EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 4/3/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Virginia Mercury: Mountain Valley Pipeline opponents ask Virginia agency to issue stop work order

• Politico: Line 5 Monitoring 

• Quad Cities NPR: Community members express concerns over pipeline plans

• KIOW: Free Public Meeting to Be Held Exposing Hazards of CO2 Pipeline

• ​​Ag Insider: Carbon injection discussions involve many farmers

• Enervus: CO2 pipeline economics: The missing link

• Reuters: Trans Mountain to finish final segment of oil pipeline expansion in April, filing says

• WV Gazette Mail: Gas pipeline expansion project passing through Wetzel County reported in service

• Fairbury Journal News: Holdout Forces Reroute Of Pipeline

• WBRZ: Landowner allows pipeline access, blames work for property flooding

• Bloomberg: BlackRock, KKR Sell Adnoc Oil Pipeline Stake Back to Abu Dhabi

• Bloomberg: Enbridge Raises $3.5 Billion Through Bond Sale After Ratings Cut

• Press release: LSU’s Pipeline Leak Detection Technology Could Save Energy Companies Millions

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Reuters: White House open to ending LNG export pause in push for Ukraine aid, sources say

• Politico: Why natural gas exports may not solve the House GOP’s Ukraine aid problems

• E&E News: ESA Changes May Test Supreme Court Limits On Agency Power 

• Axios: Antitrust enforcement gets bipartisan love — except for oil deals

• E&E News: Grijalva announces cancer diagnosis

STATE UPDATES

• WyoFile: Despite staggering costs and logistic challenges, carbon capture studies at Wyoming coal plants advance

• Tampa Bay Times: Hillsborough leaders may soon vote on carbon capture proposal. What’s in it?

• Gillette News Record: Carbon capture project at Dry Fork gets $4.6 million in federal funding

• KUMV: North Dakota nearing 5 billion barrels of oil drilled, Helms says focus on CO2 needed to maximize drilling potential

EXTRACTION

• Reuters: Ecologists report oil spill near Kazakh oil field in Caspian Sea

• Reuters: Shell says landmark emissions ruling won’t help climate goals

• Grist: Indigenous peoples’ climate labor benefits everyone. Should it be paid

• EuroNews: NGOs demand stringent criteria for ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen

• Press release: U. S. Steel and CarbonFree Sign Definitive Agreement to Capture Carbon Dioxide Emissions at One of the Largest North American Integrated Steel Mills

• Ethanol Producer: Rex Reports Near Record Financial Results, Continues Development Of CCS Project

• Energy News Network: Not everyone in the hydrogen business wants to see weaker rules for federal tax credits

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Enbridge: Bridging the Gap for Students of Color Through Funding and Mentorship

OPINION

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: I’m a member of the Bad River Band and I support Enbridge Line 5 relocation

• NOLA.com: Carbon capture will put Louisiana in the forefront of energy innovation

• Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Carbon capture and storage strengthens Mississippi’s economic future. Here is why
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Virginia Mercury: Mountain Valley Pipeline opponents ask Virginia agency to issue stop work order
CHARLIE PAULLIN, 4/2/24

“On Tuesday in downtown Richmond, a small group of people protested the Mountain Valley Pipeline, intended to deliver natural gas to the Southside, and shouted a new name they thought fitting for the state agency responsible for protecting Virginia’s waterways,” the Virginia Mercury reports. “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s acronym, “DEQ,” has taken on a new meaning for Glen Besa, a former director of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club who was among the Richmond protestors. “We’ve renamed [the] agency ‘Destroying Environmental Quality,’ because that’s what [they’re] doing,” Besa told the Mercury. Besa cited numerous violations levied against MVP over the years and a recent fine that he characterized as “chump change” to the company building the pipeline at an estimated cost between $7.5 and $7.6 billion.  The protests — including the one in Richmond and others held across the state at DEQ regional offices in Harrisonburg, Salem and Woodbridge — come after the Roanoke Times reported that DEQ demanded a $34,000 fine from Mountain Valley Pipeline for issues of erosion, or loose dirt getting knocked into waterways, that resulted from the project. The fine resulted from DEQ site visits and a review of Sept. 11 through Dec. 10, 2023 inspection reports, according to the letter. The protesters organized outside DEQ’s central office in Richmond with help from Third Act, an environmental group of senior citizens. The other rallies were organized in collaboration with environmental advocacy groups Protect Our Water and Heritage Rights… “The protests coincide with Virginia landowners petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the eminent domain seizure of their property for construction of the pipeline.”

Politico: Line 5 Monitoring 
4/3/24

“Michigan environmental group Straits of Mackinac Alliance is calling for an independent third-party review of safety and structural conditions of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline,” Politico reports. “The group, which has previously asked the state to shut down the pipeline because of concerns about the environmental harm a leak would cause in the Great Lakes, says in a new white paper that a monitoring system would help reduce the potential damage. The group added that Enbridge should pay for the system’s installation and upkeep but not be involved in its operation. The Alliance said it will also ask the federal government to conduct an engineering analysis on parts of the pipeline and review all in-line pipeline tests and external surveys that Enbridge did over the ‘recent past.’”

Quad Cities NPR: Community members express concerns over pipeline plans
Molly Sweeney, 4/2/24

“A carbon dioxide pipeline project that would run through Rock Island County led to safety and eminent domain concerns among residents last year,” Quad Cities NPR reports. “In response, Wolf Carbon Solutions withdrew its application from the Illinois Commerce Commission. It said it would review the project and refile early this year… “Tomorrow, members of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines will meet with residents to talk about what the project might mean for the communities involved. Bill Davies, a coalition volunteer told NPR the pipeline project, Mt. Simon Hub, could be more dangerous than an oil or methane pipeline. That’s because the highly pressurized carbon might make it more likely to rupture. “Should there ever be a leak of these pipelines, the CO2 cloud that will be emitted is heavier than air and would spread over the landscape. It would displace all the oxygen and people and animals and livestock would start losing their ability to breathe. And first responder’s vehicles would not work.” Davies told NPR another concern people have is that their land will be used for the pipeline, even if they don’t agree to it… “The meeting will begin at 6 pm Wednesday at the River Valley District Library in Port Byron.”

KIOW: Free Public Meeting to Be Held Exposing Hazards of CO2 Pipeline
Angela Nelson, 4/2/24

“A free public informational meeting geared at protecting private property rights and exposing the hazards from a potential CO2 pipeline will be held this Friday, April 5th from 6 to 8pm at the Wesley Community Center in Wesley, Iowa,” KIOW reports. “Special guest speakers at public informational meeting will be: Trent Loos (National Radio Host of “Loos Tales”); Jessica Mazour (Iowa Sierra Club Executive); Kevin Virgil (Iowa 4th Congressional District Candidate). Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline faces tough opposition from a broad coalition of Indigenous groups, farmers, and environmentalists, who oppose a hazardous CO2 pipeline that threatens their lives, land, and water sources. Alan Bush, a member of a group of concerned citizens protecting private property and farmland rights, tells the primary purpose of this meeting… “A recent poll showed 78 percent of Iowans reject the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines. Despite this widespread opposition, the Iowa Senate has refused to consider bills to prevent the use of eminent domain. Bush also explains the #1 reason so many Iowans are against the proposed CO2 pipeline… “Is it really about reducing the carbon score of ethanol and expanding ethanol access to existing and emerging markets?… “However, Bush thinks it’s more about a land grab and abuse of taxpayers.”

​​Ag Insider: Carbon injection discussions involve many farmers
4/2/24

“More farmers and landowners are involved in discussions of carbon capture utilization and storage on farmland than in leasing land for solar panels, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday,” Ag Insider reports. “Interest on the part of companies desiring to use farmland for either sequestering carbon or solar energy production appears to be rising,” said the monthly… “This month, we included a couple of questions, going to folks, with respect to, first of all, have you or one of your landowners engaged in a discussion with a company about carbon capture, utilization, and storage. 18 percent of the people in the survey said yes, either, either I have or one of my landowners has had that discussion. Same question went to folks about solar energy. 12 percent of the people in the survey said we’ve had a discussion or one of my landowners has had a discussion with respect to, leasing farmland for solar energy. I was surprised at this, especially on the carbon capture side… “Michael Langemeier: …But this carbon capture, we only asked this I think once before and it wasn’t 18 percent when we asked it last time. I was really surprised at that. When I talk to producers, I typically hear a lot more about the solar energy than the carbon capture.”

Enervus: CO2 pipeline economics: The missing link
4/2/24

“Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR), a subsidiary of Enverus, the leading generative AI and energy-dedicated SaaS company, has developed a CO2 Pipeline Economic Model that can be used to analyze transportation economics in the carbon, capture, usage and storage (CCUS) value chain. Utilizing the CO2 Pipeline Economic Model, a new EIR report analyzes the differences between CO2 and natural gas pipelines and outlines the importance of minimizing CO2 transportation costs through hub and trunkline pipeline designs. For example, EIR has used the model to analyze the canceled Navigator CO2 Heartland Greenway project economics to illustrate the hub-scale economics the project was targeting… “Key takeaways: Only 290 mtpa, or 13%, of U.S. emissions break even below $85/tonne assuming top decile storage costs. Developing transportation strategies that utilize trunkline design to maximize flow rate while connecting emitters to higher-quality reservoirs will be a key strategy for profitable CCUS projects. The CO2 transportation breakeven ranges from $0.85-$15.90/tonne, contingent on optimal flow rates of 12-18 mtpa. Labor and materials constitute 50% of the CO2 transportation breakeven, creating cost escalations more than 10 times caused by locational disparities in labor costs, access to materials and terrain variability. The canceled Navigator CO2 Heartland Greenway project showed cost savings of almost 10 times through the utilization of a trunkline design. The CO2 transportation breakeven would have been under $10/tonne with 15 mtpa of capacity.”

Reuters: Trans Mountain to finish final segment of oil pipeline expansion in April, filing says
Rod Nickel, 4/2/24

“Trans Mountain will finish building the final segment of its Canadian oil pipeline expansion in April, according to a construction schedule the corporation filed on Monday with a regulator,” Reuters reports. “The Canadian government-owned C$34-billion ($25.07 billion)pipeline expansion will nearly triple the flow of crude from Alberta to Canada’s Pacific Coast to 890,000 barrels per day, but has been plagued by years of delays, construction problems and cost overruns. Spread 5-B is the last segment to complete and Trans Mountain’s schedule filed to the Canada Energy Regulator shows construction and testing wrapping up this month.”

WV Gazette Mail: Gas pipeline expansion project passing through Wetzel County reported in service
Mike Tony, 4/3/24

“Facilities comprising a gas infrastructure expansion project spanning Wetzel County and parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania have been placed into service, a Mountain Valley Pipeline developer’s subsidiary has told federal regulators,” the WV Gazette Mail reports. “Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project facilities were completed and placed into service on March 27, Equitrans L.P., subsidiary of Washington County, Pennsylvania-based Mountain Valley Pipeline lead developer Equitrans Midstream Corp., told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a filing Monday.”

Fairbury Journal News: Holdout Forces Reroute Of Pipeline
Gordon Hopkins, 3/26/24

“The objections of a single landowner have stalled the advance of a 20-mile long natural gas pipeline, forcing the company to consider an alternative route through a county right-of-way,” the Fairbury Journal News reports. “While Jefferson County Commissioners are concerned about pipelines in the right-of-way, Nebraska law may give them no choice. Tallgrass Energy has begun work in…”

WBRZ: Landowner allows pipeline access, blames work for property flooding
Brittany Weiss, 4/2/24

“A property owner living a few hundred feet away from the Comite Diversion Canal project says he’s locked into a deal that’s causing him to flood. After his concerns were ignored, he contacted 2 On Your Side,” WBRZ reports. “When Jimmy Pigrenet bought his property on Old Baker Road 15 years ago, he told WBRZ he had no idea what was coming. Several years ago he signed a deal giving a company permission to access his land to move a Shell Oil pipeline to make way for the Comite Diversion Canal. A new access point is being built right next to his house and he told WBRZ it’s been a “total nightmare.” “They just do what they want and don’t worry about the landowners next to them.“ “…Pigrenet told WBRZ his property was once draining fine but now when it rains his land sits wet for days. He told WBRZ the extra water prevents him from mowing his lawn and it is making his chickens sick. “I can’t use it all, it’s totally useless to me,” Pigrenet told WBRZ. His attempt to reason with the pipeline crew have not panned out. Pigrenet told WBRZ he can’t get a return phone call… “Shell Oil company responded to 2 On Your Side and met with Pigrenet about his concerns on Tuesday. They offered to built a swale around the road and direct the water to the road-side drainage ditch… “He feels frustrated and forgotten, caught up in all the progress happening around him. It’s affecting his land, home, and chickens. “It’s going to flood,” he told WBRZ… “The City-Parish has also been contacted regarding Pigrenet’s drainage ditch concerns.”

Bloomberg: BlackRock, KKR Sell Adnoc Oil Pipeline Stake Back to Abu Dhabi
Archana Narayanan, 4/3/24

“BlackRock Inc. and KKR & Co. sold their 40% stake in Adnoc’s oil pipeline network to an Abu Dhabi-based firm five years after acquiring the asset in a deal that marked the first investment by foreign asset managers in the infrastructure of a Gulf state-owned energy company,” Bloomberg reports. “The firms sold their holdings to an entity called Lunate, which has $105 billion of assets under management, according to a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed, though Bloomberg News has previously reported that the stake could fetch more than $4 billion including debt. Adnoc is the United Arab Emirates’ state energy firm and pumps almost all the oil in the OPEC member. The Lunate deal returns a significant chunk of the company’s oil pipeline network back to Abu Dhabi. KKR and BlackRock agreed to invest $4 billion in the business in 2019.”

Bloomberg: Enbridge Raises $3.5 Billion Through Bond Sale After Ratings Cut
Chunzi Xu and Caleb Mutua, 4/2/24

“Enbridge Inc. sold $3.5 billion of debt on Tuesday following a downgrade last week by Moody’s Ratings,” Bloomberg reports. “The longest portion of the four-part bond offering, a 30-year security, will yield 145 basis points over Treasuries, a person with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg, after earlier discussions for around 170 basis points. A floating rate note maturing in three years, which was announced at the start of the sale, was dropped before pricing. The bond sale comes after Moody’s downgraded Enbridge and its subsidiaries’ senior unsecured debt to Baa2 from Baa1 on March 29, citing ongoing weakness in its financial profile. “As Enbridge moves forward with several utility acquisitions and executes on a sizable capital program, we expect that the company will have low levels of financial flexibility and higher leverage,” Moody’s senior credit officer Gavin MacFarlane wrote in a statement.”

Press release: LSU’s Pipeline Leak Detection Technology Could Save Energy Companies Millions
4/2/24

“A fiber optics-powered breakthrough discovery could quickly and accurately identify pipeline leaks, preventing potentially significant environmental damage and saving the oil and gas industry billions of dollars a year. “Oil and gas pipeline leaks have enormous economic and environmental costs. The energy industry spends more than $3 billion each year on leak detection, but costs, labor and accuracy limit the current methods,” said Jyotsna Sharma, LSU petroleum engineering professor. “The most common way to detect leaks is with pressure gauges, but this method is unable to localize and detect small leaks.” Existing gauges show a pressure drop if the leak is large enough. But with the gauges spaced far apart, even miles from each other, there is no way to know where the pipeline is leaking, Sharma said. Meanwhile, small leaks remain invisible, and environmental damage builds up over time. Sharma’s invention harnesses the power of Fiber Bragg Grating combined with advanced signal processing algorithms. Fiber optic sensors measure stress, vibrations, temperature changes and pressure… “The fiber optic line can be installed quickly, either along the entire length of the pipeline or at key junctures that are more susceptible to leaks or in more environmentally sensitive areas. In addition to billions spent on inaccurate leak detection systems, oil and gas companies worldwide dedicate around $17 billion a year to repair pipelines, and that does not include the cost of environmental remediation or fines.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Reuters: White House open to ending LNG export pause in push for Ukraine aid, sources say
Jarrett Renshaw, Patricia Zengerle and Timothy Gardner, 4/2/24

“U.S. officials are open to ending President Joe Biden’s pause on approvals of liquefied natural gas exports to get a Ukraine aide package passed in Congress but want to wait to see the entire proposal before making any decisions, two White House sources said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports. “Biden, a Democrat, in late January had paused approvals for pending and future applications to export the supercooled fuel after protests about the booming industry from activists concerned about its impact on climate change. Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson suggested on Fox News on Sunday that reversing Biden’s pause on LNG export approvals could make it easier for his party to support a new aid package for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Reversing the pause could be tolerable to the White House in order to advance Ukraine aid, in part because the pause has no bearing on near-term LNG exports, the White House sources told Reuters… “I don’t think it’s as hard for the White House to give in on this as it would seem because they can tell the climate folks substantively nothing has changed: ‘We have not approved new exports, we have not changed the docket,'” an industry source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

Politico: Why natural gas exports may not solve the House GOP’s Ukraine aid problems
JORDAIN CARNEY, ANTHONY ADRAGNA, 4/1/24

“Speaker Mike Johnson has hit on a new ingredient in his search for a winning formula to muscle long-stalled foreign aid through the House — a task that will require winning over enough fellow Republicans who are skeptical or even against more help for Ukraine,” Politico reports. “Johnson’s latest idea: Linking any foreign aid deal to rolling back President Joe Biden’s pause on natural gas exports. If Republicans could claim they’d extracted a concession that undercuts Biden’s climate agenda, the thinking goes, they’d have a rare unifying message heading into the election. Boosting U.S. natural gas exports would also allow the GOP to argue it had achieved direct progress on countering Russia. Even so, it’s already looking like Johnson won’t make much headway with the loudest corners of his right flank with the gas exports pitch. GOP sources we chatted with acknowledged that getting a win on natural gas would help sweeten the pot — after all, House Republicans passed legislation in February that would have ended Biden’s export pause. But Johnson’s hard-line conservatives are likely to look for more from him to quell their anger over a possible Ukraine vote.”

E&E News: ESA Changes May Test Supreme Court Limits On Agency Power 
MICHAEL DOYLE, PAMELA KING, 4/2/24

“The Biden administration’s new Endangered Species Act rules unify right, left and middle on one thing. Everyone knows that lawsuits come next,” E&E News reports. “It’s often the case that [ESA] policies get litigated from both supporters and opponents, who say that either they went too far or didn’t go far enough or are just going down the wrong road entirely,” Jonathan Wood, vice president of law and policy at the Montana-based Property and Environment Research Center, told E&E. The challenges will target specific rule provisions, such as one that effectively gives threatened species the same protection as endangered species. The specific battles, though, will also be part of a broader fight over the power federal agencies have to impose regulations and then defend them in court. The legal terrain on which this happens is shifting, as the Supreme Court in recent years has cracked down on federal agencies that it perceives as overstepping their clearly established congressional authority. The court is also considering walking back the Chevron doctrine, an important legal tool for federal agencies to defend their regulatory decisions.”

Axios: Antitrust enforcement gets bipartisan love — except for oil deals
Dan Primack, 4/2/24

“Antitrust enforcement has become bipartisan, with Democrats and Republicans locking hands to oppose mergers in such areas as tech, airlines, and grocery. But there is one giant exception: energy,” Axios reports. “Driving the news: Thirty-eight GOP senators last week sent a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan, arguing against Democrats’ request for antitrust action on oil and gas mergers, Axios Pro’s Jael Holzman scoops. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are the letter’s first two signers. It appears to be specifically aimed at heading off FTC action on a pair of proposed $60 billion mergers: ExxonMobil/Pioneer and Chevron/Hess. Zoom in: The letter argues that producers should be viewed in a global context, whereby U.S. giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron hold relatively small market share. The letter adds that the FTC has no business considering how mergers could impact climate change, as Democrats assert, but should view increased production as a net positive for consumers. Finally, the Republicans indirectly raise the specter of the “major questions” doctrine, which could thwart antitrust action in an area that Congress hasn’t explicitly authorized the FTC to regulate.”

E&E News: Grijalva announces cancer diagnosis
Kelsey Brugger, 4/2/24

“Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, announced Tuesday he has been diagnosed with lung cancer,” E&E News reports. “In a statement posted on social media, Grijalva said he was diagnosed with pneumonia after a persistent cough, but further testing revealed the cancer… “Grijalava — whose district spans parts of Tucson, Yuma and Nogales as well as some bits of Phoenix — added that his office will remain open for constituent services… “Grijalva said he would return to business as usual “as soon as I am able.”

STATE UPDATES

WyoFile: Despite staggering costs and logistic challenges, carbon capture studies at Wyoming coal plants advance
Dustin Bleizeffer, 4/2/24

“Two electric utility companies in Wyoming will advance engineering studies and analysis to potentially retrofit four coal-burning units with carbon capture technology, but significant costs and logistic challenges remain, recent filings with the state show,” WyoFile reports. “That means the utilities’ Wyoming ratepayers, who are now collectively paying more than $3 million annually for the initial phases of study, will soon be paying $10 million to $20 million with no guarantee that a single coal plant might ultimately be retrofitted with the technology… “Rocky Mountain Power, the state’s largest electric utility, provided little new information regarding cost estimates that, a year ago, indicated a price tag of nearly $1 billion per coal unit to install the technology. Black Hills Energy, however, reported that the cost estimate for retrofitting the Wygen II power plant east of Gillette has changed little since last year — between $500 million to $668 million… “Although final determinations about whether to move forward with such retrofits are years away, both utilities say they’re advancing to the next, more expensive phases of engineering studies amid a long list of significant technical and cost challenges… “Despite not ruling out the potential for carbon capture retrofits, both utilities detailed many technical, logistical and environmental challenges, in addition to hefty price tags, if a retrofit project were to move forward to construction. Although Wyoming lawmakers — and Gov. Mark Gordon — hope that federal tax credits and the opportunity to sell captured carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery will help bring down cost estimates, the utilities’ new filings don’t seem to indicate an economically justified path forward, Shannon Anderson, who has tracked the effort for years, told WyoFile.  “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,” Anderson, an attorney for the Sheridan-based landowner advocacy group Powder River Basin Resource Council, told WyoFile.”

Tampa Bay Times: Hillsborough leaders may soon vote on carbon capture proposal. What’s in it?
Jack Prator, 4/2/24

“When Hillsborough County commissioners met in January to discuss a carbon capture pilot program, environmental advocates railed against the proposal. They were shocked by how little information was available to the public and were skeptical of big claims made by the South Korean company peddling this technology,” the Tampa Bay Times reports. “Records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show representatives from the company and county staff went back and forth multiple times since August, negotiating the terms of a draft agreement. County public works staff will brief commissioners on their findings Wednesday. They are poised to recommend greenlighting the program, according to a staff report shared with the Times ahead of the meeting… “When Hillsborough County staff first received the proposal from LowCarbon, they had very little to go on, county public utilities administrator George Cassady told the Times. “It didn’t have a significant amount of detail to it,” Cassady told the Times. “It just really kind of presented the technology in a big picture format.” In August, LowCarbon had asked the county to fully commit to a permanent facility on the condition that the pilot delivered on its promise of capturing one ton of carbon each day, records show. “We just absolutely don’t do that,” Cassady told the Times. “We will be the sole determiner of what happens after the pilot.” “…Oakley Shelton-Thomas, a researcher with Food & Water Watch, told the Times the company’s technology could act very differently in a scaled-up facility, making it impossible to rule out any issues or spills that could have an adverse effect on nearby land and air… “Brooke Ward, the senior Florida organizer with Food & Water Watch, told the Times she’d rather see the county support a transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources. She worries that a permanent plant built at the county’s expense would divert funds away from any future efforts to do so.” “…Ward has characterized carbon capture as an “industry scam” and said there’s a “big if” concerning whether LowCarbon will deliver on its promises.”

Gillette News Record: Carbon capture project at Dry Fork gets $4.6 million in federal funding
Jonathan Gallardo, 4/2/24

“A carbon capture project in Campbell County recently got more than $4 million in federal funding,” the Gillette News Record reports. “Last week, Membrane Technology and Research Carbon Capture received $4.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to develop a design study for an integrated carbon capture and storage project at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station. The Wyoming Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise, or CarbonSAFE project, which is led by the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources is a co-recipient on the award. The project includes a study for a proposed capture plant featuring MTR’s second-generation membrane. The project aims to capture, compress and store onsite 3 million tons of CO2 per year, achieving at least a 90% carbon capture rate… “This study funding is part of a program through the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations that seeks to address the need to advance carbon management technologies… “In 2023, the company began construction on a large-scale pilot plant at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center to capture CO2 from flue gas produced at Dry Fork Station. When operational later this year, it will be the world’s largest membrane-based carbon capture pilot project.”

KUMV: North Dakota nearing 5 billion barrels of oil drilled, Helms says focus on CO2 needed to maximize drilling potential
Michael Anthony, 4/1/24

“North Dakota is set to reach five billion barrels of oil drilled within the next month or so,” KUMV reports. “State Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms told KUMV building infrastructure for carbon dioxide will be the biggest factor in increasing the totals… “Helms told KUMV the current stopgap, set for around 2027, can be extended if TC Energy receives federal approval for the Bison Xpress Pipeline, which would add another two years of breathing room. “We hope we get approval this year, but we don’t have a federal government that likes oil and gas moving around,” Helms told KUMV. From that point, extending the lifespan of the Bakken will come from value-added natural gas facilities such as the Cerilon Gas-to-Liquids Plant and developments in Enhanced Oil Recovery, which is the process of injecting carbon dioxide into the ground to help remove more oil from the formation… “Helms told KUMV it will be vital to use carbon dioxide outside of the state to maximize the amount of oil recovered. “We’ve got to overcome this NIMBY (Not in my backyard) attitude of, ‘I don’t want this CO2 coming through my backyard to get to North Dakota.’ We are going to need everything we can get from… any place that will send it if we want that extra 10 billion barrels of oil,” Helms told KUMV.

EXTRACTION

Reuters: Ecologists report oil spill near Kazakh oil field in Caspian Sea
4/2/24

“An ecological organisation in Kazakhstan said on Tuesday that a large oil spill had been captured by satellite imagery in the northern Caspian Sea near Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oil field,” Reuters reports. “Galina Chernova of the Globus environmental organisation posted on Facebook that a slick of around 7 sq km (2.7 sq miles) had formed, citing images from Sentinel-1A, a European satellite. Kashagan, one of Kazakhstan’s largest oil fields, is being developed by the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) consortium, which includes Shell, Eni, opens TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil.”

Reuters: Shell says landmark emissions ruling won’t help climate goals
Bart H. Meijer, 4/2/24

“Shell on Tuesday told a Dutch court a 2021 order that it should drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions lacks a legal basis and risks obstructing the fight against climate change,” Reuters reports. “In a landmark ruling that shocked the energy sector, a lower Dutch court in 2021 ordered Shell to reduce its planet warming carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. The order related not only to Shell’s own emissions, but also to those caused by the buyers and users of its products around the globe. Shell said that implementing the ruling would force it to shrink its business and simply lead customers to shift to other suppliers of fuel. “This case has no legal basis”, Shell’s lawyer Daan Lunsingh Scheurleer told a court in The Hague on the first day of hearings in Shell’s appeal against the order. “It obstructs the role that Shell can and wants to play in the energy transition.” Shell’s lawyers said it was up to governments to set climate policies and goals, as courts lacked a mandate to do so. But Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which brought the case, said Shell influences government policies worldwide through its size and global presence and is one the most important drivers of demand for oil and gas… “The court has planned four days of hearings for the appeal this month. A verdict is expected in the second half of the year.”

Grist: Indigenous peoples’ climate labor benefits everyone. Should it be paid?
Taylar Dawn Stagner, 4/2/24

“Now 30, Big Wind spent most of their 20s fighting extraction projects. They were at Standing Rock, then, immediately after, traveled east to fight the construction of the Tennessee Gas pipeline,” Grist reports. “A Northern Arapaho tribal member from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Big Wind learned important financial lessons during those actions: Working collectively in resistance camps means resources are pooled and shared. That’s because climate work, at least at the individual level, doesn’t pay much. “You’re not really using money inside a camp, even though it’s helping get resources to function,” Big Wind told Grist. “There’s so much possibility, because nobody had to worry about their basic necessities,” they told Grist… “The unpaid labor that Big Wind provides to fight climate change is at the heart of a new paper published in Cambridge University Press called “Wages for Earthwork” — “earthwork” being the term to describe labor that takes care of the planet and provides benefits to all. That work should be compensated, argues essay author David Temin, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan. “If we’re going to think about a just transition to a world without fossil fuels, we need to put a lot of this invisible labor at the center,” Temin told Grist. “A lot of this is obvious to Indigenous communities. Everyone is implicitly benefiting from this.” “…Whereas unpaid housework and childcare have historically fallen to women, unpaid earthwork typically falls to Indigenous peoples, who are expected to steward land and share traditional ecological knowledge for free, Micheal Mikulewicz, a professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, told Grist. “The argument is they should be grateful that we are actually asking and trying to help, which doesn’t help them put food on the table,” Mikulewicz told Grist. 

EuroNews: NGOs demand stringent criteria for ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen
Robert Hodgson, 4/2/24

“The European Commission has been urged not to rush through legislation defining when a fuel can be considered ‘low-carbon’, a question that will determine what technologies qualify for policy and financial support, with far-reaching implications for the future of the natural gas industry,” EuroNews reports. “Following a political agreement with government delegates late last year, the European Parliament is expected to adopt next week a Gas and Hydrogen Markets Directive, which will give the EU executive one year to answer the complex question of what constitutes a ‘low-carbon’ fuel. Environmental groups, joined by the Danish shipping industry, called today (2 April) for the Commission to adopt a “robust definition for low-carbon hydrogen” that would ensure stringent conditions for hydrogen produced from natural gas in combination with carbon capture. “Only through a transparent process that puts scientific knowledge at the forefront can we make sure that so-called ‘blue hydrogen’ serves as a meaningful tool for climate action,” write the groups, among them Transport & Environment, Environmental Defense Fund and the climate think tank E3G. The groups were “deeply concerned” over calls to adopt the delegated legislation as quickly as possible. Although the gas directive has yet to be formally adopted, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson has stated she intends to present the delegated act before the end of her mandate in the autumn… “In their letter, the NGOs say hydrogen produced from fossil gas should only be classed as ‘low carbon’ where there is a very high capture rate of CO2 during production, citing figures as high as 98%. In addition, they would set stringent limits on upstream methane leakage and prohibit the use of carbon offsetting.”

Press release: U. S. Steel and CarbonFree Sign Definitive Agreement to Capture Carbon Dioxide Emissions at One of the Largest North American Integrated Steel Mills
4/3/24

“United States Steel Corporation and CarbonFree, a leader in carbon capture technology, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to capture carbon emissions generated from U.S. Steel’s Gary Works Blast Furnaces in a first-of-its-kind project. The project will use CarbonFree’s SkyCycle™technology to capture and mineralize up to 50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to emissions produced by nearly 12,000 passenger cars annually, and will have the opportunity to be expanded in the years to come… Construction on the SkyCycle plant in the U. S. Steel Gary Works facility is expected to commence as early as summer 2024 with operations projected to begin in 2026. The definitive agreement has a term of 20 years following its in-service date.”

Ethanol Producer: Rex Reports Near Record Financial Results, Continues Development Of CCS Project
ERIN VOEGELE, 3/28/24

“Rex American Resources Inc. on March 28 released financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter, reporting near record profits for both the three-month period and the full fiscal year. Sales volumes for ethanol and coproducts were up, and the company is progressing work on a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project,” Ethanol Producer reports. “…Rex CEO Zafar Rizvi discussed the ongoing CCS project at the company’s One Earth Energy plant in Illinois. He said construction of the carbon capture portion of the facility is expected to be complete by the end of the second quarter of this year. That portion of the project will begin testing after additional power sources are in place, he said. Rex is also working to prepare emergency response plans for the project and complete the required permitting, including the U.S. EPA’s Class VI injection permit, a pipeline permit pending with the Illinois Commerce Commission and a special use zoning permit from the county. “We are very keen to ensure complete compliance with all regulatory requirements and are committed to working closely with all appropriate agencies to get the One Earth Energy project approved and into service as fast and as safely as possible,” Rizvi said. The addition of CCS at One Earth Energy opens the company to other potential business lines, he added, including the production of low-carbon ethanol for use in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. There is also potential for the CCS project to take in carbon dioxide from other producers. 

Energy News Network: Not everyone in the hydrogen business wants to see weaker rules for federal tax credits
Kari Lydersen, 4/2/24

“The term “clean energy” often brings to mind gleaming solar panels, spinning wind turbines or water surging through a hydroelectric dam,” Energy News Network reports. “Few people would imagine dark salt caverns a mile underground, but these geologic formations could play a key role in the development of emissions-free green hydrogen. Hy Stor Energy wants to use such salt caverns in Mississippi and elsewhere to store hydrogen made by splitting water molecules with electrolysis powered by new renewable energy. The fuel could then be stored in the caverns until electricity demand spikes and then used to generate emissions-free electricity when other renewables can’t meet demand.  Hy Stor Energy is among the companies that supports proposed rules for a potentially lucrative federal tax credit for “green” hydrogen fuel production. These companies provide a counterpoint to power companies and other industry players who are pressuring the government to relax provisions that demand green hydrogen production does not use existing renewable or nuclear power that would otherwise be used on the grid. Companies, including members of federally funded hydrogen hubs, have argued that under the proposed rules governing the tax credit known as 45V, not enough hydrogen will be produced to meet demand and help develop a zero-emission economy. But environmental advocates and academics point to studies showing that hydrogen production without stringent rules can actually lead to emissions increases. They, along with some industry sources, are calling on the U.S. Treasury Department to enshrine proposed requirements that hydrogen receiving tax credits meet “three pillars”: The renewable energy used to power electrolysis must be newly added to the grid, known as incrementality or additionality; it must be generated near the hydrogen plant, known as deliverability; and it must be generated around the same time it is used, known as hourly matching. “Without the right rules in place, you’re going to see companies try to make as much hydrogen as possible, since the 45V tax credit is so lucrative,” Dan Esposito, manager of the electricity program for the consulting firm Energy Innovation: Policy & Technology, told ENN.

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Enbridge: Bridging the Gap for Students of Color Through Funding and Mentorship
4/2/24

“The opportunity gap for students of color is a nationwide problem in the United States, but it is particularly prevalent in Minnesota,” according to Enbridge. “Systemic change and funding are needed to reverse the problem, and that’s where the Page Education Foundation comes in… “Enbridge’s partnership with the Page Education Foundation began in 2022, with $25,000 in Fueling Futures funding provided to date to support various initiatives aimed at reducing educational barriers to students of color.”

OPINION

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: I’m a member of the Bad River Band and I support Enbridge Line 5 relocation
Pat Nemec is a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, Ashland resident and owner of LK1 Services in Ashland, 4/2/24

“As a proud tribal member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa and owner of LK1 Services in Ashland, I not only have a vested interest in the rights of my tribe, but also the economic well-being of our entire region,” Pat Nemec writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Not many projects have received more attention in our area than Enbridge’s effort to relocate its Line 5 pipeline off the Bad River Reservation. While some in the media and those opposed to the project would like you to believe all tribal members, or even all Ashland residents, have a unified view – I’m here to tell you many Bad River tribal members and many Ashland residents and business owners support the Line 5 relocation. Unfortunately, many Line 5 supporters in our area are unwilling to make their voices heard because of the hostile response we receive from those opposed to the project. Disagreement is fine, but silencing those with opposing views is wrong and un-American. This is why I’m speaking out. The reason so many of us support the relocation project is simple – economic benefits and affordable energy… “Line 5 has operated safely for many years. It has never spilled oil in the Bad River or Lake Superior… “The Line 5 relocation is an economic and jobs win for the Ashland area and the Bad River Tribe.”

NOLA.com: Carbon capture will put Louisiana in the forefront of energy innovation
Tommy Faucheux, president, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, 4/3/24

“For more than a century, Louisiana’s energy industry has led the way in innovation. Louisiana has an opportunity to capitalize on changing marketplace demands by utilizing carbon capture and storage, or CCS, and leading the future of energy,” Tommy Faucheux writes for NOLA.com. “CCS could create thousands of jobs, expand on environmental progress at our manufacturing and energy facilities and generate more revenue for Louisiana. Not only will CCS provide a viable pathway for the decarbonization and continued operation of key industrial, manufacturing and energy facilities, but it will also prevent facility closures and the offshoring of jobs and livelihoods. According to The Great Plains Institute, Louisiana could create up to 4,920 project jobs annually over a 15-year period… “Customers of Louisiana energy producers and manufacturers are demanding products with lower carbon footprints. If we don’t prioritize lower carbon operations in the Louisiana energy business, we risk getting left behind — sooner rather than later. By positioning ourselves as a global leader in CCS technology, Louisiana can control its own future, producing clean, American-made energy and facilitate economic growth that fosters new opportunities and progress for Louisiana’s vibrant energy industry.”

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Carbon capture and storage strengthens Mississippi’s economic future. Here is why
Haley Barbour is a former governor of Mississippi, 4/3/24

“…One of the most effective ways to create low-carbon products is with technologies like carbon capture and storage that complement our existing oil and natural gas infrastructure rather than dismantle it,” Haley Barbour writes for the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. “Government, industry and local communities are already partnering on expanding carbon capture and storage, particularly along the Gulf Coast. Over the coming years it will become even more important to see this technology flourish in Mississippi. It is essential to emphasize that carbon capture and storage is a safe, proven technology that has been rigorously studied by experts across the country and around the world… “Due to our unique geology, experienced workforce and strong pro-business policies, Mississippi can be at the forefront of meeting global demand for low-carbon energy made from natural gas… “That’s why companies like ExxonMobil are investing big in Mississippi as a leader in the low-carbon energy economy. The company’s recent purchase of Denbury, which operates 1,300 miles of pipeline for transporting captured carbon dioxide across the country, reflects its commitment to reducing carbon emissions with carbon capture and storage… “Our neighbors in Louisiana are already making a bet on carbon capture and storage. Last year their state Legislature cut regulatory red tape and became only the third state in the country to have oversight over carbon storage wells transferred from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to state regulators in a process known as primacy. So that we don’t fall into a competitive disadvantage, Mississippians must remain open to charting a similar path… “Carbon capture and storage can be a win-win solution for our state. I welcome every Mississippian to engage in this important conversation and play a role in making carbon capture and storage a centerpiece of our energy future.”