Biden's climate goals may outlive this election

Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Nov 08, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future Voters line up to cast their ballots in Fort Worth, Texas. | Ron Jenkins/Getty Images President Joe Biden's climate goals could survive a Republican sweep in the midterm elections — if a dozen other pieces fall into place. That's according to a new analysis by a coalition of businesses and local leaders working to address rising temperatures, as POLITICO's E&E News reporter Jean Chemnick writes. Republicans are expected to gain control of the House and possibly the Senate after today's elections — and have already begun plotting ways to throw a wrench in the administration's clean energy agenda. While Biden can veto any congressional effort to undo the $370 billion of climate spending in the Inflation Reduction Act, lawmakers can make or break the implementation of the measure's programs. But the report, authored by America Is All In, concludes that a GOP-controlled Congress opposed to Biden's policies may not be able to stop the country from achieving the president's goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. That's because expanded state, local and private-sector climate actions, combined with federal regulations and recently passed legislation, could be enough to get the job done. As Chemnick notes, the report's assumptions about the country's decarbonization trajectory are somewhat aspirational. Forthcoming regulations for transportation, electricity, oil and gas, and other carbon sources would get the nation part of the way to its target, but actions by states, cities and businesses would need to close the gap. The analysis is meant to demonstrate to global leaders, many of them watching tonight's returns from COP 27 in Egypt, that the U.S. will hit its climate targets, no matter who wins federal elections. On the other hand, the Biden administration has yet to submit its formal road map for slashing emissions to the United Nations climate body. Former White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters that officials are working on it but that unveiling a formal plan is "not as simple as one might think." Reality check — Even if the United States, along with every other country, meets its climate targets, a U.N. report last month found planet-warming emissions will rise 10.6 percent by 2030. Staving off catastrophic warming would require a 43 percent reduction in emissions by decade's end, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Still, fighting climate change is not a zero-sum game. Every bit of emissions reduction helps.   It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to 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.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: How do we reach Paris Climate Agreement? With the partnership of reliable, affordable natural gas and renewables, we are passing important milestones and have already seen major drops in emissions. Natural gas and its infrastructure have the potential to support carbon reduction by offsetting coal. Natural gas supports renewables in a reliable way that accelerates the US, and the world's transition to a clean energy future. Learn more.   Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Zack Colman breaks down the United States' changing stance toward climate reparations and what climate-vulnerable countries are demanding. This Is Climate Change A satellite image of the Mississippi River Delta. | Michael Taylor, Adam Voiland/NASA Earth Observatory In a new study, scientists used NASA satellite observations and advanced computing to chronicle wetland and shoreline changes across Louisiana. They found that from 1984 to 2020, the area lost a total of 750 square miles at an average rate of 21 square miles every year. Some of those wetlands were lost to rising seas while others were ravaged by oil and gas infrastructure and hurricanes. But the primary driver was coastal and river engineering, which can boost or hurt coastlines depending on implementation. Power Centers Democrat Tim Ryan, who is running for U.S. Senate in Ohio, speaks at a rally. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images IRA is ... not unpopular Mention of the Inflation Reduction Act has been noticeably absent from the millions of dollars' worth of ads Republicans ran blasting Democrats in the lead-up to Tuesday's election, write Adam Aton and Scott Waldman. That's a far cry from 2010, when a flood of GOP ads targeted Democrats' climate plan. "There's not a single race where a Democrat is vulnerable because she or he voted for IRA or was pro-climate," said Kevin Curtis, executive director of the NRDC Action Fund. Carbon capture has landed A power company has announced plans to build the world's first utility-scale gas power plant with carbon capture in Texas, which it said would generate electricity with close to zero emissions, writes Carlos Anchondo. Construction on the roughly 300-megawatt project will start in 2024. The North Carolina-based Net Power LLC expects the facility to be online in 2026, putting it in a race to become one of only three full-sized power plants ever equipped to capture carbon dioxide emissions. Gas cap drama European Council President Charles Michel has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to put legislation on the table for an E.U. price cap on natural gas "as soon as possible," writes America Hernandez. The request comes on the heels of a meeting Monday during which the commission told member country representatives that capping the price of gas on E.U. markets was risky, nearly unworkable and not recommended, three E.U. diplomats said. in other news A candlelight vigil is held for Alaa Abd el-Fattah, an imprisoned activist in Egypt. | Rob Pinney/Getty Images Hunger strike: The hunger strike of a jailed British-Egyptian activist may dominate the COP 27 summit, Amnesty chief warns. Disappearing act: How climate change and rising sea levels are transforming coastlines around the world.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Pieces of the Spire STL natural gas pipeline awaiting construction. | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D) has waded into the fight over a Midwestern pipeline, asking federal regulators to ensure the company restores the property it damaged during construction. Studying climate change's impact on health isn't just for environmental researchers anymore — at least not according to the National Institutes of Health. European leaders have boasted about cutting their reliance on Russian gas since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. But that's only part of the truth. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .       A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: The U.S pledged to reduce emissions 50-52% by 2030. How do we reach Paris Climate Agreement? The route is mapped out to aggressively reduce CO2 emissions. With the partnership of reliable, affordable natural gas and renewables, we are passing important milestones and have already seen major drops in emissions. Academics and researchers agree that with the world's greatest interstate energy highway and the ability to transport zero-carbon fuels of the future like clean hydrogen already in existence, natural gas and its infrastructure have the potential to support carbon reduction. Natural gas supports renewables in a reliable way that helps the US, and the world, reach the Paris Climate Agreement. It's accelerating the journey to our clean energy future. Learn more.     DON'T MISS POLITICO'S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, "At a Crossroads: America's Defense Strategy" on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America's national security. REGISTER HERE .       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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