Get set for beaches, barbecues — and blackouts?

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

May 16, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Williams Electric transmission lines on a sunny day in San Francisco. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images This summer is shaping up to be a scorcher, prompting warnings that extreme heat waves could leave swaths of the country without power. The North American Electric Reliability Corp., an industry grid watchdog, says the U.S. Southwest, Midwest and Northeast face an elevated risk of blackouts if subjected to the record-shattering heat that has become more frequent as the planet warms, writes Catherine Morehouse. Cue the heated debate (pun intended) over whether the problem is climate change — or efforts to address climate change. The Biden administration is working to deploy clean power sources, such as wind and solar, to move the country away from burning the fossil fuels driving climate change. But Republicans and the power sector industry worry an electric grid powered by clean energy — which only works when the sun is shining, the wind is blowing and water is plentiful — won’t be able to meet demand during climate-fueled extreme weather. The nation’s demand for electricity is growing rapidly, as the population increases and energy-intensive data centers proliferate. Between that and dry conditions limiting the availability of hydropower this year, the electric grid is already strained. Throw in a heat wave or two, which increases the need for air conditioning, and the grid could have a hard time keeping up. While that sounds bad, it’s actually better than last summer when the majority of the country plus parts of Canada were at risk from potential blackouts. This year, the highest risk is limited to California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as well as the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. The difference this year is a notable uptick in solar and battery storage capacity, according to NERC. Grid operators from Texas to Montana have added enough new wind power and other backup energy to help meet expected demand for electricity this summer, according to NERC. And the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West and Great Plains region have all added enough solar and battery to hopefully stave off the risk of shortfalls. The question worth sweating over: Will it be enough?   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.   A message from Williams: Williams has been powering America with clean natural gas for more than a century, so we know what it takes to safely fuel progress. We can move toward a clean energy future while meeting rising energy demands—which is why we continue to invest in reliable, low-carbon clean energy projects that will help lower emissions nationwide and globally. The path to sustainability will be powered by experience—and experience powers us.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Alex Nieves breaks down why former President Donald Trump and California Republicans diverge on EVs and what that means for auto manufacturers and policymakers.   A message from Williams:   SCOTUS The U.S. Supreme Court. | Francis Chung/POLITICO The Biden administration and the regulatory state got an unexpectedly strong victory today from the Supreme Court, which rejected conservatives' arguments that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding stream, which bypasses Congress, violates the Constitution. The 7-2 decision doesn't necessarily mean the danger is over for other federal bodies whose power could be whittled by looming court decisions, including the Environmental Protection Agency. Still, the ruling marks a major setback for conservatives’ quest to rein in agencies' regulatory might and hand more power to Congress, write Katy O’Donnell and Josh Gerstein. Power Centers A dump truck in 2017 hauling coal at a mine near Gillette, Wyoming, in the Powder River Basin coal region. | Mead Gruver/AP Stop the coal mines The Interior Department said Thursday it will throttle future coal mining in the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, the nation’s largest coal-producing region, writes Scott Streater. The Bureau of Land Management proposal would reverse two Trump administration land use decisions by stopping new leases for coal development projects. But they do not end existing coal production in the basin. The bureau determined that existing coal mines will continue operating for decades. Speaking of coal... Concerns over air quality are mounting in Baltimore after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge blocked a critical shipping lane and left the small town of Curtis Bay with an open-air coal mound that’s piling up. Check out JC Whittington's video report here: A rare congressional feat Republican Florida Rep. Greg Steube invoked a rarely successful procedural tool, the so-called discharge petition, to compel a floor vote on his legislation to help victims of hurricanes, wildfires and the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, writes Anthony Adragna. Steube secured 218 signatories — a majority of the House — from more Democrats than Republicans. In Other News Politics: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that strikes climate change from state law. Environmental health: A new study suggests that climate change may worsen health conditions like dementia, epilepsy and depression.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF ENERGY POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like energy, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other. Our energy reporting team—including Ben Lefebvre, Alex Guillen and Kelsey Tamborrino—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of energy policy and the energy industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. President Joe Biden speaks on the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act at the White House last August. | Evan Vucci/AP Smelly but clean: President Joe Biden's climate law is funding "green ammonia" projects in hopes of using the chemical to power the grid, fuel cargo ships and make fertilizer. EPA has been relying on faulty data from states to determine how it doles out billions of dollars to remove lead pipes from water systems, the agency's internal watchdog said Thursday. The Biden administration has released additional guidance to help clean energy manufacturers and developers take advantage of tax credits tied to materials made in the U.S. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.       A message from Williams: At Williams, our experience speaks for itself. We have a 116-year history of turning innovation into action, continually transforming ourselves to protect the communities around us and help America meet rising energy demand with secure and affordable natural gas. That know-how has taught us the importance of prioritizing safety and reliability and drives our investments in emissions-reducing technologies. We are pioneering the next generation of trust and transparency through our NextGen Gas strategy, which provides low-emissions natural gas that has been securely tracked and independently certified. Our commitment to clean energy projects helps us deliver one third of the nation’s natural gas across 33,000 miles of energy infrastructure, while prioritizing safety and sustainability at every step. Together, we can reliably and affordably power the world while ushering in a clean energy future, because experience powers us.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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