EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/19/25

PIPELINE NEWS

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Pipeline opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines

• Des Moines Register: First South Dakota, then Iowa? Landowners, lawmakers rally to stop Summit pipeline

• Radio Iowa: Failed attempt to force Iowa Senate vote on eminent domain for pipeline

• Des Moines Register: ‘This is not a public use project,’ lawmakers say of pipelines at anti-eminent domain rally [VIDEO]

• Des Moines Register: Landowners protest eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines at Iowa Capitol rally [PHOTOS]

• KMA: Montgomery County board hears new pipeline developments

• Mitchell Now: Pipeline Critic Celebrates a Legislative Win

• Press release: Santa Barbara County Supervisors Deadlock on Controversial Oil Pipeline Permit Transfer

• Press release: Build Canada Now: An Open Letter to the Leaders of Canada’s Political Parties

• Globe and Mail: Energy CEOs write to federal political leaders on how to boost production, Canadian sovereignty

• Michigan Advance: Whitmer attorney once again aims to dismiss challenge over terminated Line 5 permit

• Bloomberg: Sixth Circuit Pushes Michigan, Enbridge on Line 5 Shutdown Fight

• Law360: Tribe Members Complicate Tesoro Pipeline Row, 8th Circ. Told

• Delaware Valley Journal: Upper Makefield Pipeline Leak Keeps Filtration Company Busy

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Tariffs, slumping prices set table for Trump’s oil summit

• Public News Service: Sierra Club sues DOGE over mass firings

• E&E News: DC Circuit walks back ruling against Texas LNG permits

STATE UPDATES

• Carbon Herald: Ohio And West Virginia Move Forward With Carbon Storage Legislation

• OK Energy Today: Carbon capture bill wins Oklahoma Senate approval

• Fast Company: How a small Pennsylvania town stood up to Big Oil—and won

• Canton Repository: Ohio produced record amount of oil in 2023, report says

EXTRACTION

• Radio Canada: Alberta pioneered industrial carbon pricing. Now, Poilievre says he’d kill the federal mandate for it

• Canary Media: A new way to power data centers: pair clean energy and peaker plants

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Investment Executive: Aussie pension fund hit with greenwashing penalty

OPINION

• Forbes: Clean Energy Expansion In The US Requires Big Oil To Share Land

• Pagosa Daily Post: The Value of National Monuments

PIPELINE NEWS

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Pipeline opponents push for a ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines
Cami Koons, 3/18/25

“Iowa landowners and pipeline fighters gathered Tuesday at a rally in the Iowa Capitol Rotunda asking lawmakers to ban eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “Senate Democrats also pushed for an amendment that would help pipeline and eminent domain bills go to the floor for debate. The protesters have opposed a large carbon sequestration pipeline, headed by Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, for several years. The opponents have significant support in the Iowa House, which advanced more than 10 related bills ahead of the legislative funnel deadline, but Iowa senators have historically allowed similar bills to stall in their chambers. Folks who attended the rally focused their attention on House File 943 which would prohibit pipelines with liquefied carbon dioxide from using eminent domain. “Band with all of us to convince our elected officials to be bold, to stand with our constituents and to fight for property rights and ban eminent domain on ag land,” said Iowa landowner Peg Rasmussen. “If they don’t, let’s elect them out and elect somebody that will.” The pipeline opponents were encouraged by a recent law passed in South Dakota to restrict the use of eminent domain from CO2 pipelines… “Jess Mazour, a coordinator with the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club, told the Dispatch “every person here in a red shirt had the rules changed on them.” “This bill that we’re fighting for … it does not stop Summit, it protects our property rights,” Mazour told the Dispatch. “If Summit wants to build a pipeline, do it voluntarily, do not abuse our property rights to do so.” “…Lawmakers and pipeline fighters were confident HF 943 would advance from the House, but worried about its future on the other side of the Capitol.”

Des Moines Register: First South Dakota, then Iowa? Landowners, lawmakers rally to stop Summit pipeline
Sabine Martin, 3/18/25

“Landowners opposing the Summit Carbon Solutions’ planned pipeline rallied with renewed energy at the Iowa Capitol Tuesday after South Dakota’s governor recently signed a law blocking the use of eminent domain to build carbon-capture pipelines,” the Des Moines Register reports. “This fight is far from over,” said fourth-generation farmer Dennis King from Clay County, who said he has four farms that would be affected by the pipeline. “South Dakota has shown us that this pipeline can be stopped.” “…Several dozen Iowans at the Capitol Tuesday demanded lawmakers pass House File 943, which would also ban eminent domain for carbon pipelines on agricultural land… “Caila Corcoran, 31, said her family has four generations of farmers who’ve worked and lived on their land in Dickinson County. The pipeline would run through her family’s land, she said. “One thing we keep hearing is that if we don’t allow a multibillion-dollar corporation to steamroll their way through our state, we’ll look as if we aren’t friendly to business,” Corcoran said. Another Iowa landowner, Marva Schuldt of Bremer County, said the pipeline would be built 450 feet from the land she’s lived on for 56 years. She called on Iowa’s federal Republican Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley to listen to the rallygoers’ calls to oppose the pipeline… “A parody Monopoly game board includes the likeness of Summit Agricultural Group founder Bruce Rastetter during a rally against eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Des Moines.”

Radio Iowa: Failed attempt to force Iowa Senate vote on eminent domain for pipeline
Kay Henderson, 3/18/25

“An attempt that could have forced the Iowa Senate to vote on restrictions for the proposed carbon pipeline has failed,” Radio Iowa reports. “During consideration of the Senate’s operating rules, Democratic Senator Tony Bisignano proposed a route for bringing a bill up for debate. “It’s time to have the debate on the pipeline or eminent domain or property rights or whatever you want to call it,” Bisignano said. “it’s time to have that debate for Iowans.” Bisignano, who is from Des Moines, challenged Republicans in the senate who want to ban the use of eminent domain for the pipeline to support his plan. “These people are your constituents. I can’t imagine having my constituents out in that rotunda, day after day, month after month, year after year and ignore them,” Bisignano said. “I’ve never probably heard more desperation from some of these farmers, century farmers talking about their property being taken, tears in their eyes. You can tell they’ve been stressed for years.” Four Republican senators joined 14 Democrats to support the move, but the group was voted down by 30 Republicans.”

Des Moines Register: ‘This is not a public use project,’ lawmakers say of pipelines at anti-eminent domain rally [VIDEO]
Lily Smith, 3/18/25

“Iowa lawmakers and landowners spoke at a rally at the Iowa Capitol Rotunda against eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines,” the Des Moines Register reports.

Des Moines Register: Landowners protest eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines at Iowa Capitol rally [PHOTOS]
Lily Smith, 3/18/25

“People hold signs as pipeline opponents speak during a rally against eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Des Moines,” the Des Moines Register reports.

KMA: Montgomery County board hears new pipeline developments
Mike Peterson, 3/18/25

“New developments regarding a proposed carbon pipeline project are prompting renewed calls for action in Montgomery County,” KMA reports. “…Speaking at Tuesday morning’s Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting, Montgomery County resident Jan Norris says Summit may explore three possible alternatives as a result of the recent South Dakota developments. “The three obvious possibilities are, one, a new route avoiding South Dakota could be sought, such as going around through other states–like across Nebraska, or up through Minnesota,” said Norris. “Two, the U.S. Congress could circumvent state law, or three, they could comply, and develop a 100% voluntary route across South Dakota.” “…With the recent developments in South Dakota, and bills pertaining to the pipeline project pending in the Iowa Legislature, Norris called on the supervisors to consider local action. “Every county has undisputed authority over secondary roads,” said Norris. “Many are taking this opportunity to update their county road crossing policies to include specific culvert and bridge setbacks for hazardous liquid pipelines. Written policies ensure installations are to the standards of the county, not just what’s economical to the company. Updating our fee structure can help recoup current and future expenses the county will incur.” Norris also suggests the county should consider establishing an ordinance regulating pipelines’ impact on county right of ways… “Like other counties, Montgomery County awaits a decision from the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on a lower court’s injunction against Shelby County’s pipeline ordinance.”

Mitchell Now: Pipeline Critic Celebrates a Legislative Win
Riley Harrington, 3/18/25

“South Dakota lawmakers and state leaders are reflecting on the outcomes of the 2025 legislative session. For many, the most significant achievement is limiting the eminent domain powers of Carbon Capture pipeline companies—a fight that has lasted nearly four years in the legislature,” Mitchell Now reports. “Pipeline critic Ed Fischbach is celebrating this win. (:16) The grassroots movement opposing the pipeline continues to score victories, including rulings from the state Supreme Court, a successful election referendum, and now, legislative success.”

Press release: Santa Barbara County Supervisors Deadlock on Controversial Oil Pipeline Permit Transfer
3/18/25

“A heated decision regarding the future of the oil pipeline linked to the 2015 Refugio oil spill remains unresolved after Santa Barbara County Supervisors split evenly on an appeal against transferring the pipeline permit to Sable Offshore Corp. The 2-2 vote means Sable’s application to take over permits related to the pipeline and offshore facilities involved in the 2015 spill remains unresolved. The County’s Planning Commission initially approved the permit transfer to Sable Offshore Corp. last October. However, local environmental groups promptly appealed, citing concerns related to the Refugio oil spill, which released over 140,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean, devastating local wildlife and beaches. During a heated seven-hour public hearing, community members, environmentalists, and representatives from Sable passionately presented their positions. Activists, donning “Disable Sable” stickers, expressed deep fears of potential environmental risks and another spill. In contrast, Sable representatives promoted the economic benefits and distributed company-branded merchandise. With Supervisor votes evenly split, the future now rests with Sable Offshore Corp. The company expressed optimism, interpreting the stalemate as an affirmation of the Planning Commission’s original approval. Environmental groups remain vigilant, pledging continued opposition.”

Press release: Build Canada Now: An Open Letter to the Leaders of Canada’s Political Parties
3/18/25

“Dear Messrs. Carney, Blanchet, Poilievre, and Singh: We are at a turning point in Canada’s history and national interest. There is increasing public support to urgently grow our energy sector and build energy infrastructure, including new oil and natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals, to expand Canada’s energy exports… “A catalyst for more Canadians wishing to increase production and energy exports has been a desire to fortify Canadian independence through a stronger economy while diversifying our markets… “Canadian LNG could replace the more emissions-intensive coal fired electricity generating plants throughout Asia. Canada’s oil sands industry has been investing heavily in research and regulatory approvals to develop new carbon capture and storage projects that have the potential to reduce the sector’s carbon emissions intensity. Thus, an expanding Canadian oil and natural gas sector helps the world’s efforts to tackle this global challenge… “For the oil and natural gas sector to expand and energy infrastructure to be built, Canada’s federal political leaders can create an environment that will: Simplify regulation. The federal government’s Impact Assessment Act and West Coast tanker ban are impeding development and need to be overhauled and simplified… “Commit to firm deadlines for project approvals… “Grow production. The federal government’s unlegislated cap on emissions must be eliminated to allow the sector to reach its full potential. Attract investment. The federal carbon levy on large emitters is not globally cost competitive and should be repealed to allow provincial governments to set more suitable carbon regulations. Incent Indigenous co-investment opportunities… “By declaring a Canadian energy crisis and key projects in the “national interest,” the federal government will be able to use all its available emergency powers to ensure that the dramatic regulatory restructuring required to expand the oil and natural gas sector is rapidly achieved.”

Globe and Mail: Energy CEOs write to federal political leaders on how to boost production, Canadian sovereignty
Bill Curry, Jeffrey Jones, 3/19/25

“A group of Canadian energy chief executives is calling on the country’s leaders to declare an energy crisis and use emergency powers to reduce regulations in the sector, actions they say will increase domestic production and boost Canadian sovereignty,” the Globe and Mail reports. “The 14 CEOs, representing the four largest pipeline companies and 10 largest oil and gas companies in Canada, wrote to the four main political party leaders in a letter released Wednesday, ahead of the federal election campaign… “Most of the political leaders at the federal and provincial level are reaching out to all of us, asking: What’s a better way forward?” Enbridge Inc. CEO Greg Ebel told the Globe and Mail. “So we think this is a constructive addition.” “…Projects that were once viewed as political non-starters, such as new pipelines, are suddenly being widely discussed as options to reduce Canada’s economic dependency on the United States. Mr. Ebel discussed the letter’s recommendations with The Globe and Mail on Tuesday, along with TC Energy CEO François Poirier and Adam Waterous, executive chair of the board of directors for Strathcona Resources Ltd., an oil producer that has expanded rapidly in recent years through a series of acquisitions… “The CEOs are also calling for a pledge to approve major projects within six months of application; eliminating the carbon levy on industrial emitters; eliminating “the unlegislated cap on emissions”; and providing loan guarantees to encourage Indigenous co-investment in new projects.”

Michigan Advance: Whitmer attorney once again aims to dismiss challenge over terminated Line 5 permit
Kyle Davidson, 3/18/25

“Attorneys for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the State’s Department of Natural Resources are once again seeking to dismiss legal challenges from Canadian energy company Enbridge, arguing in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday that the state should hold immunity from a suit brought by the business in 2020,” the Michigan Advance reports. “…While Whitmer previously sought to have the case dismissed on the grounds of sovereign immunity, which grants governments immunity from lawsuits, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker determined the case would move forward, as Enbridge’s complaint fell under an exception to the state’s immunity. However, Assistant Attorney General Dan Bock told Judges Karen Nelson Moore, Rachel S. Bloomekatz and Raymond M. Kethledge the complaint should be dismissed under the 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars federal courts from hearing certain lawsuits against states. Enbridge’s claims are barred by the 11th amendment, as it allows them to functionally claim ownership of state-owned submerged lands and seeks to compel the state into a specific performance of a contract, Bock said. He further argued that federal courts should abstain from wading into the case while “identical claims” are being heard in state court, Bock said, in reference to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s case arguing the 1953 permit for Line 5 was never valid, as it was issued in violation of several state policies… “The three judge panel submitted the matter for consideration but did not indicate when a decision would be made.”

Bloomberg: Sixth Circuit Pushes Michigan, Enbridge on Line 5 Shutdown Fight
Eric Heisig, 3/18/25

“Sixth Circuit judges on Tuesday questioned what power Michigan would retain if Enbridge Inc.—which operates the aging Line 5 oil and gas pipeline—obtained a judge’s order that prevented the state from shutting it down,” Bloomberg reports. “Judge Rachel S. Bloomekatz pushed Enbridge’s attorney on what power Michigan officials retained in that situation regarding the four-mile stretch of land and water where the 645-mile pipeline crosses the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron. “It strikes me here that the injunction that Enbridge has asked for is extraordinarily broad,” the Biden appointee said…”.

Law360: Tribe Members Complicate Tesoro Pipeline Row, 8th Circ. Told
Joyce Hanson, 3/18/25

“Tesoro High Plains Pipeline Co. has urged the Eighth Circuit to deny landowning tribe members’ bid to intervene in the company’s lawsuit challenging the federal government’s right-of-way trespassing claims against it, saying that the United States adequately represents their interests and that it would only complicate the case,” Law360 reports.

Delaware Valley Journal: Upper Makefield Pipeline Leak Keeps Filtration Company Busy
Linda Stein, 3/19/25

“Sam Gigliott has been in the water filtration business in Bucks County for 19 years, and says he’s never been busier than he is right now, weeks after a jet fuel leak in Upper Makefield,” the Delaware Valley Journal reports. “Gigliotti and his partner, Clark Dilatush, run The Water Cleaner. It provides water filtration systems, testing, and other services… “Much of that work is being paid for by Energy Transfer/Sunoco which operates the Twin Oaks pipeline that delivers fuel to the airport in Newark, N.J. When the leak was discovered at the end of January, the company began widespread testing and pledged to provide water treatment systems to residents who needed them… “Gigliotti called the situation “a real mess.” “…But the company has paid for filtration systems like those installed by Gigliotti at 60 properties, Gordon told the Journal, and plans to install 34 more… “Local property owners are still angry. “Residents are pushing for 25 years paid monitoring (of their wells), but Sunoco has offered them 10 years,” Gigliotti told the Journal… Several local elected officials have called for the pipeline to be shutdown entirely, including Upper Makefield Supervisors Chair Yvette Taylor. “How can we look into the eyes of the impacted residents and demand anything less than transparency? They suffer and we suffer with them as we demand relief from this crisis. Again, shut down this pipeline.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Tariffs, slumping prices set table for Trump’s oil summit
Mike Soraghan, Carlos Anchondo, 3/19/25

“President Donald Trump is delivering on promises that affect the leaders of the nation’s oil and gas companies — the ones they like and the ones they don’t. On Wednesday, they get to sit down and talk about it,” E&E News reports. “In his breakneck first two months, Trump has killed off some of the regulations the oil barons hated, signed death warrants for others and put in motion tax breaks they love. But he’s also started a trade war that could threaten the economy and the supply chains that they rely on. Then there’s the question of what “drill, baby, drill” really means — good times for oil companies or low prices for consumers? Some of the sector’s closest observers don’t have answers yet. “Even though the administration is broadly supportive of the oil industry, its policies could indicate a period of turbulence ahead,” said Ed Crooks, vice chair for the Americas at Wood Mackenzie, in a blog post earlier this week. The meeting Wednesday afternoon is expected to include some of the leading members of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry’s main trade group. Mike Sommers, API’s CEO, is scheduled to be among those in attendance. Multiple fossil fuel companies declined to comment on whether they would be sending a representative to the meeting… “Mahyar Sorour, who directs the Sierra Club’s Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy, told E&E the meeting shows the “quid pro quo” between Trump and his donors in the oil industry. “We must find ways to expand access to clean, affordable energy instead of continuing to pad the profits of API members and oil and gas executives,” Sorour told E&E.”

Public News Service: Sierra Club sues DOGE over mass firings
Suzanne Potter, 3/17/25

“The Sierra Club predicts big problems at national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia this summer because the Trump administration is slashing federal funding and firing federal employees. The club has sued the Department of Government Efficiency,” Public News Service reports. “On Thursday, judges in two similar suits ordered the feds to reinstate the workers. Gloria D. Smith, Environmental Law Program managing attorney for the Sierra Club, told PNS the nonprofit’s suit is unaffected. “We’re very pleased that the courts are holding, and we fully support this judge’s well-reasoned decision holding DOGE accountable,” Smith told PNS. ”But it remains to be seen whether or not the Trump administration will follow court orders.”

E&E News: DC Circuit walks back ruling against Texas LNG permits
Niina H. Farah, 3/19/25

“In an about-face Tuesday, a federal appeals court reinstated approvals for two liquefied natural gas export terminals in South Texas,” E&E News reports. “The decision is a win for developers of the neighboring projects — Rio Grande LNG and Texas LNG — that had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reconsider its ruling last year axing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorizations. On reexamination, the D.C. Circuit found that the deficiencies with FERC’s National Environmental Policy Act review for the projects did not outweigh the harm caused by scrapping the approvals. FERC must still continue its supplemental NEPA review for the planned terminals in the Port of Brownsville. “Unnecessary delays in putting these projects into service could have industry-wide effects; just one of the terminals is projected to supply liquefied natural gas equal to approximately 6% of current global demand when completed,” said Judge Brad Garcia, a Biden pick who wrote the opinion for the court.”

STATE UPDATES

Carbon Herald: Ohio And West Virginia Move Forward With Carbon Storage Legislation
Theodora Stankova, 3/19/25

“Lawmakers in Ohio and West Virginia have introduced bills aimed at regulating the underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), a technology that has the potential to mitigate emissions from industrial sources,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The West Virginia Senate has passed SB 627, which allows the state Division of Natural Resources (DNR) to lease underground pore spaces beneath state parks for carbon storage… “In Ohio, two identical carbon capture and storage (CCS) bills—H.B. 170 and S.B. 136—have been introduced in both the House and Senate. If enacted, the new legislation would place oversight authority with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which hopes to secure federal approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to manage Class VI carbon injection wells… “However, environmentalists and some lawmakers continue to question its long-term viability and potential risks, particularly concerning carbon leakage and regulatory oversight.”

OK Energy Today: Carbon capture bill wins Oklahoma Senate approval
3/18/25

“The Oklahoma Senate voted Monday in support of a bill to create carbon sequestration or storage in the state, sending SB269 to the House on a 27-18 vote,” OK Energy Today reports. “But the measure has its opponents, some who called it “selling out for money.” Known as the Oklahoma Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration Act, the measure was authored by Tulsa Sen. Dave Rader who stated, “Oklahoma can be the pace setter on this.” His bill would put carbon capture wells under the regulatory power of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and said it not only had the support of Oklahoma Energy Secretary Jeff Starling but the Trump administration as well… “But the bill has its opponents including Sen. Randy Grellner who worried about the harm that underground storage of CO2 would have to water supplies. “I’m upset we don’t know the long-term consequences of putting this into the ground,” adding he fears there might be contamination of the state’s aquifers… “The measure is also opposed by some landowners. In its Facebook posting, the No Federal Transmission Corridors Creek County warned, “Get ready for CO2 death pipelines and sequestration in Oklahoma—unless we can get the House to stop this insanity.” Another group, Save Oklahoma Farms and Ranches declared on its Facebook posting that the action by the Senate was the “selling out of Oklahomans for CO2 pipelines and sequestration.”

Fast Company: How a small Pennsylvania town stood up to Big Oil—and won
Audrey Carleton, Capital and Main, 3/18/25

“…The supervisors were gathered to vote on a zoning ordinance amendment that would greatly increase the required buffer zone between oil and gas drilling operations and homes and schools,” Fast Company reports. “The proposed rule mandating a setback of 2,500 feet—five times the distance of the current law—had originally been proposed as a statewide requirement by Governor Josh Shapiro when he was Pennsylvania’s attorney general. A bill based on that recommendation later stalled out when introduced in the state House of Representatives… “A growing body of peer-reviewed research has linked living near natural gas drilling operations to cancers and respiratory, reproductive, and neurological damage. In 2023, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the state Department of Health linked fracking exposure in the region encompassing Cecil to increased risk of asthma and lymphoma… “With that, Cecil—a town of just 15,000 residents and no outsize political power—became the first jurisdiction in Pennsylvania to adopt such a restrictive measure, even as similar efforts at the state level have failed. But already it is facing legal challenges from two natural gas companies active in the area—Texas-based fracking company Range Resources, and Colorado-based gas pipeline company MarkWest Liberty Midstream… “Though the ordinance does not call for an outright ban on new drilling, Range Resources contends it would limit fracking in Cecil in such a way that it violates state law.”

Canton Repository: Ohio produced record amount of oil in 2023, report says
Robert Wang, 3/18/25

“Ohio produced a state record of nearly 30 million barrels of oil in 2023, a 35% increase from the previous year, a new industry report says,” according to the Canton Repository. “The production exceeded the prior high of roughly 27.5 million barrels in 2019 and about 27 million barrels in 2015… “Here in Ohio, local communities benefit from good high paying wages, state-of-the-art school and curriculum opportunities, and millions of dollars in added revenue to local municipalities all thanks to the revenue generated from this industry,” Ohio Natural Energy Institute Executive Director Bruce L. Tague wrote in the report… “Ohio also was the seventh largest U.S. producer of natural gas… “Chadsey told the Repository the challenges of transporting natural gas in contrast with oil and the lack of natural gas pipelines have resulted in oil experiencing a resurgence, but natural gas has yet to have that rebound in production.”

EXTRACTION

Radio Canada: Alberta pioneered industrial carbon pricing. Now, Poilievre says he’d kill the federal mandate for it
3/18/25

“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed a promise from the Conservative Party of Canada on Monday to eliminate the federal backstop on industrial carbon pricing, if it were to form the next federal government,” Radio Canada reports. “Although it appears unlikely the province would abandon its longstanding pricing system altogether… “On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged to eliminate federal carbon-pricing law altogether, including the backstop, if his party wins the next federal election. Provinces would be free to do as they like with their own industrial policies, he said. Large-scale emitters — such as oilsands facilities, power plants, and other facilities with more than 100,000 tonnes of annual emissions — are subject to this industrial system of carbon pricing… “Low-emitting facilities can sell their credits to higher-emitting facilities, which can then use the credits to avoid paying a portion of the carbon price they owe. This effectively creates both a carrot and stick within a single policy, with the carrot for low-emitting facilities being funded by the stick that applies to high-emitting facilities… “But removing the carbon-price stick in favour of a larger tax-credit carrot also means taxpayers would cover more of the cost of that carrot, Chris Severson-Baker, executive director of the Pembina Institute, a clean energy think-tank, told Radio Canada. This proposal really is to shift from a polluter-pays system … to taxpayer-pay system, he told Radio Canada.”

Canary Media: A new way to power data centers: pair clean energy and peaker plants
Jeff St. John, 3/18/25

“It’s become the animating question in the U.S. electricity industry: How can power-hungry data centers get the energy they need?,” Canary Media reports. “The obvious answers have proven insufficient. Solar and wind power projects face yearslong wait times to interconnect to constrained grids. Moves to siphon off existing nuclear power to avoid these grid bottlenecks have proven controversial. And building new fossil gas–fired power plants will not only worsen climate change but may simply be impossible on the timeline that data centers require given current gas turbine backlogs… “One idea is to couple new clean power with some of the dirtier, if only rarely used, fossil-fuel power plants already connected to the grid — an approach that, counterintuitively enough, could end up not just faster but cleaner than alternatives. That’s the proposition think tank RMI lays out in a recent paper describing the potential for so-called ​“power couples,” which the authors define as lots of new solar, wind, and batteries connected to existing fossil gas–fired ​“peaker” plants, which basically act as emergency generators for the grid at large, all in service of a data center or other facility that uses large amounts of power… “But in the ​“power couple” structure, those data centers wouldn’t even draw from the grid, explained Uday Varadarajan, a senior principal at RMI’s carbon-free electricity program and co-author of the report. Instead, they’d be connected to clean power behind the ​“point of interconnection” between peaker plants and the grid at large. That could also allow new large-scale clean power projects to connect directly to the data center.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Investment Executive: Aussie pension fund hit with greenwashing penalty
James Langton, 3/18/25

“An Australian pension fund is being sanctioned by a federal court in Australia for greenwashing misconduct,” Investment Executive reports. “Last year, the Federal Court of Australia ruled that the fund, Active Super, breached the law by investing in securities that, it claimed, were excluded from its investment universe by its ESG screens. While its marketing materials promised that it excluded investments in oilsands, coal mining, gambling, and Russia, the fund allegedly violated those commitments in its direct and indirect portfolio holdings. Now, the court has ordered the fund to pay a $10.5-million (Australian dollars) penalty. “This is a significant penalty that sends a strong message to companies making sustainable investment claims that those claims need to reflect the true position,” said Sarah Court, deputy chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), in a release. In its ruling, the court said that the fund, “benefited from its misleading conduct by misrepresenting the ‘ethical’ nature of a significant part of its investments, which on any view enhanced its ability to attract investors… and enhanced its reputation as a provider of investment funds with ESG characteristics.”

OPINION

Forbes: Clean Energy Expansion In The US Requires Big Oil To Share Land
Sweta Chakraborty is the CEO of We Don’t Have Time North America, 3/18/25

“…While the Trump Administration is indeed dismantling the Biden Administration’s historic legislative effort to accelerate the US transition to clean energy, a bipartisan bill called the “Co-Location Energy Act” has been introduced to congress, with little fanfare, by Republican Senator, John Curtis, and Democratic Senator, John Hickenlooper,” Sweta Chakraborty writes for Forbes. “In a joint press release, the Senators stated: “The Co-Location Energy Act is a commonsense approach that leverages already-leased federal lands for renewable energy development. By expediting permitting and ensuring that previously disturbed areas are fully utilized, this bill strengthens energy supply to the grid without compromising existing operations.” “…Allowing wind and solar projects to be co-located on existing federal oil and gas energy leases reduces the red tape to build renewable projects since federal permission has already been granted. All that is needed is consent from current leaseholders… “Despite this public pressure, the question remains if Big Oil and Gas will cooperate with wind and solar expansion projects on their leased public lands, or if they will continue to prioritize dirty energy profits over playing ball?… “One would hope that energy security remains a bipartisan issue, and that the transition to clean energy remains a top priority for the Trump administration, and any administration to come.”

Pagosa Daily Post: The Value of National Monuments
Aaron Weiss is Media Director for the Center for Western Priorities, 3/17/25

“…It is foolish for President Trump to try to shrink or eliminate our national monuments,” Aaron Weiss writes for the Pagosa Daily Post. “It’s telling that the President made this announcement in the middle of the night, in hopes that Americans might not notice. There’s already a huge backlash in the West against his cuts to national park and forest staffing. If he moves ahead with these attacks, it will only add fuel to the fire and increase the president’s unpopularity in the West. National monuments are good for economic development and help drive the West’s rapidly growing recreation economy. Despite his claims, the only promise Donald Trump is delivering on, is his unmatched ability to create economic distress and chaos in every community across the country with his self-interested and exploitative attacks on America’s public lands, and on the dedicated public servants who steward these places for the benefit of all Americans. Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s lack of transparency and clarity around this latest attack on national monuments confirms what is already obvious: Americans need access to their public lands, and if they try to hand those lands over to Trump’s billionaire friends and foreign mining companies, they will be met with resistance across the West.”