NOTABLE NOS ON NUCLEAR PACKAGE: A legislative package of regulatory reforms for the nuclear sector sailed easily through the Senate Tuesday night, underlining a new wave of interest in the energy source after years of inactivity. But not everybody was on board with the legislation – with two progressive senators notably voting nay.
Who voted against the legislation: Climate hawks Sens. Ed Markey, a Democrat, and Bernie Sanders, an independent. The pair voted against the bill in committee.
A notable switch-up: Sen. Jeff Merkley, another climate hawk, voted against the legislation in committee – but voted for it on the Senate floor.
“Sen. Merkley would have preferred the issues be decoupled, but he strongly supports the Fire Grants and Safety Act,” Justin Krakoff, Merkley’s deputy communications director, told the Washington Examiner in a written statement. “He voted yes on final passage to deliver for Oregon’s local fire departments.”
A spokesperson for Sanders did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why this is notable: The fact that only two senators ultimately voted against the package of reforms meant to streamline the development of the next generation of nuclear reactors marks growing support for the nuclear sector – most notably, among Democrats. Many environmentalists have been historically skeptical of nuclear or outright opposed, and have channeled the anti-nuclear sentiment that arose following some of the high-profile disasters of the past decades, such as the Three Mile Island incident and accidents at the Chernobyl and f*ckushima power plants.
Keep in mind, however, that the legislation supports the advancement of newer nuclear technologies, which have been touted as smaller, safer, and more efficient than traditional nuclear power plants.
But: That doesn’t mean that these concerns have been alleviated among all Democrats.
Markey voiced his opposition on the Senate floor before the measure was up for a vote, stating the final bill stripped out $225 million for communities affected by nuclear closures and $100 million to clean up contaminated nuclear waste in tribal communities. Markey also expressed concerns about the lack of safety and public engagement provisions in the bill – which he argued benefits industry players, at the expense of local communities.
In his speech, the Massachusetts Democrat also blasted the bill for lacking language that would ensure continued nuclear nonproliferation overseas – which, he says, allows for the “threat of nuclear war.”
Praise from both sides of the aisle: Many of the major players involved in negotiations for the bill hailed its passage – especially significant in a divided Congress.
A joint statement from Republican Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Jeff Duncan, and Democrats Frank Pallone, and Diana DeGette: “Energy is foundational to our way of life. In order to maintain our standard of living, support technological innovation, and cement America’s economic and national security for generations to come, we must be investing in safe, clean, and reliable sources of baseload power. This much needed modernization of our nuclear regulatory framework will help achieve this by enabling industry to deploy safe, reliable nuclear energy, leading to a new era of U.S. energy leadership.”
Conservative advocacy groups applaud its passage: “The United States is on the verge of a nuclear liftoff with exciting new technologies moving towards construction,” said Jeremy Harrell, the chief executive officer of ClearPath Action. “There are dozens of advanced reactor designs expected to go through the NRC licensing process by the end of this decade, and they need a modern approach to keep up with our country’s energy needs.”
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu (@NancyVu99), with help from policy editor Joseph Lawler. Email nancy.vu@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
BIPARTISAN PERMITTING REFORM BILL FROM WESTERMAN AND PETERS: House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and Democratic Rep. Scott Peters are out with a new permitting reform bill – specifically, a measure that would expedite the process for forest management projects aiming to curb the risk of wildfires.
As Daily on Energy alum Josh Siegel scoops, the measure would expedite forest management activities under the National Environmental Policy Act and enact litigation reform to combat lawsuits that often delay projects.
The new bill builds off of a previous forestry effort from the duo to protect giant sequoias from wildfires. But the measure also would amend NEPA for forestry projects – an evergreen call from companies looking to develop energy projects that have been plagued by long and expensive delays. Read the bill here, and read more from Politico here.
GEOENGINEERING SUPPORTERS REGROUP AFTER TWO FAILED TESTS: Philanthropists who back geoengineering to limit climate change are looking for new projects after the recent failures of small-scale tests in California and Sweden, Politico reports.
The background: Geoengineering suffered a setback with the failure of a test project in Alameda, California, earlier this month to brighten clouds to deflect the sun by spraying liquefied salt from the deck of the USS Hornet, a retired aircraft carrier. The project was shut down by local officials shortly after it began.
Similarly, in March, a solar geoengineering project led by a Harvard researcher announced that it was winding down. The group had aimed to experiment with spraying reflective materials into the atmosphere in Sweden, but faced resistance from local environmentalist and indigenous groups.
In general, geoengineering is controversial, because of resistance from local interests and fears from environmentalists that it could give license to polluters to continue emitting greenhouse gasses. Some scientists also say that large-scale geoengineering could have negative unintended consequences.
The latest: One major funder of geoengineering projects, Pritzker Innovation Fund head Rachel Pritzker, told Politico that the group would continue to research whether interventions like cloud brightening are worthwhile. “We will only get answers to these questions through open research that can inform science-based, democratic decision-making,” she said.
David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, said that “Our goal is to support the basic science needed to assess the role of aerosols in the atmosphere, particularly the stratosphere.”
A few other groups expressed their interest in backing geoengineering projects.
But: The resistance to the extremely small-scale experiment in Alameda – see a video of it here – indicates how far geoengineering has to go before actual interventions become plausible.
INTERIOR ACKNOWLEDGES HARM TO TRIBES FROM DAMS IN THE NORTHWEST: The Department of the Interior published a 73-page report yesterday acknowledging the harms suffered by Native American tribes from dams built on the Columbia River.
The report was required as part of a 2021 legal agreement reached between parties in litigation over the management of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The Interior said it also followed from the administration’s efforts to restore salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin.
What it says: The report says that “the government afforded little, if any, consideration to the devastation the dams would bring to Tribal communities, including to their cultures, sacred sites, economies, and homes.”
Reactions: Shannon Wheeler, the chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe told the Associated Press that the report was welcome. “The lack of salmon eventually starts affecting us, but they’re the ones who have been suffering the longest. … It feels like there’s an opportunity to end the suffering,” he said.
But House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents eastern Washington, called it a “bad faith report” that is “just the latest in a long list of examples that prove the Biden administration’s goal has always been dam breaching.”
AT LEAST ONE DEAD IN NEW MEXICO WILDFIRE: At least one person has died and thousands have been displaced by wildfires in New Mexico this week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office said, according to Reuters.
The resort town of Ruidoso has been evacuated, and about 1,400 homes and structures have been destroyed.
Meanwhile, fire crews have been working to contain eight wildfires in California.
ACTIVIST WATCH: Climate activists with Just Stop Oil sprayed Stonehenge with orange paint this morning.
The group said the paint is made from cornstarch and will wash off.
Two people were taken into custody, Reuters reported.
RUNDOWN
New Scientist Farmland near Chernobyl nuclear reactor is finally safe to use again
Financial Times Why Americans are not buying more EVs
