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WESTERMAN VERSUS ADMINISTRATION MIGRANT HOUSING PLANS: Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are pushing to stop construction of a temporary migrant housing facility on federally protected lands in New York, arguing that the government is ignoring NEPA processes and its own rules for land protection in attempting to stand up the facility. And they’re having an oversight hearing on the matter next Wednesday.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner in an interview last night, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman argued that the Biden administration is crossing a line by approving the construction—and violating its NEPA permitting process that it repeatedly uses to stymie development of fossil fuel projects.
“What this means is they’re going to go out and build housing units in a national park in New York City,” he said. “They’re also bypassing all the environmental regulations and the other ones that they use that they weaponize against businesses and corporations.”
In the decision memorandum released Friday by the Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Environmental Quality concurred that the humanitarian crisis could be addressed through the department’s NEPA emergency procedures. The memorandum states that Interior determined that the impacts of the project were “not expected to be significant,” and suggested an environmental assessment would be the appropriate path to comply with NEPA – before noting that there was not enough time to complete an EA.
“However, there is not time to complete an EA before action must be taken to address imminent threats to human health and safety. Consistent with guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality … the NPS proposes to comply with the regulatory requirements for EA content, interagency coordination, and public involvement to the extent practicable,” the memorandum reads.
The facilities are slated to be built on Floyd Bennett Field, a grasslands area near Coney Island that was set aside for restoration by the National Park Service and state Audubon Society in 1985.
Grasslands habitats have fallen steadily in the U.S due to the rise of residential and commercial development, and are especially vital in New York, where green space is limited and species depend heavily on the area for breeding, migratory stops, and shelter.
In creating the facilities, the National Park Service is essentially “fast tracking the NEPA process [and] ignoring the NEPA process,” Westerman told the Washington Examiner.
He also noted that he and other Republican lawmakers were denied access to the facility when they tried to visit yesterday.
“Anytime there’s federal money involved, members of Congress should have free rein to go in and inspect and see how federal tax dollars are being spent,” he said.
Other moves by lawmakers: New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who toured the migrant center Monday with Westerman and GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, introduced legislation yesterday with Rep. John Carter of Texas that would prevent migrants from being housed on military bases by prohibiting the use of federal funds to facilitate the shelters.
Another note: Using protected grasslands for housing purposes could also be viewed as counter to Interior’s own push to prioritize public land conservation and restoration. Earlier this year BLM issued a proposed rule that would update its “multiple use” framework to allow leasing of acres for conservation purposes, which it said was crucial to deliver on its duty to manage federal lands and ensure they are protected and productive for generations to come.
The proposed rule was met with scathing criticism from Western states, who argued in letters to the agency that it both exceeds BLM’s statutory authority and threatens substantial harm to states’ respective economies.
How it ties to a looming shutdown: The Office of Management and Budget will have to plan which services will be closed in a potential government shutdown – and the National Park Service could be targeted. The 2013 shutdown caused the National Park Service to shut down more than 400 parks, leading to $500 million in lost visitor spending. But since the lease is operated by the state of New York, a shutdown would have no effect on the project, according to Melissa Schwartz, an Interior spokesperson.
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MARKEY AND AOC URGE BIDEN TO CREATE CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS: Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on President Joe Biden to use executive action to establish a Civilian Climate Corps—seeking to breathe new life into a $10 billion proposed project that was ultimately axed from the Build Back Better Act.
The spate of recent climate disasters “demands a whole of government response,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Biden.
The two have reintroduced legislation to create the civilian climate group, but it stands almost no chance of clearing the Republican-led House—thus putting pressure on Biden to use his executive powers and establish the program.
“[W]e must be as ambitious as possible in tackling the great crisis of our time,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter to Biden was signed by nearly 50 Democrats in both chambers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin. Read the letter in full here.
ARAMCO AND EXXON CEOS PUSH BACK ON IEA’S DEMAND FORECAST FOR FOSSIL FUELS: The heads of top U.S. and Saudi oil producers pushed back on the IEA’s projection that oil demand will peak in 2030, stressing the need for continued investments in the oil and gas sector to help bridge the transition to more renewable and clean energy sources.
Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said the IEA’s projection was based on “unrealistic” assumptions and scenarios for clean energy development. Instead, he said he expects oil demand growth to increase to roughly 110 million bpd by the end of the decade.
“We need to invest” in oil and gas, he said at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary. “Otherwise, in the mid- to long-term we will have another crisis and we will go backward in terms of using more and more coal and other cheap products that are available today.”
This view was echoed by Exxon CEO Darren Woods, who said that transitioning to clean energy sources will take time. “There seems to be wishful thinking that we’re going to flip a switch from where we’re at today to where it will be tomorrow,” Woods said.
“No matter where demand gets to, if we don’t maintain some level of investment industry, you end up running shorter supply which leads to higher prices.”
SHELL OPENS LARGEST ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION IN CHINA: Shell announced the opening in China of its largest electric vehicle charging station in the world as part of its joint venture with Chinese EV builder BYD.
The station is located in the southeastern city of Shenzhen, dubbed the “Silicon Valley of hardware,” and contains 258 charging points and solar panels with a combined annual capacity of 300,000 kilowatt-hours, according to Shell.
The oil major currently operates some 800 charging stations across China—either through joint ventures or wholly owned subsidiaries, a buildout that comes as leaders in Beijing seek to bolster their network of public chargers and meet rising EV demand. Read more from Reuters here.
DOE DIG FROM DEMS: More than 60 Democrats are blasting the Biden administration over the rollout of the Inflation Reduction Act’s energy rebates program, demanding that Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm revise the department’s rulebook to further expand the rebates to low and middle income households.
As reported by the Huffpost, the IRA is packed with billions of dollars’ worth of credits and rebates for purchasing electric cars and making home improvements that save energy. But low or middle-income homeowners looking for help in replacing an old appliance with a greener alternative will have to wait until next year for a rebate.
“If you’re one of the wealthy folks that can access tax credits, you’re doing just fine,” Rep. Jared Huffman, one of the Democrats to sign the letter, told the Huffpost. “But if you’re a middle-class or working family and you’re counting on those more generous rebates to make all of this feasible for you, the Department of Energy is telling you that you have to wait indefinitely: If you were dumb enough to go ahead and buy these things because we’ve all been telling you to do it, you’re out of luck.”
The letter demands that the DOE revise its rulebook to allow states to make all rebates retroactively available once states get their programs started. Read more on that here.
The Rundown
Bloomberg Yellen pushes Treasury, World Bank to fuller climate reckoning
Associated Press Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy. What happened?
Reuters BP names Kate Thomson as interim CFO in post-Looney reshuffle
