EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 3/5/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• WFXR: Mountain Valley Pipeline protestors block construction site in Roanoke County

• Roanoke Times: Judge removes environmental group from Mountain Valley Pipeline lawsuit

• BNN: Pipeline Peril: Endangered Roanoke Logperch Threatened by Mountain Valley Construction

• Des Moines Register: Valero Energy Corp joins Summit’s $8B pipeline after Navigator kills its own project

• Cedar Rapids Gazette: Valero, with five Iowa ethanol plants, joins Summit’s proposed CO2 pipeline

• E&E News: Midwest CO2 pipeline project snags energy giant

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Proposed carbon pipeline adds more ethanol plants as lawmakers debate regulations

• Ford County Chronicle: Save Our Illinois Land files testimony opposing proposed CO2 pipeline

• Ford County Chronicle: Ford County EMA coordinator: CO2 pipeline comes with ‘very high’ safety risks, emergency-preparedness costs

• E&E News: Panels to mark up pipeline, energy efficiency, air bills

• Press Release: Chairs Rodgers and Duncan Announce Subcommittee Markup of Legislation to Modernize Pipeline Infrastructure and Protect Consumer Choice

• Bloomberg: Reporter Loses Suit Over Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Arrest

• Press release: Enbridge secures approval for Mainline tolling settlement

• Natural Gas Intelligence: Following FERC Approval, Oneok Eyeing Midyear FID for Saguaro Connector Natural Gas Pipeline

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Webinar: Writing a Letter to the Editor Workshop: CO2 Pipelines (March 4, 2024)

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Politico: The climate dispute behind the EPA power plant rule split

• Politico: White House reviewing EPA power plant rule

• E&E News: Dems Seek Deeper Probe Of Oil Mergers 

• The Hill: SEC to vote on adopting contentious climate disclosure rule Wednesday

• E&E News: Most Republicans support expanding clean energy — survey

• Bloomberg: Many Environmentalists Don’t Vote. This Group Wants to Change That

• E&E News: Think tank energy expert heads to DOE’s carbon capture office

STATE UPDATES

• Atmos: In Louisiana, Bodies Are More Regulated Than Industry

• Cowboy State Daily: Wyoming House OKs Bill Allowing Power Companies To Charge For Carbon Capture

EXTRACTION

• Energy Monitor: US LNG export capacity expected to be 76% higher than EU demand

• The Hill: Plastic food packaging contains thousands of hormone-mimicking chemicals: Study

• Guardian: Fury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures

• Grist: There’s a reason Exxon’s CEO says its emissions are your fault

• The Hill: Nonprofit creates ‘Bechdel test for climate change’

OPINION

• Roanoke Times: CASEY: ‘Larry the Logperch,’ the Mountain Valley Pipeline & the 11th Commandment

• Globe and Mail: Danielle Smith’s attack on clean power is an attack on free enterprise

• Clean Technica: Carbon Engineering Was Always A Figleaf For Fossil Fuel Industry, Now It’s Owned Outright By Them
  

PIPELINE NEWS

WFXR: Mountain Valley Pipeline protestors block construction site in Roanoke County
Odyssey Fields, 3/4/24

“Protestors have gathered in the Bent Mountain area to stop Mountain Valley Pipeline workers from accessing the construction site,” WFXR reports. “We’re told that two people have locked themselves to a car on Honeysuckle Road and about 27 protestors are at the scene. Details remain limited; however, Virginia State Police says troopers are at the scene… “As an environmentalist – there are always fires to put out. Pipeline struggles are constantly popping up. I’ve fought them at home in Vermont and I will fight them anywhere I can,” said one protestor in a release. “I am here because what is being done is wrong and I am part of it, though not by choice. We must stop fracking and coal mining these mountains, transporting coal and methane around the world, and burning it. We are in a planetary climate crisis, a mass extinction, and we must stop despoiling headwaters. Places like here and the ocean nurseries in Louisiana, Texas, and Maryland. These fuels are killing us and we don’t even need them,” said another.

Roanoke Times: Judge removes environmental group from Mountain Valley Pipeline lawsuit
Laurence Hammack, 3/4/24

“An international environmental group has been removed from a sweeping lawsuit filed by Mountain Valley Pipeline that seeks injunctions and civil penalties against foes of the hard-fought project,” the Roanoke Times reports. “Mountain Valley failed to show how Rising Tide North America was involved in protests by opponents who chained themselves to construction equipment, stood in work sites and took other actions against the natural gas pipeline, a judge ruled. The company “has only provided conclusions and vague allegations regarding Rising Tide’s support of allegedly unlawful acts by other defendants,” Montgomery County Circuit Judge Robert Turk wrote in a Feb. 23 opinion that granted the organization’s motion to dismiss. A second group, Appalachians Against Pipelines, and more than 50 individuals remain as defendants in the case. “Rising Tide North America is a grassroots organization made up of ordinary people fighting for a better and healthier world,” the group said in statement Friday. “We are glad that MVP’s attempts to curtail free speech and intimidate failed in this case.” In a lawsuit filed last September, Mountain Valley asserted that Rising Tide raised donations through online solicitations and then gave the money to Appalachians Against Pipeline, which organized the events… “To date, the judge has issued injunctions against only about a half-dozen defendants. The case continues, with Mountain Valley seeking orders that would bar more people from repeating their actions on or near construction sites. The company is also asking for monetary damages – more than $4 million – from the defendants. In two separate cases filed in federal court, 11 additional people face injunctions and fines for their alleged actions in the Jefferson National Forest, which the 303-mile pipeline crosses in Giles and Montgomery counties. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon on Monday dismissed claims from Mountain Valley that two of the defendants were involved in a conspiracy, ruling that Mountain Valley had not presented sufficient allegations… “Dillon allowed other counts in the lawsuit, which allege interference, to move forward… “The latest protest happened early Monday morning atop Poor Mountain, when two men locked themselves to a car parked on Honeysuckle Road, in an effort to block pipeline workers from getting to a nearby construction site.”

BNN: Pipeline Peril: Endangered Roanoke Logperch Threatened by Mountain Valley Construction
Momen Zellmi, 3/5/24

“Recent uproar surrounds the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s impact on endangered species, specifically the Roanoke logperch, spotlighting the intersection of environmental conservation and industrial progress,” BNN reports. “Critics argue that the pipeline’s construction, especially following legislative changes, exacerbates the risks to this and other species, challenging the balance between energy infrastructure development and ecological preservation… “Critics, including local residents and environmental activists, highlight the direct consequences this has for local ecosystems, particularly for the Roanoke logperch, which has been federally endangered since 1989. Voices from the affected communities, such as Lynda Majors and Maury Johnson, emphasize the tangible damage already inflicted on local waterways due to construction runoff. The sedimentation from the pipeline’s development not only threatens the Roanoke logperch’s habitat but also undermines broader ecological networks essential for various forms of aquatic life. Despite these pressing concerns, there’s a perceived lack of adequate media coverage and governmental accountability, leading to heightened frustrations among those fighting for environmental preservation.”

Des Moines Register: Valero Energy Corp joins Summit’s $8B pipeline after Navigator kills its own project
Donnelle Eller, 3/4/24

“Another former Navigator CO2 partner is joining Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions’ $8 billion carbon capture project pipeline across Iowa and neighboring states,” the Des Moines Register reports. “…Navigator announced in 2021 it was building the pipeline with Valero, the Texas-based oil and gas giant, and BlackRock, a New York investment fund giant with $10 trillion under management. But it backed out after encountering what it said was the “unpredictable nature of the regulatory and government processes involved, particularly in South Dakota and Iowa.” “…Critics in Iowa have voiced concern about pipeline safety, the project’s impact on farmland and underground drainage tiles, as well as Summit’s possible use of eminent domain to force unwilling landowners to sell the company access to their land for the project… “By integrating Valero’s facilities into this project, we will make major strides in providing more than a billion gallons of low-carbon fuels to a marketplace hungry for the product,” Rastetter said in a statement. The Valero plants are expected to make 1.1 billion gallons of low-carbon ethanol per year and will lead to the capture of 3.1 million metric tons of CO2 annually, Summit said. Altogether, Summit says it will connect to 57 ethanol production facilities in the Midwest and capture and sequester about 16 million metric tons of CO2 annually.”

Cedar Rapids Gazette: Valero, with five Iowa ethanol plants, joins Summit’s proposed CO2 pipeline
Erin Jordan, 3/4/24

“Valero, the world’s second-largest ethanol producer with five plants in Iowa, has agreed to connect to Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “…The project’s estimated cost is over $5 billion, but Summit and its partners could collect up to $18 billion in federal tax credits over 12 years, Inside Climate News reported Monday… “Of the five Valero sites in Iowa, only one — in Albert City — is in a county were Summit doesn’t already plan to run a leg of its proposed pipeline. A news release about Valero does not say how Summit would connect to the facilities or whether it would need to seek an additional permit. Summit also doesn’t say whether adding more CO2 suppliers would increase the diameter of the proposed pipeline. The company did not reply to an email seeking clarification on these points… “The POET plants in Iowa are not on Summit’s original route and will require another permit application in Iowa.”

E&E News: Midwest CO2 pipeline project snags energy giant
Carlos Anchondo, 3/5/24

“Ethanol producer Valero Energy is joining a major carbon dioxide pipeline network in the Midwest, providing a boost to the $8 billion project,” E&E News reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions announced Monday that eight Valero ethanol plants will supply trapped CO2 to the development, which is slated to transport and store emissions from nearly 60 facilities across five states. The CO2 would be sequestered deep underground in North Dakota. The addition of Texas-based Valero — a huge producer of fuels and other products — adds to the momentum for a project aimed at helping to decarbonize the ethanol industry concentrated in the Midwest. Summit and Poet — the country’s largest producer of biofuels — announced a partnership in January that incorporates 17 plants into Summit’s proposal.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Proposed carbon pipeline adds more ethanol plants as lawmakers debate regulations
JOSHUA HAIAR, 3/4/24

“A company hoping to build a carbon dioxide pipeline added eight more ethanol plants as partners Monday, while South Dakota legislators took action on bills that could affect the project,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “…The decision comes after Valero’s former partner, Navigator CO2 Ventures, failed to obtain a permit in South Dakota and withdrew its pipeline project. That project aimed to transport carbon to a storage site in Illinois. The Summit project has faced regulatory challenges and opposition from some landowners, and has suffered permit rejections in North Dakota and South Dakota. A permit decision is imminent in Iowa. The company has said it is working to refine its proposal to meet South Dakota requirements and plans to resubmit an application… “Lastly, Senate Bill 201 is awaiting action by a committee of lawmakers to reconcile different House and Senate versions of the legislation. The conference committee, appointed Monday, includes Senators Casey Crabtree of Madison, David Wheeler of Huron, and David Johnson of Rapid City, and Representatives Will Mortenson of Fort Pierre, Oren Lesmeister of Parade, and Scott Moore of Ipswich.”

Ford County Chronicle: Save Our Illinois Land files testimony opposing proposed CO2 pipeline
Will Brumleve, 3/4/24

“On behalf of the citizens group Save Our Illinois Land, a Champaign attorney last week filed dozens of pages of written testimony in opposition to One Earth Sequestration LLC’s proposed OES Pipeline, with concerns voiced by affected landowners, first responders of a carbon dioxide pipeline rupture four years ago in Mississippi, and industry experts,” the Ford County Chronicle reports. “…Called SOIL for short, Save Our Illinois Land’s testimony raised concerns about the safety of the proposed pipeline — and carbon capture and sequestration in general — including the risk of a rupture and CO2 leak… “Kuprewicz also said OES needs to provide more information about the type, grade and thickness of the steel used to build the pipeline, noting that OES “appears to be rushing forward with this proposal (despite) missing or lacking critical information to permit the commission to make an informed decision.” Kuprewicz also said “pipeline release modeling” should “play an important role” in the siting of any CO2 pipeline, but he has yet to see any modeling done. As was “clearly demonstrated” in the rupture of a larger, 24-inch-diameter pipeline on Feb. 22, 2020, in Satartia, Miss., he noted, dispersion modeling “can easily be misused to understate, distort and misrepresent the real capabilities of heavier-than-air carbon dioxide rupture releases to travel large distances from the pipeline.” “…Ted Schettler, a retired physician who is now the science director for the Science and Environmental Health Network, testified about the hazards of carbon dioxide exposure in humans and the risks of unintended exposure to CO2… “Dr. Steven Culman, an agronomist who serves as the distinguished endowed chair of soil health in potato cropping systems at Washington State University, testified about the impact of natural gas pipeline construction on soils and crops… “Kathleen Campbell, a SOIL member who is vice president of Citizens Against the Heartland Greenway Pipeline and owns land in Glenarm along the now-canceled Navigator pipeline project route, testified that setbacks need to be “sufficient to ensure that, in the event of a rupture, CO2 concentrations do not exceed 5,000 ppm at any occupied buildings and preferably below that level to allow for evacuation with rural EMS teams.” “…Jerry Briggs — the fire coordinator for Warren County, Miss., which is directly southwest of Yazoo County — also testified about his experiences with the Satartia pipeline rupture. Briggs recalled how he and other first responders were unsure at first what kind of gas leak they were dealing with.”

Ford County Chronicle: Ford County EMA coordinator: CO2 pipeline comes with ‘very high’ safety risks, emergency-preparedness costs
Will Brumleve, 3/4/24

“If One Earth Sequestration LLC’s proposed 7.34-mile carbon dioxide pipeline ends up being built, Ford County’s fire departments, hospital and ambulance service would be unprepared for a potential pipeline rupture and CO2 leak, the county’s emergency management agency coordinator said, unless hundreds of thousands of dollars is invested in specialized emergency response plans, training and equipment, including a fleet of electric-powered buses and other vehicles able to function at low oxygen levels within a CO2 plume,” the Ford County Chronicle reports. “In 10 pages of written testimony filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 27, Ford County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Terry Whitebird noted the safety risks and emergency-preparedness costs associated with CO2 pipelines are both “very high.” Whitebird suggested that One Earth Sequestration — which is seeking a permit from the ICC to build and operate its proposed OES Pipeline in western Ford and eastern McLean counties — be required, upon a condition of ICC permit approval, to agree to reimburse the two counties and their first-responder agencies and hospitals for all costs associated with emergency preparedness and, if needed, emergency response. “Routing a CO2 pipeline through our county will require a significant initial investment to implement the capabilities necessary to decrease the current risk to the citizens,” Whitebird said. “The county, first responders and the hospital will need a sustained investment for equipment and training to maintain that readiness.” “…Among the most costly expenses would be the fleet of electric-powered vehicles needed to evacuate residents, Whitebird said, along with related infrastructure like charging stations… “In addition to acquiring electric-powered vehicles, specialized breathing equipment would need to be acquired by Ford County’s first responders, who would also need to undergo training to identify and respond to a pipeline leak or explosion… “The development of a “multi-agency comprehensive response pipeline plan” could cost between $20,000 and $60,000 depending on which consultant agency is hired to assist with the process, Whitebird said.”

E&E News: Panels to mark up pipeline, energy efficiency, air bills
Nico Portuondo, Sean Reilly, 3/5/24

“The Energy and Commerce Committee will hold two subcommittee markups Wednesday: One seeks to advance bills on pipeline safety and preventing new efficiency regulations. The other will deal with air quality standards,” E&E News reports. “Republicans will first put their “Pipeline Safety, Modernization and Expansion Act” up for consideration, which would reauthorize the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for another five years and streamline regulations on new pipelines.”

Press Release: Chairs Rodgers and Duncan Announce Subcommittee Markup of Legislation to Modernize Pipeline Infrastructure and Protect Consumer Choice
3/4/24

“House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Energy, Climate, & Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) today announced a subcommittee markup of six bills to modernize America’s pipeline infrastructure and to ensure people have the freedom to choose home appliances that best fit their needs and preferences. “The Energy and Commerce Committee has a rich history of enacting solutions that improve people’s livelihoods, freedoms, and access to affordable, reliable energy. We look forward to building on that legacy today as we consider legislation to strengthen our nation’s pipeline safety laws and modernize the pipeline permitting process, as well as solutions to ensure Americans are free to choose the home appliances that work best for their lives,” said Chairs Rodgers and Duncan… “DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 2024.”

Bloomberg: Reporter Loses Suit Over Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Arrest
Shayna Greene, 3/4/24

“A photojournalist lost her case against North Dakota officials over her arrest while covering a Dakota Access Pipeline protest in 2017,” Bloomberg reports. “Tonita Cervantes sued Morton County, the city of Mandan, and members of local law enforcement, alleging she was detained with zip ties, held in county jail, and denied a phone call, the order said. The criminal charges against her were dropped for lack of probable cause, the order said. Cervantes claimed violations of her First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment Rights, including excessive force and unreasonable seizure, arrest, and imprisonment.

Press release: Enbridge secures approval for Mainline tolling settlement
3/4/24

“Enbridge Inc. reported that the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has approved a negotiated settlement for the Mainline pipeline system’s tolling structure, which will remain in effect until December 31, 2028. This settlement establishes the tariffs for the transportation of crude oil and liquids from Western Canada across the continent. The CER’s approval follows the guidelines for negotiated settlements and confirms the tariffs that have been applied on an interim basis since July 1, 2023. These tariffs are retroactively effective from July 1, 2021… “The company has also stated its goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with ongoing investments in technologies such as hydrogen, renewable natural gas, carbon capture, and storage.”

Natural Gas Intelligence: Following FERC Approval, Oneok Eyeing Midyear FID for Saguaro Connector Natural Gas Pipeline
ANDREW BAKER, 3/4/24

“Oneok Inc. is aiming to take a final investment decision (FID) by the middle of this year on the 2.8 Bcf/d Saguaro Connector natural gas pipeline,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the project’s Presidential Permit in February. Saguaro Connector would transport Permian Basin natural gas to the U.S.-Mexico border. From there, it would connect with the Sierra Madre pipeline planned by Mexico Pacific Ltd. LLC, and onto Mexico Pacific’s proposed Saguaro Energía LNG export terminal in Puerto Libertad, Sonora. Although it has secured several high-profile offtakers, Mexico Pacific has yet to reach FID on the liquefaction terminal.” 

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Webinar: Writing a Letter to the Editor Workshop: CO2 Pipelines (March 4, 2024)
3/5/24

“Letters to your local paper are very powerful tools to get your voice heard not only to your local community, but to elected officials as well since they read the local papers to get a gauge on how the public feels about key issues,” according to the Pipeline Fighters Hub. “You can also send similar letters to your church newsletter or send to your personal email list in order to spread the word. On Monday, March 4, Bold hosted a virtual workshop on writing effective “LTE”s on the topic of carbon dioxide pipelines, and “carbon capture & storage” (CCS) via Zoom. Below is the slide presentation from the workshop, as well as an online LTE TIPS SHEET that you may share, or download a copy for yourself.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Politico: The climate dispute behind the EPA power plant rule split
Zack Colman, 3/4/24

“The Environmental Protection Agency’s move to split its climate regulation for power plants into two parts last week came after the agency pushed back on White House pressure to keep existing gas-fired plants in the rule, people familiar with the discussions told Politico. The EPA move reflected months of simmering tension with the White House over how boldly it should write the regulation to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power producers. That rules are a central part of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda and are certain to face the type of intense legal scrutiny that blocked two previous versions released by the Trump and Obama administrations. The administration’s announcement last week that it would delay issuing the portion of the rule that would apply to natural-gas fired power generation divided the environmental community since it would push it back to after the November election — and possibly into next year, when it could be killed by a potential Republican administration.”

Politico: White House reviewing EPA power plant rule
Alex Guillén, 3/4/24

“EPA sent its draft final power plant climate rule to the White House for review on Friday, according to a notice on the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ website,” Politico reports. “That was just one day after the agency made an unusual public announcement that it was dropping from that rule provisions that would cover some existing natural gas plants. Instead, EPA said it will pursue more comprehensive regulations on those sources for both greenhouse gases and conventional pollutants in a separate forthcoming rulemaking. The rule sent to the White House, Reg. 2060-AV09, still covers existing coal-fired power plants and newly built gas plants. It is expected to be finalized in April. The White House is still conducting interagency reviews for several other critical climate rules, including new tailpipe standards that will run through 2032 and may delay electric vehicle adoption rates compared to the proposal, Reg. 2060-AV49, as well as the Phase 3 heavy-duty truck greenhouse gas standard, Reg. 2060-AV50. Those rules have been under review since January and December, respectively, and may be finalized before the power plant rule.”

E&E News: Dems Seek Deeper Probe Of Oil Mergers 
3/5/24

“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are circulating a letter for signatures this week that urges the Federal Trade Commission to look further into the pattern of consolidation in the oil industry,” E&E News reports. “The FTC is already investigating megamergers announced last year between Chevron and Hess, Exxon Mobil and Pioneer, and Occidental Petroleum and CrownRock. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats had urged the regulator last fall to probe those deals. In a draft of the new letter provided by Khanna’s office, he and Schumer argue the FTC needs to examine each transaction in the context of the broader “anticompetitive pattern developing as Big Oil corporations race to consolidate the Permian Basin and other key American oilfields.” “We urge the FTC to extend its current investigations, open inquiries into these new deals, and take all appropriate actions to protect competition in this industry,” reads the draft letter, which the lawmakers plan to send on Wednesday. The American Petroleum Institute is urging Democrats not to sign the latest letter, circulating materials to lawmakers on Monday calling it ‘misleading’ and an attempt by ‘Big Climate’ to “strongarm the FTC into restricting investments in America’s energy security.”

The Hill: SEC to vote on adopting contentious climate disclosure rule Wednesday
RACHEL FRAZIN, 3/5/24

“The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will vote this week on whether to adopt a contentious rule that would require publicly traded companies to disclose climate change-related information to investors — though the rule could be significantly scaled back compared with what the agency proposed in 2022,” The Hill reports. “The SEC’s five commissioners are slated to vote on whether to adopt the rule Wednesday, according to a Sunshine notice it published last week. Supporters of the rule say that it would give investors important information about where their money is going, including how much the businesses they could invest in are contributing to climate change. Opponents argue that the rule’s disclosure requirements go beyond the SEC’s duty to help investors make informed decisions. Some critics have gone even farther and accused the agency of pursuing a backdoor climate regulation meant to actually cut emissions… “However, the provision that would require reporting such downstream emissions is expected to be dropped from the final rule… “Reuters first reported that the measure for such emissions, known as “Scope 3,” would be dropped… “The Hill’s source also said that the requirements to report direct emissions and emissions associated with electricity purchased by a company had also been rolled back… “Losing the Scope 3 component would be a blow to proponents of the rule.”

E&E News: Most Republicans support expanding clean energy — survey
Christian Robles, 3/5/24

“Most young Republican voters think the U.S. should prioritize developing renewable energy over expanding fossil fuels, according to data from the Pew Research Center,” E&E News reports. “An analysis of recent polls — posted by the center last week — finds that most Republicans want the U.S. to boost offshore oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing. But the views of GOP voters aged 18 to 29 stand out in the results, with 79 percent acknowledging that human activity contributes to climate change and two-thirds favoring solar and wind development over increasing fossil fuel production. Drew Eyerly, conservative outreach director at the nonprofit Citizens’ Climate Lobby, told E&E he has seen young Republicans clearly endorse low-carbon energy. “As the climate conversation advances on the political right, we see more and more support for energy options that don’t create carbon pollution,” he wrote in an email.

Bloomberg: Many Environmentalists Don’t Vote. This Group Wants to Change That
Zahra Hirji, 3/4/24

“All over the planet, elections are taking center stage this year, as some 4 billion people across more than 50 countries head to the polls — roughly half the world’s population. In the US, March 5 marks what’s known as Super Tuesday, when the greatest number of states hold primary elections and caucuses to determine the presidential candidates come November,” Bloomberg reports. “You could be forgiven for thinking that climate change is high on the list of election issues, or for assuming that Americans who care about it will be running, not walking, to the ballot box to vote. The US endured a whopping 28 disasters costing $1 billion or more in damages in 2023, which was also the hottest year in recorded history. This year is shaping up to match or exceed that record.”

E&E News: Think tank energy expert heads to DOE’s carbon capture office
Carlos Anchondo, 3/4/24

“Danny Broberg, a clean energy specialist with the Bipartisan Policy Center, is joining the Department of Energy as a senior adviser,” E&E News reports. “Broberg will take a period of leave from the Washington-based think tank to serve in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. The office is key to the Biden administration’s efforts to boost carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal as part of a plan to achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050… “Danny’s expertise in a broad range of carbon management technologies and their deployment pathways positions him to help DOE effectively implement its agenda,” Sasha Mackler, the executive director of BPC’s energy program, told E&E. Broberg, he added, “has spearheaded many policy initiatives and led stakeholder engagement while at BPC and understands the engineering and commercial challenges the DOE programs are designed to overcome.”

STATE UPDATES

Atmos: In Louisiana, Bodies Are More Regulated Than Industry
YESSENIA FUNES, 3/4/24

“The state is cracking down on abortion rights post-Dobbs. Meanwhile, the new carbon capture industry is receiving the opposite treatment,” Atmos reports. “At the end of 2021, Louisiana environmental organizers began to coalesce against the carbon capture industry that was descending onto their communities. Out of their unity was born the Louisiana Against False Solutions Coalition, which is made up of about 20 organizations fighting the rise of carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) projects across the state… “After the Dobbs decision, Louisiana’s abortion ban immediately became law. “That day was very heavy,” Eloise Reid, the coalition manager, told Atmos. While some may struggle to relate reproductive justice to climate justice, Reid is clear on the connection: “We in Louisiana are seeing our rights to healthcare and privacy heavily regulated while the polluting industries are free to continue poisoning communities with little to no regulation.” The state has been home to industrial polluters for decades—so much so that one region, in particular, has earned the moniker Cancer Alley, an 85-mile-long segment along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge… “Companies have proposed at least 27 CCUS projects in Louisiana. Proponents hail the technology as a necessary tool in the clean energy transition, but opponents are worried carbon capture will simply give dirty fossil fuel and agriculture industries a social license to emit. All the while, the controversial technology does nothing to reduce air pollution, which will continue to threaten the health and well-being of families in communities nearby… “Given the urgency of the climate crisis, leaders shouldn’t waste time on infrastructure that will lock in more emissions, Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University who has published research on the pollution these plants can cause, told Atmos… “You can take that same money and energy and invest them in renewable energy to replace a fossil source,” he told Atmos. Transitioning to clean energy sources rather than trying to clean up dirty ones would improve public health, too. “You’re going to get much more benefit—not only would you reduce more carbon dioxide, but you’d eliminate all the air pollution, which you’re not doing with carbon capture.” 

Cowboy State Daily: Wyoming House OKs Bill Allowing Power Companies To Charge For Carbon Capture
Pat Maio, 3/4/24

“The Wyoming House passed legislation Monday that pushes the deadline to install coal plant carbon-capture retrofits to 2033, three years beyond the current date,” the Cowboy State Daily reports. “There are significant changes to the carbon capture legislation that was made law in Wyoming originally more than four years ago. But amended changes Monday will now allow rate recovery from electricity customers as well as permit a utility to recoup federal tax credits provided it installs lower carbon-emission technology on its coal plants… “Specifically, the legislation permits a public utility to establish a rate recovery mechanism that collects a surcharge from customers not to exceed 2% of each customer’s total electric bill. The legislation makes it possible for utilities to recover the costs they spend on carbon capture technology through the Wyoming Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities… “The proposal also exempts electric utilities with fewer than 10,000 customers, which is designed to help those smaller businesses that can’t immediately pay for carbon capture systems that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars… “The proposal also changes to 75% the minimum standard of capturing greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere from the current 90% level… “Beginning later this year, each public utility must file with the PSC an annual report outlining the steps the utility has taken in the past year to install its carbon capture technology.”

EXTRACTION

Energy Monitor: US LNG export capacity expected to be 76% higher than EU demand
Polly Bindman, 3/4/24

“European gas demand has fallen to a ten-year low and is down 20% since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a new data release from IEEFA,” Energy Monitor reports. “The decline in gas consumption is the product of “effective energy efficiency and demand management measures” implemented since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, says the think tank, which adds that record hot temperatures last year, as well as high gas prices, have contributed to the steep fall in demand… “The think tank forecasts that European LNG demand will slightly increase by 2025 and then decline steadily through 2030. One side effect of this fall in demand is that LNG exporters could face oversupply and overinvestment in LNG export terminals. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU sought ways to replace Russian pipeline gas, and landed on increasing LNG imports from the US to meet demand. In 2023, US LNG imports accounted for 46% of total EU imports, compared with just 28% in 2021, according to separate analysis from IEEFA published earlier this year.”

The Hill: Plastic food packaging contains thousands of hormone-mimicking chemicals: Study
SAUL ELBEIN, 3/5/24

“Plastic food packaging contains chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system — and that can leach into food, a new study has found,” The Hill reports. “Once there, these chemicals can mimic — or disrupt — the effects of the hormones estrogen and testosterone on the body, according to the study published on Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology. Other chemicals discovered in the plastic packaging bind to chemical receptors that control how cells use energy, possibly leading to metabolic disorders. The scientists analyzed 36 types of plastic food and drink packaging across 5 countries with high rates of single-use plastic: the U.S. U.K., Germany, South Korea and Norway. These ranged from Ziploc-style bags and yogurt containers to hydration bladders and chewing gum containers… “Researchers found the most potent effects from extracts of polyurethane (PUR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). LDPE is a common polymer used in Ziploc-style bags, among other things, and PVC is the main component in cling wrap. Polyurethane is a common element in food packaging — wrapped around cheeses for example — and some water bladders for hiking packs. They found less response in cell nuclei exposed to chemicals like high-density polypropylene (HDPE), polyethylene (PET) and polypropylene (PP). These are chemicals found in milk bottles, to-go cups and yogurt containers. But that does not mean that those plastic compounds are safe, the researchers cautioned. “We cannot conclude that a particular polymer type is free of toxic chemicals,” they wrote — because “samples of each polymer activated most receptors” in the cells they exposed to the chemicals. The researchers raised a particular note of caution over the number of distinct chemicals found in each plastic. Most contained hundreds to a few thousand, but on the high end, one American-made cling wrap contained nearly 9,000.”

Guardian: Fury after Exxon chief says public to blame for climate failures
Dharna Noor and Oliver Milman, 3/4/24

“The world is off track to meet its climate goals and the public is to blame, Darren Woods, chief executive of oil giant ExxonMobil, has claimed – prompting a backlash from climate experts,” the Guardian reports. “As the world’s largest investor-owned oil company, Exxon is among the top contributors to global planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions. But in an interview, published on Tuesday, Woods argued that big oil is not primarily responsible for the climate crisis. The real issue, Woods said, is that the clean-energy transition may prove too expensive for consumers’ liking. “The dirty secret nobody talks about is how much all this is going to cost and who’s willing to pay for it,” he told Fortune last week. “The people who are generating those emissions need to be aware of and pay the price for generating those emissions. That is ultimately how you solve the problem… We have opportunities to make fuels with lower carbon in it, but people aren’t willing to spend the money to do that.” Experts say Woods’s rhetoric is part of a larger attempt to skirt climate accountability. No new major oil and gas infrastructure can be built if the world is to avoid breaching agreed temperature limits but Exxon, along with other major oil companies currently basking in record profits, is pushing ahead with aggressive fossil-fuel expansion plans. “It’s like a drug lord blaming everyone but himself for drug problems,” Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia business school, told the Guardian. “I hate to tell you, but you’re the chief executive of the largest publicly traded oil company, you have influence, you make decisions that matter. Exxon are at the mercy of markets but they are also shaping them, they are shaping policy. So no, you can’t blame the public for the failure to fix climate change.” “…What they’re really trying to do is to whitewash their own history, to make it invisible,” Robert Brulle, an environment policy expert at Brown University who has researched climate disinformation spread by the fossil-fuel industry, told the Guardian… “The playbook is this: sell consumers a product that you know is dangerous, while publicly denying or downplaying those dangers. Then, when the dangers are no longer deniable, deny responsibility and blame the consumer,” Naomi Oreskes, a Harvard historian of science and co-author of the 2021 paper, told the Guardian.

Grist: There’s a reason Exxon’s CEO says its emissions are your fault
Kate Yoder, 3/4/24

“When you fill up your tank and drive away from a gas station, is the resulting carbon pollution your fault? Or the fault of the oil giant that supplied the fuel? Darren Woods, the CEO of Exxon Mobil, the largest publicly traded oil company in the world, has a clear answer. In a rare interview with the media last week, Woods explained that the “dirty secret” behind why the world wasn’t on track to zero out carbon emissions was that it was simply too expensive. In doing so, he subtly pinned the blame for the emissions created by burning oil and gas on his company’s customers,” Grist reports… “Activist investor groups have been calling on oil companies to reduce Scope 3 emissions, but Exxon would rather focus on the direct emissions that come from oil rigs and power plants (Scope 1) and the fuel or electricity purchased for things like operating machinery or powering its offices (Scope 2). Exxon sued two of those investor groups in January over the resolutions they’ve submitted demanding faster emissions cuts, arguing that the repeated submissions amount to abuse of the shareholder proposal system. It’s an aggressive move that some experts see as a sign that Exxon is committed to shutting down conversations about responsibility for the full scope of its emissions. This issue is a hot topic in oil company boardrooms, according to Laura Peterson, a corporate analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “It’s clear that they find it a threat,” Peterson told Grist. “I think that they know, because their emissions are very high, that they’re not going to be able to just evade them through carbon capture as their climate transition plans claim, and that it’s going to open them up to litigation. And so they are just trying to squelch it.” “…They’re responsible for a lot of climate damage, and they’re responsible for misleading the public in the past, which led to more damage,” Peterson tolg Grist. “And now they’re basically saying that they should not be responsible for disclosing these emissions, because they’re just not relevant to their business.” Unsurprisingly, Exxon’s CEO wants to move past the whole history aspect. “That was 30 years ago,” Woods told Fortune last week. “I mean, today, the world has moved on. The understanding of this challenge has moved on. I think where we are today is, how can we contribute to a solution set, not debate the past?”

The Hill: Nonprofit creates ‘Bechdel test for climate change’
ZACK BUDRYK, 3/4/24

“A climate script consultancy has introduced a variation on the “Bechdel test,” a measure of women’s interactions in film, for climate change,” The Hill reports. “The two-part test, created by the group Good Energy in partnership with Colby College’s Matthew Schneider-Mayerson, applies the question of whether a movie acknowledges the existence of climate change and whether at least one character knows it. “The Climate Reality Check is a tool that will allow writers and industry professionals to interrogate their own stories, audiences to see whether Hollywood is representing their reality on-screen, and researchers to measure whether climate change is included in any group of stories or if representation is increasing over time,” the group said in a statement. Good Energy applied the test to 13 films nominated for Academy Awards this year and found only three passed: “Barbie,” “Nyad” and “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.”

OPINION

Roanoke Times: CASEY: ‘Larry the Logperch,’ the Mountain Valley Pipeline & the 11th Commandment
Dan Casey, 3/5/24

“…Larry the Roanoke Logperch,” by Melissa Rooney and illustrated by Jane Gabrielle, was commissioned by the Roanoke Kiwanis Club, as part of an effort to educate local children about the importance of an endangered species in their hometown. Critics of the Mountain Valley Pipeline highlighted the book for neglecting to mention the project, which causes silt that can endanger Logperch populations,” Dan Casey writes for the Roanoke Times. “But some readers accused yours truly of missing the bigger picture. So here’s the 11th Commandment, according to them: “Thou shalt not mention the Roanoke logperch, a federally endangered species since 1989, unless also mentioning the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project first proposed in 2014.” Three readers, two from Virginia and one from West Virginia, emailed such sentiments after the column regarding a kids’ book about a fictitious fish… “The Mountain Valley Pipeline risks destroying the fish’s habitat, pipeline opponents say… “We’ll begin Lynda Majors, who lives in Montgomery County about a quarter-mile from the pipeline’s path. Her neighbor’s house, Majors told me, is barely 175 feet from the big trench. When she read the “Larry the Logperch” column, “I was shocked to learn that not once was the real threat to the Roanoke Logperch mentioned, the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” she wrote… “Another was Maury Johnson, who lives in Greenville, in Monroe County, in far southeast West Virginia. He’s an anti-pipeline activist, too… “I have been fighting for the endangered [Roanoke logperch] and the endangered Candy Darter (CD) found in streams in VA and WV for almost 10 years,” Johnson wrote… “It is shameful that the media, many elected officials and agencies like the [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] and the [U.S. Forest Service] are ignoring and are even compliant to what is happening in the Jefferson National Forest and other pristine areas of VA and WV along the pathway of destruction of the MVP.  “…Finally, I heard from Roberta Bondurant, president of Preserve Bent Mountain. She referred me to a recording from Virginia Water Quality Board meeting last week, during which pipeline opponents testified… “The builders appear to be ramming it through the soils of Southwest Virginia. You might also want to listen to that on YouTube.”

Globe and Mail: Danielle Smith’s attack on clean power is an attack on free enterprise
Editorial Board, 3/5/24

“Alberta is endowed with abundant resources. The province’s economy of course is built on fossil fuels. But throughout Alberta’s southern expanses – as anyone who lives there or has visited can attest – there’s a lot of sunshine and a lot of wind. These natural resources are part of the reason Alberta last year attracted almost all of the private capital invested in solar and wind power in Canada,” the Globe and Mail Editorial Board writes. “…It seemed like a perfect story: the province that was Canada’s leader in the 20th century energy of fossil fuels would be the country’s leader in the 21st century fuels of solar and wind. That ended last summer, when Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party halted solar and wind project approvals. The government said the industry was growing too fast. Alberta has never shut down new oil projects in the face of breakneck development, not even in the mid-2000s when growth in the oil sands was unruly and former premier Peter Lougheed called for a pause. Last week, the province lifted the clean power halt but issued new rules (with more to come) that apply only to one industry. It is an attack on private business and it’s an attack on landowners’ rights. It is un-Albertan – the exact opposite of the principles the province holds dear. The main restrictions limit where projects can be built but the UCP hasn’t released key details. There is talk of “pristine viewscapes,” affecting as much as three-quarters of southern Alberta, yet the only certainty at present is fossil fuels will not face the same restrictions. The bottom line is the Alberta government will prevent private landowners from doing deals of their own volition with developers of renewable power. It’s hard to imagine Ms. Smith preventing an oil or natural gas well on private land in the Foothills because it would mar the view of the Rocky Mountains… “Clean power is taking off across the country and around the world. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec are all readying major investments. More than half the electricity in the industrial powerhouse of Germany is generated by renewables. In Alberta, it’s less than 20 per cent. It could be much more – if Ms. Smith and the UCP weren’t purposefully trying to prevent a burgeoning industry from succeeding.”

Clean Technica: Carbon Engineering Was Always A Figleaf For Fossil Fuel Industry, Now It’s Owned Outright By Them
Michael Barnard, 3/4/24

“How many ways are there to say that mechanical direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide is a deeply stupid idea? Whatever the number is, I’ve probably used the majority of turns of phrase. So have many others. That, of course, doesn’t stop the fossil fuel industry, people that they influence, people who just don’t know any better and hopeful people with no STEM capabilities from loving the field,” Michael Barnard writes for Michael Barnard. “And Occidental Petroleum just showed its love in a big way, committing $1.1 billion to buy Carbon Engineering, the Canadian-ish DAC firm that set up shop in Squamish, BC a few years ago… “In the original series, I looked at all of the possible use cases for the technology and asserted that Carbon Engineering’s Only Market Is Pumping More Oil… “Yeah, let’s take a bunch of sequestered carbon in natural gas, pump it up from underground, burn it to create 500 thousand tons of CO2, and use the power to capture a million tons of CO2 from the air. Then we’ll pump all the CO2 underground to sequester it. Sounds like a win, doesn’t it? Negative CO2? Except, you have to ask the next question. Where is there a lot of cheap natural gas and a place to put CO2? Well, in tapped-out oil fields… “Tapped-out oil wells aren’t empty of oil, they are empty of easily extractable oil. There’s a bunch of tarry sludge left underground, and CO2 has this handy property of liquifying tarry sludge. Pump it underground into tapped-out oil wells, liquify the sludge, increase the pressure, and pump the oil out the other end. That’s one of the techniques of enhanced oil recovery (EOR). And it typically recovers so much oil that the CO2 reduction claims are completely bogus, especially with burning natural gas to power the kit… “Claiming that we can vacuum CO2 out of the atmosphere to deal with the historical and annual problem is specious nonsense, and then using CO2 to pump more oil to add to the problem is adding insult to injury… “When I was at a conference a few years ago where one of Carbon Engineering’s engineers was on a panel, they let slip under mild questioning that the company was going to be receiving $250 per ton of CO2 from a couple of governmental tax credits for its enhanced oil recovery. Seems like that economic and climate insanity is continuing.”