A polar bear in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. sarkophoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The lame duck Trump administration is making a rushed last-minute push to sell leases to oil companies in the long-protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before Inauguration Day, numerous outlets reported.
<p>On Monday, the Interior Department issued a "call for nominations" asking oil companies to request specific parcels of land to be made available for drilling. Completing the lease sales before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. would make it harder, though not necessarily impossible, for the Biden administration to prevent oil drilling in ANWR. </p>
<p>"Any company thinking about participating in this corrupt process should know that they will have to answer to the Gwich'in people and the millions of Americans who stand with us," said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a statement. Despite the Trump administration's efforts, oil companies may still struggle to drill in ANWR, given substantial logistical costs and recent moves by major financiers to stop funding drilling there.</p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/17/energy-202-trump-last-minute-environmental-rules-changes-may-make-things-hard-biden/?gsBNFDNDN=undefined&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--muxoJ6W-NiuLzhqp58oQPsluYQ7BoqUludCYWWO3zuPxRt7lmfMvLF_w6A3XahYlJox4fmWGkTv0DMq7zGPpPDqfUMw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>:</p><blockquote>It's unclear if drillers will even want to take on the legal, political and engineering challenges of extracting oil and gas from the pristine, frozen landscape. Some major banks have already announced they will not fund oil and gas activities in the Arctic in response to environmental pressure.</blockquote><blockquote>But in other cases, the Biden administration will have to go through an entirely new process all over again to stop the Trump rules from taking effect. That could potentially siphon time and energy away from other environmental protection efforts — including heading off the disastrous rise in temperatures because of global warming.For a deeper dive:</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/16/935527352/trump-administration-rushes-to-sell-oil-rights-in-arctic-national-wildlife-refug?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_Iy4vgU0VwcBsvd8ZgPYa0tEfRetTRoVpuaQi5wtEKBXnd0ssQN0W87XyuL-8kiL9Vynoqb5BqJnrUeD44y40vPOfGrg&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/16/climate/trump-oil-drilling-alaska.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9gMCu3b5xY5yWcrB2OGXjPFEHXO_YC0_h_TuvyBnT2imDn521f_Vrcca6P28cG-52U83dH7SAfF1PR1TzpMHoAFZB8YA&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVHcDp96MtDhW66ZqrD6fzQpjW5XFwz14jw9XhN6L2Zqy5nxG7V3Zsc37CgLx3W1VD3Db64bstZW5k9vCw4yDxZbW2vd2x12BRRqWW4N4SKS2BFyGrW67tPGH96THsrW9dMYLj952kbqW46xkkj1Sk8TxW7PM8N97RW_JGW7VVt-z2BPHkQW7KRbgf7PspgSW6VRGgR20X_NRW8ztYFj6XCg6VW2VVLvl50rs-ZW5qG-Kp1wfByKW5DH-https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2020%2F11%2Ftrump-rushing-arctic-oil-lease-sale-before-biden-arrival-2019512%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-__EWS5tzOypKW9D04PNl7MIQzuoJrLohq5xPY-IQB0MXnnq4eBo8uCM6Q4E-dlW8CjAvMHsc15IdsokubyjHvblLOa7A&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/526144-trump-major-step-drilling-alaska-wildlife-refuge-biden?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_q57x6pgeunu1kndb0vzy67XLzkCrNyFLaF7O3eA7x29f0Uz9Mj5LaaVGO-Uw86ycqS4earOc2oqkwmEuTb-eLq6qUaA&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.axios.com/the-next-step-in-arctic-refuge-drilling-fight-00e1fe0d-f3db-48a7-a9a1-d908769f94df.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_D2wyXnY7jBUz9RwgnT9UT4OZCm6Z1OlSyC5mreZGKJvCAKJLy7U6C1EVQIGlff1_ug17S1OAS2u3J4Daq52vPf-vGKw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Axios</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/17/energy-202-trump-last-minute-environmental-rules-changes-may-make-things-hard-biden/?gsBNFDNDN=undefined&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=100094447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--muxoJ6W-NiuLzhqp58oQPsluYQ7BoqUludCYWWO3zuPxRt7lmfMvLF_w6A3XahYlJox4fmWGkTv0DMq7zGPpPDqfUMw&utm_content=100094447&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trump Administration Plans Seismic Testing for Oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge This Winter
26 October
Politics
A caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Danielle Brigida / CC BY 2.0
The Trump administration released on Friday its plan to start oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) this winter, as The Hill reported.
<p>The <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2003258/510" target="_blank">plan</a> was put forth by the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation and released by the Bureau of Land Management. The plan calls for the start of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seismic-airgun-blasting">seismic testing</a> on millions of acres, spanning an 847.8 square mile area, on the east side of the refuge in an area where polar bears and other <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife">wildlife</a> reside. The seismic testing will allow the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation to detect the presence of oil in the area.</p><p>Seismic testing works in a way that is similar to ultrasound technology. It generates acoustic waves deep underground that produce a picture that can pinpoint oil deposits, according to The Hill.</p>
<p>The Bureau of Land Management said it would allow for 14 days of public comment before deciding if it should issue a permit, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/climate/anwr-seismic-tests-arctic-refuge.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>Environmental activists have argued that the short timeframe means it is impossible to conduct an adequate environmental review of the proposal. The plan involves using heavy trucks fanned out across the area to create a grid pattern. It also requires a crew of 180 workers who would need ample supplies and mobile living quarters, according to The New York Times.</p><p>The National Wildlife Federation argues that the rushed comment period in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic ensures that public opposition will not be heard adequately.</p>
<p>"This is a desperate attempt to jam through a plan that could kill denning polar bears, imperil other wildlife, threaten the Gwich'in people, and cause long-lasting damage to the Arctic," said Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation, in a <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2020/10-23-20-Arctic-Seismic-Testing" target="_blank">statement</a>. "By rushing this plan through while ordinary Americans are focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and their own health and safety, it's clear this administration wants to cut the public out of public lands in order to advance its dangerously myopic and misguided energy agenda."</p><p>The company intending to conduct the seismic test said it will exercise caution should it encounter any wildlife during its exploration. Environmentalists countered that it's not the interactions that worry them as much as the permanent alterations to the Arctic tundra that could upset the delicate balance of the ecosystem that polar bears and other animals depend on.</p>
<p>"Allowing huge thumper trucks and camps onto sacred lands where they leave deep and lasting wounds is a threat to my people, the animals, our food, and our way of life," said Bernadette Demientieff, the executive director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, in a statement, as The Hill reported. "We have raised concerns repeatedly about this administration rushing the process and shortcutting our review."</p><p>The Wilderness Society also sees the plan as a politically motivated move that will silence the public.</p><p>"The submission of this application and BLM's choice to act on it so close to the election shows how desperate the administration is to turn over one of the nation's most sensitive landscapes to the oil industry," said Lois Epstein, director of the Arctic program for the Wilderness Society, in a statement, as The New York Times reported. "The federal government is recklessly rushing and irresponsibly denying the public adequate time to assess the application and submit comments."</p><p>The New York Times also noted that the proposal calls for the work to be carried out by Houston-based SAExploration, which declared bankruptcy, and was accused of accounting fraud earlier this month by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Bottlenose dolphins are seen swimming off the coast of Miami in the Atlantic Ocean. Brandon Trentler / Flickr / CC by 2.0
By Andrea Germanos
The federal government and fossil fuel industry announced at a legal hearing Thursday that seismic blasting will not be carried out in the Atlantic Ocean this year—and possibly not in the near future either—a development welcomed by conservation groups who lobbied forcefully against what they said would have been an "unjustified acoustic attack on our oceans."
<p>"Communities can breathe a little easier knowing the Atlantic is now safe from seismic airgun blasting in 2020," said Oceana campaign director Diane Hoskins, who called the news "a bright spot and in line with the court of public opinion."</p><p>Confirmation of the pause on the blasting, an initial step in searching for offshore oil, came at a status conference for ongoing <a href="https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2018/groups-sue-feds-to-stop-seismic-airgun-blasting-in-atlantic-ocean" target="_blank">litigation</a> over the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-authorization-oil-and-gas-industry-geophysical-survey-activity-atlantic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issuance</a> of so-called Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) that would have <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/authorizations-issued-for-marine-mammal-impacts-from-atlantic-geophysical-surveys" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allowed</a> fossil fuel companies to "incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals" including the <a href="https://oceana.org/RightWhaleToSave" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">endangered</a> North Atlantic right whale, humpback whale, and bottlenose dolphin.</p><p>The risk was particularly acute for the right whale. Alice M. Keyes, vice president of coastal conservation for One Hundred Miles, warned that "seismic blasting in the Atlantic would sound the death knell for this magnificent species."</p>
<p>Ocean conservation advocates have long sounded alarm about widespread harms caused by airgun tests that "<a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/seismic_blasting/" target="_blank">generate the loudest human sounds in the ocean, short of those made by explosives</a>" and can trigger hearing loss in marine mammals that rely on echolocation. Such blasts can be "<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/08/24/scale-threat-seismic-blasting-poses-whales-dolphins-laid-bare" target="_blank">repeated every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for days to weeks at a time</a>."</p><p>Confirming a legal filing from Tuesday, government attorneys said Thursday that the IHAs in question expire at the end of November, and there is no legal or regulatory ability to extend them. Industry lawyers also indicated to the judge at the tele-hearing that even if they were issued new permits, it was unfeasible to begin seismic testing this year. Moreover, acquiring new permits is a lengthy process.</p><p>"There will be no boats in the water this year, and because this resets the clock, there will be no boats in the water for a long time," said Catherine Wannamaker, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center.</p>
<p>Beyond the direct harm from seismic surveys, ocean defenders pointed to the folly of looking for more fossil fuels amid the deepening climate crisis.</p><p>"Seismic blasting harms whales in the search for offshore oil that we should leave in the ground. We can't allow the oil industry's greed to threaten endangered North Atlantic right whales and other vulnerable species," said Kristen Monsell, ocean legal director with the Center for Biological Diversity.</p><p>"We're happy these animals will have a reprieve from this unjustified acoustic attack on our oceans," she said, vowing to "keep fighting to ensure the oil industry stays out of the Atlantic."</p><p>That necessitates a full ban on offshore drilling activities, said Michael Jasny, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at NRDC.</p><p>"The only way to end the threat," he said, "is to prohibit offshore oil and gas exploration for good."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/01/huge-victory-ocean-defenders-seismic-blasting-halted-atlantic?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank"> Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Reintroducing wolves is on the ballot in Colorado. Gunner Ries / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 3.0
By Tara Lohan
Maybe we can blame COVID-19 for making it hard to hit the streets and gather signatures to get initiatives on state ballots. But this year there are markedly fewer environmental issues up for vote than in 2018.
While the number of initiatives may be down, there's no less at stake. Voters will still have to make decisions about wildlife, renewable energy, oil companies and future elections.
Here's the rundown of what's happening where.
Return of an Apex Predator
<p>Wolves are on the ballot in Colorado. <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/ballots/reintroduction-and-management-gray-wolves" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Proposition 114</a> would require the state's Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan by 2023 for the reintroduction and management of gray wolves (<em>Canis lupus</em>) in areas west of the continental divide.</p><p>Gray wolves once roamed across the western United States but were mostly eradicated by the 1930s. Slowly efforts are being made to bring them back. The reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1996 has been hailed as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/25/yellowstone-wolf-project-25th-anniversary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rewilding success</a>.</p><p>"The argument is that by putting back in wolves — an apex predator that has evolved alongside their prey species — we're putting things back into ecological balance," University of Colorado Boulder ecology professor Joanna Lambert <a href="https://therevelator.org/wolf-reintroduction-colorado/" target="_blank">told <em>The Revelator</em></a> in a February interview about the science behind wolf reintroductions.</p><p>The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Colorado Farm Bureau are two of the top donors to the opposition groups.</p><p>The measure does include compensation for losses of livestock caused by gray wolves.</p><p>"What we're all hoping for is a landscape where we can coexist with the species that were originally here, but also acknowledging that humans need to make a living and that the costs of this initiative will be felt by some folks more than others," Lambert said.</p>Confusion Over Clean Energy
<p>In Nevada voters will take a second swing at a constitutional amendment to require that electric utilities source 50% of their electricity from renewables by 2030. Voters passed the same measure, <a href="https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/home/showdocument?id=8826" target="_blank">Question 6</a>, in 2018, but state law requires that constitutional amendments be passed in two consecutive even-numbered election years.</p><p>More clean energy for the state may seem good. But there's concern that enshrining 50% renewables by 2030 in the state's constitution isn't that ambitious and it will make it harder to continue the push for 100% renewables in the future. To do that would be another constitutional amendment that would again take four years and two consecutive ballot wins to move the needle.</p><p>Also, the state is already on its way to the same renewable goal.</p><p>A legislative effort to achieve 50% renewables by 2030 — but with a slightly different timeline for the increments to get there — was signed into law in April 2019 by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak. Renewable advocates hope the state will do even better than that benchmark, but passing Question 6 would make it harder.</p>Paying a Fair Share
<p>If California's <a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/qualified-ballot-measures/" target="_blank">Proposition 15</a> passes, commercial and industrial properties will need to start paying taxes based on their current market value, instead of paying based on the purchase price from decades prior (which stems from Proposition 13 passed back in 1978). The initiative would exempt agricultural land, small businesses, renters and homeowners.</p><p>Reassessing the worth of large commercial properties could bring in between $7.5 billion and $12 billion a year that would go toward supporting local governments, school districts and community colleges.</p><p>Most of the <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_15,_Tax_on_Commercial_and_Industrial_Properties_for_Education_and_Local_Government_Funding_Initiative_(2020)" target="_blank">opposition</a> has come from big business and anti-taxation groups.</p><p>The California Teachers Association Issues PAC is the biggest supporter of the effort, but a number of <a href="https://www.yes15.org/endorsers-environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environmental groups</a> have also endorsed the measure, which would likely see oil companies and other big industrial polluters having to kick in more money.</p><p>"The oil industry has used Prop. 13 loopholes to evade tens of millions of dollars in property taxes," <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/victoria-rome/nrdc-announces-support-californias-proposition-15" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote Victoria Lome</a>, California legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Companies like Chevron, Exxon, Phillips 66, Shell and Tosco are paying taxes based on assessments taken prior to 2000. Prop. 15 would end this hidden subsidy to dirty energy."</p><p>Oil companies could stand to lose in Alaska, too. Voters there will weigh in on <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_Ballot_Measure_1,_North_Slope_Oil_Production_Tax_Increase_Initiative_(2020)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ballot Measure 1</a>, which would increase taxes on big oil producers (those that have produced more than 400 million barrels overall or 40,000 barrels a day in the past year) operating in three established oil fields in the North Slope.</p>Taking the Wind Out of the Sails of the Electoral College
<p>Colorado's <a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/ballots/adopt-agreement-elect-us-president-national-popular-vote" target="_blank">Proposition 113</a> isn't about environmental issues directly but could cause big shifts in how presidential elections are run and what states and issues are considered important.</p><p>The initiative would add Colorado to the <a href="https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/written-explanation" target="_blank">National Popular Vote Interstate Compact</a>. That effort is aimed at ensuring the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote wins the election. It doesn't eliminate the Electoral College, but it saps its power.</p><p>The compact needs states representing at least 270 Electoral College votes to go into effect. It's currently at 196.</p><p>If Colorado's proposition is passed, and if the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact eventually gets enough votes to go into effect, then Colorado's nine electoral votes would go to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote, not to the one who gets the most votes in Colorado.</p>From Your Site Articles
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A Japanese ship that ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius may have changed course to get a mobile data signal for a birthday celebration on board. imo.un / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 2.0
A Japanese ship that wrecked off the coast of Mauritius in July and sparked one of the worst environmental disasters in the country's history may have run aground because of birthday celebrations on board at the time.
<p>That's according to a statement from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), in the latest development from the July 25 wrecking of the Panama-flagged and Japanese-owned M.V. Wakashio, a bulk carrier. The ship, bound for Brazil from Singapore, was sailing through Mauritian waters when it ran aground on a coral reef and <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/mauritius-grapples-with-worst-environmental-crisis-in-a-generation/" target="_blank">leaked almost 1,000 tons</a> of fuel oil.</p><p>In its <a href="https://amp.gob.pa/notas-de-prensa/delegacion-panamena-de-expertos-en-accidentes-maritimos-asiste-en-investigaciones-sobre-el-accidente-de-la-embarcacion-wakashio-en-isla-mauricio/" target="_blank">statement</a> published in Spanish on Sept. 7, the AMP, which is collaborating in the investigation into the accident, said the ship diverted its navigation plan, possibly in relation to "the celebration of the birthday of one of the crew members."</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="34287b18290ccad5cf7b867046c7a054"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxguTU3tt5c?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>"[T]he change of course is produced by indications of the captain of the boat, who gave instructions to approach about 5 miles away from the coast of Mauritius, looking for a telephone and internet signal, so that the crew members could communicate with their families," the AMP said.</p><p>The Wakashio's captain was taken into custody on Aug. 18 for endangering safe navigation. According to the government, the ship had failed to respond to several calls from the Mauritian Coast Guard.</p><p>Mauritius's environment minister, Kavydass Ramano, called it an "unprecedented" crisis, and the prime minister declared a national emergency on Aug. 7, a day after oil began leaking from its tank.</p><p>The AMP said its investigation into the cause of the grounding was still in the preliminary phase. It also raised questions about the use of the electronic navigational chart (ENC). "It seems that the wrong chart was being used and with the wrong scale, which made it impossible to properly verify the approach to the coast and shallower waters," the AMP said.</p>
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">Satellite data analysis reported by Forbes shows the ship </span><u style="background-color: initial;"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/08/09/how-satellites-traced-the-fateful-journey-of-the-ship-that-led-to--mauritius-worst-oil-spill-disaster/#8c542495b428" target="_blank">changed course</a></u><span style="background-color: initial;"> on July 21, putting it on a direct collision path with the island. The outlet also reported that weather conditions in the days leading up to the crash were not adverse, discounting bad weather as a possible explanation for the move.</span><br></p><p>Some observers say the missteps could be linked to the stress that ship crews are under in the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 shutdowns. It has become challenging for shipping operators to make crew changes, leading many seafarers to be stranded at sea, away from their families for long periods.</p><p>The Wakashio ran aground on the reef close to at least three ecologically important sites: a Ramsar wetland, a coral island hosting rare and endemic birds, and a marine protected area. Environmentalists say they fear the spill will have lasting effects on the coral reefs, mangroves and fisheries in the region.</p><p>Last week, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), the Japanese company operating the ship, pledged 1 billion yen ($9.5 million) for environmental preservation efforts and to shore up local fisheries.</p><p>Nagashiki Shipping, the owner of the Wakashio, will also be contributing to this initiative, called the Mauritius Natural Environment Recovery Fund. The money will go toward mangrove recovery, coral reef protection and safeguarding Mauritius's rare flora and fauna, and for research work.</p>
<p>The Japanese government has also offered aid, but the value of its commitment is undecided. Japanese media have reported that Mauritius is seeking 1.34 billion Mauritian rupees ($34 million) from Tokyo.</p><p>Mauritius is also seeking compensation from Nagashiki Shipping. It has started the process of collecting claims from residents impacted by the crash and the spill.</p><p>Mauritian authorities have come under increasing scrutiny at home for letting the ship remain on the reef for more than 10 days, even as choppy waters damaged the vessel and ultimately led to a breach in the fuel tank. The ship broke into two on Aug. 15.</p>
<p>A controversial <u><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/mauritiuss-plan-to-dump-part-of-wrecked-ship-sparks-controversy/" target="_blank">decision</a></u> to sink the front half of the ship on Aug. 25, and the beaching of dozens of dolphins and whales days just days later, fueled further discontent. The causes of the deaths of the cetaceans are yet to be determined.</p><p>On Aug. 29, <u><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/mauritians-take-to-the-street-over-oil-spill-and-dolphin-and-whale-deaths/" target="_blank">thousands of people</a></u> marched in the streets of the capital, Port Louis, to protest what they see as the government's mishandling of the crisis. Another protest was held in Mahebourg, an important fishing village, on Sept. 12.</p><p>Meanwhile, the stern of the broken vessel remains lodged on the reef. Efforts are underway to remove it before the Indian Ocean storm season starts in November.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/birthday-party-on-ship-may-have-led-to-oil-spill-in-mauritius-panama-regulator-says/#:~:text=A%20Japanese%20ship%20that%20ran,flag%20the%20vessel%20was%20sailing." target="_blank">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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The BP oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana across the street from Marktown Park on Jan. 8, 2019. Scott Olson / Getty Images
We may have already passed peak demand for oil.
<p>This suggestion comes from an unlikely source: <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil-fuel</a> giant <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bp" target="_self">BP</a>. The company released its annual <a href="https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/energy-outlook.html" target="_blank">Energy Outlook</a> report Monday, and found that oil demand may have already peaked in 2019, as the rise in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a> intersects with the impact of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/14/global-oil-demand-may-have-passed-peak-says-bp-energy-report" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>"(The energy transition) would be an unprecedented event," BP chief economist Spencer Dale told journalists, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bp-energy-idUSKBN26410O?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0vHKXsFVgZ2wnnv66zvdWrWePzm375mU_kVBe6l_kUWkYQE365kESr-IE" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>. "Never in modern history has the demand for any traded fuel declined in absolute terms."</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/energy-outlook/introduction/overview.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report outlines</a> three possible energy scenarios for the next 30 years.</p><ol><li>The Rapid Transition Scenario (Rapid): This envisions a scenario in which energy-based greenhouse-gas emissions decline 70 percent by 2050, in line with limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100.</li><li>The Net-Zero Scenario (Net Zero): This scenario imagines the policies adapted in the Rapid scenario are augmented by widespread lifestyle changes, and energy emissions decline by more than 95 percent by 2050, limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.</li><li>The Business-as-Usual Scenario (BAU): This imagines that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate</a> policies continue at a pace consistent with the past several years, and emissions only decline to less than 10 percent of 2018 levels by 2050.</li></ol>
<p>In the first two scenarios, BP concluded oil demand would already have peaked in 2019, according to The Guardian. In the third, it would plateau after 2019 and peak sometime in the mid-2020s, according to BP.</p><p>However, all three scenarios show <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-and-gas" target="_self">oil and gas</a> on the wane and renewable energy on the rise, Reuters reported. They show fossil fuels falling from 85 percent of energy demand in 2018 to 20 to 65 percent by 2050. Meanwhile, they show renewable technologies like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind" target="_self">wind</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" target="_self">solar</a> expanding from five percent of energy demand in 2018 to 20 to 60 percent by 2050, according to Reuters and The Guardian.</p><p>"In all three of these scenarios the share of renewable energy grows more quickly than any energy fuel ever seen in history," Dale told The Guardian.</p>
<p>The coronavirus is expected to speed the decline in oil demand in part because it is slowing economic growth in developing countries, which tend to drive energy demand. At the same time, many developed countries are upping their climate ambitions and carbon taxes.</p><p>Other factors that may limit the demand for oil include the transition towards <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicle" target="_self">electric vehicles</a> and the growing movement to phase out single-use <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastics</a>.</p><p>The report comes the same year that BP <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-and-gas-emissions-bp-2050-2645140229.html" target="_self">announced plans</a> to be an entirely carbon-neutral energy company by 2050. Monday's report seemingly supports Chief Executive Bernard Looney's plan to "reinvent" the company, Reuters pointed out. It was released as the company begins a three-day event outlining its plans to transition its energy sources.</p>
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OPEC remains only a pale shadow of its past glory. Pxfuel
By Ashutosh Pandey
In 1973, a handful of oil-rich countries, led by Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, brought the mighty U.S. economy to its knees by slapping an oil embargo on Washington and its allies. The suspension of oil shipments from the Middle East to the U.S. and steep production cuts in retaliation for the Americans' support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, leading to fuel shortages and causing oil prices to go through the roof.
<p><br/></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/opec-saudi-arabia-russia-united-states-peak-oil-covid-19/a-54875289?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2647641514#/" target="_self"></a></p>
<p>The ban was lifted within months following hectic negotiations, but not before it pushed the U.S. economy into its worst recession since World War II. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which until then had maintained a relatively low profile, mainly negotiating higher oil prices from major oil companies for its members, had emerged as a force to reckon with.</p><p>Nearly five decades later, OPEC remains only a pale shadow of its past glory, weakened by infighting within its ranks, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/us-shale-oil-forecasts-too-optimistic-even-iea-agrees/a-46296507" target="_blank">the rise of the United States as a major oil exporter</a> thanks to a shale boom, and a global push for renewable sources of energy amid climate change worries. </p><p>"OPEC is significant primarily as a political club. It fails economically as a cartel, but it does boost the prestige and standing of its members, most of whom would not otherwise have a seat at the table in world affairs," said Jeff Colgan, a professor at Brown University who authored the book <em>Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War.</em> "A functional cartel needs to set tough limits to production and stick to them. OPEC sets easy targets and still often fails to meet them," he told DW.</p><p>The bloc has seen its market share progressively diminish over the years, in part thanks to its efforts to artificially boost oil prices by holding back its own production. OPEC's share of the global oil market has fallen to around 30% from above 50% in 1973. It has also been hurt by involuntary losses in war-torn Libya and the fallout from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/iran-tankers-come-to-the-rescue-of-oil-starved-venezuela/a-53586364" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. sanctions in both Iran and Venezuela</a>. </p><p>It was OPEC's weakness amid the rise of the U.S. as a major oil producer that prompted the once exclusive club to join hands with <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-oil-shock-tests-saudi-arabia-russia-coalition/a-52292320" target="_blank">Russia and some other oil producers to form OPEC+ and attempt to balance the oil markets.</a> The alliance's inception in 2016 was preceded by a disastrous campaign by the Saudi-led bloc to force weaker U.S. shale players out of business, which caused oil prices to collapse to around $30 a barrel. U.S. shale players then proved to be more resilient than the Saudis had expected — strong enough to push the U.S. to become the world's biggest oil producer. </p>
Peak Oil Debate Heats Up Amid COVID-19 Crisis
<p>The bloc's waning influence has coincided with oil's fall from grace. The fossil fuel has seen its share in the global energy mix diminish to about 33% from a peak of 50% in 1973, according to estimates by BP, as governments and companies shift to cleaner energy sources to combat climate change. By contrast, renewables, mostly from solar and wind, have seen their share rise, accounting for over 40% of global energy growth last year, according to BP's data.</p><p>"Oil isn't as significant or visible as it used to be. For example, do you know who the head of Exxon is? Probably not. Do you know who the head of Tesla is? Yes, Elon Musk," said Philippe Benoit, from consultancy Global Infrastructure Advisory Services 2050. </p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has further dimmed oil's prospects. Global lockdowns brought cars, planes and trains to a screeching halt, causing oil consumption to drop by a quarter and <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/oil-prices-collapse-with-biggest-drop-since-1991-gulf-war/a-52687503" target="_blank">oil prices to crash to multiyear lows,</a> even trading below $0 a barrel in the US at one point. Transportation accounts for close to a third of the global oil demand. </p><p>Experts don't see the automobile and aviation sectors returning to their pre-pandemic levels for the next 3-5 years at least. The airline industry was touted to be the biggest growth engine for oil, riding on demand from people getting richer, but that now looks unlikely, especially over the next few years. </p><p>Oil industry leaders, including BP's chief executive, Bernard Looney, and Royal Dutch Shell's boss Ben van Beurden, have said the current crisis may cause the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/when-will-peak-oil-hit-global-energy-markets/a-51367939" target="_blank">oil demand to peak sooner than expected.</a></p><p>"The backdrop of declining demand means that the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] and its Gulf allies would find it increasingly difficult to manipulate supply and boost prices for any length of time," Jason Tuvey, of Capital Economics, wrote in a note to clients. "If prices are kept artificially high for an extended period, oil demand will end up declining at an even faster pace and the nimbleness of U.S. shale production means that non-OPEC supply will expand." </p>'OPEC Is a Saudi Mouthpiece'
<p>OPEC was founded in Baghdad in September 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The bloc, which has expanded and contracted over the years, has been plagued by squabbles over strategy and regional power struggles, which have occasionally turned into full-blown conflicts like the Iran-Iraq war and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. </p><p>Saudi Arabia, which produces a third of OPEC's oil, has remained the de facto leader of the bloc since the 1990s, when conflicts, corruption and poor management wrecked production in other member countries, including regional rivals Iran and Iraq. </p><p>Riyadh has oscillated between propping up crude oil prices and shielding its market share, often unilaterally. "OPEC is a Saudi mouthpiece," Colgan said. In March, when OPEC+ negotiations to cut output in response to the pandemic collapsed, Saudi Arabia launched a price war against Russia — much to the dismay of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/oil-price-war-saudi-arabia-russia-us-nigeria-angola/a-52718595" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">weaker OPEC members such as Nigeria and Angola,</a> already bleeding due to low oil prices caused by Riyadh's 2015-16 misadventure. </p><p>Despite all its sway, Saudi Arabia has struggled to rein in the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/will-coronavirus-oil-shock-rein-in-opec-cheaters/a-53277101" target="_blank">bloc's so-called cheaters, including Nigeria and Iraq,</a> which have been notorious for failing to comply with pledged output cuts aimed at propping up oil prices. Riyadh, which is more vulnerable to low oil prices than other major oil producers with its break-even oil price exceeding $80 a barrel, has ended up doing much of the heavy lifting to ensure overall compliance.</p><p>Tuvey of Capital Economics says in the medium-term Saudi Arabia will scale back its efforts to prop up oil prices and revert to the strategy of shielding its market share at any cost to avoid leaving substantial quantities of oil stranded amid falling demand. </p><p><span></span>"Such a shift in policy, particularly if it were sudden and unexpected, would put some downward pressure on oil prices. But this is unlikely to be too troubling for the kingdom, and the government has proven its willingness to impose harsh fiscal austerity," Tuvey said. "Saudi policymakers won't have much sympathy for other producers that fail to adjust their economies to low oil prices."</p>Bigger Role for OPEC?
<p>Yet it may be too early to write an obituary for the bloc, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-considering-breaking-up-opec-report/a-46226353" target="_blank">which has survived many crises in the past 60 years,</a> eliciting comparisons to the proverbial cat with nine lives. Oil is likely to remain the world's most important commodity for years to come.</p><p>"Paradoxically, OPEC as an aggregator, a point of meeting for many producing nations, could potentially play a bigger role in managing the tensions of a contracting market among those oil producers," Benoit said. </p>
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Pollution From Oil Wells and Industrial Sites Hit by Hurricane Laura Remains Unknown
28 August
Climate
An LNG processing plant is seen in Cameron, Louisiana on August 26, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty Images
The full extent of the damage wrought by the storm formerly known as Hurricane Laura will only continue to grow as the weakened storm continues inland and pollution from petrochemical plants and other industrial sites is discovered.
<p>More than 1,400 active oil wells sit in the path Hurricane Laura carved through Louisiana's coastline, some of which are decades old and especially vulnerable due to the state's receding coastline. </p><p>"I have a lump in my throat thinking about them," Bob Bea, a specialist in catastrophic risk management and former well manager for Shell, told the New Orleans Advocate. </p><p>The environmental damage caused by leaking wells, as well as from pollution spread from other damaged industrial sites, may not be discovered for days as officials focus on search and rescue tasks in the wake of the storm.</p>
<p>The storm's rapid intensification, fueled by exceptionally warm sea-surface temperatures, likely made matters worse but overconfidence from regulators and oil companies is also to blame, according to Bea. </p><p>"When it comes to how we manage our platforms, pipelines, and wells, we here in the U.S. are not world leaders in risk management," he said. </p><p>"We're not Canada or Norway. We're not even a Third World country." </p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nola.com/news/business/article_8106c25c-e86b-11ea-a890-fb56159b024e.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_VLOWHPFC592Gm_5D57qGB9LRL98MiRz3oGxdSpC7qsuf2cd_S4qAmA5Ps3kfhIcCRgU5Ia0C1DuRpa5L2RCX2SZb4dxbFgw9OUG6YFovxlBT8l3E&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New Orleans Advocate</a>; Potential industrial pollution: <a href="https://apnews.com/1887dbe11dec8c0db2f41988599382fc?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9dhp6AZcLb4AA5AUQRI20P8OFVHGu_7tB-IXKvNWtCzHjNPK8eOi1FpDpKWgIC_sH8pDi3bD6OqZciElqQ4Se8wxi0v6_cgxaeYTeHPGbCLsFHgLA&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/climate/hurricane-laura-fire-pollution.html?searchResultPosition=3&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8esde0511EKliwyNlN6Ts0ewK1sJvLLsOr8ximeb95eof33jzMzW6aI3DpdD7vZjU4-D0X4w-O1IrmO0_okgfQ5axh0I7uZw-BYBnRs122VkMadJI&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-energy-corridor-narrowly-averts-direct-hit-from-hurricane-laura-11598539350?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--wHrEUgGUYgpBwo_asKLbIC1xgahQH9DJyFcU4-r-Ubq-FZFycnVnewxrJRTFguz6q9t7y7NDVUxyfDPXQdF95XWB4Wd0dfwIrhOFMpkU6vWhRo1c&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/hurricane-laura-could-lead-to-an-environmental-disaster-on?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--v564n6L9bIwptZCCIdB--FxYL_N3AV4pZ2JheOXD4p8NYUEFAvhIHBG2rldHsPGQ82vP9y-RCUwsFDd9isz3-L6coCQiq4fe2XFhHhK0N0pqwCto&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Norway’s Largest Private Asset Manager Divests in Chevron, Exxon for Lobbying Against Climate Action
27 August
Business
A fire burns at the ExxonMobil Olefins Plant in Baytown, Texas on July 31, 2019. michelmond / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus
A Norwegian hedge fund worth more than $90 billion has become the first major financial institution to divest from companies that lobby against action on the climate crisis, The Guardian reported Monday.
<p>Storebrand, as the fund is called, is the largest private asset manager in Norway, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-climatechange-funds-storebrand/storebrand-divests-out-of-exxon-others-over-climate-lobbying-idUKKBN25K0C1" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. As part of its new policy, it dumped its shares in major U.S. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/big-oil" target="_self">oil</a> companies <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/exxon" target="_self">ExxonMobil</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chevron" target="_self">Chevron</a>, as well as in mining giant Rio Tinto and German chemical company BASF.</p><p>"The Exxons and Chevrons of the world are holding us back," Storebrand chief executive Jan Erik Saugestad told The Guardian.</p><p>Storebrand announced the divestments as part of a wider set of new climate policies Monday.</p>
<div id="e7000" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0b099792cf73397bfc5ce5359e5ef8d3"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1298927639927947269" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">– We are not only vulnerable to the systemic disruptions that #climatechange will unleash on ecosystems, societies… https://t.co/PgDrZl1hAb</div> — Storebrand (@Storebrand)<a href="https://twitter.com/storebrand_no/statuses/1298927639927947269">1598523456.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In addition to divesting from companies that lobby against the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris climate agreement</a> and climate change regulations, the fund will also:</p><ul><li>Make investment decisions in line with scientific consensus and the goals of the Paris agreement</li><li>Divest from companies that make more than 5 percent of their revenues from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a> or <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-sands" target="_self">oil sands</a></li><li>Make decisions that maintain nature's ability to store carbon dioxide, with a special focus on stopping <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a></li><li>Increase investments in low-carbon companies</li><li>Connect with <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/energy" target="_self">energy</a> companies with a view towards encouraging them to transition towards <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable</a> sources</li><li>Provide regular progress reports</li><li>Inform clients about low-carbon, sustainable investment funds</li></ul>
<p>"We aim to maintain our position as a leading provider of sustainable solutions," Saugestad said in a <a href="https://www.mynewsdesk.com/no/storebrand-asa/pressreleases/storebrand-strengthens-climate-policy-to-accelerate-green-transition-3028319" target="_blank">statement</a>. "With this policy we will excel and improve our work on climate and greening the financial system. We will use all the tools at our disposal, including divestment, investing more in solutions and engaging with companies in order to achieve substantial change."</p><p>The divestment, completed this year, represented a small share of the fund's assets, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-24/a-91-billion-asset-manager-dumps-exxon-chevron-on-climate" target="_blank">Bloomberg News reported</a>. The fund divested a total of $47 million, almost half of it from Exxon and Chevron.</p>
<p>In response, both oil companies said they supported the goals of the Paris agreement and are investing in low-emission technologies.</p><p>"[Exxon] is focused on the dual challenge of meeting the growing demand for energy and minimizing environmental impacts and the risks of climate change," spokesman Casey Norton told Bloomberg News in an email.</p><p>Chevron, meanwhile, said it was considering a shareholder vote that would encourage transparency around climate lobbying.</p>
<p>UK nonprofit <a href="https://influencemap.org/" target="_blank">InfluenceMap</a> has reported that Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP and Total spend around $200 million a year working to delay or block climate policies, according to The Guardian. While the fund did not divest from major European oil companies like BP or Norway's own Equinor, they are not off the hook.</p><p>"This initial move does not mean that BP, Shell, Equinor and other oil and gas majors can rest easy and continue with business as usual, even though they are performing relatively better than US oil majors," Saugestad told The Guardian.</p>
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Fire and smoke at a plastics plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Aug. 19, 2020. The massive fire that broke out overnight is likely to burn for days, officials said. Xinhua / Dan Tian via Getty Images
A plastics plant near Dallas,Texas caught fire midnight Wednesday, sending a column of toxic smoke billowing over North Texas.
<p><br/></p>
Twitter
<div id="530f0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a9d167b449145aafb50e9b487e967bb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1296088867293069313" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">TEXAS FIRE: Local media reports a major fire and explosions at the Poly America industrial facility in Grand Prairi… https://t.co/kf5VPU8uVw</div> — NowThis (@NowThis)<a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/statuses/1296088867293069313">1597846640.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The smoke could be seen for miles and was picked up on a weather camera in Denton, about 40 miles away, <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/massive-fire-breaks-out-at-factory-in-grand-prairie/287-aa702222-e44e-40e8-8e45-2d625ec62e90" target="_blank">WFAA reported</a>. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered, but people with underlying medical conditions were warned to avoid the smoke and self-evacuate if needed. </p><p>"Anybody with any breathing problems, any asthmatics, I mean it is the combustion from plastic so it's not good to breathe," Grand Prairie Assistant Fire Chief Bill Murphy told <a href="https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/08/19/fire-rages-manufacturing-plant-grand-prairie-poly-america/" target="_blank">CBS Dallas-Fort Worth</a>. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/radar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#radar</a> captured the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smoke?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#smoke</a> plume from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GrandPrairie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GrandPrairie</a> industrial <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fire?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fire</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dfwwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dfwwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/txwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#txwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/polyethylene?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#polyethylene</a> <a href="https://t.co/OjQR21LohY">pic.twitter.com/OjQR21LohY</a></p>— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSFortWorth/status/1296038755472572420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The fire broke out at Poly-America factory in Grand Prairie, which manufactures polyethylene and petroleum-based products such as trash bags, drop cloths, plastic sheeting and vapor barrier film. </p><p>Firefighters think the blaze started when a powerline fell on an area where plastic rolls were being stored. </p><p>"All of their storage there at Poly-America, for their rolled plastic, is underneath those towers so it ignited the plastic rolls. It just spread to all the inventory that they have back there," Murphy told CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. </p>
<p>Because of the nature of the plastic fuel, firefighters initially thought the fire would burn through Thursday, but they managed to contain it by 4 p.m. Wednesday, <a href="https://apnews.com/5a242526f448227dd9ccf021ab0fb4bb" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>.</p><p>"Plastic is hard to put out and it's just gonna burn," Murphy said. </p><p>Another difficulty was train tracks that ran between the firefighters and the factory building, WFAA reported. One train car filled with paint caught fire.</p><p>"It was a solid wall of 15-foot flames all night long," Murphy said.</p><p>The factory building itself was removed from the fire and not expected to be damaged.</p><p>The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Grand Prairie officials said they would continue to monitor air quality, The Associated Press reported. </p>
<p>"The State of Texas is monitoring the industrial fire in Grand Prairie and working closely with local officials and first responders to address safety concerns in the community," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement reported by WFAA. "The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Grand Prairie officials are continually checking air quality conditions and the State will provide any necessary resources to the area. I ask Texans in the Grand Prairie community to heed the guidance of local officials and pray for the safety of the first responders combating the fire."</p><p>This isn't the first time Poly-America has caught fire. Another blaze 32 years ago took a day to put out.</p><p>Texas environmental groups said the fire exemplified the dangers of producing plastics. </p><p>"This is a dramatic and frightening example of why we must reduce our dependence on toxic plastics," <a href="https://www.texasenvironment.org/" target="_blank">Texas Campaign for the Environment</a> senior strategy director Corey Troiani told <a href="https://www.greensourcedfw.org/articles/plastic-plant-fire-grand-prairie-should-be-wake-call-say-environmentalists" target="_blank">Green Source DFW</a>. "The plastics industry has targeted Texas to expand dangerous facilities like this one to produce more unsustainable single-use products. Incidents like this remind us that we must transition to a cleaner economy and protect our health and environment from plastics. Our hearts go out to the residents of Grand Prairie and neighboring cities who live near this fire."</p>
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The captain of the vessel behind a devastating Mauritius oil spill left court after being charged Tuesday. RISHI ETWAROO / L'Express Maurice / AFP via Getty Images
The captain of the ship that ran aground off Mauritius and caused an environmental crisis when oil began leaking close to the island nation's unique marine ecosystems was arrested, both police and the captain's lawyer said on Tuesday.
<p>The captain, 58-year-old Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar of India, was charged with endangering safe navigation, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53819112#:~:text=The%20captain%20of%20the%20ship,He%20has%20not%20yet%20commented." target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>. Chief officer Tilak Ratna Suboda of Sri Lanka was also arrested, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/world/africa/captain-mauritius-oil-spill-arrested.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>"We have arrested the captain of the vessel and another member of the crew. After having been heard by the court they have been denied bail and are still in detention," Inspector Siva Coothen told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mauritius-environment/mauritius-arrests-captain-of-stricken-japanese-oil-tanker-idUSKCN25E1UV" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.</p><p>Nandeshwar was arraigned in a district court in the Mauritius capital of Port Louis. Both men will appear in court again Aug. 25, Nandeshwar's lawyer Ilshad Munsoor told The New York Times.</p>
<p>The MV Wakashio ran aground on one of Mauritius' reefs July 25 and began leaking oil less than two weeks later. It is estimated that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/mauritius-oil-spill-ship-splits-2647003962.html" target="_self">at least 1,000 tons</a> of the roughly 4,000 tons on the ship spilled into the Indian Ocean. The rest was removed before the ship split in two over the weekend, except for 90 tons still on the ship.</p><p>Rough weather conditions have made the remaining oil unsafe to remove, BBC News reported.</p><p>"Due to the adverse weather conditions, it is still risky to remove the remaining small amount of residual oil in the engine room," the National Crisis Management Committee said on Monday.</p>
<p>While other major <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-spill" target="_self">oil spills</a> have been worse in terms of total oil released into the environment, this spill was catastrophic because it occurred near two protected marine ecosystems and one wetland of international importance.</p><p>Scientists say damage from the spill could impact Mauritius' <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a> and related tourism for decades, according to Reuters.</p><p>"This oil spill occurred in one of, if not the most, sensitive areas in Mauritius," oceanographer Vassen Kauppaymuthoo <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mauritius-environment/massive-poisonous-shock-scientists-fear-lasting-impact-from-mauritius-oil-spill-idUSKCN2592Z6" target="_blank">told Reuters</a> Aug. 13. "We are talking of decades to recover from this damage, and some of it may never recover."</p>
<p>It still isn't clear why the ship passed so close to shore when it ran aground.</p><p>The Mauritius coast guard tried repeatedly to warn the vessel that it had charted a dangerous course, but received no reply, an anonymous maritime official told Reuters.</p><p>"The route set five days before the crash was wrong and the boat navigation system should have signaled that to the crew and it seems the crew ignored it. The boat did also fail to send out an SOS (when it ran aground), and did not respond to attempts by the coastguard to get in touch," the official said.</p>
<p>Crew members told police there had been a birthday party on the ship the day it ran aground, BBC News reported.</p><p>However, it is unclear if the party happened during the accident or before, according to Reuters.</p><p>Another theory is that the ship traveled closer to shore to pick up a WiFi signal, but the maritime official told Reuters that finding a signal would not have required sailing so close to the shore.</p><p>In Mauritius, people are angry at what they perceive is a slow government response to the spill and they are hungry for answers.</p><p>"Will we know the truth?" Reuben Pillay, who owns a company called Reubs Vision that offers virtual tours of the island, told The New York Times. "We think that there is more to this story."</p>
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An example of abandoned oil pumps and well. Martina Birnbaum / Getty Images
By Ray Levy-Uyeda
A farmer for most of his life, Sam Stewart bought farmland in Montana about 35 years ago. Since then, he's planted and harvested his wheat and other crops around 16 open oil wells on this land, which he estimates were dug in the 1920s.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Maneuvering around the wells is not an arduous process, per se, but it requires seeding the same area twice, which is wasteful and can slow his process. The real nuisance is the invisible methane wafting into the air—a greenhouse gas with an impact 10 times that of carbon dioxide. "You don't want loose gas being just emitted," Stewart says.</p><p>Unplugged wells in Montana and across the country <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2020/04/29/484158/congress-can-help-energy-states-weather-oil-bust-coronavirus-pandemic/" target="_blank">leak thousands of metric tons</a> of <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-DRILLING/WELLS/gjnpwylaapw/USA-DRILLING.jpg" target="_blank">greenhouse gases each year</a>. They can also leach toxins into groundwater and surface water systems, contaminating aquifers. More often than not, these wells simply aren't being cleaned up. That's in part because a lack of funding and political will has stymied the state's cleanup efforts, and in part because there's uncertainty around ownership. "I didn't know they were actually abandoned," Stewart says of the multiple orphaned wells on his property. "I thought the oil company was responsible."</p><p>A foundation formed in 2019 could finally help clean up some of these abandoned oil wells, including those on Stewart's property. "The operator who is responsible is long gone," says Curtis Shuck, founder of the Well Done Foundation. "Our focus is doing the right thing, leaving it better than the way we found it."</p>
Abandoned Wells
<p>The first oil wells in Montana were drilled at the turn of the century, and the industry <a href="https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6881&context=etd" target="_blank">experienced its first boom</a> in the 1920s. <a href="https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6881&context=etd" target="_blank">Energy demands of World War II</a> spurred a second boom; between 1942 and 1945, <a href="https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6881&context=etd" target="_blank">oil production in the Elk Basin region</a> increased from 16,000 to 940,000 barrels annually. When those wells no longer produced oil, companies could just leave. The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission of Montana, tasked with identifying and plugging abandoned wells, wasn't created until 1954, and by that time an untold number of wells had already been drilled, produced, and abandoned. </p><p>As more companies moved into Montana, oil and gas production grew into an increasingly important part of local and state economies; by 2015, it<a href="https://montanapetroleum.org/about-us/economic-impact/" target="_blank"> made up 5.6%</a> of the state's general fund. But the industry that once was a cornerstone of Montana's economy is now in a nosedive: a yearslong decline in global oil production and demand compounded by the <a href="https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063049965" target="_blank">pandemic-induced economic slowdown</a> has produced some of the worst oil <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-07/oil-companies-warn-kansas-city-fed-of-widespread-insolvencies" target="_blank">production conditions in recent years</a>.</p><p>In 2016, the most recent year for which he was able to provide data, 4,713 oil and gas wells were in operation in the state and 204 had been abandoned, according to Allen Olson, executive director of the Montana Petroleum Association, a trade organization that works on behalf of the businesses. But that's a <a href="https://montanapetroleum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MPA-Booklet.pdf" target="_blank">fraction of the tens of thousands</a> that have been drilled in Montana in the past century. </p><p>Data on abandoned wells remain incomplete, which further complicates cleanup efforts. Plus, state legislatures have drastically different policies on how to address abandoned wells. One thing remains certain: The issue is enormous and far-reaching. A 2018 report from the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-06/documents/6.22.17_ghgi_stakeholder_workshop_2018_ghgi_revision_-_abandoned_wells.pdf" target="_blank">Environmental Protection Agency </a>estimated that the country has 3.2 million abandoned oil and gas wells. </p><p>Abandoned wells in Montana—left by companies that filed for bankruptcy, for example, default to the state. Theoretically, a state-run fund pays for well adoption and closure, but even under state control, the wells often lay unplugged, because plugging abandoned wells and restoring the surface land is expensive. Olson believes that the "state regulatory agency here is doing an excellent job staying on top" of plugging wells. But the <a href="http://www.mtrules.org/gateway/ruleno.asp?RN=36%2E22%2E1308" target="_blank">state's plugging plan</a> doesn't explicitly address the issue of abandoned oil wells, and also neglects to lay out a time-bound plan for plugging wells. </p><p>It's not just that states like Montana don't have a legislative apparatus to hold corporations accountable, says Mitch Jones, the climate and energy program director at Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit that pushes for corporate and government accountability. He says that the lack of governmental action is by design. When wells are abandoned, Jones says, "the costs of doing business are passed on to the public instead of being paid by the shareholders in the industry."</p><p>Nationwide, the federal government's own agency in charge of plugging abandoned wells, the Bureau of Land Management, has openly acknowledged that it <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/701450.pdf" target="_blank">doesn't have the financial resources</a> to tackle the issue of plugging wells on federal land. There was no federal <a href="https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/Climate%20Crisis%20Action%20Plan.pdf" target="_blank">nationwide bond requirement</a> to cover the cost of reclaiming wells until the 1950s, and the required value for bonds has not increased since then. </p><p>That's right: the amount required to cover the cost of cleanup has not been increased or adjusted for inflation for nearly 70 years, so the federal amount is <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/701450.pdf" target="_blank">woefully ineffective.</a> Bond standards of a couple thousand dollars often don't address wells that cost tens of thousands to plug, another cause for wells to be abandoned. </p><p>Jones believes that extractive companies are harming the environment and then escaping culpability by declaring bankruptcy. "Not pointing fingers isn't really an option in order to win this fight against climate change," he says. Identifying the sources of harm holds polluting industries accountable for supporting solutions and provides a pathway for legislation that protects the planet, Jones says. The <a href="https://climatecrisis.house.gov/sites/climatecrisis.house.gov/files/Climate%20Crisis%20Action%20Plan.pdf" target="_blank">House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, </a>for example, just proposed a $2 billion remediation program for orphaned wells in June, though given the political climate, that legislation has a rocky future.</p>
A Boost or a Burden?
<p>Kirk Panasuk, a lifelong Montanan, farmer, and member of the Northern Plains Resource Council's Oil and Gas Task Force, remembers growing up with oil wells on his grandparents' farm. Panasuk says "once you've leased the land you've lost control." An oil company would lease the mineral rights—not the surface land but the profitable oil below. That lease might expire, the company would leave, and another company would come in to start the process again.</p><p>Agriculture is a difficult industry, and Panasuk says what seems like "free money" at the outset can lead to problems down the road. Water systems are connected, which means that an oil leak in Montana has the potential to leach chemicals into bodies of water such as the Yellowstone River that flows into other states through the Missouri River, a <a href="https://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/" target="_blank">river crucial</a> to municipal, industrial, and agricultural function. </p><p>Panasuk now volunteers with the NPRC to lobby state legislators on practices that would hold resource extraction companies accountable by mandating water testing and treatment. He admits that he's made money off of these companies by leasing mineral rights to oil producers who then sell the oil at market. Despite the environmental fallout, Panasuk believes that oil companies' leasing of land actually "saved a lot of small farms from failure [and] bankruptcy."</p><p>Olson of the Montana Petroleum Association says that in 2019, when oil was $60 per barrel, a company might produce 100 barrels per day and pay a royalty fee of 12.5%, which could garner a farmer $750 per day for leasing their land. Today, with prices and production down, the payoffs look different. In April, oil prices went into the <a href="https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/oil-price-collapse-hits-billings-area-businesses-hard/article_df10e954-3e0c-5b6c-9641-135208d4ad2c.html" target="_blank">negative</a>, and in August, they're <a href="https://www.oilmonster.com/crude-oil-prices/central-montana-price/159/228" target="_blank">hovering around $30 per barrel</a>. </p><p>While an oil lease might benefit a farmer initially, Jones says that oil companies are well-versed in this practice. "The oil and gas industry takes advantage of the inequities in our agriculture system to prey upon farmers and get them to sign leases for drilling on their land," Jones says, which can "undermine agricultural activity that's taking place."</p><p>In other farming communities around the country, where oil and gas companies produce natural gas through <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poor-communities-bear-greatest-burden-from-fracking/" target="_blank">hydraulic fracturing</a>, farmers and members of the local community often bear the brunt of water pollution. Not to mention that farming is dependent on a predictable and healthy climate, which is being threatened by resource extraction. </p>A Foundation Is Formed
<p>In early 2019, Curtis Shuck was in the northern town of Shelby, about 15 miles south of the Canadian border, meeting with farmers about agricultural transportation. More than three decades in the oil and gas industry hadn't prepared him for what he saw—abandoned, methane-leaking, unplugged oil wells.</p><p>He walked the area with the farmers and learned how they worked around the wells, most of which had stopped producing oil decades earlier. What was left were remnant pipes strewn across the fields and a sulfuric stench like rotten eggs. </p><p>On his journey home to Bozeman, Shuck couldn't stop thinking about what he had seen, knowing that each open well was responsible for tons of emissions. On that drive, the idea for the Well Done Foundation was born. </p><p>Just over a year after that first trip north, the Well Done Foundation plugged its first three wells and expanded beyond the Montana pilot program into dozens of other states. Shuck says that he hopes the foundation can also gather the concrete data that the government lacks, such as the number of orphaned wells and their emissions, which makes it difficult to develop solutions.</p><p>Shuck says he can acknowledge the state's shortcomings in their cleanup efforts while building relationships with those who make regulatory decisions. The "state fund is grossly underfunded," Shuck says, but "why should the public bear the burden of this orphaned well issue?"</p><p>The Well Done team identifies abandoned oil wells around the state, and then posts a financial bond to the state's Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, a way for the state to track and partially fund the plugging. In doing so, the state is holding up its end of the bargain, but without this push from Well Done, it might take the state years to accomplish what the Foundation does in months. </p><p>The foundation researches individual well emissions for about nine months as well as studying the construction of a well, how deep it goes, and the materials that are required to plug it. Shuck says it's important that the foundation does its due diligence to identify wells that have collapsed in on themselves or have an obstruction that needs to be addressed before plugging. </p><p>Then the foundation works with county commissions, private entities, and those who own the surface land to develop and execute a "plugging plan," which so far has been funded by private or anonymous donors. The actual plugging of the well takes only a few days, and then the Foundation works to restore the surface land to its "pre-drilling condition," which allows a farmer to seed the land and grow crops. </p><p>Shuck is adamant that the foundation's work is not about fighting corporations, but about taking responsibility for one's community. The foundation has built partnerships with both conservation organizations and oil and gas companies. Shuck says that abandoned wells are a "bit of a black eye to the industry," so plugging the orphaned wells demonstrates their environmental responsibility and develops a partnership that may come in <a href="https://www.rigzone.com/news/orphan_well_stimulus_would_employ_displaced_workers-04-jun-2020-162291-article/" target="_blank">useful as the industry quickly changes</a>.</p><p>"There are plenty of folks that want to blame Big Oil, little oil, or oil in general," he says. But the work, to him, is not about pointing fingers. Neither the left's demonization of fossil fuels nor the right's push for energy independence are relevant to the work, in Shuck's view. </p><p>In late April, the foundation successfully plugged its first well—a 96-year-old well called Big West Anderson #3 in Toole County that it had "adopted" by taking over legal responsibility from the state. The well, which hadn't produced oil since the 1980s, had been releasing 6,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. For comparison, one car on the road releases about <a href="https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100U8YT.pdf" target="_blank">4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide</a> per year. </p><p>Just one day after the foundation plugged Big West Anderson #3, its greenhouse gas emissions were nonexistent.</p><p>Shuck says, "What's exciting about this is that we can make an impact one well at a time."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/08/13/pollution-oil-wells-montana/" target="_blank">YES! Magazine</a>.</em></p><p><a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/ray-levy-uyeda/" target="_blank"><em>Ray Levy-Uyeda</em></a><strong><em> </em></strong><em>is a Bay Area-based freelance writer who focuses on gender, politics, and activism.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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