EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Bob Latta, who will be the seniormost Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee next Congress, is running to replace Cathy McMorris Rodgers as the chairman (if the GOP holds the House) of the influential panel, a source close to the Ohio congressman told the Washington Examiner.
Latta, who has spent more than a decade on all six Energy and Commerce subcommitees, currently chairs the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
Latta has worked closely with Rodgers during their shared tenures on the committee, as Breanne previously reported, including on permitting reform, oversight, and embracing an “all of the above” energy policy that includes supporting more energy infrastructure, including building LNG export facilities and pipelines and reauthorizing the Keystone XL project.
Latta and CMR have also worked together on issues of nuclear power, at a time when world leaders—and their House colleagues across the aisle—have moved to increasingly embrace the carbon-free power source.
In November, Latta introduced the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, which seeks to build out and expand U.S. nuclear fuel programs, including domestic uranium mining, production, and enrichment, in a bid to divest from Russian-supplied uranium.
Bigger picture: Rodgers, who has represented Washington’s 5th Congressional District since 2005, last year became the first woman to chair the committee. Her departure brings to 13 the number of members that have retired or will seek higher office by the year’s end, representing a loss of institutional knowledge.
Other names we’ve seen floated to replace as potential replacements include Reps. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, and Richard Hudson of North Carolina, though these could not be immediately confirmed. Watch this space for more…
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writers Breanne Deppisch (@breanne_dep) and Nancy Vu (@NancyVu99). Email bdeppisch@washingtonexaminer dot com or nancy.vu@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.
POLLING ON CURTIS SENATE BID: Meanwhile, outgoing committee member John Curtis appears to hold a strong lead in his bid for Senate in Utah, according to a new primary poll conducted on behalf of ClearPath Action, the Republican super PAC backing his campaign.
While the majority of voters remain undecided, at 52%, the survey found that Curtis (with 32% support) far outranks other Republican hopefuls on the primary ballot— and is the only candidate to have cracked 10%.
The poll also highlighted the role climate and energy issues are poised to play in the 2024 elections. A 62% majority of Utah Republicans said they believe the U.S. should utilize all energy resources– including fossil fuels and clean and renewable energy— for supply, while 65% of voters said they believe clean energy is an issue Republicans should care about.
Caveats: The poll was conducted by an energy related super PAC supportive of Curtis.
…SPEAKING OF NEW ENERGY AND COMMERCE LEADERSHIP: Breanne profiled Earl “Buddy” Carter, the Georgia Republican who was appointed as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials last month following Rep. Bill Johnson’s retirement.
Read more on his goals for the party, and the leadership role he sees Republicans playing on climate change.
BIDEN NAMES WILLIE PHILLIPS FERC CHAIRMAN: The White House announced this morning that President Joe Biden has officially named Willie Phillips to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Phillips has been acting chairman since January of last year. The statement announcing the decision noted that FERC will play an “important role in spurring access to reliable, affordable carbon-free energy moving across the country” as the Biden administration pursues its climate goals.
Phillips tweeted in response that he was “laser focused on securing a reliable, affordable & sustainable energy future for our nation.”
NYC LAUNDRY POD CRACKDOWN? New York City is weighing a bill that would ban the sale or distribution of laundry detergent and dishwasher “pods” and laundry sheets due to their use of PVAs, or polyvinyl alcohol.
PVAs contain small amounts of microplastics and nanoplastics, according to the text of the bill, which was introduced yesterday by New York City Council Member James Gennaro.
Though these self-contained detergent methods dissolve in the wash and are favored by some consumers due to the ease of transport, their use of plastic has prompted scrutiny and criticism from environmental groups. PVAs do not always break down completely in appliances, and have been found in public waterways, rain, and glaciers, prompting some to push for additional scrutiny or a ban on certain products.
The American Cleaning Institute trade group pushed back on these assertions, however, telling Bloomberg in a statement that “detergent packets, along with the ingredients they encapsulate, are safe to use in the home and meet rigorous test methods to ensure they fully dissolve and biodegrade quickly in wastewater treatment after use.” If passed, the law would go into force Jan. 1, 2026.
ICYMI – MANN WINS LONG-RUNNING DEFAMATION SUIT: Climate scientist Michael Mann, famous for the ‘hockey stick’ graph predicting a sharp rise in temperatures, yesterday won his long-running defamation lawsuit against Competitive Enterprise Institute scholar Rand Simberg and writer Mark Steyn, who had accused him of misconduct.
A jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia found them liable and ordered Simberg to pay $1,000 in damages and Steyn to pay $1 million.
Mann said in a statement that he hoped the verdict “sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech.” A post on Steyn’s website said that Steyn expected the U.S. Supreme Court to lower the damages.
RUNDOWN
Financial Times Norway oil fund boss criticises ExxonMobil’s ‘aggressive’ climate lawsuit
Reuters Duke Energy to remove Chinese battery giant CATL from Marine Corps Base
