Overnight Energy: EPA approved toxic ‘forever’ chemicals for fracking in 2011: report | Western states at risk of unprecedented heat as wildfire season begins | Study: Just 25 cities account for majority of global urban greenhouse gas emissions

MONDAY AGAIN. Welcome to Overnight Energy, your source for the day’s energy and environment news. 

Please send tips and comments to Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin . Reach Zack Budryk at zbudryk@thehill.com or follow him at @BudrykZack. 

Today we’re looking at the EPA’s approval of potential “forever chemicals” in fracking, more record heat in the West, and new research on which cities emit the most greenhouse gases.

PFAS AND FURIOUS: EPA approved toxic ‘forever’ chemicals for fracking in 2011: report

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2011 approved the use of chemicals for fracking that could break down into toxic so-called forever chemicals, despite internal concerns, according to documents obtained by an advocacy group.

The documents, secured through a Freedom of Information Act request by the group Physicians for Social Responsibility, indicate that major energy firms such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or substances that can degrade into them for fracking.

The chemical use covered in the group’s report spans from 2012 to 2020, incorporating both the Obama and Trump administrations, the group said in a report Monday.

Where was it used, and how often?: The documents suggest oil and gas companies used such substances in the drilling process in more than 1,200 wells in at least six states. Incomplete disclosure of which chemicals are used in the drilling process means either PFAS or chemicals that degrade into PFAS could have been used even more extensively than the report indicates, according to the group. Affected states include Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming.

Internal EPA materials indicated concerns about the potential impact of the approval of the chemicals in drilling and fracking. Agency personnel specifically expressed concerns about the degradation of the chemicals into perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a carcinogen that was the subject of the 2019 film “Dark Waters.”

“EPA has concerns that these degradation products will persist in the environment, could bioaccumulate or biomagnify, and could be toxic (PBT) to people, wild mammals, and birds based on data on analog chemicals, including PFOA and [REDACTED],” personnel wrote in one document obtained by the group.

Read more about the report here

THE HEAT IS ON: Western states at risk of unprecedented heat as wildfire season begins

Forecasts indicate the Western U.S. is set for another week of above-average heat as the traditional wildfire season begins.

The National Weather Service (NWS) on Monday warned that portions of the region are at risk for unprecedented heat and urged residents to hydrate and check on neighbors.

In Death Valley, Calif., Sunday’s low was 107.7 degrees Fahrenheit, a record high for the entire continent of North America that soared to 128.6 by Sunday afternoon. The average of 118.1 degrees was the highest daily average temperature ever reported worldwide, according to The Washington Post. The full state is under an excessive heat warning through Tuesday night.

Las Vegas, meanwhile, tied its record high of 117 degrees Saturday, according to the NWS Las Vegas office.

What does this mean for wildfires?: The temperatures also come as the full wildfire season begins in the region after a series of unseasonably early blazes in late June. Fifty-nine large fires are burning across 12 states as of Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fires have burned a total of 863,976 acres. The NIFC projected some relief in the southwest, where rainfall and thunderstorms are projected to create wetter conditions in the week ahead.

The Medford, Ore., office of the NWS projected a potential for “extreme growth” of the so-called Bootleg Fire, which has burned more than 143,000 acres in the Beaver State.

Read more about the temperatures here

EMISSION HILL: Study: Just 25 cities account for majority of global urban greenhouse gas emissions

Just 25 cities comprise more than half of greenhouse gas emissions from a sample of 167 urban centers, according to research published Monday in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Cities.

Researchers analyzed a sample of 167 cities and metropolitan areas in 53 countries, including more cities from countries that are major emitters, such as China, the U.S. and India. They then compared the cities’ respective levels of progress in carbon reduction based on 2012 and 2016 emissions inventories, in combination with their short and long-term reduction targets.

The researchers found that 25 cities accounted for 52 percent of the sample’s emissions. All but three of the 25 — Moscow, Istanbul and Tokyo — were located in China, including major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

However, researchers wrote, the analysis also found per capita emissions are higher in cities located in wealthier countries compared to developing nations. This aligns with total contributions to worldwide emissions, which are higher overall from China but higher per capita from the U.S.

When researchers broke down the missions by source, they found that stationary energy uses like fuel and electricity for residential, commercial and industrial buildings were responsible for up to 80 percent of North American and European emissions. In about one-third of the cities analyzed, more than 30 percent of emissions were from road travel, while rail, water and air transportation comprised less than 15 percent of emissions.

Read more about the study here:

WHAT WE’RE READING:

The big oil lobby is using New Mexico tax dollars to undermine Biden’s climate action, The Carlsbad Current Argus reports

Could Sagebrush Rebellion cinders spark fire over 30×30? E&E News reports

The Untold Story Of COVID’s Dramatic Impact On Global Energy, Forbes reports

Australian environment groups urge UN to put Great Barrier Reef on ‘in danger’ list, The Guardian reports

Backing Business, Israeli Treasury Moves to Curb Environment Ministry’s Clout to Prevent Pollution, Haaretz reports

ICYMI: Stories from Monday (and the weekend)…

Western states at risk of unprecedented heat as wildfire season begins

Study: Just 25 cities account for majority of global urban greenhouse gas emissions

EPA approved toxic ‘forever’ chemicals for fracking in 2011: report

Average price of gas rises 5 cents in last two weeks

NOAA confirms last month was hottest June ever in US

EPA bans sale of COVID-19 disinfectant authorized under Trump

OFFBEAT AND OFF-BEAT: The eyes have it