The Big Story 

Unprecedented heat has gripped much of the U.S. this summer, but the 2024 Republican presidential field has little in the way of policy proposals on the issue.

© Getty

While few candidates outright deny the existence of climate change, their energy prescriptions largely call for more development of fossil fuels, and none of the candidates told The Hill they would remain in the Paris climate agreement as president.

Three candidates — former Vice President Mike Pence, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — confirmed to The Hill they'd leave the agreement.

Former President Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, stands out from the rest of the Republican field on the issue for his active minimization of the threat of climate change. 

As president, Trump withdrew from the Paris agreement, has misrepresented the pace of sea level rise and suggested without any scientific basis that climate change may end on its own.

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Zack Budryk and Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

Kerry leaves China without a climate agreement

State of emergency declared in Hawaii as tropical storm brings heavy rain, strong winds

Majority expecting ‘significant negative effect’ from climate change: poll

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read on The Hill:

Newsom launches free legal services pilot program for undocumented farmworkers

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) Wednesday unveiled a $4.5 million pilot program that will provide free immigration assistance to undocumented farmworkers involved in state labor investigations. The …

What We're Reading 

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• The 'very liberal' doctor, the pro-GOP car dealer and the movement against offshore wind (Politico)
  
  

• West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave (The Texas Tribune)

   

• An investigation into a 'staggering' and 'unconscionable' energy costs scheme against Oklahomans (The Oklahoman)
  
  

• How climate change is making us sick (Grist)
  
  
• Global Warming is Bringing More Than Just Heat (The New York Times)

On Tap Tomorrow 

Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:

Upcoming Event 

Join The Hill on July 26 as we convene lawmakers, clean energy experts and executives to discuss renewable energy infrastructure deployment, clean energy goals and the outlook for greater reforms.

Guests include:

• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), member of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

• Maria Robinson, director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy
• Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), vice chair of the Energy, Climate & Grid Security Subcommittee and vice chair of the Federal Lands Subcommittee
• Xan Fishman, director of energy policy & carbon management at the Bipartisan Policy Center
• Shannon Baker-Branstetter, senior director, domestic climate & energy policy, Center for American Progress
• Heather Reams, president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)
• Jesse Simons, co-founder & chief commercial officer at SOLARCYCLE

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Biden video mocking Marjorie Taylor Greene speech hit more than 30M views in 12 hours

President Biden’s video featuring clips from a Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speech to tout his legislative accomplishments reached more than 30 million views in 12 hours after it was posted Tuesday evening, according to statistics first shared with The Hill. Read more

Watch live: House Oversight Committee convenes hearing on IRS whistleblowers, Bidens

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is slated to hold a hearing Wednesday afternoon with the IRS whistleblowers on the Hunter Biden criminal investigation. Read more

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill:

The Big Story 

Forthcoming guidance from the Treasury Department that could have significant implications on climate change is sparking fierce debate in Washington. 

© (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

The guidance will set the rules for the hydrogen energy industry as it looks to take advantage of a lucrative tax credit provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The rules have the potential to cut emissions from hard-to-abate sectors like the steel, cement and chemicals industries. Still, climate activists warn that if the policy gives the industry too much leeway, it could be a disaster for the warming planet.

Lena Moffit, executive director of climate advocacy group Evergreen, called the forthcoming guidance “the key determinant of whether or not we get truly clean hydrogen in this country — with massive emissions ramifications.”

The Democrats’ climate, tax and health care bill provides a tax credit for low-carbon hydrogen, which is produced using an electrolyzer that sends an electric current through water to separate it into hydrogen and oxygen.

The extent of hydrogen’s climate benefits could be determined by the Treasury guidance, which is due by the middle of August, and set the rules for what a hydrogen producer needs to do to qualify. 

Environmental advocates have pointed to research findings from think tank Energy Innovations and the Institute of Physics that putting strict rules on how the industry sources its low-carbon power will have significant emissions benefits. The advocates raised concerns that looser rules could allow hydrogen to compete with other electricity users on the grid for clean power — driving up electricity demand and indirectly spurring more fossil fuel use. 

On the other hand, some industry players say the policies favored by the climate movement could stifle the nascent hydrogen industry. 

Shannon Angielski, president of the Clean Hydrogen Future Coalition, which advocates for spurring hydrogen energy development, says the immediate goal of the guidance should be to “get this clean hydrogen industry launched with very pragmatic rules of the road so that way it can scale.”

Advocates on this side of the ledger have pointed to an analysis finding that if the Treasury Department takes a stricter position on a key provision in its guidance, it would be “ultimately hindering the economic competitiveness and adoption” of green hydrogen.

Read more when the full story runs tomorrow at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

UN agency warns of heart attack, death risk from heat wave

Biden approves additional aid to Vermont after severe storms, flooding

Phoenix breaks its heat record

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read on The Hill:

Climate envoy John Kerry meets with Chinese officials in a new US push to stabilize rocky relations

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told China’s top diplomat on Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s administration is “very committed” to stabilizing relations between the world’s two biggest economies, as the countries seek to restart high-level contacts.

What We're Reading 

News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• At earth's hottest spots, heat is testing the limits of human survival (The Washington Post)
  
  
• How Canada’s Record Wildfires Got So Bad, So Fast (The New York Times)
  
  
• Energy Startup Says It Has Achieved Geothermal Tech Breakthrough (Bloomberg)
  
  
• Group sues EPA to toss Detroit area's pollution compliance (The Detroit News)
  
  
• AAA pulls back from offering insurance in Florida, following Farmers (CBS News)

On Tap 

Upcoming news themes and events we're watching:

Upcoming Event 

The Hill's Clean Energy Permitting Reform: The Path Ahead — Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 8-10 a.m. ET | National Press Club

Join The Hill on July 26 as we convene lawmakers, clean energy experts and executives to discuss renewable energy infrastructure deployment, reaching clean energy goals and the outlook for greater reforms. 

Guests include:

• Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), member of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

•  

  Maria Robinson, director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy
• Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), vice chair of the Energy, Climate & Grid Security Subcommittee and vice chair of the Federal Lands Subcommittee
• Xan Fishman, director of energy policy & carbon management at the Bipartisan Policy Center
• Shannon Baker-Branstetter, senior director, domestic climate & energy policy, Center for American Progress
• Heather Reams, president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)
• Jesse Simons, co-founder & chief commercial officer at SOLARCYCLE

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

GOP debates impeaching Merrick Garland after McCarthy surprise

House Republicans are debating whether to focus impeachment efforts on Attorney General Merrick Garland after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested an inquiry against him, taking some members by surprise after much of the GOP impeachment furor had been directed at other Biden officials. Read more

What Biden’s SAVE plan means for student loan borrowers

Student loan borrowers could save thousands of dollars over the life of their loans due to changes to income driven repayment (IDR) plans set to go into effect this fall. 

The changes are possible despite a blow dealt to debt forgiveness by the Supreme Court late last month. Read more

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: