EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/20/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• CNN: Human remains recovered from vehicle that slammed into Houston-area pipeline, causing explosion

• New York Times: Officials Open Criminal Inquiry Into Crash That Caused Pipeline Fire Near Houston

• KPRC: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo ‘not satisfied’ in timeline of pipeline fire in Deer Park

• Houston Public Media: How zoning and land use play into the La Porte pipeline fire

• KXXV: DeLa Express Pipeline raises concerns for Central Texans following Houston explosion

• E&E News: FERC chair: ‘Shift in the legal landscape’ could affect gas supply

• Storm Lake Radio: Final Public Meeting for Proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline is Today in BV County

• Pipestone Star: PUC approves pipeline route permit

• Village Report: Indigenous group awaits word on planned pipeline project

• Bloomberg: Trans Mountain pipeline has the tanks at Cushing, Oklahoma running dry

• Bloomberg: Sunoco’s $1.8 Million Oil Spill Consent Decree Gets Court Nod

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Carbon Herald: Kerry Urges Oil Industry To Prove Carbon Capture Viability

• E&E News: John Kerry tells gas industry to prove CCS is viable

• Gasworld: CO2 Summit: US government 45Q carbon-capture tax credits “hard to access”

• E&E News: US to regulate part of struggling voluntary carbon market

• Sierra Nevada Daily: Without the Chevron Deference, what comes next for public lands?

• U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Consortium for the Safe Transport of Carbon Dioxide

STATE UPDATES

• Texas Tribune: Study finds levels of a dangerous gas “off the scales” in Central Texas oilfield

• NM Political Report: NMED releases draft feasibility study for controversial Strategic Water Supply

EXTRACTION

• Pembina Institute: Oilsands companies increasing spending on production, not on reducing emissions

• Reuters: Canada may reach 2030 emissions goal without unpopular carbon tax

OPINION

• Houston Chronicle: Deer Park residents affected by pipeline fire should ask these 15 questions 
  

PIPELINE NEWS

CNN: Human remains recovered from vehicle that slammed into Houston-area pipeline, causing explosion
Andy Rose, 9/20/24

“Human remains have been recovered from an SUV that crashed into a liquid natural gas pipeline this week and caused an explosion and dayslong fire, police said Thursday – the day that the fire would eventually be extinguished,” CNN reports. “The Deer Park Police Department was able to access the site and remove the white vehicle associated with the pipeline fire incident,” the police department said in a news release. “Once removed, Harris County Medical Examiners were able to process the vehicle. During the processing, they were able to recover and remove human remains.” Deer Park police said it “will take some time” to identify the remains. “This has developed into a criminal investigation and will be actively ongoing until further information is available,” police said. The fire started when the vehicle crashed through a fence next to a Walmart and then hit a pipeline value that was above ground, shooting flames and smoke high into the air. The intense heat melted parts of nearby homes and cars. The fire burned for three days until it was extinguished Thursday, Deer Park city spokesperson Kaitlyn Bluejacket said… “About 100 homes were evacuated earlier this week within a half-mile radius of the explosion, according to Jamie Galloway, emergency services director for the city of Deer Park… “The explosion also damaged some power lines and equipment, leading to some electricity outages in the area, Houston-based utility CenterPoint Energy has said.”

New York Times: Officials Open Criminal Inquiry Into Crash That Caused Pipeline Fire Near Houston
J. David Goodman, 9/19/24

“The city of Deer Park, Texas, said on Thursday that it had opened a criminal investigation into a fatal car crash that caused a gas pipeline explosion this week, resulting in a tower of flame that has been burning for days,” the New York Times reports. “The explosion on Monday killed the driver of the vehicle, who officials said had not yet been identified, and damaged nearby homes… “Investigators quickly ruled out terrorism, but remained uncertain as to whether the crash had been an accident or if the driver had targeted the pipeline, which is owned by a private company, Energy Transfer, and carries natural gas liquids… “Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris County, described the crash as an accident in a news conference on Thursday, but she said that investigators were still looking into the details of what happened. “They’ll determine if it was more than that,” she said… “Ms. Hidalgo told the Times she had spoken to residents who were home at the time of the crash and described how the explosion shook their entire house. “Many of them don’t want to live there anymore,” she told the Times… “In a series of statements this week, Energy Transfer said that the company was cooperating with investigators and that affected residents had been provided with hotel accommodations while under evacuation. “The safest way to manage this process is to let the products burn off,” the company said, adding that there has been “no impact to air quality.” At least seven houses in a neighborhood known as East Meadow had major damage, with dozens of others affected, Kaitlyn Bluejacket, the spokeswoman for the city of Deer Park, told the Times… “She told the Times that the Deer Park Police Department would be leading the investigation into the crash, adding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation early on had looked into whether the explosion might have involved an act of terrorism. “The F.B.I. cleared that right off the bat,” she told the Times.

KPRC: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo ‘not satisfied’ in timeline of pipeline fire in Deer Park
9/19/24

“Why is the fire still burning at the Deer Park pipeline days later? That’s a question Harris County Lina Hidalgo had for Energy Transfer, the oil and gas company who owns the pipeline,” KPRC reports. “Hidalgo walked around the area with Deer Park officials to assess the damage left behind from the pipeline explosion and get answers as to why it is taking so long for the fire the burn out… “The judge stated that since the fire is still burning, experts have taken the pressure in the pipeline down to zero and what’s left burning is just residual vapors, which is a part of the liquids. Officials are planning to remove the residual liquids by installing stopples about a mile and a quarter a part to create a vacuum to get the rest of those liquids out. Once that is complete, officials will go where the valve used to be and cover it up by capping it and welding it down… “The next thing that will be addressed in the county will be how companies will protect its pipelines in the future. “One of the things we want to look at going forward is what can we do so that elsewhere in the county these pipelines and valves that are above the Earth can be protected by concrete, as opposed to simply these fences that obviously we saw that can be rammed through,” Hidalgo told KPRC.

Houston Public Media: How zoning and land use play into the La Porte pipeline fire
Michael Hagerty, 9/18/24

“The natural gas liquid pipeline fire has now been burning for almost 48 hours, affecting those in La Porte and Deer Park where people are displaced from homes and air monitoring continues,” Houston Public Media reports. “The incident raises some questions about land use, development, and zoning — questions we pose at the start of our weekly political roundup this week with Mark Jones, political science fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Renee Cross, senior director of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. Why would a Wal-Mart and homes be located so close to an exposed above-ground pipeline valve? Is that typical here in Greater Houston? And could there be stricter construction requirements to protect against something like this — either mandating stronger fencing or even some sort of barrier or increased distance between land zoned for commercial use and a pipeline or other combustible infrastructure?”

KXXV: DeLa Express Pipeline raises concerns for Central Texans following Houston explosion
Allison Hill, 9/19/24

“Wednesday night, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hosted a scoping session about the proposed DeLa Express Pipeline. It gave our neighbors a chance to voice their opinions on the pipeline that would run right through our community. The natural gas pipeline explosion that led to the evacuation of a Houston community is raising concerns for our neighbors,” KXXV reports. “…Jonathan Copeland is part of the “Stop the DeLa Pipeline” campaign. “They’re trying to build this pipeline next to three schools and countless homes. Meanwhile, a pipeline exploded on Monday in Houston. It’s still on fire almost three days later,” Copeland told KXXV. “People who have come here have good cause for concern,” Copeland told KXXV… “Other concerns include eminent domain, torn-up properties, and the impact on livestock. While most are against the pipeline, some say there is an upside to it… “Wednesday night’s session is the first of many meetings led by the FERC to hear from local neighbors — still, most are certain the pipeline would do more harm to our community than good. “It’s scary — they’re not starting small. They’re not starting with the 12-inch or 20-inch, like we saw in Houston. They’re starting with the 42-inch – that’s one of the biggest pipelines out there,” Copeland told KXXV.”

E&E News: FERC chair: ‘Shift in the legal landscape’ could affect gas supply
Carlos Anchondo, Peter Behr, 9/20/24

“The chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said a federal appeals court “erred” when it threw out the agency’s approval for a Northeastern gas pipeline, claiming the ruling is disruptive to customers in the region,” E&E News reports. “At the agency’s open meeting Thursday, FERC Chair Willie Phillips said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit got it wrong when it found FERC overlooked major environmental consequences and evidence that suggested a lack of market need for the Regional Energy Access Expansion project. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. is behind the natural gas expansion project. “I believe that the court erred when they vacated the Transco pipeline, because we know that they had already begun work and serving of customers,” Phillips told reporters in a briefing after the meeting. “And we know that this will have an impact on the reliability and the affordability” for customers. He made the comments at FERC’s first meeting with its full complement of five commissioners. Anti-fossil fuel protesters interrupted the meeting more than a dozen times, with one pushing for President Joe Biden to make a pause on liquefied natural gas export licenses permanent.”

Storm Lake Radio: Final Public Meeting for Proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline is Today in BV County
9/20/24

“The final public meeting on the expansion of the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon capture pipeline expansion project is today (Fri) at noon at the Cobblestone Ballroom in Lakeside,” Storm Lake Radio reports. “Farmer Dave Balder plans to attend the meeting in Buena Vista County and opposes the project. Balder, who lives a mile north of the Valero Renewable Fuels plant in Albert City already granted easements on his property for two natural gas pipelines. He says those pipelines are projects that benefit the public, but the carbon pipeline is not. Summit Carbon Solutions scheduled public meetings in 23 counties as required by the Iowa Utilities Commission as it seeks to increase its nearly 700-mile carbon capture pipeline by 340 miles.”

Pipestone Star: PUC approves pipeline route permit
Kyle Kuphal, 9/19/24

“The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) during a Sept. 12 meeting approved with a 3-2 vote a pipeline route permit allowing Magellan to install a pipeline to the west and north of Pipestone,” the Pipestone Star reports. “…According to a draft of the PUC’s decision, the PUC is requiring Magellan to complete a full cultural and archaeological survey for the route in coordination with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Upper Sioux Community, Yankton Sioux Tribe and Flandreau Santee Sioux… “The inventory must be developed in accordance with standards established by relevant Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs), the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (MnSHPO), and the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation. It must include specific mitigation and avoidance procedures for archaeological, cultural and historic resources identified and must be filed with the PUC upon completion, including comments from above mentioned entities. After completion of the survey, Magellan must send the results to the 23 affiliated tribes and engage in additional consultation with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Upper Sioux Community, Yankton Sioux Tribe and Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. The consultation must consist of at least one in-person meeting with tribal representatives no more than 30 days after completion of the cultural and archaeological survey. Magellan must also provide affiliated tribal nations with an opportunity to provide feedback on the survey and confer with MnSHPO and the relevant THPO representatives regarding the results… “Pipestone Human Rights Commission Chairperson Gabriel Yellowhawk spoke of the sacredness of the pipe made of the pipestone that comes from the quarries at Pipestone National Monument. He said there had been an outcry against the pipeline project from people near and far who were concerned about the pipeline’s proximity to the stone, and asked the PUC to reject all proposed reroutes of the pipeline. “This proposed pipeline would be a desecration of our stone, of our blood, of our spiritual connection with our ancestors,” he said.

Village Report: Indigenous group awaits word on planned pipeline project
Cara Nickerson, 9/19/24

“Hamilton’s Dofasco has a goal to be coal-free by 2028 — but meeting that goal means adding natural gas pipelines possibly coming through Flamborough — and a concerned Indigenous group says they are not giving their consent,” according to the Village Report. “The Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) represents the interests of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council in construction projects on their treaty lands. Those lands, under the Nanfan Treaty, cover most of southern Ontario and include Hamilton and Flamborough.  HDI is calling for work on the Hamilton Reinforcement Project, which would shift the steel mills in the city’s east end from coal to natural gas, to halt until gas company Enbridge comes to the table with them. HDI lawyer Aaron Detlor spoke for the group to FlamboroughToday. “We’ve asked them for time frames and timelines and how engagement is supposed to occur and we haven’t received anything back from them as of yet,” he said…“The requirements that the Ontario Energy Board has set up for this type of project require Enbridge to provide reasonable funding for our participation in the entirety of the process. I can certainly confirm that Enbridge has not done that as of yet.” “…Detlor says there has been “no clear communication” between HDI and Enbridge about the construction.”

Bloomberg: Trans Mountain pipeline has the tanks at Cushing, Oklahoma running dry
Lucia Kassai and Devika Krishna Kumar, 9/19/24

“Oil-storage tanks at a key United States crude hub have drained to near their bottoms as a massive new pipeline in Canada diverts flows elsewhere, muddying market signals that traders have long relied on,” Bloomberg reports. “Inventories in Cushing, Oklahoma, have been dwindling for the past four months and now sit near the lowest in a decade for this time of year. Market participants told Bloomberg the drawdown — which typically takes place as fuel demand rises during the driving season — was exacerbated this year as the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline shifts Canadian oil supplies onto the country’s Pacific Coast and away from the U.S. Gulf Coast… “Flows of Canadian crude to the U.S. Gulf Coast have declined to the point where a competing pipeline system owned by Enbridge Inc. mostly operated without the congestion it typically experiences during the U.S. summer driving season. European demand for U.S. crude is also pulling barrels out of storage at Cushing, traders told Bloomberg, particularly since buyers are on the hunt for similar grades after supply disruptions in Libya… “Cushing’s current stockpiles of about 22.7 million barrels represent less than a third of the hub’s working capacity of 78 million barrels. The rapid decline is stoking concerns that the hub’s ability to operate normally may be threatened.”

Bloomberg: Sunoco’s $1.8 Million Oil Spill Consent Decree Gets Court Nod
Taylor Mills, 9/18/24

“Sunoco Pipeline LP and its affiliate Mid-Valley Pipeline Co. saw a court approve a consent decree with the US under which the companies will pay $1.8 million to resolve cleanup of an oil pipeline rupture that contaminated federal waters,” Bloomberg reports. “The company and its subsidiary will pay a civil penalty of $550,000 and $1.25 million to purchase and preserve a “replacement habitat” in the Oak Glen Nature Preserve in Hamilton County, Ohio. Judge Susan J. Dlott of the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio approved the consent decree Tuesday.

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Carbon Herald: Kerry Urges Oil Industry To Prove Carbon Capture Viability
Violet George, 9/20/24

“John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, has issued a stern warning to the oil and gas industry: demonstrate the feasibility of carbon capture technology or face a more rapid transition away from fossil fuels,” the Carbon Herald reports. “Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) has been a favored decarbonization strategy for the oil industry, promising to extend the use of fossil fuels while mitigating their emissions. However, the technology’s high cost and unproven effectiveness on a large scale have raised significant concerns… “However, if CCUS proves to be unfeasible, the transition away from fossil fuels will accelerate… “Climate groups have criticized CCUS as a delaying tactic, arguing that it would be more effective to transition directly to cleaner energy sources. “Both Stanford and MIT climate experts, professors, people whose life is wrapped up in making these decisions, right now do not believe that storage, that CCUS is going to be scalable and affordable. So it’s up to the industry to prove that it is,” Kerry said.”

E&E News: John Kerry tells gas industry to prove CCS is viable
Shelby Webb, 9/19/24

“Former Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that world leaders are looking to the private sector to slash climate-warming emissions, but he questioned the viability of carbon capture projects often touted by oil and gas companies,” E&E News reports. “…I mean, 10 years ago, five years ago, maybe two years ago, someone would be up here just railing against fossil fuel and saying, ‘Oh, we’ve got to end it tomorrow, fossil fuels, oh, blah, blah, blah,’” Kerry told Gastech attendees. “And the reality is that now people have accepted a transitional understanding and that transitional understanding requires new technology.” But Kerry stressed that new and lower carbon energy technologies need to be scalable and affordable in order to be part of the energy mix going forward — a concept of which he said global leaders now have a “newer level of understanding.”

Gasworld: CO2 Summit: US government 45Q carbon-capture tax credits “hard to access”
Christian Annesley, 9/19/24

“The opportunity to contribute to curbing carbon emissions while accessing US federal tax credits is so far proving hard to unlock, delegates at gasworld’s North American CO2 Summit 2024 have heard,” Gasworld reports. “Several speakers at the conference talked about the opportunity and how it works but there was also frustration expressed that applications are not so far gaining approval. Many characterised the application process as slow and opaque in its current form. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was signed into law in 2022, on paper made it far easier to qualify for tax credits for carbon capture, but few have so far managed to secure tax credits under the legislation. It was mentioned from the stage that only one company has so far qualified for tax credits under the scheme. Speakers including Harriet Amelia Wessel of law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and Tyler Cole, Director of Climate Solutions for e-NG business TES, talked through the scheme and how to make a submission, but there was a consensus across those presenting that progress was slow and successful applications were few and far between.”

E&E News: US to regulate part of struggling voluntary carbon market
Anne C. Mulkern, 9/20/24

“The voluntary carbon market, which lets corporate polluters fund global climate projects to offset their own emissions, is expected to get significant new oversight Friday aimed at addressing concerns that the projects don’t actually address climate change,” E&E News reports. “A U.S. financial regulator will vote on new policies to require projects that are funded through the market and involve certain types of complex transactions to demonstrate their effectiveness. The voluntary carbon market has raised billions of dollars for projects such as wind-power plants in Turkey and Vietnam. But investors and analysts are increasingly concerned that the corporate money is not addressing climate change because the projects could have been completed without the funding. “There’s been a lot of concern about the integrity of the [voluntary] carbon market,” Eric Pitt, chief commercial officer of Emergent, a nonprofit working in carbon markets to address global deforestation, told E&E.”

Sierra Nevada Daily: Without the Chevron Deference, what comes next for public lands?
RICHARD BEDNARSKI, 9/19/24

“In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court in June voted to abolish the longstanding ruling known as the “Chevron deference.” This decision, in place for four decades, was instrumental in helping courts make challenging legal decisions with sound, science-based information and facts, often from the agencies involved. Without it, courts can make decisions based on politics over science, and already federal agencies are wondering what level of authority they have in interpreting and enforcing regulations,” the Sierra Nevada Daily reports. “For example, a federal judge in Mississippi has already ruled that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can’t enforce a rule that would ban discriminating against patients on gender identity and sexual orientation. The Guardian recently reported that the Air Force is refusing to clean up water it polluted, “claiming federal regulators lack authority.” “…Already, the lack of the Chevron deference is raising alarms. This ruling had become essential in managing Western lands due to the complexities and evolving science that govern the landscape, which is further complicated under climate change. “It [was] an imperfect doctrine, but one that infuses the folks doing the hard work of managing the Western U.S.’s public lands, waters, and wildlife with a measure of needed ability to adapt law and policy to specific on-the-ground circumstances,” Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public interest environmental law center, told the Daily. He has also been an attorney working on federal ecological litigation, policy, planning, and decision-making in the western U.S. for over two decades. Without the deference in place, Schlenker-Goodrich told the Daily private interests can “achieve, through litigation, what they have been unable to achieve through the political system.”

U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Consortium for the Safe Transport of Carbon Dioxide
9/18/24

“The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks input to assist DOE in the planning of a consortium that will coordinate carbon dioxide (CO2) transport research, development, and demonstration efforts (e.g., pipeline, rail, truck, ship, and barge transportation); facilitate communication among stakeholders; and compile and curate information in an open access platform. FECM is seeking input from organizations and individuals that may be involved in CO2 transport research, development, and demonstration and interested in becoming a consortium member. The Carbon Transport Research, Development & Demonstration Consortium website outlines membership requirements.”

STATE UPDATES

Texas Tribune: Study finds levels of a dangerous gas “off the scales” in Central Texas oilfield
MARTHA PSKOWSKI, 9/20/24

“The first readings Abigail Edgar took of hydrogen sulfide and methane at oilfields in Caldwell County in 2021 were so high that she thought her equipment was malfunctioning,” the Texas Tribune reports. “It was off the scales. Methane was off the scales and hydrogen sulfide was off the scales,” Edgar, a master’s student in geography at Texas State University, told the Tribune. “The monitor would immediately start beeping when I crossed the property line.” Edgar was recording dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide at wells on private property in Caldwell County, 30 miles southeast of Austin. Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic and highly flammable gas often found in oil and gas formations. During the course of her research, the gas was so potent at three separate wells that Edgar’s respirator did not provide enough protection and she had to leave for her safety. Edgar teamed up with University of Cincinnati environmental scientist Amy Townsend-Small, an expert on methane, to take another round of measurements in 2023. They found the wells were directly releasing gas — including hydrogen sulfide and methane — into the atmosphere in a process called venting. Some of the wells venting gas were alongside public roads. Others were next to backyards and driveways. In a paper published in Environmental Research Communications last week, Edgar, Townsend-Small and other authors at Texas State University and the University of Maryland report hydrogen sulfide readings at 46 wells around Caldwell County. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations at 13 of the wells were at least 300 parts per million (ppm) — the maximum reading on the measuring device. Eight other sites had readings over 100 ppm. Exposure to 100 ppm of hydrogen sulfide is immediately dangerous to life or health, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The study warns these hydrogen sulfide levels are a hazard for people living and working in the area. “Here in Texas we rely heavily on the oil industry and protect the oil industry. And I think rightfully so,” Edgar told the Tribune. “But there has to be something done for these neighbors. We’re slowly poisoning these communities.”

NM Political Report: NMED releases draft feasibility study for controversial Strategic Water Supply
Hannah Grover, 9/17/24

“The New Mexico Environment Department released a draft feasibility study for a controversial water proposal on Tuesday,” according to NM Political Report. “The study looks at using treated brackish and produced water, which is a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, for industrial purposes in an effort to reduce demands on freshwater supplies. That proposal is known as the Strategic Water Supply. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced plans to pursue this effort last year… “Critics point to the expensive nature of desalination as well as various unknowns, including questions about how much brackish water is actually present in the aquifers and whether produced water can safely be treated for beneficial use. According to the draft study, some of the important factors to consider when weighing treatment projects include location, water source, labor force, end users and infrastructure.vThe draft study also states that more information is needed about the chemical composition of produced water in New Mexico. It also states that desalination, which is needed for both brackish and produced water treatment, is an energy-intensive process and that support for desalination projects should “be considered within the context of the State’s decarbonization goals.” “…In terms of costs, produced water projects in the San Juan Basin could cost between $13 million and $191 million and, in the Permian Basin, those costs could be between $38 million and $667 million. Brackish water projects could cost between $3 million and $107 million.”

EXTRACTION

Pembina Institute: Oilsands companies increasing spending on production, not on reducing emissions
Matt Dreis, 9/19/24

“New research from the Pembina Institute finds that for the first time since the pandemic, companies are allocating capital to increase their production – but are still yet to make meaningful investments in projects to reduce emissions… “The Pathways Alliance, which represents Cenovus, CNRL, ConocoPhillips, Imperial, MEG Energy, and Suncor, maintains that its work to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 has not stopped, but that recent changes to federal greenwashing legislation preclude its ability to publicly disclose that work. However, Pembina Institute analysis of the companies’ financial results and statements to investors found no indication that capital is being allocated to decarbonization work at a level that would indicate any projects – including the Pathways ‘foundational’ carbon capture and storage project – have progressed beyond the early stages of the project development process. This is despite the existence of a suite of incentives to support such investments. For example, the passage in June of the federal Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Investment Tax Credit triggered final investment decision announcements from other companies on commercial-scale carbon capture projects. Meanwhile, Pembina Institute research shows that all six Pathways Alliance companies have instead allocated several billion dollars of capital to projects that will expand their production by tens of thousands of barrels per day over the next few years. This rush of activity is a further indicator of the continued strong financial position that these companies now find themselves in, building on two successive years of record profits… “In terms of emissions, Canada’s oilsands sector is an outlier. Despite many years of pledges from the industry on improvements to environmental performance, its emissions have continued to climb sharply, even as they have fallen in every other oil and gas subsector, said Matt Dreis, Senior Analyst at the Pembina Institute’s oil and gas program.”

Reuters: Canada may reach 2030 emissions goal without unpopular carbon tax
Nia Williams, 9/19/24

“Canada could meet its 2030 emissions target without a carbon tax on consumers, some analysts say, as the Liberal government faces mounting political pressure to remove it,” Reuters reports. “The tax has long been criticized by the opposition Conservative Party, which has vowed to “axe the tax” if it wins power, but support has recently eroded even among the policy’s former backers. The carbon tax is intended to help Canada cut emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide by 40%-45% below 2005 levels by 2030. The next election will be held by October 2025 and polls show Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals will lose badly to the Conservatives. Even if Ottawa scraps its carbon tax that consumers pay on gasoline and other fuels, Canada could reach the 2030 goal by leaning on other policies, Mark Zacharias, executive director at think-tank Clean Energy Canada, told Reuters… “The consumer carbon tax is a political albatross right now and I don’t know if there’s going to be any recovery from the damage and misinformation around it,” Zacharias told Reuters… “The Conservatives have not said whether they will maintain the industrial carbon tax if they win power.”

OPINION

Houston Chronicle: Deer Park residents affected by pipeline fire should ask these 15 questions 
Hilary Flint is director of communications and community engagement for Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community, campaign consultant with the Clean Air Action Fund, co-lead of the People Power working group with People Over Petro coalition and a community member affected by the East Palestine train derailment, 9/19/24

“I was a resident of Enon Valley, Pa. — a small town of less than 300 people just across the border from East Palestine, Ohio, where a train carrying hazardous materials derailed last year, sending a pillar of fire and smoke into the air. For over a year now, I’ve been displaced from my home. It broke my heart to witness the pipeline disaster in Deer Park, Texas. I know all too well what those community members are going through,” Hilary Flint writes for the Houston Chronicle. “…Here, based on our painful experience with the East Palestine derailment, are questions that I’d suggest people affected by the Deer Park disaster find out. What chemicals were released? Knowing what specific chemicals were involved is the first step to understanding the risks. What do these chemicals create when burned together? Chemical reactions during fires can create new, potentially harmful compounds. What happens when these chemicals mix with local pollutants? Local pollution sources may intensify the impact. What chemicals is the Environmental Protection Agency monitoring for, and at what levels? It’s essential to know if the full range of chemicals is being accounted for. How and where does the EPA plan to monitor in the coming days, weeks and months? Long-term monitoring is just as critical as the immediate response. What are the immediate, chronic and long-term health risks of exposure to these chemicals? Understanding the short- and long-term effects is essential for informed health care decisions. What health tests should residents request, and how can they ensure environmental exposure is added to their medical records? Having proper documentation can solidify any future legal claims. How will we care for the most vulnerable who cannot return to their homes? Displacement disproportionately impacts the elderly, disabled and chronically ill. Can these chemicals cause vapor intrusion? Vapor intrusion can bring contaminants into homes from the soil, air and/or groundwater… “Incidents like the one in Deer Park — and the one in East Palestine — underscore the urgent need for transparency, accountability and ongoing community support.”