September 2020 More than 100 years of drilling have left 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States, and more than 2 million of them are “unplugged” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Far from mere eyesores or local environmental hazards, these abandoned wells gush millions of metric tons of methane – 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over …
The Four Ds of Oil’s Just Transition
https://stanleycenter.org/publications/oil-just-transition/ If governments have a shot at limiting global warming to the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, managing a global economic transition away from oil will be imperative. Such a shift will require cooperation among the financial and energy sectors, regulatory authorities, and energy industry workers. The economic stakes are high not only for oil asset owners but also …
Xcel Energy, oil industry skeptical of electrification proposal
THE BUSINESS JOURNALS Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest power provider, told state regulators it’s not ready to electrify large numbers of big gas-fueled stationary engines that pressurize natural gas distribution pipelines and oil and gas wells in the state — at least not on the timeline proposed to Colorado air quality regulators by the National Parks Conservation Association. The engines in …
As natural gas bans go national, can cities fill the gap? Regulators need to examine how to wind down utilities’ gas businesses
Fossil fuels burned in residential and commercial buildings contributed to 28,200 premature deaths in the U.S. in 2018, according to a February study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that was published in the journal Nature (E&E News PM, Feb. 12) David Iaconangelo, E&E News reporterPublished: Monday, August 3, 2020 Building electrification strategies are gaining strength nationally to improve efficiency and cut …
Gas companies fighting back against cities and states preparing for gas phase-out in new construction, sometimes with money from cities and customers, paid into gas trade associations
In a nationwide blitz, gas companies and their allies fight climate efforts that they consider an existential threat to their business. By Emily Holden in Washington, in The Guardian, 20 Aug 2020 When progressive Seattle decided last year to wipe out its climate pollution within the decade, the city council vote in favor was unsurprisingly unanimous, and the easiest first step …
Oil and gas groups block briefing for officials on health impacts of drilling: Commission agrees to postpone presentation ahead of key health and safety rulemaking
By Chase Woodruff -August 19, 2020 Colorado’s five new oil and gas commissioners were set to hear a presentation from state officials on the health impacts of drilling this week — but oil and gas interest groups objected, and the commission agreed to cancel the briefing. Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission chair Jeff Robbins noted the decision at the beginning of …
Methane mapping with satellite imaging spectrometers
Methane Mapping with Future Satellite Imaging Spectrometers, by Alana K. Ayasse et al. alanaayasse@ucsb.edu. Also Dar Robers, dar@geog.ucsb.edu, Philip Dennison, dennison@geog.utah.edu, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA: Andrew.K.Thorpe@jpl.nasa.gov (A.K.T.); robert.o.green@jpl.nasa.gov (R.O.G.); riley.m.duren@jpl.nasa.gov (R.M.D.); David.R.Thompson@jpl.nasa.gov (D.R.T.) and at the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, Univ of Utah, SLC markus.foote@utah.edu (M.F.); sjoshi@sci.utah.edu (S.J.) https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/24/3054/pdf In the coming …
A near-term to net zero alternative to the social cost of carbon for setting carbon prices
Nature Climate Change (2020), 17 August 2020 by Noah Kaufman, Alexander R. Barron, Wojciech Krawczyk, Peter Marsters & Haewon McJeon Cite this article Abstract: The social cost of carbon (SCC) is commonly described and used as the optimal CO2 price. However, the wide range of SCC estimates provides limited practical assistance to policymakers setting specific CO2 prices. Here we describe an alternate near-term to net zero (NT2NZ) approach, estimating …
Extreme weather just devastated 10m acres in the midwest. Expect more of this
Art Cullen, Storm Lake News and The Guardian Unless we contain carbon, our food supply will be under threat. By 2050, US corn yields could decline by 30% Mon 17 Aug 2020 I know a stiff wind. They call this place Storm Lake, after all. But until recently most Iowans had never heard of a “derecho”. They have now. Last …
As Earth faces climate catastrophe, US set to open nearly 200 power plants. What are Public Utility Commissions doing?
Elizabeth Weise USA TODAY https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/09/09/climate-change-threatens- Powerful hurricanes. Record-breaking heatwaves. Droughts that bring ruin to farmers. Raging forest fires. The mass die-off of the world’s coral reefs. Food scarcity. To avoid a climate change apocalypse, carbon dioxide emissions need to fall by as much as 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Instead, utilities and energy companies are …