G2. Local Greens

Register here!

On May 15th at Portland’s Ecotrust Building, we invite you to join CUB for a night of celebration and community at our 40th Anniversary Fundraiser! CUB staff, alumni, and community members will gather at Portland’s Ecotrust building to honor CUB’s legacy and future. Tickets are $40 and all proceeds will help CUB reach our $40,000 Spring fundraising goal.

Attendees will hear from CUB staff and can buy tickets for a fundraising raffle. Member support allows CUB to work in the legislature, build critical partnerships, and more!

Doors open at 5:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

The post Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board’s 40th Anniversary Fundraiser first appeared on NW Energy Coalition.

Greenbelt Alliance is proud to open a public call for nominations for the fourth edition of the Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt Awards to recognize the dedicated local government staff championing climate resilience in our Bay Area communities.

Throughout our 65-year history, we’ve worked alongside dedicated government staff catalyzing impact in their communities across the Bay Area. Many of these heroes are creating systemic change for our cities by taking on complex projects to increase housing opportunities while protecting nature, expanding outdoor access, and building climate resilience. From launching parklet plans during the pandemic to facilitating wildfire education and building living levees, Hidden Heroes are creating lasting change throughout the region. 

Learn more about our previous Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt awardees, and nominate an individual for our 2024 Hidden Hero cohort.

NOMINATE A HERO

 

The three winners will be honored and featured at our annual benefit, Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt, at Preservation Park in Oakland this August.

How To Nominate?

Nominating is very easy. Nominees should be San Francisco Bay Area local government staff (city/county/agency), non-elected, working at the intersection of land use and climate change within the following categories:

• Nature-based Climate Adaptation: working on policies and projects that lead with nature to build climate resilience. Examples include people working on the conservation and stewardship of open space (reducing wildfire risk and drought impacts), restoring wetlands to reduce flood risk, crafting policies that protect creeks and riparian corridors, etc.
• Planning for Resilience: planning and community engagement that implements equitable, climate-resilient strategies. Examples include people working with frontline communities most impacted by climate hazards to ensure their voices are heard in the planning process, creating innovative plans that incorporate climate resilience, such as general plans, climate action plans, hazard mitigation plans, and more.
• Abundant Climate-smart Housing: building more homes in the Bay Area, close to jobs and transit and away from fire hazards, that are affordable for all, is the single most impactful action we can take to reduce our climate impacts at the local level. Examples include people working on policies to reduce barriers to more housing and working on great climate-smart development projects.

Nominations should be submitted via the Google Form (see embed below) by May 8, 2024. An assessment panel will select one winner per category.

Loading…

The post Nominate Local Champions for Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt Awards 2024 appeared first on Greenbelt Alliance.

The new rules will prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths, thousands of premature deaths and tens of thousands of serious illnesses.

The post EPA announces first federal restrictions on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

A new report reveals the Northern Territory is home to Australia’s weakest lobbying rules and the jurisdiction has little protection against undue influence on government decision makers. Report available here.

WASHINGTON (April 10, 2024) –Yesterday, a D.C. Circuit panel unanimously dismissed and rejected challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to reinstate its waiver to California’s Advanced Clean Car Program.  

“Emissions from the transportation sector need to be eliminated to achieve our climate and public health goals. We commend the decision, which upholds California’s ability, under the Clean Air Act, to reduce emissions and protect public health and the climate through its Advanced Clean Car Program,” said Veronica Saltzman, an attorney at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “California has been a longstanding leader in climate action, setting the gold standard for emissions and air pollution regulations. Its leadership has prompted action from many other states and the auto industry itself. Manufacturers continue to make investments in zero-emissions vehicles and have been for quite some time. The chorus of support for stronger regulations to tackle transportation emissions is loud, and the court’s decision will have immense public health and climate benefits in California and across the country.”  

CATF represented the Clean Air Council and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in the case. 

“Clean Air Council is thrilled the D.C. Circuit Court dismissed petitioners’ claim that California’s higher vehicle emission standards would harm their businesses or states,” said Alex Bomstein, Executive Director of Clean Air Council. “It is a major win that the court ruled that any injury from California’s emissions’ standards was too far-fetched. Now, more than ever, states must be able to take actions, like enacting stronger emissions standards, to protect health and the climate.”  

“We are thrilled the court upheld California and other states’ ability to clean up vehicle pollution affecting national parks and the communities which rely on them,” said Ulla Reeves, Interim Director of NPCA’s Clean Air Program. “NPCA found in our 2024 Polluted Parks report that air pollution harms 97% of national parks at concerning levels, with the most polluted located in California. This decision is one major step toward cleaner air and a livable climate for the public, as well as the culturally and historically significant places we cherish.” 

The Advanced Clean Car Program (ACC), which was granted its initial waiver from EPA in 2013, (1) sets emissions requirements for new cars to reduce CO2 emissions and (2) requires increasing percentages of manufacturers’ fleets to be zero-emissions vehicles, for model years 2017-2025. In 2019, the Trump administration withdrew the waiver, which was then reinstated in 2022 by the Biden administration. Two groups – (1) entities that produce and sell liquid fuels and their raw materials and (2) seventeen states – challenged EPA’s decision to reinstate the waiver. The court’s decision allows the waiver – and the ACC – to stay in place. 

If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius of the derailment.

The post Norfolk Southern announces $600 million settlement in East Palestine train derailment class action appeared first on The Allegheny Front.

File:  DRN EPAMCL.Press Stmnt4.10.24.pdfResource Type: Press

Today, the Forest Supervisor for Black Hills National Forest, Shawn Cochran, issued a “Response” to public objections surrounding the proposed Golden Crest gold drilling project.  This project is immediately west of Spearfish Canyon and would involve placing two dozen drilling pads upstream of Spearfish Canyon and in a prime and popular recreation area. There were … Continue reading Golden Crest gold drilling project: Black Hills National Forest issued a “Response” to public objections

File:  MediaAdvisory_Pennsylvania Public Health, Environmental Groups Celebrate Major PFAS Announcement.pdfResource Type: Press

Organizations call for reinstatement of Climate Protection Program in OR Climate Solutions Tue, 04/09/2024 - 15:08

By Bowen West, NBC Montana More than 40 businesses and organizations are petitioning for the Montana Public Service Commission to consider the future effects of climate change. PSC oversees public utilities in the state and on Monday their role in climate change came into question.   Read the full story.

The post PSC hears supporters, opponents on petition on climate change appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

The only company to frack horizontal shale gas wells onshore in the UK has cut the value of its exploration assets.

Gooseneck at Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road shale gas site, 5 August 2019. Photo: Ros Wills

Annual accounts for seven Cuadrilla companies each announced impairments of up to £127m.

The impairments, reflecting falls in the value of Cuadrilla’s oil and gas licences, led to annual losses for all the affected companies.

Cuadrilla blamed Rishi Sunak’s reinstatement of the moratorium on high volume fracking in England in October 2022.

Cuadrilla Bowland Limited, the subsidiary which operates the now mothballed Preston New Road fracking site in Lancashire, saw an impairment of £46.1m. It reported a loss for the year to June 2023 of £46.3m, compared with a loss of £147,000 in 2022.

Its immediate parent company, Cuadrilla Resources Limited, announced a £64.2m impairment and an annual loss of £64.3m. In 2022, the company made a loss of £127,000.

The group’s holding company, Cuadrilla Resources Holdings Limited, had the largest impairment of £127.91m. It reported a loss of £127.92m, compared with a loss of £7,000 in 2022.

Cuadrilla Balcombe Limited, which drilled an oil well at Balcombe in West Sussex in 2013, saw an impairment of more than £4.6m. Its annual loss, as a result, was £4.68m, compared with no profit or loss in 2022.

The other companies with impairments were: Cuadrilla Elswick Limited, Cuadrilla Elswick (no 2) Limited, and Cuadrilla Weald Limited.

The annual reports for all seven companies said the ultimate owner, the Australian mining group, A J Lucas, had carried out a review of the carrying value of its investment in exploration assets.

It said this followed:

“the decision to lift and reimpose the moratorium within a five-week period, the ongoing political churn and policy changes experienced in the UK and the lack of discernible political will within the governing Conservative Party to progress onshore shale gas exploration for the foreseeable future.”

The reports said:

“Following the review, AJL [A J Lucas] concluded that it is appropriate to recognise a non-cash impairment expense against the carrying value of its onshore shale gas exploration assets to comply with relevant applicable accounting standards.”

Going concerns

A total of eleven Cuadrilla companies issued accounts for the year ending June 2023.

The directors concluded that all were going concerns, even though all but one made a loss and had net liabilities.

A J Lucas had said it would “provide the necessary financial support to enable the Company to trade and meet its liabilities” for 12 months from the date the accounts were approved.

The liabilities ranged from £135,000 for Cuadrilla Gainsborough, to £110.2m for Cuadrilla Resources Limited.

Cuadrilla Bowland reported net liabilities of £44.5m in 2023, compared with net assets of £1.8m in 2022.

Cuadrilla Balcombe had net assets of £453,000 in 2022 but net liabilities of £4.2m in 2023.

Cuadrilla Resources Limited saw its net liabilities more than double from £45.9m in 2022.  

Seven Cuadrilla companies reported accumulated tax losses totalling more than £53m. These are available to offset against future taxable income.

Another four companies reported accumulated pre-trading expenses totalling more than £1.5m, also available for offset against future taxable income.

Cuadrilla Resources Limited, the only company to have employees, reported staff costs of £401,000 for two people. It said the highest paid director received £282,000.

Licence and site news

The accounts also gave details of changes to licences and sites:

Preston New Road The accounts reported that the industry regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) had ordered Cuadrilla Bowland to plug and abandon its Preston New Road wells by 31 December 2024. Lancashire County Council has required the site to be restored to farmland by June 2025.

Elswick NSTA ordered Cuadrilla Elswick to plug and abandon the Elwick gas well in Lancashire by the end of 2024.

Balcombe A ruling is awaited on an application by Frack Free Residents’ Association to appeal against the High Court judgement upholding planning permission for a well test

PEDL276 NSTA granted a one-year licence extension to July 2024

PEDL287 Cuadrilla South Cleveland Limited relinquished PEDL287 at the end of the initial term.

PEDL288 NSTA approved a one-year extension for PEDL288 until July 2024.

PEDL290 Cuadrilla North Cleveland Limited relinquished PEDL290 at end of licence initial term.

PEDL333 NSTA approved a one-year licence term extension to July 2024 for PEDL333, held by Cuadrilla North Cleveland

PEDL342 Cuadrilla South Cleveland Limited relinquished PEDL342 at the end of the initial term.

PEDL346 NSTA approved a one-year extension for PEDL346, held by Cuadrilla South Cleveland Limited, until July 2024.

PEDL347 NSTA approved a one-year licence term extension to July 2024 for PEDL347, held by Cuadrilla North Cleveland. Cuadrilla has agreed with Egdon Resources and York Energy to give up operation of the licence and reduce its stake from 100% to 25%

PL081 In a deal with Egdon Resources and York Energy, Cuadrilla North Cleveland acquired a 25% stake in PL081. NSTA approved a term extension for the licence until July 2024.

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments. We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us by clicking here.

The UK onshore oil and gas company, Star Energy, has announced a new €25m loan.

Star Energy’s Welton site near Lincoln. Photo: Star Energy

In a statement today, the company (formerly IGas) said part of the loan would fund Star Energy’s geothermal plans. The rest would repay an outstanding balance on its loan from BMO, due at the end of June 2024, the company said.

Star Energy’s chief executive, Chris Hopkinson, described the new loan as “an important milestone”:

“It allows us to use cashflows from our existing oil and gas business to optimise near-term conventional production (with quick pay-backs) and deliver our transition strategy; namely developing and monetising our geothermal business in both the UK and Croatia.”

The loan is provided by the Austrian infrastructure finance company, Kommunalkredit.

Mr Hopkinson said:

“The size and structure of Kommunalkredit’s facility evidences their confidence in Star’s people and its transition strategy. Our ability to drawdown on this facility for our geothermal activities will allow this business to be positioned for longer term and sustained growth. It will also give us greater flexibility to continue to optimise the value of our entire asset portfolio, with short cycle returns.”

The statement said the Kommunalkredit facility matures on 31 December 2028.

The first part, to repay the outstanding US$7m balance on Star Energy’s reserves-based borrowing, has a fixed interest rate of 9.38% and is repayable on 30 June 2025.

The second part, funding geothermal development, has an interest rate of Euribore + 6% for five years. Repayments are scheduled to start from 31 December 2025.

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments. We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us by clicking here.

Washington, D.C. — The Government Accountability Office has uncovered dangerous pitfalls in the federal pipeline safety agency’s ability to adequately ensure safety of methane gas pipelines like MVP.

Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights Coalition (POWHR) responded:

“We are aware that PHMSA’s authority is limited and relies too heavily on industry self-reporting and investigation. With an alarming 21 percent of incidents resulting from ‘natural and other outside force damage’ the MVP stands as a very dangerous test case of ‘high consequence’ assessment.”

The MVP route goes over some of the steepest slopes in the country, as well as landslide prone terrain and seismic zones. Numerous landslides and earthquakes have occurred in the blast zone, and community members are very concerned about their safety, especially given the ineffectiveness of agencies.

###

In the state of Nebraska, there is no state agency with authority over carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines, after the Nebraska Public Service Commission issued a statement saying it had no authority under state laws, leaving landowners, counties and first responders to come up with measures to protect property rights, themselves and the communities impacted. 

The Tallgrass Trailblazer methane gas pipeline was constructed in 1981 to carry gas across Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. The company recently applied for and was granted permission by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to transition the existing gas pipeline to carry carbon dioxide, where it plans to connect with Midwest ethanol plants and collect CO2 emissions for transport via the Trailblazer pipeline for underground sequestration. 

Methane gas pipelines are regulated by FERC, which holds the power to grant eminent domain authority to corporations to seize landowners’ property against their will for a project. Carbon pipelines do not have an equivalent to FERC for the rules and regulations around eminent domain, siting and decommissioning on a national level.

In the case of the Tallgrass Trailblazer pipeline, in this particular situation with this particular project in the state of Nebraska, with the current lack of any regulation in Nebraska — landowners, first responders and communities did not have enough votes in the legislature to put basic protections into law. This fundamental reason is why Bold approached Tallgrass to seek protections and benefits in writing of the Community Benefits Agreement.

An easement contract for the existing gas pipeline was already negotiated decades ago, and that methane gas pipeline was authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency (FERC) which approved the company’s plan to take the gas line out of service, and convert it to instead carry CO2.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is working on updating regulations for carbon pipelines — in the wake of the 2020 CO2 pipeline rupture incident in Satartia, MS that forced the evacuation of hundreds and sent dozens to the hospital, with some reporting negative health impacts to this day. 

Under this set of circumstances, Tallgrass landowners are in a position where they cannot fight eminent domain to stop a pipeline that is already in the ground on their property. Bold has for years urged the Nebraska Legislature to pass a number of bills that would provide added protections to landowners against eminent domain, enhance decommissioning plans for equipment after the life of a pipeline, and provide more comprehensive financial compensation for landowners and communities that shoulder the risks and burdens of these projects. 

With no Nebraska state laws in existence to protect Tallgrass landowners, Bold realized an opportunity to seek some protections through a unique “Community Benefits Agreement” with the company, which also includes a number of other local community, Agricultural and first responder organizations. The Agreement includes financial benefits directly into the pockets of landowners and protections that would not have otherwise been available to landowners, first responders and the impacted communities in Nebraska. 

While Bold entered into this Community Benefits Agreement with Tallgrass within the state of Nebraska, Bold does not see any path to a similar community benefits agreement, for instance, with Summit Carbon Solutions — which has already sued hundreds of landowners seeking survey access against their will, and has threatened to use eminent domain from day one to seize property from unwilling landowners. Summit has continued to show they do not care about landowners, first responders or communities in the path of their new pipeline infrastructure project.

A number of meetings are being scheduled to introduce the Community Benefits Agreement to communities within Nebraska that are impacted by the Tallgrass Trailblazer gas-to-CO2 conversion pipeline, in addition to a virtual Zoom meeting for Tallgrass landowners.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2024

Tallgrass, Bold Alliance, and Key Agricultural and First Responder Organizations Announce a Community Benefits Agreement

First-of-its-kind agreement establishes significant collaborative initiatives for landowners, public safety and community investment.

Lincoln, Neb. — Tallgrass, Bold Alliance, and multiple organizations across Nebraska announced a first-of-its-kind Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) associated with the Tallgrass Trailblazer carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration project. The agreement between Tallgrass and Bold Alliance received endorsements from 11 statewide organizations, including Renewable Fuels Nebraska, the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter Association, the Nebraska Farm Bureau, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, the Nebraska Cattlemen Association, the Nebraska Farmers Union, the Nebraska Soybean Association, the Nebraska Sorghum Producers, the Nebraska Dairy Producers, the Nebraska Pork Association and We Support AG. This landmark agreement sets a new precedent for pipeline infrastructure by establishing a series of community initiatives as well as creating rigorous landowner rights protections throughout the pipeline’s life cycle, from early project development through easement negotiations, operations, and decommissioning.

Other near and long-term benefits provisioned by the CBA include:

• A $500,000 funding commitment to nonprofits in the counties associated with the project.
• A $400,000 funding commitment to equip first responders throughout the development of the project, as well as ongoing annual funding to support replenishing and replacing essential equipment once the project is operational.
• There is a $200,000 funding commitment to train first responders as the project comes online, as well as an annual obligation, once operational, to provide public safety notifications to the families who live along the pipeline right of way.
• A requirement, at the time of decommissioning, that the easements are returned to landowners who may elect to have the pipeline abandoned in place or removed from their property.

The CBA additionally establishes a 10-year, two-part, shared-value program. By achieving operations on schedule, this program establishes provisions for landowners to receive an annual royalty payment and for a community foundation to receive an annual endowment — based on the total amount of CO2 the project sequesters. The annual royalty payment program for landowners applies not only to future easement negotiations, but also to landowners who have already signed easements for the CO2 pipeline.

“Bold believes that those who live in our rural towns and whose land is needed to develop American energy should receive direct financial and community benefits,” said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Alliance. “Tallgrass’s existing pipeline was initially built for natural gas delivery, and the conversion they are undertaking to transport carbon dioxide highlights the need for additional community benefits which are met under this agreement,” Kleeb continued. “Tallgrass is the first pipeline company we have encountered that has been willing to engage proactively, acknowledge the need for the landowner benefits that Bold fights to achieve, and genuinely commit itself to addressing those benefits by written agreement. The commitments between Bold and Tallgrass must set a standard for future energy infrastructure developers and for future regulatory reform that ensures stronger community and landowner benefits are enshrined in our state and federal laws.”

“We appreciate the time and effort that Bold Alliance and so many organizations across Nebraska have invested to achieve this milestone. Everyone involved worked hard to bridge the challenges of reaching a groundbreaking agreement like this one because of a common commitment to seeing Nebraska win. This project is a critical element of Nebraska’s bioeconomy — creating new markets and increased value for the biofuels industry, the family farms who supply them, and the communities they call home,” said Kyle Quackenbush, Segment President of Tallgrass. “At Tallgrass, our pipeline infrastructure has been safely powering Nebraska’s economic growth for decades. We are proud to have found common ground with so many key community organizations to keep Nebraska at the forefront of innovation and economic growth in the decades to come.”

About Tallgrass
Tallgrass is a leading energy infrastructure company focused on safely, reliably, and sustainably delivering the energy and services that fuel homes and businesses and enable our nation’s quality of life. For over a decade, Tallgrass has called Nebraska “home,” with over 100 of our Nebraskan employees operating more than 2,000 miles of pipelines in the state every day. Across the broader U.S., Tallgrass has over 1,000 employees operating more than 10,000 miles of infrastructure that stretches from Ohio to Oregon and North Dakota down to South Texas. Learn more at Tallgrass.com.

About Bold Alliance
Bold Alliance builds unlikely alliances to protect the land and water. Bold works on ssues including eminent domain, clean energy, water, and prioritizing family farms and ranches.

FAQ

In the heart of northern Alaska, the threat of a devastating development project has hung over wild landscapes for decades. The proposed Ambler Road would be a new, 211-mile industrial corridor on the south side of the Brooks Range, extending west from the Dalton Highway to the south bank of the Ambler River. 

At risk is not just the construction of a mere road, but a massive industrial corridor that would threaten North America’s largest protected and roadless region, as well as the food security and clean water of Alaska Native Tribes. The project would destroy more than 1,400 acres of wetlands and cross nearly 3,000 streams. It would cut through Gates of the Arctic National Preserve, across sheefish and salmon spawning habitats, and bisect the migration of one of the greatest caribou herds left on Earth. The purpose of this road is to eventually develop multiple open pit copper mines, threatening fisheries of the Kobuk and Koyukuk rivers and other traditional subsistence resources that locals depend upon. 

Administration Update 

In February 2022, the Biden Administration suspended the right of way permits for the proposed Ambler mining road, which had been advanced by Trump officials. In October 2023, BLM released the draft Supplemental EIS for the proposed road to address issues with the Trump-approved EIS. Over 12,000 AWL supporters signed our petition asking the administration to select the No Action alternative and stop the Ambler road from being built. The final decision from BLM is expected later this year. 

Recent Actions 

Alaska Wilderness League stands with our partners in the Brooks Range and will continue to assist with the national elevation of this issue. In late February, a group of Indigenous advocates from the Northwest and Interior Alaska traveled to Washington D.C. to speak out against the proposed Ambler Road. At a sold-out Portugal. The Man concert, they spoke to a 6,000 person crowd, as well as met with officials from the White House and Department of Interior about the potentially devastating effects of this road cutting through their communities. 

To coincide with Defend Brooks Range meetings and a day of action, and maintain the pressure on officials in D.C. at this time, AWL helped plaster Stop Ambler Road posters in locations around our nation’s capitol. 

How You Can Help 

If you’re concerned about this project and want to help our partners in Northwest Alaska, please tell the Bureau of Land Management to protect the rivers and streams, the Western Arctic caribou, and other wildlife in northwest Alaska by halting plans for the Ambler mining road – sign our petition here! 

TAKE ACTION NOW

The post What to Know About the Ambler Road Project appeared first on Alaska Wilderness League.

DrillOrDrop’s diary of events in spring 2024 involving the UK onshore oil and gas industry and campaigns about it.

Plans to extend the Wressle oil site in North Lincolnshire

This post will be updated with new details as we get them. Please let us know about any events you think should be included.

1 April 2024

Publication of monthly onshore production data. Expected date for publication of North Sea Transition Authority data for January 2024. Look out for DrillOrDrop analysis.

2 April 2024

Campaigners celebrate refusal of planning permission for Broadford Bridge site. Details

12 April 2024

Closing date for consultation on licensing policy in Northern Ireland. Link to consultation

Extension date for Waddock Cross plans. Extended target date for consideration of planning application to retain Waddock Cross site until 2033. Details

22 April 2024

Get together of fracking opponents, former Kirby Misperton shale gas site, North Yorkshire.

24 April 2024

Star Energy results. The company (formerly IGas) announces its results for the year to December 2023.

25 April 2024

Closing date of public consultation on plans by Egdon Resources to expand Wressle oil site and drill two new wells. Details

1 May 2024

Publication of monthly onshore production data. Expected date for publication of North Sea Transition Authority data for February 2024. Look out for DrillOrDrop analysis.

1 June 2024

Publication of monthly onshore production data. Expected date for publication of North Sea Transition Authority data for March 2024. Look out for DrillOrDrop analysis.

18-19 June 2024

High Court challenge to government’s National Adaptation Programme. Details

30 June 2024

Deadline for Horse Hill farm-in. Date by which conditional binding Horse Hill farm-in term sheet has been extended with PennPetro.

First half of 2024

West Newton-B well. Rathlin Energy says it plans to drill a horizontal well at this East Yorkshire site in the first half of the year.

Unconfirmed events due spring 2024 onwards

• Ruling in Supreme Court case Finch v Surrey County Council. The case (UKSC 2022/0064) concerns the council’s failure to assess emissions from the use of oil produced at Horse Hill.
• Court hearing in challenge to government decision to approve new coal mine in West Cumbria. High Court, London. Date dependent on outcome of Finch v Surrey County Council.
• Court hearing in challenge to planning permission for Biscathorpe oil production. Date dependent on outcome of Finch V Surrey County Coumcil.
• Legal challenge by Uplift and Greenpeace against new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
• Legal challenge by Uplift and Greenpeace against approval of the development of the Rosebank oil field
• Ruling on application for appeal hearing against Angus Energy well test of Balcombe well, West Sussex
• Expected arrival of rig early in Q2 to reinstate production from the Brockham 2Y well. 

Later dates 7 June 2024

Update due from Cuadrilla on progress report to Lancashire County Council on decommissioning and restoration of Preston New Road. Details

19 September 2024

Deadline for appeal. Approximate date by which UK Oil & Gas plc must appeal against refusal of time extension for Broadford Bridge, West Sussex. Details

31 December 2024

NSTA deadline for Preston New Road. Date by when Cuadrilla should plug and abandon its two horizontal shale gas wells at Preston New Road under an order from the North Sea Transition Authority

30 June 2025

Preston New Road planning deadline. Deadline for restoration of Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road shale gas site. Details

NSTA drilling deadline. Drilling deadline for Loxley-1 well, near Dunsfold, in Surrey. Details

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments. We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us by clicking here.

Keep up to date with April 2024’s news with our digest of daily updated headlines about the business, regulation and campaigns around UK fracking, shale, and onshore oil and gas.

Opponents of oil and gas drilling in southern England outside the mothballed
Broadford Bridge site in West Sussex. Photo: DrillOrDrop

For headlines from previous months, click here. Please let us know if we’ve missed something important  contact@DrillOrDrop.com

Saturday 13 April 2024

Horse Hill production fall hits UKOG revenue. DrillOrDrop analysis of UKOG annual accounts.

Friday 12 April 2024

Energy minister quits. DrillOrDrop report on the resignation of Graham Stuart as net zero and energy minister.

Thursday 11 April 2024

High Court to examine government’s climate protection plan. DrillOrDrop report on a legal challenge brought by two people whose lives are already severely affected by climate change.

Tuesday 9 April 2024

Cuadrilla cuts value of oil and gas assets. DrillOrDrop analysis of annual accounts from Cuadrilla companies reveals cuts of millions of pounds in the value of exploration licences.

E25m loan for Star Energy. DrillOrDrop report on a new loan to repay borrowing and fund geothermal development.

Swiss women win landmark climate case at Europe top human rights court. Reuters reports that Europe’s top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change, in a decision that will set a precedent for future climate lawsuits. The European Court of Human Rights’s ruling, in favour of the more than 2,000 Swiss women who brought the case, is expected to resonate in court decisions across Europe and beyond, and to embolden more communities to bring climate cases against governments.

World’s biggest economies pumping billions into fossil fuels in poor nations. The Guardian reports the G20 group of developed and developing economies, and the multilateral development banks they fund, put $142bn (£112bn) into fossil fuel developments overseas from 2020 to 2022, according to estimates compiled by the campaigning groups Oil Change International (OCI) and Friends of the Earth US.

Monday 8 April 2024

Activists call on Barclays to close ‘fracking loophole’ in energy finance policy. PA reports that campaigners are calling on Barclays to close what they see as a “loophole” in its energy policy that allows the financing of fracking companies.

Saturday 6 April 2024

Scientists confirm record highs for three most important heat-trapping gases. The Guardian reports on US research which confirmed that the levels of the three most important heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached new record highs again last year. The global average concentration of carbon dioxide rose to 419ppm in 2023, while methane rose to 1922 ppb. Nitrous oxide rose to 336ppb.

Extinction Rebellion co-founder spared jail over plot to close Heathrow by flying drones nearby. ITV reports Extinction Rebellion’s co-founder, Roger Hallam, has been given a suspended sentence after plotting with others to fly drones near Heathrow.

Dutch police have detained activist Greta Thunberg at a climate demonstration in The Hague. The Hill reports that the climate activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of people detained by police in The Hague as they removed protesters who were partially blocking a road. 

Friday 5 April 2024

New laws to crack down on disruptive protests come into force. PA reports that new Serious Disruptive Prevention Orders, which aim to prevent individuals from repeating causing serious disruption at protests, come into force today.

MPs accuse Charity Commission of legal breach over climate sceptic thinktank. The Guardian reports Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, Labour’s Clive Lewis and Green MP Caroline Lucas, supported by the Good Law Project, have sent a legal letter to the regulator for failing to make a timely decision on a complaint made in October 2022 about whether the Global Warming Policy Foundation breached charity law.

Strasbourg court could rule that governments have to protect people from climate change. The Telegraph reports that the European court of human rights could this week rule that governments have to protect people from climate change. Judges will rule on three separate cases on whether people’s human rights have been breached by the failure of governments to protect them from the harmful effects of climate change.

Thursday 4 April 2024

Majority of recent CO2 emissions linked to just 57 producers, report says. Reuters reports on research by Carbon Majors, a non-profit think tank, which found that from 2016-2022 the vast majority of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions can be traced to a group of 57 fossil fuel and cement producers.

Wednesday 3 April 2024

UK onshore oil and gas production in charts – January 2024. DrillOrDrop report on the latest trends in onshore oil and gas production. UK onshore gas production rose 6% in January, with the second consecutive monthly increase at Saltfleetby.

Waddock Cross licence gets five-year extension. DrillOrDrop report on five more years added to the licence containing the mothballed Waddock Cross oil field in Dorset.

UK taxpayers to foot Shell’s bill for dismantling toxic North Sea rigs. The Telegraph reports UK taxpayers will pay “hundreds of millions of pounds” to pay for Shell to clear up toxic sludge from three oil and gas drilling platforms in the North Sea.

The UK needs a climate election. Caroline Lucas, writing in BusinessGreen, says the UK faces “one of the most important elections of our lifetime” but the climate emergency is set to become one of the most weaponised and politicised electoral battlegrounds worldwide.

Shell says landmark emissions ruling won’t help climate goals. Reuters reports on the opening day of the appeal by Shell against a 2021 climate ruling. The company said the ruling has “no legal basis. It obstructs the role that Shell can and wants to play in the energy transition”.

Network Rail to spend £2.8bn to cope with effects of climate crisis. The Guardian reports that Network Rail is to spend nearly £3bn to protect the railway from the effects of the climate crisis and extreme weather, as it warned that the country’s network was having to contend with hotter summers and more winter floods.

Tuesday 2 April 2024

Opponents celebrate refusal of permission for Broadford Bridge oil site. DrillOrDrop report on gathering of campaigners against oil and gas operations in southern England outside a site refused planning permission last week.

Shell appeal against landmark climate ruling taken to The Hague. The FT reports that Shell will fight to repeal a landmark court ruling made in 2021, which ruled that the company must cut its emissions by 45% by 2030, relative to 2019. Shell’s lawyers will argue that the ruling has “no legal basis and overstepped the remit of the judiciary, the paper reports.

Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role, New China Climate Chief Says. Bloomberg reports comments by China’s top climate diplomat, Liu Zhenmin, that cleaner power sources should eventually dominate the global power mix but fossil fuels will continue to be required.

Energy bills lowest for two years under new price cap. BBC News reports energy prices have fallen to their  lowest level for two years, but experts are urging people to stick to savings habits because bills remain expensive.

DrillOrDrop has closed the comments section on this and future articles. We are doing this because of the risk of liability for copyright infringement in comments. We still want to hear about your reaction to DrillOrDrop articles. You can contact us by clicking here.

by Liz Kimbrough on 4 April 2024 Carlos Zorrilla is a leader in what locals say is the longest continuous resistance movement against mining in Latin America. Zorrilla’s family fled from Cuba to the U.S. in 1962 when he was 11 years old.  He moved to the Intag Valley in Ecuador in the 1970s, citing his love … Continue reading How to ‘stop mining before it starts’: Interview with community organizer Carlos Zorrilla

By Jonathon Ambarian, KTVH MEIC’s Shannon James at the Montana Public Service Commission public hearing. HELENA — Last year, young plaintiffs in the Held v. Montana climate lawsuit argued the state had a responsibility to consider climate change as part of the Montana Constitution’s right to a clean and healthful environment. After a judge sided …

The post Montana PSC hears testimony on proposal to account for costs of climate change appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.