EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/23/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline largely completed, company says

• E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline eyes May startup

• Bismarck Tribune: State hearing in Mandan on Summit pipeline wraps up in a day; safety still a concern of landowners

• North Dakota Monitor: Summit highlights economic benefits of carbon pipeline in second chance at permit

• KFYR: Public hearing underway for Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline

• KXNET: Public Service Commission holds public hearing on CO2 pipeline

• Springfield State Journal- Register: As Illinois weighs carbon dioxide pipeline moratorium, feds recommend technology

• E&E News: Shell charged with covering up Pennsylvania pipeline spills

• Beaver County Times: Pennsylvania AG charges Shell for Falcon Pipeline spills during construction

• Reuters: Canada’s TC Energy says NGTL pipeline system resumes normal operations after fire

• Hart Energy: For Sale? Trans Mountain Pipeline Tentatively on the Market

• WCMH: Ohio proposes new $20 million natural gas law

• Interlochen Public Radio: A new natural gas project comes to northern Michigan, amid climate concerns

• RBN Energy: Gauging The Promise Of The Newly Announced DeLa Pipeline

• Offshore Energy: ExxonMobil’s pipeline rupture at gas platform offshore Australia prompts calls to raise the regulatory action bar

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Our Children’s Trust: Hundreds gather at White House to demand Pres. Biden let youth climate case be heard

• Politico: ‘National Security Suicide’: Alaska Senator Slams Biden Admin’s Move To Restrict Drilling And Mining 

• Daily Caller: ‘Huge Step Back’: Dem Rep Slams Biden Admin For Climate Decision Strangling Oil Industry 

• Energy Intelligence: US Gas Producers Irked By Price Hike On Federal Leasing 

• E&E News: House Hearing To Target Federal Land Policy ‘Overreach’ 

• Hydrocarbon Engineering: US natural gas trade will continue to grow with the startup of new LNG export projects

STATE UPDATES

• LSU Reveille: 14 years later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to affect Louisiana

• Guardian: Louisiana’s Flagship University Lets Oil Firms Influence Research – For A Price 

• WVXU: There’s been 1,400 oil and gas incidents in Ohio in 5 years

• Ohio Capital Journal: “Who’s gonna want to move here?” How fracking around Ohio’s Salt Fork State Park is changing area

• Cleveland.com: An Ohio fracking well leaked waste for years before the state finally stopped it

• Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Research underway to capture, sequester carbon at Foreman cement plant

EXTRACTION

• Associated Press: BP Defeated Thousands Of Suits By Sick Gulf Spill Cleanup Workers. But Not One By A Boat Captain 

• Capital and Main: Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But it Won’t be Enough

• Calgary Herald: ‘We need it now’: Shell Canada head urges Ottawa to act on carbon capture incentives

• Los Angeles Times: New scientific interventions are here to fight climate change. But they aren’t silver bullets

• Climate Museum: False Solutions: Carbon Capture, Plastics Recycling, and Green Colonialism

OPINION

• The Hill: The harms of plastics are getting personal
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline largely completed, company says
Laurence Hammack, 4/22/24

“The Mountain Valley Pipeline is largely completed, the company said Monday in requesting federal approval for it to be placed in service,” the Roanoke Times reports. “…We are watching our worst nightmare unfold in real time; the reckless MVP is barreling towards completion,” Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights coalition, told the Times. For years, POWHR and other organizations – from small community groups to environmental heavyweights such as the Sierra Club – tied the project up in litigation, slowing construction and helping to push its cost to nearly $7.6 billion, about twice the original estimate. Mountain Valley found salvation last spring, when Congress passed a law declaring it to be in the national interest… “The most recent report, which covered the week that ended April 7, indicated that work was still in progress to bore a tunnel under the Appalachian Trail for the pipeline as it crests Peters Mountain and enters Virginia in Giles County. Of the approximately 600-foot-long tunnel that will pass below the scenic hiking trail, about 550 feet had been accomplished, according to the report… “In the New River and Roanoke Valleys, as well as other sections of the pipeline, Mountain Valley has been cited repeatedly over the years by environmental regulators for violating erosion and sediment control regulations. “Now they want to run methane gas through their degraded pipes and shoddy work,” Chisholm told the Times. “The MVP is a glaring human rights violation that is indicative of the widespread failures of our government to act on the climate crisis in service of the fossil fuel industry.”

E&E News: Mountain Valley pipeline eyes May startup
Carlos Anchondo, 4/23/24

“Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline asked federal energy regulators Monday to make a decision by late May to put the project into service, a request immediately decried by environmentalists,” E&E News reports. “In a filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a lawyer for the joint venture behind Mountain Valley said project facilities “are now nearing completion and will be ready for service in May.” The developers called on the director of FERC’s Office of Energy Projects to issue the approval “no later” than May 23, saying that “no further work remains at any of the above-ground facilities.” “Timely authorization is critical to allow Mountain Valley to finalize in-service preparations and Project customers to make final preparations for supplies, scheduling, and nominations,” said Matthew Eggerding, Mountain Valley’s deputy general counsel, in the filing. The venture consists of Equitrans Midstream, NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison, AltaGas and RGC Resources. The five-page letter, addressed to FERC’s acting secretary, Debbie-Anne Reese, said Mountain Valley has completed all water and wetland crossings and that roughly 63 percent of the 303-mile pipeline is fully restored, meaning its right of way is as close to its original condition as is feasible after construction.”

Bismarck Tribune: State hearing in Mandan on Summit pipeline wraps up in a day; safety still a concern of landowners
JOEY HARRIS, 4/22/24

“The second round of hearings for the North Dakota route of Summit Carbon Solutions’ controversial multistate carbon dioxide pipeline kicked off Monday with testimony from multiple company executives, the public, and a union which now supports the project after previously expressing concerns,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “…Monday’s hearing in Mandan could have lasted all week, but it wrapped up Monday evening… “Company officials and a state representative on Monday testified about the project’s economic benefits and Summit’s efforts to address past concerns, but the project was met mostly with skepticism in comments from the public. One source of opposition to the project has been its proximity to Bismarck. Some developers, local officials and residents had expressed concerns that the pipeline could present safety issues and stifle the city’s growth to the north and the east… “In total, Summit routed its project away from 42 properties on the original route. Reroutes added dozens of miles to the pipeline in North Dakota. Summit COO Jimmy Powell said he is confident the company will be able to secure voluntary easements with every landowner across the route… “Of 550 landowners who own property where the line would pass, Powell said there are still around 110 who have not yet signed easements… “Powell said there is progress on landowner negotiations, but the percentage of landowners who have signed up has not budged much in the past half a year… “Few from the public who testified support the project despite the changes. CarolLee Carruth, who farms in Dickey County, said she was approached about having the pipeline cross her property and was pressured by a Summit land agent to sign with threats of eminent domain. Carruth said she has a power line crossing her property and is not opposed to her land being used for public good, but she does not believe that is what Summit’s project is. She mostly expressed concerns about safety. She feels the project has divided her community between those who signed leases and those who have not. “It’s not that we want more money,” Carruth said. “There’s no amount of money you could give me to kill my children.” “…The project also now has the support of a local union, LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota. The union is an intervenor in the case… “But the likelihood of more projects for CO2 storage, use or the economic benefits appeared to do little to quell what were mostly safety concerns that dominated the comments from the public. Some who spoke live near the proposed reroute but do not own the land where the pipeline would be sited. They felt that even though they are not in highly populated areas their safety was being ignored, along with more rural developments. Some still expressed concerns about the possible impacts to Bismarck. “We in Bismarck are not willing to give up our safety for the price of corn,” Ken Huber said.

North Dakota Monitor: Summit highlights economic benefits of carbon pipeline in second chance at permit
JEFF BEACH, 4/22/24

“Summit Executive Vice President Wade Boeshans cited Summit Carbon Solutions paying more than $14 million annually for electricity to operate its carbon capture and storage project as an economic benefit to North Dakota, but SuAnn Olson had a different reaction,” the North Dakota Monitor reports. “Where is this power going to come from?” asked Olson, a state representative who lives near the carbon pipeline route north of Bismarck. “We’re very quickly coming to a time when the power supply is not going to keep up.”  Testifying on Earth Day, witnesses advocating for the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon capture pipeline emphasized economic benefits to North Dakota, making little mention of environmental benefits as a second round of Public Service Commission hearings on the pipeline began Monday in Mandan… “To open the hearing Administrative Law Judge Hope Hogan outlined that the hearings should show that the project will have minimal adverse effects on the environment and people of North Dakota and be a good use of resources… “Summit’s plan is to store the carbon underground northwest of Bismarck but Pickering testified about potential industrial uses of carbon dioxide, including enhanced oil recovery in North Dakota, the nation’s No. 3 oil producing state… “When public testimony began, residents near Baldwin north of Bismarck testified about being concerned about the pipeline that will run near, but not across their property. “I see nothing but cost for North Dakota,” Lynette Dunbar said. She cited the potential for rising electric rates and how a leak or rupture could affect her family and livestock. Karl Rakow of Bismarck noted the 2022 rupture of a CO2 pipeline in Satartia, Mississippi, that sickened dozens of people… “Chief Operating Office Jimmy Powell said potential routes included the Dakota Access pipeline corridor, but he said the company could not find a viable route. Powell noted environmental and cultural constraints on a southern route and “the impact to Tribal lands in the area south of Bismarck.” “…In miles added north of Bismarck, Powell said about 42% of the route has been obtained through voluntary easements… “Ken Huber of Bismarck said in reply to Brandenburg, “We are not willing to give up our safety for the price of corn.” The PSC had reserved a room at the Baymont Inn in Mandan for the entire week but it appears it will wrap up in one day.” 

KFYR: Public hearing underway for Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline
Michael Anthony, 4/22/24

“The North Dakota Public Service Commission heard comments from officials and nearby landowners on applications for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline Monday,” KFYR reports. “The company is making another attempt to secure a route permit and a certificate of corridor compatibility after the PSC denied the first application last year. Some of the changes made between the proposals included rerouting the pipeline 10 miles north of Bismarck city limits and avoiding areas of concern, such as game management areas… “Representatives with Summit were questioned about its impact on the environment and people, as well as whether the infrastructure is compatible with environmental preservation… “Several landowners also aired their concerns, citing potential issues with underground storage and power consumption. “How are the people voting on the pipeline going to live with themselves after a big disaster that will happen?” asked Lynette Dunbar of Baldwin. “I’m venturing to guess that it would be dangerous to turn the power off for those pump stations at the pipeline, which means the people who will need to go dark are the citizens. How is that good for North Dakota?” asked Rep. SuAnn Olson, R-Baldwin.”

KXNET: Public Service Commission holds public hearing on CO2 pipeline
Samantha Sayler, 4/22/24

“Mandan City Leaders have hosted a public hearing with the state Public Service Commission to discuss the CO2 pipeline at the city’s Baymont Inn and Suites,” KXNET reports. “The hearing focused primarily on the portions of the project that would be in Burleigh, Morton, and Oliver counties, and addressed proposed route adjustments and supplemental filings and deficiencies noted in the commission’s August 18, 2023 order. The commission heard from three people that SCS Carbon Transport LLC asked to testify on their behalf. “I think there are two or three different parts associated with the benefits of this project,” said Pickering Energy Partners’ Founder and Chief Investment Officer Dan Pickering. “Jobs and their resulting economic impact serve as one of them. There are other direct revenue opportunities. There’s also a third category, which I will call the potential opportunities associated with and follow up to the project.””…Many of those attending the hearing who were against the pipeline were allowed to provide their testimonies regarding the project as well.”

Springfield State Journal- Register: As Illinois weighs carbon dioxide pipeline moratorium, feds recommend technology
Patrick M. Keck, 4/22/24

“As state lawmakers weigh carbon capture and sequestration regulations, federal officials are trying to woo support in Illinois — an area they see ripe for investment thanks to its geologic features,” the Springfield State Journal- Register reports. “Following visits to Archer Daniels Midland facilities in Decatur and Springfield, U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree touched down in the Illinois State Capitol on April 16. The state, he told the Register, plays a major role in helping the Biden administration’s goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050… “In-fact, that’s fundamental to our prosperity as a country,” he told the Register. “We have to decarbonize that industrial base in a way that sustains production. And carbon capture is especially well-suited for doing that.” “…And it is with those concerns that environmental groups and some Democrat and Republican lawmakers support a moratorium on new pipeline projects. Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, told the Register “regulatory gaps” existing at both the state and federal levels need to be addressed before moving forward. She is in support of the moratorium legislation, House Bill 4835, currently awaiting a full chamber vote in the House in addition to her recently filed bill clarifying pore space ownership. “…Even with the risk of repeats of Satartia, Crabtree posits the higher risk stands with allowing carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere. “I would argue that our electric transmission and distribution infrastructure, it’s essential to modern life, but it also results in injuries and fatalities,” he told the Register. “But as a result of those risks, we do not have people saying we shouldn’t have electric transmission and distribution … CO2 pipelines are no different in that regard.” A more recent pipeline leak two weeks ago outside of Sulphur, Louisiana causing a shelter-in-place order however was top of mind to Pam Richardt, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines and co-director of the Eco-Justice Collaborative. The temporary order extended a quarter-mile radius outside the town of approximately 21,000 with no hospitalizations or evacuations reported. No setbacks required by Illinois law, Richardt expressed concern of a pipeline burst near a highly populated area. Williams’ legislation, contained in House Bill 5814, would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to establish requirements for determining setbacks near homes, schools, daycares, hospitals and other locations. “Should developers be able to establish setbacks? I think not,” Richardt told the Register.

E&E News: Shell charged with covering up Pennsylvania pipeline spills
Mike Soraghan, 4/23/24

“Shell Pipeline Co. is facing criminal charges for allegedly covering up spills during construction of its Falcon ethane pipeline in Western Pennsylvania in 2019 and 2020,” E&E News reports. “The state charges trace back to a whistleblower complaint by a pipeline inspector who said he was fired for voicing safety and environmental concerns about construction of the pipeline. The safety complaints of the inspector, Frank Chamberlin, were not part of the charges. In the 46-page criminal complaint, the state says Shell and project contractors falsified records to avoid construction shutdowns that would cost Shell as much as $40,000 a day if state environmental officials knew the truth. By contrast, the largest fine the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) could levy was $10,000 a day. That created what environmental regulators considered a “financial motive” to break the rules. “Pennsylvania’s environmental laws are in place to keep families and communities safe from harm caused by major construction projects, such as pipelines,” Democratic Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement. “This company chose to ignore those laws and kept quiet issues that should have been disclosed to prevent potential impacts.”

Beaver County Times: Pennsylvania AG charges Shell for Falcon Pipeline spills during construction
Chrissy Suttles, 4/22/24

“The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Friday charged Shell Pipeline Co. with repeatedly violating the state’s Clean Streams Law and underreporting industrial waste spills during construction of its Falcon Pipeline – a 97-mile line that feeds ethane to Shell’s Beaver County cracker plant,” the Beaver County Times reports. “Attorney General Michelle Henry announced 13 misdemeanor charges filed at a district judge’s office in Washington County, alleging Shell failed to notify the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection of multiple problems encountered during the company’s use of horizontal directional drilling to construct portions of the pipeline starting in 2019. The charges include unlawful conduct, prohibition against discharge of industrial wastes and prohibition against other pollutants. According to the criminal complaint, Shell contractors deliberately downplayed or failed to report drilling mud spills containing pollutants to avoid time-consuming inspections or shutdowns.”

Reuters: Canada’s TC Energy says NGTL pipeline system resumes normal operations after fire
Nia Williams, 4/22/24

“TC Energy’s NGTL gas pipeline system in the western Canadian province of Alberta has resumed normal operations after a rupture last week prompted the company to reduce pressure on a segment of the line, TC said in a statement on Monday,” Reuters reports. “The cause of the rupture, which sparked a wildfire in a remote part of Yellowhead County, is still under investigation. “We have stood down our Yellowhead County incident emergency response and transitioned to the repair and restoration phase,” a TC Energy spokesperson told Reuters, adding that the company was continuing to work with regulators.”

Hart Energy: For Sale? Trans Mountain Pipeline Tentatively on the Market
Sandy Segrist, 4/22/24

“The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion (TMX) is scheduled to start moving oil from Alberta to Canada’s West Coast on May 1,” Hart Energy reports. “The Canadian government, builder and current owner of TMX, hopes the next major move for the line is a transfer of the pipeline’s ownership out of government hands. But timing, price and eventual buyers remain up in the air… “The Canadian government will most likely be forced to sell the expanded line without making back the costs of construction, analysts told Hart. “The construction price is not relevant to the likely ultimate purchase price,” Hinds Howard, portfolio manager for CBRE, told Hart. “Valuation will depend on the cash flow of the pipeline.” “…I would expect a finalization of sale would require a finalization of the tariffs,” Sibal told Hart. “It is likely that the sale of TMX would come at a loss—due to significant runup in construction cost. So this is going to be a contentious issue for sure.” The pipeline buyers will also be expected to share a stake with the indigenous groups located along the TMX’s path, as announced by Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in August. Including indigenous groups was a product of the political realities that faced construction of the line from Alberta through British Columbia… “Several analysts said Pembina may be the company to watch lead an ownership deal, though full ownership of the pipeline is unlikely. “Pembina is going through the process but has indicated publicly they don’t intend to purchase the whole pipeline,” Howard told Hart. “They will be very price sensitive in the process, maintaining discipline if the required price were too high.”

WCMH: Ohio proposes new $20 million natural gas law
Natalie Fahmy, 4/22/24

“Republican lawmakers want to ensure that Ohio has the option to tap into the state’s natural gas resources,” WCMH reports. “House Bill 349, sponsored by Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Tim Barhorst (R- Fort Loramie), would create an interest loan fund to the tune of $20 million. “To incentivize [natural gas companies] to get infrastructure pipelines in the ground,” Jones said. “There’s just not enough volume to our existing lines that we have.” “…There are a lot of ways to ensure we have reliable power. One way is simply ensuring we have a more efficient energy grid,” managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council Actin Fund Nolan Rutschilling told WCMH. “There are a lot of things we can do before we start building new pipelines or subsidizing new pipelines.” “…The bill would also reduce property taxes for natural gas companies. “We think, frankly, that’s insulting to the Ohioans who are seeing rising property taxes of their own,” Rutschilling told WCMH. “These companies have the ability already to build these pipelines to build these gasolines. They don’t need more bailouts; they don’t need more reductions in taxes while regular people are trudging to get by.” “…Jones told WCMH House Republican leadership has not “expressed any angst” with the legislation, but said it is likely not on the top of the priority list to pass before the end of this year.”

Interlochen Public Radio: A new natural gas project comes to northern Michigan, amid climate concerns
Izzy Ross, 4/21/24

“…DTE Energy is planning to lay down about 20 miles of pipeline to get natural gas to residents and businesses around the villages of Mesick and Buckley,” Interlochen Public Radio reports. “…As the state tries to transition away from fossil fuels, projects like this are viewed as a step in the right direction by some and a bad investment by others… “We call it methane gas or fossil gas, because it is a fossil fuel,” James Gignac, who manages policy in the Midwest for the Union of Concerned Scientists, which promotes science-based policy solutions and has long been a voice for fighting climate change, told IPR… “Moving away from coal is vital to reducing emissions, Gignac told IPR, but those efforts should focus on electric heating instead of gas. “It’s really important to carefully scrutinize any proposed investments in building new gas plants, when we have these alternative technologies that we need to really be focused on ramping up as quickly as possible,” he told IPR… “What they’re calling a bridge fuel — really, it’s a bridge to nowhere, because we are in the midst of a climate crisis,” Ashley Rudzinski, the climate and environment program director with Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, a nonprofit in northern Michigan, told IPR. Rudzinski is disappointed that DTE is continuing to invest in natural gas. “It’s really important to invest locally and invest in systems that are going to improve our energy security and the reliability of our grid,” she told IPR. “And for us, that means renewable energy.”

RBN Energy: Gauging The Promise Of The Newly Announced DeLa Pipeline
John Abeln, 4/23/24

“Moss Lake Partners has announced plans to build a massive 42-inch pipeline known as the DeLa Express to take up to 2 Bcf/d of wet gas 690 miles from the Permian across the Texas state line into Louisiana,” RBN Energy reports. “It’s an audacious plan, and there’s little doubt that a new natural gas pipeline from the Permian to the Gulf Coast is needed to facilitate continued production growth but the proposal faces serious challenges. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss how investors, producers and potential shippers might approach this newcomer and gauge whether it’s a project that could go the distance or become just another pipe dream… “So what hinders producers and shippers from committing to a pipeline? First there’s the fear of overpaying. Shippers that sign up for firm transportation contracts agree to pay a reservation fee. They would make that commitment because they want to make sure that their volumes move and they know that if not enough shippers sign up then the pipe won’t get built which could inhibit the growth of their business or cause them to receive discounted commodity prices… “Nobody wants to be the guy holding the bag with firm rates that are out of the money, so producers and potential shippers have to carefully weigh that risk against the benefit of flow assurance for their production volumes. That apprehension is heightened if there are risks of a production slowdown that could further dampen the spread between supply and demand… “And there’s one more thing that we didn’t mention back then because it hadn’t yet come to pass, but with the frenzy of upstream consolidation over the last year, the list of potential producers with the motivation and wherewithal to take out big chunks of capacity is now much shorter… “The big, sophisticated players likely have asset optimization options, hedging programs and/or portfolios of firm capacity out of the region and aren’t taking the full brunt of it. So they don’t necessarily have to make a new commitment to firm capacity if they can juggle what they already have.”

Offshore Energy: ExxonMobil’s pipeline rupture at gas platform offshore Australia prompts calls to raise the regulatory action bar
Melisa Cavcic, 4/23/24

“The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), established by the merger of the Seaman’s Union of Australia and Waterside Workers Federation, is adamant that a recent gas pipeline rupture at one of the aging offshore platforms in the Gippsland Basin off the Victorian coast spotlights the need to up the regulatory action ante in a bid to tackle the growing number of offshore decommissioning incidents and near misses in Australian waters,” Offshore Energy reports. “Esso, a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered energy giant ExxonMobil, reported a gas pipeline rupture on April 6, 2024, at West Kingfish (WKF), one of its offshore platforms in the Gippsland Basin off the coast of Australia, which is in the early stages of decommissioning. As a result, a sizable sheen was observed on the ocean surface, heading west towards the Victorian coast due to an uncontrolled release of condensate, a mix of hydrocarbons present in natural gas extraction, into the water. While it is unclear how close this flammable discharge came to being ignited, a recent safety alert from Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) warns oil and gas workers that the loss of containment in a subsea gas pipeline entails the real risk of resulting in fire and explosion at the surface. Therefore, the MUA emphasizes that tighter regulations, enforcement, penalties, and transparency regarding offshore oil and gas activities are needed in Australian waters.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Our Children’s Trust: Hundreds gather at White House to demand Pres. Biden let youth climate case be heard
4/21/24

“Young people suing state and federal bodies over climate change, along with their supporters, turned out today to demand the White House allow a key case against the United States to move forward,” according to Our Children’s Trust. “We will not be silenced!” the plaintiffs and supporters shouted toward the White House during “My Voice. My Rights. Our Future. A Rally to #SaveJuliana” demonstration. Demonstrators from several generations came to support the 21 youth plaintiffs of Juliana v. United States, who allege federal actions causing climate change violate their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property. The case is currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Dept. of Justice has fought the Juliana youth relentlessly for nine years across three administrations… “Last month, 30 members of Congress filed a “friend of the court” brief calling for the case to move forward. During the rally, Isaac Vergun of Beaverton, Ore., was one of several plaintiffs who wore a symbolic gag. He described both outrage at the efforts of the government to silence young people, and hope they will ultimately prevail. “We keep fighting because this case represents not just our voices as plaintiffs but the collective cry of an entire generation demanding accountability on climate change,” Vergun said. He joined the suit as a plaintiff in 2015 at age 13. The day of the rally was his 22nd birthday… “For young people, who cannot yet vote, the courts are the only remedy when their rights have been violated, said Mat dos Santos, co-executive director and general counsel with Our Children’s Trust. “These young people are doing exactly what they’ve been taught by elders—when they see a wrong, they take steps to right it,” dos Santos said… “In recent weeks, 70,000+ emails have been sent to President Biden and members of his administration. The case, and the Department of Justice’s egregious behavior, has garnered international attention and 300,000+ signatures in support of the Juliana youth will be delivered to the White House and Department of Justice.”

Politico: ‘National Security Suicide’: Alaska Senator Slams Biden Admin’s Move To Restrict Drilling And Mining 
Kelly Garrity, 4/21/24

“Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) criticized the Biden administration’s decision to put millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness outside the reach of oil drilling and critical mineral mining, likening the moves to ‘national security suicide,’” Politico reports. “Well, it’s lawless. He doesn’t have the authority to do it. … It’s, as I say, national security suicide,” Sullivan said Sunday during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Alaska has long been at odds with the federal government over the use and protection of its enormous natural resources, particularly when a Democrat is in the White House. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Friday officially recommended against building the Ambler Road — a proposed 211 mile-long roadway that would have expanded mining operations into an undeveloped part of the state — a recommendation that effectively kills the project and puts zinc and copper deposits out of reach. Interior also issued a final rule that will remove the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean, 11 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and nearly 3 million acres of federal waters off the Alaska coast from consideration for new oil and gas leasing.”

Daily Caller: ‘Huge Step Back’: Dem Rep Slams Biden Admin For Climate Decision Strangling Oil Industry 
4/20/24

“The Biden administration just announced sweeping moves to limit fossil fuel development in energy-rich Alaska, and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola isn’t happy about it,” the Daily Caller reports. “The Department of the Interior (DOI) on Friday approved a rule restricting new oil and gas leasing across 13 million acres of federal land in northern Alaska and effectively blocking a road crucial to a large mining project. “Alaska has a wealth of natural resources that can be responsibly developed to help boost domestic manufacturing and innovation — in the end, it should be up to Alaskans to decide what they want developed in their regions,” Peltola, the sole person representing Alaska in the House of Representatives, told Daily Caller. Peltola called the Biden administration’s decision “a huge step back.”

Energy Intelligence: US Gas Producers Irked By Price Hike On Federal Leasing 
Bridget DiCosmo, 4/19/24

“The US Interior Department this week hiked the price tag associated with producing natural gas on federal lands as part of a sweeping rule targeting the financial obligations of onshore operators,” Energy Intelligence reports. “Gas industry groups warn that the new rules’ bonding and other requirements will lead to early termination of leases for ‘marginal’ properties held by smaller producers, resulting in wasted gas resources. The American Petroleum Institute, Colorado Oil & Gas Association, New Mexico Oil & Gas Association and a slew of other lobby groups argued in earlier comments that federal leasing contributed $24.2 billion to the US GDP each year between 2013 and 2022. “The many added costs and burdens in the proposed rule needlessly place these substantial economic returns at risk,” they wrote. But Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Apr. 12 finalized the changes, including raising federal onshore royalty rates for the first time in more than 100 years. The final rules codify a rate increase from 12.5% to 16.67%, first outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act, making the change permanent.” 

E&E News: House Hearing To Target Federal Land Policy ‘Overreach’ 
Scott Streater, 4/22/24

“A House Natural Resources subcommittee field hearing in Utah this week will focus on federal land management policies that some Western congressional leaders complain hamper economic development by prioritizing conservation,” E&E News reports. “The Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing set for Monday will likely serve as a political counter to the suite of major federal rules and initiatives rolled out over the past two weeks that are aimed at bolstering President Joe Biden’s appeal to conservationists and young climate activists during an election year, and that have angered Republican lawmakers. The hearing will likely include a discussion on recently finalized Bureau of Land Management rules that substantially increase royalty rates and the minimum bond requirement for drilling a federal lease, and another rule that streamlines permitting and cuts by as much as 80 percent the acreage rental rates and capacity fees for wind and solar power projects. And Republican lawmakers are almost certain to speak against BLM’s finalization last week of a broad new public lands rule that elevates conservation on par with energy development, livestock grazing and other uses on the 245 million acres that BLM oversees.” 

Hydrocarbon Engineering: US natural gas trade will continue to grow with the startup of new LNG export projects
Poppy Clements, 4/23/24

“The US EIA forecasts that US LNG exports will continue to lead growth in US natural gas trade as three LNG export projects currently under construction start operations and ramp up to full production by the end of 2025,” Hydrocarbon Engineering reports. “It also forecasts increased natural gas exports by pipeline, mainly to Mexico. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) forecast, net exports of US natural gas (exports minus imports) grow 6% from 2023 in 2024 to 13.6 billion ft3/d. In 2025, net exports increase another 20% to 16.4 billion ft3/d. The EIA forecasts that US LNG exports increase 2% in 2024 to average 12.2 billion ft3/d. In 2025, it forecasts that LNG exports grow by an additional 18% (2.1 billion ft3/d). EIA forecast US natural gas exports by pipeline to grow by 3% (0.3 billion ft3/d) in 2024 and by 4% in 2025. It expects pipeline imports to decline by 0.4 billion ft3/d in 2024 and then increase slightly (0.1 billion ft3/d) in 2025. In 2024 – 25, the EIA forecast that existing US LNG export facilities will run at similar utilisation rates as in 2023. Annual maintenance typically occurs in the spring and fall, when global LNG demand is lower and temperatures are mild. In April and May 2024, the EIA expects LNG exports to decline while two of the three trains at the Freeport LNG export facility undergo annual maintenance. Later in 2024, it expects that Plaquemines LNG Phase I and Corpus Christi Stage 3 will begin LNG production and load first cargoes by the end of the year. In 2025, the developers of Golden Pass LNG plan to place in service the first two trains of this new three-train LNG export facility.”

STATE UPDATES

LSU Reveille: 14 years later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to affect Louisiana
Sarah Walton, 4/21/24

“Saturday marked the Deepwater Horizon oil spill’s 14th anniversary. The environmental disaster plagued the Gulf Coast for months when it began. Its consequences are still felt today,” LSU Reveille reports. “The destruction of Louisiana’s coastal ecosystems is one of the most prominent effects of the disaster. The spill killed countless plants, weakening the strength of the coastline and accelerating Louisiana’s coastal erosion. Even a decade after the spill, Louisiana’s coastal marsh soils showed high levels of oil contamination compared to pre-spill levels, according to research published in science journal, Environmental Pollution. Oil contamination was still 10 times higher than normal levels in a 2018 report. That crude contaminants have had lasting effects on multiple aquatic and terrestrial species and their offspring, according to reports from the National Wildlife Federation… “Those who worked to clean the oil and lived in the immediate area also suffered health problems. Shortness of breath, headaches, chronic cough, dizzy spells and chest pain were some of the symptoms reported by those exposed to the spill, even decades after the disaster… “In 2019, NOAA reported that $226 million was going to 18 projects aimed at restoring populations of marine life affected by the 2010 spill, including repairing their land and ecosystems. Today, April 20 may pass for many as a day indistinct from others. But even 14 years later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill continues to influence the ecosystems, economies and people of Louisiana.” 

Guardian: Louisiana’s Flagship University Lets Oil Firms Influence Research – For A Price 
Sara Sneath, 4/21/24

“For $5m, Louisiana’s flagship university will let an oil company weigh in on faculty research activities,” the Guardian reports. “Or, for $100,000, a corporation can participate in a research study, with ‘robust’ reviewing powers and access to all resulting intellectual property. Those are the conditions outlined in a boilerplate document that Louisiana State University’s fundraising arm circulated to oil majors and chemical companies affiliated with the Louisiana Chemical Association, an industry lobbying group, according to emails disclosed in response to a public records request by the Lens. Records show that after Shell donated $25m in 2022 to LSU to create the Institute for Energy Innovation, the university gave the fossil fuel corporation license to influence research and coursework for the university’s new concentration in carbon capture, use and storage. Afterward, LSU’s fundraising entity, the LSU Foundation, used this partnership as a model to shop around to members of the Louisiana Chemical Association, such as ExxonMobil, Air Products and CF Industries, which have proposed carbon capture projects in Louisiana.” 

WVXU: There’s been 1,400 oil and gas incidents in Ohio in 5 years
4/22/24

“Ohio had more than 1,400 oil and gas well incidents from 2018 to 2023 according to a records request analyzed by FracTracker Alliance. After reviewing the data, the group claims the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) did not accurately categorize many of the incidents and much of the data understated the severity the cases,” WVXU reports. “For example, in certain cases house explosions were not categorized as “major” or “severe.” The volunteer group Save Ohio Parks made the records request to ODNR after an interview on WOSU in which Rob Brundrett with the Ohio Oil and Gas Association said there haven’t really been any real incidents environmentally in the past 13 years. Cincinnati Edition invited the Oil and Gas Association to join this discussion. They did not confirm but sent a statement attributed to Rob Brundrett. “Ohio’s One Call system, while not perfect, has performed admirably since its inception… “We are dismayed that those who rely every day on our energy continue to try and confuse Ohioans without presenting the full story on how the One Call system works and what the collected data truly represents… “We would be interested to know of any other industry in Ohio that is as transparent regarding ‘incident’ reporting whether it was appropriate or not, as calls are sometimes either misreported or false alarms… “We also invited the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to join the show, they declined. Guests: Gwen Klenke, midwest program coordinator, FracTracker Alliance; Nathan Johnson, public lands director, Ohio Environmental Council & Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund; Silverio Caggiano, member of the board of directors, Buckeye Environmental Network, former battalion chief, Youngstown Fire Department.”

Ohio Capital Journal: “Who’s gonna want to move here?” How fracking around Ohio’s Salt Fork State Park is changing area
MEGAN HENRY, 4/22/24

“Terri Sabo has a breathtaking view of Salt Fork State Park from her dining room window in Guernsey County… “The presence of the oil and gas industry around Salt Fork and ongoing fracking have turned the Sabos into advocates trying to protect the land around Ohio’s largest state park,” the Ohio Capital Journal reports. “…I’m past the sadness,” Sabo told the Journal, as she drove around Salt Fork on a recent Friday morning. “I’m into acceptance now. And it’s gonna happen.” “…Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a law allowing drilling companies to frack in state parks back in 2011. Under the law, potential drillers had to get permission from the newly created Oil and Gas Commission, but Kasich never appointed members to the commissions — effectively preventing anyone from drilling in parks… “Within the same week DeWine signed the bill into law, the Sabos got a letter from Texas-based company Encino Energy asking to buy their mineral rights — which they still haven’t done… “There were more than 1,400 fracking incidents associated with oil and gas wells in Ohio between 2018 and September 2023, according to FracTracker Alliance — a nonprofit that collects data on fracking pipelines. About 10% of those incidents were reported as fires or explosions. During that same time period, there were 56 total incidents in Guernsey County (where Salt Fork is located), according to FracTracker… “Fracking in the area has brought increased truck traffic, new power lines, and additional cell towers. In particular, it has brought brine trucks and Halliburton trucks that haul fracking sand. “Who’s gonna want to move here?” Sabo told the Journal. “I mean, who’s gonna want to raise their kids here?”

Cleveland.com: An Ohio fracking well leaked waste for years before the state finally stopped it
Jake Zuckerman, 4/20/24

“Injection wells the state allowed to operate for more than six months after a state regulator deemed them an “imminent danger” to Athens County and its people now must stop pumping fracking waste deep into the ground,” Cleveland.com reports. “On Friday, the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission upheld a regulatory order suspending operations of three wells that were found to be leaking toxic waste into the surrounding area – a decision that had been on hold since October, when the panel of gubernatorial appointees shelved the order from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.”

Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Research underway to capture, sequester carbon at Foreman cement plant
Aaron Gettinger, 4/22/24

“The Ash Grove Cement plant in Foreman is participating in a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to test a carbon-capture system,” the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports. “The department announced up to $189 million in Office of Clean Energy Demonstration funding for demonstration projects, meant to develop carbon-capture and storage technologies, in September 2022…”

EXTRACTION

Associated Press: BP Defeated Thousands Of Suits By Sick Gulf Spill Cleanup Workers. But Not One By A Boat Captain 
TRAVIS LOLLER AND MICHAEL PHILLIS, 4/19/24

“John Maas spent years buying and outfitting a 17-foot aluminum boat called the Superskiff 1 so he could take customers fishing for sea trout and flounder in the Gulf of Mexico. But before the Mississippi captain could make his first charter trip in 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up 120 miles (193 kilometers) to the south, killing 11 people and sending many millions of gallons of oil into the sea,” the Associated Press reports. “As for many along the Gulf coast, the disaster changed Maas’ life. Fishing stopped when oil contaminated the water, so he used his boat to help clean up the spill. It was nasty work under oppressive, humid heat in oily water and around the chemical dispersant Corexit deployed in massive quantities to break up oil. Maas told AP the Corexit smelled like burning brake fluid and caused his eyes to water and skin to burn. “You were coughing and things like that. It’s like tear gas almost,” he told AP… “BP paid criminal penalties for the disaster and would eventually spend billions of dollars to settle claims for economic damage and environmental devastation. But after more than a decade of litigation following the largest offshore U.S. oil spill, Maas may well be the only person to receive a BP settlement for his injuries through an individual lawsuit. Thousands of similar cases have been thrown out without ever going to a jury. Maas succeeded where more than 99% failed by being smart, sometimes pig-headed and, in the end, lucky. His saga illustrates how extremely hard it is for workers who claim they were sickened by the spill to receive meaningful compensation.”

Capital and Main: Oil Companies Must Set Aside More Money to Plug Wells, a New Rule Says. But it Won’t be Enough
Mark Olalde, ProPublica, and Nick Bowlin, 4/22/24

“For the first time in more than 60 years, the Bureau of Land Management will force oil and gas companies to set aside more money to guarantee they plug old wells, preventing them from leaking oil, brine and toxic or climate-warming gasses,” Capital and Main reports. “The rule, finalized this month, comes at a critical time. Money previously set aside to clean up wells on federal land would have covered the cost of fewer than 1 out of 100, according to the government’s own estimates, and the vast majority of the country’s wells sit inactive or barely producing, meaning they’ll soon need to be plugged. But the federal agency’s work falls short of protecting taxpayers from the oil industry’s cleanup costs, according to a ProPublica and Capital & Main review of contracts or other cost estimates at tens of thousands of wells across the country. While the updated rule will shrink the gap between companies’ financial guarantees to plug wells, known as bonds, and the cost of the work, it still leaves a significant shortfall. One math error alone leaves taxpayers on the hook for roughly $400 million more than they should be. A Bureau of Land Management employee’s arithmetic mistake yielded an incorrect average cleanup cost for wells that the agency has plugged, largely at taxpayer expense. That artificially low cost estimate became the foundation of the new bonding requirements. When ProPublica and Capital & Main pointed out the error in December, and that it could potentially cost taxpayers — and save oil companies — hundreds of millions of dollars when multiplied across the many thousands of wells the new rule would touch, the agency downplayed the miscalculation… “But over the most recent five-year period, oil companies ignored the Bureau of Land Management’s demands to increase their bonds more than 40% of the time, a ProPublica and Capital & Main review of agency data found.”

Calgary Herald: ‘We need it now’: Shell Canada head urges Ottawa to act on carbon capture incentives
Chris Varcoe, 4/23/24

“The head of Shell Canada says the company is looking to advance its ambitious carbon capture and storage project in Alberta, but is growing “anxious” with ongoing delays over the federal investment tax credit,” the Calgary Herald reports. “Shell Canada country chair Susannah Pierce told the Herald the government’s long-awaited tax credit for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects is essential as the company evaluates a major investment, one that could eventually lead to “billions of dollars of opportunities.” But it’s still waiting to see the final details on a federal incentive that’s designed to spur decarbonization projects in the country. “It is critical and we’re waiting for that to happen. And it’s crucial that it happens as soon as it can,” Pierce told the Herald. “Otherwise, we will not be able to make the investments that I really want to see happen in Canada. So that is really, really critical, getting those fiscal incentives in place in a timely manner. Otherwise, capital goes someplace else.” “…While initiatives announced earlier this decade are advancing through the planning stages, some executives told the Herald they’re being held up from making final investment decisions because Ottawa’s promised incentives to kick-start projects such as CCUS and hydrogen developments haven’t passed… “In an interview, federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, the lone cabinet member from Alberta, told the Herald some time was needed to consult with industry on the carbon capture ITC “to iron out the details…Here’s the key, though: It’s retroactive. So as soon as it gets done, existing investments, existing construction that scopes in, they get the credits,” Boissonnault told the Herald.

Los Angeles Times: New scientific interventions are here to fight climate change. But they aren’t silver bullets
Hayley Smith, 4/22/24

“Behind a chain-link fence in a nondescript corner of San Joaquin County sits one of California’s — and perhaps the world’s — best hopes for combating climate change. Here at the nation’s first commercial direct air capture facility, towering trays of limestone mineral powder are working round-the-clock to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “…We need to do this all around the world,” Vikrum Aiyer, head of public policy for Heirloom, the California-based company that owns and operates the facility, told the Times… “While reducing the use of fossil fuels is the surest way to prevent that warming from getting worse, Aiyer and many other experts, researchers and public officials are converging around the notion that scientific intervention will be necessary… “Several Los Angeles startups are also getting into the carbon removal game, including Captura, a company working to remove CO2 from the upper ocean, and Avnos, a company whose technology produces water while capturing carbon… “Aiyer told the Times he is closely watching Senate Bill 308, new legislation in California that would create a framework by which the state government approves standards for carbon removal. It would also compel heavy emitters in the state to account for their emissions through offset purchases or removals, among other measures. But there are potential downsides to direct air capture, including its high energy costs, which could limit the technology’s ability to expand… “What’s more, the interest from Big Oil has met with broader concerns that carbon removal, geoengineering and other climate change solutions could have the unintended consequence of enabling society to continue its reliance on fossil fuels. If these tools can clean CO2 or cool the planet, the logic goes, then the use of gas-guzzling cars, smog-producing products, and oil and gas drilling can continue as usual… “These technologies — whether it is our pathway of direct air capture or other carbon removal technologies — should not be a fig leaf for additional fossil fuel expansion,” Aiyer told the Times. “We need to make sure that we are reducing our reliance on emissions and fossil fuel production, and we need to do these removals.”

Climate Museum: False Solutions: Carbon Capture, Plastics Recycling, and Green Colonialism
4/22/24

“On April 25, we will host a distinguished panel on a major challenge we face: “climate solutions” that are actually, and only, PR solutions for the fossil fuel industry. False Solutions: Carbon Capture, Plastics Recycling, and Green Colonialism will present three experts’ critiques of strategically significant areas of industry disinformation and deception that are designed to facilitate the continuation of business as usual without opposition from the public,” the Climate Museum reports. “While the false solutions intersect and overlap in ways we will explore, our principal expert on carbon capture will be Dr. Ana Baptista (The New School); on green colonialism, Dr. Dean Chahim (New York University); and on plastics recycling, Julia Cohen, MPH (Plastic Pollution Coalition).”

OPINION

The Hill: The harms of plastics are getting personal
Kathleen Rogers is president of Earthday.org, 4/22/24

“The battle against plastics began decades ago. Early on, the focus was on the proliferation of plastic pollution and its impact on land use. In the 1980s, the battle shifted, with local skirmishes against single-use plastics that, in turn, created movements to ban plastics at the state and country level,” Kathleen Rogers writes for The Hill. “Then the movement expanded, driven by the horrifying photos of strangled sea turtles and the discovery of marine garbage patches, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated to be the size of France. Since China and other countries began to reject the developed world’s wastes, largely made up of various kinds of plastic, that waste has been mostly deposited in lesser-developed countries, which are thoroughly unprepared and unable to process it. With the myth of plastic recycling discredited, the public is beginning to understand that this is not simply a “waste management” problem. Now plastics have become personal. Although it was known for decades that plastics caused endocrine disruption, the discovery that plastics broke down into micro- and nano-particles and were entering our bodies through air, food, water and our clothing has jumpstarted millions of dollars in research. Scientists are rushing to determine the role that plastics play in diseases from Alzheimer’s to depression to autism to cancer… “Likewise, the petrochemical and plastics industries have plotted deceitfully to “normalize” the idea that their products could be recycled when they knew absolutely they could not be. Given industry’s history of lying to us about recycling, it is fair to demand what else they are hiding… “The history of corporate deceit when it comes to environmental and health harms is well known. While it is standard practice for industry to wait until the evidence mounts while dragging its feet to continue to reap profits, the health impacts from plastics are already affecting all of us, and could for thousands of years. This isn’t a future threat. It exists right now, and we need to know what they know.”