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January 23, 2017
Confirmation hearings for several cabinet positions in the Trump administration were held by U.S. Senate committees this past week. Image courtesy of Nicolas Raymond via flickr.com.
Shortly after President Trump took the oath of office, the White House energy and climate change webpage went dark. The page (which now leads to a broken link) was replaced by the Trump administration’s energy platform titled, “An America First Energy Plan.” The plan states the administration will eliminate “harmful and unnecessary policies,” citing President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. The page also states that the Trump administration would pursue “clean coal technology,“ “refocus the EPA,” and “[free the country] from dependence on foreign oil.” The new official White House page goes on to claim “revenues from energy production [would rebuild] roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure.” The page makes no mention of renewable energy, climate change, or energy research.
For more information see:
Washington Post, Reuters, The Hill
On January 18, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nominee Scott Pruitt faced questioning before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Democratic members pressed Pruitt repeatedly over conflicts of interest with the fossil fuel industry arising during his term as Oklahoma attorney general. Pruitt would not commit to recuse himself from regulatory decisions pertaining to the many active lawsuits he has filed against EPA. When faced with incredulity from committee members, Pruitt responded he would simply follow the advice of the agency’s ethics counsel. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) requested Pruitt’s position on climate change, leading Pruitt to respond that his “personal opinion is immaterial.” After facing criticism from Sanders, Pruitt added, “I believe that the [EPA] administrator has a very important role to perform in regulating CO2.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) questioned Pruitt’s dedication to preserving public health, citing the contrast between Pruitt’s rigorous defense of the fossil fuel industry as attorney general, but a lack of action on behalf of children in Oklahoma vulnerable to air pollution.
New York Times, Politico
On January 19, former Texas Governor and Secretary of Energy nominee Rick Perry testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Regarding climate change, Perry said, “I believe the climate is changing. I believe some of it is naturally occurring, but some of it is also caused by manmade activity. The question is how do we address it in a thoughtful way that doesn’t compromise economic growth, the affordability of energy, or American jobs.” Democrats asked Perry if he would defend the Department of Energy (DOE) and its science programs from stark budget cuts proposed by the incoming administration, to which Perry replied, “I’m going to protect all of the science, whether it’s related to the climate or to the other aspects of what we’re going to be doing.” Perry repeatedly praised DOE’s national laboratory system, its energy research and development, and its technology commercialization efforts. Perry also disapproved of an aborted attempt by Trump’s transition team to acquire the names of DOE employees who had worked on climate change, declaring he would neither seek nor use such information.
The Hill, NPR, Associated Press
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), the nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Interior, states he does not find climate change to be a “hoax,” breaking with President Trump. During the January 17 hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Zinke said, “The climate is changing. Man is an influence. I think where there’s debate on it is what that influence is [and] what can we do about it.” Zinke also stated that U.S. Geological Survey has “great scientists,” adding, “I am not a climate scientist expert, but I can tell you I will become a lot more familiar with it and it will be based on objective science.” Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) rebuffed Zinke’s characterization, saying, “That to me is a cop-out — I’m not a doctor but I have to make healthcare decisions.” Environmentalists have widely disapproved of Zinke’s record on climate issues. However, he has received approval from sportsmen and conservationists for opposing a Republican plan that would hand over millions of acres of federal public lands to the states. The plan saw resistance in the western United States over concerns about public lands access. Zinke declared he is “absolutely against [the] transfer or sale of public land.”
NPR, Washington Post
The U.S. military continues to develop and demonstrate renewable energy technologies to assist its troops in the field and reduce the Department of Defense’s (DOD) carbon footprint. Numerous military leaders have asserted that climate change is a national security threat. While many of President Trump’s cabinet nominees have expressed doubts regarding the impacts of climate change, the nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired General James Mattis, has pushed for the military to adopt more sustainable technologies to improve fuel security and reduce the need for risky supply runs in combat zones. Republican lawmakers have criticized these efforts, accusing the DOD of investing in fiscally unsustainable alternative energy programs. The DOD has set a goal of generating 25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025. The Navy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Joe Bryan said, “To do something other than continue these programs would be a mistake. My expectation is that will be recognized no matter where people are on the political spectrum.”
Associated Press
Three Republican governors are standing by their states’ renewable portfolio standards (RPS), as additional states consider strengthening their own policies. Ohio Gov. John Kasich defied a Republican-controlled legislature by vetoing a bill that would have prolonged a freeze on the state’s RPS. Kasich pointed to job growth promoted by the policy, stating the freeze would “undermine the progress” made by renewable energy companies and harm Ohio’s “long-term economic competitiveness.” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder defended his state’s retail net metering and increased its RPS from 10 percent to 15 percent renewable energy by 2021. In Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner oversaw a deal that strengthened the state’s RPS and could result in the construction of 4,000 megawatts of new wind and solar capacity. Nationwide, 29 states and the District of Columbia have RPS goals, while an additional eight states have voluntary targets. Timothy Fox, vice president at Clearview Energy Partners, observed that RPS programs tend to be insulated from federal policies “irrespective of who is in the White House.”
Utility Dive
On January 17, Chinese President Xi Jinping touched upon globalization and climate change while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Though Xi did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump by name, observers were confident that the critical comments were aimed at the newly elected head of state. Trump has frequently attacked China on trade and immigration issues, including during a recent press conference. Xi countered that, “many of the problems troubling the world are not caused by globalization.” As the world’s leading producer of renewable energy, China has shown interest in leading on international climate action if the Trump administration shrinks from American obligations under the Paris Agreement. Xi stated, “All signatories should stick to [the Paris Agreement] instead of walking away from it, as this is a responsibility we must assume for future generations.” China’s special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua underscored the Chinese president’s speech, observing, “Collaboration on climate change has never ceased amid political tensions.”
NBC News, China Daily
On January 17, global business and finance leaders met at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to explore how to confront climate change and other challenges. The annual forum devoted 15 sessions to discussions on climate, plus nine sessions on clean energy. Many of these sessions will examine energy transitions and how surges in renewable energy and grid technologies have changed the industry landscape. Attendees say these energy industry shifts will happen whether governments want them to or not, given their potential to generate billions in private sector profits. A record 60 CEOs will hold a private meeting outside the forum to discuss climate challenges. “The good thing is that the Paris agreement raised the bar for everyone — everybody feels the obligation to act,” said Ben van Beurden, head of Royal Dutch Shell. The views of U.S. President Trump regarding the Paris Agreement were a prominent topic in Davos. Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University expressed optimism, stating, “No matter what the U.S. president says, the progress on climate change can have many routes.”
Bloomberg, Politico
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) annual report confirms that 2016 was the warmest year on record for the planet. Global land and water surface temperatures were both well above their historical averages, marking the third consecutive year where global average temperatures increased. This global temperature record has been surpassed five times since the year 2000, in 2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Globally-averaged land surface temperatures were 2.57 degrees Fahrenheit (1.43 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average, breaking the previous record high set in 2015. No land areas in any part of the world were found to be cooler than average in 2016. Globally-averaged sea surface temperatures were 1.35 degrees Fahrenheit (0.75 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average, ranking as the highest ever since records began in 1880. In addition, annual snow cover extent for the Northern Hemisphere was 100,000 square miles less than the average spanning 1981-2010.
NOAA
A new study by climate scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have found that the Northeast will warm more rapidly than anywhere in the United States except Alaska. The region’s temperatures are projected to rise by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit on average by 2025, compared to baseline pre-industrial levels. The sharp increase in temperatures is expected to occur two decades before the rest of the world reaches that level of warming. The climate models used in the study also predicted wetter winters and an increase in flooding for the Northeast, along with drier summers and more severe droughts for the Midwest and Northwest. Ray Bradley, one of the study authors and director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts, said, “I tell my students that they’re going to be able to tell their children, ‘I remember when it used to snow in Boston.’ We’ll have occasional snow, but we won’t have weeks and weeks of snow on the ground.”
Boston Globe
U.S. State Department Sends Additional $500 Million to United Nations' Green Climate Fund
A Retrospective on President Obama's Domestic Climate Policies
Politics and Infrastructure Challenges are Holding Back China's Wind Energy Potential
Poll: Over 60 Percent of Americans Do Not Want to See EPA's Powers Diminished
Concern Grows Over the Aging Oil Pipeline Spanning Michigan's Straits of Mackinac
Global Sea Ice Coverage at Lowest Levels Ever Recorded
Over 700 University Faculty Ask President Trump to Prioritize Climate Change Policies
National Electric Transmission Infrastructure Summit & Advanced Transmission Technology Expo
February 9-10
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
1330 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
The first-ever national policy conference on the need to build out, modernize, and integrate America’s high-voltage transmission infrastructure will be hosted by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid from February 9-10. The program begins with a workshop on transmission technology innovations, followed by a conference on transmission challenges, policy proposals, and the outlook for the next administration.
Congressional staffers can request a complimentary registration by emailing [email protected] before the end of January. EESI is a partnering organization for this event.
Full information is available at http://www.cleanenergytransmission.org/summit.
Writers: Brian La Shier, Andrew Wollenberg, and Ben Topiel
Editor: Brian La Shier
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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