What to Know in Washington: EPA Cracks Down on Power Plants
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The Biden administration is cracking down on planet-warming pollution from power plants.
Regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency being unveiled today will force the nation’s current fleet of coal plants to capture nearly all of their carbon dioxide emissions — or close — by 2039. And it will compel similar pollution cuts for many of the new gas-fired plants built to replace them.
Overall, the measure could further drive the nation toward emission-free renewable power and hasten coal plant closures at a time when AI, data centers, and vehicle electrification are driving up demand, Jennifer A. Dlouhy reports. Read More
Coal-state Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she plans to introduce a measure under the Congressional Review Act, which would allow Congress to roll back the new regulation she calls “illegal.”
It’s part of President Joe Biden’s plan to “shut down the backbone of America’s electric grid through unachievable regulatory mandates,” the West Virginia Republican said in a statement today that Bloomberg Government obtained exclusively. Read More from Kellie Lunney.
BIDEN’S AGENDA
- The president heads to Syracuse, N.Y., where he’ll deliver remarks around 2 p.m. on the CHIPS and Science Act.
- Biden will head to Westchester County, N.Y. where he’ll participate in a campaign event around 6:15 p.m.
- He’ll arrive at the Wall Street Landing Zone shortly before 8 p.m.
Happening on the Hill
Rep. JOSH GOTTHEIMER is seeking committee hearings on New York City’s plan to charge motorists for driving into Manhattan’s central business district, called “congestion pricing.” Read More
A key House panel is on track to getting a STABLECOIN bill in the short run, Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. Read More
People, Power, and Politics
Rep. DONALD PAYNE JR.’s death yesterday created a vacancy that can’t be filled until late September, at the earliest, leaving House Democrats facing months with one fewer vote in the closely divided chamber.
- The soonest a primary could occur would be July, with a general election in early September. After 20 days to certify the vote counts, the winner wouldn’t be seated until later that month at the earliest, according to a Democrat familiar with the state law.
- By that point, Congress will likely be focused on campaigns, not legislating. Payne’s death, along with yesterday’s resignation of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) leaves the House with a narrow 217-212 split. Read More
The ruling from ARIZONA’s highest court reinstating a near-total ban on ABORTIONS has catapulted the issue to the forefront in a 2024 swing state that has absorbed an influx of independent voters. Read More
Support among SWING STATE VOTERS for US aid to ISRAEL has plunged in the months since the country launched its campaign to root out Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
- Fifty-one percent of registered voters in the seven states that will decide the 2024 presidential election said they either strongly or somewhat support aid to Israel. That’s down 11 percentage points from November. Read More
DONALD TRUMP’s campaign will host a donor retreat next week in Palm Beach, Fla., with some prominent Republicans who have been discussed as his potential running mate. Read More
Defense and Foreign Policy
The US is pushing ISRAEL for details about reports that mass graves were uncovered at two hospital complexes in the Gaza Strip after Israeli forces raided the facilities. Read More
Israel’s war cabinet is expected to discuss a deadlock in HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS with Hamas. One new proposal is to free all hostages in exchange for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Haaretz reported. Read More
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he plans to call Biden to discuss demonstrations at COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, claiming the pro-Palestinian protests created an unsafe environment for Jewish students. Read More
- The university’s governing body backed President Nemat Shafik amid escalating demands for her resignation, spurred by student-led protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict. Read More
Driving TIKTOK— or its Chinese owner — out of the US could make American firms with large exposure to China’s market, including Apple and Tesla, potential targets for retaliation. Read More
Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN said the world’s largest economies must “lay out our differences,” and also raised concerns over unfair trade practices in the world’s No. 2 economy as he began two days of talks in China. Read More
RUSSIA vetoed a UN Security Council bid to reaffirm an global pact against deploying nuclear weapons in space, rebuffing US efforts to spotlight Moscow’s reported plans to do so. Read More
Biden’s policy toward CUBA has been the same as that of Trump, including US “aggression against the Cuban economy,” the island nation’s deputy foreign minister told Bloomberg. Read More
What Else We’re Watching
The ex-leader of BINANCE should be dealt three years in prison, the Justice Department recommended of Changpeng Zhao, who once led the world’s largest crypto exchange. Read More
Federal prosecutors could decide on a BOEING deferred-prosecution agreement by the first week of June, specifically whether to tear up the controversial agreeement, according to lawyers for the families of people killed in two crashes of 737 Max jets. Read More
To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com
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