BARRASSO HOLDS HAALAND TO ACCOUNT OVER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS Sen. John Barrasso is blaming Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for what he says is a lack of response addressing multiple anti-Israel protests that occurred on federal properties.
What’s happening: In a letter to Haaland sent out on Friday , the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee criticized the department for not fully staffing the U.S. Park Police and providing necessary resources to protect federal property from the protesters.
If you’ll recall: On July 24, thousands of protesters protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza gathered in Washington D.C. to rail against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s address to Congress – vandalizing the Columbus Memorial Fountain and other monuments. Four protestors were charged with assaulting a police officer outside of Union Station.
The letter cites a statement from Kenneth Spencer – chairman of the United States Park Police Fraternal Order of Police – where he threw DOI under the bus for not providing additional resources to address the large crowd.
“Your lack of meaningful action or public condemnation only serves to embolden these agitators,” Barrasso wrote in his letter. “Your failure to act decisively jeopardizes the safety of federal personnel and diminishes public trust in DOI’s ability to uphold the rule of law.”
The letter is a continuation of efforts from the Wyoming Republican to press Haaland on the need for recruitment and retention efforts within the USPP to fix staffing shortages. Barrasso had previously blasted the Interior Secretary for a separate anti-Israel protest near the White House in June, going as far to accuse the official of sympathizing with the protestors and allowing that to influence the agency’s response to the incident.
What he’s asking for: Barrasso is demanding a response outlining how the agency is collaborating with law enforcement agencies to enhance security, while pressing for an explanation on the lack of adequate measures to prevent violent incidents on federal property. The senator is also asking what actions, if any, will be taken to ensure the safety of USPP officers, and if the agency official will commit to revisiting Department policies or protocols to better address and prevent demonstrations on federal lands.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department declined to comment.
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu ( @NancyVu99 ). 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 LOOKS TO PROVE IT CAN MEET AI DEMAND: The Department of Energy released an 11-page list of resources utilities can use to meet the energy needs of data centers as the agency looks to reassure those in the energy and technology sector it has the resources to help meet the electricity demands of artificial intelligence.
The list outlines various programs and subsidies the DOE offers to help utilities and project developers with deployment, grid enhancement and expansion, energy efficiency, demand-side flexibility, and technical assistance.
Why this is important : The resource guide comes as the agency looks to assert it will be able to support the supply needs of AI and its energy-hungry data centers as demand is set to skyrocket with the growth of emerging technologies.
Data centers are expected to use 8% of U.S. power by 2030, compared to 3% in 2022, according to an analysis by Goldman Sachs.
FASST Initiative: The DOE has been making moves to signal to utilities, tech companies, and consumers that the agency is able to harness the power of AI and improve the grid. Just last month, the agency announced the launch of the Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology initiative — an effort that will leverage the use of the DOE’s 17 national laboratories to help the United States develop capabilities in national security, scientific discovery, and energy. Read more from Nancy here.
POSSIBLE CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE AROUND PUERTO RICO: A tropical storm warning has been placed for Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean, as forces are expected to strengthen in the next 36 hours.
At around 11 a.m. today, the weather system was forming east of the Martinique and Barbados islands, moving westward at 26 miles per hour. Wind speeds have maximized to 35 mph, and are expected to strengthen over the next couple days – advancing to a tropical depression as soon as today or tonight. The storm could morph into a Category 2 storm, according to local media reports.
The significance: If the storm strengthens, it will be the fifth Atlantic storm this year, and would be referred to as Ernesto. Forecasters are expecting a busy hurricane season with as many as 24 named storms.
Puerto Rico in particular has been hit severely by storms in recent years – notably by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Maria killed at least 2,900 people, while Fiona knocked out the power supply to much of the island.
More details: Storm warnings have been issued for St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra. A storm surge is expected to raise water levels as much as one to three feet above normal levels, and rainfall is expected to reach up to six inches over the Leeward and Virgin Islands, along with Puerto Rico.
GREEN HYDROGEN ISN’T FINDING ITS FOOTING: Companies and countries worldwide have plans to build more than 1,500 plants to produce green hydrogen. There’s just one huge, unavoidable problem: The majority of these projects don’t have a single buyer to help mobilize the nascent industry.
The stats: Just 12% of hydrogen plants considered low-carbon have purchase agreements set in place, according to an analysis done by Bloomberg. For those that have established some type of agreement, most of them are vague and non-binding, meaning customers can back out if they believe the investment is too risky. As a result, many of these projects are likely to never get built.
Why that’s a huge problem: Many experts don’t see any other way of decarbonizing industries such as steel and shipping. But it’s not an easy transition to mass adopt green hydrogen. Many of the industries that would use the fuel would have to employ expensive technologies – a move many are unwilling to make. Clean hydrogen costs four times as much to make than those produced from natural gas, according to BloombergNEF. Plus, it’s hard to build the infrastructure needed to supply the fuel, while demand has been slow to materialize.
Notable stat: BNEF is predicting that the globe will need to use 390 million tons of hydrogen per year in 2050 to eliminate emissions from the economy, which is more than four times the amount used today.
In the U.S. alone: 77% of the nation’s 111 planned projects don’t have a contracted buyer. The industry and the Biden administration are still in discussions of finalizing proposed requirements for claiming hydrogen tax credits, with many industry players arguing the requirements are too strict for mass adoption. Read more on that here.
ICYMI – GOLDMAN SACHS LEAVES CLIMATE ACTION 100+: Goldman Sachs has left Climate Action 100+, joining other financial companies in severing ties with the green investor group amid political opposition from Republicans.
As Reuters outlines , the group follows other investment companies – like Invesco, JP Morgan, and State Street Global Advisors – in leaving the climate coalition. A few companies have left just in the last couple of weeks, such as Aristotle Credit and Aristotle Pacific Capital, TWC Group, and Vert Asset Management.
Why this is important: Friday’s move to leave Climate Action comes as Republican lawmakers have accused climate groups of breaking antitrust law by pushing companies to prioritize cutting emissions. At the end of last month, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan wrote to more than 130 investor groups to explain their environmental, social, and governance goals.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs told Reuters that its fund division would leave the group, and stated it will continue to engage with companies on its own account.
"We've made investments in our ability to meet the sustainable investing needs of our clients and remain committed to leveraging our global capabilities," the spokesperson said. Read more on that here.
RUNDOWN
Reuters Musk embraces Trump and scorns subsidies. But Tesla still lobbies for US benefits
Bloomberg Experts Are Fighting Over Whether to Treat Heat Waves Like Hurricanes
E&E News Leaked Project 2025 videos: ‘Eradicate’ climate references
Most Popular
Comments / 0