Today’s Key Takeaways: Chevron leaves CA for TX after 145 years. Bad science on LNG emissions guided Biden. Alaska Miners celebrate 85 years of shaping a sustainable industry for Alaska.
NEWS OF THE DAY:
Chevron to move its headquarters from California to Texas
Juan Salinas II, The Texas Tribune, August 2, 2024
The oil giant said it will relocate to Houston. It’s the latest company seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment in Texas.
Chevron Corporation will move its headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston before the end of the year, the company said Friday.
Chevron is the latest company to leave California for Texas seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment. Last month, Elon Musk said he’ll move X and SpaceX to Texas because California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several laws expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students.
The relocation comes after California sued Chevron and other oil companies last year for downplaying the effects of climate change for decades. California has seen extreme heat waves and a rise in wildfires in recent years.
Chevron said in a press release the move will allow better collaboration between its executives, partners and employees. The oil company already has roughly 7,000 employees in the Houston area. It expects all corporate functions to relocate to Houston over the next five years.
GAS:
A Major Paper on Liquified Natural Gas Emissions Is Riddled with Errors
Jonah Messinger, The Breakthrough Institute, July 30, 2024
In January 2024, the Biden Administration announced a temporary pause on new export license applications for liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals, pending a review by Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories of the climate and economic impacts of U.S. LNG. The decision came roughly one month after a public letter, signed by over 100 academics, implored that President Biden reject the proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) LNG export terminal in Louisiana, projected to become the largest in the U.S., and other pending terminal applications. Last month, however, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted two to one to approve the CP2 facility, now passing on final license approval to the DOE. And earlier this month a Louisiana judge granted a preliminary injunction to put the Biden Administration’s LNG pause on hold.
Among the signatories of the letter was Robert Howarth, a professor of Ecology at Cornell University, who has, for over a decade, wrongly claimed that domestic natural gas contributes just as much, or even more, to global warming as coal. That letter—as well as a letter from over 60 members of Congress to Secretary of Energy Granholm—references a recent study authored by Professor Howarth—posted as a preprint in October 2023—that claimed that U.S. LNG has a higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity than coal power. The most recent update of the study from May 2024—the study has been amended several times since its initial release—estimates that U.S. LNG emits approximately the same GHG emissions as coal on the lower end, and as much as 64% more GHGs on the upper end, on a 100-year time frame.
Howarth—convinced by environmental activist Bill McKibben to release his study as a preprint to influence the Biden Administration—insists that U.S. LNG, despite evidence to the contrary, is worse than coal. His latest study, promoted prominently in major media outlets and by McKibben in his column for the New Yorker, uses incontrovertibly flawed methodology to once again assert his claim.
That an activist scholar with a history of contested and critiqued claims could influence the Biden administration with such an obviously erroneous study is more than concerning. It demonstrates how faulty science in the name of climate can derail important policy debates and make the global energy transition far harder.
MINING:
AMA’s 85 years of mining stewardship
A.J. Roan, Mining News, August 4, 2024
Alaska Miners Association celebrates 85 years of service, advocating for growth and sustainability in Alaska’s mining industry.
As the Alaska Miners Association celebrates its 85th anniversary, the organization’s vital role in advancing the state’s mining industry comes into sharp focus. Founded in 1939 at the onset of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the AMA was similarly established to advocate for fair labor practices and safe mineral development in the Last Frontier.
Over the decades, the AMA has navigated economic challenges and legislative changes, becoming a cornerstone in ensuring the sustainable utilization of Alaska’s vast mineral resources and shaping the industry into a stable foundation for the state’s well-being.
As the world stood on the brink of World War II, an uncertain venture took shape in the remote expanse of Alaska shortly after President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which set minimum wages, mandated a maximum workweek, and banned oppressive child labor, a lasting reflection of his New Deal vision to uplift American workers during the Great Depression.
Recognizing the need for an organization that could provide a unified voice for miners against this backdrop of global uncertainty and national reform, several individuals sought to establish the Alaska Miners Association (AMA).
The AMA emerged to champion the interests of miners and the equitable development of Alaska’s rich mineral resources. Their goal was to create an association that would represent the interests of miners, advocate for fair labor practices, and ensure the orderly development of Alaska’s mineral resources – this vision aimed to balance economic growth with the well-being of mining communities.
Since then, this vision has grown into a guiding hand for mining across the state.
For 85 years, the Alaska Miners Association has played an integral role in supporting numerous mining operations – from family run placer mining operations on Alaska’s many gold-rich streams to the Usibelli Coal Mine, which has been around almost as long as the AMA, and on to projects like Fort Knox, the largest gold mine in the state, and Red Dog Mine, which stands among the world’s largest producers of zinc.
These projects, along with hundreds of other mining endeavors over the years, have not only contributed to the state’s economy but also provided thousands of jobs, establishing the sector as a cornerstone of Alaska’s economic foundation.
In recent years, the AMA has continued to uphold its mission by engaging in various initiatives that promote the sustainable development of Alaska’s mineral resources.
The association works closely with state and federal agencies to influence policies that support the mining industry, advocates for fair and realistic land use regulations, and provides educational programs to increase public awareness about the importance of mining to Alaska’s economy.
Additionally, the AMA hosts annual conventions and industry events, fostering collaboration and innovation within the mining community. Through these efforts, the AMA ensures that the mining sector remains vital to Alaska’s economic landscape, contributing to the state’s prosperity and development, while maintaining the homeland that all Alaskans love.