CLIMATE HAWKS SEEK BIDEN EXIT: A number of climate hawks are calling for President Joe Biden to step out of the race for the White House – joining a chorus of Democrats pressing the president to bow out.
The latest: Sen. Martin Heinrich , who is up for reelection and could lead the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee next Congress, is now one of three Senate Democrats to call for Biden to step aside. Rep. Sean Casten , a former energy CEO, published a Chicago Tribune op-ed entitled, “It’s time for Joe Biden to pass the torch.” Rep. Jared Huffman , who’s also looking to be the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, released a statement alongside other members outlining their concerns regarding Biden’s viability to win in November.
A snippet of Heinrich’s response: “While the decision to withdraw from the campaign is President Joe Biden’s alone, I believe it is in the best interests of our country for him to step aside. By passing the torch, he would secure his legacy as one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite behind a candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and safeguard the future of our Democracy.”
Why this is important: The climate-minded lawmakers join other Democrats, along with youth-led climate groups, in calling for Biden to get out of the race while he can. Although Biden has said he intends to stay in the race, new reports claim that he’s also quietly contemplating his future.
Other relevant players: Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the current top Democrat on Natural Resources, was one of the first Democrats to call for Biden to step down.
But who to replace Biden with? While lawmakers have yet to formally suggest who would replace Biden, Huffman’s statement with other Democrats suggested that the party has a “deep and talented bench of younger leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris .”
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu ( @NancyVu99 ), with help from policy editor Joseph Lawler . Email nancy.vu@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here . If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
BREAKING THIS AFTERNOON – POWER PLANT RULE CAN STAY IN PLACE FOR NOW: A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said this afternoon that the Biden administration’s new power plant emissions rule can stay in place for now while litigation proceeds, the Associated Press reports .
Republican-led states and industry groups have sued to stop the rule immediately, on the grounds that it could destabilize power grids. But the judges rejected the idea that the plaintiffs faced immediate harm, given that the deadlines for compliance are not until 2030 or 2032.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO PHASE OUT SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: The Biden administration announced today that it is setting a target of phasing out single-use plastics from the government’s food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
The move is part of the administration’s broader efforts to limit plastic waste, and comes ahead of the next round of negotiations toward a treaty on ending plastic pollution in November.
MORE MONEY FOR SOLAR IN PUERTO RICO: The Department of Energy is pouring more than $1 billion into programs boosting the installation of solar and battery storage systems in Puerto Rico.
DOE announced a loan guarantee of up to $861 million to finance the construction of two solar farms and two battery storage systems in the cities of Jobos and Salinas. The agency also announced intent to allocate $325 million for a new grant program to bolster the buildout of solar and battery systems across the territory – to which community healthcare facilities and multi-family housing properties can apply for funds.
The loan guarantee, which would be given to Clean Flexible Energy if finalized, would finance the buildout of 200 megawatts of solar power and up to 285 MW of solar battery storage capacity. The solar farms are expected to produce 460,000 megawatt hours – enough to power 43,000 homes, according to DOE.
Why this matters: Puerto Rico has faced grid and reliability issues for years, mainly due to a series of natural disasters that have broken down the territory’s infrastructure, as well as a lack of upgrades to an antiquated grid system.
Taking it back in time: In December 2022, the Biden administration authorized $1 billion for the establishment of the Puerto Rico Resilience Fund, to help drive clean energy investment while helping the territory reach its own goals of having a 100% renewable grid by 2050.
TRUMP PROMISES ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROLLBACK: Former President Donald Trump vowed to do away with Biden’s electric vehicle policies if he were to retake the White House, Bloomberg writes.
“I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,” Trump said in his nomination speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. His efforts would entail saving “the US auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now, and saving US customers thousands and thousands of dollars per car,” he said.
To be clear: The Biden administration has not mandated EV sales or purchases. However, opponents of a tailpipe emissions regulation issued by the Environmental Protection Agency have argued that the requirements were so stringent that it would compel automakers to sell EVs.
Trump’s remarks came before he dinged what he said was trillions of dollars of wasteful spending “having to do with the green new scam.” He said he would direct these funds to projects like roads, bridges, and dams – but did not clarify how he would do so. Read more on that here.
EXXON SELLS ASSETS IN MALAYSIA: Exxon Mobil is selling its Malaysian assets to state energy company Petronas after trying since 2020, Reuters scoops.
The details: Exxon would give over its operations, along with staff, to Petronas as an effort to shift its strategy to focus on oil production in the Americas.
The company operates 35 oil and gas platforms in 12 offshore fields near Terengganu, and has investments in another 10 platforms in five fields in the South China sea.
The combined operations produce about 15% of Malaysia’s crude oil, and produce 600,000 barrels a day. More on that here.
UK CLIMATE ACTIVISTS GIVEN RECORD SENTENCES: Five climate activists from the United Kingdom were given unprecedented jail sentences for a four-day, non-violent protest over climate change that blocked roadways, Nancy writes .
The Just Stop Oil protesters, a nonviolent civil resistance group in the U.K., were each sentenced to four to five years in jail for shutting down a motorway, the Financial Times reported . The protesters were found guilty of conspiracy charges in causing a public nuisance following a multiple-day demonstration in November 2022.
Why it’s important: The sentences are the longest to be handed down for a non-violent protest in the U.K. and come after the former Conservative government had introduced legislation meant to rein in the protests, including a new public nuisance law.
More details: The five protesters had organized a Zoom call about recruiting volunteers before the protest. The demonstration resulted in about 45 protesters blocking the roads. Prosecutors detailed the economic toll of the protests over the course of four days, including 51,000 hours of driver delays and a policing bill of more than £1.1 million. Read more on that here.
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