Preview Newsletter
PM ACC Clips Report - November 27, 2018
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‘Fox & Friends’ Discussed Script, Asked Pre-Interview Questions to Trump EPA Chief: Report
Nov 27, 2018 | The Hill
By John Bowden
Producers at "Fox & Friends" provided pre-interview questions to former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruittand provided his team with discussion topics in advance, according to emails obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request by an environmental group. -
Senate Schedules Dunn Hearing Amid Potential EPA Shifts
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Lisa Martine Jenkins
The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will hold a 29 November hearing and vote on the nomination of Alexandra Dapolito Dunn to the role of assistant administrator of the EPA. -
Teflon Replacement on Track to Test Definition of Hazardous Chemicals
Nov 27, 2018 | Treehugger
By Christine Lepisto
If a chemical does not bioaccumulate and is not highly toxic, do we need to worry about it building up in the environment? -
Chemours to Clean up GenX and Pay $12 Million Fine
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical & Engineering News
By Cheryl Hogue
To settle allegations that it tainted drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in southeast North Carolina with toxic fluoroethers, Chemours has agreed to pay the state $12 million. -
US EPA Broadens Scope of PFAS Detection Method
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
The US EPA has broadened the scope of a validated test method for detecting per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water to include four more compounds. -
Danish Study Finds High Levels of PFASs in Cosmetics
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Caterina Tani
The Danish EPA has found high levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in almost one third of 17 analysed cosmetics products. -
Sweden Sets New Exemption Fee for Chemicals Controls
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
The Swedish chemicals agency (Kemi) has said it will impose a new fee on all applications for exemptions from restrictions concerning industrial chemicals from 1 January. -
Canada Seeks Input to 'Renew Its Approach' to Chemicals Management
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Kelly Franklin
The Canadian government is looking to renew its approach to chemicals management, and it has begun a consultation for defining vulnerable populations as part of the process. -
Senate Panel Advances Trump’s Energy Nominee Despite Dem Objections
Nov 27, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
A Senate committee voted Tuesday to advance President Trump’s latest nominee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) despite objections from Democrats. -
BP Names New Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Platform
Nov 27, 2018 | Houston Chronicle
By Jordan Blum
BP took a cue from a Greek epic poem to name its new deepwater Gulf of Mexico platform "Argos" after Odysseus' loyal dog. -
4 Ways Warming Will Hit the Energy Sector
Nov 27, 2018 | E&E Climatewire
By Christa Marshall
The National Climate Assessment released over the Thanksgiving holiday issued stark warnings about the impact of climate change on energy infrastructure from pipelines to wind farms. -
(ACC Mentioned) Delaware Memorial Bridge: Gas Leak Prompted Fears of Car Fires, Chemical Exposure
Nov 27, 2018 | Delaware News Journal
By Maddy Lauria, Karl Baker and Josephine Peterson
It remains unclear what caused flammable toxic gas to seep into the air from Croda Inc.’s bio-ethanol plant north of New Castle Sunday night, but experts say the decision to close the Delaware Memorial Bridge was the safest bet. -
Nations’ Pledges to Cut Greenhouse-Gas Emissions Fall Short, U.N. Says
Nov 27, 2018 | Wall Street Journal
By Timothy Puko
Promises from nations around the world to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions fall far short of what is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change, according to a new United Nations report that urges more-ambitious commitments to curb global warming. -
White House Mulls New NEPA Climate Guidance
Nov 27, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Niina Heikkinen
The Council on Environmental Quality is taking a fresh look at how federal agencies should consider greenhouse gas emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act.
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‘Fox & Friends’ Discussed Script, Asked Pre-Interview Questions to Trump EPA Chief: Report
Nov 27, 2018 | The Hill
By John Bowden
Producers at "Fox & Friends" provided pre-interview questions to former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruittand provided his team with discussion topics in advance, according to emails obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request by an environmental group.
Emails obtained by the Sierra Club and shared with The Daily Beast show that producers at Fox News contacted Pruitt's team last year for an interview on the Fox morning show. They then show that, in a series of emails, Pruitt's team directly approved a script used by Fox hosts to introduce the administrator and discussed the topics that would be allowed in the interview.
Further emails show that Pruitt was given pre-interview questions, a standard practice in cable news for lesser-known guests that is rarely extended to public figures or elected officials.
“Would this be okay as the setup to his segment?” producer Dianna Aloi asks in one email containing a piece of script later used by host Brian Kilmeade to introduce Pruitt on the show.
Aloi also sent Pruitt's office a request for the “top three priorities ... for the EPA that Mr. Pruitt would like to discuss specifically,” according to the emails.
According to The Daily Beast, six of the eight questions Pruitt was asked during the interview directly related to pre-interview questions or topics discussed with Pruitt's team ahead of time, though the questions were not asked verbatim. Another question, about EPA gym memberships, was reportedly pitched previously by producers at the Fox Business Network as an interview topic the previous day.
A spokeswoman for Fox News told The Hill that what occurred between the show's producers and EPA staffers "is not standard practice whatsoever and the matter is being addressed internally with those involved."
Pruitt resigned in July of this year after battling several high-profile scandals related to his spending and management of EPA resources. President Trump replaced him with acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former energy lobbyist.
“It is extremely difficult for me to cease serving you in this role first because I count it a blessing to be serving you in any capacity, but also, because of the transformative work that is occurring,” Pruitt wrote Trump at the time, announcing his resignation.
“However, the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us,” he added.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/418403-fox-friends-discussed-interview-topics-asked-pre-interview-questions-to-trump
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Senate Schedules Dunn Hearing Amid Potential EPA Shifts
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Lisa Martine Jenkins
The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will hold a 29 November hearing and vote on the nomination of Alexandra Dapolito Dunn to the role of assistant administrator of the EPA.
Ms Dunn is being considered to lead the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the EPA confirmed in September. The entire Senate will subsequently vote on the nomination.Ms Dunn serves as an administrator for Regional Administrator for EPA Region 1 and previously represented state environmental agencies, taught environmental justice and worked as counsel to industry.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he plans to nominate Andrew Wheeler, acting EPA chief, to permanently lead the agency. If nominated, Mr Wheeler will go through a similar Senate confirmation process and vote.Mr Wheeler started his career at the EPA, where he worked on toxic substances policy. He has also worked as a coal industry lobbyist, which spurred controversy.
"Whether or not he’s confirmed by the Senate to be the next administrator, when [Mr] Wheeler’s time at EPA ends, more children will have been exposed to dangerous pollutants," the Environmental Working Group (EWG) said.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72341/senate-schedules-dunn-hearing-amid-potential-epa-shifts
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Teflon Replacement on Track to Test Definition of Hazardous Chemicals
Nov 27, 2018 | Treehugger
By Christine Lepisto
If a chemical does not bioaccumulate and is not highly toxic, do we need to worry about it building up in the environment?After PFOS and PFOA manufacture was discontinued due to fears about potential health effects, companies had to find substitutes that could provide the same technical benefits of perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs.
The "O" in PFOS and PFOA stands for "octyl," revealing the chemicals to have backbones of 8 carbon molecules. Like all perflourinated chemicals, the carbons along that backbone are mostly filled with fluorine atoms.
One main successor to the 8-carbon molecules is PFBS, or perfluorobutanesulfonic acid. PFBS has the same saturation of the carbon chain by fluorine atoms, but the smaller butane backbone, with only 4 carbon atoms, cycles through our bodies much faster (half of it is gone within a month, compared to over 5 years for PFOS). EPA recently released a draft toxicity assessment of PFBS which suggests that PFBS is 500 times less toxic than PFOA/PFOS.
We can keep our beloved stick-free, water- and stain-repellent properties without worrying about bioaccumulation and toxicity. Problem solved then?
Persistent and Mobile
"PBT," or persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic has long been the standard for evaluating chemicals that aren't immediately harmful but have the potential to build up to levels that can cause deleterious effects. More recently, "vPvB" was added to the classes of concern, representing chemicals that are very persistent and very bioaccumulating - such that chemicals can still build up in the bodies of humans or animals to above thresholds of harmful effects not quite fitting the definition as "toxic".
PFBS is not a PBT, nor a vPvB, because it does not bioaccumulate. But it is very persistent. A newly released report of research conducted at request of the Norwegian Environment Agency by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute states:
") left top no-repeat rgb(249, 247, 245); text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8) 2px 2px 0px; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"PFBS is a perfluoroalkylsulfonate, which are amongst the most stable and persistent organic molecules possible. No studies have observed degradation of PFBS (or other perfluoroalkylsulfonates) under environmental conditions, including atmospheric photolysis."
-- PFBS in the Environment, NGIFurthermore, PFBS is mobile, moving into groundwater. Because it never degrades, it does accumulate: in the water. Policy makers have started asking if accumulation in our groundwater and drinking water is not a risk tantamount to bioaccumulation. Instead of increasing exposure through the food chain, humans and animals face a growing exposure to the chemicals in our water.
PFBS a test case?
Now PFBS could serve as the first test case of a new class of hazards known as PMT or vPvM - chemicals which are persistant, mobile, and toxic or very persistent and very mobile. The German EPA has suggested that PMT and vPvM criteria could be used to identify "substances of very high concern" to the European Chemicals Agency. Once a chemical is identified as a "substances of very high concern," industry is required by existing laws to speed up finding substitutes and government agencies must consider restricting the use of the chemicals by law.
The use of PMT or vPvM criteria will depend on a phrase in the European Chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of CHemicals) which says that hazardous properties posing an "equivalent level of concern" to PBT and vPvB can also be listed as substances of very high concern.
In August of 2018, Norway notified the European Chemicals Agency of its intent to submit PFBS to the registry of substances which are candidates to be declared of very high concern. The submittal is expected before the 1st of March 2019. Just being named as a candidate will require some action by industry to take stock of its current usage of the chemical and communicate the potential concerns.
If Europe acts to add PMT and vPvM characteristics to the growing list of reasons to treat chemicals with care, it will surely spread to influence the decision of the US EPA and other global agencies tasked with protecting health and the environment. For now, PFBS is the test case to watch.
https://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/teflon-replacement-track-test-definition-hazardous-chemicals.html
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Chemours to Clean up GenX and Pay $12 Million Fine
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical & Engineering News
By Cheryl Hogue
To settle allegations that it tainted drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in southeast North Carolina with toxic fluoroethers, Chemours has agreed to pay the state $12 million.
The agreement stems from state enforcement actions against Chemours. Under a proposed consent order released Nov. 21, Chemours would pay an additional $1 million to cover the state’s costs for investigating the pollution. Chemours would have to install thermal oxidizing equipment to dramatically reduce air emissions of chemicals related to its GenX fluorosurfactant at its plant outside of Fayetteville.
In addition, the company would have to provide permanent replacement drinking water to homes and businesses with contaminated wells, continue to capture all of the facility’s process water for off-site disposal, and reduce the non-polymeric per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater near the plant that seep into the Cape Fear River. A North Carolina court must approve the order before it takes affect.
Fluoroethers contaminate the river downstream of the Fayetteville facility. The chemicals persist after drinking water treatment. They also pollute rain and private wells near the facility, including those not directly hydraulically connected with groundwater below the plant.
In November, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a draft safe daily dose for hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA)—the parent acid of GenX—and GenX of 80 ng/kg of body weight per day, combined. The EPA’s hazard numbers are based on studies in laboratory animals showing harmful effects in the liver, kidney, blood, and immune system as well as in fetuses.
Scientists have also identified several additional fluoroethers in the Cape Fear River. Under the consent order, Chemours would have to sponsor health and ecological studies on seven of them. The substances include a by-product of Nafion sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based ionic polymers, which are manufactured at the Fayetteville plant. Nafion is used for membranes to produce sodium hydroxide and chlorine and in fuel cells.
The consent order allows Chemours to deny any violation of law and say instead that it agrees to the consent order to avoid the expense and uncertainty of litigation.
The draft consent order “advances the science and regulation of PFAS compounds and gives North Carolina families much needed relief,” says Michael S. Regan, head of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
However, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which is downstream of the plant and supplies drinking water to the city of Wilmington, faults the draft agreement. The deal does not offer a solution for the utility’s customers, who continue to have GenX and other PFAS in their water despite filtration. In addition, the proposed order doesn’t require remediation of PFAS tainting sediments in the Cape Fear River, the utility says.
Chemours did not respond to a C&EN request for comment.
The Fayetteville plant, which makes and uses GenX, isn’t the only facility that Chemours is working to clean up. The company announced in Septemberthat it is investing about €75 million ($85 million) to control water and air releases of GenX and other fluorinated substances from its facility in Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/Chemours-clean-GenX-pay-12/96/web/2018/11
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US EPA Broadens Scope of PFAS Detection Method
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
The US EPA has broadened the scope of a validated test method for detecting per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water to include four more compounds.
EPA Method 537.1 can detect the 'GenX' chemical, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), as well as:11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11Cl-PF3OUdS);9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid (9Cl-PF3ONS); and4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA).
These compounds bring the total number it can detect to 18.
PFASs can repel water, grease and oil and are used in a wide range of products, such as food packaging, cookware and clothing.
The EPA will host a free webinar on 28 November at 2:00 pm EDT, to provide further information on the method and its efforts to develop and validate analytical methods more generally.
On 14 November, the agency published its draft reference doses for Gen X chemicals as part of a broader effort to address PFASs.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72344/us-epa-broadens-scope-of-pfas-detection-method
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Danish Study Finds High Levels of PFASs in Cosmetics
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Caterina Tani
The Danish EPA has found high levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in almost one third of 17 analysed cosmetics products.
PFASs are used in foundations, moisturisers, eye shadows, and shaving creams for their surfactant properties, which help creams to better penetrate the skin.
The EPA recently tested the products and said that, while one or more PFASs were identified in all the analysed products, the levels in six exceed those in forthcoming REACH restrictions.
For two products (both foundations) perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was found in concentrations above the REACH restriction limit of 25 parts per billion (ppb) – or 25 nanograms per gram (ng/g) – which will enter into force on 4 July 2020.
Meanwhile, in six products concentration limits exceeded that of a proposed REACH restriction for C9-C14 perfluoroalkyl acids or perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs).
Echa’s Risk Assessment (Rac) and Socio-economic Analysis (Seac) Committees agreed to a restriction proposal for PFCAs last September.
Germany and Sweden submitted the proposal in a bid to prevent industry from switching from using PFOA-based substances to longer-chain PFCAs.Study findings
The highest concentration of a single substance detected in the study was in a foundation at 3,340 ng/g perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), while the highest concentration of total PFASs was in a concealer (10,700 ng/g).
The EPA’s research was developed in three stages: a survey of PFASs in cosmetic products, a chemical analysis of these and analysis of total organic fluorine content in selected of the products.
It focused on the substances:perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA);perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA);perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA);perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA); andperfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA).
Agency head Magnus Løfstedt said the risk for consumers is not posed by "one of the measured concentrations in the products", but rather "if several cosmetics containing PFAS are used at the same time".
He recommended consumers use eco-labelled products.
Besides targeting cosmetics, over the last year Denmark has been raising awareness of the risks related to fluorinated substances in outdoor wear and cake packaging.
In related news, the Norwegian EPA has encouraged industry to prepare to use alternatives, when a restriction on the use of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) in wash-off cosmetic products comes into force in 2020.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72352/danish-study-finds-high-levels-of-pfass-in-cosmetics
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Sweden Sets New Exemption Fee for Chemicals Controls
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
The Swedish chemicals agency (Kemi) has said it will impose a new fee on all applications for exemptions from restrictions concerning industrial chemicals from 1 January.
A charge of SEK15,000 (€1,455) will be applied to such requests filed under a national chemicals legislation that bans the handling, import and export of certain substances, Kemi said.
Under this, it is possible to obtain an exemption – for example for methylene chloride and certain uses of mercury not covered by EU rules.
The new fee will now also apply to requests for derogations under the EU detergents Regulation, Kemi said.
Sweden currently has a SEK2,500 fee only on exemption applications for methylene chloride, one of the chlorinated solvents that has historically accounted for a vast majority of applications in the country. Trichloroethylene, another industrial solvent, came under the EU REACH umbrella in 2016, bringing the Swedish applications to an end.
The existing fee on methylene chloride has been the same for the past 20 years, Kemi said, and with all other exemption requests handled free of charge, the inspectorate has been left "underfunded".
The current fee structure is also not congruent with the principle of 'polluter pays' in environmental legislation, it added.
The agency has provisions to charge for a number of exemption cases from authorisations, but it "has chosen not to do this", Christophe Kellner from Kemi's chemicals inspectorate said.
Earlier this year, the European Commission revised the fees for REACH authorisation applications to encourage companies to apply together.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72354/sweden-sets-new-exemption-fee-for-chemicals-controls
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Canada Seeks Input to 'Renew Its Approach' to Chemicals Management
Nov 27, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Kelly Franklin
The Canadian government is looking to renew its approach to chemicals management, and it has begun a consultation for defining vulnerable populations as part of the process.
Work planned under the Canadian Chemicals Management Plan (CMP), introduced in 2006, is due to end in March 2021. The government is therefore "exploring options" to determine the shape of future activities.
"The government is committed to building on the success of the CMP and to continue addressing chemicals in Canada to protect the environment and the health of Canadians," Health Canada says on its website.
The work, it says, is being informed by the 2017 House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development’s (Envi) review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (Cepa). This called for dozens of overhauls to the government’s approach.Vulnerable populations
Canada plans to consult with a variety of stakeholders through surveys, discussions, social media and other forums.
As an initial step, the government launched a consultation to define vulnerable populations within this context. Better addressing these individuals was an area highlighted in the Envi recommendations, and agreed to in a June 2018 follow-up report.
Seeking input into a definition is "a first step towards the development of a policy focused on enhancing the protection of vulnerable populations through the assessment and management of risks associated with certain chemicals," it says.
The government has floated the following definition: "A group of individuals within the general Canadian population who, due to either greater susceptibility and/or greater exposure, may be at greater risk than the general population of experiencing adverse health effects from exposure to chemicals."
According to the consultation notice, this is "similar" to that in the US’s TSCA law.
The Canadian government already takes these entities into consideration for its chemicals management, it says, but there are "opportunities to strengthen our approach".
It says that a policy framework for vulnerable populations would include actions "across the chemicals management continuum", including research and monitoring, risk assessment and management, and public outreach.
Health Canada is accepting comments on the proposed definition until 21 January.
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and combined exposures to multiple chemicals will be the focus of future consultations.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72342/canada-seeks-input-to-renew-its-approach-to-chemicals-management
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Senate Panel Advances Trump’s Energy Nominee Despite Dem Objections
Nov 27, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Timothy Cama
A Senate committee voted Tuesday to advance President Trump’s latest nominee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) despite objections from Democrats.
The 13-10 vote in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee lines up Bernard McNamee, a senior Department of Energy official, for a vote on the Senate floor. The vote was along party lines, except for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who broke with his party to support McNamee.
Since Trump nominated him earlier this year, McNamee has faced fierce opposition from Democrats and environmentalists. They say that his history working for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Trump administration — including a key role in pushing a bailout for coal and nuclear plants that FERC itself rejected — goes against the expectation that FERC is impartial and fuel-neutral.
The objections to McNamee became stronger last week, when a video surfaced of McNamee speaking in February at a Texas Public Policy Foundation event. In the video, first reported by Utility Dive, McNamee said renewable energy “screws up the whole physics of the grid” and fossil fuels are “key to our way of life,” among other comments.
“I would have liked to take Mr. McNamee at his word when he assured me that he would be fair and objective and an impartial arbitrator and that he would decide these matters coming before him based on the law and the facts,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (Wash.), the committee’s top Democrat, said before the panel vote.
“But after the video has surfaced ... I find it hard to believe that he’s going to be the impartial reviewer of these issues,” she said.
“Mr. McNamee’s speech shows him to be neither fair nor judicious. His views expressed are out of the mainstream.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said he is “deeply disappointed that Mr. McNamee is the best we can do for the FERC at this juncture.”
“I find both the video and his background to suggest that he is going to have a very difficult time being fair, objective or anything close to impartial,” he continued.
Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said some of McNamee’s comments in the video were “unfortunate,” but she still stood by his nomination.
“Based on the conversations that I’ve had with Mr. McNamee, I think that he understands that FERC must be an independent agency, it must continue to function as such, and I’m going to take his commitment to maintain FERC’s autonomy and to take an independent role as commissioner at face value,” she said.
“I will expect that he be fuel neutral and not a champion for one resource over another.”
The panel moved by voice vote to advance two other Trump nominees: David Vela to be director of the National Park Service and Rita Baranwal to be the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) requested to be recorded “no” on both of those nominees. Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) put in a “no” vote for Baranwal, after challenging her at a hearing earlier this month to oppose the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project in Nevada.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/418426-senate-panel-advances-trumps-energy-nominee-over-dem-opposition
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BP Names New Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Platform
Nov 27, 2018 | Houston Chronicle
By Jordan Blum
BP took a cue from a Greek epic poem to name its new deepwater Gulf of Mexico platform "Argos" after Odysseus' loyal dog.
The massive platform is the centerpiece of BP's $9 billion Mad Dog Phase 2 project to be located 200 miles south of New Orleans. The platform itself is currently under construction in South Korea and is expected to come online in the Gulf in 2021.
The Argos platform will be installed about six miles from the original Mad Dog spar that started producing oil in 2005. The Argos platform is expected to extend the life of the massive Mad Dog field beyond 2050, according to BP.
"This project is key to delivering high-margin production from one of the largest fields in the Gulf of Mexico, and it will strengthen our position in the basin for years to come," said Starlee Sykes, BP's regional president for the Gulf of Mexico and Canada.
RELATED: BP targets Texas for American comeback
The news comes as BP is doubling down on its growth in the United States - both onshore and off. Less than a month ago, BP closed on the $10.5 billion acquisition of Texas shale assets from Australian mining company BHP Billiton to build its position in the Permian Basin in West Texas and the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas, and expand its presence in the Haynesville shale in East Texas.
As for the Gulf of Mexico, the Argos platform will be the first new BP facility in the Gulf since 2008 when the Thunder Horse project came online. It will be BP's fifth operated platform in the Gulf.
The Mad Dog Phase 2 project was originally estimated to cost about $20 billion but, during the last oil bust, BP worked to simplify and downsize the project to dramatically shrink the costs. BP owned a 60.5 percent stake in the project. BHP holds a 23.9 percent share and Chevron owns the remaining 15.6 percent.
The Argos platform will have the capacity to produce 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from up to 14 wells.
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/BP-names-new-deepwater-Gulf-of-Mexico-platform-13424892.php
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4 Ways Warming Will Hit the Energy Sector
Nov 27, 2018 | E&E Climatewire
By Christa Marshall
The National Climate Assessment released over the Thanksgiving holiday issued stark warnings about the impact of climate change on energy infrastructure from pipelines to wind farms.
The grid would face more blackouts. Aging power plants would experience more shutdowns. Low-carbon energy could be constrained by lower water levels and heat.
Some of these effects are known generally and are already occurring, but the report aims to provide more specific numbers on costs and estimate how many specific generators might be influenced. It further breaks down how the energy mix could be hit regionally.
Here are four ways scientists say warming temperatures pose a threat to the energy sector:
1. Electricity demand
In general, climate change is projected to increase demand for cooling while also lowering heating demand in many locations. The reduced heating demand, however, will not be enough to offset higher costs from greater air conditioner use and cooling equipment.
According to the report, residential and commercial electricity expenditures by 2040 are projected to increase by 6 to 18 percent under a higher greenhouse gas emissions scenario. Under the lowest-emissions scenario, electricity spending would still rise as much as 12 percent over the next two decades.
"Despite anticipated gains in end use and building and appliance efficiencies, higher temperatures are projected to drive up electricity costs not only by increasing demand but also by reducing the efficiency of power generation and delivery," the report states.
Overall, rising temperatures could require construction of up to 25 percent more power plant capacity by 2040 than would be necessary without a warming climate.
"To ensure grid reliability, enough generation and storage capacity must be available," according to the NCA.
By the end of the century, scientists estimate average annual energy spending because of increased electricity demand could reach $87 billion.
2. Flooded power plants
Perhaps the most visible impact of climate-driven flooding is hurricanes and powerful storms hitting power plants, electricity substations, pipelines and other infrastructure.
During 2017's Hurricane Harvey, for instance, more than 10,000 megawatts of electrical generating capacity managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas went down, often because of flooding affecting fuel supplies.
Rising sea levels driven by warming exacerbate the problem, particularly in areas like Hawaii and the Caribbean, which rely on imports of petroleum through ports and other coastal infrastructure.
The number of electricity generation facilities in the Southeast exposed to storm surge is estimated at 69 for Category 1 hurricanes and 291 facilities with Category 5 storms, according to the assessment. Nationally, expected sea-level rise of 3.3 feet could put an additional 25 gigawatts of operating or proposed power plant generation at risk.
In southeast Florida, the number of major substations exposed to flooding from a Category 3 storm could more than double by midcentury. Under a high-emissions scenario, 60 percent of the electricity substations in the Gulf of Mexico by 2050 could be threatened by a Category 1 hurricane.
It's not just about storms, though. River flooding fueled by more intense rainstorms is another challenge for barges and infrastructure transporting coal and other fuels.
"More frequent and intense extreme precipitation events are projected to increase the risk of floods for coastal and inland energy infrastructure, especially in the Northeast and Midwest," the assessment says.
3. Thirsty fuels
Most U.S. power plants currently rely on water to cool down. This is true regardless of fuel source, although some fuels require more water than others.
Reduced water levels and higher water temperatures are expected to strain the ability of power plants to operate. In the United States, the output of power plants cooled by river water could decline by between 7 and 13 percent by midcentury, the NCA says.
"A changing climate also threatens hydropower production, especially in western snow-dominated watersheds," the report states.
Earlier snowmelt, for example, shifts hydropower peak production earlier in the year. In California, a 2015 drought caused hydropower capacity to plunge about 60 percent.
Reduced water availability also could put a strain on other energy activities such as the refining of petroleum, natural gas and biofuels.
Some studies have argued that policymakers need to be thinking more about the water intensity of low-carbon technologies, such as carbon capture and sequestration (Climatewire, Oct. 29, 2013).
4. Other extremes
The report outlines generally how other extreme weather could strain energy supplies, including through extreme winter weather.
Extreme winds in some locations could damage wind and solar infrastructure, or reduce the generating capacity of renewables during extreme heat. Similarly, extreme heat or drought could reduce biofuel production.
Winds, ice storms and wildfires are expected to damage transmission lines and distribution towers. Extreme heat days would cause more blackouts.
In Alaska, oil and gas operations are threatened by melting permafrost in some locations, although longer ice-free seasons could help some developers.
"Higher temperatures and reduced soil moisture will likely make it more difficult to grow biofuel crops and impact the availability of wood and wood waste products for heating, fuel production and electricity generation," the report says.
The age of the U.S. infrastructure needs to be considered, too. Seventy percent of the grid's transmission lines and power transformers are more than a quarter-century old, increasing their vulnerability.
Some progress is being made to make the U.S. energy system more energy resilient, as energy companies and utilities are considering warming temperatures and sea-level rise more in modeling and planning.
Programs such as the Department of Energy's energy sector climate resilience work are helping utilities to conduct climate change vulnerability assessments, for example, according to the report.
Yet the NCA warns that the current pace and scale are "likely to be insufficient" because of key barriers.
"Among those impediments is a lack of reliable projections of climate change at a local level and the associated risks to energy assets, as well as a lack of a national, regional or local cost-effective risk reduction strategy," the report says.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/11/27/stories/1060107477
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(ACC Mentioned) Delaware Memorial Bridge: Gas Leak Prompted Fears of Car Fires, Chemical Exposure
Nov 27, 2018 | Delaware News Journal
By Maddy Lauria, Karl Baker and Josephine Peterson
It remains unclear what caused flammable toxic gas to seep into the air from Croda Inc.’s bio-ethanol plant north of New Castle Sunday night, but experts say the decision to close the Delaware Memorial Bridge was the safest bet.
The incident shut down traffic on the bridge for eight and a half hours, the end of the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend.
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin said there were two threats: There were people nearby who could have inhaled the carcinogenic gas, called ethylene oxide, and, it simply could have caught on fire and spread to the cars on the nearby interstate.
Background: 'Traffic nightmare' over as Delaware Memorial Bridge reopens, highly flammable gas leak contained
"The flammability of it was an issue with it being that close to the bridge and to (Interstate) 295,” he said. ‘It’s more flammable than combustible."
The structure of the bridge did not appear to be at risk, he said.
Holloway Terrace Fire Chief Mark Willis said a Hazmat crew responded to Croda Inc. in New Castle at about 4 p.m. on Sunday after employees first discovered the leak.
Crews used more than 30,000 feet of hoses to spray water into the air to dissipate the chemical gas, Deputy Chief Rob Snyder said.
The constant water kept the vapor low to the ground, as Croda crews transferred the remaining gas into a secure tank, he said.
DNREC officials at the scene had to close valves to secure the area, Garvin said.
The amount of gas that leaked will be determined after an investigation, he said.
Asked if the leak was caused by a ruptured line, broken valve or rusted tank, Garvin said, "we will be investigating to ensure we have a full understanding of where it came from."
Garvin said DNREC officials do periodically inspect the facility, though he would not say when the next visit was scheduled.
DNREC inspected the site Aug. 20, four days before it began producing ethylene oxide.
“I’m not sure I can give you a definitive that would say every 6 months, every year, every two years,” he said.
A spokesperson at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not answer questions about the incident by press time.
Ethylene oxide is used to manufacture other chemicals, to sterilize medical devices and as a fumigant, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
DNREC said it met all the criteria for the ethylene oxide permit.
For residents, the chemical operation was a disruptive neighbor.
On Sunday night in New Castle, residents living near the plant were urged to stay in their homes. Delaware's emergency management tried to contact residents in Collins Park, Buttonwood, Swanwyck and Castle Hills.
Robin Most described the scent of the gas as "sweet like honeysuckle." She was stuck on the New Jersey side of the bridge, near exit 1. She said she began having headaches and double vision in the eight and a half hours she was stuck in traffic.
Nearby resident Crystal Robertson had symptoms varying from headaches, to sore throats to burning nose and eyes. Robertson lives on Buttonwood Avenue, a mile and a half from the plant. Her three-week-old daughter's eyes continuously watered.
"It was beyond scary," Robertson said. "No one warned us we were in grave danger."
All north and south lanes of Delaware Memorial Bridge closed around 5 p.m. after Croda officials asked the Delaware River and Bay Authority to shut down the bridge, spokesman Jim Salmon told The News Journal.
The leak was finally, contained and the bridge reopened about eight and a half hours later, and as of Monday, no serious injuries had been reported.
Croda said in its press release following the leak that one employee sought medical treatment “as a precautionary measure” and “is currently under observation.”
The statement also said "there was no point at which there was an unsafe level" of ethylene oxide leaking from the site.
According to the American Chemistry Council, explosions from ethylene oxide vapor clouds, or from the chemical catching on fire, can have devastating - and far-reaching - impacts.
In northern Delaware, this is not the first time highly toxic ethylene oxide has found its way into the atmosphere. Croda previously was cited for releasing 98 pounds of the chemical in 2008, two years after the company acquired Uniqema and the Atlas Point facility.
In Delaware’s latest toxic release inventory from 2016, ethylene oxide ranked fourth for onsite releases of known carcinogens. All of that chemical release – 2,654 pounds – was released into the air by Croda, the report states.
Inhaling ethylene oxide gas for short periods of time can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor sanctioned Croda for another chemical leak at its New Castle plant. In that incident, an employee suffered burns from “molten” acid called, 12-hydroxystearic.
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2018/11/26/chemical-leak-near-bridge-prompted-fears-burning-cars-people-inhaling-toxic-gas/2112985002/
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Nations’ Pledges to Cut Greenhouse-Gas Emissions Fall Short, U.N. Says
Nov 27, 2018 | Wall Street Journal
By Timothy Puko
Promises from nations around the world to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions fall far short of what is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change, according to a new United Nations report that urges more-ambitious commitments to curb global warming.
The U.N. assessment, a progress report on climate-change mitigation, suggests current commitments put global temperatures on pace to rise 3 degrees Celsius by 2100. That is nearly double what many scientists say is the most the world can handle without destruction of entire ecosystems and a rise in sea levels that would flood many major cities and some entire countries.
For the report, the U.N. assembled a team of scientists to review the latest research on global-emissions trends and the effects of climate change. The team then compared that research with the national targets currently set by countries to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, which most scientists say cause climate change.
The report echoes findings of the U.S. government’s National Climate Assessment, released Friday, which said that global warming is primarily caused by humans and that continuing efforts to counteract the effects of rising temperatures aren’t enough, with potentially devastating economic consequences.
President Trump said Monday he doesn’t believe the predictions from the career scientists and academics contracted to work for his administration that global climate change could lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in annual economic losses.
Philip Drost, program officer at the U.N.’s environmental arm, criticized the countries that have been reluctant to move away from burning fuels like oil and coal, which add carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. He said that is the biggest obstacle to the world’s ability to meet its commitments to slow global warming.
“The missing link here is leadership,” Mr. Drost said in an interview. “It’s a matter of countries not yet wanting to take those bold steps. It is of course an incredibly difficult task to move from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a carbon-free economy.”
The U.N. is beginning a year of negotiations tied to 2015’s Paris climate accord. Next week, diplomats head to Poland to finalize rules coming out of the agreement, and U.N. leaders will spend 2019 working through a process under the agreement that encourages countries to periodically update and potentially boost their commitments to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
While some parts of the Trump administration are still active in that process, Mr. Trump has positioned himself in opposition to it. He announced last year his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement, a stance he can officially request as early as next November and potentially execute a year after.
The U.S. has become a world leader in reducing emissions in recent years as booming natural-gas production helped the U.S. move away from burning more carbon-rich coal for power. Mr. Trump says China and other countries should do more to reduce their emissions.
China has promised to do that, but only after allowing its emissions to keep rising for several more years. Like those of many developing countries that signed on to the Paris accord, China’s commitments to cut emissions kick in years from now.
In the meantime, U.S. emissions have started to inch higher again along with larger rises across the rest of the world, climbing as the global economy has grown, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the International Energy Agency.
Global emissions show no signs of peaking at all, the U.N. says in the report. A peak before 2020 is crucial to meeting the targets of the Paris accord, but at this point it isn’t likely even before 2030, the report says.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/nations-promises-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-insufficient-u-n-says-1543330801?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1
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White House Mulls New NEPA Climate Guidance
Nov 27, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Niina Heikkinen
The Council on Environmental Quality is taking a fresh look at how federal agencies should consider greenhouse gas emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The review comes after the Trump administration rescinded Obama-era guidance on how to account for greenhouse gases under the 1970 law.
A CEQ spokesman confirmed the administration was considering greenhouse gas accounting under NEPA but remained vague on whether the administration was taking any specific actions.
"It's an issue CEQ has been looking at since the prior guidance was withdrawn for further consideration. Should CEQ propose guidance, we would submit it to [the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs] for interagency review," the spokesman said.
Environmental groups are bracing for something they will likely not like. "We don't know what's in the guidance, but we don't expect good things," said Raul Garcia, senior legislative counsel at Earthjustice.
Any new guidance would add to changes already in the works for NEPA. In June, CEQ published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at making the permit review process more efficient. The comment period closed at the end of August.
NEPA requires projects built or funded by the federal government, like highways, bridges or pipelines, to analyze how they will affect the environment around them. Members of the public also have the opportunity to offer input.
The Obama administration had released specific guidance to federal agencies in 2016 on how to consider greenhouse gases. This included details for weighing far up- and downstream emissions.
President Trump rescinded that guidance soon after taking office in 2017. While such documents aren't binding the way rulemaking is, they do help provide consistency across the federal government.
The Obama-era guidance "clarified a lot of case law that climate change must be considered under NEPA and set up a structure for how to go about it. The fact that it was rescinded without a second thought, it points to an assumption that what the administration is doing is reactionary to what Trump's base wants," said Garcia.
A spokesman for Protect NEPA, a coalition of environmental and public advocacy groups, noted that repeal of the guidance has gone against the direction of the courts, which have ruled in favor of greater analysis of climate impact.
"I would certainly argue recent court rulings, the trend is not that we should be analyzing less," said Justin McCarthy, communications director for the NEPA Campaign.
One recent example was the district court stay of construction of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline.
Earlier this month, a U.S. District Court for the District of Montana judge ruled that the State Department had to reassess the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from the pipeline (Energywire, Nov. 9).
Garcia noted that the administration's actions on permitting so far had ended up making the process more confusing.
"Judging by the administration's history on the issue of NEPA, I don't expect a lot of clarity," he said.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/11/27/stories/1060107481
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