GOP targets green agenda as shutdown threat looms

Presented by Enbridge: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation
Sep 16, 2024 View in browser
 
Power Switch newsletter logo

By Arianna Skibell

Presented by 

Enbridge

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the Capitol on Thursday. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

House Republicans are pulling out all the stops to lampoon the Biden-Harris administration’s environmental record ahead of November’s election — all while a potential government shutdown looms.

Congress has two weeks left in session before the election. The GOP-controlled House’s to-do list includes hosting a trio of high-profile hearings this week meant to showcase the administration’s shortcomings while pushing through legislation to limit the use of “woke” investing principles and scrap tailpipe pollution rules.

Meanwhile, Republicans can't agree on a deal to avert a government shutdown before funding runs out Oct. 1. And the GOP proposal on the table — which includes partisan add-ons such as requiring proof of citizenship to vote — has no chance in the Democratic-led Senate.

Hearing blitz: Republicans have scheduled three hearings this week where conservative critics of President Joe Biden are expected to decry the administration’s energy policies and caution viewers against voting for Kamala Harris.

The hearings are scheduled for the House Budget, Oversight and Accountability, and Energy and Commerce committees. Messaging points are likely to mirror Republicans’ campaign trail highlights, including allegations that Biden’s signature climate law is straining the nation’s coffers, threatening national security, destroying the fossil fuel industry and leading to inflation and high energy prices. (It’s worth noting that the price of oil has been falling and inflation is slowing.)

Democratic lawmakers and witnesses are likely to counter that the Biden administration energy policies have created thousands of jobs and boosted domestic manufacturing. Harris maintained during last week’s presidential debate that while she intends to boost clean energy she also believes that fossil fuel production is critical to reducing reliance on foreign oil.

Bills on bills on bills: The House is slated to vote on two bills that target efforts by banks and financial firms to consider climate change when making investment decisions.

Republicans have targeted so-called environmental, social and governance investing for years, arguing that it privileges political factors over the bottom line. Democrats and advocates say the measures would ultimately limit investor choice and hurt efforts to green corporate America.

House Republicans will also vote on a pair of resolutions aimed at scrapping recent rules that limit pollution from cars, small trucks and heavy-duty vehicles.

This week’s bills are not expected to reach Biden’s desk.

Tick tock: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will try again this week to pass a continuing resolution, or stop-gap funding to keep the government open. He scrapped a vote on his conservative-backed funding patch, last week after failing to garner enough support among GOP lawmakers to pass it.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has called on Johnson to work with Democrats on a bipartisan bill to keep the government funded after Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. But drafting a new plan that House Republicans and the Democratic-controlled Senate can both support before the end of the month will be an uphill battle.

 

It's Monday — 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 Enbridge:

To meet America’s energy and climate goals, we must move past the renewables vs. conventional energy debate and embrace a diverse energy strategy, including more renewables, responsibly sourced fossil fuels, and carbon capture. New sectors, such as large-scale data processing and advanced manufacturing, require significant energy resources. This growing demand highlights the urgent need for modernized infrastructure to ensure energy can be delivered efficiently and sustainably across the country. Learn more.

 
Play audio

Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast

Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Annie Snider breaks down POLITICO’s scoop last week that the Environmental Protection Agency launched an enforcement action against the country’s first underground carbon sequestration facility in Decatur, Illinois.

Power Centers

Miners hundreds of feet below ground in the Eagle mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Miners hundreds of feet below ground in the Eagle mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the nation's only operating nickel mine, July 16, 2024. | Hannah Northey/POLITICO's E&E News

The fight to green mining's image
The Biden administration is touting the nation's only operating nickel mine, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, as proof that mining critical minerals in the U.S. to feed the energy transition can gain public support while avoiding pollution and trampling Indigenous rights.

But, as Hannah Northey writes, not everyone is convinced.

'Smoke and mirrors': U.S. climate aid
The U.S. has struggled for years to scrape together enough money to meet its promises to provide billions of dollars in international climate aid, write Sara Schonhardt and Zack Colman.

Now, the Biden administration is encouraging the use of shadowy carbon markets to buttress its efforts.

Steelmaker weighs ditching $500M Biden grant
The CEO of a leading U.S. steelmaker told Zack he is considering forgoing a $500 million Biden administration grant to make low-carbon “green” steel because his company cannot persuade buyers, mostly in the automobile sector, to pay the price to cover the costs of producing more environmentally friendly steel.

The potential move by Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves would mark the latest setback for the president’s attempt to make American manufacturing climate friendly.

In Other News

Electric future: Clean energy, and good luck, have propped up the power grid through summer’s extreme heat.

Long arm of the law: Climate protesters are taking action against oil companies. UK courts are handing them prison terms akin to rapists and thieves.

 

A message from Enbridge:

Advertisement Image

 
Subscriber Zone

A showcase of some of our best subscriber content.

An employee works on solar photovoltaic modules at a factory in Haian in China's eastern Jiangsu province on Nov. 21, 2023.

An employee works on solar photovoltaic modules at a factory in China's eastern Jiangsu province. | STR/AFP via Getty Images

The White House has increased tariffs that could quadruple the price of electric vehicles from China and double fees on imported solar cells, escalating the U.S.-China trade war.

The Biden administration will hold the first offshore wind lease sale in late October for areas in the Gulf of Maine, the Interior Department announced Monday.

California officials will reconsider ways to reduce jet-fuel emissions after local airport workers pleaded for protection from the health damage caused by airplane pollution.

That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.

 

A message from Enbridge:

America’s economy with advanced manufacturing practices and rapidly growing data-intensive sectors is demanding more energy. Debate ensues around which energy source is the right one to generate affordable, 24/7 energy and lower emissions. It’s a question best answered with “all of the above,” but differing and hardened perspectives are driving a permitting and legal gridlock that results in none of the above — zero progress toward either goal. For example, it takes an average of 10 years to build new power lines in the U.S and anywhere from 2 to 8.5 years to bring a greenfield interstate pipeline into-service, according to ARBO, an energy infrastructure analytics firm. Recognizing a smart energy transition utilizes a mix of energy sources —more renewables, more responsibly produced natural gas and oil, more carbon capture, and more energy efficiency and innovation—is one of four steps required to meet America’s energy needs. Learn more.

 
 

Follow us on Twitter

Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell

 

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Listen on Apple Podcast
 

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings

This email was sent to salenamartine360.news1@blogger.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post