Harris faces an energy tightrope in Pittsburgh

Presented by the Center for Western Priorities: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Jul 23, 2024 View in browser   By Mike Soraghan Presented by  Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO Can Kamala Harris convince Pennsylvania that an ambitious climate policy comes with jobs? The vice president will need to make that case if, as expected, she replaces President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, writes Ben Storrow. The swing state is one of the country’s main producers of fossil fuels — and potentially key to winning the presidency. Biden, who won the state in 2020, threaded the needle with the Inflation Reduction Act, his signature climate law that threw billions of dollars toward clean energy. Passing the law came down to the partnership between fossil fuel ally Sen. Joe Manchin — once a Democrat, now an independent — and Scranton Joe, the pro-union president. The idea was to show that cutting planet-warming pollution — by investing in wind and solar power, electric cars and industrial retrofits — can create jobs just as well as oil and gas production. But both Joes are now heading for the exits. It will be up to Harris, a former prosecutor from California, to convince Pennsylvania voters that they don’t have to choose between the environment and their livelihood. This week, Ben visited Pittsburgh to find out whether Harris could win over the local unions that have so fiercely backed Biden. The bottom line: She’ll have to work for it. ”I don’t know what her stance is on energy,” Steamfitters Local 449 business manager Kenneth Broadbent told Ben. His union, he said, has a “closer ideology” with Republicans on energy policy but would still likely fall in behind Harris if she becomes the Democratic nominee. Darrin Kelly, who leads the AFL-CIO’s Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council, spent part of his Monday touting the Biden administration’s climate investments to a crowd at a Pittsburgh concrete plant. The plant is one of numerous industrial facilities that will get a retrofit courtesy of $396 million coming to the state from Biden’s climate law. But Ben found some small signs that enthusiasm for green jobs isn't trickling all the way down to the rank and file. One employee at the concrete plant told him that while he didn't really like any of his choices for president, he planned to vote for former President Donald Trump. And Frank Gray, a fourth-generation Steamfitter who works as an instructor, said many of his students support the former president. An enthusiastic supporter of Biden, Gray said he constantly reminds them of Trump’s attempts to weaken unions. Harris, he said, “might be a little bit too far left for what I want but she’s way better than the alternative choice if she continues on what her and Biden have been doing.”   It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Mike Soraghan. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jkirkland@eenews.net.   A message from the Center for Western Priorities: Outdoor Voters – 3 million strong in the West – want to see progress. Outdoor Voters care about conserving the public lands they cherish for future generations. They want to vote for leaders who will protect more outdoor spaces as national monuments and parks. For Outdoor Voters, a candidate’s position on conservation plays an important role in how they cast their ballots. Learn more about the issues Outdoor Voters in the West care about at outdoorvoter.org.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: If Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic nominee for president and wins in November, she may seek to craft a more assertive environmental agenda than her current boss has. POLITICO’s Kelsey Tamborrino breaks down how Harris’ climate ambitions could exceed Biden’s.   A message from the Center for Western Priorities:   Power Centers President Joe Biden exits Air Force One at sunset in 2022. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Biden's energy legacy Biden’s legacy can be measured in numbers, from almost $400 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy to a push for 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by decade’s end. POLITICO's E&E News took stock of Biden's effort to dramatically lower energy-sector carbon emissions. Biden has increased budgets for major endeavors, including advanced nuclear reactors and fusion research. But the Biden White House has also fallen short on pledges because of the high financial and regulatory hurdles that make it difficult to deploy clean energy more quickly. So that leaves it to either Harris or Trump to press ahead or redirect government support for Biden-era energy projects. Hail Mary pass Manchin, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced energy permitting legislation that is stuffed with Republican priorities for oil, gas and coal, but could also speed the permitting of renewable energy projects, Kelsey Brugger writes. The bill, co-sponsored by Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, isn't expected to get through Congress before the November election. But supporters say it puts a compromise on the table for debate. Earlier proposals ran into a buzz saw of partisan and regional divisions around fossil fuels and the federal role in clearing the way for power grid expansions needed to ship more wind and solar power. The bill would mandate certain oil and gas lease sales. It would also grant federal regulators authority to approve interregional high-voltage power lines. It would streamline environmental reviews for wind and solar projects while changing statutory language to define electric reliability in a way that emphasizes "baseload" energy such as coal and nuclear plants. SCOTUS déjà vu Twenty-four Republican state attorneys general are calling on the Supreme Court to halt the Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector, Niina H. Farah reports. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) led the application to the court’s emergency docket Tuesday after a lower court declined last week to stop the EPA rule. The AGs asked the justices to intervene — just as they did in 2016 to block EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The high court later overturned the Obama-era rule in 2022 in the landmark West Virginia v. EPA ruling, and the Clean Power Plan never went into effect.   Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat.      In Other News Hottest day EVER: Global temperatures hit the highest levels in recorded history on Sunday, according to preliminary data from Europe’s top climate monitor. Oil demand: Oil prices fell to a six-week low Tuesday as expectations of a ceasefire in Gaza rise and demand in China appears to be slowing. Brent futures settled at about $81 a barrel.   A message from the Center for Western Priorities: There’s a powerful and growing voting bloc in the West: Outdoor Voters. What makes an outdoor voter? They live in states like Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Montana and are active in the West's outdoor lifestyle. They are reliable voters who pay attention to conservation issues like protecting public lands from oil and gas development, designating new national monuments, and maintaining outdoor access for recreation and enjoyment. Most importantly, a candidate’s position on conservation issues plays a decisive role in who they will vote for in this year’s elections. Candidates who want to win competitive races in the West need to earn Outdoor Voter support. Learn more about the issues that drive Outdoor Voters to the polls at outdoorvoter.org.   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A worker adjusts his helmet while working in temperatures above 90 degrees in Boston. | Steven Senne/AP The Biden administration plan to protect workers from extreme heat has prompted a wave of criticism from Republicans, with one top lawmaker calling the effort "idiotic." The Mountain Valley gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia is now owned by EQT, the largest gas producer in the United States. The U.S. is boosting efforts to cut climate "super pollutants" such as methane, hydrofluorocarbons and other especially potent greenhouse gases. 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.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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