BBB slows its roll
November 22, 2021Presented by Williams
With help from Daniel Lippman.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 29.
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— Democrats' Build Back Better reconciliation package passed the House, but has a long way to go before it can land on President Joe Biden's desk.
— Sen. Joe Manchin's family business could benefit big from a West Virginia coal plant's venture to power superfast data computing.
— Democratic lawmakers and key administration officials are fanning out around the country touting the local benefits of their infrastructure and climate agenda.
HAPPY MONDAY! I’m your host, Matthew Choi. AFPM's Asif Gangat gets the trivia for knowing the Titanic was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast. For today: What is the most populous city on Hokkaido? Send your tips and trivia answers to [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @matthewchoi2018.
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UP NEXT IN THE SENATE: Democrats' $1.7 trillion climate and social program bill may have a taken a significant step by advancing through the House on Friday, but the Build Back Better bill will have to wait behind other legislation and procedural hurdles in the Senate before it reaches the floor there.
The upper chamber didn’t finish its defense policy bill before Thanksgiving recess, meaning that legislation is likely take up much of the first week of December, Marianne LeVine reports for Pros. The Senate also needs to fund the government past Dec. 3, meaning it likely won't get to the reconciliation bill and its $550 billion in climate change spending until the second week of December, according to Marianne.
And that’s just clearing the queue. In terms of the legislation's language, there are still numerous elements that could be changed in the Senate. From paid family leave and SALT credits to methane fees and clean energy tax policies, Democrats remain divided on several key components. Still, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters on Friday that many of the obstacles the package would have likely faced in the Senate got cleared ahead of House passage, but there is still “an enormous possibility for progressive change.”
The auto industry is pushing hard for changes, with foreign automakers incensed that the bill includes tax credits for domestic EV manufacturing that prioritizes unionized labor. Several U.S. allies, including Canada, raised concerns with Democratic lawmakers and the Biden administration that the tax credit would disrupt production flow and put U.S. workers hired by foreign automakers at a disadvantage.
“With the growing number of stakeholders raising concerns about this legislation, 25 ambassadors to the United States and 11 U.S. governors, we are not the only ones who think this is bad policy," Jennifer Safavian, president and CEO of Autos Drive America, a group advocating for free trade in the sector, said in a statement after the House passage. "We urge the Senate not to play politics with American auto workers, consumers, and the environment and instead focus on policies to build a robust and equitable U.S. market for all EVs,” .
Joe Britton, executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, praised the passage of the package, but called on the Senate to “build on this momentum and pass the most universally accessible incentives possible.”
Despite the packed agenda, there'll be some near-term progress for the BBB bill, Marianne reports. Democrats are presenting their arguments to the parliamentarian this week as she kicks off the “Byrd Bath” that will ensure all the provisions follow the budget rules of reconciliation.
MANCHIN BUSINESS: The main customer of Senate Energy Chair Joe Manchin’s family business is looking to generate electricity for super-fast data computing used in crypto mining, E&E News’ Scott Waldman reports. That facility buys coal from Manchin’s family company, Enersystems, and plans to continue to burn a mixture of coal waste that is one of the dirtiest energy sources available.
Richard Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer to former President George W. Bush, who later ran for Senate as a Democrat, told Scott that the circumstances are “terrible for the reputation of our representative democracy,” with Manchin holding one of the key votes on Democrats’ massive climate spending package. Manchin has already voiced concerns with several of the clean energy components of the package, effectively killing the Clean Electricity Performance Program for penalizing fossil fuel generation.
Manchin’s office has said in the past he has no direct involvement in Enersystems, and that his investment is held in a blind trust run by his son Joe Manchin IV. Still, he did receive $500,000 last year from his stake in the company, according to financial disclosure documents filed with the Senate, bringing his income from the coal broker 2010 to $5 million. And his stock in the company is worth up to another $5 million. Read more from Scott here.
Related: “Biden Faces Tougher Sell to Manchin as Coal Hits 12-Year High,” via Bloomberg.
VICTORY LAP: The Biden administration — particularly Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland — have been off on a blitz the past year highlighting the localized climate and environmental benefits and job opportunities that the Biden administration's infrastructure agenda will bring. Now it's the House Democrats that will kick off their own victory lap to keep momentum up. Lawmakers will be going on “Democrats Deliver Tour” to “highlight infrastructure investments across the country” and host as many infrastructure events in home districts as possible before year’s end, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote to her caucus over the weekend.
THE ADMIN ON TOUR: Don't expect Biden’s three energy and climate musketeers to sit out the infrastructure parade. They are out and about to celebrate the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure act and other executive branch moves in the environmental arena.
Regan will join the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, and Roberto Velasco of Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Relations to talk about water infrastructure on the U.S.-Mexico border. They’ll have a press conference together at the U.S. consulate in Tijuana.
Haaland heads off to Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico to celebrate Interior’s moves to protect Chaco Canyon from future federal oil and gas leases. The area is held sacred by some Indigenous communities, and the new Biden-protected area would cover 950,000 acres of land.
Granholm rolls down to Chattanooga, Tenn., with Republican Rep. Chuck Fleischmann to tour the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and take part in a roundtable on transitioning to electric vehicles. When asked by The Washington Post about visiting a deeply conservative district with a Republican who voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Granholm said Fleischmann has been a significant backer of the national lab and that the bill would benefit everyone regardless of party. When asked if Republicans who voted against the bill would try to take credit for some of those benefits, Granholm quipped: “I can't say that I blame them for trying to take credit for something great.”
RELATED: “Team Biden gets some pep in its step after months of taking it on the chin,” via POLITICO’s Laura Barrón-López.
PRETTY PLEASE? The Biden administration asked OPEC+ again Friday to increase its oil output to help relieve high gas prices, Reuters reports. The plea comes just after the U.S. discussed the issue with other major oil consumers, including China, South Korea and Japan, and danced with the idea of a coordinated release from national petroleum reserves. Oil prices also started to dip toward the week’s end as Covid cases continue to climb and Europe considers more shutdowns. Reuters has more.
A SECOND SHIP IN THE SOCAL SPILL SAGA: The Coast Guard named another ship as a party of interest as it investigates last month’s oil spill off the Southern California coast, with investigators boarding the Greek-operated, Liberian-owned ship on Thursday. The ship was involved in a January anchor-dragging incident near the pipeline at the center of the October spill, the Coast Guard determined. The Coast Guard is just one of several state, local and federal agencies investigating the disaster; Amplify Energy, the company that owns the pipeliine, disclosed last week that it was the subject of probe by the Justice Department. Pro California’s Colby Bermel has more.
MEANWHILE, A NEW SHEEN? A new oil sheen was reported Saturday near the pipeline, but investigators couldn’t find evidence of a fresh leak. The pipeline has been shut down since early October. The Washington Post has more.
Jacqueline Cohen has joined Waxman Strategies as a vice president in the firm’s environmental practice. Cohen spent the last dozen years as a staffer on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, most recently serving as chief environmental counsel. Prior to that, she served as senior counsel for the committee under former Rep. Henry Waxman.
— “Fuel economy, emissions improve in 2020 as EPA prepares to strengthen regs,” via POLITICO.
— “How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy,” via The New York Times.
— “Experts tout carbon capture role at FERC conference,” via POLITICO.
— “How Morocco went big on solar energy,” via the BBC.
— ”Merkel defends nuclear power exit despite climate challenges,” via Reuters.
— “Cow Feed That Cleans Potent Methane Burps Nears Europe Rollout,” via Bloomberg.
Source: https://www.politico.com/