WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Thursday, readers! We are kicking off Daily on Energy with the announcement of the election of the first American Pope – Pope Leo XIV.
In other news, the U.S. is in talks with Russia on how it can restore its gas sales to Europe, which Washington officials have noted could help in a peace deal in the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it would end tracking climate disasters that cause damages over $1 billion, marking yet another move by the Trump administration to eliminate climate change research.
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Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
A NEW POPE IS ANNOUNCED: Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected today to serve as the first American Pope.
Prevost will be known as Pope Leo XIV. He is 69 years old, from Chicago. He served as bishop and has dual citizenship in Peru. Pope Leo XIV is known to be a centrist but has espoused progressive beliefs on certain issues, particularly on climate change.
Last November, Leo XIV discussed the environment at a seminar in Rome, saying it is time to move “from words to action” on climate change.
“‘Dominion over nature’—the task which God gave humanity—should not become ‘tyrannical.’ It must be a ‘relationship of reciprocity’ with the environment,” he said, according to the Vatican News.
U.S. COULD HELP RUSSIA RESTORE GAS FLOWS TO EUROPE: Officials from Washington and Moscow held a discussion on the U.S. helping to restore Russian gas sales to Europe, sources told Reuters.
Europe has decreased its reliance on Russian natural gas since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago. The sources told Reuters that the discussions between the U.S. and Russia to revive its gas sales to Europe could help promote peace in Ukraine.
Trump has attempted to push for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. The loss of gas sales to Europe has hit Russia’s economy hard, with it only supplying 19% of Europe’s gas, compared to 40%, before the invasion, Reuters said.
HOUSE ADVANCES BILL RENAMING GULF OF MEXICO: This morning, the House voted to codify an executive order from President Donald Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” marking one of the first landmark executive actions Congress is seeking to solidify into law.
The details: The bill, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, passed the lower chamber in a 211-206 vote. Only one Republican, centrist Rep. Don Bacon, joined all Democrats in voting against the legislation.
It now faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Republicans need to meet a 60-vote threshold in order to send the legislation to the president’s desk. It is possible some Democrats will join the GOP in voting for the bill, but Republicans would need seven Democrats or independents to pass the legislation into law.
Read more from the Examiner’s Rachel Schilke here.
PUBLIC LAND SALES THREATEN RECONCILIATION: The late-night decision to add public land sales to the House Natural Resources Committee’s portion of the sweeping reconciliation tax bill may end up coming back to bite Republicans, as at least one member has indicated he’ll vote against the entire package if the provision remains.
Quick reminder: Early yesterday morning, Republicans on the committee approved an amendment that would order the sale of thousands of acres of public land in Nevada and Utah. The amendment indicates that this land could create opportunities for affordable housing. Republicans have touted the land sales as a way to pay for their reconciliation bill.
The details: For Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, selling off public lands is a non-starter. Zinke, who served as Interior Secretary under the first Trump administration, has yet to confirm whether he would vote against the larger reconciliation package if the public land sale remains, but Zinke has said he remains firmly against it.
“I have told leadership before, I have told leadership since, that…I strongly don’t believe [land sales] should be in the reconciliation bill,” Zinke said during a press conference in which he launched a bipartisan Public Land Caucus, according to Politico.
Republicans have a slim majority in the House, meaning they can only afford to lose a few GOP votes if they wish to successfully pass their budget through reconciliation, a legislative process that allows for bills to bypass the filibuster and pass with only a simple majority in the Senate. Those on the fence about certain provisions likely will face pressure from House leadership to vote in line with the package and deliver it to the president’s desk. Zinke warned this week that he won’t easily cave.
“I don’t yield to pressure, I only yield to high principle,” he said.
SENATE PASSES BILL TO UNDO BAN ON GLEN CANYON ATV BAN: Senators today voted to repeal a regulation implemented by the Biden administration that limits the use of motor vehicles in environmentally vulnerable areas in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The Senate voted 50-43 in favor of undoing the National Park Service rules governing the use of motor vehicles, off-highway vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles in the national park, which is located in northern Arizona and southeastern Utah.
The final rule was published in January and updated the NPS’s 2021 regulation. It bans off-road vehicles and all-terrain vehicles on 24 miles of park roads and implements stricter quiet hours for some areas of the park.
The House passed the resolution last month. Republicans argued that the rule limits recreational use of the national park.
The bill was introduced through the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to bypass the filibuster and vote in a simple majority to overturn a rule. The CRA has been used by Republicans in recent months to repeal Biden energy and climate rules that are not aligned with the administration.
Read more by Maydeen here.
U.S. SEES RECORD EXPORTS OF NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS: While Trump’s trade war has dampened most exports of energy products worldwide, U.S. exports of natural gas liquids (NGLs) thrived last month.
The details: Ship tracking data reviewed by Reuters shows that the U.S. exported around 2.9 million barrels per day of NGLs in April, a new record level. Exports from the U.S. have hit new highs every year since 2010. Last month’s export levels come at a bit of a surprise, given that nearly half of U.S. exports typically are sent to China.
In April, China saw its U.S. imports of NGLs drop by 35% to just 619,000 barrels per day, the lowest level since November 2023, according to Reuters. As China remains entangled in a trade war with Washington, other countries increased their purchases of NGLs to make up the difference.
Data reviewed by Reuters shows that India more than tripled the amount of NGLs it buys from the U.S., increasing its imports to 179,000 barrels per day. Similarly, Brazil more than doubled its imports to 113,000 barrels per day and Japan boosted its purchase by 64% to nearly 400,000 barrels per day.
A reminder: Natural gas liquids like ethane, butane, and propane are primarily used as fuel in heating and cooking, as well as for plastic and chemical production. These are typically extracted from natural gas production in natural gas processing plants.
NOAA STOPS TRACKING CLIMATE DISTASTERS WITH DAMAGES OVER $1 BILLION: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it would stop tracking climate disasters with damages over $1 billion, marking another move by the administration to get rid of climate change research.
NOAA said all past reporting from 1980-2024 will be archived, but there will be no updates beyond the 2024 calendar year.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration was reportedly looking to terminate National Park Service grants related to climate change.
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said on BlueSky that “There were 27 billion-dollar extreme weather and climate disasters in 2024. Now we have no way to track them. This is anti-science, anti-safety, and anti-American.”
EUROPEAN CARMAKERS GET RELIEF FROM CARBON EMISSIONS STANDARDS: The European Union is easing up on its strict carbon dioxide vehicle emissions standards, giving automakers more time to comply with the rules.
The details: The relief for carmakers comes after months of pressure from EU member states to soften the rules. Automakers had been required to meet certain emissions reduction targets this year or otherwise face high fees.
Manufacturers have insisted they would not be able to meet that deadline and claimed the rules would result in billions of dollars worth of fines on the European auto industry, imposing more hurt than help as Europe looks to accelerate the deployment of locally manufactured electric vehicles.
Earlier today, EU lawmakers voted 458-101 in favor of giving automakers until 2027, rather than 2025, to meet the targets, according to Reuters. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reportedly said it will give manufacturers “breathing space.”
It remains unclear if EU member states like Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic will continue to pressure the bloc to remove the fines completely. In December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz claimed the fines would hurt the industry and pressed the bloc to find a way to ensure the fines would not hurt companies financially.
ICYMI – STATES SUE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER WITHHOLDING BILLIONS FROM EV CHARGING PROGRAM: California, Colorado, and Washington are leading a coalition of 17 states suing the Trump administration for withholding billions for an electric vehicle charging infrastructure program.
Trump on his first day in office issued an executive order directing federal agencies to pause funding for electric vehicle charging stations under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program or NEVI. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated about $5 billion for the program to expand the EV charging infrastructure.
The states claim that the administration has illegally halted funds that were appropriated by Congress and directed to states. The Trump administration has looked to repeal policies and regulations that boost the EV industry.
“When America retreats, China wins,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China – ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs.”
“Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon – and the nation – by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding,” Newsom added.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle.
RUNDOWN
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