{"id":28841,"date":"2021-02-06T15:29:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T15:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=aab79e3ceb6e574fb150458e363ce66d"},"modified":"2021-02-06T15:29:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T15:29:12","slug":"bidens-executive-orders-on-climate-change-arent-upsetting-some-industry-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/06\/bidens-executive-orders-on-climate-change-arent-upsetting-some-industry-giants\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s Executive Orders on Climate Change Aren\u2019t Upsetting Some Industry Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Oil<\/a>

President Joe Biden<\/a> signed executive actions last week prioritizing solutions to the \u201cexistential threat<\/a>\u201d of climate change, drawing the ire of many key players in the politically powerful oil and gas industry<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s actions<\/a> pressed pause on the leasing of federal lands and waters for oil drilling, set a goal of keeping 30 percent of federal lands for conservation purposes and announced the electrification of the federal government\u2019s fleet of vehicles. The move comes a week after Biden revoked the permits<\/a> for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline just hours after his inauguration, following through on a campaign-trail promise<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Leading up to the 2020 election, the oil and gas industry contributed<\/a> around $1.6 million more to former President Donald Trump<\/a> than to Biden. Trump painted himself as an ally to the industry<\/a> on the stump and throughout his presidency \u2014 though industry insiders told Politico<\/em><\/a> in 2020 that the Trump administration was \u201ca mixed bag\u201d and \u201cmore like \u2018meh\u2019\u201d than the windfall they had hoped for in 2016. <\/p>\n

The oil industry spent millions in 2020 to try to keep a GOP majority in the Senate. Valero<\/a>, Chevron<\/a> and ConocoPhillips<\/a>, among the few corporations<\/a> that give to super PACs, gave at least $1 million each this election cycle to the Senate Leadership Fund<\/a>, a conservative super PAC that spent $271 million to campaign against Democrats vying for the Senate. <\/p>\n

Pausing Land and Later Leases “to the Extent Possible”<\/h2>\n

Biden\u2019s decision to halt future leases of federal land, pending a comprehensive review of the climate impact, caused an uproar among oil and gas companies and trade associations. Just hours after Biden formalized the order, the Western Energy Alliance<\/a> announced it would sue the Biden administration<\/a>, alleging the move violates existing law.<\/p>\n

Most drilling occurs on private land, rather than federal property. In 2017, approximately 24 percent of oil and 13 percent of natural gas<\/a> extracted in the United States came from federal lands. According to analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey<\/a>, around a quarter of U.S. emissions come from the combustion and extraction of resources from federal lands. <\/p>\n

Oil and gas companies rushed to stockpile drilling permits during Trump\u2019s lameduck period \u2014 doubling the number of permit requests over the same period in 2019, according to an AP<\/em> report<\/a>. Under Biden\u2019s order, oil and gas companies can continue to obtain new permits to drill on land that has already been leased. <\/p>\n

Experts say<\/a> the executive action likely won\u2019t immediately impact rates of oil extraction in the U.S. As of 2019, there were 38,294 leases active<\/a> across the country, concentrated mostly in the American West. Once a lease has been issued, companies have 10 years to begin production on the land before the lease terminates. <\/p>\n

The oil and gas industry\u2019s leading trade association, the American Petroleum Institute<\/a>, came out against the order. API President Mike Sommers criticized Biden\u2019s suspension of federal agencies\u2019 authority to issue leases of federal land to drilling companies in a Jan. 21 statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cRestricting development on federal lands and waters is nothing more than an \u2018import more oil\u2019 policy. Energy demand will continue to rise \u2014 especially as the economy recovers \u2014 and we can choose to produce that energy here in the United States or rely on foreign countries hostile to American interests,\u201d Sommers said. <\/p>\n

In 2020, API\u2019s PAC<\/a> spent $88,200 to support Republican candidates, giving $5,000 to the Great America PAC<\/a>, a Trump-aligned Carey committee<\/a>. API also dropped $5.3 million to employ 40 lobbyists<\/a>, reporting lobbying 66 individual bills. The institute\u2019s lobbying spending fell during Trump\u2019s administration after trending upward throughout former President Barack Obama<\/a>\u2019s two terms in office. <\/p>\n

Another leading oil and gas industry association, the Independent Petroleum Association of America<\/a>, has also come out in opposition to the action. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it was really misguided,\u201d Senior Vice President for Government Relations Dan Naatz told an Arkansas TV news team<\/a>. \u201cIt impacts jobs and economies through the inner-Mountain West, all the way through the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2020, the organization\u2019s PAC spent<\/a> $215,300 in campaign contributions, giving $10,000 each to Sens. Steve Daines<\/a> (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-N.C.), and former Sens. Cory Gardner<\/a> (R-Colo.) and Martha McSally<\/a> (R-Ariz.). <\/p>\n

Biden framed the executive action as a jobs package, remarking<\/a>, \u201ctoday is climate day in the White House which means today is jobs day at the White House,\u201d just before he signed the executive actions. Labor leaders say they are waiting to hear how exactly Biden will replace jobs lost in energy sectors. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too glib and easy to say someone working in the mines can get a solar job. That is too simplistic,\u201d Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance<\/a>, told the Washington Examiner<\/em><\/a>. \u201cThere is a mismatch between where energy jobs are getting lost and where they are created. We have to close that gap, but we also have to be real and help economies diversify their economies in ways based on their own assets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oil corporations emphasize that gap. The Global Energy Institute<\/a>, a subsidiary of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, came out against some of Biden\u2019s climate actions, claiming it would lead to widespread unemployment. <\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the prospect of future leases, investment and planning will begin to dry up immediately, thwarting job creation and the economic growth at the worst possible time,\u201d the Institute\u2019s President Marty Durbin said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Chamber of Commerce perennially favors Republicans and dropped $5.7 million in outside spending<\/a> in 2020. <\/p>\n

Keystone Canceled, Frustrating Some Oil Companies<\/h2>\n

The Chamber of Commerce also condemned Biden\u2019s action to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, a project widely opposed<\/a> by environmental advocates, indigenous communities and scientists. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a politically motivated decision that is not grounded in science. It will harm consumers and put thousands of Americans in the building trades out of work,\u201d Durbin said<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Keystone XL pipeline was proposed<\/a> in 2008, vetoed by Obama in 2015 and promptly re-initiated by Trump in 2016 along with another controversial project, the Dakota Access Pipeline. Environmental and indigenous rights advocates are now calling on Biden<\/a> to cancel the latter pipeline, which abuts the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. <\/p>\n

That pipeline is owned by Energy Transfer Partners<\/a>, an oil and gas conglomerate that gave more in campaign contributions than any other company in the industry. Ninety-nine percent of its donations went to Republican candidates and committees. In 2020, the company\u2019s co-founder and board chair, Kelcy Warren, donated<\/a> a whopping $10 million to America First Action<\/a>, a Trump-affiliated super PAC. <\/p>\n

Biden\u2019s climate actions are also drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers from oil-rich states who have benefited from industry contributions. Sens. Jerry Moran<\/a> (R-Kan.), Steve Daines<\/a> (R-Mont.), Mike Crapo<\/a> (R-Idaho), Jim Risch<\/a> (R-Idaho), John Barrasso<\/a> (R-Wyo.), Jim Inhofe<\/a> (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall<\/a> (R-Kan.) and John Hoeven<\/a> (R-N.D.) announced Jan. 22 that they would introduce legislation to overturn Biden\u2019s executive action and re-issue permits to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was slated to pass through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska before connecting to an existing pipeline in Kansas. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe came so far during the last administration \u2013 from prioritizing American energy development to ending the far-left\u2019s war on fossil fuels,\u201d said Inhofe in a statement<\/a> announcing the legislation. <\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Inhofe has received in excess of $2.2 million in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies<\/a>. Daines and Barrasso have each received $1.2 million from the industry. <\/p>\n

The group\u2019s bill is a symbolic gesture to the industry and its supporters without any real hope of passing the Senate, where Democrats wield a majority, albeit narrowly. The oil and gas industry spent heavily to prevent the upper chamber from swinging blue, giving around $600,000<\/a> each to Republican Senate candidates in Georgia Kelly Loeffler<\/a> and David Perdue<\/a>, who both lost narrowly to Democratic challengers in January runoffs. The American Petroleum Institute donated<\/a> $5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in late November, after every Senate campaign had concluded save the two ultra-expensive<\/a> Georgia races. <\/p>\n

Faced With Pressure from Washington, Other Corporations Look to Adapt <\/h2>\n

Some energy companies are taking a different tact, announcing plans to adapt their business model to thrive in a Biden administration that prioritizes conservation and climate action. <\/p>\n

Industry giant Exxon Mobil<\/a> announced Feb. 1, just days after Biden\u2019s executive order, that it would initiate massive investments<\/a> in carbon capture technology aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company, whose employees favored Biden over Trump in 2020 campaign contributions, will spend $3 billion over the next five years to build up a new subsidiary business: ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions. <\/p>\n

General Motors has committed to only manufacturing zero-emissions vehicles<\/a> by the year 2035, inline with Biden\u2019s commitment to electrifying the government\u2019s fleet. Ford\u2019s new CEO has also pledged to restructure production plans<\/a>, prioritizing the addition of electric vehicles to its portfolio, which currently features only one fully-electric model.<\/p>\n

The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers<\/a>, an oil-refining trade association that spent $3.2 to lobby the government in 2019, responded to that provision by reaching out to an unlikely ally: biofuel manufacturers. AFPM reportedly hopes to create an alliance<\/a> with the competitor industry to lobby Biden to revise his fleet electrification plans in order to include cars powered by low-emission gasoline made from a mix of gasoline and ethanol.<\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on Latest \u2013 Truthout<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Oil<\/a><\/p>\n

While many key players in the oil and gas industry have expressed outrage, some big companies appear unperturbed.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1874,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1328,5244,6578,4603,51,6579,4721,6580,6581],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28841"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1874"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28842,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28841\/revisions\/28842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}