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Democrats plot endgame for reconciliation, climate bill
Beyond convincing a wary public, Manchin and Democrats must overcome a number of Senate procedural hurdles before they can hold votes on the package. First, the Senate parliamentarian must certify the bill meets budget reconciliation parameters. The process will give Republicans an opportunity to take down key portions of the legislation. Then, the bill will be subject to a lengthy amendment process known as “vote-a-rama.” It will likely go late into the night. That all means senators could be working through the weekend and into next week before leaving town for the summer recess. The House would also have to return from break to pass the bill. [ read more … ]
Grid
3 issues to watch as heat strains the grid
While grid operators say the electricity system has largely held up so far this summer, Texas — where the grid remains under close watch after blackouts last year — saw record-breaking power demand during the latest heat wave and issued two conservation alerts to energy consumers in July. In some parts of the country, heat has also been linked to drought, creating challenges for hydropower and thermal plants that rely on water for temperature control. [ read more … ]
SCOTUS
Exclusive: Biden EPA to tackle coal industry carbon with rules on other pollutants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to use new limits on traditional pollutants like ozone and coal ash to help encourage the retirement of the nation’s remaining coal-fired power plants, after the Supreme Court limited the agency’s ability to impose sweeping climate regulations, according to EPA chief Michael Regan. The approach reflects how the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden intends to forge ahead with goals to decarbonize the power sector despite the recent ruling from the court. The power industry is the source of a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gases and Biden campaigned on a pledge to cut its net emissions to zero by 2035. “Will [the Supreme Court decision] constrain what we could do and the flexibilities that we could allow the power sector to have? Absolutely,” Regan said in an interview with Reuters. “But are we deterred? Absolutely not. EPA is still in the game.” [ read more … ]
How the Supreme Court ‘shadow docket’ shaped climate doctrine
“We have a lot of conservative judges who have been doing a lot of quite aggressive things in reviewing agencies’ action,” she said, “and I think this gives them an easy, all-purpose way of trimming statutes without really looking at them: Get in, see a major question, get out, say it’s not clear enough.” Heinzerling added that the doctrine is “perfectly made for the Supreme Court’s shadow docket,” in that the justices can use emergency orders to protect lower courts that take an aggressive approach to major questions — and correct other courts that don’t. [ read more … ]
States
Congresswoman calls for federal probe into Florida utility
A U.S. congresswoman is asking the Department of Justice to investigate Florida Power & Light over claims that the utility used “dark money” to disguise sources of political funding and sway elections in Florida, as well as other allegations documented in recent news reports. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday that recent press reports in Florida had “exposed apparent corruption, influence peddling and breaches of the public trust by Florida’s largest electric utility Florida Power & Light and its officers.” [ read more … ]
Massachusetts climate bill heads to Gov. Baker’s desk after last-minute Senate, House approval
The Massachusetts Legislature on Sunday approved climate legislation that requires all new vehicle sales in the state be zero emission beginning in 2035, reduces the state’s dependence on natural gas and calls for a study on medium- and long-duration energy storage systems. The bill was passed by the state Senate and House of Representatives on Sunday, the last day the legislature was authorized to meet in the formal session, meaning lawmakers cannot override a potential veto by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. [ read more … ]
Reconciliation Bill
Here’s How the New US Climate Deal Could Make Energy Bills Cheaper
The spending package is still far from final. The Senate needs to vote on the legislation, which could happen as early as next week. The House would then need to agree to the bill before President Joe Biden could sign it into law. But as it is currently written, the bill would be a huge step towards the US meeting its Paris climate agreement goals, and would funnel record funding into clean energy technologies and programs to combat climate change. Some of this money would go directly into the pockets of consumers, to incentivize adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and home energy-efficiency upgrades. [ read more … ]
Markets
Big Oil sees record profits with volatility on horizon
Three of the world’s biggest oil companies reported their biggest-ever profits last week, as Russia’s war in Ukraine drove up oil and gas prices and American drivers faced the highest gasoline prices on record. Exxon Mobil Corp. earned $17.9 billion in the second quarter of the year, Chevron Corp. earned $11.6 billion, and Shell PLC earned $16.7 billion. That’s more than triple each company’s profit from the same period last year, and it came after months of criticism from politicians who accused the companies of profiteering during wartime [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.