Category: fox-news/us/energy

GOP leaders unleash on Janet Yellen over $110B energy tax hike

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FIRST ON FOX: A group of 24 Senate Republicans are calling out the Biden administration for "weaponizing" the tax code to stifle domestic energy production in the president's proposed 2025 budget.

In a letter Thursday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the GOP lawmakers — led by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. — highlighted the more than $110 billion in tax hikes targeting domestic production of oil, gas and coal proposed in the budget. They said such an action would only lead to higher prices for Americans and allies worldwide.

"The administration has once again doubled down on weaponizing the tax code against U.S. energy producers," Barrasso and the other senators wrote. "It is alarming that the administration believes utilizing our nation’s abundant natural resources will be detrimental to long-term energy security."

"Sadly, the administration would willingly suppress energy production knowing it means fewer jobs and higher prices for the American people," they continued. "America is fortunate to have abundant energy resources. Our nation needs to be focused on unleashing American energy and innovation instead of throwing away one of our biggest economic and geopolitical advantages."

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Earlier this month, Biden released his fiscal year 2025 budget, a behemoth $7.3 trillion government spending package that Republicans quickly condemned and characterized as a non-starter. As part of the proposal, the Treasury Department released a green book detailing the mechanisms for raising government revenue, a report which listed tax hikes on energy production.

The Republicans noted that in the green book, the Treasury Department explained that it would strip tax incentives worth $110 billion from the energy industry because "oil, gas, and coal tax preferences distort markets by encouraging more investment in the fossil fuel sector than would occur under a neutral system." 

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"This market distortion is detrimental to long-term energy security and is also inconsistent with the administration's policy of supporting a clean energy economy, reducing our reliance on oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions," the Treasury Department added.

Among the tax incentives the budget would strip are the intangible drilling costs incentive, which allows independent producers to deduct expenses related to drilling, and the percentage depletion incentive, which, according to the lawmakers, allows producers to have a deduction of taxable income to reflect the declining production of reserves over time.

In their letter, the Senate Republicans said the administration's explanation in the green book is "troubling" and "acknowledges its intention to chill investment in conventional energy production."

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"It is alarming that the administration believes utilizing our nation's abundant natural resources will be detrimental to long-term energy security," they wrote to Yellen. "Sadly, the administration would willingly suppress energy production knowing it means fewer jobs and higher prices for the American people."

Meanwhile, the budget comes months after the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) published a 59-page report showing that the renewable energy sector enjoys significantly larger taxpayer backing than the fossil fuel industry. 

According to the EIA report, while renewable energy sources like wind and solar power account for about 21% of domestic electricity production, such sources received a staggering $83.8 billion in subsidies, by far the largest share compared to any other category. 

In addition to Barrasso, Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch of Idaho also signed the letter.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Biden reportedly jams brakes on massive energy projects over climate impacts

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The White House has intervened in the permitting process for 17 large natural gas projects, ordering additional climate impact analyses after activists called on the administration to nix the projects, the New York Times reported.

In a move environmentalists have demanded in recent months, the White House is ordering the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider the impact proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects would have on climate change, three individuals with knowledge of internal deliberations told the New York Times. DOE has never before rejected a gas export application on climate grounds.

"It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policymaking through leaks to the media. This continues to create uncertainty about whether our allies can rely on US LNG for their energy security," Shaylyn Hynes, a spokesperson for energy developer Venture Global, said in a statement. "If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire U.S. LNG industry."

"Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States," Hynes added. "The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal."

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The White House declined to comment on the report and the DOE didn't respond to a request for comment.

Among the projects that would be impacted by the DOE's review is the so-called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project, a proposed $10 billion LNG terminal located on a 546-acre site in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which would be the largest export terminal of its kind in the nation. 

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According to Venture Global, the facility would have a nameplate export capacity of 20 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG and a peak capacity of about 24 MTPA. In 2023, the U.S. exported 88.9 MT of LNG, according to a FOX Business analysis of tanker tracking data, meaning the CP2 facility would alone increase exports by a staggering 23%.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and fossil fuel industry associations have called for the Biden administration to expeditiously approve pending LNG export terminals, arguing they are key for strengthening the U.S. economy and supporting the energy security of allies in Europe and Asia amid geopolitical turmoil.

"The longer the Biden administration drags its feet on approving new paths for America to develop and supply its allies with clean natural gas, the more this White House empowers our enemies in China and Russia — and the more the American people pay higher energy prices," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"Our economy and national security can’t afford for President Biden to stay beholden to climate fanatics who are happy to see our country sacrifice jobs and energy independence for nothing," Kennedy said.

Fellow Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy argued during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this month that LNG export facilities in the U.S. would have an "overwhelmingly" lower carbon footprint than the alternative of coal-fired power generation in foreign nations.

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"This is war on our allies," Cassidy told Fox News Digital. "They depend upon us for their energy and economic security. For apparently political purposes, the Biden administration is deliberately postponing permitting. Putin must have designed this strategy."

And Marty Durbin, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, echoed those comments on Wednesday, saying U.S. LNG plays an "essential role in displacing dirtier Russian gas" that Europe remains reliant on. "Any move to restrict or delay our ability to meet our commitments to our allies is deeply disturbing," he said.

Earlier this month, international energy organizations Eurogas and the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) issued strong statements of support for continued permitting of U.S. LNG export terminals. Eurogas said such exports were critical for ensuring the full phase down of Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas, while ANGEA added U.S. LNG is needed to meet Asia's decarbonization goals.

However, LNG export terminals have been opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who argue they would create harmful pollution and contribute to global warming. The issue has led to activists posting videos on social media which, over the last two months, have generated tens of millions of views. 

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Additionally, in December, dozens of environmental groups wrote to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, imploring her to reject the CP2 project "for the sake of our climate and communities." Days later, 170 scientists penned a letter to President Biden, asking him to determine CP2 is not in the public interest and to reject it and other pending LNG facilities.

"Putting a stop to expanded gas exports is one of the most important moves President Biden could make on addressing the climate crisis. It would mark a bold and historic decision and a major win for communities and advocates that have long spoken out about the dangers of LNG," Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said Wednesday. 

"These facilities pollute our communities, make energy more expensive for American families, and exacerbate the climate crisis all for the sake of more gas the world does not need," he continued. "Our movement will not give up, and we will keep working to ensure that this reported groundbreaking step will lead to meaningful change."

Further, climate activist Bill McKibben announced he was organizing a civil disobedience protest outside the Department of Energy's headquarters in Washington, D.C., over the permitting of new LNG export terminals. He said the action would mimic the protests that helped nationalize the Keystone XL pipeline fight during the Obama administration.

Biden admin under fire for burning taxpayer funds on UN climate summit trip

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The Biden administration is facing heavy criticism from a Senate Republican leader for sending dozens of representatives, including Vice President Kamala Harris and multiple Cabinet members, to the United Nations climate summit.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's ranking member, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., sent a flurry of letters to members of President Biden's Cabinet on Monday, demanding they justify trips to the U.N.'s COP28 summit in Dubai, which began last week and is set to conclude on Dec. 12. Barrasso questioned why officials couldn't attend the event via available virtual means.

"A significant number of Biden bureaucrats will be traveling across the globe on the taxpayer's dime, all in an effort to advocate for these anti-fossil fuel initiatives," Barrasso wrote in the letters. "They will, of course, utilize fossil fuels throughout their travels while ballooning their own carbon footprint."

"Even though COP28 has established a dedicated virtual platform to foster online participation, federal climate crusaders will gleefully spend the hard-earned money of the American people on airfare, hotels, and fine dining as they participate in person," he continued. 

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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were among those whom Barrasso sent letters to Monday.

The U.S. delegation at the annual climate conference is being led by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and includes Harris, Blinken, Vilsack, White House clean energy czar John Podesta, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and several other senior administration officials.

BIDEN ADMIN UNVEILS LATEST CRACKDOWN ON OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY AT UN CLIMATE CONFERENCE

"Taxpayers will not and should not stand for this hypocrisy. This pattern of behavior suggests a troubling disconnect between public duty and the prudent use of taxpayer funds," Barrasso's letters to the Cabinet secretaries concluded. 

"As stewards of public funds, it is imperative that federal agencies demonstrate consistency in their actions and policies, especially in matters related to environmental responsibility and fiscal accountability."

He then listed a series of questions for each agency head, asking how many officials they are sending to COP28, the estimated taxpayer costs of those travels, the projected carbon emissions from those travels and whether there was any effort to reduce the carbon footprint of COP28 travel.

Meanwhile, since the conference started, the U.S. delegation has been busy committing to various initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming, but which experts have warned may lead to higher consumer costs. For example, the U.S. finalized regulations targeting methane emissions of the oil and gas sector and vowed to shutter all remaining coal-fired power plants.

"It’s safe to say that there literally will be hundreds of initiatives that will be announced, many of them coming from the United States, but also many coming from other parts of the world, and I think it’s going to be a very exciting presentation of a global effort that is taking place, even though it’s not happening fast enough or big enough yet," Kerry told reporters Wednesday.

"What is very clear to us – and we will be pushing this the next two weeks that we are here negotiating – we have to move faster," Kerry added. "We have to be much more seized of this issue all around the planet. There’s too much business as usual still."

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Biden invokes wartime powers to fund electric heaters as he cracks down on gas appliances

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President Biden invoked a Cold War-era law in a surprising move Friday to pour taxpayer funds into domestic manufacturing of electric heat pumps, an alternative to gas-powered residential furnaces.

In a joint announcement with the White House, the Department of Energy (DOE) said the federal government would award a "historic" $169 million for nine projects across 15 sites nationwide in an effort to accelerate electric heat pump manufacturing. The significant level of funding was made possible after Biden utilized the 1950 Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase domestic production of green energy technologies.

"Getting more American-made electric heat pumps on the market will help families and businesses save money with efficient heating and cooling technology," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. "These investments will create thousands of high-quality, good-paying manufacturing jobs and strengthen America’s energy supply chain, while creating healthier indoor spaces through home-grown clean energy technologies."

"Today’s Defense Production Act funds for heat pump manufacturing show that President Biden is treating climate change as the crisis it is," added John Podesta, the White House clean energy czar. "These awards will grow domestic manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and boost American competitiveness in industries of the future."

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And Ali Zaidi, who serves as Biden's national climate advisor, said the president was "using his wartime emergency powers under the Defense Production Act to turbocharge U.S. manufacturing of clean technologies and strengthen our energy security." 

Under the actions announced Friday, the DOE will send millions of dollars to companies like Copeland, Honeywell International, Mitsubishi Electric and York International Corporation, all of which are billion-dollar multinational corporations. The projects will advance manufacturing of industrial, commercial and residential heat pump technology.

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"This is absolutely shameful corporate welfare. But we're to believe that, because it's for the sake of climate change, all is well. I think that's ridiculous," Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"Of all the Biden administration's claimed climate emergency declarations, this may be the craziest of them all," Lieberman continued. "There is no shortage of heat pumps — it's just that not every homeowner wants them. Consumers ought to decide for themselves. The government has no role in tilting the balance in favor of one energy source over another. That's clearly what's happening here."

The action Friday comes less than two months after the DOE issued new regulations targeting traditional home gas-powered furnaces as part of its climate agenda and broad effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions. 

DOE's finalized regulations, which are slated to go into effect in 2028, specifically require furnaces to achieve an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 95%, meaning manufacturers would only be allowed to sell furnaces that convert at least 95% of fuel into heat within six years. The current market standard AFUE for a residential furnace is 80%.

Because of the stringent AFUE requirements, the regulations would largely take non-condensing gas furnaces — which are generally less efficient, but cheaper — off the market. But consumers who replace their non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace after the rule is implemented face hefty installation costs.

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"Energy security is a top priority for AGA," American Gas Association President and CEO Karen Harbert told Fox News Digital on Friday. "We are deeply disappointed to see the Defense Production Act, which is intended as a vital tool for advancing national security against serious outside threats, being used as an instrument to advance a policy agenda contradictory to our nation’s strong energy position."

"Increased use of natural gas has been responsible for sixty percent of the electrical grid’s CO2 emissions reductions," she continued. "This vital tool for emissions reductions and energy system resilience should not be unfairly undermined through misuse of the Defense Production Act."

According to the Congressional Research Service, the DPA, which was passed during the Cold War, gives the president a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry "in the interest of national defense." Invoking the law opens the door for the president access to hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funding for a given national security-related purpose.

Biden previously invoked the DPA to accelerate domestic critical mineral production and to pause tariffs on Chinese solar panel imports, claiming that climate change is a national emergency.

In addition to consumer furnaces, over the last several months, the DOE has unveiled new standards for a wide variety of other appliances including gas stoves, clothes washers, refrigerators and air conditioners. According to the DOE, its past and planned appliance regulations will save Americans $570 billion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.4 billion metric tons over the next 30 years.

Republicans demand answers after top Biden official invited CCP leaders to sensitive national security site

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FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of 18 House Republicans led by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., are pressing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over her agency's invitation for foreign adversaries to inspect a sensitive U.S. nuclear testing site.

In a letter sent Thursday morning, Stefanik and the other Republicans blasted Granholm for recently offering China and Russia "unprecedented access" to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Nevada National Security Site. Bloomberg reported in September that the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration invited Chinese and Russian officials to tour the site to prove the U.S. is upholding a three-decade moratorium against testing nuclear weapons.

"I am leading my colleagues in demanding that President Biden revoke this misguided invitation to our adversaries in Beijing and Moscow that grants them unprecedented access and insight into our nuclear weapons," Stefanik told Fox News Digital. "Inviting Communist China and Russia to have a front row seat for our sensitive nuclear weapons tests will give them invaluable information on how to defeat our nuclear capabilities and improve their own."

"At a time when our adversaries are growing their nuclear stockpiles to undermine America’s leadership allowing them access to one of our nuclear test sites will only advance this pursuit and lead to our own destruction," she continued.

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The National Nuclear Security Administration invited its Chinese and Russian counterparts to tour the Nevada site — where sensitive nuclear experimentation is conducted — during the latest International Atomic Energy Agency summit, according to Bloomberg. Corey Hinderstein, a senior National Nuclear Security Administration official, said China and Russia didn't immediately respond to the invitation.

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The invitation came months after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended his nation's participation in the only remaining nuclear arms control pact with America. And last week Putin signed a law withdrawing Russia from its ratification of a global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in a move quickly condemned by the State Department and which is evidence of deteriorating relations between the two sides.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who was one of the co-signers of Stefanik's letter to Granholm on Thursday, said allowing foreign adversaries to observe U.S. nuclear testing activities "allows them to derive our methods and procedures and this destroys deterrence."

"As Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, one of my priorities has been to strengthen and protect our nuclear arsenal," he told Fox News Digital. "In the world today, nothing could jeopardize our national security more than losing this advantage. I was stunned to hear recent reports of Biden administration officials inviting citizens from our two greatest adversaries to observe U.S. nuclear weapons tests."

"Russia and China should not have insider access to our testing. Both countries have had ample opportunity to be more open about their nuclear weapons development and deployments and refuse to do so. The amendment I introduced on this matter will halt the Biden administration's latest lapse in judgment," the Colorado lawmaker continued.

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Late last month, Lamborn introduced a bill to block foreign nationals from witnessing U.S. nuclear weapons testing at national labs. The bill was attached to the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which the House passed on Oct. 26.

The letter Thursday also comes as China continues to expand its own nuclear capabilities and armament. Stefanik, Lamborn and the other GOP lawmakers noted the Department of Defense has warned China’s nuclear expansion is exceeding previous U.S. projections.

"The PRC is now projected to have over 1,000 warheads by the end of this decade," General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told lawmakers during an Armed Services Committee hearing in March.

In their letter, the Republicans told Granholm that China now has no reason to halt the aggressive expansion of its nuclear development "if they are given this access while offering nothing in return." They further noted that China has refused to engage in discussions on its nuclear expansion and DOE's actions threaten to "embolden their efforts to continue growing their arsenal."

"The notion of granting America’s adversaries’ access to our military sites — and enabling them to gain information about U.S. nuclear capabilities — is deeply alarming and fundamentally absurd," Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., another letter co-signer, told Fox News Digital. 

"I am proud to join my colleagues in demanding the Biden administration explain why they are inviting Russian and Chinese Communist Party officials to access our most sensitive laboratories and testing facilities." 

In addition to Stefanik, Lamborn and Wittman, fellow GOP Reps. Joe Wilson, James Moylan, Bill Posey, Pat Fallon, Chris Smith, Ashley Hinson, Carlos Gimenez, Scott DesJarlais, John Moolenaar, Lance Gooden, Brett Guthrie, Dale Strong, Julia Letlow, Robert Aderholt and Brad Wenstrup also co-signed the letter.

The DOE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

CEO of bankrupt electric vehicle company still on top White House advisory council

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Gareth Joyce, the CEO and a board member of California-based electric bus maker Proterra, continues to serve on a top White House council advising President Biden on trade policy even after his company filed for bankruptcy.

Joyce has served on the White House Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade which advises Biden on "government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance," since February. According to the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, Joyce remains a member of the council.

However, in August, Joyce's company Proterra filed a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as a result of negative financial performance. He explained at the time that Proterra, despite its bankruptcy filing, had created a foundation setting the stage for "decarbonization across the commercial vehicle industry as a whole."

"While our best-in-class EV and battery technologies have set an industry standard, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds, that have impacted our ability to efficiently scale all of our opportunities simultaneously," Joyce said on Aug. 7. "As commercial vehicles accelerate toward electrification, we look forward to sharpening our focus as a leading EV battery technology supplier for the benefit of our many stakeholders"

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Joyce's continued role advising the White House — which has lauded him for his work "accelerating the transition of transit and other commercial vehicles to zero emission solutions" — recently sparked criticism from Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who called for his removal.

"It is unclear why Joyce, having overseen the failure of Proterra, should continue to advise you on issues of such great importance to our nation’s economic security and wellbeing," Barrasso wrote to Biden in a letter Thursday. "It appears that by retaining Joyce, you are continuing to play political favorites with a company your administration has systematically promoted time and again since you took office."

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Proterra, meanwhile, has been boosted by Biden on multiple occasions since he took office in January 2021.

On April 20, 2021, Biden hosted a virtual White House event to spotlight Proterra's business. During the event, Proterra executives took the president on a virtual tour of the company's South Carolina manufacturing facility where its buses are assembled.

"I want you all to know I used to be a bus driver," Biden remarked at the conclusion of the event. "You think I'm kidding, I'm not. I worked my way through law school driving a school bus."

"I'm going to come down and see you in person. So, I look forward to seeing y'all," he concluded.

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Biden also touted his support for billions of dollars in federal funding to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission transit buses and school buses during the tour. He has set a goal for all buses made in America to be zero-emissions by 2030.

The president has since touted Proterra as an American electric vehicle success story in multiple speeches about his green energy goals.

In addition, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has faced widespread criticism for her ownership stake in Proterra. 

Granholm had served on Proterra’s board before her confirmation to lead the Department of Energy and continued holding shares of the company for months after her confirmation.

"Mr. President, it is evident that the promotion and favoritism towards Proterra Inc. have resulted in significant losses for taxpayers and investors, including those in my home state of Wyoming," Barrasso continued in his letter to Biden on Thursday.

"The bankruptcy of Proterra, despite the administration's support, raises serious questions about the reasoning behind these endorsements," the Wyoming Republican wrote. "The American people deserve accountability and transparency in matters of public policy and the businesses the President of the United States and his cabinet officials choose to promote."

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

Republican investigations proceed despite House Speaker drama: ‘Keeping our foot on the gas’

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House Republicans' sprawling oversight investigations into the Biden administration are continuing apace despite the vote Tuesday to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which left the chamber's top office vacant.

Multiple House committees — which are conducting investigations on everything from President Biden's border policies and disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal to how his climate agenda may benefit China and his son Hunter's business dealings — are proceeding with their oversight, GOP lawmakers, staff and aides told Fox News Digital. The continuation of the House probes comes days after McCarthy was voted out in a stunning 216-210 vote.

"The House Committee on Homeland Security is going to continue our comprehensive oversight of Secretary Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty and the handling of his self-inflicted crisis at the Southwest border," Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. "We are also keeping our foot on the gas with investigations into issues like DHS’s censorship of Americans and President Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal."

"Functionally, very little has changed for our Committee — we are still planning hearings, gathering evidence, and conducting transcribed interviews with individuals closely connected to these important issues," he continued. "The American people sent us here to deal with these matters, and we’re going to keep doing so, and the political back-and-forth of Washington is not going to distract us from our objectives — getting answers, delivering accountability, and providing a voice for the American people who are fed up with the incompetence and extremism of the Biden administration."

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Under Green's leadership, the committee has pursued investigations into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' "dereliction of duty" related to border security, the rising number of individuals with terrorist ties illegally crossing the southern border, and the Biden administration’s vetting of Afghan citizens relocated to the U.S. after the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Homeland Security Committee has also pursued joint investigations into Mayorkas, and the Department of Homeland Security and its subagencies including Customs and Border Protection with the House Select Committee on China and House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

"The House Oversight Committee’s work continues," an Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The Committee is continuing to review documents, records, and communications and will take further action in the coming days."

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The Oversight Committee has taken the lead on a wide range of investigations into various Biden administration programs and actions. The panel, which has broad investigative powers, has coordinated joint investigations with other committees into the administration over, for example, its border policies, its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and an incident where police were called on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm's staff during an electric vehicle road trip.

The panel has also led the House's investigations into the Biden family with a particular focus on the president's son who has previously engaged in various foreign business dealings. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer opened an impeachment inquiry against Biden last month as part of that investigation.

"Since assuming our Republican majority in January, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has uncovered a mountain of evidence revealing how Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain," Comer remarked during a Sept. 28 impeachment inquiry hearing. 

"The American people demand accountability for this culture of corruption," he continued. "They demand to know how these schemes have compromised President Biden and threaten our national security."

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In addition, the House Natural Resources Committee has taken the lead on oversight into the Biden administration's efforts to curb federal land uses for energy development. The committee has also pursued investigations into the relationship between environmental groups with significant White House influence and foreign donors.

"We are continuing with our normal operations here on committee," Natural Resources Committee spokesperson Rebekah Hoshiko told Fox News Digital. "No House proceedings have changed the fact that the Biden administration’s failed policies are actively harming American families, and they need to be held accountable. Lots more to come in our oversight efforts."

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has opened wide-ranging probes into both health and energy policies pursued by the Biden administration.

For example, the committee is conducting oversight into federal laboratory biosafety practices and the handling of dangerous pathogens in bioresearch, the National Institutes of Health’s effectiveness in overseeing grant funding, and how the aggressive push to adopt electric vehicles may benefit Chinese industry.

Recently, the committee announced a probe into U.S. automaker Ford Motor Company over its partnership with Chinese battery firm Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). Weeks after the announcement, Ford put the project on hold and said it wasn't committed to the investment.

OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS PROBE BIDEN ADMIN'S 'BAIT-AND-SWITCH' CRACKDOWN ON FOSSIL FUEL POWER PLANTS

"From surging gas prices to the crisis at the southern border, the American people deserve accountability from the Biden administration for making their lives worse," a GOP Energy and Commerce Committee aide told Fox News Digital. "Our oversight work is continuing."

The motion to vacate the speaker was filed late Monday by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and joined by seven fellow Republicans and every House Democrat. Following the vote Tuesday, McCarthy, who served for just 269 days, said he wouldn't run for speaker again.

Reps. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House majority leader; Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee; Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the House majority whip; Mike Johnson, R-La., Jodey Arrington, R-Texas; and Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who chairs the Republican Study Committee, have all been floated as possible replacements to McCarthy.

Scalise and Jordan both announced they would formally run for House Speaker on Wednesday. 

White House prohibiting official travel to fossil fuel conferences, internal memo shows

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EXCLUSIVE: The White House is prohibiting senior administration officials from traveling for international energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels, including oil, natural gas and coal, Fox News Digital has learned.

The guidance — which originated from the White House National Security Council (NSC) — was revealed in a Department of Energy (DOE) memo issued internally to agency staff on Sept. 15 and obtained by Fox News Digital. The memo was authored by Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk who outlined travel restrictions and stated officials are required to obtain approval from the NSC before attending any global energy engagement.

"This guidance sets out a presumption that agencies and departments will pursue international energy engagement that advances clean energy projects," Turk wrote in the memo. "It also outlines a process for seeking limited exceptions to pursue carbon-intensive engagements on a justified geostrategic imperative or energy-for-development/energy access basis."

"The guidance rules out any U.S. Government ‘engagement related to unabated or partially abated coal generation,’" he continued. "Carbon-intensive international energy engagements are those 'directly related and dedicated to the production, transportation, or consumption of carbon-intensive fuels that would lead to additional greenhouse gas emissions.'"

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According to the memo, carbon-intensive fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas.

In addition, the memo notes that the guidance became effective in November 2021 and applies to all international energy engagements. Turk issued a separate memo in early April 2022, which first outlined how the DOE would implement the NSC guidance and stated that energy engagements that promote carbon-intensive fuels may only be exempt if they advance national security or are essential to support energy access in vulnerable areas.

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Turk's September memo updated that guidance, stating that for all future engagements, "Departments and Agencies are required to submit exemption justifications to the NSC and receive NSC concurrence before proceeding with a covered engagement."

The DOE referred Fox News Digital to the NSC, which didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.

"The Biden Administration cannot continue to treat the fossil fuels industry as an enemy. Millions of people are employed in this industry which powers our entire nation, our military, our national security, and allows Joe Biden to jet off every weekend to his beach house," Daniel Turner, the founder and executive director of Power the Future who reviewed the memo, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"This war on American fossil fuels is making us poorer, weaker and more reliant on China and OPEC for our energy," he continued. "These petty, [hyperpartisan], childish games should end before it is too late."

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Since taking office, President Biden has pursued an aggressive climate agenda, seeking to boost green energy technologies like solar and wind while curbing domestic reliance on fossil fuels like those listed by the administration as "carbon intensive." Biden has issued federal goals to ensure 50% of U.S. car purchases are zero-emissions by 2030 and that the power sector is carbon-free by 2035.

However, vehicles with internal combustion engines (gasoline-powered), make up more than 99% of all cars in the U.S. and about 99% of new car sales, according to J.D. Power. And approximately 60% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, while 17% is produced form wind or solar power.

"From the day I came to office, we’ve led with a bold climate agenda," Biden remarked during a United Nations conference last month. "We rejoined the Paris Agreement, convened major climate summits, helped deliver critical agreements on COP26. And we helped get two-thirds of the [world's] GDP on track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius."

As part of his agenda, Biden and senior administration officials have traveled to global energy conference to boost green energy development.

And officials have largely been absent from global fossil fuel summits like the World Gas Conference, which former Energy Secretary Rick Perry attended during the Trump administration. The Biden administration also opted against inviting oil and gas industry representatives to the White House Methane Summit in July.

"Tackling a challenge of this scale requires not just will and words, but action," the American Petroleum Institute (API) said in a statement on July 26. "We are disappointed that the industries driving the most reductions in methane emissions, including the natural gas and oil industry, were not included."

"API’s members are investing in advanced technology to detect and mitigate emissions, and thanks to industry action, average methane emissions intensity declined by nearly 66 percent across all seven major producing regions from 2011 to 2021. We continue to work with the administration to build on this progress."

Biden admin quietly released study showing green energy receives far more subsidies than fossil fuels

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The Biden administration quietly issued a 59-page report outlining the current scope of federal energy-related subsidies revealed that the renewable energy sector enjoys significantly larger taxpayer backing than the fossil fuel industry.

The report — authored by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) and published in August — represents the first of its kind since 2018. The EIA analyzed data from 2016 through 2022, and determined that, during that time period, the federal government doled out $183.3 billion in direct and mainly indirect taxpayer subsidies, more than half of which came over the last three years. 

"For years Democrats have claimed technologies like solar energy are cheaper than coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear. This report makes clear that solar is largely dependent on heavy subsidies with taxpayer dollars," Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital.

In early 2021, Barrasso and Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., requested the analysis to help inform congressional policymaking in a letter to then-EIA Acting Administrator Stephen Nalley. The pair argued such a report would be particularly relevant "as Congress considers calls for a greater level of federal involvement in the nation’s energy systems and markets."

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"Under the Biden Administration, American families are paying too much for energy as it is," the Wyoming Republican continued. "They shouldn’t have to fork over their hard-earned money to support liberal special interests. Solar should be competing for sales in the marketplace, not for subsidies in Washington."

According to the EIA report, while renewable energy sources like wind and solar power account for about 21% of domestic electricity production, such sources received a staggering $83.8 billion in subsidies, by far the largest share compared to any other category. 

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Energy end use subsidies, like energy efficiency- and conservation-related tax provisions, represented the next-largest slice of energy sector federal subsidies after renewable power, according to the EIA report. End use sources received $64.8 billion in subsidies, equivalent of 35% of total energy-related subsidies doled out by the federal government.

While renewable and end use sources accounted for more than 80% of total energy industry subsides, fossil fuel sources — namely natural gas, petroleum and oil, which account for more than 60% of electricity production and the vast majority of transportation energy — benefited from $24.5 billion, or 13%, in subsidies.

Nuclear power, which produces another 18% of U.S. electricity, received $2.9 billion in subsidies during the analyzed timeframe, the equivalent of 2% of total subsidies awarded.

The reports findings suggest far more taxpayer money is being spent per energy unit produced by green energy sources than for the equivalent energy until produced by fossil fuel energy.

For example, natural gas power generated 44.9 quadrillion British thermal units in 2022, 45% of total energy generated economywide, but received $2.3 billion in taxpayer subsidies that year. That means for every million British thermal units (MMBtu) produced by natural gas, the industry received about $0.05.

By comparison, in 2022, the solar industry generated about 0.6 quadrillion British thermal units, less than 1% of total energy produced economywide in the U.S., but received $7.5 billion in subsidies. That means the solar power industry received $11.9 per MMBtu generated last year.

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The results are as pronounced when comparing coal power which received $873 million in subsidies last year while generating 18 times the amount of power as solar energy.

However, President Biden, his administration and prominent Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, arguing they distort the market and unfairly disadvantage alternative energy sources.

"The President is committed to ending tens of billions of dollars of federal tax subsidies for oil and gas companies. Even as they benefit from billions of dollars in special tax breaks, oil companies have failed to invest in production," the White House earlier this year.

The statement came after Biden unveiled his proposed fiscal year 2024 budget which proposed to strip $31 billion worth of "special tax treatment" for oil and gas company investments in addition to other fossil fuel tax preferences over the next several years.

"We are subsidizing the danger. As we’ll hear today, the United States subsidizes the fossil fuel industry with taxpayer dollars," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said during a hearing in May. "In the United States, by some estimates taxpayers pay about $20 billion dollars every year to the fossil fuel industry. What do we get for that? Economists generally agree: not much."

"But the really big subsidy is the license to pollute for free," he continued. "The IMF calls this global free pass an "implicit" fossil fuel subsidy. Economists call it an 'unpriced externality.' Behind these benign-sounding phrases is a lot of harm."

Republicans open probe into Biden’s energy secretary after police called on her EV road trip

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Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are probing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over her recent electric vehicle (EV) road trip where police were called on her and her team.

Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon, R-Texas, informed Granholm in a letter Tuesday morning that they were investigating the June road trip which they said was aimed to "boost the charade of the effectiveness of green energy."

"This taxpayer-funded publicity stunt illustrates yet again how out of touch the Biden Administration is with the consequences of policies it has unleashed on everyday Americans," Comer and Fallon wrote to Granholm. 

"Committee Republicans remain committed to preserving freedoms like vehicle consumer choice in the face of an unproven, burdensome, and expensive Biden Administration push to force all Americans to buy EVs," they continued. "We request documents and information to understand the purposes, costs, and consequences of your summer 2023 EV road trip."

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Earlier this month, reports surfaced that, during Granholm's four-day EV road trip from North Carolina to Tennessee, Energy Department staffers used a car with an internal combustion engine to block off an EV charger for the secretary outside a Walmart in Grovetown, Georgia. 

One family, angered that they were forced by a gas-powered vehicle to wait to use a charger, ultimately called the police to report the incident.

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"I'm calling because I'm in the Grovetown Walmart at the charging station and there's literally a non-electric car that is taking up a space and said they're holding the space for somebody else," the woman who made the 911 call told a police dispatcher in a recording obtained by Fox News Digital. "And it's holding up a whole bunch of people who need to charge their cars."

"There are other people who are waiting to charge and they're still here and they're not in electric cars," the woman continued. "The sign says you can't park here unless you're charging."

The dispatcher then informed the woman that a deputy was on the way to handle the situation. While a police officer eventually responded to the incident, a police report was never filed. The incident was first reported by NPR which joined Granholm on the trip. According to the report, Granholm's office organized the trip to "draw attention to the billions of dollars the White House is pouring into green energy and clean cars."

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While Granholm's team planned the trip far in advance to prepare for charging stops, the Georgia stop underscored logistical issues that continue to face zero-emissions cars which Granholm, President Biden and Democratic-led states are aggressively pushing.

After she was pressed on the incident during a House Science and Technology Committee hearing on Sept. 14, Granholm explained the incident occurred as a result of "poor judgment on the part of the team," sidestepping blame.

"Your fleet of EVs could not complete the trip without the support of the fossil fuel industry which you and the Biden Administration have been intent to vilify and destroy," Comer and Fallon continued in their letter Tuesday. "Traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina to Memphis, Tennessee, you encountered significant EV implementation hurdles."

"You and your staff did not even make serious, practical decisions on the EV vehicles chosen for the road trip."

The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.