WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Tuesday, readers! It’s set to be a busy few days in New York as the U.N. General Assembly and NYC Climate Week are both taking place in Manhattan. While you won’t find us there this week, we continue to monitor both events and include some highlights from the president’s address to the U.N. below.
Today’s edition of Daily on Energy also dives into reports on the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent agency-wide reorganization.
Recommended Stories
- Daily on Energy: Judge restarts Revolution Wind project and endangerment finding comment period ends
- Moore unveils $200 million energy rebate program for Marylanders amid rising electricity costs
- Daily on Energy: Quote of the week, big changes in California, and nuclear has near-perfect reliability
Plus, keep reading to learn about automakers’ latest push for the Trump administration to roll back Biden-era vehicle emissions standards.
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.
TRUMP DUBS CARBON FOOTPRINT A ‘HOAX’: President Donald Trump took aim at green policies adopted by European and western allies during his address to the U.N. General Assembly this morning.
In a lengthy tirade that targeted renewable sources of energy, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change itself, the president insisted he knew what was best for his fellow members of the U.N. In short: pulling back on climate-related policies.
“If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail. And I’m really good at predicting things,” Trump said. “You know, they actually said during the campaign they had a hat – the best selling hat – ‘Trump was right about everything.’ And I don’t say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true. I’ve been right about everything. And I’m telling you that if you don’t get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail.”
The president went on to lambast policies focused on lowering carbon footprints, calling the concept of a carbon footprint a “hoax” and “con job.” Trump specifically called out such policies in Europe, saying they have resulted in factory closures and mass job losses. He said any progress made on reducing a global carbon footprint has been wiped out by increased emissions from countries like China.
Read more from Callie on his remarks here.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LOOKS TO INK FOSSIL FUEL DEALS AMID CLIMATE WEEK: In tandem with the president’s call to roll back investments in clean energy, the Trump administration is pushing to sign multiple new oil and gas deals with other nations while in New York for the General Assembly and NYC Climate Week.
The White House is continuing to advocate for using U.S. produced energy to end Europe’s reliance on Russia. Jarrod Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, revealed yesterday that there is growing interest in substantial long-term deals with a number of countries.
“It’s Europe, it’s Asia. They are looking for U.S. energy. They want to get off of Russian energy sources, and we have such a supply,” Agen said during an Axios Climate Week event.
Agen insisted that, while the administration is prioritizing securing enough energy for domestic needs, there is a strong desire to leverage diplomatic, energy-focused deals abroad that could have “huge global implications.”
PENTAGON DELAYS CHEMICAL CLEANUP: The Department of Defense, renamed the Department of War by the president, has been accused of delaying the cleanup of harmful “forever chemicals” at dozens of military sites nationwide, by nearly 10 years in some cases.
The details: A list of nearly 140 military sites and their cleanup timeline was quietly published by the Pentagon in recent weeks, detailing the new delays. The list, reviewed by the New York Times, was reportedly completed in March and pushes back the cleanup of some facilities by nearly a decade. The delays vary by site.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as PFAS or forever chemicals, are widely used in the military. U.S. Military bases train to combat fires using firefighting foam containing PFAS, which then seeps into soil and groundwater.
The chemicals do not break down easily in nature and have been linked to health harms. In 2017, military communities started reporting a rise in PFAS in their drinking water. The department has since spent $2.6 billion to investigate the extent of the contamination.
The preparatory work required before undergoing a cleanup typically takes several years. The department’s new timetables indicate that some of the cleanup efforts might not begin until 2039. The department’s list shows that preparatory work has been delayed at about a quarter of the nearly 600 sites where PFAS have been released.
EPA LAUNCHES AGENCY-WIDE REORGANIZATION: The Environmental Protection Agency is undergoing an agency-wide restructuring that will reportedly place a scientific research office under the purview of administrator Lee Zeldin.
The details: An internal EPA memo obtained by E&E News reveals the reorganization began Monday, with the intent to usher in a “new more efficient, more effective EPA.” The reorganization is being led by the Office of Finance and Administration, which was created in July.
As part of the restructuring, the EPA is creating an Office of State Air Partnerships and is placing the newly created Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions under Zeldin’s office. This office is expected to take on duties previously carried out by the EPA’s scientific arm, the Office of Research and Development. This was formally eliminated in July amid sweeping layoffs and early retirements.
“We are bolstering scientific capacity where it matters most — directly in our air, water, and land program offices — so that EPA scientists can better-support EPA’s core mission and statutory obligations,” Zeldin reportedly said in the memo. “We are prioritizing research through the Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions to ensure that science is at the forefront of our decision making.”
AUTOMAKER GROUP ASKS ADMINISTRATION TO ROLL BACK STRICT VEHICLE EMISSION LIMITS: The Alliance for Automotive Innovation asked the Trump administration to ease strict vehicle emission limits meant to boost the adoption of electric vehicles, Reuters reports.
The group represents major automotive companies, including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and others.
The alliance said that Biden’s rules to cut emissions by half by 2032 are no longer feasible in light of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut subsidies for EVs and remove other pro-EV measures.
The group said Biden’s regulations “still need to be revised to feasible levels to provide certainty for the industry.” They also added that “such a contingency plan will be critical if motor vehicle GHG standards are retained or reinstated in some way.”
ICYMI – MARYLAND’S NEW ENERGY REBATE PROGRAM: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore yesterday announced a rebate program for utility bills in an effort to lower energy costs.
The state will provide $200 million in energy rebates to lower energy bills. The funding increase comes after the Strategic Energy Fund received over 156,000 energy assistance applications last year, with more than 117,000 being approved for benefits.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson said every Maryland household will receive a credit equivalent to about $40 per utility bill. The first credit is expected to go out soon and another credit during the winter months.
Read more by Washington Examiner’s Lauren Green here.
RUNDOWN
Canary Media Plug-in solar bills are in the works in New Hampshire and Vermont
Latitude Media The ‘heartbreaking’ impact of canceling Solar for All
Washington Post Solar tax credits are ending. Here’s why that could be good for solar.