Congress is divided. Here’s where it may not be.

Presented by Clean Fuels Alliance America: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Nov 17, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Clean Fuels Alliance America Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol building. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images With Democrats holding onto the Senate and Republicans officially set to control the House , congressional discord and stagnation may seem inevitable over the next two years — to say nothing of intraparty squabbles. The GOP, after all, has already charted a course to thwart President Joe Biden's agenda, from launching disruptive oversight investigations to attempting to repeal historic climate funding already signed into law. But POLITICO's E&E News reporter Jeremy Dillion says when it comes to energy and climate policy, there may be some (narrow) room for agreement. "There likely won't be a big cross-chamber energy bill, but there will be areas where they can find bipartisan cooperation in these next two years," Jeremy said in an interview this morning. Those potential areas include boosting small nuclear reactors, carbon capture, hydrogen and climate-friendly farming practices. Down the bipartisan rabbit hole  Significant policy disputes between the two parties will likely prevent any major efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. But some clean energy technologies have garnered bipartisan support in the past. Provisions supporting small nuclear reactors and hydrogen, for example, were included in the bipartisan 2020 energy bill and last year's infrastructure legislation. And Republicans have already been kicking around ideas to streamline nuclear regulations. Technologies to trap carbon emissions from power plants and suck carbon directly out of the atmosphere are also increasingly supported by both parties. A major carbon removal bill is unlikely to pass during the busy lame-duck session, but some lawmakers are convinced there will be a bipartisan appetite to boost carbon removal startups in the next few years. Some must-pass measures like the farm bill reauthorization could also offer fertile ground (pun intended) for bipartisan action, such as boosting clean energy in rural areas and climate-friendly forestry practices like carbon sequestration. Partisanship isn't going anywhere The Republican's House majority is slim and divided . But when it comes to promoting oil and gas development, establishment Republicans and Freedom Caucus members are on the same page, which could offer them leverage to push against Biden's agenda. "When your caucus is in chaos, having a unified messaging bill can actually provide a way to unite members when everything else is falling apart," Jeremy said. "Oil and gas are the big winner." Whether Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California as House speaker can advance his party's fossil fuel priorities, such as reviving the Keystone XL pipeline and speeding up the pace of oil and gas leases on federal lands, is another matter.   It's Thursday — 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. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Zack Colman breaks down the European Union's embrace of the loss and damage fund and how that might shift the state of negotiations at COP27. on the hill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) arrives at the U.S. Capitol. | Francis Chung/E&E News Speaker Nancy Pelosi is ending her historic leadership of the House Democratic Caucus, opening the door to a new generation of Democratic leaders, writes Emma Dumain. The California Democrat, who has made combating the climate crisis a hallmark of her tenure, announced today that while she would not seek reelection to Democratic leadership, she would remain a member of Congress.   A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America: Clean fuels such as biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel are good for our farmers, our rural and urban communities, our economy, our country, and our planet. Representing fuel and feedstock producers and other members, Clean Fuels Alliance America is moving the industry onward to an even brighter future. Learn more at cleanfuels.org.   Power Centers The Iron Gate Dam on the lower Klamath River near Hornbrook, Calif. | Gillian Flaccus/AP Photo Dam good while it lasted The nation's top energy regulator unanimously approved the country's largest dam-removal project on the Klamath River, ending decades of debate and review, writes Jennifer Yachnin. The Lower Klamath Project's four hydroelectric dams in Oregon and California will be decommissioned, making way for restoration of more than 400 miles of the river's flow, and its salmon habitat, from southern Oregon to Northern California and then the Pacific Ocean. Republicans are so over Wall Street GOP lawmakers, who will be in the House majority come January, want to send a message to big financial firms: Stop appeasing the left with "woke" business practices, keep financing fossil fuels and cut ties with China, write Zachary Warmbrodt and Sam Sutton. Lawmakers are singling out major asset managers and their Washington trade groups as targets because of climate investing practices that Republicans see as hostile to oil, gas and coal. U.S. road block The United States is now seen as the biggest obstacle to what poor countries want most out of international climate talks — a new fund dedicated to help them bounce back from climate disasters, writes Jean Chemnick from Egypt. The overwhelming majority of countries at the U.N. climate conference are demanding a new funding mechanism to help developing nations deal with climate damage that is now unavoidable. Divisions over that issue could prevent leaders from reaching a decision at the summit.   A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America:   in other news The U.N. climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images PR: "Profoundly disturbing": the PR firm for the COP27 climate summit has a long history with oil majors. Energy crisis: Egypt dims the lights in Cairo to free up more gas for Europe.   POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP .     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Subway cars are parked at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail yard in New York. | AP Public transit, bicycles and scooters could be "the missing tool" that helps slash transportation emissions. The nation's top energy regulator, Richard Glick, said he has not spoken with Sen. Joe Manchin since the Democrat refused to confirm Glick for another term. California would nearly eliminate oil consumption, ramp up renewable electricity and capture carbon emissions from smoke stacks in a new, sweeping climate plan. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Less than one month to go to our POLITICO Live's Sustainable Future Week! From November 29 to December 1, we will delve into climate geopolitics, the circular economy, green energy, mobility, and tech. Limited spots to join us in Brussels for exclusive closed-door debates and networking moments with top policymakers and industry leaders. Find out who is joining us and register today .       A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America: Clean fuels such as biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel are good for our farmers, our rural and urban communities, our economy, our country, and our planet. In fact, the economic impacts of the clean fuels industry are significant. As of 2021, the clean fuels industry contributed a total U.S. economic impact (direct, indirect, induced) of $23.2 billion; supported 75,200 U.S. jobs throughout the economy/country; and paid $3.6 billion in wages. Representing fuel and feedstock producers and other members, Clean Fuels Alliance America is moving the industry onward to an even brighter future. Learn more at cleanfuels.org.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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