Daily on Energy: Permitting reform moves in House, Zeldin on permitting, and about that seized tanker

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.

PERMITTING REFORM HITS THE HOUSE FLOOR: Republicans in the House advanced major reforms to the Clean Water Act just minutes ago, fueling the bipartisan effort to pass significant permitting reform before Congress breaks for the holidays. 

The details: In a 221-205 vote, the House advanced the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act, also known as the PERMIT Act. Six Democrats voted in favor and one Republican voted against. 

The bill proposed reducing which waters are regulated under the Clean Water Act, excluding waste treatment systems, groundwater, and converted cropland, as well as ephemeral features that flow only in direct response to rain.

It would also increase the duration of general wastewater discharge permits from five years to 10, as well as remove permit requirements for some pesticides discharged into waterways. 

Additionally, the PERMIT Act would limit when organizations or individuals could challenge a federal permit in court, cutting the statute of limitations to just 60 days. This has been a crucial reform prioritized by Republicans across various permitting bills this session. 

Quick reminder: The House will continue to take up permitting reform next week, with the highly anticipated Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, or SPEED Act, expected to see a vote. 

You can read more about the latest developments on permitting reform in the House from Callie here. 

PLUS…EPA ADMINISTRATOR LEE ZELDIN ON PERMITTING: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin was on the Hill today meeting with Republicans from the House Budget Committee to discuss a range of environmental policy issues, including permitting reform. 

Zeldin told reporters that permitting reform comes up in almost every conversation. “Any bill that results in a permit that takes less time, costs less money, has more certainty should be considered by Congress,” he said. 

Democrats have been hesitant to support a permitting reform bill because of the Trump administration’s efforts to halt clean energy projects. Lawmakers have noted that there needs to be some type of safeguards to ensure that if permitting reform is passed, the executive branch cannot discriminate against specific projects. 

Zeldin said when it comes to “certainty,” he is referring to “when companies are choosing to make an investment, and it’s going to take a long time, and it’s going cost a lot of money, and at the end of the day, they don’t know whether or not they’re gonna get an approval … It’s a general principle that I have when it goes into a permitting conversation.” 

IN OTHER EPA NEWS…AGENCY WEIGHS KEEPING BIDEN VEHICLE POLLUTION RULE TEMPORARILY: The EPA is reportedly considering delaying the enforcement of a rule imposed under the Biden administration requiring significant reductions in air pollution from vehicles, rather than scrapping it altogether. 

The details: A senior agency official confirmed the discussions to Reuters on Thursday, revealing that the EPA would keep the regulation in place for two additional years in order to give the agency more time to reconsider the standard, and others, issued under former President Joe Biden. 

The rule in question was finalized by the Biden-led EPA in April 2024, imposing strict emissions standards for “criteria pollutants” and greenhouse gases emitted by light-duty and medium-duty vehicles in model years 2027 through 2032. 

Some context: While the EPA considers delaying implementation of the rule, it still faces regulatory uncertainty as the agency has proposed revoking the 2009 endangerment finding, which deemed that greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles pose a threat to public health and welfare. 

VENEZUELA WATCH – WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SEIZED TANKER: Yesterday, the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, one that President Donald Trump described as the “largest one ever seized.” Here’s everything we know about the incident. 

The ship: The oil tanker was identified by maritime risk company Vanguard Tech as a vessel called the Skipper. Vanguard Tech has said the ship is believed to be a part of a dark fleet of tankers previously sanctioned by the U.S., according to the BBC. The firm said the Skipper is believed to have been “spoofing” its location, allowing it to skirt by sanctions undetected. 

A U.S. official told the Washington Post that the vessel was sanctioned in 2022 under a different name, Adisa, when it operated under a Panamanian flag. When the vessel was seized this week, it was sailing under the Guyanese flag. The Guyana Maritime Administration Department confirmed to the BBC that the ship was not registered in Guyana.  

The cargo: In a post shared to X, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the vessel has been used for several years to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. 

It was not immediately clear how much crude oil was onboard, but some reports have claimed that there was around 1.8 million barrels of heavy crude on the vessel. Roughly 200,000 barrels is believed to have been transferred off the ship just before the seizure.

What’s next: When asked what the U.S. will do with the seized oil, Trump told reporters yesterday “We keep it, I guess…I assume we’re going to keep the oil.” 

This is not an uncommon occurrence following the seizure of a vessel carrying oil. A Daily on Energy review of some past seizures conducted by the U.S. found that when U.S. officials confiscated crude cargo, it remained in U.S. custody. 

Bob McNally, a former White House energy advisor under former President George W. Bush, told CNBC that in past cases, the oil is sold and the proceeds are kept by the U.S. government. 

“We expect that to be followed in this case,” McNally said. 

IONIC MINERAL FINDS A TROVE OF CRITICAL MINERALS: Ionic Minerals Technologies announced today that it has uncovered a substantial amount of critical minerals in Utah – possibly one of the most significant reserves in the country. 

What did they find? Ionic MT said that it uncovered high-grade deposits of 16 different minerals at its Utah Silicon Ridge site, including lithium, alumina, germanium, rubidium, cesium, vanadium, niobium, and several rare earths.

Ionic MT told the Wall Street Journal that the company has been in talks with the Trump administration, which has expressed “clear enthusiasm about our work and its potential national impact.”

The discovery is a boost to the administration’s efforts to end China’s dominance of the global supply of critical minerals and rare earths, which it has used as leverage against the United States in trade talks. 

At the same time, the administration has sought ways to grow the domestic industry of critical minerals and rare earths, and Ionic MT’s discovery could play a vital role in doing just that. 

Key quote: “This confirmation is a watershed moment for American resource independence,” said Ionic MT founder and CEO Andre Zeitoun. “For the first time, we have a domestic, shovel-ready source for a full spectrum of critical minerals, all extractable with a faster, cleaner process than traditional hard rock mining and extraction.”

“With our mining permits and processing facility in place, we can now move rapidly to production, reducing a key strategic vulnerability for the United States,” he added.

Read more by Maydeen here. 

WHITE HOUSE CANCELS MEETING TO DISCUSS FEMA’S FUTURE: White House officials abruptly canceled a meeting intended to determine the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency this afternoon. 

The details: FEMA’s review council was scheduled to meet around 1 p.m. today, and was expected to offer recommendations that the agency substantially reduce its size and scope, cutting its workforce in half. 

However, moments before the meeting began, it was postponed. Three individuals with knowledge of the situation told the Washington Post that there were concerns that the review council’s report failed to offer concrete, specific, procedural changes on how to reform the agency. 

According to the outlet, senior White House officials reviewed the report earlier in the week and, soon after, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was informed that the meeting should not take place. 

The cancellation of the meeting took many by surprise, as Noem herself left a congressional hearing early this morning with the intent to attend. The Washington Post reported that there were even four of the 10 FEMA review council members sitting in a hotel lobby this afternoon waiting for instructions on the meeting. 

EPA’S NEW DATA CENTER WEBSITE: The Environmental Protection Agency launched a new website today aimed at providing transparency for artificial intelligence and data center development across the country. 

The website, titled “Clean Air Act Resource for Data Centers,” will provide data centers and communities with regulatory information, modeling guidance documents, air-quality permitting, and other technical tools. 

The EPA said these steps will help to speed up the build-out of data centers and the necessary backup generation needed for the facilities. There has been a rapid growth in data centers and AI development across the country, which has been linked to increasing energy demand and prices.

In a statement, Zeldin said, “The global race to harness the power of artificial intelligence and build data centers is underway. President Trump’s AI Action Plan made it clear; we need to win that race and establish America as the home… of the next great technological forefront.” 

ICYMI – EXXON SLASHING GREEN SPENDING: Fossil fuel majors are continuing to backtrack on clean energy commitments, as ExxonMobil plans to cut its spending on low-carbon projects by roughly a third. 

The oil and gas giant detailed the funding shift in its 2030 strategic plan released on Tuesday. Exxon said it plans to lift earnings and cash flow by around $5 billion by 2030, but will not be increasing any capital spending. As a result, some funds are being reallocated and green initiatives are taking a hit. 

Exxon said it would be pursuing around $20 billion of lower-emission investments between 2025 and 2030 – 60% of which will be focused on lowering greenhouse gas emissions for its customers. This is $10 billion less than what the company previously committed to spending. 

Exxon now joins several other oil majors, including BP and Shell, that have moved to shrink their green and renewable energy portfolios in order to focus more attention on their fossil fuel operations. 

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