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SYRIA JOINS PARIS CLIMATE PACT, LEAVING U.S. AS LONE HOLDOUT: Syria announced Tuesday that it would join the Paris climate change agreement, leaving the United States as the only country opposed to the deal after President Trump’s June 1 decision to withdraw from the accord.
“There has been no change in the United States position on the Paris agreement,” White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “As the president previously stated, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable for our country.”
The U.S. and Syria were the only countries not parties to the agreement after Nicaragua joined the Paris deal last month.
Syria made the announcement at the COP23 United Nations climate change talks in Bonn, Germany, which began Monday and end Nov. 17.
MEANWHILE, CHILDREN UP PRESSURE ON TRUMP BY SUING: Two children sued President Trump and members of his Cabinet Monday for rolling back federal regulations meant to curb the effects of climate change.
The lawsuit was filed on the behalf of two Pennsylvania children in federal district court by a group called the Clean Air Council in Philadelphia.
The lawsuit is similar to another one filed by Our Children’s Trust this year representing 21 kids against Trump for “perpetuating climate chaos.” That case is scheduled to go to court Feb. 5.
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PUERTO RICO UTILITY CHIEF BAILS ON CONGRESS: Ricardo Ramos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, canceled his scheduled Tuesday morning appearance before the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss the canceled $300 million, no-bid contract that the state-run utility gave to small Montana firm Whitefish Energy.
Power play: Ernesto Sgroi, chairman of PREPA’s governing board, told the committee in a letter Monday night that Ramos could not attend the hearing because of “urgent efforts on the ongoing emergency” power restoration. He said Ramos has been providing documents to the committee and would meet with the panel at a later date.
Bishop ‘chagrined:’ Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said at the opening of Tuesday morning’s hearing that he is “very disappointed” Ramos could not attend. “I am a little bit chagrined,” Bishop said. “He was here specifically to talk about Whitefish.”
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz didn’t show up for her scheduled testimony, either. She has publicly criticized the Trump administration’s recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.
The line-up: Among those who did testify were Natalie Jaresko, the executive director of the financial oversight board, Noel Zamot, a retired Air Force colonel chosen by the board to oversee PREPA as emergency manager, and Angel Perez Otero, mayor of Guaynabo, a San Juan suburb that President Trump visited in last month.
Otero said 80 percent of families in Guaynabo remain without power.
Puerto Rican progress: Sgroi, in explaining Ramos’ cancellation, said Florida and New York utilities will provide 3,000 workers under mutual aid agreements by Nov. 21. As of Monday night, more than 42 percent of electricity had been restored on the island.
OVERSIGHT BOARD ANNOUNCES NEW CONTRACT REVIEW PROCESS: Jaresko, the executive director of the financial oversight board, announced a new policy at Tuesday morning’s hearing where the board will review all contracts in excess of $10 million.
She said the board also has the authority to conduct random sampling of contracts valued below $10 million to “assure that they promote market competition and are not inconsistent with the approved fiscal plan.”
The policy applies to applies to all contracts in which Puerto Rico is a party, including those with the federal government, state governments, eight private parties, and nonprofit organizations.
PUERTO RICO SEEKS PRIVATE INVESTORS TO BOOST ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE: Zamot, the emergency manager tabbed by the board to oversee PREPA, said Tuesday that the board has identified $3.3 billion in private capital that seeks to invest in Puerto Rico infrastructure projects.
The project would involve an $800 million private investment to create a plant to convert waste into electricity.
Striving for renewables: Puerto Rico’s energy strategy seek to achieve 50 percent renewables by 2040, Zamot said.
“We intend to do just that, not only for generation, but to attract innovative capital solutions from the private sector for transmission and distribution as well,” Zamot said.
Renewables constitute 4 percent of the island’s electric grid.
Slow down: Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat of the House Natural Resources Committee, urged caution on a potential surge of private investment.
“If [Republicans] look to use the devastation in Puerto Rico to ram through projects faster, that would be a mistake,” Grijalva said at Tuesday morning’s hearing.
Zamot assured environmental protections would be considered.
“Economic growth and fast tracking projects are not inconsistent with being good stewards of the environment,” Zamot said.
EPA SLOW-WALKS OZONE DECISIONS FOR STATES: The Environmental Protection Agency isn’t saying which areas of the country are not complying with the Obama administration’s 2015 national air quality standards for smog-forming ozone just yet.
Missed deadline: The EPA is required under the Clean Air Act to designate non-attainment areas by Oct. 1. Once the non-attainment areas are designated, the clock begins to tick for states to develop and submit plans for meeting the ozone standards.
GAO TO SCOTT PRUITT’S APPEARANCE IN BEEF INDUSTRY VIDEO: The Government Accountability Office is investigating whether Pruitt’s appearance in a promotional video violated the law prohibiting lobbying and propaganda using agency resources.
Pruitt appeared in a video produced by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in which he described his opposition to the Obama administration’s 2015 Clean Water Rule.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., asked the GAO, Congress’ investigative arm, last month to investigate Pruitt’s appearance in the video.
In June, EPA proposed a repeal of the rule, which aimed to clarify which waters in the U.S. fall under federal jurisdiction.
Obama administration also faulted: The GAO in 2014 determined the EPA under the Obama administration broke the law with “covert propaganda” in support of the same clean water regulation.
If you’re keeping score: Pruitt is already under investigation by the EPA’s inspector general for his use of private and military flights and his frequent travel to his home state of Oklahoma.
NEW COALITION HEADED BY FORMER WIND INDUSTRY OFFICIAL STARTS UP: Rob Gramlich, a former longtime official with the American Wind Energy Association, will start a new advocacy group Tuesday focused on building out the nation’s transmission line infrastructure.
The new group is called WATT, the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies coalition, which “will work with policymakers and utilities on regulatory policies that save consumers money and enable clean energy delivery,” it said.
The commission is looking at Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s proposal to create new market rules to give coal and nuclear plants incentives for improving the resiliency and reliability of the grid, which the rest of the energy industry opposes.
Finding the right incentives: “We have technologies that can bring tremendous benefits to business and households,” but “the question is whether we can put the right incentives in place so that utilities who deploy them will share in the rewards. That will be our goal,” said coalition Chairman Todd Ryan with the transmission group Smart Wires.
RUNDOWN
New York Times Here’s how far the world is from meeting its climate goals under Paris agreement
Wall Street Journal Russian oil exports undermine OPEC deal, could be looming problem for prices
Bloomberg Miami weighs selling bonds to protect against climate change
Quartz A tiny African island nation plans to have 100 percent renewable energy in less than a decade
Oilprice.com Can oil prices hit $65 this week?
Calendar
TUESDAY, NOV. 7
10 a.m., 253 Russell. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet Subcommittee hearing on “Advancing the Internet of Things in Rural America.”
10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee hearing on the “Energy Star Reform Act of 2017” and the “Ceiling Fan Energy Conservation Harmonization Act.”
2 p.m., 1324 Longworth. House Natural Resources Committee’s Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Outer Continental Shelf Discussion Draft,” to distribute revenue from oil and gas leasing on the outer Continental Shelf to certain coastal states.
2:30 p.m., teleconference. A new coalition called Working for Advanced Transmission Technology launches at the Idaho National Laboratory to discuss technology deployment opportunities.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8
10 a.m., 406 Dirksen. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds hearing on the nominations of Kathleen Hartnett White to be a member of the Council on Environmental Quality and Andrew Wheeler to be deputy EPA administrator.
10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn. House Science, Space and Technology Committee’s Energy Subcommittee and Environment Subcommittee hold a joint hearing on “Geoengineering: Innovation, Research, and Technology.”
FRIDAY, NOV. 10
Federal government closed for Veterans Day.
