In the news today…
Grid:
- Utility Dive reports that the U.S. Department of Energy proposes a national framework for locating transmission projects in areas where they are needed most.
EPA:
- E&E News reports that the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled the most stringent emissions limits ever for coal- and gas-fired power plants as part of a proposal that would require coal facilities to capture 90% of their emissions by 2030 or shut down the plants by 2032 at the earliest, while large natural gas facilities that run consistently would be required to capture 90% of their emissions by 2035 or burn low-carbon hydrogen by 2038. The proposal, if finalized by June 2024, would regulate existing coal- and gas-fired power plants for the first time, as earlier proposals have been overturned by federal courts.
- Washington Post and Fortune report the Biden administration is proposing new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change.
- Roll Call reports the Environmental Protection Agency proposed regulations Thursday to cut climate-warming emissions from power plants that burn fossil fuels to generate electricity, one of the most significant policy levers the Biden administration can use to lower domestic carbon pollution.
Coal:
- Politico reports some Democrats are distancing themselves from anti-coal policies.
Permitting:
- Reuters reports that the White House is putting pressure on Congress to pass permitting legislation as the Biden administration reiterated its support for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) permitting reform proposal, which includes two-year limits on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects and the completion of the $6.6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline. While President Joe Biden earlier this week told House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that he was open to discussing the permitting issue as part of debt ceiling negotiations, White House climate adviser John Podesta has called for separating the two issues.
- E&E Daily reports the White House’s official rollout of its priorities for permitting reform legislation was met with mixed reviews on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.