Joe Manchin on Thursday rejected Senate Democrats’ proposed energy and climate investments, delivering a devastating blow to his party’s efforts to enact a social safety net, climate and tax package. But the West Virginia senator denied Friday he was closing the door completely on climate and energy spending. POLITICO’s Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino discuss what Manchin’s stance means and what Democrats, many of whom are angry with their colleague, can accomplish on energy and climate before the midterms.
The Russian war in Ukraine has forced global leaders to rethink their anti-natural gas stances. But that shift could cause richer countries to subvert the clean energy transition they’re targeting while also stoking tensions with developing countries over access to the fuel.
President Joe Biden is visiting Saudi Arabia on Friday, and he is expected to discuss everything from bolstering security in the region to reorienting policy with the kingdom. Everything except the one thing he really needs but can't get: more oil. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre explains why a hard push by the president would probably fail to get Saudi leaders to pump new crude supplies into the world oil market.
Construction on New Jersey’s first offshore wind project is set to begin next year, with developers looking to install nearly 100 wind turbines 15 miles off the coast of Ocean City. But the city doesn’t like the plan, potentially derailing the ambitious climate and clean energy goals put forward by President Joe Biden and state Gov. Phil Murphy. POLITICO’s Ry Rivard breaks down the fight for offshore wind along New Jersey and how it could impact other local communities and clean energy projects across the country.
The Biden administration took a key step in approving the Willow oil project in Alaska. But, the White House is giving itself some wiggle room as it struggles to balance climate promises with the painfully high fuel prices driving inflation. POLITICO’S Ben Lefebvre explains.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering new rules that would allow it to take a harder look at new pipelines or liquefied natural gas projects. But not so fast! Critics, including one of the agency’s own commissioners, are now arguing that the Supreme Court’s recent EPA ruling could place limits on FERC too. POLITICO’s Catherine Morehouse reports.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation has given seven states an ultimatum: come up with a plan to drastically reduce your Colorado River water usage, or we will. The lives and livelihoods of millions of people depend on the river’s water, so ceding access will be no easy feat. Climate change and the current drought only complicate the problem. So how might the states’ compromise over water rights shake out? POLITICO’s Lara Korte reports.
Residents of Northwest Indiana, many of whom are Black and Latino, live in one of the most polluted regions in America, suffering from poor health outcomes and low life expectancies. The Biden administration has promised that it will bring the radical change necessary to end the pollution that plagues America’s industrial cities. Politico Pro Energy reporter Annie Snider and E&E News reporter Sean Reilly spent months reporting on the plight of Americans forced to endure these living conditions. Today, Sean explains the challenges of the cumulative impact approach — the so-called “holy grail” — that the Biden administration is trying to implement to help ensure environmental justice is served.
Oil companies and climate activists have new fodder for disagreement with the release of the Biden administration’s proposed offshore oil and gas leasing plan. The Interior Department proposal could involve the sale of zero leases or 11 — a decision that puts details around future oil and gas production in limbo and has frustrated both environmentalists and fossil fuel supporters. POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre reports.
After significant setbacks to President Joe Biden’s green agenda over the last 18 months and the Supreme Court’s major climate ruling against the EPA last Thursday, environmentalists and many of their Democratic allies are starting to shift their focus to state capitals as the places to press for action on climate change — going back to a strategy that they employed with some success during the Trump era. POLITICO’s Zack Colman reports.