Biden loses a key climate ally

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Dec 15, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Chevron Richard Glick, chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. | Francis Chung/POLITICO President Joe Biden has made combating the climate emergency a major focus of his agenda. Yet a crucial agency for realizing his clean energy future is losing its like-minded leader. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (sometimes called the most important agency you've never heard of) is tasked with greenlighting major natural gas pipelines and regulating the nation's energy markets. As a commissioner, Richard Glick spent years arguing for a more robust assessment of how pipeline projects would affect the nation's greenhouse gas output. His vision never came close to reality during the Trump administration. Glick made another push after Biden made him chair of the five-member commission. But after nearly two years of battling, Glick's efforts have been defanged and his tenure cut short, writes POLITICO's E&E News reporter Miranda Willson. The reason can partly be traced to a frequent thorn in Biden's side: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). In February, Glick proposed establishing a metric to help determine whether a project's greenhouse gas emissions would have a "significant impact" on the environment. Glick and the two other Democratic commissioners also updated FERC's natural gas policy statement for the first time since 1999, adding more focus to environmental issues and scrutiny of whether new projects are needed. Both decisions faced strong objections from the two Republican commissioners, who said they went beyond FERC's legal authority. Following more pushback from Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and from natural gas pipeline groups and others, FERC turned the policies into unenforceable "drafts." That has rankled the natural gas industry and environmental groups alike. "Everyone is frustrated," Neil Chatterjee, who chaired the commission during much of the Trump administration, told Miranda. "It's been a mess." Manchin later torpedoed Glick's hopes for another term by refusing to hold a hearing on his renomination, which means the commission will face a 2-2 stalemate after Glick leaves at the end of the year. The question now is whether and how the commission will handle greenhouse gas reviews next year. Biden will need to nominate a new commissioner, whose confirmation could likewise be stymied by — you guessed it — Manchin.   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 and questions to askibell@eenews.net.   A message from Chevron: At Chevron, we're working to help progress the energy sector forward. Subscribe to The Human Energy Newsletter to receive our recently published methane report, energy news, powerful insights, and the latest on our efforts to bring affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy to the world.   Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Ry Rivard breaks down the stakes of a plan to create a fund that would compensate fishing interests for losses related to offshore wind development. The Backstory Former President Donald Trump shaking hands with ex-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Soon after becoming president, Donald Trump took a call with his EPA administrator to hash out details of a plan to exit the Paris climate accord, write Kevin Bogardus and Robin Bravender. Trump's interest in quitting the Paris deal — negotiated by the Obama administration — was "spot on," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, according to notes included in an internal EPA email from May 2017. The documents, released to E&E News under a Freedom of Information Act request filed five years ago, offer new details about the Trump administration's private conversations in the lead-up to the momentous June 1, 2017, announcement.   A message from Chevron:   Power Centers Flooding after Hurricane Irma in Immokalee, Fla., in 2017. | Gerald Herbert/AP Photo Climate futures Hundreds of thousands of Florida property owners face requirements to buy flood insurance under a precedent-setting bill approved by the state Legislature. It's the first mandate of its kind in the country, writes Thomas Frank. The requirement applies to properties across the state, regardless of whether they are in high-risk flood zones, and will cost some homeowners thousands of dollars a year. On the Hill Democrats think they'll still have a chance to enact more of their climate agenda next year, despite a Republican House takeover that will make moving most major legislation next to impossible, writes Nick Sobczyk. Most of Democrats' regulatory and spending proposals will be dead on arrival with Republicans, but there could be opportunities next year for smaller-scale policies addressing transmission, agriculture and climate resilience. Subsidy solutions European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager has warned that massive state subsidies aren't the only solution to Europe's spiraling energy crisis and an ongoing trade dispute with the United States, writes Samuel Stolton. "State aid is a powerful solution to the current challenges, but you can't build competitiveness out of subsidies," Vestager said. in other news Cars and trucks drive along a highway in California. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Transportation: A federal push for emissions tracking reveals a split among state DOTs. All about the dough: The White House plans to release "detailed guidance" for Americans to access climate tax credits.   A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We're kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. London-based HSBC bank won't back new oil and gas. | Matt Cardy/Getty Images Europe's biggest bank announced that it will no longer provide financing for new oil and gas field projects or related infrastructure. Redwood Materials, a company that aspires to turn old lithium batteries into power packs for new electric vehicles, is planning a $3.5 billion factory in South Carolina. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) has his eye on water — and a potential clash with fellow Democrats and Biden officials over climate resources amid the mega-drought hitting the West. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   A message from Chevron: From news and updates on Chevron's renewable fuel projects to the latest energy reports, The Human Energy Newsletter will keep you better informed on the entire energy sector. Subscribe to the newsletter and be the first to receive news and updates directly to your inbox. Subscribe now.     POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023.       Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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