GOP trashes Biden’s climate corps as ‘stupid’

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Mar 19, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) is one of the American Climate Corps' chief antagonists. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Conservative lawmakers don’t just hate President Joe Biden’s $8 billion plan to train 50,000 young people in green jobs. They really, REALLY hate it, writes Emma Dumain. “Not to be dramatic,” the Senate Western Caucus, a conservative-leaning group of lawmakers, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “but lighting $8 billion on fire would probably be a better use of money and time.” Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas — who introduced a bill called the “Cancelling Climate Crusaders Act” that would ban the program — told Emma he agreed the program was, indeed, “that stupid.” The American Climate Corps is a modern-day version of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, which sought to ease unemployment during the Great Depression. Republicans made some noise when Biden formally established the program by executive order last fall, but his request last week for $8 billion to fund it has sent lawmakers into a tizzy. The Republican National Committee listed the program as an example of the “woke BS” Biden included in his fiscal 2025 budget wish list. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) blasted the program on X, calling it “a radical green energy training program that will focus on ‘equity and environmental justice.’” While opposition from GOP lawmakers is perhaps unsurprising — given their objection to even wearing green House pins — the extent of their vitriol underscores just how difficult it will be for Democrats to erect a program 15 years in the making. The American Climate Corps was first popularized by progressive environmental advocates as a way to offer job training to young people while prioritizing work in the communities most affected by climate change and pollution. According to the administration’s official announcement, climate corps participants will “gain the skills necessary to access good-paying jobs” while working on a range of projects that tackle climate change, such as wetland restoration, clean energy deployment and wildfire management. GOP lawmakers say there is little interest in the program outside Washington. But one poll from the left-leaning Data for Progress found that 71 percent of all likely voters surveyed last October supported the concept of an American Climate Corps — and 58 percent of poll respondents identified as Republican.   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. And folks, let's keep it classy.   A message from Enbridge: Can we grow our economy and reduce emissions? It’s proven we can. The key? Natural gas. Last year, US GHG emissions dropped 2% year-over-year driven by switching from coal to natural gas in power generation. Significantly, the emissions drop occurred at the same time US GDP increased by 2.6%. Read more about the role of natural gas to reduce global emissions.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Matt Daily breaks down the pushback to Biden’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, which calls for the U.S. to have an abundant and diverse energy mix.   On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more.     Power Centers Then-President Donald Trump talks with economist Art Laffer after awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom on June 19, 2019, in the Oval Office of the White House. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Trump Fed contender: Bring on a carbon tax Economist Art Laffer, a contender for Federal Reserve chair in a second Trump administration, enthusiastically supports a carbon tax, writes Scott Waldman. If he makes the cut, Laffer told Scott that he plans to suggest the tool to Trump — who rejects climate science and has pledged to “drill, drill, drill” in a potential second term. 'Automakers' free ride is over' The Biden administration has released a new vehicle rule — one of several expected in the coming days — that would push automakers to build more fuel-efficient or electric vehicles, writes Mike Lee. The Energy Department softened its “petroleum equivalency factor” after complaints from the car industry, but environmentalists said the final rule is still strict enough. “The automakers’ free ride is over,” said Pete Huffman with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Escaping Russia’s nuclear grasp In a historic shift, Bulgaria is asking the United States to help it reduce its dependency on Russia for nuclear power, writes Gabriel Gavin. The move could mean a loss of revenue for Moscow, which has relied in part on its multibillion-dollar trade in nuclear fuel to finance two-plus years of war in Ukraine. In Other News Something in the air: New research has found that the majority of the world's population breathes unsafe air. 'Armpit of the universe': A window into the persistent inequities of environmental policy.   A message from Enbridge:     JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The idea of spraying substances into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight has raised concerns among some scientists. | Charlie Riedel/AP Harvard University ended a solar geoengineering research project after years of setbacks derailed efforts to infuse small parts of the sky with sunlight-blocking aerosols. The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto Republican legislation that would gut key pieces of Democrats’ signature climate law. Interest is booming in new provisions created under Democrats' climate law to expand clean energy into new communities that historically have not been able to use tax incentives. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from Enbridge: The energy industry continues to reduce emissions from natural gas. At Enbridge, we know the value of using all the tools in the toolbox to meet this objective. Here are a few examples. We were the first utility in North America to blend hydrogen into natural gas, lowering its carbon content. We’re investing up to $1 billion in facilities that will turn food waste into carbon negative renewable natural gas. And, we’re piloting technologies and equipment to avoid venting methane throughout our system. Enbridge is also investing in carbon capture and storage sites across North America with phased in-service dates expected in late 2026. We believe the onus is on industry to reduce emissions. And with the innovation and work underway, natural gas will remain a key part of our clean energy future. Read more.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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