Trump administration

• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration formally launched a year-long withdrawal process from the Paris climate agreement, though any departure would not take effect before the 2020 election.

• In testimony, Ambassador Gordon Sondland said he initially heard of the White House’s desire for an investigation into Hunter Biden’s employer, Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma, from Energy Secretary Rick Perry, along with Perry’s chief of staff and former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, contradicting Perry’s assertion that he did not know of the inquiry pressure.

• The Justice Department issued civil subpoenas to Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., BMW AG and Volkswagen AG connected to a July deal between the four automakers and the state of California that set automotive emissions standards at odds with the Trump administration’s proposed rollback of federal levels, according to people familiar with the matter. The subpoenas are pursuing whether the automakers acted in a collusive behavior but do not go as far as demanding documents, according to one of the people.

• President Donald Trump has formally sent to the Senate his nomination for Dan Brouillette, deputy secretary of the Energy Department, to replace Perry. Perry is expected to step down Dec. 1.

Congress

• The Senate Climate Solutions Caucus announced its initial group of members, joining Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) in standing up the group. Members will include Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, along with Democrats Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Michael Bennet of Colorado and independent Angus King of Maine.

• Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) confirmed he will retire from Congress as previously announced, after briefly reconsidering his decision following the recent retirement announcement from House Energy and Commerce ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.).

Environmental Protection Agency

• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler released two proposals to ease regulations on power plants’ release and storage of coal ash. 

• The EPA proposed to end the Environmental Appeals Board’s ability to review regional permits by itself and end the practice of letting parties use amicus briefs in disputes. 

• The agency’s inspector general Wheeler a letter on Oct. 29 claiming that Chief of Staff Ryan Jackson met requests to be interviewed over two matters with “repeated delays and refusals,” calling the situation “ruinous.” 

Oil and gas

• The Internal Revenue Service is expected to release documents in at least two stages by the end of the year related to the 45Q tax credit for carbon capture, storage and utilization, after an almost two-year wait since the credit was extended Feb. 9, 2018. 

• Occidental Petroleum Corp. reported a third-quarter net loss of $912 million, down from $1.9 billion in net profit a year earlier, due to a $285 million write-off and a separate $969 million in costs and fees related to its purchase of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. this year.

• French oil company Total SA announced that it will not renew its membership with lobbying group American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, citing differing views between the company and the association on the Paris climate agreement, renewable energy and carbon pricing. Total’s move comes after Royal Dutch Shell PLC made a similar decision on AFPM earlier this year, and Total said it is reviewing its ties to three other North American lobbying groups for similar reasons.

Solar

• Walmart Inc. and Tesla Inc. settled the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant’s breach of contract case that accused Tesla of negligence in its installation of solar panels on Walmart roofs, at least seven of which the company said caught fire between 2012 and 2018. 

• The Georgia offices of the U.S. Senate said they were contacted by solar companies, including Hanwha Q CELLS, seeking support for the end of the bifacial solar panel tariff exclusion, which the U.S. Trade Representative said last month it would withdraw. 

• The House and Senate are in session this week.

• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is scheduled to speak at an event on minerals from RealClearPolitics and the National Mining Association on Wednesday at 8 a.m.

• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will host a hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday to consider the nomination of Dan Brouillette to be the next Secretary of Energy.

1) EPA Watchdog Says Agency Official Isn’t Cooperating
Stephen Lee, Bloomberg Environment

2) There is one way forward on climate change
Martin Wolf, Financial Times

3) EPA to scale back federal rules restricting waste from coal-fired power plants
Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis, The Washington Post

4) IRS Expected to Issue Multipart Carbon Capture Clarity This Year
Jacqueline Toth, Morning Consult

5) Sondland testimony raises new questions on Perry’s role
Anthony Adragna et al., Politico

6) Trump Interior nominee fast-tracked a ‘deficient’ drilling permit
Lance Williams, Reveal

7) Trump sends nominee to replace Perry at Energy to the Senate
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

8) Exxon denies that it misled investors on climate risks
Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press

9) An Energy Breakthrough Could Store Solar Power for Decades
Adam Popescu, Bloomberg Businessweek

10) Associated gas contributes to growth in U.S. natural gas production
U.S. Energy Information Administration