Frack Check WV » gasoline

“Cornell Institute for Climate Solutions” Conference on March 8th

admin — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 08:15:07 +0000

Prof. Mahowald speaks up on urgency

Prof. Mahowald to lead conference on atmospheric CO2 removal

From an Article by Christian Elliott, Cornell Chronicle, February 25, 2019

Natalie Mahowald, a lead author on the recent United Nations’ special report on global warming, will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 Polson Institute Future of Development symposium, March 8 from 2-5:30 p.m. in B25 Warren Hall. This is the main campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The symposium is free and open to the public.

Mahowald, the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and four other speakers will discuss carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Mahowald is a faculty director for Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

This is the first in a series of symposiums on climate change hosted by the Polson Institute.

“What’s particularly exciting about these symposia is how they address questions of equity, justice and the distribution of risks in relation to some of the proposed climate solutions,” said Lori Leonard, professor of development sociology and director of the Polson Institute.

Also speaking will be:

>>> Robin Chazdon, a professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast and executive director of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, who will discuss the global potential of natural forest regeneration to conserve biodiversity and maintain indigenous cultural practices in tropical forest regions;

>>> Erin Burns, associate policy director at Carbon 180, a Washington think tank that champions global warming mitigation efforts, who will speak on developing federal policy to address carbon removal technology and practices;

>>> Wil Burns, co-executive director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, will address the transnational challenges of carbon removal and the limitations of existing international law and treaties; and

>>> Ben Cashore, professor of environmental governance and political science at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, who will discuss ways to decarbonize the atmosphere and the social implications of those choices.

The event is co-sponsored by the Atkinson Center and the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions.

######################### See also:

Dire levels of CO2 will decimate oceans | Cornell Chronicle

Prof. Mahowald to Congress: Act now to arrest climate change | Cornell Chronicle

All-Night “Climate Change” Speeches March 10 & 11 by US Senate Democrats

Duane Nichols — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 10:11:41 +0000

Wendell Berry of Henry Co. KY, Farmer & Scholar

Senate Democrats to stage climate all-nighter

From an Article by Laura Barron-Lopez, The Hill Blog, March 9, 2014

At least 28 Senate Democrats are pulling an all-nighter on Monday to wake up “stubborn” climate change deniers in Congress. With substantial climate change legislation all but dead in Congress, the senators involved in Monday’s climate-fest just want to get to a point where lawmakers can agree that climate change is a scientific fact.

And having the Senate Democratic leadership on their side doesn’t hurt, said Sen. Brian Schatz, (D-Hawaii), who helped spearhead the push for congressional action on climate change.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) will be among those participating in the talk-a-thon on the Senate floor, along with Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), along with 22 others.

Notably absent from the marathon session will be the four most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection this year: Sens. Mary Landrieu (La.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Mark Begich (Alaska) are not scheduled to take part, according to a list of speakers.

However, they were invited, Schatz said, adding that their Republican colleagues were verbally invited as well. The response, Schatz admitted was far from enthusiastic. Republicans aren’t budging anytime soon and they likely won’t take being cornered by Democrats on climate change lying down.

“Republican’s aren’t anti-climate policy or anti-mother earth but the policies put forward by Democrats aren’t achievable,” said Robert Dillon, a top energy adviser to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (R-Alaska), adding that Republicans are open to real legislation on climate change. “We just don’t want to drive the economy off the cliff to do it,” he said.

And it’s those climate change policies that have Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) fired up. McConnell renewed his skepticism of climate change ahead of the all-nighter. ”For everybody who thinks it’s warming, I can find somebody who thinks it isn’t,” McConnell said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer on Friday.

“You’re not going to have global cooperation to do it,” McConnell said of climate rules on the coal industry. “Even if you conceded the point, which I don’t concede, but if you conceded the point, it isn’t going to be addressed by one country. So the idea is, we tie our own hands behind our back and others don’t. I think it’s beyond foolish and real people are being hurt by this,” McConnell said.

There aren’t any Republican senators signed up for the all-night climate-fest, but Democrats hope to get their attention.

“The impact on our communities is not confined to traditional environmentalist issues anymore, Schatz said in an interview with The Hill. “This is really harming our economy and changing our way of life.”

“There is a stubborn group of climate change deniers and we are hoping to shrink that number. It’s hard to predict what their response will be but we welcome a debate on this issue and there is room for conversation for what suite of policy solutions we aught to undertake,” Schatz said.

While legislation that establishes a carbon tax on the nation’s biggest polluters isn’t possible this year, Schatz agrees with Sen. Whitehouse’s timeline that one may be be able to pass it a year or two from now.

Still, climate policy advocates are optimistic. ”There are some bright spots,” Schatz said. “John Podesta, the president’ new [adviser] is a very good sign. The president has been focused on this issue and is working it into his remarks and every agency is getting involved from the Defense to State Departments.”

In their Quadrennial Defense Review released this week, the Department of Defense cited climate change as a valid threat to military installations worldwide.

On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry stuck by his vow to put climate change at the front of all diplomatic efforts when issuing his first policy guidance to diplomats on the issue.

Marcellus Natural Gas to Gasoline (GTL) Plant Sited Near Altoona, PA

Duane Nichols — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:32:07 +0000

Marcellus Shale Gas to be Converted to Hydrocarbon Liquids

From an Article by Walt Frank, The Altoona Mirror, November 13, 2013

Marcellus GTL LLC of Gilberton announced plans in March to build a plant that would turn natural gas into gasoline and propane, and they hoped to begin construction by the end of this year. However, construction won’t begin in Duncansville, PA, until 2014.

“That was typical project optimism. We had hoped to get all of the supporting contracts in place. It has taken longer than we envisioned. We are finalizing the contracts and getting the financing in place,” said Paul Hamilton, Marcellus GTL executive vice president, for this $200 million facility.

The company officials now hope to begin construction in the second quarter, between April and June. ”Starting then will coincide with drier weather, and it will be easier to do the ground work,” Hamilton said. “We expect the project to take about two years. We hope to be up and running in the first quarter of 2016.”

The project will be built near the Duncansville intersection of Route 764 and Old Route 22 on land that straddles Allegheny and Blair townships. The land is in a Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone (KOEZ) which will allow for seven years of real estate tax abatement.

The company had hoped to start by the end of this year because that was when the KOEZ was due to expire, but it has been extended through the end of 2020, said Marty Marasco, president and CEO of Altoona-Blair County Development Corp.

The Clean Energy Center will take natural gas and produce about 84,000 gallons per day of regular gasoline and propane to be marketed locally as transportation fuel and for heating use. The project will create 30 jobs.

Hamilton said the company continues to talk to natural gas companies about hooking onto one of their large natural gas lines in the area and to trucking companies to transport its products from the facility via tanker trucks.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Odebrecht Exploring Cracker Plant Investment in Wood County, WV

From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, November 14, 2013

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Odebrecht announced today Odebrecht will explore the development of a new petrochemical complex in Wood County. The complex, “Ascent” — Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise — would include an ethane Cracker, three polyethylene plants and associated infrastructure for water treatment and energy co-generation. A purchase option on the anticipated project site in Parkersburg has already been secured.

“Although we realize much work remains to be done, this announcement of a potential project is tremendous news for our state and our region. I appreciate the hard work of my team from the Development Office and the Ascent team members who have come together to explore this investment. I look forward to working closely with them to help bring the project to fruition,” Tomblin said.

Ascent’s feasibility will depend on several important variables, including the contracting of long-term ethane supply, as well as financing, regulatory approvals, and appropriate governmental support.

Odebrecht will lead Ascent’s investment and financing, as well as the operation of water and electric utilities. “Project Ascent fits within Odebrecht’s commitment to be a partner in development in the regions where we operate,” stated Fernando Reis, CEO of Odebrecht Environmental. “Moreover, Ascent fits into the strategy of our Utilities division, which seeks to invest and manage industrial assets.”

Braskem would be responsible for petrochemical-related activities as well as the commercialization of the polyethylene after the investment is completed. “As the United States’ leader in polypropylene production and with a significant footprint already in the region, we are excited about today’s announcement,” stated Fernando Musa, CEO of Braskem America. “Should Ascent materialize we look forward to serving our clients in the polyethylene market.”

Business Warned to Prepare for Catastrophic Climate Impacts

Duane Nichols — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:03:03 +0000

: Book by Mark Lynas

PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional services firm, is not known for scaremongering. So it is worth paying particular attention to its latest annual low carbon economy index. Behind the understated language, it points to a catastrophic future unless radical action is taken now to combat climate change.

“Business leaders have been asking for clarity in political ambition on climate change,” says partner Leo Johnson. “Now one thing is clear: businesses, governments and communities across the world need to plan for a warming world – not just 2C, but 4C or even 6C.” The trigger for its dire warning comes from the failure of the global community to reduce carbon emissions by anywhere near the amount needed to restrict temperature rises.

PwC’s latest report shows the required improvement in global carbon intensity to meet a 2C warming target has risen to 5.1% every year from now to 2050. The improvement in 2011 was just 0.7% despite the global economic slowdown, and since the turn of the century the rate of decarbonisation has averaged 0.8%.

PwC, the largest of the big four accounting firms, points out that even if the 5.1% improvement might be achievable in the longer term, it is unrealistic to expect that decarbonisation could be stepped up immediately – which means that the reduction required in future years is likely to be far greater.

“We have passed a critical threshold – not once since the second world war has the world achieved that rate of decarbonisation, but the task now confronting us is to achieve it for 39 consecutive years,” says the report.

It adds: “Even doubling our current rate of decarbonisation would still lead to emissions consistent with 6 degrees [C] of warming by the end of the century. To give ourselves a more than 50% chance of avoiding 2 degrees [C] will require a six-fold improvement in our rate of decarbonisation.

“Governments’ ambitions to limit warming to 2C now appear highly unrealistic. This new reality means that we must contemplate a much more challenging future. Whilst the negotiators continue to focus on 2C, a growing number of scientists and other expert organisations are now projecting much more pessimistic scenarios for global temperatures. The International Energy Agency, for example, now considers 4C and 6C scenarios as well as 2C in their latest analysis.”

It is worth remembering what a world might look like if we fail to rapidly decarbonise the global economy.

Mark Lynas, in his book Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet, wrote that at 4-5C warming, much human habitation in southern Europe, north Africa and the Middle East will be uninhabitable due to excessive heat and drought. If we reach 5-6C of warming, average global temperatures will be hotter than they have been for the last 50m years. Sea levels will rise so rapidly that coastal cities across the world will be abandoned by environmental refugees in their millions. Past 6C of warming, perhaps 90% of species will become extinct.

What should business be doing to adapt to this possible reality?

PwC says any investors in long-term assets or infrastructure, particularly in coastal or low-lying regions, need to consider more pessimistic scenarios. Sectors dependent on food, water, energy or ecosystem services need to scrutinise the resilience and viability of their supply chains. More carbon-intensive sectors need to anticipate more invasive regulation and the possibility of stranded assets.

“It’s the boy scout motto – be prepared,” says Jonathan Grant, PwC’s director for sustainability and climate change. “Businesses need to be prepared for unpredictability – whether that’s policy, climate or consumer change. Extreme weather events have become more common, and unpredictability looks set to increase. Businesses that have failed to prepare will find it difficult to keep their operations running smoothly as the risk of disruption increases.

Grant add: “Tools like real options analysis, developed as part of the investment decision-making process in the oil industry for example, analyse the impact of significant uncertainty on a decision.

“Working with our clients, the reality is we will have to advise on a much wider range of climate scenarios. Resilience is the watch word. Businesses need to get engaged on the areas materially relevant to their business. For example if you’re a consumer goods company you need to consider the longer-term security of supply of the resources you need, where you will source them from, and the more day-to-day issues of how you deal with the potential for disruption to their supply or delivery caused by extreme weather events.”

Doesn’t the latest analysis just make Grant want to give up? “Doing the analysis makes you realise the sheer scale of the issues we face,” he says. “It would be too easy to hold your hands up and say what’s the point? We can see from the businesses, NGOs and policymakers we work with that climate change is on the agenda. But we do need more progress, faster.”

On a more fundamental basis, what needs to change?

PwC’s report says there will need to be radical transformations in the ways the global economy currently functions, a rapid uptake of renewable energy, sharp falls in fossil fuel use or massive deployment of carbon capture and storage, removal of industrial emissions and halting deforestation.

It also warns against seeing the dash for gas as a long-term panacea. While the boom of shale gas in the United States may buy some time to help limit emissions growth, low prices may also reduce the incentive for investment in lower-carbon nuclear power and renewable energy.

Malcolm Preston, PwC’s global lead, sustainability and climate change, tells me: “Even with progress year-on-year in emissions reduction, the reality is the level of corporate reduction is nowhere near what is required. The new normal for businesses is a period of high uncertainty, subdued growth and volatile commodity prices. If regulatory certainty doesn’t come soon, businesses’ ability to plan and act – particularly around energy, supply chain and risk – could be anything but ‘normal’.”

The above content is from the Guardian Professional.