Energy & Environment — EPA puts $1 billion toward Superfund site cleanup

The Biden administration announces new funds for Superfund sites. Meanwhile, the administration proposes new efficiency rules for washers and refrigerators, and a dispute over Austin’s trees shows the stakes of a wider debate over the power grid. 

This is Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk.

Superfund cleanup efforts receive another $1B 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an additional $1 billion in funds on Friday from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to be used for cleanup efforts at 22 Superfund sites. 

The story so far: The bipartisan law allocated $3.5 billion toward Superfund cleanup. Friday’s announcement marks the second $1 billion round of funding, following an initial wave in December 2021. The funding round announced Friday includes sites in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virginia and Vermont. 

On a call with reporters Friday, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) highlighted one of the sites, the Westside Lead Superfund site in Atlanta, which was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List in 2022.

The site includes more than 2,000 homes in the city’s English Avenue and Vine City neighborhoods. The elevated lead levels were first detected in the area in 2018, likely remnants of the foundries that once dotted the area. 

• “We’ve known for decades the terrible damage that lead contamination does to communities, particularly children, and so I’m glad that we are at this moment,” Warnock said.
  
• “This cleanup will include investigating the extent of contamination, excavating and properly disposing of contaminated soil and backfilling and restoring the property. This is a process that typically takes years to advance.” 

Meanwhile, in Florida: Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) also praised the inclusion of the Southern Solvents Inc. Superfund site in the North Tampa area, which she noted has been under EPA scrutiny for nearly a quarter century. 

“The infrastructure law, of course, was written with environmental justice in mind, the idea that no matter your ZIP code, you have a right to clean air, you have a right to clean water and a safe community to live in and raise your family,” she said. 

Read more about the announcement here. 

🇧🇷 ICYMI: BIDEN MEETS WITH BRAZIL’S LEADER 

President Biden on Friday met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Remarks from the two presidents focused on democracy and climate change, according to pool reports. Lula stressed the need to work on climate change, particularly in the Amazon. 

Feds proposes more stringent efficiency standards 

The Energy Department on Friday proposed to require new household refrigerators and clothes washers to meet a more stringent sets of energy efficiency standards. 

It said that the move will save energy and money for consumers.   

How much? Consumers who use appliances meeting the proposed standards will save about $425 on utility bills over the life of the appliances, the department said in a statement.  

• The two rules would also cut carbon dioxide emissions by 233 million metric tons over 30 years, according to the administration. This is equal to about the total emissions of 29 million homes over the course of a year. 
  
• The rules would be expected to take effect in 2027.  

The proposals come amid a broader effort to address what the administration has described as a “vast backlog of outdated energy efficiency standards” and to “remedy the rollbacks and procedural roadblocks left by the prior Administration.” 

Read more about the proposal here. 

Fight over tree-trimming shows risks to nation’s grid

Extended power outages that gripped Austin last week are raising questions about trees and urban power infrastructure — and leaving the city manager fighting for his political life.  

Unlike the winter storm crisis that rocked Texas in 2021, the recent outages weren’t related to the grid. They stemmed from untrimmed limbs from the city’s canopy of heirloom oaks falling on power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. 

The fate of Austin’s tree canopy — and its tangled relationship with the city power supply —points to a more significant national problem. As extreme weather events proliferate, they interact in complex ways with the urban forests that many cities now pride themselves on — and are turning to as a means of adaptation to climate change.  

Trees can help block the dangerous summer sun, break the power of storm winds and lessen the flood-producing impacts of a deluge. But if improperly trimmed, or in the face of sufficiently strong weather, they can turn into missiles, expanding a storm’s destructive force. 

Last month’s atmospheric rivers in California brought down thousands of trees, smashing homes, cars and power lines. In the state capital of Sacramento — which, like its fellow capital city of Austin, has long boasted of its lush urban canopy — 1,000 trees came down last month, blocking roads, destroying houses and cutting off power.  

This week, Austin’s urban forest became the focus of a rancorous debate over the city grid’s recent failures — part of a proxy war in the long-running battle over the city’s future.  

Read more from The Hill’s Saul Elbein.

RUSSIA CUTS OIL PRODUCTION BY 5 PERCENT 

Russia plans to cut its oil production by about 5 percent next month in response to sanctions it has received from Western countries over the war in Ukraine, which is sending prices higher.  

The state-run Russian media outlet TASS reported on Friday that the country will reduce its output by 500,000 barrels per day.  

• “Today, we are selling the entire volume of our oil output. But, as we have said before, we are not going to sell oil to those who directly or indirectly adhere to the ‘price cap’ principles,” Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, referring to Russia’s ban on selling oil to countries that have placed a cap on oil sales from Russia.  
  
• “In this regard, Russia will voluntarily cut production by 500,000 barrels per day in March. This will help restore market relations,” he continued. 

Prices for international oil benchmark Brent crude rose, jumping up on Friday. Brent crude prices settled at about 2.6 percent higher than they were when markets opened.  

Oil production in Russia has so far remained near previous levels, but a crude oil analyst told the Journal that the drop could be a result of sanctions starting to have more of an effect on Russia. 

Read more from The Hill’s Jared Gans. 

ON TAP NEXT WEEK

    Wednesday

• The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on climate-related economic risks 
  
• The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on low-carbon transportation fuels 

    Thursday

• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the energy security impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Exxon Retreats From Major Climate Effort to Make Biofuels From Algae (Bloomberg) 
• California’s biggest environmental cleanup leaves lead contamination and frustration (The Los Angeles Times) 
• There’s enough water in this year’s snow to completely refill Lake Powell. Here’s why that won’t happen (9News) 
• Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon falls in first month under Lula (Reuters)
• The ‘Last Ice Area’ Is Already Disappearing (Gizmodo)

🏈 Lighter click: The only prediction that matters

And finally, a note to readers: You will likely notice a change in how this newsletter looks next week. This new format is aimed at providing you clear, concise updates on major energy and environmental news and trends, along with other useful material from The Hill. We’re excited to showcase it. See you next week!