GOP stymied on climate money as Pentagon fortifies - POLITICO

GOP stymied on climate money as Pentagon fortifies - POLITICO

GOP stymied on climate money as Pentagon fortifies

The Pentagon is preparing to sink billions of dollars into fortifying its operations against the perils of climate change. In Congress, meanwhile, far-right Republicans are fighting to block the agency from any and all climate-related spending.

The Defense Department has announced plans to rebuild a more durable Tyndall Air Force Base in northwest Florida after Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, flattened it five years ago, writes Daniel Cusick.

The $5 billion investment comes as climate-related provisions become a major sticking point in the Defense Department spending package, one of a series of spending bills lawmakers must pass to keep the government running.

Republicans looking to slash the military’s budget and undermine President Joe Biden’s climate agenda today forced House GOP leaders to postpone debate on the spending bill, write Emma Dumain and Kelsey Brugger.

One priority for those Republicans is a provision that undermines the Pentagon’s own commitments to curb its planet-warming emissions, which are higher than many countries’.

Lawmakers included that measure in a separate defense policy bill, which has likewise been delayed amid partisan bickering. The amendment would also bar the agency from implementing the Biden administration’s executive orders on climate change, including transitioning the military’s nontactical fleet to electric vehicles.

Pentagon reality check: The military has long listed climate change as one of the most dire national security threats the country faces.

In its 2021 climate risk assessment, the Defense Department noted that even with “aggressive international and whole-of-government action to mitigate future climate change, many effects to the physical environment are unavoidable and will continue to shape our security environment.”

More than 1,700 U.S. military installations around the world are located in coastal areas exposed to sea-level rise or extreme weather events. And the impacts are unfolding faster than the Defense Department can respond.

In recent years, thousands of U.S. troops have also forgone hours of critical training to fight floods, wildfires and other climate change-fueled disasters, Daniel writes. Plus, for every base damaged or destroyed, another one must shoulder its lost mission capacity.

It’s Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO’s Power Switch. I’m your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy.

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Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Camille von Kaenel breaks down the push from California lawmakers to enact a new state policy that would prevent property insurance companies from pulling back in disaster-prone areas.

Power Centers

FreedomWorks attempts major makeover

A hard-line conservative policy group that helped launch the tea party movement is trying to rebrand itself as more moderate, including on climate change, writes Hailey Fuchs.

FreedomWorks, which branched off from the Koch brothers’ network, is trying to stay successful by moving to embrace concepts such as “climate realism” and “abortion options.”

Rarity Romney to retire

Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, one of the few Republican lawmakers calling for aggressive climate change policies, will leave the Senate and not seek reelection next year, writes Timothy Cama.

“I’ve spent my last 25 years in public service of one kind or another. At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-80s,” Romney said. “Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders. They’re the ones that need to make the world they will be living in.”

Clean power cost hike

Clean power companies are pressing regulators to let them charge more for their electricity than previously agreed — a dynamic that could influence the politics and economics of state-level climate targets, writes David Iaconangelo.

The appeals have been loudest from East Coast offshore wind developers, which are building the nation’s first-ever projects. But they also are coming from developers of solar in the Midwest, battery storage on the West Coast, onshore wind in New York and hydropower and transmission in New England, among other locations.

In Other News

Pace of change: Demand for oil, gas and coal will peak by 2030, but that’s not fast enough to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius, says IEA chief.

Tech: Advocates are urging Senate leadership to tackle AI’s climate impact.

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The Justice Department said that a big youth-led climate victory in Montana should have no bearing on a similar lawsuit lodged against the federal government.

Three regulations critical to President Joe Biden’s climate pledges will be challenged in a federal court this week in cases that could strengthen or hobble his plans to significantly boost electric vehicle sales.

Native American tribes are pressuring the Biden administration for a more prominent role in shaping the long-term operating plan for the Colorado River Basin.

That’s it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.

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