EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/11/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Reuters: Biden administration says Enbridge pipeline shutdown order should be reconsidered

• E&E News: Biden admin skirts calls for Midwest pipeline shutdown

• New York Times: An Oil Company Is Trespassing on Tribal Land in Wisconsin, Justice Dept. Says

• Earthjustice: Line 5 Pipeline: Tribal Groups Respond to DOJ’s Amicus Brief

• Iowa Standard: Iowa Senate subcommittee moves eminent domain bill but cautions an amendment will likely be necessary

• WCF Courier: Summit Carbon Solutions addresses Bremer County supervisors on proposed pipeline

• Dakota Scout: Exclusive Investigation: Legislators Summoned To Private Meeting On Carbon Capture

• Dakota Scout: North Dakota Republican Party Passes Resolution Opposing Carbon Capture

• Bloomberg: Occidental to restart Gulf of Mexico oil production following 2023 pipeline leak

• La Conner Weekly News: Olympic Pipeline spill response is considered complete

• Caswell Messenger: Dominion Energy to install new pipeline in Caswell County in two years

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: How the power plant rule might change as its deadline nears

• E&E News: Markey, Whitehouse launch campaign against gas group

STATE UPDATES

• Portland Tribune: Neighbors call on state commission to intervene in Zenith Energy plans

• Peninsula Daily News: Company eyes Port Angeles for carbon capture pilot project

• Los Angeles Times: Explosive Levels Of Methane Have Been Detected Near A Berkeley Landfill-Turned-Park

EXTRACTION

• Capital and Main: The Transatlantic Battle to Stop Methane Gas Exports From South Texas

• Chemical & Engineering News: Big oil and gas firms deepen investment in carbon capture

CLIMATE FINANCE

• E&E News: SEC axed Scope 3 emissions in its climate rule. Republicans aren’t satisfied.

OPINION

• WyoFile: When environmentalists and climate-change deniers join forces

• The Hill: The mainstream media’s climate coverage is blinkered and condescending
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Reuters: Biden administration says Enbridge pipeline shutdown order should be reconsidered
Clark Mindock and Rod Nickel, 4/10/24

“The Biden administration has urged a U.S. appeals court to tell a lower court to rethink its order that would require Canadian operator Enbridge to drain portions of an oil pipeline that runs through Native American tribal land in Wisconsin, according to a court filing made public on Wednesday,” Reuters reports. “In an amicus, or friend-of-court, brief dated April 8, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that forcing Enbridge to drain portions of its Line 5 pipeline could interrupt service in violation of a 1977 treaty between the U.S. and Canada to keep oil flowing. The U.S., which is not a party to the case, said the lower court was right to find Enbridge is trespassing on the tribal land, but said the court should reconsider its decision ordering Enbridge to stop operating portions of the pipeline by 2026. Canada, which is also not a party to the case, had previously argued in an amicus brief that the pipeline should be kept open due to the treaty… “In its amicus brief, DOJ also said $5.2 million in restitution is too low, given Enbridge’s profits from the pipeline.”

E&E News: Biden admin skirts calls for Midwest pipeline shutdown
Niina H. Farah, 4/11/24

“The federal government this week sidestepped calls to back the shutdown of a controversial Wisconsin oil pipeline, in a case that’s testing the Biden administration’s vow to protect tribes and other vulnerable communities from pollution,” E&E News reports. “…But DOJ stopped short of endorsing the part of the court order that said that the project should be shut down within three years… “But the United States is also considering its obligations under a 1977 transit pipeline treaty with Canada that requires the operation of Line 5, which runs from Sarnia, Ontario, to Superior, Wisconsin… “The United States has a manifest interest in complying with its treaty obligations with all sovereigns — including both foreign nations and Indian Tribes — and in avoiding potential monetary liability if it is found to have breached its obligations,” DOJ attorneys told the 7th Circuit. The lower court’s shutdown order failed to adequately consider that the United States could be subject to arbitration with Canada if Line 5 were closed, the Biden administration’s brief said… “James Coleman, a law professor at Southern Methodist University, told E&E the administration appears to have drawn a distinction between finding a project unlawful and requiring it to be halted… “Mustafa Santiago Ali, a former EPA official and executive vice president of the National Wildlife Federation, told E&E the organization is “deeply concerned” about the potential ramifications of DOJ’s brief. “The federal government’s position may be accurate on the issue of trespass, but it is not in line with the Administration’s commitments to Tribal sovereignty and environmental justice, and we are disappointed that this decision promotes the corporate well-being of a fossil fuel company over the people and wildlife of the Great Lakes,” he said in an emailed statement.

New York Times: An Oil Company Is Trespassing on Tribal Land in Wisconsin, Justice Dept. Says
Rebecca Halleck and Dionne Searcey, 4/10/24

“The Department of Justice has weighed in on a court battle over an oil and gas pipeline in Wisconsin, saying that a Canadian oil company has been willfully trespassing on tribal lands in the state for more than a decade,” the New York Times reports. “On Wednesday, lawyers for the Justice Department filed a brief saying that the company, Enbridge, “lacks any legal right to remain” on the land, part of a reservation of the Bad River Band, an Ojibwe group. But the brief largely sidestepped the question of whether a 1970s treaty between the United States and Canada gives Enbridge the right to operate the pipeline indefinitely, as the company asserts… “The cases are being watched closely by tribes that see them as important for their sovereignty as well as by states that want greater control over pipelines within their boundaries. Environmentalists in both states have raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of Line 5 and the company’s proposals to shore it up… “In December, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Wisconsin asked Justice Department attorneys to submit an amicus brief specifically addressing the pipeline treaty. But despite being asked to directly address the treaty, and after requesting multiple extensions, department lawyers essentially avoided the issue in their brief, saying that a lower court judge had “failed to adequately assess all of the public interests” related to the treaty issue. The brief asserted that trade implications, diplomatic relations and tribal sovereignty were all factors the courts should reconsider… “Members of the Bad River Band said they were heartened at the DOJ’s clear reaffirmation of the trespass finding, but disappointed that they stopped short of calling for an immediate shut down of Line 5. “Enbridge should be required to promptly leave our Reservation, just like other companies that have trespassed on tribal land,” Robert Blanchard, chairman and chief executive officer for the Bad River Band, said in a statement to The Times… “The Wisconsin appellate court has given the tribe and Enbridge an opportunity to respond to the Justice Department’s brief by April 24.”

Earthjustice: Line 5 Pipeline: Tribal Groups Respond to DOJ’s Amicus Brief
4/10/24

“The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has weighed in for the first time on a legal challenge brought by a Wisconsin-based Tribal Nation against Enbridge, a Canadian corporation whose dangerous and outdated Line 5 oil pipeline has been trespassing on the reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for more than a decade. The amicus brief acknowledges that Enbridge lacks the legal right to keep its pipeline on the Tribal Nation’s reservation, while not proposing any remedy to stop the harm to the Band,” according to Earthjustice. “The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has criticized Canada for trampling Indigenous rights to protect Line 5 and other fossil fuel interests, and a UN international human rights expert has recommended that the U.S. and Canada shut it down. The Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) and partners responded to the news: “The filing leaves more questions than answers. It also leaves Bad River, other Tribal Nations throughout the region, and the 40 million people that rely on the Great Lakes at risk of a catastrophic spill. We fear it will take Line 5 failing again, and the disaster of an oil spill for our position to be taken seriously. This isn’t just about tribes, it is about clean water, it is about life. It is about every U.S. citizen and preserving our natural resources for generations to come,” said BMIC President Whitney Gravelle. “While the United States’ brief acknowledged both that Enbridge has been trespassing for more than 10 years and the importance of tribal sovereignty, we are perplexed by the false equivalency that the United States suggests between its tribal treaty and trust obligations to Indian Country and its diplomatic relationship with Canada,” said Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Staff Attorney Wesley James Furlong. “The U.S. brief misses the mark on the Transit Pipeline Treaty by failing to provide the legal analysis requested by the Seventh Circuit,” said Managing Attorney Debbie Chizewer for Earthjustice, which co-counsels with NARF in the representation of BMIC. “The Transit Pipeline Treaty allows states and Tribal Nations to protect the environment, and they must act because Line 5 poses an urgent threat to the Band, other regional Tribal Nations, and all who rely on the Great Lakes.”

Iowa Standard: Iowa Senate subcommittee moves eminent domain bill but cautions an amendment will likely be necessary
4/10/24

“All three members of an Iowa Senate subcommittee supported legislation strengthening private property rights in the state. House File 2664 would allow an applicant before the Iowa Utilities Board or a person whose real property is subject to an eminent domain claim to petition to seek declaratory review from the Polk County District Court prior to the IUB’s decision,” the Iowa Standard reports. “…The bill already passed the House and now needs to clear just the Senate Ways and Means Committee and full Senate before it heads to the desk of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds… “Jake Highfill with the American Petroleum Institute said numerous crude oil pipelines and natural gas pipelines passed well over 90 percent easement over the last 20 years in Iowa. He said there is more than 48,000 miles of pipeline in Iowa and said he is “firmly convinced” people forget where their energy comes from… “Andy Conlin with POET said the bill is adjusting the process more than anything… “Lindsay Maher, an Iowa resident, said her family has a parcel affected by the proposed pipeline. “This issue hits home,” she said. “I believe strongly that we need to make a change because while the system may have worked for a couple of companies to go belly up, how many landowners signed easements because they could not afford a lawsuit? They could not afford a legal battle? They could not afford their constitutional rights to property because they knew the long haul that it was going to take?”… “Kim Junker, a farmer in Butler and Grundy Counties, said she believes Summit “tricked” people early into signing easements. She and other landowners have visited the Capitol every week for the last three years trying to get legislation passed to stop the abuse. “This is a property rights issue,” she said. “Property rights is a Republican Party platform (issue). “Republicans have had a trifecta in this Capitol for the last seven or eight years. People have lost patience. Seventy-eight percent of Iowans think eminent domain for CO2 pipelines is wrong… “Lobbyists for Summit Carbon Solutions spoke against the bill. Jake Ketzner, who previously served as Chief of Staff for Gov. Reynolds and was a longtime aide to Gov. Terry Branstad, said Summit is just shy of obtaining voluntary easements for 75 percent of the route statewide… “Jess Mazour of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club said the declaratory order section of the bill will provide relief for people. But the second section is critical. “That is the part we cannot lose out of this bill,” she told the Standard. “If the pipeline is approved and we appeal the decision, we don’t want them to build the pipeline while we’re waiting for a judge’s decision. In Iowa right now, you have to put up a bond that could be hundreds of millions of dollars. We can’t afford it. They can afford it. This removes the bond requirements so that we can have a fair appeal and wait for a judge’s decision without them building the pipeline in the process.” The bill doesn’t kill ethanol or stop the pipeline, but she said it levels the playing field.”

WCF Courier: Summit Carbon Solutions addresses Bremer County supervisors on proposed pipeline
Andy Milone, 4/11/24

“The Bremer County Board of Supervisors took a crack Tuesday at getting answers from the new company looking to build a carbon dioxide pipeline across 29 miles of constituent’s soil,” the WCF Courier reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions, which plans more than 1,000 miles of pipeline to Iowa ethanol plants, asked to open “that line of communication.” The supervisors allowed the company to explain its vision for the project pending approval of a hazardous liquid permit application with the Iowa Utilities Board. Its representatives also used the time to contest what they believe to be myths about its proposal. “We’re not claiming that it’s not dangerous at all, but it’s certainly safer in a pipeline than it would be on a railcar or in the back of a truck – and certainly safer than some of the things already running through the ground today,” said Kaylee Langrell, a Summit consultant from TurnKey Logistics, during a presentation. The infamous Satartia, Mississippi, pipeline rupture in 2020, when more than 40 people were treated at a hospital, is not a fair comparison, she argued… “She deflected another comparison to the Dakota Access Pipeline from less than a decade ago. “A lot of things have changed since then,” said Langrell on the issue of land restoration. “The county inspectors do have a lot more authority and full stop work authority.” “…Hildebrandt took offense at Terry saying he “believed” the company reviewed the county’s comprehensive land use plan, to which the project manager later admitted, “I don’t know.” Supervisor Corey Cerwinske asked if the company was able to comply in other counties after Terry pointed out other counties have similar ordinances. “There are other cases where ordinances were put in place,” Terry said, before noting a judge ruled in favor of the company and against an ordinance adopted by Shelby County. The county’s now appealing that. “We will absolutely have to adhere to it,” if the county is successful, he said.”

Dakota Scout: Exclusive Investigation: Legislators Summoned To Private Meeting On Carbon Capture
DUSTIN GAWRYLOW, 4/9/24

“Yesterday, I received an anonymous text from who I believe to be a legislators, showing an invitation sent to “Legislators Only” with a two-meeting schedule for a “fireside chat” with Harold Hamm, and Bruce Rastetter at the NDSU Memorial Hall in Fargo and at U-Mary in Bismarck,” the Dakota Scout reports. “After doing some digging, and contacting other legislators, I got ahold of the original invite email. It appears to originate from State Senator Kristin Roers. I’ve blackout her email address because it appears to be her personal/campaign Gmail account, not her official state legislative account. Because this event is being put on by the “Friends of Ag and Energy”, led by Scott Hennen, one immediately has to wonder if this is being funded by the $300,000 grant awarded to AE2S by the North Dakota Industrial Commission… “Since getting information on this meeting, one former legislator told me there is a loophole for such events to be considered private, even if they take place on public property, if it was paid for by a “private” entity it becomes a private event. However, because the money given in the $300,000 grant to AE2S could easily be distributed, either directly or indirectly, and because the Hennen operation was declared to be part of the AE2S proposal it would be very easy to presume that there is a connection. Is a $300,000 state grant always “public money” or does it become “private” as soon as it is issued? Rarely, does anyone in the public know about a meeting that is deemed “legislators only” without public notice before it happens. It is not clear whether such a meeting’s illegality can even be questioned before it occurs. I did send the Attorney General a request to look at the issue. 

Dakota Scout: North Dakota Republican Party Passes Resolution Opposing Carbon Capture
DUSTIN GAWRYLOW, 4/9/24

“In other news, this weekend at the North Dakota Republican Party’s state convention, Resolution #7 was passed with a 2/3rds vote,” the Dakota Scout reports. “This resolution (which I helped write early in the process) was one of the 14 out of 15 resolutions passed by the convention delegates. These are all of course non-binding resolutions among Republican Party members, but it establishes a clear-cut line between the party’s membership, and the actions of their elected officials, as previously documented.”

Bloomberg: Occidental to restart Gulf of Mexico oil production following 2023 pipeline leak
Kevin Crowley, 4/10/24

“Occidental Petroleum Corp. will restart some Gulf of Mexico oil production after being asked to curtail output due to a third-party pipeline leak last year,” Bloomberg reports. “Occidental will begin producing again from assets in the eastern part of the Gulf “in the coming days” after a leak at the Main Pass Oil Gathering system was discovered in November, it said in a filing Wednesday… “Occidental expects first-quarter production from the Gulf of Mexico to be 90,000 boed, about 20% below the mid-point of its guidance.”

La Conner Weekly News: Olympic Pipeline spill response is considered complete
4/10/24

“Spill responders have completed the emergency response to the Dec. 10, 2023, gasoline spill from the Olympic Pipeline in Conway,” the La Conner Weekly News reports. “The Unified Command leading the operation has ensured that no additional gasoline is seeping into nearby Hill Ditch, and is confident in turning the site over to the Washington Department of Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program. That agency will oversee any remaining remediation work… “Approximately 21,168 gallons of gasoline was determined to have spilled, with 8,324 gallons of gasoline recovered. 332,776 gallons of oily water was recovered and disposed of. Nearly 1.1 million gallons of water was treated for contamination and returned to Hill Ditch. 11,973 cubic yards of soil was removed from the affected area. The cofferdam has been removed following the removal of contaminated soil along the bank of Hill Ditch. Sampling downstream of the spill site has shown no concentrations of gasoline-related contaminants harmful to humans, pets, or the environment since January 19, 2024. Nearby residential wells have shown no indication of contamination. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission are investigating the cause, and the actions taken to stop the discharge.”

Caswell Messenger: Dominion Energy to install new pipeline in Caswell County in two years
Debra Ferrell, 4/10/24

“Although the project isn’t scheduled to begin construction until 2026, Dominion Energy has announced plans to install new pipeline infrastructure running alongside an existing line going through Caswell County,” the Caswell Messenger reports. “Persida Montanez, Media Relations Specialist with Dominion Energy, explains, “The existing line has operated for a number of decades, and we have new Federal Regulations that need to be complied with as well as increasing growth in our service area that includes Caswell among the 11 county-area.” She further explains that Dominion Energy is working with landowners that are already familiar with the improvements… “North Carolina Utilities Commission is in charge of the project and will adjust rates later on if prudent.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: How the power plant rule might change as its deadline nears
Jean Chemnick, 4/11/24

“EPA’s marquee climate rule for power plants is entering the home stretch,” E&E News reports. “Two people who have spoken to administration officials about the rule told E&E potential changes are on the table to make the rule’s toughest emissions standards apply to more gas-fired facilities. They also told E&E the administration is mulling changes to the deadlines in last May’s draft. The most likely change involves giving utilities more time to retrofit plants with carbon capture equipment. A final rule is expected this month. Environmentalists filed comments with EPA last year asking for changes that would make more gas plants subject to the rule’s strictest standards for reducing greenhouse gases. They also asked for earlier retirement deadlines for plants that would not be retrofitted. And utilities pleaded for more time to build out carbon capture and storage systems… “Since EPA submitted the final draft to the White House budget office for review March 1, administration officials have met with a steady stream of environmentalists, congressional aides and industry advocates. Those meetings are one-way conversations in which stakeholders ask for policy priorities and officials listen, participants told E&E. One joked that it was like to talking to the stone heads on Easter Island — they listen impassively without offering any feedback… “But people from industry and environmental groups who have spoken to administration officials told E&E discussion is focused on two possible changes that could show up in the final rule.”

E&E News: Markey, Whitehouse launch campaign against gas group
Nico Portuondo, 4/10/24

“Two Senate climate hawks are putting the country’s biggest natural gas trade group in the crosshairs of another campaign to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its lobbying against strong action against global warming,” E&E News reports. “Senate Budget Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Tuesday joined leaders from the Gas Leaks Project on Capitol Hill to urge the American Gas Association against using ratepayer money for what the lawmakers call disinformation campaigns. “The American Gas Association has known about the health harms of gas for decades but worked for years to mislead the public,” Markey told E&E. “To make matters worse, the American Gas Association gets funding for its misinformation campaigns from your gas bills.” The lawmakers and environmental group allies said gas utilities are taking advantage of consumers by using money from their customers’ bills to pay AGA membership fees… “The AGA, which represents more than 200 natural gas companies, has opposed energy efficiency codes and Department of Energy appliance regulations. The group has said such measures would limit consumer access to natural gas products. The trade organization announced filing a legal brief late Tuesday against DOE rules affecting natural gas furnaces and water heaters. “We have attempted to work with the Department of Energy to address both the flawed modeling and the rules’ profound harm to consumers, homeowners and businesses,” CEO Karen Harbert told E&E. “Now we are asking the court to vacate the rules.”

STATE UPDATES

Portland Tribune: Neighbors call on state commission to intervene in Zenith Energy plans
Anna Del Savio, 4/8/24

“The Linnton Neighborhood Association and environmental advocacy groups filed a petition with the state on April 8 asking the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to deny an air emissions permit for Zenith Energy,” the Portland Tribune reports. “The petition comes as the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality prepares for a public comment period on Zenith’s permit application… “In March, the Portland city auditor found that Zenith had violated city code in 2022 by lobbying city officials to approve a land use filing without disclosing the lobbying efforts. The petition filed Monday, April 8, asks the commission to deny Zenith’s air permit application on the grounds that the city-approved Land Use Compatibility Statement, which is a prerequisite for DEQ approval, is insufficient “due to the extent of coordination between the City and Zenith in undermining the legal sufficiency of the LUCS review and determination.” If the commission won’t deny Zenith’s air permit, the petitioners wrote, they should at least send the Land Use Compatibility Statement back to the city for a new evaluation. “The City of Portland acted illegally when it negotiated with Zenith behind closed doors and rushed through a decision without giving Portlanders notice or an opportunity to be involved,” Linnton Neighborhood Association President Edward Jones said in a press release announcing the petition. “It’s outrageous that city officials would put us directly in harm’s way and tell us that they don’t even owe us the basic protections of the law.”

Peninsula Daily News: Company eyes Port Angeles for carbon capture pilot project
Peter Segall, 4/9/24

“Port Angeles could be the site of a pilot project for an experimental technology that hopes to combat climate change by potentially enhancing the ocean’s natural ability to capture carbon,” Peninsula Daily News reports. “Ebb Carbon, Inc. of San Carlos, Calif., has submitted permit applications to the state Department of Ecology and several other agencies to set up what it’s calling Project Macoma, a marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) project at the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 7. Marine carbon dioxide removal is a relatively new technology some hope could help lower the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere that’s driving global warming. “Ebb Carbon’s technology removes acid from seawater, generating alkaline-enhanced seawater,” the company said in application documents to the Department of Ecology. “The alkaline-enhanced seawater is returned to the ocean, which enables the ocean to draw down and store additional CO2 from the atmosphere.” “…The hope is that, by removing the acid from seawater and returning it to the sea, the process will speed up the ocean’s natural process of drawing CO2 from the air, storing carbon as bicarbonate, a naturally occurring form of carbon storage.” “…Anne Shaffer, executive director of Port Angeles-based Coastal Watershed Institute (CWI), told PDN she and other scientists are worried about the impacts increased pH levels in the seawater will have on juvenile fish species.”

Los Angeles Times: Explosive Levels Of Methane Have Been Detected Near A Berkeley Landfill-Turned-Park
Tony Briscoe, 4/11/24

“Brimming with wildlife and offering panoramic views of San Francisco Bay, César Chávez Park welcomes visitors who might never suspect this stretch of shoreline was built atop a municipal landfill. But beneath the sprawling grasslands and charming hiking trails, decomposing waste continues to generate methane gas,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “That’s why the city of Berkeley operates an underground system that collects this flammable gas and torches it at a large mechanical flare near the center of the park. In recent years, environmental regulators have grown increasingly concerned that this equipment has fallen into disrepair and released landfill gases. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has fined Berkeley after finding explosive levels of methane leaking from at least two cracked gas collection wells in the park. Both have since been repaired. As the landfill has experienced power outages and equipment breakdowns, the air district also suspects methane is migrating underground toward another bustling area. The agency warns that ignitable levels of methane have been observed in shallow soil surrounding a nearby hotel and the Berkeley Marina.”

EXTRACTION

Capital and Main: The Transatlantic Battle to Stop Methane Gas Exports From South Texas
Aaron Cantú, 4/10/24

“In the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S.-Mexico border, residents are battling to preserve some of the last pristine wetlands on the Texas coast. They had won some victories against businesses building terminals to ship millions of tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), an atmosphere-heating fossil fuel, to Europe and Asia from Brownsville,” Capital and Main reports. “A scrappy group of activists whose families have lived in the area for centuries delayed construction as locals urged regulators to reject the terminals. Following legal action brought by the Sierra Club and other South Texas groups, a federal agency reassessed the potential environmental impacts of the projects. And the activists, through a sophisticated strategy of teaming up with European allies, persuaded key financial backers to withdraw support. But the terminal projects are moving forward, picking up momentum as the U.S. and Europe seek energy security following the disruption to gas supplies caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine… “As the prospects that U.S. regulators will stop the building of the gas export terminals dim, residents are doubling down on lobbying in Europe. The Texans and their European allies have held rallies and news conferences in countries including Germany, Spain and France. Their message: Export terminals in the U.S. exploit Latino and Black communities, exacerbate the climate crisis and worsen air pollution in Europe. Why not double down on solar and wind instead? Their hope is that Europeans will persuade their governments to speed up the buildout of renewable energy sources. Doing so, they believe, would cut off the demand for liquefied natural gas from Texas. “We’re going to try everything we can, and yell at any company, bank or investor who is involved,” Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of South Texas Environmental Justice Network, who has been leading these efforts, told Capital and Main.”

Chemical & Engineering News: Big oil and gas firms deepen investment in carbon capture
Craig Bettenhausen, 4/10/24

“Carbon capture companies find themselves in an odd position. They exist because of the threat of climate change, a problem created largely by fossil fuels. At the same time, the firms that extract and burn fossil fuels are often their main customers—and their primary investors,” Chemical & Engineering News reports. “That tension is on full display in recent acquisitions and funding rounds. Earlier this month, the carbon capture solvent start-up Ion Clean Energy raised $45 million in a series A funding round led by Chevron. Ion says its ICE-31 liquid amine solvent stays intact longer and captures more carbon dioxide from common emission streams than conventional options can… “ In 2023, the company bought a 50% stake in Bayou Bend, a CCS project near Houston, and invested in the carbon capture technology firms Carbon Clean Solutions and Svante. In late March, the oil field services company SLB bought an 80% share of the CCS technology provider Aker Carbon Capture for $400 million. And earlier in March, the French oil company TotalEnergies bought Talos Low Carbon Solutions for $148 million. The main asset in the deal is a 25% stake in Bayou Bend. The oil and gas firm Equinor owns the other 25% of the project… “Alex Zapantis, general manager for external affairs at the nonprofit Global CCS Institute, told CEN petroleum firms are pushing into carbon capture for several reasons. In the immediate term, subsidies—especially in the US—mean many proposed projects now make business sense. Oil companies are also eager to establish a presence in an expanding field as their primary products become increasingly fraught… “Not everyone is excited about CCS’s potential to give oil and gas firms a foothold in the future. Kathy Mulvey, accountability campaign director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental advocacy group, told CEN CCS is a distraction from meaningful efforts to reduce fossil fuel use. At best, the oil firms’ investments are “about preserving their fossil fuel–centric business models,” she told CEN. And for the companies expanding oil and gas exploration, “CCS is a centerpiece of greenwashing campaigns,” Mulvey told CEN. “Chevron’s $45 million investment in a carbon capture company should be compared to the roughly $19 billion that it plans to spend on new oil and gas projects next year.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

E&E News: SEC axed Scope 3 emissions in its climate rule. Republicans aren’t satisfied.
Avery Ellfeldt, Kelsey Brugger, 4/11/23

“House Republicans remain convinced the Securities and Exchange Commission’s landmark climate disclosure rule will dramatically impact small, private businesses — despite the fact that the agency gutted the rule to avoid that possibility,” E&E News reports. “That much was clear during a House Financial Services Committee hearing Wednesday about the final rule, which would require every public company to report the threats they face from climate change. The hearing came a day after House Republicans introduced legislation to nullify the regulation. At issue during the hearing was the SEC’s handling of so-called Scope 3 emissions, or the greenhouse gases associated with companies’ customers and supply chains. The agency originally proposed requiring publicly listed companies to calculate and report those emissions if they have set goals related to Scope 3, or if they consider those emissions “material,” or important to the average investor.”

OPINION

WyoFile: When environmentalists and climate-change deniers join forces
Kerry Drake, 4/9/24

“Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. The latest example in Wyoming is the shared opposition to carbon-capture initiatives by level-headed environmentalists and the Legislature’s anti-science brigade,” Kerry Drake writes for WyoFile. “To describe these groups as polar opposites would be an understatement. At times it’s hard to reconcile that they occupy the same planet, much less live in the same state. Yet, during the budget session, both opposed Senate File 42 – Low-carbon reliable energy standards-amendments, albeit for far different reasons. But alas, they couldn’t drum up enough like-minded (or additional different-minded?) partners to keep it from passing… “Both measures are part of Gordon’s costly, never-ending campaign to save the state’s coal industry, which has experienced a steady decline in demand and production peaking in 2008. This inherently anti-free enterprise effort mandates what utilities must do with their properties, at the expense of their customers who foot the bills. It’s concern over the latter that primarily united the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a Sheridan-based landowner advocacy group, and climate change deniers in the Legislature, including all five members of the Senate Agriculture Committee… “While utilities may recoup expenses for carbon capture construction, operation, analysis and engineering projects, Deuter explained the unproven technology “makes it likely all of this will result in the lack of a viable project, and Wyomingites will have paid millions into something that is never put into use. We just see this as a lost cause.” “…It’s just fascinating because [the cost of] carbon capture retrofits are still so much higher than renewable energy — even solar with storage and other options,” resource council attorney Shannon Anderson told WyoFile. She added there does not appear to be an economically justifiable path forward for carbon capture retrofits… “Instead of dreaming up ways to extend the state’s dependence on coal for jobs and tax revenue, I wish Wyoming would listen to knowledgeable educators like Naomi Oreskes, professor of the history of science at Harvard University… “Oreskes said the process could be jump-started by expanding carbon capture sites, but nearly all such projects in the U.S. are designed for enhanced oil recovery that keeps oil and gas flowing. It’s counter-productive, because every new barrel of oil and cubic foot of gas sold and burned puts more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. “So not only do these kinds of projects not help, but they perpetuate our use of fossil fuels at a critical moment in history when we need to do the opposite,” Oreskes opined. By focusing on propping up coal at all costs, it’s increasingly looking like Wyoming may not learn that lesson until it’s too late.”

The Hill: The mainstream media’s climate coverage is blinkered and condescending
Steve Krakauer, 4/10/24

“Dr. Ryan Maue is a meteorologist who previously worked as the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” Steve Krakauer writes for The Hill. “…He is critical of the climate alarmism or “doomerism” he sees in the wider press, which he says mischaracterizes the state of the problem and paints with a broad brush about solutions. “The corporate media is 100 percent invested in rabid decarbonization,” he told me. “Rapid decarbonization at any cost, and there’s no consideration of tradeoffs or how it affects geopolitics, national security, economics. It’s almost like a religious goal. If you are not in furtherance of that goal, wind and solar, not talking about nuclear or all of the above, then you’re considered a ‘denier’ or a ‘delayer,’ pushing ‘disinformation.’” “…But instead, what we have is near universal, bland sameness — all aimed in the alarmism direction… “We saw a great example of painfully smug climate coverage late last month, when the BBC’s Stephen Sackur sat down with Dr. Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, in an interview that went viral. The BBC host pressed the South American leader about the “oil and gas” drilling that was about to take place in the country, and the “billions” of carbon emissions that would be released as a result. Ali stopped him in his tracks, pointing to the fact that the forest in Guyana that has been preserved “is the size of England and Scotland combined.” “We have kept this forest alive that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon, that you enjoy, that the world enjoys, that you don’t pay us for,” he said… “Maue pointed out that this was an “extremely hypocritical” and “immoral” exchange. The Western world needs to meet the “carbon budget” that was agreed upon at the Paris Climate Accords. But the budget is spoken for already by the Western world alone. “They cannot afford for countries like Guyana or Kenya or developing nations to start developing fossil fuels. It would blow the carbon budget,” Maue told me, noting the implication was “neo-colonialist.” “He doesn’t know that what he’s saying is extremely condescending to the vast majority of the world,” Maue said. “That’s how the climate movement speaks down to the entire world.” This combination of ignorance and arrogance often presents itself in the U.S. media climate coverage about how you, the everyday American, can “do your part.” “…Americans are told over and over by the mainstream press that climate change is a crisis, and yet there has been little effort to make the case through nuanced, precise journalism. We have patronizing hysteria in place of fact-based, contextualized coverage.”