Randy Mathis
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Sign Our Comment
Over the course of two weeks in September, we prepared submissions - with more than 2,300 comments - to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), as they accepted public comments on permits for the Mt. Simon Hub project, a pipeline proposed by Wolf Carbon Solutions and Archer Daniels Midland Company that will stretch from eastern Iowa into Illinois. Specifically, the project is seeking from the Illinois Commerce Commission a "Certificate of Authority to Construct and Operate a Carbon Dioxide Pipeline and when Necessary to take Interests in Property as Provided by the Law of Eminent Domain"; and from the Iowa Utilities Board a Hazardous Liquid Pipeline permit.
Thank you to all who signed our comment for submission! If you signed after September 21, we may include your name in future submissions to state and federal regulators to support this project.
Dear Secretary:
On behalf of United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) and our more than 300,000 members, I want to express our continued support for the Mt. Simon Hub and encourage a thorough review and timely approval of this important project. We believe that Wolf Carbon Solutions’ Mt. Simon Hub will be integral to job creation, environmental improvement and long-term economic growth of our region.
As a proud UA member, I am excited at the prospect of playing a central role in making this project a reality. With the potential to create more than 2,700 construction jobs, generate over $478 million in wages and salaries and to contribute upwards of $75 million in state and local taxes for our state, the Mt. Simon Hub presents an extraordinary economic opportunity both for our union members and Illinois and Iowa overall.
The hardworking men and women of the UA will bring their extensive construction experience to bear to ensure that the Mt. Simon Hub is built to rigorous specifications and in compliance with strict federal and state standards. At the UA, we adhere to our Standard of Excellence in every project we work on. This Standard is made up of three pillars: safety, quality and productivity, each of which are essential to making our laborers the best-trained and highly-skilled in the world. Furthermore, we boast a five-year apprenticeship program that was the first nationally registered program recognized by the Department of Labor in the United States.
With the possibility of major economic and environmental benefits, my fellow union members and I are excited by the opportunity that the Mt. Simon Hub presents, and we urge you to approve Wolf Carbon Solutions’ application. Thank you for your consideration.
Signed,
**By signing this petition, I agree to share my name on Pipeliners Local 798's submission to the Illinois Commerce Commission (RE: Docket No. 23-0475) and to the Iowa Utilities Board (Docket No. HLP-2022-0002)**
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Sign Our Petition to the Army Corps
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in March 2023 that it extended its environmental review of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The project's Environmental Impact Statement was previously set to be finished by late this year but now will be issued no earlier than Spring 2025.
While Local 798 members are supportive of a comprehensive permitting process that ensures opportunity for review and comment, we are disappointed with the extended timeline on this project's already thorough environmental impact analysis. Join us in sending a message to the Army Corps in support of a swift review so construction can finally move forward.
Dear Secretary:
I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in expressing disappointment in the U.S. Army Corps's decision to extend its environmental review of Enbridge Energy's Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project. The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured extensive opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge repeatedly demonstrated a commitment to maintaining the highest level of safety and environmental responsibility.
Enbridge's proactive dedication to safety includes diligent 24/7 monitoring of the Straits crossing, regular inspections and operating the line at less than 25 percent of its maximum design capabilities to minimize stress on the pipeline steel and enhance safety. In November 2017, the company formally entered into an agreement with the state of Michigan outlining seven actions Enbridge was taking to protect the state’s water bodies within the project footprint. The following year, Enbridge announced another agreement with the state of Michigan that put in place enhanced inspection and operations protocols for the project. In the years that followed, Enbridge has continued to work closely with landowners, tribal leaders and safety experts to ensure the safest and most efficient pipeline operation.
There are several reasons why I believe the Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project deserves swift approval from the Army Corps and other decision makers, including:
- Enbridge has a proactive inspection program to monitor the fitness of Line 5, including evaluating the pipe’s interior inch by inch every five years using in-line inspection tools that provide detail on par with MRIs in the medical industry;
- All products that enter the pipeline are inspected and treated to prevent corrosion, and the system is operated at a low pressure to minimize stress on the pipe – all in an effort to protect the pipeline and the Straits;
- Over the past several years, Enbridge has paid tens of millions of dollars in property taxes in the state for its energy infrastructure projects, which has been invested in schools, roads and bridges and other important public services;
- The Line 5 Straits Tunnel Project will create good jobs for the local workforce, many of whom include Local 798 members.
The permitting process for Line 5 already ensured more than adequate opportunity for review and comment, through which Enbridge has demonstrated a clear plan with the project to help ensure an uninterrupted supply of reliable, affordable energy to Michigan and the region. This is why I ask the Army Corps to efficiently complete this review and approve necessary permits without any further delay.
Signed,
[Names Below]
**Local 798 may submit this petition to state and federal regulators and other decision makers to support Line 5.**
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Sign Our Petition Supporting Ridgeline
Enbridge is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority to design, construct and operate the Ridgeline Expansion Project, an expansion of Enbridge’s existing East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) system. Ultimately, this would provide affordable and domestically sourced natural gas for the utility’s customers as the system continues to transition to cleaner energy.
Pending the receipt of all necessary permits, construction would begin in 2025 with a target in-service date of fall 2026. Sign our below petition that we will submit to respective decision makers as this project moves through the permitting process.
Dear [Secretary]:
I am proud to support Enbridge and the Tennessee Valley Authority as they develop the Ridgeline Expansion Project, a critical investment into the energy and economic future of Tennessee and the surrounding region.
Project construction will support good jobs for local craftsmen, many going to Pipeliners Local 798 members. Once complete, this expansion will provide Tennesseans with a lower-carbon, cleaner-burning energy source.
I support the Ridgeline Expansion Project for the following key reasons:
- The project is designed to meet the rising demand for natural gas, providing affordable and cleaner energy for the utility’s customers;
- The majority of the proposed route would be located within the existing system's right-of-way, which minimizes impacts to landowners and the environment;
- I understand the quality of work that Pipeliners Local 798 members and other regional craftsmen will put into this project to ensure its efficiency, safety and reliability. Local 798 workers have delivered on energy infrastructure projects like this for decades.
Simply put, projects like the Ridgeline Expansion Project are necessary to meet the rising demand for natural gas. This clean-burning energy currently fuels one-third of electric power generation and heats approximately half of all U.S. homes. This project will help more families and businesses in Tennessee realize the full advantages of this abundantly available resource.
I encourage FERC to issue necessary permits without delay, allowing the Ridgeline Expansion Project to meet its proposed in-service date in 2026.
Signed,
[Names below]
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Sign Our Petition to FERC
On October 19, 2023 FERC voted unanimously to approve this project! Thank you to all who signed our petition below and who contacted federal regulators on your own to support GTN XPress. In early 2024, a coalition of industry opponents called on the Biden administration and the EPA to invoke its authority under the Clean Air Act and intervene in this approval process to halt progress.
In anticipation of possible advocacy needs, we will continue to collect signatures on this petition. Be sure to sign if you haven't! And share with your network.
RE: Docket No. CP22-2-000: Gas Transmission Northwest's GTN XPress
Dear Secretary:
I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in support of TC Energy’s Gas Transmission Northwest Pipeline (GTN) XPress Project. This is a $335 million investment in the natural gas infrastructure and delivery network in Oregon, Washington and Idaho that will help meet increased market demand across the region.
As the company’s largest pipeline investment, GTN currently provides a critical service delivering reliable, cost-effective natural gas from Western Canada and the Rocky Mountains to local utilities and facilities across the Pacific Northwest and California. The GTN XPress Project will ensure this system continues to safely deliver this energy source to families and businesses across the region.
I support the GTN XPress Project for the following key reasons:
- Projects like this are necessary to meet the region’s growing demand for clean-burning natural gas, which has made up a larger portion of the electricity mix in Oregon, in particular, in recent years as the state phases out coal;
- Investment in the GTN pipeline system will ensure reliable energy delivery for nearly half a million average American homes and businesses;
- A $335 million investment, GTN is TC Energy’s largest-ever organic growth opportunity, supporting good jobs for local craftsmen and generating substantial economic activity.
Residents, business owners and community members across the Pacific Northwest are counting on investments like the GTN XPress Project to help the natural gas delivery network continue to meet their daily energy needs. This is why I urge the swift approval of necessary permits for this project.
Signed,
[Names below]
We submitted this comment to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) in August 2022 during its review of the GTN XPress Project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Upon hearing that the Commission may vote on the project in the Fall of 2023 our members collected nearly 1,000 signatures, bringing this total to 2,635 signatures for our follow-up submission in September 2023. Local 798 may submit this petition to state and federal regulators and other decision makers as needed to support the GTN XPress Project.
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Randy Mathis signed Carbon Capture and Storage Support Petition via Preston Ri'chard 2021-12-11 13:00:57 -0600
Sign Our Petition Supporting CCS Projects
Despite the significant environmental and economic benefits that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure projects generate, activists aim to halt their development and kill the jobs they provide, many belonging to Local 798 members.
Stand up for our livelihoods! Sign our petition below that we will submit to decision makers in support of CCS projects across the country.
Dear [Official]:
As an energy consumer concerned about our nation’s economic future and the state of our environment, I am proud to support the investment in and development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure projects.
CCS projects receive bipartisan support precisely because they represent a common-sense solution to the challenge of “building back better” as we emerge from a pandemic-induced economic downturn, and as we continue to address the growing urgency to lower carbon emissions.
Given the energy limitations and high cost of infrastructure associated with “clean energy” alternatives, such as solar and wind power, it is difficult to imagine how federal climate objectives (including reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050) are met without widespread carbon capture and sequestration.
These projects also generate substantial economic activity, as many require installation of new infrastructure specifically to capture the CO2 emissions before they are emitted into the atmosphere. Summit Carbon Solutions’ Midwest Carbon Express Project, for example, is anticipated to support up to 17,000 jobs during construction alone and will install new infrastructure in 31 ethanol plants across five states, indirectly supporting jobs for workers in other industries across dozens of communities.
I support Carbon Capture and Storage pipeline projects for the following reasons:
- We must substantially increase carbon capture and storage capacity to help reach emission reduction goals; a July report from the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality found that a CCS industry large enough to meet the “net zero” emissions goal by 2050 would require 68,000 miles of new CO2 pipelines. This simply cannot happen unless we invest in meaningful change in our nation’s energy infrastructure now;
- CCS infrastructure is already making a significant difference in emissions reductions. One facility in Wyoming, for example, captures enough carbon dioxide each day to equate to removing 1.5 million cars from the roadways;
- CCS projects generate critical economic activity and support good-paying jobs for our nation's industry craftsmen, many of whom are Local 798 members;
- Carbon capture technology carries a remarkably safe track record. It has successfully been in use since the 1990s, and there are roughly 5,000 miles of CO2 pipeline and 40 ethanol plants using this technology in the U.S.
For these reasons, I urge decision makers to join me in support of Carbon Capture and Storage infrastructure projects – for our nation’s immediate and long-term future.
Signed
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Randy Mathis signed Delta Lateral Project FERC Comment via Preston Ri'chard 2021-12-09 15:32:41 -0600
Sign Our Comment to FERC
The Delta Lateral Project will expand natural gas capacity of Kern River Gas Transmission's existing transmission system in Utah while supporting good jobs for local craftsmen.
In December 2021, Local 798 submitted the below petition with 2,080 signatures to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the project’s draft Environmental Impact Statement. In February 2022, FERC released the final DEIS. In anticipation of more public comment periods ahead, please sign this petition that we will submit to other regulators and decision makers in support of Delta Lateral.
Dear Secretary Bose:
I stand with Pipeliners Local 798 in support of Kern River Gas Transmission Company's Delta Lateral Project. This important project will enable Kern River to meet rising natural gas demands in the area and will support good jobs for local craftsmen, including Local 798 members.
In its draft EIS, FERC found the project’s environmental impacts would be reduced to “less-than-significant levels”due to the minimization and mitigation measures proposed by Kern River and recommended by the Commission. Project leaders remain committed to these mitigation efforts and continue to collaborate with stakeholders and environmental experts to develop the most responsible and efficient development plan. I see no reason to alter this review in the final EIS.
Overall, I support the Delta Lateral Project for the following reasons:
- Project leaders have consistently collaborated with stakeholders and environmental experts to ensure it meets or exceeds federal safety standards while developing the most efficient and responsible pipeline route;
- Delta Lateral is a critical part of the region’s energy infrastructure network and its carbon reduction strategy, as it is designed to provide firm transportation service for the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) in Utah, which is working towards installing gas-fired generating units capable of using hydrogen, and developing hydrogen production and long-term storage capabilities;
- Local 798 recognizes Kern River’s history of designing, constructing and operating safe and reliable pipeline systems. The company has demonstrated this same commitment with Delta Lateral.
Due to the reasons discussed above, I support the Delta Lateral Project and urge the swift approval of necessary permits.
Signed,
[Names below]
**Local 798 will submit this petition to state and federal regulators and other decision makers to support the Delta Lateral Project.**
Randy Mathis 2579sc