EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 9/27/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Common Dreams: Khanna Proposes End to ‘Unconscionable’ Taxpayer Subsidies for Big Oil

• Guardian: ‘Fear and intimidation’: how peaceful anti-pipeline protesters were hit with criminal and civil charges

• Wisconsin Examiner: DNR releases environmental impact statement on Line 5 relocation

• Daily Gazette: Protest on the Hudson against pipeline this Saturday

• Coast Reporter: Squamish council rejects FortisBC’s temporary use permit for workers’ lodge

• Advertiser & Times: Petition launched against ExxonMobil’s proposed Solent CO₂ Pipeline Project from Fawley refinery

• Isle of Wight Observer: 15 Questions to ExxonMobil about the proposed CO2 pipeline across the Island

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• The Hill: Harris backs minerals stockpile, permitting reform, climate-friendly tax credits

• E&E News: Biden Launches Environmental Justice Climate Corps 

• E&E News: Climate Activist Group Begrudgingly Endorses Harris 

STATE UPDATES

• Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming Senator introduces bill to enhance carbon capture incentives

• Colorado Sun: Commerce City sustainability manager says she was fired for calling out Suncor

• Los Angeles Times: How will the state manage the slow death of California’s gasoline industry?

• Energy News Network: Ohio drought renews worries about massive use of water for fracking

• Minnesota Star Tribune: Burning wood and trash might qualify as carbon-free under 2040 climate law, Minnesota regulators say

EXTRACTION

• E&E News: UN climate boss: ‘Bleak picture’ ahead without new emissions goals

• Wall Street Journal: The High-Stakes Spat Over How Much Oil The World Really Needs 

• Offshore Energy: Northern Lights: ‘World’s first’ cross-border CO2 transport and storage facility is officially open

• Canary Media: The big unsettled policy question about clean hydrogen: How to use it.

• Washington Post: A cheap, low-tech solution for storing carbon may be sitting in the dirt

OPINION

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shutting down Line 5 won’t create Wisconsin propane crisis. We need safe energy.

• Terre Haute Tribune Star: Science and legitimate questions

• Terre Haute Tribune Star: Citizens have done the research
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Common Dreams: Khanna Proposes End to ‘Unconscionable’ Taxpayer Subsidies for Big Oil
JESSICA CORBETT, 9/26/24

“As fossil fuel giants continue to rake in billions of dollars in profits, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna on Thursday is reintroducing legislation to end giving billions in taxpayer dollars to companies that inject captured carbon dioxide into wells to extract more climate-wrecking oil,” Common Dreams reports. “The fossil fuel industry receives over $20.5 billion in taxpayer dollars every year while fleecing American consumers and driving a global climate crisis,” Khanna (D-Calif.) told Common Dreams. “The End Polluter Welfare for Enhanced Oil Recovery Act will eliminate the subsidy for captured carbon used for enhanced oil recovery, which only leads to more fossil fuel extraction and does nothing to mitigate climate change.” While advocates of carbon capture utilization and storage claim that it’s necessary to address the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency, most CO2 captured in the United States is used to extract more planet-heating oil and gas, leading many scientists and green groups to argue that it is a “false climate solution.” “Oil drilling is the real story behind the fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture obsession,” said Jim Walsh, policy director at Food & Water Watch, which has endorsed Khanna’s bill. “These corporate polluters are raiding public coffers from what could easily be hundreds of billions of dollars while greenwashing the further degradation of our climate.” Walsh also highlighted the impact on people who live near fossil fuel infrastructure, telling Common Dreams that “communities across the country are facing the potential for thousands of harmful industrial projects and tens of thousands of miles of dangerous pipelines that will do little more than put money in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry.” Despite such warnings, Congress has actually boosted Section 45Q tax giveaways for companies using captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) since Khanna first introduced the legislation in December 2021. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was heralded as a “landmark” climate package for its investments in cleaner energy, but a little-noticed provision in the law increased the relevant credit for CO2 injection from $35 to $60 per metric ton. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be left footing the bill to help Big Oil boost its profits at the expense of our health and economy.”

Guardian: ‘Fear and intimidation’: how peaceful anti-pipeline protesters were hit with criminal and civil charges
Nina Lakhani and Hilary Beaumont, 9/27/24

“It was around dawn on a chilly day last November when West Virginia state troopers forcibly extricated Jerome Wagner out from a 25ft-deep pit where he was locked to a drilling machine being used to finish construction of a beleaguered gas pipeline,” the Guardian reports. “The veteran climate activist was trying to draw attention to the Mountain Valley pipeline (MVP) – a 300-mile (480km) fossil fuel project mired by environmental controversies and blocked by court orders and regulatory red tape until it was pushed through by the Biden administration in mid-2023… “Almost 50 non-violent activists were arrested in multiple counties across both states, with charges ranging from trespass and obstruction to conspiracy and abduction, which carry maximum prison sentences of up to 10 years. The actions ranged from rallies and brief walk-ons of MVP land to roadblocks and activists chaining themselves to machinery to disrupt the final stages of construction through some of the most environmentally sensitive forested Appalachian mountains and waterways. “Legal intimidation is a tactic that’s designed to scare folks and incapacitate the movement,” one pipeline resistance organizer told the Guardian. For his action at the MVP site, Wagner, a retired engineer and committed Catholic, was charged with four misdemeanors – trespass, two counts of obstructing an officer and one charge under West Virginia’s controversial new Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, which significantly increased penalties for protests against oil and gas facilities… “Earlier this year, Wagner admitted to obstruction in a plea deal and was sentenced to 12 months in jail, with eight months suspended. The MVP is also suing Wagner for punitive damages… “The crackdown against peaceful protests and civil disobedience is on the rise in the US – and globally – as people become increasingly desperate and frustrated at the failure of governments and corporations to prioritize the climate crisis, biodiversity and clean water over profits… “West Virginia is among 22 states to have approved laws that can punish people protesting against oil rigs, gas pipelines, dams and other so-called critical infrastructure with long prison terms and hefty fines… “It is the most recent state to charge climate activists under a critical infrastructure law, in what critics say is part of a growing crackdown on peaceful protests being pushed by a coalition of rightwing lawmakers and their corporate allies. “The fossil fuel industry is running out of cards to play,” Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act, a non-profit that organizes people over 60 years old to work on climate, democracy and racial justice, told the Guardian. “Solar and wind are cheaper and cleaner, so brute force – and a lawsuit or criminal prosecution – is really about all they have left.”

Wisconsin Examiner: DNR releases environmental impact statement on Line 5 relocation
HENRY REDMAN, 9/26/24

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Thursday released a final environmental impact statement on Enbridge Energy’s plan to relocate its controversial Line 5 oil pipeline out of the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin,” the Wisconsin Examiner reports. “…After the release of the report, environmental legal advocates told the Examiner they believe the agency has not given the public enough opportunities for input and promised legal action if they find that the agency has failed to fulfill its requirements under the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act. “Regardless of whether the final EIS is accurate and complete, we believe the DNR has failed to comply with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA),” Midwest Environmental Advocates Executive Director Tony Wilkin Gibart told the Examiner. “WEPA requires the DNR to adequately inform members of the public about the potential impacts of the proposed project so they can meaningfully participate in the permitting process. Yet the agency has not held a single hearing or public comment period on Enbridge’s application for wetlands and waterway permits since 2020 — well before the public had the benefit of even a draft EIS… “If we find that it falls short of what the law requires, we are prepared to take legal action to stop this dangerous and destructive pipeline project.”

Daily Gazette: Protest on the Hudson against pipeline this Saturday
Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon, 9/26/24

“A group of activists will take to the Hudson River on Saturday to protest the proposed expansion of the Iroquois natural gas pipeline,” the Daily Gazette reports. “The protest, held by the environmental action group Food and Water Watch, will include over 20 people kayaking across the river from the Athens Riverfront Park to the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, Emily Skydel, senior organizer of the Hudson Valley branch of Food and Water Watch, told the Gazette. “We wanted to draw attention to the location where the pipeline crosses the river,” she told the Gazette.. “A lot of people in the region know the lighthouse.” The protest will start at noon on Saturday, with kayakers leaving from the park at around 1 p.m., Skydel told the Gazette… “We want people to know they have to reach out, and we want Governor Hochul to know that real people will be affected if she approves this expansion,” she told the Gazette.

Coast Reporter: Squamish council rejects FortisBC’s temporary use permit for workers’ lodge
Indigo Lemay-Conway, 9/26/24

“After a five-and-a-half-hour marathon public hearing, the District of Squamish council has voted against a temporary use permit for FortisBC’s workers’ accommodation lodge,” according to the Coast Reporter. “By a 4-3 vote, council made the decision to oppose the lodge, which was proposed to house up to 400 Eagle Mountain Pipeline workers, with a peak of 600 workers during the summer period… “Wrapping up just before midnight on Sept. 25, the public hearing at Brennan Park Recreation Centre saw over 30 residents speak, mostly in opposition to the workers’ camp. The most common themes raised by locals included women’s safety, the location of the camp and its impact on the Squamish Canyon project… “One study done by the Firelight Group (an Indigenous-owned consulting group) found that rates of violence against women increased by about 38% in the first year of industrial projects… “Coun. Pettingill spoke against the motion to approve a TUP for the workers accommodation, stating the “collection of people together” would be a real problem. “The research that I’ve read, that I’ve been presented with, talks about work camps as the problem,” Pettingill said… “Pettingill shared his distaste of the FortisBC representatives leaving the meeting early, stating that they could have helped clarify details the council were confused about… “Counc. Greenlaw has been vocal about her opposition to FortisBC’s TUP application since early on. “I have made it abundantly clear, in no uncertain terms, several times, that I would not support a TUP that included a liquor licence and parking for hundreds of personal vehicles up our busiest forestry road,” Greenlaw said.”

Advertiser & Times: Petition launched against ExxonMobil’s proposed Solent CO₂ Pipeline Project from Fawley refinery
Dan Goater, 9/27/24

“A petition has been launched challenging ExxonMobil’s plan to run a carbon dioxide pipeline through the Forest,” the Advertiser & Times reports. “Consultant NHS physician Dr Bryan Sheinman, who lives at Buckler’s Hard, set up the online petition highlighting the “health and environmental risks” such a pipeline could pose. As reported by the A&T, the oil giant is proposing running a CO₂ pipeline from Fawley to a subterranean saline aquifer off the coast of the Isle of Wight… “A similar petition set up by islanders has attracted more than 30,000 signatures… “He told the A&T: “In terms of environmental damage, laying a pipe through areas of farmland and human habitation on the Forest, with the disruption it would cause and the time it would take to restore the land afterwards, would be enormous… “There have been several carbon dioxide pipeline leaks in the US, including one in Louisiana in April. “Another one that happened in Mississippi in 2020 was particularly bad and led to more than 40 hospitalisations for people suffering from CO₂ poisoning and oxygen deprivation.” He continued: “The risk of death posed by these carbon pipelines if they rupture is definitely a concern. It’s only by the grace of God there hasn’t been a death already. In a heavily populated area like ours, the effect of a leak – which cannot be ruled out – would be immense.”

Isle of Wight Observer: 15 Questions to ExxonMobil about the proposed CO2 pipeline across the Island
9/26/24

“We asked 15 questions to ExxonMobil about the proposed CO2 pipeline across the Isle of Wight. Here are the full questions and the responses we received,” the Isle of Wight Observer reports. “Why are the two proposed routes across the Isle of Wight the preferred ones? Please provide the detailed reasoning… “Why can’t the entire pipeline be laid on the seabed from Fawley? The pipeline can’t be fully laid on the seabed due to environmental and engineering challenges, including seabed conditions and strong currents… “4. What consideration has been given to the inherent instability of the coastal areas of the Isle of Wight, and how might they affect the project if it were to proceed? The risk of landslips and erosion will be carefully considered by our engineers as part of both the design process and construction planning… “7. What happens if a pipeline fails? Could it cause death or injury to (a) people and (b) wildlife? Pipeline operations are monitored 24/7. CO2 pipelines are constructed with high-grade steel and a protective coating to help prevent corrosion. In the unlikely event that the pipeline is damaged, we will have robust emergency response procedures to control the situation… “12. How many of these licenses and permissions have been secured? No permissions have been secured yet as the project is still undergoing consultation and development.” 

WASHINGTON UPDATES

The Hill: Harris backs minerals stockpile, permitting reform, climate-friendly tax credits
RACHEL FRAZIN, 9/26/24

“Laying out her economic agenda this week, Vice President Harris backed increasing domestic minerals production and creating a minerals stockpile,” The Hill reports. “…Additionally, Harris said the nation needs to speed up its approval for infrastructure, backing a suite of policies known as “permitting reform” that aim to make the nation build faster. Permitting reform has been a hot topic in Washington, with lawmakers currently considering legislation aimed at speeding up new energy projects. Opponents of such efforts have raised concerns that environmental reviews will be weakened in the process. The plan released by the Harris campaign also calls for more energy production in a section on lowering energy costs. It does not specify whether that includes more fossil fuel production, though in the past Harris has touted the record oil production that has occurred under the Biden administration… “Some of the policy proposals Harris has called for would require the support of Congress, and it looks increasingly likely that Democrats will lose the Senate. Tax credits in particular cannot be unilaterally issued by a presidential administration.” 

E&E News: Biden Launches Environmental Justice Climate Corps 
Robin Bravender, 9/25/24

“The Biden administration has launched an ‘environmental justice’ climate corps as it continues to expand its job training program for young workers, the White House announced Wednesday,” E&E News reports. “The new environmental justice program — a joint project of EPA and AmeriCorps — aims to put more than 250 American Climate Corps members to work in communities that face the brunt of pollution. The White House announcement comes as part of a slew of Biden administration speeches and announcements during the annual Climate Week NYC. President Joe Biden established the broader American Climate Corps job training program one year ago and views the effort as a key piece of his climate legacy… “The administration so far has put 15,000 young people to work as part of the climate corps, and the program is on track to reach Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year, the White House announced. The members of the environmental justice climate corps will offer technical assistance to community-based organizations, the White House said. The workers will help communities access resources for projects that cut pollution, improve public health and bolster resilience to climate change, the White House said.”

E&E News: Climate Activist Group Begrudgingly Endorses Harris 
Robin Bravender, 9/25/24

“The activist group Climate Defiance endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris this week as it lamented her approach to climate change so far in the campaign,” E&E News reports. “We do not take this step lightly. Our endorsement of Kamala Harris is nuanced,” the group’s founder, Michael Greenberg, told E&E. The organization, founded in 2023, regularly disrupts politicians’ events to prod them to be more aggressive to combat climate change. “Sadly, Kamala Harris is not running as a climate champion,” Greenberg told E&E. “Her campaign so far has been startlingly light on substance. The most tangible thing that she has said about fossil fuels is to clarify that she does actually support fracking.” 

STATE UPDATES

Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming Senator introduces bill to enhance carbon capture incentives
David Velazquez, 9/26/24

“Wyoming Senator John Barrasso on Wednesday introduced a bill that seeks to give across-the-board, equal treatment for carbon captured for increased energy production, utilization and sequestration,” the Casper Star-Tribune reports. “The bill, named the Enhanced Energy Recovery Act, increases the effective value of the 45Q tax credit so that captured carbon used in enhanced oil recovery and utilization matches the same rate of sequestration… “The current value for sequestration is $85 per metric ton while the value for carbon used in enhanced oil recovery and utilization is $60 per metric ton. The bill would set all three values at $85 per metric ton… “Several oil groups — local and nationwide — lauded the decision stating that Barrasso’s bill evens the playing field for all types of carbon capture. “For over 30 years CO2 injection has not only sequestered carbon in Wyoming but also helped produce millions of barrels of oil that the United States requires to meet energy demand. Senator Barrasso’s bill recognizes that enhanced oil recovery using CO2 deserves equal treatment,” President of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming Pete Obermueller told the Star-Tribune.”

Colorado Sun: Commerce City sustainability manager says she was fired for calling out Suncor
Michael Booth, 9/26/24

“Former Commerce City sustainability manager Rosemarie Russo and her supporters say she was fired by city leaders after community protest notes she forwarded to the Suncor refinery’s Canadian headquarters angered oil company executives who then pressured the city to reprimand her,” the Colorado Sun reports. “Russo told the Sun in interviews Wednesday she was given a choice at a Sept. 3 city human resources meeting: resign and agree not to file a lawsuit in order to retain benefits and vacation pay, or be fired. Russo, hired in 2022 and formerly a sustainability manager for Fort Collins and Moab, Utah, chose to be fired, she told the Sun. Suncor’s Calgary, Alberta executives were angry Russo had forwarded handwritten notes made by community members on paper posters set out in July during the city’s annual EcoFiesta, an event sponsored in part by Commerce City government. Community members’ notes directed anger at Suncor for repeated violations of state and federal air pollution laws with emissions that harm the health of residents, many of whom are minority and low-income residents of neighborhoods that are heavily impacted by big polluters… “The challenging notes angered Suncor’s Canadian executives, who then pressured their Commerce City executives to lean on Commerce City government, Russo and her supporters told the Sun… “Suncor’s Colorado office did not respond to messages seeking comment about Russo’s departure or the letters she forwarded.”

Los Angeles Times: How will the state manage the slow death of California’s gasoline industry?
Russ Mitchell, 9/26/24

“It’s becoming increasingly clear in Sacramento: The administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom is intent on pumping up state power to oversee the slow decline of California’s gasoline refinery industry,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “It remains to be seen whether the state Legislature will go along. Newsom called a special legislative session to address gasoline price spikes, such as the one last year that sent per-gallon costs soaring past $7 a gallon in parts of the state… “But a bigger issue goes well beyond mundane matters of gasoline storage. The Legislature faces a fundamental question of government philosophy: How deeply should the state manage and control an industry that faces steady decline due to the state’s own policies, an industry that sells a product that will remain essential to a smooth-functioning economy even as it fades away? And it faces another question: If the state decides to go deep, will it prove itself capable? The answer carries enormous implications for the household budgets of millions of Californians who will continue to drive gasoline-powered cars for years to come.”

Energy News Network: Ohio drought renews worries about massive use of water for fracking
Kathiann M. Kowalski, 9/26/24

“The driest summer in more than a decade prompted an Ohio watershed district this summer to take the unprecedented step of limiting the use of water for oil and gas fracking,” Energy News Network reports. “The restrictions applied only to Atwood Lake, a popular boating and fishing spot southeast of Canton that has experienced a foot and a half drop in water levels over the past few months of drought. It’s a scenario some environmentalists anticipated years ago, saying that climate change will require state and local officials to more carefully regulate the use of water for oil and gas extraction. “They’re not being proactive enough,” Leatra Harper, director of the FreshWater Accountability Project, told ENN, stressing that the lakes are public resources. “The obvious issue is there aren’t adequate protections.” “…The process uses millions of gallons of water for each horizontally drilled well, and well pads built within the last 12 years often have six wells. The water can be recovered and recycled to some extent. Eventually, though, the water must be disposed of in underground injection wells. That step permanently removes it from the water cycle… “Oil and gas companies pay a price for the water — around $3 per gallon, according to Ted Auch, Midwest program director for FracTracker. He and other critics think the price should be higher.”

Minnesota Star Tribune: Burning wood and trash might qualify as carbon-free under 2040 climate law, Minnesota regulators say
Walker Orenstein, 9/26/24

“Minnesota regulators on Thursday said burning wood or trash to generate electricity could be considered carbon-free under the state’s landmark 2040 climate law, depending on how emissions are counted,” the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. “The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) decision was a loss for environmental nonprofits that wanted to rule out garbage and wood incineration because it creates climate-warming pollution when burned. The PUC chose not to do that and instead took a bigger view, aiming to weigh initial emissions against other factors such as how much carbon an energy source would produce naturally anyway. That kind of analysis would help answer questions such as whether burning garbage for electricity is a climate benefit because it avoids methane released from landfills… “The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Sierra Club said the PUC’s ruling undermined the carbon-free law. “The commission’s decision distorts Minnesota’s landmark carbon-free law by allowing greater reliance on our most carbon-intensive sources of electricity,” Barbara Freese, an attorney for the Center for Environmental Advocacy, told the Star Tribune… “A dozen environmental organizations and some DFL lawmakers wanted the PUC to decide that any electric plant that emits carbon at the point of generation — such as incinerating wood and garbage — would not be considered carbon-free… “Many environmental groups argued that burning wood isn’t actually carbon-neutral. Several, for instance, cited 2017 California data compiled by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona, that found carbon emissions from burning “woody biomass” were about twice that of coal plants and more than four times more polluting than using gas plants to produce electricity.”

EXTRACTION

E&E News: UN climate boss: ‘Bleak picture’ ahead without new emissions goals
Abby Wallace, 9/27/24

“Governments will miss global climate goals unless they agree ambitious new targets at next year’s climate summit, one of the United Nation’s leading experts has warned,” E&E News reports. “Speaking at Imperial College London on Thursday morning, Jim Skea, chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said that greenhouse gas emissions targets set by individual countries to hit goals laid out in the Paris Agreement are “not nearly sufficient” to achieve their aims. Those targets — known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs — are designed to meet the Paris goal of limiting increases in global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. There is currently “not enough policy on the ground” for governments to meet their NDCs, Skea said.”

Wall Street Journal: The High-Stakes Spat Over How Much Oil The World Really Needs 
Carol Ryan, 9/25/24

“What’s 1.1 million barrels between adversaries? The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the International Energy Agency don’t see eye to eye on much,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The latter was basically founded as an anti-OPEC 50 years ago to represent energy consumers a year after that cartel’s oil embargo quadrupled global crude prices. But now the gulf between their forecasts of how much oil the world will need in 2024 is oddly wide, especially for this late in the year. The IEA thinks an additional 900,000 barrels of oil a day will be needed by consumers in 2024. OPEC is far more bullish and expects two million extra barrels will be required. It isn’t unusual for there to be a gap between the two organizations’ annual demand estimates when they are first released. But as economic data rolls in throughout the year, their forecasts have tended to converge as one side or the other concedes it has been too optimistic or pessimistic. Other than modest adjustments, that hasn’t happened in 2024. Stripping out 2020 to 2022, when pandemic lockdowns made it especially hard to forecast oil demand, the two organizations’ estimates have never been more than 350,000 barrels apart by September any year since 2010.” 

Offshore Energy: Northern Lights: ‘World’s first’ cross-border CO2 transport and storage facility is officially open
Ajsa Habibic, 9/26/24

“Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage facility, a joint venture (JV) of energy majors Shell, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, has been completed, marking “an important milestone for the global development of a business model for carbon capture, transport, and storage”, Offshore Energy reports. “The official opening ceremony of the CO2 transport and storage facility in Øygarden, near Bergen, was conducted by the Norwegian Minister of Energy on September 26, signaling that the facility is ready to receive and store CO2… “The Northern Lights project is part of Norway’s efforts to develop a full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain named Longship. It comprises the development of a receiving terminal, underwater infrastructure (including the pipeline, subs installations, and wells), intermediate storage tanks, and onshore facilities… “The full-scale project includes capture of CO2 from industrial sources and shipping of liquid CO2 to the terminal in Øygarden with LNG-powered CO2 carriers. From there, the liquified CO2 will be transported by pipeline to the offshore storage location below the seabed in the North Sea, for permanent storage. Phase 1 with a capacity to inject up 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year is fully booked, and the joint venture partners plan to increase the transport and storage capacity for the future.”

Canary Media: The big unsettled policy question about clean hydrogen: How to use it.
Jeff St. John, 9/26/24

“Last October, seven ​“clean hydrogen hub” projects were awarded a collective $7 billion in potential funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These massive infrastructure projects are meant to kick-start the U.S. clean hydrogen industry, which some energy experts see as key to eliminating fossil fuels from sectors like steelmaking and aviation. But the plans for these projects have yet to emerge,” Canary Media reports. “Meanwhile, the other key pillar of U.S. clean hydrogen policy — tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act — is also in limbo. The rules that govern eligibility for this incentive have been the source of intense debate and are not yet finalized. In all likelihood, they will remain unsettled until after the November election. Developers are holding off on multibillion-dollar clean hydrogen investments until these rules are firm. Many companies working in the space have argued that the Biden administration’s approach is stifling the U.S. hydrogen industry before it has even begun to grow. But an increasing number of energy and climate experts warn that the greatest risks for clean hydrogen development lie not in moving too slowly on these major investments but in being too hasty… “That creates a potential problem for U.S. hydrogen policy: If poorly designed, these well-meaning programs could spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to make and use hydrogen in ways that won’t help fight climate change and which could instead sap funding from cleaner and cheaper alternatives. They could also sink capital into industrial infrastructure that can’t compete economically without government subsidies… “But without policies that focus on promoting only genuinely carbon-free hydrogen in the right applications, the U.S. hydrogen push ​“risks doing more harm than good.”

Washington Post: A cheap, low-tech solution for storing carbon may be sitting in the dirt
Dino Grandoni, 9/26/24

“…A 3,775-year-old log unintentionally discovered under a farm in Canada may point to a deceptively simple method of locking climate-warming carbon out of the atmosphere for thousands of years, according to a study published Thursday,” the Washington Post reports. “…Doing something as simple as burying wood underground in the right spot, these researchers told the Post, may be a cheap and scalable way of doing just that… “Under the right conditions, tons of wood could be buried underground in wood vaults, locking in a portion of human-generated CO2 for potentially thousands of years. While other carbon-capture technologies rely on expensive and energy-intensive machines to extract CO2, the tools for putting wood underground are simple: a tractor and a backhoe… “The researchers estimate buried wood can sequester up 10 billion tons of CO2 per year, which is more than a quarter of annual global emissions from energy, according to the International Energy Agency. One of the biggest challenges isn’t so much the supply of wood but rather the cost of transporting it to the right spots, Poisson told the Post.”

OPINION

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shutting down Line 5 won’t create Wisconsin propane crisis. We need safe energy.
Sabine Peterka, Milwaukee, 9/27/24

“On Sept. 22, the Journal Sentinel published an opinion piece by the Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition claiming Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline will benefit Wisconsin families (“Without a Line 5 relocation, Wisconsin will face emergency”),” Sabine Peterka writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “In reality, many Wisconsinites oppose Line 5 and are fighting to protect future generations and tribal sovereignty. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has been fighting Enbridge to get Line 5 out of their watershed. Supporting Line 5 undermines the tribe’s sovereignty and land rights promised by a 1854 Treaty… “Shutting down Line 5 would not create a propane crisis in Wisconsin, as the Coalition’s column claims. To maintain our energy security in the long term, we need to transition to renewable sources… “The Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition is correct that not all of those comments came from Wisconsin residents. But that’s because what we do here has impacts that reach beyond our borders. It’s time to say no to dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure and build a safe energy future that protects all.”

Terre Haute Tribune Star: Science and legitimate questions
Daniel Kos, West Terre Haute, 9/25/24

“This letter is in response to an article about Wabash Valley Resources and statements in the Sept. 17 Tribune Star. Legitimate questions? There is no such thing as a stupid question! The one who asks the question may in fact be doing a service to those around them,” Daniel Kos writes for the Terre Haute Tribune Star. “…During a public meeting, we asked WRV about unintended plume migration, we asked about pipeline corrosion, we asked about CO2 leaks. Were those legitimate questions? WRV answered those questions by saying “It won’t happen,” “It doesn’t work like that!” Are those legitimate answers? The recent CO2 leak at ADM proves that our questions are legitimate and, “It does work like that!” In fact, there are many studies that back up our concerns about earthquakes, water contamination, pipeline ruptures and risks to the public… “During a public meeting, we asked about class VI wells, we asked about CO2 pipelines. WVR answered with “there are thousands of wells in Indiana” and “there are thousands of miles of pipeline in Indiana,” but they were not referring to CO2. WVR was comparing apples to oranges. They were “cherry picking” information and data that was supportive of their project. It is apparent from this article and many others WVR is only trying to discredit our community. They want everyone to think this community is uneducated; therefore, they cannot possibly understand, let alone believe in the science. Well WVR, we are not rubes! We have investigated, read, researched and looked at all aspects of science regarding your pilot project. We are critical thinkers and know that this puts our children, community, water and our environment in great danger. We may not be scientists, but we sure know the facts. CO2 pipelines and injection sites put our community at risk. We say “No” to Wabash Valley Resources!”

Terre Haute Tribune Star: Citizens have done the research
Amanda Kibler, Terre Haute, 9/25/24

“Regarding the recent CO2 well leak at the Decatur, Illinois, ADM plant: Residents and landowners in West Terre Haute and Vermillion County have proof that the “science” touted by Wabash Valley Resources’ pilot CO2 well is indeed faulty,” Amanda Kibler writes for the Terre Haute Tribune Star. “The ADM leak began in one of their newer wells before it was acted upon. As a result, the EPA has determined that the liquid carbon dioxide has spread to “unauthorized zones” and has violated the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. ADM is unsure of the scope of the CO2 spread and have stated they will cease using this technology. WVR’s Greg Zoeller was quoted in this paper as “being confident in the safety process; that was all part of the EPA permit.” Zoeller also commented on the “long educational curve in the community.” That curve began with well-attended town hall meetings informing the community after project funding milestones and legislation were already in place. Many were shocked and frustrated by the lack of transparency and voiced their concerns. They continue to do so, despite condescension and continued pressure from WVR to sign over their property. The company’s repeated statement of “Believe the science” has not landed with this community. Residents and landowners understand fault lines, open mine shafts and water tables. In addition, these citizens have done the research, read the studies and gathered information regarding carbon capture and sequestration necessary to legitimize their concerns. They know the potential dangers that high pressure pipelines, CO2 injection wells and underground CO2 plumes create. Their objections are not based on fear, but on research, historical knowledge, experience and hard facts about their properties. Citizens know “the science” is a selling tool, not necessarily thoroughly represented by WVR. It can be disingenuous, cherry-picked information that supports their narrative. Investors behind this pilot CO2 well/fertilizer plant are not from Indiana. They have no investment in the community other than to exploit it for personal financial gain… “Landowners may have their land taken away through eminent domain. WVR is strongly encouraging them to sign on for the proposed $150/acre per year for underground land rental for their CO2 project. Although the CO2 will remain under their property forever, the company intends to be operational for a 12-year period. At that point the payments will cease, leaving landowners to deal with the aftermath… “Please stop this short-sighted pilot carbon sequestration project. We live here. We want our natural resources and communities protected.”