EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/26/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline gets final permit needed to resume construction

• Reuters: Mountain Valley natgas pipe moving forward, capacity may be limited

• E&E News: ‘Out there rotting’: Mountain Valley neighbors fear aging pipe

• Wall Street Journal: They Fought a Pipeline on Their Land. Then Congress Got Involved

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Opponents fear Mountain Valley Pipeline fast-tracking could ‘open the floodgates’

• Marcellus Drilling News: MVP the Template to Finish Pipelines Like NY’s Northern Access

• Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit seeks second pipeline permit for project extension

• NWestIowa.com: Iowa fast-tracks Summit pipeline hearing

• Illinois Radio Network: Central Illinois residents continue opposition to CO2 pipelines

• Capital and Main: California Lobbyist Explains How to Skirt Climate Scrutiny in State Legislature

• Bloomberg: Europe’s LNG Imports Overtake Pipeline Gas for First Time

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Groups urge DOJ to stop thwarting Juliana climate lawsuit

• DemocracyNow: 250+ Groups Petition Biden Administration to Drop Opposition to Youth Climate Lawsuit

• E&E News: Republicans question agencies on post-Sackett plans

• Press release: Lawsuit Challenges Oil and Gas Drilling on California Public Lands

STATE UPDATES

• InsideClimate News: Methane Activists in Richmond Detect Potentially Dangerous Gas Leaks

• WFYI: Indiana groups say they’re being ‘shut out’ of Midwest clean hydrogen hub conversations

• Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Hawaii report details health effects of Red Hill leak

• Bakersfield Californian: Activists, Kern officials agree on need to address leaky oil wells

• Carlsbad Current-Argus: Oilfield wastewater used to grow hemp? New Mexico working toward alternatives to disposal

EXTRACTION

• Reuters: OPEC sees global oil demand rising to 110 mln bpd by 2045

• Bloomberg: Gas Is Here to Stay for Decades, Say Fossil Fuel Heavyweights

• Reuters: US LNG project approvals on track for record new volumes

• Press release: Questerre updates status of legal action in Quebec

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Guardian: Loss of fossil fuel assets would not impoverish general public, study finds

• Bloomberg: Why Wall Street’s Climate Efforts Are Failing

• Axios: Larry Fink “ashamed” to be part of ESG political debate

• Billboard: Rihanna Urges Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen to ‘Step Up’ to Help Communities Hit By Climate Emergencies

OPINION

• Cedar Rapids Gazette: Last call to speak up about Summit’s CO2 pipeline

• Food & Water Watch: What Industry Won’t Tell You About Their Carbon Pipelines

• VT Digger: Pulling back the curtain on the Mountain Valley Pipeline

• Duluth News Tribune: Reader’s View: The answer to Line 5 seems obvious

• Heatmap: The Climate Coalition Is Threatening to Split Apart

• Los Angeles Times: Editorial: The Save Our Gas Stoves Act? That’s GOP pro-fossil-fuel foolishness

• Guardian: The climate crisis is this century’s biggest threat. We need a global finance pact that reflects the task ahead

• The Hill: Get ready for another wet, hot American summer, thanks to fossil fuels
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Roanoke Times: Mountain Valley Pipeline gets final permit needed to resume construction
Laurence Hammack, 6/23/23

“A final permit issued Friday may be enough to get the Mountain Valley Pipeline across the remaining rivers, streams and wetlands that have long blocked the project’s path to completion,” the Roanoke Times reports. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave its approval for construction through hundreds of water bodies in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia, as it was required to do by a recently passed federal law that fast-tracks the controversial project. Mountain Valley has previously said that it has completed more than half of the nearly 1,000 water body crossings along the pipeline’s 303-mile route. But on Friday, company spokeswoman Natalie Cox wrote in an email that there are “approximately 643 total water resources to be crossed, including water bodies and wetlands, some of which may be crossed more than once.” “…But one thing seemed clear Friday: Mountain Valley now has approval to complete a natural gas pipeline delayed for more than four years by permitting complications and legal challenges. “This announcement that the Mountain Valley pipeline finally has all permits needed to resume construction is great news,” U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, a champion of a project that starts in his home state, told the Times… “Unprecedented — and unconscionable — congressional interference has placed Virginia and West Virginia communities and waterways at risk by forcing agencies to issue Mountain Valley Pipeline’s permits,” Jessica Sims, Virginia field director of Appalachian Voices, told the Times. When work on the pipeline began in February 2018, construction crews struggled to control erosion along a route that takes it across steep mountain slopes and through clear-running streams. State regulators in Virginia and West Virginia have cited Mountain Valley with more than 400 violations of erosion and sediment control regulations over the past five years. Muddy runoff has also been an issue in long-running litigation. More than a dozen times, a federal appeals court has overturned government permits that were challenged by environmental groups… “The law limits judicial review to a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. — and allows only a challenge of the law itself and not government permits issued to the pipeline. But environmental groups say they are exploring possible legal options… “At a meeting Thursday, the State Water Control Board was told that work is expected to begin by the second or third week of July.”

Reuters: Mountain Valley natgas pipe moving forward, capacity may be limited
6/23/23

“The $6.6 billion Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia is on track to get final permits by Saturday, moving the long-delayed project closer to re-starting construction,” Reuters reports. “…But analysts at energy consulting firm East Daley Analytics said Mountain Valley will only run at about 35% of its 2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) capacity when it is finally built. That’s because the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) system into which Mountain Valley will connect in Virginia has limited takeaway capacity, East Daley said. Transco is owned by U.S. energy company Williams Cos Inc. Officials at Williams were not immediately available for comment. Environmental groups, meanwhile, continue to challenge Mountain Valley’s permits in court. “There is no reason to think they could build and operate this project safely, and now analysts are saying that if (Mountain Valley) is completed, it would only run at less than half capacity,” Caroline Hansley, senior campaign representative at the Sierra Club, an environmental group opposed to the pipeline, told Reuters.”

E&E News: ‘Out there rotting’: Mountain Valley neighbors fear aging pipe
Mike Soraghan, 6/26/23

“The developer of the Mountain Valley pipeline now has a clear path to finishing the project. But it also has, literally, tons of aging pipe that has been sitting out in the elements for as long as six years,” E&E News reports. “That’s a potential safety problem, according to experts, manufacturers, safety advocates and opponents of the pipeline. Sunlight and rain degrade the epoxy coating on the pipes that prevents corrosion. Damage to the coating increases the risk of ruptures and explosions. “There’s pipe sitting out there rotting,” Roberta Bondurant of Bent Mountain, near Roanoke, one of the most outspoken opponents of the project known as MVP, told E&E. She called the current situation “a promise of random explosion … somewhere along the 300 miles of this ticking pipe bomb.” “…The pipes will continue to be checked to identify any issues that need to be addressed prior to the pipe being placed into the ditch and backfilled,” Natalie Cox, a spokesperson for the pipeline and Equitrans, told E&E… “The safety of the pipe could be the new battleground for Mountain Valley now that President Joe Biden and Congress have cleared away the legal and regulatory stalemate that had jeopardized the project as part of a deal to raise the debt limit. Opponents tell E&E the pipe should be replaced or recoated in a secure facility before it gets put in the ground. That could add considerable expense and delays for a project already over budget and years behind schedule… “The teal coating on the pipe is called Scotchkote FBE 6233, made by 3M. It is designed to prevent corrosion across decades as the pipes carry their hazardous cargo. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) says that from 1998 to 2017, about 18 percent of pipeline accidents were caused by corrosion. The coating is not, however, designed to sit out in the sun and rain for long periods of time. It’s supposed to be buried. After it’s been out in the sun for a while, the outermost layer of the coating crumbles into chalky dust. When it rains, the chalk washes off and the degradation begins anew, according to a technical brief from 3M. Lengthy exposure can also make the coating more brittle and subject to cracking. Exactly when it would be considered is unclear. A past bulletin from the National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators says: “Above ground storage of coated pipe in excess of six months without additional Ultraviolet protections is not recommended.” The technical brief from 3M points to a study that recommended pipe should not be left in the elements for more than a year… “As pipe purchased for the now-canceled Keystone XL oil pipeline project aged amid legal battles, the project developer sent its experts to examine the coating. They found that after nine years, unprotected epoxy coatings “completely failed to retain their original properties and attributes.” The anti-corrosion coating on the pipe “has probably degraded” if it’s been sitting out in the sun since the early days of construction, Rick Kuprewicz, a chemical engineer who worked for years in the industry and now consults on pipeline safety, told E&E.”

Wall Street Journal: They Fought a Pipeline on Their Land. Then Congress Got Involved
David Harrison, 6/25/23

“Mary Beth Coffey has spent almost a decade trying to keep a natural-gas pipeline from cutting across her Southwest Virginia mountaintop property. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is coming anyway,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Congress last month tucked a provision clearing the way for the pipeline into a bipartisan bill raising the debt ceiling, an unusual move that shuts down pending legal challenges… “We were hoodwinked,” she told the Journal… “Bent Mountain resident Mert Rives worries the wetlands around her house will be drained. A few years ago, she told the Journal, she watched as pipeline crews cut down a prized 100-year-old Pippin apple tree in her front yard to make room for a parking lot and portable toilet. “I thought more of our government, I guess,” she told the Journal… “Environmentalists “are pretty happy that there is literally hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in clean energy,” said John Podesta, a top White House climate adviser, in an appearance last month. “Even as I understand their criticism today.” “…Pipeline opponents tell the Journal they followed the rules—raising concerns with federal regulators and filing lawsuits—only to be undercut by Congress and the White House. “We don’t consider our lives and our environment a trade-off for the Inflation Reduction Act,” Lynda Majors, whose house sits near the pipeline on the steep slopes of Brush Mountain near Blacksburg, Va., told the Journal. They also say they should have been consulted before policy makers in Washington used the Mountain Valley Pipeline as a bargaining chip… “It is rare for Congress to get involved in environmental permits, a role usually reserved for government scientists, Cale Jaffe, a University of Virginia law professor, told the Journal. It is especially unusual for Congress to take away the right to sue while federal lawsuits are still pending. “Congress is saying here’s how we would like to resolve that litigation,” he told the Journal. James Coleman, a law professor at Southern Methodist University, worries the precedent will lead other companies to ask for similar intervention. Leaving it to lawmakers “is not how our system should be operated,” Coleman told the Journal.” 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Opponents fear Mountain Valley Pipeline fast-tracking could ‘open the floodgates’
Benjamin Kail, 6/24/23

“A year ago, the Mountain Valley Pipeline faced continued delays, court battles and environmental challenges,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. “…As the Pennsylvania-based firm behind the pipeline races ahead, environmentalists warn that the sudden turnaround for Equitrans Midstream and its partners sets a dangerous precedent that could clear the path for more fossil fuel projects without sufficient oversight — in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. “It risks opening the floodgates to any pet fossil fuel project across the country to be exempted from environmental protections,” Mahyar Sorour, a director at the Sierra Club, an environmentalist group, told the Post-Gazette. Ms. Sorour said projects like National Fuel’s Northern Access pipeline — proposed for almost 100 miles between McKean County in Pennsylvania and Elma, N.Y. — and other pipelines through the Great Lakes and Tennessee could be fast-tracked under similar circumstances to the debt ceiling bill. She said that “undermines bedrock environmental law.” “We hope that doesn’t happen, but there’s always the risk that others will try and replicate this,” Amy Mall, a senior advocate at the National Resources Defense Council, told the Post-Gazette… “We are in the midst of the appeal process,” Karen Merkel, a National Fuel spokesperson, told the Post-Gazette. “We expect briefing and oral argument to be complete by late spring/early summer. … Once we have resolution of that appeal, we will be able to further assess [the] timeline for the project.” “…Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor, told the Post-Gazette Congress has authority over interstate commerce such as pipelines — leaving few if any avenues to challenge the kind of bipartisan deal hashed out over the debt ceiling. “Once Congress can legislate, all state and local law can be preempted,” he told the Post-Gazette. “And you can do that in general — no zoning limits on pipelines, or specifically, no zoning limits on this pipeline.” NRDC, Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices say that more than 400 water crossings for the pipeline remain to be completed because the project previously didn’t have federal approval under the Clean Water Act. “It’s some of the most dangerous construction,” Ms. Mall told the Post-Gazette. “Some of the steepest slopes, technically challenging and most risky, not just for water quality but landslides, erosion and other risks on the surface. Community groups on the ground will be striving to get agencies to impose and enforce compliance with the strongest possible standards.”

Marcellus Drilling News: MVP the Template to Finish Pipelines Like NY’s Northern Access
6/23/23

“National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) and its pipeline subsidiary Empire Pipeline have worked on a plan to build the Northern Access Pipeline since 2016,” Marcellus Drilling News reports. “…The radicals of the Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul administrations have repeatedly delayed the project. NFG still wants to build it but needs more time. Last July, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave NFG an extra 35 months to get the project done–until Dec. 31, 2024. The Sierra Club appealed FERC’s time extension for the project, and it currently sits in court. Could an Act of Congress like the one that helped MVP finish help Northern Access too?”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit seeks second pipeline permit for project extension
Jared Strong, 6/23/23

“A carbon dioxide pipeline company that is nearing the end of its permit process in Iowa is seeking a second permit, rather than modify its existing request to expand the project,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “…A 31-mile length of pipe would connect the Absolute Energy ethanol plant near St. Ansgar to Summit’s proposed pipeline network that is to span more than 2,000 miles in five states… “Had Summit modified its first permit request, it’s likely that the hearing would be delayed. Such modifications require new informational meetings to be held in the affected counties, and the company cannot negotiate for easements with landowners until 30 days after the meetings. Summit must further show it has made sufficient efforts to obtain easements before requesting eminent domain. Summit asked that the new informational meetings for the second permit request be held on Aug. 8 or 9. Its evidentiary hearing for the first permit is scheduled to start about two weeks later. There is nothing in state rules that prohibits Summit from seeking a second permit for an addition to a project that has not yet been approved, Don Tormey, an IUB spokesperson, told the Dispatch… “Courtney Ryan, a Summit spokesperson, told the Dispatch the new permit request is meant to benefit landowners and others affected by the proposal… “Jess Mazour, of the Sierra Club of Iowa, which opposes Summit’s pipeline, disagreed: “The landowners on the new route are at a huge disadvantage,” she told the Dispatch. The newly affected landowners will likely be ill-prepared to participate in the upcoming permit hearing, Mazour told the Dispatch, and the company will have more leverage in its negotiations with them. The Sierra Club has asked the IUB to consolidate the two permit requests, which is allowed when the requests are similar. “The issues and evidence in this docket would be virtually identical with the issues and evidence in (the first request),” wrote Wallace Taylor, a Sierra Club attorney. “It would therefore be an efficient use of the board’s time and resources to consolidate the two cases so the issues and evidence can be presented to the board in the same proceeding.” “…A group of 11 Republican state lawmakers wrote to the IUB this week about their concerns about the “fast track handling of the proposed Summit pipeline hearings.”

NWestIowa.com: Iowa fast-tracks Summit pipeline hearing
Elijah Helton, 6/24/23

“State authorities have fast-tracked the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, moving up its hearing months earlier than expected, shrinking the window for those hoping to stop the CO2 project,” NWestIowa.com reports. “The Iowa Utilities Board had set the hearing, which could last several months, to start in October. On Friday, June 16, the IUB selected the start date to be Aug. 22 in Fort Dodge. This could result in a state permit by the end of the year with groundbreaking in spring 2024. Dan Wahl is a Dickinson County farmer and one of many on the Midwest pipeline route who does not want it coming through his land. He said the timing makes it harder for people like him to meet with the IUB. “If they think August is the downtime for us farmers, it’s not,” Wahl said. Anti-pipeline advocates said the change tips the scales in favor of Summit, company owner Bruce Rastetter and other business interests behind the project. “Efficiency isn’t what’s important. It should be fair and thorough. Moving it up accomplishes none of that,” said Jess Mazour of the Sierra Club. Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed two new IUB members, Erik Helland and Sarah Martz, on May 1. Helland also was made chair… “It feels like the state is not giving anti-pipeline folks a fair deal, Wahl said, and the fast-tracked hearing date is just another slap in the face. “This leaves no doubt who’s pulling the strings, Bruce Rastetter, and who’s pushing the buttons, Gov. Reynolds, and the IUB just jumps,” Wahl said. “Integrity has left the room with our state government. They’re doing whatever is being told to them.” Mazour said the new IUB members have ignored calls to wait and listen to Iowans as it moves ahead with its Aug. 22 start date. “It has a strong appearance that Gov. Reynolds picked these two for a very specific reason: to fast-track this schedule,” Mazour said.

Illinois Radio Network: Central Illinois residents continue opposition to CO2 pipelines
Greg Bishop, 6/24/23

“Another CO2 pipeline has applied with the Illinois Commerce Commission. Central Illinois residents continue mounting their opposition,” Illinois Radio Network reports. “…Navigator Heartland Greenway had applied for a pipeline to traverse several Central Illinois communities, but withdrew. They refiled their plan earlier this year… “Kathleen Campbell opposes the plan and said their coalition is growing.  “All of our testimonies went into the [Illinois Commerce Commission] on Thursday, on July 15th, and they are uniformly negative against Navigator, including the ICC staff,” Campbell told The Center Square. ICC Senior Gas Engineer Mark Maple provided testimony in opposition. “The proposed pipeline is also inconsistent with the public interest, public benefit, and legislative purpose as set forth in the CO2 Act, as required by Section 20(b)(8),” Maple said. “Therefore, the Commission should deny NHG’s application for a certificate of authority.” Safety is a main concern, but Campbell said so are property rights. “After almost a year of trying to get easements, only 13.6% voluntary easements signed,” Campbell said. “How could we possibly give eminent domain to the other 80-some percent?” “…Another pipeline application was filed last week by Wolf Carbon Solutions and ADM… “Campbell said they’re working to get more information. And while many say pipelines are safer than trucks or rail to transport such material, Campbell said that’s misleading. She said CO2 pipelines are much different than gas or oil pipelines… “When these pipelines rupture, you’ve got a catastrophe.” 

Capital and Main: California Lobbyist Explains How to Skirt Climate Scrutiny in State Legislature
Aaron Cantú, 6/21/23

“We don’t want the environmentalists to see what we’re really up to.” That is what Theo Pahos, a managing partner for a firm whose clients include Calpine Corp. and the California Independent Petroleum Association, told Capital and Main in an unusually frank phone interview. Pahos was talking about plans by lobbyists to change a bill meant to regulate the industry’s handling of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, in a way that would mislead lawmakers and environmentalists. “To be blunt,” he added, “we are misadvertising what the bill does, what our intention is.” SB 438 purports to clarify the state’s rules governing carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage, which prohibit companies from injecting fluid-gaseous CO2 into the ground in order to produce more oil. The bill says companies will not be penalized for inadvertently pulling up oil while burying CO2. But this is a red herring, Pahos told Capital and Main. He told Capital and Main he and other lobbyists intend to push for changing the bill later in the legislative session, so that it instead speeds up approvals for CO2 pipelines by handing greater authority to state regulators who are under pressure to meet emissions reductions goals within the decade… “The bill’s author, Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Merced), was unaware of Pahos’ plan, according to her chief of staff, Luis Quinonez. Caballero “does not respond kindly to this kind of heavy-handed pressure,” Quinonez told Capital and Main… “Changing the approval process would undo a moratorium on intrastate CO2 pipelines, which currently can’t be approved until federal regulators finalize safety laws. The industry believes this conflicts with company plans to start doing CO2 capture quickly. And a state agency warned this slower pace puts California at risk of missing its climate targets. “We put [the decoy language] so we could move it through the legislative process, and when we get it to the [Assembly Natural Resources Committee], we’re gonna switch out the language for the language we really want,” Pahos explained.

Bloomberg: Europe’s LNG Imports Overtake Pipeline Gas for First Time
Priscila Azevedo Rocha and Anna Shiryaevskaya, 6/25/23

“Europe’s liquefied natural gas imports surpassed those coming to the continent via pipelines for the first time last year, according to data from the Energy Institute,” Bloomberg reports. “The shift signals that the continent is rebuilding its energy infrastructure quickly while breaking ties with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine… “The war in Ukraine upended “assumptions about supply around the world,” Nick Wayth, the London-based institute’s chief executive officer, told Bloomberg. During the year, European nations swiftly installed more import terminals for the super-chilled fuel, with Germany joining the importers’ club for the first time… “European pipeline gas imports last year were about 151 billion cubic meters, compared with 232 billion a year earlier, according to the statistical review. The 35% year-on-year drop contrasts with LNG imports, which increased to 170 billion cubic meters in 2022 from 108 billion a year earlier.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Groups urge DOJ to stop thwarting Juliana climate lawsuit
Lesley Clark, 6/22/23

“Climate and public health groups are urging the Biden administration to drop opposition to a landmark youth climate lawsuit,” E&E News reports. “People vs. Fossil Fuels and a coalition of more than 255 organizations delivered an online petition Wednesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying that for seven years, the 21 young challengers in Juliana v. United States “have waited for their day in court, delayed again and again by tactics employed by the Department of Justice to impede or dismiss their case.” The petition, which drew more than 50,000 signatures from individuals worldwide, comes as a federal judge ruled earlier this month that the young challengers can amend their complaint, potentially putting the case back on track to trial. The decision from Judge Ann Aiken of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon followed a 2020 ruling from a federal appeals court that found the judiciary did not have the power to grant the relief the youth sought.”

DemocracyNow: 250+ Groups Petition Biden Administration to Drop Opposition to Youth Climate Lawsuit
6/22/23

“A court in Montana has heard closing arguments in a landmark lawsuit brought by 16 young people who say their state violated their constitutional rights to a clean environment, as it pushed policies promoting the burning of coal, oil and gas,” DemocracyNow reports. “…Meanwhile, a coalition of more than 250 groups delivered a petition to Attorney General Merrick Garland Wednesday, demanding the Department of Justice end its opposition to allowing a youth climate lawsuit against the U.S. government to proceed in court. The petition was signed by over 50,000 people. This is John Beard Jr., executive director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network in Texas, which is supporting the children’s climate lawsuit. John Beard Jr.: “Our youth will be living here long after us. Therefore, we must support their quest to secure climate justice and protect their constitutional rights. The youth across the nation, especially youth living in environmental justice communities, like the frontline Gulf Coastal communities of color in my own part of the country, Port Arthur, Texas, continue to suffer harm from the climate crisis, including pollution, and also from social and environmental injustice.”

E&E News: Republicans question agencies on post-Sackett plans
E.A. Crunden, 6/21/23

“Republicans are questioning the Biden administration on its plans to implement a major Supreme Court ruling that massively scaled back the federal government’s oversight of wetlands,” E&E News reports. “House and Senate Republican committee leaders Wednesday asked EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers heads about how their agencies are moving forward in the aftermath of Sackett v. EPA. That historic ruling greatly curtailed agency authorities under the Clean Water Act and has all but gutted the Biden administration’s waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule. Industry leaders and Republicans have celebrated the decision as a victory for deregulatory proponents. Now they want insight into how the government is moving forward to ensure Sackett is fully implemented… “Among other qualms, they noted E&E News coverage reporting that the Army Corps has frozen processing approved jurisdictional determinations in the wake of the case. “Such a freeze in processing jurisdictional determinations unnecessarily delays the permitting process for projects,” the lawmakers wrote… “To solve the quagmire, they asked agencies to “provide immediate direction to their regional and district offices” outlining how they can implement Sackett and ensure clarity and consistency. They requested a briefing and response to their questions no later than June 28, including an answer to whether the Army Corps would immediately resume the issuance of jurisdictional determinations.”

Press release: Lawsuit Challenges Oil and Gas Drilling on California Public Lands
6/23/23

“Conservation organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seeking to halt the unlawful drilling of multiple oil and gas wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The agency rushed the approval of the well permits in the Mount Poso oil field near Bakersfield without allowing input from the public and nearby communities, as required by federal law. The groups argue that BLM failed to comply with multiple laws requiring the agency to consider the cumulative, harmful impacts this drilling will have on air quality, water, climate, and environmental justice in one of the most polluted areas of the country. To date, BLM has never examined the overall harms caused by its permitting decisions in the San Joaquin Valley, yet continues to approve new drilling activity. Earthjustice is representing The Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity, and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). The groups are asking the Court to pause drilling at the sites associated with the permits BLM recently issued, pending resolution of this case and BLM’s compliance with federal laws, including: the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Mineral Leasing Act, and the Freedom of Information Act. “BLM’s reckless disregard for public health and the environment violates multiple federal laws meant to prevent these exact harms. Its blatant attempt to withhold its decision-making from public scrutiny further adds insult to injury for residents in the San Joaquin Valley, who cannot afford any more pollution in their communities,” said Radhika Kannan, Earthjustice attorney.

STATE UPDATES

InsideClimate News: Methane Activists in Richmond Detect Potentially Dangerous Gas Leaks
Ananya Chetia, 6/22/23

“Guided by a fistful of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Lee Williams sniffed the smell of rotten eggs on Grove Avenue earlier this month, took out a methane tracking device and registered a “100 percent” reading, meaning a single lit match could ignite a blaze on the street,” InsideClimate News reports. “She and other volunteers with the community organization Beyond Methane RVA have discovered 25 gas leaks severe enough to catch fire with a spark, Williams told ICN, and only two of them have been fixed. The pipeline on Grove Avenue is not scheduled to be repaired, she told ICN, until sometime between December 2023 to January 2024.  With over 900 gas leaks confirmed via FOIA requests, Beyond Methane RVA has found 150 of them using their two Sensit Methane Gas detector monitors. Richmond Gas Works, the supplier of natural gas in the Greater Richmond region, takes 245 days on average to repair public gas pipelines, according to the FOIA documents and calculations by Beyond Methane RVA… “If you stop putting it in the air, it goes away and so that is our best chance to fight climate change,” Williams, a retired nurse, told ICN.” 

WFYI: Indiana groups say they’re being ‘shut out’ of Midwest clean hydrogen hub conversations
REBECCA THIELE, 6/23/23

“More than a dozen Indiana groups say they’re being shut out of conversations surrounding a proposed Midwest clean hydrogen hub. They sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday, which received a grant application from the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) to create the hub,” WFYI reports. “Chris Chyung, the executive director of Indiana Conservation Voters and a former state representative, told WFYI they’re also concerned companies producing hydrogen will use coal or natural gas — instead of clean energy like wind or solar. “We’re worried about the continuation of decades of environmental harm and economic injustice that has plagued areas like north Lake County and areas of the state that have been left behind in the new economy and the energy transition,” Chyung told WFYI… “Chyung told WFYI concerned groups have been trying to reach multiple members of the alliance for months with little success.”

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Hawaii report details health effects of Red Hill leak
Sophie Cocke, 6/22/23

“A new report released by the state Department of Health provides an assessment of the health effects people may have faced after being exposed to jet fuel, the cleaning product Simple Green, high levels of chlorine and an anti-icing agent in their drinking water after a pipeline burst at the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility on Nov. 20 2021,” the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “While it was quickly clear that the Navy’s nearby drinking water system had been contaminated in the days after the fuel leak, tests of the drinking water by the Navy did not provide a helpful analysis of exactly what was in the water that people were drinking and bathing in, and at what levels. Out of urgency, the Navy was primarily testing the water for total organic carbon (TOC), a rough screening tool used to gauge the presence of contamination, rather than total petroleum hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds, which would have helped assess health risks, according to DOH’s report. That rough screening tool also proved unreliable, giving residents false assurances that their water was safe. “Residents in areas where elevated TOC was not reported were told that they could continue to use the water up to at least December 9, 2021,” according to DOH’s report. “Residents still using the water at least as late as December 9th were subsequently sickened, with symptoms ranging from rashes, nausea, burning stomachs and lungs, diarrhea, headaches, convulsions and in at least one case temporary, partial paralysis.” The Navy’s guidance was in contrast to a DOH warning on Nov. 29, 2021, that all users of the Navy’s water system, which totaled about 93,000 people, should avoid using the water for drinking, cooking and oral hygiene. Red Hill families who are suing the Navy over the water contamination have been eagerly awaiting the report. Many of them have claimed ongoing health problems as a result of being exposed to the contamination… “Some people also reported flammable vapors coming from their taps, which DOH’s report says could have been from the jet fuel or an icing inhibitor that the military had added to its fuel to prevent the formation of ice crystals., called diethy­lene glycol monomethyl ether (DiEGME). “The compound DiEGME is of particular concern for potential health risks both because of its relatively higher concentration in the fuel in comparison to other additives and its predicted miscibility in water,” according to DOH’s report.

Bakersfield Californian: Activists, Kern officials agree on need to address leaky oil wells
JOHN DONEGAN, 6/22/23

“Local government should be doing more, environmental justice advocates said at this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, to help address leaky oil wells in Arvin, Lamont and Weedpatch,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “Representatives of two activist groups called on county officials to work with state regulators, or at least write a letter emphasizing the urgency of the situation, to stop methane emissions at a series of wells found last month to have been leaking the gas for an unknown duration. “We ask that Kern County work with CalGEM (the state Geologic Energy Management Division) to make sure that all the leaky wells are fixed in an efficient and quick manner to make sure that residents are safe,” Sandra Plascencia, a policy advocate for Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, said at Tuesday’s board meeting. Concerns were raised earlier this month after inspections by a state task force including CalGEM found 27 oil well sites in the Arvin-Lamont area were leaking methane… “The leaks were located within 1,000 to 3,200 feet of homes and schools, prompting worries the emissions may have contributed to health problems among some local residents. “Residents have expressed deep concerns over the leaking or potentially leaking wells in their area,” Plascencia said.

Carlsbad Current-Argus: Oilfield wastewater used to grow hemp? New Mexico working toward alternatives to disposal
Adrian Hedden, 6/23/23

“A hemp field amid the oil derricks and pump jacks near the Eddy-Lea county line could soon be watered using a previously unusable source of water brought to the surface with fossil fuels,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “The wastewater, known as produced water by the industry, is pumped up with crude oil and natural gas and typically sent back underground via disposal injection wells. Some of it is also treated and reused for subsequent drilling and well completions, a means of lowering an operator’s use of scarce freshwater in the deserts of the Permian Basin. But it could also represent a new source of water for increasingly arid New Mexico, and the Produced Water Research Consortium – a joint venture between the New Mexico Environment Department and New Mexico State University – was formed in 2019 to study new technologies that could see the water used outside of fossil fuel operations. It was created in response to the Produced Water Act passed in 2019, delegating authority to NMED to regulate produced water use outside of the industry, though no such use yet exists… “Infinity Water Solutions was hoping to use the water in an area near the Eddy-Lea county line to water a hemp field using treated produced water from its 3 million barrels of storage capacity nearby. That project was awaiting permitting from NMED to begin the study… “Consortium Director Mike Hightower told the Argus as oil and gas was recently credited for about half of the State of New Mexico’s revenue in the last fiscal year, it was clear that extraction operations could continue to rise in the state. That will mean even more water produced, and he argued disposal will struggle to keep up with the water’s generation…The trends in production that we’re seeing for oil and gas and produced water continues to increase. From a state perspective, from an economic perspective, being able to rely on this produced water is important for the long-term economy of the state. We want to treat that water for beneficial use outside of oil and gas.”

EXTRACTION

Reuters: OPEC sees global oil demand rising to 110 mln bpd by 2045
6/26/23

“OPEC expects global oil demand to rise to 110 million barrels per day (bpd) and overall energy demand to rise 23% by 2045, its Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said on Monday,” Reuters reports. 

Bloomberg: Gas Is Here to Stay for Decades, Say Fossil Fuel Heavyweights
Stephen Stapczynski, 6/23/23

“The biggest fossil fuel players are making the message clear: the transition to a green future will require much more natural gas,” Bloomberg reports. “From Shell Plc to Chevron Corp., the world’s top producers plan to accelerate investments in the fuel. China keeps signing deals to buy liquefied natural gas past 2050, with European importers not far behind. The US is forging ahead with new projects that will make it the world’s top LNG exporter for the foreseeable future. This momentum marks a turning point for gas. The “cleanest” fossil fuel was seen as a short-term bridge to greener energy sources, and environmentalists have sought to phase it out amid worries that gas is far dirtier than advertised. Now, the idea that gas demand will peak anytime soon is disappearing. “LNG sellers look around this market and feel pretty confident that gas demand will be with us for decades to come,” Ben Cahill, senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, told Bloomberg. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent energy crisis and record-breaking price surge, has changed the long-term prospects for natural gas. Europe is rushing to replace Russian fuel while emerging nations are signing long-term deals to avoid future shortages… “Doubling down on gas also makes sense for shareholders, Saul Kavonic, a Sydney-based energy analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG, told Bloomberg. The fuel has been profitable over the last few years while the pursuit of green energy targets has been more of a struggle, he told Bloomberg.” “Liquefied natural gas will play an even bigger role in the energy system of the future than it plays today,” Shell’s Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan told investors this month as he outlined a strategy shift following his promotion to the role in January. “LNG can be easily transported to places where it is needed most. And what’s more, on average, natural gas emits about 50% less carbon emissions than coal when used to produce electricity.” “…By finally taking the reduction of methane emissions seriously, the majors believe they can thread the needle of making a positive contribution to climate change and keeping their assets commercially relevant,” Ira Joseph, a global fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told Bloomberg.

Reuters: US LNG project approvals on track for record new volumes
6/23/23

“U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) developers are on track to approve three export projects capable of processing 5.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas in the first half of the year, a record volume for new LNG projects in any year,” reports. “The U.S. became the world’s largest LNG producer by installed capacity in 2022 driven by the boom in LNG plant construction and a decade of surging shale gas discoveries. U.S. LNG exports are poised to reach 12.1 bcfd this year and 12.7 bcfd next year. The latest approvals are chipping away at a backlog of projects pursuing financial support and customers willing to sign long-term contracts. Analysts say demand for the fuel will keep the flow of approvals coming this year… “U.S. LNG developers this year have already approved the construction of two projects: the second 1.2-bcfd phase of Venture Global LNG’s Plaquemines in Louisiana and Sempra Energy’s 1.8-bcfd Port Arthur in Texas… “Several other LNG export projects hope to land enough customers to secure go-aheads this year – some have been in development for years. Analysts have said two of the front-runners are the first 0.4-bcfd phase of Delfin Midstream’s offshore Louisiana project and the first 1.3-bcfd phase of Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project in Louisiana. There are four U.S. LNG plants under construction: the QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil Corp 2.4-bcfd Golden Pass joint venture in Texas, Venture Global’s 2.9-bcfd Plaquemines, Cheniere Energy Inc’s 1.5-bcfd Corpus Christi LNG expansion and Sempra’s Port Arthur.”

Press release: Questerre updates status of legal action in Quebec
6/23/23

“Questerre Energy Corporation reported today on the case management conference held earlier this week in Quebec related to Bill 21, An Act mainly to end petroleum exploration and production and the public financing of those activities (“Bill 21”). The Attorney General of Quebec’s summary motion to dismiss the claims by Questerre and other license holders was deferred by the appointed Justice until the hearing on the merits of the case to be scheduled next year. The Justice also accepted the Government’s undertaking to suspend any enforcement actions until the next hearing tentatively scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. Michael Binnion, President and Chief Executive Officer of Questerre, commented, “We are pursuing a political and business solution in Quebec. We believe our proposed Scope 3 zero emissions energy hub in Quebec could play a role in supporting the transition of Quebec’s economy to a low emissions future.” He added, “With the largest utility in the province recently recommending residential and business customers reduce their consumption, the electricity shortage in the province is becoming more apparent. The stay granted by the justice allows for an orderly discussion of energy policy in Quebec.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Guardian: Loss of fossil fuel assets would not impoverish general public, study finds
Matthew Taylor, 6/22/23

“A rapid reduction in fossil fuels, essential to avoid devastating climate breakdown, would have minimal financial impact on the vast majority of people, new research has shown,” the Guardian repots. “Urgently cutting back on fossil fuel production is essential to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown and the economic and social turmoil that would ensue. However, some opponents of climate action claim it is too expensive. They argue that rapidly scaling back fossil fuel production would leave billions of pounds of “stranded assets”, leading to an economic slump that would impoverish the public through a fall in the value of savings and pension funds. Research published on Thursday finds that the loss of fossil fuel assets would have a minimal impact on the general public. “We find that the bulk of financial losses associated with rotten, polluting assets is borne by the wealthy,” co-author Lucas Chancel, a professor of economics at Sciences Po in Paris, told the Guardian. “Only a small share of financial losses is borne by the working and middle class because they have no or relatively little financial wealth.” The study, published in the journal Joule, found that in high-income countries two-thirds of the financial losses would be borne by the most affluent 10%. In contrast, governments could easily compensate for the minimal impact on those on middle and lower levels of wealth… “The study found that in the US, two-thirds of the financial losses from lost fossil fuel assets would affect the top 10% of wealth holders, with half of that affecting the top 1%. Because the wealthiest people tend to have a “diverse portfolio of investments”, it found, any losses would still make up less than 1% of this group’s net wealth.”

Bloomberg: Why Wall Street’s Climate Efforts Are Failing
Saijel Kishan, 6/23/23

“Over the last few years, an ecosystem of climate pledges, groups and models has expanded on Wall Street in a bid to cut—or appear to cut—the financial industry’s role in global warming,” Bloomberg reports. “But many of those efforts have had a limited impact on thwarting the damage inflicted by climate change, according to researchers at Columbia University. And at the same time, Wall Street spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to block measures that could help…”

Axios: Larry Fink “ashamed” to be part of ESG political debate
John Frank, 6/26/23

“BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said he’s no longer using the term “ESG” (environment, social and governance) because it is being politically “weaponized” and he’s “ashamed” to be part of the debate on the issue,” Axios reports. “…In a conversation at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Sunday, Fink acknowledged that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to pull $2 billion in assets hurt his firm in 2022, but made clear last year was his company’s best with net flows of $200 billion from U.S. clients. What he’s saying: “I’m ashamed of being part of this conversation,” Fink said. “When I write these [investment] letters, it was never meant to be a political statement. … They were written to identify longterm issues to our longterm investors,” he told the crowd. Yes, but: When pressed on the statement later in the conversation, Fink backtracked. “I never said I was ashamed,” he said, incorrectly. “I’m not ashamed. I do believe in conscientious capitalism.” “I’m not going to use the word ESG because it’s been misused by the far left and the far right,” he added. Of note: Instead, “we talk a lot about decarbonization, we talk a lot about governance … or social issues, if that’s something we need to addressed,” he said.”

Billboard: Rihanna Urges Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen to ‘Step Up’ to Help Communities Hit By Climate Emergencies
Gil Kaufman, 6/20/23

“As the global climate crisis continues to cause the planet’s oceans to warm and rise, imperiling citizens of island (and low-lying) nations, Rihanna issues an urgent plea to world leaders to step it up. In a tweet Tuesday morning (June 20) that called out U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and World Band President Ajay Banga, the “Work” singer explained that the time to act is right now,” Billboard reports. “Hey @SecYellen & #AjayBanga, will you join @miaamormottley and step up for communities hit hardest by climate emergencies?,” wrote the singer who was born on the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. “We need you to make bold commitments to finance & debt reforms. I address climate change w/ @ClaraLionelFdn — now it’s your turn.” Rihanna also shared a link to Global Citizen’s efforts to defend the planet and defeat poverty through its Power Our Planet initiative. Her tweet comes ahead of Global Citizen’s Thursday (June 22) Power Our Planet: Live in Paris concert, which Lenny Kravitz, Billie Eilish, H.E.R. and Jon Batiste will headline… “Rihanna is not new to the climate urgency message. Last year she pledged $15 million to the cause through her Clara Lionel Foundation. At the time, she announced donations to 18 climate justice organizations doing work in seven Caribbean nations and the United States, including the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and the Movement for Black Lives.”

OPINION

Cedar Rapids Gazette: Last call to speak up about Summit’s CO2 pipeline
Jessica Wiskus, 6/23/23

“The Iowa Utilities Board is fast-tracking Summit’s CO2 pipeline proposal, setting Aug. 22 as the start of their hearing date. The last date for impacted Iowans to intervene on the docket is July 10, a mere two weeks from now,” the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. “These sudden deadlines reject the IUB’s previous Feb. 17 filing on the schedule, which the IUB had determined after careful consideration of interested parties. “The carbon dioxide pipelines present unique factual and legal issues unprecedented in Iowa or in the United States,” wrote the Sierra Club’s Wally Taylor to the IUB. “It is important to do it right, rather than do it quickly.” And the Farm Bureau asked that the IUB “avoid holding the hearing at a time of year which is ordinarily busy for farming activities,” providing a helpful chart that showed the harvest period stretching from September to November. However, a start date of Aug. 22 will guarantee that the hearing will overlap with harvest time, since the process is projected to take several months. Landowners of over a thousand parcels have refused to sign voluntary easements with Summit and are facing the prospect of having their property condemned. Josh Byrnes, a member of last year’s IUB, objected to the idea of holding the hearing in the fall, writing that, “We are forcing farmers affected by the proposed route to choose between their land and their livelihood.” The sudden reversal of the IUB’s earlier indications comes on the heels of Gov. Kim Reynold’s move to replace two of the three board members last April. Indeed, the new timeline makes it unlikely that the two new members of the board would be able to read the thousands of pages of heartfelt letters, legal motions and documents that have been filed on the Summit docket since August of 2021. There are simply not enough hours in the day. Why the rush? Why now? The IUB’s abrupt deadline comes, perhaps not coincidentally, just after federal officials have begun to acknowledge activists’ concerns about the safety of the proposed pipelines. On May 31, representatives from PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration), the federal agency charged with regulation of CO2 pipelines, traveled to Des Moines to listen to us. Indeed, hundreds of Iowans participated. Our request was simple: place a moratorium on the build-out of new CO2 pipelines until PHMSA has completed their current research on CO2 plume modeling (research undertaken in response to the dangerous and unforeseen consequences of the CO2 pipeline rupture that happened at Satartia in 2020). That new research — conducted by independent academic scientists and, importantly, not led by industry — is projected to be completed by the fall of 2024… “The IUB has decided that safety falls under the purview of PHMSA, but they are unwilling to wait until PHMSA has completed the necessary research. The pipeline companies want to build now; taking the time to properly conduct the scientific modeling of a CO2 pipeline rupture is not in their financial interest. What value, then, are our lives? We have two more weeks to speak up.”

Food & Water Watch: What Industry Won’t Tell You About Their Carbon Pipelines
Mia DiFelice, Jorge Aguilar, 6/23/23

“Federal support for carbon capture and storage has spurred a boom in carbon pipeline proposals. But safety science and regulations are lagging far behind, putting public health and safety at risk,” Mia DiFelice and Jorge Aguilar write for Food & Water Watch. “In early 2020, a pipeline carrying carbon dioxide ruptured in the small town of Satartia, Mississippi. The CO2 cloud displaced oxygen, stalling vehicles and leaving folks stranded, disoriented, and even unconscious. The accident sent nearly 50 people to the hospital. The science and safety measures around carbon pipelines haven’t advanced much since Satartia. But carbon pipeline proposals are on the rise, thanks to a new wave of public funds on offer for carbon capture projects… “But pipeline companies aren’t ready for the huge buildout they’re planning. Neither are regulators or state and local governments. That’s why we’re joining groups across the country to call for a national moratorium on carbon pipelines… “Thanks to the Biden administration’s support for carbon capture, the country’s carbon pipeline network could grow to 65,000 miles. Already, three companies have requested to build 1,500 miles of new lines in Iowa alone… “But PHMSA’s carbon pipeline regulations are scant, and the agency likely won’t release new draft regulations until January of next year. This is especially worrying, given how fast pipeline companies are moving with projects. These companies would rather PHMSA set carbon pipeline regulations similar to those for oil and gas. However, researchers have found that that’s like comparing apples to oranges. For example, CO2 has different corrosion risks in steel pipelines from oil and gas.  Nonetheless, pipeline companies want PHMSA to stick with insufficient oil and gas rules. They’re aiming to start construction before we have any comprehensive studies or regulations… ”Additionally, we need more and better dispersion modeling, which predicts how CO2 clouds would move through the air after a leak or rupture. Companies are making their own models, but they rarely share them with other scientists and regulators. And even the models they have aren’t great. Case in point: Denbury, the pipeline company responsible for the Satartia accident, hadn’t identified Satartia as a potentially affected area in their modeling… “That’s why we’re calling on President Biden to place a moratorium on any new carbon pipelines until PHMSA and other agencies have done a complete analysis of the dangers and risks.”

VT Digger: Pulling back the curtain on the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Deborah Messing, a resident of Montpelier, 6/26/23

“Shoehorned into the federal Fiscal Responsibility Act (the debt ceiling bill) signed into law on June 3, 2023, was the statement that federal agencies must approve any outstanding permits for the pipeline Mountain Valley Pipeline within 21 days and exempt them from judicial review,” Deborah Messing writes for VT Digger. “President Biden explained to the country that the idea of compromise and consensus is “the only way democracy can function” and that “no one gets everything they want in negotiation.” Sounds reasonable, right? However, pulling back the curtain on the history of the pipeline while following the money trail that begins with the fossil fuel behemoths and extends into webs of influence — including the judiciary, Congress and the media — reveals that this was a big win for the fossil fuel giants and another loss for the climate… “Hundreds of affected communities as well as environmental, environmental justice, and other organizations representing millions of members and supporters nationwide had petitioned members of Congress to resist pressures to allow this pipeline to cross the finish line. The owners of the pipeline, on the other hand, have donated millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions to lawmakers in both parties, according to a Sludge article published by perfectunion.us… “This kind of influence, far from resulting in that compromise and consensus that Biden referred to as “the only way democracy can function,” is rather an example of the privileged access accorded to major donors… “Fossil fuel companies have increased by an order of magnitude their lobbying efforts, campaigns to revive the issue of climate denial, the influencing of federal support of oil drilling and, in this case, unneeded and environmentally harmful gas pipelines… “Opponents of the decision to fast-track the pipeline and suspend any judicial review — including Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices, 350.org and Friends of the Earth, to name a few — are mobilizing to have this decision withdrawn. This, too, is democracy functioning.”

Duluth News Tribune: Reader’s View: The answer to Line 5 seems obvious
Carol Steinhart, Madison, Wisconsin, 6/24/23

“We haven’t heard the last of Line 5, as various suits and appeals are pending and the time-constrained proposal to reroute the pipeline around the Bad River Band’s reservation has yet to be approved (“ Judge orders Enbridge to shut down part of Wisconsin pipeline in 3 years ,” June 18). I welcomed the judge’s order to shut down part of Line 5. I’m glad the tribe is asserting its treaty rights, and I regret that the controversy is taking so long to resolve,” Carol Steinhart writes for the Duluth News Tribune. “To me, the answer here seems obvious. Which side weighs down the double-pan balance?.. “On the other pan are broken promises to the Bad River Band; inevitable and potentially catastrophic environmental damage to tribal land, resources, and sacred places (because despite assurances, pipelines always break and spill, and Enbridge’s dismal record is worse than most); and the unabated use of the fossil fuels that are rapidly closing the window on our chance to prevent catastrophic climate change. Even if the estimated cost of closing the pipeline is real, what is the value of survival? Survival is priceless. Its value cannot be expressed in dollars. Human-caused climate change has begun to punish us cruelly and at great cost. Anyone who is unaware of this is unaware of reality. Nationwide, Native Americans are taking a stand for their rights and for the environment, and they are beginning to be heard. That’s a good thing, because we have much to learn from them.”

Heatmap: The Climate Coalition Is Threatening to Split Apart
JOSH LAPPEN, 6/22/23

“The U.S. climate coalition is under serious strain. The tension has been brought to a head by last month’s debt-ceiling compromise, which enacted a variety of reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act and exempted the long-debated Mountain Valley Pipeline from federal environmental review. While environmental groups have decried the concessions as “a colossal error … that sacrifices the climate,” clean-energy trade groups are praising them “an important down payment on much-needed reforms.” This gulf now threatens to disintegrate the political alliance that, less than a year ago, won the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), its most tangible accomplishment and by far the country’s most significant climate law,” Josh Lappen writes for Heatmap. “The differences over permitting reform aren’t just a disagreement about tactics. Rather, they reflect fundamental changes within three of the most important factions within the climate coalition — the environmental movement, the clean energy industry, and the Washington-centric group I’ve termed the green growthers… “Permitting reform is unraveling the climate coalition because it reawakens a fundamental, unresolved disagreement over how to decarbonize… “Though preservationist and environmental-justice approaches can still lead to different priorities, the new environmental movement is at its most unified when it opposes fossil fuel production… “Though both wings of the environmental movement fought hard for the IRA, the law does almost nothing to directly constrain fossil fuel production. Instead, the IRA largely aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions not by preventing those emissions, but rather by boosting the production and use of low-carbon energy — along with generous subsidies for storing carbon dioxide, often in conjunction with oil production or fossil fuel combustion… “Anti-coalitional voices, especially within portions of the clean energy industry, increasingly see permitting reform as an opportunity to split the climate coalition, excising the environmental movement from the climate coalition and creating a new, climate-inflected industrial alliance… “Permitting reform is threatening the national climate coalition because it cuts to the heart of a longstanding philosophical disagreement about what it will take to actually achieve decarbonization. It has arrived as the climate coalition’s major factions are transforming in ways that themselves sharpen the conflict. Good-faith advocates of decarbonization in all camps should be concerned that, in the wake of the debt-ceiling deal, a new round of fractious permitting-reform fights will split the climate coalition into separate camps with irreconcilable theories of climate action. The result, though ideologically purifying, would be politically disastrous.”

Los Angeles Times: Editorial: The Save Our Gas Stoves Act? That’s GOP pro-fossil-fuel foolishness
THE TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD, 6/22/23

“Of all the urgent problems House Republicans could be tackling — gun violence, voting rights, climate change — they are using some of their power to fan the flames of a cultural war over gas stoves,” the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board writes. “Last week the GOP-controlled House passed legislation that would prevent the Consumer Product Safety Commission from using federal money to regulate or ban gas stoves and block the U.S. Energy Department from making gas ranges and ovens less wasteful by setting stricter energy efficiency standards. The Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act and the Save Our Gas Stoves Act amount to little more than political posturing. Yet the measures show how much Republicans are trying to cling to the polluting fossil fuel technology of the past in a world that is slowly but surely going all-electric… “These bills would needlessly hamper regulators by preventing them from setting standards to keep Americans safe from gas leaks and indoor pollution and saving them money by increasing energy efficiency in the kitchen — as they have done with little controversy for decades for every type of home appliance you can imagine… “California, like other blue states, is heavily reliant on gas for home cooking and heating, but state and local officials are adopting a growing number of policies aimed at electrifying buildings, including measures to ban gas hookups in new construction and phase out sales of gas furnaces and water heaters. Still, targeting stoves remains touchy for regulators, in part because of the success of a decades-long industry disinformation campaign that mythologized methane gas as a “clean” and “natural” fuel… “Republicans are trying to turn what should be a sober, science-based discussion about kitchen appliances into another wedge issue — or as Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio put it earlier this year, “God. Guns. Gas stoves.” But such efforts show they care more about defending the fossil fuel industry than protecting people’s health and lowering utility bills. Those priorities are wildly misplaced and should be laughed out of the chamber.”

Guardian: The climate crisis is this century’s biggest threat. We need a global finance pact that reflects the task ahead
Chris Bowen is Australia’s climate change and energy minister. Steven Guilbeault is the Canadian minister of environment and climate change. James Shaw is New Zealand’s climate change minister, 6/22/23

“The science is clear. The climate crisis is the biggest single threat we face as a global community. In turn, meeting the goals of the Paris agreement and realising the opportunities of climate action is the task of the 21st century. No single government can address this alone. Together, we can rise to the challenge,” Chris Bowen, Steven Guilbeault and James Shaw write for the Guardian. “…We, the climate change ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, hold hope that it is still possible to urgently correct course and see deep, rapid emissions reductions across all sectors and systems… “We need a global financial architecture that helps address the existential threat of climate change, while supporting countries’ development ambitions, responding to the millions slipping back into poverty and maintaining stability in the global financial system… “Growing debt burdens are limiting the ability of developing countries to absorb the costs of addressing the devastating impacts of climate change on their own… “Given their important role, multilateral development banks are uniquely placed to demonstrate leadership and our three nations welcome the delivery of initial reforms including the recent announcement to unlock US$50bn in lending capacity over the next 10 years at the World Bank… “Multilateral development bank portfolios should increase alignment with the Paris agreement and scale up the provision of concessional finance. That means integrating climate risk considerations and impacts across their activities… “We all need to be “all in”. And that includes all international financial institutions.”

The Hill: Get ready for another wet, hot American summer, thanks to fossil fuels
William S. Becker is a former regional director at the U.S. Department of Energy, 6/24/23

“Here in Wisconsin, National Dairy Month is underway, an annual celebration where small towns elect Dairy Queens and hold parades on Main Streets,” William Becker writes for The Hill. “…But haze in the air, watery eyes and new mask warnings tell us that probably won’t be the case this year or in the future. Nature used to control summer. Now, we have created our own weather of extreme floods, fires, drought and rising seas with fossil fuel pollution. Wildfires… Bad air is a new norm… “Killer heat waves… Pervasive floods… Sinking land and rising seas… Limited insurance… “However, although adaptation is necessary, there is no substitute for retiring fossil fuels from the U.S. and global economies. We have entered an age of painful superlatives — highest, hottest, coldest, costliest, deadliest, and so on… “More climate change is already in the pipeline because of past pollution. We created these conditions, so we can’t blame the weather. And unless we stop using fossil fuels very soon, deadly weather will become catastrophic and unstoppable. Thirty-five years ago, America’s top climate scientist told Congress that climate change had begun. The question is the same today as it was then: How much are we willing to sacrifice before we end our addiction to fossil fuels?”