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ML Strategies Energy & Sustainability Washington Update — April 2022

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President Biden’s FY23 Budget

The White House released President Biden’s budget request
for Fiscal Year 2023 in late March, including a total request for
$48.2 billion for the Department of Energy — representing a
$6.3 billion or 15.1 percent increase from the 2021 enacted
level.

The budget request can be found by clicking HERE, and a statement from
Energy Secretary Granholm can be found HERE.

The House and Senate appropriations committees will soon begin
consideration of the president’s request. With Democrats
controlling both the House and Senate, the spending bills produced
by the committees will in many ways support the president’s
budget, but lawmakers in both chambers will be seeking to ensure
their priorities are also represented. Fiscal Year 2023 begins on
October 1, so the budget process officially must be finalized by
that date; however, for many years, that deadline has slipped with
the government being funded via a Continuing Resolution as the
final bill is negotiated.

Senate Climate Change Task Force Proposal for Energy
Independence

The Senate Climate Change Task Force met on March 29 to discuss
the importance of the United States becoming energy independent
through a clean energy transition. At the meeting, the task force
presented a three-step, 500-day plan to end U.S. reliance on
Russian energy while putting the nation on a 10-year path to
transition to clean energy. The Task Force proposal would:

• Ban all oil imports from Russia (last month President Biden
  banned Russian energy imports)
• Protect consumers and transition to a clean energy future by
  enacting the SAVE Consumers Act, which would release an equivalent
  to 500 days of Russian oil imports from the Strategic Petroleum
  Reserve, and invoking the Defense Production Act to support the
  production of clean energy and energy-efficient electric
  technologies. Read more on the SAVE Consumers Act HERE.
• Pass clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate measures,
  such as a new Climate Conservation Corps; tax credits and rebates
  for renewable energy, electric vehicles, heating and cooling
  devices, and domestic clean energy manufacturing; national climate
  bank funding to provide communities with access to capital to fund
  projects to cut dangerous emissions; and environmental justice
  investments to bring clean air, clean water, and clean energy to
  the most disadvantaged communities.

New Legislation Would Reduce Emissions from Trucking and
Maritime Transport

Reps. Katie Porter (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) joined with
Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce the
Hydrogen for Trucks Act, which would incentivize heavy-duty vehicle
owner-operators to purchase hydrogen trucks and fueling
infrastructure, and the Hydrogen for Ports Act, which would promote
the use of hydrogen-fueled equipment at ports and in shipping
applications.

A press release from Rep. Porter can be found HERE.

EPA Proposes Emissions Rule for Heavy-Duty Vehicles

On March 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed
new, stronger standards to promote clean air and reduce pollution
from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year (MY)
2027. The proposed standards would reduce emissions of smog- and
soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and
diesel engines and set updated greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for
certain commercial vehicle categories. The proposed rule is the
first step in EPA’s “Clean Trucks Plan” – a
series of clean air and climate regulations that the agency will
develop over the next three years to reduce pollution from trucks
and buses and to advance the transition to a zero-emissions
transportation future. The proposed revisions to existing GHG
standards for MY2027 and beyond would set updated GHG emissions
standards for subsectors where electrification is advancing at a
more rapid pace. These sectors include school buses, transit buses,
commercial delivery trucks, and short-haul tractors. In a separate
action, EPA will be setting new GHG emissions standards for
heavy-duty vehicles as soon as model year 2030. This action will
more comprehensively address the long-term trend towards
zero-emissions vehicles across the heavy-duty sector.

Click HERE for more details as well
as information on the public comment process.

Clean Air in Buildings Challenge

As part of President Biden’s National COVID-19 Preparedness
Plan, the EPA has launched the Clean Air in Buildings
Challenge – “a call to action and a concise set of
guiding principles and actions to assist building owners and
operators with reducing risks from airborne viruses and other
contaminants indoors.” Key actions outlined in the Clean
Air in Buildings Challenge include creating a clean indoor air
action plan; optimizing fresh air ventilation; enhancing air
filtration and cleaning; and conducting community engagement,
communication, and education.

Details on the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge can be
found HERE.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.

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