How Tucker Carlson (and NIMBYs) are blocking offshore wind

Jul 18, 2023 View in browser   By Debra Kahn THE BIG IDEA Tucker Carlson's crusade against offshore wind is part of a growing backlash. | Fox News A MIGHTY WIND — A politically potent, curious-bedfellows coalition is forming to block offshore wind projects across the country. POLITICO's E&E News' Ben Storrow traces the movement's growth, from a handful of commercial fishing interests and beach groups to a January segment on Tucker Carlson's then-Fox News show. The guest on Carlson’s program was Meghan Lapp, a prominent offshore wind critic who works at a Rhode Island seafood processor called Seafreeze. Lapp argues that wind companies' seabed-mapping sonar surveys are hurting humpback whales in particular — and that “offshore wind is the single greatest threat to U.S. commercial fishing." The scientific picture is more complicated. Scientists say offshore wind does pose potential risks to marine wildlife — and they're more concerned about right whales, whose numbers are plummeting and who congregate in southern New England waters where more than a dozen wind projects are on the drawing board. But they worry the controversy over sonar and humpback whales is distracting from attempts to protect the giant mammals from real dangers related to offshore wind, such as increased boat traffic or the construction of projects near an important feeding ground. And they say those harms need to be weighed against a far greater threat to marine life — climate change. Soaring temperatures endanger the entire marine ecosystem, including whales, by blanching coral reefs, altering feeding grounds and changing migration patterns. “Climate change is the big story,” said Barbara Sullivan-Watts, a retired marine biologist from the University of Rhode Island. “If we prevent building renewable energy — there is a big attempt to prevent solar farms and offshore wind farms — we’re missing the big picture.”   UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW.     SUPPLY CHAINS MINERALS MORASS — The Biden administration is making inroads in Africa on critical minerals, Hannah Northey reports for POLITICO's E&E News. Officials are mulling helping build a railroad that will cross the continent and showing political support for a nickel processing plant in Tanzania, among other projects. It's a triple play: If it works, the administration will secure, open up and diversify markets crucial to U.S. and global climate goals while forging deals that enrich African countries — all while meeting high labor and environmental standards that critics have long complained are absent from Chinese deals. But it's a tough road. The government is pushing for deals in countries where mining has historically been associated with environmental and labor abuses instead of driving prosperity. And the U.S. faces stiff competition with China. “The history is not good for critical minerals,” said Tom Sheehy, a fellow with the Africa Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan, independent institute established by Congress. “I credit the administration for making the effort. Whether or not they have sufficient resources to succeed is a big question. … It’s not going to be easy.” CRITICAL THINKING — Experts at the Wilson Center's symposium last week on critical minerals in the North American Arctic said they'd explore the following research questions, Sue Allan reports: Duncan Wood, vice president for strategy and new initiatives, Wilson Center: We extract in one place, we move that ore to another place to refine, it maybe goes to another place to be further processed. If we can do more of this on the site of the mine — or very, very close by — we're reducing our carbon emissions just from transportation. That's a big deal. You’re also reducing your costs. Emily J. Holland, assistant professor, US Naval War College: Mining has very bad PR. There is this obvious need to increase responsible mining in a variety of places. But if you tend to poll people about their thoughts on mining, they don't want it in their neighborhood. I want to know what we have to communicate to communities to get them to view mining as all of these things — as greener, as going to build the community, as working towards a larger project. Erin Whitney, director, Arctic Energy Office, U.S. Department of Energy: How they might use new energy sources, greener energy sources — whether that's [small modular reactors], whether it's fossil fuel sources combined with carbon capture. There are a lot of incentives and programs to do that. WASHINGTON WATCH PFAS TO THE FEDS — A trade group lobbying for weaker regulations on "forever chemicals" is widening its focus from state legislatures to Congress, our Jordan Wolman reports. The Sustainable PFAS Action Network, which includes Honeywell, Intel and other aerospace, semiconductor and refrigeration companies, is pushing Congress to include a narrower definition of "forever chemicals" and an essential-use exemption process in bipartisan legislation currently moving through the Senate. The group wrote in a letter Friday to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that those and other industries are being "inadvertently impacted by unnecessarily broad state-level PFAS legislation." The group has been active in Maine and Minnesota, each of which has banned PFAS in consumer products. Movers and Shakers WELLS FARGO TO OCC — Tim Stumhofer is the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's new director of climate risk, in charge of integrating "climate risk into the OCC’s operations to help the agency deliver on its mandate of ensuring the safety and soundness of the US banking system." He's coming to OCC from Wells Fargo, where he served as director of climate alignment. GORDON MOVES ON — Kate Gordon, a senior adviser to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and clean-energy policy veteran, is leaving the position after two years, Abby Shepherd reports for POLITICO's E&E News. Gordon, who's had stints at Tom Steyer's Next Generation think tank and California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office of Planning and Research, didn't say what her next steps will be. YOU TELL US GAME ON — 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 all at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com and aprang@politico.com. Want more? Don’t we all. Sign up for the Long Game. Four days a week and still free! WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — Tucker Carlson's new Twitter show is selling ads to an anti-ESG shopping app, CNBC reports. — Ezra Klein mulls the origins of Democrats' building woes in the New York Times. — BlackRock named the CEO of the world's largest oil company to its board, Reuters reports. Cue the thinkpieces!   HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Cut through the jargon and get the latest developments in California as lawmakers and industry leaders adapt to the changing climate. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.       Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman Allison Prang @AllisonPrang   Follow us

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