Energy Daily: Climate hawks urge Biden to withdraw, administration looks to phase out single-use plastics, Puerto Rico gets solar bailout

Climate hawks seek to move away from Biden: Many climate hawks are calling for a president Joe Biden drop out of the race for the White House — joining the chorus of Democrats pressing the president to withdraw.

Latest: Senator. Marcin Heinrichwho is running for re-election and could head the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, is now one of three Democratic senators calling on Biden to step down. Rep. Sean Castenformer CEO of an energy company, published “Chicago Tribune” editorial titled “Time for Joe Biden to Pass the Torch.” Rep. Jared Huffmanwho is also seeking to become the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, issued a statement along with other members expressing concerns about Biden’s chances of winning in November.

Excerpt from Heinrich’s response: “While the decision to withdraw from the campaign rests solely with President Joe Biden, I believe it is in the best interests of our country for him to step aside. By passing the torch, he would secure the legacy of one of our nation’s greatest leaders and allow us to unite around the candidate who can best defeat Donald Trump and secure the future of our democracy.”

Why is this important: Climate-minded lawmakers are joining other Democrats, along with youth climate groups, in calling on Biden to drop out of the race while he can. Although Biden has said he intends to stay in the race, new reports say he is also quietly considering his future.

Other important players: Representative. Raul Grijalva, current top Democrat on natural resources, was among the first Democrats to call on Biden to resign.

But who to replace Biden? While lawmakers have not yet officially proposed a replacement for Biden, Huffman’s statement with other Democrats suggests the party has “a deep and talented bench of young leaders, led by Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Welcome to Every day about energyscenario Washington Examiner Author of texts on energy and the environment Nancy Vu (@NancyVu99), with the help of the Political Editor Joseph Lawler. Email nancy.vu@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar entries, and anything else. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here. If registration doesn’t work, send us an email and we’ll add you to our list.

IN VIOLATION OF THIS AFTERNOON – POWER PLANT REGULATIONS MAY COME INTO EFFECT IMMEDIATELY: A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit this afternoon said the Biden administration’s new rules on power plant emissions can remain in effect until the legal proceedings are concluded, Associated Press Press Agency reports.

Republican states and industry groups sued to immediately halt the rule, arguing it could destabilize power grids. But the justices rejected the idea that the plaintiffs suffered immediate harm, given that the deadlines for compliance do not expire until 2030 or 2032.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TAKES ACTION TO PHASING OUT SINGLE-USE PLASTICS: The Biden Administration announced today that it has set a goal to phase out single-use plastics from foodservice, events and government packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.

The action is part of a broader effort by the Administration to reduce plastic waste and comes ahead of the next round of negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution in November.

MORE MONEY FOR SOLAR ENERGY IN PUERTO RICO: The Department of Energy will allocate more than $1 billion for programs to support the installation of solar and energy storage systems in Puerto Rico.

DOE announced a loan guarantee of up to $861 million to finance the construction of two solar farms and two battery storage systems in the cities of Jobos and Salinas. The agency also announced its intention to allocate $325 million for a new grant program to support the construction of solar and battery systems across the territory – which can be applied for by health care facilities and multifamily buildings.

The loan guarantee, which will be made to Clean Flexible Energy, if finalized, will finance the construction of 200 megawatts of solar power and up to 285 MW of solar battery storage capacity. The solar farms are expected to produce 460,000 megawatt-hours — enough to power 43,000 homes, according to the DOE.

Why is this important: Puerto Rico has struggled with power grid and reliability issues for years, largely due to a series of natural disasters that have devastated the territory’s infrastructure and a failure to upgrade its aging power grid system.

Going back in time: In December 2022, the Biden Administration approved $1 billion to establish the Puerto Rico Resilience Fund, which is intended to help increase investments in clean energy while helping the territory achieve its own goal of having a 100% renewable energy grid by 2050.

TRUMP PROMISES TO PHASED OUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ex-president Donald Trump promised to repeal Biden’s electric vehicle policy if he retakes the White House, Bloomberg I’m writing.

“I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one,” Trump said in his nominating speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. His efforts would save “the American auto industry from the complete destruction that’s happening right now, and save the American consumer thousands and thousands of dollars per car,” he said.

To be clear: The Biden administration has not mandated the sale or purchase of electric vehicles. But opponents of the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions rules argued that the requirements were so stringent that they would force automakers to sell electric vehicles.

Trump’s remarks came before he slammed what he called trillions of dollars in wasteful spending “related to the green new scam.” He said he would spend the funds on projects like roads, bridges and dams — but he didn’t explain how. Read more about that here.

EXXON SELLS ASSETS IN MALAYSIA: Exxon Mobil sells its Malaysian assets to state-owned energy firm Petronas after ongoing trials since 2020 Reuters Agency shoulder blades.

Details: Exxon would transfer its operations and employees to Petronas to change its strategy and focus on oil production in America.

The company operates 35 oil and gas drilling rigs in 12 drilling fields near Terengganu and has investments in 10 other rigs in five fields in the South China Sea.

The combined operations produce about 15% of Malaysia’s crude oil and have a production capacity of 600,000 barrels per day. More on that here.

CLIMATE ACTIVISTS IN THE UK HAVE PASSED RECORD-BREAKING SENTENCES: Five UK climate activists have been handed unprecedented prison sentences over a four-day peaceful climate change protest that saw roads blocked, writes Nancy.

Protesters from Just Stop Oil, a British non-violent civil resistance group, have been sentenced to four to five years in prison for closing a motorway. Financial Times reported. Protesters were found guilty of charges of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance following a multi-day demonstration in November 2022.

Why it’s important: They are the longest sentences for peaceful protests in the UK and come after the previous Conservative government introduced laws to curb protests, including a new law on public disorder.

More details: Five protesters held a Zoom call to recruit volunteers ahead of the protest. The demonstration led to around 45 protesters blocking the roads. Prosecutors detailed the economic impact of the protests over four days, including 51,000 hours of delays for drivers and a police bill of more than £1.1 million. Read more about it here.

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