EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 7/20/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Press release: Those Directly Affected by Degraded Coating on the MVP Pipe Segments and Experts Will Rally at PHMSA

• FOX News: Supreme Court faces increased pressure from Congress to reinstate massive pipeline

• Press release: U.S. Chamber Asks Supreme Court to Allow Completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline

• Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines: Nearly 500 Concerned Community Members Show up to Springfield Public Forum in Opposition to Navigator’s Proposed Pipeline

• State Journal-Register: Safety concerns raised at packed hearing on Navigator’s CO2 pipeline plan

• Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Summit Carbon stopped an Iowa county’s pipeline law. South Dakota counties could be next.

• AgWeek: Carbon pipeline regulations in South Dakota’s Minnehaha County stall after tie vote

• KSFY: Pipeline setbacks a ‘toxic subject’ in certain counties

• Law360: Groups Want Minn. Pipeline Protest Trial Broadcast

• Pipestone Star: Pipeline meeting draws a crowd

• Big Bend Sentinel: In Van Horn, some locals begin to mobilize against planned pipeline

• Reuters: Cheniere Energy eyes new gas pipeline to feed LNG expansion

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Reuters: Green groups demand US end talks on natural gas certification

• E&E News: DOE urged to halt plans on climate-friendly gas

• E&E News: Federal-state panel led by Manchin’s wife backs gas hub

STATE UPDATES

• Bloomberg: States Make Permitting Push to Attract Carbon Capture Projects

• Gulf County News: Energy company decides to ‘no longer pursue’ local LNG project

• The Intercept: ENERGY COMPANY PLOTTED GAS PLANT IN SMALL PENNSYLVANIA TOWN — BUT NO ONE TOLD RESIDENTS

• Associated Press: Gas leaked from bad fitting at Pennsylvania chocolate factory where 7 died in blast, report says

EXTRACTION

• Heatmap: What’s Behind Exxon’s Big Carbon Capture Deal? Here Are 3 Theories.

• Context: US gas system investments: Stranded assets or stranded customers?

• Reuters: World’s top LNG players push for more, but greener, gas investments

• Bloomberg: Pemex Responds to Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

CLIMATE FINANCE

• Press release: NYC Comptroller Lander Statement on BlackRock’s New Board Appointment

• Globe and Mail: A climate-change gut check: The price of Canada’s oil-sands crude is soaring, testing investors’ ESG principles

• Reuters: Few ‘sustainable’ funds aligned with EU green criteria, MSCI finds

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

• CNN: Fake Twitter profiles, Wikipedia editing and PR battles: Inside the push to greenwash the COP28 climate summit

• National Observer: The advertising blitz crafted to change your view of Big Oil

OPINION

• David Suzuki Foundation: Don’t buy Big Oil’s lies. Scorching climate records call for real solutions

• Utility Dive: America faces another high-wire moment: This one around its energy future

• The Hill: There is no ‘new normal’: absent drastic action, the climate will only get worse

PIPELINE NEWS

Press release: Those Directly Affected by Degraded Coating on the MVP Pipe Segments and Experts Will Rally at PHMSA
7/18/23

“WHO: Residents along the right of way of the Mountain Valley Pipeline in WV and VA, and supporters; WHAT: Rally outside PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration); WHERE: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C; WHEN: Thursday, July 20, at noon; WHY: The manufacturer of the coating on the pipe segments says it starts degrading after six months above ground, exposed to the elements, yet much of the pipe has been sitting along the right of way for five year… “Maury Johnson, an impacted WV landowner: “The severely degraded MVP pipe that has been lying along the MVP Right of Way (ROW) – including on my family’s property – and in pipe storage yards for years beyond its manufacturer’s recommended expiration date is a risk to everyone who lives, works or plays near this pipe,” says Johnson. “It should never be used in ANY construction, either along the MVP ROW or elsewhere. It will put at peril hikers of the Appalachian Trail on Peters Mountain, boaters, rafters, fishermen and others who recreate near the rivers and streams in both WV and VA where it is used. It will put travelers at risk who traverse the many road and stream crossings where it has been or could possibly be used in the future.” Roberta “Bert” Bondurant, an advocate with Preserve Bent Mountain (VA):  “MVP says that ‘safety is its priority…’ Yet it wants to use its corroding pipes with long degraded coating, thousands of which MVP rushed to sites in 2018, then left lying beside water body crossings, floating in trenches and sitting in standing water for extended periods—increasing threats of corrosion, explosion and fire for landowners and communities in its path… “Bill Limpert has been digging into pipeline issues for the past ten years. “I believe that the Mountain Valley Pipeline, as currently constructed, is a significant threat to public safety,” he says. “Numerous safety upgrades must be made before the pipeline goes into operation. The MVP public safety risk is unacceptably high due to the following issues: MVP explosive potential, pipe coating deficiencies, cathodic protection deficiencies, numerous and ongoing landslides, MVP’s history of violations, weak regulations and enforcement, and failure of FERC and PHMSA to keep the public informed.” 

FOX News: Supreme Court faces increased pressure from Congress to reinstate massive pipeline
Thomas Catenacci, 7/19/23

“A bicameral congressional delegation is filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on Wednesday, calling for it to strike down a lower court order pausing a natural gas pipeline green-lit by recent legislation,” FOX News reports. “The delegation — led by GOP Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., and joined by seven fellow representatives and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. — argued that a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling last week blocking Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) construction was illegal… “The Fourth Circuit judges are not supreme rulers and lawful orders issued by the legislative and executive branches must be followed,” Reschenthaler told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Congress was well within its power to restart the Mountain Valley Pipeline construction and usher in a new era of energy independence for the region.” “…If the stays remain in place, Congress’s authority will be usurped and the harm to the people will be irreparable. Respondents must pursue their claims of invalidity, if at all, in the D.C. Circuit pursuant to the Act,” the lawmakers wrote in their Supreme Court brief Wednesday.

Press release: U.S. Chamber Asks Supreme Court to Allow Completion of Mountain Valley Pipeline
7/19/23

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today joined several other organizations to file an amicus curiae brief in support of the emergency application to vacate the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals’ stays of agency authorizations necessary to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Marty Durbin, President of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, made the following statement: “Businesses and families in the Mid and South Atlantic have been waiting long enough to obtain better access to reliable, affordable, and clean natural gas. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure that opens up additional pathways to abundant domestic energy resources. Access to this natural gas will not only benefit the regional economy, but it will reduce carbon emissions by replacing coal, and it will support the continued expansion of renewables with the generation flexibility gas provides.  After years of study and delay, the pipeline is now 94% complete and should be allowed to finish construction without further interference.”

Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines: Nearly 500 Concerned Community Members Show up to Springfield Public Forum in Opposition to Navigator’s Proposed Pipeline
7/19/23

“Last night, nearly 500 people packed the Bank of Springfield Convention Center to voice their opposition to Navigator Heartland Greenway’s proposed CO2 pipeline. As the Springfield County Board considers two Project Development Agreements (PDAs) from Navigator, opponents from across Sangamon County urged the Board to not only deny those agreements, but take a strong stand against Navigator in order to protect local citizens, land, and water. Navigator has proposed two PDAs to the Sangamon County Board—the first offers Sangamon County $20,000 per year per mile of pipeline constructed for no more than 30 years, and the second offers the county $200,000 for each operating well, but not more than $800,000 in payments per year. The agreements amount to a potential $47,400,000 in fees. Both agreements require the county to “cooperate with developers on a good-faith basis” and provide “positive assistance” as necessary during the construction of the project. Navigator reserves the right to terminate the contracts if it determines that the county does not meet their terms. “How exactly does Navigator Heartland Greenway define ‘positive assistance’, and how can we be sure Navigator won’t demand that we go to the ends of the earth to support their dangerous goals?” said Kathy Campbell, a Sangamon County landowner and member of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines. “If Navigator deems the county as having not met their requirements, they can break the contract, and Sangamon County will be left with no compensation, and our lives, property rights, and farmland will still be on the line. I implore the Sangamon County Board to prioritize our neighbors over profits that are not promised.” “…The lives and safety of Illinois residents must come before business concerns. Last night, Sangamon County residents made it abundantly clear—we don’t want this pipeline running through our backyards, regardless of how much money Navigator attempts to throw at us,” said Nick Dodson, Springfield resident and Chair of the Sangamon Valley Group of Sierra Club Illinois.” 

State Journal-Register: Safety concerns raised at packed hearing on Navigator’s CO2 pipeline plan
Patrick Keck, 7/19/23

“As a public meeting Monday evening revealed, finding common ground on a multi-state carbon dioxide pipeline running through Sangamon County remains a problem both figuratively and literally,” the State Journal-Register reports. “Coming to Springfield from Nebraska, Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC attempted to sell a standing room audience on its proposed pipeline running through 292 miles in the state. That task has proven difficult in preceding months and the meeting held by the county Zoning and Land Use Committee continued that trend… “Opponents are concerned a potential pipeline burst with this proximity to towns such as New Berlin and Glenarm could lead to a public health crisis exceeding what was seen earlier this year during the I-55 dust storm. This fear, along with belief that existing state and federal regulations are inadequate, has caused several counties to issue moratoriums against CO2 pipeline construction. As of June, Navigator has also only received 13.4% of the right-of-way easement agreements statewide and 5.2% in the county according to its own data. “This proposal is not the best interest of Sangamon County,” Glenarm resident Kathleen Campbell said during the meeting held at the Bank of Springfield Center… “Among those providing testimony last month, ICC senior gas engineer Mark Maple cited those low amounts of secured easement agreements and a lack of experience from Navigator in building CO2-specific pipelines as his reasons to oppose. The company has also yet to establish a sequestration site – where the liquified CO2 would be stored underground – but has selected potential sites in either Christian or Montgomery counties… “While the majority of those speaking during the hours-long meeting rose in opposition, several members of pipefitters unions both local and visiting announced their backing… “The current regulations for constructions are essentially the same of those that were used to construct the pipeline in Mississippi,” said JD Sudeth, president of the Sangamon County Farm Bureau who is formally opposed to the pipeline. “Thus, we cannot allow this pipeline to be constructed in the same manner as the Mississippi pipeline that failed.” Additionally, opponents say property values and agricultural yields will drop and those jobs that are tied to the project are seen as temporary at best.”

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Summit Carbon stopped an Iowa county’s pipeline law. South Dakota counties could be next.
Dominik Dausch, 7/20/23

“Summit Carbon Solutions, a company looking to build a multi-state carbon dioxide pipeline, now likely has a stronger argument against South Dakota counties attempting to block them from building said pipeline on the grounds of “safety,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. “This likelihood comes after a July 10 ruling by Chief Judge Stephanie Rose in the federal Southern District of Iowa, in which it was ruled that Shelby County attempted to restrict Summit Carbon’s pipeline from being built through an ordinance. Similar to other measures proposed or already adopted by counties in South Dakota, Shelby County’s ordinance establishes setbacks ― the minimum distance a pipeline must maintain from urban and other areas ― as well as requirements for pipeline companies to acquire a conditional-use permit from the county and other processes. However, Rose prohibited Shelby County from enforcing their ordinance through a temporary injunction, in part because the ordinance is preempted by Iowa law and federal regulations… “While a ruling made in a federal Iowa court has no direct effect on other states, Neil Fulton, dean of University of South Dakota’s School of Law, told Argus Leader the Shelby County case could set a precedent in South Dakota courtrooms… “Shortly after learning about the good news in Iowa, Argus Leader asked Zenor if such a case could set a precedent in South Dakota. Without hesitation, Zenor told the Argus Leader “yes.” “…Over the last two years, Summit Carbon has pressed forward with lawsuits against some South Dakota counties that have tried to limit or delay the company’s project. Brown, McPherson and Spink Counties are currently named in separate, ongoing cases after they each imposed temporary moratoriums on issuing permits for carbon dioxide pipelines. The moratoriums were issued, in part, to give county commissioners more time to weigh the takeaways of the projects”.

AgWeek: Carbon pipeline regulations in South Dakota’s Minnehaha County stall after tie vote
Barry Amundson, 7/19/23

“A final decision on a controversial new Minnehaha County zoning law addressing carbon dioxide pipelines winding through the county will have to wait for another day,” AgWeek reports. “After a 3½-hour public hearing on the ordinance, a tie vote by county commissioners on required setbacks from homes, churches and businesses in the rural area for the pipeline put off any final vote until their next meeting on June 6. With Board Chairman Jean Bender out of the country on a long-planned family trip, there were just four commissioners voting on the setback issue. Commissioner Joe Kippley offered an amendment to the previous setback, unanimously passed by the county’s planning and board, to lower the setback from 750 feet to 330 feet. He was joined by Commissioner Dean Karsky in supporting the new setback, while commissioners Gerald Beninga and Jen Bleyenberg made it clear they strongly supported the 750 feet setback. The vote sends the issue to Bender to decide at the next meeting with potentially more new testimony… “Summit Carbon Solutions Project Manager for South Dakota Aaron Eldridge said the 750-foot setback would make it “extremely difficult to put the pipeline in the county.” Eldridge also told the overflow crowd the company’s position is that the proposed ordinance will be preempted by the federal law making some regulations through the county ordinance meaningless… “Karsky wanted to know what the current setback is for hazardous pipelines, and Anderson said since they don’t have a current zoning law it would default to the federal regulation of 50 feet… “However, Beninga said the original setback and the rest of the ordinance was developed after “input that has been professional. “It’s not our job to make everybody happy,” he said. “But our job is to do the right thing at the right time.” “‘If we want to exceed federal standards that’s our choice,” he said about the setbacks. Numerous residents offered their input on the proposed ordinance in the hearing, with many rural residents favoring the longer setbacks.”

KSFY: Pipeline setbacks a ‘toxic subject’ in certain counties
Beth Warden, 7/19/23

“CO2 pipelines continue to be reviewed at many levels in South Dakota and some County Commissioners are speaking out about the complexity of the issue,” KSFY reports. “…Spink County Commissioner Chair Suzanne Smith wants to make it clear that their commission supports farmers and the ethanol industry. “Totally upset with the landowners’ rights right now,” Smith told KSFY. “And our hands are tied. There isn’t anything we can do except support whatever they need from us. That’s what we’re going to do.” When the commission chose a setback of half a mile from residencies, Smith said a Summit Carbon Solutions employee spoke up at their meeting. “Aaron Eldridge with Summit, popped his hand up and said, everything we just heard will be challenged in court. Like, well, whatever, you know, this is what we do,” Smith said… “Tensions are high in Lincoln County, according to Commissioner Jim Schmidt. “But it’s a very toxic subject down here in Lincoln County right now. The board is very divided on this idea,” Schmidt told KSFY. Although their planning and zoning committee recommends a 750-foot setback, the commission is holding off on any decision due to the frequent changes in the CO2 pipeline situation. Schmidt believes the setback should be 330 feet. “If we pass one, I want to have ours, the same as Minnehaha county because I think that having that kind of one and the third largest and the first largest counties working together on that,” Schmidt told KSFY. “We’re watching what the PUC has to say, and we will probably look at our ordinance for a vote sometime in mid to late August.” “…The PUC hearing for Navigator will start at 9:00 a.m. on July 25 through August 3 and the Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center in Fort Pierre. A PUC ad hoc committee is meeting on Friday to address how public input will be organized for those appearing in person. The possibility of remote testimony will also be discussed.”

Law360: Groups Want Minn. Pipeline Protest Trial Broadcast
Ali Sullivan, 7/19/23

“Advocates are pushing for a live-stream of what they say is the first felony trial stemming from Indigenous-led protests to block the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project in Minnesota,” Law360 reports. 

Pipestone Star: Pipeline meeting draws a crowd
Sirrina Martinez, 7/19/23

“About 70 people attended a public information meeting held by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Minnesota Department of Commerce Tuesday evening, July 11 at the Pipestone County Courthouse regarding an application by Magellan Pipeline Company for a pipeline routing permit,” the Pipestone Star reports. “Those in attendance filled the commissioner room and overflowed into the community room and an area outside those rooms… “According to information presented during the meeting, Magellan is seeking to reroute the pipeline to keep communities connected to the larger fuel supply and maintain the reliability of the fuel supply to communities including Sioux Falls, Pipestone, Marshall, Alexandria, Watertown, Fargo and Grand Forks, as well as the surrounding areas… “The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe suggested an alternate route that would take the rerouted pipeline about three miles further to the west and north of the federal land. Representatives of Magellan said that route would cost significantly more, have more water crossings and involve more landowners. Several people spoke during the meeting, including residents of Pipestone County, people with youth groups from Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation, members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), a geologist from Nebraska and others. Most of those who spoke expressed concerns about potential contamination of the pipestone quarries and the environment, and public health impacts if the pipe leaked… “Lisa Bellanger, with AIM, referenced safety violations by Magellan and concerns that the pipe could leak and affect the sacred stone as well as tourism in the area. She and others said they would prefer to see a 5-mile buffer between the pipeline and the sacred stone at the very least, but would rather there be no pipeline near the quarries at all. “We say stop it,” Bellanger said. “We say decommission the whole thing.”

Big Bend Sentinel: In Van Horn, some locals begin to mobilize against planned pipeline
ALLEGRA HOBBS, 7/19/23

“Dozens of community members gathered Thursday at the Van Horn Convention Center to learn more about a planned natural gas pipeline that would come within roughly a mile of city limits — a development some fear may endanger their community and negatively impact their quality of life,” the Big Bend Sentinel reports. “ONEOK Inc.’s Saguaro Connector Pipeline would span 155 miles from the Waha Hub in Pecos County to the U.S.-Mexico border at Hudspeth County, where it would then transport natural gas under the Rio Grande for international export from Mexico. It would have the capacity to transport 2.834 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas per day… “Concerns about environmental impacts and the disruption of archeological sites — namely the Indian Hot Springs site — have already been raised by West Texans. But the pipeline’s proximity to the town of Van Horn in Culberson County was a dominant topic of discussion at last week’s meeting, where some locals were learning details of the project for the first time. Some shouted their objections during the meeting, wondering aloud why they’d been unaware of the project. The meeting was hosted by activist groups including The Property Rights and Pipeline Center and Earthworks, who expounded on the potential negative impacts of such a project — harmful emissions, and even ruptures and explosions. Lawyers were on hand to explain landowners’ rights to those whose property is in the path of the pipeline — a situation in which the pipeline company is able to assert eminent domain. Yard signs and bumper stickers protesting the pipeline were laid out on a table for attendees to take home. Van Horn native Cody Davis, Local Emergency Planning Committee chairman for the county, expressed concern about emergency preparedness in the small, fairly remote town… “Davis is tasked with writing emergency plans for the county — a lengthy process he fears he will be unable to complete in time for the pipeline’s construction. “I have less than a year to write a plan that’s going to involve peoples’ lives and property,” he said. “We’ve got a sheriff’s department that’s got six deputies and the sheriff,” he said. “We don’t have the capabilities, we don’t have the resources — we just don’t.” Davis said he plans to oppose the pipeline’s construction near Van Horn… “Towards the end of the meeting, one attendee stood up and asked if they had a chance at opposing the pipeline’s presence near their community. Lori Simmons, an organizer with the Property Rights and Pipeline Center, noted that upwards of 50 people were in the convention center that evening. “Y’all are not a small group,” she said. “This is a large group, and y’all are loud.”

Reuters: Cheniere Energy eyes new gas pipeline to feed LNG expansion
Curtis Williams, 7/19/23

“Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG.A), the largest U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, says it may build a new pipeline to link its Louisiana expansion project to other pipelines in major shale-gas producing regions as it seeks to diversify its risk,” Reuters reports. “Cheniere’s Sabine Pass facility has been expanding since its production began in 2016 but needs additional natural gas beyond current supplies to reach its planned “Stage 5” capacity, top company officials said. “We will likely build a pipeline to where we can access other pipelines. That will get us Haynesville (shale gas), any additional Marcellus (gas) that will come down, mid-continent, Permian as well as Eagleford as it continues to be developed,” Corey Grindal, Cheniere’s chief operating officer, told journalists last week… “The exporter already spends $800 million a year in pipeline transit fees to transport 7.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of natural gas from 26 different pipelines to its LNG plants in Texas and Louisiana, CEO Jack Fusco also said in the interview with reporters at an LNG conference in Vancouver. He gave no detail about the new pipeline’s cost or size… “Proposed LNG and gas pipeline projects in the Gulf Coast region have not faced the same environmental push back as elsewhere and should get approved, Alex Gafford, a capital markets analyst at East Daley Analytics, told Reuters.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Reuters: Green groups demand US end talks on natural gas certification
Timothy Gardner, 7/19/23

“A group of nearly 150 environmental justice groups urged the Biden administration on Wednesday to abandon talks with global energy companies on standards for certified natural gas, a form of the fuel that producers market as climate friendly, but that critics say undermines the transition from fossil fuels,” Reuters reports. “…The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Gas Leaks and other green groups argued the discussions are a diversion from President Joe Biden’s pledge to move toward cleaner energy sources and endanger public health. “While we strongly support robust and well-enforced regulations to cut methane leaks from the oil and gas sector, we oppose efforts that aim to provide ‘extra credit’ which the gas industry uses to promote growth in the production, trade and consumption of methane gas,” they wrote in a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. A Department of Energy spokesperson told Reuters the agency “is not introducing or endorsing any natural gas certification measures or standards.” It is working with gas importing and exporting countries to develop an approach to measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions that “provides consistency and accountability,” and aligns with the administration’s plan on methane emissions, the spokesperson added.”

E&E News: DOE urged to halt plans on climate-friendly gas
Brian Dabbs, 7/19/23

“Nearly 150 environmental groups are calling on the Department of Energy to abandon efforts to “certify” liquified natural gas produced with a smaller climate footprint than other fossil fuels,” E&E News reports. “For months, DOE has led negotiations on a global agreement to measure the climate impacts of LNG. The department aims to strike a deal in those talks by this fall. In a letter shared with E&E News and sent Wednesday to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Earthworks and other environmental groups said the efforts could boost the build-out of fossil fuel infrastructure. “All gas that is produced comes with significant immediate and long-term consequences,” the letter said. “The appearance of methane reductions cannot be an excuse for continued expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. We urge you to announce publicly that you will not set a standard for ‘certified gas’ by any name.” The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and Public Citizen signed on, as did dozens of smaller and local organizations.”

E&E News: Federal-state panel led by Manchin’s wife backs gas hub
Brian Dabbs, 7/18/23

“A federal-state partnership focused on economic growth in Appalachia is starting up a new research project to promote natural gas across the region,” E&E News reports. “The Appalachian Regional Commission is planning to open the application process as soon as September for companies eyeing a portion of $5 million in annual grants to help establish an “energy hub,” which will focus on ethane storage and hydrogen production from natural gas feedstocks. “We all know that to strengthen our energy independence it takes an all-in policy: all-in energy,” ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said at an event Monday organized by a White House working group. Manchin, the wife of fossil fuel champion Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), was confirmed as co-chair in 2021. The other chair is Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). The commission, which was created by Congress in 1965, is backed by 13 state governments, along with the federal government. Lawmakers provided funding for the hub project in the bipartisan infrastructure law. The money, which is authorized annually through 2026, could be doled out to companies in the region in the form of grants or other contracts.”

STATE UPDATES

Bloomberg: States Make Permitting Push to Attract Carbon Capture Projects
Drew Hutchinson, 7/20/23

“States are seeking to speed up approval of carbon capture and sequestration projects by taking the role from the federal government, a bid to make their states more attractive to industry developers,” Bloomberg reports. ”The new interest is driven by tax credits that were expanded and extended under the 2022 climate bill, at least $12 billion in grants from the 2021 infrastructure package, and the race to get ahead of possible new EPA rules that tout carbon capture as a way to drastically cut power plant emissions. At least eight states have called on the Environmental Protection Agency to grant them authority…”

Gulf County News: Energy company decides to ‘no longer pursue’ local LNG project
Wendy Weitzel, 7/18/23

“A controversial liquified natural project that was proposed for construction in Port St. Joe will no longer be moving forward,” Gulf County News reports. “According to representatives from Nopetro Energy, the Miami-based energy company behind the proposed plant, progress on the project halted after market conditions were determined to be inhospitable late last year. “In 2022, Nopetro Energy conducted due diligence on a site for a proposed natural gas plant in Port St. Joe. Many months ago, after completion of that process, Nopetro Energy decided to no longer pursue the opportunity, purely due to market conditions,” read a statement from Ed Hart, Nopetro’s senior vice president of supply. “Nopetro continues to work with private and public sector clients across the country to deliver clean energy solutions and reduce their carbon footprint by ending dependence on petroleum.” “…Nopetro’s Port St. Joe LNG project became the subject of frequent discussion within the community, garnering both support and vocal opposition and making the minutes of many public meetings. It became the subject of a federal lawsuit after D.C. based consumer advocacy organization and think tank Public Citizen, along with several locals, filed a complaint with the D.C. Circuit Court in September 2022, challenging a March 2022 decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission… “According to Tyson Slocum, Energy Program Director for Public Citizen, Public Citizen still plans to continue their lawsuit, even with the Port St. Joe project no longer moving forward.  “Our lawsuit is going to proceed ahead because the lawsuit is bigger than just Port St. Joe,” he told the News. “It’s about closing this loophole so that other communities aren’t exposed to the ability of an LNG export terminal to build the facility without FERC oversight.” The case is expected to appear before the court sometime this fall.”

The Intercept: ENERGY COMPANY PLOTTED GAS PLANT IN SMALL PENNSYLVANIA TOWN — BUT NO ONE TOLD RESIDENTS
Akela Lacy, 7/17/23

“WHEN ZULENE MAYFIELD received a call from a reporter last summer, she was surprised. A journalist working at Philadelphia’s public radio station had contacted her for a story about a plan to develop a liquefied natural gas facility in her hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania, a city that sits along the Delaware River just southwest of the Philadelphia International Airport,” The Intercept reports. “Since 1992, Mayfield has led an environmental justice group called Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living. She formed the group to address local concerns about the concentration of waste disposal facilities throughout the city, most notably incineration and waste treatment plants… “We learned about it last year by way of a reporter calling us up for a quote,” Mayfield told The Intercept. “It had not even been on our radar. We knew nothing about it, even though they had been secretly moving around in the city and throughout the state trying to get political support to bring it here.” An energy company called Penn America had been shopping the plan around to local and state officials for years with no notice to the community, WHYY reported last June. The LNG facility, which would pipe in natural gas, then liquify it for export, seemed to have already attracted bipartisan buy-in. Once the plan for the LNG facility became public, community members, including Mayfield, were barred from testifying at public hearings. Instead, the task force hosted presentations by industry players, including former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who now co-chairs an industry-funded nonprofit advocacy group that pushes for natural gas. The proposed facility could have terrifying consequences for a city already burdened with intense health and economic disparities brought on in part by other energy facilities like the Covanta incinerator, Mayfield said. “This thing is so scary to me,” she told the Intercept of the LNG proposal. “Out of all the things we’ve ever fought outside of the incinerator, the safety issue for this thing is dangerous to me.” “…For some climate advocates, it’s been difficult not to notice that controversial projects like the proposed Chester LNG export facility tend to get plopped down in communities struggling with legacies of industrial pollution. “Many of these projects are sited in and have disproportionate impacts on environmental justice communities and communities that already face disproportionate burdens with industry,” Morgan Johnson, staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Intercept. “It’s certainly problematic, given the administration’s expressed goals on climate and environmental justice, when these projects have impacts that are so significant on those fronts.”

Associated Press: Gas leaked from bad fitting at Pennsylvania chocolate factory where 7 died in blast, report says
MICHAEL RUBINKAM, 7/18/23

“Natural gas leaked from a defective fitting at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory where a powerful explosion leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people, federal safety investigators said Tuesday as they continued to investigate the cause of the blast,” the Associated Press reports. “One of two leaks at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading was traced to a gas fitting that was installed in 1982 and was determined to have fractured, according to an investigative update released by the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators also determined there was a small leak on a natural gas fitting installed in 2021, the board said. The older fitting, made by DuPont, had a known tendency to crack, and it was added to a federal government list of pipe materials with “poor performance histories” in 2007, the safety board said. But it was left in place during utility work two years ago and remained connected to the natural gas system.”

EXTRACTION

Heatmap: What’s Behind Exxon’s Big Carbon Capture Deal? Here Are 3 Theories.
EMILY PONTECORVO, 7/18/23

“America’s largest oil and gas company just secured the missing elements for it to become one of the nation’s most powerful players in the nascent carbon capture and storage industry,” Heatmap reports. “ExxonMobil announced last week that it was purchasing Denbury Inc., giving it access to an extensive network of pipelines for transporting carbon dioxide and land holdings for injecting the pollutant underground. The nearly $5 billion all-stock sale is the biggest “carbon management” deal yet… “ But when I spoke to experts about what the acquisition of Danbury signaled, three theories emerged about the company’s motivations. 1. Exxon is starting to take the energy transition seriously… “It gives Exxon access not only to 1,300 miles of carbon dioxide pipelines, but also to underground storage capacity estimated at 2 billion metric tons of CO2 — close to a third of what the U.S. emitted in 2021. To Neil Quach, a former oil and gas analyst for Citigroup and UBS who now works at the think tank Carbon Tracker, the deal shows that Exxon is taking the low carbon future seriously — at least more seriously than its peers like Chevron… “2. Exxon is angling to make a quick buck off the government… “I’m not too enthralled with this purchase,” Dennis Wamsted, an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, and frequent critic of carbon capture, told Heatmap. “I see it as a way for Exxon to harvest subsidies from the U.S. government,” he said. “I don’t see this as a legitimate business effort by Exxon to lower its impact on the climate going forward.” “…3. Exxon is hedging its bets. If there are two potential futures — one where the world allows the production of fossil fuels for decades to come, and one where production is forced to wind down — perhaps Exxon is just trying to prepare for both scenarios. “When I looked at the Exxon investment in Denbury, I was curious if it actually signaled a change in how the company was thinking about the future,” Andrew Logan, the senior director of oil and gas at the sustainable investing nonprofit Ceres, told Heatmap. “Is it actually thinking the world is going to proceed toward decarbonization, and investing accordingly? Or is this just a way to cover the bases in case things don’t go as they expect?”

Context: US gas system investments: Stranded assets or stranded customers?
Carey L. Biron, 7/18/23

“Natural gas still heats the water and cooks evening meals in housing at California State University’s Monterey Bay campus – but under plans for a multimillion-dollar electrification project, the fuel could soon be a thing of the past,” Context reports. “The roughly $17-million project being led by one of the state’s largest utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), highlights how some U.S. gas providers are adjusting their business model as part of efforts to cut planet-heating carbon emissions. “They’re explicitly looking for opportunities to stop expanding the gas system and prune it back in a well-managed way,” said Mike Henchen, principal on the carbon-free buildings team at RMI, a think-tank, told Context, saying more such “proactive planning” was needed across the country. Under the proposal, which is currently before regulators, 32,000 feet (9,700 meters) of gas pipeline that has served nearly 400 buildings for decades would be taken out of service, with boilers, heaters and other appliances replaced with electrical versions. PG&E estimates that the project would cost less than spending on upgrades to gas infrastructure… “Concern is growing in the industry that it could become difficult to recover current investments in gas infrastructure in coming decades due to the shift towards electricity – which can be powered by renewable sources such as wind or solar. It is a potential disconnect that is receiving increased attention amid demands for comprehensive planning for the transition to cleaner energy, and concerns that poorer households could be left behind – unable to pay themselves to switch to electricity. Natural gas supplies nearly 187 million Americans, but decisions on investments in the system’s future are being made on a piecemeal basis by utilities and regulators, David Lapp, the Maryland people’s counsel, an independent government agency that advocates for residential utility customers, told Context. Instead, he called for a “comprehensive look” at what declining sales mean going forward for utility customers and the state’s ability to meet its climate and environmental goals. Without action, he warned of a possible “death spiral” in which gas sales decline and rates go up, trapping some households unable to switch energy sources. “Customers could become homeless because of it,” he told Context. “There’s huge consequences.”

Reuters: World’s top LNG players push for more, but greener, gas investments
Katya Golubkova and Marwa Rashad, 7/18/23

“Current investments in gas infrastructure are falling short of what is needed, officials at an industry conference in Japan said on Wednesday, citing the role they say the fuel has to play in both global energy security and the transition to net zero,” Reuters reports. “Big producers have in recent years promoted gas as a transition fuel in the push for cleaner energy – a move fiercely resisted by environmentalists – as renewables like wind and solar face technical factors like intermittency of supply… “In video remarks played during the LNG Producer-Consumer Conference in Tokyo, the energy minister for the United Arab Emirates said that to date, there has not been enough investment in the sector. “Lack of investment is affecting both producers and consumers, and their access to affordable and reliable energy and economic growth,” Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei said. “Do we have enough investment in gas and LNG to cover for converting all coal plants in the world to gas? The answer is no,” he said… “Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia and the EU signed a joint statement during the conference to support methane reduction measures. “This initiative is an unprecedented cooperation among energy players to achieve a cleaner energy value chain by employing energy producers to reduce methane emissions,” Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s industry minister, told the conference.

Bloomberg: Pemex Responds to Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
Amy Stillman, 7/19/23

“Petroleos Mexicanos is responding to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of a deadly explosion at one of the state-owned company’s natural gas platforms,” Bloomberg reports. “Scientist Guillermo Tamburini Beliveau detected the leak July 4, days before the blast off the coast of Mexico’s Campeche, Greenpeace and others said in a statement. The spill was about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) earlier this month and may have grown to about two-thirds the size of Mexico City, Tamburini said in a presentation that includes satellite images of the leak. Pemex confirmed the spill in a statement but said it was far smaller than the groups estimated. Most of the oil was recovered immediately, and the leak is now under control, the company said. The oil giant has come under scrutiny for its safety and environmental record after frequent accidents and explosions at its facilities.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Press release: NYC Comptroller Lander Statement on BlackRock’s New Board Appointment
7/19/23

“New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a statement on BlackRock, Inc.’s recent appointment of Amin H. Nasser, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Aramco”), to the company’s board of directors. The statement reads as follows: “The planet is on fire and without bolder action our portfolios will be, too. BlackRock clearly stated that climate risk is an investment risk, but actions speak louder than words. The appointment of the CEO of the world’s largest oil producer to BlackRock’s board undermines its own stated climate commitments. At a time when financial institutions need to take a collective approach to addressing the financial risks from climate change, BlackRock shareholders expect climate-competent, not climate-conflicted, directors,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.”

Globe and Mail: A climate-change gut check: The price of Canada’s oil-sands crude is soaring, testing investors’ ESG principles
TIM KILADZE, 7/20/23

“A stellar run in the price of heavy Canadian crude, much of which comes from the oil sands, is testing investor commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, forcing would-be buyers to weigh sublime cash flows against human-induced climate change that has contributed to Canada’s worst wildfire season on record,” the Globe and Mail reports. “…Rafi Tahmazian, a portfolio manager at Canoe Financial in Calgary, has an analogy for Canadian oil producers in the current environment: “It’s like there’s a broken bank machine and it’s spitting hundreds out, and there aren’t enough people to pick them up,” he told the Globe and Mail… “For some, the mere thought of owning shares of an oil-sands producer is abhorrent, especially with wildfires burning and southern Europe getting scorched by another heat wave. Mr. Tahmazian doesn’t see it that way. “Should I feel guilty about doing this? The answer is no.” “…For one, the world is still in the very early stages of an energy transition. For all the hype around electric vehicles, recent sales figures show they aren’t selling all that well just yet. Heavy oil also has some specialized uses, such as creating shipping fuel for the boats that ferry the endless stream of goods from China to North America… “A major catalyst for WCS pricing is also on the horizon, with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that will nearly triple the amount of crude transported from Edmonton to an export terminal in Burnaby, B.C., expected to be mechanically complete by the end of 2023, and in service during the first quarter of 2024… “The optimism around Calgary regarding the outlook for WCS has seldom (if ever) been this strong,” RBC commodities analyst Michael Tran wrote in a note to clients after visiting the Calgary Stampede last week.”

Reuters: Few ‘sustainable’ funds aligned with EU green criteria, MSCI finds
7/18/23

“The vast majority of European funds marketed as sustainable say they are not aligned with the EU’s list of climate-friendly investments, or “taxonomy”, largely because there is too little data to make an assessment, research firm MSCI has found,” Reuters reports. “The EU’s taxonomy is a complex system designed to classify which investments can be marketed as sustainable, aiming to improve transparency and encourage investment for fighting climate change. Companies are asked to disclose how much of their revenue is in line with the taxonomy, which fund managers can then use to disclose the alignment of their portfolios. In report published on Tuesday, MSCI found that nearly nine in 10 so-called Article 8 funds – those partly focused on environmental, social or sustainability (ESG) issues – and 63% of Article 9 funds – those with clear sustainability objectives – said they did not have taxonomy-aligned investments. MSCI said this did not necessarily mean underlying companies had so little sustainable revenue, but showed how few currently disclose sufficient information.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

CNN: Fake Twitter profiles, Wikipedia editing and PR battles: Inside the push to greenwash the COP28 climate summit
Ivana Kottasová, 7/18/23

“The optics of a major oil-producing country organizing the world’s most important climate conference, and appointing an oil company CEO to lead it, are not lost on anyone – including, it seems, the hosts: the United Arab Emirates,” CNN reports. “The country has embarked on a major PR campaign to boost its green credentials ahead of the COP28 UN climate summit in Dubai later this year, prompting heavy criticism from climate groups and some politicians. At the same time, researchers are raising red flags over allegations of more covert influence campaigns, as members of the COP28 team were found by the Centre for Climate Reporting and the Guardian to have been editing Wikipedia pages about the conference’s chief, and an army of fake social media accounts has appeared, promoting the country’s climate record… “It “raises a lot of alarm bells about how much these kinds of influence operations are going to ramp up and become more sophisticated and complex as we get nearer to the time,” Jennie King, the head of climate research and policy at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), told CNN… “In May, members of the COP28 team were accused of attempting to “greenwash” Al Jaber’s image through edits to his Wikipedia page, as first reported by the Centre for Climate Reporting and the Guardian… “Then, in June, researchers started drawing attention to certain Twitter activity. Climate Action Against Disinformation Project published research last month flagging more than two dozen Twitter accounts that displayed “unusual quote-tweeting behavior” on tweets from either the UAE’s main COP28 Twitter account or other accounts posting about COP28. “These accounts all quote-tweeted many of the same tweets, using similar (but not identical) language, often adding hashtags associated with sustainability or net zero,” the research said… “Climate groups say serious concerns remain about whether the UAE can provide the level of ambition needed. “The country responsible not only for physically hosting people and setting the tenor and the tone of the event, but also for coordinating the agenda and setting out what the key articles of negotiation and focus are going to be over the next six to eight months, is very clearly working against its own economic business model in hosting the event,” King told CNN.

National Observer: The advertising blitz crafted to change your view of Big Oil
John Woodside, 7/20/23

“When one of Canada’s most influential oil lobby groups set out to cleanse its image of an industry proven to drive global heating, it designed a splashy advertising offensive to change public perception,” the National Observer reports. “In the ads, the six oilsands majors that make up the Pathways Alliance — Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips, Canadian Natural Resources and MEG Energy — present themselves as on a mission to play their part in an era of decarbonization. To spread the word, the alliance grabbed some premiere advertising spots. “Let’s clear the air” commercials played during the FIFA World Cup, Australian Open, 2023 Super Bowl and even on airplanes before takeoff, as anyone flying on Air Canada recently can attest. Those ads show oil and gas workers bathed in soft light, walking to the sound of optimistic music with a forest behind them, as a narrator readily admits oil production creates carbon emissions, and it’s time to do something about it… “It is not known how much the Pathways Alliance has spent on the “Let’s clear the air” campaign, but it has spent over $500,000 on Facebook advertising alone, and is currently under investigation from Competition Bureau Canada for allegedly misleading the public about its net-zero claims… “While claiming to be working toward net zero, the oil companies are at the same time planning to increase production and resisting federal policies to curb emissions. By fighting climate action while claiming to be committed to net-zero emissions, the alliance members are violating the greenwashing guidelines set out by the United Nations Net-Zero Expert Group chaired by former environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna… “People who are aware that climate change is getting worse and hear “association of petroleum producers” are quick to conclude CAPP is an organization interested in slowing climate action, University of Victoria associate professor James Rowe told the Observer.  “Pathways Alliance,” on the other hand, “sounds like this co-operative initiative, which in some respects is what Canadians have wanted all along,” Rowe told the Observer. Canadians are waiting for these companies to do the right thing and make significant investments in reducing emissions and transitioning to renewables. It’s not happening, Rowe is quick to add. “But the Pathways Alliance gives the impression that maybe it is.”

OPINION

David Suzuki Foundation: Don’t buy Big Oil’s lies. Scorching climate records call for real solutions
David Suzuki and Ian Hanington, 7/19/23

“On July 6, the world’s average temperature was the hottest ever recorded, at 17.23 C. That beat the previous highs on… July 3 and 4! June was the hottest month ever, but July is shaping up to be even hotter. Experts expect more records to break over the next while, as an El Niño weather pattern combines with record emissions to drive temperatures up,” David Suzuki and Ian Harrington write for the David Suzuki Foundation. “…How bad does it have to get before the world wakes up? Unless we reject the widespread power and influence of the fossil fuel industry in all aspects of our lives, we could reach the point of no return before we employ the many available and emerging solutions. Industry puts massive resources into convincing people that curbing the crisis will cause too much hardship. Shell chief executive Wael Sawan recently offered an example. “What would be dangerous and irresponsible is cutting oil and gas production so that the cost of living, as we saw last year, starts to shoot up again,” he told the BBC. Shell had planned modest production cuts, but under Sawan’s leadership has backtracked, instead enriching its executives and shareholders in the wake of fuel prices driven up by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As global temperatures exceed record highs, so too do the profits of companies such as Shell. Big Oil money flows through secretive organizations that downplay or deny the climate crisis, to media outlets and to politicians, their parties and governments. Lobbyists work both sides of the fence and gain astounding access to the political sphere. Governments, including Canada’s, continue to subsidize the industry though tax and royalty breaks, infrastructure purchases and more. Dirty oil sands bitumen is sold as “ethical” and fracked methane gas as a “natural” climate solution. And who can forget “clean coal”? The industry and its supporters paint themselves as beneficial to society, creating jobs, boosting economies and keeping the lights on. Ordinary people struggling to pay bills are often too busy to see through these greenwashed false narratives. Unless we reject the widespread power and influence of the fossil fuel industry in all aspects of our lives, we could reach the point of no return before we employ the many available and emerging solutions.”

Utility Dive: America faces another high-wire moment: This one around its energy future
Jason Grumet is CEO of the American Clean Power Association; Amy Andryszak is president & CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, 7/18/23

“It was a high-wire moment. Had Congress not passed a bill to suspend the nation’s debt limit ceiling last month, the damage to America’s economy would have been substantial. But now in the wake of the bill’s passage, America is facing another high-wire moment: this one related to the nation’s clean energy future and, as a result, its national security, economic, reliability and climate imperatives,” Jason Grumet and Amy Andryszak write for Utility Dive. “…A permitting system that was designed to protect against harm has paradoxically become the greatest obstacle to modernizing our energy infrastructure and achieving our environmental goals. As leaders of the American Clean Power Association and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, we have witnessed firsthand the cost of an outdated, inefficient and unduly burdensome permitting regime. Delayed deployment of our nation’s abundant domestic energy sources has stalled investment, threatened jobs and jeopardized our energy security… “A bipartisan chorus of voices in Congress and across the energy sector agree that comprehensive permitting reform is necessary to increase system reliability and accelerate the adoption of new technologies and lower carbon-intensity fuels… “For the natural gas sector, permitting delays threaten the safe and efficient distribution of a resource that has fundamentally reshaped the U.S. energy economy and helped lower our carbon emissions by 33% since 2005. The natural gas industry has also committed to reducing the carbon intensity of its operations and to reducing net emissions by investing in more innovative technologies… “Importantly, we don’t need to choose between renewables and natural gas — or between affordable, reliable energy and our environmental goals. The vast majority of the U.S. power sector has committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions and believes that natural gas will be part of that equation.”

The Hill: There is no ‘new normal’: absent drastic action, the climate will only get worse
Andrew Pershing is vice president for science at Climate Central, 7/18/23

“Extreme heat, extreme rain, and extreme smoke are on full display across the U.S. this summer, leading many, including the governor of New York, to declare extreme weather and catastrophic flooding the “new normal.” In a sense it is, but this also misses the essential challenge of climate change — there is no normal,” Andrew Pershing writes for The Hill. “…Some of the events we’ve witnessed are so far beyond historical norms that they truly could not exist without climate change… “The insidious feature of climate change is that there is no normal and there won’t be one anytime soon. As long as the world keeps warming, the climate will keep changing, and extreme conditions will only become worse and more frequent… “So we are not living in a new normal. Climate projections and climate trends clearly tell us that. But science is also clear on what we have to do to find a new normal: stop burning coal, oil and natural gas. When we stop adding CO2 to the atmosphere, global temperatures will stabilize and we will have weather that we can get used to. Every new wind turbine or solar farm or electric vehicle makes that possibility more likely. But our current pace of change means that we have decades of work ahead of us to reach a true new normal.”