Guest essay by Eric Worrall
NYT has revealed that a secret tape recording of a meeting of oil executives has shown that oil companies flare off unwanted natural gas.
A Secret Recording Reveals Oil Executives’ Private Views on Climate Change
At a meeting last year, industry leaders contradicted public claims that emissions of climate-warming methane are under control
By Hiroko Tabuchi
Sept. 12, 2020, 9:14 a.m. ETLast summer, oil and gas-industry groups were lobbying to overturn federal rules on leaks of natural gas, a major contributor to climate change. Their message: The companies had emissions under control.
In private, the lobbyists were saying something very different.
At a discussion convened last year by the Independent Petroleum Association of America, a group that represents energy companies, participants worried that producers were intentionally flaring, or burning off, far too much natural gas, threatening the industry’s image, according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by The New York Times.
“We’re just flaring a tremendous amount of gas,” said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, at the June 2019 gathering, held in Colorado Springs. “This pesky natural gas,” he said. “The value of it is very minimal,” particularly to companies drilling mainly for oil.
…
The pushback against more stringent methane rules has been led by smaller, independent producers who argued the rules were unfairly burdensome for smaller drillers, because they could not afford to invest in costly leak-detection and capture technology.
Oil giants like BP, on the other hand, urged the federal government to keep methane regulations in place, saying it was “the right thing to do.”
…
Dan Haley, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, laid out the stakes.
“Hippies were going to change the world, until they wanted to get a job and buy a BMW,” Mr. Haley said in the meeting. “In Colorado, we’ve been kind of playing a game of whack-a-mole. We went from where fracking was the dirty word, and contaminated your water. And we inundated them with information about that and blitzed the TV airwaves,” he said. “Then slowly that changed into a health and safety messaging. And so we’re ramping up our health and safety messaging.”
…
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/12/climate/methane-natural-gas-flaring.html
Wow, a tape recording of oil executives discussing normal conduct of business, and public relations strategies to counter negative messaging from activists so they can just get on with business.
I love Dan Haley’s whack-a-mole comment. We all know most hippies sold out and became yuppies. If Michael Moore’s film “Planet of the Humans” is any guide, some high profile climate activists may also be well along the path of following former hippies down the money trail.
As for the rule change, President Trump’s recently announced rule change is intended to stop small fossil fuel companies from being strangled by red tape. I suspect some big companies would love to keep as many onerous Obama era rules as possible, to keep profit margins high by messing up the ability of smaller independents to undercut big companies by delivering cheap fuel to customers.
Oregon Fire Marshal ousted by Oregon State Police… For doing his job (while OSP let antifa/blm burn the place down).
Didn’t do anything wrong’: Oregon Fire Marshal explains resignation
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Fire Marshal Jim Walker was placed on paid administrative leave Saturday. Then just hours later, he resigned, according to the Oregon State Police.
OSP did not immediately provide a reason for Walker’s departure. However, Walker spoke with KOIN 6 News Saturday evening during which he said he was placed on leave by OSP Superintendent Travis Hampton after trying to help a co-worker whose family was missing in a fire zone.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.koin.com/news/wildfires/oregon-fire-marshal-put-on-leave-ruiz-temple-appointed/amp/
Here is the Marshal 4 days ago…
https://www.google.com/amp/s/kpic.com/amp/news/local/state-fire-marshal-keep-your-fellow-oregonians-and-firefighters-in-your-thoughts
I was maybe 6 when we lived near a refinery. I was fascinated by all the pipes and tanks. I saw a flame at the end of a tall pipe and asked my father, “What’s that.” The answer (he was a shoe salesman at the time) oh, that’s just unwanted gases being burned.”
You’ve gotta be pretty ill informed (or a resident of NYC) to think that’s some major hidden secret.
Ummm… yes… having spent 32 years as an environmental advisor in the oil industry from exploration to retail… it’s pretty standard altho steps are being taken to reduce Flaring and capture the off gas It’s not always possible
Also breaking news: consumers admit to disposing of trash in landfills.
Michael
And, the organic material in the landfill results in methane being produced, which finds its way into the atmosphere.
“leaks of natural gas, a major contributor to climate change.”
Shouldn’t that be:
“leaks of natural gas, that experts agree is a major contributor to climate change.”
“leaks of natural gas, a major contributor to climate change”
Is it considered as major as all the CO2 emissions from China?
“I suspect some big companies would love to keep as many onerous Obama era rules as possible, to keep profit margins high…”
You always have to read between the lines with Big Biz Big Gummint and Big Union and now add Big Greening –
Headline: ‘UK must become global leader in tackling climate crisis, says CBI’
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/uknews/uk-must-become-global-leader-in-tackling-climate-crisis-says-cbi/ar-BB18ZQIE
Who the Hell are the CBI? Oh you mean this Confederation of British Industry-
“The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is a UK business organisation, which in total claims to speak for 190,000 businesses,[1] this is made up of around 1,500 direct members and 188,500 non-members. The non members are represented through the 140 trade associations within the confederation, whose separate and individual memberships the CBI claims to also to speak for. Trade Association member companies, are not directly consulted or involved in CBI’s policy formulation. The National Farmers’ Union with its 55,000 members is the largest component of the 188,500 non-members the CBI claims to speak for. The Country Land and Business association brings another 30,000 non-members, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed 20,000 non-members, the Freight Transport Association 13,000, the Federation of Master Builders 9,500, the Road Haulage Association 8,100 and the National Federation of Builders 1,400.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_British_Industry
Yeah I’m sure they’re all right behind you and the 1500 old hippy CEOs there Carolyn.
I suspect some big companies would love to keep as many onerous Obama era rules as possible, to keep profit margins high by messing up the ability of smaller independents to undercut big companies by delivering cheap fuel to customers.
Indeed. Big businesses like onerous rules that make it harder for smaller competitors to compete and/or enter the market. It’s job security for them.
At this rate they will be the next ones to slip into the hospital rooms of retired oil execs for deathbed Q&A.