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JOHN KELLY’S DEPARTURE COULD EMBOLDEN TRUMP ON ENERGY: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly’s departure at the end of the month could open the floodgates for Trump’s energy and environment agenda to rush forward.

“He has overseen an Administration that has not been as productive as it could have been with respect to energy and environmental issues,” Mike McKenna, a conservative environmental policy adviser with a close ear to the administration, tells John.

Everyone agrees that Kelly is a “good man,” but he has been “suboptimal” as chief of staff, McKenna said.

McKenna had been Trump’s first choice to lead the Energy Department transition team, but later declined because of a conflict.

Kelly’s background on energy: Kelly killed the so-called “red team/blue team” exercise once-floated by former Environment Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt. The exercise would have formed red and blue teams to debate the science of climate change. Kelly had reportedly called it a waste of resources.

Kelly was not a fan of Pruitt, who was forced to resign in July after months of scandals over his expensive first-class travel, the use of federal employees to find employment for his wife, and spending tens of thousands of dollars on security upgrades to his office that were not needed. But McKenna says Kelly had it out for Pruitt.

Kelly has also not done a lot to keep Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke out of “the crosshairs,” McKenna added.

But there is no guarantee that Kelly’s replacement will see anything differently when it comes to Trump’s appointees.

Zinke, for instance, is under investigation by the Justice Department for appearing to use his public office for personal gain, which Kelly has no control over.    

RICK PERRY SEEKS ALLIANCE WITH FORMER OPEC ALLY AND NATURAL GAS RIVAL QATAR: Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Qatar over the weekend to form a new relationship with the largest exporter of natural gas in the Middle East soon after the country announced it would be leaving the OPEC oil cartel.

Perry called his meeting with Qatar’s energy minister a productive discussion, meant to hone a new relationship on energy.

“Had a productive visit with Qatari Minister Al Kaabi where we discussed our strategic relationship on energy cooperation as world leaders in natural gas and the need for free, fair, and diverse markets to promote energy diversity,” Perry tweeted on Saturday.

The U.S. became a net natural gas exporter last year, with sizable new gains in shipping shale-based gas into the global market. The U.S. also became the largest energy producer this year, claiming leadership from Russia and Saudi Arabia in an increasingly competitive year.

Qatar announced earlier this month that it would be leaving the global oil cartel OPEC, finding it more advantageous to strike out on its own. The country has been at odds with neighbor Saudi Arabia, who accused it of fomenting terrorism and initiated a diplomatic and economic blockade against it.

Trump had initially supported the Saudi-led blockade, but later invited the leader of Qatar to the White House where he praised him as a friend.

Although Qatar is a rival of the U.S. when it comes to natural gas production and exports to Asia, the country is looking at making energy investments in the United States.

Welcome to Daily on Energy, compiled by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment Writers John Siciliano (@JohnDSiciliano) and Josh Siegel (@SiegelScribe). Email [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.  

US JOINS SAUDI ARABIA, RUSSIA, AND KUWAIT IN WATERING DOWN UN CLIMATE FINDINGS: The Trump administration joined Saturday with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in a campaign to undermine the findings of the October United Nations report that found countries weren’t acting fast enough to stop the Earth’s temperature from rising 1.5 degrees.

The countries moved together to block language in a joint statement at the U.N. climate meeting in Poland to “welcome” the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report.

Finding consensus on language would have been a strong endorsement of the report’s findings, which concluded that nations’ must be carbon neutral by mid-century. That would mean a rapid need to reduce emissions and an expedited move away from fossil fuels for four oil giants.  

“The United States was willing to note the report and express appreciation to the scientists who developed it, but not to welcome it, as that would denote endorsement of the report,” the State Department said in a statement. “As we have made clear in the IPCC and other bodies, the United States has not endorsed the findings of the report.”

Backlash: Environmentalists and activists blasted the addition of “note” over “welcome.”

“Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kuwait and especially the United States are rogue nations,” Mohamed Adow, Christian Aid’s International Climate Lead, said in a statement on Sunday. “These four major fossil fuel producers are working together against the interests of the rest of the world and jeopardising the chances of a safe climate.”

PROTESTERS CRASH US-LED COAL EVENT AT UN: Activists on Monday interrupted a Trump administration-led discussion about “clean” coal and nuclear power at a United Nations climate change conference in Poland by chanting “keep it in the ground” and “shame on you.”

Wells Griffith, Trump’s international energy and climate adviser leading the event, smiled at the protesters and said it was an example of “how we can’t have an open and honest discussion about the realities” of fighting climate change.

A familiar scene: It’s the second straight year the Trump administration has held a side event promoting the cleaner and more efficient use of fossil fuels during a international climate change conference intended to ensure the implementation of the Paris climate agreement.

Even though Trump has said he will leave the agreement, the U.S. still sends a delegation to international climate change events to keep a seat at the table.

Last November, protesters interrupted a similar Trump administration-led discussion in Bonn, Germany, by singing a “God Bless the USA” parody.

The concept of ‘clean’ fossil fuels: The panelists at Monday’s Trump administration event argued for investing in “clean coal” initiatives, such as technology that captures and stores carbon emissions from coal plants, as a way to cut emissions to levels to mitigate climate change. They also touted U.S. work to develop small nuclear reactors.

Critics see a hollow message: While nuclear power and carbon capture are indeed key tools to combating global warming, critics say Trump’s more wholesale rejection of climate science harms the U.S.’ credibility over the issue, and undercuts the administration’s message.

JOHN PODESTA RAISING ALARMS ABOUT CLIMATE DATA: John Podesta has been making the rounds in Europe to warn the European Union that U.S. climate data needs protection from the Trump administration.

The former Hillary Clinton campaign manager was in Brussels earlier this month to address the European Parliament on what he described as the necessity to combat the current administration’s open “hostility” to climate science.

“He was painting a very disturbing picture of what’s going on, you know, like burn the data,” Nils Rokke, the head of EU’s leading energy research consortium, the European Energy Research Alliance, told John after meeting with Podesta.

Read more here from John’s story.

BIPARTISAN CARBON TAX BILL GETS ANOTHER CO-SPONSOR: Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., on Friday became the latest member to co-sponsor the first bipartisan carbon tax legislation in nearly a decade, introduced last month.

Eshoo joins Reps. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Dave Trott, R-Mich., along with Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, the Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, Charlie Crist, D-Fla., and John Delaney, D, Md.

The bill would impose a tax of $15 per ton of carbon dioxide in 2019, increasing $10 each year, rising to nearly $100 per ton by 2030.

It distributes all of the proceeds from the tax into equal portions in the form of a monthly rebate to American households.

YOUNG ACTIVISTS RALLY AGAIN FOR ‘GREEN NEW DEAL’: More than 1,000 young activists planned to rally outside House offices on Monday morning and call for action on a “Green New Deal” to combat climate change.

The Sunrise Movement said it aimed to get one last word in this year before Democratic House leaders set their agenda for the 2019 legislative session.

Calling for 100 percent renewables: The group is supporting an effort by progressive sensation Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is promoting a resolution to give new power to a select climate committee that Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California wants to revive.

Ocasio-Cortez wants the committee to draft a climate bill by 2020 that would require 100 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources.

Growing support: In the past three weeks, 22 congressional Democrats have endorsed the “Green New Deal,” the Sunrise Movement says.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, offered his endorsement on Sunday.

“It’s the first time in a while the climate movement in America feels a bit of momentum,” Schatz wrote in a Twitter post. “I’m happy to endorse a #GreenNewDeal because regular people should benefit as we transform our energy system. Count me IN for the Green New Deal.”

ELECTRIC GRID ‘PRIME TARGET’ OF TERRORISTS, DHS  WARNS: A new Department of Homeland Security report warns that the electric grid is the “prime target” of terrorists, urging Americans to prepare for up to six months without electricity, transportation, fuel, money and healthcare.

“People no longer keep enough essentials within their homes, reducing their ability to sustain themselves during an extended, prolonged outage. We need to improve individual preparedness,” said a just-published report to President Trump.

“There needs to be more individual accountability for preparedness,” adds the report, “Surviving a Catastrophic Power Outage,” from the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council and published by the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full story by Paul Bedard here.

TESLA’S ELON MUSK SAYS ‘I DO NOT RESPECT THE SEC’: Tesla founder Elon Musk is intensifying his feud with the Securities and Exchange Commission, months after a settlement over the agency’s claim that he lacked the necessary financing for his offer to take the electric carmaker private at a hefty premium.

“Let me be clear: I do not respect the SEC. I do not respect them,” he told CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday.

Both Palo Alto, Calif.,-based Tesla and Musk agreed to pay $20 million and overhaul the company’s board leadership after the 47-year old entrepreneur posted on Twitter that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share, a claim the SEC said was not backed up by fact.

Musk relinquished the role of chairman, though he is still chief executive officer – a role from which the SEC initially had also sought to oust him.

RUNDOWN

Wall Street Journal Cheaper oil ripples through the global economy

New York Times Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax push finds critics on all sides

Politico Why greens are turning away from a carbon tax

Washington Post Coal is still king in Poland, where world leaders gather to confront ‘climate catastrophe’

Reuters Investors managing $32 trillion in assets call for action on climate change

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