House Republicans outline plans to address releases from the Strategic Oil Reserve, President Biden appoints FERC interim chairman, and Germany hits wind energy milestone.
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Republicans target the release of Biden’s oil reserves
House Republicans are focused on liberating the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) with the first of a series of bills they plan to take up when they can begin legislation.
While their bills are unlikely to pass the Democratic-led Senate and former President Biden, the inclusion of these bills in the first legislative session of the new Congress will help make the country’s oil reserves a key policy priority for Republicans. It suggests that it will
What they say: On Friday, Rep. Steve Scalise (La.), a leading Republican leader, unveiled a list of “meaningful, out-of-the-box” bills the Republican Party will take up first. Strategic oil reserves.
“These common-sense measures address the challenges facing hardworking families such as energy, inflation, border security, life and taxpayer protection,” he wrote in a letter to a dear colleague. talks about a total of 11 bills.
Backstory: The Strategic Oil Reserve is the country’s emergency crude oil supply. Last year, the Biden administration drew the ire of Republicans by carrying out the largest oil reserve sale in history in an attempt to curb fuel prices that skyrocketed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now Republicans are backlashing.
The party plans to take up two bills aimed at future oil releases: one, unless plans are in place for more leases for new oil and gas drilling on the country’s public lands, the SPR One is to prevent new releases of oil, the other is to prevent.SPR barrels will not be sold to entities owned, controlled, or under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
“We wanted to start with some [SPR] I’ve seen President Biden raid to cover failed policies,” Scalise told reporters.
Scalise added that Republicans “will introduce a lot of bills to reduce energy costs and have good energy strategies that allow us to generate our own energy,” but there are also other issues such as energy and commerce, natural resources, etc. said the committee needed to address them.
- The administration defended its use of the SPR, saying it was used correctly to address supply problems.
- “The Biden administration duly authorizes the emergency use of SPR missions to deal with supply disruptions, as has been done by both parties’ administrations historically, to help American families and refineries when they need it most. The Treasury Department estimates that the Biden administration’s release has lowered pump prices by up to $0.40 per gallon,” said an emailed statement from the Department of Energy.
Learn more about the Republican bill here
Biden Nominates Democrats for Interim Interstate Energy Presidency
The White House announced Tuesday that President Biden will appoint Willie Phillips as interim chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
- The agency confirmed Phillips, who has been a member of the committee since December 21, will succeed Chairman Richard Glick, who resigned on Tuesday.
- Phillips, whose term as commissioner expires in 2026, will serve as Acting Commissioner of Utilities until a permanent replacement is found.
Biden nominated Glick to the next term in May, but in November Senate Energy Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) said he would not support Glick’s re-nomination as FERC chairman. said. To give Glick another term.
“I am honored to be elected by President Biden to lead the FERC at such an important time,” Phillips said in a statement. “The work we do here at FERC is essential to ensuring that consumers have access to reliable, safe, secure and efficient energy services at reasonable costs. I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners and FERC staff to prioritize public engagement in pursuing our mission.”
What will FERC do again? FERC regulates interstate energy issues, such as the transportation of oil and natural gas. Manchin didn’t elaborate on his opposition to Glick’s re-nomination, which came shortly after being vocal about his opposition to the FERC’s move to incorporate Pipeline’s climate change contribution into the approval process.
- Glick’s resignation splits the committee evenly between two Republicans and two Democrats. By regulation, the board is prohibited from having more than one majority on either side.
- Phillips was confirmed by the FERC in a Senate voice vote. This usually indicates no dispute.
Click here for more information about the interview
Germany has record amounts of wind power
Germany produced a record amount of wind power on Wednesday, surpassing 50,000 megawatts.
- Bloomberg reports European Energy Exchange (EEX) data shows German wind farms produced 50,232 megawatts as much of Europe experiences unusually mild winter temperatures. Did.
- Total power output is expected to fall before rising again on Friday.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with state media TASS late last month that Russia was ready to resume gas sales to Europe.
The Kremlin cut off the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines and tried to pressure the rest of Europe to stop supporting Ukraine in the war.
Read more about The Hill’s Jared Gans
what we are reading
- Texas Department of Agriculture says climate change threatens state food supply (The Texas Tribune)
- Why are energy prices so high? Some experts blame deregulation. (New York Times)
- NPS Cuts Its Special Agents Nearly In Half, Memo Shows (E&E News)
- How our perception of time shapes our approach to climate change (NPR)
- New EPA proposal reignites debate over what counts as ‘renewable’ (Grist)
🍕 Light Clicks: Meals for Long Nights
That’s all for today, thanks for reading. For the latest news and coverage, visit The Hill’s Energy & Environment page. See you tomorrow.
