Welcome to Net Zero, your daily industry brief on clean energy and Canadian-resource politics.
The Lead
An oil pipeline in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest stopped pumping oil Saturday after a rupture in the pipeline caused a spill. According to OCP Ecuador, the company that operates the pipeline, the rupture happened last Friday and was caused by a rock fall.
In a statement, OCP Ecuador said it had “immediately initiated clean up, environmental remediation as well as repair of the pipeline in the Piedra Fina sector and implemented all the necessary actions to avoid, reduce, mitigate and repair any impact related to the OCP pipeline rupture caused by the rockslide on Jan. 28.”
The company also noted that it had contained the spill so that it “cannot contaminate any bodies of water,” but that it will not resume pumping crude until the conditions are right.
Over the past 50 years, oil companies have extracted immense amounts of crude from the Amazon, causing the destruction of rainforest crucial to slowing climate change and jeopardizing the indigenous communities who rely on it. NBC News has more on that story.
Internationally
A new study published in the journal PLOS One suggests more climate change adaptation strategies are needed, as rising temperatures are shifting crop production levels around the world.
“I think it’s important to invest not only in modelling, but also now really invest in adaptation strategies,” said Roman Grüter, lead author of the new study. ABC News has more details.
Experts are describing Storm Ana, a tropical storm currently devastating countries in southern Africa, as a blunt reminder of the impact of climate change. The death toll from the destruction caused by Storm Ana has risen to 86. BBC News has more on that story.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating whether a wildfire that destroyed more than 1,000 buildings last month in Colorado could be connected to underground coal fires that have long smouldered at old mines in the area. The Associated Press has the full story.
Storm Malik helped U.K. wind farms generate a record amount of renewable electricity over the weekend. The storm, which battered parts of Scotland and England, created wind speeds of up to 100 miles an hour and caused power generation to rise to a provisional all-time high of more than 19,500 megawatts. The Guardian has more details.
On Monday morning at 10:01 a.m., West Texas Intermediate was trading at US$86.85 and Brent Crude was going for US$91.04.
In Canada
The Alberta Court of Appeal has denied a request to appeal a regulatory decision not to approve the Grassy Mountain coal mine in the province’s Rocky Mountains. The request was made by Benga Mining and two area First Nations. The Stoney Nakoda and Piikani First Nations argued the refusal violated their Constitutional rights by failing to consider the economic benefits they would receive from the development. The Canadian Press has that story.
After announcing a proposal to charge fees to customers who sell renewable power back to the grid, Nova Scotia Power president and CEO Peter Gregg said, the fee was all about “fairness to all customers.”
Critics claim the proposed fee will gut the province’s burgeoning solar industry, with some going so far as to accuse the private company of using its monopoly on electricity distribution to oust competition from small-scale renewable systems. The Canadian Press also has that story.
Still in Nova Scotia, the province’s environment ministry approved a proposed expansion of the Whycocomagh quarry in Cape Breton. The Chronicle Herald has the details.
Finally, Blue Mountain Resort, located just northwest of Collingwood, Ont., has joined the Protect Our Winters Resort Alliance, in an effort to increase its commitment to sustainability. CollingwoodToday.com has more.
Canadian Crude Index was trading at US$73.20 and Western Canadian Select was going for US$73.97 this morning at 10:01 a.m.
Noteworthy
