May 23, 2024
ποΈ Cheers to the long weekend! See you at the beach. With Congress out next week we'll be reducing our publication schedule β but we'll alert you if news breaks.
π¨ Situational awareness: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on NRC Chair Chris Hanson's nomination, setting him up for likely confirmation to another term after recess.
πΆ Today's last song is from the Alliance for Market Solutions' Meredith Davis: "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" by James Taylor.
1 big thing: Farm bill devolves into climate chaos
Thompson in February 2023. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Forget about a bipartisan House farm bill. Brace for a climate food fight, Jael writes.
Why it matters: The IRA is meaningfully on the chopping block for the first time since the debt limit fight, as House Republicans target food stamps and the landmark law at the same time.
Driving the news: The House Agriculture Committee began marking up its five-year farm bill reauthorization this morning β and lawmakers on both sides flung accusations that the opposing party has refused to negotiate a bipartisan bill.
- Ag Ranking Member David Scott opened the hearing by announcing his opposition, and said the bill was a purely partisan exercise.
- "When my Republican friends are ready to return to the path of bipartisanship β¦ we Democrats will be there waiting for them to join with us."
- Committee Chair Glenn "GT" Thompson said he has tried to craft an agreeable deal. "I will say, I've never left the negotiating table," he remarked at one point. "Sometimes I've sat there alone for a long time, though."
- Others on the panel disagreed. "One side, or one member, has a windfall in this farm bill, and the rest of this country is left behind," said Connecticut Democrat Jahana Hayes.
Between the lines: Jael has engaged with both sides of the committee since the start of this Congress β and has seen little evidence of this bill ever becoming a bipartisan panacea.
- Instead, it's been clear House Republicans were most likely going to target the climate law β and that it would always be a non-starter with Democrats.
What's next: The markup is still ongoing. We'll keep you updated on when it actually gets reported out of committee.
2. Bonus: Farm bill amendments to watch
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Republicans have farm bill climate amendments that are worth watching, Jael writes.
Why it matters: As we said, it's still early in the markup. But these amendments raised Jael's eyebrows.
βοΈ 1. Aviation fuel plan: Max Miller is trying to establish a government-wide strategy on the production of "sustainable" aviation fuels.
π 2. Molinaro's climate push: Marc Molinaro wants the USDA to be required to educate farmers on the carbon-cutting benefits of energy-efficient pumping systems.
π 3. Anti-lab meat: Zach Nunn has an amendment that would bar federal funding for research on lab-grown meat.
π₯ 4. Right-of-ways: Doug LaMalfa is seeking to create a categorical exclusion for utilities' vegetation management plans.
3. Senate oil investigations likely to be limited
Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is asking for yet another Justice Department probe of oil companies, Nick writes.
Why it matters: Democrats are escalating a series of allegations about industry misconduct, as they stare down summer gasoline prices ahead of the election.
The big picture: This request β and a separate joint investigation from the Budget and Finance committees β could eventually uncover misconduct or embarrassing internal information. But for now, the investigations are going to be limited.
- There's no guarantee DOJ will take up the investigations. And while Senate committees could issue subpoenas, they'd need 60 votes to enforce them.
- The important question is how deeply Democrats will pursue this after the election β if they win.
Driving the news: Schumer said today he plans to send a letter to the Justice Department next week "calling on them to investigate and prosecute collusion and price fixing that may have increased gasoline, fuel and energy costs."
- The probe, he said, should be "based on the report done by the FTC" when the agency allowed the $60 billion Exxon-Pioneer merger.
- Regulators kept ex-Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield off the board and alleged that he attempted to collude with OPEC+ officials to reduce output.
Zoom in: Budget and Finance are looking into former President Trump asking oil executives for $1 billion in exchange for regulatory rollbacks.
- Top Dems are also trying to get DOJ to take up the Hill investigation of oil greenwashing and the industry's role in spreading misinformation about climate change.
The other side: API spokesperson Andrea Woods dismissed the new committee investigation as a political stunt and said the group's "policy priorities are clear."
4. Granholm: More EV chargers on the way
Photo illustration: AΓ―da Amer/Axios. Photo: Jim Watson-Pool/Getty Images
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm expects 2,000 new EV charging stations to go up by the end of the year thanks to infrastructure law funding, Nick writes.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has taken significant flak for the glacial pace of the IIJA's $7.5 billion charger buildout.
Driving the news: Granholm told the House Oversight Committee all that money has now been released to the states.
- "Twenty-two states have announced awards," she said. "There will be an additional 2,000 stations built by the end of 2024 β¦ that is what we forecast."
5. Catch me up: Seabed mining, tribes vs. wind
Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios
π¬οΈ 1. Blowing more wind: Natural Resources Ranking Member RaΓΊl Grijalva is joining Jared Huffman on another letter being sent today to BOEM on Indigenous consultation for California offshore wind development, per a copy reviewed by Axios.
- The letter asks for BOEM to form tribal a advisory group, similar to one that exists for the broader Interior Department.
π 2. East Palestine settled: The Biden administration has struck a deal with Norfolk Southern over the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.
πΏ 3. Seabed mining research: House Armed Services lawmakers are including money for metallic nodule research in the NDAA, an apparent bid to dip a federal toe into seabed mining.
β Thank you for reading Axios Pro Policy, and thanks to editors Chuck McCutcheon and David Nather and copy editor Amy Stern.
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