EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/26/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Brookings Register: Brookings County hears more about CO2 pipeline

• KOSA: DeLa Express Pipeline to become longest in Texas, raising eminent domain concerns

• KMID: Powering the Permian – Matterhorn Express pipeline to stretch from West Texas to Houston

• KTRK: Commissioners looking into pipeline fire prevention after Deer Park blast

• Bloomberg: Dakota Access Pipeline Officer Must Face Excessive Force Claim

• Law360: Transco Backers Urge DC Circ. To Revisit Pipeline Ruling

• E&E News: Alaska Pipeline Would Deliver Cheaper Gas Than Imports — Study 

• Wall Street Journal: The Pipeline Changing America’s Access to Cheap Canadian Oil [VIDEO]

• Guardian: Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Press release: Barrasso Introduces Enhanced Energy Recovery Act

• E&E News: Senate Republicans move to tweak carbon capture credit

• E&E News: Ohio utility regulators urge Supreme Court to rein in FERC

• Reuters: Trump says he would put Alaska’s ANWR ‘back into play’

• E&E News: Biden climate adviser slams Project 2025

STATE UPDATES

• Louisiana Record: Resident Sues Major Corporations Over Health Impacts From BP Oil Spill

• DeSmog: EPA Found No Threat of Air Pollution During an Oil Spill in Louisiana’s Bayou Lafourche Despite Sickening Fumes

• Houston Landing: Fifteen years after BP oil spill, Galveston scientists are striving to save Gulf’s deep-sea coral

• Press release: Senator Cramer: Department of Energy Awards Initial Funding to Project Tundra

• Gillette News Record: Cowboy Clean Fuels finds new use for old CBM wells

• E&E News: Newsom clamps down on oil and gas production with three bill signings

• E&E News: Wyoming oil sale nets a measly $27K. Is that the ‘new normal’?

EXTRACTION

• Bloomberg: Climate Protest Interrupts Occidental CEO Hollub in New York

• Guardian: Climate scientists call on Labour to pause £1bn plans for carbon capture

• Nature Climate Change: Major step up in carbon capture and storage needed to keep warming below 2 °C

• Globe and Mail: Crude awakening: Suncor CEO Rich Kruger is all in on oil. He’ll figure out the shift to renewables later

• The Conversation: Oilsands workers are resistant to sustainable jobs, new research finds

OPINION

• Austin American-Statesman: Railroad Commissioner: RRC oversight will ensure carbon capture is safe

• World Economic Forum: Can CO2 utilization drive increased carbon capture?

• Utility Dive: Results show carbon capture’s alleged promises are full of hot air

• Earthjustice: Carbon dioxide pipelines: a dangerous part of Appalachia’s proposed carbon capture boondoggle

• Globe and Mail: We’re facing an existential climate threat, but still waiting on the world to take action
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Brookings Register: Brookings County hears more about CO2 pipeline
Mondell Keck, 9/25/24

“Carbon-capture pipelines remain on the minds of at least some area residents, as Brookings County commissioners were reminded of at Tuesday morning’s meeting,” the Brookings Register reports. “A group of six people — Joseph Short, Terry Pritchard, Janii White, Nancy Stewart, MeLisa Elijah and Sharon Larson — came up to the mic during the open comment portion of the meeting and expressed concerns regarding the such pipelines. Their comments centered on things such as: The county’s existing ordinances, including setbacks; The PSI — pounds-per-square-inch — pressure found in CO2 pipelines; The potential for a leak; Property rights and local control.. “The CO2 pipeline opponents, in closing, invited the public and elected officials to a meeting on Thursday at Old Sanctuary, 928 Fourth St., in Brookings… “Voters will also have a say on the matter on Nov. 5, when, among other things, they’ll vote for or against Referred Law 21.”

KOSA: DeLa Express Pipeline to become longest in Texas, raising eminent domain concerns
Isabella Garriga, 9/25/24

“Plans for the new Dela Express natural gas pipeline are moving forward. This massive project will stretch from Reeves County in West Texas to Orange County on the eastern border, spanning 645 miles across 31 counties, making it the longest natural gas pipeline in Texas,” KOSA reports. “…However, it raises concerns among property owners due to the impact of eminent domain. Nearly 13,000 acres of land will be affected along the proposed route, leading to anxiety among landowners about fair compensation and property rights… “While the pipeline promises economic opportunities for oil companies, the process of acquiring land through eminent domain is a pressing issue for property owners… “For those along the proposed pipeline route, it is highly recommended to consult with a lawyer who specializes in eminent domain cases to protect their rights and ensure they receive fair compensation.”

KMID: Powering the Permian – Matterhorn Express pipeline to stretch from West Texas to Houston
Chris Talley, 9/25/24

“Oil production in the Permian Basin hasn’t growth as much as some might think, especially in the second quarter of 2024. That is projected to change before the close of this year,” KMID reports. “The Matterhorn Express pipeline is the new 580-mile-long tube running from parts of West Texas, including six Permian Basin counties: Pecos, Crane, Martin, Midland, Glasscock, and Upton… “The newly constructed conduit is set to start pumping in the next few weeks. According to officials with Matterhorn Express, this will allow companies to move their gas into demand centers along The Gulf of Mexico to help boost regional prices.”

KTRK: Commissioners looking into pipeline fire prevention after Deer Park blast
Daniela Hurtado, 9/25/24

“The criminal investigation into why someone crashed into a pipeline in La Porte, causing a massive fire, is still underway,” KTRK reports. “…As all that is being sorted out, conversations on how this can be prevented are beginning at the county level. The county is planning to submit a commissioners’ court item as it determines whether and how to regulate or enforce extra security measures at above-ground pipeline infrastructures across our area, similar to the one in La Porte. In an ABC13 one-on-one with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, she spoke about her mission to try to prevent this from happening again. “Is there something, some way that we can require additional safety, whether it be on the side of additional barriers around the infrastructure or whether it be on the side of? Let’s think about where we build,” Hidalgo told KTRK… “Can we require there to be sturdier barriers? In the very worst-case scenario, can we inform people where the above-ground pipeline infrastructure is? So that neighbors can be aware put pressure and also thinking what are the hazardous chemicals?” Hidalgo told KTRK… “It’s incumbent on us to figure out what really happened to hold folks accountable if there is someone to hold accountable. For now, we’re looking at the industry side. I’m not saying that they’re bad actors in not having more protection or more information, but let’s bring it up and see how we can partner on this,” Hidalgo told KTRK.”

Bloomberg: Dakota Access Pipeline Officer Must Face Excessive Force Claim
Quinn Wilson, 9/25/24

“A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a lower court erred by dismissing a Dakota Access Pipeline protester’s excessive force claim against a North Dakota police officer,” Bloomberg reports. “Bismarck, North Dakota police officer Benjamin V. Swenson will have to face Eric Wayne Poemoceah’s Fourth Amendment claim in his individual capacity, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said in their opinion. Judge Jane Kelly said that Poemoceah plausibly alleges he wasn’t resisting arrest and was never given a command that he was under arrest when he was detained at Standing Rock Reservation in 2017.”

Law360: Transco Backers Urge DC Circ. To Revisit Pipeline Ruling
Tom Lotshaw, 9/25/24

“Natural gas and pipeline entities are firing back at a D.C. Circuit ruling that scrapped Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals for a five-state pipeline expansion being pursued by the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co., with one rival company saying the court’s flawed decision sent “shockwaves through the industry,” Law360 reports. 

E&E News: Alaska Pipeline Would Deliver Cheaper Gas Than Imports — Study 
Heather Richards, 9/25/24

“An 807-mile pipeline favored by Alaska’s congressional delegation would deliver cheaper in-state gas to population centers than importing it from other nations, according to a report commissioned by the Alaska Gasline Development Corp,” E&E News reports. “The interim study — written by energy analysts at Wood Mackenzie — forecasts that natural gas in Alaska’s Cook Inlet could be depleted by 2035. That gas currently provides both electricity and heat to the Anchorage region, where nearly half of the state’s population resides. To help replace that supply, utilities like Enstar are weighing importing natural gas from other countries, but lawmakers continue to push for a long-awaited pipeline project to carry Arctic gas production to the state’s interior.”

Wall Street Journal: The Pipeline Changing America’s Access to Cheap Canadian Oil [VIDEO]
9/25/24

“Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, but 98% of its exports go to the U.S. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion aims to change that. Here’s what’s at stake for Canada’s global ambitions and the world’s oil markets,” the Wall Street Journal reports. 

Guardian: Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US
Hilary Beaumont and Nina Lakhani, 9/26/24

“Fossil fuel lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers behind the scenes and across state lines to push and shape laws that are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protests against oil and gas expansion, a new Guardian investigation reveals. Records obtained by the Guardian show that lobbyists working for major North American oil and gas companies were key architects of anti-protest laws that increase penalties and could lead to non-violent environmental and climate activists being imprisoned up to 10 years. Emails between fossil fuel lobbyists and lawmakers in Utah, West Virginia, Idaho and Ohio suggest a nationwide strategy to deter people frustrated by government failure to tackle the climate crisis from peacefully disrupting the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure by enacting tough laws with lengthy jail sentences. “Draft bill attached,” wrote a lobbyist representing two influential fossil fuel trade groups to the lead counsel for the West Virginia state energy committee in January 2020. The law, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, was later used to charge at least eight peaceful climate protesters including six senior citizens. Amid ongoing record oil and gas expansion in the US, activists say they have turned to protests and non-violent civil disobedience such as blocking roads and chaining themselves to trees, machinery and equipment as a way to slow down construction, raise public awareness, and press for more urgent climate action by governments and corporations. Civil disobedience is a form of political protest that involves breaking the law in a planned, symbolic way – which activists and rights experts say is part of the bedrock of a democratic society and in the tradition of civil rights movements. The months-long investigation by the Guardian found that companies and lawmakers sought to increase the threat of criminal action against activists to protect oil and gas expansion – even as deadly and destructive extreme weather events hit communities nationwide.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Press release: Barrasso Introduces Enhanced Energy Recovery Act
9/25/24

“Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) was joined by U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in introducing legislation to enhance carbon capture incentives and energy production. The Enhanced Energy Recovery Act (S. 5212) would create parity under the Section 45Q carbon capture tax credit by giving across-the-board, equal treatment for carbon captured for increased energy production, utilization, and sequestration.m“For years, Wyoming has proudly led the way on carbon capture projects,” said Sen. Barrasso. “We’ve successfully used this technology to take carbon out of the air and find productive uses for it. One of those uses includes enhanced oil and natural gas recovery – a technique that significantly increases energy production while reducing carbon emissions. Recent changes to Section 45Q have made it harder for American energy producers and manufacturers to use this credit. The Enhanced Energy Recovery Act fixes this policy by ensuring equal treatment for energy production, utilization, and sequestration. This will bolster our nation’s energy security, support Wyoming’s energy workers, and help lower costs for American families.”

E&E News: Senate Republicans move to tweak carbon capture credit
Carlos Anchondo, 9/26/24

“A trio of Senate Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday that would change one of carbon capture’s biggest drivers in the United States,” E&E News reports. “Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) unveiled a bill that would increase the amount of money companies can receive for storing carbon dioxide via enhanced oil recovery (EOR) — a process where CO2 is used to stimulate wells. President Joe Biden’s signature climate law boosted the amount of money that companies can get under the federal 45Q tax credit, a major incentive for the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry. The credit provides a monetary value per metric ton of CO2 that is stored — either via dedicated geologic storage, in products or through EOR. The new bill — known as the “Enhanced Energy Recovery Act” — would create “parity” under 45Q by “giving across-the-board, equal treatment for carbon captured for increased energy production, utilization, and sequestration,” according to a news release from Barrasso, ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.”

E&E News: Ohio utility regulators urge Supreme Court to rein in FERC
Niina H. Farah, 9/25/24

“The Supreme Court could soon decide whether judges should act as tiebreakers for a deadlocked Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” E&E News reports. “The Ohio Public Utilities Commission filed a petition earlier this year challenging a lower court ruling that upheld a 2021 FERC rule aimed at boosting renewables in the nation’s largest power market. FERC — which typically has five commissioners — had only four at the time, and they split 2-2 on approving the regulation, which meant it went into effect “by operation of law.” “…Ohio regulators claimed the 3rd Circuit should have independently determined that FERC’s tariff revisions were “just and reasonable.” Instead, the court’s deference to the commission in its ruling last year upset “the delicate balance of power between Congress, administrative agencies, and the courts,” Ohio PUC wrote. By yielding to FERC when deference wasn’t warranted, the state energy regulator continued, the appeals court unlawfully expanded the commission’s authority and reduced its accountability.

Reuters: Trump says he would put Alaska’s ANWR ‘back into play’
9/25/24

“Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would put “back into play” the federal Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, where the administration of President Joe Biden canceled oil and gas drilling leases,” Reuters reports. 

E&E News: Biden climate adviser slams Project 2025
Robin Bravender, 9/25/24

“President Joe Biden’s national climate adviser Wednesday criticized a conservative think tank’s plans to torpedo the Biden administration’s energy and climate policies,” E&E News reports. “Ali Zaidi, Biden’s top White House climate aide, spoke to The New York Times during the annual Climate Week NYC, where Biden and his top officials have been boasting about their policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost renewable energy. The interview comes as former President Donald Trump is vowing to repeal those policies. A lengthy policy blueprint organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation, known as Project 2025, calls for a “whole-of-government unwinding” following the “Biden administration’s climate fanaticism.” Trump has sought to distance himself from Project 2025, but he has embraced similar rhetoric about trashing Biden’s climate policies.”

STATE UPDATES

Louisiana Record: Resident Sues Major Corporations Over Health Impacts From BP Oil Spill
9/24/24

“In a compelling new court filing, a resident of Fairhope, Alabama has launched a significant legal battle against several major corporations, alleging severe health impacts from the infamous BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” the Louisiana Record reports. “Brennan James Griffin filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama on August 30, 2024, targeting BP Exploration & Production Inc., BP America Production Co., Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Deepwater Inc., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., and Halliburton Energy Services Inc. Griffin’s lawsuit arises from injuries he claims to have suffered due to exposure to toxic substances following the catastrophic oil spill on April 20, 2010… “Griffin alleges that these exposures led to severe health issues without any warning or provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the defendants… “Griffin seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 exclusive of interest and costs. His demands include relief for past and future medical expenses related to his exposure-induced ailments along with punitive damages aimed at penalizing what he describes as egregious corporate behavior. Furthermore, he calls for a jury trial to address his grievances comprehensively.”

DeSmog: EPA Found No Threat of Air Pollution During an Oil Spill in Louisiana’s Bayou Lafourche Despite Sickening Fumes
Julie Dermansky and Sharon Kelly, 9/25/24

“The pungent smell of oil woke Gerald and Janet Crappel on the morning of Saturday, July 27. Stepping outside their home on the banks of Bayou Lafourche in Raceland, Louisiana, they spotted the fumes’ source: crude oil from Crescent Midstream’s Raceland pump station was gushing into the picturesque waterway, sparsely lined with homes and fishing boats, via a stormwater canal directly across from their home,” DeSmog reports. “The oil’s fumes were thick that morning. “It choked you,” Gerald told DeSmog correspondent Julie Dermansky, who documented the incident as it unfolded. Before cleanup crews contained the spill, reportedly 34,000 gallons of crude oil, a slick stretched for eight miles, just past the area’s drinking water system. According to the spill’s Unified Command of federal, state, local, and company representatives, results from “continuous air quality monitoring” were well below “actionable” levels and “indicate that there is no anticipated risk to human health” and the public water supply was safe to drink. That messaging didn’t change throughout the duration of the spill and the cleanup efforts that followed. However, a DeSmog investigation raises questions about whether the environmental monitoring conducted was robust enough to make such determinations. The Crescent Midstream oil spill, relatively small compared to the state’s more notorious spills and other industrial accidents, represents a microcosm of the larger issues with transparency and accountability from regulators and their close relationships with, and reliance on, those responsible for environmental disasters. Time and again, this leaves those impacted by any pollution events, like those who live along Bayou Lafourche who were exposed to the fumes from the spill, wondering what was in the air and what long-term impacts, if any, the spill may have on the environment and their health.”

Houston Landing: Fifteen years after BP oil spill, Galveston scientists are striving to save Gulf’s deep-sea coral
Elena Bruess, 9/25/24

“In the early morning, at a lab not too far from the Galveston coast, Shannon Ainsworth is collecting hundreds of tiny, floating brown eggs from a tank of deep-sea coral,” Houston Landing reports. “…Ainsworth has been a coral aquarist for almost a year at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Wet Lab in Galveston with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – a scientific and regulatory agency focused on monitoring weather and oceanic activities… “The work is only one piece of a much larger restoration project, stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, which resulted in the discharge of 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf and the environmental destruction of miles of habitat. About two-fifths of the oil sank to the bottom of the Gulf, contaminating an estimated 770 square miles – an area a bit bigger than the City of Houston – including deep-sea coral communities. Since 2022, the scientists with the deep-sea coral project in Galveston are studying ways to restore the twelve different coral species from the spill’s damage.”

Press release: Senator Cramer: Department of Energy Awards Initial Funding to Project Tundra
9/25/24

“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an award of $4.2 million to Project Tundra. This is the first installment of up to $350 million to Project Tundra. These funds will be distributed through the fully-paid-for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program, which supports the development of community-informed integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage projects. “This initial award really brings Project Tundra one step closer to being the first user of carbon capture utilization storage technology at a coal plant with on-site storage in the country, and how appropriate that it would be done in North Dakota,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)… “Project Tundra will capture up to 4 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the Milton R. Young Station, a lignite coal-based power plant. The CO2 would then be safely stored in geologic formations, roughly a mile underground. The facility’s commercial operation is set to begin in 2028.”

Gillette News Record: Cowboy Clean Fuels finds new use for old CBM wells
Jonathan Gallardo, 9/24/24

“About 30 miles southwest of Gillette, molasses is being injected into coal seams hundreds of feet below the surface,” the Gillette News Record reports. “Cowboy Clean Fuels, a clean energy and climate technology company with an office in Gillette, is using old coal-bed methane wells to create renewable natural gas and store carbon dioxide… “In January, the Wyoming Energy Authority provided $7.8 million in matching funds for this project, which has been operating commercially since June, injecting molasses into coal seams using 139 coal-bed methane wells. Cowboy Clean Fuels is buying molasses from sugar beet refineries in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and Idaho. According to the company, there’s the potential of producing 700 million cubic feet of renewable methane and storing the equivalent of 185,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Ryan Waddington, CEO and chair of Cowboy Clean Fuels, told the Record Campbell County is the perfect place to use this technology. The coal seams in the Powder River Basin act as natural geo-bioreactors, where organic matter is converted into methane and carbon dioxide.”

E&E News: Newsom clamps down on oil and gas production with three bill signings
Wes Venteicher, 9/26/24

“Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a trio of oil and gas bills Wednesday in Los Angeles that will clamp down on in-state production in the nation’s seventh-largest oil-producing state,” E&E News reports. “The three Assembly bills allow local governments to restrict drilling more tightly than the state does, to speed up permanent closures of idle wells and to impose hefty daily fines that are likely to shut down low-producing wells in the city of Inglewood, in southwestern Los Angeles County.”

E&E News: Wyoming oil sale nets a measly $27K. Is that the ‘new normal’?
Heather Richards, 9/26/24

“The Biden administration netted just over $27,000 in a Wyoming oil and gas lease sale Wednesday. That’s a bust, compared to historic norms for the oil-rich state, underscoring how Biden-era changes to leasing are colliding with moderate oil prices and dampened industry interest to reshape the federal oil patch,” E&E News reports. “This is probably the new normal for oil and gas lease sales,” Sarah Stellberg, a staff attorney with Advocates for the West, which often represents environmental groups, told E&E. The Biden administration has increased the cost of drilling, limited public lands open to new fossil fuel development and instituted a new fee that speculators must pay to nominate land for leasing. The aim was to cut down on public lands drilling — and the planet-warming emissions that come with it. Peter Wold, the co-owner of Wyoming-based oil company Wold Oil Properties, told E&E the changes have drastically affected company interest in new leasing. The Biden administration, he told E&E, is trying to “indirectly stop fossil fuel production” with fees and regulatory requirements. “It’s discouraging.” “…The Biden administration offered nearly 300,000 acres of public lands for lease in 2023, compared to more than 11 million acres in 2017 — Trump’s first year in office and a high point for leasing over the last decade.”

EXTRACTION

Bloomberg: Climate Protest Interrupts Occidental CEO Hollub in New York
Kevin Crowley, 9/25/24

“Climate protesters interrupted Occidental Petroleum Corp. Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub at a conference hosted by the New York Times,” Bloomberg reports. “Hollub was about to begin a discussion with the newspaper’s David Gelles at the Climate Forward 2024 conference on Wednesday when protesters walked onstage chanting, “We charge you with ecocide.” She briefly exited the stage before returning to conduct the interview. Climate change is “the greatest crisis our world has ever faced and we have to come together to work on solutions for that,” Hollub said. “To have those that are seeking headlines, rather than solutions, interrupt discussions that need to be had — it’s a sad day for them and I feel bad that they have nothing better to do with their time.”

Guardian: Climate scientists call on Labour to pause £1bn plans for carbon capture
Matthew Taylor, 9/25/24

“Leading climate scientists are urging the government to pause plans for a billion pound investment in “green technologies” they say are unproven and would make it harder for the UK to reach its net zero targets,” the Guardian reports. “Labour has promised to invest £1bn in carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) to produce blue hydrogen and to capture carbon dioxide from new gas-fired power stations – with a decision on the first tranche of the funding expected imminently. However, in the letter to the energy security and net zero secretary, Ed Miliband, the scientists argue that the process relies on unproven technology and would result in huge emissions of planet-heating CO2 and methane – gases that are driving the climate crisis. “We strongly urge you to pause your government’s policy for CCUS-based blue hydrogen and gas power, and delay any investment decision … until all the relevant evidence concerning the whole-life emissions and safety of these technologies has been properly evaluated,” they write. The letter, which is signed by leading climate scientists from the UK and US as well as campaigners, argues the plans would: Lock the UK into fossil fuel production for generations to come. Result in huge upstream emissions from methane leaks, transport and processing of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US. Rely on carbon capture and storage (CCS) during the production of hydrogen – technology they say has been abandoned in the vast majority of similar projects around the world. Pose a danger to the public if there are any leaks from pipes carrying the captured carbon. At least 45 people had to be taken to hospital after a leak in the US… “Another signatory, David Cebon, a professor of mechanical engineering at Cambridge University, said the government should be 100% focused on reducing carbon emissions through proven technologies. He added: “The CCUS projects (inherited from the previous government’s cosy relationship with the fossil fuel industry) will do precisely the opposite. They will lock the UK into significantly higher gas consumption for the next 30-50 years and will increase energy costs, at taxpayers’ expense.”

Nature Climate Change: Major step up in carbon capture and storage needed to keep warming below 2 °C
9/26/24

“A feasibility analysis reveals that carbon capture and storage capacity might be able to expand fast enough to meet the requirements of 2 °C climate pathways but will unlikely meet those for 1.5 °C. Moreover, carbon capture and storage is unlikely to capture and store more than 600 Gt of CO2 over the twenty-first century, which has implications for the global carbon budget,” according to Nature Climate Change. 

Globe and Mail: Crude awakening: Suncor CEO Rich Kruger is all in on oil. He’ll figure out the shift to renewables later
Emma Graney, 9/25/24

“In the annals of oil-patch CEOs, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone quite like Rich Kruger,” according to the Globe and Mail. “…In the intervening 18 months, Kruger has executed a deft financial turnaround and increased production to record volumes… “From a money-making perspective, Kruger’s strategy of continuing to pull fossil fuels out of the ground as efficiently as possible is sound. Investors certainly seem to be on board, at least while the party lasts. But there’s no denying that the hydrocarbon era will end, though the timeline is hotly debated… “Meanwhile, Kruger is fond of telling analysts that Suncor is now a company that focuses on its core assets. “What’s core for us?” he said to investors in May. “What’s core are assets that make money.” In other words, synthetic sweet or sour, diluent on the rocks, PFT neat—pick your poison… “Kruger’s comments didn’t sit well with lots of people, including federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who said at the time that they represented Suncor’s disengagement from climate change and sustainability in favour of short-term profit—particularly with Suncor having ditched its solar and wind assets in 2022. “If I was convinced before that we needed to do regulation,” Guilbeault declared, “I am even more convinced now.” “…SHARE’s Thomas says one of the big problems institutional investors see with companies like Suncor is the disconnect between a 2050 net zero promise and a 2024 reality. He says there’s simply no credible near-term plan that gets them anywhere close to that… “Kruger’s thinking is largely focused around increasing production volumes, making Suncor’s oil sands mines more efficient and further improving turnaround times… “Kruger knows there’s more work to be done—but his thinking is largely focused around increasing production volumes, making Suncor’s oil sands mines more efficient and further improving turnaround times… “Every morning, I still jump out of bed. I can’t wait to get here. I’m having a ball.”

The Conversation: Oilsands workers are resistant to sustainable jobs, new research finds
Parker Muzzerall, 9/25/24

“Like it or not, the energy transition is happening,” The Conversation reports. “…While oil and gas production isn’t going to stop tomorrow, or even by the end of this decade, Canada must put policies in place today to ensure that those most dependant on the oil and gas industry are supported as the country — and the world — moves away from fossil fuels. In June 2024, the Canadian government took an important first step at doing so by giving royal assent to the Sustainable Jobs Act. Over the next few years, the act is intended to create a suite of policy programs aimed at ensuring all Canadians have equal opportunity and access to decent, well-paying jobs in a net-zero future. While the Sustainable Jobs Act is primarily intended to support oil and gas workers, my recent study published in the journal Environmental Sociology identifies one important problem: oil and gas workers like the jobs they already have… “Through 18 interviews with a diverse cross-section of oilsands employees — ranging from accounts managers to process operators — it was obvious that these hard-working people also remain optimistic about the long-term economic viability and need for the oilsands industry. More importantly, they are also strongly opposed to the idea of a just transition because, as one participant put it, “it’s almost like an incentive to leave oil and gas behind.” “…While climate advocates may shake their heads — or fists — at these findings, the feelings of my participants make perfect sense when you consider that, for these workers, the energy transition represents not just a threat to their livelihood but a threat to their community and way of life.”

OPINION

Austin American-Statesman: Railroad Commissioner: RRC oversight will ensure carbon capture is safe
Jim Wright, Texas Railroad Commissioner, 9/25/24

“Re: Sept. 23 commentary, ‘OPINION: Carbon capture hurts Texas communities and taxpayers’ “The op-ed falsely suggests that the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) would neglect its duty to oversee carbon capture and sequestration projects,” Jim Wright writes for the Austin American-Statesman. “It ignores the RRC’s decades-long history of regulating various classes of injection wells, of which carbon capture wells would be part of, to protect public safety and the environment… “The RRC’s team of highly skilled geologists and engineers will evaluate the specifics related to well depth, geology and hydrogeology of a Class VI injection well to help reduce CO2 emissions. Our regulations meet or exceed the federal minimum requirements, including monitoring the CO2 plume and pressure, mechanical integrity tests of wells and extensive geologic testing.”

World Economic Forum: Can CO2 utilization drive increased carbon capture?
Rohan Dighe, Research Analyst, CCUS, Wood Mackenzie, 9/25/24

“Currently less than 5% of carbon capture capacity announced globally involves utilization. Carbon dioxide utilization could bolster carbon capture economics, but there are major obstacles,” Rohan Dighe of Wood Mackenzie writes for the World Economic Forum. “Outlining a ‘bull’ and ‘bear’ case, we examine what’s preventing this potentially useful resource being reused. In theory, using captured carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of simply storing it should improve capture project economics, boosting uptake. However, currently less than 5% of carbon capture capacity announced globally involves utilization… “Another option is to derive revenue from the sale or conversion of CO2, which can be used in a number of ways, such as in the production of e-fuels. If CO2 utilization pathways can be made competitive, this could provide sustainable, long-term revenues for projects, supporting increased deployment of CCS and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – i.e., any technology used to produce net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere… “While there are a range of potential uses for captured CO2, they may not be competitive with other CCS revenues and traditional manufacturing.. “Policy disadvantages: Policy support for utilization is weaker than for storage; currently, the European Union’s legislated CO2 utilization mandate is unique – and it only covers aviation e-fuel… “Overall, declines in feedstock and technology costs and the development of strong policy incentives will be crucial if CO2 is to become a legitimate, widespread enabler of carbon capture deployment.”

Utility Dive: Results show carbon capture’s alleged promises are full of hot air
Dennis Wamsted is an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, 9/25/24

“The Department of Energy’s wholehearted support for carbon capture and storage rests on vaporous assumptions about the technical capabilities of unbuilt projects. It’s time to clear the air,” Dennis Wamsted writes for Utility Dive. “As Exhibit A, let’s look at the department’s recent announcement that it will pay for 50% of a $13.1 million front end engineering and design study for the potential retrofit of CCS equipment at the two-unit, coal-fired Four Corners power plant in northwest New Mexico. In the fact sheet explaining the project, DOE says the goal is to install CCS equipment at the 1,540 MW plant capable of capturing 10 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, capturing 10 million tons of CO2 annually would be the same as taking about 2.4 million cars off the road, but there’s a problem — a big one, in fact. The plant has only emitted more than 10 million tons of CO2 once in the past eight years, and it is not likely to top that level ever again… “Beyond that, the two units are old, which is a bad thing for coal plants. Studies have shown repeatedly that performance declines and maintenance costs increase as coal plants age, and Four Corners is definitely aging… “Third, power from the plant is already expensive. Adding costly CCS equipment will only boost the plant’s power costs, making it even harder for Four Corners to compete with emissions-free wind and solar as that capacity is built out in the Southwest. DOE and project proponents also claim that the facility will capture 95% of the CO2 emissions from the plant — an audacious assertion that has little if any grounding in operational experience… “There are other examples, but the point is clear. The DOE and other advocates pitch CCS essentially as a silver bullet for carbon emission concerns. It’s not. There are serious questions about the costs and performance of capture projects, as well as issues regarding the feasibility and safety of transportation and storage. IEEFA does not think CCS is the solution, but hearing more realism from advocates would be a helpful first step in discussing the subject.”

Earthjustice: Carbon dioxide pipelines: a dangerous part of Appalachia’s proposed carbon capture boondoggle
Claire Taigman is an associate attorney with the Fossil Fuels Program at Earthjustice, 9/25/24

“Local, state, and federal authorities must take action to ensure the safer construction and operation of CO2 pipelines,” Claire Taigman writes for Earthjustice. “On a February evening in 2020, a carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline ruptured near Satartia, Mississippi, causing a plume of CO2 to engulf the community. Within minutes, dozens of residents collapsed in their homes and vehicles. Cars stalled, including emergency vehicles trying to reach the scene. The incident hospitalized 45 Satartia residents and forced 200 to evacuate from their homes. There are currently 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines in the United States, most of which, like the pipeline that ruptured near Satartia, transport CO2 to oil fields to pump more oil out of aging wells through a process called enhanced oil recovery. Unprecedented federal investment in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)—an expensive technology that is unproven to effectively curb climate change-causing pollution—will require a massive expansion of this CO2 pipeline network. CO2 pipelines pose unique risks from other types of pipelines and are currently under-regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Local, state, and federal authorities must take action to ensure the safer construction and operation of these pipelines… “In order for CCS to work as intended, infrastructure would need to be constructed to transport CO2 from emissions sources (such as hydrogen and ammonia facilities) to wherever it will be stored (such as injection wells). Tens of thousands of miles of CO2 pipelines would need to be constructed throughout the U.S. to accomplish this… “CCS projects already have poor or unproven safety and effectiveness records. CO2 pipelines are a big piece of this dirty, expensive puzzle… “We must urge PHMSA to promulgate safety rules for CO2 pipelines that maximize community protections, including by regulating CO2 in all of its phases and ensuring that pipeline operators identify appropriate potential impact areas in the event of ruptures. Much more research must be done about the efficacy of CO2 pipeline construction techniques, and particularly whether oil and gas pipelines can safely be converted to CO2 pipelines, before any large-scale buildout. We must continue to highlight the potential impacts of CO2 pipelines whenever CCS projects are proposed in the Ohio River Valley.”

Globe and Mail: We’re facing an existential climate threat, but still waiting on the world to take action
Dawn Calleja, editor of Report on Business magazine, 9/26/24

“…Because despite the fact that we face an existential threat from climate change—with droughts, floods, violent storms and wildfires standing in for tentacled soldiers—we’re still waiting for someone to rouse the world to real action,” Dawn Calleja writes for the Globe and Mail. “One explanation is a species-wide form of cognitive dissonance—the discomfort that arises when you hold two conflicting beliefs. To wit: We know climate change is an imminent threat, but we also continue to rely on oil—the burning of which is the primary cause of climate change… “But I still found it jarring to read Emma Graney’s profile of Suncor CEO Rich Kruger. Over the past 18 months, the oil lifer has executed a deft turnaround at the country’s largest producer — and by his own account, he’s having a blast doing it. Forget the fact that scientists are literally screaming that we need to slam the brakes on fossil fuel development. Suncor — which sold its renewable assets not long before Kruger took over — plans to keep right on pulling oil out of the ground for the foreseeable future, along with its oil-patch compatriots, minting billions along the way. Here’s the thing, though: Burning fossil fuel is not the most economic way to generate power — not when you actually account for the costs associated with the effects of climate change, a bill that’s going to come due sooner rather than later. (Climate-related disasters have already cost the U.S. alone trillions since 1980, and they’re only getting worse.) Oil producers, however, aren’t forced to bear those costs — future generations will be. In the meantime, Suncor et al will be allowed to continue selling oil even as the world quite literally burns down around them.”