Offshore wind's new headwind: Trump

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Mar 05, 2024 View in browser   By Christian Robles Presented by Chevron Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks in Maryland last month. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Donald Trump’s staunch opposition to wind turbines — on the unsubstantiated grounds that they cause cancer and kill whales — is keeping offshore wind executives up at night. The fledgling industry is nervous that the former president will create a permitting nightmare should he win in November, writes Benjamin Storrow. One anonymous industry official told Benjamin a Trump victory is a “terrifying” prospect, adding, “I think anyone who is telling themselves that they’ll find a way around it is kidding themselves.” Tonight, Trump is poised to win the lion’s share of delegates in 15 states over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in his seemingly inevitable march to the Republican presidential nomination. And a recent poll of likely voters by The New York Times shows Trump leading President Joe Biden by 4 percentage points. The Trump campaign did not respond to Benjamin for a request for comment. But congressional Republicans have called for a moratorium on offshore wind development, and Trump has already spent years on the anti-wind bandwagon. “Trump has been quite vocal about his dislike for offshore wind,” said Mads Nipper, CEO of the Danish wind giant Ørsted, at a recent event with financial analysts. Permitting is “the biggest risk in case of a Trump administration,” he added. Trump’s policy platform, known as Agenda 47, makes no mention of offshore wind but vows to eliminate “insane wind subsidies.” Trump’s allies have proposed repealing Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provides subsidies to clean energy projects like offshore wind. The offshore wind industry also remembers Trump’s first term, when the Interior Department nearly derailed Vineyard Wind — a 62-turbine development off the coast of Massachusetts — by unexpectedly ordering an additional, sweeping environmental review. A second Trump administration would put offshore wind projects without federal permits most at risk, said Tim Fox, an analyst at ClearView Energy Partners. Federal agencies could divert resources away from offshore wind permitting and toward fossil fuel projects, he said. The administration could even agree to reconsider existing permits that have been challenged in court, though Fox called that a less likely worst-case scenario. Should Trump win, offshore wind would also likely become a battleground between blue states and the administration. Democratic-led states, particularly in the Northeast, are banking on offshore wind energy to help them achieve their climate goals. States like New York and New Jersey have recently awarded new power contracts to wind developers, while three more states are accepting bids for contracts this year. “These states have their own climate, renewable targets,” said Kevin Beicke, an analyst who tracks the industry at Morningstar. “They’re going to go for it and try to get these offshore wind projects done no matter what the federal government wants to do.”   A message from Chevron: Chevron knows methane management is critical for a lower carbon future. We’re striving to lead in methane management with innovative practices, partnerships, and new technologies. These are a few ways we’re aiming to keep methane in the pipe.     It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Christian Robles. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to crobles@eenews.net.   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.     Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman breaks down John Kerry’s legacy as he steps down from his post as Biden's top climate diplomat.   A message from Chevron:   Power Centers Department of Energy headquarters in Washington. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Inside the DOE appropriations package A bipartisan spending bill making its way through Congress would increase the Department of Energy's budget to $50.25 billion, around $1.8 billion higher than fiscal 2023, while cutting funds for an office tasked with lowering carbon emissions, write Brian Dabbs and Carlos Anchondo. The bill increases funding for nuclear power programs and the DOE Office of Science, but cuts budgets for carbon capture technology research and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. Funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as state and community energy programs, would hold steady. DOE funding will lapse this week unless Congress passes the funding bill. Other agencies, like the Interior and Transportation departments, are also at risk of shutting down. Republicans target D.C.'s electric vehicle 'mandate' The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is slated to mark up a bill that would block the District of Columbia from adopting California's stringent tailpipe pollution rules, writes Kelsey Brugger. In December, D.C. finalized a law that would require all new vehicles registered in the city to be zero-emissions by 2035, giving car companies time to increase electric vehicle sales. House Republicans say the move would increase costs for Americans while environmentalists say it would improve public health in a city with high asthma rates. Other critics say the markup hearing is part of a larger concerning trend of Congress meddling in local D.C. affairs. BLM emphasizes public lands conservation In what one public lands expert described as a "culture change," the Bureau of Land Management is designing policy to protect public lands from oil, gas and mineral exploration, writes Scott Streater. Over the past year, the Biden administration has sought to implement protections from mineral leasing and development for 2.2 million acres of public lands, the equivalent of the total landmass of Delaware and Rhode Island. The move could be a preview of a forthcoming landmark conservation and landscape health rule. Critics of BLM's pivot say a heavy emphasis on conservation betrays the bureau's mandate to accommodate a range of uses on the 245 million acres of land it manages. Supporters say the shift is necessary for an agency that has historically favored industry interests over conservation. In Other News Energy-efficient home: Aurora Ferrari, a native of Italy, constructed one of Washington's first net-zero homes, offering lessons for homebuilders nationwide. IVF ruling's environmental connection: The Alabama Supreme Court's ruling that frozen embryos are children has placed national attention on assisted reproduction services — which some people need because exposure to toxic chemicals from fossil fuels and plastics makes it difficult for them to have offspring.   A message from Chevron: By 2028, our upstream methane intensity target is set to be 53% below the 2016 baseline. To help us get there, we’ve trialed over 13 advanced methane technologies including satellites, planes, drones, and fixed sensors to help reduce methane emissions intensity. In the Permian, we have deployed real-time autonomous optimizers that continuously monitor facilities and well conditions to help prevent flaring, venting and well shutdowns. Developing new solutions to provide energy that’s affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner, that’s energy in progress.   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Author Dana Fisher says President Joe Biden can't count on climate activists to support his reelection. | Dana Fisher Climate activist and scholar Dana Fisher explained to E&E News why President Joe Biden can't count on support from greens this November. Ethanol producer Valero announced it is joining a major carbon dioxide pipeline network in the Midwest, handing the project an $8 billion boost. Green groups accused NOAA of failing to adequately protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales after one was found dead off the coast of Georgia due to a collision with a boat. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The stakes are high as America's health care community strives to meet the evolving needs of patients and practitioners, adopt new technologies and navigate skeptical public attitudes toward science. Join POLITICO’s annual Health Care Summit on March 13 where we will discuss the future of medicine, including the latest in health tech, new drugs and brain treatments, diagnostics, health equity, workforce strains and more. REGISTER HERE.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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