EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 6/9/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Washington Post: Climate advocates protest Mountain Valley Pipeline outside White House

• Common Dreams: Converging on White House, Progressives Tell Biden to Cancel Mountain Valley Pipeline

• Virginia Mercury: What’s next for the court cases challenging Mountain Valley Pipeline?

• Globe Gazette: Supervisor chair says Iowa counties seek pipeline moratorium, sufficient setbacks

• Daily Caller: Iowa GOP Reps Lobbied For Green Tax Credits That Benefit A ‘Megadonor’ Supporting Their Campaigns

• Reuters: Enbridge’s Mainline crude pipeline volumes to drop as Trans Mountain expansion

• Reuters: Enbridge sees Canada Woodfibre LNG export plant in service in 2027

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Washington Post: Some — not all — Democrats say Biden should declare a climate emergency

• E&E News: Lawmakers press FERC to act on environmental justice

• E&E News: Here’s Who Scored White House Climate Meetings

STATE UPDATES

• E&E News: Montana kids’ climate case set to make history

• Grist: A California bill could reveal corporate America’s climate secrets

• Santa Fe New Mexican: State to consider environmentalists’ petition about PFAS in fracking

• Fox News: Native American leaders rebuke Biden admin over oil leasing ban: ‘Undermines our sovereignty’

• DeSmog: Oil and Pipeline Companies Are Backing a ‘Water Quality Restoration’ Project in North America’s Biggest Swamp

EXTRACTION

• Washington Post: World’s ‘carbon budget’ for key climate goal was halved in just three years

• Guardian: Countries have not yet agreed to put fossil fuel phase-out on Cop28 agenda

• Guardian: ‘Absolute scandal’: UAE state oil firm able to read Cop28 climate summit emails

• Associated Press: Campaigners want fossil fuel firms to pay into climate calamity fund; diplomats dubious

• NPR: America is going through an oil boom – and this time it’s different

• The Narwhal: Suncor helped write ‘first draft’ of Canadian plan for tackling carbon emissions

• Bloomberg: The War Against Methane Leaks Gets a New Data Tool

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Associated Press: Ban on environmentally conscious investment advances in North Carolina Senate

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• Associated Press: Shell’s clean energy advertising campaign is misleading, UK watchdog says

• Boston Globe: Greenwashing at Greentown Labs? The Somerville climate-tech hub’s new partner is raising alarms.

OPINION

• The Hill: GOP efforts to protect gas stoves only burn consumers

• The Hill: Preserving freedom: Fighting the assault on gas stoves
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Washington Post: Climate advocates protest Mountain Valley Pipeline outside White House
Ellie Silverman, 6/8/23

“Danger Winslow held a microphone in his hand — the stand too tall for the 7-year-old to reach — and told hundreds of people why he returned to the nation’s capital to protest. He was afraid that the Mountain Valley Pipeline project would pollute crucial waterways and cause irreversible damage to fragile resources,” the Washington Post reports. “I’m talking to you, Joe Biden,” he said, tears welling in his eyes as he stood next to his mother. “Do better.” Danger, of Asheville, N.C., was among hundreds of protesters who gathered in front of the White House on Thursday and urged President Biden to oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline — and any fossil fuel projects — and to declare a climate emergency… “This protest kicks off several days of actions by climate activists dubbed People vs. Fossil Fuels. The activists are demanding that Biden stop approving fossil-fuel projects. There will be demonstrations in 65 places across the country from Thursday to Sunday with the support of 64 climate, labor, environmental justice and Indigenous groups, according to a news release.”

Common Dreams: Converging on White House, Progressives Tell Biden to Cancel Mountain Valley Pipeline
KENNY STANCIL, 6/8/23

“Progressives descended upon the White House on Thursday to demand that U.S. President Joe Biden use his executive authority to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline and declare a climate emergency to expedite the end of the fossil fuel era,” Common Dreams reports. “Approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) was fast-tracked last week via the debt ceiling agreement that Biden, eschewing his options for unilateral action, forged with House Republicans who took the global economy hostage… “While Biden was inside the White House talking with right-wing United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, hundreds of people gathered outside to remind the president that “he can stop MVP just like he stopped Keystone XL.” The rally was organized by People vs. Fossil Fuels, a coalition of more than 1,200 organizations. It marks the start of multiple days of action nationwide. Many people wore masks due to the hazardous air quality in Washington, D.C… “When asked by a reporter Wednesday if the coalition planned to cancel Thursday’s protest as a public health precaution, Fossil Free Media director Jamie Henn said, “No, this is exactly why we have to take these sorts of actions.” On Thursday, he added that “we’re not going to sit idle as the world burns.” A separate rally scheduled for Thursday in New York City had to be canceled, however, because the record-setting air pollution blanketing the country’s most populous metropolitan area in an apocalyptic orange haze poses too great a risk. “We’re fighting for a future,” West Virginia resident Maury Johnson said during the demonstration in the nation’s capital. “Not one that’s filled with smoke.” Climate justice advocates were joined outside the White House by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Noting that MVP has nothing to do with raising the nation’s debt limit—an arbitrary and arguably unconstitutional cap on federal borrowing the GOP has weaponized to impose its agenda on multiple occasions—the progressive lawmaker denounced the inclusion of the project’s approval in the debt ceiling deal.”

Virginia Mercury: What’s next for the court cases challenging Mountain Valley Pipeline?
CHARLIE PAULLIN, 6/9/23

“Although the Mountain Valley Pipeline won fast-tracked approval from Congress last week, environmental groups are still exploring possible legal challenges to prevent it from moving forward,” the Virginia Mercury reports. “…The measure also includes a provision that removes judicial authority to review any federal approvals, and mandates that any challenges to the broader law be heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Most legal challenges to the project have been heard in the Richmond-based U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The constitutionality of the provision removing the 4th Circuit’s authority to review permits is what is seen as a possible legal avenue for a challenge, David Sligh, conservation director for Wild Virginia, one of several environmental groups that have been involved in lawsuits over the pipeline, told the Mercury. Three cases over pipeline permits remain active in the 4th Circuit: one against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over impacts to endangered species and two against the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management over sediment and erosion issues related to the project. Mountain Valley Pipeline has filed motions to dismiss all three cases, citing the Fiscal Responsibility Act… “Sligh told the Mercury environmental groups are considering challenging the Fiscal Responsibility Act’s provision eliminating judicial review of agency approvals as a breach of the separation of powers clause. “A lot of us believe that the law that was passed could be unconstitutional,” said Sligh.  A potential stay of the project during such a legal challenge is also among the options being considered to prevent it from continuing, Victoria Higgins, Virginia director for Chesapeake Climate Action Network, another environmental group involved with litigation against the project, told the Mercury. “We will explore every avenue to try to delay the project and end the project,” said Higgins. The environmental groups have until June 15 to file a response to Mountain Valley Pipeline’s  motion to dismiss the cases. 

Globe Gazette: Supervisor chair says Iowa counties seek pipeline moratorium, sufficient setbacks
Rob Hillesland, 6/8/23

“Hancock County Supervisor Chair Sis Greiman provided her observations from the May 31 and June 1 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration conference she attended in Des Moines,” the Globe Gazette reports. “…Greiman noted that there were lots of other county supervisors in attendance at the Des Moines meeting of the federal regulatory agency. She said there were more than 850 people online and at least 250 in attendance. Greiman said that they did not just object to the impacts, such as health and emergency response impacts in the event of a rupture, but offered possible solutions such as use of plume studies and adapting emergency vehicles sent into a dense CO2 saturated environment as combustion engines can fail for lack of oxygen. However, she said the most-raised immediate solution was for a moratorium to be placed on the construction of carbon pipelines “until, you, the governing body (PHMSA) come up with (long-term) solutions.” She also noted there seemed to be some acknowledgement by the federal officials that there is a steep learning curve on issues related to the unique hazardous carbon pipelines. “Supervisors need some power for setbacks,” said Greiman, noting their concerns about counties getting sued for trying to establish reasonable setbacks or moratorium on construction. Local resident Bob Kern noted the agency officials acknowledge they don’t have rules for addressing CO2 pipeline-specific issues. In addition, hundreds of pipeline objectors rallied outside the PHMSA meeting on the first day… “Greiman said representatives from many counties voiced their want to require pipeline setback of at least 850 feet, but they are afraid they could get sued. “I think the threat of getting sued is kind of everyone’s concern,” said Greiman, noting concerns that townships could also be held responsible for leaks/damages while multiple Hancock County township trustees were in attendance at the weekly supervisors meeting. “That was the battle cry down there, was to do a moratorium until (PHMSA) has rules.” Yung, an attorney with Johnson, Mulholland, Cochrane, Cochrane, Yung, & Engler, said he would further investigate moratorium and/or setback requirements as pertaining to counties. The larger issues will be revisited with Yung and Conley (of Bolton & Menk) at a future county supervisors meeting.”

Daily Caller: Iowa GOP Reps Lobbied For Green Tax Credits That Benefit A ‘Megadonor’ Supporting Their Campaigns
JOHN HUGH DEMASTRI, 6/8/23

“All four Iowa House Republicans lobbied to protect tax credits for carbon dioxide storage in House Republicans’ debt ceiling bill after raking in thousands in donations from a donor involved in CO2 pipeline development, according to campaign finance records,” the Daily Caller reports. “The Iowa coalition — Reps. Randy Feenstra, Ashley Hinson, Marianette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn — refused to back Republicans’ Limit, Save, Grow Act until their colleagues removed language that would have rolled back tax credits supporting carbon pipelines, according to multiple reports. The act narrowly passed the House in a near party-line vote in late April with the Iowans’ support, and the tax credits are not touched in President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s final debt ceiling deal. The Iowan representatives have each received substantial campaign contributions from prominent Republican donor Bruce Rastetter, CEO and co-founder of Summit Agricultural Group, an agricultural investment firm whose affiliate, Summit Carbon Solutions, has proposed a carbon pipeline project in the state… “Generally the largest beneficiaries [of the pipelines] will be large multinational companies and their investors on Wall Street,” Thomas Jones of the conservative American Accountability Federation, who described Rastetter as a “mega-donor” that was “working feverishly” to protect the tax credits, told DC. “The losers — well that’d be family farmers who will get multi-generational farms destroyed by the pipeline. The federal taxpayer will lose when there is a massive wealth transfer from working class taxpayers to wealthy companies.”

Reuters: Enbridge’s Mainline crude pipeline volumes to drop as Trans Mountain expansion
Arathy Somasekhar, 6/8/23

“The coming expansion of the Canadian government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline will reduce crude oil flows on Enbridge Inc.’s Mainline oil pipeline, an Enbridge executive said on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “The expansion, which is expected to begin operations in early 2024, initially will reduce Enbridge’s Mainline volumes by 200,000 to 300,000 barrels per day, Senior Vice President Phillip Anderson said at an RBN Energy export conference… “The change effectively will cut the toll on the Mainline pipeline by roughly 75 cents per barrel, Anderson said.” 

Reuters: Enbridge sees Canada Woodfibre LNG export plant in service in 2027
6/8/23

“Enbridge Inc’s Woodfibre LNG partnership in British Columbia was on track to enter service in 2027, Cynthia Hansen, president of gas transmission and midstream at the Canadian energy company, said on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “Hansen told Reuters at the Reuters Global Energy Transition conference that “Woodfibre LNG will be interesting this summer as they get to that milestone of finalizing our investment.” The milestone will come when Woodfibre completes 60% of the engineering, which should allow major construction to start around September. Enbridge owns 30% of the $5.1 billion Woodfibre LNG project. The remaining 70% is owned by Pacific Energy, which is part of the Singapore-based RGE group of companies. The project is underpinned by two long-term offtake agreements with a unit of oil major BP PLC for 15 years representing about 70% of the project’s capacity… “In Texas, Hansen told Reuters Enbridge was “anxiously awaiting the FID” (final investment decision) for the first 16.2-MTPA phase of NextDecade Corp’s proposed Rio Grande LNG export plant. Enbridge will build the 4.5-bcfd Rio Bravo pipeline in Texas to supply gas to Rio Grande once NextDecade makes a final decision to build the plant… “Separately, Enbridge is building the Gator Express and Venice Extension gas projects to supply Venture Global LNG’s Plaquemines LNG export plant in Louisiana.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Washington Post: Some — not all — Democrats say Biden should declare a climate emergency
Maxine Joselow, 6/9/23

“Liberal lawmakers are renewing their calls for President Biden to declare a national climate emergency, citing the smoke from Canadian wildfires descending on the Capitol and much of the eastern United States,” the Washington Post reports. “This is a planetary emergency, and the president should declare an emergency,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told the Post. “It is the biggest issue facing humankind. We are on a trajectory for a massive increase in climate chaos, affecting us in every possible way.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, agreed that an emergency declaration is warranted. “This should be a wake-up call to every member of the Congress that if we don’t get a handle on climate change, it is going to be absolutely devastating,” Sanders told the Post. “This is not the end of the problem — this is the beginning of what we’re going to be seeing.” “…An emergency declaration would give the president sweeping executive powers to crack down on fossil fuels, a leading cause of climate change, including by blocking crude oil exports. Biden first considered issuing an emergency declaration last year, when it appeared that Democrats’ signature climate law had collapsed in Congress amid resistance from Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.). But the president abandoned the idea after Manchin helped broker a surprise deal on the Inflation Reduction Act. With unprecedented air pollution affecting about 123 million people yesterday, liberal lawmakers and activists say now is the moment to reconsider marshaling these powers. “It’s past time to declare a National Climate Emergency and unleash every resource available to prepare for and mitigate the worst impacts of increasingly frequent climate-fueled disasters, like forest fires, heat waves, floods, and more,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said in a statement… “We spoke with four Democratic senators who signed a letter from Merkley last summer urging Biden to “declare a climate emergency to unlock broad and crucial powers.” When asked whether they still think the president should take this step, none of them said yes… “The president will make all federal resources available in dealing with this crisis, and that’s what matters,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) told the Post. “That’s all I have to say.” “…Unlike some Democrats, hundreds of climate activists yesterday agreed that Biden should declare a climate emergency, braving the smoke to stage a rally in front of the White House.” “…It’s almost too on the nose that days after President Biden greenlit the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the debt ceiling deal, we have the White House and the entire Eastern Seaboard encased in climate-induced smoke,” Jean Su, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Post. “This should be a blaring siren right now for President Biden to declare a climate emergency and get serious on fossil fuels.”

E&E News: Lawmakers press FERC to act on environmental justice
Miranda Willson, 6/7/23

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must take “concrete steps” to ensure that natural gas pipelines and other energy projects do not disproportionately harm low-income and marginalized communities, two Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday,” E&E News reports. “In a letter to FERC acting Chair Willie Phillips, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) urged the agency to incorporate environmental justice principles into all of its decisions and engage with communities affected by major energy facilities. Environmental justice refers to the effort to address pollution in overburdened areas, including communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. “We are encouraged by FERC’s recent steps to recognize environmental justice issues, but respectfully note that given the history and legacy of environmental injustice in the United States, much more must be done,” Pallone and DeGette wrote in the letter.”

E&E News: Here’s Who Scored White House Climate Meetings
ROBIN BRAVENDER, TIMOTHY CAMA, 6/7/23

“Senior White House climate officials hosted a mining CEO, solar company executives and national environmental group leaders this year as the Biden administration raced to get its massive climate and renewable energy law up and running,” E&E News reports. “Those were just a few of the dozens of White House meetings senior energy and climate officials hosted in February, according to the most recent visitor logs released by the administration. Those records — updated each month — offer a glimpse into the executives, environmental advocates and policy wonks with access to President Joe Biden’s top energy and climate advisers.”

STATE UPDATES

E&E News: Montana kids’ climate case set to make history
Lesley Clark, 6/9/23

“A landmark trial unfolding next week in a small Montana courtroom could have outsize influence on U.S. climate policy — even if the case has little immediate effect in the Treasure State,” E&E News reports. “In the first U.S. youth-led climate case to go to trial, 16 young people are putting Montana’s energy policies on the stand, accusing state agencies and the governor of violating their right to a stable climate by embracing fossil fuels. The case could result in a judicial finding that coal- and gas-rich Montana has run afoul of the state’s 1972 Constitution, which provides a right to a “clean and healthful environment.” “To have the ability to go to trial and submit evidence that the advancement of fossil fuels has an effect on the climate and warming … that’s a pretty tremendous thing,” Sandra Zellmer, director of natural resources clinics at the University of Montana School of Law, told E&E. “It’s monumental that this is getting to trial in a state like Montana.” A court finding that the use of fossil fuels is warming the planet and that Montana has unlawfully approved oil, gas and coal projects — without consideration of climate impacts — would be powerful, Zellmer told E&E. Although Montana courts have no authority beyond the state’s borders, judges and lawyers will be paying close attention to the outcome of the case and could use it to bolster climate fights elsewhere… “Aside from the Montana and Juliana cases, Our Children’s Trust is involved in several other youth-led climate challenges, including one against the Hawaii Department of Transportation, which could be the second case of its kind to go to trial, after the Montana challenge. A legal victory for the young Montana activists could have ripple effects for other climate fights, both inside and outside of the courtroom… “That outcome could “contribute to the overall ecosystem in which courts are recognizing that overuse of fossil fuels is deeply problematic,” Simons, who represents Colorado communities suing the oil and gas industry for climate compensation, told E&E.

Grist: A California bill could reveal corporate America’s climate secrets
Max Graham, 6/8/23

“California lawmakers are weighing a bill that would reach well beyond the state’s borders by forcing large companies in the state to detail their greenhouse gas emissions — even those of their suppliers,” Grist reports. “The bill, which cleared the state Senate on May 30, would require companies that operate in California and generate more than $1 billion a year to report greenhouse gas emissions across their supply chains. While a lot of companies measure and report at least some of their emissions without any legal requirements, many of them don’t account for all the emissions tied to their products. And they don’t all measure and report emissions in the same way. The Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act seeks to change that by making corporations — from giant banks like Wells Fargo to private, family-owned companies like In-N-Out Burger — follow the same protocol and account for all the emissions linked to their business… “To get through the state Assembly, the bill has to overcome ample opposition from industry lobbyists, who successfully stymied a similar proposal last year. The thought of a sweeping climate disclosure mandate has rankled the oil and gas industry, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Cattlemen’s Association, other agricultural groups, and reportedly the state’s most popular fast-food business, In-N-Out. The burger conglomerate has spent $90,000 lobbying this session on the disclosure bill, among other pieces of legislation.”

Santa Fe New Mexican: State to consider environmentalists’ petition about PFAS in fracking
Scott Wyland, 6/7/23

“State regulators will consider whether to hold a formal rule-making hearing on a petition that seeks a ban on cancer-causing chemicals in fossil fuel operations and the repeal of a trade secrets rule allowing companies to conceal hazardous chemicals,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “WildEarth Guardians filed the petition in response to a recent report by Physicians for Social Responsibility indicating oil companies used roughly 9,000 pounds of PFAS in hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, for 260 wells in New Mexico. The report also contends PFAS use could be far more extensive because the trade secrets rule allows operators to conceal many of the chemicals they use. For this reason, the conservation group wants that rule rescinded or revamped.”

Fox News: Native American leaders rebuke Biden admin over oil leasing ban: ‘Undermines our sovereignty’
Thomas Catenacci, 6/8/23

“Leaders of the Navajo Nation, a federally-recognized tribe in the southwest, are heavily criticizing the Biden administration for its action last week banning oil and gas leasing impacting their citizens,” Fox News reports. “In a highly-anticipated action last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland finalized a ban on fossil fuel leasing within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park located near San Juan County, New Mexico. While she said the move would protect the sacred and culturally significant site, Navajo leaders have argued it will wreak economic devastation on tribal members who rely on leasing the land for income. “I really am emotionally distraught for our constituents that have been impacted by this,” Brenda Jesus, who chairs Navajo Nation Council’s Resources & Development Committee, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Since I’ve entered the legislative body for my Navajo people, I’ve listened to a lot of constituents out in that area and, you know, it’s just emotional distress, psychologically as well, that they’ve talked about this – it really disturbs me to know how much more of a hardship that these folks are going to be experiencing out there,” she said.

DeSmog: Oil and Pipeline Companies Are Backing a ‘Water Quality Restoration’ Project in North America’s Biggest Swamp
Drew Hawkinson, 6/8/23

“Covering a million acres along Louisiana’s central southwest coast, the Atchafalaya Basin is the largest contiguous swamp in North America. It’s home to centuries-old tupelo and cypress trees, along with dozens of species of shellfish and fish, from shrimp and crawfish to freshwater drum and catfish,” DeSmog reports. “…For more than a century, oil companies have drilled, laid pipelines, and cut channels throughout the Basin. The region is littered with discarded stacks of valves, networks of rusted pipes, and abandoned two-story tall steel tanks. These so-called “orphan wells” can leak oilfield waste and cancer-causing chemicals, such as benzene, into the environment. But environmental advocates say the biggest threat to the Atchafalaya Basin’s fragile ecological balance are river diversion projects. Supporters of these projects say they benefit the Atchafalaya by improving water quality. But others point to projects of decades past that, by altering the flow of the Atchafalaya River, have dumped tons of sand and silt as well as nitrogen-laden agricultural runoff into the Basin, filling in waterways and suffocating aquatic life.”

EXTRACTION

Washington Post: World’s ‘carbon budget’ for key climate goal was halved in just three years
Maxine Joselow, 6/9/23

“In the past three years, the world used half its remaining carbon budget to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with preindustrial levels, according to a study published yesterday,” the Washington Post reports. “In 2020, scientists at the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that the world could only burn 500 billion more tons of carbon dioxide if it wanted to have a decent chance at averting a climate catastrophe. But now, researchers estimate that the number has already been halved because of three years of increased burning of fossil fuels and a new scientific understanding of how air pollution particles affect the climate. Still, the 1.5-degree goal has always been highly ambitious, and scientists now estimate that the world will probably pass that temperature threshold sometime in the next decade.”

Guardian: Countries have not yet agreed to put fossil fuel phase-out on Cop28 agenda
Fiona Harvey, 6/7/23

“UN climate talks this year might skirt the vital question of whether and how to phase out fossil fuels, as nations have not yet agreed to discuss the issue, one of the top officials hosting the talks has said,” the Guardian reports. “Majid Al Suwaidi, director-general of the Cop28 climate talks for its host nation, the United Arab Emirates, said governments were not in agreement over whether the phaseout of fossil fuels should be on the agenda for the conference, which begins in November. “Remember, there are two sides of this discussion. There are many on one side of the discussion who would like to see the kind of language of phasing out fossil fuels,” he told the Guardian. “But there are others in other different circumstances in different situations, who have different views on how that language should be formulated. And I think that that’s what the process is about – bringing everybody together with differing views and finding that common ground that works for everyone.” “…Adnoc is planning major increases in its oil and gas production capacity. On Thursday, civil society groups in Bonn will protest against “conflicts of interest” over Al Jaber’s dual role in the negotiations. A preparatory session for Cop28, is being held this week in Bonn. Al Suwaidi tolf the Guardian  fossil fuels would form a key part of the discussions at Cop28, but whether a phaseout would be discussed as part of the official agenda of the talks was still up for grabs. “Our presidency is here for whatever the parties’ consensus is. The parties’ consensus is to have a discussion around fossil fuels. And we will support having a discussion around fossil fuels. It’s really up to the parties decide what they want to have on the agenda as part of this process,” he told the Guardian. “That’s what we as a presidency are focused on: finding the solutions that will allow everyone to go away feeling that they made significant progress and feel that it was worth the discussion.”

Guardian: ‘Absolute scandal’: UAE state oil firm able to read Cop28 climate summit emails
Damian Carrington, 6/7/23

“The United Arab Emirates’ state oil company has been able to read emails to and from the Cop28 climate summit office and was consulted on how to respond to a media inquiry,” the Guardian reports. “The UAE is hosting the UN climate summit in November and the president of Cop28 is Sultan Al Jaber, who is also chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). The revelations have been called “explosive” and a “scandal” by lawmakers. The Cop28 office had claimed its email system was “standalone” and “separate” from that of Adnoc. But expert technical analysis showed the office shared email servers with Adnoc. After the Guardian’s inquiries, the Cop28 office switched to a different server on Monday. Al Jaber’s dual role has attracted strong criticism, including from the former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, who called his approach “dangerous”. Replies to a Guardian email to the Cop28 office requesting reaction to these comments, which did not mention Adnoc, contained the text “Adnoc classification: internal”. The French MEP Manon Aubry, told the Guardian: “This is an absolute scandal. An oil and gas company has found its way to the core of the organisation in charge of coordinating the phasing out of oil and gas. It is like having a tobacco multinational overseeing the internal work of the World Health Organization.”

Associated Press: Campaigners want fossil fuel firms to pay into climate calamity fund; diplomats dubious
FRANK JORDANS, 6/7/23

“Environmental campaigners called Wednesday for fossil fuel producers to contribute to a new fund intended to help poor countries cope with climate disasters,” the Associated Press reports. “The so-called loss and damage fund was a key achievement of last year’s U.N. climate summit in Egypt. Developing nations have long demanded more financial support for the impacts from global warming, which is historically driven by pollution from rich countries. “It is the prime responsibility for countries to fill that fund, particularly those with the greatest historic responsibility,” Rebecca Newsom, of the environmental group Greenpeace, told AP. “But in order to fill that fund at scale now, we need to really ramp things up,” she told AP. “The most obvious starting point is, of course, the fossil fuel industry, the creators of the crisis that we are now facing.” “…Some countries have pushed back against the idea of getting Big Oil to chip in from the start. Mohamed Nasr, Egypt’s lead negotiator, told AP there was a risk of “overloading the very delicate and, I would say, very sensitive discussion that is happening” before this fall’s U.N. summit in Dubai. While Nasr said he wasn’t opposed to contributions from the fossil fuel or aviation industry, these could be difficult to implement and the main focus should be on rich nations.”

NPR: America is going through an oil boom – and this time it’s different
Camila Domonoske, 6/9/23

“America’s oil industry is booming – in a surprising way,” NPR reports. “It doesn’t look much like the booms of the past, when companies would scramble to pump as much oil as possible and the region would attract so many workers it became impossible to find housing and free hotel rooms. Instead, a sector infamous for its booms and busts is finally learning how to embrace the one thing they’ve never been known for: moderation. This shift is doing a lot of good in the Permian, America’s most prolific oil basin. Oil companies are raking in profits, and the steadier work has also been good for workers across the region. But the economic, geopolitical and climate implications are more complicated… “But so far, oil and gas companies are sending the bulk of their cash back to investors in the form of dividends and share buybacks, rather than dedicating it to new, greener ventures. And the sheer profitability of oil means that companies have very little incentive to invest in anything else – in fact, they can be punished by the market if they try. Oil companies are also unconvinced that the world actually will transition away from oil, at least at anything approaching the speed necessary to stop climate change. The oil industry is talking (and advertising) about climate change now, but companies are openly skeptical about the actual speed of a transition away from oil. That’s true for big companies — and small ones. The U.S. oil patch may have discovered restraint. But there’s no indication that it’s on the road to reinvention.”

The Narwhal: Suncor helped write ‘first draft’ of Canadian plan for tackling carbon emissions
Carl Meyer, 6/8/23

“Suncor, one of Canada’s largest oil companies, helped the federal government draft a highly anticipated climate change strategy that was due to be released in 2022 but is now over a year late,” The Narwhal reports. “An executive from the Calgary-based company, which operates in the oilsands and runs Petro-Canada gas stations across the country, influenced the early development of the government’s forthcoming Carbon Management Strategy, according to departmental records released under access to information law. Chris Grant, then the vice-president of regional development for Suncor, was handpicked by a senior bureaucrat at Natural Resources Canada to provide private advice to the department concerning carbon capture, utilization and storage. He was one of 13 members of an advisory group that also included a manager at rival oil and gas company Shell, executives at BMO and Scotiabank, representatives from a cement industry lobby group and from several clean technology firms, and other experts in the field, according to the department… “Government officials kept details of this reference group under wraps for two years. The Narwhal only discovered its existence after the departmental records were released… “Grant, who has since retired, has been described in company promotional materials as “the engineer leading Suncor’s push to net-zero.” He did not respond to requests for comment from The Narwhal. Hannaford will soon be the country’s top-ranking public servant, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his promotion in May. It’s unclear what role Shell or other advisory group members played in drafting earlier versions of the strategy, as The Narwhal was only given access to the briefing note regarding Suncor’s role.”

Bloomberg: The War Against Methane Leaks Gets a New Data Tool
Jennifer A Dlouhy and Eric Roston, 6//23

“Analysts have a more precise measurement of how much US natural gas goes directly into the atmosphere, worsening climate change far more than if it was first sold in the marketplace for energy,” Bloomberg reports. “About 2.2% of all methane extracted in the US ends up escaping across the natural gas supply chain, according to a new index that combines estimates with data collected in aerial flyovers to document the scale of the problem. The new finding comes from a methane-intensity index set to be announced Thursday by MiQ and Highwood Emissions Management, which is aimed at spurring market implications for companies that produce and transport natural gas. By establishing a national baseline, the index could ward off natural gas buyers and investors from producers whose methane emissions run high.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Associated Press: Ban on environmentally conscious investment advances in North Carolina Senate
HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, 6/7/23

“North Carolina agencies and state pension plans would be prohibited from using socially and environmentally conscious criteria to make investment decisions or hire employees, under legislation that advanced Wednesday in the state Senate,” the Associated Press reports. “The proposal, which passed the GOP-controlled House last month with some bipartisan support, would ban the use of “environmental, social and governance” standards to screen potential investments based on the company’s perceived environmental or social impacts and how its leadership is structured to support those goals… “The legislative push in North Carolina comes after President Joe Biden’s administration asked a federal judge on Monday to toss out a lawsuit by GOP-led states over a rule allowing employee retirement plans to make socially conscious investment considerations. At least two other states — North Dakota and Idaho — have enacted laws banning similar criteria… “The proposal, set to take effect as soon as it becomes law, would require the state treasurer to only consider factors expected to have a material effect on the financial risk or financial return when evaluating an investment.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Associated Press: Shell’s clean energy advertising campaign is misleading, UK watchdog says
ED DAVEY, 6/7/23

“A marketing campaign by oil major Shell has been banned by the U.K.’s advertising watchdog Wednesday for implying a big proportion of its business was in low carbon energy even though fossil fuels make up the “vast majority” of its operations,” the Associated Press reports. “A television commercial, a YouTube video and a poster campaign in Bristol, England, variously described providing large numbers of British homes with 100% renewable energy, installing electric vehicle charging points and driving the energy transition. In its written ruling the Advertising Standards Authority found consumers would interpret the marketing materials as making a “broader claim about Shell as a whole providing cleaner energy.” Although Shell does have a clean energy business, the company estimates its operations released almost 1.4 billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in 2021. In a statement, Shell spokesperson Tara Lemay told AP the company “strongly” disagrees with the ASA’s decision, “which could slow the U.K.’s drive toward renewable energy.” “…The ASA’s ruling said the campaign gave the impression that “low-carbon energy products comprised a significant proportion of the energy products Shell invested in and sold in the UK in 2022, or were likely to do so in the near future.” “…Adfree Cities campaigner Veronica Wignall, who led the complaint, told AP the ruling “marks the end of the line for fossil fuel greenwashing in the U.K.,” but added that the ruling “doesn’t go far enough.” She called for robust legislation to stop fossil fuel advertising.”

Boston Globe: Greenwashing at Greentown Labs? The Somerville climate-tech hub’s new partner is raising alarms.
Sabrina Shankman, 7/6/23

“Somerville’s Greentown Labs, the largest climate-tech incubator in North America, is a playground for climate idealists, a 100,000-square-foot campus where engineers, mechanics, and entrepreneurs plot, prototype, and launch technologies to pave the way toward a world free of fossil fuels,” the Boston Globe reports. “So when the company recently announced a new partnership with the largest oil company in the world — one that would provide it a close relationship with the startups being fostered at Greentown Labs — it sent shock waves through parts of the climate community. The partner, Aramco Americas — the US wing of Saudi Aramco — aims to expand its oil production at least through the end of the decade, and is reportedly responsible for 4.4 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide and methane emissions since 1965. “This is a really bad look for them,” Collin Rees, US program manager for the advocacy group Oil Change International, told the Globe. “What you are doing when you’re partnering with fossil fuel companies is actively perpetuating their political power, when in fact we need to be doing the opposite.” Unlike the past, when oil companies flat-out denied climate change, the industry has shifted its approach, and these kinds of arrangements have become a trend, Lili Fuhr, director of the Fossil Economy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law, told the Globe. She said they can be deceptive because they allow fossil fuel companies to claim they are working toward climate solutions even as their business models call for more production of fossil fuels.”

OPINION

The Hill: GOP efforts to protect gas stoves only burn consumers
Jessica Tritsch is the director of Sierra Club’s Building Electrification Campaign, 6/7/23

“A reasonable person would think that reducing strain on our energy infrastructure, bringing down consumer utility bills and protecting the health of kids would be issues that had bipartisan support, yet Congress is considering a pair of bills that would ensure the opposite,” Jessica Tritsch writes for The Hill. “The so-called Save Our Gas Stoves Act and Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act would hamstring federal agencies, like the Department of Energy (DOE) and Consumer Product Safety Commission, from issuing any standards that would protect the health and safety of consumers against the harms of gas stoves and conserve energy in a way that reduces utility bills for consumers… “It seems clear from the titles that the bills’ sponsors and supporters care more about protecting fossil fuel-burning appliances than they care about safeguarding consumers. Republicans say these bills are necessary because (they claim) federal health and safety standards would effectively “ban” gas stoves. However, their stated premise is simply false… “Studies show the picture is grim when it comes to indoor air pollution from stoves. In addition to the primary ingredient of methane, the gas burned in those stoves contains 21 dangerous chemicals, many of which have been linked to cancer, according to a Harvard study. Cooking with gas also significantly increases asthma risks — especially for children… “This boils down (if you’ll excuse the pun) to one thing: Republicans in Congress are more concerned with winning a battle in the culture war instead of protecting consumers, reducing energy bills, safeguarding public health and improving reliability. Any member of Congress that supports people over appliances should vote no on these bills when they reach the floor this week.”

The Hill: Preserving freedom: Fighting the assault on gas stoves
BY REP. DAN NEWHOUSE (R-WASH.), 6/6/23

“At home, the kitchen is at the heart of many American households. It’s from where we send our children off to school after cooking breakfast, enjoy delicious meals with family, and come together with friends and neighbors. While the kitchen serves a reliable place to gather, the Biden administration is setting their sights on removing an unexpected target: gas stoves,” Dan Newhouse writes for The Hill. “In February, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed an “energy efficiency standard” for gas cooking products — a blatant backdoor attempt to ban gas appliances. According to the DOE’s own evaluation, more than half of gas cooking appliances on the market today would not meet their punitive proposed standard. The DOE’s de facto ban would eliminate the majority of gas cooking appliances and hurt good-paying manufacturing jobs across the country. Since the proposed ban was announced, I’ve heard from the people of Central Washington and groups across the country about how detrimental this rule would be to individual freedoms, restaurants, manufacturers, and workers who all rely on gas stoves and the natural gas industry. I knew immediate action was needed to stop the out-of-touch elitists from making this move before it became too late… “Recognizing the gravity this situation, I introduced legislation this week that prevents the Biden administration and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) from enacting any standard that would effectively ban gas stoves. I am also co-sponsoring an additional piece of legislation this week, the Save Our Gas Stoves Act, which will stop the DOE from dictating the type of cooktop appliance Americans use in their home… “The fight against the ban on gas stoves extends far beyond a mere debate on energy sources or the means of cooking; it is about preserving our freedoms and defending the choices that make our households uniquely American. The government’s encroachment upon our right to decide how we cook our meals or what we can purchase is not only a threat to our quality of life, but also an affront to the very principles that lies at the heart of American individualism and liberty.”