EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/1/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• DemocracyNow: A Dirty Debt Deal: Biden Blasted for Backing Fast-Track Approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline

• Appalachian Voices: Advocates to rally Sen. Warner to remove Mountain Valley Pipeline from debt ceiling bill

• Washington Examiner: Warner to vote for debt limit deal despite Mountain Valley Pipeline provision

• The Hill: Markey to oppose debt ceiling deal over fossil fuel permitting provisions

• Washington Post: Pipeline deal in debt limit deal angers climate advocates. Is it legal?

• Washington Post: Some experts are questioning Mountain Valley Pipeline’s emissions estimates

• Bloomberg: Judiciary Used as ‘Bargaining Chip’ in Debt Limit Pipeline Deal

• Roll Call: Debt bill’s pipeline provision puts Democrats in a tight spot

• NPR: What to know about the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the debt ceiling deal

• Common Dreams: Climate Coalition Demands Biden End Carbon Capture Pipeline ‘Pipe Dream’

• South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon Pipeline Firm Loses Bid To Hold Farmer In Contempt

• Cedar Rapids Gazette: Federal pipeline regulators hear Iowans’ safety concerns

• KCCI: Iowans demand more pipeline safety rules

• Bismarck Tribune: DAPL influenced Summit’s CO2 pipeline route, analysis shows; final public hearing set Friday in Bismarck

• Center for Applied Environmental Science: Risks of CO2 Leakage from Geological Reservoirs and Pipelines

• Politico: Trudeau Cabinet approves another C$3B in loan guarantees for Trans Mountain pipeline

• The Progress-Index: ‘They have an army of lobbyists:’ Natural gas company TC Energy lobbied Black preachers and city officials for support

• Seeking Alpha: Kinder Morgan to boost storage capacity on Texas intrastate pipeline system

• Ashland Daily Press: More Line 5 protests held

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Podesta takes debt deal to the Hill, hits Dem resistance

• E&E News: Biden’s climate gamble in the debt deal

• E&E News: White House: Debt deal won’t end permitting talks

• E&E News: Lawmakers unsure about path forward on permitting

• Lever News: Debt Deal Gives Fossil Fuel Lobby A Legal Shield

• Reuters: Commonwealth LNG expects first US export permit by June

EXTRACTION

• Bloomberg: Equinor Delays Canadian Offshore Oil Project as Costs Rise

• Petroleum Economist: Oil sands face uncertain future in post-peak world

• Press release: ExxonMobil signs carbon capture agreement with Nucor Corporation, reaching 5 MTA milestone

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Barron’s: The Big Winner in the Debt-Ceiling Deal Is a Little-Known Stock

OPINION

• The Hill: Manchin’s pipeline is back, thanks to the debt bill — here’s why it’s not going anywhere

• Wall Street Journal: Republicans Get Joe Manchin His Mountain Valley Pipeline

• Digital Journal: Op-Ed: Manchin’s pipeline has no place in the US debt limit deal

• IEFFA: Mountain Valley Pipeline debt deal undercuts U.S. governing values

• Climate Investigations Center: CCS CO2 Pipelines: A Triple 48 Inch Reality Check
  

PIPELINE NEWS

DemocracyNow: A Dirty Debt Deal: Biden Blasted for Backing Fast-Track Approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline
5/31/23

“As lawmakers push through the bipartisan deal to raise the debt limit, it is being called a “dirty debt ceiling deal” by opponents because it includes language meant to speed completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” DemocracyNow reports. ”…They can’t build this pipeline and follow the law,” says Maury Johnson, a West Virginian who lives in the path of the massive pipeline and says approval of the deal would show corporations they can simply “throw a bunch of money to politicians” in order to overcome environmental concerns and local opposition from residents… “Maury Johnson is a southern West Virginia landowner whose organic farm has already been impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. He’s a member of Preserve Monroe, as well as the POWHR Coalition — that is, Protect Our Water, Heritage and Rights Coalition. Both groups have been opposing MVP. His new essay for Common Dreams is headlined “It Is Time to Kill the ‘Dirty Deal’ Once and For All.” “…I’m what a sacrifice looks like. If this deal goes through, this dirty deal of Joe Manchin’s pet project, Mountain Valley Pipeline, everybody in America needs to look in the mirror and say, “I can be sacrificed also.” “…One other thing, the day before Earth Day, President Biden issued an executive order saying that environmental justice for all is the priority of his administration. He cannot say that and permit things like the Willow project, the more LNG projects in the Gulf Coast and more pipelines across Appalachia… “This project has been very poorly designed from the very beginning, and we have told them so many, many, many times. And all they do is pay more legislators. If this project is added to the dirty — to this debt ceiling, then that just will violate constitutional law. It will end democracy for people, for citizens being able to say, “This is wrong. You can’t do this.” All that corporations would have to do is throw a bunch of money to politicians. The corporations get rich, the politicians get rich, and the people and the citizens of the country are sacrificed.”

Appalachian Voices: Advocates to rally Sen. Warner to remove Mountain Valley Pipeline from debt ceiling bill
5/31/23

“On Thursday, June 1, communities across Virginia will rally at Sen. Mark Warner’s regional offices to ask him to support an amendment to remove the Mountain Valley Pipeline from the debt ceiling bill. The bill, the ‘Fiscal Responsibility Act,’ contains a provision which grants special favors to exempt the beleaguered pipeline from environmental review and court challenges. This unprecedented interference from Congress is occuring while the project is missing both a West Virginia water permit and an Army Corps authorization, and faces new litigation. Sen. Tim Kaine has announced he will introduce an amendment to have the provision removed in the Senate, and advocates will gather outside Senate offices to encourage Sen. Warner to support this amendment. Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan recently submitted a House amendment with other members of the Virginia House delegation, but the amendment did not pass through the House Rules Committee. The bill’s provisions affecting the Mountain Valley Pipeline, National Environmental Policy Act and working families have faced significant pushback from the public and from members of Congress. The June 1 outdoor regional rallies will include featured speakers, colorful visuals and letter deliveries to Sen. Warner’s offices.”

Washington Examiner: Warner to vote for debt limit deal despite Mountain Valley Pipeline provision
Jeremy Beaman, 5/31/23

“Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) will vote in favor of the agreement between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to raise the debt ceiling, despite a provision expediting the completion of an interstate natural gas pipeline in Virginia that has driven other Democrats to oppose the plan,” the Washington Examiner reports. “…Warner also opposes the pipeline language in the debt ceiling bill, his office told the Examiner Wednesday, but will support it nonetheless. “While Senator Warner opposes the inclusion of language pertaining to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, he does not support defaulting on our nation’s debt. He plans to vote for the bill,” a spokesperson told the Examiner. Warner’s office did not say whether he will support Kaine’s amendment… “The Senate voted on Manchin’s bill in December, but it failed to pass. Warner voted in favor of the Manchin bill, while Kaine and eight other Democrats joined most Republicans in opposing it.”

The Hill: Markey to oppose debt ceiling deal over fossil fuel permitting provisions
ZACK BUDRYK, 5/31/23

“Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) confirmed Wednesday evening that he will oppose the deal between President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to raise the debt ceiling, specifically citing its provisions overhauling the energy permitting process,” The Hill reports. “I will not support a deal to fast-track dirty fossil fuel projects at the expense of environmental justice. I will not give polluters a Get Out of Jail Free card. I will vote NO on the default deal,” the Massachusetts Democrat tweeted Wednesday… “Markey, one of the Senate’s most vocal proponents of climate action, previously joined several other Senate Democrats in opposing the inclusion of fossil fuel permitting reform in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act at the end of 2022… “Markey’s confirmation that he will not back the measure comes shortly after another Senate progressive, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said earlier Wednesday that he will not support the measure if it reaches the chamber, also citing the pipeline provisions and calling on the president to invoke the 14th Amendment to avert a default.”

Washington Post: Pipeline deal in debt limit deal angers climate advocates. Is it legal?
Rachel Weiner, 5/31/23

“Environmental advocates who have fought the Mountain Valley Pipeline in court for years say a deal between the White House and Congress to force its completion is corrupt and corrosive to democracy,” the Washington Post reports. “But despite fears in some quarters that the language of the deal built into debt ceiling negotiations will upend the system of checks and balances built in the government, experts say it is likely to withstand any legal challenge… “Can they do this? Almost certainly, yes,” Jay Austin of the nonprofit Environmental Law Institute told the Post. Lawmakers have made similar moves in the past, Austin told the Post, that have been controversial but generally have been held to be constitutional… “Environmental litigators told the Post they could not think of another bill that exempted a project from all legal challenges after it had repeatedly failed to meet environmental standards. “I think there is a separation-of-powers problem when Congress steps in to overturn judicial process at a case-specific level like this,” Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen, whose group opposes the pipeline, told the Post. “That is not how the three branches are intended to work with each other.” “…It’s shameful for President Biden to be using the same tactics,” the lawyer Jean Su, who litigated that case for the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Post. “He’s allowing for these Trump administration ideas to come through, that we can curtail an entire branch of our government to build these super-polluting, harmful projects.”

Washington Post: Some experts are questioning Mountain Valley Pipeline’s emissions estimates
Maxine Joselow, 6/1/23

“Environmentalists are blasting provisions in the debt ceiling bill to expedite the Mountain Valley Pipeline, saying the project will lead to a massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions,” the Washington Post reports. “But just how many million metric tons of emissions will the pipeline pump into the atmosphere? That’s the subject of a burgeoning debate among energy analysts. Many climate activists have cited a 2017 analysis by Oil Change International that found the pipeline would lead to annual emissions of more than 89 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — the same as adding 26 coal plants or 19 million passenger cars. Yesterday, protestors with the group Climate Defiance cited this analysis when interrupting a speech by Heather Boushey, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, at a sustainability conference: Jamie Henn, the founder and director of Fossil Free Media, also invoked those Oil Change International findings when encouraging people to attend a rally against the pipeline next week: But several energy analysts told us the Oil Change International emissions estimates are too high… “A third energy analyst agreed with Jenkins and Raimi’s critiques, saying a more accurate estimate of the pipeline’s annual emissions would be 6 to 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, rather than 89 million metric tons. The analyst spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relationships with environmentalists who oppose the pipeline and who might view lower emissions estimates as a tacit endorsement of the project. Lorne Stockman, the lead author of the analysis and research co-director at Oil Change International, defended his assumptions about both gas consumption and methane leakage.  In particular, Stockman argued that if the pipeline were never built, not all of the gas would still be burned. Instead, he told the Post, renewable energy could replace some of that gas, especially since it’s cheaper to build new solar and wind farms than new gas plants. Still, Stockman said he is “happy to admit that our methodology is not necessarily perfect and that we weren’t attempting to have a definitive number here. This is all based on very limited data.” Ultimately, Stockman contended that even if the pipeline will lead to lower emissions than his analysis suggests, it still shouldn’t be fast-tracked by Congress. “16 million tons of CO2 per year is still 16 million tons more than we should be adding at this point in the climate crisis,” he told the Post.

Bloomberg: Judiciary Used as ‘Bargaining Chip’ in Debt Limit Pipeline Deal
Lydia Wheeler, 5/31/23

“A provision in the debt ceiling deal that strips Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) pipeline project of judicial review comes as Senate Democrats have criticized conservatives for strategically using the judiciary for their political gain,” Bloomberg reports. “Conservatives have had great success funneling lawsuits, including ones that challenged abortion pills and protections for LGBTQ people, to the Northern District of Texas where case assignments all but ensure they’ll get heard by sympathetic judges. It’s not unprecedented for Congress to dictate the terms by which courts can review a given statute or even consider it all. Still, legal scholars say the timing of the offer isn’t ideal. “Democrats are using the judiciary essentially as a bargaining chip in this deal,” Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, told Bloomberg. But she said it’s not an irrational move. “It’s to avoid economic catastrophe and in some ways you do what you need to do,” she told Bloomberg… “This is a one way ratchet,” Richard Lazarus, who teaches environmental law at Harvard Law School, told Bloomberg. “No judicial review of a grant, but presumably judicial review of a denial.” Because the text of the proposal is silent on whether courts can review a legal challenge to a permit that’s denied, legal scholars say it may still be a possibility. Any legal challenges to this provision of the debt ceiling deal would have to go before the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a court that’s seen as more favorable to the project. George Washington University Law professor Emily Hammond told Bloomberg the deal directs the Army Corp of Engineers to issue all necessary permits and ignore state environmental laws, which have been at the heart of legal challenges before the Fourth Circuit. Hammond told Bloomberg the debt ceiling deal not only disrupts the role of agency expertise in permitting landscapes but also the role of courts in ensuring agencies are following the law. “Appalachia is the bargaining chip here,” they told Bloomberg. “The judiciary is also a casualty in the sense of, really, the provision that eliminates any judicial review of permitting. Making the sole jurisdiction to consider the validity of the bill itself in the D.C. Circuit is a marginal move compared to those first two.” :..The deal, however, is a gift for Manchin. And while it’s not clear if Democrats would be willing to relinquish the power of judicial review for anything other than a debt ceiling deal, Hammond worries they might. “Seeing that we have the precedent set now for this kind of approach, we ought to be on the lookout for it in the future,” they told Bloomberg.

Roll Call: Debt bill’s pipeline provision puts Democrats in a tight spot
Benjamin J. Hulac, 5/31/23

“A bill to lift the limit on federal borrowing would claw back unspent funding on water, science, tribal, cybersecurity and pollution programs; tweak portions of a long-standing permitting law; and approve a gas pipeline long advocated by West Virginia’s two senators,” Roll Call reports. “Democrats including Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who wants to amend the bill by stripping out approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, said they were surprised the project was included. “It affects a whole lot of landowners who are going to have their property taken for it,” Kaine told Roll Call. “I think I ought to get an amendment vote.” “…It also drew opposition from some Republicans, including Reps. Keith Self of Texas and Nancy Mace of South Carolina. “It’s not a pipeline bill, it’s a debt ceiling,” Mace, who pledged to vote against the legislation, told Roll Call. “I mean, we need a pipeline in South Carolina,” Mace said. “It’s just so typical in Washington of the bullsh-t that goes on up here.”  House Democrats typically vocal on climate issues, like Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, Mike Quigley of Illinois and Ted Lieu of California, were noncommittal when asked how they will vote on the legislation, which is cued up for a floor vote Wednesday.”

NPR: What to know about the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the debt ceiling deal
Bill Chappell, 5/31/23

“The controversial natural gas pipeline has been stalled by court challenges — but now the Mountain Valley Pipeline has new momentum, thanks to a debt ceiling deal that gives sweeping approvals to the project,” NPR reports. “…In an extraordinary move, the federal measure would also quash lawsuits against the pipeline project and send any new appeals to the D.C. Circuit rather than the Fourth Circuit, which has regional jurisdiction and which has blocked numerous permits. The Fiscal Responsibility Act devotes fewer pages to the debt ceiling than it does to the pipeline, a longtime cause for Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — who holds a critical vote in a closely divided Senate — and Republicans from his state. Manchin receives three times as much money from pipeline companies as any other member of Congress, according to Open Secrets… “The American Exploration and Production Council, a lobbying group for oil and gas producers, hailed the deal, with CEO Anne Bradbury saying in an email to NPR that by approving the pipeline and promising changes to the permitting system, a bureaucratic process will become more streamlined. But the Natural Resources Defense Council disagrees, saying the new deal would remove key avenues for legal and environmental review. It also says that much of the official narrative about the pipeline is false — despite claims by Manchin and others, the group says, the pipeline isn’t needed and still faces important legal hurdles. The League of Conservation Voters is also against the pipeline’s inclusion in the debt deal… “Some of the most conservative House members are furious with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the the debt ceiling deal, saying it gives Democrats too many concessions and doesn’t go far enough in reaching Republican goals… “Critics are also asking why the debt deal legislation being considered in the House, which runs to 99 pages, devotes so much space to other matters, like revamping the federal permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act.”

Common Dreams: Climate Coalition Demands Biden End Carbon Capture Pipeline ‘Pipe Dream’
BRETT WILKINS, 5/30/23

“More than 150 climate and other advocacy groups on Tuesday urged U.S. President Joe Biden to block authorization of all new carbon dioxide pipelines—which experts say increase emissions while posing serious safety risks due largely to underregulation—until adequate safety rules are enacted,” Common Dreams reports. “We call on you to issue an executive order putting a moratorium on all federal permits for CO2 pipelines and related infrastructure, and urging states to do the same until the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) finalizes robust new safety regulations that protect communities and the environment,” the coalition wrote in a letter to the president. “PHMSA is planning to propose revised regulations in the fall of 2024, in response to a rupture of a pipeline transporting CO2 in Satartia, Mississippi that hospitalized residents and posed significant challenges for first responders who were ill-equipped to respond to such an emergency,” the signers wrote. “However, we are facing a massive build-out of CO2 pipelines now; in the absence of updated federal regulations, our communities face the risk of much larger and more devastating ruptures.” “Experts say that, in addition to emitting harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, CCS actually contributes to a net increase in emissions… “We need President Biden to listen to the growing chorus of voices who are demanding a stop to dirty energy interests’ rush to build dangerous and unsafe pipelines to transport CO2,” Food & Water Watch policy director Jim Walsh said in a statement. “This industry pipe dream will quickly become a nightmare for communities in the path of these profit-driven schemes that can explode and send plumes of suffocating CO2 for miles.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon Pipeline Firm Loses Bid To Hold Farmer In Contempt
Joshua Haiar, 5/31/23

“A company proposing a carbon-capture pipeline lost its attempt to hold a farmer in contempt of court for allegedly threatening to shoot land surveyors,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “Judge Richard Sommers presided over the hearing Wednesday at the Brown County Courthouse. He declined to hold the farmer, Jared Bossly, in contempt but ordered lawyers for both sides to determine an acceptable time for the surveyors to do their work. State law allows pipeline companies that have requested a permit from the Public Utilities Commission to conduct surveys without a landowner’s permission, after providing 30 days’ notice to the landowner. Sommers recently upheld that right after a group of landowners sued to challenge it, and that decision is being appealed to the state Supreme Court; meanwhile, Summit claimed Bossly should be held in contempt for making threats that prevented surveyors from doing their job… “About 50 opponents of the pipeline project attended the hearing in support of Bossly. Some alleged in interviews with South Dakota Searchlight that the company fabricated the confrontation to make an example of Bossly, and to intimidate landowners. Craig Schaunaman, who farms near Bossly, told Searchlight he saw Bossly around the time the alleged threatening phone call took place, but didn’t see any strange behavior. “The accusations just don’t hold up,” Schaunaman told Searchlight. “I saw him across the road that day.” Bossly’s attorney, Brian Jorde, told Searchlight the judge’s decision was the right one, but Jorde wanted a chance to lay out evidence in support of his client. “We want to clear his name,” Jorde said during the court proceeding. “The allegations are still out there, and we want to correct the record.”

Cedar Rapids Gazette: Federal pipeline regulators hear Iowans’ safety concerns
Erin Jordan, 5/31/23

“Many Iowans want federal regulators to expect more from carbon dioxide capture pipeline developers, and trust the companies less when it comes to policing their own systems,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “That was a theme of the first day of a two-day meeting with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates the 2.6 million miles of natural gas and hazardous materials pipelines in the United States. Opponents of three proposed CO2 pipelines in Iowa asked the administration to hold a public meeting in Iowa — the epicenter for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration — and many people at the meeting Wednesday thanked the regulators for listening. “We’re really hoping as government agencies, you’re able to set setback distances because relying on third parties to get these pipelines in as quickly as possible isn’t in the safety interest of the people affected,” speaker Dr. Meredith McKean told a panel that included representatives from the pipeline administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy… “Many of the audience members want to halt pipeline projects completely. They reacted with dismay when Kevin Dooley, a carbon transport engineer with the Energy Department, said the U.S. government expects there will be up to 60,000 miles of CO2 pipelines — up from about 5,000 miles now — to meet the Biden administration’s goal of being net zero carbon emissions by 2050. “60,000 miles of pipe?” said Sherri Webb, a Shelby County landowner. “That’s awful.” Tensions rose late in the day when Dan Wahl, of Spirit Lake, asked the pipeline administration to establish setbacks for where pipelines can be built from homes, schools and other facilities. Wahl is facing a lawsuit by Summit Carbon Solutions, which is seeking an injunction to prohibit landowners from interfering with surveys for a proposed CO2 pipeline in western and north-central Iowa. “Who is going to stand up and take responsibility?” Wahl said. “What does it take to issue a moratorium?” “…A protest scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday outside the Marriott did not gather many supporters because most opponents were in the meeting, but some people stood on the street with signs.”

KCCI: Iowans demand more pipeline safety rules
Laura Terrell, 5/31/23

“Protesters gathered in downtown Des Moines on Wednesday to demand a moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines until more safety regulations are in place,” KCCI reports. “The group of a few dozen protestors stood outside the downtown Marriott where pipeline leaders are holding a large conference. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, known as PHMSA, also has representatives at the conference. PHMSA is the federal agency responsible for regulating pipelines… “Several dozen Iowa landowners attended the conference and spoke in opposition to three carbon dioxide pipeline projects planned to go through Iowa. “I want them to wait until they have new regulations in there before they build it,” said Kathy Stockdale. Stockdale owns a farm in Hardin County where two pipelines are planned to go through her property. She wants the pipelines to be put on hold until PHMSA implements stricter safety standards for companies who build the pipelines. “We do the research. We try to ask questions, but they will not give us direct answers,” Stockdale said. Stockdale told PHMSA officials she is frustrated with the lack of answers provided by Summit Carbon Solutions, one of the companies planning to build a pipeline through Iowa. “There are people who are in this for money, and they are taking it from us. It’s appalling to me. I don’t understand how this can be happening,” said Patricia Dumolien, who owns a farm in Scott County. Critics of the carbon dioxide pipelines referenced a pipeline explosion in Mississippi in 2020. More than 40 people were hospitalized after the rupture. Protesters fear a similar CO2 poisoning could happen in Iowa. “Lots of folks are going to be living in rural communities that have volunteer fire departments that are just not equipped to deal with a rupture when it happens,” Ava Auen-Ryan with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, told KCCI

Bismarck Tribune: DAPL influenced Summit’s CO2 pipeline route, analysis shows; final public hearing set Friday in Bismarck
BLAKE NICHOLSON, 5/31/23

“A desire to head off a Dakota Access-type protest is one reason the company behind the planned Midwest Carbon Express carbon dioxide pipeline has ruled out a route to the south of Bismarck, according to an analysis that Summit Carbon Solutions has filed with state regulators,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “Summit also cites several other reasons for putting the route to the north of Bismarck, where many landowners worry about safety and where some people and officials think it could impede the capital city’s northward progression. Those reasons range from geography challenges to project delays and cost increases. “A southern route presents significant unknowns and risks — including potential impacts to resources for which there may not be viable mitigation options, including the historically negative impact to tribal lands,” the company concluded in its analysis submitted Tuesday to the state Public Service Commission, which is considering whether to permit the route… “The PSC on Friday is holding the last of five public hearings on the project. It begins at 8:30 a.m. Central time in Russell Reid Auditorium at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck. Summit analyzed a possible southern route at the request of the PSC after north Bismarck opposition surfaced, though the company states in its report that it had identified multiple potential routes at the beginning of the project, including an area from the University of Mary south to the Dakota Access oil pipeline crossing of the Missouri River just to the north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation… “Summit states in its analysis that “relocating the (CO2 pipeline) project would raise major concerns for area tribes and their supporters regionally and nationally.” “Moving the pipeline to the south of Bismarck and moving a pipeline project away from non-tribal interests and lands would likely cause significant controversy due to further impacts to this historically sensitive area,” the company wrote. Summit also said it would be “improbable” that the company could get required federal permits for a river crossing to the south of Bismarck “based on lessons learned from the Dakota Access Pipeline.” The Corps faced lengthy litigation from tribes that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and the agency is still working on a court-mandated environmental study of the DAPL river crossing six years after oil began flowing through the pipeline… “A reroute could delay the project up to two years. “Summit strongly believes that it has chosen the safest, most prudent route for the project based on a multitude of factors, and to reroute the project to the south of Bismarck at this stage of development would add unnecessary cost, schedule delay, and offset many of the impact mitigation measures that have been implemented,” the company said. The citizen group North Dakota Energy Council, which formed to give Burleigh County residents and landowners a voice in the Summit pipeline debate, thinks “It’s unfortunate that they’re ruling (a south route) out entirely,” spokesman Dustin Gawrylow, director of the North Dakota Watchdog Network, told the Tribune. 

Center for Applied Environmental Science: Risks of CO2 Leakage from Geological Reservoirs and Pipelines
5/30/23

“Billions of federal dollars are accelerating carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon transport technologies, raising the prospect of commercial-scale CCS hubs in several parts of the country. Will a massive CCS scale-up combat climate change or prove to be another false solution? This webinar session (Thursday, June 1, 11am CT) will provide an overview of two categories of technical risks: CO2 leakage from the storage reservoir and during transport via pipeline,” according to the Center for Applied Environmental Science. “Join us for: Detailed look at Class VI injection well permit requirements; Understanding CO2 leakage risk via abandoned wells; Potential impacts of CO2 and brine leakage during CCS; Risk of corrosion failures in CO2 pipelines; Suitability of existing gas pipelines for reuse for CO2 transport. PRESENTERS: Cyndhia Ramatchandirane is a staff scientist on the Fossil Fuels team at Earthjustice and a member of the CAES Advisory Group; Dominic DiGiulio, Ph.D. is a senior research scientist with more than 37 years of experience working on contaminant fate and transport issues; Steven Jansto, Ph.D., MBA has extensive technical and operational expertise in metallurgy and steelmaking.

Politico: Trudeau Cabinet approves another C$3B in loan guarantees for Trans Mountain pipeline
ZI-ANN LUM 5/31/23

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is so committed to selling the Trans Mountain pipeline it owns that the Liberal Cabinet recently approved an additional C$3 billion to finish the expansion project,” Politico reports. “More than a year ago, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced a public funding freeze on the pipeline. On March 24 and May 2, Cabinet approved money for the embattled project, split between two loan guarantees. The pipeline is an “integral part of Canada’s long-term energy infrastructure,” Finance Canada spokesperson Marie-France Faucher told Politico. She referenced Trans Mountain’s first quarter financial statements that reference a search for third-party financing. “As part of this process, the Government of Canada has provided a loan guarantee on behalf of the corporation,” Faucher told Politico. “This is common practice and does not reflect any new public spending. The company is paying a fee to the government for this loan guarantee.” Faucher told Politico the government will launch a divestment process “in due course.” “…The loan guarantees are administered under the Canada Account at Export Development Canada (EDC), a federal Crown corporation. Projects deemed too risky for EDC’s own books are routed through that account, which requires Cabinet sign-off when the international trade minister deems transactions in “Canada’s national interest.” “…Years of protests peaked five years ago when its former owners, Texas-based Kinder Morgan, decided the project was too risky, citing political certainty as a reason to sell. Negotiations with the Trudeau government settled on an initial C$4.5 billion price for the pipeline’s assets. Construction costs have continued to climb in recent years, with the pandemic, historic floods and inflation adding to its price tag. The latest estimate pegs the expansion project cost at C$30.9 billion. A consortium of Canada’s leading banks including Royal Bank of Canada, TD Securities and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, have since stepped up to backstop the government project, according to an analysis from Stand.earth last year.”

The Progress-Index: ‘They have an army of lobbyists:’ Natural gas company TC Energy lobbied Black preachers and city officials for support
Joyce Chu, 6/1/23

“Part of natural gas company TC Energy’s outreach efforts consisted of lobbying city leaders for their latest project and forming an all-Black advisory committee to garner “buy-in,” according to FOIA’ed documents and a community member who was recruited for outreach,” The Progress-Index reports. “Last year, the Richmond NAACP president recruited Petersburg community leader Lafayette Jefferson to be part TC Energy’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) that would be tasked with outreach. NAACP president James Minor made it clear to Jefferson that this committee would support TC Energy’s latest plans, the Virginia Reliability Project, that would widen the natural gas pipeline and increase the horsepower of the compressor station located in Prince George on the border of Petersburg, thus raising the pollutants in the immediate area of the station… “TC Energy stated that it formed the Community Advisory Committee “to help examine potential environmental and social impacts of the VRP and foster broad stakeholder engagement with environmental justice communities,” according to a report by the government agency that oversees the transmission of natural gas, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Jefferson described the committee as one that was trying to get “buy-in” from heads of governments and organizations. At one of the advisory committee meetings, one of the Black preachers asked if TC Energy stocks would go up as a result of this project because he was considering buying some shares. When Lafayette questioned the environmental impacts of the project during a zoom meeting, he wasn’t given straight answers. TC Energy withdrew his membership in the committee after Jefferson gave comments to a Guardian reporter about the company using Black leaders “to deceive the rest of the community and look like it’s meeting regulatory requirements without actually knocking on any doors, in order to push the deal through,” Jefferson told PI. Jefferson attended two meetings before a TC Energy employee told him via email that “parting ways…is the best option given your feelings and comments on the project.” “My impressions were they didn’t actually give a damn about the people that will be impacted,” he told PI. TC Energy did not respond to inquiries about why Jefferson is no longer with the advisory committee, or how they plan to foster an environment of genuine community input and listening to peoples’ concerns of health and safety. They also did not answer questions on how they plan to mitigate environmental and health impacts on communities that are vulnerable like Petersburg. Richmond NAACP president Minor also tried to solicit support from Petersburg city leaders for the VRP last year, emails obtained through a FOIA request by the utility watchdog Energy and Policy Institute show. Minor asked councilmembers to sign pre-written letters in support of TC Energy’s project.”

Seeking Alpha: Kinder Morgan to boost storage capacity on Texas intrastate pipeline system
Carl Surran, 5/31/23

“Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) unveiled a plan Wednesday to expand working gas storage capacity at its Markham Storage facility on the Texas Gulf Coast,” Seeking Alpha reports. “Kinder Morgan (KMI) said it reached an agreement with Underground Services Markham, a subsidiary of Texas Brine Company, to lease an additional cavern at Markham to provide more than 6B cf of incremental working gas storage capacity and 650M cf/day of incremental withdrawal capacity on KMI’s 7,000-mile Texas intrastate pipeline system… “Anchor shippers have subscribed to about half of the available capacity under long-term agreements, and commercial in-service for the project is expected in January 2024, the company said.”

Ashland Daily Press: More Line 5 protests held
Tom Stankard, 5/31/23

“Protestors spent last weekend near the Bad River bridge on Highway 2 demonstrating against a proposed reroute of Enbridge Energy Co.’s Line 5 pipeline,” the Ashland Daily Press reports. 

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Podesta takes debt deal to the Hill, hits Dem resistance
Emma Dumain, Robin Bravender, 5/31/23

“Top Biden White House officials got an earful from climate advocates Wednesday as they pitched the major energy and climate components of the deal to raise the debt ceiling,” E&E News reports. “White House climate and energy adviser John Podesta was briefing House Democrats on the deal Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill, where he took flak from his own party. Across town, White House economist Heather Boushey faced protesters who oppose the administration’s fossil fuel policies at a sustainability conference. The White House and top Democrats are working quickly to sell their allies on the deal, which Congress needs to pass before June 5 to avoid the first U.S. default in history… “Podesta attended a closed-door meeting of House Democrats Wednesday morning in anticipation of a vote Wednesday evening on the “Fiscal Responsibility Act,” a 99-page bill to raise the debt ceiling to January 2025, contingent on a slew of policy riders. Democrats laid out their complaints. “As the ranking member of oversight on House Natural Resources, and as a water resources professional, it’s a hard pill to swallow to know that folks who were sitting in the room allowed our fundamental environmental laws to get gutted,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) told E&E. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told E&E he had informed Podesta — who was there on behalf of the administration to pitch members on the energy provisions of the debt ceiling agreement — that it was “pretty cold comfort to tell progressives and environmentalists and [environmental justice] advocates, and millions of young people that care about the climate crisis, that it could have been worse.” “…Climate hawks are also furious about the surprise addition of language to green-light the Mountain Valley pipeline, the contentious natural gas project long pushed by West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R). “They’re trying to come in and cut environmental protections and trying to ram through an oil pipeline through a community that does not want it,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who plans to vote “no” on the bill Wednesday night, told E&E. At the same time, the White House did not secure in the debt limit deal language that would boost transmission deployment for renewable energy projects, which Democrats — including Podesta — have said was a necessary component of any meaningful permitting overhaul push… “Casten suggested he would decide how he will vote based on how many Democrats are needed to make up for a potential Republican shortfall that could tank the bill and raise the prospects for default. Democrats leaving the meeting with Podesta — who was joined by Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti and National Economic Council Deputy Director Aviva Aron-Dine — described the nearly two-hour meeting as more of a listening session and an airing of grievances rather than a discussion of next steps. “He acknowledged that [the transmission study] was not really a win by Democrats,” Huffman told E&E of Podesta’s message in the room. “He essentially said they’ll do some cleanup work on transmission, to make sure this study doesn’t sideline and delay transmission projects … but we’re hearing there’s a side deal of another shoe to drop, where maybe we get a little something on transmission but we give away something on pipelines and more environmental rollbacks.”

E&E News: Biden’s climate gamble in the debt deal
Robin Bravender, Timothy Cama, 5/30/23

“President Joe Biden is in hot water with climate activists. Again,” E&E News reports. “Environmental advocates are assailing what they call “poison pills” in the debt limit deal the White House made with congressional Republicans over the weekend. They’re outraged over what they call a “climate-killing” move to advance a contentious natural gas pipeline and provisions to speed up permitting for energy projects. Some climate activists are even vowing to blockade Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s home in Brooklyn on Tuesday over opposition to the climate provisions in the deal. The backlash from the left marks the latest skirmish between the Biden White House and climate hawks still fuming over the administration’s decision earlier this year to greenlight the massive Willow oil and gas drilling project on federal land in Alaska… “A coalition of groups including the Center for Biological Diversity, Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth and others are urging Democrats to pass a clean debt ceiling bill free of “unnecessary poison pill riders” including the approval of the Mountain Valley pipeline and changes to the National Environmental Policy Act’s permitting process… “But while some green groups are painting the deal as a big loss for Biden, the White House and other Democrats view the deal as a necessary political move to keep the nation from defaulting on its debt and to safeguard the massive renewable energy investments in last year’s climate law… “And while critics argue that changes to speed up the permitting process for energy projects will hurt the climate and pollute communities, the White House says those moves will help speed the transition to renewable energy… “Ultimately, former Biden White House climate official David Hayes told E&E, “no one can get excited about this deal.” “…The Mountain Valley pipeline, or MVP, a long-stalled project to send natural gas from West Virginia to southern Virginia is “essentially done,” Hayes told E&E. Hayes also called the debt deal’s NEPA permitting revisions “annoying” but doesn’t expect them to have much practical value. “The basic structure of NEPA continues, he told E&E. “This is around-the-edge stuff.”

E&E News: White House: Debt deal won’t end permitting talks
Robin Bravender, 5/30/23

“The White House sees more work to be done on overhauling the federal permitting process after reaching a deal to include permitting changes in legislation to increase the federal debt limit,” E&E News reports. “We got a little done here, but we’ll need to get more done later,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told E&E Tuesday of the permitting reform language included in the debt deal… “We all thought permitting would be a part of this package,” Young told E&E Tuesday when asked about the inclusion of the pipeline approval. “We all have an interest to make sure that these projects move faster,” she told E&E. Administration officials are pitching the permitting provisions as a way to ease the process for renewable energy projects, while critics on the left warn that the new process will allow industry to skirt environmental safeguards. The language in the deal “was a start of a longer process that both parties know we have to do, especially to get clean energy projects going,” Young told E&E. She suggested that permitting negotiations haven’t ended with this deal. “I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that permitting was a key part of a compromise piece,” she told E&E. White House officials are also lauding the debt limit deal for keeping the landmark climate law, which Democrats have dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, intact.”

E&E News: Lawmakers unsure about path forward on permitting
Kelsey Brugger, Nidhi Prakash, Emma Dumain, 5/31/23

“Democrats came up short on permitting in the debt ceiling deal, and key lawmakers are casting doubt on whether there’s still a viable path this year to bolstering the nation’s electric grid,” E&E News reports. “The compromise between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) includes faster reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act but leaves out any mandates on transmission. It’s a clear victory for the GOP. “As it sits right now, I feel like we just lost two years,” Rep. Sen Casten (D-Ill.), co-chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition task force, told E&E. “Look, I think I think Biden got the vast better end of this deal on all the fiscal issues, social safety net issues; I give him credit for all that,” Casten told E&E. “They totally messed up the transmission piece, and they didn’t deal with us on the level about what they had. And so we didn’t know how bad they botched it until after we saw the text.” “…And before the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” was released Sunday, people familiar with the discussions told E&E it would include a grid component. It turned out to be only a requirement for a study from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission due in two and a half years… “There is absolutely no good reason why anybody needs to spend two years studying a problem that has been asked and answered 15 times,” Casten told E&E. “The only reason to do that is if you’re trying to slow the deployment of transmission when everybody … who cares about this stuff knows that you’ve got to de-bottleneck transmission.” Raúl García, an attorney at Earthjustice, told E&E, “Ultimately, the study will cover things that FERC was already active in trying to do. The big question now is whether the study actually delays that.” People familiar with the negotiations, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told E&E Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) had gotten involved in inking the permitting deal and made way for negotiators to scrap the grid language.

Lever News: Debt Deal Gives Fossil Fuel Lobby A Legal Shield
Rebecca Burns, Julia Rock & Andrew Perez, 5/31/23

“The Biden administration and congressional Republicans have slipped provisions into the proposed debt deal that would expedite construction of a controversial fossil fuel pipeline and attempt to block courts from hearing challenges to its legality, according to the text of the legislation,” Rebecca Burns, Julia Rock & Andrew Perez write for Lever News. “…The bill not only mandates approval of a major gas pipeline, it also omits proposals to expedite construction of transmission lines that energy grid experts say are necessary to transition the country off fossil fuels… “Since the outset of Biden’s term, progressives have called on the president and Congress to embrace this same tactic — known as jurisdiction stripping — to protect abortion and other civil rights from hostile federal courts. Instead, the White House is using the maneuver to try to help the natural gas industry complete yet another project that locks in new fossil fuel infrastructure, despite scientists’ increasingly dire climate warnings. It could also provide an appealing model for energy companies seeking to escape drawn-out court battles over future projects… “Should Congress pass the bill as is, the precedent would be “an invitation for future abuse,” Peter Anderson, a policy director at Appalachian Voices, one of 10 environmental groups involved in one pending federal court challenge, told Lever. “This is an egregious attempt by some members of Congress to interfere with pending and future litigation on behalf of private, for-profit companies,” he said. “It’s a handout.” In the months before the deal was solidified, executives at NextEra, the electric utility giant leading a joint venture behind the pipeline, funneled $150,000 worth of donations to three key Democratic senators: Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), and Sinema, the latter of whom reportedly “got involved” in the permitting issue, according to the energy and environmental news outlet E&E News.”

Reuters: Commonwealth LNG expects first US export permit by June
Curtis Williams, 5/31/23

“Commonwealth LNG expects the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to approve a license as early as next month that would allow it to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Executive Chairman Paul Varello,” Reuters reports. “The license to sell output to non-Free Trade Agreement countries is crucial to its board reaching a final investment decision (FID) by the end of the year, he told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy export conference in Houston. “We can’t take FID without a Non-FTA permit. DOE is well aware of that and is working to get us that permit,” Varello told Reuters. It would be the first since the agency denied Energy Transfer’s (ET.N) Lake Charles LNG a second extension to its Non-FTA permit and said it would only allow extensions under extenuating circumstances. Commonwealth believes it will be able to export LNG within three years of receipt of the Non-FTA LNG export approval, Varello told Reuters. The company is developing a LNG export terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast near Cameron, Louisiana. Varello also told Reuters he does not expect a third wave of LNG projects in the United States later this decade because of tougher conditions for permits and financing for new projects… “There is a reluctance from the financial sector to back projects with a payback period over 15 years because of concerns about the viability of LNG as the world moves to net zero (emissions) by 2050, Varello noted.”

EXTRACTION

Bloomberg: Equinor Delays Canadian Offshore Oil Project as Costs Rise
Robert Tuttle, 5/31/23

“Equinor ASA has delayed by as many as three years its controversial Bay du Nord project due to escalating costs, the company said Wednesday,” Bloomberg reports. “The project to develop an oil field about 500 kilometers (311 miles) off Newfoundland’s coast has “experienced significant cost increases” in recent months, the company said in an emailed press release. The Norwegian company and its partner BP Plc will continue to move the project toward development during the postponement, Tore Loseth, Equinor Canada country manager, said in the statement.”

Petroleum Economist: Oil sands face uncertain future in post-peak world
6/1/23

“The long-term prospects for the sector may depend on the rate of decline in global oil consumption,” Petroleum Economist reports. “Supporters and critics of Canada’s oil sands sector are broadly optimistic in their short- and medium-term outlooks, but they diverge sharply when looking further ahead. In the longer term, proponents are optimistic about Opec+ cohesion and crude prices as global oil consumption declines, but others are pessimistic. This leads to differing views on how the federal government should spend its decarbonisation dollars. Petroleum Economist interviewed G. Kent Fellows, a professor at the University of Calgary, and Aaron Cosbey, a senior associate at Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development to learn more about these alternate perspectives…”

Press release: ExxonMobil signs carbon capture agreement with Nucor Corporation, reaching 5 MTA milestone
6/1/23

“ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions’ newest carbon capture and storage agreement – with Nucor Corporation, one of North America’s largest steel producers – demonstrates our continued momentum in helping industrial customers reduce emissions. We will capture, transport and store up to 800,000 metric tons per year of CO2 from Nucor’s manufacturing site in Convent, Louisiana. The site produces direct reduced iron (DRI), a raw material used to make high-quality steel products including automobiles, appliances and heavy equipment. It’s the third carbon capture agreement we’ve announced in the past seven months, following previous ones with industrial gas company Linde and CF Industries, maker of agricultural fertilizer.   It also marks a milestone – bringing the total CO2 we’ve agreed to transport and store for third-party customers to 5 million metric tons per year (MTA). That’s equivalent to replacing approximately 2 million gasoline-powered cars with electric vehicles*, which is roughly equal to the total number of EVs on US roads today… “The Nucor project, expected to start up in 2026, will tie into the same CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure as utilized by our CF Industries project, and supports Louisiana’s objective of reaching net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Barron’s: The Big Winner in the Debt-Ceiling Deal Is a Little-Known Stock
Avi Salzman, 5/30/23

“The debt ceiling agreement that has tentative support in the House of Representatives includes a provision that’s particularly good for Equitrans Midstream, a small energy company that owns the largest stake in a natural gas pipeline that runs through Virginia and West Virginia,” Barron’s reports. “Equitrans (ticker: ETRN) shares rocketed 36% higher on Tuesday. The so-called MVP Pipeline is now more likely to win approval because of language in the agreement that would limit judicial review and speed up federal permits. Other companies that own a stake in the pipeline include NextEra Energy (NEE), Consolidated Edison (ED), AltaGas (ATGFF) and RGC Resources (RGCO). The latter two were both up more than 5%… “Jeoffrey Lambujon, an analyst at Tudor, Pickering, Holt, told Barron’s that the pipeline probably wouldn’t boost EQT’s free cash flow in the near term because the cost of gas transmission would offset the company’s sales gains. For the pipeline to be a game-changer, it would likely have to be extended to more markets, so that EQT can reach a wider customer base… “Despite optimism from its proponents, the pipeline approval still isn’t a done deal. The debt ceiling deal still needs to be approved by Congress, and the pipeline could potentially face legal challenges that fall outside the deal’s parameters.”

OPINION

The Hill: Manchin’s pipeline is back, thanks to the debt bill — here’s why it’s not going anywhere
Gary Yohe is the Huffington Foundation professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Emeritus, at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, 5/31/23

“The agreement in principle on what will become the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 has been designed to maintain the financial stability of the U.S. and global economies by extending the debt ceiling through January 2025. As is always the case in evaluating and passing legislation, the devil is in the details,” Gary Yohe writes for The Hill. “…The second provision of the debt compromise that is of interest here (Section 324) was actually added to the bill during negotiations to secure the votes of West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin (D) and Shelley Moore Capito (R). It will support the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline from Virginia to North Carolina with a spur connecting the project to an East Coast port. At first blush it appears its inclusion could be a billion-dollar jab to the jaw of current U.S. climate policy. However, I argue here that climate action may slip this punch, because there is a demand side to every market… “If and when it is completed, it could deliver up to 2 million dekaterms (1 dekaterm is equal to 1 million btu) to market per year, but will there be demand for all of that gas? Four corporations have committed themselves to buying about 36 percent of the pipeline’s ultimate capacity. They are utilities or affiliates of utilities, so they might actually need the gas. That leaves 64 percent to be covered by EQT — but EQT does not consume natural gas. It follows that it will need to find other buyers of the gas — if not domestic customers, then perhaps arranging an export operation to India through the coastal spur. The demand side news is also getting worse for another reason. Con Edison, a New York utility, may be selling its stake in the project at cost (that is, without asset appreciation over nearly a decade) because demand conditions have changed and gas is no longer part of their “longer-term view.” After all, the federal government pulled the plug in 2020 on an earlier pipeline proposal that would have run from North Carolina to Virginia, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. To summarize, then, the future of the Mountain Valley Pipeline is uncertain with enormous downside risk even with the support of Congress. This is why the Manchin punch may never land a glove on climate action.”

Wall Street Journal: Republicans Get Joe Manchin His Mountain Valley Pipeline
Editorial Board, 5/30/23

“Progressives have filed lawsuit after lawsuit to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline, as these columns have chronicled. Now they’re irate that they may lose their long fight because the debt-ceiling deal between President Biden and House Republicans essentially guarantees the pipeline’s completion. Political turnabout is fair play,” the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes. “…While it is 94% complete, greens keep challenging its permits—and the same Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel keeps blocking them on dubious legal grounds and sending environmental reviews back to regulators to be redone. The debt deal is sweet revenge for West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who said he voted for last year’s Inflation Reduction Act in return for a promise by President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to pass permitting reform that would include expedited approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. He got nothing from his fellow Democrats. But now Republicans have come to his rescue by liberating the pipeline from green purgatory. You’re welcome, Senator… “It’s especially nice to hear the Administration contradict alarmist claims and concede that the pipeline won’t harm the environment. “This provision doesn’t have much of an effect,” White House ultra-green adviser John Podesta said. Gas delivered by the pipeline would replace coal and free up gas supply in the South to be sent overseas. That isn’t stopping Democrats from making one last attempt to kill the pipeline in the Senate. Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine says he plans to file an amendment to the debt bill stripping the pipeline provision, even though his state would benefit from its completion. Such is the fanaticism of the green left. Environmentalists are also howling that the legislation may set a precedent for other pipeline approvals. We sure hope so.”

Digital Journal: Op-Ed: Manchin’s pipeline has no place in the US debt limit deal
Karen Graham, 5/31/23

“Attaching a controversial pipeline to the debt ceiling deal is a cheap shot to environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers,” Karen Graham writes for Digital Journal. “…The Washington Post says House Republicans and their aides also played a key role in securing language in the debt ceiling deal to expedite the project’s completion, according to people close to the talks, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private deliberations. The whole deal, in my opinion, is a kick in the face to many groups in Virginia and elsewhere who challenged the pipeline in court and were successful in getting the permits struck down,.. “Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he will offer an amendment to strip the pipeline from the deal, as did several House Democrats representing Virginia: Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Abigail Spanberger, Bobby Scott, and Jennifer Wexton… “I am pissed at President Joe Biden, too, If this outrageous charade called the Democratic process is allowed to continue, he might as well forget about his climate crisis goals. You cannot suspend the rules for one company while everyone else has to play by those rules. If that pipeline is allowed to go through, our nation will be locked into more years of fossil-fuel dependency.”

IEFFA: Mountain Valley Pipeline debt deal undercuts U.S. governing values
Suzanne Mattei, 5/30/23

“A debt-ceiling deal would require federal agencies to approve the Mountain Valley Pipeline and prevent citizens from contesting its decision,” Suzanne Mattei writes for the IEFFA. “The proposed legislation is being considered even as a glut of natural gas is developing in international export markets. Federal regulators already have failed to consider whether the pipeline is actually needed, basing their decisions on contracts by the sponsor’s affiliates. Permit reform that pushes through an unneeded, harmful and costly project isn’t reform; it’s a distortion of the government decision-making process… “The MVP does not pose a national security issue that requires it to be crammed into the debt ceiling deal. A federal court last year rescinded certain authorizations for the MVP only after finding agencies gave short shrift to serious factual issues that needed review. Meanwhile, the domestic energy system targeted by the pipeline has continued to function for almost a decade without the project, and international export of gas is trending toward a glut rather than a shortage. The ill-advised plan to override the MVP public permit process and the right to judicial review undermines U.S. government principles. It’s a bad way to make decisions on a gas project… “A government permit process that affords public scrutiny backed up by the right to judicial review forces decision-makers to think about more prudent alternatives. It promotes competent government. Not every proposed project should be built. A permit denial or court decision on appeal that blocks an ill-advised, harmful, costly, unnecessary project benefits the public. So-called permit “reform” that pushes through a project that presents excessive environmental harms or costs regardless of lack of public need is not real reform. It’s a distortion of the government decision-making process. It’s a bad idea. It should not have been on the table in the debt negotiation.  It should not be in the final legislation.”

Climate Investigations Center: CCS CO2 Pipelines: A Triple 48 Inch Reality Check
Kert Davies, 5/31/23

“I have been calling the carbon capture CO2 pipeline buildout plan a “publicly-funded sewer system for the fossil fuel industry” for some time. In fact it’s their only lifeline, and in the meantime it’s also really good for greenwashing and TV ads,” Kert Davies writes for the Climate Investigations Center. “A reality check is in order. New analysis here of a major report published by Princeton in 2020-21 reveals a “blueprint” for a cutting carbon emissions that includes a Trans-Alaska Pipeline sized transmission pipeline running from New Jersey to Georgia and two or three 48 inch diameter pipelines running in tandem, for hundreds of miles, down the Ohio and Mississippi valleys and across the south. The Princeton mapping exercises have no apparent consideration of people who happen to be in the way. They are aimed at the cheapest solution, the least-cost, shortest distance between two points the pollution source and the dump. The CO2 pipeline buildout is shaping up to be the biggest environmental justice insult ever. Because where will these pipelines be built? Through communities and over people’s land who don’t have the clout to stop them… “Here we are talking about a basic practical question: what would it take to build a “sewer system” big enough to handle the carbon dioxide that polluters are currently dumping for free in the atmosphere?.. “The Princeton modelers determined that we need system of pipelines totaling up to 68,972 miles (111,000 km) at a cost if $135 Billion dollars by 2050. A JP Morgan analyst took a close look at the Princeton figures and concluded that the proposed massive buildout of CO2 pipeline and CCS infrastructure would unfortunately only capture 15% of current US greenhouse gas emissions… “Upon closer inspection of the data, many of these theoretical “Transmission Pipelines” turn out to be two or three tandem 48″ pipelines, laid side by side for hundreds of miles… “In fact, when Princeton scientists did the modeling, adding up the total volume of liquified supercritical CO2 that would be amassed if these pollution sources were actually “captured”, their computers kicked out fantastical giant transmission pipelines that literally could never exist. So they had to go in and limit the computer to only produce 48″ pipelines. In many cases this resulted in two or three 48 inchers to carry the volume… “But in all seriousness, we were discussing what could possibly go wrong if say a mile-wide EF4 tornado with winds up to 190mph as just happened in Missippi and Alabama this March ran over a Triple 48″ CO2 pipeline that would have to be sitting above ground. And if you buried it, how deep would you have to go? How would you cross highways, railroads and rivers? None of these questions appear to have been discussed seriously as of yet.”