With help from Anthony Adragna and Zack Colman
Editor’s Note: This edition of Morning Energy is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Energy subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. Learn more about POLITICO Pro’s comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services at politicopro.com.
— Cheryl LaFleur spoke to POLITICO on a range of issues on her mind ahead of her exit from FERC at the end of August, including the politicization of the commission and her potential replacement.
— Once the House returns from August recess, the Natural Resources panel plans to dig into the Trump administration’s decision to move the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management and other offices to the West.
— Organizations announced two climate-focused forums for September in the absence of a climate debate from the DNC.
FINALLY FRIDAY! I’m your host, Kelsey Tamborrino. No one correctly guessed the state with the most local governments: Illinois (according to the most recent Census figures.) For today: What couple holds the record as longest marriage of any presidential couple? Send your tips, energy gossip and comments to ktamborrino@politico.com.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH CHERYL LaFLEUR: Outgoing Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur looked back on her time at FERC in an interview with Pro’s Gavin Bade, where she spoke on everything from what she’ll miss about the position to the increased politicization of the commission that she’s been a member of for nine years.
“It’s difficult for me to even talk about because I love the agency and care about it so much, but I think there’s been a sense of increased politicization and partisanship that’s had an impact on the culture,” she told Gavin. LaFleur added that there’s been an uptick in political terms — Democratic or Republican commissioner — applied to FERC.
“That’s troubling to me because I think the commissioners should be independent, bipartisan, and in my perfect world, somewhat technocratic. I have a bunch of highly expert but somewhat anonymous technocrats who come in and just do their best job, and it’s gotten a little more political.”
The former chairwoman spoke to communications between the five-member body and their staffs. “Well, we do talk to each other but I think social media has reflected a little bit of a decline of civility. I somewhat regret my clap-back tweet, although I have not deleted it.”
She also discussed her potential replacement — former NRDC energy official Allison Clements — calling her “very smart.” “I haven’t seen as much of her since she left NRDC, but I think she’s very able, very qualified and I hope they fill the seats. FERC functions better if it’s fully staffed … and I called her and asked if I can help in any way — as if I know how to get nominated and confirmed.”
FERC ORDERS DELAY OF AUGUST PJM AUCTION: FERC on Thursday directed grid operator PJM to delay its 2019 capacity market auction, scheduled for mid-August, until federal regulators can approve new rules to govern the market, which allocates power generation three years into the future for 13 mid-Atlantic states, Gavin also reports.
DEEP DIVE: TRUMP’S QUEST TO OPEN UP ANWR: POLITICO Magazine is out today with an investigation into the Trump administration’s push to open up oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. According to interviews by Adam Federman with more than a dozen current and former employees at Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska, the speedy one-year environmental review process has come at a significant cost to the reliability and comprehensiveness of the overall environmental review.
Adam writes: “They describe a process that has been confusing and ‘off the rails,’ according to one BLM employee. Documents leaked to POLITICO Magazine and Type Investigations reveal that the work of career scientists has at times been altered or disregarded to underplay the potential impacts of oil and gas development on the coastal plain. Moreover, DOI has decided it will undertake no new studies as part of the current review process, despite scientists’ concerns that key data is years out of date or doesn’t exist.”
FOR YOUR RADAR: BLM announced the final environmental impact statement and proposed monument management plan today for the Bears Ears National Monument, according to a notice in the Federal Register published today. The document applies to the portions left in tact following President Donald Trump’s 2017 order shrinking the monument.
IT’S SCIENCE: A collection of science organizations urged Energy Secretary Rick Perry to maintain the Office of Science’s six federal advisory committees. The Energy Sciences Coalition is concerned the panels would be targeted by an executive order Trump signed in June that calls for the elimination of “obsolete” committees whose functions could be “assumed by another entity.”
The coalition, which includes the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said the committees are instrumental to maintaining DOE’s scientific user facilities, such as advanced supercomputers and particle accelerators, and “help establish consensus across the scientific community on priorities and goals.”
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The House Natural Resources Committee scheduled a morning hearing for Sept. 10 on BLM’s plans to relocate some offices out West. The hearing will “address the Trump administration’s failure to offer any meaningful justification for the move, the lack of consultation with stakeholders, and the impacts on public employees of such a hasty, poorly planned transition,” according to a Democratic committee notice.
By the way: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, chairman of the Appropriations Interior-Environment Subcommittee, said Thursday she’s got some “very, very basic” questions about the relocation, including relocation costs, the intended phases and the timing, how existing and new building leases will be handled, and where different offices will be located.
MORE MOVES AFOOT? Sen. Joni Ernst offered legislation that would block existing agencies headquartered in Washington from extending leases, renovating their locations or beginning new construction. Instead, those agencies, including ones like EPA and Interior, would enter a competitive bidding process for relocated HQs.
ROONEY JOINS SCIENCE PANEL: Florida Rep. Francis Rooney, a vocal Republican on addressing climate change, was added to the House Science Committee, the GOP minority announced Thursday. Rooney said in a statement he looks “forward to working with all of my colleagues on the committee to address the serious challenges our environment faces, including ocean trash, the impacts of offshore drilling, rising sea levels and temperatures, and acidity in our air and waters.”
OLSON WON’T SEEK REELECTION: House Science Republican — and senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee — Pete Olson (R-Texas) announced Thursday he won’t seek reelection next year in his suburban Houston district, setting up a potentially competitive race to fill the seat.
CAN’T GET ENOUGH CARBON TAX PLANS? In case you missed it, Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) unveiled his own carbon tax proposal Thursday, co-sponsored by Rooney. The Raise Wages, Cut Carbon Act of 2019 would impose a $40 per ton carbon fee starting in 2020, increasing by 2.5 percent, plus inflation, per year. Revenue from the tax would be divvied up between the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Weatherization Assistance Program and Social Security beneficiaries, with the remaining 84 percent going toward offsetting payroll taxes.
DON’T CALL IT A CLIMATE DEBATE: CNN announced it would hold a Sept. 4 Democratic presidential town hall focused on the climate crisis. The network said it will invite candidates who meet the Democratic National Committee’s polling threshold for the September primary debate to participate — which means they need to reach at least 2 percent in four approved polls by Aug. 28. The DNC is considering resolutions related to a climate debate, but has so far resisted calls from environmental groups and Democrats to hold a debate focused solely on the issue of climate change.
Another one: Georgetown’s Institute of Politics and Public Service and Our Daily Planet also announced Thursday MSNBC would be a media partner for its “Climate Forum 2020,” also set for September. All Democratic candidates have been invited to participate in the two-day forum.
The youth-led Sunrise Movement parsed the line between a “debate” and a town hall in a tweet. “We know that only a DNC-sponsored debate — with all the candidates on the same stage, at the same time — will put the eyes of the nation on this crisis at the scale it demands.” (The DNC did not respond to a request for comment from ME.)
STEYER RELEASES CLIMATE PLAN: Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer unveiled his “justice-focused” climate change plan Thursday that calls for cutting “fossil fuel pollution” from all sectors to achieve a 100 percent clean energy economy and net-zero global-warming pollution by 2045. The $2.3 trillion plan hinges on social justice issues protecting low-income communities and workers, while pledging to declare climate change a national emergency, your host and POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro report.
— “Interior whistleblowers say agency has sidelined scientists under Trump,” via The Hill.
— “All-time temperature records tumble again as heatwave sears Europe,” via The Guardian.
— “Advocate for federal land sales ascends to top at BLM,” via E&E News.
— “Trump talks coal, gas, steel in Wheeling,” via The Intelligencer Wheeling News-Register.
THAT’S ALL FOR ME!
