General
News
Shell
Wants Biden To Reverse Methane Emissions Rollback. According
to the Houston Chronicle, “Royal Dutch Shell will push for the reversal of President Donald Trump’s rollback of methane emissions rules and the introduction of carbon pricing when Joe Biden moves into the White House next year. ‘Some of the regulatory rollbacks
that we’ve seen under the current administration haven’t actually benefited our industry,’ Shell U.S. President Gretchen Watkins said Tuesday on a webcast hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The easing of direct regulation of methane emissions put the
energy industry in a ‘backwards-facing position,’ while the absence of carbon pricing makes it harder to incentivize new technologies like carbon capture, Watkins said. ‘Whoever is in the White House, we will work constructively with them and are actually
very much looking forward to building that relationship with the new administration that’s coming in in January,’ she added. The oil and gas industry, which has long been the target of environmental groups, faces increasing pressure from shareholders managing
trillions of dollars to address greenhouse-gas emissions such as methane. Shell joined BP Plc in September in calling for Texas regulators to end the routine flaring of natural gas, a by-product of the oil boom in the shale patch.” [Houston Chronicle,
11/11/20
(+)]
Fracking
Likely Triggered Earthquakes In California A Few Miles From The San Andreas Fault.
According
to EcoWatch, “The way companies drill for oil and gas and dispose of wastewater can trigger earthquakes, at times in unexpected places. In West Texas, earthquake rates are now 30 times higher than they were in 2013. Studies have also linked earthquakes to
oil field operations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Ohio. California was thought to be an exception, a place where oil field operations and tectonic faults apparently coexisted without much problem. Now, new research shows that the state’s natural earthquake
activity may be hiding industry-induced quakes. As a seismologist, I have been investigating induced earthquakes in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Our latest study, released on Nov. 10, shows how California oil field operations are putting stress on tectonic
faults in an area just a few miles from the San Andreas Fault. Industry-induced earthquakes have been an increasing concern in the central and eastern United States for more than a decade. Most of these earthquakes are too small to be felt, but not all of
them. In 2016, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake damaged buildings in Pawnee, Oklahoma, and led state and federal regulators to shut down 32 wastewater disposal wells near a newly discovered fault. Large earthquakes are rare far from tectonic plate boundaries, and
Oklahoma experiencing three magnitude 5 or greater earthquakes in one year, as happened in 2016, was unheard of. Oklahoma’s earthquake frequency fell with lower oil prices and regulators’ decision to require companies to decrease their well injection volume,
but there are still more earthquakes there today than in 2010.” [EcoWatch,
11/11/20
(=)]
Truckers
Organize Veterans Day Strike To Protest Biden's Anti-Fracking Policies. According
to The Blaze, “A group of truckers from around the nation called for a strike on Veterans Day in protest of former Vice President Joe Biden’s hostility to fracking. The protest movement, called StopTheTires2020, was organized on Facebook on Nov. 6 and has
grown rapidly since then, the Trucker reported. As of Wednesday, the group had more than 54,000 members. ‘Our message is simple and hopefully effective. We fully intend to exercise our rights, and will not have politicians making crippling decisions, that
will negatively affect our future and the future of our children,’ StopTheTires2020 organizer Jeremy Rewoldt wrote in a Facebook post. ‘We will not participate in the leftist, Biden/Harris Green New Deal. We do not support the banning of fracking. The United
States of America operates as a capitalistic economy and OIL is the fuel she survives on.’ The group called for a national trucker shutdown on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. This first strike is meant to call attention to the protest movement against Biden in anticipation
of a second, larger planned strike to occur on Thanksgiving Day. Both Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), have previously opposed fracking, with Biden going so far as to say it would be ‘eliminated’ if he became president and that ‘we’re
going to end fossil fuels.’ After withstanding heavy criticism for those comments toward the end of the election, Biden reversed his position and pledged that he would not ban fracking if he became president. Biden has made climate change a top issue in his
campaign, pledging to re-enter the United States into the Paris climate agreement on day one of his presidency, should he win the election.” [The Blaze,
11/11/20
(-)]
New
Technology Claims To Pinpoint Even Small Methane Leaks From Space. According
to the New York Times, “Methane, the powerful, invisible greenhouse gas, has been leaking from oil facilities since the first wells were drilled more than 150 years ago. Most of that time, it was very difficult for operators to measure any emissions accurately
— and they had little motivation to, since regulations are typically weak. Now, technology is catching up just as there is growing alarm about methane’s role driving global warming. A Canadian company, GHGSat, last month used satellites to detect what it has
called the smallest methane leak seen from space and has begun selling data to emitters interested in pinpointing leaks that previously were harder to spot. ‘The discovery and quantification of gas leaks from space is a game-changer in the interaction of atmospheric
sciences and climate change mitigation,’ said Thomas Roeckmann, professor of atmospheric physics and chemistry at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and coordinator of a project, called MEMO2, to measure methane leaks at ground level. ‘We will likely be
able to detect smaller and thus potentially many more leaks from space in the near future.’ Soon the company may have competition. Bluefield Technologies, based in New York City, plans a group of satellites for launch in 2023 that promises an even finer resolution.
And the Environmental Defense Fund hopes to launch MethaneSAT in the next couple of years, which is designed to pick up small perturbations in methane across large areas. Until a few years ago, measuring methane from small areas such as a fracking well required
ground-based sensors.” [New York Times, 11/11/20
(=)]
2023:
The Year Renewables Beat Natural Gas? According
to E&E News, “The COVID-19 crisis has slowed the growth of renewable energy worldwide, but solar and wind have nonetheless shown ‘resilience’ during the pandemic, according to a report this week from the International Energy Agency. Wind and solar photovoltaic
capacity are on track to surpass natural gas in 2023 and coal in 2024, said the report, which forecasts global renewable energy trends over the next five years. By 2025, renewables will supply one-third of the world’s electricity, more than any other energy
source. ‘In sharp contrast to all other fuels, renewables used for generating electricity will grow by almost 7% in 2020,’ IEA said. Next year, renewable capacity is expected to grow by nearly 10% worldwide, with much of that growth happening in China and
the U.S., the report said. Hydropower will remain the largest renewable electricity source in the world over the next five years, but solar and offshore wind in particular will see significant growth. Measures enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus
disrupted supply chains and delayed construction of renewable energy projects in the first half of 2020. But projects have started to get off the ground again, manufacturing has picked up, and logistical and supply chain challenges have been ‘mostly resolved’
since mid-May, IEA said. ‘The renewables industry has adapted quickly,’ the report said. Economics are primarily driving the growth in renewables, according to IEA. Major oil and gas companies are expected to increase investments in new renewable electricity
capacity by tenfold between 2020 and 2025, the agency said.” [E&E News, 11/12/20
(=)]
Biden's
Oil Plan: The Good, The Bad And The Illegal. According
to E&E News, “An overhaul of the federal oil and gas program didn’t make it into President-elect Joe Biden’s transition priorities listed on his website Sunday after he was declared the winner of the presidential race. But observers are still expecting Biden
and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to curtail oil and gas development on federal lands and waters, an area where the president can exert significant direct control, experts say. The campaign’s proposal includes a first-day promise to ban new permitting,
which approves specific drilling plans, and bar new leasing, which gives prospectors a 10-year property right to develop federal minerals. The president-elect’s platform has also pledged an end to hydraulic fracturing on public lands, a contentious development
technique that is ubiquitous in the U.S. oil patch and has long stoked criticism from environmentalists. ‘A real transition to a clean energy future can and must begin with a halt to new fracking — first on federal lands, and everywhere else soon after,’ Food
& Water Action Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement soon after the election was called for Biden. If Biden follows through on his campaign pledges, the beginning of 2021 could see a significant shift for the oil and gas industry in states
like Wyoming and New Mexico — where federal oil and gas development is prominent. It also could potentially refashion oil drilling on federal land and water for many years to come.” [E&E News,
11/12/20
(=)]
Pa.
Gas-Producing Counties Surged For Trump. According
to E&E News, “President Trump made substantial electoral gains in Pennsylvania counties that produce natural gas, but they were offset by his dismal showing across the Philadelphia suburbs, according to an E&E News analysis. Trump’s last-minute campaigning
to portray Joe Biden as a threat to Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry helped expand the president’s margins in gas-producing counties above his 2016 levels. But preliminary election results reveal the limits of Trump’s pro-fracking strategy in the decisive
state. Trump improved his showing in each of Pennsylvania’s 26 major gas-producing counties except Allegheny County, a Democratic stronghold that encompasses Pittsburgh, according to the analysis. Results in those counties show the potential vulnerability
of Democrats in gas-rich regions as they promote a climate agenda aimed at shifting the nation away from fossil fuel industries. About 50,000 mail ballots remain to be counted in Pennsylvania. In Washington County, Pennsylvania’s second-largest producer of
natural gas, Trump defeated Biden by nearly 26,700 votes out of 117,000 total ballots. That was an increase over 2016, when Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 25,000 votes. ‘It was a major issue because natural gas is a big part of our economy,’ said Dave Ball,
vice chair of the Washington County Republican Party. ‘When you say something that affects gas, fracking, the coal industry, you’re touching an awful lot of people around here.’ In Susquehanna County, the state’s largest gas producer, Trump won by 8,800 votes
out of 21,000. He had defeated Clinton by 7,800 votes in the county. Trump won Greene County, the third-largest gas producer, by 7,700 votes this year compared to his 6,400-vote margin over Clinton.” [E&E News,
11/12/20
(=)]
Methane
Emissions From Oil And Gas In Canada Could Be Double Current Estimates, Government Study Finds.
According
to Politico, “Methane emissions from oil and gas facilities may be nearly double what the federal government has been reporting, according to a new study published by government scientists. The article, published this week in the journal Environmental Science
& Technology, suggests much more methane is leaking from oil and gas equipment than previously understood. The report gives new ammunition to environmental groups that already claim Canada’s recent methane regulations are too weak to meet the government’s
own targets. ‘It is egregious that Environment and Climate Change Canada has moved forward with all of these policy developments … while completely ignoring the science that their own department is undertaking,’ said Dale Marshall, national climate program
manager with Environmental Defence. The study uses atmospheric methane measurements collected from 2010 to 2017 in Alberta and Saskatchewan to estimate actual emissions from the oil and gas industry. The two provinces account for 70 percent of Canada’s methane
emissions from the energy sector. The researchers found that overall methane emissions were 60 percent higher than what’s been listed in Canada’s national inventory report, a repository of nationwide greenhouse gas estimates. The bulk of those additional emissions
likely come from the oil and gas sector, the study finds, meaning the industry could be emitting nearly twice what the national inventory has reported. The inventory figures are based on estimates of emissions released by different types of equipment.” [Politico,
11/11/20
(=)]
San
Francisco Bans Natural Gas Use In New Buildings. According
to Bloomberg, “San Francisco will ban the use of natural gas in new buildings starting next year, becoming the latest city in California to clamp down on the heating and cooking fuel because of climate concerns. The measure will require all-electric construction
for buildings -- with exceptions for restaurants -- starting in June 2021, according to an ordinance passed late Tuesday by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. It’s the strictest natural gas prohibition passed by a big city so far in California, according
to the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group. California towns and cities remain at the forefront of a push to phase out the use of gas in homes and buildings as a means to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. At least 38 municipalities, including
San Francisco, have passed measures that will restrict gas hookups, according to the Sierra Club. The natural gas industry largely has opposed these efforts, saying that they will lead to higher energy bills and will eliminate customers’ energy choices. PG&E
Corp., which supplies natural gas and electricity to the city, supported the measure, a spokesman said. San Francisco earlier banned natural gas in new city-owned buildings. The fuel accounted for about 80% of building emissions in the city in 2017, according
to the ordinance. “Natural gas is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco and poses major health and safety risks,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a sponsor of the measure, said in a post on Twitter.” [Bloomberg,
11/11/20
(=)]
Texas
Regulators Take Steps To Reduce Flaring.
According to the Washington Examiner, “The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, announced yesterday new steps to reduce flaring. The action falls short of a total ban on flaring, and instead changed the application form
that producers fill out to get permission to burn off excess gas. Flaring is the deliberate burning of unwanted gas as a byproduct to oil, which usually happens when there is insufficient demand for the gas or a lack of pipelines preventing it from being delivered
to market. The practice releases millions of tons of carbon emissions. The commission’s changes reduce the amount of time a producer can obtain an exception to flare gas, provide incentives for operators to use technologies to reduce flaring, and require companies
to offer more specific information on why they want to flare.”
[Washington Examiner, 11/10/20
(=)]
Oil And Gas Group Embraces ESG Investing. According to the Washington Examiner, “A major
oil and gas trade group is embracing sustainable and socially conscious investing metrics to woo investors increasingly focused on issues like climate change. The Independent Petroleum Association of America, which represents thousands of small- and medium-sized
oil and gas producers, recently launched an ESG Center focused on environmental, social, and governance metrics that investors are increasingly applying when deciding where to put their money. The ESG Center is meant to be a resource hub for IPAA’s member
companies, so they can start to set up their own ESG programs and boost their standing with investors using those metrics. Climate activists, however, are skeptical of IPAA’s push on ESG. The oil and gas group’s fight against climate regulations, such as methane
limits, undermines its credibility, they say. More details in Abby’s story for this week’s Washington Examiner magazine.” [Washington Examiner,
11/10/20 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Senior Research Associate
Climate Action Campaign
202.448.2877 ext. 119