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Energy & Environment
The Big Story
Biden rejects anti-ESG bill in first presidential veto
The president used the first veto of his presidency to block a resolution against a Labor Department rule on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.
The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows Congress to override executive branch rules by simple majority. The rule in question allowed money managers to incorporate ESG, or considerations relating to factors like climate change, along with purely economic factors.
After the measure passed the House, two Democratic senators, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), joined all Republicans in backing it.
“This bill would risk your retirement savings by making it illegal to consider risk factors MAGA House Republicans don’t like,” Biden said in a statement accompanying the veto.
“Your plan manager should be able to protect your hard-earned savings — whether Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene [R-Ga.] likes it or not,” he said.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) teed off on President Biden’s decision earlier on Monday to veto a bill that would have nixed a Labor Department rule on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.
The Supreme Court on Monday morning heard oral arguments in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, a case revolving around whether the U.S. government is obligated to fulfill Native American reservations’ water needs.
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the implementation of Biden administration water regulations in two states. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, an appointee of former President Trump, on Sunday halted the implementation of the Biden administration’s regulation in Texas and Idaho after the states requested the action.
A report from the United Nations climate change panel doubles down on calls for action to combat planetary warming amid a “rapidly closing window” in a new report released Monday.
News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
More than 70 drinking water sources in SC have chemicals above new federal limits (The State)
US utility firms spent big preparing power grid for storms – and still failed (The Guardian/Floodlight)
Oil prices rebound after hitting lowest since 2021 on banking fears (Reuters)
Biden looks to undo Reagan policy on mass transit funds (E&E News)
On Tap
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
Tuesday: President Biden is slated to speak at a “Conservation in Action” summit at the Interior Department.
Wednesday: EPA Administrator Michael Regan is scheduled to testify before the Senate in a hearing on the agency’s budget. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw will also testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on the East Palestine train derailment.
Thursday: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegis slated testify before the Senate in a hearing on his department’s budget. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is also slated to testify before the House on her department’s budget.
Barricades arrived outside the Manhattan Criminal Court Monday morning as New York City braces for potential charges against former President Trump, who warned over the weekend that he could be arrested as soon as Tuesday in relation to a hush-money probe. Read more
A White House press briefing featuring the cast of “Ted Lasso” was briefly derailed on Monday after a correspondent and frequent disruptor repeatedly interjected, prompting pushback from the White House Correspondents Association and other reporters. Read more
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: