Daily on Energy: Murkowski, Manchin join hands to work on climate change

Commitee chairwoman Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Manchin, D-W.V., the ranking member, described the ill effects of climate change their energy-producing states are suffering, and outlined an agenda to bolster lower-emitting power sources.

“In Alaska, we believe we have no choice,” Murkowski said to open the hearing. Climate change, she said, “has to be a priority for all of us.”

“We don’t have a clear or effective plan” to deal with climate change in the federal government, she added.

Murkowski uses props: Murkowski unveiled a chart showing disappearing sea ice from warming around Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island. She cited “real world” climate change challenges facing her state, including melting permafrost, shifting wildlife migration patterns, food security problems, and economic challenges for fisheries, because some fish species are moving to more cooler northern water. She said a number of rural Alaskan communities will need to relocate “to survive encroaching seas.”

Screenshot taken by Joseph Lawler of Lisa Murkowski’s Twitter feed

Manchin, a longtime friend to his state’s coal industry, said that climate change is “disproportionately” harming West Virginia communities that had been reliant on coal.

“All communities, including those in energy-producing states like West Virginia and Alaska, are experiencing the harmful impacts of the climate crisis,” he said, mentioning worsening severe flooding in his state.

Careful to not stray too far from their pro-energy backgrounds, the senators agreed on small-scale policies that can help, mainly research and development on zero-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage, and advanced nuclear reactors, and encouraging energy efficiency in buildings.

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BISHOP PRESSURES GRIJALVA TO DROP CLIMATE HEARINGS: Rep. Rob Bishop continues to pressure House Natural Resources Committee chairman Raul Grijalva to drop his climate change agenda and get on with the panel’s work on forest management and national park restoration.

Bishop, who serves as the committee’s top Republican, has argued since the first climate hearing las month that global warming is not in the committee’s charter.

“We need to make efficient use of the Committee’s limited time and resources by holding hearings within our jurisdiction, inviting witnesses relevant to our subject matter, and operating with transparency,” Bishop said in a letter sent Monday to Grijalva.

In addition, Bishop has also accused the Democratic majority for ignoring committee rules and not disclosing the scope of the hearings, nor the witnesses, ahead of time, as is the procedure.

Bishop referenced last week’s oversight subcommittee hearing, in which the Republican minority was able to adjourn the climate discussion after holding a vote on the jurisdiction question.

The GOP was able to win the vote because there were only two Democrats present at the hearing. Bishop explained in the letter that the Feb. 26 hearing was part of the reason for his sending the letter to Grijalva. He explained that he’d rather get on with the business of the committee, rather than fight over its jurisdiction to address climate change.

Committee hearings within jurisdiction: Nevertheless, the committee’s hearing schedule this week is chalk full of issues that appear to be within the panel’s jurisdiction. On Wednesday, the committee will address the Interior Department’s offshore drilling activities.

The hearing will address how federal agencies are implementing the Trump administration’s “industry dominance fossil fuel agenda” and whether they are operating “transparently and independently of inappropriate industry influence,” a committee press release reads.

The hearings will continue on Thursday by addressing the effects of seismic testing on Right whales.

There are four hearings next week and a whopping seven planned for the last week of the month, a Grijalva aide told John. Those hearings have not been formally announced.

CLIMATE HAWK JEFF MERKLEY WON’T RUN FOR PRESIDENT: Sen. Jeff Merkley, one of Congress’ leading proponents of policies to combat climate change, announced Tuesday he won’t join a crowded Democratic field running for president in 2020.

Merkley, D-Oreg.,who flirted with a run, would have had to compete with the climate-centric campaign of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and a host of other Senate Democrats who have endorsed the Green New Deal, and are aiming to emphasize the issue.

Merkley said in a video announcement that he will seek a third term in the Senate, where he can better contribute to combating the “climate crisis.”

The Oregon Democrat said he would endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for president. The two progressives worked together on legislation last year that aims to shift the nation to 100 percent renewable and clean energy sources by 2050.

CLIMATE SUPERPAC SUPPORTING JAY INSLEE PLACES $1 MILLION AD IN IOWA: A superpac supporting Inslee for president called Act Now on Climate is placing a $1 million ad in Iowa.

The ad, the superpac’s first TV ad spending in Iowa, begins airing Tuesday. It will run for two weeks on local Iowa broadcast, and start airing Wednesday on national cable.

The ad says Inslee has “transformed his state into a clean energy leader.”

Inslee’s campaign promise of providing “millions of good paying jobs” in the clean energy economy could hold appeal in Iowa, which is a leader in renewable energy, obtaining 37 percent of its electricity from wind, the largest share in the nation.

Also Monday, Inslee’s campaign said it had raised more than $1 million in contributions since he announced his candidacy on Friday.

ENERGY DEPARTMENT PUSHES OUT NEW NUCLEAR ENERGY SCHOLARSHIPS: The Energy Department on Monday continued its push to bolster the future of nuclear power in the country, issuing $5 million in scholarships for undergraduates who want to pursue nuclear science degrees that are relevant to energy.

“A strong, diverse workforce is critical for us to be successful in advancing nuclear power to meet the nation’s energy, environmental, and national security needs,” said Edward McGinnis, principal deputy assistant secretary of Energy for nuclear power.

“The Administration is dedicated to supporting future innovators who will help tackle the challenges still facing the industry today.”

Energy Secretary Rick Perry last week said the administration is rolling out new funding opportunities to advance research on nuclear energy and carbon capture for coal and natural gas, saying a conversation on reducing carbon emissions cannot begin without nuclear and carbon capture in the discussion.

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR SETS 100 PERCENT CLEAN ENERGY GOAL: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, announced a plan Monday to force the state’s utilities to obtain 100 percent of electricity from zero-carbon, non-fossil fuel sources by 2050.

Xcel Energy, the state’s largest energy provider, has already set its own goal of using carbon-free power by 2050, relying mostly on nuclear power to meet the goal.

Walz’s proposal would also require utilities to prioritize clean energy anytime it replaces or adds new power generation. His plan leaves the door open for fossil fuel power if needed “to ensure reliable, affordable electricity.”

“Climate change is an existential threat. we must take immediate action,” Walz said. “If Washington is not going to lead, Minnesota will lead.”

His plan would have to be approved by the state legislature to go into effect.

EPA TOUTS ‘ACCELERATING’ SUPERFUND CLEANUPS: The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it cleaned up an “accelerating” number of toxic Superfund sites in fiscal year 2018.

EPA said it removed “all or part” of 22 sites from the National Priorities List, the most since 2005. The list includes the sites that most urgently need cleanup of toxic chemicals.

Speeding up cleanup of Superfund sites has been one of the Trump EPA’s main goals of its “back to the basics” agenda that emphasizes climate change in favor of basic functions.

“By renewing and elevating our focus on Superfund under President Trump, we are accelerating cleanups, returning sites to productive reuse, and revitalizing communities across the country,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said.

The Rundown

Wall Street Journal High-speed rail in the US remains elusive: Illinois shows why

E&E News A look into Big Oil’s fight against electric cars

Politico How the 2020 Democrats learned to love ethanol

Bloomberg Why Bhutan is all alone in the carbon-neutral nation club

Calendar

TUESDAY | March 5

All day, 525 New Jersey Ave. NW. American Wind Energy Association holds Wind Power on Capitol Hill, March 5-6, at the Washington Court Hotel.

WEDNESDAY | March 6

8 a.m., National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW. National Association of State Energy Officials, the Energy Futures Initiative, BW Research, and energy and workforce policy experts release the 2019 U.S. Energy and Employment Report.

10 a.m., 406 Dirksen. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds a hearing on “The Economic Benefits of Highway Infrastructure Investment and Accelerated Project Delivery.”

2 p.m., 1324 Longworth. House Natural Resources Committee Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the U.S. Geological Survey.”

5 p.m., 1619 Massachusetts Avenue NW. The John Hopkins school of international studies holds a forum entitled “India’s Energy and Climate Policy.”

THURSDAY | March 7

10 a.m., 366 Dirksen. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds roundtable to provide an overview of the multiple values and unique issues of access and development associated with public lands in the western United States.

Noon, Senate Visitor Center 202-203. Energy Department and the clean energy group ClearPath host lunch on “Jobs in Nuclear Energy: From Trades to Engineers and Physicists.”