Analysis | Red states are blocking blue cities from setting climate policies

Red states are blocking blue cities from setting climate policies — The Washington Post Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202! While Washington was abuzz over President Biden’s root canal yesterday, we were watching this adorable video about a different kind of roots. In today’s edition, we’ll cover House Republicans’ latest effort to repeal some of the clean-energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. But first: These conservative states are blocking liberal cities from setting climate policies Across the country, Democratic-led cities and counties have sought to enact ambitious climate regulations and policies within their borders. This year, several Republican-led states have fought back. Conservative legislatures in four states — Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota — recently passed laws to prohibit cities from banning natural gas hookups in new buildings. In Texas, a new law will effectively block cities from adopting climate policies in their charters. And in Idaho, a measure will bar local governments from setting stricter energy efficiency codes. GOP lawmakers and their allies – who have traditionally championed local governance – say they’re preventing aggressive climate mandates from harming consumers and businesses. Environmentalists say these moves set a dangerous precedent of disempowering local officials who want to combat climate change. As many state legislative sessions draw to a close, here’s what to know about these brewing intrastate climate battles: Banning the bans Twenty-four states have enacted “preemption laws” that prohibit municipalities from banning natural gas in new buildings, according to data compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota passed the preemption laws this year. All four states have a Republican “trifecta” — control of both state legislative chambers and the governorship. The measures are a response to Democratic leaders restricting gas use to fight climate change and air pollution. Some large cities — including Los Angeles, Seattle and New York — have limited gas use in certain new homes. And last month, New York became the first state to pass a law banning gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings. The impact of the newest preemption laws is blunted by the states’ smaller urban centers. The biggest city in all four states is Idaho’s Boise, with a population of roughly 236,600 in 2022. Still, the preemption laws are troubling “from a democracy perspective,” said Joe O’Brien-Applegate, equitable building decarbonization advocate at NRDC, because they disempower local officials who were elected by climate-conscious voters. “It’s taking away power from residents who voted for a local government that may not align politically with the broader state,” he said. The bill’s backers counter that they are standing up for consumer choice. North Dakota state Rep. Glenn Bosch (R) said on the House floor in February that his bill “protects the right of individuals and businesses to choose which energy source works best for them.” Karen Harbert, president and chief executive of the American Gas Association, similarly said in an email that the group is “pleased to see the action at the state level to help ensure consumers have choices when it comes to the energy they use.” Trouble in Texas Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation this month to require cities to get permission from the state legislature before approving changes to their charters that address climate change. The measure is a response to environmentalists’ attempt to enact a “climate charter” in El Paso. In a special election last month, voters rejected an amendment to the city charter that would have set aggressive climate and clean-energy goals. Miguel Escoto, founder of the El Paso hub of the Sunrise Movement, said the youth-led climate activist group will “keep fighting” after the defeat. But he acknowledged that the new law will complicate the group’s plans. “We don’t know exactly what our next campaign is going to look like,” he said. “But we’re going to explore strategies for playing 3D chess against Greg Abbott and figuring out how to legally pass climate policies while skirting their tyrannical bills.” Escoto placed much of the blame for the charter’s defeat on massive spending by opponents, including foes in the fossil fuel industry. The El Paso Chamber and Consumer Energy Alliance, a Houston-based group whose members include the oil supermajor Chevron and the pipeline giant Energy Transfer, collectively spent more than $1 million campaigning against the measure. The fight didn’t fit neatly in a red-versus-blue, state-versus-city narrative. Matthew Gonzalez, the Southwest executive director of CEA and the leader of the campaign against the climate charter, also serves as the Democratic mayor of the village of Cimarron, N.M. Yet Gonzalez said in an email that CEA “is generally in favor of states setting energy policies because states have the expertise and financial resources for proper oversight that very few municipalities do.” Irony in Idaho To that end, Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed a Republican bill this spring to prevent municipalities from setting stricter energy efficiency codes than those of the state. Ryan McGoldrick, senior program manager at Conservation Voters for Idaho, said the impact of the measure is unclear, since Boise has updated its electrical codes rather than its energy efficiency codes. But he said the posture of the bill’s backers is ironic. “In Idaho, legislators complain a lot when they feel like the federal government is intervening in the state,” McGoldrick said. “And yet they turn around and do the exact same thing to local governments.” Little has defended his stance, telling the local publication BoiseDev that he supports a balance between state and local control — to a certain extent. “I think a democratic republic works best if [local] people can have some say,” he said. “On the opposition side of it, there is some value in having uniformity.” None of the GOP state lawmakers contacted for this report immediately responded to requests for comment. On the Hill House GOP again targets climate law’s clean-energy tax credits The House Ways and Means Committee today will take up a Republican tax-cut package that would repeal some — but not all — of the clean-energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. The package would eliminate the clean electricity production and investment tax credits, both of which are set to take effect in 2025. It would also limit the credit for new electric vehicles and rescind the credit for used EVs. The Republican plan calls for billions of dollars in tax cuts for both businesses and individuals. GOP lawmakers argue that axing the clean-energy tax credits would nearly offset the cost of the cuts. House Republicans previously tried to repeal even more of the green subsidies as part of legislation to raise the debt ceiling, but the White House rebuffed their efforts. Their new proposal is unlikely to survive the Democratic-controlled Senate, but it could serve as a starting point for negotiations over a year-end tax deal, which many Democrats want as well. Pressure points Why Canada’s wildfires are extreme and getting worse Although skies above the eastern United States seemed to clear over the weekend, blazes are still raging in parts of Canada, signaling that the country is on track to face its worst wildfire season yet, Ian Livingston reports for The Washington Post. The fires, sparked by lightning, have spread at a breakneck pace, in part because of unrelenting heat and dry conditions fueled by climate change. They’re part of a trend toward larger, fiercer and more damaging fire seasons. Already, this fire season has shattered several records, including: — The fires have released a record amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere this year. — The blazes have burned the most land on record so early in the season — more than 4.7 million hectares (11.6 million acres). Climate in the courts Biden administration supports city’s gas ban in court fight The Biden administration yesterday criticized a court decision that struck down a ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings in Berkeley, Calif., Alex Guillen reports for Politico. In a “friend of the court” brief, officials from the Justice and Energy departments argued that the April decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit misinterpreted federal energy efficiency law. The appeals court found that a federal law, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, preempted Berkeley’s local ordinance. But administration officials argued that the law allows states and municipalities to write their own regulations based on their unique interests. Berkeley’s ban effectively required that new buildings use only electricity for heating and cooking. Dozens of other cities across the United States have enacted gas restrictions, but most used a different approach that was not addressed by the ruling. In the atmosphere Extreme weather targets Texas with heat indexes near 115, severe storms— Matthew Cappucci for The Post Why the U.S. electric grid isn’t ready for the energy transition— Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer for the New York Times Jury finds PacifiCorp owes more than $73 million for causing 2020 Oregon wildfires— Ryan Haas and Cassandra Profita for Oregon Public Broadcasting Yellen headed to Paris summit in push for global debt, climate reforms— Viktoria Dendrinou for Bloomberg News Viral Clam dunk! Rescued sea otter (and ottermatic all-star) Juno plays basketball to stay in shape.— Oregon Zoo (@OregonZoo) pic.twitter.com/Oav85LSslZ June 12, 2023 Thanks for reading!