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Wisconsin oil spill fuels doubts over Enbridge’s pipeline safety

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Friday, December 20, 2024

A recent Enbridge oil spill in Wisconsin has intensified concerns about the safety of the company’s Line 5 pipeline project, despite state assurances of minimal risk.Kristoffer Tigue reports for Inside Climate News.In short:Enbridge’s Line 6 pipeline leaked nearly 70,000 gallons of oil in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, raising questions about spill detection and response.The spill occurred just days before state officials approved permits for the controversial Line 5 project.The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and environmental groups are challenging these permits, citing ongoing trust issues and environmental risks.Key quote:“The close to 70,000 gallons of leaking crude oil from Enbridge’s Line 6 in Jefferson County shows why we have challenged DNR’s approval of the Line 5 reroute and why we have specifically challenged DNR’s conclusion that the risk of a Line 5 spill is small.”— Tony Wilkin Gibart, executive director of Midwest Environmental AdvocatesWhy this matters:Oil spills threaten ecosystems, water sources and Indigenous lands. Recent incidents suggest pipeline safety measures are unreliable, raising broader concerns over fossil fuel infrastructure and environmental justice.Read more: Why Indigenous women are risking arrest to fight Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through Minnesota

A recent Enbridge oil spill in Wisconsin has intensified concerns about the safety of the company’s Line 5 pipeline project, despite state assurances of minimal risk.

Kristoffer Tigue reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

Enbridge’s Line 6 pipeline leaked nearly 70,000 gallons of oil in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, raising questions about spill detection and response.
The spill occurred just days before state officials approved permits for the controversial Line 5 project.
The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and environmental groups are challenging these permits, citing ongoing trust issues and environmental risks.

Key quote:

“The close to 70,000 gallons of leaking crude oil from Enbridge’s Line 6 in Jefferson County shows why we have challenged DNR’s approval of the Line 5 reroute and why we have specifically challenged DNR’s conclusion that the risk of a Line 5 spill is small.”

— Tony Wilkin Gibart, executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates

Why this matters:

Oil spills threaten ecosystems, water sources and Indigenous lands. Recent incidents suggest pipeline safety measures are unreliable, raising broader concerns over fossil fuel infrastructure and environmental justice.

Read the full story here.

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Climate-Friendly Electricity Sees Big Battery Projects Soar Again for 2024

2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people’s lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home now when you turn on the lights or turn up the thermostat — large banks of batteries

2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people's lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home when you turn on the lights or turn up the thermostat — large banks of batteries.This ability to store large amounts of electricity in batteries was essentially nonexistent a decade ago, but the country had about 24 gigawatt-hours operating as of the end of November, up a whopping 71% over the same date in 2023.This is welcome news to clean energy advocates including Dariella Rodriguez. She has seen what happens on days when demand for air conditioning or heating spikes and extra power plants fueled by natural gas, located in Port Morris and Mott Haven, fire up not far from where she works in Hunts Point in the South Bronx, New York.Batteries can jolt into service, sending electricity onto overhead wires, instead of these dirty “peaker” plants. Rodriguez hasn't seen that transition yet, but she hopes to.“The people that are exposed to these plants are the most vulnerable people in environmental justice communities already,” said Rodriguez, a director at THE POINT Community Development Corporation there, noting that lower-income people and communities of color often live near peakers. The nation’s 1,000 peaker plants can be very dirty, inefficient and expensive, according to an analysis by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a watchdog group that works for the U.S. Congress. Some 63 million people are estimated to live within a three-mile radius of one. Although peakers run only a small part of the time, they release more harmful nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide per unit of energy, the agency said. Those two pollutants cause asthma and other breathing problems. Peakers also release more greenhouse gases than other power plants do per unit of electricity. Batteries are “a really obvious solution” to reducing need for peakers, says Daniel Chu, senior energy planner for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.“It’s not always sunny, the wind’s not always blowing, but energy storage can help move that generation to when it’s most needed,” said Tim Fox, managing director at research firm ClearView Energy Partners.That's why at least half of battery storage facilities in the U.S. are co-located with, or in some other way support solar, an AP analysis of Energy Information Administration data shows. The amount of solar energy in the U.S. is growing and surpassed the 100-gigawatt mark this year.Another way that the addition of these batteries is helpful to the American electrical grid and grids around the world is that forecasting is getting more difficult. “With weather patterns changing, the old ways of essentially figuring out how much capacity you need on the grid for extreme events just doesn’t work,” said Oliver Garnett, director of energy services product at the technology company Fermata Energy.Last, global electricity demand is slated to increase — by about one-third to three-quarters by 2050, according to the Energy Information Administration. Data centers for artificial intelligence, switching vehicles to electricity and population growth are all contributing. “‘Do we have enough power plants?’ is the classic question every utility asks every year,” said Mike Jacobs, senior energy analyst at the science nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. “The beauty of the batteries is that if there’s energy in them, they can be used for unexpected needs.”Otherwise, if utilities have to find more power generation, they may keep investing in plants that burn gas or coal and account for one-quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, instead of retiring them.Leading the charge for adding new batteries to the grid this year was California with more than 11 gigawatt-hours operating. One way to think about this is roughly the amount of electricity that a nuclear power plant would put out over 11 hours. Then the batteries would need to be recharged to do the same thing again. It's a limited, but meaningful amount of power. In Texas, 6 gigawatt-hours were online. Arizona saw nearly 2 gigawatt-hours humming and Nevada — the fourth-largest deployer of storage in the U.S. — had 1.1 gigawatt-hours operational.Yet many states aren't using storage yet. As of November, 86% of large-scale battery storage in the U.S. was operating in just those four states.Some states haven't set targets telling utilities to go out and build or buy energy storage on their own. Only 18 states have 50 megawatt-hours or more operating.Others don't have as much clean electricity to pair with the batteries, or claim storage isn’t reliable in times of crisis. It can also be challenging to connect storage to the grid. Still, experts expect more momentum.Especially in California and Texas, “That investment and that experiment is paying off very well,” said John Hensley, senior vice president of markets and policy analysis at American Clean Power.“The word is getting out,” he said. “We’re increasingly seeing the technology move to other parts of the country.”The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Climate

Crisis

Government

Hochul signs law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for natural disaster cleanup

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Thursday signed a law that will require companies responsible for large amounts of planet-warming pollution to contribute to climate damage repair efforts. Under the new state law, companies responsible for the bulk of emissions from 2000 to 2018 will be on the hook for some $3 billion a year over the next 25 years. The law is modeled after the federal Superfund law, which sticks the bill for pollution cleanup with the companies responsible for the pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency notably invoked the Superfund law last year in East Palestine, Ohio, after a railroad car carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in the town. Co-sponsor state Sen. Liz Krueger (D) called the New York bill a “shot that will be heard ‘round the world.” “Too often over the last decade, courts have dismissed lawsuits against the oil and gas industry by saying that the issue of climate culpability should be decided by legislatures,” she said in a statement. “Well, the Legislature of the State of New York — the 10th largest economy in the world — has accepted the invitation, and I hope we have made ourselves very clear: the planet’s largest climate polluters bear a unique responsibility for creating the climate crisis, and they must pay their fair share to help regular New Yorkers deal with the consequences.” Hochul’s signature makes New York the second state with such a law, following Vermont, but the Empire State is far larger, more populous and a major center of American and international financial power. Neither New York's nor Vermont's law is guaranteed to survive a legal challenge. The American Petroleum Institute (API) vocally lobbied New York lawmakers against it last year and cast doubt on its durability in court. The Hill has reached out to API for comment. President-elect Trump, who has denied the existence of climate change and vowed to pursue pro-fossil fuel policies in his second term, is unlikely to devote much, if any, energy to climate change mitigation. This will put the onus on large Democratic states like New York and California, the latter of which received approval earlier this month from the Biden administration for its goal of phasing out new gas-powered car sales by 2035. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) told The Hill the state expects the new administration to challenge that waiver in court.

Climate

Pollution

Crisis

Why mountain meadows should be a priority for California’s new climate bond

More than half of California's Sierra meadows have been degraded or lost. Given their vital role assisting with water storage, carbon sequestration and providing a habitat to wildlife, investments from the newly passed Proposition 4 could boost ongoing restoration work.

Guest Commentary written by Ryan Burnett Ryan Burnett leads the Sierra Nevada Group at Point Blue Conservation Science and is the chair of the Sierra Meadows Partnership. When I stepped into a Sierra Nevada meadow over 25 years ago, I was struck by the diversity of life, the hub of biological activity — full of birds, frogs, fish and plants. As a wildlife ecologist, I was in love. That infatuation has endured, growing into one of the great passions in my life. As a lifelong Californian, I’ve always been enamored with the natural wonders our state contains, and meadows are no exception. Californians have a lot to be proud of. In addition to the highest GDP of any state, we have a proven track record as the country’s climate and environmental leader. Since voters recently approved Proposition 4, we can be proud that California will deepen its commitment to large-scale action to address the state’s water, wildfire and climate challenges. The $10 billion bond measure will flow to environmental projects large and small, including $1.2 billion for land conservation and habitat restoration, which will benefit communities and wildlife around the state. But one question looms: What might these investments to increase climate resilience look like on the ground? Some of the most important — and often overlooked — natural resources the state has are the verdant high elevation wetlands we call mountain meadows. These meadows lie at the headwaters of the rivers that flow out of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Klamath mountains, supplying the majority of water we rely on for agriculture and drinking, and supporting diverse ecosystems from the Sierra to the sea, from Yreka to San Diego. They serve an important role in improving water quality and increasing water storage, acting as giant sponges that soak up snow melt and slowly release it through the dry summer months. And mountain meadows are superstars at carbon sequestration, pulling carbon out of the atmosphere as fast as tropical rainforests. Mountain meadows provide important wildlife habitat for a broad suite of species, including many that are threatened with extinction, such as Willow Flycatchers and Yosemite Toads. For a millennia, mountain meadows have also held a deep cultural significance for the many tribes that have stewarded these ecosystems. Read Next Elections Prop. 4 passes: Californians approve $10 billion for water, wildfire, climate projects by Alejandro Lazo Unfortunately, over 50% of Sierra meadows have been heavily degraded or lost over the past 150 years, due to road-building, overgrazing, fire suppression, mining, water diversions and more. These meadows no longer provide the wealth of important services they once did. The Sierra Meadows Partnership has sought to protect and restore these crown jewels of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades mountains. Comprised of NGOs, government agencies, universities, conservation districts and restoration practitioners, we have restored more than 8,000 acres and protected 10,000 since 2016. The goal is to restore and conserve 30,000 acres by 2030. Prop. 4 has the potential to dramatically scale up the meadow restoration and conservation work taking place, which will pay dividends to the people and wildlife statewide that rely on the many natural benefits of healthy mountain meadows. The billions designated for water projects, forest health and nature-based climate solutions could increase funding possibilities to restore meadows, amplify Indigenous voices and improve the resilience of our watersheds. Recently, I had the privilege of engaging local elementary students from the small town of Chester to assist us in the restoration of Child’s Meadow, near Lassen Volcanic National Park. Witnessing their sense of purpose and accomplishment as they took an active role in restoring their watershed reminded me once again of why California invests in the restoration of our incredible natural resources. Read More Water More water for urban areas, some farms: Biden, Newsom officials announce long-awaited new water delivery rules December 20, 2024December 20, 2024 Environment Unstoppable invasion: How did mussels sneak into California, despite decades of state shipping rules? November 26, 2024November 27, 2024

Climate

Mountains

Water

Grief, Hope, Joy: Faith in the Time of Climate Change

As the director of Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina, Sarah Ogletree has spent the last three and a half years working from her base in Mitchell County to empower congregations and interfaith organizations in the fight for climate and environmental justice. She and other faith leaders active in the climate movement have long […]

Leaders from different spiritual traditions share their unique approaches to wrestling with existential climate fears.By Nina DietzAs the director of Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina, Sarah Ogletree has spent the last three and a half years working from her base in Mitchell County to empower congregations and interfaith organizations in the fight for climate and environmental justice.

Climate

Hurricane-Force Winds Bear Down on California, Latest in Stretch of Extreme Weather

California has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past several weeks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Record-setting flooding over three days dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of northern California, a fire left thousands under evacuation orders and warnings in Los Angeles County, forecasters issued the first-ever tornado warning in San Francisco and rough seas tore down part of a wharf in Santa Cruz.All of this extreme weather has hit California in the past several weeks, showcasing the state’s particular vulnerability to major weather disasters. Strong storms Tuesday produced waves that forecasters said could reach 35 feet (10.7 meters) around Santa Cruz. The National Weather Service issued a high surf warning until early evening, cautioning people to stay out of the ocean and away from piers. For Chandler Price, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, these extreme weather events are both typical and unusual for a La Niña winter, a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet. In California, it means a wetter than average northern region and a drier south. “So far we’ve seen that pattern play out pretty well,” he said, but added, “obviously, you know, the tornado in the Bay Area was atypical. ... We haven’t seen that before, at least not for a very long time.”A storm and wind gusts of up to 60 mph (96 kph) prompted the San Francisco tornado warning that extended to neighboring San Mateo County, which went out to about 1 million people earlier this month. The tornado overturned cars and toppled trees and utility poles near a mall in Scotts Valley, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of San Francisco, injuring several people. Tornadoes do occur in California, but they rarely hit populated areas.In San Francisco, local meteorologists said straight-line winds, not a tornado, felled trees onto cars and streets and damaged roofs. The storm also dumped significant snow across the northern Sierra Nevada. F. Martin Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, said climate change means that atmospheric rivers, long stretches of wet air that can produce heavy rains, will be responsible for a greater share of California’s yearly precipitation and the periods in between those big events will be drier. These storms are essential for the water supply but can also be dangerous.“When they are too strong and too many in a row, we end up getting floods,” he said, adding that they drive California’s weather extremes.During storms this week around Santa Cruz, one man was trapped under debris and died and another person was pulled into the ocean. The surf also splintered off the end of a Santa Cruz municipal wharf that was under construction, plunging three people into the ocean. One swam to shore and the other two were rescued. A series of atmospheric rivers are expected through the rest of the week. Overall, this pattern is not unusual — these storms regularly produce high winds, heavy snow in the mountains and torrential rain this time of year.“What’s a little unique about this setup is how closely spaced they are, so there’s not much of a break between them,” said David Lawrence, a meteorologist and emergency response specialist with the National Weather Service.But these storms haven’t stretched very far south, creating dry weather in Southern California that increases fire risk.One of the state’s most recent blazes, the Franklin Fire left some 20,000 people under evacuation orders and warnings and forced students at Pepperdine University to shelter in place. The blaze was fueled by the Santa Anas, the notorious seasonal winds that blow dry air from the interior toward the coast, pushing back moist ocean breezes.Most of the destruction occurred in Malibu, a community on the western corner of Los Angeles known for its beautiful bluffs and the Hollywood-famous Zuma Beach. The fire damaged or destroyed 48 structures and is one of nearly 8,000 wildfires that have scorched more than 1 million acres (more than 404,685 hectares) in the Golden State this year. The Santa Ana winds, which peak in December, have also contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in parts of the southern state, said Price with the National Weather Service. “Eighty-degree (26.7 Celsius) Christmases are not entirely uncommon around here,” he added, but “there was a couple of high temperature record breaks in the mountains, which are usually less affected by the Santa Anas, and so those were a little unusual.” Phillis reported from St. Louis.Associated Press writers Martha Mendoza and Stefanie Dazio contributed to this story.The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Climate

Mountains

Water

Suggested Viewing

Reboot

Humans have exploited Earth to the point where it is no longer possible to live on it. Their only option is to relocate to Mars. When the last group of people has boarded the spaceship for the red planet, the Earth can finally breathe easy. Like an expressionist painting, Reboot depicts a world in which the absence of our species is the only chance nature has to recover its lushness and flourish once more.

Animation

Crisis

Cosmos

TripleF***

The spirit of a movement that sometimes reminds us of our young revolutionary self, who still believed that he:she could change the world. This green filmed documentary mirrors the global situation and the diversity of climate change related activism.6 continents, 3 dozen filmmakers, countless activists and seasoned scientists. It is not about just one person but about many who stand up. TripleF*** is a documentary on the global climate movement, containing material from six continents (North - and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Antarctica), filmed green by cooperating film teams on site. The topic of climate activism itself as a protagonist takes us on a global journey to activists' lives and forms a dialogue within. Why did so many young people became activists? What is life as an activist like, how do they deal with political stagnation, harsh criticism and even threats and why do they still continue? Very personal but not private - to protect the activists' privacy, sensitive topics are woven in as a fictional part. This is the first of 5 Episodes. In this episode, which also stands for itself as a midlength film, the history of climate change related activism is highlighted. In its core spirit of a holistic approach, the project is been realized similarly to its topic of the climate activists' movement: independent, global, green.

Climate

Activism

Documentary

Capturing The Fire

When Louise Coghill saw the first plume of smoke begin to rise behind her parents property, she could never have predicted that in less than four hours, it would become a wall of flames, swallowing everything in its path. A photographer by trade, Louise has travelled the world documenting everything from the nomadic wanderers of Mongolia, to base life at Mount Everest. Capturing the extraordinary comes naturally to Louise, so when her family home in the semi-rural Western Australian town of Gidgegannup became engulfed in flames, her first instinct wasn’t to take shelter, it was to pick up her camera.

Conservation

Climate

Nature

Crossing the Divide

An Iowa farmer reacts swiftly when he hears that radical climate marchers plan to disrupt peace in his tiny town. What he does after that offers a lesson for would-be peacemakers everywhere.

Inspirational

Activism

Climate

Total Disaster

Armed with realistic bird puppets, trickster environmental activists pretend to be oil company Total—staging a satirical press conference to introduce "RéHabitat," a program to rescue animals from the East African Oil Pipeline by relocating them to “more sustainable” habitats. Using humor and mischief, they expose a deadly ecological disaster in a zany effort to help #StopEACOP.

Activism

Energy

Animals

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Wisconsin oil spill fuels doubts over Enbridge’s pipeline safety

Related News

Climate-Friendly Electricity Sees Big Battery Projects Soar Again for 2024

Hochul signs law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for natural disaster cleanup

Why mountain meadows should be a priority for California’s new climate bond

Grief, Hope, Joy: Faith in the Time of Climate Change

Hurricane-Force Winds Bear Down on California, Latest in Stretch of Extreme Weather

Suggested Viewing

Reboot

TripleF***

Capturing The Fire

Crossing the Divide

Total Disaster

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Wisconsin oil spill fuels doubts over Enbridge’s pipeline safety

Related News

Climate-Friendly Electricity Sees Big Battery Projects Soar Again for 2024

Hochul signs law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for natural disaster cleanup

Why mountain meadows should be a priority for California’s new climate bond

Grief, Hope, Joy: Faith in the Time of Climate Change

Hurricane-Force Winds Bear Down on California, Latest in Stretch of Extreme Weather

Suggested Viewing

Reboot

TripleF***

Capturing The Fire

Crossing the Divide

Total Disaster

Join us to forgea sustainable future

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Join us to forge
a sustainable future