Preview Newsletter
PM ACC Clips Report - December 3, 2018
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(ACC Mentioned) Plastics Industry Association Building Lasting Solution to Waste, Marine Litter Issues
Dec 3, 2018 | Plastics News
By Bill Carteaux
The Nov. 21 column by As You Sow and Walden Asset Management (("Plastics industry executive wrong on several points,") stated a number of misleading arguments, including the role the Plastics Industry Association is playing in plastic bag legislation. -
Dunn Committed to Bringing TSCA to 'Full Effect'
Dec 3, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Lisa Martine Jenkins
President Trump’s latest nominee to head the EPA’s chemical management office has said that, if confirmed in the job, she will be committed to implementing the updated TSCA. -
Amazon.Com Bans Deadly Paint Strippers, Signaling Growing Trend in Retail Sector
Dec 3, 2018 | Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
By Jamie Nolan
Amazon.com posted a new policy prohibiting the sale of the toxic chemicals methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in all paint stripper products it sells, effective March 2019. -
Toxic Flame Retardants Are in Children's Car Seats
Dec 3, 2018 | Science Daily
In a new study, Indiana University scientists found toxic flame retardants in newly manufactured children's car seats, sparking concerns about children's health. -
EU Commission Adopts REACH Nano Changes
Dec 3, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
The European Commission has adopted revisions to REACH annexes to address substances in nanoforms. -
Officials: Plant Would Be A Plus
Dec 3, 2018 | Wheeling Intelligencer
By Jennifer Compston
After the public had a chance to weigh in on a proposal to build an ethane cracker plant in Belmont County last week, officials who have been working to make the project a reality still believe its potential economic benefits far outweigh its possible impact on the environment. -
Fuel for Thought: Carbon Capture Projects Gaining Traction
Dec 3, 2018 | Platts
By Nick Coleman
US upstream company Occidental Petroleum is committed to carbon capture and injection as a method of boosting oil recovery both in its Permian shale operations and outside the US, CEO Vicki Hollub said last week. -
New Permian-to-Gulf Coast Oil Pipelines Aim to Meet Growing Export Demand
Nov 30, 2018 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Leticia Gonzales
Midstream operators are trying to capitalize on the rapidly growing interest in deepwater port crude oil export capabilities along the Gulf Coast with two separate pipeline projects that could be capable of transporting more than 1.5 million bbl combined. -
Shell to Enact First of Its Kind Policy Linking Executive Pay to Carbon Emissions
Dec 3, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
Gas giant Royal Dutch Shell announced dramatic goals Monday to cut carbon emissions starting in 2020, including a pay incentive for top executives to meet them. -
UN Secretary General Urges World Leaders to Take Climate Threat Seriously: ‘We Are Still Not Doing Enough’
Dec 3, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Avery Anapol
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning to world leaders gathered in Poland for a conference on global warming, saying that they are not doing "enough" to combat climate change.
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Dec 3, 2018 | Plastics News
By Bill Carteaux
The Nov. 21 column by As You Sow and Walden Asset Management (("Plastics industry executive wrong on several points,") stated a number of misleading arguments, including the role the Plastics Industry Association is playing in plastic bag legislation. To restate, the American Progressive Bag Alliance, is a self-funded entity that operates separately with its own membership and dues. We certainly agree with APBA in opposing efforts to ban plastic bags for a number of reasons, one being that bans don't address the problem of litter.
Having said that, the Plastics Industry Association shares the broader goal of minimizing plastic waste through expansion and modernization of infrastructure and recycling solutions, an approach we believe is more effective than taxing or penalizing customers by taking away sustainable options. Unmentioned by Walden and As You Sow is that every alternative to plastic bags, including reusable cloth bags and paper bags, comes with a significant environmental impact. In fact, product bans almost never solve the much larger and complex problems they're trying to fix — and can have even more detrimental lifecycle impacts on the environment.
A number of major independent studies confirm that to be the case with plastic bag bans. A "Life Cycle Assessment of Grocery Bags in Common Use in the United States" study by Clemson University in 2014 found that "these regulations and policies may result in negative impacts on the environment rather than positive." And more recently, the American Chemistry Council published a study on plastics that came to a similar conclusion. ACC said its "findings challenge common misperceptions around plastics and underscore that plastic is a versatile, efficient material that is helping to solve some of our greatest environmental challenges."
Ultimately, the efforts of Walden and As You Sow to pressure our member companies fall far short of a pragmatic and viable solution to the problem of plastic ocean waste.
We do agree that plastics should never end up as litter, whether it's on the streets, our parks and public spaces, or the oceans. This is a solvable problem that will require commitment at every level — local, state, federal, international — to promote the proper disposal of plastic waste and invest in new and existing recycling solutions that can greatly reduce plastic waste and create new products for consumers.
That's why the Plastics Industry Association is working with local policymakers to enhance and expand access to recycling, while directly supporting research that aims to find new ways to effectively recycle all plastic products. We've also put together an infrastructure advocacy proposal, which works to expand plastics recycling and promote domestic recycling infrastructure legislation at the federal level.
In short, the Plastics Industry Association and its members are doing the work to build a lasting solution to the problem of plastic waste and marine litter.
Bill Carteaux is president and CEO of the Washington-based Plastics Industry Association.
https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20181203/OPINION02/181209992/plastics-industry-association-building-lasting-solution-to-waste
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Dunn Committed to Bringing TSCA to 'Full Effect'
Dec 3, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Lisa Martine Jenkins
President Trump’s latest nominee to head the EPA’s chemical management office has said that, if confirmed in the job, she will be committed to implementing the updated TSCA.
Alexandra Dunn told a Senate committee hearing into her appointment that she would follow the law, and bring "all provisions to full effect."
And, calling the EPA a science-driven agency, she said that she would ensure the agency used the "best available science to make our decisions".
Ms Dunn was addressing a 29 November meeting of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), after being put forward to be assistant administrator at the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).
The previous nominee, Michael Dourson, withdrew his nomination in December last year amid controversial claims around his relationship with the chemical industry.
The EPW is yet to vote on Ms Dunn’s appointment, but she seems to have won support from both sides of the aisle.
Committee chairman Senator John Barrasso (R–Wyoming) called Ms Dunn "a well qualified nominee [who] will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to this critically important position."
Meanwhile, one of the Senate’s fiercest environmentalists, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D–Rhode Island) emphasised his confidence that Ms Dunn will implement the Lautenberg Act "as it was intended".
Scott Faber, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), told Chemical Watch the confirmation decision is ultimately "as much a referendum on the Trump EPA’s implementation of TSCA as it is about her suitability for the role."Chemicals of note
A number of specific chemicals were mentioned in the hearing, but for the main part Ms Dunn said she did not have sufficient information or experience to answer for her plans immediately. However, she intends to keep the channels of communication with the EPW open, she said, reporting to them as soon as she has the information to do so on certain chemicals.
PFASs were an exception. In Ms Dunn’s current role as regional administrator for EPA Region 1, she has hosted a stakeholder forum on the substances. Each of the six New England states that make up this region have detected PFASs in their communities.
Asked by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R–West Virginia) if she would commit to reviewing all studies on PFASs, Ms Dunn said: "Yes. I plan to make all those studies available and use them in my work."
https://chemicalwatch.com/72488/dunn-committed-to-bringing-tsca-to-full-effect
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Amazon.Com Bans Deadly Paint Strippers, Signaling Growing Trend in Retail Sector
Dec 3, 2018 | Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
By Jamie Nolan
Amazon.com posted a new policy prohibiting the sale of the toxic chemicals methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in all paint stripper products it sells, effective March 2019. The company is the eleventh major retailer to ban these chemicals since May, joining Lowe’s, Sherwin-Williams, The Home Depot, Walmart, True Value, PPG Paints, AutoZone, Kelly-Moore Paints, Canadian Tire, and Home Hardware. Methylene chloride and NMP have been found to pose unacceptable health risks to the public, including cancer, harm to the nervous system and childhood development, and death.
“We applaud Amazon for prohibiting the sale of these harmful products,” said Mike Schade, Mind the Store campaign director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. “While Amazon, Lowe’s and other retailers have stepped up, the EPA has dragged its feet and consumers have suffered. The time for EPA inaction is over. How many more people have to die before the Trump EPA finalizes this long-delayed ban?”
Amazon’s new commitment follows the release of the new chemicals policy it launched in October. The policy restricts phthalates and dozens of other toxic chemicals in its private brand baby, household cleaning, personal care, and beauty products in the United States. The company and 39 other top retailers were recently evaluated in the third annual Who’s Minding the Store? retailer report card.
Since 2017, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ Mind the Store campaign has led a national campaign to persuade retailers to phase out the sale of dangerous paint strippers. The campaign recently worked with coalition partners at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Toxic-Free Future, and Environmental Health Strategy Center to encourage Amazon to stop selling these hazardous products. Advocates also sent letters to other top retailers, met with over a dozen companies, organized online petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of consumers, and held a national “week of action” in more than a dozen states. More recently the campaign launched a petition to Ace Hardware, which has been signed by nearly 150,000 people.
In 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a ban on paint removers that contain methylene chloride and NMP, citing the products’ unreasonable risks to human health. Deferring to the wishes of the chemical industry, the EPA shelved its proposed ban soon after Scott Pruitt was confirmed as EPA Administrator and the agency has taken no action in 19 months. In May 2018, two days after former Administrator Pruitt met with families who recently lost loved ones due to methylene chloride exposure, the EPA announced that it would finalize a methylene chloride rule “shortly.” However, the agency has revealed few details on its planned regulatory action and has taken no action on NMP. In October, a Latino worker group, environmental and public health advocates, and the mothers of two young men who recently died from methylene chloride exposure notified the Trump administration of their intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to finalize a ban on the use of this lethal chemical in paint strippers.
Timeline of retailer policy commitments on toxic paint strippers:May 2018: Lowe’s becomes the first major U.S. retailer to commit to ending sales of paint strippers containing methylene chloride and NMP globally by the end of 2018.June 2018: Sherwin-Williams, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of paint and paint supplies, announces it is phasing out the sale of methylene chloride paint strippers by the end of 2018 and that it will continue to keep NMP paint strippers off its shelves. A few days later, The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, announces it will ban the sale of toxic paint strippers in all of its stores by the end of 2018.August 2018: Walmart announces it will ban toxic paint strippers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and on walmart.com by February 2019.September 2018: Canadian Tire commits to ban paint strippers containing methylene chloride and NMP by the end of 2018.October 2018: AutoZone, PPG, and Kelly Moore Paints disclose they are banning toxic paint strippers.November 2018: Home Hardware and True Value announce they are banning the sale of toxic paint strippers. Amazon.com posts a new policyprohibiting the sale of methylene chloride and NMP in all paint stripper products it sells, effective March 2019.
Methylene chloride has been linked to more than 60 deaths nationwide since 1980 and is linked to lung and liver cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. Since EPA proposed its ban last year, at least four people in the U.S. have died while working with methylene chloride-based paint strippers. NMP, which is sometimes substituted for methylene chloride in paint removers, impacts fetal development and can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. According to the EPA, more than 60,000 U.S. workers and 2 million consumers are exposed to methylene chloride and NMP annually.
https://saferchemicals.org/newsroom/amazon-com-bans-deadly-paint-strippers-signaling-growing-trend-in-retail-sector/
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Toxic Flame Retardants Are in Children's Car Seats
Dec 3, 2018 | Science Daily
In a new study, Indiana University scientists found toxic flame retardants in newly manufactured children's car seats, sparking concerns about children's health. Of the 18 children's car seats tested, 15 contained new or traditional hazardous flame retardant chemicals.
"New replacement flame retardants, often marketed as safer alternatives, are lurking in children's products without rigorous safety testing and may pose risks for children's health," said Marta Venier, associate scientist at IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and principal investigator on the study. "The abundance of emerging flame retardant chemicals in children's car seats and the key role these products play as potential sources of chemical exposure is a cause for concern."
The research was conducted in conjunction with the Ecology Center, an independent nonprofit organization in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The car seats tested in this study were purchased by the Ecology Center and shipped to Indiana University for analyses. All of the car seats were newly manufactured between January 2017 and February 2018 and were made in China, Canada, or the United States. In total, the researchers tested 36 different fabric and foam samples from 18 car seats.
For the first time, two cyclic phosphonate esters (PMMMPs) were measured at high levels in North America, suggesting their use as a replacement flame retardant for compounds that are known to be harmful. PMMMPs were found in 34 of the 36 car seat sampled at levels much higher than those of traditional flame retardants. Little is known about their health effects. Two other emerging flame retardants (tris(2,4-di-t-butylphenyl) phosphate (TDTBPP) and resorcinol bis(diphenyl phosphate) (RDP)) were also measured in baby products for the first time.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were observed in 75 percent of the samples tested, despite being phased out of use in the United States in 2013 over health concerns. However, PBDEs were detected at such low levels that it is unlikely they were added intentionally. They may have been impurities or found in parts containing recycled materials. Conversely, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) was detected in four samples at high levels, suggesting that it was intentionally used. DBDPE is a brominated flame retardant known to cause oxidative stress, hormone disruption and thyroid problems.
Unlike other baby products, children's car seats are required to meet the flammability standards for car interiors outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, which was created in 1971 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Flame retardants are routinely used as a cost-effective way to meet this standard. However, flame retardants have been linked to a variety of negative health effects, including hormone disruption, impaired brain development, liver damage and cancer. Children are more susceptible to these effects than adults because of their smaller size and their tendency to put their hands and objects in their mouths.
Children can be exposed to flame retardants in car seats by breathing in chemicals that leach into the air out of fabrics and foam. This is especially problematic for children during the summer months, when heat increases the rate at which flame retardants enter the poorly ventilated, semi-closed car environment. Children can also be exposed to flame retardants by ingesting the dust which accumulates inside the vehicle, through skin contact or by chewing on their car seats.
"We found that car seat manufacturers are intentionally moving away from certain toxic chemicals compounds that they know to be harmful, which is good news," said Yan Wu, a postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University and the lead author of the study. "However, we know very little about the replacement chemicals they're using. Car seats are vital for protecting children during a vehicle crash, but more research is needed to ensure that those seats are chemically safe as well."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181203080322.htm
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EU Commission Adopts REACH Nano Changes
Dec 3, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
The European Commission has adopted revisions to REACH annexes to address substances in nanoforms.
The amendments clarify the information manufacturers or importers must provide in their registration dossiers if they are placing such substances on the market. The new rules will apply from 1 January 2020.
Since coming into force in 2007 REACH has applied to nanomaterials but without containing specific provisions for them. This is why, according to the Commission, companies often did not know how to register these ‘substances in nanoform’. Scientific evidence has shown that their toxicity as well as their effect on the environment often differs from the conventional form of the substance.
The new requirements will enable both companies and authorities to "systematically" assess the hazardous properties of nanomaterials, how they are used safely, and what risks they may pose to our health and the environment, Echa said in a recent press release. This information will help EU authorities to identify if further risk management measures are needed.
The agency said it "strongly encourages" registrants of the substances to familiarise themselves with the amendments and assess what action they need to take.
Echa is also currently deciding whether it needs to update existing, or issue new, guidance to help registrants comply with the new requirements, it said.Industry approval
Trade bodies broadly welcomed the revisions earlier this year, with Cefic saying in May that they help to create a more "predictable" regulatory environment for industry to innovate and use nanomaterials.
This will ensure the substances are treated in "a standardised way" and bring more clarity to companies on how to provide adequate information within the REACH framework, it added.
However, Cefic also reiterated its concerns that while annex revisions have been approved and are due to enter into force in 2020, the process for revising the Commission's Recommendation on the nanomaterial definition is still ongoing.
NGO the Center for International Environmental Law (Ciel) said, also in May, that the amendments were "far from perfect".
The challenge, Ciel’s David Azoulay added, is how they are implemented and how compliant registrants are. "Will they continue to use every possible excuse to limit the amount of information they provide to Echa as they have been doing for years, or will they finally accept to put the safety of their product under the scrutiny of the agency?"Information sharing
In June last year Echa launched its EU observatory for nanomaterials (EUON) – a public website aimed at increasing transparency of information. It opted for this rather than to create an EU nano register.
A recent report commissioned by the EUON said companies should share 'sensitive' data on how they produce and use nano-sized pigments to help build exposure scenarios for risk assessments.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72502/eu-commission-adopts-reach-nano-changes
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Officials: Plant Would Be A Plus
Dec 3, 2018 | Wheeling Intelligencer
By Jennifer Compston
After the public had a chance to weigh in on a proposal to build an ethane cracker plant in Belmont County last week, officials who have been working to make the project a reality still believe its potential economic benefits far outweigh its possible impact on the environment.
Mike Chadsey, director of public relations for the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, was present for a public hearing on the matter Tuesday. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency hosted that session at Shadyside High School to hear comments about a draft air pollution permit-to-install for the facility. OEPA representatives outlined the project, explaining how the plant would turn ethane into ethylene for plastics manufacturing and what emissions the plant might release, before taking questions and hearing testimony.
Speaking on behalf of the OOGA’s 2,000 member companies, Chadsey said he strongly supports the project and the “thousands of jobs and billions in economic investment and growth it will bring to the entire area.”
“Tonight we heard some comments from those who oppose the project of the F.U.D. factor variety, which is fear, uncertainty and doubt,” Chadsey said Tuesday. “While misleading comments earn headlines, they do nothing to advance the well-being of folks in this community. Plastics are not the evil they were made out to be this evening. Plastics enhance the human condition.”
Belmont County Commissioners J.P. Dutton and Mark Thomas expressed similar reactions following the hearing, as did county Port Authority Director Larry Merry.
Dutton testified Tuesday evening on behalf of the project, noting that he has heard broad support for the planned plant from the people who would be most affected by it — those who would work in or around the plant and those who would live nearby.
“I do trust in the process,” Dutton said regarding OEPA’s examination of the plans for the facility and the agency’s ability to determine whether the plant would meet state and federal standards for safety and emissions.
He added that he has referred many questions from the public to OEPA or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, because those agencies are well versed in state and federal laws that would govern construction and operation of the plant. He added he was pleased that the OEPA representatives on hand Tuesday were able to provide fact-based answer to the questions that were raised. Dutton noted that he has some personal experience working with regulatory agencies, stemming from his time working with the Department of Energy prior to taking office, and that experience makes him confident that their evaluation of the cracker plan will be thorough and complete, using the latest research and technology.
He said the companies proposing the development, PTT Global Chemical of Thailand and Daelim Industrial Co. of South Korea, have been “very thoughtful and deliberative” and that he has left his interaction with them feeling confident. He said nothing about his contacts with the companies has given him cause for pause or concern.
Dutton added that the projected emissions from the plant are well within acceptable standards. He noted that plans call for the facility to release less pollution than many of the more traditional industrial sites — such as steel mills and power plants — have in the past.
Meanwhile, Thomas said he was glad many perspectives about the project were heard Tuesday evening.
“I was happy to see the EPA’s public hearing well-attended by parties for and against the ethane cracker plant,” he said. “We have to always respect both sides of an issue, and that is the primary purpose of why Ohio law requires these permit public hearings.”
But Thomas said he remains confident the project would be a positive addition to the Ohio Valley, despite concerns that were aired during the hearing.
“With all due respect to those against the project, I still do not have or have seen fact-based arguments as to the full negative effects of this plant. Moreover, this Ohio Valley has had manufacturing in it for well over 100 years, and that manufacturing base has raised families, built and fueled this country and provided a decent economy all told.
“We can make an argument against any manufacturing plant, and that is why we have a strict set of laws and regulations that govern plants like this proposed one,” Thomas continued. “The Ohio EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, (Ohio Department of Transportation) and ODNR have been to the table since day one, and PTT has been very open and honest with its proposals and studies. I feel very strongly secure and trust the Ohio EPA in knowing how to handle this permit and all that goes with it.”
Thomas, who will leave office at the end of the year, stressed that he wants the best for Belmont County and the entire Ohio Valley.
“This is a ‘game-changer’ project for the county and the valley, and while I want it operating in a safe, lawful manner, I too want all of the job opportunities it will bring for our youth and our future,” he said.
Like the commissioners, Merry also expressed a lot of confidence in PTT and Daelim’s plans and in the ability of state and federal agencies to properly regulate the facility. He also said some of those who spoke in opposition Tuesday or protested against the plan may not realize the role products like those the plant would produce play in their daily lives.
“Anybody would be a fool not to be in favor of cleaner air and cleaner water,”Merry said. “But we all need the ability to live our lives and provide for our families.”
He pointed out that the signs the protesters posted and carried outside the high school were made of plastic, and that the vehicles they drove to the site are filled with plastic parts. Although he believes the protesters had good intentions, he interpreted their message, in part, as “do as we say, not as we do.”
Merry also noted that many who spoke against the project Tuesday do not live or work in the local region. Instead, they represented organizations such as the Sierra Club and acknowledged that they make a habit of appearing at OEPA hearings to oppose such projects. He said some of them were “just on their EPA tour.”
“No project would satisfy them,” he said.
While he added that it also was true that some representatives of organized labor who spoke in favor of the project came from cities outside the region, such as Columbus, those organizations do represent thousands of individuals who live and work in the Upper Ohio Valley. He believes those who would be most affected by the plant are those whose input should be most valued.
Merry does not live in Belmont County himself, but he said he does live near gas and oil sites and works closely with the industry on a regular basis. Merry lives on a dairy farm in Muskingum County, and he said there are older production wells on and around his property as well as three disposal wells within about 2.5 miles of his farm. He noted that his son works in the industry and wears a monitor every day to alert him if radiation is present at a work site. Merry said this is a common-sense precaution, much like all the rules and regulations that govern the industry.
According to Merry, the earth releases many of the same chemicals and compounds that would be emitted by the cracker plant if it were built. And there are many nearby sources of such pollutants that he said most people don’t consider, such as Interstate 70 that bisects Belmont County. He said the cars and trucks that travel that corridor release emissions around the clock.
Merry said he knows PTT and Daelim have been working hard to make sure their plans comply with all regulations and that he is “very comfortable” with this project.
“We’re going to have a very safe situation here … ,” he said. “Hopefully this cracker will make this valley a better place for the average ‘Joe or Susie Citizen’ to be able to provide for their family and to live a good life. It will pay for lots of baseball gloves and dance lessons.”
PTT spokesman Dan Williamson said despite the fact that some people spoke against the project Tuesday, the feedback he has heard about the companies’ plans has been “overwhelmingly positive.” He said that was reflected during the hearing in comments from labor organizers such as Ginny Favede of Project BEST and local government officials, including Dutton and Mead Township Trustee Ed Good.
“We heard a diverse chorus of people from both sides of the river who are very excited about the project,” Williamson said. “That is what we have consistently heard from the community since people started talking about the project.”
Williamson also complimented the OPEA officials who conducted the hearing.
“The EPA has been extremely professional in how they’ve been dealing with this … ,” Williamson said, terming the agency a “class act.”
“It was really nice to hear a robust discussion of the project,” he added. “PTTGC and Daelim appreciate everybody who came out. It was a long night, a cold night. The fact that some 140 people come out to talk about the project from a variety of perspectives was healthy.”
http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2018/12/officials-plant-would-be-a-plus/
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Fuel for Thought: Carbon Capture Projects Gaining Traction
Dec 3, 2018 | Platts
By Nick Coleman
US upstream company Occidental Petroleum is committed to carbon capture and injection as a method of boosting oil recovery both in its Permian shale operations and outside the US, CEO Vicki Hollub said last week.
She was one of a number of industry leaders who outlined carbon capture projects around the world, many geared to utilizing CO2 from heavy industry in Europe and the US, at the Accelerating CCUS conference in Edinburgh.
In the US, carbon capture got a boost this year from new tax credit legislation known as 45Q.
Hollub said Oxy, as the largest “handler” of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, was achieving recovery rates of as much as 70% at one of its conventional Permian reservoirs due to carbon injection, and aimed to extend CO2 injection to its Permian shale operations, following encouraging results from four pilot wells.
With Permian producers typically only recovering 6%-12% of “in-place” hydrocarbons, carbon injection is likely to become widespread in the shale industry, and there are growing prospects for bringing piped carbon dioxide from industries in the central US to the Permian, Hollub said.
“What we want to do is use enhanced recovery also in the shale play. We do know we can get incremental hydrocarbons out of the shale play with CO2 injection,” Hollub said. “We think CO2 is an opportunity. We have a strategy to capture CO2 from multiple industrial sites in the middle part of the US and to get that to the Permian by pipeline.”
Oxy is also looking at deploying CO2 reinjection at three production blocks it recently obtained in Oman, sourcing the CO2 from the electric power generation process needed for operations there, partly due to a recent investment in power company NET Power. It will also look at extracting CO2 directly from the air at the same project, she said.
She outlined similar possibilities in Colombia, at Oxy’s La Cira-Infantas joint venture, and at the Al Hosn ultra-sour gas processing plant in Abu Dhabi, where the CO2 could be re-injected into nearby reservoirs.
“We’re looking at a lot of things. Everywhere we look at there’s the potential to do this,” Hollub said.
European carbon capture drive
At the same event, the Norwegian energy ministry’s director general for climate, industry and technology, Bjorn Haugstad, said Norway’s carbon reinjection continued to expand, having started 23 years ago with injection at the Sleipner field, then the Snohvit gas field in the Barents Sea, and most recently Gudrun.
Partly because of the tax incentives involved, Sleipner had been closely monitored and no CO2 leakage detected, he said.
By late 2020, Norway aims to approve plans to bring CO2 by ship from one or two industrial facilities, cement manufacturer Norcem and waste processor Fortum, for reinjection into depleted North Sea fields, in which Shell and state-controlled Equinor are expected to play a role. The cement industry globally accounts for 2-3% of all CO2 emissions, according to Norcem.
The plans could include injecting CO2 shipped from other countries including Sweden, which has emissions associated with steel production, as well as Swedish refiner Preem, Haugstad said.
“Three Norwegian fields are doing CO2 injection on an absolutely routine basis and the experience so far is it’s completely safe,” he told S&P Global Platts.
Earlier, Claire Perry, UK energy and clean growth minister, reiterated UK efforts to develop carbon capture, utilization and storage projects based around industrial clusters, rather than solely on individual power stations.
She noted that a longtime planning scenario produced by Shell in which global temperature increases are kept to less than 2 degrees Celsius entails construction of 10,000 large-scale carbon capture and storage projects by 2070.
Currently, the world has around 20 large-scale CCUS facilities.
https://blogs.platts.com/2018/12/03/carbon-capture-injection-oil-permian/
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New Permian-to-Gulf Coast Oil Pipelines Aim to Meet Growing Export Demand
Nov 30, 2018 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Leticia Gonzales
Midstream operators are trying to capitalize on the rapidly growing interest in deepwater port crude oil export capabilities along the Gulf Coast with two separate pipeline projects that could be capable of transporting more than 1.5 million bbl combined.
Houston-based Jupiter Energy Group launched a 90-day open season on Friday for its 650-mile crude oil pipeline that would move supply from the Permian Basin of West Texas to Brownsville, which sits on the tip of the coast.
The privately held midstream operator, which provides logistics and offtake solutions for oil and gas plants, is seeking binding shipper commitments for up to 1 million barrels on the Jupiter Pipeline, a 36-inch diameter system that could be operational in late 2020.
“Construction of the Jupiter Pipeline is a key element in achieving our vision of providing our customers with the best hydrocarbon solutions from the wellhead to the world,” President Albert Johnson said.
Committed shippers on the Jupiter project would have the flexibility of selecting a term of five, seven or 10 years, with nondisclosure agreements due by Dec. 31.
As designed, the Jupiter Pipeline would have origination points in West Texas near Crane and Gardendale/Three Rivers and an offtake point in Brownsville. The sponsor claims the pipeline would be the only one moving oil from the Permian that could access the three deepwater ports in Texas (Houston, Corpus Christi and Brownsville) and would have direct access to a very large crude carrier (VLCC) loading facility offshore Brownsville.
In October, the Port of Corpus Christi and The Carlyle Group announced plans for the first onshore crude oil export terminal capable of servicing VLCCs as a means to “open the global markets for U.S. oil producers, pipelines, their supply chains and customers,” Port officials said. VLCCs can transport up to 2 million bbl per voyage.
The Corpus terminal would be sited on Harbor Island and could include at least two loading docks, as well as crude oil tank storage inland across Redfish Bay on land secured by Carlyle.
Separately, the backers of the proposed Swordfish crude oil pipeline on Thursday extended the open season for its multi-diameter batched system that would have the ability to transport up to 600,000 b/d from existing facilities in St. James and Raceland, LA, to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP).
Swordfish, with an expected in-service of the first half of 2020, would also provide shippers with access to storage services, vessel loading, as well as connectivity to other carriers at the Clovelly Hub.
Crimson Midstream LLC and MPLX LP extended the open season, which began Oct. 17, to Jan. 31, citing reports from LOOP that “customer reports concerning its deepwater port export capabilities have risen sharply.” In addition, LOOP has indicated that the number of vessels loaded can be scaled to meet increasing market demand, the midstream companies said.
https://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/116635-new-permian-to-gulf-coast-oil-pipelines-aim-to-meet-growing-export-demand
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Shell to Enact First of Its Kind Policy Linking Executive Pay to Carbon Emissions
Dec 3, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
Gas giant Royal Dutch Shell announced dramatic goals Monday to cut carbon emissions starting in 2020, including a pay incentive for top executives to meet them.
The company plans to set annual three to five year carbon reduction targets beginning in 2020 to reduce its carbon footprint. The program will run till 2050.
The decision comes after mounting pressure from Shell's investors to actively decrease carbon emissions. Fossil fuels are a leading contributor to greenhouse gases, which add to the effects of climate change.
Shareholders previously criticized Shell's plan last year to set goals to halve its emissions by 2050 that were not binding. Major investors include asset management company Robeco and the Church of England.ADVERTISEMENT
The new plan will link emissions targets to its executive renumeration policy.
Shell has already linked ten percent of its renumeration policy for executives to carbon-cutting goals, but the new policy will go further by looking at ways to cut the emissions coming from customers who burn Shell fuel and millions of drivers who use their gas.
No formal benchmarks were put forth by the company on Monday. It said investors will not vote on the proposal until 2020.
Shell's announcement comes as world leaders meet this week in Poland for the United Nations COP24 conference, that aims to create a rulebook for the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
The agreement, signed by former President Obama, directs countries to set emissions targets to drastically counter the effects of climate change. President Trump has since announced he will pull the U.S. out of the agreement in 2020.
BP and Total, two other fossil fuel giants, have previously announced short-term carbon cutting targets.
Shell signed a joint statement under Climate Action 100+, a group of over 320 investors, outlining their carbon targets.
“When it comes to meeting the demands of the Paris Agreement on climate change, we believe it is necessary to strengthen partnerships between investors and their investee companies to accelerate progress towards reaching such an ambitious common goal,” said Peter Ferket, Chief Investment Officer of Robeco, in the joint statement.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/419450-shell-to-enact-first-of-its-kind-policy-linking-executive-pay-to
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Dec 3, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Avery Anapol
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning to world leaders gathered in Poland for a conference on global warming, saying that they are not doing "enough" to combat climate change.
In his remarks opening the COP24 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, Guterres told attendees that climate change is “the most important issue we face” globally.
“Even as we witness devastating climate impacts causing havoc across the world, we are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption,” Guterres said, according to The Associated Press.
He also told those gathered that climate change is already "a matter of life and death" for many nations, according to the BBC.
Representatives from about 200 countries kicked off two weeks of climate change talks on Sunday.
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough also spoke at the opening of the conference, saying: "If we don't take action [on climate change], the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon."
The meetings mark the first gathering of signatories of the Paris Climate Accord since the U.N. released a report warning of impending climate-related devastation.
President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era Paris agreement early in his presidency, and was the sole leader at the G-20 conference in Argentina over the weekend not to affirm support for the pact.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/419403-un-secretary-general-urges-world-leaders-to-take-climate-threat
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