Daily on Energy: Environmentalists hold kick-off call for Harris, EPA hits key goal, and energy efficiency tax credits go to the wealthy thumbnail

Daily on Energy: Environmentalists hold kick-off call for Harris, EPA hits key goal, and energy efficiency tax credits go to the wealthy

ENVIRONMENTALIST ALLIES HOST CALL FOR HARRIS: Environmental officials and advocates coalesced on a kick-off call for Vice President Kamala Harris Friday afternoon, teasing a September launch of a “Climate Voters for Harris-Walz” campaign effort that will help to mobilize a bloc Joe Biden struggled to court. 

More details, please: A number of recognizable faces were on the call to draw support for the vice president, touting the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and drawing a contrast between Harris and her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

What we heard a lot of: A number of mentions of Project 2025, a vast set of policy proposals created by former Trump officials and other conservatives that was coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. Trump has since distanced himself from the policy proposals, but the Harris campaign has continued to tie the controversial playbook back to the former president. 

While touting Harris’ environmental record, everyone featured in the call had the same message: pick a climate crusader, or be left with someone who does little to acknowledge the issue of climate change and reducing emissions. 

“This is the most important election of all time for the climate, for the protection of the planet,” said Sen. Ed Markey, who was on the call. “The denier-in-chief cannot be in the Oval Office.” 

Why this is important: Efforts to draw a sharp contrast to Trump — who has called climate change “a hoax” and has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA – is a strategy the Harris campaign is looking to repeatedly employ heading into November. With the launch of the climate voters campaign effort, it seems that Harris is looking to energize climate voters in a way Biden could not in his own reelection campaign.  

The event’s organizer, the social media platform We Don’t Have Time, distributed a series of talking points to those on the Zoom call. 

Who was there: John Kerry, the former climate envoy for the Biden administration, was on the call to urge support for the Harris-Walz ticket. Kerry had left his position to help Biden in his reelection campaign, but seems to be now redirecting his efforts to helping the Harris team. 

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Biden Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Markey, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and representatives from the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club were also on the call. 

Some celebrity sightings: American actor Jane Fonda and science educator Bill Nye made special guest appearances, expressing urgency to elect officials that would “promote the progress of science.” 

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu (@NancyVu99). 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.   

GREEN BANK FUNDS SECURED ON IRA’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY: The Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has obligated all of the funds from its “Green Bank,” allowing for recipients to launch projects across the nation in the aims of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while focusing on investment in low-income and marginalized communities. 

The deets: $27 billion of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has been distributed under three separate programs – the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and the $7 billion Solar for All program. Recipients were selected back in April, and have worked with the agency to revise their work plans in order to receive the funds. 

“With climate impacts increasingly impacting all Americans, and especially those in communities that have been historically left behind, EPA knew it had to move swiftly and deliberately to get this historic funding out the door,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a written statement. “Two years after he signed the law, President Biden is delivering the full $27 billion that he secured in this legislation.”

More about those programs: The National Clean Investment Fund has three grant recipients that would establish national clean financing institutions to fund projects across the country, with a sizable chunk dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities.

The accelerator grants five recipients money to establish “hubs” providing funds and technical assistance to deploy distributed energy, net-zero buildings, and zero-emission transportation projects. 100% of the capital is dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities. 

The Solar for All program has 60 grant recipients to create new or existing low-income solar programs. 

Why this is important: The EPA, along with other agencies under the Biden administration, has been rushing to distribute funds from their 2022 climate law. But as the IRA turns two years old today, the Biden administration has been struggling to get the funds distributed. Furthermore, the race to spend the money comes as Trump has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA if he wins the White House, and Republicans have introduced targeted measures to slash the EPA’s “green bank.” However, with the funds being fully allocated to grantees, the chances of that are now slim to none. 

ENERGY TAX CREDITS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY GOING TO THE RICH: Wealthy homeowners have claimed the majority of the Biden administration’s energy efficiency tax credits, while low-income households are barely getting anything, a new E&E News analysis shows

The publication found that households with an income of $200,000 or more got $2.2 billion in tax credits. Households with incomes below $25,000 got a small portion of that amount – $32 million – even though they make up a larger population than their wealthy counterparts.

The disproportionate allocation is raising red flags from economists and advocates, who are concerned that the tax credit is giving taxpayer funds to people who don’t need the financial aid. The disparity is also prompting scrutiny of the Biden administration’s approach of using tax incentives to form the bedrock of his climate change policy – a “carrots” over “sticks” approach that drew criticism from many environmentalists. 

Some stats: The residential energy credits last year cut income taxes and federal revenue by a total of $8.4 billion. The average credit was $1,100, but the credit amount increased for people with higher incomes. 

To draw a picture: People with incomes below $100,000 made up 76% of all federal taxpayers in 2023. Yet, this demographic received 34% of the tax credits, amounting to $2.9 billion. People with $100,000 or more accounted for just 24% of federal taxpayers last year, and received 66% percent of the tax credits – totaling $5.5 billion. Read more on that here. 

TOP CONSUMERS OF RUSSIAN OIL: China and Saudi Arabia were Russia’s top customers for fuel oil and vacuum gas oil exports in July, new data shows. 

According to Reuters, the exports rose 7% from June to roughly 4 million metric tons.

Why this is important: Since the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil went into effect last year, Asian countries have been the top customer for the country’s fossil fuel products. Just last month, direct fuel and VGO shipments increased by 18% month-on-month, totaling 0.7 million tons. 

Imports to Saudi Arabia almost doubled from June, and were sent to power generation plants to fulfill summer energy demand. 

But also: Exports to Fujairah, Turkey, and South Korea have increased as well. Read more on that here. 

RUNDOWN 

World Resources Institute Banks Have Committed to Net Zero, but Aren’t on Track to Reach It 

Grist Most Americans don’t know the country’s biggest climate law helps the climate

E&E News What to expect on climate at the Democratic convention

2024-08-16 21:32:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fdaily-on-energy%2F3124886%2Fdaily-on-energy-environmentalists-hold-kick-off-call-for-harris-epa-hits-key-goal-and-energy-efficiency-tax-credits-go-to-the-wealthy%2F?w=600&h=450, ENVIRONMENTALIST ALLIES HOST CALL FOR HARRIS: Environmental officials and advocates coalesced on a kick-off call for Vice President Kamala Harris Friday afternoon, teasing a September launch of a “Climate Voters for Harris-Walz” campaign effort that will help to mobilize a bloc Joe Biden struggled to court.  More details, please: A number of recognizable faces were,

ENVIRONMENTALIST ALLIES HOST CALL FOR HARRIS: Environmental officials and advocates coalesced on a kick-off call for Vice President Kamala Harris Friday afternoon, teasing a September launch of a “Climate Voters for Harris-Walz” campaign effort that will help to mobilize a bloc Joe Biden struggled to court. 

More details, please: A number of recognizable faces were on the call to draw support for the vice president, touting the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and drawing a contrast between Harris and her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

What we heard a lot of: A number of mentions of Project 2025, a vast set of policy proposals created by former Trump officials and other conservatives that was coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. Trump has since distanced himself from the policy proposals, but the Harris campaign has continued to tie the controversial playbook back to the former president. 

While touting Harris’ environmental record, everyone featured in the call had the same message: pick a climate crusader, or be left with someone who does little to acknowledge the issue of climate change and reducing emissions. 

“This is the most important election of all time for the climate, for the protection of the planet,” said Sen. Ed Markey, who was on the call. “The denier-in-chief cannot be in the Oval Office.” 

Why this is important: Efforts to draw a sharp contrast to Trump — who has called climate change “a hoax” and has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA – is a strategy the Harris campaign is looking to repeatedly employ heading into November. With the launch of the climate voters campaign effort, it seems that Harris is looking to energize climate voters in a way Biden could not in his own reelection campaign.  

The event’s organizer, the social media platform We Don’t Have Time, distributed a series of talking points to those on the Zoom call. 

Who was there: John Kerry, the former climate envoy for the Biden administration, was on the call to urge support for the Harris-Walz ticket. Kerry had left his position to help Biden in his reelection campaign, but seems to be now redirecting his efforts to helping the Harris team. 

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Biden Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Markey, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and representatives from the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club were also on the call. 

Some celebrity sightings: American actor Jane Fonda and science educator Bill Nye made special guest appearances, expressing urgency to elect officials that would “promote the progress of science.” 

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu (@NancyVu99). 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.   

GREEN BANK FUNDS SECURED ON IRA’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY: The Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has obligated all of the funds from its “Green Bank,” allowing for recipients to launch projects across the nation in the aims of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while focusing on investment in low-income and marginalized communities. 

The deets: $27 billion of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has been distributed under three separate programs – the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and the $7 billion Solar for All program. Recipients were selected back in April, and have worked with the agency to revise their work plans in order to receive the funds. 

“With climate impacts increasingly impacting all Americans, and especially those in communities that have been historically left behind, EPA knew it had to move swiftly and deliberately to get this historic funding out the door,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a written statement. “Two years after he signed the law, President Biden is delivering the full $27 billion that he secured in this legislation.”

More about those programs: The National Clean Investment Fund has three grant recipients that would establish national clean financing institutions to fund projects across the country, with a sizable chunk dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities.

The accelerator grants five recipients money to establish “hubs” providing funds and technical assistance to deploy distributed energy, net-zero buildings, and zero-emission transportation projects. 100% of the capital is dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities. 

The Solar for All program has 60 grant recipients to create new or existing low-income solar programs. 

Why this is important: The EPA, along with other agencies under the Biden administration, has been rushing to distribute funds from their 2022 climate law. But as the IRA turns two years old today, the Biden administration has been struggling to get the funds distributed. Furthermore, the race to spend the money comes as Trump has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA if he wins the White House, and Republicans have introduced targeted measures to slash the EPA’s “green bank.” However, with the funds being fully allocated to grantees, the chances of that are now slim to none. 

ENERGY TAX CREDITS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY GOING TO THE RICH: Wealthy homeowners have claimed the majority of the Biden administration’s energy efficiency tax credits, while low-income households are barely getting anything, a new E&E News analysis shows

The publication found that households with an income of $200,000 or more got $2.2 billion in tax credits. Households with incomes below $25,000 got a small portion of that amount – $32 million – even though they make up a larger population than their wealthy counterparts.

The disproportionate allocation is raising red flags from economists and advocates, who are concerned that the tax credit is giving taxpayer funds to people who don’t need the financial aid. The disparity is also prompting scrutiny of the Biden administration’s approach of using tax incentives to form the bedrock of his climate change policy – a “carrots” over “sticks” approach that drew criticism from many environmentalists. 

Some stats: The residential energy credits last year cut income taxes and federal revenue by a total of $8.4 billion. The average credit was $1,100, but the credit amount increased for people with higher incomes. 

To draw a picture: People with incomes below $100,000 made up 76% of all federal taxpayers in 2023. Yet, this demographic received 34% of the tax credits, amounting to $2.9 billion. People with $100,000 or more accounted for just 24% of federal taxpayers last year, and received 66% percent of the tax credits – totaling $5.5 billion. Read more on that here. 

TOP CONSUMERS OF RUSSIAN OIL: China and Saudi Arabia were Russia’s top customers for fuel oil and vacuum gas oil exports in July, new data shows. 

According to Reuters, the exports rose 7% from June to roughly 4 million metric tons.

Why this is important: Since the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil went into effect last year, Asian countries have been the top customer for the country’s fossil fuel products. Just last month, direct fuel and VGO shipments increased by 18% month-on-month, totaling 0.7 million tons. 

Imports to Saudi Arabia almost doubled from June, and were sent to power generation plants to fulfill summer energy demand. 

But also: Exports to Fujairah, Turkey, and South Korea have increased as well. Read more on that here. 

RUNDOWN 

World Resources Institute Banks Have Committed to Net Zero, but Aren’t on Track to Reach It 

Grist Most Americans don’t know the country’s biggest climate law helps the climate

E&E News What to expect on climate at the Democratic convention

, ENVIRONMENTALIST ALLIES HOST CALL FOR HARRIS: Environmental officials and advocates coalesced on a kick-off call for Vice President Kamala Harris Friday afternoon, teasing a September launch of a “Climate Voters for Harris-Walz” campaign effort that will help to mobilize a bloc Joe Biden struggled to court.  More details, please: A number of recognizable faces were on the call to draw support for the vice president, touting the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and drawing a contrast between Harris and her opponent, former President Donald Trump. What we heard a lot of: A number of mentions of Project 2025, a vast set of policy proposals created by former Trump officials and other conservatives that was coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. Trump has since distanced himself from the policy proposals, but the Harris campaign has continued to tie the controversial playbook back to the former president.  While touting Harris’ environmental record, everyone featured in the call had the same message: pick a climate crusader, or be left with someone who does little to acknowledge the issue of climate change and reducing emissions.  “This is the most important election of all time for the climate, for the protection of the planet,” said Sen. Ed Markey, who was on the call. “The denier-in-chief cannot be in the Oval Office.”  Why this is important: Efforts to draw a sharp contrast to Trump — who has called climate change “a hoax” and has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA – is a strategy the Harris campaign is looking to repeatedly employ heading into November. With the launch of the climate voters campaign effort, it seems that Harris is looking to energize climate voters in a way Biden could not in his own reelection campaign.   The event’s organizer, the social media platform We Don’t Have Time, distributed a series of talking points to those on the Zoom call.  Who was there: John Kerry, the former climate envoy for the Biden administration, was on the call to urge support for the Harris-Walz ticket. Kerry had left his position to help Biden in his reelection campaign, but seems to be now redirecting his efforts to helping the Harris team.  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Biden Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Markey, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and representatives from the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club were also on the call.  Some celebrity sightings: American actor Jane Fonda and science educator Bill Nye made special guest appearances, expressing urgency to elect officials that would “promote the progress of science.”  Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment writer Nancy Vu ( @NancyVu99 ). 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.    GREEN BANK FUNDS SECURED ON IRA’S 2ND ANNIVERSARY: The Environmental Protection Agency announced today it has obligated all of the funds from its “Green Bank,” allowing for recipients to launch projects across the nation in the aims of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while focusing on investment in low-income and marginalized communities.  The deets: $27 billion of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund has been distributed under three separate programs – the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and the $7 billion Solar for All program. Recipients were selected back in April, and have worked with the agency to revise their work plans in order to receive the funds.  “With climate impacts increasingly impacting all Americans, and especially those in communities that have been historically left behind, EPA knew it had to move swiftly and deliberately to get this historic funding out the door,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a written statement. “Two years after he signed the law, President Biden is delivering the full $27 billion that he secured in this legislation.” More about those programs: The National Clean Investment Fund has three grant recipients that would establish national clean financing institutions to fund projects across the country, with a sizable chunk dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities. The accelerator grants five recipients money to establish “hubs” providing funds and technical assistance to deploy distributed energy, net-zero buildings, and zero-emission transportation projects. 100% of the capital is dedicated to low-income and marginalized communities.  The Solar for All program has 60 grant recipients to create new or existing low-income solar programs.  Why this is important: The EPA, along with other agencies under the Biden administration, has been rushing to distribute funds from their 2022 climate law. But as the IRA turns two years old today, the Biden administration has been struggling to get the funds distributed. Furthermore, the race to spend the money comes as Trump has threatened to roll back portions of the IRA if he wins the White House, and Republicans have introduced targeted measures to slash the EPA’s “green bank.” However, with the funds being fully allocated to grantees, the chances of that are now slim to none.  ENERGY TAX CREDITS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY GOING TO THE RICH: Wealthy homeowners have claimed the majority of the Biden administration’s energy efficiency tax credits, while low-income households are barely getting anything, a new E&E News analysis shows.  The publication found that households with an income of $200,000 or more got $2.2 billion in tax credits. Households with incomes below $25,000 got a small portion of that amount – $32 million – even though they make up a larger population than their wealthy counterparts. The disproportionate allocation is raising red flags from economists and advocates, who are concerned that the tax credit is giving taxpayer funds to people who don’t need the financial aid. The disparity is also prompting scrutiny of the Biden administration’s approach of using tax incentives to form the bedrock of his climate change policy – a “carrots” over “sticks” approach that drew criticism from many environmentalists.  Some stats: The residential energy credits last year cut income taxes and federal revenue by a total of $8.4 billion. The average credit was $1,100, but the credit amount increased for people with higher incomes.  To draw a picture: People with incomes below $100,000 made up 76% of all federal taxpayers in 2023. Yet, this demographic received 34% of the tax credits, amounting to $2.9 billion. People with $100,000 or more accounted for just 24% of federal taxpayers last year, and received 66% percent of the tax credits – totaling $5.5 billion. Read more on that here.  TOP CONSUMERS OF RUSSIAN OIL: China and Saudi Arabia were Russia’s top customers for fuel oil and vacuum gas oil exports in July, new data shows.  According to Reuters, the exports rose 7% from June to roughly 4 million metric tons. Why this is important: Since the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil went into effect last year, Asian countries have been the top customer for the country’s fossil fuel products. Just last month, direct fuel and VGO shipments increased by 18% month-on-month, totaling 0.7 million tons.  Imports to Saudi Arabia almost doubled from June, and were sent to power generation plants to fulfill summer energy demand.  But also: Exports to Fujairah, Turkey, and South Korea have increased as well. Read more on that here.  RUNDOWN  World Resources Institute Banks Have Committed to Net Zero, but Aren’t on Track to Reach It  Grist Most Americans don’t know the country’s biggest climate law helps the climate E&E News What to expect on climate at the Democratic convention, , Daily on Energy: Environmentalists hold kick-off call for Harris, EPA hits key goal, and energy efficiency tax credits go to the wealthy, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DOE-1024×580.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Nancy Vu,

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