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  • SOOT: Stronger Emissions Standards for Soot Pollution

    theenergyage

    Mayors Urge Biden Administration to Finalize the Strongest Possible Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles

    By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest | February 6, 2024 | Source

    On February 6, 2024, seventy-five mayors – including the mayors of Bethlehem, Conshohocken, Erie, Pittsburgh, and the boroughs of Hatboro and State College in Pennsylvania – sent a letter urging the Biden administration to finalize the US Environmental Protection Agency’s strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3 rule (HDV rule).

    Climate Mayors Letter (6-page PDF)

    climate-mayors-letter-to-biden-to-finalize-strongest-possible-epa-hdv-rule_feb-5Download

    The HDV rule would accelerate the transition from large internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to heavy-duty electric vehicles (EVs), reducing carbon pollution, improving air quality and increasing national security by ending oil’s monopoly on transportation.

    The transition to clean heavy-duty vehicles, like trucks and buses, is already well underway, largely due to the increased funding for electric transit and charging infrastructure included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 

    With support from these historic federal programs, school districts are investing in electric school buses, city and state fleets are transitioning to EVs and retail giants are deploying electric freight and delivery trucks nationwide. 

    The Biden administration has the crucial opportunity to maintain this exciting momentum by supporting the EPA’s strongest proposed HDV emissions standard. 

    The 75 mayors supporting the adoption of this rule see its potential to benefit the communities they are responsible for and our nation as a whole, and urge the Biden administration to follow suit.

    “The City of Erie and its port have a rich history of trade and logistics, which play a pivotal role in transporting goods across the Northeast,” said Erie Mayor Joseph V. Schember. “My office and the City of Erie support the EPA’s Proposed Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emissions Rule and believe electric trucking is the future of transportation. Our City of Erie neighborhoods are some of the most underserved and disproportionately affected communities in Erie County, Pennsylvania. That makes this project, which would help to reduce emissions and improve air quality, especially important for our community.”

    “It’s important to do all we can to ensure the next generation is able to call Pittsburgh home.”

    Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey

    “It’s important to do all we can to ensure the next generation is able to call Pittsburgh home,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. “That means safeguarding our environment through forward-thinking use of energy. We have already made great strides in electrification of City of Pittsburgh vehicles, with 88 electric vehicles already in our fleet and 78 electric vehicle chargers. The City of Pittsburgh continues to strive toward the future by supporting the EPA’s Proposed Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emissions Rule and the benefits of heavy-duty electric transportation.”

    Pennsylvania has received over $87.3 million in funding for 225 electric school buses as a part of the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, including 65 for the Pittsburgh School District. The Philadelphia, William Penn, Laurel Highlands, and New Castle Area School Districts also received significant funding.

    The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released $39.6 million across 16 grant awards for businesses, cities, boroughs, universities, and transit agencies to replace 99 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission substitutes and install over 60 DC fast charging and more than nine Level-2 charging station plugs.

    The mayors’ letter follows another letter sent to the White House by over 80 corporate leaders in November, advocating for the same strong standard to be adopted in order to promote economic development, protect American national security and solidify our country’s growing commitment to a clean transportation future.

    “Despite Pittsburgh making proactive and critical strides in electrification, it still sees some of the worst metro area air quality in the country.”

    Louis Mennel, founder of Pa-based Carbon Compost

    “Despite Pittsburgh making proactive and critical strides in electrification, it still sees some of the worst metro area air quality in the country,” said Louis Mennel, founder of Pennsylvania-based small business Carbon Compost. “We need a federal standard to transition away from vehicles that emit toxic gas emissions into our communities. Carbon Compost is committed to the sustainable and equitable disposal of food waste throughout Pittsburgh, but we must finalize this rule to ensure that whether it’s composted or not, our waste is transported and disposed of using electric trucks powered by domestically produced, reliable, and cost-efficient energy.”   

    “Pennsylvania is a critical trucking corridor for destinations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic,” said James Noden, CEO and founder of Bright Eyed Solar, located in Lancaster and Emmaus. “However, these heavy polluting trucks release fumes into communities across the state and expose trucking companies and truck owners to high operation and fuel costs. By setting a federal standard transitioning our heavy-duty trucks, we will see better quality air in communities across the Commonwealth and ensure America’s trucking industry is powered using domestically produced, stable, and reliable energy. Bright Eyed Solar is one Pennsylvania company offering power solutions to energize the electric trucks of tomorrow with clean solar power.” 

    “Heavy-duty trucks create a disproportionate amount of emissions, particularly in our most marginalized communities, so we must enact the strongest possible emissions standards,” said Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka. “In doing so, we can accelerate freight electrification and finally end oil’s monopoly on freight vehicles. As the world shifts to electric transportation, we cannot fall behind other countries – the time is now. We welcome Pennsylvania’s local leadership joining this effort to set strong standards, protect public health, and reduce our dependence on oil.”

    “As the world shifts to electric transportation, we cannot fall behind other countries – the time is now.”

    Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka

    “We have a historic opportunity to accelerate progress towards decarbonizing our transportation sector by supporting the strongest proposed emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles yet,” said Kate Wright, Climate Mayors’ Executive Director. “We thank the Biden administration for considering our request to help support the heavy-duty vehicle industry in meeting its zero-emissions commitment.”

    Click Here for full letter and recommendations.

    [Posted: February 6, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

    EPA Finalizes Stronger Standards for Harmful Soot Pollution

    Increases Health, Clean Air Protections for Families, Workers, Communities

    By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest | February 7, 2024 | Source

    On February 7, the US Environmental Protection Agency finalized a significantly stronger air quality standard that will better protect America’s families, workers, and communities from the dangerous and costly health effects of fine particle pollution, also known as soot. 

    “The Biden administration is taking life-saving action to protect people and rein in deadly pollution.”

    Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice

    By strengthening the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s updated standard will save lives — preventing up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, yielding up to $46 billion in net health benefits in 2032. 

    For every $1 spent from this action, there could be as much as $77 in human health benefits in 2032.

    This action is based on the best available science, as required by the Clean Air Act, and sets an air quality level that EPA will help states and Tribal Nations achieve over the coming years — including through complementary EPA standards to reduce pollution from power plants, vehicles, and industrial facilities, paired with historic investments under the federal Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

    These actions bolster the U.S. economy by deploying billions of dollars and creating good-paying jobs across the transition to cleaner technologies. 

    This strategy will make Americans healthier and more productive, while underpinning a manufacturing resurgence in America. Since 2000, PM2.5 concentrations in the outdoor air have decreased by 42% while the U.S. Gross Domestic Product increased by 52% during that time.

    Along with strengthening the primary annual PM2.5 standard, EPA is modifying the PM2.5 monitoring network design criteria to include a factor that accounts for proximity of populations at increased risk of PM2.5-related health effects to sources of air pollution. 

    This will advance environmental justice by ensuring localized data collection in overburdened areas to inform future NAAQS reviews.

    Click Here for the complete announcement.

    PA Reactions

    Matt Walker, Clean Air Council Advocacy Director, issued the following statement:

    “Today’s announcement from the EPA is a significant win for public health and will allow millions of Americans to breathe easier. 

    “By reducing the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) by 25 percent, EPA will be saving tens of thousands of lives per year, protecting children, the elderly, and people in overburdened communities from lasting health harms. 

    “This standard will also save billions of dollars from associated health care costs and lost work days. In Pennsylvania, we anticipate substantial air quality improvements in the seven counties that are not in attainment of the new standard.

    “However, since there is no safe level of PM2.5 exposure, we call on EPA to soon further reduce the annual standard. Reducing the standard to the World Health Organization’s suggested 5 µg/m³ limit would save an additional 40,000 lives and billions more dollars. 

    “EPA should also reduce the 24-hour standard, which would mean less severe daily spikes in soot exposure. The U.S. can lead the way in further improving our air quality, resulting in thriving, healthy communities.”

    The Evangelical Environmental Network applauds President Biden, Administrator Regan, and the dedicated EPA staff for prioritizing the health and lives of the American people, especially those most vulnerable, by making this much-needed and long-overdue update to cut soot pollution.

    In response, the Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, President & CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, released the following statement:

    “Every child deserves to reach their full God-given potential. However, before they even draw their own first breath, soot pollution can rob children of a bright future, saddling them with asthma, reduced IQ, and complications from pre-term birth. 

    “Therefore, it is no understatement to call today’s announcement truly life-changing. The strengthened soot standard will ensure more Americans can experience a more “abundant life” (John 10:10), saving thousands of lives, improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands more, and saving billions in avoided health costs.” 

    “As pro-life evangelicals, we have a special concern for the vulnerable and marginalized, including our children. We want children to be born healthy and unhindered by the ravages of pollution. 

    “The medical community has long known that unborn children are particularly vulnerable to environmental impacts. PM2.5 is among the most harmful health threats  to young and developing children. 

    “Currently, 1 in 9 pregnancies in the U.S. result in pre-term birth, and the rate is even higher for Black mothers and babies, with 1 in 5 pregnancies resulting in pre-term birth.  

    “The leading cause of pre-term birth is intrauterine inflammation, and the leading cause of this inflammation is PM2.5.[2] The effect of this pollution is approximately 16,000 pre-term births in the U.S., with 35% of these births resulting in death.[3]

    “These consequences are unacceptable. That is why EEN celebrates EPA’s leadership to ensure safe air for our communities and neighborhoods by lowering the annual soot standard. 

    “The job, however, is not done. We commit to continuing to work with our state and federal partners to see the full and effective implementation of the new standard without delay. We also cannot stop there. 

    “We need further protections for our children’s health, including lowering the current 24-hour standard from 35 to 25 μg/m3 and the annual standard to 8-5 μg/m3. 

    “For us, creation care is a biblical command and a matter of life, which is why we will work to defend our children’s health from the dangers of PM2.5.”

    In response to the proposal, Mom’s Clean Air Force Ohio River Valley Field Organizer Rachel Meyer released the following statement: 

    “Particle pollution is a killer. Here in Pennsylvania, researchers estimate that particle pollution cuts short over 25,000 lives per year—a staggering toll for Pennsylvania families and communities. 

    “Children’s bodies are uniquely vulnerable to the harms of soot pollution. We commend EPA for taking a significant step forward in strengthening the annual standard for particle pollution, also known as soot, to 9 micrograms per cubic meter from its current level at 12. 

    “EPA’s strengthened national health standard for particle pollution is the first improvement in over a decade. 

    “Soot is associated with increased infant mortality, hospital admissions for heart and lung diseases, cancer, and increased asthma severity. EPA’s finalized protection is a welcome step towards cleaner, healthier air for all children.

    “This is personal for me: I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania where there is an ethane cracker plant manufacturing plastic. This plant alone is permitted to emit up to 163.7 tons of particle pollution annually. 

    “Our region is ranked as the 14th worst for year-round particle pollution by the American Lung Association, and 20th worst for 24-hour particle pollution. 

    “I have asthma, and struggle to breathe when the air quality is poor. The ethane cracker plant has been operational for just over a year and has already had multiple flaring events during which thick black smoke billows from flames hundreds of feet high. 

    “Taken together, all of the EPA protections under Administrator Regan’s tenure are offering much-needed and significant progress. 

    “EPA’s recent methane rule will dramatically slash climate-heating methane pollution–and protect people from the harmful volatile organic compounds and toxics released along with methane.  

    “Stronger pollution protections for vehicles and power plants are anticipated in the coming months. So much is at stake for our children, our communities, and our collective future. 

    “Members of Moms Clean Air Force will continue to demand that every one of these critical EPA protections gets across the finish line. We have absolutely no time to lose.”

    PennEnvironment  released these comments on the new EPA soot regulation–

    “Clean air is a right, not a privilege—and today’s announcement by Biden’s EPA makes a critical step toward delivering cleaner air for millions of Americans,” said Zachary Barber, Clean Air Advocate with the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. “Taking soot pollution out of our air will save lives and help kids with asthma breathe more easily, especially in places like Pennsylvania that regularly suffer from elevated soot levels.”

    “This policy adds to the Biden administration’s extensive legacy of implementing strong science-based solutions to protect public health and shows that breathing clean and healthy air is a right and not a privilege,” added Barber. “We applaud President Biden and his team for championing this rule and securing cleaner air for millions of Pennsylvanians and Americans.”

    The rule is celebrated by Pennsylvania’s elected officials, including Pennsylvania State Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia), who shared: “Air pollution must be addressed. One form of it is soot pollution, which causes hospitalization and visits to the emergency room. We know it is also linked to asthma and cardiovascular disease. I support new regulations that protect us from air pollution here in the Commonwealth.”

    “Pennsylvanians deserve better, and the EPA’s new standard can facilitate that by bringing about cleaner air, which will save an estimated 4,500 lives and avoid 800,000 asthma attacks every year!” remarked Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia). “I strongly support the Biden administration’s efforts to lower this standard toward protecting the health and quality of life of Pennsylvania’s most impacted communities.”

    Hear from Pennsylvania Leaders:

    “As the new mayor of Chester – a city that faces numerous environmental justice issues and the negative health impacts of extreme air pollution – I am grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for increasing the National Air Quality standards,” said Chester Mayor Stefan Roots. “Residents of Chester will directly benefit from more stringent air quality standards, being able to breathe fresher air and live longer, healthier lives.”

    “I am glad that the EPA is working to make our air cleaner and protect our planet.  We are past the point of worrying about future impacts of air pollution. The impacts are here now, and will only get worse unless we take action,” said Bucks County Commissioner Robert Harvie.

    “As we work to correct the environmental damage done over generations, stronger regulations around pollution are key to saving lives and ensuring we don’t make things worse for the future. We only get one planet to call home, and I’m proud to support the EPA in its ongoing mission to protect it,” said Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia.

    “The EPA’s strengthening of particulate emissions standards will have positive economic impact in areas of healthcare, productivity, and tourism, in addition to reducing ongoing damage to the environment,” remarked Lower Providence Township Supervisor Gary Neights. “Extensive research indicates that these benefits far outweigh costs of pollution mitigation, which in fact creates new jobs and technology.”

    “There is nothing in this fragile world more dangerous than the existential threat that pollution poses. I applaud the Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts to bring meaningful change in soot levels!” said Oxford Borough Council President Kathryn Cloyd.

    “We should all be committed to passing on clean air to our children. Childhood asthma is at an all time high.  It seems the least we can do, in every town, borough and city, is commit to doing whatever we can to secure a clean air future for everyone,” said Lansdowne Borough Council Member Jayne Young.

    [Posted: February 7, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

    Corny idea

    Big Oil Ties Up with Big Corn Against EVs

    The American Petroleum Institute joined forces with the National Corn Growers Association and other industry groups to support a bill authored by Nebraska Republican Senator Deb Fischer, which proposes to mandate the sale of gasoline blended with higher portions of ethanol throughout the year.

    The so-called E15 blend is normally only sold during the colder months, while in summer, E10 is used. The number after the E stands for the percentage of ethanol blended into the gasoline. The reason E15 is not sold during the summer is that it increases vaporization and the risk of smog. The oil industry has been against higher blending mandates because more ethanol in the gasoline means less gasoline in the tank, and this is not in their interest. Now, Big Oil has essentially made a U-turn.

  • MICHAEL MANN: Wins Case for Climate Science

    theenergyage

    BIG WIN for Climate Science and Scientists!

    Michael Mann’s $1 Million Defamation Verdict Resonates in a Still-Contentious Climate Science World

    In winning a $1 million verdict against a pair of right-wing bloggers on Thursday, climate scientist Michael Mann scored a victory that is reverberating through a world of climate discourse that many say is no less disputatious than when the bloggers penned their attacks 12 years ago.

    “I think a lot of people don’t realize the extent to which other climate scientists are being targeted, and for valid personal and professional reasons, are not able to take on this level of publicity in defending themselves.”

    Lauren Kurtz, executive director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund

    Although the heyday of blogging is long past, and the consensus on global warming has grown stronger in the dozen years since Mann launched his case, climate scientists continue to face personal and professional attacks in the polarized battle over the future of fossil fuels.

    VIDEO: Climate scientist awarded more than $1 million in a lawsuit against conservative writers who defamed his work

    Mann had also sued the National Review and Competitive Enterprise Institute. A DC Superior Court judge ultimately dismissed Mann’s case against them in 2021 but allowed the case against Steyn and Simberg to continue. Mann intends to appeal that 2021 decision, which said the Competitive Enterprise Institute and National Review could not be held liable for defamation, according to multiple reports.

    “It’s really about the defense of science.”

    Michael Mann in a CNN interview

    Defamation is notoriously difficult to prove in the United States, because the First Amendment provides wide protections for speech. However, Mann’s is the latest in a recent string of defamation trial victories for plaintiffs or large settlements – most notably including E. Jean Carrol’s $83.3 million verdict against former President Donald Trump.

    US climate scientist’s defamation case over online attacks finally comes to trial

    The attacks on Mann came as part of a wider campaign against him by a network of climate skeptics connected to the fossil fuel billionaire Charles Koch, experts have said. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, which claims to fight “climate alarmism”, has financial ties to the Charles Koch Foundation, while the National Review regularly publishes articles dismissing climate concern science as alarmist and has also accepted Koch-linked funding.

    After the renowned scientist co-published the famous “hockey stick” graph in 1998, which showed unprecedented global warming in the last century, a slew of groups in the Koch network also bombarded Mann with freedom of information requests. A Republican congressman, who was backed by a Pac established by Koch, also served him with a subpoena.

    Climatologist Michael Mann wins defamation case: what it means for scientists

    Jury awards Mann more than US$1 million — raising hopes for scientists who are politically attacked because of their work.

    “It’s perfectly legitimate to criticize scientific findings, but this verdict is a strong signal that individual scientists shouldn’t be accused of serious misconduct without strong evidence.”

    Michael Gerrard, a legal scholar at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law in NYC

    A jury awarded Mann, who is based at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, more than US$1 million in a landmark case that legal observers see as a warning to those who attack scientists working in controversial fields, including climate science and public health.

    Embattled Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins $1 Million in Defamation Lawsuit

    Mann sued Simberg and Steyn after their articles were published. The case has had a long journey through the courts, landing before the Supreme Court in 2019.

    “I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech.”

    Michael Mann said in a statement

    The justices declined petitions from CEI and the National Review to stop Mann’s case from advancing the Washington court, claiming First Amendment protections. Justice Samuel Alito said he would have taken the case, writing at the time that “a question of this nature deserves a place on our docket.”

    “Climate Change Is ON TRIAL.”

    Ann McElhinney, the Irish filmmaker behind the documentary “Frack Nation”

    Climate scientist wins defamation case against conservative writers

    The University of Pennsylvania professor sued Rand Simberg, a former adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Mark Steyn, a contributor to National Review over their online posts from more than a decade ago about a key graph Mann helped author that illustrated rising global temperatures.

    The jury unanimously found both writers defamed Mann with “multiple false statements and awarded the scientist $1 in compensatory damages from each writer,” per the New York Times. It also determined that the writers’ statements were written with “maliciousness, spite, ill will, vengeance or deliberate intent to harm,” and added punitive damages of $1 million against Steyn and $1,000 against Simberg, according to the NYT.

    ‘OUR FRAGILE MOMENT‘ by Michael Mann
    How Lessons from the Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis

    US climate scientist Michael Mann wins $1m in defamation lawsuit

    Scientist wins award against conservative writers who said his work was ‘fraudulent’ and that he ‘molested and tortured’ data.

    “Today’s verdict vindicates Mike Mann’s good name and reputation. It also is a big victory for truth and scientists everywhere who dedicate their lives answering vital scientific questions impacting human health and the planet.”

    One of Mann’s lawyers on X

    The high-profile climate scientist Michael Mann has been awarded $1m by a jury in a defamation lawsuit against two conservative writers who compared his depictions of global heating to the work of a convicted child molester.

    Climate Scientist Michael Mann Says $1M Verdict ‘Sends a Clear Message’

    The case stems from attacks on work Mann and his colleagues published in the late 1990s that became known as the “hockey stick” graph. The graph shows that global temperatures over the past 1,000 years were largely flat—the “handle” of the stick—but rose sharply in the years since the Industrial Revolution and the rise of greenhouse gas emissions—the stick’s “blade.”

    “The hockey stick was such a compelling graph—it told a simple story, it conveyed the dramatic impact that human carbon emissions are having on our planet. That made it a threat to powerful special interests—indeed, the most powerful special interest on the planet, the fossil fuel industry. The stakes are too great for us to keep quiet.”

    Michael Mann in an email exchange

    In an email exchange with Newsweek, Mann, who is now a presidential distinguished professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he hoped that the legal victory will encourage climate scientists to communicate their findings more broadly with the public.

    “Yes, it’s been a long journey, but we’re delighted that it’s resulted in such a decisive victory. This was about something larger than me, or any one scientist. It’s about the bad faith, ideologically driven attacks on scientists today.”

    Michael Mann in an email exchange

    Climate Scientist Wins $1M in Defamation Suit Against Right-Wing Bloggers

    ‘Good day for science.’ A prominent climate scientist accused by two right-wing bloggers of manipulating his research data was awarded more than $1 million by a jury after they found the pair defamed him. Michael Mann, 58, became well known for his so-called “hockey stick” graph that in 1998 predicted the climate crisis. He filed his lawsuit against policy analyst Rand Simberg and author Mark Steyn in 2012.

    Climate Scientist Michael Mann Awarded $1 Million in Defamation Case

    The work brought Mann, then at Penn State University and now at the University of Pennsylvania, wide exposure. It was included in a report by a UN climate panel in 2001 and a version of it was featured in Al Gore’s Oscar-winning 2006 climate change documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

    The case stretches back 12 years. In a statement posted on Mann’s X account, one of his lawyers said: “Today’s verdict vindicates Mike Mann’s good name and reputation. It also is a big victory for truth and scientists everywhere who dedicate their lives answering vital scientific questions impacting human health and the planet.”

    Climate scientist Michael Mann wins defamation case against conservative writers

    Michael Mann, among the world’s most renowned climate scientists, won a defamation case in D.C. Superior Court against two conservative writers. Mann is partly responsible for one of the most consequential graphs in climate science, one that helped make the steep rise in global average temperatures from fossil fuel use understandable to a wide audience.

    “I don’t think there’s been anything like it. There’s never been a case like this. No one has ever taken the climate deniers to court like this.”

    Kert Davies, director of special investigations at the Center for Climate Integrity

    Mann did not respond to requests for comment. But in a statement posted to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech.”

    Mann’s trial comes at a time of increasing attacks on climate scientists, says Lauren Kurtz, executive director of the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, who notes that her fund helps more scientists each year than the year before.

  • 10 YEARS AGO TODAY: Chevron Appalachia Well Explosion & Fire

    theenergyage

    LANCO 6H & 7H Explosion & Fire

    Greene County near Bobtown, Pennsylvania

    Ten years ago today

    Around dawn on Tuesday morning February 11, 2014, there was an explosion and fire at Chevron Appalachia’s Lanco well pad in Dunkard Township, Greene County, located in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, near the border with West Virginia. (News video) 

    Evacuation

    A half-mile radius (2,640 feet or about 0.8 kilometers) safety perimeter was set-up around the burning well site.

    Onsite workers

    Eighteen workers escaped without injury, while one worker suffered minor injuries. Another worker, Ian McKee, 27, of Morgantown WV, an employee of Cameron International of Houston, Texas, died during the event. 

    Evacuation zone reduced

    The safety buffer was reduced to 300-feet (91 meters) several days after the explosion. 

    Two weeks later

    Wild Well Control gained control of the wells two weeks later, on February 25, 2014.

    After the explosion

    Two weeks after the explosion it was still not clear what caused this serious incident. Some theorized it may have been caused by ‘hot tapping’ while others pointed to an unpermitted gas pipeline installed on the pad which drew a Pennsylvania DEP violation in mid-December 2013.

    Wells drilled in 2012

    The three wells on the Lanco pad were drilled in early-2012. 

    Bobtown

    Evacuating the nearby town of Bobtown was considered but never acted upon. One resident’s daughter remarked the week of the explosion that the “air wasn’t right.” 

    Five days later

    Five days later, the flames had extinguished on their own, while large clouds of gaseous fumes were still billowing off the well pad into the surrounding countryside.

    Coal mine closed

    Reports indicate a nearby coal mine was closed following the well pad explosion.

    Images around Bobtown, Pa.

    Pennsylvania DEP Permitting

    Site ID: 747814
    Site Name: LANCO #6H, #7H, #8H ESCGP-EXPEDITED

    Pa. DEP Violation Report

    Violation ID: 685463
    Date: 12/9/2013

    Violation description: Failure to comply with terms and conditions of permit

    Violation Type: Environmental Health & Safety
    PA Code Legal Citation: 25 Pa. Code 78.12

    § 78.12. Compliance with permit. 
    A person may not drill, alter or operate an oil or gas well except in accordance with a permit or registration issued under the act and in compliance with the terms and conditions of the permit, this chapter and the statutes under which it was promulgated. A copy of the permit shall be kept at the well site during drilling or alteration of a well.

    Authorization ID: 1010068
    Site: LANCO 6-8H WELL SERVICE CONNECT ESCGP-2 EXPEDITED
    Authorization Type: Expedited E&S Stormwater General Permit 1
    Date Received: 1/15/2014
    Completeness Review:
       Completion Date: 2/5/2014
    Technical Review:
       Start Date: 2/5/2014
       Target Date: 2/26/2014

    INSPECTION COMMENT:

    On 12/9/2013, I performed an inspection of Chevron Lanco 6H-8H well pad site. The site is located in Dunkard Twp., Greene County. The inspection was performed as a routine inspection.

    The New Act 9 Site ID sign was in place and legible.

    Operator has submited a major modification to the ESCGP 1 permit, and I hard a copy of the modification submital on site.

    The well pad, and access road were in good condition and all E&S controls were completed and adequate. The constructed access road was outside the original LOD in two locations and the operator had constructed a production pipeline across the well pad and access road, without approval with a major modification to the permit.

    INSPECTION ID: 2230530

    INSPECTION CLIENT NAME: CHEVRON APPALACHIA LLC

    INSPECTION DATE: 12/09/2013

    INSPECTION TYPE: Routine/Complete Inspection

    UNCONVENTIONAL: No

    INSPECTION CATEGORY: Site

    REGION: EP DOGO SWDO Dstr Off

    INSPECTION RESULT DESCRIPTION: Violation(s) Noted

    VIOLATION ID: 685463

    VIOLATION DATE: 12/09/2013

    VIOLATION CODE & DESCRIPTION: 201E – Failure to comply with terms and conditions of permit

    VIOLATION TYPE: Environmental Health & Safety

    VIOLATION COMMENT: Viol. Type – was entered as 201 E, on inspection report I cited 102.5 (4).

    RELATED ENFORCEMENTS: 305935

    ENFORCEMENT ID: 305935

    ENFORCEMENT CODE & DESCRIPTION: NOV – Notice of Violation

    EXECUTED ENFORCEMENT DATE: 12/19/2013

    RELATED VIOLATIONS: 685463

    Chevron Well Fire – Greene County

    PA DEP – Radiological Sampling
    Feb. 13 – Feb. 14, 2014

    Chevron_Lanco-Radiological_PaDEP_Feb-2014Download

    Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Bureau of Air Quality

    Ambient Air Monitoring Investigation Report
    Chevron Appalachia Lanco 7H Well Pad Fire Monitoring
    February 12 – 20, 2014

    Chevron_Lanco-Fire_PaDEP-AQ_4-23-2014Download

    Summary of Bureau of Investigations

    Information Gathering Efforts
    Chevron Lanco Pad A Gas Well Fire

    Chevron_Lanco-Fire_DEP-Rpt_8-6-2014Download

    Free Pizza (..and maybe Crazy Bread?)

    February 16, 2014 – Five days after the gas well explosion, in an effort to appease local residents inconvenienced by the evacuation, Chevron Appalachia Community Outreach provided letters to neighbors with a Gift Certificate for a free large Pizza ‘Special Combo Only’ and 2-liter drink.

    Stepen Colbert ‘Tip of the Hat’
    Last night comedian Stephen Colbert gave a Tip of the Hat to the “good guys” at Chevron who offered Pennsylvania residents coupons for a free large pizza and soda after a gas well exploded. Saying “it’s the least they could do. Literally, I think it’s the least they could possibly do,” Colbert speculates what other apologies might be up Chevrons sleeve. “Free pizza! Of course, that’s for a gas well fire. If the chemicals in your drinking water cause neurological damage, you get crazy bread.”

    Chevron Apologizes for Gas Explosion with Free Pizza
    The owner of local pizzeria Bobtown Pizza says he sold 100 certificates to Chevron, which were distributed to homes located near the gas well. The certificates entitle residents to one “special combo” pizza and a two liter soda. Chevron confirmed to Raging Chicken Press that they did indeed send the letters.

    Chevron Pizza ‘Scandal’ Leaves Small Town Divided
    More than 12,000 people from the Netherlands to San Francisco have signed a petition demanding that Chevron apologize for insulting Bobtown, Pa., after the energy giant responded to an explosion of one of its natural gas wells by giving nearby residents coupons for free pizza. In this part of Pennsylvania, the relationship between companies and communities is complicated. Decades before natural gas drilling, coal was king. In the early 1900s, Bobtown became a thriving coal patch on the border of West Virginia. The company owned most of the land in town and built houses for the workers and their families. The biggest mine in town closed in 1993.

  • SAVINGS: Switch to Solar Predicts $2 Million in Savings

    theenergyage

    Centre County, Pennsylvania

    Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority to Switch to Solar Energy Saving an Estimated $2 Million Over Next 25 Years

    By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest | February 8, 2024 | Source

    On February 8, the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority announced it will soon make the switch to solar with the help of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Solar Center’s G.E.T. Solar Program, which provides free technical assistance and financial guidance to businesses and organizations looking to go solar. 

    After a competitive RFP process, CCRRA has hired local solar developer Envinity to complete the installation.

    The 791.5-kilowatt solar system will be installed over three separate CCRRA buildings and is estimated to produce about 939,881 kwh/year, which will offset more than 100% of the facility’s annual energy usage.  

    Envinity estimates the system will save the Authority nearly $2 million over the next 25 years.

    CCRRA states their solar system will benefit the public in four main ways:

    1. by freeing up capital to improve the services provided by the Authority,
    2. reducing energy demand,
    3. increasing energy supply, and
    4. providing education on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability through public tours and other programs.

    “The Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority looks forward to saving significant money and reducing our carbon footprint by transitioning to solar energy,” said Ted Onufrak, Executive Director of CCRRA. “We have been encountering the effects of inflation and other rising costs everywhere we turn, so needless to say, it will be a relief to find major savings on our electric bill with the help of solar.”

    “With the volatility in electricity costs that we’ve experienced over the past several years, and the federal Inflation Reduction Act offering cost-saving incentives to go solar, we are seeing many customers choose to make the switch.”

    Jason Grottini, Vice President of Envinity

    “With the volatility in electricity costs that we’ve experienced over the past several years, and the federal Inflation Reduction Act offering cost-saving incentives to go solar, we are seeing many customers choose to make the switch,” said Jason Grottini, Vice President of Envinity. “We congratulate CCRRA for having the vision and resolve to achieve this milestone and move the Authority into the clean energy economy.”

    “It is our hope that CCRRA will serve as an inspiration to other area businesses and organizations in flipping the switch to solar,” said Jon Bunyaratapan, Program Manager at the PA Solar Center. “It has been a privilege to help such a stalwart of the community forge a path forward to clean energy – and save about $2 million that will be better spent serving Centre County.”

    Solar energy is the fastest growing energy in the country and is saving businesses, nonprofits, communities, and residents thousands of dollars in utility bills. 

    Businesses that go solar are hedging against volatile electricity pricing because the cost of solar, once the upfront equipment costs are paid, is nearly free. 

    Visit the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority website for information on recycling and waste management.

    Get Solar Webinar Feb. 29

    If you are a business, nonprofit, municipality, or school and want to learn if exploring solar is a good idea for you, please consider attending our next GET Solar webinar on February 29 from Noon to 1:30 p.m..

    We will answer commonly asked questions and go over a long list of possible financing options that can make going solar for your organization a no-brainer.

    Click Here to register.

    For more information on solar energy, visit the G.E.T. Solar Program webpage.

    Related Article:

    — PA Solar Center: 2 Get Solar Projects Move Forward In Lawrence, Centre Counties; Get Solar Webinar Feb. 29; FirstEnergy Companies Double Solar Rebates  [PaEN]

    [Posted: February 8, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

  • PLASTIC: ‘Not so Fantastic’

    theenergyage

    VIDEO: We’re All Plastic People Now

    Introduced by actor and environmentalist Ted Danson, We’re All Plastic People Now investigates the hidden story of plastic and its effects on human health.

    In an era of throw-away ease, convenience has cost us our well-being.

    We’re All Plastic People Now asks the question, how much evidence do we need before we decide to take action?

    Aired: 01/16/24 | PBS | Rating: NR | 56:50

    LINK: https://www.pbs.org/video/were-all-plastic-people-now-rkg2mq/

    Reports on Plastic

    HIDDEN HAZARDS: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle

    final-doh-plasticbottles-report_5.20.2023Download

    Microplastics in Pennsylvania: A survey of waterways

    pae-microplastics-mar21-1.1Download

    Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy

    plastic_pollution_unDownload

    Poor Economics for Virgin Plastics

    poor-economics-for-virgin-plastics_11-10-21Download

  • BEWARE: US Oil and Gas Production is Extremely Hazardous

    theenergyage

    Extremely Hazardous U.S. Drilling & Fracking

    Death in the oilfields

    From 2008 through 2017, 1,566 workers perished trying to extract oil and gas in America. About as many U.S. troops died fighting in Afghanistan during that period.

    “Fatality rate nearly five times that of all industries in the United States”

    Drilling is an inherently dangerous undertaking, with a fatality rate nearly five times that of all industries in the United States combined in 2014, the last year such rates on oil and gas extraction were published by the government. Production pressures — and the temptation to cut corners — intensify during boom times, as America is experiencing now due to a rush of fossil-fuel exports.

    “The temptation to cut corners — intensify during boom times, as America is experiencing now due to a rush of fossil-fuel exports”

    From 2008 through October 2018, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited companies in the extraction industry for 10,873 violations, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of OSHA data found.

    “OSHA cited companies in the extraction industry for 10,873 violations”

    From 2008 thru October 2018

    Sixty-four percent of the violations were classified by the agency as “serious,” meaning inspectors found hazards likely to result in “death or serious physical harm.” Another 3 percent were classified as “repeated,” meaning the company previously had been cited for the hazard, or “willful,” indicating “purposeful disregard” for the law or “plain indifference to employee safety.”

    Texas sour gas

    Report: Texas Railroad Commission is failing to regulate deadly H2S ‘sour’ gas

    In West Texas oil fields, a rotten egg smelling gas is commonly released from the oil wells. It’s hydrogen sulfide and it’s as lethal as it is smelly. The Texas Railroad’s Commission is supposed to license these “sour wells” but a new report says Texas is failing to adequately regulate these sites and the toxic emissions that can have deadly consequences. Chemical Safety Board Chairperson and CEO Katherine Lemos said the oil producers in the Permian Basin should take hydrogen sulfide gas safety seriously.

    “Hydrocarbons from the Permian Basin in particular are known to contain high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that are immediately dangerous to life or health.”

    Chemical Safety Board Chairperson and CEO Katherine Lemos

    The Chemical Safety Board found that Aghorn Operations did not require the wearing of H2S monitors, the H2S warming beacon malfunctioned, there was no written training process for H2S leaks, and the building wasn’t properly ventilated.

    VIDEO: Silent Killer: Hydrogen Sulfide Release in Odessa, Texas

    Pennsylvania ‘frac out’

    Greene County, PA community has questions after fracking incident at EQT well

    EQT shut down a nearby fracking operation called the Lumber well. Then it restarted the operation to see if the liquids it was using there were surfacing at the abandoned well. The results were immediate, said Gillin, who’s worked in the gas industry for 25 years.

    The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says EQT confirmed that fracking liquids used at the Lumber Well were ‘communicating with’ — or getting into — the abandoned well. Despite this, EQT publicly says it’s not sure if the two wells were connected.

    Groundwater problems tied to oil and gas are nothing new in Pennsylvania. There have been nearly 400 confirmed cases of pollution or damage to underground drinking water from unconventional shale gas since 2007.

    Water Supply Determination Letters (10-page PDF)

    regional_determination_lettersDownload

    Abandoned wells are a particular hazard in Pennsylvania, where there are hundreds of thousands of historic wells, many of them unrecorded. That’s why companies must document historic wells near their drilling sites. Gillin says the frac-out affected his neighbor’s well water, though his own appears to be fine. Others nearby have reported strange odors in their water, and pets refusing to drink it.

    Ohio O&G accidents

    Ohio oil and gas industry accident data boost worries about drilling under state parks

    Spreadsheets show more than 800 releases of gas, oil, brine or other materials from industry activities onto the ground or into the air and water since 2018 began. Public records show Ohio regulators log hundreds of incidents each year dealing with chemical releases related to the oil and gas industry. 

    Such events raise critics’ concerns about plans to drill for oil and gas under state-owned parks and wildlife areas. While most problems happen at rigs and wellheads, which will be outside the parks, critics say airborne releases of methane or other chemicals would not be limited to property boundaries. And they fear that runoff could reach groundwater or surface water sources for state parks and nearby areas. More

    Colorado explosions

    New Study Looks at Frequency of Oil & Gas Explosions in Colorado

    Published in the July issue of the journal Energy Research and Social Sciences, the report says there were at least 116 fires and explosions at oil and gas operations in the state in a 10-year period between 2006-2015. With about 53,000 active oil and gas wells in Colorado, that comes out to about 0.03 reported incidents over the course of the study. Adgate says, however, there are questions about the reporting that takes place.

    Health implications

    Breaking Ground: Understanding the Health Implications of Oil and Gas Development

    According to Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rules, which differ from other states, Colorado requires self-reporting only of fires or explosions that have caused harm “to a member of the general public which requires medical treatment” or “significant damage to equipment or well site.” In 42 percent of the cases studied, Adgate said, the cause of the incidents were unclear, unspecified or still under investigation.

    Oklahoma rig explosion

    Authorities Investigating Oklahoma Rig Explosion, Deadliest U.S. Drilling Accident in Years

    Federal and state authorities are investigating the cause of the deadly explosion and fire at a natural gas drilling rig in southeastern Oklahoma on Monday.  Five workers died in what appears to be one of the country’s deadliest onshore drilling accidents. The well site, located near the town of Quinton, 100 miles south of Tulsa, was operated by Oklahoma City-based Red Mountain Energy. Patterson-UTI Energy, of Houston, owns and operates the drilling rig, which exploded and caught fire. A day after the explosion, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court struck down a portion of the state’s workers compensation law, ruling 8-0 that oil and gas companies can be sued when workers are injured or killed.

    Oklahoma Supreme Court (8-page PDF)

    strickland-v.-stephens-production-companyDownload

    Oklahoma law holds operators responsible for well site safety, not contract drillers or oil-field service companies. A preliminary report from a commission investigator found the fire that engulfed the rig was fed by an “uncontrolled gas release.” A rig worker attempted to activate a device known as a blowout preventer to shut off the well but was unable to, the inspector reported.

    Susquehanna PA death

    Deadly well pad accident in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

    An investigation is underway after a natural gas worker was killed while working on the job in Susquehanna County. Cabot Oil and Gas released a statement saying that a worker was injured at a well pad along Hoag Hill Road in Rush Township early Tuesday morning. Cabot has not said how he was injured, only that the company is working with state police and OSHA.

    Ohio evacuation

    After more than a day, officials stop Columbiana County, Ohio gas well leak

    A Columbiana County gas well belched unknown quantities of methane gas into the air for about 28 hours after a worker hit a wellhead with his truck, apparently getting it stuck there. Methane, commonly referred to as natural gas, is not only highly flammable but a health hazard and a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

    State and county officials on Tuesday imposed a one-mile evacuation zone around the well pad, operated by Houston-based Hilcorp, a major oil and gas producer. At around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the company said they stopped the flow and replaced the top structure to the well.

    West Virginia explosion

    Well Pad Explosion on Cherry Hill Road Near Wheeling, WV Remains Under Investigation

    Two workers were hospitalized after a gas well explosion late Sunday on Cherry Hill Road outside Wheeling. Residents in the area said they were awoken by a “loud boom” and “flames going 30 feet in the air” after a gas tank at the Franz Thoman well pad exploded. 

    Jim Beasley, who is a resident of Oskar Place, a neighborhood located on a hill overlooking the gas well, said he woke up around 11:30 to emergency vehicles turning around in his driveway. He recalled looking out his window and seeing “flames going 30 feet into the air. I was a little concerned,” admitted Beasley. “When those explosions happen, gas can linger in the air, so I was worried about that.”

    Deadly house explosion

    2 Years After a Colorado House Exploded Near a Firestone Oil & Gas Well, The Federal Report is Finally Here

    The report states the explosion occurred due to the ignition of natural gas from lines then owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and likely severed during home construction. In a statement on the probable cause of the incident, the report also reads that “the approval by local authorities to allow occupied structures to be built on land adjacent to or previously part of oil and gas production fields” without full documentation of the state or locations of the lines contributed to the accident.

    NTSB Pipeline Accident Brief (7-page PDF)

    pab1902Download

    It also found that the lines near the residence, which had been previously owned by Patina Oil and Gas Corporation, were not abandoned according to state regulations. Those require that lines be disconnected from the source, cleared of liquid hydrocarbons and sealed at both ends. Mark Martinez and his brother-in-law Joe Irwin were killed in the blast. Martinez’s wife Erin was seriously injured. More

    Dangerous frac fueling

    W.Va. Worker Sues After Well Pad Accident in Pa.

    A lawsuit filed by a West Virginia worker who reports ongoing injuries from a 2018 fire at a western Pennsylvania shale gas well pad accuses an oil field company of causing his injuries through its “normal and routine practice” of fueling dangerously hot pumps while leaving them running. It names Texas-based U.S. Well Services Inc. and a local subsidiary as defendants, saying the entities were in charge of operations at CNX’s Morris 31 well pad in East Findlay Township on June 27, 2018.

    The lawsuit, which was filed Monday, blames the practice known as “hot fueling” — refilling the tanks on the pumps of the hydraulic fracturing wells without halting the operation to turn them off — for injuries that Isaacs suffered during the incident. The “inherently dangerous” method was allegedly a “normal and routine” way of doing business for U.S. Well Services, according to the lawsuit.

    Texas fatalities

    3rd man dies after gas blast at Chesapeake Energy oil well near Bryan, Texas

    A third man has died after a gas explosion Wednesday at a Chesapeake Energy oil well in Burleson County, according to media reports. Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but Maldonado was part of a crew working at a Chesapeake Energy oil well west of Bryan, Texas, when natural gas in the well ignited at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

    Eleven people from Chesapeake, Fort Worth oil field service company Eagle Pressure Control and Alice oil field service company C.C. Forbes were working at the well at the time of the incident, a report from the Railroad Commission of Texas shows. Investigators believe that an unexpected amount of natural gas entered the well and ignited. What caused the ignition remains under investigation.

    Tioga PA fatality

    Gas worker dies in accident at Pennsylvania well pad

    The gas well pad is operated by Shell Appalachia; Jones was an employee with Deep Well Services, 895 Cummings Creek Road, Middlebury Township. A natural gas worker at an active well pad in Middlebury Township died early Saturday morning, Oct. 27, after a large piece of equipment fell on him, pinning him to the platform 65 feet in the air where he was standing. Though Jones was pronounced dead at the hospital, Wilson said he believed the victim died at the scene.

    Accident prone infrastructure

    A single gas well leak is California’s biggest contributor to climate change

    Rupture of Aliso Canyon well has released more than 77,000 metric tons of methane and refocused attention on America’s accident-prone infrastructure. The single biggest contributor to climate change in California is a blown-out natural gas well more than 8,700ft underground, state authorities and campaign groups said Monday.

    The broken well at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage site has released more than 77,000 metric tons of the powerful climate pollutant methane since the rupture was first detected. Locals have complained of headaches, sore throats, nosebleeds and nausea, caused by the rotten-egg smell of the odorant added to the gas to aid leak detection by SoCalGas, the utility that operates the natural gas storage site.

    Pennsylvania explosion

    Chevron Gives Residents Near Pennsylvania Fracking Explosion Free Pizza

    After a Chevron hydraulic fracturing well exploded in rural Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania, last Tuesday, and burned for four days straight, the energy company knew just the way to soothe nearby residents: free pizza.

    The flames that billowed out of the Marcellus Shale natural gas well were so hot they caused a nearby propane truck to explode, and first responders were forced to retreat to avoid injury. Seconds before the explosion, John Kuis, 57, who lives less than a half-mile away in Dilliner, said he felt rumbling.

    Major Pennsylvania spill

    Pennsylvania Fracking Accident: What Went Wrong

    A Pennsylvania gas well operated by Chesapeake Energy erupted late Tuesday, sending thousands of gallons of chemical-laced and highly saline water spilling from the drill site, heading over containment berms, racing toward a tributary of a popular trout-fishing stream and forcing seven families nearby to temporarily evacuate their homes.

    The leak happened at the Atgas 2H well in rural Leroy Township, about 175 miles northwest of Philadelphia. According to state and company officials, the failure occurred late Tuesday night when Chesapeake was in the middle of a “frack job.” The controversial practice, essential to the extraction of gas from shale, involves pumping up to a million gallons of water treated with biocides, lubricants, surfactants and stabilizers a mile or more into the ground at pressures exceeding 9000 psi.

    Ohio well spewing

    Unused Ohio Gas Well Spews What’s Suspected to be Frack Wate, Killing Fish

    Ohio regulators are working at a gas well that started spewing what’s believed to be brine water from fracking into the environment more than a week ago. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which regulates the oil and gas industry, said in an email that it was notified on Sunday, January 24 that fluid, what the agency called “produced brine,” was spraying out of an oil and gas well in the Crooked Tree area near Dexter City in Noble County. 

    Brine is a salty byproduct of gas and oil production and can contain toxic metals and radioactive substances, according to US EPA. On Wednesday, January 27, the state was able to contain the spray in a collection system on-site, Schmelzenbach said, but not before the suspected brine killed fish in Taylor Fork, a small tributary. She said state regulators had wildlife experts at the scene. (See video in story)

    Pennsylvania explosion and spill

    More Bad News for Natural Gas: An Accident in Pennsylvania is Pouring Toxic Fracking Fluid into a River

    A natural gas accident has occurred in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with toxic fluid spilling all around the site. The accident happened when a well exploded near the surface of a natural gas facility. The well is operated by Chesapeake Energy, and fracking operations were occurring at the time. Fracking materials have spilled into a local creek nearby, which flows into the Susquehanna River.

    O&G worker fatalities

    Fatalities in Oil and Gas Extraction Database, an Industry-Specific Worker Fatality Surveillance System — United States, 2014–2019

    Problem/Condition: The U.S. oil and gas extraction (OGE) industry faces unique safety and health hazards and historically elevated fatality rates. The lack of existing surveillance data and occupational safety and health research called for increased efforts to better understand factors contributing to worker fatalities in the OGE industry.

    Fatalities in Oil & Gas Extraction Database (25-page PDF)

    fatalities-in-oil-and-gas-extraction-database-an-industry-specific-worker-fatality-surveillance-system-e28094-united-states-2014e280932019-_-mmwrDownload

    Results: During 2014–2019, a total of 470 OGE worker fatalities were identified in the FOG database. A majority of these fatalities (69.4%) were identified from OSHA reports and Google Alerts (44.7% and 24.7%, respectively). Unique database variables created to characterize fatalities in the OGE industry (i.e., phase of operation, worker activity, working alone, and working unobserved) were identified in approximately 85% of OGE worker fatality cases. The most frequent fatal events were vehicle incidents (26.8%), contact injuries (21.7%), and explosions (14.5%).

  • EMERGENCY: Project to Plug Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells

    theenergyage

    PA DEP Begins Emergency Project to Plug Abandoned Conventional Gas Wells

    Scott Township, Allegheny County, PA

    DEP Tried to Get Well Operators to Stop the Leaks for Nearly 9 Years

    By David E. Hess | PA Environment Digest | February 5, 2024 | Source

    Photos: Conventional natural gas wells Nixon 501-1, Nixon 501-3,  Nixon 501-4, Charter 502-1

    Flaring work proceeds on February 7, 2024

    On February 5, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it has begun an emergency project to plug two leaking abandoned natural gas wells along Scrubgrass Road in Scott Township, Allegheny County. 

    Two additional wells will be plugged in the same area using federal well plugging funds.

    [DEP has been trying to get the operators of the wells– Economy Natural Gas Inc. and Michael Harju (who actually share the same address in Armstrong County)– to stop the gas leaks and plug the wells for nearly nine years, according to DEP inspection reports.

    [According to DEP’s eFACTS database, Michael Harju operates 158 conventional wells, 13 of which are listed as abandoned and Economy Natural Gas Inc. operates 110 conventional wells.

    [The four wells that are part of this announcement were listed as abandoned by DEP on inspection reports since the same date– April 14, 2015.]

    VIDEO: Flaring an abandoned well 2-7-2024 on Scrubgrass Road

    At Gov. Josh Shapiro’s direction, DEP is aggressively working to plug leaking oil and gas wells across Pennsylvania using state and federal funds. 

    So far, under the Shapiro Administration, DEP has plugged 169 orphaned and abandoned wells. 

    [In 2023, DEP issued at least 512 notices of violation to 95 conventional oil and gas well operators for new or continuing well abandonment.  Read more here.]

    On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, DEP’s contractor will begin plugging two leaking abandoned wells [compliance history added]–

    [– Nixon 501-1 (003-00960): The well is operated by Economy Natural Gas Inc. based in Spring Church, Armstrong County, according to DEP records.

    [This well was listed as abandoned by DEP in an inspection report on April 14, 2015 (report not available), but it noted ‘no adverse event or action reported.]

    [This well was listed as abandoned by DEP in an inspection report on April 21, 2016  (report not available).

    [The well was inspected by DEP on October 1, 2017 and violations were issued, but the inspection report is not available.

    [This well was inspected by DEP on January 29, 2018 and issued notice of violation for being abandoned (inspection report not available).  

    [A follow up inspection on March 14, 2018 ound the well abandoned and leaking gas.  DEP’s inspection report did not record any follow-up actions.

    573353_2705386_sub-sair_reportDownload

    [On July 29, 2020, DEP inspected the well in response to complaints it was leaking gas and issued notices of violations for that and for abandoning the well without plugging it.   DEP’s inspection report gave the operator until September 1, 2020 to submit a plan for bringing the well into compliance.  Obviously, it wasn’t.

    1397186_3068931_sub-sair_reportDownload

    [On March 17, 2021 DEP inspected the well and found it was leaking gas and issued notices of violation related to that leaking and for abandoning the well without plugging it.  DEP’s inspection report gave the operator until April 12, 2021 to submit a plan for bringing the well into compliance.  Obviously, there was no satisfactory response.

    1751391_3168492_sub-sair_reportDownload

    [On February 1, 2022, DEP received complaints about gas leaking from the well, including Allegheny County 911 calls.  DEP’s inspection report said the “Department is working with the operator to address these recurring complaints.”  No notice of violation was issued at that time.

    2184408_3317794_subsairinspectionreport_1643743800.0.pdfDownload

    [DEP began meeting with contractors on February 28, 2023 to solicit bids on plugging this well [DEP inspection report] and most recently on January 30, 2024 in a pre-plugging inspection [DEP inspection report].

    3217998_3702369_subsairinspectionreport_1706631420.0.pdfDownload

    [– Nixon 501-3 (003-00962): The well is operated by Michael Harju based in Spring Church, Armstrong County, according to DEP records.  

    [This well was listed as abandoned by DEP in an inspection report on April 14, 2015  (report not available), but noted ‘no adverse event or action reported.]

    [This well was listed as abandoned by DEP in an inspection report on April 21, 2016 (report not available).

    [This well was inspected on March 14, 2018 and found to be “leaking more gas than it did on previous inspections, but no violations issued in DEP’s inspection report.

    [On July 29, 2020, DEP inspected the well in response to complaints it was leaking gas and issued notices of violations for that and for abandoning the well without plugging it.   DEP’s inspection report gave the operator until September 1, 2020 to submit a plan for bringing the well into compliance.  Obviously, it wasn’t.

    [On March 17, 2021, DEP inspected the well and found it was leaking gas and issued notices of violation related to that leaking and for abandoning the well without plugging it.  DEP’s inspection report gave the operator until April 12, 2021 to submit a plan for bringing the well into compliance.  Obviously, there was no satisfactory response.

    1739333_3167338_sub-sair_reportDownload

    [DEP began meeting with contractors on February 28, 2023 to solicit bids on plugging this well [DEP inspection report] and most recently on August 15, 2023 [DEP inspection report].]

    How Projects Will Proceed

    DEP’s contractor will be removing trees and potentially flaring the wells in preparation for plugging. Flaring is the controlled burning of natural gas from a well and may be necessary to evacuate gas from the well to ensure it can be safely plugged. 

    The project is expected to take about a month to complete with a goal to permanently eliminate the potential for these wells to leak methane.   

    Due to the increasing methane levels, DEP has determined that this project is necessary to protect public health, safety, and the environment. 

    Without this emergency project, the well could continue to deteriorate and stray methane gas could migrate into nearby sewer lines through the soil. 

    The existing two leaking abandoned wells increase the risk of gas levels accumulating to unsafe levels if adverse weather conditions exist which would prevent the gas from dissipating. DEP will monitor stray gas while plugging the well. 

    DEP previously performed an emergency mitigation project in 2019 to address stray soil gas in the area. 

    Recently, methane levels around the wells increased, and DEP and Scott Township officials have received a number of odor complaints around the Kane Woods Nature Area. 

    “Orphaned and abandoned gas wells dot Southwestern Pennsylvania in rural and more populated areas, representing potential threats to human health, safety, and the environment. We’re mobilizing emergency crews to mitigate this hazard as quickly as possible.” 

    Director of District Oil & Gas Operations, Dan Counahan

    DEP has allocated unprecedented resources to plug orphaned and abandoned wells, which allowed Pennsylvania to leverage millions in federal funding. 

    Two More Wells To Be Plugged

    Two additional wells in this area are slated to be plugged later this year using federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds. 

    DEP has been trying to get the operators of these wells to deal with continuing violations at these wells since April 14, 2015 [compliance history added]–

    — Nixon 501-4 (003-00963): The well is operated by Michael Harju based in Spring Church, Armstrong County, according to DEP records. 

    [DEP began listing the well as abandoned in an April 14, 2015 inspection report.

    [DEP inspected the well on April 21, 2016, with results unknown (inspection report not available), but the well is listed as abandoned.

    [DEP inspected the well July 12, 2017, July 17, 2017, August 1, 2017 and November 30, 2017, but no violations were noted.

    [On March 14, 2018 DEP inspected the well and found it to be venting “a steady flow of gas.”  No violations were issued.

    [A DEP inspection report on October 7, 2019 noted the well “continues to vent a significant volume of gas that can be smelled in [the] valley.”  No violations were issued or follow-up action noted.

    [On July 29, 2020, DEP issued notices of violation for this well on abandoning the well without plugging it and for venting gas. DEP’s inspection report requested the operator to submit a plan by September 1, 2020 to bring the well into compliance.  Obviously, it wasn’t.

    [In a March 17, 2021 inspection, DEP said a “DEP-installed vent continues to vent stray gas from casing leak,” but obviously did not stop it.  DEP’s inspection report continued previous violations.

    [DEP began meeting with contractors on February 28, 2023 to solicit bids on plugging this well [DEP inspection report].  DEP last inspected the well on August 15, 2023 in the process of soliciting well plugging bids [DEP inspection report].]

    2958818_3600679_subsairinspectionreport_1692114000.0.pdfDownload

    — Charter 502-1 (003-00964): The well is operated by Michael Harju based in Spring Church, Armstrong County, according to DEP records. 

    [DEP began listing the well as abandoned in an April 14, 2015 inspection report.

    [DEP inspected the well on April 21, 2016, with results unknown (inspection report not available), but the well is listed as abandoned.

    [On October 12, 2018, DEP inspected the well and found it to be leaking gas, but no violations were issued or follow-up action noted in DEP’s inspection report.

    [DEP inspected the well on September 18, 2019 and found the “gas leak persists.” No violations issued or follow-up action noted.

    [On July 29, 2020, DEP issued notices of violation for this well on abandoning the well without plugging it and for venting gas. DEP’s inspection report requested the operator to submit a plan by September 1, 2020 to bring the well into compliance. Obviously, it didn’t happen.

    [A DEP inspection on August 9, 2021 noted the gas leak continues.

    [DEP began meeting with contractors on February 28, 2023 to solicit bids on plugging this well [DEP inspection report].  DEP last inspected the well on August 15, 2023 in the process of soliciting well plugging bids [DEP inspection report].]

    2958807_3600670_subsairinspectionreport_1692110100.0.pdfDownload

    Orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells can leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that contributes to climate change. 

    Methane can migrate into buildings and water supplies. Pennsylvania has over 30,000 orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells on its inventory and hundreds of thousands of legacy wells may be unaccounted for, posing a major financial liability and environmental, public health, and safety risk. 

    Resource Links

    DEP’s Oil and Gas Program inspection reports are available online at the Inspection Reports Viewer.  Check oil and gas operator compliance history at DEP’s Oil & Gas Compliance webpage.

    Visit DEP’s Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Well  and federal Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program webpages for more information.

    [Posted: February 5, 2024]  PA Environment Digest

  • NEWS: Climate Change and Health – February 2024

    theenergyage

    Healthcare costs

    Climate change will kill 14.5 million people globally by 2050 — but mostly not directly
    A recent report also projects $12.5 trillion in economic losses and $1.1 trillion in healthcare costs by midcentury. Climate change is triggering a global health crisis that may approach the death toll of some of history’s deadliest plagues.

    Unlike the 1918 flu epidemic or the COVID-19 pandemic, which were caused by the widespread outbreak of one type of bacteria or virus, climate change-fueled illness is a Hydra-headed challenge that erodes human health on multiple distinct fronts.

    Efforts are underway to tally this risk, and a growing body of research indicates that climate-related health threats, such as cardiovascular, diarrheal, and vector-borne diseases, have already killed millions of people — a count that will grow steeper as warming accelerates. 

    Early research

    New Evidence Reveals Fossil Fuel Industry Sponsored Climate Science in 1954
    Documents shed light on the earliest-known instance of climate science funded by the fossil fuel industry, adding to growing understanding of Big Oil’s knowledge of climate change.

    Newly discovered documents affirm that the automobile and petroleum industries funded early climate science Keeling conducted at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) between 1954 and 1956.

    Records show that “oil and auto companies” sponsored the scientist’s research via an organization called the Southern California Air Pollution Foundation, formed in 1953 to tackle Los Angeles’s infamous smog. American Motors, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors were among 18 automotive companies that gave money to the foundation. 

    North Carolina

    Facing demand increase, Duke Energy seeks to delay its 2030 climate target in North Carolina
    Critics say the utility is “tripling down” on natural gas, ironically to serve load growth that comes partly from companies seeking a clean energy supply. The amended plans show the company expects a 12% increase in demand by 2038.

    In all, Duke recommends nearly 9 gigawatts of new gas before 2035, almost three times what it anticipated in its first blueprint to cut carbon pollution, approved at the end of 2022. On the bright side for renewables, the company does recommend a smidge more solar and battery storage.

    Future generations

    Should climate change keep you from having kids?
    Inspired by shared conviction, the friends soon launched Conceivable Future, an organization that aims to bring awareness to the fact that climate change is now a major factor in family planning for many people.

    Now 10 years and hundreds of facilitated conversations in privately hosted house parties later, they’ve written “The Conceivable Future: Planning Families and Taking Action in the Age of Climate Change,” a book brimming with fresh insight on how reproductive issues are intricately linked with climate change.

    In The Conceivable Future, authors Meghan Elizabeth Kallman and Josephine Ferorelli explore the ways in which the climate crisis is affecting our personal decisions about family planning, parenting, and political action. This book offers fresh, timely answers to questions such as: How do I decide to have a baby when there’s the threat of environmental collapse? How do I parent a child in the middle of the climate crisis? What can I actually do to help stop global warming?

    It also grapples with the dark side of “population control” rhetoric, which disproportionately tasks those who can get pregnant with solving the climate crisis.

    Crypto

    Cryptocurrency Companies Must Now Report Their Energy Use to the Government
    The Biden administration is now requiring some cryptocurrency producers to report their energy use following rising concerns that the growing industry could pose a threat to the nation’s electricity grids and exacerbate climate change.

    The Energy Information Administration announced last week that it would start collecting energy use data from more than 130 “identified commercial cryptocurrency miners” operating in the U.S. The survey, which started this week, aims to get a sense of how the industry’s energy demand is evolving and where in the country cryptocurrency operations are growing fastest.

    U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
    WASHINGTON DC 20585

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    January 31, 2024 | Source

    EIA to initiate collection of data regarding electricity use by U.S. cryptocurrency miners

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is initiating a provisional survey of electricity consumption information from identified cryptocurrency mining companies operating in the United States.

    Beginning next week, EIA will survey identified commercial cryptocurrency miners, which are required to respond with details related to their energy use. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) authorized the survey on January 26, 2024, as an emergency collection of data request.

    EIA will also be soliciting public comment on the collection of cryptocurrency miners’ energy use data.

    “We intend to continue to analyze and write about the energy implications of cryptocurrency mining activities in the United States,” said EIA Administrator Joe DeCarolis. “We will specifically focus on how the energy demand for cryptocurrency mining is evolving, identify geographic areas of high growth, and quantify the sources of electricity used to meet cryptocurrency mining demand.”

    OMB approved the emergency request under 5 CFR 1320.13 under OMB control number 1905-0213. Further details of the OMB approval are available here.

    Clean energy plants

    Across America, clean energy plants are being banned faster than they’re being built
    Across America’s power grid, there’s a growing gap between what we need and what we’ll allow. As the planet warms and climate disasters grow more costly, the U.S. has set a target to reach 100% clean energy by 2035, a goal that depends on building large-scale solar and wind power. 

    A nationwide analysis by USA TODAY shows local governments are banning green energy faster than they’re building it. At least 15% of counties in the U.S. have effectively halted new utility-scale wind, solar, or both, USA TODAY found. These limits come through outright bans, moratoriums, construction impediments and other conditions that make green energy difficult to build. 

  • INNOVATIONS: Clean Energy News – February 2024

    theenergyage

    SOLAR ENERGY

    Global investments

    Global clean energy investment hit $US1.77 trillion in 2023, up 17%
    Global investment in clean energy and the larger low-carbon energy transition hit a new record in 2023, reaching $US1.77 trillion, up 17%, with China continuing to lead the way.

    A new report from energy analysts BloombergNEF (BNEF) published this week, Energy Transition Investment Trends 2024, found that investment in renewable energy, electric vehicles, hydrogen, and carbon capture all saw growth in investment in 2023.

    Electrified transport was the primary driver of increased investment in 2023, overtaking renewable energy to be the largest driver of spending in 2023 at $634 billion, up 36% year-on-year.

    New Jersey

    Board clarifies solar siting restrictions for large solar facilities in New Jersey
    The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has provided guidance to developers seeking a waiver of solar siting restrictions for facilities greater than 5 MW. 

    In the two orders issued on December 7, 2022, the Board granted a waiver of solar siting restrictions for one project but denied a waiver of solar siting restrictions for other projects. 

    As developers continue to organize projects greater than 5 MW in size in New Jersey, these guidelines and decisions will become critical as land can be scarce, and exciting sites are sometimes located in initially prohibited locations.

    Solar panel efficiency

    Oxford PV Sets New Solar Panel Efficiency World Record
    Oxford PV has set a new record for the world’s most efficient solar panel, marking a crucial milestone in the clean energy transition. Produced in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, the panel achieved a record 25% conversion efficiency, a significant increase on the more typical 24% efficiency of commercial modules.

    North Carolina

    Polls show most conservatives like clean energy. So why isn’t the North Carolina GOP doing more to support it?
    In 2013, for the first time in over 100 years, the North Carolina GOP assumed control of the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the General Assembly.

    Members of their ranks immediately sought to weaken clean energy policies, with some success. Today, state-level solar tax incentives are gone, and land-based wind turbines are scant albeit legal. 

    But strong bipartisan support for clean energy also started to congeal, culminating in 2021, when the legislature and a Democratic governor elected in 2016 crafted a law to zero out electricity sector carbon emissions by midcentury.

    HYDROPOWER | OCEAN POWER

    Japan

    Self-powered emergency seawall could generate power during tsunamis
    Self-deploying sea barriers offer coastal towns some protection from the destructive forces of tsunamis – but one problem can arise when power goes out in a disaster scenario.

    Hence this Japanese proposal for a wall that generates its own power. One way to stop, or at least potentially mitigate the damage comes in the form of large barriers buried in the sea floor around ports, great big buoyant gates which can be raised up quickly out of the sea bed when disaster looms.

    European hydropower

    European energy consortium upgrades hydropower plants to support power grid
    Energy leaders recently met in Switzerland to hear about a series of technological upgrades made to hydropower plants across Europe to support the energy transition and secure the stability of the power grid.

    The upgrades are part of the four-year, €18 million research and innovation project, XFLEX HYDRO. The project combined internationally-recognised expertise to study and demonstrate that it is possible to extend the flexibility of existing hydropower plants using advanced software solutions and modest technological upgrades.

    The project marks a step change in an understanding of the benefits hydro-power offers and our ability to provide much-needed stability services to the power grid.

    WaveRoller

    WaveRoller sea-floor generator approaches commercial deployment
    Wave energy remains one of the least-exploited clean energy options, with huge potential as part of a green energy grid. Finland’s AW Energy is preparing to field a contender at scale – the Waveroller – which sits on the sea bed generating up to 1 MW.

    Ocean waves are the single largest, untapped source of renewable energy, with a total potential of 32,000 TWh/year around the world. AW-Energy have developed the WaveRoller technology to capture and convert this resource into electricity.
    The WaveRoller device is assembled at port and towed to the installation site. During the deployment the foundation is filled with water and the device is placed on the sea bottom. The devices are deployed at depths of 15 to 25 metres (49 to 82 feet) at a near-shore areas in locations exposed to the open ocean.
    The energy is captured from the wave column with a vertical panel and the movement of the panel is translated to a hydraulic system which powers an electrical generator.
    LINK: YouTube channel

    Wave power does not seem to be a super fast-moving sector. We’ve seen plenty of fascinating ideas in this space, from jetty-mounted pump arms, to telescoping barrels, to elastic sea-bed flappers, and two different flavors of artificial blowhole generators, to name just a few, but nearly all remain at a pilot/prototype stage.

    GEOTHERMAL

    Enhanced geothermal

    U.S. Department of Energy Announces $31 Million to Improve Enhanced Geothermal Systems
    Projects under Topic Area 1 will reduce costs and technical challenges associated with wellbore construction for EGS, which will expand opportunities to tap firm, flexible, domestic geothermal energy nationwide.

    Projects under Topic Area 2 can help reduce emissions from energy-intensive industrial heating processes and spur RTES technology towards being a long-term, reliable decarbonization technology for U.S. industry and manufacturing. 

    GTO anticipates making several awards over the course of fiscal years 2024–2028, with individual awards ranging between $100,000 and $10 million. 

  • COURTS: Legal Action on Energy and Climate

    theenergyage

    Exxon investors

    Exxon Lawsuit Forces Pro-Climate Investors to Drop Shareholder Resolution
    Exxon has said it plans to reach net-zero emissions from scopes 1 and 2 by 2050, but made clear last month it had no intention of allowing its investors to decide whether it should broaden that plan.

    The company sued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, asking a judge to exclude the climate proposal from its proxy statement and arguing that ‘Follow This’ and Arjuna have failed to garner enough support in previous votes to resubmit the resolution.

    Just over 27% of Exxon shareholders supported the proposal in 2022, while the number dropped to 10.5% last year.

    Climate protesters

    ‘Climate Protesters Are Not the Criminals’: Case Against Greta Thunberg Thrown Out
    A British judge on Friday tossed a case against Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and four other activists accused of not complying with police orders under an anti-protest law while peacefully demonstrating last year at a fossil fuel industry summit in the U.K. capital.

    “These companies are destabilizing the biosphere and climate, the life-supporting systems we all depend on to survive. They have displaced and destroyed countless people’s lives and livelihoods.”

    Greta Thunberg

    Thunberg along with Peter Barker and Jeff Rice of Greenpeace, and Fossil Free London’s Christofer Kebbon and Joshua James Unwin were among over two dozen arrested at a protest against the Energy Intelligence Forum in October.

    The five were charged with “failing to comply with a condition imposed under Section 14 of the Public Order Act” and faced a two-day trial at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week.

    Michael Mann

    At Mann’s Defamation Trial, Defendants Are Doubling Down on Climate Denial
    On Monday, conservative blogger Mark Steyn wrapped up his confrontational cross-examination of Michael Mann, the climate scientist who is suing him and another climate denier for defamation in Washington, D.C. Superior Court. 

    Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis by Michael E. Mann

    In 2012 Mann sued Steyn and Rand Simberg, another right-wing writer, charging that their attempts to discredit his work in print and online had damaged Mann’s reputation and led to a decline in the scientist’s ability to secure research funding. 

    Steyn is representing himself at the trial, while Simberg’s attorney is from the corporate law firm BakerHostetler. Over the course of his two-day cross-examination of Mann, Steyn has repeatedly aired climate denial theories out of step with modern research.

    Climate Denier Takes the Stand in Michael Mann Trial
    Twelve years ago, a right-wing blogger published a post comparing a respected climate scientist to an infamous child molester. Mann’s lawyer, sought to establish Simberg to the jury as a misinformed climate denier… drew the jury’s attention to Simberg’s attempts to discredit Mann’s famous “hockey stick” graph.

    VIDEO: Michael E. Mann | Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis

    Co-authored by Mann and two other colleagues in the late 1990s, the graph shows that global temperatures increased dramatically during the 20th century. Simberg in 2010 called Mann a “liar and a charlatan,” on a Google email list. When Simberg protested that “no one accused Mann of falsification or fraud,” Williams noted that in his own deposition in the case three years earlier, Simberg had said that Mann was “deceitful” and a “fraud.” 

    Superfund

    A Superfund for climate change? States consider a new way to make Big Oil pay.
    Vermont joins three others in trying to make the fossil fuel industry finance climate action. Vermont is now joining Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York in a multi-state effort to hold Big Oil accountable for the expensive damage wrought by climate change.

    Bills on the docket in all four states demand that oil companies pay states millions for such impacts by funding, as Vermont’s proposal outlines, energy efficiency retrofits, water utility improvements, solar microgrids, and stormwater drainage, just to name a few resiliency programs.