| | | | | |  | | By Kelsey Tamborrino | Presented by Chevron | With help from Zack Colman and Alex Guillén Editor's Note: Morning Energy is a free version of POLITICO Pro Energy's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. | | | | | | | — President Joe Biden is set to unveil another batch of executive action related to climate change this week, including for his Climate Leaders' Summit and ordering a pause on new oil, gas and coal leases on federal lands. — The Biden administration announced several new staffing moves over the weekend, including naming a new chair to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and building out the Office of Management and Budget. — Over the weekend, national climate adviser Gina McCarthy and special climate envoy John Kerry laid out the climate obstacles they see ahead during a virtual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. WELCOME TO MONDAY! I'm your host, Kelsey Tamborrino. FTI Consulting's Cody McGregor got the trivia win for correctly identifying former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was the first VP to live on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory. For today: How many commonwealths are there in the U.S. and what are they? Send your tips and trivia answers to ktamborrino@politico.com. Check out the POLITICO Energy podcast — all the energy and environmental politics and policy news you need to start your day, in just five minutes. Listen and subscribe for free at politico.com/energy-podcast. On today's episode: Biden's order: Stop drilling | | A message from Chevron: Last year, Chevron invested billions of dollars to bring affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy to America. Because it's only human to power a brighter future. Learn more. | | | | | | CLIMATE DAY IS COMING: The Biden administration is planning a series of themed days this week, each packed with corresponding executive actions, with climate change earmarked for Wednesday. Biden is slated to announce his promised Climate Leaders' Summit will take place on Earth Day, April 22, Pro's Karl Mathiesen reports, citing a White House planning document. The document says Biden will also initiate a "series of regulatory actions to combat climate change domestically and elevates [sic] climate change as a national security priority." | 
Biden announces members of his climate and energy appointments at the Queen theater on Dec. 19, 2020 in Wilmington, Del. | Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images | The administration is also likely to pause new oil, gas and coal leases on federal lands as part of Wednesday's orders, two people familiar with the plan told Pro's Ben Lefebvre on Friday . It will include a moratorium on the Interior Department offering new oil and gas leases for onshore and offshore federal properties, according to the people briefed on the plan who requested anonymity to discuss the unreleased order. The suspension would last one year for oil and gas and up to three years for coal, one of the people said. During that pause, the administration is expected to review the criteria under which leases and drilling permits are given and possibly invite public comment, the two people said. A source with the White House said talk of "additional [executive orders] in the coming days that are circulating among the media are likely still drafts/pre-decisional." There's also plans to emphasize science in decision-making at federal agencies and to reestablish the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Also happening Wednesday: Energy Secretary-designate Jennifer Granholm will appear on Capitol Hill for her nomination hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. | | | | THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO OFFICIAL WASHINGTON: The new Playbook team got off to fast start last week with a series of big scoops. The reporting foursome of Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Tara Palmeri will roam every corner of Washington, bringing you the big stories you need to know–and the insider nuggets that you want to know–about the new power centers and power players in Washington. "This town" has changed. And no one covers this town like Playbook. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | BIDEN TAPS HANSON FOR NRC CHAIR: The Biden administration tapped Democratic Commissioner Christopher Hanson for chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, your ME host reports for Pros. Hanson replaces Kristine Svinicki, who exited the agency on Inauguration Day . His selection bypasses Democratic Commissioner Jeff Baran, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama and joined the commission in 2014. Hanson was first nominated to the NRC — which is currently split with two Republican commissioners and two Democrats — by former President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate in May. — Biden has also named a new chairman for the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the quasi-judicial panel that oversees disputes under the 1977 Mine Act. The chairman under Trump had been Kentucky lawyer Marco Rajkovich, Jr., but he'll be replaced by Arthur Traynor, a former United Mine Workers of America attorney. Along with third commissioner William Althen, who has been there since 2013, FMSHRC remains two members short of its full five-seat strength. EPA TO DOJ — HIT THE BRAKES: As the Trump administration did four years ago, the Biden EPA last week asked the Justice Department to seek to pause all ongoing litigation over Trump-era rules "in order to provide an opportunity for new Agency leadership to review the underlying rule or matter," according to a letter from Melissa Hoffer , the political appointee serving as acting general counsel. Many of the Trump administration's environmental rules were only finalized in the last few months, while many earlier ones are still in the pre-argument briefing stage, where judges typically grant abeyances. (The notable exception being the ACE rule, which was struck down last week by the D.C. Circuit.) EPA REVIVES EJ TRAINING: EPA reinstated an internal speaker series on racism and environmental justice Friday after Biden revoked a Trump-era executive order that had ended race-related training it deemed "un-American" across the government, Pro's Alex Guillén reports. Representatives from the Mapping Inequality Project will host a March 4 session on their work , which "has already generated an explosion of trailblazing work in the area of EJ and systemic racism," Charles Lee, a career policy adviser for environmental justice, wrote in an email to staff that was obtained by POLITICO. His email did not mention Trump or the series' disruption. BIDEN CONFRONTS BROKEN BUDGET OFFICE: Before Biden can tackle the pandemic, address the economic crisis or fulfill promises on climate change, he will need to first rebuild the Office of Management and Budget, the federal agency at the center of it all, Caitlin Emma reports for Pros. After Trump, the workforce is demoralized, particularly after political leaders pushed to test boundaries at Trump's behest, Caitlin writes. Shaun Donovan, who served as OMB director under Obama and speaks regularly with career officials at the agency, said "the damage is deep and wide" at the agency. "I've seen these moments over and over again, and there is no comparison," Donovan said of past presidential transitions. "This is easily the most perilous and has the deepest damage to be repaired." Biden will need to restore trust, reset norms and bolster the ranks at the budget office after Trump stripped civil servants of authority and worker protections while pushing a legally dubious agenda that many at the agency do not support, half a dozen current and former OMB officials told Caitlin. The administration has so far given career staff back their power in overseeing federal spending and released more than $27 billion for critical services temporarily frozen by Trump's recent request for spending cuts, said Rob Friedlander, associate director for communications at OMB. The administration is also staffing up, announcing a slate of key political hires over the weekend. Among the names, Candace Vahlsing has been added as associate director for climate, energy, environment, and science programs at OMB. Vahlsing was part of the domestic policy team on the Biden transition. | | | |   | | | | | | KERRY, MCCARTHY TALK CLIMATE AT MAYORS CONFERENCE: Biden's White House climate duo — domestic chief Gina McCarthy and international envoy John Kerry — called for the U.S. to "set the right example" for the world, as Kerry put it. He noted that while U.S. cities led the nation's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as Trump reversed environmental regulations, those cities must now make even greater strides. "We are behind," Kerry said, though, he noted his portfolio concerns the 88 percent of global emissions produced outside the U.S. "There are few countries that are close to perhaps achieving what we set out to do in Paris," with the world on track for "catastrophic" global temperature increases. Money will also need to be brought to bear. McCarthy said "we want every single piece of the federal budget to be looked at," from federal agencies to procurement to state purchasing. Money is an international issue, too, Kerry noted by referencing United Nations warnings of a several trillion dollar financing gap. "We are working already to bring the private sector to the table to get the major banks, major asset managers, investment houses," he said. | 
Kerry speaks after being introduced by Biden as he introduces key foreign policy and national security nominees and appointments at the Queen Theatre on Nov. 24, 2020 in Wilmington, Del. | Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images | Kerry focused on technology, markets and breakthroughs the world will need to keep from overheating, which he framed as an opportunity for the U.S. economy. "The United States of America has a remarkable track record already of private sector movement in the right direction," he said. McCarthy said the Biden administration intends to work with cities to find solutions that make sense for them, and particularly for areas vulnerable to threats like flooding and wildfires. "We have a lot of work to do and we have no intention of doing it alone," she said. At the same time, Kerry alluded to the political obstacles Biden's green push likely faces. "We're going to have to persuade Americans that this is not what some of the deniers and obstructionists have wanted people to believe. It is not a diminishment of lifestyle, it is not a choice of either the economy or a terrible life, it is not because everybody has got to eat meat or whatever choices are thrown around. This can be the greatest economic transformation in global history," he said. "We will win the heart of Middle America. And if we fail to win the heart of Middle America, we will lose. I don't want to argue about climate change. It's a done deal to argue about," McCarthy added. PHONE A FOREIGN LEADER: Biden discussed tackling climate change in phone calls with several foreign leaders this weekend. His first call went to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday night, when the two talked global leadership to address climate change, a sustainable economic recovery and working together "to achieve a net-zero emissions future," according to a readout from the White House. POLITICO's Lauren Gardner and Maura Forrest report that Trudeau expressed disappointment with Biden's decision to rescind Keystone XL's cross-border permit, according to two senior government officials familiar with the conversation, adding that Biden acknowledged it was a blow to Canada but underscored that it was his campaign commitment. Biden and Trudeau also agreed to meet again next month, either virtually or in person, the officials said. That's not all: Biden also spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday, when the pair discussed climate, the U.S. rejoining the Paris climate agreement and Biden's readiness to work with Johnson as the U.K. hosts the G-7 and United Nations Climate Change Conference this year, the White House said. Biden also spoke Sunday with President Emmanuel Macron of France on the need for close coordination, including through multilateral organizations, in tackling climate change. | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY - DRAWING THE ETHICAL LINE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: As AI becomes increasingly ingrained in our everyday lives, there are concerns about biases in these systems and ethical standards to guide their fair use. Without an international framework or set of principles governing AI, the ethical guidelines for its use vary across countries and cities and sometimes even come down to individual policymakers, elected leaders, the private sector, and grassroots advocates' work. Join POLITICO for a conversation to explore the pace of global AI innovation and development and what it means for the future of ethical standards in this space. The virtual program features an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and Workday EVP of corporate affairs Jim Shaughnessy. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | CHEMICAL COMPANIES REACH $4B PFAS SETTLEMENT: Chemical companies DuPont, Chemours and Corteva announced Friday they reached a $4 billion settlement to put a end to legal battles over which of them is on the hook for liabilities related to decades' worth of use of toxic "forever chemicals," Pro's Annie Snider reports . The agreement resolves disputes that date back to 2015, when DuPont spun off its PFAS business into Chemours. AUDUBON ADDS DIVERSITY OFFICER: The National Audubon Society named Jamaal Nelson as its chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer, the organization announced. Nelson was previously partner and adviser with the Management Center, a nonprofit consulting firm. The hire comes in the wake of a POLITICO report about a culture of intimidation and racial inequity at Audubon. Audubon also hired Elizabeth Gray as its chief conservation officer. She previously worked at The Nature Conservancy. | | A message from Chevron: Last year, Chevron invested billions of dollars to bring affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy to America. As our CEO, Mike Wirth, said, "We're for all types of energy. The world needs them all and they all have a place in the system." Learn more. | | | | | | — The Solar Energy Industries Association named Evelyn Butler as its vice president of technical services and Roderick Lewis as the new vice president of member services. In addition to his role as vice president of state affairs, Sean Gallagher will also direct the group's federal regulatory affairs efforts. | | | — "One of Congress' biggest gas tax increase backers is ready to move on," via POLITICO Pro. — "Two Trump appointees are being investigated for posting reports denying climate change," via The New York Times. — "Ex-DOJ official called 'radioactive' after alleged election plot," via Bloomberg Law. — "Evers administration seeks outside firm to prosecute PFAS polluters," via Wisconsin Public Radio. — " Renewables overtook fossil fuels in EU electricity mix in 2020: Report," via Reuters. — "Tesla gets picked up by Nancy Pelosi," via TheStreet. — "NY attorney general sues over nuclear plant shutdown plan," via Associated Press. THAT'S ALL FOR ME! | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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