Analysis | Is a major Alaska oil project a ‘carbon bomb’ or a nothingburger?

In accordance with a brand new evaluation launched Tuesday by the Middle for American Progress, a preeminent liberal suppose tank, ConocoPhillips‘s Willow venture would produce as much as 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the following 30 years. That is equal to the annual emissions of 76 coal-fired energy crops — a 3rd of all coal crops in america.

However in line with ConocoPhillips, CAP’s evaluation is deceptive and inaccurate. In actuality, the corporate argues, the Willow venture would have a modest environmental footprint compared to the nation’s coal crops. And it could present desperately wanted power and jobs for the area and the nation.

The talk has huge implications for President Biden’s formidable local weather agenda, which requires slicing U.S. emissions by at the least 50 % by 2030. It comes because the administration weighs whether or not to approve the multibillion-dollar effort to increase oil infrastructure on the nation’s single largest block of public land.

Here is a take a look at either side of the continued debate over the venture — and why it issues for Biden and the planet:

ConocoPhillips’s proposal for Willow consists of tons of of miles of roads and pipelines, airstrips, a gravel mine and a serious new processing facility — all in the course of pristine Arctic tundra and wetland.

The dispute over the venture’s emissions spans a number of months:

• In March, CAP revealed a report titled “The Biden administration’s best local weather win is ready within the Arctic.” The report asserted that if the Inside Division approves Willow, it could negate the emissions prevented by assembly Biden’s near-term objectives for deploying extra renewable power on public lands and waters.
• In April, ConocoPhillips drafted a six-page rebuttal of the report that was shared with The Washington Submit. The oil big argued that CAP had made “statements and assertions which can be factually inaccurate, logically flawed, and segregated from acceptable context for comparability and understanding.”
• In July, the Inside Division launched a brand new environmental evaluation of Willow however declined to disclose whether or not it was leaning towards approving the controversial venture.
• And at this time, CAP launched the brand new evaluation — primarily based on Inside’s environmental evaluation — concluding that Willow may generate as much as 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years. ConocoPhillips additionally disputes this evaluation.

Now that we have laid out the context, let’s evaluate the guts of the controversy. Whereas the disagreement is difficult, it largely facilities on a hypothetical state of affairs wherein the Willow venture weren’t developed.

• ConocoPhillips argues that on this situation, greenhouse gases would proceed to be emitted as a result of the market would substitute different power provides to fulfill demand. Due to this fact, the oil big says, Willow would solely lead to a internet enhance of roughly 35 million metric tons over 30 years — simply 0.15 % of the annual carbon output of U.S. coal crops.
• CAP argues that it is irrelevant to invest about what may occur if Willow weren’t developed. As a substitute, the middle says, Inside has an obligation to think about what may occur if the venture strikes ahead. And Inside’s personal evaluation reveals that Willow may pump as much as 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the ambiance — equal to working 76 coal crops for a yr, in line with the Environmental Safety Company‘s Greenhouse Gasoline Equivalencies Calculator.

In an e mail, ConocoPhillips spokesman Dennis Nuss mentioned that CAP “continues to misconstrue emissions numbers and timelines to create deceptive comparisons to what stays an environmentally and socially accountable venture.”

Nuss added that “when full, Willow will promote U.S. power safety, present employment within the state of Alaska, and generate public income directed to North Slope communities for healthcare, roads, faculties and different important companies.”

Jenny Rowland-Shea, CAP’s director of public lands and the creator of the brand new evaluation, countered that Willow can be a “carbon bomb” at a time when “scientists and others are saying the U.S. urgently wants to maneuver off fossil fuels” to fulfill world local weather targets.

“We actually, actually cannot afford to have this venture occur,” she mentioned.

Regardless of rising warmth, industries push towards safeguards for staff

As excessive warmth turns into extra frequent attributable to local weather change, business teams are preventing to forestall new rules geared toward defending workers from heat-related sickness, Anna Phillips reviews for The Washington Submit. 

Though extra progressive locations alongside the West Coast have adopted office guidelines to handle warmth publicity, many different states’ makes an attempt to require safeguards have been both blocked or weakened by main corporations, in line with public information and people concerned in efforts to write down new guidelines. 

The brand new requirements may require corporations to offer staff water, shade and relaxation breaks, or set statewide most warmth temperatures for workplaces. However corporations argue that the rules would expose them to lawsuits, value some huge cash, symbolize a regulatory overreach and enhance the burden on companies to implement the rule. 

Some advocates are involved that if the federal authorities establishes a warmth rule or another office safety associated to local weather change — which the Biden administration says it plans to do — it could face authorized pushback from business teams arguing that the hazard offered by the warmth isn’t distinctive to the office, however somewhat is a common danger. 

In the meantime, if the planet stays on its present observe of warming by 2 levels Celsius, the variety of unsafe work days is predicted to just about double. Already, warmth publicity kills a mean of 40 staff yearly and injures greater than 3,000, in line with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The federal government says these figures are “possible huge underestimates” due to underreporting.

Biden surveys flood injury in Kentucky, pledges extra federal assist

President Biden on Monday surveyed the injury from devastating storms final month that triggered the worst flooding in Kentucky’s historical past and killed at the least 37 folks, pledging to increase federal help till residents are again on their toes, Seung Min Kim, Chris Megerian and Bruce Schreiner report for the Related Press. 

Biden harassed that politics haven’t any place in federal catastrophe response, regardless of his frequent clashes with Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who led all 50 Senate Republicans in opposing Democrats’ local weather and tax bundle.

“We battle all of the occasions on points,” Biden mentioned, however in serving to Kentuckians rebuild, “we’re all one workforce.”

White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre instructed reporters on Air Drive One that the floods in Kentucky are “yet one more reminder of the intensifying and accelerating impacts of local weather change and the pressing must spend money on making our communities extra resilient to it.” 

Monday’s journey was Biden’s second go to to Kentucky since taking workplace final yr. He beforehand visited in December after a string of tornadoes whipped throughout the state, killing 77 folks and leaving a path of destruction.

Democrats’ local weather invoice may carry extra offshore wind to the U.S.

Just a little-noticed provision within the tax and local weather invoice handed by the Senate on Sunday would open up waters off the coasts of Puerto Rico, Guam, and different U.S. territories to offshore wind growth for the primary time, Jennifer A Dlouhy reviews for Bloomberg Information. 

The availability within the Inflation Discount Act, which the Home is predicted to go on Friday, would reverse a decades-old quirk in federal regulation that barred renewable power builders from pursuing offshore wind power leases within the 5 U.S. territories. It could additionally require the Inside Division to hunt public touch upon potential offshore wind lease gross sales there.

The proposal comes because the island territories, that are largely depending on oil and fuel for electrical energy, are being more and more hit by worsening excessive climate occasions attributable to human-caused local weather change. 

“The territories want to have the ability to diversify their power,” mentioned Erik Milito, president of the Nationwide Ocean Industries Affiliation, which represents offshore oil, fuel and wind companies.

We additionally eat 25 % of our physique weight in meals day-after-day whereas writing this text: 😂