What Republicans Have Been Saying About Energy at the RNC

Current conditions: The Acropolis in Greece was closed yesterday due to excessive heat • The Persian Gulf International Airport recorded a heat index of 149 degrees Fahrenheit • Recent flooding in Brazil exposed a 233-million-year-old dinosaur fossil.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Republicans slam Biden energy policy at RNC

Energy hasn’t dominated the conversation at the Republican National Convention this week, but it’s certainly been a talking point. Last night North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum gave a speech focusing on the topic. “Teddy Roosevelt encouraged America to speak softly and carry a big stick,” Burgum said. “Energy dominance will be the big stick that President Trump will carry.” He accused President Biden of making Russia and Iran “filthy rich” with his energy policies, blamed him for higher electric bills and grid problems, and said “four more years of Joe will usher in an era of Biden brownouts and blackouts.” Oh, and he promised that Trump would “let all of you keep driving your gas-powered cars.” CNN called the speech “Burgum’s audition to be energy secretary.”

Republicans at the event have been blaming Biden for high gas prices (which are heavily influenced by global market forces) and saying that Trump will give America “energy independence” (even though the U.S. continued to rely on foreign oil imports during Trump’s presidency). And there’s been a lot of complaining about Biden’s pause on new LNG export terminals.

But it hasn’t been all Biden bashing or fossil fuel fawning. During a Punchbowl News fireside chat, execs from American Clean Power, American Gas Association, Edison Electric Institute, and the Nuclear Energy Institute touted U.S. energy policy as “one of the greatest strengths in this country.” They called for building out new energy infrastructure more quickly, more inclusive tax codes (“rather than say we only like this type of molecule for hydrogen, it should be let’s create a hydrogen market and let the best man win”), and looked ahead to an exciting future for nuclear power.

Today is the final day of the RNC, and it will culminate with a speech from Donald Trump.

2. Report finds greener steelmaking is taking off

A new report from Global Energy Monitor found that the iron and steel industries worldwide “made major strides towards net zero goals” last year. Steelmaking alone accounts for about 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, so greener production is essential. The GEM report found that 93% of new planned steel capacity will use low-emission electric arc furnaces instead of the much dirtier blast furnace. It projects that the global steelmaking fleet could be very close to meeting the International Energy Agency’s net zero emissions targets by 2030. “The transition to greener steel is afoot,” the report said, but it acknowledged that the blast furnace isn’t going away just yet and remains a climate risk.

GEM

3. Insured losses from Hurricane Beryl could top $6 billion

The cost of insured property damages from Hurricane Beryl could top $6 billion, according to Moody’s. In Texas alone, insurers might be on the hook for $4.5 billion. Most U.S. losses are projected to be from destructive wind. Katrina in 2005 was the most expensive hurricane on record, with insured property losses topping $65 billion. Last year, natural disasters cost $95 billion in insured losses globally.

U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell this week made an impassioned plea for the world to urgently cut fossil fuel use after his grandmother’s home on the Caribbean island of Carriacou was destroyed by Beryl. “What the climate crisis did to my grandmother’s house must not become humanity’s new normal,” Stiell said. “We can still prevent that, but only if people everywhere speak up, and demand bolder climate actions now, before it’s too late.” Beryl struck Carriacou as a category 5 storm, the earliest storm of that magnitude ever recorded in the Atlantic.

4. Attorneys general push FEMA on extreme heat and wildfire smoke disasters

A group of 14 state attorneys general are ramping up the pressure on FEMA to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke major disasters. They sent a letter to the agency this week, urging it to “update its regulations to prepare for this hotter, smokier future.” Last month a coalition of about 30 groups filed a petition pushing for the change. Such a declaration could allow communities access to federal funds to prepare for heat and fire emergencies and could help pressure employers to provide better heat protections for workers. Heat waves kill more Americans each year than all other weather events combined. In case you’ve forgotten, last year was the hottest year on record, and climate change is making heat waves more likely and more intense.

5. Saudi Arabia to buy 50 Lilium electric jets

Saudi Arabia is buying 50 electric jets for its state-owned national carrier, the Saudia Group. The “electric vertical take-off and landing” (or eVTOL) jets are made by a German manufacturer called Lilium and have electric engines that use less power while cruising. One jet can carry up to six passengers, and Saudi Arabia will deploy the aircraft for regional trips, most likely to and from tourist attractions. The planes cost $9 million each, bringing the deal to a total of about $450 million, and the kingdom has the option of purchasing another 50.

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THE KICKER

As climate change threatens to reduce access to fresh water, and rising seas encroach on farm land, researchers are studying ways to breed crops that could grow and thrive in saltwater.