ICYMI: The House passed a legislative package Wednesday that would overhaul the nuclear sector and streamline the buildout of advanced nuclear reactors – part of a two-track approach as lawmakers look to secure passage of the nuclear reform measure through any legislative means.
Wait, what passed? House lawmakers inserted the package’s language into a measure authorizing grants to the U.S. Fire Administration and firefighter assistance programs, and passed the bill through a suspension of the rules in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote (393-13). The package’s Senate negotiators are also looking to attach the measure to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill moving through the Senate this week, through the amendment process.
Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan, one of the lead negotiators of the package, called on the Senate to take the measure up.
“Today’s vote by the House sends the largest update in nuclear energy policy in decades back to the Senate for ratification before it goes to the President’s desk,” Duncan said in a written statement. “This legislation brings us one step closer to energy independence and being prepared for our coming nuclear renaissance.”
Why this is important: Senators are working to negotiate a deal on amendments before the FAA’s authorization expires on Friday – but the question still remaining is whether Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will allow for germane or non-germane amendments to the bill. And to call a package that would enact major nuclear reforms germane to a bill guiding aviation policy for the next five years is … well, a stretch.
“That is non-germane, so it would be in the non-germane bucket of bills,” Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, one of the co-sponsors of the amendment, told Nancy in a brief interview Tuesday. “I hope it’s still there, but I would expect it to be [with] all these other [bills].”
But if the Majority Leader allows for non-germane amendments, expect this measure to be near the top of the list for consideration for a floor vote.
“We’re keeping pushing it and I think it would just probably be in one of the top-tier if we get non-germane amendments,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the top Senate Republican negotiator of the bill, said in a hallway interview yesterday.
Possible opposition to the measure: If the measure is accepted as an FAA amendment, it will need to pass a 60-vote threshold in order to make it into the bill. Be on the lookout for those who opposed the bill in committee – Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ed Markey, along with Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, were the only lawmakers to oppose the bill.
Does the two-track approach guarantee success? Nothing is guaranteed in Congress. The nuclear package’s passage through the FAA bill is dependent on what comes out of the amendment deal. But, in the case the amendment is not accepted, there’s no guarantee that Schumer would take up the House-passed bill for a standalone vote in the Senate. However, passing it through the House first does speed things along.
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POWER PLANT RULE LITIGATION UNDERWAY: Twenty-five Republican states filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules on power plant emissions.
In the much-anticipated lawsuit, led by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, the Republicans argue that the rule is overly broad, an “abuse of discretion,” and out of accordance with law. They also say that Congress has not granted EPA the statutory authority to remake electricity grids — meaning the agency cannot sidestep Congress to upend their energy portfolios and shutter fossil fuel power plants.
The states also argue the EPA rulemaking defies the 2022 Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA.
Morrisey said he plans to file a motion to stay the rule soon. Read more from Breanne here.
TRUMP ASKED OIL INDUSTRY FOR $1B IN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS: Former President Donald Trump asked oil industry executives to contribute $1 billion to his presidential campaign to allow him to reverse Biden administration energy rules, according to reporting by the Washington Post.
Trump made the suggestion at a meeting with executives at Mar-a-Lago last month that included Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel, Cheniere Energy CEO Jack Fusco, and representatives from Chevron, Continental Resources, Exxon Mobil, and Occidental Petroleum, according to a list of attendees obtained by the publication. Trump discussed ending the Biden administration’s pause on new LNG export approvals, auctioning off new oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico, and scrapping the Environmental Protection Agency’s auto emissions rules.
Separate but related: Politico reported that oil industry lawyers are writing up executive orders for Trump to sign if he wins, out of concern that Trump will not be focused on implementing his energy goals in the early days of his administration and that he will not be properly staffed.
VERMONT BILL WOULD CHARGE FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES FOR CLIMATE DAMAGES: The Vermont legislature is poised to pass legislation that would charge fossil fuel companies for climate damages in the state, a measure that would be the first of its kind for a state.
The Senate is scheduled to consider final passage of the bill this week. Both chambers have already cleared versions of the legislation with majorities that would be sufficient to override a veto from Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who hasn’t yet stated whether he would sign the measure.
The bill would work by having the state treasurer come up with an estimate of damages attributable to climate change over the 1995-2024 period, which a third-party analysis suggests could be as much as $2.5 billion. Then, the state would impose corresponding levies on oil and gas producers based on cumulative emissions from their products over that time frame. The revenues would fund climate adaptation and resilience measures through the state Agency of Natural Resources.
ANOTHER BILL THAT PASSED THE HOUSE… Republican Rep. Mark Amodei’s mining bill passed the House last night, in a 216-195 vote. The bill was caught in the conflict between House conservatives and GOP leadership last week and went down in a procedural vote. However, the bill was sent back to committee and considered in the House Rules Committee on Monday.
The bill would allow mining companies to store waste on land regardless of its minerals content underneath the ground. We have a deeper explainer here.
WORLD’S LARGEST DIRECT AIR CAPTURE PLANT BEGINS OPERATION: Swiss carbon capture company Climeworks said yesterday that it had switched on the largest direct air capture carbon emissions removal plant, located on a lava plateau in southern Iceland.
When fully up and running, the plant will be capable of removing 36,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. Climeworks said that is nearly 10 times the capacity of its other plant in Iceland, which up until now was the world’s largest.
Both plants get heat and electricity from a nearby geothermal plant, Canary Media noted.
Climeworks is part of three U.S. direct air capture hub proposals in the U.S.that have received DOE funding. The largest, Project Cypress in Louisiana, was granted $50 million in March.
RUNDOWN
Financial Times Governments slap taxes on EVs as $110bn fuel duty shortfall looms
E&E News Her job: Ensuring AI and radical climate fixes don’t backfire
Politico Biden’s biggest challenge: How do you even spend $1.6 trillion?