Energy Department announces largest-ever investment in 'carbon removal'
The Department of Energy announced Friday it is awarding up to $1.2 billion to two projects that promise to remove carbon dioxide from the air in what officials said was the largest investment in โengineered carbon removalโ in history.
US invests in alternative solar tech, more solar for renters
The Biden administration announced more than $80 million in funding Thursday in a push to produce more solar panels in the U.S., make solar energy available to more people, and pursue superior alternatives to the ubiquitous sparkly panels made with silicon.
Official: Idaho computer chip plant makes US more resilient
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says a $15 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant by Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker Micron in its hometown is a step in protecting the United States from the vulnerabilities of a globalized market made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Oil industry says Granholm meeting sends 'positive signal'
Groups representing the oil industry and refiners say a meeting with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was productive and should send a signal to markets that the United States is committed to long-term investments in the oil and refining industry.
Biden, Chevron chief trade sharp words over gas prices
In a pointed back and forth, the head of Chevron has complained that President Joe Biden has vilified energy firms at a time when gasoline prices are at near record levels and the president responded that the oil company CEO was being โmildly sensitive.โ.
Energy secretary: US offshore wind jobs should be union jobs
The U.S. energy secretary and Danish wind developer Orsted say they want American union workers to build offshore wind farms to dot the U.S. coastlines โ the building trades workers who could otherwise be left out of a transition to renewable resources.
Raimondo: Inquiry on solar imports follows the law
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo pushed back forcefully Wednesday against critics โ including some within the Biden administration โ who say a government investigation of solar imports from Southeast Asia is hindering President Joe Bidenโs ambitious climate goals.
Nations agree to release 60M barrels of oil amid Russian war
The International Energy Agencyโs 31 member countries have agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from their strategic reserves โto send a strong message to oil marketsโ that supplies wonโt fall short after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biden revives 'clean energy' program with $1B loan guarantee
The Biden administration has issued its first clean energy loan guarantee, reviving an Obama-era program that disbursed billions of dollars in guarantees to help launch the countryโs first utility-scale wind and solar farms a decade ago but has largely gone dormant in recent years.
Many environmentalists back Biden's move to tap oil reserve
Democrats and climate activists generally support President Joe Bidenโs decision to release a record-setting 50 million barrels of oil from Americaโs strategic reserve, even as the action appeared to contradict Bidenโs long-term goal to fight climate change.
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Saudi minister urges caution on oil production levels
Storage tanks are seen at the North Jiddah bulk plant, an Aramco oil facility, in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)FRANKFURT โ Saudi Arabia's energy minister took a cautious view of any increase in oil production as members of the OPEC cartel met Thursday with allied non-member countries to decide production levels. But lower production levels deprive state budgets of money at a difficult time. Russia has typically pressed for higher production levels in the face of Saudi restraint. One reason is that Russia can balance its state budget at lower oil prices than the Saudis can.
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States sue Biden in bid to revive Keystone XL pipeline
Committee Ranking Member Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WVa., speaks during a hearing to examine the nomination of former Gov. โ Attorneys general from 21 states on Wednesday sued to to overturn President Joe Bidenโs cancellation of the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. Led by Ken Paxton of Texas and Austin Knudsen of Montana, the states said Biden had overstepped his authority when he revoked the permit for the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office. Construction on the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) pipeline began last year when former President Donald Trump revived the long-delayed project after it had stalled under the Obama administration. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana.
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AP Interview: DOE reviving loan program, Granholm says
AdRepublicans and other critics cite Solyndra as an example of wasteful spending under President Barack Obama's stimulus program, and the loan guarantees have largely dried up in recent years. AdThe program will be overseen by Jigar Shah, a longtime clean-energy entrepreneur who helped pioneer solar power in the U.S. While Republicans are likely to focus on avoiding a repeat of Solyndra, Granholm, a former Michigan governor, said Tesla is a better example. Still, the loan program overall has returned more than $500 million to taxpayers, โpeople paying back their loans with interest,'' Granholm said. โIโm very excited about his leadership and about actually using the DOE loan program again,'' she said.
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Former Michigan Gov. Granholm confirmed as energy secretary
Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich., testifies before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a hearing to examine her nomination to be Secretary of Energy, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Granholm, who was sworn in late Thursday, is just the second woman to serve as energy secretary. She tweeted her thanks to senators and said, "Iโm obsessed with creating good-paying clean energy jobs in all corners of America in service of addressing our climate crisis. โWe can buy electric car batteries from Asia, or we can make them in America,โ Granholm told senators. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy committee, said Biden โseems to want to pull the plug on American energy dominance.
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Dem Sen. Manchin asks Biden to reverse Keystone XL rejection
In a letter to Biden, Manchin said Keystone XL and other pipelines โcontinue to be the safest mode to transport our oil and natural gas resources, and they support thousands of high-paying, American union jobs.'' Manchin's comments follow similar remarks by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who said in an interview with โAxios on HBOโ that he wished Biden had not canceled Keystone XL on his first day in office. I know that product is still coming to the United States,'' Manchin told reporters last month. AdManchin's letter came as 14 Republican attorneys general sent a letter telling Biden his decision to reject Keystone XL "will result in devastating damage to many of our states and local communities. Even those states outside the path of the Keystone XL pipeline โ indeed all Americans โ will suffer serious, detrimental consequences,'' the GOP officials said.
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Senate panel advances EPA nominee; GOP slams Interior pick
(Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ A Senate committee has endorsed President Joe Biden's nomination of Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, setting up a vote in the full Senate. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced Regan's nomination Tuesday on a 14-6 vote. Regan, who has served as North Carolina's top environmental regulator since 2017, would be the first Black man to run the EPA. A third Biden nominee, Deb Haaland, has not yet had a hearing on her selection to lead the Interior Department. AdHe also was concerned by Haaland's responses on issues such as wildlife management and access by hunters and sportsmen to public lands, Daines said.
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Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez seek 'climate emergency' declaration
โIf there ever was an emergency, climate is one,'' the New York Democrat told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow last week, adding that an emergency declaration would give Biden โmore flexibility.'' The sweeping plan is aimed at staving off the worst of global warming caused by burning fossil fuels. Sanders said the climate emergency has long been clear. But Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy panel, said declaring a climate emergency would effectively โmuzzle Congress.'' AdBesides Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, the climate bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Democratic Sens.
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Biden EPA nominee vows 'sense of urgency' on climate change
(Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden's nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency pledged Wednesday to โmove with a sense of urgency on climate changeโ and other priorities, while working with lawmakers from both parties to protect the environment. AdRegan, who has served as top environmental regulator in North Carolina since 2017, would be the first African American man to run the EPA. Regan told senators he learned the importance of preserving the outdoors while hunting and fishing with his father and grandfather in rural North Carolina. Regan told Capito he anticipates โhealthy debatesโ on a variety of issues, adding that he reports to the president, not White House advisers. In a related development, Jennifer Granholm, Biden's nominee to be energy secretary, won approval from the Senate energy panel Wednesday.
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Biden: 'We can't wait any longer' to address climate crisis
President Joe Biden signs an executive order on climate change, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington. โWe canโt wait any longer'' to address the climate crisis, Biden said Wednesday at the White House. โWhen I think of climate change and the answers to it, I think of jobs,'' Biden said. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, now Biden's climate envoy, said oil, gas and coal workers โhave been fed a false narrative'' that โsomehow, dealing with climate is coming at their expense. Biden also directed U.S. agencies to use science and evidence-based decision-making in federal rules and announced a U.S.-hosted climate leaders summit on Earth Day, April 22.
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Biden introduces his climate team, says 'no time to waste'
President-elect Joe Biden announces his climate and energy team nominees and appointees at The Queen Theater in Wilmington Del., Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The incoming Biden team will try to undo or block many of the current administrationโs initiatives. In his remarks, Biden stressed the diversity of an emerging team that he described as โbrilliant, qualified, tested and they are barrier-busting." The nominees Biden introduced Saturday had compelling personal stories that they cited as guiding them if confirmed by the Senate. Two other members of the team introduced Saturday do not need Senate confirmation.
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Facing crisis, LA's Garcetti ends talk of Biden Cabinet post
FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2018, file photo, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti poses in front of a sprawling downtown Los Angeles landscape. Garcetti has taken his name out of consideration for a possible post in the Biden administration. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)LOS ANGELES โ Not long ago, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti looked like he was going places. On the day Becerra was picked as health secretary, Garcetti was named one of several co-chairs for Bidenโs inaugural committee, a conspicuously less prestigious post. Activists chanted โBlock Garcettiโ and said his record on transportation, homelessness and policing disqualified him from a Biden administration job.
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In historic pick, Biden taps Haaland as interior secretary
FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Native American Caucus co-chair, speaks to reporters about the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Haaland as interior secretary. The historic pick would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. Scott Applewhite, File)President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland, saying she would make an โexcellent choiceโ as interior secretary.
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Deal-makers and fighters make up Biden's new climate team
Progressives, energy lobbyists, environmental groups and auto workers welcomed Bidenโs choice of popular former Mayor Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary. The president-elect planned to introduce his climate team at an event Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware. Among those on his climate team, Granholm as Michigan's governor helped nudge auto workers toward accepting a switch to production of more electric vehicles. Also helping drive Biden's plan will be McCarthy, who as EPA head under President Barack Obama pushed for landmark rules to cut planet-warming pollution. The climate effort laid out in Biden's plan would take a series of heavy lifts.
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Biden picks deal-makers, fighters for climate, energy team
Biden is expected to pick his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation and Granholm as energy secretary. Progressives, energy lobbyists, environmental groups and auto workers on Wednesday welcomed Bidenโs choice of popular former Mayor Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary. Jennifer Granholm for energy secretary and former Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy as leader of domestic climate efforts also were met with general applause. Among those on his climate team, Granholm as Michigan's governor helped nudge auto workers toward accepting a switch to production of more electric vehicles. The climate effort laid out in Biden's plan would take a series of heavy lifts.
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Biden taps Buttigieg for transportation, Granholm for energy
FILE - In this April 29, 2019 file photo, then Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg, from South Bend, Indiana, listens during a lunch meeting with civil rights leader Rev. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to pick former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg to head the transportation department. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, Pool)President-elect Joe Biden nominated his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation on Tuesday and intends to choose former Michigan Gov. All three will be central to Bidenโs plan to remake the countryโs automobiles and transportation systems to quickly cut climate-damaging petroleum emissions. Bidenโs plan includes overhauling the nationโs transportation and power sectors and buildings to eliminate fossil fuel emissions by 2050.
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Trump tactics to overturn election could have staying power
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)ATLANTA โ Even after he exits the White House, President Donald Trump's efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the election and seeking to overturn the will of voters could have staying power. Supporters include congressional candidates, state lawmakers, party chairs, conservative legal groups and appointees to previously little-known state vote-certification boards. Even so, Trump has found friendly lawmakers and party officials willing to bolster his claims and adopt his tactics. The effort then shifted to Michigan, where Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani appeared at a four-hour legislative hearing to argue that fraud had occurred. As Trump hints at running for president again, he will need his supporters to stay energized and on his side.
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'So much work to do': How Biden is planning for transition
โThere is so much work to do.โAccording to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that advises presidential candidates on the transition, Biden will have to name more than 4,000 political appointees to fill out his administration, including more than 1,200 requiring Senate confirmation. Those roles include leaders of the treasury and health and human services departments and the director of the National Economic Council. One person familiar with the transition planning said Buttigieg could also be an ambassador to the United Nations. If Biden wins, it's unclear how closely Trump administration officials would work with the incoming team. โIs it going to mean the Biden campaignโs not going to be able to conduct the transition?
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Coronavirus upends conventions, changes TV coverage
LOS ANGELES The Democratic and Republican conventions will lack for crowds but not television coverage. The Democratic meeting will be virtual, with Biden planning to make his acceptance speech from Wilmington, Delaware. Broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC plan an hour of nightly coverage of the conventions at 10 p.m. EDT. CNN's commentators for the Democratic meeting include Van Jones, Jennifer Granholm, Andrew Yang, and Scott Jennings. Commentary for the Republican convention will be handled by Rick Santorum, David Urban, Amanda Carpenter and Granholm.