What this $6B power line means for clean energy

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Mar 01, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by A view of Lower Manhattan in New York City at dusk. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images New York’s electric grid is about to get a hydropower makeover. It only took 15 years and $6 billion dollars, but a 339-mile underwater power line from Quebec to Queens is in the final stages of approval — a rare success story in a country that has repeatedly failed to install major transmission lines, writes POLITICO’s E&E News reporter Miranda Willson. To meet its ambitious climate change goals, the Biden administration will need to facilitate miles of long-distance power lines to move low-carbon resources like solar and wind electricity to cities and towns. Overcoming local opposition to get those lines approved, not to mention paid for, has long been a thorn in the government’s side. That’s why some Democratic lawmakers support easing project permitting requirements (though not if it also means expediting fossil fuel infrastructure). The developers of the Champlain Hudson Power Express spent years courting local communities’ support, including by pledging millions of dollars for city projects, Miranda writes. If there’s a lesson to be learned from CHPE, or “Chippy," it may be that the long game pays off. The project’s success is good news for New York, considering the gap between its clean power goals and current energy mix. The state aims to get 70 percent of its electricity from low-carbon sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040. As of 2021, less than a third of the state’s power comes from solar, wind and hydropower. The new power line, which will carry hydropower from a network of dams in Canada, has an estimated completion date in 2026. It is expected to provide 20 percent of the state’s electricity needs — a significant boost for clean power. Hydropower is also constant, meaning it can offer reliable power when solar and wind ebb with the weather. Still, the project is not without its risks. The power line will run under the Hudson River and Lake Champlain, which has spurred environmental groups to worry about potential harm to ecosystems, including fish species. The Hudson River is already under stress from years of chemical pollution. To assuage concerns, the developers chose routes that bypass sensitive areas and have allocated $117 million for restoring and protecting fish habitats in both water bodies. But the power line could also offer potential environmental justice benefits in New York by leading to the retirement of so-called peaker plants. Peaker plants, which provide power for the grid when demand is particularly high, are disproportionately located in low-income communities of color and emit toxic air pollution.   It's Wednesday— 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 bp: We’re investing in EV charging infrastructure across the US as one of our transition growth engine businesses. We are deploying EV chargers in 17 states across the US and counting. See how we’re advocating for good policy to help us go further, faster.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Annie Snider breaks down the lawsuit North Carolina community groups filed against EPA for not adequately testing the water and air for PFAS chemicals.   A message from bp:   Power Centers A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. | David Goldman/AP Photo EPA’s methane gambit EPA has proposed something new, and oil and gas advocates are sounding the alarm, writes Jean Chemnick. The agency’s draft methane rules released last fall would, for the first time, give citizens and communities a formal role in policing pollution leaks. The program would compel oil and gas operators to inspect reported leaks within five days of being notified by third-party monitors and to make any fixes within 10 days. Compromise? Maybe not. Republicans looking for Democratic buy-in to overhaul federal permitting for energy projects will need to try harder — or resign themselves to a partisan project, write Emma Dumain and Kelsey Brugger. At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday, Democrats expressed skepticism of the GOP plan, which would make dramatic changes to the National Environmental Policy Act as a vehicle for permitting changes. Greta watch Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was briefly carried off by Norwegian police Wednesday during an anti-wind farm protest, writes Nicolas Camut. Along with Indigenous and climate activists, Thunberg was protesting the construction of the largest wind farm project in Europe, which is partly located on land traditionally used by the Sami Indigenous people. In Other News Come again? BP CEO Bernard Looney said Tuesday that more oil and gas investment is good for the climate fight. A look back: Seven ways former President Jimmy Carter has improved America’s energy future — or tried to.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE 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. 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A resident of Kyiv, Ukraine, displays a solar panel that can power an entire apartment for several hours. | Andrew Kravchenko/AP Photo As Russia's war continues, low-carbon energy has gained wider public support in Ukraine as a reliable power source amid fighting that has spurred rolling blackouts. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) plans to vote in favor of undoing a Biden administration ESG investing rule, a move that will likely ensure it reaches the president's desk. Occidental Petroleum is delaying the start date of the world's largest plant to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air, even as the company unveils plans for a related pipeline network. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from bp: We are proud of our 150-year history in the United States, and we’re committed to America for the long-term as we transform our company in line with our ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, and help the world get there too. bp is a top energy investor in the US: · Over $130 billion invested here since 2005 · 245,000 jobs supported across the country · $60 billion added by our businesses to the national economy in 2021 · Over $100 million donated to community programs over the past five years · Working to deliver the energy America needs today while developing lower carbon alternatives See how we are advocating for good policy to help us go further, faster.     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. 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