Strike could send coal off the rails

Presented by National Clean Energy Week: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Sep 12, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by National Clean Energy Week An Amtrak engineer leans on the locomotive as passengers disembark. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images A dispute between railroad companies and their workers could deliver a major setback to the nation's coal industry, while hamstringing transportation infrastructure and disrupting the economy less than two months before the midterm elections. Rail accounts for about 28 percent of U.S. freight, but certain industries rely on it especially heavily. For coal producers, railroads are the No. 1 mode of transportation. "I expect coal to be hit particularly hard," said Ray Minjares, a program director at the International Council on Clean Transportation. A strike by unionized rail workers negotiating for better pay and benefits could upend freight and passenger rail service across the country. The workers are particularly enraged by certain policies concerning leave, such as no sick days and penalties for taking time off. Workers could go on strike as soon as Friday if no deal is reached before then. Such a shutdown of the nation's 7,000 daily freight trains could cost the economy as much as $2 billion per day, according to the railroad division of the Transportation Department. Other climate implications It would take an estimated 467,000 additional long-haul trucks per day to compensate for the freight disruption — and that's a lot of extra pollution. Transportation is the single-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and heavy-duty vehicles spew a disproportionate amount of that pollution. According to the Association of American Railroads, railroads are as much as four times more fuel-efficient than trucks, reducing heat-trapping emissions by up to 75 percent. Entirely replacing the nation's trains with trucks is unlikely to happen, though. There just aren't enough trucks or drivers to operate them. The nation's trucking industry is short 80,000 drivers — which doesn't bode well for the supply chain. Still, daily train commuters whose service is interrupted by the strike may opt to drive. And despite rapid growth in recent years, electric vehicles only make up about 1 percent of cars on the road. What's next?  Groups across industries are calling on Congress to intervene. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh has postponed a trip to Ireland as he and others in the administration seek to avert a strike. Rail companies and the majority of workers have already coalesced around a wage hike and benefits proposal, but the two biggest rail unions, which represent 57,000 engineers and conductors, are continuing to demand better leave policies. They say members have been fired for taking time off to attend family members' funerals or for routine doctor visits.   It's Monday — thank you for tuning into POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell.  Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO's energy podcast: Kelsey Tamborrino explains why geothermal energy resources have been largely untapped and how the Biden administration plans to expand its use.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30! NCEW celebrates the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Ready to join the national clean energy conversation? REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Join us to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates alike! Thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% FREE for all attendees! Register for FREE here.   Power Centers Oil rigs extract petroleum in Culver City, Calif. | David McNew/Getty Images Fossil fuel probe Democratic lawmakers have planned two hearings this week to continue their investigation into fossil fuel companies' role in spreading misinformation about climate science, writes Nick Sobczyk. Republican lawmakers have blasted the probe as outside the panel's authority, and no fossil fuel companies are slated to testify. Climate gamers The genre of climate-influenced video games is growing, writes Daniel Cusick. In "Highwater," the latest entry, characters will get the chance to make friends, fight enemies and scavenge for supplies — all while navigating a drowned digital city that bears an intentional resemblance to post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Russia caps the gas tap Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia's decision to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe is a "crucial" test, writes Christian Oliver. Zelenskyy predicted the West would prevail and called upon the European Union to begin its membership talks with Kyiv in the spring. In Other News Severe flooding inundates Houston after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. | Win McNamee/Getty Images Climate-Disaster PTSD: Storm after storm, climate change is increasing the strain on Texans' mental health. Tweet death: Extreme heat in California knocked a key Twitter data center offline. Question Corner The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply. Want to know more? Send me your questions and I'll get you answers.   A message from National Clean Energy Week:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A view of a well site at the Badger-Two Medicine area. | Bureau of Land Management Montana and Dakotas/Flickr In a surprise reversal, a federal court ordered the Interior Department to reinstate a 6,000-acre oil and gas lease on land sacred to the Blackfeet Nation. A provision in the Inflation Reduction Act could help California's efforts to move to zero-emissions vehicles. The European Commission has proposed measures to rein in electricity prices that will involve capping windfall profits of energy companies. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from National Clean Energy Week: Are you ready to join the national clean energy conversation? Save the date for the 6th annual National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), September 26-30 and REGISTER for the VIRTUAL Policy Makers Symposium on September 27-29! Tune in to hear from legislators, industry leaders, and clean energy advocates like YOU— thanks to NCEW sponsors, registration is 100% completely FREE for all attendees! NCEW is a weeklong celebration of the policies, industries, and innovations that power our daily lives while reducing emissions. Join us to recognize what an all-of-the-above clean energy future can bring: American energy independence, economic prosperity, & a healthier climate. Register for FREE here.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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