When wind power and conservation clash

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Mar 14, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell POLITICO illustration/Photos by AP, Naotake Murayama/Flickr (power plant) Marine protection advocates are butting heads with offshore wind developers in California — a clash that could undermine President Joe Biden’s climate goals, while further splintering the environmentalists whose vote he’s counting on in November. Morro Bay, four hours south of San Francisco, is the planned location of California’s first offshore wind farm, which the state needs if it’s going to ramp up clean energy and reduce planet-warming pollution, writes Heather Richards. But the surrounding waters also brim with nutrients that support diverse marine life. The Northern Chumash band, an Indigenous tribe recognized by California, has been fighting for years to designate the area as a marine sanctuary. The Biden administration is expected to grant that designation this summer — a move the offshore wind industry says will block access to a key entryway to the power grid. The wind power companies — Equinor, Golden State Wind and Invenergy California Offshore — are pushing the administration to carve out guaranteed paths for their power lines as it finishes the parameters of the sanctuary. Proponents of the sanctuary, meanwhile, say the companies should have to apply for permits to lay power lines through protected waters. The conflict is yet another example of the administration’s clean energy goals clashing with its priorities for environmental protection and tribal relations, Heather writes. The nation’s largest proposed lithium mine in Nevada, which would feed the electric vehicle industry, is under scrutiny for its potential degradation of surrounding habitat and Indigenous sacred sites. Solar farms in the West are impeding wildlife corridors, and the administration’s push to trap and transport carbon through designated pipelines is meeting opposition from environmental advocates. The Chumash sanctuary battle also comes at a challenging moment for Biden’s offshore wind ambitions. Inflationary costs, worker shortages and clogged supply chains have slowed deployment in the U.S. and driven up costs — imperiling Biden’s goal of reaching 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by decade’s end. If Biden fails to win over young, climate-conscious voters, he may lose reelection. That would hand another term to former President Donald Trump, who has pledged to ramp up production of a main driver of climate change and biodiversity loss: fossil fuels.   It's Thursday — 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.   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: Josh Siegel sits down with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), a vocal climate hawk, who explains why he thinks Biden’s climate record is "insufficient" to win young voters. Power Centers People wait to drive through the Holland Tunnel into New York City during morning rush hour traffic. | Ted Shaffrey/AP Here comes Biden's climate rule for cars The Biden administration is expected to unveil the final version of one of its most pivotal climate rules next week, write Jean Chemnick and Mike Lee. The long-awaited rule could result in two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in 2032 running on electricity. U.S. wind workers in Europe Garrison Biel, a 25-year-old American pile driver, spent much of the winter installing wind turbine foundations in the seabed off Scotland, writes Benjamin Storrow. U.S. wind workers leaving the country to install turbines overseas would have seemed unbelievable only a few years ago, when concerns were high that a shortage of American workers could create obstacles for Biden’s plans to install thousands of turbines to alleviate the effects of climate change. GOP rejects green pins House Republican leaders spent a reported $40,000 in January to replace the official pin given to all members. The decision was driven in part because the pins were green, writes Emma Dumain. Republicans feared that the outgoing Democratic majority of the 117th Congress picked the bright green color in honor of the Green New Deal. It's turns out, they weren't wrong. In Other News Climate law: A Belgian farmer is taking TotalEnergies to court, seeking climate damages. Want clean electricity? These are the overlooked elected officials who get to decide.   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. Flares burn off methane and other hydrocarbons at an oil and gas facility in Lenorah, Texas. | David Goldman/AP Oil and gas producers in the United States may be emitting three times more methane than EPA estimates, according to a study published in the journal Nature. The nation’s largest power market risks losing nearly 58,000 megawatts in mostly fossil fuel power before 2030, potentially driving up prices for consumers. Night was once a time of reprieve during wildfire season, when the cool air and moist ground would temporarily slow the spread of angry blazes. Drought is changing that. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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