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Today, we will be looking at the potential impact of the Russia crisis on gasoline prices. We will also use a new tool from the White House to map the environmental justice system and a probe into the EPA’s response to lead contamination in a Michigan municipality.
Rachel Frazin was the editor of The Hill. Zack Budryk was the vice-president. Send us your tips: [email protected]And [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter: @RachelFrazinAnd @BudrykZack.
Lets jump in.
Russia crisis could make gas prices more expensive
The Russian-Ukraine crisis is expected to intensify what has been a political headache in the Biden administration: high gasoline costs.
President Biden
Joe BidenSenate passes a resolution supporting Ukraine amid invasion concerns Overnight Energy & Environment Greens target Texas Democrat because of oil ties On the Money Congress averts a government shutdownIn a speech on Tuesday, he mentioned energy prices and acknowledged that there could be “consequences at home.” He said that Americans know that “defending democracy is never without cost.”
On Thursday, the president stated that Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine was very real. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenBlinken accepts invitation to meet with Russian counterpart. British PM calls attack against Ukrainian kindergarten a false flag operation. Stocks slump amid growing concerns about Russia-Ukraine conflict.At a meeting of United Nations Security Council, Russia was warned that it plans to create a pretext for an attack.
With Americans focusing on their wallets and inflation soaring at an historic rate, further gasolineprice hikes could prove costly for Democrats trying their best to retain their majorities in fall midterm elections.
Uncertainty around oil markets and Russia (the third-largest producer of oil in the world) has already pushed up oil prices to $91 per barrel on Friday. Experts believe that these prices could rise further and have an impact on gasoline prices at the pump.
What could possibly happen? Claudio Galimberti from Rystad Energy, senior vice president for analysis, said that he would not be surprised if the barrels reach $100 in the next few hours.
Galimberti stated that prices would rise further if Russia invades. He also noted that Ukraine could strike back at Russia by sabotaging key pipelines.
He said that the geopolitical risk premium would be even greater than it is now. He also predicted that the price of gasoline would eventually reach consumers at their pumps, stating that it’s possible that prices will exceed $4 per gallon by summer.
The issue is now reaching Capitol Hill Vulnerable Democratic senators signaled that they understand the political ramifications of the federal gasoline taxes and have begun pressing for their suspension.
Sen. Mark KellyMark KellyOn the Money Congress passes bill to avert shutdown of government Senate Conservatives dig in as Senate struggles for shutdown deal MORE(D. Arizona), who is expected face a tough reelection campaign this fall, told reporters earlier in the week in commenting about the proposed gasoline taxes holiday.
He said that rising prices is the most common thing I hear from constituents when I speak to them. It is a large part of it because of gasolines.
What did POTUS think about it? Biden acknowledged Tuesday in a speech that Russia sanctions if it invades Ukraine could increase prices. He said, “I will not pretend this will prove to be painless. There could be an impact on our energy prices.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have serious consequences for the country. Biden said that the American people know that defending democracy, liberty and freedom is never free of cost.
What could the world do to address this problem? As a deterrent to Moscow’s new invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration sought to get European countries and other countries to agree to a set of sanctions against Russia. Russia has held control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula since 2014, and has provided support to separatists in eastern Ukraine over the past eight years.
While U.S. and European officials claim they are determined to impose heavy costs on Moscow in the event of a new attack, they acknowledge that the two sides may not be completely in agreement regarding specific sanctions that would affect the natural gas sector.
A reminder: Natural gas is used for electricity generation and heating.
Due to Russia’s importance, the U.S. has become dependent on Russian oil exports, making it unattractive for sanctions.
Find out more about the situation.
WH releases environmental justice criteria
Thursday night, the White House Council on Environmental Quality Unveil a toolThis initiative aims to identify communities that are considered disadvantaged under the Biden administration’s environmental justice initiative.
The criteria were announced by White House on a conference call and include a number axes upon which a community may be considered disadvantaged. The tool includes 21 indicators as well as the threshold that will make a community disadvantaged.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a community can be considered disadvantaged under the climate change category if its income is low and it is not in the 90th per centile for expected building, agricultural, or population losses. A community is considered to be disadvantaged in clean transportation if it has low income and is in the 90th percentile of diesel particulate matter or traffic volume.
CEQ defines low-income communities as those that are in their census tracts 65th percentile and above for residents with incomes at least twice the federal poverty level.
The tool also includes socioeconomic metrics, such as unemployment rate, rate for high school degrees, and median house price in communities.
Not incorporated? Race. On the phone, White House officials confirmed that the designations would solely be based on socioeconomic and environmental indicators. Race was not considered. Environmental justice issues often fall apart along racial lines because of the legacy of historical inequalities, neglect of minority communities, and the White House would be open to legal challenges if it used race as a metric to allocate federal funds.
“[F]”Olks have been quite candid about the need for this tool to withstand potential legal problems,” stated Matt Lee-Ashley, chief of staff at CEQ. “And so we proceeded with this in mind. We want the tool to reflect the reality that racism and race are major determinants of where pollution is concentrated in this nation.
Find out more about this tool here.
FWS NOMINEE CONFIRMED
Late Thursday, the Senate confirmed Martha Williams as the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Interior Department agency responsible for species conservation. Williams was confirmed by voice vote. This signifies that she was not considered controversial.
Williams Had been the leader of the department.Since the beginning of the Biden administration, she has been more informal. She was the former leader of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and served as an Interior Department official during the Obama administration.
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Benton Harbor Watchdog response
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General will investigate federal responses to lead contamination in a water supply system in a predominantly Black Michigan municipality.
Friday’s notice from the EPAs inspector general stated that an audit would be conducted into the agency’s handling reports of contamination in Benton Harbor. The city and state are already the subject to a lawsuit by 16 residents.
“The OIG’s objective was to determine how closely the EPA followed their 2016 elevation policy memo… in response to evidence that drinking water lead contamination had occurred in the community system for the City, Benton Harbor, Michigan,” said the OIG. NotificationFrom the watchdog.
We will be conducting work in Region 5 as well as in the Office of Water. Our audit will follow generally accepted government auditing standards. This audit is expected to help determine if the EPA can speed up the delivery of public health protections to communities that are at imminent and substantial public risk.
The announcement follows 2021 lawsuitBenton Harbor residents claimed that the state and local officials failed to properly notify them of contamination in their service lines going back to 2018.
What does the EPA have? A spokesperson for EPA told The Hill that no family should ever have worry about water from their tap. “EPA is committed in ensuring that everyone has clean drinking water and addressing the lead in drinking water. We are always open to working with the Inspector General. We look forward to their review.”
Find out more about the probe.
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WHAT WAS READING
- Chicago mayor denies approval for controversial Southeast Side scrap shredderThe Chicago Tribune)
- Why the White House didn’t release its 2030 climate strategyE&E News)
- The Sierra Club has a focus on race, gender, and the environment too (The New York Times)
- NextEra Rethinks Mountain Valley Pipeline. Takes $800 million Charge (Bloomberg)
ICYMI
The US opens the way for Mexican avocados are returning
Facebook whistleblower claims company Climate misled investorsReport on COVID-19 misinformation
More than 4,000 acres Wildfires engulf California airport
And last but not least, something completely off-beat.This is a great gift for him
That’s all for today. Thank you for reading. Check out The HillsEnergy & Environment PageFor the most recent news and coverage. We’ll see you Monday.