EYES EMOJI – HARRIS SEEKS CLIMATE ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR : Kamala Harris ’s campaign is looking for a Climate Engagement Director, as the campaign looks to beef up its operations in an unprecedentedly short campaign season.
The deets: The campaign website advertises a position that would help to engage and mobilize climate voters nationwide.
The “Climate Engagement Director” would look to develop relationships with “key messengers” within battleground states, develop “national coalition programming,” and serve as a strategist for engaging climate organizations and voters.
The job posting predates President Joe Biden stepping out of the presidential playing field, but the position was tweaked after Harris took over.
Why does this matter? Climate voters will be instrumental to helping Harris win the White House – and the campaign will be looking to make inroads with the coalition in ways that the Biden administration could not. However, Harris’ updated stance on fracking (see below) could isolate voters who looked to her progressive bona fides to rein in fossil fuels. Harris’s positioning to the left of Biden on many issues – such as calling for a ban on fracking back in 2019 or launching investigations into oil companies while sitting as California’s attorney general – could play to a strength in mobilizing climate-focused voters, especially within younger blocs. But it could hurt voters that work in traditional energy jobs that could determine the election, such as those in Pennsylvania. More on that below.
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.
DOE WANTS MORE $$$ FOR SPR: The Biden administration wants more funds to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, as money to do so is running low, Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said in an interview with Bloomberg .
The Energy Department has been trying to refill the SPR since an unprecedented drawdown following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – purchasing approximately 43.25 million barrels of oil. Just today, the DOE announced it would purchase 4.65 million barrels.
However: Turk stated it only has about $1.2 billion left in the bank to buy back oil for the reserves – amounting to approximately 15 million more barrels.
“We would like to, of course, do more than that,” Turk said. “But we do need additional funds to buy back even more and we’re in continuing contact with Congress to make sure that everyone is doing their part there.”
The game plan: The DOE is asking Congress to cancel additional SPR sales that were previously required, with 100 million more barrels in sales still scheduled. The Biden administration has already stopped roughly 140 million barrels in sales that Congress had previously scheduled.
However, analysts told Bloomberg it’s not likely to happen, with deficit hawks in Congress likely wanting offsets to account for foregone revenues. Read the interview here.
INDIA REJECTS EUROPEAN UNION CARBON BORDER TAX: India is rejecting a European Union proposal to levy a carbon tax on products entering its borders, a top official told Reuters.
The proposal for the carbon border adjustment mechanism was made in meetings with Indian officials by an EU delegation led by Gerassimos Thomas , the director general for taxation and customs union with the European Commission.
"Their suggestion is not practical,” Ajay Seth , India’s economic affairs secretary, told Reuters in an interview. “Their team had come and met us ... the solution they are offering doesn't work for a developing economy like India."
Some context: The EU proposed the first-ever plan to impose tariffs on carbon-intensive imports, aiming to reach a mid-century goal of net zero emissions. However, India’s government denounced the move, arguing that it’s unfair and would be detrimental to its economy.
EU officials are trying to get countries such as China, South Africa and India on board, even though they’ve all expressed opposition to the CBAM. Talks between the EU and India on the CBAM are continuing on a “technical level,” according to a statement from the EU following a delegation visit to India earlier this month.
Why it’s important: Analysts told Reuters the disagreement over the CBAM could cause issues for trade between the two regions and affect negotiations for a free trade agreement. Furthermore, the EU is India’s second largest export market, with nearly $100 billion of exports in 2023. More on that here.
CALIFORNIA FIRE UPDATE: California’s Park Fire is now one of the largest wildfires in the state’s history, consuming more than 360,000 acres as of Sunday, CBS News reports.
CalFire officials stated that the fire had grown to 360,141 acres and was at 12% containment. The size of the fire makes it the seventh largest fire in California history – where the fire has grown to become half the size of Rhode Island and almost 12 times bigger than San Francisco County.
At least 100 structures have been devastated by the fire, but there are no known injuries or deaths so far, according to officials.
However, even without harm to human life, the destruction the fire was leaving in its wake was significant. Fire tornadoes were reportedly forming in Lassen Volcanic National Park and staff were scrambling to save historic artifacts stored in the 1927 Loomis Museum. Read more on that here.
ICYMI: HARRIS ON FRACKING – Vice President Kamala Harris is maintaining the Biden administration’s stance on fracking, telling The Hill that she would not seek to ban fracking if she’s elected president.
If you’ll recall: When Harris was running for president during the 2020 presidential cycle, she told CNN during a town hall, “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.”
However, since joining the Biden campaign and becoming VP, she has not called for banning fracking. And in a statement to The Hill, the Harris campaign confirmed they would continue to move in that direction.
“Trump’s false claims about fracking bans are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class,” a spokesperson said in an email to The Hill. “The Biden-Harris Administration passed the largest ever climate change legislation and under their leadership, America now has the highest ever domestic energy production.”
The claims they’re referring to: During a rally in North Carolina last week, former President Donald Trump went after Harris on fracking.
“She wants no fracking,” Trump said. “You’re going to be paying a lot of money. You’re going to be paying so much. You’re going to say ‘bring back Trump.’”
Harris’ campaign clapback: “This Administration created 300,000 energy jobs, while Trump lost nearly a million and his Project 2025 would undo the enormous progress we’ve made the past four years,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Why this is important : Harris’ statement could help in fossil fuel friendly states such as Pennsylvania – an important swing state that can determine the 2024 election.
RUNDOWN
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