General
News
What Warren's Leasing Moratorium Would Mean For CO2.
According to E&E News, “Climate activists have long called for an end to leasing federal lands for fossil fuel development. Now, they can count a 2020 presidential candidate among
their number. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said yesterday that she would sign an executive order on her first day in the White House to end new leases for fossil fuel development on federal land. Doing so would result in significant carbon
reductions over time, analysts say. Nearly a quarter of U.S. emissions stem from energy production on federal land. In a 2018 paper, researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute estimated that putting a stop on new leases would reduce carbon emissions
by 280 million tons in 2030, or about 4% of total U.S. emissions. ‘Given the climate imperative, there is a lot of reasons not to be extracting fossil fuels from public lands,’ said Peter Erickson, a senior scientist at the institute and the paper’s author.
‘We don’t need those fossil fuels for our energy supply.’ But whether Warren’s plan is legal is up for debate. While federal law rests considerable discretion with the Interior secretary to make decisions over leasing, it also calls for quarterly lease auctions.”
[E&E News,
4/16/19 (=)]
Warren Has New Plan For Fossil Fuel Leasing On Public Lands.
According to the Washington Post, “Elizabeth Warren is vowing to prohibit new fossil fuel leasing on public lands if she’s elected president, one of several new energy proposals she
rolled out on Monday before a campaign swing in two Western states. Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, already has launched more than a half-dozen new proposals since entering the Democratic presidential primary , outpacing her many rivals in a calculated
bid to lead 2020’s ideas race. The latest addition to her policy agenda aims to reverse the significant climb in drilling on public lands under President Donald Trump while fleshing out her approach to climate change, a key issue for her party’s liberal base.
Besides an executive order barring new fossil fuel leases on public lands on shore and offshore, Warren said Monday that she would work toward boosting U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources offshore or on public lands. Her plan also includes free
entry to national parks, the reinstatement of Obama-era environmental policies Trump rolled back and the creation of a service program to help maintain public lands. ‘Any serious effort to address climate change must include public lands — fossil fuel extraction
in these areas is responsible for nearly a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,’ Warren wrote in a Monday blog post announcing her proposals.” [Washington Post,
4/15/19 (+)]
Lawmakers Shine Spotlight On What Immense Oil, Gas Boom Is Doing To Sacred Cultural Sites.
According to KOAT, “The oil and gas boom in New Mexico is bringing tons of money and commerce to our state, but some lawmakers are wondering what it’s doing to our sacred cultural
sites. Advertisement It was a busy day for New Mexico’s lawmakers, as they shined a spotlight on what the immense oil boom is doing to places such as, Chaco Canyon. U.S. Rep Deb Haaland traveled there Sunday to talk about ways to protect the area from harm.
Haaland is the vice chair of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources. She joined the committee chair, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, of Arizona, in the effort. They looked through a special infrared camera that reveals methane emissions near Chaco. Together,
they’re tackling what oil drilling may be doing to air quality. The events continued Monday in Santa Fe, where Haaland and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan joined Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to discuss how air pollution affects sacred sites.” [KOAT,
4/15/19 (=)]
U.S. Reps Seek Stricter Natural Gas Regulations.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, “Democratic members of a U.S. House committee – including two members of New Mexico’s delegation – expressed concern Monday that lax oil and
natural gas regulations are putting state residents at risk and depriving the state of revenue it should be getting. While taxes and royalties from fossil fuel production have long helped prop up New Mexico’s budget, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently ordered
Cabinet secretaries to come up with a plan to reduce methane emissions. She also signed legislation aimed at moving the state away from its oil and gas reliance – and toward solar, wind and other types of renewable energy. That effort drew praise from members
of the state’s congressional delegation. ‘I would love for us to explore other ways for folks to make a living,’ U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., said during a field hearing Monday at the Roundhouse. ‘We shouldn’t have to suffer every time the price of oil goes
down.’ A day after touring Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Haaland and other members of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources listened to testimony from state officials, tribal leaders and health policy
experts during the nearly four-hour hearing, the first held by the subcommittee since Democrats won control of the U.S. House in the November general election.” [Albuquerque Journal,
4/15/19 (=)]
Op-Ed: Curbing Methane Emissions Packs A Punch So Why Are We Waiting?
According to an op-ed by Jan Gorski in the Edmonton Journal, “A recent study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) shows that many methane-reduction opportunities in the
oil and gas sector are practical, available and cost-effective. In many cases, they are paid for by the value of natural gas saved, or even generate a profit. These results echo what the environmental community has consistently found in its research, underscoring
the position that reducing methane in Canada’s oil and gas sector is one of the most cost-effective climate measures, and one that’s available right now. With immediate solutions available at low — or even no — costs, there’s no reason not to act. As the main
component of natural gas, methane is a valuable resource. But it is also a potent greenhouse gas, almost a hundred times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe. To that end, as a critical component of Canada’s climate plan and meeting commitments
under the Paris agreement, the federal government has promised to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector by 40 to 45 per cent of 2012 levels by 2025. To support this target, federal methane regulations were finalized in 2018.” [Edmonton Journal,
4/16/19 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Research Associate
202.448.2877 ext. 119