Policy

4 climate policy updates: What to know this week

The Biden administration feels the strain of election season; Arizona's attorney general backs environmental groups in a lawsuit against a natural gas power plant. Read More

By Leah Garden September 9, 2024 (Updated on September 10, 2024)

Desolate and Barren Monument Valley in northeast Arizona, part of Navajo Nation. Source: Paul B. Moore via Shutterstock

U.S. Steel battle roils politics in the Rust Belt
The wrangle over the acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel is seeping into the presidential campaign. President Joe Biden has stated his intent to block Nippon Steel’s $15 billion acquisition of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Critics argue that blocking the acquisition could set a troubling precedent, diverging from the administration’s policy of “friend-shoring,” deepening economic relationships with allied nations and lessening the dominance of China in crucial raw-materials markets. The debate has intensified as the steelworkers’ union and local politicians in Pennsylvania, a swing state in the November presidential election, push back against the deal, fearing job losses and pension cutbacks. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is reviewing the deal. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, said last week that she opposes it, and reports indicate that Biden could choose to kill it on national security grounds.
Challenge to Arizona power plant environmental review exemption
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joins two environmental groups in lawsuits against the Arizona Corporation Commission’s decision to exempt a 200-megawatt natural gas power plant expansion from environmental review. That decision overturned a prior ruling requiring UniSource Energy to obtain a certificate of environmental compatibility for the Black Mountain expansion, based on a state law that mandates such a certificate for plants over 100 megawatts. The commission’s new interpretation argues that because the project consists of four units, each under 100 megawatts, it does not meet the threshold for review. Critics, including Mayes and environmental advocates, argue the Commission is misinterpreting long-standing laws and creating loopholes that could undermine environmental protections. They are concerned that bypassing the review process could risk potential environmental issues and negatively affect surrounding communities.
Navajo Nation strengthens tribal law that regulates uranium transportation across its land
The Navajo Nation enacted emergency legislation to enhance its regulation of radioactive material transportation across its reservation, following the revival of a uranium mining operation near the Grand Canyon. Signed by Navajo President Buu Nygren, the new law requires advance notification of uranium ore shipments from the Pinyon Plain Mine, transport fees and emergency preparedness plans. This legislation addresses concerns over public and environmental risks linked to the mining operation. The Navajo Nation previously banned uranium mining in 2005 due to past contamination and health issues from extensive ore extraction during the mid-20th century.
The latest in the U.S. push to increase clean energy capacity on public lands
The Bureau of Land Management approved the construction of the Dry Lake East Energy Center, a 200-megawatt solar facility with 600 megawatts of on-site battery storage, on a former lake bed northeast of Las Vegas. This project, set to be operational by December 2026, with an additional 400-megawatt battery set for 2028, is part of a broader push by the U.S. Interior Department to increase clean energy capacity on public lands, which has seen over 7 gigawatts approved since 2021. The bureau has recently lowered leasing fees for solar and wind projects and proposed a plan to balance renewable energy development with land conservation. It designates specific areas for solar development, restricting projects on lands farther than 15 miles from transmission lines unless they are previously disturbed sites. Despite the progress, there is tension between developers and conservationists. Critics, including environmental groups such as Basin and Range Watch, argue that the push for renewable energy may compromise important habitats for wildlife. On the other hand, clean energy advocates emphasize the need to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and view public lands as crucial for such developments.

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Leah Garden

Leah Garden is a policy, climate and tech journalist and the former Environment Fellow with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. She has written for The Daily Beast, The New Republic, Modern Farmer, and others, reporting on topics ranging from the sustainability of bioengineered food to the possibility of growing meat during long-haul space missions. Leah has a master's degree in Sustainability Management from American University and is an alumna of the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University.