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| By Arianna Skibell |
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 Fires burn in a crater nicknamed the Gates of Hell near Darvaza, Turkmenistan. | Alexander Vershinin/AP Photo |
The Biden administration is looking to take on a climate problem bigger than the Gates of Hell. That devilish nickname belongs to a flaming, 60-foot-deep natural gas crater that has been burning for decades in Turkmenistan, spewing vast quantities of planet-warming methane. But recent satellite data shows that the central Asian country has a far dirtier methane problem: its oil and gas fields, whose leaks amount to some of the world’s largest sources of the potent greenhouse gas. That has caught Washington’s attention, writes Sara Schonhardt. The administration is now in talks with Turkmenistan officials to help the nation find and plug methane leaks, a senior State Department official told her. More nations are signing onto a pledge to cut methane 30 percent by 2030 as part of a bid to slow climate change. The momentum in Turkmenistan marks an early test of the international will to stem greenhouse gas emissions in counties that are largely isolated from Western influence, Sara writes. Methane is far more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to planetary warming. But it dissipates after a decade or two, while CO2 can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. That makes methane a prime target for swiftly slowing global warming. U.S. officials say cutting methane emissions could reduce global temperatures by 0.2 degrees Celsius, making a significant dent in the 1.2 degrees of warming that has occurred since preindustrial times. Developing nations whose economies are heavily reliant on oil and gas revenue, such as Turkmenistan, Algeria and Egypt, will require technical and financial assistance to slash methane, experts say. U.S. talks with Turkmenistan are in the early stages, but one source of financial assistance could come from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, according to the administration official who spoke to Sara, and who was granted anonymity to speak about a diplomatic issue. As an example, the official pointed to a $4 million loan guarantee the bank approved in March to help Mexico reduce gas flaring.
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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@eenews.net.
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| A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America: Clean Fuels Alliance America connects biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel producers with leaders in agriculture, energy, and transportation. As of 2021, the clean fuels industry delivered a total U.S. economic impact of $23.2 billion and supported 75,200 U.S. jobs throughout the economy that earned $3.6 billion in wages. The industry’s vision of producing 6 billion gallons per year would generate $61.6 billion in economic opportunity. Learn more at cleanfuels.org. |
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Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Ben Lefebvre breaks down how Texas' oil and gas regulator is complicating the Biden administration’s goal of reducing methane emissions.
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| A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America:   |
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A cardboard cutout of former President Donald Trump and banners are held up by supporters in Miami on Tuesday. | Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo |
Trump docs include nuclear secrets
Former President Donald Trump made his first appearance in federal court today to face charges that he illegally retained a wide swath of government records after his presidency ended in 2021 — including, Kevin Bogardus writes, classified documents from the Energy Department. The Energy documents pertain to the security of nuclear weaponry, an arena that former department spokesperson Kevin Liao said serves as “an overlooked but critical part of DOE’s job description.” Granholm explains
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has offered new details about how her department is handling billions of dollars from the Biden administration's climate law, following GOP-led attacks on its rollout, writes Shelby Webb. Granholm spoke in Austin, Texas, at the Edison Electric Institute’s meeting alongside White House climate adviser John Podesta. EU Green Deal gets messy
European People's Party leader Manfred Weber denied allegations from political rivals that he is using underhand tactics to secure a narrow victory in a vote that could kill a major plank of the European Union's climate package, write Eddy Wax and Louise Guillot. A leader within the centrist Renew Europe group accused Weber of "blackmailing" his own members with the threat of expulsion if they don't help deliver a fatal blow to a nature restoration bill in the Green Deal.
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Utility debt: Consumer advocates are warning that Puerto Rico's utility debt plan could saddle residents with unaffordable power bills for decades. Energy saver: The world’s biggest chocolate bar factory has a sweet secret: heat pumps.
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Mica Kantor (left) and Olivia Vesovich are among 16 young people suing the state of Montana over climate change. | Lesley Clark/POLITICO's E&E News |
The first U.S. youth climate trial opened Monday with tears from an activist, alarm from a climate scientist and testimony from a witness who helped write a constitutional provision to protect Montana's environment half a century ago. The nation's top energy regulator announced new commitments to mitigate the impacts of industrial pollution on low-income areas and communities of color. With bipartisan interest on Capitol Hill growing around the concept of carbon tariffs, two off-Hill advocates are floating a plan to tie trade policy to climate action. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
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| A message from Clean Fuels Alliance America: Clean Fuels Alliance America is connecting biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel producers with sustainable feedstock producers and other stakeholders. In 2022, U.S. production of biodiesel and renewable diesel grew by 500 million gallons. Since the start of 2023. U.S. production has increased by an additional 30%, using sustainably grown agricultural feedstocks like soybean and canola oils and meeting demand for low-carbon fuels that are needed now. Learn more about how the benefits keep growing at cleanfuels.org. |
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