Latest news with #HealthyGulf
E&E News
07-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Judges weigh Interior's 5-year offshore leasing plan
The Biden administration's five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing got its day in court Tuesday, as a three-judge panel weighed whether the Interior Department could have done more to analyze the potential risks of future fossil fuel development. During oral arguments, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit did not clearly show whether it was likely to require the agency to go back to the drawing board at this stage of development planning. But Judge Brad Garcia, a Biden appointee, asked a number of questions about how Interior accounted for the Rice's whale in analyzing oil and gas leasing, indicating at least some dissatisfaction with how the agency assessed possible harms. Garcia zeroed in on the modeling the agency does to determine how environmentally sensitive a particular region may be to fossil fuel development. In this case, Healthy Gulf and other environmental groups argued that modeling improperly excluded the Rice's whale. Advertisement If the marine mammal had been included, the agency's modeling might have found the Gulf more sensitive to leasing, and Interior 'could have chosen to do two or one lease sales, or chosen a different region,' Garcia said.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Louisiana's wetlands store massive amounts of carbon. They also contribute to emissions when lost.
Wetlands like Wax Lake Delta along Louisiana's coast store massive amounts of carbon, which can contribute to CO2 emissions when lost. (Photo by Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator) ST. MARY PARISH – Louisiana's wetlands are one of the planet's most vital carbon storage centers, but destroying these reservoirs can accelerate harmful emissions that intensify global warming, according to experts. The Trump administration is fast-tracking energy projects, such as the Blue Marlin Offshore Port crude oil pipeline near Lake Charles that could destroy about 234 acres of wetlands, according to the Environmental Integrity Project. New research finds the stakes for Louisiana's coast are even higher than previously thought. On a sunny afternoon in early February, rainbows of microorganisms swirled in the muck of the Wax Lake delta, covering the mud like kaleidoscopic patches of plastic wrap. Microbes like these work in tandem with marsh plants to draw carbon dioxide from the air and break it down, storing the carbon in the soil. 'People didn't think about [wetlands] in the way we think today, as a carbon sequestration hot spot,' said Kanchan Maiti, an LSU professor of oceanography and wetland studies. 'If we keep losing wetlands, we're going to be losing that carbon sink,' said Matt Rota, senior policy director from the nonprofit advocacy group Healthy Gulf. But Louisiana is losing its wetlands, an average of a football field of land lost every 100 minutes, due to subsidence, storm erosion, fossil fuel development and sea level rise. The state is home to 40% of all U.S. wetlands. Louisiana's land loss crisis has been widely reported. The state has a multi-billion dollar Coastal Master Plan devoted to addressing the crisis. Now, new research highlighting Louisiana's wetlands' role in the carbon cycle argues for more focus on their heightened global value. When wetlands are destroyed, the carbon they store is released — some ends up in the Gulf, and some is consumed by microbes and gets released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. These microbes also naturally emit methane and nitrous oxide, also greenhouse gases with an even more powerful warming potential than CO2. With the global carbon cycle thrown out of balance by the burning of fossil fuels, understanding where emissions come from and how carbon is stored is beginning to take center stage. 'This isn't just our problem … it is also something that I think is pretty easily connected to national and international issues,' said Beaux Jones, CEO of nonprofit research and coastal policy group The Water Institute. Louisiana's wetlands are stellar carbon storage sites as well as some of the world's most vulnerable to loss. 'It's unique, and it's a natural service for us,' University of Florida geosciences professor Thomas Bianchi said. He has researched carbon sequestration and transport for decades. Maiti said researchers knew Louisiana's wetlands were 'rich in carbon,' but their importance in the carbon cycle has become more critical as the state grapples with global warming and land loss. 'Our relative sea level is the highest [and] because the wetland is subsiding,' Maiti said, 'we're not getting enough supply of sediment for it to keep up with the sea level rise,' he added. The state's relative sea level rise, which takes into account natural subsidence with increased sea levels, is nearly four times the global rate and one of the fastest in the world. Just how much carbon gets released as CO2 when development and land loss disturb Louisiana's wetlands is still unclear, Maiti said. But the destruction of the state's wetlands for oil and gas activity, like the pipeline project near Lake Charles, concerns scientists. 'The moment we start losing this land, we're going to release that carbon,' Maiti said. Tracking where carbon comes into a system, where it goes out and the speed at which it cycles is important in globally managing how things like excessive CO2 affect the planet, Bianchi said. He and other experts call it a carbon budget, comparing it to the business cycle, where places like marshes act like 'banks' for carbon. Fossil fuels are created from carbon, layered deeper and deeper in the earth over eons. Producing oil, gas and coal takes carbon from underground, burns it and releases it into the air faster than it would have naturally if left underground. 'Now we're in a situation where, instead of wetlands buying us 1,000 years before this organic carbon goes [and] makes it to the atmosphere, we're circulating that system, and the carbon is going out the next year,' Maiti said. Industry interest in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology has grown over the past few years as scientists, industry and lawmakers look for solutions to containing greenhouse gases and balancing the carbon budget. Some see the technology as a vital component in decarbonization as well as a way to garner money and industry jobs, while others see it as a red herring for the climate crisis. There are 30 CCS projects planned or proposed in Louisiana, and while oil companies and many politicians have embraced them, they have faced pushback from environmental advocates and community members. 'We're trying to find ways to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere through engineering, but one of the things that is really important is to not lose the systems that are already doing that for us,' Bianchi said. Scientists and advocates alike are calling for increased protection of wetlands because of their natural carbon storage capacity. Constructed or restored wetlands are other avenues being explored as both ways to increase storm resilience, prevent erosion and store carbon in Louisiana. Research shows new wetlands are extremely efficient at pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and level out to similar levels of carbon storage that naturally formed wetlands do after about 15 years. Maiti emphasised that while 'a constructed wetland, if done properly, and if it is given the time' should work like any natural wetland. 'The beauty of wetlands is they can sequester this carbon for thousands of years,' Maiti said. 'I think the key here is the time … anything we are starting from scratch, that will be behind by decades, before it actually reaches the [storage] potential of wetlands we have today.' Delaney Dryfoos from The Lens contributed to reporting from New Orleans. This story is a product of theMississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Louisiana's wetlands store massive amounts of carbon. They also contribute to emissions when lost.
Wetlands like Wax Lake Delta along Louisiana's coast store massive amounts of carbon, which can contribute to CO2 emissions when lost. (Photo Credit: Elise Plunk/ Louisiana Illuminator ST. MARY PARISH – Louisiana's wetlands are one of the planet's most vital carbon storage centers, but destroying these reservoirs can accelerate harmful emissions that intensify global warming, according to experts. The Trump administration is fast-tracking energy projects, such as the Blue Marlin Offshore Port crude oil pipeline near Lake Charles that could destroy about 234 acres of wetlands, according to the Environmental Integrity Project. New research finds the stakes for Louisiana's coast are even higher than previously thought. On a sunny afternoon in early February, rainbows of microorganisms swirled in the muck of the Wax Lake delta, covering the mud like kaleidoscopic patches of plastic wrap. Microbes like these work in tandem with marsh plants to draw carbon dioxide from the air and break it down, storing the carbon in the soil. 'People didn't think about [wetlands] in the way we think today, as a carbon sequestration hot spot,' said Kanchan Maiti, an LSU professor of oceanography and wetland studies. 'If we keep losing wetlands, we're going to be losing that carbon sink,' said Matt Rota, senior policy director from nonprofit advocacy group Healthy Gulf. But Louisiana is losing its wetlands, an average of a football field of land lost every 100 minutes, due to subsidence, storm erosion, oil development and sea level rise. The state is home to 40% of U.S. wetlands. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Louisiana's land loss crisis has been widely reported. The state has a multi-billion dollar Coastal Master Plan devoted to addressing the crisis. Now, new research highlighting Louisiana's wetlands' role in the carbon cycle argues for more focus on their heightened global value. When wetlands are destroyed, the carbon they store is released — some ends up in the Gulf, and some is consumed by microbes and gets released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. These microbes also naturally emit methane and nitrous oxide, also greenhouse gases with an even more powerful warming potential than CO2. With the global carbon cycle thrown out of balance by the burning of fossil fuels, understanding where emissions come from and how carbon is stored is beginning to take center stage. 'This isn't just our problem … it is also something that I think is pretty easily connected to national and international issues,' said Beaux Jones, CEO of nonprofit research and coastal policy group The Water Institute. Louisiana's wetlands are unique; they are stellar carbon storage sites as well as some of the world's most vulnerable to loss. 'It's unique, and it's a natural service for us,' University of Florida geosciences professor Thomas Bianchi said. He has researched carbon sequestration and transport for decades. Maiti said researchers knew Louisiana's wetlands were 'rich in carbon,' but their importance in the carbon cycle has become more critical as the state grapples with global warming and land loss. 'Our relative sea level is the highest [and] because the wetland is subsiding,' Maiti said, 'we're not getting enough supply of sediment for it to keep up with the sea level rise,' he added. The state's relative sea level rise, which takes into account natural subsidence with increased sea levels, is nearly four times the global rate and one of the fastest in the world. Just how much carbon gets released as CO2 when development and land loss disturb Louisiana's wetlands is still unclear, Maiti said. But the destruction of the state's wetlands for oil and gas activity, like the pipeline project near Lake Charles, concerns scientists. 'The moment we start losing this land, we're going to release that carbon,' Maiti said. Tracking where carbon comes into a system, where it goes out and the speed at which it cycles is important in globally managing how things like excessive CO2 affect the planet, Bianchi said. He and other experts call it a carbon budget, comparing it to the business cycle, where places like marshes act like 'banks' for carbon. Fossil fuels are created from carbon, layered deeper and deeper in the earth over eons. Producing oil, gas and coal takes carbon from underground, burns it and releases it into the air faster than it would have naturally if left underground. 'Now we're in a situation where, instead of wetlands buying us 1,000 years before this organic carbon goes [and] makes it to the atmosphere, we're circulating that system, and the carbon is going out the next year,' Maiti said. Industry interest in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology has grown over the past few years as scientists, industry and lawmakers look for solutions to containing greenhouse gases and balancing the carbon budget. Some see the technology as a vital component in decarbonization as well as a way to garner money and industry jobs, while others see it as a red herring for the climate crisis. There are 30 CCS projects planned or proposed in Louisiana, and while oil companies and many politicians have embraced them, they have faced pushback from environmental advocates and community members. 'We're trying to find ways to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere through engineering, but one of the things that is really important is to not lose the systems that are already doing that for us,' Bianchi said. Scientists and advocates alike are calling for increased protection of wetlands because of their natural carbon storage capacity. Constructed or restored wetlands are other avenues being explored as both ways to increase storm resilience, prevent erosion and store carbon in Louisiana. Research shows new wetlands are extremely efficient at pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and level out to similar levels of carbon storage that naturally formed wetlands do after about 15 years. Maiti emphasised that while 'a constructed wetland, if done properly, and if it is given the time' should work like any natural wetland. 'The beauty of wetlands is they can sequester this carbon for thousands of years,' Maiti said. 'I think the key here is the time … anything we are starting from scratch, that will be behind by decades, before it actually reaches the [storage] potential of wetlands we have today.' Delaney Dryfoos from The Lens contributed to reporting from New Orleans SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump fast-tracks fossil fuel projects in attempt to sidestep environmental law
Environmentalists were outraged on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to fast-track fossil fuel projects through the permitting process, with activists describing it as an attempt to sidestep environmental laws that could harm waterways and wetlands. In recent days, the US Army Corps of Engineers created a new designation of 'emergency' permits for infrastructure projects, citing a day one executive order signed by Donald Trump which claims the US is facing an 'energy emergency' and must 'unleash' already booming energy production. 'Agencies are directed to use, to the fullest extent possible and consistent with applicable law, the emergency Army Corps permitting provisions to facilitate the nation's energy supply,' the order said. The move from the Army Corps could allow officials to rubber-stamp 688 pending applications for permits – including more than 100 for pipeline projects and gas-fired power plants – which are necessary for any entity aiming to build infrastructure in navigable US waters or wetlands, or discharge pollutants into them. Environmental reviews could be circumvented, and public comment periods could be skipped over. 'The Trump's administration's push for an emergency review of wetland destruction permits is a blatant attempt to sidestep environmental laws and fast-track fossil fuel projects at the expense of our wetland and our communities,' Matt Rota, senior policy director for the Louisiana-based environmental group Healthy Gulf, said on a Wednesday press call. 'This emergency proposal will increase climate change, destroy wetlands and leave people even more vulnerable in its wake.' Despite Trump's claims that the nation is facing an 'energy emergency' – part of a campaign promise to boost planet-heating fossil fuel production – the US is currently extracting more oil and gas than any other country in world history, and levels are still increasing. 'The Trump administration appears to be gearing up to use false claims of an 'energy emergency' to fast-track and rubber-stamp federal approvals for projects across the country that will be destructive to America's wetlands, waterways and communities,' said David Bookbinder, law and policy director at the green non-profit Environmental Integrity Project. The Army Corps permitting process is meant to examine opportunities to minimize threats infrastructure projects pose to wetlands. Fast-tracking permits through that process could have disastrous impacts for the climate, activists say. Fossil fuels are responsible for the vast majority of global heating, and the wetlands being threatened also play a critical role as an absorber of greenhouse gases. Because they can slow down waves and absorb rain, wetlands can also protect communities from storms, Rota said. 'These wetlands are vital to the survival of coastal Louisiana, as each acre of wetland can absorb a million gallons of water and act as a buffer between communities and the storm surge caused by hurricanes that continue to increase in intensity due to climate change,' he said. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Among the projects that now receiving priority treatment from the Army Corps are oil and gas pipelines set to be built in the wetlands of Louisiana and Texas. Others are related to the controversial Enbridge Line 5 pipeline which crosses Wisconsin and Michigan, and for which developers want to construct a tunnel to bury the pipeline below two of the Great Lakes. 'If approved, this project will risk our fresh water and the millions of people who rely on it for drinking, jobs and tourism in exchange for a foreign oil company's profits,' said Sean McBrearty, Michigan director of the environmental non-profit Clean Water Action, about the Line 5 proposal on Wednesday's call. And though the Army Corps cites Trump's 'energy emergency' order as the impetus for the move, not all of the projects on the 'emergency' list relate to energy. One is a gold mine proposed in an Idaho national forest, and another is a plan proposed by the energy giant Chevron to build a housing subdivision on a former oil field. 'We don't understand why a housing development qualifies either as an energy project, or certainly why it would qualify as an emergency,' said Bookbinder. The move will likely be subject to court challenges. The Army Corps is permitted to curtail the National Environmental Policy Act – which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental effects of major projects – in true emergency situations wherein officials have identified an 'unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship'. 'We will find out the extent to which that is legal at some point, I'm sure in the not too distant future,' said Bookbinder.
