Latest news with #greenhousegases
CTV News
4 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Greenhouse gas emissions in Winnipeg increased in 2024: report
The City of Winnipeg's plan to reduce emissions hit a roadblock in 2024. The 2024 Winnipeg Climate Action Report shows the city emitted 319,811 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2024, a 3.4 per cent increase from 2023. The report said higher levels of landfill waste, including all material taken to Brady Road Landfill, helped drive the increase in emissions. 'This waste, which includes all material taken to the Brady Road Resource Management Facility, has a significant impact on reported emissions percentages for buildings and transportation,' the report reads. The report adds that the increase in greenhouse gases was only partially offset by decreased emissions from natural gas, aviation fuel and electricity. The report also noted that water and wastewater energy use increased by 8.6 per cent, and emissions went up by 28.8 per cent. According to the city, the increase in this area is attributed to more precipitation entering the sewer system that needed to be processed. The report will be discussed at the next meeting of the water, waste and environment committee on June 9.
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Health
- Fast Company
A gas company wants to expand a pipeline in the south—but it would sharply increase air pollution in North Carolina towns
Two compressor stations along Transco's natural gas pipeline in North Carolina would emit more than 935,000 tons of planet-warming greenhouse gases each year, state records show. The expansion would also contaminate nearby communities with harmful air pollutants up to 350% over current levels. Transco, a division of the Houston-based group Williams, plans to increase the horsepower at the existing compressor stations in Lexington, in Davidson County, and in Mooresville, in Iredell County. The stations would accommodate the company's Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP), a pipeline expansion that traverses five states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. Compressor stations use high pressure to force gas through a pipeline; they are located every 50 to 60 miles along a route. They routinely leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and other pollutants through valves, flanges and other connectors. The gas is also sometimes intentionally released directly into the atmosphere, a practice called venting, and sometimes the gas is flared, or burned off, during maintenance, shutdowns and startups. Venting is worse for the climate, while flaring produces more harmful air pollution. Each compressor station would be powered by natural gas, according to Transco's recent air permit applications to the N.C. Division of Air Quality. Division officials are reviewing the applications and will accept public comment after the evaluations are complete. Meanwhile, environmental advocates are asking local government officials to oppose Transco's entire natural gas expansion. Transco did not respond to an email requesting comment on the air permit applications. With increased horsepower comes increased pollution. At the Lexington station, concentrations of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide and hazardous air pollutants, such as cancer-causing formaldehyde, would increase over current levels, by between 175% and 350%, state records show. Residents in Lexington and Mooresville 'are already burdened by decades of air pollution from existing Transco infrastructure and deserve to breathe clean air,' said Juhi Modi, North Carolina field coordinator at Appalachian Voices. 'NCDEQ has the power to defend against Transco's proposal to emit more health-compromising pollution into our communities.' EPA data show Davidson County is already afflicted by six types of air pollutants regulated under National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Davidson County is in compliance with the air quality standards, according to state officials, but they apply to large areas, like a county, and 'aren't necessarily going to be reflective of the reality on the ground for the people who live around these compressor stations,' said Deirdre Dlugoleski, a former associate attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, now with Defenders of Wildlife. 'Compliance with the NAAQS isn't enough to ensure that environmental justice communities close to these sites won't be harmed.' Neighborhoods within a mile radius of the Lexington compressor station rank among the highest in the state in terms of exposure to very fine particulate matter (known as PM 2.5), ozone, and toxic releases to the air, according to the EPA's EJ Screen. Nearly half of the 800 residents in the affected area are low-income. The potential risks to public safety and the environment prompted the Midway Town Council, by a 4-1 vote, to formally oppose SSEP and the compressor station in Lexington, about 10 miles south of Midway. Davidson County already has 176 miles of natural gas and liquid petroleum pipelines within its boundaries. Midway officials cited the 'negative impacts on air and water quality, residents' health and property values,' in their May 5 resolution, filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC. Town officials asked FERC to consider a 'no-build option' and, in the event the pipeline is expanded, to require the compressor stations to use the best available control technology to reduce emissions. At the Mooresville station, Transco's air permit application shows the increases would range from 20% to 37% over current emissions levels, depending on the pollutant. Like their Lexington counterparts, people living within a mile of the station are exposed to some of the highest levels of PM 2.5, ozone, toxic air releases and diesel pollution. These neighborhoods also flank Interstate 77, one of the main arteries into Charlotte. Both stations would emit toxic air pollutants acrolein, benzene, and formaldehyde at high rates. In Lexington, benzene exceeds federal hourly emission rates by 100 times; in Mooresville, the figure is 61 times. These rates trigger a requirement for the company to conduct air dispersion modeling to measure contaminant levels, if they move off site and how far. 'This proposed massive methane gas project would add more pollution and health risks to North Carolina communities already struggling with poor air quality, compared to the rest of the state,' said Caroline Hansley, campaign organizing strategist at Sierra Club. 'NCDEQ must exercise its authority to protect North Carolinians and deny the permit for this unneeded, dirty, and dangerous project.' More Demand From Data Centers In North Carolina, the SSEP includes the Eden Loop, 4.4 miles in Rockingham County, where the pipeline enters the state from Virginia. The Salem Loop, also part of SSEP, is longer, running roughly 24 miles through Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson counties. The SSEP is one of three major pipeline projects in North Carolina. MVP Southgate is proposed for Rockingham County, where it would tie into the T-15, a pipeline which would run east to Duke Energy's new natural gas plants in Person County. All of these projects are estimated to begin operating within the next three to five years, although they often run behind schedule because of permitting issues, litigation or construction delays. There is still a vacancy on the FERC commission, which could also cause backlogs. Transco officials say the project is necessary to accommodate increased energy demand from data centers. Some energy analysts, like Tyler Norris of Duke University, though, counter that load flexibility could preclude the need for more generation and transmission. Environmental advocates argue that energy companies are financially incentivized to build pipelines. From 2018 to 2023, Transco's average return on equity—earnings—was 17%, according to the National Gas Supply Association. Earlier this spring, Transco updated its project filings with FERC, which reflected minor adjustments to the proposed route. Maps show hundreds of homes and businesses, schools, day cares, even parks and recreational centers within the pipeline's 1,114-foot 'high consequence area.' Also known as the blast zone, these areas are where the force of an explosion could kill or injure people, as well as damage or destroy property. The zone is based on the diameter of the pipeline—SSEP is 42 inches—and its maximum allowable pressure. Within these areas, there are different classifications of risk, depending on population density and the number of vulnerable people who couldn't quickly evacuate. Some homes lie as close as 20 feet from the center of the pipeline, according to Transco's filings with FERC. The pipeline skirts churches; the Oak Ridge Weekday School; a child care center in Guilford County; the VA Medical Center in Kernersville; and U.S. Highway 52, a major thoroughfare. It would burrow under three acres of Triad Park, a 6,000-acre recreational area that straddles Guilford and Forsyth counties. Farther south in Davidson County, Wallburg Elementary School enrolls more than 720 students in pre-K through Grade 5. It is less than a quarter mile from the pipeline and within the blast zone, as is the Wallburg Recreational Center across the street. In a recent presentation to Guilford County Commissioners, Transco officials emphasized that 'safety is the highest priority.' The company continuously monitors its pipelines and frequently inspects them, officials said, and uses pressure and temperature sensors to warn of potential problems. Previous studies of pipeline accidents in Kentucky, Virginia, and New Mexico have shown that blast zones extend farther than originally calculated, according to the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit based in Washington state. The trust raised safety concerns about the SSEP in its recent comments to FERC. The SSEP route already contains up to four other pipelines of different types, and FERC should calculate the blast to reflect those co-locations, wrote Erin Sutherland, the trust's policy and program director, and attorney. 'This is a serious environmental and public health danger that FERC should consider.' Even routine construction will affect communities along the route. 'There's a huge gap that is going to fall on local municipalities,' Hansley said. 'People's wells could be blasted and impacted in Oak Ridge and other places. The roads could see massive traffic increases from heavy loads, get damaged and then who would end up paying for it?'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why 14 turbines at one of Australia's first wind farms are about to be torn down - marking the end of an era
Australian's first commercial wind farm is set to be painstakingly dismantled by cranes as the turbines reach the end of their 20-year lifespan. Sitting on rolling green hills overlooking Port Fairy in southwest Victoria, Pacific Blue's Codrington Windfarm is considered a 'close to perfect' location for wind towers. When the site opened in 2001, it was not only Australia's first commercial windfarm but also the largest of any kind in the country. The wind farm generates enough energy required to power 10,000 homes each year while avoiding the emission of nearly 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. But almost 24 years later, the site's 14 50metre-high turbines are among the first of its generation to approach the end of their working lives. Pacific Blue said it hopes to become a renewables industry leader 'twice over' in its approach to dismantling the turbines using cranes. The project is a massive undertaking but is more likely to win the approval of surrounding communities than the alternative method of using explosives. 'A decision was recently made that all turbines at the Codrington Wind Farm will be disassembled onsite through the use of cranes in the reverse order of how the turbines were assembled,' a Pacific Blue spokesperson told Renew Economy. 'This project is the first of its kind in Australia and we take this responsibility very seriously.' Earlier this year, Pacific Blue announced it would not be repowering the ageing turbines and would, instead, explore options for their decommissioning. According to the company, which is headquartered east of the wind farm in Melbourne, the site is no longer commercially viable. To keep the site operational, its grid connection would require significant upgrades. And if the company were to replace the turbines with more modern equivalents, spacing requirements would preclude the installation of any more than four. 'The company's analysis considered the limitations of space on the site and necessary upgrades to modernise the grid equipment, ultimately resolving that a new project at Codrington is not financially viable for this location,' it said in a statement. Pacific Blue said permit conditions require the turbines to be decommissioned within 12 months after the farm stops generating power. According to Re-Alliance, 85 wind farms across Australia are due to retire by 2045. Given the relatively young age of Australia's wind farm industry, the question of how best to decommission retirement-age farms remains an open one. 'Pacific Blue has a long-standing relationship with the communities surrounding Codrington and its other four wind farms operating in the region,' the company said. 'The company will continue to engage with them regularly throughout the decommissioning. 'Broader community and stakeholder engagement is planned for the second half of 2025, once a clearer timeline for final generation is established and regulatory approvals for the decommissioning plan are in place.'
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
EU States Edge Closer to Meeting 2030 Emissions Reduction Target
European Union member states are getting closer to its ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gases by at least 55% by 2030, according to an assessment by the bloc's executive branch. National governments have improved plans to reduce pollution and boost renewables in the past few years, the European Commission said on Wednesday. If measures are fully implemented, the region is on course to cut net emissions by around 54% by the end of this decade from 1990 levels. That compares with 51% projected in the previous EU report in December 2023.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Deeply concerning': Climate scientists sound alarm over Trump plans to remove limits on power plant emissions
Climate scientists are slamming plans from Donald Trump 's administration to end limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting a plan to end all limits on greenhouse gases emitted by coal and gas-fired power plants, The New York Times reports. The agency argues that the greenhouse gases emitted by these plants 'do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution,' according to a draft plan reviewed by the newspaper. However, fossil fuels are the 'single largest industrial source of climate destabilizing carbon dioxide in the U.S.,' according to Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund. The United States is one of the world's top greenhouse gas producers —second only to China. The new rule is 'an abuse of the E.P.A.'s responsibility under the law,' Patton said. The agency sent the draft to the White House on May 2, and it's expected to be released in June, according to The Times. Climate scientists say the potential move is 'deeply concerning.' 'If true, this is a deeply concerning move from the Trump EPA,' according to Dr. Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. 'There is no meaningful path to reducing U.S. carbon emissions without limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants — the largest domestic stationary source of [ greenhouse gases ],' she wrote. 'This is an agency with 'environmental protection' in its name and it is trying to slow down phasing out of these plants and disincentivize renewables,' added environmental researcher Dr. Diren Kocakuşak. Patrick Drupp, director of climate policy at the Sierra Club, told The Washington Post the move is 'reprehensible' and designed to 'curry favor and earn some brownie points with the fossil-fuel industry.' The rule comes after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that said the EPA can't force utilities to shut down coal plants and switch to renewable energy sources. The Trump administration's new rule will also overturn rules introduced in President Joe Biden 's final year in office, which sought to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. 'Many have voiced concerns that the last administration's replacement for that rule is similarly overreaching and an attempt to shut down affordable and reliable electricity generation in the United States, raising prices for American families, and increasing the country's reliance on foreign forms of energy,' an EPA spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. The proposal will be published after an interagency review and approval from EPA chief Lee Zeldin, the spokesperson said. 'In reconsidering the Biden-Harris rule that ran afoul of Supreme Court case law, we are seeking to ensure that the agency follows the rule of law while providing all Americans with access to reliable and affordable energy,' Zeldin said in a statement. The rule will likely face legal challenges once it's official, but some say it could open the door for further deregulation. 'If the administration is going to do this, it is the strategically smartest way,' Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western University, told the Times. 'If they're successful with regard to power plants, they're pretty much going to be successful with everything else,' he added.
