Extracted: Daily News Clips 7/9/21

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PIPELINE NEWS

• Virginia Mercury: EPA recommends that Army Corps of Engineers not grant Mountain Valley Pipeline stream crossing permit
• Democracy Now: Line 3 Pipeline Foes Say Enbridge Spilled Drilling Chemicals in Minnesota River
• Facebook: Honor the Earth: The deer came to support those in Jail! Yesterday there were five people arrested at the or near the Willow River as #enbridge continues to shove #line3 under sensitive wetlands
• WDIO: Rally against Line 3 Pipeline held at Sidewalk Days
• Facebook: Four Necessity: COURT UPDATE: All four valve turners, Brenna, Michele, Allyson, and Daniel were found guilty
• Facebook: Protect the Planet Stop TMX: Yesterday we made it to 200 uninterrupted days of occupation of the tree sit, blocking TMX and protecting sacred land and water
• Facebook: 2KC Media: At Oscar High Elk’s last court hearing on July 7th, a “Discovery Motion” was filed to prepare for a trial which is expected to begin early 2022
• MLK50: Question may be left unanswered regarding Byhalia Pipeline’s right to claim eminent domain
• Virginia Mercury: Company exploring new gas pipeline in five central and eastern Va. counties
• Williston Herald: Dakota Access not the only pipeline in legal jeopardy
• GreenPointers.com: GAS BILL STRIKE IS UNDERWAY TO PROTEST THE NORTH BROOKLYN PIPELINE
• Interior News: Developers promote $55 billion LNG project in northwestern B.C.
• S&P Global: DT Midstream CEO details growth, decarbonization targets

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• Politico Morning Energy: EJ IN PLAY AT FERC
• Politico Morning Energy: ENVIROS PRESSURE BIDEN ON TREASURY PICK

STATE UPDATES

• Politico: California Restaurant Association To Appeal Ruling On Berkeley Gas Ban
• Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico oil oversight agency, with restored authority, plugs orphaned wells, issues fines
• Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico groups join call for U.S. Congress, Biden on to end oil and gas ‘subsidies’

EXTRACTION

• Bloomberg: Net-zero emissions from oil sands to cost $60B, say Cenovus, Suncor CEOs
• Reuters: Japex says considering sale of oil sands project in Canada

OPINION

• Michigan Advance: Column: How would you like someone to trespass on your property and pocket $2M each day?
• Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Kenney and Trudeau find a sliver of common ground on pipelines — for now
• GoErie.com: Op-Ed: Too many take energy — and the pipelines that deliver it — for granted
• Gizmodo: I Hate That Conoco Is So Good at Social Media

PIPELINE NEWS

Virginia Mercury: EPA recommends that Army Corps of Engineers not grant Mountain Valley Pipeline stream crossing permit
By Sarah Vogelsong, 7/8/21

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended that the Army Corps of Engineers not grant Mountain Valley Pipeline a critical permit to cross several hundred streams in Virginia and West Virginia,” Virginia Mercury reports. “EPA has identified a number of substantial concerns with the project as currently proposed, including whether all feasible avoidance and minimization measures have been undertaken, deficient characterization of the aquatic resources to be impacted, insufficient assessment of secondary and cumulative impacts and potential for significant degradation, and the proposed mitigation,” EPA Wetlands Branch Chief Jeffrey Lapp wrote in a May 27 letter… “This May the company said it expected to complete the project by summer 2022, due to extensions sought by Virginia and West Virginia regulators to review the stream-crossing permits. On June 28, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Virginia regulators until Dec. 31 to review the project’s state water quality certification. “It’s not just us that sees the deficiencies,” David Sligh, conservation director for environmental group Wild Virginia, which has been one of Mountain Valley’s most outspoken challengers, told the Mercury. “EPA sees the serious deficiencies. And we expect (the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) to insist that they get all the right information, and if they don’t get all the right information, they can’t issue a water quality certification, not legally.”

Democracy Now: Line 3 Pipeline Foes Say Enbridge Spilled Drilling Chemicals in Minnesota River
7/8/21

“In Minnesota, Indigenous-led water protectors continue to take nonviolent direct action to stop construction of Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands pipeline,” Democracy Now reports. “On Tuesday, activists locked themselves to drilling equipment and built blockades on access roads in a bid to stop Enbridge from drilling under the Willow River. Water protectors say construction crews appeared to puncture an aquifer, discharging drilling mud and chemicals into the river. This is Winona LaDuke, an Anishinaabe activist and executive director of Honor the Earth. Winona LaDuke: “The rivers belong to the fish. They belong to the animals, and they belong to the people. And they don’t belong to Enbridge. So, we the people protect the rivers.”

Facebook: Honor the Earth: The deer came to support those in Jail! Yesterday there were five people arrested at the or near the Willow River as #enbridge continues to shove #line3 under sensitive wetlands
7/7/21

“The deer came to support those in Jail! Yesterday there were five people arrested at the or near the Willow River as #enbridge continues to shove #line3 under sensitive wetlands. So this morning Aitkin County Jail did not release the five #waterprotectors arrested yesterday as the court is “overwhelmed”

WDIO: Rally against Line 3 Pipeline held at Sidewalk Days
7/8/21

“As Sidewalk Days started in Downtown Duluth Wednesday, a group held a rally to stop the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Project,” WDIO reports. “Local Indigenous leaders were there to share their stories and views on the pipeline replacement project and chose to rally during sidewalk days to help bring more attention to their cause. “We’ve had a lot of support from a lot of the locals who have been over there currently for sidewalk days. You know this is a beautiful state here in Minnesota where everyone likes to hunt fish and gather an you know there’s so many bodies of water we want to utilize safely so you know the message that “safe water” resonates with the Line 3 fight, and we’ve had a lot of support today,” Taysha Martineau, organizer said.

Facebook: Four Necessity: COURT UPDATE: All four valve turners, Brenna, Michele, Allyson, and Daniel were found guilty
7/8/21

“COURT UPDATE: All four valve turners, Brenna, Michele, Allyson, and Daniel were found guilty. The judge has sentenced them to 15 days each with 3 days time served. The sentence is stayed provided that each follows a year long unsupervised probation with the conditions of no contact with Enbridge and no similar offenses. Each person also received a fine of $75 and there is the potential of Enbridge requesting restitution of an unspecified amount. In their final statements, all four expressed that they continued to believe that they acted in good conscience and did not regret shutting down the pipelines.”

Facebook: Protect the Planet Stop TMX: Yesterday we made it to 200 uninterrupted days of occupation of the tree sit, blocking TMX and protecting sacred land and water
7/6/21

“Yesterday we made it to 200 uninterrupted days of occupation of the tree sit, blocking TMX and protecting sacred land and water. To make this happen we had SO many amazing people give of their time, love, strength and energy.  I want to take a moment to recognize some of them. First of all , a call out to our amazing builders and planners – without the skills of Timothee, and his lovely assistant Amanda, we’d never have made it here. Then the climbers – who braved 40 above to 10 below, wind storms and lightning to hang on to our post… “It takes a team to save a tree. A village to save a river, And a whole host of us are needed if we are going to Protect the Planet! Here’s to 200 days gone and maybe another 200 to go, or more if it’s needed because we aren’t backing down before we can truly say we did #StopTMX”

Facebook: 2KC Media: At Oscar High Elk’s last court hearing on July 7th, a “Discovery Motion” was filed to prepare for a trial which is expected to begin early 2022
7/8/21

“Oscar High Elk is innocent of all charges against him, and instead is a political prisoner who is being persecuted by the so called state of South Dakota for boldly – yet peacefully – asserting the treaty and sovereignty rights of Oceti Sakowin Oyate while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline last winter. COURT UPDATE: At Oscar High Elk’s last court hearing on July 7th, a “Discovery Motion” was filed to prepare for a trial which is expected to begin early 2022. This motion means the Oscar’s defense attorney and the prosecutor will exchange information about their witnesses and evidence pertaining to the charges against Oscar, in order for each side to know what evidence may be presented before the trial begins. A Status Hearing will follow in the early fall, where each side will review the status of the case – discussing the discovery evidence, scheduling of hearings or trial dates, and possible plea offers. The prosecutor in Oscar’s case is Marty Jackley, a former United States Attorney, who also served for a decade as South Dakota’s Attorney General. As the state’s AG, Jackley was a vocal supporter of the KXL pipeline, who in 2017 expressed his concern about potential protests similar to those at Standing Rock. He is currently running again for Attorney General in 2022, with the support of 63 out of 66 of the state’s county sheriffs.”

MLK50: Question may be left unanswered regarding Byhalia Pipeline’s right to claim eminent domain
Carrington J. Tatum, 7/8/21

“A scheduled hearing Friday on whether Byhalia Pipeline can use eminent domain to take land may become a status call following the company’s abandonment of the project and its lawsuits, according to an attorney involved,” MLK50 reports. “As a result, a legal question that could have set a precedent for the state will likely go unanswered. Shelby County Circuit Court Div. 1 Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson was to hear arguments by attorneys for Byhalia Pipeline, the landowners being sued and Memphis Community Against the Pipeline over whether the company can take land under eminent domain. In May, the company dropped its lawsuits against 10 landowners who refused to sell easements for the pipeline that would run through Black Southwest Memphis neighborhoods, but did so without prejudice, meaning they could refile them at any time. MCAP, which joined the landowners in the lawsuit in March, had asked the court to continue with hearings to determine whether the company could legally seize land… “Representatives also committed, in an email to stakeholders, to dismissing the remaining two eminent domain cases with prejudice or without the possibility of suing the same landowners again. Scott Crosby, an attorney with Burch, Porter and Johnson, told MLK50 the dismissal of the lawsuits with prejudice ends the battle for his clients, Boxtown landowners Scottie Fitzgerald and Clyde Robinson. “Their land will never be threatened again by this company for eminent domain, ever. They’re grateful for that.”  The company won’t ask landowners who received payments for access to their land to return the money, said Plains communications manager Katie Martin last week in an email to stakeholders. However, details of landowners’ options are unclear including whether they may keep the money and reclaim their easements. Plains representatives did not respond to voicemails seeking comment for this story.”

Virginia Mercury: Company exploring new gas pipeline in five central and eastern Va. counties
By Sarah Vogelsong, 7/9/21

“A company that appears to be affiliated with efforts to build a large natural gas plant in Charles City County is exploring the possibility of constructing a gas pipeline through five central and eastern Virginia counties, according to letters sent to residents,” Virginia Mercury reports. “In the letters, Chickahominy Pipeline, LLC, requests landowners’ permission to enter their property to conduct surveys and other appraisals to determine the feasibility of building a 24-inch gas pipeline along an unspecified route through Charles City, Hanover, Henrico, Louisa and New Kent counties… “The pipeline company registered with the State Corporation Commission this January and lists the same address and registered agent as Chickahominy Power, LLC, a subsidiary of developer Balico, LLC, which is planning the proposed 1.6-gigawatt gas plant in Charles City County… “Several residents who received letters expressed concern about the prospect of a new pipeline. “This is the first I’ve heard of any pipeline coming through here,” Catharine Tucker, a botanist who resides in Hanover and whose 70-plus acres of property are protected by a deed of conservation easement, told the Mercury. She worried the project could negatively impact her property, which she uses to teach students in the Virginia Master Naturalist program. “I don’t quite know what to make of it,” she said.

Williston Herald: Dakota Access not the only pipeline in legal jeopardy
By Renée Jean, 7/7/21

“Dakota Access is not the only Bakken pipeline whose fate is in question. Marathon’s Tesoro High Plains crude oil system in Montana and North Dakota is also embroiled in a legal quagmire, putting its fate in doubt,” the Williston Herald reports. “The underground crude oil system is important because it collectively carries about one-third of the Bakken’s crude oil to market. Marathon had shut the line partially down after an order from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, amid claims that the pipeline has been trespassing on Native American land for seven years. Marathon was also fined $187 million in damages in connection with that decision, which the Trump administration Larter reduced to $4 million. The Biden administration, however, reviewed the decisions and vacated all of them, amid due process concerns. They sent the matter back to the regional director, with instructions to provide a full and fair opportunity for all parties to be heard — basically, square one… “Attempts to negotiate a new right of way for the line fell apart amid disputes about the true market-value of the leases. The line was previously owned by Tesoro, which changed its name to Andeavor, the latter of which was purchased by Marathon purchased in 2018. Andeavor had sought to renew the leases for the line prior to its sale, but after negotiations fell apart the individual landowners, who control 66 of the 90 acres in question, filed suit. Meanwhile, MHA had also been negotiating with the company on the remaining 24 acres owned by the tribe. The deal they struck was millions more than what individual landowners were offered. That prompted some to call for shutting down the Tesoro High Plains Pipeline until Marathon makes an offer in line with “fair market value.”

GreenPointers.com: GAS BILL STRIKE IS UNDERWAY TO PROTEST THE NORTH BROOKLYN PIPELINE
by Erin Conlon, 7/8/21

“A coalition is continuing to protest the North Brooklyn Pipeline,” GreenPointers.com reports. “The No North Brooklyn Pipeline coalition is encouraging fellow community members to join a National Grid gas bill strike in the face of potential rate hikes meant to fund the aforementioned fracked gas pipeline. Since June 1, the campaign — which is organized and/or supported by the Sane Energy Project, Brownsville Residents Green Committee, Newtown Creek Alliance, and many more (including local politicians and representatives like Emily Gallagher, Jabari Brisport, and others) — has been in this phase of pipeline resistance, which urges residents to withhold $66 on monthly gas bills. This is in response to National Grid and New York State’s gas bill increase to fund the $185 million needed to complete the pipeline, as well as accusations of greenwashing against National Grid. “The state and the city really haven’t stood up to National Grid, it’s really only ever been the community; the community shut down construction last year,” Sane Energy Project Community Engagement Coordinator Lee Ziesche said. “And after almost a year of confidential settlement negotiations that didn’t really involve community members … the plan that National Grid and the state came up with and filed in May just really ignored all the community’s concerns.”

Interior News: Developers promote $55 billion LNG project in northwestern B.C.
ROD LINK, 7/8/21

“Backers of an ambitious $55 billion proposal to build a floating liquefied natural (LNG) facility off of the north coast who are now seeking environmental approval already say there’s a time crunch to begin construction,” Interior News reports. “Speaking to Terrace city council June 29, Ksi Lisims LNG external relations manager Paul Anderson outlined a timetable that he said would see production by late 2026 or 2027. One crucial step is the need to have a natural gas pipeline from northeastern B.C. under substantial construction by 2024. That’s because Ksi Lisims is negotiating with two companies who already have environmental approvals to build pipelines and the clock is ticking down on those approvals, said Anderson. Both Enbridge’s Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission Project and TC Energy’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project were meant for now-cancelled LNG projects near Prince Rupert. And both have already received one-time only extensions of their original environmental certificates requiring both to start construction by 2024 or face their approvals running out.”

S&P Global: DT Midstream CEO details growth, decarbonization targets
Allison Good, 7/7/21

“On July 1, DT Midstream Inc. completed its spinoff from multi-utility DTE Energy Co. and created a new pure-play natural gas midstream company with a portfolio that includes 900 miles of regulated interstate gas pipelines, 290 miles of intrastate lateral pipelines, more than 1,000 miles of gathering lines and 94 Bcf of regulated gas storage capacity in Michigan,” S&P Global reports. “S&P Global Market Intelligence spoke with DT Midstream CEO David Slater about the firm’s plans for expansion and decarbonization. Slater said carbon capture and sequestration are primary focuses… “Our assets really connect the world-class Appalachia and Haynesville basins to high-quality markets like LNG export facilities on the Gulf Coast and a lot of the strong, durable markets in the northern part of the country. The company is spinning off from its utility parent as building new pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. becomes increasingly difficult. How does DT Midstream view its potential for growth? We built NEXUS Gas Transmission LLC [with Enbridge Inc.] three years ago. You can see what’s happening to some of the other projects trying to get built of that size and scale today, so I really see incremental additions and expansions on the existing asset base driving our growth versus large, one-off, billion-dollar-type investments. We are seeing growth across many of our gathering systems, like Blue Union, and in some of our northern transportation pipelines, as well as our Louisiana Energy Access Project pipeline that connects the Haynesville Basin to the Gulf Coast.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

Politico Morning Energy: EJ IN PLAY AT FERC
Matthew Choi, 7/8/21

“Environmental justice advocates see FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee’s upcoming exit as an opportunity to bolster their cause,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “EJ has made a growing imprint on the commission’s work under FERC Chair Rich Glick since he took the helm six months ago, and he plans to keep the issue at the forefront while making decisions on pipeline projects. President Joe Biden has narrowed his shortlist for the commissioner down to three candidates, Pro’s Eric Wolff and Gloria Gonzalez report: Willie Phillips, chair of the Washington, D.C. Public Service Commission; Maria Duaime Robinson, a two-term Massachusetts state legislator; and Tom Dalzell, a lawyer and long-time member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The new pick would give Democrats a majority on the 5-person commission, and EJ activists hope they’ll also bring more focus to low income communities and people of color, especially as the administration eyes shoring up energy infrastructure. “We need folks with new blood, new insights, who have experience addressing climate change, who are experts in the field of renewable energy, to be in a seat as a new commissioner of FERC,” said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Stop Trump Pipelines campaign.

Politico Morning Energy: ENVIROS PRESSURE BIDEN ON TREASURY PICK
Matthew Choi, 7/8/21

“Environmental groups Sierra Club, Oil Change International, Future Coalition and Friends of the Earth U.S. joined progressive organizations Revolving Door Project and others in a letter urging Biden to withdraw Neil MacBride as his nominee for Treasury Department general counsel,” Politico Morning Energy reports. “The groups raised concerns about MacBride’s past representation of Exxon Mobil and auto company officials that the groups said were involved in emissions cheating scandals. They called his work for Exxon “particularly worrisome,” saying MacBride represented the oil giant when it sued the Treasury Department over fines for sanctions violations against Russia for its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. “As the Treasury Department and other financial regulators move towards stronger climate change-related financial risk disclosure requirements, MacBride’s work on behalf of major polluters, including Exxon Mobil, contradicts the Biden Treasury Department’s values,” the letter said.

STATE UPDATES

Politico: California Restaurant Association To Appeal Ruling On Berkeley Gas Ban
7/7/21

“The California Restaurant Association will appeal a federal judge’s dismissal of its lawsuit challenging Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban of natural gas in new buildings, the group said Wednesday,” according to Politico. “‘Our fight to make sure restaurants have continued access to natural gas cooking will continue,’ Jot Condie, the association’s president and CEO, said in a statement. Recap: U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Tuesday dismissed the trade group’s complaint against Berkeley, finding that a federal law on energy efficiency does not preempt the city’s ordinance, as the plaintiffs had claimed. But Gonzalez Rogers did reject Berkeley’s argument that the restaurant association lacked legal standing to bring the case. ‘The judge’s decision confirms what we knew: we have standing in this case because of the obvious negative impact to restaurants that will result from the loss of cooking with natural gas stoves,’ Condie said. ‘The court’s decision helpfully narrows the issues, bringing into clear focus whether local governments can nullify state and federal law on energy policy.’”

Santa Fe New Mexican: New Mexico oil oversight agency, with restored authority, plugs orphaned wells, issues fines
By Scott Wyland, 7/7/21

“The agency that regulates the state’s oil and gas industry is issuing citations and plugging abandoned wells at a faster rate since regaining enforcement power in 2020,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “The Oil Conservation Division reported filing 23 complaints against operators — imposing $263,000 in penalties — while plugging 49 orphaned wells, the most in one year since at least 2016. The fines are the first the agency has meted out in more than a decade. The agency credits the increased oversight with state lawmakers restoring its authority to issue administrative penalties, a power the New Mexico Supreme Court in 2009 ruled the agency did not have under the Oil and Gas Act’s previous language… “The $263,000 in penalties collected in the past year suggest the maximum might be too low, Charlie de Saillan, staff attorney for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, told SFNM. He recalled in the 1990s how one company paid $250,000 for its infractions, and that was well below the maximum. It’s crucial that violators pay enough to hurt their bottom line so they don’t simply write it off as the cost of doing business, de Saillan said… “Most everyone involved agrees much more funding is required to tackle the full array of orphaned wells. New Mexico has an estimated 700 orphaned wells and thousands of low-producing or idle wells that could be abandoned in the near future, according to an independent study by the Center for Applied Research.”

Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico groups join call for U.S. Congress, Biden on to end oil and gas ‘subsidies’
Adrian Hedden, 7/7/21

“New Mexico environmental groups joined a national call to end federal oil and gas subsidies, arguing President Joe Biden promised to do so when running for office last year but the federal government since failed to act,” the Carlsbad Current-Argus reports. “A coalition led by the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund, and including New Mexico groups the Center for Civic Policy, Climate Advocates Voces Unidas (CAVU), New Energy Economy and New Mexico Climate Justice penned a letter to leaders in Congress calling for cuts to federal support of the fossil fuel industry and eliminating all tax subsidies. Biden did include a call to remove the subsidies in his Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal, proposing about $121 billion in cuts over the next decade, per the letter. “It is past time to remove the burden of dirty energy support from the public and instead turn the efforts of the government to supporting clean energy and the jobs it generates. Action taken now will help us protect our climate, promote a more equitable, clean energy economy for America, and strengthen international leadership.” Robert McEntyre at the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association said the contention that federal tax provisions are unique to the fossil fuel sector or that they amount to subsidies or a “give-away” was wrong. He said all industries benefit from such tax deductions and they help drive up local investments and jobs. “The oil and gas industry receives no special tax treatment from the federal government. This is a well-worn and provably false narrative peddled only by those who want to stall oil and natural gas development in favor of massive taxpayer payouts to other businesses,” McEntyre told the Argus. “These are not give-aways, and thousands of New Mexicans utilize similar mechanisms to deduct charitable giving as well as mortgage and student loan interest.”

EXTRACTION

Bloomberg: Net-zero emissions from oil sands to cost $60B, say Cenovus, Suncor CEOs
By ROBERT TUTTLE, 7/8/21

“It will cost about C$75 billion ($60 billion) to zero out greenhouse gases from oil sands operations by 2050, with a good deal of the costs borne by taxpayers and many loose ends yet to be tied up, according to two of the Canadian industry’s top CEOs,” Bloomberg reports. “To achieve the goal announced last month, about half of the emission cuts would need to come from capturing carbon at oil sands sites and sequestering it deep underground, which may require as much as two-thirds government capital like in Norway, Mark Little, chief executive office of Suncor Energy Inc., told Bloomberg. It’s still unclear how and when most of the projects will be implemented, or which agreements will be needed, but it’s clear the industry doesn’t want to do it alone. “We haven’t been able to find any jurisdiction in the world where carbon capture has been implemented, where the national government or the state governments are not very significant partners in that investment,” Alexander Pourbaix, CEO of Cenovus Energy Inc., said in the same interview “I don’t think any of us would ever be in a position to go at this on our own. It’s just too significant an undertaking.”

Reuters: Japex says considering sale of oil sands project in Canada
7/8/21

“Japanese state-backed oil producer Japan Petroleum Exploration Co (Japex) is considering various options for its Hangingston oil sands project in Canada including a sale, a company spokesperson said on Friday,” Reuters reports. “Japex is seeking a buyer for its 75% stake in the Hangingstone project, two people with direct knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters. “We are considering various measures including the sale of our stake and cutting production costs to improve profitability of the project, but nothing has been decided,” Yuki Goto, a spokesperson at Japex, told Reuters by phone.

OPINION

Michigan Advance: Column: How would you like someone to trespass on your property and pocket $2M each day?
By Ian Bund, 7/8/21

“Enbridge Energy, the operator of Line 5 pipeline, is willfully thumbing its nose at our governor, state officials, tribes and landowners as it ignores the rights of owners of properties Line 5 crosses,” Ian Bund writes in Michigan Advance. “Two examples: Straits of Mackinac and the reservation of the Bad River LaPointe Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. At the Straits of Mackinac, the bottom lands Line 5 traverses are owned by the state of Michigan. Enbridge operates Line 5 pursuant to a 1953 easement which specifies how Enbridge is to conduct itself. Enbridge is in gross violation of this easement. It had a free ride for 68 years and still refuses to comply. After years of violations out of great concern for the threat of such violations, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said enough and noticed Enbridge to cease and desist. The Bad River Reservation is on precious and sensitive land alongside the Bad River just west of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Line 5 crosses 13 miles of the Reservation pursuant to three easements that expired in the last seven years. Enbridge ignored the termination dates in these easements, disrespected the tribe’s rights and Line 5 has caused harmful erosion. The tribe sued Enbridge to cease and desist, remove Line 5 and restore damaged areas. So Enbridge is willfully trespassing in both places. Its answer is to be defiant, spread disinformation and subject the owners of the land — the citizens of Michigan for the Straits and the tribe for the Bad River — to shoulder the full risks of a dangerous pipeline. This same attitude led to one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history when in 2010 Enbridge’s Line 6B ruptured, spilled 1 million gallons and caused irreparable damage in the Kalamazoo area.”

Calgary Herald: Varcoe: Kenney and Trudeau find a sliver of common ground on pipelines — for now
Chris Varcoe, 7/9/21

“It’s no surprise that pipelines came up during the face-to-face meeting Wednesday between the prime minister and Alberta’s premier,” Chris Varcoe writes in the Calgary Herald. “The topic has been a staple of discussions between the provincial and federal governments for years. It’s also been a source of feuding, although that wasn’t the case this week. With construction on the federally owned Trans Mountain expansion project chugging ahead — it’s now more than 30 per cent complete — and the Line 5 dispute between Enbridge and the State of Michigan percolating, there’s some common cause between the Kenney and Trudeau governments. “I certainly have very significant differences with Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau on a range of policy issues that touch on energy and the environment,” Premier Jason Kenney told the Herald. “But I hope that, I believe, we see eye-to-eye in support of TMX and are hopeful about its completion in 2022.” So, does that mean both sides are singing from the same song sheet on energy infrastructure? Hardly. “I wouldn’t go that far. I think we broadly agree on the importance of getting TMX done, but, obviously, we have not forgotten this was a government that … effectively killed Energy East,” Kenney said.

GoErie.com: Op-Ed: Too many take energy — and the pipelines that deliver it — for granted
Charlie Melançon is a former U.S. Congressman from Louisiana and played an integral role in rebuilding Louisiana’s infrastructure following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 7/8/21

“Between the frigid temps on the East Coast and unusually large snowfall mixed with record-low temps in Texas this past winter, warmer weather is welcome,” Charlie Melancon writes for GoErie.com. “Through no fault of our own, many of us take the modern daily conveniences for granted as our lives get busier and distractions get louder… “Most people do not think about these issues as they are filling up their car with gas or cozying up on the couch with their family to watch the latest binge-worthy show on TV. As we have seen with the ransomware hack on the Colonial Pipeline, all it takes is one disruption to the energy network to stop the flow of these products we depend on each and every day… :Without pipelines, natural gas liquids would need to be delivered to the cracker plant via truck or rail. Less product would be moved and public infrastructure like roads and highways would take a beating, not to mention the added traffic this would cause. Pipelines serve as the arteries and veins of energy, getting materials to proper destinations quickly, reliably, and without intrusion. Robust pipeline infrastructure has also had effects on Southeastern Pennsylvania where industrial complexes like the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex have become economic engines for the region… “Pennsylvania energy development over the last decade and a half has revitalized the state’s economy and remains critical to getting communities through the coldest winter months. Energy isn’t guaranteed and let’s not take it for granted.”

Gizmodo: I Hate That Conoco Is So Good at Social Media
Molly Taft, 7/5/21

“There’s a video on YouTube I keep coming back to, even though I absolutely hate it,” Gizmodo reports. “It’s a 46-minute mix of songs titled “Lofi glug glug mix – beats to drive/study to.” The buzzy, mostly wordless electronic tracks are set to an animation of an anime girl driving a car with a cheerful Shiba Inu hanging its tongue out the window. It’s a lot like other lo-fi mix compilations on YouTube, except in this one, there’s a tiny red car with a Conoco logo on the anime girl’s dashboard. That’s not an accident: The video was produced not by a random YouTube DJ, but by the official account of Conoco, a giant chain of gas stations owned by Phillips 66. (The “glug glug” in the title apparently refers to the sound of gas being pumped into a car.) “No joke this actually isn’t too bad as late night cruising music,” the top comment reads. “Mad props to Conoco on this one as this is 🔥🔥🔥.” I really, really hate that I agree. Most oil and gas companies seem to struggle with how to present themselves on social media, isolating their brand presence to strictly photos of refineries on Instagram or making cringy statements about Pride on Twitter. Some have started dipping a toe into Instagram influencer marketing; an Earther investigation last month revealed that Shell has worked extensively with Instagram influencers, most recently on a campaign to promote a carbon offsets scheme for their gas. (Phillips 66 also worked with influencers on an Instagram campaign.) “…Reaching a younger, Very Online crowd, it seems, is Conoco’s whole goal here. Most of Conoco’s social content appears to have been produced by Carmichael Lynch, an ad agency based out of Minneapolis. (Carmichael Lynch also ran the Phillips 66 campaign where it tapped Instagram influencers.) “…This is why ad agencies are so dangerous: they can take a boring fossil fuel company and turn them into your hip best friend,” Jamie Henn, the director of Fossil Free Media, which runs a campaign called Clean Creatives dedicated to pressuring ad and PR agencies to quit working with fossil fuel companies, said over Twitter DM. “Who cares if ConocoPhillips is blocking climate legislation if they’re sharing dope playlists and funny animations, right? I’m sure the team at CarmichaelLynch had a good time working this account, but creativity has consequences. Shilling for Big Oil is an act of climate denial no matter how cool it looks.”