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EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/23/24

Mark Hefflinger, Bold Alliance (Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/Des Moines Register

By Mark Hefflinger

September 23, 2024

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PIPELINE NEWS

  • Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit begins outreach for expansion pipeline; both sides more informed this time around

  • Pipeline Fighters Hub: Chasing a Wild Goose Egg: Understanding Computer Plume Modeling for Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Ruptures

  • KMTV: Eminent domain, new corn markets part of pipeline meeting in Holstein

  • Storm Lake Radio: BV County Public Hearing Held Regarding Proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline

  • KCIM: Greene County Board Of Supervisors Submit Objection To Summit Carbon Solution’s Pipeline

  • Facebook: Iowa Chapter Sierra Club: ADM Sequestration Site Leak [VIDEO]

  • Houston Public Media: Energy Transfer releases first emissions report from La Porte pipeline fire

  • Houston Chronicle: After Deer Park pipeline fire, search these maps for hazardous pipelines in your area

  • Press release: In Response to Energy Transfer Pipeline Explosion, Greenpeace USA Launches Advertising Campaign in Dallas

  • Nashville Tennessean: State, local leaders call for TVA to stop gas pipeline buildout

  • KWES: DeLa Express Pipeline Project in early development

  • Law360: US Chamber Warns Del. Justices On TC Energy Case Fallout

  • Engineering News-Record: TC Energy New $11B Canada Gas Line Fined $1M for Site Erosion

  • World Pipelines: Tallgrass announces open season for the Pony Express crude oil pipeline

  • Law360: FERC Opens Enbridge Rate Probe Amid Overcharging Fears

  • Suburban Times: Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh Appointed by Governor Inslee to Serve on Citizens’ Committee on Pipeline Safety

  • Bloomberg: Equinor, RWE Won’t Move Forward With Hydrogen Pipeline to Europe

  • FOX Business: Democrats have a ‘chokehold’ on the Keystone Pipeline: John Sabo [VIDEO]

WASHINGTON UPDATES

  • E&E News: Demands on permitting package add up as time runs short

  • New York Times: Environmentalists Fear Subsidies for Carbon Capture Won’t Be Checked

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Announces Proposed Order Requiring Archer Daniels Midland Co. to Take Actions to Ensure Safe Operation of its Carbon Sequestration Well in Decatur, Illinois

  • Law360: EPA defends Methane Rule at Supreme Court 

  • E&E News: Green Groups Petition Federal Court To Help BLM Defend Lands Rule 

  • Capital Area Climate Network: Third Actors disrupt FERC meeting in D.C.

  • E&E News: Climate action dominated Biden’s first day. What could Harris do?

  • E&E News: Climate Week kicks off with promises to ‘accelerate’ action

  • E&E News: DOE official details next steps for ‘clean’ hydrogen hubs

  • FOX Business: Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry Slams Biden-Harris Admin’s Energy Policies 

STATE UPDATES

  • Press release: Navajo Nation takes significant action to cut methane, assert tribal sovereignty

  • E&E News: Texas tribes split over major LNG project

EXTRACTION

CLIMATE FINANCE

  • Press release: Citi: Funding Fossil-Fueled Environmental Racism in the Gulf South

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

  • Enbridge: Paying a Debt of Gratitude to America’s Veterans

OPINION

PIPELINE NEWS

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Summit begins outreach for expansion pipeline; both sides more informed this time around
CAMI KOONS, 9/2/24

“Summit Carbon Solutions, the company planning to build a massive carbon sequestration pipeline through Iowa and surrounding states, spent the past several weeks in community information meetings around the state about its proposed expansion,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. “…Summit Carbon Director of Community Relations Sabrina Ahmed Zenor told the Dispatch the company is leaning into the community benefits of the project, and telling the stories of Iowa farmers and biorefineries. The company provided county specific slides at the meetings with estimated tax benefits from the project… “Emma Schmit, the Pipeline Fighters director for Bold Alliance, told the Dispatch opponents to the pipeline are better placed to fight the expansion, because of all they learned from Summit Carbon’s presence over the past two and a half years. “This is a fairly unfamiliar technology to the world, and so we were really just flying by the seat of our pants there for a while, but now we have been able to correct that,” Schmit told the Dispatch. Schmit told the Dispatch the Bold Alliance strategy advocates for landowners to become educated about the project and to evaluate what is best for their families — though she hopes that means they refuse to sign an easement agreement. “We’re here to help defend and protect and stand with landowners, not just stop pipelines,” Schmit told the Dispatch… “ She urged landowners to follow the surveyor while they are on their property. “Ask questions, take notes, all that good stuff,” Schmit told the Dispatch. Schmit and Ahmed Zenor told the Dispatch the meetings have been well attended in the communities. Many community members and local officials have lined up at the microphone with lists of questions and complaints toward Summit Carbon. “There’s definitely a lot of tension in those rooms,” Schmit told the Dispatch. 

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Chasing a Wild Goose Egg: Understanding Computer Plume Modeling for Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Ruptures
Paul Blackburn, 9/23/24

“The goal of this series is to help current and potential future neighbors of CO2 pipelines access technology that can help them understand whether or not they are at risk,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “Throughout the Midwest and Gulf Coast, CO2 pipeline developers are pushing projects, driven by the federal 45Q tax credit program. This program is intended to transfer tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers to industrial facilities, such as power plants, oil refineries, ethanol plants, and chemical plants, as payment for capturing very large amounts of CO2 and then shipping it through pipelines to enhanced oil recovery operations and underground storage sites. Essentially, taxpayers are supposed to pay the cost of building a private nationwide sewer system for CO2. For those with the money to invest in this scheme, the 45Q tax credit is truly the goose that lays golden eggs – but eggs aren’t the only thing that comes out of the backside of a goose. The investors get the gold, while neighboring landowners and communities get…well you know. One of the things that comes out the backside of the 45Q tax credit is the risk that a publicly funded CO2 pipeline would rupture, blasting enormous amounts of CO2 into the air… “At high enough concentrations CO2 can quickly render people unconscious, stall car motors, and kill… “At what distance are you safe? At what distance would death within minutes be the most likely outcome? Answering these questions is complicated, sort of like predicting the weather is complicated. But just as for weather forecasting, scientists have developed a bunch of different computer models that attempt to predict how CO2 would spread from a pipeline rupture… “The more expensive computer models are better at estimating danger zones.  Simple cheap computer modeling software tends to be inaccurate because it doesn’t take all of the relevant factors into account and instead makes predictions based on simplistic mathematics and assumptions. When people’s lives are on the line and there’s plenty of time to do modeling, it makes sense to use the best, most accurate computer modeling available, especially given that even expensive computer modeling costs a tiny fraction of the total cost of building and operating CO2 pipelines… “Hopefully, this blog will help you understand the basics of CO2 plume modeling, so you can advocate for the appropriate type of plume modeling and avoid a wild goose chase.”  

KMTV: Eminent domain, new corn markets part of pipeline meeting in Holstein
Katrina Markel, 9/20/24

“The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline and its proposed expansion would run through western Iowa. Neighbors met in Holstein for one of the final meetings Summit is required to hold before it can talk to landowners about the second phase of its carbon capture pipeline project,” KMTV reports. “…Jolene Riessen is the Chair of Iowa Corn Growers Association. The pipeline would go through her farm. “When our customers are asking for low carbon fuel, we kinda like, have to deliver,” she said. State Rep. Steve Holt wants Summit to get voluntary participation from landowners, not use eminent domain, which he believes would violate the state constitution. “This is not a public use project. It’s a private economic development project,” he said. “Build your pipeline using voluntary easements and not the heavy hand of government to seize the private property of others,” said Iowa State Rep. Steve Holt, from Denison…” Representatives from Summit emphasized that they have not yet used eminent domain and they’re seeking voluntary easements. “That’s a little bit of a word game because while they haven’t actually used it yet, they’ve definitely applied for it,” said Holt.

Storm Lake Radio: BV County Public Hearing Held Regarding Proposed Summit Carbon Pipeline
9/20/24

“The last public hearing on the expansion of the Summit Carbon Solutions carbon capture pipeline project was held this (Fri) afternoon in Lakeside,” Storm Lake Radio reports. “…Summit officials stressed how safe pipeline transportation is, and said safety is their number one priority. Bonnie Ewoldt is a landowner located in the first phase area of the project, and brought up a previous comment she said was made by Summit’s CEO… “Several property owners, lawmakers, and the Sierra Club have filed lawsuits opposing the use of eminent domain to build the pipeline… “The company says BV County would receive approximately 851 thousand dollars annually in property tax money through the project. If Summit receives a favorable permit hearing, the pipeline would be operational in 2026.”

KCIM: Greene County Board Of Supervisors Submit Objection To Summit Carbon Solution’s Pipeline
Abby Ward, 9/20/24

“Greene County Board of Supervisors officially had their objection to the Summit Carbon Solution’s petition for the construction of an extension of a hazardous liquid pipeline in Greene County,” KCIM reports. “Back on Aug. 28, Summit Carbon Solution representatives held an informative meeting at the Greene County Fairgrounds, per the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) requirements to approve the construction, operation, and maintenance of a 688-mile pipeline to transport liquefied carbon dioxide through Iowa to North Dakota for permanent underground sequestration… “Greene County Board Chair John Muir says questions were not answered after hearing from the representatives. Muir says the objection is Greene County’s next step in this long petition process. Muir says that in addition to the disregard for private property rights, the safety, health, and welfare of those living in Greene County were another contributing factor.”

Facebook: Iowa Chapter Sierra Club: ADM Sequestration Site Leak [VIDEO]
9/20/24

“ADM’s carbon sequestration site in Illinois has been leaking for years. Tune in to hear more about what’s happening and what’s next.”

Houston Public Media: Energy Transfer releases first emissions report from La Porte pipeline fire
Kyle McClenagan, 9/20/24

“After burning for four straight days, the owner of the pipeline that burst Monday in La Porte has released their first report on what chemicals could have been released into the air as a result,” Houston Public Media reports. “According to the company’s report, submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the pipeline fire emitted the following chemicals during a 10-hour period on Monday. 330,621 pounds of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC); 68,780 pounds of Nitrous Oxide (NOx); 143,278 pounds of N-pentane; 108,408 pounds of Isobutane; 137,310 pounds of Carbon Monoxide. This is only the initial, conservative, report and the company said a final one will provide further details. Currently, no date has been released for when it might be released… “Air Alliance Houston, a public health advocacy organization, released a statement regarding the initial report and said that some of the chemicals are known to have possible adverse health effects… “Gunnar Schade, a professor at Texas A&M University’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, told Houston Public Media that there were likely many more pollutants than the ones listed in the initial report. “The compounds listed would be the ones straightforwardly assumed for reasons of combustion,” he told HPM. “It appears the assumption was made that methane, ethane, and propane were completely combusted. … As was obvious from the video footage, large amounts of soot were also produced, which is both a strong warming agent and consists of potentially harmful particulate matter.” Schade also told HPM that formaldehyde and benzene, two even more toxic chemicals compared to butanes and pentanes could have been produced by the flame as a result of incomplete combustion.”

Houston Chronicle: After Deer Park pipeline fire, search these maps for hazardous pipelines in your area
Rebekah F. Ward, Alexandra Kanik, Dug Begley, Caroline Ghisolfi, 9/22/24

“The pipeline that caught fire Monday in Deer Park and burned ferociously for more than 80 hours is one of many that snake under the Houston area carrying hazardous materials,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “While pipeline operators have said such incidents are rare, there are hundreds of pipeline explosions, leaks and fires across the country each year. Members of the public can learn about the lines running through their neighborhoods and report any incidents to the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator. Search this map with data from the Railroad Commission and U.S. Energy Information Administration to see which hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines run through your Harris County neighborhood: These industrial and distribution pipelines form an intricate web. They often follow roadways but can also cut across fields and under neighborhoods, invisible to the naked eye… “As for pipelines underground, it’s a bit of a sleeping threat, right? People don’t see it,” Paige Powell, the senior policy manager of Commission Shift, a nonprofit that advocates reform for Texas’ oil and gas regulations, told the Chronicle. Powell told the Chronicle she worried that dense groupings of pipelines in petrochemical-heavy neighborhoods near the Houston Ship Channel made those communities particularly vulnerable. “When you get an easement for a pipeline, there’s incentive to lay additional pipelines in that same easement. So we often see lots of different pipelines carrying different commodities along the same corridor,” Powell told the Chronicle… “While most pipeline issues are not as severe as the Energy Transfer fire, federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration data shows Texas still experiences over 200 pipeline incidents per year, more than a third of the nation’s total. Texas pipeline incidents have killed at least 39 people in the past two decades.”

Press release: In Response to Energy Transfer Pipeline Explosion, Greenpeace USA Launches Advertising Campaign in Dallas
9/20/24

“In response to the explosion of an Energy Transfer pipeline on Monday – which caused a massive fire that injured at least four people – Greenpeace USA commissioned a billboard truck to call attention to the company’s safety record, as well as its attacks on free speech. The truck was parked near Energy Transfer’s headquarters in Dallas this afternoon, circling around Klyde Warren Park, and will head to the Texas Rangers game this evening at 8pm. Energy Transfer is the first jersey patch partner of the Texas Rangers – one of many recent sponsorship deals between major league sports teams and fossil fuel companies. The ads are part of a campaign by Greenpeace and allies to raise awareness of the company’s attempt to use the legal system to intimidate and silence critics. Energy Transfer is currently suing Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International for $300 million in a case that threatens the rights to free speech and protest. The case goes to trial in North Dakota in February 2025, where Energy Transfer is seeking a judgment of $300 million – an amount that would functionally bankrupt Greenpeace USA. Charlie Cray, Greenpeace USA Senior Political Strategist, said: “Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected. Energy Transfer seems to be more focused on trying to silence its critics rather than responding to people wanting answers to concerns about the dangerous explosion. This incident, and the company’s weak response, demonstrate that ET would rather attack environmentalists than invest in making their operations safe for communities and the planet – and this underscores the need to maintain our right to speak out against harms.”

Nashville Tennessean: State, local leaders call for TVA to stop gas pipeline buildout
Vivian Jones, 9/22/24

“A black, 50-foot mock gas pipeline snaked across the lawn in front of the Centennial Park Bandshell on Saturday as a crowd called for the Tennessee Valley Authority to stop buildout of natural gas pipelines across the state in favor of clean energy alternatives,” the Nashville Tennessean reports. “Pass on gas! Pass on gas! Pass on gas!” the crowd chanted between musical performances by local artists. Organized by the Sierra Club, Saturday’s rally gathered about 100 people from across the state to oppose natural gas pipeline expansion expected to be announced in TVA’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, which will be released Monday. TVA, the nation’s largest federal utility, has announced eight methane gas plants and three new pipelines proposed, planned or built in the last three years. TVA has said that natural gas expansion is necessary “to provide the ongoing flexibility needed to reliably integrate more renewables.” State and local leaders speaking to the crowd Saturday said TVA should prioritize renewable clean energy production over expansion of natural gas infrastructure. “For years, TVA had the potential to be a beacon of clean, affordable energy,” said State Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville. “But instead, under current leadership, it’s deepening our reliance on dirty, expensive fossil fuels…  It’s time for the TVA board to stop this gas build out and listen to the communities they’re supposed to serve.” Between speakers spurring the crowd to action, the rally featured musical performances and food trucks. People of all ages spread out in lawn chairs and blankets in the shade as music echoed across the park. LaTricea Adams, a member of President Joe Biden’s White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, called expansion of gas pipelines a “betrayal to black communities like mine in my hometown of Memphis.” “They have a choice, right? They can lead us into the future with a clean, affordable, renewable energy path, or continue down a dangerous path of fossil fuel dependency,” Adams said. “We say no more! The gas buildout must stop.” 

KWES: DeLa Express Pipeline Project in early development
Hunter Alcocer, 9/20/24

“Pipeline construction projects are nothing new, especially in Texas. But it’s not every day you hear about a pipeline that’s planned to stretch 690 miles,” KWES reports. “So, the DeLa Express Pipeline Project in particular is a natural gas and natural gas liquids pipeline. So, it specifically is being put in place to move natural gas from producing areas like the Permian Basin to the markets where that product can then get either sold or turned into a product and sold later on down the line,” Stephen Robertson, executive vice president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, told KWES. “…But what if you’re a property owner with land in the pipeline’s path? “Anytime that a pipeline is going to be put in place or a new road or an electrical transmission distribution line, the entities trying to put those infrastructure projects in place have to negotiate with any land owners that they’re going through and that’s the number one step is to try to do a business transaction with whoever owns the land so that both sides can kind of get what they want,” Robertson told KWES. “The landowner would be able to get economic value, could be able to be able to dictate some terms on exactly where it’s going to go, what kind of access people are going to be able to have and that is always the hope.” After all the necessary preliminary work has been taken care of, construction of the pipeline is anticipated to commence in the second quarter of 2026 and the pipeline will complete in 2028.”

Law360: US Chamber Warns Del. Justices On TC Energy Case Fallout
Jeff Montgomery, 9/20/24

“The Chamber of Commerce of the United States warned Delaware’s Supreme Court Friday of “detrimental and expensive consequences” from an unprecedented, $199 million damages ruling against TransCanada Corp. last year for aiding seller fiduciary breaches in its $13 billion acquisition of Columbia Pipeline Corp.,” Law360 reports.

Engineering News-Record: TC Energy New $11B Canada Gas Line Fined $1M for Site Erosion
Doug Puppel, 9/20/24

“Erosion along the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project in British Columbia, found in a media flyover, led to 10 environmental fines being issued in September by province environmental regulators against project co-owner TC Energy,” Engineering News-Record reports. “Coastal Gas Link, the newly completed 670-km pipeline that will carry natural gas from northern British Columbia to Canada’s first giant coastal gas export terminal in Kitimat, B.C., that is set to start commercial operation next year, has been fined more than $1 million for failing to control erosion during construction and non-compliance with preventative agreements, province regulators said… “It will provide gas to the first $14-billion phase of the LNG Canada terminal, owned by a Shell-led consortium and now about 95% complete, with Fluor Corp. as its primary construction contractor. “Recurring issues during pipeline construction led to escalating enforcement actions,” the regulators said in a statement. The pipeline previously received five environmental fines totaling $600,000.”

World Pipelines: Tallgrass announces open season for the Pony Express crude oil pipeline
Alfred Hamer, 9/23/24

“Tallgrass Pony Express Pipeline LLC, operated by Tallgrass, announced a new binding open season for shipper acreage dedications for crude oil transportation from Pony Express’ Carpenter origin in exchange for incentive tariff rates,” World Pipelines reports. “This open season will run for 30 days, commencing on 20 September 2024.”

Law360: FERC Opens Enbridge Rate Probe Amid Overcharging Fears
Keith Goldberg, 9/20/24

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has opened a rate probe into a gas pipeline co-owned by Enbridge Inc. and DT Midstream, saying the pipeline may be overcharging its customers,” Law360 reports. 

Suburban Times: Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh Appointed by Governor Inslee to Serve on Citizens’ Committee on Pipeline Safety
9/21/24

“Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to serve on the Citizens’ Committee on Pipeline Safety, for a term ending July 31, 2027,” the Suburban Times reports. “The Citizens’ Committee on Pipeline Safety advises Washington state agencies and other appropriate federal and local government agencies and officials on matters relating to hazardous liquid and gas pipeline safety, routing, construction, operation, and maintenance. It was established following the June 10, 1999 Olympic pipeline explosion in Whatcom Falls Park, located in Bellingham, Wash… “The Citizens’ Committee on Pipeline Safety is comprised of nine voting members representing the public, including local government and elected officials. Four non-voting members represent owners and operators of hazardous liquid and gas pipelines.”

Bloomberg: Equinor, RWE Won’t Move Forward With Hydrogen Pipeline to Europe
Kari Lundgren, 9/20/24

“Equinor ASA said that it won’t be moving ahead with plans to build a pipeline to carry hydrogen from Norway to Germany with partner RWE AG,” Bloomberg reports. “Norway’s biggest oil and gas company is shelving the project due to lack of customers, supply and an adequate regulatory framework, Equinor spokesperson Magnus Frantzen Eidsvold told Reuters. Equinor and RWE outlined their plans to cooperate on hydrogen projects in January last year, with an eye to bolstering Germany’s energy independence and helping the Norwegian economy diversify away from the sale of oil and gas.”

FOX Business: Democrats have a ‘chokehold’ on the Keystone Pipeline: John Sabo [VIDEO]
9/20/24

“Deep Well Services Vice President John Sabo joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to weigh in on Kamala Harris’ flip-flopping with her stance on fracking,” FOX Business reports. 

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Demands on permitting package add up as time runs short
Kelsey Brugger, 9/23/24

“Lawmakers’ demands on a bipartisan permitting package are piling up, complicating what’s likely to be a rocky path to President Joe Biden’s desk by year’s end,” E&E News reports. “In the past few weeks, talks behind closed doors have become frequent. Suddenly, it seems, everyone wants a piece of the permitting pie being baked by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)… “While Manchin and Barrasso are feeling confident after their bill — the “Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024,” S. 4753 — sailed out of committee in July, demands on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers are steep. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a key climate-conscious Democrat, told E&E his support hinges on a path forward for two of his favored bills… “In the House, Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) argued the bipartisan legislation had no future there without inclusion of components from his bill, the “Clean Electricity and Transmission Acceleration Act”… “Among House Republicans, Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) has floated his GOP offering: a draft discussion of changes to the National Environmental Policy Act reviews. It already gave the committee’s Democrats heartburn. Westerman told E&E his discussion draft could be marked up as early as this week. “We’re not in a big hurry,” he told E&E. “We may do it in the lame duck.” “…One potential Republican obstacle could be Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a former state utilities regulator who has been among the loudest opponents to amending the Federal Power Act, which regulates interstate electricity transmission. He has voiced his opposition to the transmission provisions in the bill, but he wavered when asked exactly how he plans to proceed. “I’m happy to help fix it if it needs fixing and if necessary try to kill the bill,” he told E&E… “As a political matter, Casten told E&E that the package, as currently written, won’t attract enough support from the left.”

New York Times: Environmentalists Fear Subsidies for Carbon Capture Won’t Be Checked
Minho Kim, 9/20/24

“Lucrative new tax subsidies for companies that catch the planet-warming gas carbon dioxide and store it deep underground were one of the few aspects of President Biden’s 2022 climate legislation that the oil industry embraced,” the New York Times reports. “The potential tax benefits spurred the industry, one of the largest contributors to the current climate crisis, to invest billions of dollars in the process, called carbon capture and sequestration. Now some Democratic lawmakers, tax watchdogs and climate activists are raising concerns that the Internal Revenue Service, tasked with verifying fossil-fuel industry claims on stored carbon, lacks adequate safeguards to ensure that no companies are taking more taxpayer dollars than they qualify for. And they are equally frustrated that the I.R.S. and the Environmental Protection Agency rely on the companies’ own reported data. The agencies do not “go out into the real world and track CO2 emissions from carbon capture facilities,” Maggie Coulter, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Times. “They’re just accepting these reports as they come in.” “…The Treasury Department, which oversees the I.R.S., estimates the subsidies will cost the federal government more than $36 billion in revenue over 10 years. That is nearly as much as the cost of the tax program that allows some Americans to claim tax credits for their child-care expenses… “Some climate advocates, and even some lawmakers who voted for the legislation, remain skeptical of the process. They are wary of the risk of leaks as well as the tax program that supports it. The I.R.S. cannot disclose the amount of tax subsidies that each carbon capture facility receives, because of taxpayer confidentiality laws. Neither can the E.P.A. publish the amount of carbon that individual capture sites are declaring, as such data is considered confidential business information… “When the Treasury’s inspector general checked the paperwork, he found that nearly $900 million in carbon capture tax credits from 2010 to 2019 had been wrongfully claimed, as they lacked the required E.P.A. monitoring plans for carbon sequestration sites. Most of the credit claims were subsequently denied. Tax watchdogs say the E.P.A. has data the I.R.S. could use to scan for possible tax cheats. All carbon capture facilities are required to obtain the environmental agency’s permit to drill a well for carbon storage and to report the amount of carbon they sequester. But the agency, in response to a letter from Food & Water Watch, an environmental group, said in August that it “has no role in verifying the individual tax claims submitted to the I.R.S.” Some lawmakers want that to change. “To ensure actual carbon sequestration takes place, we urge your agencies to develop a set of strong guardrails,” wrote Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat from Massachusetts, in a letter issued Friday. She was joined by six lawmakers including Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, and Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Announces Proposed Order Requiring Archer Daniels Midland Co. to Take Actions to Ensure Safe Operation of its Carbon Sequestration Well in Decatur, Illinois
9/19/24

“Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to protect underground sources of drinking water by issuing a proposed enforcement order to Archer Daniels Midland Co. for alleged violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act related to the company’s carbon sequestration injection project in Decatur, Illinois. EPA alleges the company violated its Class VI Underground Injection Control permit when injected fluid migrated into an unauthorized zone roughly 5,000 feet deep. The information that EPA has reviewed does not suggest any threat to drinking water in the area. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that carbon management projects are designed, built, and operated safely and responsibly, and in a way that reflects the best science and responds to the needs and inputs of local communities,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. The proposed order will require ADM to take compliance measures at its well, including implementing provisions of the permit’s emergency and remedial response plan. These measures include identification and implementation of remedial actions. The order also requires a comprehensive evaluation of the fluid migration and that the company take the necessary steps to address the alleged violations. Nearby public water systems draw from the Lake Decatur reservoir or use wells less than 110-feet deep. The fluid movement happened at approximately 5,000 feet below ground level. This means the underground drinking water source is separated from the fluid by almost a vertical mile and that it is protected by layers of rock. Public water systems in the area will continue to monitor and report on contaminants regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act and have been advised to monitor and track secondary water quality criteria, such as taste and odor. The fluid migration was caused by holes in one of ADM’s monitoring wells. According to the company, the lower portion of the well has been plugged to stop further fluid migration. The movement of fluid into an unauthorized zone is an alleged violation of the EPA’s underground injection regulations and ADM’s operating permit. EPA also alleges that ADM failed to monitor the Class VI injection well in accordance with the permit.”

Law360: EPA defends Methane Rule at Supreme Court 
Juan-Carlos Rodriguez, 9/20/24

“The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and green group allies on Friday asked the U. S. Supreme Court to reject states’ and fossil fuel industry players’ effort to block the implementation of a rule strengthening methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure,” Law360 reports.

E&E News: Green Groups Petition Federal Court To Help BLM Defend Lands Rule 
SCOTT STREATER, 9/20/24

“Two coalitions representing 10 conservation and Native American groups have petitioned a federal court to join the Bureau of Land Management in its defense of a lawsuit by three states challenging the agency’s new public lands rule,” E&E News reports. “The first motion to intervene was filed Thursday by seven groups — including the Center for Biological Diversity, Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, the Sierra Club and WildEarth Guardians — in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. It includes a memorandum of support outlining the legal case to intervene, and the reasons why the groups support the rule, which elevates conservation on par with other uses of BLM lands, such as energy development and livestock grazing. The seven groups, in their motion, contend that the lawsuit by North Dakota, Idaho and Montana challenging the rule, if successful, would cause them “to lose significant ground in advancing their missions to conserve public lands and secure the associated public health, cultural resource, air and water quality, wildlife, recreation, and climate safeguards their members depend on.”

Capital Area Climate Network: Third Actors disrupt FERC meeting in D.C.
9/22/24

“On September 19, Third Actors showed up and brought their rocking chairs to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” the Capital Area Climate Network reports. “There were Third Actors from Ohio, New Jersey, Upstate NY, MD, VA, and DC, along with Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE), to make this an action to remember! The action consisted of a blockade, rally with frontline folks from the Gulf South, and multiple disruptions, including 15 disruptions inside the monthly meeting of the FERC commissioners. As the last of the disruptors were being escorted out of the FERC building at, a large group of activists previously banned from the FERC meeting for disruption reentered the back of the building, chanting UNFRACK FERC and singing, before being ushered out by security.”

E&E News: Climate action dominated Biden’s first day. What could Harris do?
Adam Aton, Emma Dumain, 9/23/24

“If elected president, Kamala Harris’ first day in the Oval Office would present Democrats with a once-in-a-generation opportunity — a chance to advance the work of her predecessor,” E&E News reports. “Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Barack Obama each spent their first day as president signing executive orders that reversed many of the policies of the last White House occupant. But since she is the sitting vice president, Harris would face a dynamic that hasn’t confronted the White House since then-Vice President George H. W. Bush ascended to the top job in 1989: defending and expanding the previous administration’s legacy. And there’s no shortage of unfinished work from the Biden administration, lawmakers and experts told E&E — especially on energy and climate… “Other Day 1 options include declaring a climate emergency — a move the Biden administration reportedly considered in 2022 when its energy agenda seemed dead in Congress, and building on Biden’s pause on liquified natural gas export permits… “She could, for instance, include Big Oil among the industries she identifies as needing to be reined in amid accusations of price fixing — a callback to her days as the attorney general of California… “The most important thing Harris must do on climate, California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman told E&E, is “win the damn election.” That’s a sharp reversal from four years ago, when progressives pressured Biden’s campaign to commit to a raft of climate actions. As a result, on his Inauguration Day, Biden signed 17 executive orders and proclamations — a stack of folders towering from his desk to his shoulder — that included rejoining the Paris climate agreement, canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, ordering agencies to integrate environmental justice into their programs and outlining a bevy of regulatory actions for his term in office, from auto standards to oil and gas regulations… “Declaring a climate emergency, that would be a bold move,” California Rep. Ro Khanna, who chaired the House Oversight Committee’s environment panel when Democrats were in the majority, told E&E. That could pave the way for her to build on Biden’s LNG pause, he added. “It would open up powers to restrict the export of oil and gas.”

E&E News: Climate Week kicks off with promises to ‘accelerate’ action
Sara Schonhardt, 9/23/24

“U.S. officials emphasized the benefits of President Joe Biden’s signature climate law — and the need for continued action — as Climate Week NYC kicked off Sunday,” E&E News reports. “We’re on the right path here in the U.S. and around the world. The momentum is on our side,” White House senior adviser John Podesta told a packed theater in New York City’s Times Square. “But we need to accelerate — and that starts now.” The flurry of climate events coincides with the United Nations General Assembly and the Summit of the Future, a side event focused on reforming the U.N. system to better respond to modern-day challenges such as conflict and climate change. The General Assembly adopted a “Pact for the Future” on Sunday that includes a commitment to transition away from fossil fuels. The possibility of a second Trump administration hangs over the week’s meetings, with less than two months to go before the presidential elections. Former President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax and said he would pull the U.S. out of the U.N.-brokered Paris Agreement if he retakes the White House.”

E&E News: DOE official details next steps for ‘clean’ hydrogen hubs
Shelby Webb, 9/20/24

“A Department of Energy official said Thursday that DOE hopes to reach final agreements with all of its “clean” hydrogen hubs this year, but it may be “many years” before some projects tied to the hubs break ground,” E&E News reports. “James Haug, the department’s associate director of hydrogen hubs, told E&E projects remain in the conceptual phase as lawyers, companies and local officials hammer out basic details of what the hubs could look like. “I think people believe that we’re much further ahead than we are,” he told E&E about the hub program on the sidelines of the Gastech energy conference here. DOE’s program was created by the 2022 bipartisan infrastructure law, which earmarked $7 billion to create a network of regional networks across the country to produce, use and transport the fuel.”

FOX Business: Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry Slams Biden-Harris Admin’s Energy Policies 
Eric Revell, 9/23/24

“Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is slamming the Biden-Harris administration’s energy policies and moves to block projects like the Keystone XL pipeline and increased energy exploration in Alaska as undermining U.S. energy security,” FOX Business reports. “Perry, who served as the secretary of energy during the Trump administration and is currently a member of the board of directors at pipeline firm Energy Transfer, said in an interview with FOX Business that the Biden-Harris administration’s moves risk reversing the progress made in increasing America’s energy security in recent decades. “Certainly, people my age remember the gas lines, the reliance upon foreign oil, and we never want to go back to that,” Perry told FOX. “:We need to be in control of our energy resources in this country, and that’s basically what we’ve done over the course of the last 40 years is to work towards that.” “If this administration continues to act the way that it’s acting – and I always say, listen, don’t necessarily look at the words of an administration, look at their actions – look at the first things that the Biden administration did when they came into office: Halting the [Keystone] XL pipeline. They clearly sent messages to Europe that they weren’t going to get in the way of the Russian pipeline, that Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” Perry told FOX.”

STATE UPDATES

Press release: Navajo Nation takes significant action to cut methane, assert tribal sovereignty
9/1924

“By a vote of 4-0, the Navajo Nation Council Resource Development Committee today voted in favor of Legislation Number 0202-04 “Approving the Navajo Nation Clean Air Act Minor Source Program Regulations.” Over the last five years, the Protect Dinétah Coalition has worked with Navajo Nation Council Delegates, Chapter House officials, regulators, and impacted communities to reduce oil and gas waste and pollution. Coalition members Diné C.A.R.E., Naeva, Western Leaders Network, and Environmental Defense Fund released the following joint statement following the Navajo Nation Council Resource Development Committee’s unanimous approval of Navajo EPA’s proposed Minor Source Program Regulations: “In a victory for tribal sovereignty, our climate, and the health of our communities, the Navajo Nation Council today took significant action to cut methane waste and pollution from oil and gas operations on its lands. And by putting oil and gas operations on tribal lands under the Navajo Nation’s jurisdiction, the Navajo Nation EPA can take action to protect the health of Navajo communities and from methane and air pollution. The unanimous approval of Navajo EPA’s proposed Minor Source Program Regulations is a critical step forward and positions the Navajo Nation as a leader among oil and gas producing tribes with direct oversight over emissions from tribally-owned oil and gas resources.” 

E&E News: Texas tribes split over major LNG project
Carlos Anchondo, 9/23/24

“Two tribes are at odds over whether a liquefied natural gas export project in Texas should get built, after a court tossed out its federal approval last month,” E&E News reports. “The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas has long opposed NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG terminal, joining litigation that argued the project would harm local communities and public health. But the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas says the project would create thousands of jobs and drive economic development. The debate has intensified in recent weeks. Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reconsider how the project could harm disadvantaged communities. That decision came in response to a lawsuit from the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, the Sierra Club and the city of Port Isabel.”

EXTRACTION

Interesting Engineering: World’s largest ethanol-to-jet fuel plant finalized, 250mn gallon yearly output
Kapil Kajal, 9/18/24

“Iowa-based Summit Agricultural Group subsidiary Summit Next Gen, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production platform, has announced that it will set up the world’s largest ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) SAF facility at Houston Ship Channel in Texas,” Interesting Engineering reports. “…The purchase and sale agreement for the site also provides Summit Next Gen with an exclusive option to purchase an additional 40-acre contiguous tract, which would enable capital-efficient expansions as SAF demand continues to grow. With its new facility, Summit Next Gen aims to produce 250 million gallons of SAF annually… “Summit Next Gen will utilize Honeywell’s ETJ technology to convert low-carbon ethanol into SAF… “Depending on the ethanol feedstock, SAF produced with the Honeywell ETJ process can reduce GHG emissions by 80% on a total lifecycle basis compared to petroleum-based jet fuel… “Summit Next Gen has raised all the required capital to advance its project to a final investment decision (FID), expected in 2025. Justin Kirchhoff, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group, told IE the company expects FID by mid-2025 and will commence operations in the plant in 2027.”

Energy Intelligence Group: Oxy Looks for Partners to Make SAF From Direct Air Capture
Kerry Preston, 9/20/24

“US shale oil producer Occidental Petroleum is already selling direct air capture (DAC) carbon credits from its upcoming Stratos project, including to airlines. Now it’s looking for partners to help turn at least some of that captured CO2 into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” Energy Intelligence Group reports. “Oxy’s 500,000 metric ton per year Stratos DAC plant in western Texas is due to start operations next summer and will be followed by a second DAC plant at King Ranch in southern Texas by 2028-29. That project received $50 million in Department of Energy funding just this month. Oxy claims that it will eventually have the capacity to remove 30 million tons/yr of CO2 and store up to 3 billion tons of the greenhouse gas. Further out, Oxy’s 1PointFive DAC subsidiary is aiming to have 70 plants operating globally by 2035… “DAC carbon has yet to be used in Oxy’s shale oil production — and possibly never will. But Oxy CEO Vicki Hollub told EIG she’s keen for the captured CO2 to be used to make something useful and not just be sequestered. “Ultimately, the world is going to recognize that putting CO2 in a brine reservoir is a waste of the CO2. We could use it for sustainable aviation fuels or we could put it in cement,” she told EIG. On SAF, she told EIG “We want to be a partner, providing [SAF producers] with the CO2 to make the fuels, and to help offset the emissions that those fuels will [still] have.” “…Hollub told EIG current DAC costs are $500-$550 per ton, which Oxy is hoping to eventually bring down to $150/ton.”

Journal of Petroleum Technology: Carbon Monetization Key for CCS Growth
Jennifer Pallanich, 9/21/24

“Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects aren’t likely to take off in a major way until carbon is monetized, industry leaders said at Gastech in Houston,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. “…But for now, Shelby said, the economics often aren’t there. “The simple fact is, given what’s transpiring in the industry, and the escalation that is taking place, the 45Q and the Canadian version of 45Q won’t make it economical on its own right now, so there has to be some regulatory change to make it able to monetize pure carbon capture,” he said. “If we want carbon capture, there has to be a way to monetize it.” But it may come down to a mandate, he added. “There either has to be a mandate—you have to do it—or there’s got to be a great monetization,” Shelby said. Until that happens, “I don’t see how it takes off in a big way.” Claude Letourneau, president and CEO at Svante, said CO2 is a waste material nobody wants, but it must be addressed through both short- and longer-term regulations. Longer-term regulations should focus on carbon intensity, he said, while short-term regulation is needed to de-risk the building of infrastructure, such as building pipelines. Depending on the country, he said, that regulation might be “a tax credit or a stick.”

Reuters: Chevron not looking to invest in building US LNG plants, official says
Curtis Williams, 9/19/24

“Chevron does not want to invest in the construction of U.S. LNG plants, as it is not the best use of the company’s capital and it can easily sell its U.S. gas, said a top official on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “The head of Chevron’s midstream, Colin Parfitt, also ruled out taking an equity stake in Woodside Energy’s impending purchase of Louisiana-based Driftwood LNG. “We chose not to do the owning and operating but we do deals that allow us to have production of gas in the U.S. and translate it into LNG for our customers,” Parfitt told Reuters. Woodside has said it is prepared to sell up to 50% stake in the proposed 27.6 million tons per annum Driftwood liquefied natural gas project… “One of the ways that Chevron plans to benefit from LNG output in the U.S is through sales and purchase agreements with LNG developers. It has separate agreements with Cheniere Energy and Venture Global LNG, the latter of which has been in contract disputes with big customers.” “…Large projects are prone to delays and the Biden pause on export reviews that held up LNG export approvals to non FTA countries will also slow down the next phase of projects, Parfitt told Reuters.”

Reuters: LNG Canada has begun supplying natural gas to its LNG export terminal, says CEO
9/19/24

“LNG Canada has begun supplying natural gas to its LNG export terminal in British Columbia, the company’s chief executive said on the sidelines of the Gastech conference on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “Jason Klein also confirmed the first LNG cargo from the facility is expected to be exported in mid-2025.”

CLIMATE FINANCE

Press release: Citi: Funding Fossil-Fueled Environmental Racism in the Gulf South
9/20/24

“The lives and health of families in Texas and Louisiana are being directly impacted by Citi’s funding of nearby liquified methane gas projects (LNG), a new report released today shows. Over $36 million in health costs, two deaths, and more than 1,600 incidences of asthma symptoms per year in the region are linked to the $1.6 billion the bank has pumped into four LNG facilities in the Gulf South. The bank’s financed emissions related to these facilities is equivalent to over 6 coal plants or 6 million gasoline cars annually. The report, Citi: Funding Fossil-Fueled Environmental Racism in the Gulf South, quantifies the projected health impacts the facilities’ permitted air pollution could have on the region and highlights three communities in the area that are fighting back against fossil fuel development. “As a mother of six and resident of Southwest Louisiana, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of environmental racism,” said Roishetta Ozane, Co-Director of the Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub. “When Citi and other banks fund fossil fuels, they are complicit in the chronic health conditions that stem from these facilities’ pollution. Citi must prioritize the wellbeing of marginalized communities and stop funding the fossil fuel industry’s injustice.” The report undermines Citi’s claims to be advancing racial equity and climate action. The bank is the biggest funder in the world of fossil fuel expansion since 2016, pumping $204 billion into new oil, gas and coal build-outs in that period. It finances projects and companies in communities of color that cause dangerous impacts both for the people living nearby and beyond. Therefore, the report concludes that Citi is perpetuating environmental racism… “The report was released by Stand.earth, the Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, The Vessel Project of Louisiana, Stop the Money Pipeline, Hip Hop Caucus, and Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund, in collaboration with the Port Arthur Community Action Network, the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of South Texas, and RISE St. James.”

TODAY IN GREENWASHING

Enbridge: Paying a Debt of Gratitude to America’s Veterans
9/20/24

“…Battle Buddy is an extension of the services provided through VETLIFE, the Michigan-based non-profit Parish and his wife founded in 2018, after he returned from serving in Iraq,” according to Enbridge. “…Enbridge has been a VETLIFE supporter since the organization’s early days. Last year, we awarded the non-profit $12,000 in Fueling Futures grants to help put on Vet Fest, an annual event that attracts 4,000 Veterans and helps celebrate their service and get them connected to support. This year, we were proud to contribute $27,000 to help develop Battle Buddy and improve life for Veterans in Michigan. We believe taking care of Veterans is essential for a safe and vibrant community.”

OPINION

Butler County Tribune-Journal: This pipeline is not in our collective best interest
9/18/24

“The Fifth Judicial Court of McPherson County, Spink County, Edmunds County, S.D. has offered Iowans a temporary reprieve by refusing to allow private industry to use public domain to claim land for the CO2 pipeline,” writes for the Butler County Tribune-Journal. “We need to make this a permanent reprieve by pressuring Kim Reynolds and her hand-picked Iowa Utilities Commission to rescind all permits granted to Summit Carbon Solutions, LLC. The court in S.D. ruled that the pipeline is not carrying a commodity and that the only entity likely to profit from the project is Summit Carbon Solutions. The CO2 will be stored underground in N.D.”

Austin American-Statesman: Carbon capture hurts Texas communities and taxpayers
Becky Smith is Texas director for Clean Water Action, founded to help pass the 1972 Clean Water Act and to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life; Jennifer Hadayia is the executive director of Air Alliance Houston, which works to advance true solutions to air pollution and climate change, 9/23/24

“A new report released this week underscores what many Texans already know: the growing carbon capture industry puts communities and groundwater at risk and isn’t even viable without massive tax breaks and subsidies from the federal government,” Becky Smith and Jennifer Hadayia write for the Austin American-Statesman. “Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency moved ahead with the first permits for Occidental Petroleum to store captured carbon thousands of feet under Texas soil, supposedly permanently. Texans should be wary of oil and gas companies that profit the most from causing climate change offering the silver bullet to stop it. We now know that CCS is completely dependent on government tax credits and subsidies, rendering these projects nothing more than a taxpayer-subsidized effort that financially benefits the fossil fuel sector. In fact, public funding and tax breaks are the largest sources of revenue for these CCS projects. Researchers computed estimated tax credits for 34 Texas projects, and they stand to receive a minimum of $3.2 billion in annual tax credits, and up to a maximum of $33 billion per year. But the problems for Texans don’t stop with the tax and subsidies windfalls for CCS. Community members living in places with proposed federally funded CCS projects will soon be asked to negotiate “benefits” from the projects directly with project developers, as a part of legally binding Community Benefits Agreements or CBAs. The inherent power imbalance between multinational corporations launching CCS projects and the fenceline community members who these projects will impact calls into question whether the resulting community benefits agreements can result in true health, economic, and quality of life benefits. Much more must be done to create CBA processes and to equip community members to sit equitably at the CBA negotiation table… “Researchers also revealed that local schools and governments in Texas are being or will be indirectly financed by CCS tax credits, making them financially dependent on the fossil fuel industry for decades to come… “All of these adverse impacts on Texans are exacerbated by the fact CCS just doesn’t work as a climate change mitigation technology… “In the end, carbon capture and storage amounts to nothing more than another generational giveaway to the oil and gas industry. And tying the future of Texas schools and students to the failures of the oil and industry only perpetuates this injustice. Texas families deserve real climate solutions–not more giveaways to the oil and gas industry.”

Beaumont Enterprise: Why carbon capture and storage is a win for Jefferson Co.
Tracy Benson is a professor and the Chair of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at Lamar University, 9/22/24

“As our energy and manufacturing industries evolve to meet new global sustainability goals and rising long-term production demand, carbon capture and storage is one of the best technologies available to meet both objectives,” Tracy Benson writes for the Beaumont Enterprise. “The Golden Triangle is already seeing meaningful investments in CCS come to our region, so it is important for our community to understand how this technology works, why it is safe to have in our area and the numerous benefits that will come as a result… “One major advantage of CCS is that it can reduce emissions from existing oil and gas infrastructure, which is the main economic driver for southeast Texas and provides about 40% of Texas’ energy needs, allowing our state to continue being a top energy producer and bolstering a resilient electrical grid in the most responsible way possible… “Deploying CCS at scale in Texas could reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 90%, improve air quality, usher in upwards of $60 billion in private investment, and create more than 18,000 jobs annually… “To keep Jefferson County a leader in the energy industry we must take a technology-neutral approach that creates a level-playing field for proven solutions like carbon capture and storage to grow. I have confidence that if we welcome these investments, our community can become healthier and continue to thrive because of the proven safeguards that come with CCS development.”

Brookings Institute: The future of American methane policy
Barry G. Rabe, 9/19/24

“The United States has long struggled to contain emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas with intensive short-term climate impacts, but is currently standing up a series of new Biden-Harris era policies for oil and gas sector releases that build on advances in measurement and mitigation technologies,” Barry G. Rabe writes for the Brookings Institute. “Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would likely pursue markedly different domestic and international paths on methane policy if elected to the presidency based on their prior executive branch records. The Global Methane Pledge launched during the Biden-Harris administration remains a very modest framework for international methane governance but could be bolstered by linking cross-border energy trade with measurable performance in methane emissions… “A newly-issued report from the Global Carbon Project, an international research entity that monitors climate emissions, concludes that methane emissions from multiple sectors have risen far more rapidly than carbon dioxide in recent decades. The sheer volume of methane emissions and their front-loaded climate warming impacts make them increasingly significant focal points for domestic and international climate policy. These findings should present significant challenges and opportunities for whomever next occupies the presidency.”

Globe and Mail: Key to Canada’s growth? Recall the role of public money in developing Alberta oil
Emily Smejkal is the geothermal policy lead at the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University and a fellow collaborating with the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation initiative; Peter Massie is the director of the Cascade Institute’s Geothermal Energy Office in Ottawa; Thomas Homer-Dixon is the institute’s executive director, 9/22/24

“Canada faces two deep-seated, increasingly debilitating economic weaknesses: chronically low productivity growth and a lagging transition away from carbon-based energy sources,” Emily Smejkal, Peter Massie and Thomas Homer-Dixon write for the Globe and Mail. “…Canada’s oil and gas sector lies at the nexus of this tangled challenge. It’s among our country’s largest industries, supporting more than 70,000 jobs in domestic extraction alone and making us the world’s fourth-largest oil producer… “But its productivity growth is among the lowest of all sectors, dragging our whole economy’s productivity numbers downward. Moreover, the oil sector’s innovation is mainly focused on incremental improvements to boost the output, extend the lifespan and reduce the direct carbon emissions of oil-sands facilities. And because oil and gas extraction accounts for a big chunk of Canada’s overall economy – about 5 per cent of GDP – with output rising year after year, it’s powerfully reinforcing our country’s de facto commitment to a fossil-fuel future. Canada should probably not be betting a big chunk of its economy on such a future… “AOSTRA had a distinctive approach to accelerating innovation: It collaborated with private oil companies, matching their investments in research and pilot projects and retaining ownership of any patents developed. This public-private model of shared investment helped distribute risk among investors, which encouraged the testing of more and higher-risk technologies… “Today, pools of public funds in Canada are available to support energy innovation, but AOSTRA’s lessons seem lost in the fog of time… “Canada should reinvigorate the AOSTRA model, with its clear and targeted mandate, independence, deep expertise and catalytic IP system. This tried-and-proven approach could supercharge Canadian innovation, at once boosting our productivity and inducing transformative breakthroughs in emerging low-carbon energy technologies, from deep geothermal to small nuclear reactors, hydrogen and tidal power.”

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