- Energy Information Administration: U.S. oil production growth in 2014 was largest in more than 100 years
- The Examiner: EIA: U.S. saw record growth for oil output last year
- National Journal: Keystone XL wouldn’t spell trouble for climate, EPA administrator says
- Fuel Fix: BP appeals for lower oil spill fines
POLITICO Morning Energy for 3/31/2015
By DARIUS DIXON, with help from Andrew Restuccia and Alex Guillén
OBAMA TO SUBMIT CLIMATE PLAN TO UN: The Obama administration will formally submit its domestic climate change strategy to the United Nations today — a key step forward in the lengthy fight for an international climate change deal. The centerpiece of the plan will be the target the White House announced last year: a 26-28 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2025.
The plan, which is known in UN jargon as an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, will give the Obama administration an opportunity to tout its climate change agenda, including proposed regulations for the nation’s fleet of power plants. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy yesterday said that she is confident the regulations, which are at the core of the plan, will survive court challenges, saying there is “no plan B.” The administration is expected to use the plan to explain in detail why its climate target is both ambitious and achievable. But those closely tracking climate negotiations don’t expect the plan to break much new ground. The U.S. plan and the plans of nearly 200 other countries will form the foundation of the international climate deal. Countries agreed to submit their plans well before Paris, with an aspirational goal of turning them over by the end of this month. But only three countries and the European Union have submitted have submitted their plans so far.
ME FIRST — DEMS LINE UP BEHIND CLIMATE ACTION: More than 100 Democratic members of Congress will send a letter to President Barack Obama later today applauding his leadership on climate change and pledging their support for efforts to clinch an international global warming agreement.? The letter, signed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi among others, appears to be a strategically timed response to congressional Republicans, who are increasingly vocalizing their opposition to the pending climate deal. The Democratic lawmakers say they “stand ready to help” Obama, adding, “Proactive engagement in these negotiations, backed up by domestic climate action, is the best way to protect our nation’s interests and ensure every country does its fair share.” Read the letter: http://1.usa.gov/1GHBCsZ ?
HAPPY TUESDAY. I’m your morning host, Darius Dixon, and I’m wondering if anyone can recommend a good book about the history of Washington, D.C. I already have more books on my reading list than I can honestly get to but I’ve been tempted by “Empire of Mud” by J.D. Dickey. Thoughts? Send your energy commentary, news, scoops and tips to ddixon@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter @dariusss, @Morning_Energy and @POLITICOPro.
VIRGINIA SLAPS CSX SPILL FINE: A state board has approved a $361,000 fine against CSX Transportation for last year’s derailment in Lynchburg, Va., that spilled Bakken crude oil into the James River, The Associated Press reports. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality proposed the fine in a consent order that CSX approved. CSX also agreed to complete restoration of the river bank in the area of the derailment and to monitor the river for any long-term environmental impacts from the incident. http://apne.ws/1G9EAWq
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality checked the James for several days from Lynchburg to Richmond but found no major environmental concerns, agency officials said. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a bit more: http://bit.ly/1OSajiW
NRC TO DROP SAN ONOFRE PROBE: Federal regulators intend to close a lingering case involving the installation of faulty equipment at the now-shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Diego County, the AP reports. Environmental group Friends of the Earth wanted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review whether operator Southern California Edison sidestepped rules when it replaced steam generators in a $670 million overhaul in 2009 and 2010. But a proposed decision released yesterday from the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation said the issue is no longer relevant because the plant closed in 2013. The environmental group said the agency is trying to cover up problems that eventually led to the plant closing down. http://bit.ly/1CqQjxl
SHOW ME A FERC MEETING: FERC is holding its third and final regional technical conference today to discuss the EPA’s draft carbon rule for power plants, and its potential impact on electric reliability. The staff-led conference starts at 9:45 a.m. in St. Louis, Mo., and EPA’s acting air chief Janet McCabe, who has addressed each meeting, will speak around 10:30 a.m. Each of the three panels will have a mix of state regulators, utilities, co-ops, grid operators and environmental groups, including the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Ameren, ERCOT, the Wind Coalition, and former Wisconsin regulator and DOE official Lauren Azar. Here’s the agenda: http://1.usa.gov/1xu4vqv. Live audio from the meeting will be available here: http://bit.ly/1vU2yyB
TODAY, CALL IT THE ‘DSEAB’ INSTEAD: The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board will hold a meeting today at DOE headquarters, but Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will miss the gathering despite the published agenda, a spokeswoman tells ME. Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall is expected to speak instead. Moniz and Secretary of State John Kerry are in Switzerland working feverishly to reach a nuclear deal with Iran by tonight’s midnight deadline. The Quadrennial Energy Review had to be scrubbed from the agenda amid continued delays in its release, but SEAB will go over a (very recently released) report on nuclear nonproliferation, as well as the group’s interim report on ways to revitalize DOE’s national labs. The meeting starts at 11:30 a.m. in DOE’s SW HQ. The panel is taking written comments on its nonproliferation report throughout today as well as spoken comments during today’s meeting. The Agenda: http://1.usa.gov/1BK8g7K
ICYMI — SIPPING SCOTCH IN SWITZERLAND: The New York Times has an interesting look at Moniz’s role in the talks. Moniz and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, were both at MIT in the 1970s; now the pair are charged with determining just how far Iran can go in developing nuclear infrastructure without venturing too close to building nuclear bombs. It also gets at Moniz’s reputation for mixing technical and political skills: “It wouldn’t mean much coming from Kerry,” said a member of the administration deeply involved in the strategy who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The theory is that Ernie’s judgment on that matter is unassailable.” http://nyti.ms/1CD1uEE
ME FIRST — INDUSTRY POLL FINDS SUPPORT FOR NEW WASTE AGENGY: A poll coming out today from the Nuclear Energy Institute has found that a majority of the public support the creation of an independent agency for the management of the nation’s nuclear waste. According to the survey, conducted by Bisconti Research Inc. and Quest Global Research, 54 percent support an independent agency, while 39 percent sided with a “federal government agency.” Bipartisan nuclear waste legislation that would setup such an agency — taking the responsibilities from the Energy Department — has been winding its way through Congress for more than three years. Meanwhile, 86 percent were found to support interim storage facilities until a repository is completed. The poll also found that 86 percent of those surveyed agree with geologic disposal of the material, which has been the consensus among scientists for several decades, although some organizations critical of that idea have called for hardened on-site storage at dozens of locations in order to avoid transporting the material. The poll surveyed 1,000 adults by landline and cell phone between Feb. 18 and March 1. There’s a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. The survey: http://bit.ly/1MqakMy
PLAYBOOK HIGHLIGHTS: In case you miss out on Mike Allen’s interviews with McCarthy and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx yesterday, POLITICO’s video team has posted a few snippets — McCarthy: Keystone alone wouldn’t be climate disaster: http://politi.co/1CF3aNP — Foxx: U.S. transportation system ‘in a huge ditch’: http://politi.co/1EWKHJL — Foxx on what it’s like playing basketball with Obama http://politi.co/1EWKJ4e
FERC APPROVES NEXTERA, HAWAII MERGER: FERC has approved the proposed merger of NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Industries, the company whose utilities provide 95 percent of Hawaiians with electricity. NextEra in December proposed indirectly buying all of HEI’s securities, turning the company into a NextEra subsidiary. Technically, because HEI’s utilities only serve within Hawaii’s borders, they aren’t subject to FERC oversight as a public utility, but the company sought out FERC’s approval “out of an abundance of caution.” FERC’s approval comes with a handful of relatively minor conditions, and NextEra still must get approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, HEI shareholders and some others. FERC’s March 27 order: http://politico.pro/1G9t1ys
What about the rest of Hawaii? Most islanders get their power from HEI’s utilities. The other 5 percent get their power from an electric co-op on Kauai, the largest of Hawaii’s two northwest islands — which is covered with feral chickens, by the way — more than 100 miles from O?ahu. The island of Ni?ihau (aka the “Forbidden Isle”) is near Kauai, but is home to only a few hundred Native Hawaiians who get what power they need via a solar panel/battery system.
QUICK HITS
— Nixon prepares to comply with EPA greenhouse gas rules. Springfield News-Leader: http://sgfnow.co/1CFZwDr
— Energy’s New Legal Threat: Earthquake Suits. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1yuAPEN
— Emails show Big Oil pressured US scientists over fracking’s link to quakes. Sydney Morning Herald: http://bit.ly/1OT2PfR
— Why going off the grid may not actually be such a good idea. The Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1EuxkWd
— Judge sides with electric utility in solar metering case. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://bit.ly/1NxkSVc
— Texas bill barring ‘fracking bans’ advances out of committee. The Dallas Morning News: http://bit.ly/1OT3hdS
— Tesla Motors to Unveil New Product April 30. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1Hgp0XU
— Methane in drinking water unrelated to fracking, study suggests. Science Insider: http://bit.ly/1EuuXD1
— Low-income advocates hopeful for New York REV proceeding. Capital New York: http://bit.ly/1ytVV68
— BNSF Railroad adds new safety rules for crude oil trains. The Associated Press: http://apne.ws/1yujT19
— A Shrewd Oil Call Reverses Fortunes for Lucky Few. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1bLAclv
Tags: climate, energy, fuel, gas, oil