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Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
The GOP fight for clean energy credits
Presented by A new Republican-led lobbying group is trying to override its party's disdain for former President Joe Biden's clean energy tax credits in an effort to save trillions of dollars' worth of financial benefits headed to largely red districts. Built for America — led by former West Virginia Lt. Gov. Mitch Carmichael (R) and former Trump campaign adviser Bryan Lanza — launched this month with a $2 million campaign, placing advertisements in conservative platforms like Fox News and Truth Social, writes Timothy Cama. 'Trump country is booming. We're building, hiring and winning in America, because energy tax credits put America first,' one of the ads says. The effort comes as advocates run out of time, and avenues, to defend the clean power provisions before Republicans unravel them in President Donald Trump's megabill. The Senate Finance Committee released new text this week that would do little to save the solar tax credits, disappointing groups that had hoped senators would take a more tolerant stance than their House counterparts. Some GOP senators say there's still time to salvage the credits they favor. But for House Freedom Caucus members, the Senate version doesn't go far enough to kill the tax breaks. They have vowed to vote against the bill unless it more closely mirrors the House-approved deep cuts. Lobbying blitz: The new Senate text reinvigorated the clean energy lobbying effort, which included a rally Tuesday at the Capitol hosted by the Solar Energy Industries Association, the solar industry's biggest trade group. 'Time to storm the Hill!' said Abigail Ross Hopper, the group's CEO. Companies and trade associations have beefed up their lobbying capacity in recent months to fight for the credits they support. They include battery-maker Energizer Holdings, chemical manufacturer Johnson Matthey, the Hydrogen Jobs Now Coalition, battery recycler Ecobat and the Clean Energy Buyers Association. Advanced Energy United, which is backed by major technology firms such as Microsoft and automakers like Ford, launched a six-figure campaign targeting a handful of Senate Republicans with digital ads. 'Repealing these tax credits would devastate local economies, raise energy costs, and hand the keys of energy leadership to China — and the Senate now has a choice to make,' Harry Godfrey, the group's managing director for federal priorities, said in a statement. The anti-tax-credit faction has its advocates, too. GOP lawmakers have publicly thanked fossil fuel activist Alex Epstein for his help in rolling back the credits in the House bill. Epstein, the founder of a for-profit think tank that promotes fossil fuels, wrote on X that the Senate version is a 'sad update.' It's Wednesday — 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@ Programming note: We'll be off this Thursday but will be back in your inboxes on Friday. Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down what the Senate proposed in its version of the megabill, how it compares with the House's version and what comes next in the tax credit battle. Power Centers EPA acted illegally in axing grants, court rulesA federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's termination of $600 million in environmental justice grants issued by the Biden administration for low-income areas and communities of color was unlawful, writes Alex Guillén. The ruling comes as the Environmental Protection Agency is separately appealing a ruling that its termination of $20 billion in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants was also unlawful. Congressional Republicans have proposed rescinding funding for both grant programs as part of their reconciliation bills. Offshore wind's political tightrope walkIn an unusual move, Vineyard Wind declined to comment when the Supreme Court ended a yearslong battle in favor of the Massachusetts offshore wind developer, writes Benjamin Storrow. The lack of comment illustrates how offshore wind companies are trying to navigate a politically tumultuous period under Trump, who has repeatedly voiced his disdain for 'windmills.' As executive orders and regulatory actions designed to halt offshore wind projects have piled up, many developers are advancing projects in relative silence. They are staying quiet even as opponents ratchet up criticism. Death knell for carbon capture?In proposing to repeal Biden's climate rule for power plants, the Trump administration lampooned the measure's reliance on burgeoning technology that captures and stores pollution before it enters the atmosphere, writes Carlos Anchondo. EPA said carbon capture and storage has not been 'adequately demonstrated' and that the cost of deployment is 'not reasonable,' delivering a major setback to a technology that's struggling to find a foothold. In Other News More megabill bites: Senate Republicans are seeking to reward oil drillers amid deep cuts to wind and solar. Is fake grass safe? A manufacturer sues to stop a discussion. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Trump administration is shuttering which has for 15 years been a go-to source for information about climate change and the growing threats driven by atmospheric warming. The Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling Wednesday that had threatened to stymie nuclear power plants' ability to store spent nuclear fuel away from their sites as they await a permanent solution for the waste. The Brazilian government is taking bids from companies to explore for oil near the Amazon River as the country also prepares to host this year's international climate talks aimed at shoring up countries' climate commitments. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Politico
4 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Is FEMA solvent? Depends who you ask
Presented by The nation's top emergency response agency has repeatedly warned that it will run out of money to respond to natural disasters by August. So some emergency managers found it jarring when White House budget chief Russ Vought insisted that the federal disaster fund is 'flush' through September, writes Thomas Frank. They began asking: Is Vought misinformed — or is the administration planning to keep the money pot full by slashing aid to states as the Atlantic hurricane season revs up? President Donald Trump has long promised to reduce the Federal Emergency Management Agency's aid to states, putting pressure on governors to handle ballooning disaster costs as climate change intensifies storms, floods and wildfires. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget declined to address Tom's questions about the contradiction between FEMA's assessments and remarks that Vought made in the Oval Office on June 10. 'We're in a very good place,' Vought said at the time, standing behind Trump. The budget chief added that the disaster fund had $13 billion, and that other federal disaster accounts 'are funded, they're flush.' In an email, Rachel Cauley affirmed Vought's statement that the disaster fund 'is fully funded.' In contrast, FEMA projected in its June 3 monthly report that the fund's balance would drop to $2.8 billion in July and enter a deficit by August that would reach $7.8 billion in September. Vought could be 'clueless,' said former Biden-era FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen. He warned that if the White House believes the agency has adequate funding to get the country through hurricane season — which lasts from June 1 through Nov. 30 — then it won't request supplemental funding from Congress. If there's no supplemental funding to replenish the disaster pot, FEMA will be forced to halt longer-term recovery efforts to shore up cash for emergency expenses, such as search and rescue operations. FEMA is actively supporting 81 major disasters and eight emergency declarations. 'FEMA is going to have to stop funding recovery projects — fires in Maui, fires in California, the current recovery that just started in St. Louis,' Coen told Tom. Such a move is not without precedent, Tom writes. Since 2003, the agency has cut off funding for long-term recovery projects 10 times when its disaster fund dropped too low (roughly $3 billion). The disaster fund has faced chronic shortages in recent years due largely to Trump's decision in the 2020 pandemic to give every state disaster aid for virus-related costs. The move was widely supported at the time, but states claimed costs that exceeded projections by tens of billions of dollars. It's Tuesday — 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@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Zack Colman breaks down how energy-related agencies are struggling to function amid administrative budget cuts, work stoppages and general uncertainty. Power Centers Senate megabill text won't save solar creditsDespite weeks of saying they would go easy on President Joe Biden's clean energy tax cuts, senators' tax portion of the Republican megabill — released Monday evening — would do little to protect incentives for wind, solar and hydrogen power, write Kelsey Brugger and Andres Picon. The new text is, however, friendly to geothermal, nuclear and hydropower. Trump's firing of nuclear regulator raises eyebrowsTrump's abrupt firing Friday of Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher Hanson marks another move by the White House to gain control of the independent agency as it heads into a critical review of safety regulations governing a lineup of new reactors, writes Peter Behr. Democrats in the House and Senate condemned Trump's action, saying it violated the specific terms of the 1946 Atomic Energy Act that established the nation's civilian nuclear energy program. The legislation, reaffirmed in 1954, says that a commissioner may be removed for 'inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.' Trump's quiet truce on California waterTrump promised to break California's water rules wide open. So far, he's mostly working within them, writes Camille von Kaenel. Five months after Trump issued a pair of directives for federal agencies to overturn state and Biden-era rules limiting water deliveries, the federal government has done no such thing. Instead, it's quietly increasing water flows, following the very rules Trump once railed against — at least for now. In Other News Inside the 'Big Beautiful Bill": Trump wants your EV rebate — and your heat pump, too. Hurricane season comes to life: Erick is set to strike Mexico as a hurricane this week. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Trump administration green-lit a plan for an Arizona mine that could create a crater deeper than the height of the Eiffel Tower on ground that some Native Americans consider sacred. A project to address extreme heat in California prisons has been stopped after its EPA grant was canceled last month. Trump nominated Katherine Scarlett to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she will oversee efforts to hasten permitting for energy infrastructure, data centers and other public works projects. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump's climate assault has only begun
Presented by The Trump administration is unraveling the federal government's capacity to understand and respond to climate change at a remarkable clip. And it's just getting started, writes Scott Waldman. Since returning to the White House five months ago, President Donald Trump has dismissed hundreds of climate and weather scientists — and cut government ties to hundreds more in the private sector and academia. The administration has gutted major climate programs, frozen or eliminated grants for climate research, and moved to terminate a federal program that requires industries to track their planet-warming pollution. It has gummed up operations within agencies that work on climate issues, including by slow-walking contracts to service two polar weather satellites. And it's declining to participate in an increasing number of international climate initiatives. The administration has defended its actions as necessary to cut costs and shrink the size of government. But scientists say the end result will likely be a nation unprepared to handle the surge of climate-fueled disasters already roiling the economy — from monthslong heat waves, fires, storms and floods to disruptions in agricultural growing seasons and the insurance industry. Scientists also warn that administration actions are making it harder for the United States and the world to track the major sources of heat-trapping gases, including through the burning of fossil fuels. 'This isn't being done to cut costs,' one of the country's best-known climate scientists, the University of Pennsylvania's Michael Mann, told Scott. 'It's being done because climate science — and simply measuring our climate — has proven inconvenient to certain special interests who hold sway today in Washington.' He added: 'It's humiliating and it debilitates our standing in the world community.' And it's likely just the beginning. Trump's budget proposal calls for even deeper cuts, including to research programs at NOAA and NASA, widely considered two of the world's top science agencies. The long-term damage is part of the goal. 'If Democrats ever get back in power, there will be a lot to rebuild,' said Steve Milloy, a member of Trump's first-term transition team who has spent decades battling federal climate science and regulations. Last month, Trump issued an executive order on a new 'gold standard' for scientific research that effectively blocks federal agencies from using established science on greenhouse gas emissions, human health harms from pollution and environmental degradation. 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@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Debra Kahn breaks down Trump's revocation of California's ability to enforce its nation-leading clean-car rules. Power Centers Slain Minnesota lawmaker remembered as a climate giant Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota state lawmaker assassinated early Saturday morning in her home, was a major power behind the state's landmark climate policies, writes Adam Aton. Hortman served as state House speaker until early 2025, driving the passage of a slew of progressive legislation. In 2023, she helped pushed through bills that established Minnesota's clean electricity standard, a green bank, subsidies for clean tech and electric vehicles, greater environmental justice provisions in permitting, and a suite of other climate policies. Trump fires Biden nuclear commission memberTrump has terminated Commissioner Christopher Hanson from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the latest move by the White House to assert control over independent agencies, write Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino. Hanson said in a statement Monday that he was removed from the position Friday 'without cause' and 'contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees.' States go big on nuclear billsSurging power demand from artificial intelligence data centers is driving a reinvigorated interest among states' lawmakers in nuclear power, writes Jeffrey Tomich. From Phoenix to Austin to Indianapolis, statehouses have this year introduced more than 200 nuclear-related bills backed by Democrats and Republicans. Dozens have already been signed into law or are awaiting governors' signatures. In Other News Heating up: Alaska just issued its first-ever heat advisory. Here's why. U.S. cities look to Vienna: Could this city be the model for how to tackle the housing crisis and climate change? Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Cuts, freezes and all-around chaos are jamming up the basic functions of agencies dealing with energy and environmental policy, employees told POLITICO nearly five months into the Trump administration. The Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on a procedural dispute over which court should decide an oil company's responsibility for Louisiana coastline restoration. A coalition of young people is seeking an emergency injunction to block Trump's executive orders that call for boosting the production of oil, gas and coal. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Politico
13-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
Israel may be shattering Trump's energy price pledge
Israel's stunning attacks on Iran's nuclear program and military leadership are embroiling the Middle East in another deadly war — and could imperil President Donald Trump's pledge to slash oil prices for American consumers. The bombings that began Thursday and continued into Friday targeted Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities and killed several of the country's top military leaders and scientists. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge. And meanwhile, the strikes sent shock waves through energy markets. Oil is still cheaper than it was a year ago. But Trump faces the prospect of the same economic nightmare that helped unravel Joe Biden's presidency, Ben Lefebvre reports. The world benchmark oil price was around $74 a barrel late this afternoon in Washington, up $8 since early Wednesday. Energy analysts said a dire escalation of the crisis, such as an attack on the Strait of Hormuz, could send the price to $100 a barrel. No matter how the fighting unfolds, Ben writes, gasoline prices are likely to increase just as voters' energy bills are likely to go up during the summer months. That's at the very least politically inconvenient for a president who had promised to bring down the 'price of everything,' including fuel for Americans' cars. What comes next: U.S. presidents have a poor track record when it comes to influencing global oil markets, especially during times of war. And Trump may have even fewer tools at his disposal than Biden did to blunt the impact of rising prices. For one thing, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is smaller than it was four years ago, before the Biden administration released nearly half its oil into the market to blunt rising prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Plus the emergency oil stash needs more than $100 million in infrastructure repairs, Shelby Webb reports. If Iran's retaliation against Israel includes disrupting oil flows or attacking regional energy infrastructure, 'we could see a significant supply shock with oil prices rising sharply,' Jorge León, an analyst with Rystad Energy, said in a statement. Some analysts urged caution, though. Pavel Molchanov with Raymond James said the historical track record between Israel and Iran suggests both sides want to avoid all-out war. The two countries exchanged missile strikes twice last year, but avoided escalation. 'Assuming that restraint similarly prevails this time, oil prices should subside quickly, which would limit the impact on the global economy,' Molchanov said in a statement. But Israel may have some decidedly unrestrained goals for this sustained assault, such as toppling Iran's regime, POLITICO's Nahal Toosi wrote in her column this afternoon. Tehran called the attack a 'declaration of war' and said the country would respond 'decisively and proportionally.' Thank goodness it's Friday — 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@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Alex Guillén breaks down why the Environmental Protection Agency's rationale for rescinding a Biden-era climate rule for power plants may be on shaky legal ground. Spotlight Postcard from an American enclave surrounded by Canada and water:The only way to reach the Northwest Angle of Minnesota without driving through Canadian customs is via prop plane, boat or — during ice fishing season — by snowmobiling more than an hour across a massive lake. Corbin Hiar delivers this report from the fishing paradise to understand how Trump's tariffs and Canada's ire with the United States are affecting the lives of this tiny, 150-person enclave. Power Centers EPA documents contradict ZeldinEPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said his efforts this week to repeal climate and mercury rules would prevent fossil fuel industries from vanishing, writes Jean Chemnick. But EPA's own analysis that accompanied Zeldin's proposal shows that the rules he is targeting for repeal would not have changed the U.S. energy sector very much. For that reason, the agency's own analysis projected that the targeted climate rules would impose only modest costs on the electricity sector. In one case, the cost was nonexistent. Ocean treaty comes into view — minus the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, ended today with promises from world leaders to ratify a global, binding agreement to help protect the world's oceans, writes Leonie Cater. But don't count on the United States, which skipped the conference and declared the gathering 'at odds' with the Trump administration's views. The commitment paves the way for the world's very first Conference of the Parties for a High Seas Treaty next year. In Other News Cancer Alley: A Tulane scientist resigned, citing a 'gag order' on environmental justice research. Farewell: Gary England, forecaster who kept watch over Tornado Alley, died at 85. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The White House is reviewing proposed rules from a host of federal agencies that would dictate how the government implements the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation's magna carta of environmental laws. What to watch: The world's richest nations are gathering Sunday in the Canadian Rockies for a summit that could reveal whether Trump's policies are shaking global climate efforts. The Trump administration proposed its first biofuel blending mandates on Friday, increasing volumes over the next two years to record levels but leaving open questions over exemptions from the mandates sought by small refiners. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
Politico
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Politico
GM's electric future just got way more future
General Motors stunned the auto world four years ago when it pledged to go all electric by 2035. That goal quietly died this week when the company announced a $4 billion investment heavily skewed toward gasoline-powered vehicles, writes David Ferris. The companies' EV target was always more on the aspirational side — and highly dependent on federal policies and market trends, analysts told David. 'It was always a long shot at best,' said auto analyst Sam Abuelsamid. But the goal was emblematic of a burgeoning push toward phasing out gasoline-powered vehicles under former President Joe Biden, who made boosting electric cars and trucks a cornerstone of his climate agenda. GM finds itself in a starkly different world under President Donald Trump, who has raced to dismantle federal tax EV credits, frozen grants for building charges to power them, and implemented high tariffs that make production more expensive. Not even Trump's once-close relationship to Tesla CEO Elon Musk blunted his attacks on EVs. While GM isn't abandoning its electric vehicle portfolio — 'We still believe in an all-EV future,' a spokesperson told David — the auto giant's renewed investment in gasoline-powered cars and trucks means its all-electric future just got much further away. 'GM's doing a better job than many of their competitors, but there's obviously a relatively low ceiling because of the lack of supportive policy,' said Alan Baum, an independent Detroit auto analyst. Earlier this week, GM trumpeted the fact that it sold 37,000 electric vehicles in the first quarter of the year, making it the No. 2 EV maker in the U.S. behind Tesla. But the company has also announced new investments in gasoline-powered production, signaling it plans to make internal combustion engines well behind 2035. It is also a member of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which has vociferously opposed California's plans to require all-electric auto sales by 2035. It's Thursday — 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@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Alex Guillén breaks down how the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rollback of a historic Biden-era climate rule for power plants will impact efforts to fight global warming. Power Centers Legal pitfalls in climate rule rollbackEPA's proposal to stop regulating power plant climate pollution is built around a bold claim that the industry emits too little heat-trapping pollution to be worth it, write Jean Chemnick, Niina H. Farah and Lesley Clark. Legal experts say that rationale could create legal stumbling blocks. House approves cuts packageThe House approved a $9.4 billion rescissions package Thursday, a White House priority that would claw back more than half a billion dollars for international disaster aid and clean energy programs, writes Andres Picon. Among other cuts, the bill would repeal the country's entire $125 million contribution to the international Clean Technology Fund for fiscal 2025. In Other News Floodplain buyouts: As floods keep coming, this small city can't afford to let people leave. Submarine warfare: Submarines are hard to detect. Climate change might make it even harder. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Trump administration is bailing on a climate summit in Bonn, Germany, that has long served as a stepping stone to broader international talks later in the year. House Republicans are again pushing legislation to rewrite the Clean Air Act, but with a fresh argument: that changes are needed to keep up with the explosive demand for data centers. California energy officials greenlit the country's largest solar and battery project ever via a new permitting process to streamline certain clean energy projects. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
