Reduce, reuse, Republicans

Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future:

Sep 27, 2022 View in browser   By Debra Kahn Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future THE BIG IDEA Can recycling be the environmental thing that attracts broad support? | Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo A BIPARTISAN BOTTLE BILL — Looking for an area of environmental policy that hasn't been politicized (yet)? Try recycling. The Can Manufacturers Institute and the Aluminum Association are joining U.S. PIRG and nine other organizations in backing a nationwide deposit on bottles, cans and other drink containers as a way to incentivize consumers to return containers for recycling. The groups on Monday put out a set of principles and released a poll showing 81 percent of respondents supported the concept of container deposits, including 87 percent of Democrats, 76 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of independents. They're hoping that translates into support in the next Congress, whichever party is in control. "CMI would like to see a standalone recycling refund bill introduced at the federal level," said Scott Breen, the group's vice president of sustainability. "We're actively talking with lawmakers, other interested parties to bring that about." A national deposit system could make that alphabet soup on the side of your beer can a thing of the past. There are 10 states with bottle bills, and some of them have robust GOP support. "Republicans are our allies as much as Democrats," said Jules Bailey, executive vice president at the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which runs that state's bottle deposit and recycling program. A bill expanding the state's deposit system to cover canned wine passed this year with as many GOP members voting for it as against it. Congress has established bipartisan common ground so far on collecting more recycling data and boosting rural recycling, which is the aim of legislation that Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) introduced in March. Industry and environmental groups are hoping the cross-aisle cooperation will extend further. "The circular economy hasn't been politicized in the same way that things like climate change have," said Matt Prindiville , CEO of Upstream, a nonprofit that works with companies, NGOs and governments on policies to support product reuse. "We may be in a little honeymoon period right now where we can move some things forward," he said. "And then somebody determines it's a wedge and all this stuff gets politicized, but that's not the case today." Caveat: Not all aspects of recycling are so kumbaya. Take "advanced recycling," which the American Chemistry Council is backing as a way to break down existing plastics into reusable form. Environmental justice groups are fighting its inclusion in state and federal extended producer responsibility bills on the grounds it will increase air pollution in disadvantaged communities and perpetuate reliance on plastics. "That's an area where really the right policy is reducing how much we're producing so that we don't have all this extra plastic that we burn," said Matt Casale, U.S. PIRG's environment campaigns director.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: The U.S. is taking aim at reaching ambitious climate targets to aggressively shoot down CO2 emissions and reach a clean energy future. Ready for some good climate news? With the partnership of renewables and natural gas, we've already seen major drops in emissions. Reliable and affordable natural gas supports renewables – accelerating the flight into our clean energy future. And that hits the right mark. Learn more at www.naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org.   WORKPLACE MISEDUCATION OF MALPASS — Protesters are outside the World Bank calling for president David Malpass' resignation after he declined to endorse human-caused climate change last week. David Malpass is getting schooled on climate science. | Twitter   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     BUILDING BLOCKS HERTZ'S TRANSITION — Say goodbye to having to fill up your rental car at an overpriced gas station near the airport. Hertz's efforts to electrify a quarter of its fleet by 2024 — it plans to buy up to 175,000 electric vehicles from General Motors, 100,000 from Tesla and 65,000 from Polestar — will show whether the EV push can be good for the rental car industry, as David Ferris reports for POLITICO's E&E News. One example of the challenges ahead: Hertz's two locations at Los Angeles International Airport have different electricity rates because they're in two different utilities' service territories. One of them has high rates at 9 p.m., while the other charges more between noon and 5 p.m. "We have two locations, half a mile apart, and what to do about charging, and when to do charging, is totally different," said Vic Shao, president of BP Pulse, which is partnering with Hertz on the rollout. Hertz is also hoping for some federal infrastructure money, even though most of its chargers won't be publicly accessible. There's a lot more to the story here.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     BUTTIGIEG'S BURDEN — The Biden administration is facing tensions between two of its goals: addressing climate change and maintaining a stable energy supply amid Russia's war in Ukraine. Four deepwater crude export facilities are on the drawing board for the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The terminals are meant to boost exports by solving the gulf's problem of harbors that are too shallow to handle the largest class of oil tankers. But environmentalists and local residents are putting up a fight. Protesters campaigned against one of them, the Sea Port Oil Terminal, in Austin last week at a conference where Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was speaking. Buttigieg, whose Maritime Administration has authority over the projects, was noncommittal. Read more from Mike Lee of POLITICO's E&E News. BOTH SIDES NOW — Meanwhile, a new ad campaign from environmentalists and former oil and gas workers is putting pressure on the White House and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny new Gulf Coast gas export terminals for the sake of domestic energy costs. Funded by the environmental group Louisiana Bucket Brigade, the ads feature retired petroleum workers asking President Joe Biden to "protect American interests and bring down energy prices for hard-working American families." YOU TELL US GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. We deliver data-driven storytelling, compelling interviews with industry and political leaders, and news Tuesday through Friday to keep you in the loop on sustainability. Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott, deputy editor Debra Kahn and reporter Jordan Wolman. Reach us all at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com and jwolman@politico.com. Want more? Don't we all. Sign up for the Long Game. Four days a week and still free!   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future:   WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — The Carlyle Group omitted mention of its largest oil and gas investment from its first report on its financial risk from greenhouse gas emissions — not cool, ethics watchdogs told the AP. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to armor 41 miles of the New York City shoreline from storm surges and flooding, for $52 billion. — China's grip on the critical minerals market is so dominant that the U.S. and E.U. need to do a lot more to reduce reliance, Misha Glenny argues in the Financial Times.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: The U.S. is taking aim at reaching ambitious climate targets to aggressively shoot down CO2 emissions and reach a clean energy future. Ready for some good climate news? With the partnership between renewables and natural gas, we've already seen major drops in emissions. Reliable and affordable natural gas supports renewables – accelerating the flight into our clean energy future. Academics and researchers agree that with the world's greatest interstate energy highway already in existence, and the ability to transport zero-carbon fuels of the future like clean hydrogen, natural gas and its infrastructure has the potential to support carbon reduction and help us reach our climate goals faster. And that hits the right mark. Learn more at www.naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org     Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman   Follow us

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