EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/19/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• FOX News: Dem senator urges Supreme Court to reinstate major gas pipeline

• Agri-Pulse: Eminent domain in play for pipeline on more than 1,000 parcels in Iowa

• Associated Press: South Dakota lawmakers push for special session against carbon capture pipeline

• KELO: Lawmakers seek additional PUC study for CO2 pipelines

• KSFY: Brown County considers second pipeline moratorium, lawmakers file petition for special session

• South Dakota Public Broadcasting: Brown County ends pipeline moratorium, pushes for legislative action

• WOWT: Shelby County supervisors update landowners on injunction over pipeline

• KWCH: Shelby County being sued over CO2 pipeline [VIDEO]

• Bloomberg: Off-Duty Parole Officers Shed Suit Over Pipeline Protest Arrests

• Morningstar: Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Likely To Cost the Canadian Government Billions of Dollars

• Pipeline Journal: Enbridge Receives Approval to Alter Westcoast Connector Pipeline Route

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Politico: Trump’s energy industry donors defect to his primary rivals

STATE UPDATES

• InForum: Project Tundra carbon capture plans may not be worth climate, financial risks

• Houston Chronicle: Texas Democrats split on state’s role in carbon capture

• Houston Public Media: Can the Railroad Commission be trusted to regulate carbon capture in Texas? According to two Texas Congressman, no not at all.

• Energy News Network: Declaring natural gas ‘green energy’ in chicken bill violated Ohio constitution, groups argue

• Alaska Beacon: Study: The closer that birds’ nests are to Prudhoe oil infrastructure, the lower the survival rates

• Colorado Public Radio: Xcel Energy wants to mix hydrogen into the natural gas system. It’s starting with this neighborhood.

• Los Angeles Times: California will cap hundreds of orphaned oil wells, some long suspected of causing illness

• Texas Tribune: West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave

• Carlsbad Current-Argus: Callon Petroleum fined $1.3 million by feds for air pollution in Permian Basin

EXTRACTION

• Bloomberg: Major LNG Buyers Partner To Limit Methane Emissions

• National Observer: Big Oil rebrands its lobbying efforts

• The Athletic: How Just Stop Oil waged war on sport with disruption, division – and confetti

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Stop the Money Pipeline: Six Climate Activists Arrested at Wells Fargo

• CNN: BlackRock made a climate pledge. Then it appointed a Saudi oil executive to its board

• New York Times: BlackRock Forges a New Bond With Big Oil

OPINION

• Petoskey News-Review: My Take: Line 5 continues to threaten disaster of massive scope

• San Jose Mercury News: Forget carbon capture and ditch fossil fuels

• The Hill: False ‘greenwash’ solutions won’t help — we need to eliminate our use of plastics
  

PIPELINE NEWS

FOX News: Dem senator urges Supreme Court to reinstate major gas pipeline
Thomas Catenacci, 7/18/23

“Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin filed a brief with the Supreme Court Tuesday asking the high court to reinstate the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a 303-mile natural gas pipeline under construction,” FOX News reports. “The Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill that suspended the limit on federal debt through early 2025 and was signed by President Biden in early June, included a provision automatically approving any outstanding federal environmental permits for the MVP, which runs from West Virginia to Virginia. However, last week, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay blocking the pipeline’s construction from proceeding. “I was proud to help ensure that the Mountain Valley Pipeline would finally be completed through ratification and approval of the project’s permits without further judicial review in the Fiscal Responsibility Act,” Manchin said in a statement. “But, yet again, this vital energy infrastructure project has been put on hold by the Fourth Circuit despite the new law clearly stating that the Fourth Circuit no longer has this authority… “We cannot let this continue any longer,” he added. “It’s a shame when members of Congress have to ask the Supreme Court to intervene to maintain the credibility of the laws that we have passed and the President has signed, but I am confident that the Court will uphold our laws and allow construction of MVP to resume.” “…On Friday, the pipeline’s developer asked the Supreme Court to vacate the stay issued by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court then set a deadline of early next week for plaintiffs, a coalition of environmental groups, to respond… “In his brief, Manchin highlighted that Section 324 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act greenlighted the project and changed its jurisdiction. “Section 324 changes the law governing completion of the pipeline,” he stated in the brief. “It supersedes the statutes pursuant to which the agency authorizations being contested in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals were issued, and it replaces them with a new law mandating federal agencies to issue and maintain the authorizations necessary to complete the pipeline.

Agri-Pulse: Eminent domain in play for pipeline on more than 1,000 parcels in Iowa
Steve Davies, 7/19/23

“Summit Carbon Solutions has voluntary agreements in hand from scores of landowners as it works to secure a path for the first carbon capture pipeline in the Midwest, but the company is also preparing for a hearing next month to push for the use of eminent domain in Iowa,” Agri-Pulse reports. “The path to obtaining a permit from the Iowa Utilities Board has not been without bumps. Opponents, including many landowners in the state, have raised questions about myriad issues, including the state’s regulatory authority over the materials to be transported, long-term damage to farmland, and what they see as a rushed timeline… “The Iowa Utilities Board last week reaffirmed a hearing date of Aug. 22 where landowners who object to the Summit project can make their case. Any witness can be cross-examined, the IUB said, adding it wanted to ensure all interested landowners are heard… “Helland said at the hearing, the board would ask landowners “a couple of questions,” after which they can be cross-examined by any other party to the proceedings. “This process will continue until every Exhibit H landowner who would like to testify has done so,” he said, referring to the exhibit containing information on the parcels for which Summit plans to seek eminent domain authority. Last week, the IUB filed its Exhibit H report identifying 1,035 parcels for which Summit is pursuing eminent domain… “In many cases, landowners have filed formal objections to the proposal, citing a broad range of concerns including irreparable damage to farmland. “It just seems like these proceedings are rushed,” Brian Jorde, an attorney with the Domina Law Group, said at an IUB prehearing conference last week. “This matter clearly should be continued. It’s premature to think we can move forward in any fair way on Aug. 22.” He recommended holding a hearing in spring 2024, “which will go a long way [toward] eliminating a lot of due process arguments that … will be coming in various forms.” Jorde, who is representing several landowners along the route of the Summit project, said the board first needs to address allegations that the project does not meet the definition of a hazardous liquid pipeline… “One landowner in Cherokee County “is concerned about the safety of persons and livestock, post-installation soil quality, liability of pipeline hardware to the farmer, future pipeline/easement ownership, and future land valuation,” the staff report summarized. “The landowner is also skeptical of the project’s ability to fight climate change. The landowner is also concerned about how the pipeline will be installed on their property’s unique geography without significant disruption.”

Associated Press: South Dakota lawmakers push for special session against carbon capture pipeline
7/18/23

“A group of South Dakota lawmakers has begun circulating a petition in hopes of forcing a special session to protect private property rights against the developers of a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline,” the Associated Press reports. “But the petition drive faces an uphill climb, needing the signatures of at least two-thirds of the membership of both the South Dakota House and Senate to succeed. While Republican Gov. Kristi Noem could also call a special session on her own, she said last week that it would be “fruitless” unless lawmakers reach a consensus. Landowners and farmers in South Dakota and other states have objected to Summit Carbon Solutions’ plan to use the power of eminent domain to run pipelines across private land without the owners’ consent… “Cosponsors of the petition drive said in a statement Monday that they object to the use of eminent domain to strip property rights from landowners for the benefit of an out-of-state private company with foreign investors. Others have objected on safety grounds, and environmental groups are skeptical.”

KELO: Lawmakers seek additional PUC study for CO2 pipelines
Rae Yost, 7/18/23

“Twenty-four state Representatives and three Senators are asking the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to take an action it apparently has not done for some time,” KELO reports. “The 27 lawmakers have requested the PUC require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) as part of the permitting process for any carbon dioxide sequestration pipeline. Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator have applied to the PUC for permits to install sections of CO2 pipelines in the state. “To my knowledge, the PUC has not done that (EIS requirement) in recent years, because the Commission’s review and the requirements found in the Administrative Rules, specifically ARSD 20:10:22, address the items that would generally be found in an EIS,” PUC staff attorney Kristen Edwards said in an email to KELOLAND News. The July 16 letter from the lawmakers claims the size and nature of the two proposed CO2 pipelines will significantly disrupt many miles in the state. Disruption of native grasses, vegetation, soil makeup, groundwater, air quality and waterways is of high concern, the letter said. An EIS would address those high concerns about disruption, according to the letter from the lawmakers… “Edwards said in her email response to KELOLAND News “As Commission Staff, our goal is always to conduct the most comprehensive, detailed review we can, regardless of whether an EIS is ordered. To date, we have received and reviewed thousands of pages of information in each pending pipeline docket.” If the PUC were to require an EIS, “if such a request was voted on, that would need to be done at a noticed public meeting in order for them to weigh in,” Edwards said in her email to KELOLAND… “The July 16 letter from the 27 lawmakers cited laws SDCL 34A-9 and SD 34A-9-7 as support for the EIS request.”

KSFY: Brown County considers second pipeline moratorium, lawmakers file petition for special session
Sarah Parkin, 7/18/23

“County officials, landowners, and lawmakers are doing everything in their power to protect the private property rights of South Dakota citizens ahead of the Public Utilities Commission’s carbon pipeline permit hearings this fall,” KSFY reports. “A year ago, Brown County passed a moratorium on hazardous pipelines in order to give the Planning and Zoning Department time to create an ordinance that puts a setback of 1,500 feet on pipelines. That moratorium expires on Wednesday, July 19. After an hour of discussion with nearly two dozen landowners in attendance, the Brown County Commission decided not to extend the moratorium during their meeting on Tuesday morning. Instead, the Commission has asked the Brown County State’s Attorney’s office to look into a new moratorium that would prohibit the construction of pipelines until the Public Utilities Commission makes a decision on Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application this fall… “Questions surrounding the legality of a second moratorium were asked during the Brown County Commission meeting, and some residents are concerned that letting the first moratorium expire will send the wrong message about Brown County’s stance on carbon pipeline projects. ”The year is up. Tomorrow is the end of the moratorium. The Planning and Zoning Board has done their work and has established the 1,500-foot setback, so the question might be, when is enough time? What would you look at next? What would Planning and Zoning look at next? My concern is how PUC is going to look at it,” said Dennis Feickert, a Brown County resident and former Brown County commissioner. The Commission anticipates having the language for a second moratorium before Summit’s hearing with the Public Utilities Commission in September… “State legislators from Brown County, like Representative Carl Perry, have recently filed a petition for a special session. ”We talked about doing the petition probably for about four or five weeks now. We are petitioning all the state legislators to come together in Pierre for a special session,” Perry told KSFY. 

South Dakota Public Broadcasting: Brown County ends pipeline moratorium, pushes for legislative action
Evan Walton, 7/18/23

“Brown County commissioners are allowing a moratorium blocking hazardous pipeline development to end,” South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports. “It was standing room only Tuesday as commissioners discussed whether to extend the county’s moratorium… “Proponents of extending the moratorium said it should remain in place until federal CO2 pipeline regulations are established. Opponents said the moratorium was a “bullet” that was prematurely used. The commission decided to allow the moratorium to end in hopes that state legislators would reevaluate state law… “On July 6, 2023, hundreds of citizens held a rally in Pierre, in support of revisions to the South Dakota eminent domain law – culminating with approximately 2,000 signatures in support of eminent domain reform. Whereas the Brown County commissioners is in support of the constitutional rights of property owners. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the board of Brown County commissioners is in support of the governor and legislator revising South Dakota law,” said Dennert. Duane Sutton is the Chair of the Brown County Commission. After a unanimous vote by the commission to adopt the resolution, he thanked fellow commissioners. “I think that sends a message that it’s time to change some of our laws,” said Sutton.

WOWT: Shelby County supervisors update landowners on injunction over pipeline
Joe Harris, 7/18/23

“…The Shelby County Board of Supervisors passed its own ordinance in November restricting how closely hazardous liquid pipelines can be to schools, homes and public recreation areas,” WOWT reports. “It’s about protection,” Chairman Steve Kenkel said. “Protecting our residents.” However, last week, a federal judge ruled the ordinance conflicts with state and federal regulations. She granted Summit’s request for a temporary injunction preventing the ordinance’s enforcement. “We’re scheduled to have a trial because Summit had filed a lawsuit against the county for enforcing our ordinance,” Kenkel told WOWT. “So that will not be enforced until a judge or jury decides that. It’s scheduled for January.” At a meeting Tuesday, the board of supervisors provided an update on the situation to its residents and landowners. Many are worried the pipeline could rupture like another one did in Satartia, Mississippi in 2020. Around 45 people were hospitalized after being gassed in their homes and nearby vehicles… “Kenkel said the county has 30 days to respond to the temporary injunction. Summit doesn’t have all the land it needs to build the pipeline through Shelby County. 6 News asked if it has submitted a petition to the Iowa Utilities Board to use eminent domain, but is waiting to hear back.”

KWCH: Shelby County being sued over CO2 pipeline [VIDEO]
7/18/23

“Shelby County, Iowa, is facing a lawsuit over the proposed CO2 pipeline,” KWCH reports. 

Bloomberg: Off-Duty Parole Officers Shed Suit Over Pipeline Protest Arrests
Peter Hayes, 7/18/23

“Protesters who tried to obstruct the building of a Louisiana oil pipeline can’t pursue claims against the company hired to provide security at the site or the off-duty probation and parole officers who arrested them, a federal trial court said,” Bloomberg reports. “The plaintiffs, Cynthia Spoon, Sophia Cook-Phillips, and Eric Moll alleged that the probation and parole officers, off-duty deputies who transported them to jail, and security company HUB Enterprises engaged in a “preconceived plan” to arrest them without probable cause in violation of their First Amendment rights. The claims fail because there was probable cause to arrest the protesters for purposely…”

Morningstar: Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Likely To Cost the Canadian Government Billions of Dollars
Stephen Ellis, 7/18/23

“The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, once seen as a savior for Canadian oil by offering a key export channel for Canadian producers to reach Asian markets, is now looking like it will be remembered very differently and negatively by investors and the Canadian government,” Morningstar reports. “A loss between CAD 15 billion and CAD 20 billion (based on a CAD 10 billion-CAD 15 billion valuation) is likely, with the potential for a higher loss still if the pipeline sees further cost increases… “The project was originally conceived to move Canadian barrels to the west coast (Burnaby, British Columbia) for export instead of forcing Canadian producers into taking large discounts on their barrels to sell into the highly competitive U.S. market… “Eighty percent of the pipeline is under contract with shippers for 15- to 20-year terms. Now, with ongoing cost overruns due to a variety of COVID-19-related reasons as well as labor and weather issues, the project’s cost stands at over CAD 30 billion. For a pipeline that is only about 80% complete, higher costs are still possible with an in-service date expected in 2024.”

Pipeline Journal: Enbridge Receives Approval to Alter Westcoast Connector Pipeline Route
7/18/23

“The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office has permitted Enbridge to modify its proposed Westcoast Connector natural gas pipeline,” Pipeline Journal reports. “According to a news report the change involves removing 138 kilometers of the pipeline route that runs through Blueberry River First Nation territory. This adjustment comes after the First Nation won a treaty infringement case in 2021, highlighting the cumulative impacts of industry on their treaty rights. Enbridge believes the section through Blueberry River First Nation is not essential to the Westcoast Connector project, which aims to connect Chetwynd to Prince Rupert, stating that eliminating this segment will reduce potential cumulative effects on Treaty 8 Territory. “WCGT Ltd. found that removing the first 138 km of pipeline from the project as certified will reduce potential cumulative effects on Treaty 8 Territory, including those within BRFN Territory,” Enbridge said in its submission to the EAO asking for an amendment to its environmental certificate.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Politico: Trump’s energy industry donors defect to his primary rivals
ROBIN BRAVENDER, 7/19/23

“Energy industry executives who backed former President Donald Trump are now shelling out cash to his competition, according to the latest campaign finance reports,” Politico reports. “Oil and gas magnate Harold Hamm donated to Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. Pipeline mogul Kelcy Warren and Midland Energy Inc. CEO Syed Javaid Anwar contributed to DeSantis, too. Billionaire energy executive Jeffery Hildebrand is backing North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s campaign. Coal executive Joe Craft and his wife, Kelly — who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Trump — have donated to DeSantis, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie. Meanwhile, none of those wealthy energy donors has cut Trump big checks for his 2024 campaign, according to campaign finance reports due Saturday. “The simple explanation is that Trump has issues,” Bill Miller, a longtime Texas lobbyist, told Politico… “It’s kind of like a car that’s not quite in good shape and it’s got to go on a road trip. There are gonna be problems. As a consequence, donors are spreading their wealth.”

STATE UPDATES

InForum: Project Tundra carbon capture plans may not be worth climate, financial risks
Michael Standaert, 7/18/23

“As the state of North Dakota trumpets Project Tundra, experts outside of the state raise questions about capturing carbon dioxide emissions from two units at coal-fired Milton R. Young Power Plant near Center, North Dakota,” InForum reports. “The only real certainty is that the initiative will be expensive and will result in unabated carbon emissions at least through 2028, if not longer, under the projected construction timeline. Costs of producing energy will also rise due to the technology needed to capture the emissions and pump them deep underground. For some, the expenditures don’t make sense financially and they don’t make sense when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. “The Milton Young plant is 50 years old, for God’s sakes, and coal plants don’t tend to last much longer than that,” Dennis Wamsted, a Boston-based energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told InForum. “Basically, you’re putting carbon capture on a facility that was scheduled to shut down in the very near future,” Wamsted told InForum. “That makes no sense to us. There are many viable options to replace that power. They’re here now, they’re clean, and they’re cheap and reliable.” :…Capturing a projected 4 million tons of CO2 per year at $85 per ton for 12 years would amount to a subsidy of $4.08 billion over that period. North Dakota’s Clean Sustainable Energy Authority already approved a $100 million loan from state funds for up front capital costs for the project and is considering another $150 million on top. The participants in the project — Minnkota Power Cooperative, TC Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kiewit — have also applied for a separate $350 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Upfront capital costs needed to complete the project and get it running are estimated at $1.4 billion. All those costs combined may end up being greater than it would be to close the facility and transition to other forms of energy, Jeremy Fisher, a senior advisor with the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program based in San Francisco, told InForum… “Paul Jensen, interim director of Citizens Local Energy Action Network [CLEAN] out of Fargo, told InForum his organization sees the project as one “trying to revive a dead corpse.”

Houston Chronicle: Texas Democrats split on state’s role in carbon capture
James Osborne, 7/18/23

“Some Texas Democrats are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to reject the state’s application to permit the construction of carbon storage facilities despite support of the technology from many within their own party,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “Reps. Joaquin Castro, of San Antonio, and Lloyd Doggett, of Austin, wrote a letter Friday to EPA  Administrator Michael Regan questioning the state government’s commitment to environmental protection and asking the agency to review the Texas Railroad Commission’s history on permitting oil and gas wells. “The commission has a history of waiving its own rules and regulations to favor oil and gas companies over health and environmental protection standards,” Castro and Doggett wrote. The Railroad Commission, which oversees oil and gas drilling in Texas, submitted an application for primacy over carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in December as the state gears up to take advantage of billions of dollars worth of federal CCS tax credits… “Some of the state’s Democratic delegation indicated their support for the railroad commission. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a Houston Democrat, said in a statement Monday EPA should give Texas’s application, “a fair and timely review.” “…But some environmental groups have argued against use of the technology, arguing it is unproven and will foster continued use of fossil fuels. In their letter to EPA, Castro and Doggett questioned whether the railroad commission would take a stringent enough approach to ensure that carbon capture projects keep carbon dioxide from leaking into the atmosphere. They also questioned the impact carbon capture facilities would have on neighboring communities, pointing to an area south of Houston where Occidental Petroleum and other firms are developing a carbon capture hub and residents “already face severe levels of pollution.”

Houston Public Media: Can the Railroad Commission be trusted to regulate carbon capture in Texas? According to two Texas Congressman, no not at all.
MICHAEL HAGERTY, CRAIG COHEN, 7/18/23

“In a letter first reported by Bloomberg’s Mitchell Ferman, Texas Congressmen Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett warned EPA Chief Michael Regan not to let the state of Texas regulate underground carbon storage,” Houston Public Media reports. “In the letter, Castro and Doggett warn that the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oil and gas regulator, “can’t be trusted…to protect health and safety in communities with carbon capture infrastructure.” That’s quite a charge, but it’s hardly the first time the state regulator has been called out for not having Texans’ best interests at heart… “Houston Matters host Craig Cohen talks with Chrysta Castañeda, a Dallas-based oil and gas litigation attorney and the founding partner of The Castañeda Firm. In 2020, she ran for election to the Railroad Commission. She won the Democratic nomination but lost in the general election. She’s also the co-author of The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens, which was co-written by our other guest, Loren Steffy, who’s a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly and managing director of 30 Point Strategies. They elaborate on why the Railroad Commission has been taken to task over lax regulation of oil wells and flaring and what that should signal to the EPA about whether to grant regulatory authority over carbon capture to the commission.”

Energy News Network: Declaring natural gas ‘green energy’ in chicken bill violated Ohio constitution, groups argue
Kathiann M. Kowalski, 7/19/23

“An Ohio court is set to rule on whether legislators violated the state constitution with late additions to a poultry bill that labeled natural gas as “green energy” and changed prior law to accelerate oil and gas drilling from state parks and wildlife areas,” Energy News Network reports. “Multiple drilling proposals are now pending, with public comments due on the first batch of parcels by July 20. While the court case has not blocked those proposals, the litigation could eliminate the “green energy” label and affect how lawmakers pass future bills. Briefing wrapped up last month on environmental groups’ request for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to declare lawmakers’ passage of House Bill 507 violated two constitutional requirements. One says “no bill shall contain more than one subject.” The other requires each house in the General Assembly to consider each bill on three different days unless two-thirds of the respective house suspends the rule… “The purpose of the one-subject rule is to protect the rights of Ohioans to participate in the democratic process by making it clearer what bills the state legislature is working on,” attorney Claire Taigman at Earthjustice, which is acting as counsel for the Buckeye Environmental Network, Ohio Valley Allies, Sierra Club and Ohio Environmental Council, told ENN… “The substitute bill reported out by the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Dec. 7 was a “vitally altered” bill, the environmental groups said in their brief. Instead of having more hearings and time for public comment, the bulk of the bill’s text “went from non-existent to enacted” in less than a week.

Alaska Beacon: Study: The closer that birds’ nests are to Prudhoe oil infrastructure, the lower the survival rates
YERETH ROSEN, 7/17/23

“A long-term study of birds that summer around the Prudhoe Bay oil complex found that nest survival for all bird types decreased significantly the closer those nests were to high-use oil field infrastructure,” the Alaska Beacon reports. “The study, by scientists with the nonprofit Wildlife Conservation Society and published in the Journal of Avian Biology, is a rare long-term analysis of nesting birds in the region that holds the nation’s biggest oil field. It used observations taken from 2003 to 2019 of 1,265 shorebird nests, 378 passerine nests and 231 waterfowl nests. To the Wildlife Conservation Society, the study provides a cautionary tale about long-term impacts of oil development and lessons that are timely as development is continuing to spread west on the North Slope to ConocoPhillips’ recently approved Willow project and other sites. There should be more protections for birds, John Calvelli, the organization’s vice president for public affairs, said in a statement. He pointed to the protected areas designated in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. “In the face of current uncertainty, to protect migratory birds, the U.S. Government should ensure the most important bird areas continue to be set aside, as has been done through the NPR-A’s Special Areas,” Calvelli said.

Colorado Public Radio: Xcel Energy wants to mix hydrogen into the natural gas system. It’s starting with this neighborhood.
Sam Brasch, 7/18/23

“Standing at her front door, Ashley Livesay couldn’t mask her surprise after learning her stove and furnace could soon be fueled partly with hydrogen,” Colorado Public Radio reports. “Is this a done deal?” she asked. “Or is there any way to stop this from happening?” Livesay lives in Box Elder Creek Ranch, a subdivision near Hudson, Colorado, about 30 miles northeast of Denver… “It’s also where Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest gas and power company, plans to try out mixing hydrogen into its natural gas system. The company sees the strategy as a way to cut emissions without replacing gas stoves or furnaces. Meanwhile, some residents aren’t eager to be guinea pigs in a project environmental advocates warn is a dangerous climate distraction.  The experiment has extra urgency as Colorado aims to build a hydrogen economy almost from scratch. With the state also set to consider climate plans from gas companies, a coalition of environmental advocates is rushing to stop the demonstration project before hydrogen gains a foothold in residential neighborhoods… “By mixing it into the existing natural gas network, the company could cut emissions and preserve a system capable of delivering large amounts of energy on cold days. He added other hydrogen blending efforts in Hawaii, Minneapolis and Toronto have proven the strategy is safe and effective. The utility’s interest in hydrogen isn’t limited to a single neighborhood either. Xcel Energy recently hired Worley, a private engineering and consulting firm, to assess if the strategy could work across its entire natural gas network and highlight any necessary upgrades… “During a recent visit to Box Elder Creek Ranch, CPR News spoke to more than a half dozen residents. Most were in the dark about the project and uncomfortable with the lack of details from Xcel Energy… “One common question was if the residents could still weigh in, or if the demonstration project was a done deal… “Lauren Swain, the coordinator for the Colorado chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, told CPR her group would fight to exclude residential hydrogen blending—before it gets a blessing from state regulators. “It’s dangerous. It’s unhealthy. It produces pollution. And it doesn’t resolve our dependence on fossil fuels,” Swain told CPR.

Los Angeles Times: California will cap hundreds of orphaned oil wells, some long suspected of causing illness
NATHAN SOLIS, CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ, 7/18/23

“California state regulators announced on Tuesday their plans to cap orphaned oil wells across the state, including wells in a South Central residential neighborhood near USC that caused health complaints from residents for years,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “The effort is part of a new push to close problem sites that have posed health risks to communities across the state, oftentimes disadvantaged neighborhoods in close proximity to oil drill sites. California Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked $100 million in the state budget to address the issue. California has identified 5,300 wells that are orphaned, or likely orphaned, meaning they are deserted or do not have an operator who is financially viable or compliant, according to the California Geologic Energy Management Division. Improperly abandoned wells can leak methane and potentially leak harmful chemicals into the groundwater. State regulators will target more than 370 wells in their first phase of the new push, which will cost about $80 million, according to CalGEM. “This list includes leaking wells with serious compliance issues that have concerned communities for years,” David Shabazian, director of the Department of Conservation, said in a news release. “It represents months of work to collaborate with local governments, identify environmentally sensitive wells and those that impact disadvantaged communities across California’s oil-producing regions.”

Texas Tribune: West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave
DYLAN BADDOUR, INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS, AND ALEJANDRA MARTINEZ, 7/19/23

“As a record-breaking heat wave bore down in June, extreme temperatures triggered a series of failures in West Texas’ gas supply infrastructure that led to more than 300 tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere,” the Texas Tribune reports. “According to more than a dozen reports filed by gas pipeline operators with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, extreme heat caused compressor stations along gas pipelines to dial back or shut down in June, which caused dangerous pressure buildup inside the pipes. In response, operators released hundreds of tons of natural gas through emergency valves and shut down other compressors in the network. In Reagan County, a rural Permian Basin county with about 3,360 residents, reported emissions were nine times higher than the June average for the prior six years, according to an analysis of self-reported industry emissions data to the state by the Environmental Integrity Project, an environmental nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. That analysis followed an earlier report by Public Citizen, an environmental watchdog group in Texas, stating that 18 emission events — the term used for unexpected releases of airborne pollution — were attributed to extreme heat in the West Texas gas fields last month, including nine in Reagan County. Those emissions included 362 tons of natural gas, which is largely made up of the potent greenhouse gas methane. “It is sadly ironic that the fossil fuel industry is seeing its equipment threatened by a situation it helped create,” Adrian Shelley, Texas director of Public Citizen, said in the report. The heat-related releases were equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 5,000 cars in one year.”

Carlsbad Current-Argus: Callon Petroleum fined $1.3 million by feds for air pollution in Permian Basin
Adrian Hedden, 7/17/23

“An oil and gas operator in the Permian Basin agreed to pay about $1.3 million in penalties to the federal government for air pollution violations at facilities in the region spanning West Texas and southeast New Mexico,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “Callon Permian LLC, a subsidiary of Callon Petroleum, was issued a consent agreement and final order Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after the EPA identified illegal emissions from tanks, flares and other equipment owned by Callon. The violations were discovered via a helicopter flyover conducted by the EPA using infrared cameras to detect hydrocarbon leaks. As part of the settlement, Callon also agreed to take corrective actions at 13 facilities in West Texas. Those included increased site inspections, equipment upgrades, and reviews of the company’s permitting and operations policies. Callon was also required to conduct optical gas imaging surveys at all of its facilities, while monitoring tank pressures and combustion control devices, while paying the $1,285,000 in fines.”  

EXTRACTION

Bloomberg: Major LNG Buyers Partner To Limit Methane Emissions
Shoko Oda and Aaron Clark, 7/18/23

“The U.S., the European Commission, Japan, South Korea and Australia are collaborating to limit methane emissions from liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chains,” Bloomberg reports. “Although few details were released, the partnership represents a shift for some of the world’s biggest LNG buyers. It may force suppliers who want to sell to Japan and Korea to reduce accidental and intentional releases of methane from their supply chains. Methane is the primary component of natural gas and responsible for almost a third of the world’s heating since the industrial revolution.”

National Observer: Big Oil rebrands its lobbying efforts
John Woodside, 7/19/23

“For decades, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) has represented Big Oil’s interests, wielding a multimillion-dollar budget to set up astroturf campaigns to defend fossil fuels, deploy scores of lobbyists to shape government policy and attack critics. But in recent years, the oilsands majors appear to have become apprehensive about the industry lobby group and are going their own way,” the National Observer reports. “There’s been no public divorce between CAPP and the Pathways Alliance members (the country’s six major oilsands producers: Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips, Canadian Natural Resources and MEG Energy), but a close look at lobbying records and the statements made by oil majors paints a picture of an industry seeking credibility –– and increasingly finding CAPP at odds with that goal, say industry watchers. The Pathways Alliance was officially launched in June 2021 with the goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in oilsands operations by 2050. That goal is anchored by a proposed multibillion-dollar carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) trunkline — essentially, a massive pipeline connecting the companies’ oilsands operations to a storage hub to trap carbon dioxide emissions. When the alliance was formed, the six companies explicitly called the project “ambitious” and said it would require “significant investment” from both industry and governments. In effect, the Pathways Alliance was announcing a charm offensive to convince the federal government to pony up cash to reduce the sector’s emissions. To do this, the Pathways Alliance uses a team of lobbyists to work politicians and bureaucrats on Parliament Hill. As of July 2023, it had 18 registered lobbyists on its roster, reflecting minimal change from two years ago when its team numbered 17. However, comparing the alliance’s known lobbyists with CAPP’s registered lobbyists reveals CAPP is struggling to gain traction. In 2020, the year before the Pathways Alliance was officially launched, CAPP employed at least 37 lobbyists at the federal level. That number has been slashed 40 per cent to 22 lobbyists as of July 2023… “Pathways Alliance members continue to pay CAPP membership fees, but as investors increasingly turn to environmental concerns, CAPP’s explicit efforts to delay and weaken climate policies have already turned major companies away.”

The Athletic: How Just Stop Oil waged war on sport with disruption, division – and confetti
Matt Woosnam, 7/18/23

“In March 2022, just after half-time in Everton’s Premier League home match against Newcastle United, Louis McKechnie walked down a flight of steps at Goodison Park, climbed casually over a gate and made his way onto the pitch. Once there, and before anyone had the chance to stop him, he bound himself to the goalposts with a metal-enforced zip tie looped around his neck,” The Athletic reports. “The game was halted for 10 minutes as security personnel attempted to remove him. During this hiatus, McKechnie unzipped his jacket to reveal a bright orange T-shirt bearing the words ‘Just Stop Oil’. Fans who watched this all go on with a mixture of bemusement and amusement did not realise it at the time, but those three words have come to weigh heavily on British sport in the 16 months since.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Stop the Money Pipeline: Six Climate Activists Arrested at Wells Fargo
7/14/23

“Six climate activists were cited and released by the SF Police Department on Friday as part of an action to demand a stop to the bank’s reckless funding of fossil fuels. The action was part of a “block party” by local climate action groups to keep the pressure on the bank as it released its quarterly earnings report. The protesters locked down in front of the security gate at the Wells Fargo at 333 Market Street, where they blocked entry and forced the bank to close. Police called on the San Francisco Fire Department to force the protesters to leave. Hidden from public view by a black tarpaulin, fire fighters cut the lockboxes away from the protesters’ arms. The six – greeted by cheers of encouragement from supporters – were led out of the building to be photographed, fingerprinted and cited by SFPD. A court date is set for next month. In addition to the action that led to arrests, the community event included live music and carnival games, impassioned speakers, a collaborative mural creation, and eye-catching street theater. This action is part of a continued push from activists to hold Wells Fargo accountable for their reckless funding of the fossil fuel industry, even as the climate crisis worsens to life-threatening levels before our eyes. It happened on the same day that activists from ThirdAct Virginia, elders demanding climate action, and youth climate activists shut down an Arlington branch of Wells Fargo, disrupting business by staging a sit-in inside and protesting outside. The activists demands included a meeting with Wells Fargo senior executives, public disclosure of an actionable climate transition plan by December 31st, 2023, and time-bound phase-out of Wells Fargo’s lending and underwriting to projects and companies engaged in new fossil fuel exploration and development. Wells Fargo has “invested” over $316 billion in fossil fuels since 2016, making it the third largest funder of the industry in the world, as well as the number one funder of fracking… “This block party was organized by Oil and Gas Action Network with participation by Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area, 350 Bay Area, Third Act, Myanmar Student Union, and Speak Out Now.”

CNN: BlackRock made a climate pledge. Then it appointed a Saudi oil executive to its board
Anna Cooban, 7/18/23

“BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, said Monday it has appointed Amin Nasser, chief executive of oil giant Saudi Aramco, to its board of directors — despite the New York-based firm’s pledge to accelerate investment in climate-friendly companies,” CNN reports. “BlackRock, which had $9.4 trillion assets under management at the end of June, announced Monday that Nasser’s post as an independent director — which is effective immediately — reflected “the importance of the Middle East” to its long-term strategy… “Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chairman and CEO, touted Nasser’s “leadership experience, understanding of the global energy industry and the drivers of the shift towards a low-carbon economy,” as some of the reasons motivating his appointment. So who is Nasser, and why might his new role raise the hackles of climate-conscious investors?… “Nasser’s appointment comes after BlackRock’s yearslong effort to encourage the companies it invests in to decarbonize. Last year, the company said in a statement that “we anticipate that by 2030, at least 75% of BlackRock corporate and sovereign assets managed on behalf of clients will be invested in issuers with science-based targets or equivalent.” The approach has riled up some conservative lawmakers in the United States who argue the focus of big asset managers, including BlackRock, on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing — a type of investing that prioritizes a company’s sustainability and positive contribution to society — violated US antitrust laws. Jeff Sonnenfeld, a senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management, told CNBC on Tuesday that Nasser “symbolically and substantively” represented Aramco, which would “blur” BlackRock’s image on ESG.”

New York Times: BlackRock Forges a New Bond With Big Oil
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ravi Mattu, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni, 7/18/23

“BlackRock made a name for itself, and many conservative enemies, in recent years by publicly embracing environmental, social and corporate governance considerations — known as E.S.G. — in its decisions, and arguing that other companies should do the same,” the New York Times reports. “So the investment giant’s decision on Monday to name Amin Nasser, the C.E.O. of Saudi Arabia’s oil company Aramco, to its board feels like a major reversal, despite its claims that the move doesn’t contradict its E.S.G. commitments. Nasser leads the world’s biggest oil producer, with Aramco having produced 13.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day last year… “Is the appointment a U-turn for BlackRock on climate? Larry Fink, the firm’s C.E.O., has spent years saying that E.S.G. principles were crucial business considerations. That approach has come under fire from conservative politicians who have attacked BlackRock for its commitment to what they called “woke” policies, and several officials in red states have withdrawn billions of their assets from its coffers in retribution… “And in announcing Mr. Nasser’s appointment, BlackRock emphasized his “understanding of the global energy industry and the drivers of the shift towards a low carbon economy.” But Mr. Nasser has criticized decarbonization efforts… “Mr. Nasser also solidifies BlackRock’s ties to Saudi Arabia at a time of heightened controversy over the kingdom’s record on human rights. The PGA Tour’s tentative deal involving LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed rival competition, has renewed scrutiny of the country as it pours money into Western businesses. Mr. Fink backed out of the kingdom’s Future Investment Initiative conference in 2018 after the murder of the Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but he returned the next year and has since defended doing business with the country.”

OPINION

Petoskey News-Review: My Take: Line 5 continues to threaten disaster of massive scope
Barbara Stamiris is a resident of Traverse City, 7/18/23

“Shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline is urgent to protect the Great Lakes,” Barbara Stamiris writes for the Petoskey News-Review. “Recent erosion along the Bad River in Wisconsin brought Line 5 within 11 feet of exposure, threatening nearby Lake Superior, so emergency relief was sought. On June 16, a federal judge gave Enbridge three years to quit trespassing on tribal territory and shutdown Line 5. Enbridge is also trespassing in Michigan by defying the governor’s shutdown order… “Using Enbridge’s own estimate, Line 5 earns $1.76 million a day. So Enbridge will make over $6.4 billion in the decade awaiting a tunnel, which is now slated for 2030. If Enbridge truly placed Great Lakes safety ahead of profit, it would shut off Line 5 before boring a tunnel directly below it. Any tunnel is high risk but this underwater oil tunnel would be the first-of-its-kind. Like a submersible to the Titanic, there is no margin for error. Enbridge publicly touts the tunnel as a panacea, but its private actions tell a different story. In 2018, Enbridge made sure it could back-out without penalty to keep its options open. The financial risk of this tunnel makes it a poor investment for many reasons: It makes no sense to replace only 4 miles of a deteriorated 645-mile pipeline. Why build a 99-year tunnel if a court has ordered a shutdown in three years?  Enbridge lacks adequate insurance because the parent company denies responsibility for its subsidiary. (The 40-mile Kalamazoo spill cost $1.3 billion; over 700 miles are at risk from Line 5.)  Even Enbridge’s goal is to be net-zero by 2050, which conflicts with 99 more years of oil. The shift to renewables makes any new fossil fuel infrastructure a poor investment… “Line 5 threatens the Great Lakes more every day. What will happen in the next bad rainstorm in Wisconsin? President Biden can revoke the Line 5 permit, but will he act — before Line 5 fails? Call the Whitehouse at 202-456-1111 (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday) to ask that question. Please.“

San Jose Mercury News: Forget carbon capture and ditch fossil fuels
Chirag Bhakta, San Francisco, 7/18/23

“While it is always encouraging to see California leaders attempting to achieve our state’s climate goals, their recent dalliance with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is downright foolish,” Chirag Bhakta writes for the San Jose Mercury News. “CCS does nothing more than provide a lifeline to the oil and gas industry to maintain its status quo of climate pollution and environmental degradation. Carbon capture is a prohibitively expensive process dependent on unrealized and unproven technology. Further, the deployment of carbon capture operations near population centers and vulnerable communities poses significant dangers. The transportation and storage of captured carbon can lead to leaks, accidents and explosions, releasing toxic substances into the surrounding environment. This can result in severe health risks disproportionately affecting already vulnerable communities. The only legitimate way to protect our climate from the assault of fossil fuels is to stop drilling and fracking for fossil fuels in the first place.”

The Hill: False ‘greenwash’ solutions won’t help — we need to eliminate our use of plastics
Erica Cirino is a science writer, artist, author of Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, and communications manager of the nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition, 7/18/23

“The good news about plastic pollution is that public awareness has become widespread of the gravity and harm of pollution by this now-ubiquitous manmade material. As a result, most people want to see the crisis solved. And we know we can solve it by turning off the petrochemical and plastic taps on the one hand, and building up systems that eliminate waste on the other,” Erica Cirino writes for The Hill. “The bad news is that the culprits of the plastic pollution crisis are now working hard to delay and distract us from progress by peddling false solutions. Those false solutions effectively allow corporations dealing in petrochemicals and plastics to continue perpetuating and profiting from their pollution. The name for the petrochemical and plastic industries’ favorite business tactic is “greenwashing,” the practice of fabricating or exaggerating the eco-friendly (“green”) qualifications of a brand, product or service. False, greenwashed solutions commonly offer quick fixes while causing further problems, instead of making necessary systems change eliminating waste. One common greenwashed false solution is single-use products made from “bioplastics.” While the word may confer a green image, in reality, bioplastics are anything but. These materials can be made fully or partially from highly processed plant-based ingredients, such as sugar cane, corn or potato starch. Some bioplastics may contain as little as 25 percent plant-based ingredients and up to 75 percent fossil fuel ingredients. While bioplastics may emit fewer total greenhouse gas emissions than conventional plastics, crops grown for bioplastics have many known social and human and ecological health costs… “Like conventional plastics, bioplastics and their petrochemical ingredients are produced in facilities that drive pollution and injustice, and are likely to end up in landfills and incinerators that do the same. Industrial facilities of all kinds — including those churning out bioplastics and conventional plastics alike — are most likely to be placed in underserved low-income, rural, Black, Indigenous and people-of-color communities, as are most forms of waste infrastructure. These sites emit dangerous pollutants, reduce overall quality of life and pose a heightened risk of industrial accidents like fires and explosions. Bioplastic is already a $7 billion industry; without intervention, its size is only expected to grow to $12 billion by 2028… “ A global plastics treaty, if it can be written in a way that takes greenwashed false solutions off the table, has much potential to help us address this crisis rapidly and effectively. Historically, markets and governments have not adequately protected the public from harmful and deceptive greenwashing; the practice remains a deep-seated problem, particularly in the U.S. Short of an effective systemic approach to implementing and enforcing restrictions on corporate greenwashing, individuals must learn to spot the difference between real and false solutions and choose the real solutions we know will free us of our wasteful plastic lifestyles.”