OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Climate advocates win seats on Exxon’s board | EPA officially nixes Trump ‘secret science’ rule |  Environmental issues at center of New Mexico special election

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Today we’re looking at climate advocates winning seats on Exxon’s board, the EPA finalizing a rule to end the “secret science” proposal and the race to replace Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in Congress. 

A BIG DAY FOR BIG OIL: Shareholders and a court made major decisions impacting Exxon, Shell and Chevron

At Exxon: Climate advocates gained influence at oil giant ExxonMobil after two candidates nominated by an activist firm won seats on the company’s board on Wednesday. 

Preliminary votes showed two of Engine No. 1’s candidates winning seats after being elected by company shareholders, Exxon said in a statement.

Those two, Gregory Goff and Kaisa Hietala, could be joined by a third, as vote results for Engine No. 1 nominee Alexander Karsner were among those that were too close to call.

The firm has called for the company to make more significant investments in clean energy, using stricter approval criteria for new expenditures and an “overhaul” of management 

At Shell: A Dutch court on Wednesday ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must cut its emissions by 45 percent by 2030 in order to more closely adhere to Paris Agreement targets. 

The ruling in the case, which was filed in 2018 by roughly 1,700 Dutch citizens who argued that Shell’s polluting oil and gas exploration threatened their human rights to a stable climate, could set a legal precedent for oil companies amid mounting pressure to significantly reduce their fossil fuel emissions. 

The decision, which is only legally binding in the Netherlands, requires that Shell significantly increase its initial 2030 goal for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 45 percent of 2019 levels. 

At Chevron: Chevron shareholders on Wednesday backed a proposal for the company to cut its emissions. 

A spokesperson for the company confirmed to The Hill that a preliminary total for the measure calling for cuts to the company’s “Scope 3” emissions showed 61 percent support. 

Scope 3 emissions are those that aren’t directly tied to the company’s fuel production, but rather those that come from activities like consumer use of such fuel. 

Read more about what’s happening at Exxon, Shell and Chevron. 

NOT KEEPING SECRET: EPA officially nixes Trump ‘secret science’ rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to undo the Trump administration’s “secret science” regulation, which restricted the agency’s ability to consider certain studies.

The agency’s action formally implements a court decision from February that threw out the rule on the grounds that a prior ruling had eliminated its legal basis.

“This action ensures that EPA can utilize the best available science and data to support our work to protect the public from pollution,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement Wednesday.

Sooo what did this thing do again? The Trump-era rule limited the agency’s use of studies that don’t make their underlying data publicly available.

The Trump administration billed it as a transparency measure, but critics argued that it would undermine the use of important public health studies don’t release data for reasons like privacy.

Read more about the move here.

THE RACE FOR HAALAND’S OLD SEAT: Environmental issues at center of New Mexico special election

Environmental issues are taking center stage in New Mexico’s upcoming special election, where the Democratic Party is looking to maintain its hold on a seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. 

Democratic candidate Melanie Stansbury, a state legislator, is leaning on her experience as an environmental science professional as she looks to defeat Republican state Sen. Mark Moores in the June 1 election, underscoring the importance of issues relating to water infrastructure and public lands in a blue district with a sizable Native American population.

No pressure! Though New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District has been trending blue for the past decade, the national attention the race is drawing is a sign that Democrats see it as a critical early test for their party.

Republicans need to flip just a handful of seats in the House to regain control of the lower chamber in next year’s midterm elections. 

Still, Democrats are seen as holding a clear advantage heading into June 1, as Haaland defeated her Republican challenger in November by more than 16 points.

The environment tie-in:  For Stansbury, a trained ecologist who worked in the Obama administration, continuing Haaland’s emphasis on environmental issues is key.

“In New Mexico, water is life, water is part of our culture. It’s part of who we are, it’s part of the identity of our communities,” Stansbury told The Hill in an interview. She pointed to the state’s ongoing drought and its effect on ranchers and farmers as one notable example.

Read more about the race here. 

THE NOMINATIONS ARE IN: Committee votes to advance three Biden environment nominees

The Senate Environment and Public Works committee voted to advance the nominations of three of President Biden’s environmental nominees, teeing them up for a vote before the full Senate. 

The advancing nominees are:

• Shannon Estenoz to be the Interior Department’s assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks
• Michal Freedhoff to be the EPA’s assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention
• Radhika Fox, to be the EPA’s assistant administration for water,

Both Freedhoff and Estenoz were approved 19-1, with Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) as the only no vote. 

Fox, however, faced opposition from six senators. Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) opposed Fox over a rule governing which bodies of water receive federal protections. 

“She would not commit to maintaining the Navigable Waters Protection Rule, issued in 2020, but she also would not state that the 2015 Waters of the U.S. Rule was overreaching, very vague in her answers,” Capito said. 

The committee also unanimously advanced a bipartisan highway bill. 

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Biden administration proposes protections for threatened bird species out West, setting up clash with oil and gas industry, The Washington Post reports

More Americans believe in climate change but still can’t quit fossil fuels, The Verge reports

New wolf killing laws trigger push to revive US protections, The Associated Press reports

Maine bill to require companies to pay for packaging disposal clears committee, The Portland Press Herald reports

ON TAP TOMORROW:

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing on the Science and Research Enterprise of the Department of Energy

ICYMI: Stories from Wednesday….

Ford predicts electric vehicles will make up 40 percent of global sales by end of decade

Chevron shareholders back emissions cut proposal

Climate advocates win seats on Exxon’s board

Republican state treasurers say they’ll weigh banks’ fossil fuel stance in contracting decisions

Dutch court orders Shell to slash its emissions by 45 percent by 2030

EPA officially nixes Trump ‘secret science’ rule

Environmental issues at center of New Mexico special election

OFF-BEAT AND OFFBEAT: Forget the Mars rover, it’s all about moon rovers!