Down to the crossroads

A newsletter from POLITICO for leaders building a sustainable future.

Jun 04, 2024 View in browser   By Allison Prang and Gregory Mott THE BIG IDEA POLITICO's Energy Summit will explore the policy crossroads reflected by the conflicting perspectives represented by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. | AP CLIMATE CLASH — The looming election battle between a sitting U.S. president who has spearheaded a massive effort to fight global warming and a predecessor who is promising to undo much of that work serves as the backdrop for Wednesday’s POLITICO Energy Summit, which will bring together top voices to explore the politics of energy. Neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump will be on stage, but we will hear views on the shifting global policy environment and examine how governments are crafting rules for the future with the help of administration officials and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle alongside key figures from industry, academia and the activist community. Featured speakers include Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Willie Phillips, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi and Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who has been a strong backer of efforts to expand U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas. A pair of Republican senators from states that are among the nation’s biggest producers of fossil fuels — Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — will bring views from Capitol Hill along with Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and GOP members of two congressional climate caucuses. Former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who currently serves as director of the White House Office of Goverment Affairs, will discuss the rollout of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law in the wake of reporting from a POLITICO investigation that shows only a small portion of that money has been distributed. We will also explore questions around U.S. leadership in global energy and climate policy in conversations with leaders from the left, the right and Wall Street who will discuss the energy futures they envision. Interested in watching live? Details on how you can do that are below. LIVE EVENT: Join POLITICO's annual Energy Summit on Wednesday, June 5, at 11:45 a.m. EST for exclusive conversations with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi, FERC Chair Willie Phillips, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and more. RSVP required to attend, or watch here. WASHINGTON WATCH WEIGHING IN ON PLASTICS — The U.S. role in the ongoing global plastics treaty talks was a topic of discussion at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit on Tuesday, and as usual the Biden administration's representative held fast to the middle ground between nations — including key allies — calling for production cuts and others — including key rivals — urging a focus on waste management, Allison reports. “I think it’s the challenge of finding a landing zone that’s truly meaningful in some sense but that doesn’t sort of go so far down the road of trying to tell every country exactly what to do to solve plastics problems that they face,” said John Thompson, deputy assistant secretary for environment at the State Department. “It’s finding that balance that will be the challenge.” The administration has faced criticism from allies and activists alike for its resistance to joining the High Ambition Coalition of countries pushing for production cuts. Thompson highlighted the importance of having private sector’s involvement in addressing plastics pollution. The U.S. faces challenges similar to the global plastics pollution problem within its own borders, Thompson said. While we do well in keeping plastics out of the ocean, that’s not the case when it comes to recycling, he noted, saying it’s an issue where “we have to do better both at home and abroad.” “The truth is we’re not gonna solve this problem," he said. "It’s multifaceted. It’s incredibly complex. This global agreement needs to push everybody in the right direction.” The fifth and final scheduled round of treaty talks is set to take place later this year. AROUND THE NATION WEATHER WAR — A group that has spent years attacking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate data is working to stand up its own group of temperature sensors around the U.S. to disprove global warming, Scott Waldman of POLITICO’s E&E News reports. The Heartland Institute’s effort is being spearheaded by senior fellow Anthony Watts, a meteorologist who has downplayed climate science and also alleged that NOAA’s temperature data is inaccurate because of a phenomenon called the heat island effect, or the concept that urban centers experience warmer temperatures compared to other areas. “Climate change is the excuse given for ESG scores, carbon taxes, the Green New Deal, and all other forms of economic destruction,” Heartland wrote in a note to prospective donors. “The public must have easy access to comparable scientific data that directly dispute the left’s claim of impending environmental disaster.” Heartland didn’t respond to multiple requests to learn more about the sensors, but according to an email sent to supporters, at least one station has been installed. Watts also did not respond to requests for comment. Gavin Schmidt, a climate modeler and director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, dismissed Watts’ allegations and said NOAA accounts for the heat island effect in its data. “It’s just Anthony Watts,” Schmidt said. “It’s one guy who keeps repeating himself every decade.” DATA DUMP — States across the country are weighing the pros and cons of trying to get in on the data center boom amid concerns that the power-thirsty facilities could keep states from reaching their renewable energy targets, E&E's Adam Aton reports. The industry’s rapid expansion, which has been cited as a reason why U.S. energy demand is projected to grow significantly for the first time in decades, is raising questions from climate hawks as well as some Republicans. But those questions have done little so far to slow the advance, and some lawmakers who back incentives to attract data centers say the trade-offs are ones activists will need to get used to as climate tech goes increasingly digital. “Everything we’re doing to fight climate change requires more energy production,” said Michigan state Rep. Joey Andrews, a Democrat who has riled environmentalists by sponsoring legislation to offer data centers a sales tax exemption. “We have to constantly be scaling our energy production to meet the increased energy demands of decarbonizing — which, you know, seems counterproductive. But that’s the way it is.” YOU TELL US GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. Join us every Tuesday as we keep you in the loop on the world of sustainability. Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott and reporters Jordan Wolman and Allison Prang. Reach us all at gmott@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com and aprang@politico.com. Sign up for the Long Game. It's free! WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — Researchers from University College London and the International Institute for Sustainable Development argue that existing fossil fuel capacity is sufficient to meet future demand, the Financial Times reports. — Detroit’s successful effort to revitalize its downtown area has relied on tapping a key local resource: billionaires. Bloomberg explains. — Could feeding Hawaiian seaweed to cows reduce methane emissions from their digestive systems? The Associated Press looks at an effort to answer that question.   Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman Allison Prang @AllisonPrang   Follow us

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