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SCHUMER STARTS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is speaking the same language as the Biden administration.
In a floor speech this morning marking an agreement on an organizing resolution that will allow Democrats to take control of committees, Schumer said that he is instructing all “relevant” panels to start holding hearings on climate change in preparation for enacting President Biden’s climate legislation.
By compelling not just the energy and environment committees to look for ways to address climate change, Schumer is adopting the Biden administration’s “whole of government” approach to the problem.
“The Democratic majority will pursue a whole of Senate approach as well,” Schumer said.
Democrats “will compel the Senate to forcefully and urgently address climate change,” he said.
Is infrastructure major? Schumer’s idea of “major” climate legislation seems to be a forthcoming “green” infrastructure bill set to be introduced by Biden that will likely include provisions such as building EV charging stations, mass transit, transmission lines, and energy efficient homes and buildings.
Schumer also plugged his own legislation that would set up a rebate program for people to swap gas-powered cars with electric ones.
How about Republicans? While Schumer’s comments seemed designed to shore up the liberal base, he closed by insisting he looks forward to speaking with Republicans about “finding some common ground on this issue.”
Democrats and Republicans worked together at the end of last year to pass a massive clean energy innovation bill that also mandates the phase down of potent HFCs, but in the early days of the Biden administration they are speaking past each other.
Republicans are suggesting Biden’s early moves targeting fossil fuels development is alienating them, and some of them are even voting against nominees they consider qualified to send a message (see more on that below).
“We have to stop fooling ourselves into thinking that eliminating U.S. fossil fuel production is going to solve the problem,” Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said this morning at an Energy Committee hearing devoted to climate change. “It won’t.”
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment Writers Josh Siegel (@SiegelScribe) and Abby Smith (@AbbySmithDC). Email [email protected] or [email protected] 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.
GRANHOLM MOVES TO SENATE FLOOR: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Biden’s nominee to be secretary of energy, Jennifer Granholm, in a bipartisan 13-4 vote this morning.
Some Republicans though, including the incoming ranking member Barrasso, did not vote for Granholm despite saying nice things about her qualifications and policy positions, citing the Biden administration’s early actions opposing fossil fuel development and the Keystone XL pipeline.
Granholm later reached out to the Republicans who opposed her in a tweet, vowing to “work for your people and your state as well.”
GRANHOLM UNDERSCORES SUPPORT FOR LNG EXPORTS AND NUCLEAR: Granholm reiterated her support for nuclear power and for exporting LNG in her written responses to questions from committee members.
“U.S. LNG exports can have an important role to play in reducing international consumption of fuels that have greater contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” Granholm said. “I also look forward to working with U.S. industry in ways to reduce emissions associated with this commodity.”
Granholm’s statement builds off a commitment she made in her confirmation hearing to follow federal law as it relates to approving applications for exporting LNG. Together, they provide clarity in an area where Biden was murky during the campaign.
Granholm also assured senators that “advanced nuclear energy is an important and promising technology that we should pursue,” supporting Biden’s campaign agenda that committed to pursuing advancements in nuclear technology.
And she said DOE will pursue development of carbon capture for natural gas plants.
EPA NOMINEE REGAN TO FACE FIRST HILL TEST: Michael Regan, Biden’s nominee to lead the EPA, faces senators this afternoon for his nomination hearing, the first time we’ll get to hear from the North Carolina environment secretary about his priorities for leading the agency.
Expect Republican senators to demand answers from Regan about how he’d approach greenhouse gas mandates, especially given their anger over Biden’s early climate moves such as the cancelation of Keystone.
One thing that’s clear, though, is Regan is poised to be a key player in Biden’s efforts to support the minority and low-income people whose public health is most affected by pollution.
Throughout his career, including as North Carolina’s top environment official and during his time working for the Environmental Defense Fund, Regan has sought to elevate attention to environmental inequities, increase access to environmental programs, and tackle pollution in heavy manufacturing regions that tend to be predominantly minority and low-income, those who know and have worked with him told Abby.
Biden has already begun acting on his campaign promises: In his climate change executive order last week, he directed the government to work to ensure 40% of the benefits of clean energy, water, and waste cleanup investments flow to the regions most vulnerable to pollution damages.
The order also established two new advisory councils on environmental justice: an interagency council, on which Regan would sit if confirmed, and an advisory group of outside experts, for which the EPA will provide administrative support and funding.
More in Abby’s story posted this morning, and check back for our coverage of this afternoon’s hearing.
US OIL DEMAND FALLS: A three-week run of U.S. oil demand rising ended last week, as consumption fell to 18.53 million barrels per day from 19.68 million barrels p/d the previous week, the Energy Information Administration reported today.
Consumption of motor gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel dropped across the board, and overall demand remains about 11% below the same period last year.
Stay tuned: The EIA this afternoon will release its 2021 Annual Energy Outlook in an event with the Bipartisan Policy Center. We’ll see how the agency projects the pace of oil and gas demand recovery after a brutal 2020 for the industry.
FRESHMAN MODERATE DEMOCRATS’ CLOUT: Freshman Senate Democrats Mark Kelly of Arizona and John Hicklooper of Colorado, both who ran as relative centrists, snagged membership on the key energy and environment committees, according to the new rosters released by Schumer yesterday.
Kelly will be on the Energy and Natural Resources and the Environment and Public Works committees. Hickenlooper, a target of liberal climate activists for his past support for natural gas, is on the Energy committee under Joe Manchin, another moderate who supports fossil fuel development.
Also interesting to us, Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, a key supporter of electric vehicles, shuffled over from the Energy to the Environment committee, which will spearhead an infrastructure/climate bill. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, an advocate for nuclear power, is no longer on the Environment committee.
KEYSTONE XL SUPPORT UNITES REPUBLICANS: House and Senate Republicans introduced matching legislation yesterday to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline by declaring the presidential permit that Biden revoked is not required for construction.
“President Biden’s decision to revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline permit is an attack on the way of life for thousands of people who rely on energy production to feed their families,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, who led the House bill with 83 co-sponsors, including minority leader Kevin McCarthy, whip Steve Scalise, and conference chair Liz Cheney.
Daines led the Senate version.
These are messaging bills and stand no chance of passage, but it’s interesting that opposing Biden’s early energy and climate policies seems to be one of the things that can unite Republicans these days, as the GOP fights over the future of Trumpism.
MORE BIDEN EPA HIRES: The new appointments include some familiar faces to the EPA.
Chris Frey, who served on the EPA’s Science Advisory Board and once chaired the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, is joining as a deputy assistant administrator for science policy in the EPA’s Office of Research and Development. Frey helped lead efforts by former EPA staffers and academics pushing back on Trump administration actions, particularly decisions declining to tighten air quality limits for soot and smog.
Nick Conger, most recently communications director for former Vice President Al Gore, will also return to the EPA as press secretary. Conger previously served under former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy as a strategic communications adviser.
Other new EPA hires include former staffers at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club, as well as several staffers from the Biden campaign.
RANKING STATE INCENTIVES FOR ELECTRIC CARS: California leads the country as the only state to set deadlines to electrify cars, trucks, and buses, though several other states rank high with strong electric vehicle incentives, including New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, and Vermont, as well as Washington, D.C., the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy said in a new report this morning.
Most states, however, are still in the early stages of crafting incentives to support more electric vehicle adoption, the report notes. ACEEE suggests states advance their policies by setting targets for electrifying vehicles and deploying chargers, offering consumer purchase incentives, and allowing utilities to finance electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
MEET RMI: The Rocky Mountain Institute is rebranding as RMI, which the environmental group says symbolizes its transition from regional think tank to an organization dedicated to addressing climate change globally.
RMI, as of today, will focus its efforts on how to implement policy changes needed to help cut global emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and be on track for reaching net-zero by 2050.
The Rundown
Reuters Biden team in talks with utilities, car companies about emissions
New York Times US cities are vastly undercounting emissions, researchers find
Bloomberg A new coal mine undercuts UK’s claim to climate leadership
Reuters Biden to issue executive order requiring review of critical supply chains
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | FEB. 3
2 p.m. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Michael Regan to be the EPA administrator.
