Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202! It’s the morning after Election Day, and the government has an unusual request: Please don’t lick psychedelic toads.
But while the Senate is up for grabs, Republicans are still poised to win the House. And already, key GOP lawmakers are teasing their plans if they’re in the majority, vowing to intensify oversight of the Biden administration’s climate agenda and pledging to push legislation that would increase the burning of fossil fuels, a primary driver of global warming.
Here are the Republicans who could lead key environmental committees if the House changes hands:
Rep. Frank D. Lucas (Okla.)
Lucas, 62, could take the gavel of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee from current chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.), who is retiring in January.
Oversight plans: If he helms the panel, Lucas would continue to scrutinize the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, spokeswoman Heather Vaughan said in an email. The office became a political punching bag for Republicans under President Barack Obama, when it gave more than $535 million in federal loan guarantees to Solyndra, a solar panel start-up that later went bankrupt.
Legislative plans: “Within the energy and environment space I expect hearings and legislation on advanced nuclear technologies, the clean energy supply chain, geologic and soil carbon sequestration, wildfire [research and development], and improved weather forecasting,” Vaughan said. “It’s going to be busy.”
Our take: It’s worth noting that the Loan Programs Office also gave a $465 million loan to Tesla, which the electric vehicle maker paid off nearly 10 years early. Despite Elon Musk’s griping about government subsidies on his newly owned social media platform Twitter, that loan helped Tesla become the dominant force in the EV market that it is today.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.)
McMorris Rodgers, 53, could become the first woman to lead the House Energy and Commerce Committee following a string of male chairs, including Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Greg Walden (R-Mich.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.).
Oversight plans: In a recent interview with The Climate 202, McMorris Rodgers said she hopes to investigate the climate investments in Democrats’ recently passed climate law, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act. “It's critical that we are not wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on a political agenda that is forcing a green energy transition that jeopardizes our reliability and increases costs,” she said.
Legislative plans: “We have introduced a package of bills around securing a cleaner energy future,” McMorris Rodgers said. “It includes streamlining permitting to modernize our energy infrastructure, expanding [liquefied natural gas] exports, and unleashing innovation, specifically to promote carbon capture, nuclear, natural gas and hydropower.”
Our take: Republicans can investigate the Inflation Reduction Act all they want, but it seems highly unlikely that they would repeal the entire law. For one thing, President Biden could veto any congressional effort to undo the climate spending. For another, Republican districts will be some of the biggest economic beneficiaries of the law, which is poised to send tens of billions of dollars to red states to spur the development of clean energy projects.
Take this data point from E&E News’s Nick Sobczyk: Republicans control nine of the top 10 congressional districts for planned or operating renewable energy projects. The district of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who could become speaker, is No. 2 on the list.
Rep. Bruce Westerman (Ark.)
Westerman, 54, could reclaim the gavel of the House Natural Resources Committee from Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who has led the panel since 2019.
Oversight plans: In a recent interview with The Climate 202, Westerman said he would seek to conduct oversight of the Interior Department's efforts to craft a new five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters.
Legislative plans: Westerman said he is willing to work with Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) on a bipartisan bill to overhaul the nation's permitting process for energy projects, particularly after Manchin's controversial permitting bill was pulled from a government funding package in September.
Our take: The permitting fight is not going away anytime soon. Manchin said last week that he is working to attach his permitting measure to the annual defense policy bill, and he could also try to include it in December’s government spending package.
However, Republicans might prefer to pursue permitting changes in the next Congress, rather than in the lame-duck session, if they take control of one or both chambers, which is still a possibility.
Pressure points
Climate hawks projected to prevail in four key governor’s races
Democratic candidates who have prioritized the climate crisis are projected to win their respective governor’s races in four key states.
- In Maryland, Wes Moore defeated Republican Dan Cox, the Associated Press projected Tuesday. Moore has called for the state legislature to require Maryland to reach 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and has said he would prioritize environmental justice. Cox, on the other hand, called for an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy and rejected the science of climate change in 2016.
- In Massachusetts, Maura Healey is projected to become the first female and first openly LGBTQ governor of the commonwealth. Healey campaigned on an aggressive climate plan that calls for reaching 100 percent clean electricity in the state by 2030 — five years ahead of Biden’s target date for eliminating carbon emissions from the nation’s power sector.
- In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is projected to win reelection against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon. Whitmer, a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, has championed investments in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, saying they will entice business to the car-loving state.
- And in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) is projected to win a second term against Republican Mark Ronchetti. Grisham has supported stringent methane regulations for the state’s oil and gas industry.
On the Hill
Half of voters view climate as ‘very serious’ problem as results roll in
About half of all voters view climate change as a “very serious” problem, according to early exit polls by Edison Research. But at the same time, few voters ranked climate change as the most important issue facing the country, according to preliminary voter polling by AP VoteCast.
Here’s what we know so far about the results of congressional races with big climate implications:
- Democrat John Fetterman won Pennsylvania’s pivotal Senate race, defeating former TV doctor Mehmet Oz as he recovers from a stroke. Both Fetterman and Oz have shifted their positions on fracking in Pennsylvania, which is second only to Texas in natural gas production.
- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) is projected to win reelection against Republican businessman Joe O’Dea. Bennet successfully advocated for Biden to designate a new national monument in Colorado.
- Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) is projected to win reelection against Democratic Rep. Val Demings. Rubio told ABC News in 2014 that he did not believe human activity was linked to global warming, contradicting a mountain of scientific evidence.
- As of Wednesday morning, the race for Montana’s newly created House seat was too close to call. Ryan Zinke, who led the Interior Department under Donald Trump before resigning under a cloud of ethics investigations, is running against Democrat Monica Tranel.
For the latest updates, follow The Washington Post’s election results page.
International climate
Leaders grapple with greenwashing, ‘loss and damage’ on second day of COP27
On the second full day of the United Nations climate conference in Egypt, known as COP27, world leaders confronted corporate greenwashing and debated what rich countries owe poorer nations that are facing irreversible damage from climate change.
A report released Tuesday by a U.N. expert panel laid out “red lines” to ensure that cities, businesses, financial institutions and other non-state actors set credible pledges to reach net-zero emissions.
The report from the panel of 17 experts, chaired by former Canadian climate minister Catherine McKenna, emphasized that companies cannot claim to be on the path to net zero while continuing to construct or invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country faced deadly and costly floods over the summer, called for world leaders to prioritize adaptation for vulnerable countries, Erin X. Wong reports for Bloomberg News. The contentious issue of “loss and damage” has become a key theme at this year's summit, with Sharif asking fellow delegates: “How on Earth can one expect from us that we will undertake this gigantic task on our own?”
Kerry and big foundations seek private money for new carbon markets
U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to create a new carbon credit program to help developing countries shift to clean energy, The Post’s Steven Mufson, Evan Halper, and Tim Puko report.
The controversial program, which Kerry announced at COP27 alongside a group of major philanthropies and companies, could attract as much as $130 billion by 2030 and could eliminate 1.3 billion to 2.3 billion tons of planet-warming emissions, according to the consulting firm Climate Advisers.
Critics have questioned whether voluntary carbon offset programs are an effective way to reduce emissions. Lanre Shasore, a senior special assistant to the Nigerian government, joined the group onstage and said while the program has potential to unlock private capital, Nigerian officials share some skepticism.
But supporters — including the State Department, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund and companies such as PepsiCo and Microsoft — say the proposal will spur the transition to clean energy that wealthy countries have so far refused to finance.
“If Kerry and the international community of climate advocates can design this thing well and convince companies to join it, this could be the largest single source of climate finance for developing countries ever,” said Nigel Purvis, the chief executive of Climate Advisers and a 25-year veteran of climate diplomacy.
In the atmosphere
- Another powerful storm could soon test Florida, still recovering from Ian — Anna Phillips for The Post
- U.S. climate envoy John Kerry rekindles contact with China at COP27 — Chao Deng for the Wall Street Journal
- Kerry says Republican victory will end climate aid — Salma El Wardany, David Malingha, Yousef Gamal El-Din and John Ainger for Bloomberg News
- Zelensky: Russia’s war is destroying the climate — Sharon Udasin for the Hill
- Missing from GOP attack ads? Dems’ big climate bill. — Adam Aton and Scott Waldman for E&E News
Viral
Us stocking up on election-night snacks:
Thanks for reading!
