Natural gas exports increase domestic costs

 If we have an abundance of Louisiana natural gas and increasingly more extraction of Louisiana natural gas, then why are domestic natural gas prices increasing?

From Forbes Reporting: 

The recent pause on pending permits to export LNG to non-FTA countries could save US consumers up to $18 Billion in new annual energy costs. The more LNG facilities and the more LNG export terminals built along the Gulf Coast, the more upward pressure on domestic prices, because the oil and gas companies sell to the highest bidder, "regardless of what that costs U.S. consumers." That certainly is not in the public's interest, and not in the interest of the U.S. economy.

""And while increased energy security for European allies in the face of Russian aggression has been used to justify building these LNG export terminals, it’s a red herring. New LNG export terminals take years to come online, doing nothing for near-term needs but locking in long-term climate pollution and consumer costs.""

U.S. Gas Prices Could Spike 14% Without Biden’s Pause On New LNG Export Terminals

Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology

Contributor We are a nonpartisan climate and clean energy policy think tank.

Silvio Marcacci

Contributor Senior Director, Communications

where not to put a park

Time and again, we have seen the lengths previous administrations and council members went to satisfy the demands of the oil and gas industry; even pushing people out of their homes in the name of "greenspace", only to gift multiple zoning changes that allowed industrial plant incursion into the neighborhood in exchange for the promise of a ball park or other community investment.  

Before deciding on a ballpark location adjacent to an oil refinery hazardous waste unit and within close proximity to its tank farm and refining units, comprehensive soil, ground water, and air sampling results should be made publicly available and studied; to ignore the public health implications in its alternative site selection process only makes the parish further liable. Recent ground water test results indicate higher chemical levels in the area of the solid waste earthen conveyance ditch, impoundments, and settlement ponds. This hazardous solid waste processing area is adjacent to the vacant "greenspace" lots that some believe should be utilized for recreational use, including youth sports. [1]  Public access to the real time benzene fence line monitoring data should be obtained, and the plant should install additional fence line monitoring for its other chemical emissions, also with public access to the data, similar to the fence line monitoring provided at its facilities in other states. [2]

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Fox to be watchman for the chicken coop

 Governor Landry's proposal "calls for moving the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, now in the Department of Public Safety, and the Office of State Lands, now part of the state Division of Administration, into DENR, according to a Landry executive order." -- Mark Schleifstein   NOLA . com Environmental Reporter Jan 9 2024

As Governor Jeff Landry recommends to move CPRA back to the DNR, which is now the Dept of Energy and Natural Resources, it should give us all pause to realize oil & gas interests would have an obvious conflict of interest if hired to both oversee the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) and to protect our coastal environment  So, what does our future hold if both LDNR and CPRA are merged? Especially what would that mean with CPRA coastal permits for storing carbon underground, or for LNG?

Submit public comments online or via email BEFORE February 21 2024. Submissions received after February 21, 2024 will not be considered prior to the First Report

Reference Executive Order JML - 13  https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/ExecutiveOrders/2024/JML-Executive-Order-13.pdf

Submit public comments online here: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/52 

Submit public comments via email DriveInitiative@la.gov with subject line "EO-JML-13 COMMENTS"

All comments and feedback will become part of the public record. Please refrain from submitting any information that you do not want to be publicly accessible. By submitting any information, you acknowledge that it becomes part of the public domain.

As Phil Johnson eloquently stated stated over 40 years ago, when the LDNR environmental protection responsibilities transferred to a new cabinet level department, the LDEQ: 

PITY THE POOR CHICKENS. 

"This new department [LDEQ] would take environmental affairs away from the Department of Natural Resources. It always seemed such an obvious conflict of interest. The Department of Natural Resources is run by people from the oil and gas industry, in the interests of the oil and gas Industry. To have them also monitor our environment is like hiring a fox to be watchman for the chicken coop. Pity the poor chickens."

WWL TV -- Phil Johnson Daily Editorial

1024 N Rampart St

New Orleans LA

February 1, 1983 Phil Johnson

It is good and It is about time. The announcement yesterday that Louisiana will finally get a full-blown, cabinet level department to deal with our environment. Or, to quote Governor Treen: "The time has come for us to focus on our environmental problems." Actually, that time came many years ago. But this is not the time to quibble. Let us be thankful that someone finally had the good sense to realize that we are threatening to kill ourselves because we are neglecting to take proper care of our environment. The announcement means that a new Department of Environmental Protection will be formed and funded -if the Legislature approves. And it is difficult to see how our lawmakers cannot approve. This new department would take environmental affairs away from the Department of Natural Resources. It always seemed such an obvious conflict of interest. The Department of Natural Resources is run by people from the oil and gas industry, in the interests of the oil and gas Industry. To have them also monitor our environment is like hiring a fox to be watchman for the chicken coop. Pity the poor chickens. The proposal for a Department of Environmental Pro-tection and protection is the key word here -is good news indeed. We look forward to its approval and its operation.

benzene update

 PBF Energy Benzene Update 

EPA Benzene fence line monitoring online dashboard illustrates benzene levels around PBF Energy's Chalmette refining are finally improving since elevated levels first reported in 2019/2020  under EPA's benzene fence line monitoring requirements for oil refineries. 

Public health in Louisiana would be greatly improved, and industries would save money with timely alerts to leaks, if fence line monitoring were required at all industry.

For 3rd Quarter 2023 PBF Energy reports most all the fence line monitors' two week average at or below the EPA Action Level of 9.0 ug/m3 benzene. The refinery's "annual average" is reported above the EPA Action level for three of the annual averages in the 3rd Quarter 2023, with the higher annual averages being 14 ug/m3, last reported September 05 2023. 

PBF Energy' "annual average" of all monitors averages, or " △C" , is displayed on the EPA dashboard as 9 ug/m3 for the past 12 months ending September 19 2023.  This is the most up to date information available. There is no public access to real time levels of benzene exposure.

Some of 2023's "two week averages" above the 9.0 action level (through September 19 2023) are:

Monitor 09  

May 17 2023 120 ug/m3 benzene [one hundred twenty]

July 25 2023 11 ug/m3 benzene

August 22 2023 15 ug/m3 benzene 

and Sept 5 2023 10 ug/m3 benzene

Monitor 11

May 2 2023 28 ug/m3

May 17 2023 13 ug/m3

June 27 2023 15 ug/m3

July 25 2023 11 ug/m3

Monitor 12 

June 13 2023 14 ug/m3

June 27 2023 9 ug/m3

July 25 2023 11 ug/m3

Only time will tell if PBF Energy is able to be a good neighbor, respect the people who live on the other side of the fence line, and control benzene emissions. It is uncertain if benzene exposure information will ever be made available to the community on a more timely basis. There is no public access to real time data, although PBF Energy makes this information available at some of its other locations [1] [ http://www.fenceline.org/martinez/index.php ]. 

After years-long high benzene level reports there is still no public information from EPA, LDEQ, or PBF Energy on where the suspected offsite sources of the benzene is located.

PBF Energy continues to invest in additional monitoring and leak detection programs at its Chalmette refinery. PBF Energy's January 4 2024 report to LDEQ indicates previous tank seal issues and a program to continue additional monitoring to detect tank fitting leaks will be implemented in 1st Quarter 2024 [EDMS document 14123829]  PBF's 3rd Quarter 2023 report includes all sample periods in 3rd Q 2023 in which the sample period's "annual average" of all monitors averages, or  △C was greater than 9ug/m3, and are reported as high as 14 ug/m3 benzene for the sample period ended September 05 2023. These types of publicly available reports will not likely be required once the facility's △C is maintained at or below the action level of 9 ug/m3. Hopefully, PBF Energy will continue its upgraded monitoring and detection programs.

On the EPA dashboard, public information is made available (after some time delay for quality assurances) on each of the facility's fence line monitor's two week average.

Access this data on the  EPA Dashboard website; upper menu select "refinery name": and scroll to the lower right, select the tool "monitors" for display of the physical location of each monitor at the selected refinery.

Switch that tool to "monitor trend" for display of the two week averages for each monitor at a facility.

Here is the display of each monitor at PBF Energy's Chalmette refinery as accessed in Late January 2024, for the September 19 2023 data.

Here is the "monitor trend" tool display for the 2-week average benzene level at each monitor, as accessed in Late January 2024 for the September 19 2023 data

This monitor trend data on the EPA Dashboard should be available regardless of annual average levels.

Link to other PBF Energy's Chalmette refinery benzene level updates since BEFORE 2021

General information on refinery fence line monitoring and how local communities hold industry accountable for emissions.

https://www.spectrumenvsoln.com/case-studies/california-fenceline-monitoring/

https://www.aqmd.gov/home/news-events/community-investigations/torrance-air

[1] Here are a couple of links to PBF Energy fence line monitor websites with real time data at some of its other locations. PBF Energy and Valero Energy could be good neighbors and make the same investment in fence line monitors in St Bernard Parish. Some of these monitors include a lower threshold for detection to assist with offsite odors. Unfortunately, in St Bernard Parish, detection of offsite odors is generally dependent on a community member complaining to the facility and the facility dispatching refinery personnel to drive around the surrounding neighborhoods to see if they smell anything. That is just backwards, especially given the more advanced technology used at other facilities.  Louisiana is can do better to protect its citizens.

PBF Energy Martinez CA http://www.fenceline.org/martinez/index.php 

PBF Energy Torrance CA https://torc.data.spectrumenvsoln.com/data 

And another industry’s example (upper menu select Measurement, and then select the chemical): Valero Energy Wilmington DE https://wilmingtonrefinerymonitoring.org/