EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/27/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Canadian Press: Enbridge asks U.S. judge to ensure Line 5 keeps running until reroute completed in 2026

• Jonathan Solokow: Environmental groups file constitutional challenge to Joe Manchin’s dirty deal debt ceiling bill.

• Press release: Rep. Foushee, Manning Lead Letter Urging FERC to Deny MVP Southgate Pipeline Extension

• Minot Daily News: PSC to mull making carbon pipeline safety information public

• South Dakota Searchlight: Farmers say they can store carbon without pipelines

• Oelwein Daily Register: As CO2 permit process winds down, Summit expands proposed project

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why is the recent ruling on Enbridge’s Line 5 so important? Here are 8 reasons.

• Wisconsin Public Radio: Relocating the Enbridge pipeline, Profiting off of welfare

• Reuters: Oil shippers on Canada’s Trans Mountain expansion dispute pipeline tolls

• 100 Mile Free Press: Enbridge proposing an expansion to southern portion of pipeline in BC

• Community Impact: Blackfin Pipeline to host public meeting on proposed Montgomery County natural gas pipeline

• Associated Press: Oil spill from Shell pipeline fouls farms and a river in a long-polluted part of Nigeria

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Biden admin considers CO2 storage in national forests

• E&E News: DOJ urges court to kill Juliana climate lawsuit

• Law360: Green Groups Hit BLM With Suit Over 6 Calif. Oil Well Permits 

• The Verge: The EPA is putting together a youth council

• E&E News: How Republicans are trying to redefine the EJ movement

STATE UPDATES

• Denver Post: OSHA fines Suncor $15,000 over December fire at Commerce City refinery that injured 2 workers

• Bakersfield Californian: Some oil field violations linger for years in Kern

• WMBB: Port St. Joe protest liquid natural gas plant

EXTRACTION

• The Hill: Fossil fuel consumption steady despite record growth in renewable energy 

• Washington Post: How hydrogen subsidies could cause a ‘doom loop’ for the climate

• Telegraph: Watch: Just Stop Oil spray paint over energy firm’s Canary Wharf HQ

CLIMATE FINANCE

• E&E News: House Republicans release interim ESG report

• Reuters: BlackRock’s Fink says he’s stopped using ‘weaponised’ term ESG

• Press release: Brookfield, “ESG Investing” Leader, Made Billions of New Investments in Fossil Fuel Infrastructure, Report Finds

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Reuters: New rules aim to clamp down on corporate greenwashing

OPINION

• The Hill: The climate emergency demands a ‘woke’ response

• Cleveland.com: Op-Ed: Fracking In Ohio State Parks And On Public Lands Endangers Us All 

• Houston Chronicle: Natural gas, coal and nuclear power are failing the Texas grid, new tech is the future

• The Hill: Why most Americans no longer consider themselves environmentalists

PIPELINE NEWS

Canadian Press: Enbridge asks U.S. judge to ensure Line 5 keeps running until reroute completed in 2026
James McCarten, 6/26/23

“The Calgary-based company that operates Line 5 is asking a U.S. judge for a measure of certainty that its controversial cross-border pipeline won’t be shut down before it can be rerouted around an Indigenous band’s territory in Wisconsin,” the Canadian Press reports. “Enbridge Inc. wants district court Judge William Conley to clarify his earlier order that the pipeline be removed within three years from land that belongs to the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa… “New court documents filed Friday, described as “requests for clarification,” stop short of formally asking Conley to stay any shutdown orders until after Enbridge has completed efforts to detour Line 5 around band territory. But they do argue that the company has made a valid argument that the pipeline should be allowed to continue operating, with Bad River receiving a share of the profits, until the reroute is finished. “Enbridge respectfully maintains it has presented legal authority to delay any injunction until the reroute is operational, thereby avoiding any loss of service and resulting substantial harm to the public,” the document says. “The court has the authority not to issue, or to stay, any injunction order to coincide with the reroute becoming operational to ensure that the public interest remains protected from substantial adverse consequences.” “…Enbridge also wants to confirm whether that clock started June 16, or if the three-year timeline begins from the date of Conley’s final judgment, which is still to come, pending revisions and clarifications.”

Jonathan Solokow: Environmental groups file constitutional challenge to Joe Manchin’s dirty deal debt ceiling bill. 
6/26/23

“Environmental groups [have] filed constitutional challenge to Joe Manchin’s dirty deal debt ceiling bill,” according to Jonathan Solokow. “[They] tell Fourth Circuit bill is an unconstitutional violation of separation of powers.”

Press release: Rep. Foushee, Manning Lead Letter Urging FERC to Deny MVP Southgate Pipeline Extension
6/26/23

“Today, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06) led a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips requesting the Commission deny an extension of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the MVP Southgate pipeline. “Given the vast variety of clean energy alternatives, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s original need determination for the pipeline is woefully outdated,” the Members said. “The presence of a natural gas pipeline is an unnecessary threat to our communities’ water sources, while the affected environmental justice communities have also consistently spoken out against the project. Both North Carolina and Virginia regulators rejected renewed permit applications further demonstrating that an extension to the recently expired Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the pipeline would be irresponsible and unjust to Alamance and Rockingham counties.” The Mountain Valley Pipeline was issued the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity in June of 2020 from FERC and in the years since, neighbors, residents and citizen groups have expressed significant concerns about environmental impacts, public safety, ecotourism, and nearby communities of color.”

Minot Daily News: PSC to mull making carbon pipeline safety information public
6/27/23

“North Dakota’s Public Service Commission will lead a hearing today to consider a safety aspect of a high-profile project involving a proposed carbon-dioxide pipeline,” the Minot Daily News reports. “Summit Carbon Solutions wants to construct a multistate pipeline to capture emissions from ethanol plants in the Midwest for underground storage in North Dakota. The company is asking the state to keep sealed any dispersion models indicating how far the carbon dioxide would spread if the pipeline were to burst. Eliot Huggins, field organizer for the Dakota Resource Council, told the News interveners feel the information should be made public to help local stakeholders make informed decisions. “The impacts of this pipeline potentially expand up to three miles,” Huggins told the News. “There’s homes within 500 feet and schools within maybe one or two miles, they kind of start to get concerned about it.” “…Mitch Flanagan, planning director for Burleigh County, feels the company’s arguments about security do not carry much weight when you consider many parts of the project would be easily visible. “A terrorist, in our mind, doesn’t need a plume model to go over there and attack a pump station, which is all elevated pipe. It’s above-ground pipe,” Flanagan told the News. “They’re going to be four of those stations just in Burleigh County alone. So, if they want to blow up the pipeline, they can do it right there. They don’t need a modeling report.” Meanwhile, those concerned about the project remain hopeful the state attorney general will open an investigation into where some of the investments for the pipeline are coming from.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Farmers say they can store carbon without pipelines
JOSHUA HAIAR, 6/23/23

“Some farmers who oppose carbon-capture pipelines say there’s a better way to put carbon in the ground: Pay farmers to do it,” South Dakota Searchlight reports. “…Some farmers along the proposed pipeline routes fear the potential for toxic carbon dioxide plumes from leaks. They also resent the use of the courts to obtain farmers’ land for the pipelines, through a process called eminent domain. Those positions have pitted farmers along the pipeline routes against some other farmers, who support the pipelines because of their potential to help the ethanol industry. Charlie Johnson has an organic farm just south of Madison along the route of a proposed pipeline. He told Searchlight soil health practices are more effective and sustainable solutions for carbon sequestration, because plants remove carbon dioxide out of the air that ends up in the soil, without the need for carbon-capture technology or a pipeline. When farmers engage in soil health practices, they can also reduce chemical usage, limit soil degradation and erosion, and protect wildlife habitat. “The farming practices where we have more grass, more rotation, more diversity, they can unite us as producers and have us work toward a common goal to improve our soils, and use our soil and plants as a true carbon sink,” Johnson told Searchlight. “Right now, we have farmers protesting against farmers, farmers protesting against ethanol, and farmers protesting against out-of-state interests that want to line their own pockets.” State Rep. Karla Lems, R-Canton, told Searchlight farmers are in danger of losing out to pipeline companies who saw an opportunity to capitalize on the federal government’s interest in sequestering carbon. She described federal tax credits for the pipelines as a boondoggle.

Oelwein Daily Register: As CO2 permit process winds down, Summit expands proposed project
SHANE BUTTERFIELD, 6/26/23

“Just days after the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) moved its proposed CO2 pipeline project permit hearing from October to August, Summit Carbon Solutions has applied for a second permit, related to an addition to its project, which extends through Floyd and Mitchell Counties,” the Oelwein Daily Register reports. “…In making the second appeal, Summit decided against modifying their existing permit request, which is reaching its final stages, in favor of applying for a separate permit altogether. Modifying the existing request would have delayed that permit’s continuation, requiring Summit to schedule additional informational meetings in Floyd and Mitchell Counties. Under that scenario, as well, negotiations between the company and property owners along that intended path could not be undertaken until at least 30 days after the informational meetings, according to the Capital Dispatch report… “Summit’s representatives, who pointed out that seeking an additional permit for a new portion of an unapproved pipeline project is allowed by Iowa law, indicated that the request for a second permit is intended to aid property owners affected by the desired expansion… “This contention was disputed by the Iowa Sierra Club’s Jessica Mazour, who said those newly affected individuals would have an alarming lack of time to prepare. “The landowners on the new route are at a huge disadvantage,” Mazour noted. The Sierra Club went further, as well, and has contacted the IUB, requesting that the board combine the two permit requests rather than address each individually. “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, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch report. “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.” The second permit request came the same week that a group of 11 state lawmakers, led by Representative Helena Hayes of New Sharon, submitted an official Customer Objection to the IUB. Dated Wednesday, June 21, the document reiterated the notion that moving up the original Summit permit hearing to August will be detrimental to property owners.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why is the recent ruling on Enbridge’s Line 5 so important? Here are 8 reasons.
Caitlin Looby, 6/27/23

“A U.S. federal judge on June 16 ordered Enbridge, a Canadian oil company, to remove its Line 5 pipeline from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s lands within three years − a decision the tribe had been seeking since 2019. If the company doesn’t make the deadline, it will face a shutdown of the pipeline,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. “The legal battle is not over; the oil company has vowed to appeal… “Many argue that Line 5 is one of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes, which contain 20 percent of the world’s freshwater and provide drinking water for more than 40 million people.  The pipeline has had 35 spills over the course of its 70-year lifetime, releasing more than 1 million gallons of oil. Tribes and activists contend damage to the environment from these spills is infringing on treaty rights… “Line 5 opponents are now urging the Biden administration to step in, saying that in order fulfill his climate change and environmental justice promises the pipeline has to be shut down… “The company told JS it will request a stay of the judge’s decision until an appeal is heard… “Beth Wallace, freshwater campaign manager at the National Wildlife Federation, doesn’t believe that Enbridge will be able to complete the reroute in three years as permits still must be approved. The environmental impact statement was fraught with issues, Wallace told JS. Wallace believes that Enbridge will continue to lean on a 1977 treaty between the U.S. and Canada, guaranteeing the flow of natural gas and oil across the border, to slow the process down. “Enbridge is messing with the justice system in a way that should be condemned,” she told JS. 

Wisconsin Public Radio: Relocating the Enbridge pipeline, Profiting off of welfare
Shereen Siewert, 6/27/23

“We speak to a tribal leader and an environmentalist about the relocation of an Enbridge oil and gas pipeline that was illegally built on Native American land in Wisconsin and Michigan,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. 

Reuters: Oil shippers on Canada’s Trans Mountain expansion dispute pipeline tolls
Nia Williams, 6/26/23

“Oil shippers on the Trans Mountain expansion (TMX) project are challenging proposed pipeline tolls filed by Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain Corp with regulators last month, citing concerns about significant costs increases,” Reuters reports. “…Over the past week companies including Suncor Energy (SU.TO), Cenovus Energy (CVE.TO) and BP Plc (BP.L) registered to intervene in Trans Mountain Corp’s toll application, which proposed a base toll of C$11-C$12 a barrel, depending on the type of crude shipped and its final destination… “Trans Mountain said the pipeline toll was based on the latest project cost estimate and could rise by around C$0.07 a barrel for every extra C$100 million spent on uncapped costs, which are currently estimated at C$9.1 billion. Uncapped costs include two specific segments of the pipeline and other factors, including indigenous and community consultation. A number of shippers said they were concerned the uncapped cost component of the toll had increased from C$1.36 a barrel in a 2017 cost estimate to C$6.48 a barrel… “Analysts at Stifel FirstEnergy told Reuters the outcome of the dispute should not impact the price of Canadian heavy crude, but will impact margins for shippers.”

100 Mile Free Press: Enbridge proposing an expansion to southern portion of pipeline in BC
FIONA GRISSWELL, 6/27/23

“Westcoast Energy Inc. an Enbridge company (Enbridge) is proposing an expansion to the southern portion of its existing pipeline in order to meet future demand for natural gas,” 100 Mile Free Press reports. “The project details of the Sunrise Expansion Program include upgrades to compressor stations along the T-south pipeline and the addition of pipeline looping in order to provide approximately 300 million cubic feet per day more than the current supply… “Potential pipeline loops are also being considered in areas above and below the station. This means there are two or more pipelines running in parallel to each other normally in the same right of way. Looping provides increased storage of gas in the system to meet demands during peak use periods. Enbridge media contact Jesse Semko told the Press they are currently doing consultations and engaging with communities, Indigenous groups and landowners and gathering feedback on the proposed expansion. At the same time, they begin fieldwork later this summer.”

Community Impact: Blackfin Pipeline to host public meeting on proposed Montgomery County natural gas pipeline
Lizzy Spangler, 6/26/23

“Blackfin Pipeline officials will host a public meeting to discuss the proposed 193-mile-long natural gas pipeline that would stretch across eight counties, including Montgomery County,” Community Impact reports. “…The Blackfin Pipeline would transport up to 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from Colorado County to Jasper County, according to the project’s website… “Construction is anticipated to start in 2024 and be completed in 2025… “Over 2,000 jobs would be created during construction, and 36 permanent jobs would be created once construction is completed. According to the environment and safety section of its website, this project would also include: An environmental study and environmental permits; Regular aerial and foot patrol inspections; Pipeline markers on the pipeline route; Remote shutdown of the pipeline.”

Associated Press: Oil spill from Shell pipeline fouls farms and a river in a long-polluted part of Nigeria
TAIWO ADEBAYO, 6/26/23

“A new oil spill at a Shell facility in Nigeria has contaminated farmland and a river, upending livelihoods in the fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta, which has long endured environmental pollution caused by the oil industry,” the Associated Press reports. “The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, or NOSDRA, told The Associated Press that the spill came from the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Shell that crosses through communities in the Eleme area of Ogoniland, a region where the London-based energy giant has faced decadeslong local pushback to its oil exploration. The volume of oil spilled has not been determined, but activists have published images of polluted farmland, water surfaces blighted by oil sheens and dead fish mired in sticky crude. It is “one of the worst in the last 16 years in Ogoniland,” Fyneface Dumnamene, an environmental activist whose nonproft monitors spills in the Delta region, told AP. It began June 11. “It lasted for over a week, bursts into Okulu River — which adjoins other rivers and ultimately empties into the Atlantic Ocean — and affects several communities and displaces more than 300 fishers,” Dumnamene of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre told AP… “The leak has been contained, but treating the fallout from the spill at farms and the Okulu River, which runs through communities, has stalled, NOSDRA Director General Idris Musa said… “The apparent deadlock stems from mistrust and past grievances in the riverine and oil-abundant Niger Delta region, which is mostly home to minority ethnic groups who accuse the Nigerian government of marginalization.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Biden admin considers CO2 storage in national forests
Carlos Anchondo, 6/26/23

“The Biden administration is considering opening up national forests and grasslands for the permanent storage of carbon dioxide,” E&E News reports. “A proposed rule — due out in August — would amend existing regulations to allow CO2 sequestration in the National Forest System to “help meet the Administration’s priority of tackling the climate crisis,” according to the White House’s semiannual rulemaking agenda. The Biden administration has made carbon capture a key part of its climate strategy, injecting millions of dollars into projects aimed at expanding the country’s CO2 transport and storage network. The Inflation Reduction Act also enhanced existing tax credits to encourage the capture of planet-warming emissions from facilities, and EPA has included carbon capture as a compliance pathway for its proposed power plant standards. The rule, if proposed and finalized, would enable the Forest Service to consider CO2 storage projects on more than 190 million acres of public lands, predominantly in the West. John Winn, a Forest Service spokesperson, emphasized in an email to E&E that the proposal “does not authorize the use” of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) on Forest Service lands. It just opens the door to consideration; any storage proposals would still have to go through environmental review and public scoping.”

E&E News: DOJ urges court to kill Juliana climate lawsuit
Lesley Clark, 6/23/23

“The Biden administration is urging a federal court to reject an effort to revive a landmark youth climate lawsuit against the U.S., arguing that the Constitution provides no guarantee to a “stable climate system,” E&E News reports. “In a filing Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the Department of Justice’s environment chief, Todd Kim, argued that the 21 young challengers in Juliana v. United States have failed to bring a case that a court can solve. He wrote that a federal appeals court has already found — and that the challengers’ experts concede — that even if the U.S. were ordered to phase out the use of fossil fuels, it would not “suffice to stop catastrophic climate change or even ameliorate” the young people’s injuries. Therefore, he wrote, the young people cannot meet the hurdle for a court order because “they cannot show that the relief sought is ‘substantially likely to redress their injuries.'”

Law360: Green Groups Hit BLM With Suit Over 6 Calif. Oil Well Permits 
Madeline Lyskawa, 6/23/23

“Four environmental groups slapped the U.S. Department of the Interior with a complaint in California federal court seeking to challenge the approval of six drilling permits for new oil wells in the San Joaquin Valley, which they said is already the most polluted air basin in the country,” Law360 reports. “The Center for Biological Diversity, the Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth and the Natural Resources Defense Council called on the California federal court to upend the Bureau of Land Management’s recent approval of six drilling permits, saying in a complaint filed Thursday that the agency failed to account for the air quality, groundwater, public health and climate effects of its continued expansion of oil and gas drilling in violation of the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Additionally, the BLM failed to provide for meaningful input from the communities most affected by its permitting decisions, the groups said. According to the groups, oil and gas extraction is a major contributor to the San Joaquin Valley’s staggering pollution, given that several of the largest and most carbon-intensive oil fields in the country are located there — leading to devastating health effects to local communities, ‘where residents currently experience the most asthma-related emergency room visits, heart attacks, and low birth weight infants in the state of California.”

The Verge: The EPA is putting together a youth council
Justine Calma, 6/23/23

“The EPA is assembling its first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council, a group of young people to weigh in on issues that affect their communities,” The Verge reports. “We can’t tackle the environmental challenges of our time without input from our younger communities, who’ve long been at the forefront of social movements,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a press release yesterday. The worst effects of climate change are still ahead as greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels keep building up in Earth’s atmosphere. The actions policymakers take today to curb that pollution will decide what kind of planet younger generations will inherit. So it makes sense for the EPA to create seats for them at the table. Applications are open now until August 22nd to join the council. It asks youth to write about why they want to join, including a media project like a blog, video, podcast, song, or piece of artwork. Anyone who wants to apply has to show “notable commitment to environmental issues,” like being involved in initiatives at school or through community projects. They also have to be US citizens between the ages of 16 and 29. The EPA says at least half of the council’s members will “come from, reside primarily in, and/or do most of their work in disadvantaged communities.” “…Each member will be appointed by the EPA administrator, and they’ll serve a two-year term on the council. During that time, they’re expected to attend meetings and make recommendations to the EPA. It’s still too early to tell how much power the council will have on actually influencing or crafting policy.”

E&E News: How Republicans are trying to redefine the EJ movement
Kelsey Brugger, 6/23/23

“At a House hearing earlier this year, one Republican tried out a new approach on environmental justice. It involved dead babies and fossil fuels,” E&E News reports. “Do you look at lives that are saved as a result of having affordable energy?” Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) asked an environmental justice advocate at a February hearing of the Natural Resources Committee. Tiffany informed Dana Johnson, senior director of strategy and federal policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, that infant mortality rates had gone down significantly since 1900 and life expectancies had risen. He wanted to know if such data points were considered in her environmental justice analyses “because affordable energy was part of the reason that those great advances were … made.” The point, Tiffany said, was that it was important to consider trade-offs when analyzing who is affected by oil and gas projects, explaining that there were “good things” that have come from “affordable energy.”

STATE UPDATES

Denver Post: OSHA fines Suncor $15,000 over December fire at Commerce City refinery that injured 2 workers
NOELLE PHILLIPS, 6/23/23

“Federal officials this month fined Suncor Energy more than $15,000 for a safety violation that led two employees to be injured in a December fire at the company’s Commerce City oil refinery,” the Denver Post reports. “The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a $15,625 fine on June 7 for what inspectors labeled a serious violation at the refinery, according to an inspection report on the OSHA website. The report said the refinery violated standards for “process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals.” “…An OSHA spokeswoman confirmed the fine was related to the Dec. 24 fire at the refinery, but told The Denver Post to file a Freedom of Information Act request to receive a written report. The Post filed the request, but it could take months to receive a reply… “The Commerce City refinery experienced major malfunctions starting Dec. 21 after a sudden and extreme cold front swept across the Front Range. The cold forced Suncor to shut down the three plants where it refines crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and an ingredient used to make asphalt. The two employees were injured when a vapor release sparked a fire around 11 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Suncor has never released an update on the severity of its employees’ injuries or how their recovery is progressing… “A $15,625 fine is the maximum penalty that OSHA can levy against a company for a single violation, according to a January news release. The penalties are intended to be a deterrent to prevent workplace safety hazards.”

Bakersfield Californian: Some oil field violations linger for years in Kern
John Cox, 6/26/23

“Serious oil field violations flagged as many as four years ago by state regulators in Kern County remain unresolved, according to a new analysis of publicly available data that raises questions about California’s commitment or ability to address leaky wells and other problems of concern to local communities,” the Bakersfield Californian reports. “Data posted by the California Geologic Energy Management Division shows 14 violations cited by the agency in 2019 — petroleum leaks, spills, unauthorized releases and the like — are still active. Forty-nine more remain unsettled since 2020, along with 88 from 2021, an analysis by Los Angeles-based CJM Petroleum Consulting Inc. indicates… “But the data is a reminder of difficulties the state faces in ensuring compliance about a month after state and regional inspectors found methane leaking from 27 oil wells in the Arvin-Lamont area, or 40% of those tested… “Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, D-Bakersfield, raised concern about the well leaks earlier this month, telling Gov. Gavin Newsom in a June 9 letter their repair must become top priority for the sake of local residents worried about health and safety implications.”

WMBB: Port St. Joe protest liquid natural gas plant
Alex Schley, 6/23/23

“The St. Joe company and the Miami-based business Nopetro want to build a liquid natural gas plant on the site of the former Port St. Joe Paper Mill,” WMBB reports. “And residents aren’t happy. “The community wants to be engaged and be a part of the future of Port St. Joe,” PublicCitizen Director of Energy Program Tyson Slocum told WMMB. “The only way that that can happen is if the St. Joe Company sits down and meets with the community…And talk about what the community wants to see in terms of sustainable development for the former paper mill site.” “…If you got another plant coming in and might cause some of the same issues, we oppose that,” Port St. Joe resident Chester Davis told WMMB. “We’re not opposing progress. We’re not opposing prosperity for the community, but we are opposing anything that will bring danger to that community.”

EXTRACTION

The Hill: Fossil fuel consumption steady despite record growth in renewable energy 
LAUREN SFORZA, 6/26/23

“The consumption of fossil fuels remained steady despite record growth in the renewable energy sector,” The Hill reports. “According to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy, primary energy demand growth slowed in 2022 by increasing about 1.1 percent compared to its increase of 5.5 percent in 2021. The report noted that the energy sector shifted from demand around the COVID-19 pandemic to supply concerns from Russia’s invasion in Ukraine… “The report also found that oil, gas and coal products covered most of the energy demand even as renewable energy saw the highest increase ever. Coal held 35 percent of the share in the power sector, while gas hit about 23 percent of the share. The increase of renewable energy was bolstered by new solar and wind developments, and reached 14 percent of the total global electricity production, which was higher than nuclear energy, which had a 9 percent share of total electricity production. The report said that solar and wind notched a “record increase” of 266 gigawatts in 2022 and solar accounted for 72 percent of additional capacity… “The report also noted that oil consumption continued to increase to 97.3 million barrels per day in 2022 as Brent crude oil prices hit the highest level since 2013, at an average of $101. The report was published by the Energy Institute, in collaboration with KPMG and Kearny, after BP ceased doing the report. BP still offers “continuing support” for the report.”

Washington Post: How hydrogen subsidies could cause a ‘doom loop’ for the climate
Maxine Joselow, 6/23/23

“The Biden administration is making a big bet on “green” hydrogen, a fuel that can be used to power factories or ships without any greenhouse gas emissions,” the Washington Post reports. “But as the administration prepares to issue guidance on how hydrogen producers can qualify for lucrative tax credits, provided through the Inflation Reduction Act, energy firms and environmentalists have waged an unprecedented lobbying campaign. Some of the world’s biggest energy firms want to make the credits available to companies that use fossil fuels to produce hydrogen. But environmentalists warn this would trigger a disastrous cycle in which fossil-fuel-fired power plants help firms produce dirty hydrogen that then causes dirty power plants to run more often – undercutting limits on carbon pollution proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The cycle would release hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon emissions — all under the auspices of implementing President Biden’s signature climate policies. “There’s a doom loop,” Craig Segall, vice president of policy at Evergreen Action, a climate advocacy group, told the Post. “There’s a world in which our marquee climate law funds huge amounts of climate pollution that then undercuts the EPA climate rules.” Newer methods of making green hydrogen rely on electrolyzers, or devices that use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process requires an enormous amount of electricity. Under the climate law, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have until Aug. 15 to issue guidance on how truly clean this electricity must be for hydrogen to qualify for the tax breaks. Many industry groups have warned that overly strict rules would prevent the nascent hydrogen industry from getting off the ground… “In contrast, green groups are pushing for tight guardrails on what counts as “green” hydrogen under the climate law.”

Telegraph: Watch: Just Stop Oil spray paint over energy firm’s Canary Wharf HQ
Jamie Bullen, 6/27/23

“Just Stop Oil activists have thrown orange paint over an energy company’s offices in Canary Wharf in protest at an oil pipeline running through Africa,” the Telegraph reports. “More than a dozen protesters sat cross-legged outside the headquarters of Total Energies, which were coated in orange paint, at 8am on Tuesday. Activists held up a sign reading “Stop EACOP, stop genocide” in reference to an oil pipeline in eastern Africa which transports fuel produced from Uganda’s Lake Albert oilfields to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. Just Stop Oil tweeted: “Four Just Stop Oil supporters have sprayed black and orange paint across Total’s offices in resistance to continued human rights violations in the construction of @EACOP_.” The group added that the action on Tuesday was carried out in solidarity with Ugandan student activists opposing the project… “Just Stop Oil eco-activists also carried out a slow march protest in London on Tuesday morning before police implemented legal powers to remove them from the road.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

E&E News: House Republicans release interim ESG report
Emma Dumain, 6/23/23

“House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry is making good on his promise to conservatives to use his gavel to target so-called environmental, social and governance, or ESG, investing — a burgeoning front in the GOP culture wars,” E&E News reports. “The ESG Working Group — created by the North Carolina Republican, who put Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) at the helm — on Friday afternoon released its preliminary findings. The contents of a 16-page “interim report” could help form the basis of a legislative and oversight agenda for the panel regarding the practice in the months ahead. “As Chairman of the ESG Working Group, I will work to push policies that benefit all Americans, not just those seeking to push their far-left agenda,” said Huizenga, also the chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, in a statement. “Today’s preliminary report is clear about one thing, the Biden Administration is making it harder for Americans to retire,” he said.

Reuters: BlackRock’s Fink says he’s stopped using ‘weaponised’ term ESG
Isla Binnie, 6/26/23

“BlackRock (BLK.N) boss Larry Fink, at the forefront of the business world’s adoption of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards, has stopped using the term, saying it has become too politicized,” Reuters reports. “But the world’s largest asset manager hasn’t changed its stance on ESG issues, Fink told the Aspen Ideas Festival on Sunday… “Republican politicians have attacked ESG as a way for the corporate world to implement what they argue is a politically liberal agenda, triggering a backlash from Democrats who are seeking to defend it… “I don’t use the word ESG any more, because it’s been entirely weaponised … by the far left and weaponised by the far right,” Fink told Reuters. But he said dropping references to ESG would not change BlackRock’s stance. The firm would continue to talk to companies it has stakes in about decarbonization, corporate governance and social issues to be addressed, he added.”

Press release: Brookfield, “ESG Investing” Leader, Made Billions of New Investments in Fossil Fuel Infrastructure, Report Finds
6/27/23

“A report by UNITE HERE finds that Brookfield, one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers and a leader in ESG investing, has made billions of dollars of new investments in fossil fuel infrastructure through its affiliates since 2020 and that its well-publicized “net zero” pledge excludes most of the emissions associated with these investments… “Brookfield holds $825 billion in assets under management and is known for its pledge to support net-zero emissions by 2050 and “Brookfield Global Transition Fund (BGTF),” which it called “the world’s largest private fund dedicated to facilitating the global transition to a net-zero carbon economy.” But UNITE HERE’s analysis of public filings, news reports, and other documents found that Brookfield’s affiliated entities and funds have made billions of dollars of new investments in one of the world’s largest coal loading terminals, oil sands pipelines, natural gas pipelines, and other fossil fuel infrastructure since 2020. Brookfield claims to follow the Paris Aligned Investment Initiative’s Net Zero Investment Framework, but its investments run counter to the framework’s recommendation that investors should not make new investments in companies exploiting oil sands. The report also finds that Brookfield’s “net zero” pledge excludes indirect emissions from its investments in fossil fuel transportation. These so-called “Scope 3” emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels transported through infrastructure that Brookfield affiliates own or are invested in, including oil sands pipelines and coal terminals… “But an ESG-minded investor who chooses to invest in Brookfield Renewable after seeing it on lists of top green energy stocks might not know that it is invested in several infrastructure funds with fossil fuel investments, including in Canadian oil sands pipelines.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Reuters: New rules aim to clamp down on corporate greenwashing
Huw Jones and Simon Jessop, 6/26/23

“Companies will face more pressure to disclose how climate change affects their business under a new set of G20-backed global rules aimed at helping regulators crack down on greenwashing,” Reuters reports. “The norms published on Monday have been written by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) as trillions of dollars flow into investments that tout their environmental, social and governance credentials. It would be up to individual countries to decide whether to require listed companies to apply the standards, ISSB Chair Emmanuel Faber told Reuters, adding the standards can be used for annual reports for 2024 onwards. Canada, Britain, Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, Chile, Malaysia, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa are considering their use, Faber told Reuters.”

OPINION

The Hill: The climate emergency demands a ‘woke’ response
Robert Taylor is an environmental journalist whose research and published work centers on environmental issues, 6/24/23

“In politics today “woke” is a popular though often misunderstood slogan. Many Republicans use it disparagingly to label what they consider progressive or leftist ideas. While its origin, and core, have to do with racial justice, it is now widely used to criticize anything that promotes tolerance, fairness, compassion and due regard for the well-being of others,” Robert Taylor writes for The Hill. “Being woke means waking up our sensitivities to injustice and inequality. It means recognizing and claiming the moral values that guide us in deciding what’s right and wrong. Understood as a moral imperative, “woke” is exactly what’s needed in a climate emergency… “Although woke is mostly employed as an insult, we should claim it as a rallying force to awaken moral sensibilities. Until recently, climate change has not been argued as a moral issue. Many consider it a technological problem, hoping that some new technology will make the problem go away. Fossil fuel interests want us to believe that the pursuit of untested, uneconomic and dangerous carbon capture technologies will allow them to keep producing their polluting fuels. Others frame it as a cost-benefit problem, or an economic growth or jobs problem. Not identifying carbon pollution as a moral wrong has resulted in decades of inaction, denial and delay. When something is a moral wrong, we generally don’t waste time debating how to make it a little less immoral; we stop it… “A groundswell of wokeness would provide a powerful remedy to the climate emergency. It would break the grip of Big Oil, elect more responsible government leaders and restore hope for a livable and just future for all.”

Cleveland.com: Op-Ed: Fracking In Ohio State Parks And On Public Lands Endangers Us All 
Mary Huck, 6/23/23

“I was raised in the ‘50s and early ‘60s on a mid-sized Ohio dairy farm with woods, ravines, a cliff and a creek to roam in. I saw snakes shedding their skins, two-inch-long grasshoppers, red fox, quail and plate-sized turtles. My mother would tell me we lived in a park-like setting,” Mary Huck writes for Cleveland.com. “What’s left of much of Ohio’s nature and wildlife today is at risk of being lost for millennia with the passage of H.B. 507 that will trigger a stampeded by fossil fuel companies to frack our state parks and public lands. According to the U.S. EPA, fracking is the largest industrial source of methane and smog-forming volatile organic compounds. There are few federal or state regulations on methane leaks or flaring (intentional burning of methane.) The 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says there is evidence the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions well exceed 3%, which means methane from fracking may have a greater long-term climate-warming impact than coal.”

Houston Chronicle: Natural gas, coal and nuclear power are failing the Texas grid, new tech is the future
Chris Tomlinson, 6/23/23

“The Texas electric grid’s biggest failures so far this summer are coming from the supposedly most reliable generators: fossil fuels,” Chris Tomlinson writes for the Houston Chronicle. “At 6:31 p.m. June 16, when electricity demand was near its peak, the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant dropped 1,000 megawatts of electricity for two days due to an equipment problem… “Four days later, when demand was peaking at 7 p.m., a coal-fired power plant dropped 568 megawatts, enough power for 113,600 homes. Coal plants are supposed to provide the baseload power for the grid that advocates say is so important… “But even with a week’s warning, natural gas delivered only 46,992 megawatts. Prices rose from $20 a megawatt-hour that morning to hit the $5,000 cap. But all that money was not enough to get the missing megawatts online… “No source of electricity is 100 percent reliable; only a diverse mix can keep us alive during extreme weather… “Batteries will soon compete economically with the quick-start natural gas plants that provide backup today. New technologies will extend the current duration from four hours to eight or more. Building more batteries and perfecting demand response will take years. In the meantime, Texans will rely on old fossil fuel plants that are getting creaky. When they run too hard, steam pipes blow, circuit boards fry and turbines shut down. The grid must evolve to mitigate climate change. Texas will eventually rely mostly on clean energy most of the time. Fossil fuels will always provide some backup. But don’t believe for a minute that they are 100 percent reliable.”

The Hill: Why most Americans no longer consider themselves environmentalists
Steven Cohen  is senior vice dean of the School of Professional Studies and professor of the practice of public affairs in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, 6/27/23

“In 1989 Gallup reported that 76 percent of Americans considered themselves environmentalists, by 2021 that had declined to 41 percent,” Steven Cohen writes for The Hill. “At the same time, poll after poll shows that about 70 percent favor public policies that control air, water and toxic waste pollution. What has happened is that the image of environmentalism and environmental advocacy itself has become entwined in the political polarization that has infected all aspects of American political life… “The decline in the image of environmentalism took place for two reasons: the anti-regulatory ideology accelerated by the Reagan Administration, and the issue of climate change… “People saw factories close down and thought it was due to environmental regulation… “But anti-government ideology led to the idea that regulation “killed jobs.” Actually, the opposite is true. Environmental rules inspired innovation in the auto industry and created a more efficient, high-tech, safer motor vehicle. But still, the right-wing mindset is that regulation stifled private sector initiative, and those socialist environmentalists were always pushing rules and telling people what to do. Coupled with anti-regulatory ideology, environmentalists walked right into the culture wars by shaming users of SUVs, and condemning people that eat meat or wear fur… “Vegan urban environmentalists focused on climate change and living parsimoniously made no effort to understand the mobility needs of large suburban families with kids’ sports equipment to move around town, nor of rural folks who hunted and froze meat to get through the winter. Instead of seeking common ground from a shared love of nature, some highly visible environmentalists took the sanctimonious high ground of moral superiority… “Interestingly, young people may bring environmentalism back to the mainstream. Polling data indicates that they are more concerned about climate change and environmental degradation than their elders… “It may require some re-branding, but the consensus around environmental protection may yet re-emerge in American political life.”