MVCAC July 2019

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Oil company records from 1960s reveal patents to reduce CO2 emissions in cars | Environment | The Guardian
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 27 Jul '19

27 Jul '19

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/20/oil-company-records-exxon-… Oil company records from 1960s reveal patents to reduce CO2 emissions in cars ExxonMobil and others pursued research into technologies, yet blocked government efforts to fight climate change for more than 50 years, findings show Suzanne GoldenbergLast modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 18.04 GMT The patent records were among a new trove of documents published by the Center for International Environmental Law, and deepen the public relations challenge for Exxon. Photograph: Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters The forerunners of ExxonMobil patented technologies for electric cars and low emissions vehicles as early as 1963 – even as the oil industry lobby tried to squash government funding for such research, according to a trove of newly discovered records. Patent records reveal oil companies actively pursued research into technologies to cut carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change from the 1960s – including early versions of the batteries now deployed to power electric cars such as the Tesla. Scientists for the companies patented technologies to strip carbon dioxide out of exhaust pipes, and improve engine efficiency, as well as fuel cells. They also conducted research into countering the rise in carbon dioxide emissions – including manipulating the weather. Esso, one of the precursors of ExxonMobil, obtained at least three fuel cell patents in the 1960s and another for a low-polluting vehicle in 1970, according to the records. Other oil companies such as Phillips and Shell also patented technologies for more efficient uses of fuel. However, the American Petroleum Institute, the main oil lobby, opposed government funding of research into electric cars and low emissions vehicles, telling Congress in 1967: “We take exception to the basic assumption that clean air can be achieved only by finding an alternative to the internal combustion engine.” This 1970 patent, assigned to Esso (now ExxonMobil), is a design for a low-polluting engine system. Photograph: Handout And ExxonMobil funded a disinformation campaigned aimed at discrediting scientists and blocking government efforts to fight climate change for more than 50 years, before publicly disavowing climate denial in 2008. The patent records were among a new trove of documents published on Thursday by the Center for International Environmental Law, and deepen the legal and public relations challenge for Exxon. “What we saw was an array of patent technologies that demonstrated that these companies had the technologies they needed and could have commercialised to help address the problem of C02 pollution,” said Carroll Muffett, president of the Ciel. “They then turned to Congress and said you don’t need to invest in electrical vehicle research because the research is ongoing and it’s robust.” The findings echo those in the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which explored the deliberate destruction of GM’s first electric vehicles. Alan Jeffers, an Exxon spokesman, insisted he could not comment directly on the documents as he was unable to access the Center for International Environmental law website on which they were published on Thursday morning. In an emailed statement, Jeffers said: “The Guardian gave us only a few hours to comment on documents from four decades ago.” Jeffers went on: “This further illustrates the Guardian’s well-established bias on climate change issues which has been demonstrated previously through its keep it in the ground campaign.” He said the company believed the risks of climate change were real, was researching lower emission technologies, and engaged in “constructive dialogue” with policy makers about energy and climate change. Researchers discovered more than 20 such patents filed by oil companies from as early as the 1940s for technologies that could help in the development of electric cars. However, Ron Dunlop, president of Sun Oil and API chairman, told a joint hearing of the commerce committee in 1967 that government funding of research into electric cars would be misplaced – because the oil companies were so advanced in their research of cleaner cars. “We in the petroleum industry are convinced that by the time a practical electric car can be mass produced and marketed, it will not enjoy any meaningful advantage from an air pollution standpoint,” he told Congress. “Emissions from internal-combustion engines will have long since been controlled.” Muffett said the findings were the result of three years of research and were not exhaustive. “The question is what did they do to try to commercialise these technologies, knowing what they did about climate change,” he went on. The revelations, the second set of documents released by Muffett’s organisation, reinforce charges by campaigners that Exxon was well aware that the burning of fossil fuels was a main driver of climate change – despite its public posture of doubt. In addition to the technologies with potential for electric cars, Exxon and other oil companies were actively researching methods to cut emissions of carbon dioxide – the main greenhouse gas. In another historic document that surfaced last month, a Canadian subsidiary of Exxon admitted the company had the technology to cut carbon emissions in half. However, the corporate memo dating from 1977 said it would be prohibitively expensive – doubling the cost of electricity generation, according to the documents obtained by Desmog blog. New York and 17 other attorneys general, including DC and the US Virgin Islands, are investigating whether the oil company lied to investors and the public about the threat of climate change. Campaigners plan to further turn up the heat on the company next week when Exxon holds its annual shareholder meeting in Dallas. Campaigners have argued for more than a decade that Exxon bankrolled a network of front groups and conservative think tanks aimed at discrediting well-established science – confusing the public and delaying governments efforts to cut the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for warming. Those efforts to put Exxon on the spot gathered pace after Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times reported that the company’s own scientists knew as early as the 1970s that greenhouse gases caused climate change. The attorney general of the US Virgin Islands has subpoenaed Exxon to turn over email, documents and statements over the last decades. Exxon has dismissed the investigations as politically motivated. However, the company has reversed its opposition to fuel cell technology. Earlier this month, the company announced it had been conducting a joint research effort on fuel cell power plants with FuelCell. The initiative, which got underway in 2011, aims to route the carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning power plants into fuel cells, producing low emissions electricity. The company has estimated it can cut 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. “At ExxonMobil, we share the view that the risks of climate change are serious and warrant thoughtful action,” Rex Tillerson, Exxon’s chief executive, told the US Energy Association after receiving its annual award.

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Greater prevalence of congenital heart defects in areas with high intensity of oil and gas well activity - CU Anschutz Today
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 21 Jul '19

21 Jul '19

of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Search for: WebmailUCD AccessCanvasQuick Links Evidence of relationship between birth defects and oil, gas activity Greater prevalence of congenital heart defects in areas with high intensity of oil and gas well activity July 18, 201hare Mothers living near more intense oil and gas development activity have a 40-70% higher chance of having children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) compared to those living in areas of less intense activity, according to a new study from researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health. “We observed more children were being born with a congenital heart defect in areas with the highest intensity of oil and gas well activity,” said the study’s senior author Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPH, of the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. At least 17 million people in the U.S. and 6% of Colorado’s population live within one mile of an active oil and gas well site. Lisa McKenzie, PhD, MPH, of the Colorado School of Public Health The study was published today July 18th in the peer-reviewed journal Environment International. The researchers studied 3,324 infants born in Colorado from 2005-2011. They looked at infants with several specific types of CHDs. https://www.cuanschutztoday.org/greater-prevalence-of-congenital-heart-defe…

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Berkeley becomes first U.S. city to ban natural gas in new homes - SFChronicle.com
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 17 Jul '19

17 Jul '19

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Berkeley-becomes-first-U-S-city… Berkeley becomes first U.S. city to ban natural gas in new homes Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, July 15, 2019 Berkeley became the first city nationwide to ban the use of natural gas in new low-rise residential buildings in a unanimous vote Tuesday by the City Council. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Kate Harrison, goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, and phases out the use of natural gas by requiring all new single-family homes, town homes and small apartment buildings to have electric infrastructure. After its passage, Harrison thanked the community and her colleagues “for making Berkeley the first city in California and the United States to prohibit natural gas infrastructure in new buildings.” The city will include commercial buildings and larger residential structures as the state moves to develop regulations for those, officials said. The ordinance allocates $273,341 per year for a two-year staff position in the Building and Safety Division within the city’s Department of Planning and Development. The employee will be responsible for implementing the ban. “I’m proud to vote on groundbreaking legislation to prohibit natural gas in new buildings,” Mayor Jesse Arreguín said on Twitter. “We are committed to the #ParisAgreement and must take immediate action in order to reach our climate action goals. It’s not radical, it’s necessary.” The ordinance applies to buildings that have been reviewed by the California Energy Commission and determined to meet state requirements and regulations if they are electric only, said Ben Gould, the chairman of Berkeley’s Community Environmental Advisory Commission. Gould said he spoke as a private citizen and not as a representative of the commission. Those buildings are low-rise residential buildings, which include single-family homes, town homes and small apartment buildings. Therefore, Berkeley’s ordinance only applies to those buildings, but as the state approves more building types, the city will follow, Gould said. The way the ordinance is written, the city’s regulations will update as the state commission approves more building models without having to return to the City Council for a vote. “We need to find ways to move forward innovative groundbreaking climate policy,” he said. “This policy is really important and critical. It helps address one of the largest sources of emissions in Berkeley.” In 2009, the city adopted a Climate Action Plan that aimed to reduce emissions by 33% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The plan also commits the city to using 100% renewable electricity by 2035. In June 2018, the council declared a climate emergency and called for a review of Berkeley’s greenhouse emission reduction strategies. The city determined in a report last year that gas-related emissions have increased due to an 18% population growth since 2000. The report also concluded that the burning of natural gas within city buildings accounted for 27% of Berkeley’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2016. As the city’s population soars, the need for more housing has also increased. From 2014 to 2017, the Planning Department approved building permits for 525 residential units and 925 built units were approved for occupancy. More housing is expected, particularly with the Adeline Corridor Plan, which calls for the construction of 1,400 units along Adeline Street and a portion of South Shattuck Avenue. Electric-only buildings prevent the installation of natural gas pipes and instead install heat pumps and induction cooking, Gould said. “Think about a refrigerator and how it makes inside your refrigerator cold and blows hot air out of somewhere else,” Gould said. “A heat pump works like that, but in reverse. It takes outside air and emits cold air outside and provides hot air inside. They can also be flipped in reverse and work as an air conditioner.” Induction cooking transfers heat directly to any magnetic cookware, including cast-iron and steel, without using radiation. “It transfers heat right to the pot,” Gould said. “It boils water faster than anything else that exists. It’s very even, very quick to respond.” At Tuesday’s meeting, Harrison’s staff demonstrated the use of an induction cooktop by making chocolate fondue. The staff placed a piece of paper between the stove and the pot to show its safety features. The pot turned hot, but the paper didn’t burn, Gould said. The ordinance restricts developers applying for land-use permits from building anything that includes gas infrastructure, including gas piping to heat water, space and food. Accessory dwelling units — built-in basements or attics of existing homes — are exempt from the ordinance. A public interest exemption may also be allowed if the council or the Zoning Adjustments Board determines that the use of natural gas is necessary.

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Delaware City Refining Company agrees to $950, 000 settlement for Clean Air Act violations - WHYY
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 12 Jul '19

12 Jul '19

https://whyy.org/articles/delaware-city-refining-company-agrees-to-950000-s… Delaware City Refining Company agrees to $950,000 settlement ByEmily PontecorvoJuly 11, 2019, WHYY, Philadelphia, PA The settlement does not cover violations from a fire that broke out in February, releasing hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide into the air. (Cris Barrish/WHYY) The Delaware City Refining Company, LLC has agreed to pay a $950,000 penalty to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for violations of the Clean Air Act that date back to 2010. The settlement also addresses appeals the company made to DNREC-issued air quality permits. The violations include releases of volatile organic compounds, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide — pollutants that are known to cause breathing problems, skin irritation, and in some cases nausea, vomiting, and neurological effects such as dizziness. The refinery has also been cited for releases of methane, one of the most powerful heat-trapping gases that contributes to global warming. DNREC has agreed to revise the permit language regarding emissions caps on certain units at the refinery. There is an annual cap on the facility’s emissions, but certain units have shorter-term limits that prevent large releases all at once. The new language allows the company more flexibility on some units under certain circumstances, such as when equipment is malfunctioning. The revised permits will now enter a comment period. Once the comment period closes and the revised permits are issued, pending no major changes, the company has agreed to dismiss its appeals. DNREC has been fighting the refinery over outstanding air and water violations since the facility’s restart in June 2010. DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin told WHYY that the agency decided to separate the two issues due to the complicated nature of the air quality permit appeals. The new settlement does not cover outstanding water violations by the refinery or any air quality violations after October 2018. For example, it does not cover violations from a fire that broke out in February, releasing hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide into the air. Garvin said these more recent violations will be addressed through the usual investigation process. “In any agreement, you don’t get utopia,” he said. “I think we got to a place in which we addressed a lot of backlogged issues that had been building up over time and set the stage for more clarity moving forward.” He expects to address future violations more quickly than those addressed by the settlement. The Delaware City Refining Company is part of PBF energy, the owner of five refineries including the Paulsboro Refinery in Paulsboro, New Jersey. The company did not respond to a request for comment on this story. Sent from my iPad

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Investigation: Cracker plant will bring jobs, pollution
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 08 Jul '19

08 Jul '19

https://www.wtae.com/article/investigation-cracker-plant-will-bring-jobs-po… From an Article by Paul van Osdol, WTAE Action 4 News, May 9, 2019 MONACA, Pa. — The massive ethane cracker plant in Beaver County is bringing thousands of jobs to Western Pennsylvania. But Action News Investigates has learned it may also bring thousands of tons of air pollutants to a region that already has some of the nation's dirtiest air. At the cracker plant site, dozens of cranes soar into the sky as thousands of construction workers assemble the petrochemical facility that will convert natural gas liquids into plastics. The project has breathed new life into what was an industrial wasteland. But some medical experts who are also environmental advocates said breathing will be much harder once the plant is up and running. “To me it's about breathing. It's about health,” said Dr. Ned Ketyer, a retired pediatrician affiliated with Pitt's Climate and Global Change Center. He said the plant's toxic fumes will affect health as far south as Pittsburgh. “Allegheny County is already dealing with higher risks of cancer because of air pollution and I believe this is going to make things much worse,” Ketyer said. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are a major industrial pollutant. Environmental Protection Agency records show the industrial plant with the largest VOC emissions in Western Pennsylvania is the Clairton Coke Works, with 291 tons of VOCs in 2014, the most recent year available. But the cracker plant's state permit says it is allowed up to 522 tons of VOCs per year. Ammonia is another air toxin. “That can have immediate effects on the brain and the liver,” Ketyer said. EPA records show the Coke Works and U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock combined emitted 139 tons of ammonia in 2014. But the cracker plant's permit allows for even more -- 152 tons. The cracker plant is also allowed to emit 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. That is equivalent to 488,000 cars. Shell and the state Department of Environmental Protection said there is no need to worry. “Those numbers seem large but they are absolutely the lowest numbers that can be achieved using the technology that's currently available,” said Ron Schwartz, regional director for the DEP. He said the DEP did two studies of the cracker plant's potential health impacts and they showed “that there would be no detrimental effect on human health through the environment, and the Department of Health also reviewed those results and concurred with our findings.” Shell spokesman Joseph Minnitte said the company "takes the health of the community and our staff very seriously." Further, “Inhalation risk assessments performed by Shell and PA DEP concluded that chronic cancer and non-cancer risks as well as acute non-cancer risks do not exceed PA DEP's benchmarks," Minnitte said. But chemist and environmental advocate Wilma Subra, of Louisiana, disagrees. “The air emissions are going to be so severe, they're going to notice it immediately,” she said. Subra has studied the impact of cracker plants in Louisiana, where an industrial area between New Orleans and Baton Rouge has been called "cancer alley." She said that, as in Louisiana, the Beaver cracker will lead to more petrochemical plants in the area, and that will have a dramatic impact on public health. “It's going to be as bad or worse than any of the plants in Louisiana and then suddenly, you're going to have a Pennsylvania cancer alley like we have here in Louisiana,” she said. Asked if the cracker plant could lead to a cancer alley in Pennsylvania, Schwartz said, “That's not something I can comment on.” In Beaver, where the business district is just a couple of miles from the cracker plant, shoppers said they were excited about the number of jobs being created. But some of them said they had no idea how much pollution may be coming out of the plant. “It's not a big conversation that I hear in town,” said Gayle Latulippe, of Beaver. But some area residents were alarmed to hear the cracker plant is allowed more VOC emissions than the Clairton Coke Works. “Oh, it's a big concern. I mean, how are we supposed to breathe?” said Liz Zagorski, of Beaver. She lives a mile from the plant. She said she is especially worried for her great-nephew: “What's it going to be like when he gets to be old enough to be running around?” she said. Subra said local residents are right to be worried. “The politicians are going to be looking back and their children are going to be looking at them saying, 'Why did you do this? Why did you sell us out?'" she said. A second cracker plant, in eastern Ohio, is in the planning stages. And West Virginia officials are discussing the possibility of another cracker plant. A consent agreement between Shell and several environmental groups will require continuous air monitoring at the fence line of the cracker plant. The DEP said it will also monitor the air near the plant starting early next year.

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Fire officials: "there was a little lack of communication" around coke plant emergency | WTOV
by Duane Nichols via MVCAC 30 Jun '19

30 Jun '19

NOTE. .... air pollution in the northern Panhandle of WV ........ DGN https://wtov9.com/news/local/fire-officials-there-was-a-little-lack-of-comm… Fire officials: "there was a little lack of communication" around coke plant emergency FOLLANSBEE, WV (WTOV) - A Saturday evening emergency situation at a Follansbee coke plant sparked concern among many residents. The Mountain State Carbon plant located along Route 2 suffered a complete loss of power, resulting in massive flames and billowing smoke clouds emitting from the facility. Although the flames and smoke may have looked bad, a former employee at the plant says it is all part of a normal procedure. "It's a normal process," said Andy Williams. "This is just a rare occurrence that, you know, you lose power and the transformer and everything." But things got more complicated when the power stayed off, forcing firefighters to respond to the carbon plant - not to battle a fire, but to help keep the coke ovens cool. "When we went in pretty much our specific purpose was to cool certain areas of the #8 coke battery so the guys working on top of the battery can work without all the heat," said Follansbee Fire Chief Larry Rea. "There were little spot fires." Brooke County emergency dispatchers say that firefighters from Follansbee, Colliers, Beech Bottom and Franklin were on the scene as well as several other units from across the region. "The biggest reason for all the extra fire departments we brought in was being with the power outage, they couldn't pump water," said Rea. With water storage tanks dwindling and being unable to pump water, Rea called in more tankers to help. However, even with a prolonged period without power, the public was never in danger. "No, there was absolutely no harm to the public," said Rea. He described the situation as controlled chaos. Rea has more than 45 years of experience working with the plant and says he has never seen anything quite this bad. "This was the worst that I have seen that battery like that. Again, this is the first time they have ever lost, in the history of the coke plant, the first time they have ever lost complete power plant wide." Throughout the entire emergency, he says that plant officials and his team worked together to tackle a task they have never faced on a level this severe. "They're trained, they know what to do. They handle this in the utmost professional manner." The only thing that Rea says he would change with the whole scenario is the way they communicate with the public. "I'll admit it, there was a little lack of communication. The EMA was notified, Bob Fowler, head of EMA wasn't notified in a timely fashion." In the future, if an event like Saturday evenings would occur again, Rea says he would utilize the city's one call system to notify residents as well as the county's resources. Rea also told News9 that the area likely experienced an exceedance of air pollution levels, but the biggest thing to take away from the entire incident is that the public was never in danger.

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MVCAC July 2019