WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! We are just about halfway through the week – but who’s counting?
In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, we continue to monitor the aftermath of the tragic flash flooding in Texas late last week. New estimates suggest that the flood could very well be one of the most expensive natural disasters in the Lone Star State’s history.
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We’re also back on The Hill today, following some of the Trump administration’s energy-related appointments as they make their way through the Senate. As we approach the August recess, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you are working by the Capitol and would like to get a coffee with either of us!
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.
THE LATEST ON TEXAS: It has been several days since the flood hit central Texas, damaging communities along the Guadalupe River.
As of this morning, the death toll has risen to at least 119. There were 95 deaths reported in Kerr County, including 36 children. Officials said there are more than 160 people missing, including five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic.
Many have questioned whether the warnings were timely and if local officials could have done more. The National Weather Service issued several warnings in the early morning on Friday about the intensity of the rainfall and flood risk. However, some have raised concerns that what has happened in Kerr County was the results of low staff at the NWS. The administration has rejected looking into these claims.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator nominee Neil Jacobs told lawmakers today in a Senate hearing on his confirmation that, “If confirmed, I will ensure that staffing the Weather Service offices is a top priority.”
Cost in damages: The flash flood that hit on the 4th of July could cost billions in damages. AccuWeather earlier this week estimated the cost of damages could be anywhere between $18 to $22 billion.
“The horrific loss of life in this flash flooding disaster is heartbreaking,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said. “Our hearts go out to the survivors, first responders, officials and volunteers helping families who have lost loved ones in the flood waters.”
Porter added “The damage, impacts on future tourism, cost of search and recovery efforts, extensive cleanup that will be needed, as well as insurance claims after this catastrophic flash flood, will have long-lasting economic impacts in the Hill Country region of Texas.”
SENATE REPUBLICANS ADVANCE NRC CHAIR’S REAPPOINTMENT TO FLOOR VOTE: In a party-line vote, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted this morning to advance President Donald Trump’s reappointment of David Wright as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The details: All Democrat members of the committee voted against Wright’s reappointment, with ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island saying he couldn’t support the sitting commissioner due to the Trump administration’s attempts to reform the independent agency.
“This nonsense at the NRC has to stop before I can support this guy, there’s too much doggy mischief going on,” Whitehouse said immediately following the vote, making a play on words referencing the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE.
“There’s too much damage to the internal integrity of the NRC. It looks like a hostile takeover by the Department of Energy and it just isn’t working,” he said, adding that he believes every member of EPW supports keeping the NRC independent.
Quick reminder: Trump first set his sights on the NRC in late May, when he issued a number of executive orders aimed at boosting the domestic buildout of nuclear power. Trump targeted the NRC’s licensing timeline and agency culture, ordering the agency to make decisions on reactor licenses within 18 months.
Then, last month, Trump fired Democratic commissioner Christopher Hanson from the agency. It marked the first firing of a commissioner from the NRC since 1975 and was swiftly called “unjust” by Hanson and other Democrats. While nuclear advocates have called for reforms to the regulatory process for building new reactors, many have warned that overhauling the NRC could more likely lead to increased delays for the industry.
Something related: Also this morning, the Senate voted on Trump’s nomination of Preston Griffith to serve as the under secretary of energy. Griffith, who served at DOE and the National Security Council in the first Trump administration, was confirmed in a 54-43 vote. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted in favor of the nomination.
TRUMP TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON COPPER: During yesterday’s White House Cabinet meeting, Trump said he would be imposing a new 50% tariff on copper imported to the U.S.
Copper is an essential component for the energy sector. It is used in power generation, transmission, electric vehicles, and other renewable energy sources. There are already 25% tariffs on imported cars and vehicle parts as well as 50% tariffs on aluminum and steel.
Environmental groups have actively fought against copper mining in the U.S. Power The Future, a nonprofit conservative group, noted that environmental groups applauded the Biden administration canceling a copper and nickel mine in Minnesota.
Daniel Turner, Power The Future’s CEO, said “President Trump understands that America has plenty of copper to reenergize our economy and build a stronger nation.”
“[M]ake no mistake: The same green groups who will scream about American copper mining are perfectly fine when it is done in China under slave labor and zero environmental rules. President Trump’s tariff plan puts America first and that’s what really upsets green activists the most,” Turner added.
In February, Trump ordered a Section 232 investigation into copper, which takes a look at whether an import affects national security.
POPE LEO ISSUES A CLIMATE CALL TO ACTION: Pope Leo held a special mass urging Catholics to engage in mitigating efforts aimed at combatting the effects of climate change while protecting the planet, continuing the environmental legacy laid by his predecessor.
The details: Leo XIV, who was elected to serve as pope in early May, has long expressed progressive views regarding climate change, similar to that of Pope Francis. Francis was a strong advocate for climate change mitigation measures throughout his tenure, making environmental concern a hallmark of his papacy. Only three months into his tenure, Leo appears to be doing the same.
Earlier today, the pope held a special mass at the Vatican’s new ecological education center and prayed for the “conversion” of many to recognize the urgency of combating climate change.
“We must pray for the conversion of so many people, inside and out of the church, who still don’t recognize the urgency of caring for our common home,” Leo said. “We see so many natural disasters in the world, nearly every day and in so many countries, that are in part caused by the excesses of being human, with our lifestyle.”
He went on to say that our world is “burning” in part due to global warming and growing armed conflicts. He did not point to any specific natural disaster caused by climate change, but insisted we are experiencing an “ecological crisis.”
VOTERS VALUING LOWER COSTS OVER ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE: The pope’s call to climate action comes the same day that a survey conducted by the American Enterprise Institute and YouGov was released, showcasing that most voters are more interested in lowering the cost and increasing reliability of energy than changing any of their habits to address climate change.
The details: The survey found that only 19% of voters consider the effect of the energy that they use on the climate to be most important to them. A plurality of voters (37%) said the most important thing is the cost of the energy they use. This was closely followed (36%) by the power and energy being available when they need to use it.
Similarly, 95% of voters said keeping energy consumer costs low was somewhat or very important to them. Approximately 88% said the same when it comes to protecting the quality of the environment for future generations. Only 63% said it was somewhat or very important to get the U.S. to Net-Zero carbon emissions as quickly as possible, and 38% said it wasn’t too important or important at all.
The survey was conducted among more than 3,000 registered voters about one month before the November presidential election.
Why this matters: Unlike during the Biden administration, climate change mitigation is taking a backseat under Trump’s second presidency. Environmentalists and climate activists say this could slow the U.S.’s transition to clean energy sources as well as risk increasing carbon emissions. Amid the criticism, though, the administration is unlikely to face massive pushback from voters in the coming months as Trump promised to lower energy bills and secure energy reliability for the grid.
STUDY SAYS CLIMATE CHANGE TRIPLED HEAT-RELATED DEATHS IN EUROPE: Climate change has raised temperatures in Europe, nearly tripling heat-related deaths, according to a study by the Grantham Institute.
The study found that, across 12 European cities, the number of heat-related deaths increased by 1,500. The study focused on the days between June 23 to July 2, when Europe was dealing with the summer’s first heatwave. It found that fossil fuel use has increased the heatwave temperatures up to 4 degrees Celsius, or 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
“About 1,500 of the 2,300 estimated heat deaths, or 65%, are a result of climate change increasing the heat by 1-4°C, meaning the death toll was tripled due to the burning of fossil fuels,” it said. The study added that people of the age 65 and over made up 88% of the heat-related deaths.
The study comes as last June was marked as the warmest on record in Western Europe. The European Union Earth Observation Programme Copernicus said that June was 2.8 degrees Celsius above normal temperatures.
ICYMI – ENVIRONMENTALISTS PUSH BACK ON EPA PLANS TO ROLL BACK COAL PLANT EMISSION STANDARDS: Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency held a public hearing on its proposal to reverse strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal-fired power plants.
In its decision to reverse the Biden-era rules, the Trump administration has claimed that emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants “do not contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution.”
The proposed rollback has been widely supported by those within the fossil fuel industry, with many claiming that the existing rule would cause the premature retirement of many coal plants.
The concerns: Meanwhile, clean air and climate activists have pushed back, pointing to the substantial amount of carbon released by these power plants. In its testimony yesterday, the Environmental Law and Policy Center claimed that domestic power plants released 1.4 billion metric tons of carbon emissions in 2023 alone.
“This is more than the total annual greenhouse gas emissions of nearly every other nation on Earth, and is greater than the collective greenhouse gas emissions of over half of the world’s countries,” associate attorney Callie Sharp said, according to Bloomberg Law.
The EPA has set a one month deadline for supporters and critics of the proposal to continue to submit comments on the proposed rule. That deadline ends August 8.
RUNDOWN
The Hill Climate change and aerosol pollution made drought inevitable in the US Southwest: Study
Bloomberg EU’s Far Right to Shape 2040 Climate Goals After Vote Fails
New York Times Rivers Are the Soul of the Texas Hill Country, and a Source of Heartache