The workers are staying home

May 05, 2023 View in browser   By Debra Kahn and Jordan Wolman THE WEEK THAT WAS NOT BACK TO GOOD — People aren't going back to the office. That's a compounding problem for transit agencies across the country that are grappling with the new normal, Danielle Muoio Dunn and Ry Rivard report. Transportation officials are finding that in the era of remote work, successful service means getting people all over the city at all hours. It’s no longer just about schlepping to work five days a week, especially in places seeing few commuters on weekdays. The problem is they don't have the money to innovate. The largest systems are still seeing less than 70 percent of their pre-pandemic traffic and are turning to city and state governments for new funding streams and taxes. Agencies face little choice but to sacrifice something if they want to woo new kinds of riders, which risks leaving those who still must commute literally stranded. “It would be nice to continue to support the regeneration of nightlife and theater and everything with even more frequent service,” said Janno Lieber, the head of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “But in fairness…it’s really not time to focus excessively on it until you’re confident that we’re filling the bucket.”   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGSITER HERE.     WHAT WE'VE LEARNED JOBS FOR WE BUT NOT FOR THEE — Some hand-wringing this week at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles about the Inflation Reduction Act's effect on global competitiveness: "How can any other country in the world compete?" asked Vineet Mittal, chair of Mumbai-based renewable energy developer Avaada Energy, which wants to get into green hydrogen but is worried about the IRA's insanely high $3-per-kilogram tax credit. "They're creating a lopsided market." That's kind of the point. On the other hand, when it comes to artificial intelligence, politicians and companies are more concerned about geopolitics than jobs. California Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged that AI is posing a "very real existential moment" for striking Hollywood writers but demurred on the prospects for state regulation. "We assert ourselves without first seeking to understand, and we overreact and we overcompensate," he said. (Writing jobs are green jobs, though, aren't they?) Other green jobs news: The United Auto Workers are withholding their reelection endorsement from President Joe Biden over concerns that electric vehicle factories don't pay well enough, Timothy Cama reports for POLITICO's E&E News. And here's a timely profile by E&E News' Emma Dumain of Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), who's trying to find a solution for steelworkers in her district who might lose their jobs to decarbonization. SHAREHOLDER SCOREBOARD ANTI-ESG MAKES SOME NOISE — The anti-ESG movement reared its head again this week, with Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ releasing his state’s “energy boycott” list, featuring some very familiar names. BlackRock, JP Morgan, Bank of America, State Street, Wells Fargo and eight other financial firms are now barred from doing business with the state. Oklahoma is the fourth state to blacklist firms for allegedly discriminating against the fossil fuel sector and pursuing environmental, social and governance policies. Now, all Oklahoma state entities — including public retirement systems — will need to divest from the 13 firms deemed to be boycotting fossil fuels within a year, according to a state law adopted last year. Russ had requested responses from nearly 160 institutions regarding their ESG policies. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that expands his administration's requirement that funds only consider pecuniary factors to cover all funds invested by public entities and public retirement plans. The law bans the state from issuing ESG bonds or paying to certify a public bond as an ESG bond. WASHINGTON WATCH Ports want to replace these cranes to keep up with a global supply chain that’s only projected to grow. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images PORT PUZZLE — Buy-American provisions in the 2021 infrastructure law are blocking ports from replacing diesel-powered equipment with lower-emissions models, Kayla Guo reports. Ports have $2 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to spend on cleaner and more-efficient equipment, but they can't spend it on Chinese-made cranes without an exemption from the law. There are no domestic alternatives. “Buying new equipment, buying more efficient equipment, buying electric equipment — it's kind of low-hanging fruit, so that's why ports want to do it,” American Association of Port Authorities Government Relations Manager Derek Miller said at his group's legislative summit in March. But “ports are unable to fully utilize the massive increases in grant funds to make some of those investments.” BUILDING BLOCKS RACE TO WHERE — States are competing with unusual intensity for electric vehicle investment, Hannah Northey and Mike Lee report for POLITICO's E&E News. Six states — Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Tennessee — have already pledged more than $1 billion each to EV or battery facilities, according to Good Jobs First, a nonprofit watchdog critical of government economic development subsidies. “It’s a pretty nasty battle between states,” said Nate Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas who studies economic development policy. Among the questions raised by the fight: Whether the tax breaks pencil out for the states; whether the companies would have located there anyway; and whether the states are hostile to worker protections. YOU TELL US GAME ON — Happy Friday! 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 reporters Jordan Wolman and Allison Prang. Reach us at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com and aprang@politico.com. Want more? You can have it. Sign up for the Long Game. Four days a week and still free. That’s sustainability! WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — A Texas startup is trying to build out a system for converting abandoned oil and gas wells into storage for renewable energy. Bloomberg takes a look. — The FAA has been sued by environmental groups accusing the agency of failing to consider the impact of letting Elon Musk launch rockets from South Texas, the AP reports. — A shipping industry lobby group representing four-fifths of the world’s fleet is urging companies to weigh the consequences of committing to net-zero emissions. The AP has that one, too.   DON’T MISS THE POLITICO ENERGY SUMMIT: A new world energy order is emerging and America’s place in it is at a critical juncture. Join POLITICO on Thursday, May 18 for our first-ever energy summit to explore how the U.S. is positioning itself in a complicated energy future. We’ll explore progress on infrastructure and climate funding dedicated to building a renewable energy economy, Biden’s environmental justice proposals, and so much more. REGISTER HERE.       Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman Allison Prang @AllisonPrang   Follow us

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