Biden’s climate swan song: ‘Go big’

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Sep 24, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell President Joe Biden on Tuesday addresses the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters. | Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP President Joe Biden wants voters to remember his administration’s climate and energy legacy — even if it’s a record that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has been reluctant to talk much about. Speaking today at the United Nations General Assembly and later at a climate event in New York, Biden forcefully outlined his administration’s climate actions, such as rejoining the Paris climate agreement and signing into law the nation’s largest-ever investment in clean energy — while telling business leaders, “It's a perfect time to go big.” “We’ve proven that a strong middle class, thriving innovation and manufacturing are the key to winning climate here at home and abroad,” he said at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum this afternoon. “This is a new formula on climate: creating jobs, reducing pollution, cleaning up our water and air, improving our quality of life, building a better America,” he added, rattling off what could have served as his reelection message had his June debate performance gone differently. He called it an alternative to offering voters “a climate conversation about sacrifice.” Biden’s afternoon appearance, on the sidelines of Climate Week, was perhaps his last major opportunity to sum up his ambitious, expansive energy agenda in public before the November election, writes Sara Schonhardt. He spoke as climate activists rallied on Manhattan streets for bolder action against fossil fuel pollution. Highlighting his policy work is a likely attempt to burnish his own legacy while providing a boost to Harris as she runs to replace him, writes Robin Bravender. Harris, on the other hand, has shied away from touting the administration’s efforts to curb carbon pollution and create domestic clean energy jobs, even if she’s shown every sign that she would continue to advance Biden’s policies. When she has discussed energy, she has pointed to the United States’ world-leading oil and natural gas production as well as pocketbook issues such as rising insurance costs related to climate change. She has also renounced her 2019 pledge to ban fracking amid attacks by former President Donald Trump. Biden also drew a sharp contract between a potential Harris administration and a potential second Trump administration. “He moved the world backwards,” Biden said of Trump. “His denial of climate change condemns our future generations to a more dangerous world. And by the way, windmills do not cause cancer.”   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. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Doug Palmer breaks down why the World Trade Organization approved China’s request for a panel to determine whether the Inflation Reduction Act violates global trade rules, and the potential implications. Hurricane watch New tropical storm gathers strength Tropical Storm Helene officially came into existence Tuesday in the Caribbean and is forecast to become a major hurricane before striking northern Florida on Thursday, causing extensive damage, the National Hurricane said. But virtually the entire Florida Gulf Coast as well as the Keys are on alert for dangerous winds or storm surge, and its impact could stretch as far north as metro Atlanta and the Tennessee Valley. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency warning Monday, and evacuation orders have begun in some communities. Areas of Florida vulnerable to the storm are still recovering from Hurricane Debby, which brought a deluge of rainfall last month. Power Centers White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 26. | Evan Vucci/AP White House races to protect climate cash White House adviser Ali Zaidi said the Biden administration is racing to Trump-proof the hundreds of billions of clean energy investments in its landmark climate law, writes Josh Siegel. Trump, the GOP nominee, has blasted the law as a “green new scam” and promised to claw back unspent funding if he wins the presidency. But that position is not shared by all Republican lawmakers, many of whom have said they favor preserving parts of the law, which is generating investments in battery factories and other energy projects in red states. Georgia EV plant sparks water war Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle factory outside the coastal city of Savannah, Georgia, is supported by every level of government, including Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, county officials and the Biden administration, through EV tax credits from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, writes David Ferris. But the 4 million gallons of water per day the plant expects to use is sparking protests from farmers and other residents who say it could drain the local aquifer and worsen the region’s flooding. Wind power vs. little beetle The American burying beetle, an endangered species, is complicating the development of a 226-mile transmission line planned by the Nebraska Public Power District. The R-Project, as it's known, could spur an expansion of the wind power that’s key to any clean energy future in the region, writes Michael Doyle. Efforts to protect the beetle are testing the Endangered Species Act’s costs, benefits and consequences as it relates the country's expansion of clean power. In Other News Electric grid: Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats. Strange bedfellows: Arlandria gas station attendant befriends squirrel. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pump jacks operate in Midland, Texas. | David Goldman/AP The Biden administration has urged the Supreme Court to reject requests to block EPA's new limits on methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas infrastructure. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will vote on dozens of priority bills Thursday, including proposals on offshore wind and public lands. Senior Biden administration officials and their international partners unveiled an effort Monday to finance critical mineral projects that might counter China’s global dominance. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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