Time for Biden's 'Beast Mode'?

Presented by ExxonMobil: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Jul 15, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by ExxonMobil Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Congressional climate action is dead. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia made sure of that when he told his party Thursday he "unequivocally" rejects any spending bill that includes provisions to clean up the nation's electricity grid. Despite some public waffling by Manchin on Friday, furious and defeated Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Joe Biden to do something — anything — as the planet continues to warm to dangerous levels. "With legislative climate options now closed, it's now time for executive Beast Mode," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) tweeted. Even Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who has shied away from delegating climate action to Biden, said the time has come. Climate emergency declaration  Presidents have declared national emergencies more than 100 times in the past 50 years— usually for foreign crises. But former President Donald Trump set a new precedent in 2019 when he used the lever to circumvent Congress and funnel billions of dollars into his border wall with Mexico. Now, climate advocates want Biden to follow suitand declare a national climate emergency. While not a silver bullet, the move would unlock billions of dollars annually to fund a clean energy revolution and protect the most vulnerable from the impacts of climate change. "This is kind of a put up or shut up moment for Biden," said Collin Rees, the U.S. program manager at Oil Change International. Still, the president would need the Supreme Court to uphold a declaration. That might be a risky bet after the conservative high court hobbled the administration's ability to clean up the power sector last month — even if the same court allowed Trump's emergency gambit to proceed. Plus, Biden's recent calls to increase domestic oil production as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not exactly inspired confidence from climate advocates. "Biden is about to do what every president before him has done on climate: nothing," Will Cleveland, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a tweet. "It's up to states for the foreseeable future." Reality check  Aggressive action from states has kept demand for clean energy high. "Therefore, deployments for solar are likely to remain high even with this setback," noted Rob Rains, an analyst at Washington Analysis LLC. Still, a new analysis from the Rhodium Group found that without federal policies, meeting Biden's climate goals will not happen. In accordance with the Paris climate deal, the president has pledged to halve heat-trapping emissions by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. Even declaring a climate emergency might not make up the difference, Rees said. "But Biden can definitely take a big chunk out of what's needed here," he said.   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@eenews.net. gif of the day Zachary Labe/NOAA scientist As the planet continues to warm, the Arctic is losing sea ice at a rate of almost 13 percent every decade. The oldest and thickest ice has declined by a stunning 95 percent over the past 30 years. Without dramatic reductions in carbon pollution, the Arctic could be "practically ice-free" by 2050, according to the United Nations' latest climate change assessment. This visualization of Arctic sea ice loss comes from Zachary Labe, a postdoctoral researcher working at NOAA and the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program at Princeton University.   A message from ExxonMobil: Producing for today. Investing in tomorrow. We're doing both. At ExxonMobil, we're investing to increase supplies of oil and gas to help meet today's demand. We're producing more oil and gas than any other American company and adding capacity to refine U.S. crude oil by 250,000 barrels per day. We're also investing over $15 billion in lower-emission initiatives through 2027 to support society's net-zero future. Learn more at ExxonMobil.com/supply   Power Centers Left to right: Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Scott Olson/Getty Images, Spencer Platt/Getty Images Closing the financial gap The shift to clean energy has presented a massive financial opportunity for some companies. But for U.S. electric utilities, the transition may upend a longstanding business model, writes Kristi E. Swartz. And if utilities feel like they can't make money off many of the clean energy technologies like solar panels and EVs, will they make the effort to fully shift away from fossil fuels? Read the story here. Capital gas ban Washington is expected to become the second East Coast city to ban fossil fuel boilers and water heaters in most new buildings, writes David Iaconangelo. The nation's capital would join New York City in instituting a ban on most fossil fuel heat — an idea that has also spread to several dozen West Coast municipalities. Here's the story. Delicate diplomacy dance The Biden administration has quietly been working with Saudi Arabia and its Middle Eastern neighbors on climate change, writes Zack Colman. Special climate envoy John Kerry made frequent trips to the region to engage leaders in a friendly competition on climate change, while simultaneously courting Saudi Arabia to help develop carbon reduction technologies that could help prolong the use of fossil fuels. Read more here. In Other News What goes around comes around: A new poll finds Biden is losing his base on climate change, as the majority of Democratic voters say he's not doing enough. Hot and dirty: Smog levels in Texas are surging as temperatures are rising, bringing about the worstsummer air quality in a decade. Today in the POLITICO Energy podcast: The team explains how natural gas is shedding its climate pariah status. Question Corner The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply. Want to know more? Send me your questions and I'll get you answers.   A message from ExxonMobil:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A Tesla car recharges its battery in Petaluma, Calif., in March. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The push to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will strain global copper supplies and threatens to push climate goals out of reach. New York's Public Service Commission signed off on the first slate of transmission investments under a 2020 law aimed at supporting renewable energy goals. Alaska Air and Microsoft will try out an aviation fuel made from captured carbon dioxide as part of their ambitious climate commitments. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!   A message from ExxonMobil: Investing in energy and the world. At ExxonMobil, we're working to supply the reliable energy the world needs. We're investing and producing, more than any other American company, to increase supplies of oil and gas today. In fact, we are adding capacity to refine U.S. crude oil by 250,000 barrels per day—the equivalent of adding a new, medium-sized refinery. And we are investing more than $15 billion in lower greenhouse gas emissions initiatives through 2027. Increasing supplies of reliable energy and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions is not an "either/or" proposition. We can strengthen energy security and help advance the energy transition. Producing for today. Investing in tomorrow. We're doing both. Learn more about what we are doing to strengthen energy security at ExxonMobil.com/supply     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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