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TRUMP TO MEET WITH MAYORS WHO HAVE BEEN PUMPED UP TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE: President Trump is set to meet Friday afternoon with mayors to talk about the economy, after the local leaders heard from mostly Democratic leaders this week on the threat of climate change during their annual conference in Washington.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors heard from Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, former Vice President Joe Biden, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at their 87th annual meeting Jan. 23-25. Merkley discussed the “climate chaos” that is affecting the country, saying local leaders are leading the charge in this area as the administration has turned away.

“Climate chaos is affecting people all over the world… certainly in our states and our cities,” said Merkley.

A fading landscape: The senator said fishermen in Oregon are experiencing warmer and more acidic oceans and drying up streams, and that the logging industry is facing hardship due to the growing number of forest fires.

“But we see the cities very much affected,” he said. Portland has experienced the fourth most polluted air in the world due to the wildfires in the West.

Trump has been critical of California over the wildfires, blaming the Golden State’s forest management practices as the root of the wildfire problem and not climate change.  

Merkley said the country needs to forget its Democratic and Republican affiliations to face the climate crisis.

Climate responsibility goes to the mayors and states: “We can take it on at the federal level, but not right now,” he said, alluding to the government shutdown. The implication: The responsibility has shifted to the local level. Merkley encouraged cities to support a statewide climate initiative to fulfill the Paris climate accord that Trump pulled out of..

Both Republicans and Democrats on the conference of mayors’ environmental committee are supportive of the state and local climate initiative. The committee held a open panel discussion on climate change on Thursday, entitled “Solving the Climate Change Crisis.”

Republican Mayor James Brainard of Carmel, Indiana, co-chair of the Energy Independence and Climate Protection committee, addressed the discussion, along with former Environmental Protection Agency deputy administrator Bob Perciaseppe.

The mayors then held a working session on developing the “Mayors Call for Climate Action.”  

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HOUSE DEMS ACCUSE TRUMP OF FAVORING OIL AND GAS DURING SHUTDOWN: House Democrats accused the Trump administration Thursday of favoring the oil and gas industry during the government shutdown, allowing fossil fuel priorities to continue unimpeded and blocking public input in a way that might violate federal law.

“At time when the shutdown is imposing pain on Americans across all walks of life, it is utterly immoral that the Trump administration treats one group of friendly businesses — the fossil fuel industry — as more valuable and deserving than all others,” Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Calif., said at a forum hosted by Democrats of the House Natural Resources Committee.

What shutdown? Interior’s Bureau of Land Management is processing permit applications for oil and gas drilling on federal land, and in existing offshore areas where energy development is allowed in the Gulf of Mexico, using carryover funds and user fees.

Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, said Thursday that prior-approved production of oil and natural gas on public lands has continued during the shutdown. She said BLM has also been approving a “limited number” of already-submitted permits that were close to approval before the shutdown.

“Just because the government is shut down doesn’t mean private-sector economic activity grinds to a halt,” Sgamma said.

Interior employees also continue to work on finalizing a massive offshore oil and gas drilling plan during the shutdown, and others are available on an on-call basis.

And Interior is proceeding with oil development in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, known as ANWR.

Interior’s defense: Interior spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort defended the agency’s actions during the shutdown, saying it is not favoring oil and gas, but rather keeping as many functions operational as possible.

“Interior is working on oil and gas permit processing and so much more during the partial lapse,” she said.

AFTERWARD, INTERIOR REVERSES COURSE, PROCEEDS WITH MARTHA’S VINEYARD WIND PROJECT: After Democrats accused the administration of favoritism toward fossil fuel projects, Interior Department acting Secretary David Bernhardt said Thursday the agency plans to reverse course and advance a major offshore wind project.

Bernhardt, in a Twitter post, said Interior would use carryover money previously appropriated by Congress to reschedule public meetings that had been canceled for a planned project to build an offshore wind farm off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The Trump administration has cited the Vineyard Wind project, which could power more than 400,000 homes, and others planned for the Northeast as key evidence that it is not neglecting renewables as part of its “energy dominance” agenda.

2020 DEMOCRATS DUKE IT OUT OVER CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDAS: Declared and potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates added details to their climate change agendas Thursday, after Josh published a story about progressives’ pushing for more specifics beyond vague support for a “Green New Deal.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who recently announced her candidacy, urged Republican leaders to hold hearings this year and consider legislation to help the U.S. achieve net-zero emissions by “as close to 2050 as possible.”

“This should include a mix of innovative solutions in transportation policy, climate-smart infrastructure, and high performance energy efficiency,” Gillibrand wrote in a letter to Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Warren highlights broader climate agenda: The exploratory committee representing Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., another declared 2020 presidential contender, told Josh in a response to questions that she favors transitioning the grid to renewable energy, along with linking climate policy to economic and racial inequality.

Her exploratory committee staff also highlighted her recent introduction of a bill to require every public company to disclose climate-related risks.

Booker touts record of accomplishments: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a likely presidential candidate, is echoing similar themes.

The federal government should be “devoted to addressing climate change with the same urgency and commitment that FDR had for reinvigorating the economy after the Great Depression, and doing so in a way that promotes economic and environmental justice,” Kristin Lynch, a Booker spokesperson, told Josh in a response to questions about his climate agenda.

Lynch touted Booker’s work in the Senate to extend tax credits for renewable energy and oppose offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean and his attendance at the Paris climate talks in 2015.

She also said Booker advanced climate priorities before joining the Senate when he was mayor of Newark, N.J. There, he helped build “green” affordable housing units, she said, and secured federal grants to make buildings more energy efficient.

CALIFORNIA UTILITY PG&E CLEARED OF FAULT IN 2017 DEADLY WILDFIRE: Investigators on Thursday cleared utility PG&E of wrongdoing for a massive 2017 wildfire in Northern California.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said private electric equipment sparked the Tubbs Fire that killed 22 people, not PG&E’s equipment.

The determination is expected to improve the financial outlook of PG&E, which recently announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by the end of the month, as it potentially faces billions of dollars in liability claims for helping cause wildfires.

PG&E’s fire problem: The utility, which supplies electricity to 16 million California residents, said it faces about $30 billion in potential liability, or legal damages, for the state’s record deadly wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

State officials have already found PG&E’s equipment responsible for 17 wildfires in 2017, some of which may result in criminal charges.

PG&E indicated Thursday it will not change course in seeking financial protection.

“The devastating and unprecedented wildfires of 2017 and 2018 have had a profound impact on our customers, employees and communities,” the utility said in a statement. “Regardless of today’s announcement, PG&E still faces extensive litigation, significant potential liabilities and a deteriorating financial situation, which was further impaired by the recent credit agency downgrades to below investment grade.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS SCHEDULE CONFIRMATION VOTE FOR EPA’S WHEELER: Republicans of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee announced Thursday the panel will vote Feb. 5 on EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s nomination to stay on leading the agency.

The announcement came after Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., met with Wheeler.

“He is an impressive, experienced nominee and I look forward to supporting his nomination,” McConnell said in a Twitter post.

Wheeler, a former energy lobbyist and Senate Republican staffer, has led the EPA since July after former Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned from the post amid numerous scandals over his misuse of federal funds.

Since he replaced Pruitt, Wheeler has introduced major actions started by his predecessor to delay, weaken or repeal various regulations on air, water and climate change.

RUNDOWN

Reuters ‘Under siege’, oil industry mulls raising returns and PR game

Houston Chronicle With rise of EVs, a new foreign energy dependence looms

Bloomberg Water is almost as precious as oil in the Permian Basin

Washington Post 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record