What Curtis’ victory in Utah means for climate

Presented by Southern Environmental Law Center: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Jun 26, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by  Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) addressing supporters in Provo, Utah, after his victory Tuesday. | Rick Bowmer/AP A Republican who says he wants to tackle climate change is almost certainly headed to the Senate this fall. Rep. John Curtis, founder of the House Conservative Climate Caucus, easily won the Republican Senate primary in Utah yesterday to replace retiring incumbent Mitt Romney. The moderate Republican beat a number of more conservative contenders, including Trent Staggs, a MAGA candidate who had former President Donald Trump’s blessing. Curtis has advocated cutting planet-warming pollution, supporting efforts to boost nuclear and geothermal energy. He hasn’t strayed far from the Republican baseline, voting against President Joe Biden’s climate law and asserting that fossil fuels can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But conservative-leaning clean energy advocates helped propel Curtis to victory — a fact his opponents unsuccessfully tried to use against him. The center-right ClearPath Action Fund spent nearly $500,000 backing Curtis in the race, federal disclosures show. The group’s founder, Jay Faison, gave an additional $2 million (the largest single contribution) to the political action committee Conservative Values for Utah, which spent more than $5.3 million on Curtis’ campaign. Curtis is the heavy favorite in November’s election, when he faces Democrat Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer and climate activist. He is known for sometimes bucking Trump. But while Curtis has led on some climate-focused bills in the House — such as one to measure the carbon intensity of U.S. manufactured goods — he has largely opposed Democrats’ environmental agenda. Since his congressional tenure began in 2017, only 6 percent of his votes on green issues were pro-environment, according to the League of Conservation Voters’ tallies. His LCV scorecard for 2023 is 3 percent. Whether Curtis’ climate-mindedness is an asset to environmental legislation will likely depend on who takes the White House in November. His policy stance may make little difference if Biden wins and Democrats retain Senate control. But Curtis could fortify a small group of Republican lawmakers who may thwart efforts to repeal some of Biden’s clean energy programs under a Trump presidency.   It's Wednesday — 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 Southern Environmental Law Center: The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the South’s greatest natural wonders. But right now, a reckless mining project threatens its environment and the wildlife that depend on it. The Biden administration can take action to permanently protect the Okefenokee for future generations — add your voice now.    Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Catherine Morehouse breaks down the power grid's relatively smooth performance during the year's first major heat wave and discusses whether it can repeat that success as summer burns on.   A message from Southern Environmental Law Center:   Power Centers The Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Nov. 13, 2023. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images SCOTUS term to end with a bang As the Supreme Court gets ready to issue the final rulings of the term, the justices are still sitting on a handful of cases that could deal a blow to environmental protections and agency powers, writes Pamela King. “Brace for impact,” said Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice. What Trump 2.0 could mean for coal As Trump makes his second run for the White House, gone are the vows to end “the war on beautiful, clean coal,” write Hannah Northey and Brian Dabbs. But that’s not stopping much of the coal industry from lining up behind Trump, whose campaign insists the former president is poised to revive the sagging industry. EU ditches climate preparedness priority Documents seen by POLITICO reveal that preparing the European Union for the dangers of a warming planet is no longer a priority for the bloc’s leaders, writes Zia Weise. Despite the roster of climate-fueled disasters gripping Europe, from heat waves to droughts, a call to “prepare for the new realities stemming from climate change” has disappeared from EU leaders’ policy priority list for the next five years. In Other News Pollution's fading silver lining: We’ve been accidentally cooling the planet — and it’s about to stop. Up in the air: The price of flying is set to soar even higher as airliners pass the costs of sustainable fuel to passengers.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF DEFENSE 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 defense, 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. 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Climate activist Rowan Schafer-Ramoutar holds up a sign during a June 6 rally in Washington that called on the U.S. Export-Import Bank to stop financing fossil fuel projects. | Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Friends of the Earth A meeting among some of the world’s wealthiest countries ended last week with no decision on whether to restrict public funding for international oil and gas projects. Leading oil and biofuel groups and a litany of auto dealers have challenged the Transportation Department’s new fuel economy rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The Biden administration is asking farm and biofuel groups to detail how certain crops and growing practices cut emissions tied to climate change. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.       A message from Southern Environmental Law Center: The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the most pristine, ecologically intact places in America. It should stay that way. Strip mines don’t belong anywhere near this natural treasure. Tell President Biden to step in and protect the Okefenokee.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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