The Biden climate slowdown?

Presented by Chevron: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Mar 01, 2024 View in browser   By Jack Quinn Presented by Chevron EPA Administrator Michael Regan speaks in Ohio earlier this month as President Joe Biden listens. | Andrew Harnik/AP Lofty White House goals for slashing carbon pollution during the next 10 years are hitting another barrier. As Jean Chemnick reported Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency is postponing final action on a rule that would limit carbon dioxide emissions from about 2,000 existing gas-fired power plants. The decision is likely to push one of the administration’s most important rules in the fight against global warming until after the November election. EPA is still expected to complete a rule this spring that would require coal-burning power plants and any future gas generators to limit heat-trapping climate emissions. Jean reported today that the decision to delay action on the existing gas plants was a victory for the EPA — which wanted time to work on a more comprehensive, legally defensible rule — over the White House, which had pushed to go faster. Sound familiar? The latest move comes a week after POLITICO and other media outlets reported that EPA is leaning toward a less-aggressive option for regulating car and truck tailpipe pollution. Analysts say the slower pace of emissions cuts for cars that run on gasoline could mean that electric vehicle sales before 2030 are slower than President Joe Biden had once envisioned — even if they dramatically speed up afterward. Biden is still pursuing the most ambitious array of climate actions of any president, basically ever. But the Earth’s warming is also roaring ahead — the planet may be less than six years away from exceeding the most ambitious temperature target of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. That’s one reason green groups and congressional climate advocates were split on the decision to push the regulation on existing gas plants to another day. Another reason: By this time next year, former President Donald Trump, who has pledged to wipe clean the Biden climate agenda, could be the one directing the EPA’s policies. “Time is not on our side, and the agency’s generally lethargic rulemaking pace does not leave one optimistic,” said Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Why gas matters The power sector accounts for the second largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S., behind only transportation. Gas-powered electricity generation accounted for roughly the same CO2 output as coal generation in 2023, and is likely to take over the top spot in 2024. Energy companies and groups worried about higher energy costs have fought proposed limits on natural gas. But one environmental group said there’s logic in the decision to delay EPA’s gas rule until the agency can craft a stronger version. Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen characterized the EPA delay as a “more ambitious strategy” meant to “ensure that new standards do not shift pollution to dirty, uncontrolled plants and the communities they pollute.” That echoed EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who said dealing with the gas standard later will result in a “stronger, more durable” regulation that better protects people in disadvantaged communities.   It's Friday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Jack Quinn. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jquinn@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: Wes Venteicher breaks down the high price tag of California’s climate ambitions.   A message from Chevron: Energy demand is projected to reach record highs and continue to rise in the future. Chevron is responding to that growing need while innovating to help do so responsibly. All to help us provide energy that’s affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner.   Power Centers Federal Energy Regulatory Commission nominee Judy Chang. President Joe Biden announced her and two others Thursday. | Chang/LinkedIn FERC nominee parlor game White House nominations to fill seats at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission move the agency closer to full strength, but they won’t resolve disagreements over climate and energy issues, Carlos Anchondo and Nico Portuondo write. Biden nominated Republican Lindsay See and Democrats Judy Chang and David Rosner as FERC weighs major electric transmission rules and contentious permitting decisions for liquefied natural gas projects. If all nominees are confirmed, the commission would sit at a 3-2 split in favor of Democrats. Either Rosner or Chang will succeed Commissioner Allison Clements, who plans to leave FERC when her term expires in June. “We will be watching for these candidates to commit to weighing climate, environmental justice, health, and consumer cost impacts heavily in any decision they make. The courts have repeatedly said FERC must factor in these considerations,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said. Fate of climate resolutions One of the fossil fuel industry’s most powerful advocates is intervening in Exxon Mobil’s bid to outlaw investor-led climate resolutions, Lesley Clark writes. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed an amicus brief alongside Business Roundtable in federal court on Thursday, siding with Exxon in the company’s lawsuit challenging a since-dropped shareholder proposal that called on the oil giant to reduce its carbon emissions. The chamber has also publicly opposed a proposal the Securities and Exchange Commission is set to consider next week requiring public companies to disclose climate risks. “The SEC has assumed a central role in activists’ effort to inject the nation’s most intractable social and political debates into the agendas of public corporations,” attorneys for the two business groups wrote. States sign up for climate cash Today marks the deadline for 45 states to submit climate and energy plans to EPA, an action tied to a federal grant program, Adam Aton writes. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program offered $3 million to states to develop a climate plan by the deadline of March 1, which will be followed by an April 1 deadline to apply for implementation grants valued up to $500 million per state. The governors of South Dakota, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa and Wyoming decided not to sign on to the program. EPA will eventually award up to $4.3 billion to states to implement their climate plans, though not all project proposals will be approved.   A message from Chevron:   In Other News Going nuclear: Canada will expedite the approval of new nuclear reactors, but won’t exempt them from environmental reviews. Stocking up: U.S. commercial crude oil stocks rose by 4.2 million barrels last week, three times higher than previously projected.   A message from Chevron: Oil and gas are still an important part of the global energy system. To help responsibly address growing needs, Chevron is stepping up. Our Gulf of Mexico facilities are some of the world’s lowest carbon intensity operations, and our technological advances enable us to reach previously unviable oil and gas reserves there. In the Permian Basin, we’re harnessing new drilling and completion technologies to increase the amount of oil we recover. We expect to reach 1 million barrels of oil-equivalent there per day by 2025. Providing energy that’s affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner. That’s energy in progress.   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Department of Energy has released energy efficiency standards for washing and drying machines. | Tim Boyle/Getty Images New efficiency rules for dishwashers and washing machines were released Thursday. The measures are expected to save U.S. households $2.2 billion per year and avoid 71 million tons of carbon emissions. Global carbon emissions from the energy sector hit an all-time high in 2023, but grew slower than expected thanks to record renewable energy installations in advanced economies. A federal court issued a split decision partially rolling back an Obama-era EPA order for states to drop liability shields on air pollution control requirements. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!   YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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