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SMITH SEEKS ANSWERS ON WHALE DEATHS: Rep. Chris Smith mistrusts the official line that the spike of whale deaths off the coast of his state of New Jersey has nothing to do with the construction of massive offshore wind farms, and he is seeking to slow down the effort.
Smith has introduced legislation seeking a more thorough investigation into the possibility that the buildout of the huge offshore wind farm ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy is linked to the increase in the number of dead whales washing up on the Jersey Shore, much of which is in the 4th congressional district that he has represented as a Republican since 1981.
Smith told Breanne in an interview that the NOAA’s explanation for the whale deaths – that vessel strikes are to blame – is insufficient, noting that it fails to take into consideration the possibility that construction has thrown off the delicate sonar systems that whales and other marine mammals rely on for navigation and communication.
His bill would halt activity on the offshore wind project pending an immediate and independent environmental review of the offshore wind project. That’s something he said is imperative to do before the project enters its second phase, which includes building out at least 98 wind turbines off the New Jersey coast, each of which will be drilled some 100 feet into the seabed and reinforced with concrete and rock.
“What I’m very troubled by, in every category of concern, whether it be the seabed itself, the habitat of ours, which is unbelievably robust, and all the other sea mammals–– fish, spawning, entire series of habitats––are going to be destroyed,” he said.
He also said that local fishermen fear the project could destroy fish populations and spawning and put them out of business.
Smith raised worries about the turbines that go beyond any threat to sea life. He raised the possibility that a hurricane could collapse the turbines, prompting the need for expensive repairs.
Smith said that Murphy and the Biden administration are “wanting to effectuate what they think is a remedy for climate change. And then they destroy the climate in other ways and [destroy] the habitat, the environment and the ecosystem under the sea.”
A coalition of 30 mayors in coastal New Jersey have called for an immediate halt of offshore wind activity until an investigation can be completed, and hundreds of residents have staged recent protests over the high number of whale fatalities. Some environmental groups, too, have raised the alarm about the whales.
BOEM and NOAA have said there’s no hard evidence linking the “unusual mortality event” directly to offshore wind development activities like exploration or construction.
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SULLIVAN LEADS BIPARTISAN GROUP PRESSING FOR MORE LNG SALES TO JAPAN: Dan Sullivan of Alaska is leading a group of senators that includes Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia in pressing U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to facilitate greater trade of LNG between the two countries – and to encourage more investment in natural gas infrastructure in the G-7, which Japan will be leading this year.
The senators warned in a letter to Emanuel that restrictions on public financing of gas infrastructure and regulations on privately financed projects threaten the ability of the U.S. to backfill the gas supply taken off the market by Russia.
“When it comes to energy security in Japan, it’s been a very mixed message,” Sullivan told Jeremy, citing meetings with Japanese officials, who expressed frustration that the administration’s support for supporting Japanese energy security was wavering.
Those officials said climate envoy John Kerry was privately discouraging investment in long-term U.S. LNG ventures, Sullivan said.
“Maybe that’s not true,” he said, but “to have one guy being able to dictate the terms of global energy security, in my view, makes no sense strategically.”
Read more from Jeremy here.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN UNVEILS NEW SAFETY PLAN AFTER SECOND OHIO TRAIN DERAILS: Norfolk Southern published a new six-point safety plan today after a 212-car freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, over the weekend.
The train was not carrying any hazardous materials, according to Norfolk Southern, but the accident comes just weeks after another one of its trains derailed in East Palestine and leaked toxic materials into the air and water.
The new safety plan calls for the installation of some 200 track-side heat bearing detectors––the first of which it said would be installed in East Palestine––and aiding in the development of a new, “multi-scan” hot bearing detector system.
Other steps it outlined include working with the rail industry to develop practices for the use of hot bearing detectors and immediately deploying more acoustic-bearing detectors that rely on axle vibrations, rather than heat, to detect potential problems. Norfolk Southern will also join the FRA’s “Confidential Close Call Reporting system,” to help identify areas of risk.
In a statement, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said the NTSB report found the Springfield train had been operating below the track speed limit when it derailed, and that its wayside bearing detectors were “operating as designed.”
Still, he said reading the report “makes it clear that meaningful safety improvements require a comprehensive industry effort that brings together railcar and tank car manufacturers, railcar owners and lessors, and the railroad companies.”
The second crash comes at a perilous time for Norfolk Southern, which is responsible for paying for all cleanup and environmental damages in East Palestine. Shaw is slated to testify about that accident before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee later this week.
LARGE VOLUMES OF RUSSIAN OIL BEING SWITCHED OFF SPANISH COAST: A large amount of Russian oil is being transferred to new tankers just a few miles off the coast of Spain, according to new ship tracking data from Vortexa and Bloomberg, defying an earlier warning from Spanish authorities and underscoring the degree to which Russia continues to ship its crude outside the reach of Western sanctions.
Four Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, are currently anchored off Ceuta, a Spanish enclave that lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. Combined, they can hold roughly eight million barrels of oil, and two have already started to receive cargo.
In February, Spanish authorities issued a reminder to shipping services that ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil or of suspected Russian oil are prohibited, even in international waters. But beyond that, a spokesperson for Spain’s Merchant Navy told Bloomberg they cannot regulate activity in international waters.
Massive volumes of Russian crude have also been switched to tankers off the coast of Greece (to the tune of an estimated 23 million barrels last month). An estimated one-third of Russian Urals exports were switched at sea last month, according to Vortexa––which, combined with the number of “shadow tankers” Russia uses to ferry its oil, make it difficult to estimate where and at what price Russia is selling its barrels.
It’s unclear whether the barrels being switched in Ceuta or Greece comply with the $60 per barrel price cap put forth by the G-7 coalition in December.
DEMOCRATS WARN GENSLER AGAINST WATERING DOWN CLIMATE DISCLOSURE: A group of more than 50 Democrats led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Dan Goldman called on SEC Chairman Gary Gensler to push forward a landmark climate disclosure rule, saying in a letter Sunday that by watering down the rule, the SEC would be “failing its duty to protect investors.”
The proposed climate disclosure has generated months of intense backlash from industry, particularly over a Scope 3 emissions requirement that would require large companies to report certain data about carbon emissions generated by their massive supply chain networks and customers.
Businesses and trade groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have long objected to the proposed rule, saying its changes would be costly and overly burdensome–– and last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the SEC was considering scaling back or otherwise watering down certain climate cost-reporting requirements to make the rule more palatable for companies.
Democrats argued in the letter that watering down the rule or cutting the Scope 3 provision would be “deeply misguided.”
“Not requiring Scope 3 emissions disclosures would enable [fossil fuel companies] and other companies with similar types of emissions patterns to hide the vast majority of their exposure to climate risk from regulators and investors,” they said in the letter.
“For many companies and sectors, a greenhouse gas inventory that omits Scope 3 would be materially misleading to investors,” they added.
Banks respond: The Bank Policy Institue, which represents major banks, said in a response to the letter that the “proposed Scope 3 emissions disclosure requirements are overly broad and would not result in consistent, comparable or reliable disclosures. These Scope 3 emissions mandates face bipartisan concern and practical limitations.”
CUBAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH RUSSIAN OIL CEO: Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel traveled to Moscow yesterday to meet with Igor Sechin, the CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft, amid his country’s worsening fuel shortage. According to a statement released by the Cuban president, Sechin told him that all Cuban-related issues are supervised by Russian president Vladimir Putin “directly and personally.”
It is unclear why Diaz-Canel traveled to Moscow, though the meeting comes as Cuba struggles with its worst economic crisis in decades, including a massive fuel shortage that has forced the temporary closures of many of its gas stations. Medicine and food are also in short supply, and last month, Russia granted Cuba an emergency wheat donation to help combat food shortages.
EDF AND ITALIAN UTILITIES TEAM UP TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR POWER: French power company EDF is teaming up with a trio of Italian utilities to determine whether they can work together on developing nuclear power projects in the EU, and particularly small nuclear modular reactor projects EDF working on.
The move was outlined today in a letter of intent, and comes as Russia’s war in Ukraine and resulting energy crisis has forced some European countries to rethink their energy mix, including their approach to nuclear power.
EDF and Italy’s Edison, Energia, and Ansaldo Nucleare will cooperate to help “reinforce the European supply chain of our technologies in a context where many European countries are planning for new nuclear programmes,” EDF’s senior vice president, Vakis Ramany, said in a statement.
The Rundown
E&E News West Virginia tests the state’s coal future for electricity
Bloomberg Germany’s car push risks derailing EU Green Deal, lawmaker warns
Calendar
MONDAY | MARCH 6
The annual CERAWeek conference kicks off in Houston, Texas. Learn more here.
TUESDAY | MARCH 7
2:30 p.m. 406 Dirksen. The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety will hold a hearing on legislation that would require cryptocurrency companies to disclose environmental impacts of their crypto-asset mining operations.
THURSDAY | MARCH 9
10 a.m. 406 Dirksen. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to examine efforts to protect public health and the environment in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment and chemical release. Details and witnesses are expected to be announced in the coming days.
