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CARPER AND PALLONE DEFEND STRIKER FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS: Sen. Tom Carper and Rep. Frank Pallone presented to brief yesterday defending the authority of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish stricter fuel economy standardsmarking at least the third amicus brief the president of Environment and Public Works and the ranking member of Energy and Commerce have collaborated this year in litigation on vehicle regulations.
It is representative of the larger political and legal fight between Democrats, Republicans and red states, and various interest groups over the internal combustion engine and the president. Joe Biden can do to force automakers to reduce the proportion of ICE-powered vehicles they make.
The Inflation Reduction Act’s clean consumer vehicle credit is only one part of the Biden administration’s strategy. The Environmental Protection Agency and NHTSA have set stricter standards on tailpipe emissions and fuel economy, standards that Republican-led states and fossil fuel groups are actively challenging.
Democrats in Congress have implored administration to take full advantage of these regulatory authorities under the Clean Air Act and other laws to reduce emissions and compel innovation, or make electric vehicles the most economically reasonable option for manufacturers.
Biden’s standards: EPA has already finalized tailpipe standards for vehicles in the 2023-2026 model years, which GOP-led states are challenging on “major questions” grounds (a Carper-Pallone summary) and NHTSA sets fuel economy standards during the same years (yesterday’s Carper-Pallone brief).
Biden’s EPA also reinstated the Clean Air Act waiver that underpins California’s Advanced Clean Cars program, paving the way for the state’s 2035. regulation of zero emission vehicles (the third).
What follows: Biden issued an executive order in August 2021 requiring the EPA to establish new tailpipe standards beginning in MY 2027 vehicles. These regulations will include stringent levels set “at least through the 2030 model year,” according to the administration’s unified regulatory agenda.
The order also directed NHTSA to set fuel economy standards beyond MY 2026.
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EPA PROPOSES NEW STANDARD FOR COAL PLANTS: The EPA proposed a new rule today to try tighten regulations on coal-fired power plants and mercury pollutionbuilding on the Biden administration’s effort to crack down on pollution from industry, power generation and other sectors.
The EPA described the proposed rule as the most significant update to date to the mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) since they were introduced in 2012. The proposed rule seeks a further cap on reducing emissions from 67% for “filterable particulates” in existing coal plants. power plants and a 70% reduction in mercury emissions from lignite energy sources.
Lignite-fired power plants account for about 30% of mercury emissions generated by the US power sector. EPA officials said today that their proposed rule would effectively align the cap on emissions from lignite plants with emissions already required for other coal-fired power plants in the US. It would also reduce non-mercury contaminants such as nickel, arsenic and lead contaminants. plants without lignite, and would update a national monitoring system for coal plants to ensure they meet emission limits.
They projected that the rule would add $2.4 billion to $3 billion in benefits over a 10-year period beginning in 2028, including up to $1.9 billion in health benefits and $1.4 billion in climate benefits.
The top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, took aim at the proposed rule, accusing the administration of waging a “war” on coal and other reliable energy sources that help provide base energy for the U.S.
“Despite agreeing with the Trump administration that existing controls at coal plants under the MATS rule protect the public with a wide margin of safety, the Biden administration has once again put politics above ‘a solid policy,’ he said. “With one job-killing regulation after another, the EPA continues to threaten the livelihoods of people in West Virginia and other energy-producing communities across the country.” Read more from Breanne here.
DIRECT AIR CAPTURE INITIATIVE PRESENTS NEW COAL SUCKER NEAR DENVER: Global Thermostat, a startup that designs direct air capture systems, revealed the first commercial-scale demonstration of its DAC technology yesterday at its new headquarters in Commerce City, Colorado.
The unit has been operational since late last year and has the capacity to capture more than 1,000 tonnes per annum, which is the threshold to qualify for the 45Q tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. It is the largest operating in the US
Global Thermostat’s technology uses highly efficient industrial fans to blow normal air through proprietary contactors that bind to carbon dioxide, which is then separated with low-temperature heat.
Long way to a widespread DAC: Direct air capture remains very nascent compared to point source carbon capture, such as that installed in power plants or industrial facilities, and DAC systems have high energy requirements, which threaten to undermine benefits of a given installation if its electricity is not generated from low consumption. -carbon-free or carbon-free source, according to a Government Accountability Office report released in September on carbon management technologies.
There is also the issue of scale. As of last August, the world’s largest direct air capture facility had the capacity to capture 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The largest point source carbon capture facility had the capacity to capture 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
EXXON STOPS DRILLING IN BRAZIL AFTER DRYING UP: ExxonMobil has suspended exploration activities in Brazil’s deep waters after not finding enough oil Wall Street Journal reported this morning.
The oil major, which did not participate in a December auction for offshore drilling rights, has shut down initial exploration activities in Brazil, a spokesman said, adding that the company would still consider exploration in the area
Exxon has identified neighboring Guyana as its preferred location for international growth, while the Permian Basin remains home to its best-performing assets domestically.
Combined, year-over-year production in Guyana and the Permian rose more than 30% in 2022, according to Exxon’s year-end earnings report.
INDIA’S OUTPUT GROWS AT FASTEST RATE IN OVER 30 YEARS: India’s power generation rose at the fastest pace in 33 years in the fiscal year that ended in March, supported by a rise in coal-fired power generation as the country struggled to avoid power outages and cope with increased demand.
In accordance with data from Reuters, India’s power generation rose 11.5% in the 12-month period, due to intense summer heat waves and a colder-than-expected winter season. Total electricity production from coal also increased, accounting for more than 73% of the country’s total energy mix.
India, the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is not expected to switch to coal anytime soon. In the current fiscal year, which began April 1, its power plants are expected to burn 8 percent more coal, according to estimates based on government data.
Increased fossil fuel burning also increased total CO2 emissions by almost a sixth, to 1.15 billion tonnes.
The increase in coal plants highlights India’s ongoing struggle to embrace more renewable energy while prioritizing energy security at a time of rising demand.
YOUNGKIN ANNOUNCES TAIWAN TRIP AFTER CATL SNUB: Republican governor. Glenn Youngkin will visit Taiwan and other key US trading partner countries in Asia later this month, his office announced yesterday.
The visit to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea is aimed at strengthening trade partnerships between Virginia and their countries, according to the announcement.
Youngkin’s trip has special significance given the current China-Taiwan conflict and his decision not to extend a subsidy package to the battery manufacturing joint venture between Ford and Chinese battery giant CATL. Youngkin expressed that the plant with CATL, which is not state-owned, would be a “front” for the CCP.
Michigan won the $3.5 billion Ford-CATL plant in February.
The Rundown
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