potential human health effects in the air and water near the extraction sites. The industry and its Republican backers have downplayed these concerns, insisting fracking poses no environmental threat and drives significant tax revenue for the state.”

Oregon Capital Chronicle: All gas companies in Oregon fail to gain approval for plans on meeting state’s climate goals
ALEX BAUMHARDT, 3/15/24

“All three of the natural gas companies in Oregon will have to fix their long-term plans to meet the state’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. “The Oregon Public Utilities Commission, which only has two members, said Thursday it could “not acknowledge” Cascade Natural Gas’ plans to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2050. Last year, the commission, which regulates the rates charged by private electric and natural gas utilities, rejected similar plans from the two other gas utilities serving the state, NW Natural and Avista. The commission regulates the rates charged by private utilities. The rejections mean the commission could challenge the companies when they seek rate increases or investment in infrastructure because their plans were rejected, experts told the Chronicle… “The commissioners and staff said the companies were “unreasonably optimistic” about future natural gas demand in a world of growing electrification and low prices. They said the companies are also relying too heavily on the rapid growth of less emissions-intensive fuels such as “renewable natural gas,” which is made from methane captured from animal waste and other processes, and “synthetic natural gas” made by blending hydrogen with natural gas. These fuels are not widely produced and are still far too expensive, commissioners said. Megan Decker, chair of the commission, said relying on nascent and still not scalable alternative fuels to reduce future emissions, rather than shifting some energy generation to renewable electricity, is something each company has not proposed at all.”

WOOD: Federal grant bolsters WMU carbon capture project
David Horak, 3/14/24

“Western Michigan University will be receiving a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy towards a project meant to develop materials and modules for an efficient direct air capture of carbon dioxide,” WOOD reports. “The initiative, called Project Clean MI, continues research on creating a safe and effective system to capture, utilize and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It pairs WMU engineers and geologists, the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education as well as other partners. U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who sits on the senate appropriations committee, helped secure the funding for the initiative… “This research will also help ongoing studies into how underground carbon storage, an artificial process, could affect the subsurface itself. “A big part of that is going to study our confining systems in detail,” Haagsma told WOOD. “We’re going to evaluate potential leakage pathways and then we’re also going to evaluate the integration with communities and societal considerations and develop an easy-to-use publicly available tool where we have all of this data and information available at the end of the project.” “…Once the funding sets in, Haagsma told WOOD project organizers expect implementing a real-world application in at least a couple of years.”

EXTRACTION

Common Dreams: ‘North Sea Fossil Free’: Activists in 6 Countries Protest ‘Unhinged’ Oil and Gas Development
OLIVIA ROSANE, 3/16/24

“Climate activists in six North Sea countries came together on Saturday to carry out acts of civil disobedience in protest of their governments’ continued fossil fuel development,” Common Dreams reports. “Demonstrators in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands blockaded roads, ports, and refineries; dropped banners; and held solidarity concerts as part of the North Sea Fossil Free campaign to demand that their governments align their plans for the shared body of water with the Paris agreement goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. “For too long, the U.K., Norway, and other North Sea countries have avoided scrutiny for their oil drilling plans as the emissions are not included in their national inventories,” a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion U.K. told Common Dreams. “Going full steam ahead with new North Sea oil and gas is a sure fire route to the worst climate scenarios.” “…The day of action, which was organized by Extinction Rebellion (XR), came days after a new report from Oil Change International revealed that none of five North Sea countries—Norway, the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark—have plans consistent either with limiting warming to 1.5°C or with the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels reached at last year’s United Nations COP28 climate conference. If the five countries were counted as one, they would be the seventh biggest producer of oil and gas in the world… “Extinction Rebellion co-founder Clare Farrell told Common Dreams that the North Sea governments’ policies were a betrayal of their citizens and the world following the hottest year on record.”

E&E News: French oil major faces climate lawsuit
Lesley Clark, 3/15/24

“Backed by environmental groups, a Belgian farmer is suing fossil fuel giant TotalEnergies in what challengers have billed as the first climate lawsuit in the country against a multinational company,” E&E News reports. “Hugues Falys, who has farmed since 1993, claims in a lawsuit filed this week in the Tournai Commercial Court that climate change has led to damaged and unproductive crop yields and that the French oil company contributed to the problem. “My profession is intimately linked to the climate,” Falys said. “In recent years, climate change has caused farmers a great deal of damage and left us uncertain about the future.” The case comes three months after a court in Brussels delivered a major climate verdict in an unrelated case, ordering Belgian governments to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That lawsuit — first filed in 2014 by the nonprofit Klimaatzaak, or Climate Affair — argued that Belgian law required the government officials to more aggressively tackle climate change.”

Reuters: Oil mergers, clean fuels vie for attention at Houston energy conference
Arathy Somasekhar, 3/17/24

“Top oil executives and ministers descend on Houston this week for one of the world’s biggest energy conferences emboldened by blockbuster mergers, stable oil prices and less pressure for a large-scale move to clean fuels,” Reuters reports. “Global oil prices have remained in a range between $75 and $85 per barrel, a level fueling profits but not hurting economic growth, despite war in Eastern Europe and turmoil in the Middle East. Stock markets continue to spur deals, making Big Oil even bigger. The annual CERAWeek conference comes as demand for oil and gas continues to rise alongside solar, wind and biofuels. Energy markets have accommodated a reordering of global flows as customers turn more to regional energy suppliers or live with longer seaborne supply chains. “A remarkable thing is the (price) stability, given the geopolitical turmoil,” Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of conference organizer S&P Global and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author on global energy, told Reuters. “…A constant topic at the CERAWeek conference in the last decade has been the ups and downs of U.S. shale, which revolutionized energy markets and turned the United States into the world’s No. 1 crude producer and a top exporter. This year, acquisitions by Chevron, ConocoPhillips (COP.N), opens new tab and Exxon Mobil will turn the trio into the largest producers in the top U.S. shale field. That shift promises to tame what was a wild card in global oil production. Big Oil’s investments and production methods may steady shale’s ultra boom-bust cycles.”

Agence France-Presse: Climate: Carbon capture tech is booming, and confusing
3/18/24

“Humanity’s failure to reduce planet-heating carbon pollution—at record levels in 2023—has thrust once-marginal options for capping or reducing CO2 in the atmosphere to center stage,” Agence France-Presse reports. “Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture (DAC) are both complex industrial processes that isolate CO2, but these newly-booming technologies are fundamentally different and often conflated. Thursday, a group of major energy companies including Britain’s BP and France’s TotalEnergies said they have awarded £4 billion ($5.1 billion) worth of contracts for a gas power plant in Britain to be equipped with CCS… “CCS siphons off CO2 from the exhaust, or flue gas, of fossil fuel-fired power plants as well as heavy industry… “On the other hand, DAC extracts CO2 molecules already there, making it a “negative emissions” technology. DAC can therefore generate credits for companies seeking to offset their greenhouse gas output—but only if the captured CO2 is permanently stored, such as in depleted oil and gas reservoirs or in saline aquifers… “So far, bolting CCS facilities onto existing coal- and gas-fired power plants and then storing the captured CO2 underground has proven technically feasible but uneconomical. The world’s largest CCS plant, the Petra Nova facility in Texas, was mothballed three years after opening in 2017. But the looming climate crisis and generous government subsidies have revived interest in CCS for the power sector and beyond. In the fall of 2023, there were some 40 commercial-scale facilities worldwide applying carbon capture technology to industry, fuel transformation or power generation, isolating a total of 45 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). If all projects in the pipeline were realized, CO2 capture capacity would expand eight-fold by 2030, but so far only five percent of announced projects have reached the final investment decision stage… “DAC—still in its infancy—has much higher costs, ranging today from $600 to $1,000 per tonne of CO2 captured. Those costs are projected to drop sharply to $100-$300 per tonne by 2050, according to the inaugural State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report, published earlier this year.”

Gas Compression Magazine: Enbridge Acquires The East Ohio Gas Company
3/18/24

“Enbridge Inc. has closed on its acquisition of The East Ohio Gas Company (EOG) from Dominion Energy Inc.,” Gas Compression Magazine reports. “The gas utility will be doing business as Enbridge Gas Ohio and will join Enbridge’s Gas Distribution and Storage Business Unit. The US$6.6 billion transaction was initially announced on September 5, 2023. EOG is a single-state utility serving over 1.2 million customers across more than 400 communities in Ohio. The gas utility has a portfolio of assets that includes more than 22,000 miles (35,400 km) of transmission, gathering, and distribution pipelines; underground storage; and interconnections to multiple interstate pipelines and large natural gas producers.”

Reuters: LNG developer Tellurian to explore sale among other options, CEO steps down
3/18/24

“Tellurian said on Monday it was looking at all options, including a potential sale, and that CEO Octavio Simoes had stepped down from his role, amid the liquefied natural gas developer’s efforts to keep its Driftwood export project alive,” Reuters reports. “The company earlier this year had hired Lazard to explore a sale of its Haynesville upstream business in East Texas and Louisiana as part of efforts to raise capital for the Driftwood project. Lazard will now also focus on alternative debt and equity financing, the sale of equity interests in Driftwood or Tellurian, a potential sale of the company, and assisting in securing commercial partners, Tellurian said on Monday.”

Reuters: Talos Energy to sell carbon capture unit to TotalEnergies for $148 mln
3/18/24

“U.S. oil and gas producer Talos Energy (TALO.N), opens new tab said on Monday it will sell its carbon capture and sequestration unit to French firm TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab for about $148 million,” Reuters reports. “The sale, expected to close later in the day, includes its three projects along the U.S. Gulf Coast.”

UK Tech: Bill Gates fund backs UK carbon capture startup
Oscar Hornstein, 3/18/24

“London-based carbon capture startup Mission Zero Technologies has secured £21.8m in an investment round backed by a venture fund from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates,” UK Tech reports. “Founded in 2020, Mission Zero Technologies is developing technology to scale the process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to prevent further global temperature rises. Mission Zero Technologies has built electrochemical direct air capture (DAC) technology, which it claims is a cost-effective and highly scalable method to remove carbon from the air. The company said its tech can recover up to 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere… “The Series A funding round was led by investor 2150 and featured participation from World Fund, Fortescue, Siemens Financial Services and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a clean energy investment vehicle founded in 2015 by Gates… “In December, Mission Zero established the UK’s first DAC plant in partnership with the University of Sheffield. The joint project is part of the Translational Energy Research Centre (within the university) to validate sustainable aviation fuel made from air to decarbonise the sector.”

Utility Dive: Hydrogen could compete with natural gas by 2030, but there’s a catch: report
Emma Penrod, 3/15/24

“Green and blue hydrogen could be cost-competitive with natural gas as early as 2030 thanks to existing policy support and tax credits, according to analysis released this week by The Brattle Group,” Utility Dive reports. “…Although potentially more costly than green hydrogen, blue hydrogen may become the more prevalent product in many U.S. markets, according to Frank Graves, a principal at Brattle, a consulting firm. For the past several years, the conventional thinking on hydrogen has been that it will play a small but critical role as a source of fuel for hard-to-decarbonize industries and as long-term seasonal energy storage, Graves told Utility Dive. But recent policy actions and expected advances in technology could change the calculus. Between the DOE’s hydrogen hubs, tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, and the EPA’s proposed new standards for stationary combustion turbines, the price of hydrogen could fall to 90 cents per kilogram or $6.70 per million British thermal units, according to Brattle’s report, prepared for the Environmental Defense Fund. Natural gas currently runs about $3/MMBtu to $4.5/MMBtu, but could exceed $15.20/MMBtu with the addition of a carbon tax. Those prices would allow both green and blue hydrogen to compete with conventional hydrogen — and potentially with natural gas, Graves told Utility Dive. Green hydrogen is produced using water and renewable electricity, while blue hydrogen is derived from natural gas with the addition of carbon capture. Lower prices could allow hydrogen to displace natural gas across a larger swath of the economy, assuming the U.S. could make enough to meet demand, Graves told Utility Dive. Doing that with green hydrogen alone could prove difficult. At today’s pace of development — which has run into roadblocks like backlogged interconnection queues and siting constraints — it would take 17 years to build enough renewable energy to make 50 million metric tons of hydrogen.”

Guardian: UK company directors may be liable for climate impacts, say lawyers
Isabella Kaminski, 3/15//24

“Company directors in the UK could be held personally liable for failing to properly account for nature and climate-related risks, according to a group of lawyers,” the Guardian reports. “A legal opinion published this week found that board directors had duties to consider how their business affected and depended on nature. These included climate-related risks as well as wider risks to biodiversity, soils and water. The analysis said directors of UK firms faced serious personal consequences for breaching these duties, potentially including claims for damages or compensation by their shareholders. Even in cases where it was difficult to work out exactly how much money the company had lost, directors could lose their jobs or have their remuneration or exit packages cut… “Legal experts commissioned by the climate advisory firm Pollination Group and the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative said failure to assess financial risks from a company’s unaddressed nature-related impacts and dependencies could expose directors to increased shareholder scrutiny under the Companies Act. Legal opinions commissioned for other jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, have come to similar conclusions…”The latest legal opinion, authored by a group specialising in corporate, financial and environmental law, concluded that directors who had properly identified and considered such risks would be better protected from potential claims. Martijn Wilder, the chief executive of Pollination Law, told the Guardian the document “reiterates the need for boards to put relevant nature-related risks on their agendas and be able to demonstrate that they have given those risks proper weight and consideration in decision-making.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

The Hill: Court halts SEC climate disclosure rule
RACHEL FRAZIN, 3/15/24

“A federal court on Friday halted a new federal rule that would require publicly traded companies to reveal climate change-related information,” The Hill reports. “A panel of Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judges issued an order that pauses the rule as litigation against it plays out…”It came after fracking companies Liberty Energy and Nomad Proppant Services sued over the rule… “The pause does not necessarily mean that their case will ultimately succeed or that the rule will be overturned — but, it is an indication that the judges are at least somewhat receptive to the arguments of its opponents. The rule in question, from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), requires companies to disclose what risks, if any, the changing climate poses for their business.”

E&E News: Democrats mull punishment for US Chamber ‘greenwashing’
EMMA DUMAIN, TIMOTHY CAMA, 3/15/24

“Two Senate Democrats are unleashing a public shaming campaign against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, accusing the group of “lying” about its commitment to tackling climate change while plotting next steps in their offensive,” E&E News reports. “Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Brian Schatz of Hawaii briefed reporters Thursday morning about new findings they say prove the Chamber has done little, if anything, with a Climate Actions Task Force it created in 2019. The two claim to have a “smoking gun” in the form of emails, though the Chamber disputes the lawmakers’ accusations. There are multiple options for retaliation against the nation’s largest business lobby, which Whitehouse and Schatz contend purposefully misled lawmakers into believing it would take meaningful action to support policies to combat climate change. Whitehouse, for instance, is chair of the Senate Budget Committee, which will next week convene its 15th hearing linking global warming to economic instability around the world. But Whitehouse was noncommittal when asked whether he would use his gavel to compel the Chamber to testify under oath about its activities.”

Inside Climate News: ‘Greenhushing’ Is On the Rise as Companies Go Silent on Climate Pledges
Kiley Price. 3/17/24

“For years, eagle-eyed environmentalists have called out banks and consumer businesses—from Barclays to fashion brand ASOS—for making misleading claims that their practices or products are sustainable, otherwise known as greenwashing. However, lately there has been an uptick in “greenhushing,” a seemingly counterintuitive practice in which companies intentionally don’t publicize their climate-friendly actions and goals,” Inside Climate News reports. “For example, investment firm BlackRock has removed several references to its commitment of helping reach net zero emissions by 2050 from its website, though its CEO said the firm would continue to discuss climate issues with the companies it invests in, reports the Washington Post. Consumer goods companies, including those that sell food and beverages or clothes, are also hopping on the “greenhushing” bandwagon, despite taking steps toward sustainability, reports Grist. At the same time, public demand for environmentally friendly goods and services has surged in the past few years as the fight against climate change has ramped up. So what’s behind this paradox? Experts say there could be a few factors at play. Greenwashing Crackdowns: In the past few years, liberal activists and organizations have sued companies for rampant greenwashing campaigns, including H&M, Nike, Allbirds shoes and apparel company Canada Goose. Though many of these companies won their suits, they still suffered copious amounts of bad PR. On the other side of the aisle, right-wing politicians and thought leaders are speaking out against “woke” eco-campaigns and business decisions made with climate change in mind, reports the Post. “If you’re a CEO who has all the right intentions, you might get sued from both sides—from the left and from the right,” Renat Heuberger, the co-founder and CEO of South Pole, a climate consultancy that released a survey on greenhushing trends, told the Post. “And that is not good news if you want to convince more CEOs to get active on climate.” In the face of this criticism, some companies have simply stopped publicly speaking about the steps they are taking to curb emissions or reduce their environmental footprints, according to South Pole’s report.”

New York Times: The Zombies of the U.S. Tax Code: Why Fossil Fuels Subsidies Seem Impossible to Kill
Lisa Friedman, 3/15/24

“As a candidate in 2020, Joseph R. Biden Jr. campaigned to end billions of dollars in annual tax breaks to oil and gas companies within his first year in office. It’s a pledge he has been unable to keep as president,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Biden’s budget request to Congress this week was his fourth attempt to eliminate what he called “wasteful subsidies” to an industry that is enjoying record profits. “Unlike previous administrations, I don’t think the federal government should give handouts to big oil,” Mr. Biden said after his inauguration. His new budget proposal calls for the elimination of $35 billion in tax breaks that would otherwise be provided to the industry over the next decade. Mr. Biden’s wish is opposed by the oil industry, Republicans in Congress and a handful of Democrats. In Washington, it seems, oil and gas subsidies are the zombies of the tax code: impossible to kill. “Everybody agrees fossil fuel subsidies are wasteful, stupid and moving things in the wrong direction,” Michael L. Ross, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who studies fossil fuel tax breaks, told the Times. “Getting rid of them seems to be one of the hardest things to achieve on the climate agenda.” The oil and gas industry enjoys nearly a dozen tax breaks, including incentives for domestic production and write-offs tied to foreign production. Total estimates vary widely; environmental groups take a broad view of what constitutes a subsidy while the industry hews to a more narrow definition. The Fossil Fuel Subsidy Tracker, run by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, calculated the total to be about $14 billion in 2022… “The oil and industry is expected to reap $1.7 billion in 2025 from the intangible drilling tax break, and $9.7 billion over the next 10 years, according to the White House. It is expected to realize $880 million in benefits from the depletion allowance tax break in 2025, and $15.6 billion by 2034.”

OPINION

Sioux City Journal: Ethanol, pipeline plans ignore drought in Iowa
Cherie Mortice, an Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement member, Des Moines, 3/16/24

“Plans to expand ethanol plants and pipeline routes across Iowa seem to ignore that we are still locked in a serious drought that doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon,” Cherie Mortice writes for the Sioux City Journal. “Summit Carbon Solutions is setting out to expand carbon capture from 13 ethanol plants to 25. These projects will require massive amounts of water. Does Summit prioritize the needs of the people living in our towns and communities against their expanding demand for water resources? If their requests for water permits are approved, they will take almost 1 billion gallons every year. Many communities are already anticipating water shortages this year. Clark County is under a water restriction for households, and fines are given if it’s exceeded. Should we expect Summit to be fined, too? Expansion in number of ethanol plants and pipeline routes will require serious scrutiny by Iowa DNR because there have not been adequate rules and regulations in place to protect Iowa’s water quality and resources… “Iowa needs to reprioritize the value of Putting People before Profits that drain limited water resources and threaten sustainability. I’m asking Iowans to reach out to Kayla Lyon — kayla.lyon@dnr.iowa.gov — at the Department of Natural Resources and say that water permits for Summit’s CO2 pipeline route are not a beneficial use.”

Chicago Defender: Water is Life. The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Threatens So Much of It.
Ben Jealous is the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and a Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, 3/18/24

“For years, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and other tribes of the Great Lakes region have been leading a true David vs. Goliath fight against the Canadian oil giant Enbridge Energy. Enbridge’s 71-year-old Line 5 oil and gas pipeline, which trespasses through sovereign tribal lands, is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. And not just for the tribes,” Ben Jealous writes for the Chicago Defender. “Every day, the pipeline carries nearly 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas from Wisconsin to Ontario, Canada. It has already leaked 35 times over its lifespan and is only getting more dangerous. In addition to running through the reservation of the Bad River Band, it crosses the Straits of Mackinac between Lakes Michigan and Huron. With one-fifth of the entire world’s surface freshwater, more than 40 million people get their drinking water from the Great Lakes. That includes the residents of major US cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Cleveland. And of course, replacing our outdated fossil fuel infrastructure with renewable energy is essential to addressing the climate crisis and keeping our air breathable… “We know where Enbridge’s priorities are. The company rakes in an estimated $1.8 million from the pipeline every day. Enbridge has claimed to use the Seven Grandfather Teachings in Native American culture as a guide for their dealings with tribes. Those are love, respect, bravery, truth, honesty, humility and wisdom. But Enbridge’s main case for keeping Line 5 open is anything but honest… “The simple truth is we do not need Line 5. This is a classic struggle of organized corporate money interests against organized people. Tribes have done a masterful job leading the organizing and building coalitions with environmental groups and clean water advocates. But it is also on the US government to do the right thing. And there are a few things it can do. First, the Army Corps of Engineers can conduct a more thorough review of Enbridge’s plans than is currently underway and conduct an Environmental Impact Statement. If it is done correctly, we hope that would lead to the Army Corps rejecting Enbridge’s permit request. Finally, because it is a cross-border pipeline, Line 5’s operation requires a presidential permit. President Biden should revoke that permit, which would shut down the entire 645-mile pipeline — something that is already long overdue.”

Context: The criminalisation of climate activists must stop now
Andrew Firmin is the co-author of the State of Civil Society report and Editor-in-Chief at CIVICUS, where he leads research into climate activism around the world, 3/15/24

“It was the kind of treatment once reserved for narco gangs. Last June, several young Germans woke up to police raiding their homes, seizing their laptops and freezing their bank accounts. Their supposed crime? Blocking streets and disrupting events to call for urgent action on climate change in the hottest year on record,” Andrew Firmin writes for Context. “The crackdown on Germany’s Last Generation movement is emblematic of a disturbing escalation of attacks on climate activists around the world of late. For many years, the fossil fuel industry and the governments that protect it promoted outright climate denial, seeking to undermine the science that made an irrefutable case to cut emissions. But our research on climate activism over the last year shows that big emitters have shifted their tactics from denying science to repressing activists using raids, arrests, fines and even violence. The goal is the same: to delay climate action until it’s too late. It’s therefore time to recognise repression of activism as a pernicious form of climate denial. The ramping up of pressure on climate activists in the last year was particularly noticeable in wealthier countries. In Germany, police used laws meant to stop organised crime to justify the June raids. But Last Generation is not some shadowy criminal enterprise… “Views differ about the value of climate protest tactics like stunts targeting high-profile artworks. But no one could possibly construe such actions as violent. When activists target museums, they take every possible precaution to ensure there’s no lasting damage. When they block roads, they allow emergency vehicles through. But authorities have falsely equated disruption with violence, a clear double standard when compared to the response to European farmers who also protest by blocking roads. While our research points to a shift in tactics against climate action in the global north, climate activists in global south countries have long faced similar restrictions and worse… “Governments are paying lip service to climate action but showing little willingness to rein in the industry and cut emissions. Activists know this and show this, which is why so many efforts are underway to silence them. But despite the many constraints, the climate movement is resilient… “Climate activists will keep pushing on – but they don’t deserve the treatment they’re getting.”

Washington Times: Biden Overreaching In Using Antiquities Act To Create National Monuments
Diana Furchtgott-Roth directs the Center for Energy, Climate and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. Andrew Weiss is a research assistant at Heritage, 3/13/24

“Since 2022, President Biden has used the Antiquities Act to create five national monuments, collectively spanning more than 1.5 million acres of federal land. While these proclamations are ostensibly aimed at preserving areas of historic or archaeological importance, they often come at the expense of established laws and local economies. The American Forest Resource Council has rightly challenged this executive overreach by calling on the Supreme Court to review the Antiquities Act,” Diana Furchtgott-Roth and Andrew Weiss write for the Washington Times. “Council President Travis Joseph says many Americans are ‘concerned about implications of presidents having unfettered authority to indefinitely suspend or cancel the operation of federal law through the Antiquities Act proclamation.’ One such case challenges Mr. Biden’s 2021 expansion of the Bears Ears National Monument, led by Utah alongside individual recreationists and mining interests. The plaintiffs argue that the Antiquities Act does not permit arbitrary and excessive expansions that infringe upon local interests and rights. The case is headed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after being dismissed by the U.S. District Court of Utah last August.”

Times Union: Mr. DiNapoli, why is the state pension fund still investing in fossil fuels?
Mark Dunlea is author of “Putting Out the Planetary Fire: An Introduction to Climate Change and Advocacy.” For the past decade he has helped coordinate the divestment campaign for 350.org and DivestNY, 3/15/24

“On Feb 14, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli gave valentines to the fossil fuel industry when he announced that he was going to keep nearly $5 billion of the state pension fund invested in Exxon and other major gas and oil companies like Chevron, Shell, Occidental, Saudi Aramco and BP,” Mark Dunlea writes for the Times Union. “After 18 months of review, DiNapoli decided that almost all of the big gas and oil companies — companies that for decades knowingly lied to the public and government about how the burning of fossil fuels was driving destructive global warming — were committed to positively dealing with climate change and transitioning to a clean-energy future. Most climate experts have reached the opposite conclusion. Also in February, the Dutch pension fund, comparable in size to the $240 billion New York state fund, announced that it was divesting from oil and gas companies due to their continued destructive behavior… “DiNapoli did say that Exxon had failed his climate evaluation. However, he plans to divest only about $25 million of its stock, holding on to more than half a billion dollars. Most large pension managers don’t actually make decisions about individual stocks, deciding instead to invest “passively” in index funds that track the overall market. DiNapoli contends that removing Exxon from his “passive” investments would put him too far out of sync with his index funds, in violation of his fiduciary duty to responsibly manage the funds. After a decade of working on divestment, I can say this “passive vs. active” argument still makes no sense to me or to many other financial observers… “At a minimum, state lawmakers need to convene public hearings and call for DiNapoli to document how he arrived at this startling decision. Human life on our planet will not survive timid politicians who understand that climate change is real but try to placate the fossil fuel industry and its tremendous wealth.”

Washington Post: Joe Manchin: Our energy policy is a success. President Biden should be proud.
Joe Manchin III, a Democrat, represents West Virginia in the U.S. Senate, 3/18/24

“I’m going to do something you probably haven’t heard me do much in the past three years: I want to congratulate President Biden for the record-breaking energy production we are seeing in America today. The United States is producing more oil, gas and renewable energy than ever before. We are exporting more fossil fuel energy than we import. Our country has never been more energy-independent than we are today,” Joe Manchin writes for the Washington Post. “This is something to celebrate. And it would not have been possible without the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Biden signed. Thanks to these two historic laws, we are unlocking major opportunities throughout the country, implementing an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that we need today while continuing to innovate the technologies we want for tomorrow… “I have always said you are entitled to your own opinion, but you cannot make up your own facts. And the fact is that the United States and its allies need fossil fuels for reliable power… “Maintaining that balance — between improving today’s technology and betting on the future — will remain critical for years to come. That is why I made sure the Inflation Reduction Act guaranteed parity between oil and gas and wind and solar in future offshore and onshore lease sales. This provision will ensure that future presidents would have to embrace the all-of-the-above approach to meeting America’s energy needs… “For me, in my final months in office, I will do everything I can to continue to strengthen our energy security for our children and grandchildren. I will continue to fight to make this administration implement the balanced all-of-the-above strategy that runs through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”