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Presented by Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation | | | | |  | | By Arianna Skibell | Presented by Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) | |  Farmer Greg Porth harvests soybeans near Worthington, Minn. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | A climate change battle is brewing in Congress, and it’s not about electric vehicles or pipelines. It’s about cows and dirt, writes POLITICO’s E&E News reporter Adam Aton. The five-year farm bill is scheduled to expire by Oct. 1, making it one of the few must-pass legislative items in this divided Congress. The farm bill shapes large swaths of American life, from the crops farmers grow to the kinds of food low-income families can obtain. But it’s also becoming a major battleground for the climate crisis. Agriculture contributes about 11 percent of U.S. planet-warming pollution, and unlike greenhouse gases from the power sector, that is not forecast to decline any time soon. Plus, the impacts of a changing climate for farmers — from historic drought in the West and increased flooding in the Northeast to shorter growing periods and shifting crop-planting dates — are increasingly hard to ignore. That’s why the Inflation Reduction Act allocated about $20 billion to preexisting farm bill programs. “The farm bill is probably going to be the piece of legislation in the next two years with the biggest impact on the climate and the environment,” Peter Lehner, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming Program, told Adam. That also means lawmakers from both parties will have strong opinions about how the money is spent (we’re talking roughly half a trillion dollars here). While Democrats focus on preserving the climate law’s $20 billion funding boost, some GOP lawmakers want to redirect that money to other programs, such as crop subsidies. And some Republicans want across-the-board spending cuts. That has some observers worried the bill could get delayed or derailed in the House, which happened back in 2012. But advocates see some inroads with Republicans, who could face pressure to preserve climate programs that farmers like. The idea is that the Inflation Reduction Act’s extra climate funding could create a self-reinforcing cycle of support, creating demand among farmers to keep those programs going. Some Biden administration officials are already driving that point home. “There’s historic money invested in this, and there are some people that want to take it away,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at this week’s winter meeting of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
| | | It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.
| | A message from Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): The U.S. can run on 100% clean electricity by 2035. While the Inflation Reduction Act was a huge step, our leaders must go further, faster to put our clean energy commitments within reach. Read our new report to find out immediate actions President Biden, EPA, FERC, state leaders, and others must take to stay on track. | | | | | | Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Alex Guillén breaks down EPA's decision to veto the development of Pebble Mine, a proposed copper and gold mine in Alaska.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) speaks to reporters during an event. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is pursuing a first-in-the-nation cap on industry profits after oil majors raked in eye-popping annual earnings, writes Wes Venteicher. A longtime critic of the industry, Newsom renewed his accusation that oil companies are “fleecing” consumers. Chevron, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66 and Valero — four of the five big companies with refineries in California — each released annual earnings in recent days, setting new records with a combined $74 billion in profits for 2022. “While Californians were being ripped off at the pump last year, Big Oil’s bottom line ballooned to levels never seen before in history, “ he said in a statement. Meanwhile, the price of gas in California is inching up again — reaching an average $4.55 per gallon in the state this week, up 10 cents from a week ago.
| | | | A message from Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):   | | | | | | | 
Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). | Francis Chung/ E&E News | Mining wars 2.0
A top Senate Republican is promising to ramp up oversight of EPA's veto power after the agency blocked a contentious gold and copper mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, home to a world premier salmon fishery, writes Hannah Northey. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va) blasted the final determination that barred waters within the Bristol Bay watershed from receiving dredge and fill. The federal action essentially killed the proposed mine. Who's who in energy
With 21 months until the next presidential election, agencies are under pressure to enact the Biden administration's energy and climate agenda, write Brian Dabbs, Heather Richards and Miranda Willson. Meet the nine federal officials who will play a critical role in determining the direction of clean energy deployment, oil and gas leasing and interstate transmission in 2023. Made in Europe
The European Union is attempting to go toe-to-toe with the United States’ $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act with a range of tax relaxations and new industrial benchmarks for 2030, writes Samuel Stolton. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said industrial overhaul will allow countries to offer more targeted support for green industries, as part of a new Green Deal Industrial Plan.
| | | This is climate change: Dangerous fungi are spreading across the U.S. as temperatures rise. Yikes! Let them pay for cake: The climate protesters who squashed cake into King Charles' waxwork have been ordered to pay damages.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | A showcase of some of our best content.
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Drilling operations take place in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. | Judy Patrick/AP Photo | The Biden administration advanced a massive oil and gas project in the Arctic that would represent a legacy-defining decision for the climate-minded White House. Bolstered by massive federal grants, subsidies and a growing interest from venture capital firms, the U.S. could become the global powerhouse of next-generation climate tech. There were at least 169 cyber or physical attacks on the U.S. power grid in 2022, representing a significant escalation of these types of incidents. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
| | A message from Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): President Biden made a pledge to the American people to halve carbon pollution by 2030 and achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. His administration still has a huge role to play in achieving these goals. Read our just-released report to learn which steps are most critical to keeping his climate commitments within reach. | | | | | | | LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
