Morning Consult Energy: House Oversight Committee to Release Documents on Investigation Into Oil Companies
 

Energy

Essential energy industry news & intel to start your day.
December 9, 2022
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Today’s Top News

  • The House Committee on Oversight and Reform today is set to release documents showing that oil company executives worked to secure government tax credits for carbon capture projects, despite remaining skeptical about the transition to a low-carbon economy. The committee’s investigation on major oil and gas companies has spanned more than a year, as the panel says that the industry has misled the public with advertisements of clean energy commitments even as companies continue to invest in fossil fuel production. (The Washington Post)
  • Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is set to change her party affiliation to independent, shortly after Democrats won a slim majority in the Senate, although she said she would not caucus with Republicans and downplayed the effect it would have on the chamber overall. The move allows Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key swing vote in the Senate over the past two years, to retain some power in the Democratic caucus — power that was wielded in the negotiations and ultimately the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act and its many climate provisions. (Politico)
  • Canada-based TC Energy Corp. shut down its Keystone system after it spilled about 14,000 barrels of oil about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City, Kan. The company said the oil spill was “isolated” and that it had contained the oil at the site with barriers, but did not say what caused the spill. (The Associated Press)
  • Hyundai Motor Group and SK On, a South Korean battery maker, will invest up to $5 billion to construct a new battery plant in Georgia, with plans to begin production in 2025. The plant would supply batteries for Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles assembled domestically. (The Associated Press)
 

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What Else You Need to Know

General
 

House approves defense, water projects bill

Nico Portuondo, E&E News

The House on Thursday afternoon sent the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to the Senate floor for consideration next week.

 

Conservative climate groups to wield power in GOP House

Nick Sobczyk, E&E News

Conservative clean energy groups have built considerable influence with Republican lawmakers over the last four years. Now they’re set to take a leading role as the GOP prepares to take over the House.

 

Kerry expects ‘very tricky’ year for climate fundraising

Timothy Puko, The Washington Post

White House envoy says climate conference in Egypt ‘fell slightly short’ of making collective progress.

 

Ready to ‘clean up’: Ex-Fla. disaster chief to join Congress

Thomas Frank, E&E News

The day after Jared Moskowitz won his House race in November, the National Emergency Management Association posted a congratulatory Twitter message that noted “he is the first State Emergency Management Director and NEMA Member elected to Congress.”

 
Climate Change and Emissions
 

Bitcoin Miners Forced to Report Energy Use in Proposed Bill

Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg

US crypto miners would be forced to disclose greenhouse gas emissions under a new bill, adding pressure to a fast-growing industry criticized for its heavy toll on the environment and power grid. 

 

Former US Energy Secretary Proposes Agency to Pay for Carbon Removal

David R. Baker, Bloomberg

Former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz called for creating a federal authority to pay for removing vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, saying the approach was needed to scale up an industry he called essential to fighting climate change.

 

Insurance regulators attack Biden plan to assess climate risk

Thomas Frank, E&E News

State insurance regulators are assailing the Biden administration’s plan for collecting detailed information from insurance companies to analyze how climate change is affecting the cost and availability of property coverage.

 
Renewables and Storage
 

U.S. utilities to triple battery storage capacity by 2025 -EIA

Reuters

Power utilities in the United States could triple their battery storage capacity in the coming three years, as new projects grow bigger while wind and solar capacity expand, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Thursday.

 

A 100MW solar farm in Texas will mount panels directly on the ground

Eric Wesoff, Canary Media

Startup Erthos says its ​“earth-mount” approach can reduce utility-scale solar costs by up to 20% by eliminating steel racking.

 
Oil, Gas and Alternative Fuels
 

Democrats Amp Up Pressure on Big Oil, Seek Tax Loophole Cut

Kevin Crowley, Bloomberg

Democratic senators are demanding that US oil companies pay more tax at a time when they’re raking in record profits, ratcheting up the war of words between the party and the energy industry.

 

Qatar Extends Its Natural Gas Dominance at Russia’s Expense

Clifford Krauss, The New York Times

As its influence grows, the country is poised to become a big energy supplier to Europe, which has turned away from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

 

New bipartisan clean hydrogen bill would advance DOE’s research and development

Diana DiGangi, Utility Dive

The bill authorizes programs that would work toward major technological advancements for clean hydrogen and fuel cells.

 

China, Saudi Arabia stress importance of oil market stability as Xi visits Riyadh

Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC

China and Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of global oil market stability and Riyadh’s role in achieving this balance, following a three-day Saudi visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 

JetBlue Moves Away From Carbon Credits to Focus on Greener Fuel

Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg

The airline will stop using carbon offsets to tackle the emissions generated by its domestic flights, crediting the increasing viability of sustainable aviation fuel.

 

ExxonMobil announces $50bn buyback despite political backlash

Justin Jacobs, Financial Times

US group also expects to increase capital spending but at lower levels than forecast pre-pandemic.

 
Transportation
 

Union Wins Vote in First US Electric Vehicle Battery Plant

David Welch, Bloomberg

The United Auto Workers union won an election at a General Motors Co. and LG Energy Solution Ltd. electric-car battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, giving the union its first win in a factory of that kind.

 

Colo. aims for 100% EVs with no gasoline bans

David Ferris, E&E News

Colorado debuted a plan Thursday that foresees internal-combustion vehicles almost totally phased off its roads by 2050. But unlike EV-leader California, it doesn’t intend to get there by banning them.

 

EV charging infrastructure requires local government collaboration to get federal funding: report

Dan Zukowski, Utility Dive

The Electrification Coalition laid out a road map for local governments to follow, starting with an inventory of current policies that impact charging deployments.

 

Truck makers lobby to weaken U.S. climate policies, report finds

Laura Klivans, NPR News

Truck manufacturers and an industry trade group privately lobbied to weaken U.S. climate policies while publicly promoting zero-emissions trucks, according to a new report from a think tank that tracks corporate influence on climate policy.

 

Lithium Rally Has More Room to Run, Thanks to US Climate Bill

Yvonne Yue Li, Bloomberg

A key piece of the legislation is focused on bolstering production and processing for critical battery metals like lithium within the US and with countries that have free-trade agreements with Washington. 

 
Electricity, Utilities and Infrastructure
 

Attacks on grid infrastructure in 4 states raise alarm

Miranda Willson, E&E News

Shootings at two electric substations in North Carolina last weekend are among the numerous threats posed to U.S. electric infrastructure since mid-October, raising questions about whether such incidents are on the rise.

 

Investigators scouring online conspiracy theories for motive in N.C. substation attack

Tom Winter and Corky Siemaszko, CNBC

Detectives probing the “targeted attacks” on two power stations last weekend that left thousands of North Carolina residents in the dark have been searching online for a possible motive, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.

 

Lobbyists swarmed to clinch Jackson water crisis funds

Kevin Bogardus and Hannah Northey, E&E News

Law and lobby firms rushed to secure millions of federal dollars for Jackson, Miss. — or win the city’s business — in the aftermath of more than 150,000 residents being left without safe drinking water this summer.

 
Environment, Land and Resources
 

New abnormal: Climate disaster damage ‘down’ to $268 billion

Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press

This past year has seen a horrific flood that submerged one-third of Pakistan, one of the three costliest U.S. hurricanes on record, devastating droughts in Europe and China, a drought-triggered famine in Africa and deadly heat waves all over.

 

Okefenokee Titanium Mine Fight Escalates With Interior Move

Bobby Magill, Bloomberg Law

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s implicit threat of legal action against a proposed titanium dioxide mine on the flanks of Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp raises unresolved questions about the scope of the agency’s authority to protect public lands outside their boundaries, legal experts say.

 

A deadly wildfire traumatized their town. Can nature help them heal?

Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post

It has been four years since Nelson navigated these roads while fleeing the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history. And still, every return to Paradise is a reminder that she can never truly go home.

 

Many questions on $52B storm protection plan in NY, NJ

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

People are asking questions about a storm protection proposal for New York and New Jersey that would be among the most massive and costly flood control projects ever done in America, aiming to prevent the type of catastrophic flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

 

Ban on salmon farming in Wash. ignites new worries in Maine

Rob Hotakainen, E&E News

Aquaculture opponents in Maine celebrated earlier this year when they helped convince state officials to block a proposed industrial fish farm in the waters of Frenchman Bay, right next to Acadia National Park.

 

A City in Washington Wants to Give Orcas Their Own Version of Human Rights

Angely Mercado, Gizmodo

There are only 73 orcas left in the Salish Sea. One city council thinks they should have special legal protections.

 
Coal/Nuclear
 

Five ways the Biden DOE is spending big on nuclear energy 

Saul Elbein, The Hill

The Department of Energy is spending big to keep America’s old nuclear reactors online while laying the foundations of the nuclear energy industry of the future. 

 

New Mexico seeks tougher provisions for US nuclear dump

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press

New Mexico officials outlined new conditions Thursday for a proposed permit for the U.S. government to continue the disposal of nuclear waste in the southeast corner of the state, part of a multibillion-dollar federal cleanup program.

 
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
 

The Pentagon Marches Off to Climate War

The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal

Biden’s new mandate on contractors adds green politics and costs to weapons.

 
Morning Consult