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Pipeline Leadership Conference, ‘Building Your Advantage’ in the Pipeline Industry

Pipeline Construction

The fifth annual Pipeline Leadership Conference is a two day event in Houston, Texas. This year’s event focused on ‘Building Your Advantage.’ Consumer Energy Alliance’s Brydon Ross participated in a panel discussion during the first day. The topic was on “Convergence: How Integrity, Safety & Prudency Are Transforming Pipeline & Distribution Systems.”

“The Pipeline Leadership Conference is a two-day event geared toward pipeline industry executives involved with operating, building and maintaining oil and gas infrastructure for the transmission and distribution sectors. The event is organized by Benjamin Media Inc. and North American Oil & Gas Pipelines in cooperation with Continuum Capital.”

Read more – North American Pipelines

Top 5 Energy Stories This Week

energy

Regular news this week brought us a lot of joy: Burger King has rerouted its marketing to show off their new recipe, the Democratic debates could easily pass for a new reality series, and celebrities rallied around a 9-year-old being bullied for dwarfism. However, our true happiness comes from headlines in the energy sector, which we conveniently listed for you below! Don’t forget to check out last week’s stories here.

5Next up on the list of upcoming renewable energy sources is…

Manure! That’s right. Smithfield Foods, Inc. is trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 25% by the year 2025. They’ve decided to invest in manure-to-energy projects to complete that goal. There are roughly five projects implemented in Northern Missouri, utilizing hog manure to produce renewable energy gas. Pork Business excretes the rest of the details here.

Money going into gas tank

4Learning the difference between a million and a billion is ‘mind-boggling.’

As we continue to see more government administrations and political candidates touting clean energy deals, wrapping your head around the cost of these implementations can wear you out. From the CLCPA out of New York to the EMP out of New Jersey, most Americans struggle to understand how far a million dollars will go, let alone a billion dollars. Buzzfeed shares some great visual examples here.

Lightning during storm at night

3Flying cars may still be a phenomenon of the future, but pulling electricity out of thin air is not.

While we continue to move toward wind and solar energies, the critical issue both of these energy sources face is lack of consistency. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however, have discovered that common bacteria seem to pull electricity out of thin air, which could close the gap of consistency that wind and solar suffer. Popular Science denotes how far we are from this potential solution here.

Solar Installation

2U.S. Solar Energy jobs are on the rise, just not in the states you might expect.

As we know, California continues to lead the way in providing 40% of the solar industry’s jobs. Following up is the Sunshine State (Florida), but there are several other states on the east coast and in the Midwest that land in the top 10. Forbes shares the infographic here.

Hands of group friends in the shape of a heart against the sunset

1Ohio State University researchers have found a way to transform sunlight into hydrogen.

Scientists from Ohio State University have created a molecule that can both absorb sunlight and act as a catalyst to convert solar energy into hydrogen. As a comparison, current solar cells harness 50% less power than these human-made molecules. Fuel Cells Works lays out the study and findings here.

CEA Helps Launch New Coalition in New Jersey Coalition Along with Labor, Business Allies

Mother and son saving money in a piggybank

TRENTON, NJ – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) today joined civic, labor, energy and business groups to launch Affordable Energy for New Jersey, a group working to ensure New Jersey residents continue to have safe, reliable and affordable energy choices in the wake of the recent release of the state’s Energy Master Plan (EMP).

“CEA is honored to be a part of this diverse Coalition to advocate for sensible, common-sense energy policies to ensure we can continue to have clean natural gas,” CEA Mid-Atlantic Director Michael Butler said. “This is crucial to meeting the energy needs and budgets of our friends and neighbors. New Jersey depends on natural gas to meet the vast majority of home heating and power demands, while keeping emissions down and helping provide a clean energy future.

“We can’t allow reckless policies to hurt consumer’s budgets, leave our most vulnerable out in the cold and our skilled tradesmen and women out of a job. For too long, posturing and irresponsible rhetoric has driven New Jersey’s policy discussions on natural gas and we are proud to join this great coalition to help dispel misinformation and advocate for a secure energy future for everyone in the Garden State.”

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About Consumer Energy Alliance

Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) is the leading consumer advocate for energy, bringing together families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers to support America’s environmentally sustainable energy future. With more than 550,000 members nationwide, our mission is to help ensure stable prices and energy security for households and businesses across the country. CEA works daily to encourage people across the nation to seek sensible, realistic and environmentally responsible solutions to meet our energy needs.

Contact:

Bryson Hull

P: 202-657-2855

bhull@consumerenergyalliance.org

IEA Confirms, U.S. Leads the World in Cutting Emissions, With the Help of Natural Gas

Close up on desktop globe

As CEA President David Holt reported, global emissions have reduced, and America is leading the way. The IEA report boasts that increased use in natural gas has, in fact, contributed to this reduction. While anti-energy activists continue to bang their drums, and create false claims, energy leaders are stepping up to make real change.

“The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis – a fall of 140 Mt, or 2.9%, to 4.8 Gt. US emissions are now down almost 1 Gt from their peak in the year 2000, the largest absolute decline by any country over that period.”

Read more – IEA.org

Top 5 Energy Stories This Week

energy

This week we learned that aliens may be trying to contact us, Wheel of Fortune had a heck of a Freudian slip in a puzzle and Hopper threw us for a loop in the Stranger Things season 4 trailer. Among all of these major headlines, we found a few that might have fallen off your radar. We present this week’s Top 5 Energy Stories, and you can find last week’s right here.

Man adjusting the temperature on the thermostat of his house

5Survey finds shocking results that 75% of couples waste energy in a fight over the thermostat.

Yes, we are using the term shocking sarcastically. For those that have ever been in a relationship, this report is absolutely no surprise. Some of the results on how individuals deal with the issue, however, may be unexpected. Caelus Green Room shares the results here.

Tanker truck with American flag

4Cities around the country are locking in lofty zero-emissions energy goals.

The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation has committed to zero-emissions by 2035, which sounds relatively attainable. However, looking at the bigger picture, the sanitation department needs 750 electric vehicles to make this goal a reality. Utility Dive gives the detailed schedule here.

Adults on a beach bench

3If you find yourself in need of a yacht, there is an eco-friendly version coming 2024.

Sinot designed a super yacht fueled by liquid hydrogen and only emits water (which is safe for the ocean). Sinot has stated that the rumors of Bill Gates purchasing the concept were “factually incorrect.” In other words, this yacht could be yours, read more about it at Daily Mail.

Reusable coffee cup, insulated drink bottle and shopping tote bag

2Plastic bags are continually under ridicule, but do we have actual numbers on their waste?

New York recently implemented a ban on plastic bags, citing that Americans use more than 380 billion plastic use bags every year. Where did this number come from? Above all, citing sources correctly is imperative when reporting. Bloomberg spills the beans here.

Blue flame of gas stove

1America is leading the world in reducing CO2 emissions!

Despite fear mongering tactics and false claims on our emissions used by extreme anti-energy activists, a factual report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) was released this week. A (non-sarcastic) shocking fact shows that an increased use of natural gas has contributed to a CO2 emission reduction. The New American lays it all out here.

Consumer Energy Alliance 2019 Annual Report

Annual Report

Read our 2019 Annual Report here:

Valentine’s Day, Who Says Energy Isn’t Sexy?

Couple on Road Trip

Can you feel it in the air? No – not the clean air we’re enjoying from lowered emissions across the U.S. It’s LOVE! Valentine’s Day is here, and you should be out enjoying time with friends, family and maybe even some me time. One thing is for sure, Valentine’s Day is about love, so of course, we want to share some sexy energy-saving tips so you can rest assured this adored holiday goes smoothly.

Going out can be fun, but you can do yourself a favor by staying in.

More than 80% of the increased energy use between 1997 and 2002 in the United States was food-related, according to some estimates. Increased focus on convenience, often through the sale of prepared food, has required massive amounts of energy. People are also eating out a lot more and all those restaurants use a lot of energy. Methods for processing, storing and cooking food have also become more energy-intensive, and even in individual home kitchens, high-tech gadgets that must be plugged into the wall are becoming a lot more common.

Plus, staying in means, you can set the mood with the right lighting – ooh, sexy.

By lighting, we’re talking LED lighting. LED bulbs were designed as a more energy-efficient light source, using a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. LED lights to use their energy much more efficiently than other types of bulbs — producing light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs and 80% more efficient than CFLs. This is due in part to the fact that LED bulbs require much less wattage than incandescent or CFL bulbs. Fluorescent lights waste 95% of their energy as heat and only use 5% to actually generate light. LEDs are the complete opposite—using an astonishing 95% of their energy as light.

Pro-tip for all you singles out there: If you’re looking to save even more energy, than just bask in the glow from the light coming off the TV as you watch Netflix – “Are You Still Watching?”)

Staying in also means your appliances should be energy efficient, too.

Up to 65% of your home’s energy goes into heating and cooling. Energy-efficient upgrades, like a smart thermostat, can help you cut costs, making sure that your wallet is just as happy as you are. With these upgrades, you’re likely to save up to $180 per year.

And if you decide to go out anyway, make sure you have the programmable thermostat so that if you do decide to take your date out, the house isn’t overheating and wasting money you could have spent on your Valentine.

Streamlining NEPA Infrastructure Permits Pits Greens Against Business

Solar panel installation

Emily Haggstrom, Consumer Energy Alliance Vice President of Communications testified on Tuesday, February 11 in Denver, Colorado on behalf of NEPA reform. The National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) is officially 40 years old. As new technology is made available for infrastructure projects, the legislation behind it should be updated as well.

“The people who would benefit most from these streamlined regulations will not only be traditional energy organizations, but also our farmers, ranchers, and wind and solar developers,” said Ms. Haggstrom. “That’s really something our communities are demanding right now, and they’re having just as many problems and issues as our traditional energy folks.”

Read more – The Washington Times

Natural Gas: Why U.S. Leads World in Cutting Emissions

Natural gas used for cooking

Anti-energy activists have created more chaos, only hurting families and small businesses on a budget, by wrongfully villainizing natural gas without fact-checking first. Most of it is old rhetoric blaming development techniques and traditional energy sources for global greenhouse gas emissions by using outdated, patchwork statistics which only leads the public to think the information they’re consuming is backed with real proof. The opposite is surely the case. David Holt, CEA President shares how this misconstrued information is in fact wrong; he drives his point home with actual information from credible sources.

“The misinformed position regarding natural gas recently gathered steam with the release of a report that selectively cobbled together data in an attempt to blame natural gas for “increased” U.S. emissions. The report itself is a confusing jumble of global greenhouse gas emissions information, with statistics from 2018.”

“Let’s consider the reality here, with some context provided by a credible, unassailable report from the International Energy Agency (IEA):

In 2019, the U.S. recorded the largest decline in carbon dioxide emissions of any advanced economy, with an amazing 2.9% reduction. This is equivalent to removing 140 million tons of emissions, and it includes a 1.7% drop in emissions from fossil fuels.

 

Further, from 2005 through 2017, our overall greenhouse gas emissions have fallen an impressive 12 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Far more than any major world economy.

 

“So let’s please stop manufacturing bogeymen when it comes to our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Read more – NewsMax

Consumer Group Testifies on National Environmental Policy Act Reform

Wind turbine with workers

Statement before the 2020 Council on Environmental Quality

February 11, 2020

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8

RE: Docket No. CEQ-2019-0003

RE: Executive Order 13807

 

Members of the Committee,

My name is Emily Haggstrom, and I am the Vice President of Communications for Consumer Energy Alliance, the leading consumer energy advocate in the nation. I want to thank the Committee for the opportunity to testify today regarding the changes by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to its National Environmental Policy Act regulations on behalf of CEA’s nearly 300 member organizations that represent a cross-section of our economy – of which, include the Colorado Farm Bureau, Local Pipefitters, the International Laborers, and 550K grassroots members with over 6200 are families and individuals living here in Colorado. Each of whom will benefit the most from these changes. CEA strongly supports alternative and renewable energy, just as we support conventional energy.  We believe that we need all energy sources to help us achieve both our economic and environmental goals.

CEA advocates for families, seniors and small businesses across the country, but nowhere is more near and dear to my heart then here in Colorado – as I was born and raised here. Over the last 10 years, I have watched this state grow at an exponential rate, extending suburban development into areas that were once open plains and seeing the cost of living sky-rocket, leaving the average Denver resident with a little more than $450 in disposable income after their living expenses are paid.[1]

With almost three-quarters of a million people moving into Colorado over the last decade, [2] the state’s growth has far-exceeded the infrastructure needed to support these new residents. Under the current 40-year-old NEPA regulations, much-needed infrastructure and energy projects have been stalled out and are getting harder to complete due to burdensome and outdated regulations. Like anything that is 40 years old, it is in need of an update to improve our infrastructure, not just here, but nationally. In 2017, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave U.S. infrastructure a D+[3], showing the inherent danger to our roads and bridges and highlighting the inadequacies in our energy delivery infrastructure – yet projects are still slow to come online due to regulatory burdens.

Due to its onerous nature and lack of transparency, NEPA and the CEQ regulations have been weaponized by anti-development and anti-business groups in the form of a litigious gun, pointed at project developers to create an endless cycle of delays and obstruction in an attempt to drive up costs, making projects uneconomical and ultimately increasing the cost of energy to consumers. The efforts have also created a regulatory system that is no longer predictable, transparent, or consistent.

These proposed, common-sense reforms to the NEPA regulations will help to return our regulatory approval structure to what it was intended.  These reforms will create greater certainty and efficiency for families and businesses without sacrificing environmental protections. As a country, we need to be able to count on the federal government as a partner to move our communities forward. These rule changes will do just that.

The proposed rules also ensure that the government is more proactive by augmenting and front-loading community input and organizational guidance through early scoping, so that the reviewing agency can consider scientific information, alternatives and other useful information brought forth by the public in the early part of the formal procedure and not after a decision process has already been initiated. By doing so, it will alleviate project paralysis brought on through litigious outcomes that arise following the decision – getting people back to work.

By instituting consistent rules that are transparent and easily understood, these reforms would provide a clear timeline for environmental review that is expeditious and efficient. It does not disincentivize a thorough analysis through the acting agencies, it simply requires experts to conduct their analyses concurrently to meet the necessary timelines laid out in the rules framework. The government does not owe project developers a yes, but it does owe them an answer – and the people of Colorado depend on that answer.

It also brings clarity to the subjective meanings of what “cumulative” and “reasonable” impacts are, to address climate change, by narrowly defining a standard that allows the government to partner with companies to efficiently conduct, in earnest, environmental reviews that prevent litigious action later at the expense of taxpayers.

The people who will benefit most from these new streamlined regulations will not only be traditional energy organizations, it will be our farmers and ranchers as well as wind and solar developers who rely on the speed of deployment to meet the renewable integration targets that our communities demand.

By creating regulatory certainty that doesn’t sacrifice environmental protections while engaging in meaningful public dialogue, this new NEPA framework can get individuals, families and businesses back to work and reduce the burden from energy costs on our communities.

With the latest technology, planning and engineering at our fingertips, there is no better time to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. It will not only support economic development and jobs, but it will ensure our communities are safe and have the energy and infrastructure they need. We hope that you approve the proposed regulations and show our nation’s communities that we care about them.

[1] https://listwithclever.com/real-estate-blog/cities-paycheck-to-paycheck/

[2] https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CO

[3] https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

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