New Report Finds Cutting Methane Emissions Could Bring Thousands Of Jobs To Texas Oil Fields. According to KERA News, “As the Environmental Protection Agency pursues stricter regulations on methane emissions, oil and gas advocates in Texas claim those efforts will hurt the industry. But a new report from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Climate Jobs Project concluded tens of thousands of jobs may be created in Texas as a result of new methane regulations. Martha Pskowski looked into the study for Inside Climate News and talked to Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden about it.” [KERA News, 5/26/23]
Debt Deal Would Approve Permits For Mountain Valley Pipeline. According to the Washington Post, “Over the weekend, House Republicans and President Biden announced a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling and fund the government for the next two years. If approved by Congress, the deal would expedite approval of all necessary permits for the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from West Virginia to the Southeast. The 303-mile pipeline, a top priority of Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), has faced a string of legal setbacks from environmentalists since its inception, but the new provisions would block almost all such challenges.” [Washington Post, 5/30/23 (=)]
Parties Lining Up Votes For Debt Deal Amid Backlash. According to Politico, “Republican and Democratic leaders are looking to secure enough support for the debt ceiling and energy permitting compromise before a planned vote Wednesday. This weekend, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Joe Biden announced that — after weeks of haggling — they had reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling, cut spending and address long-standing energy permitting worries. But some vocal conservatives are accusing McCarthy of failing to extract enough concessions from Democrats, and progressives think the president gave away too much.” [Politico, 5/30/23 (=)]
‘Thumb On The Scale': Kagan Rebukes SCOTUS Environment Rulings. According to Politico, “In taking her conservative colleagues to task for severely diminishing EPA water protections Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan copied and pasted part of her dissent in another landmark environmental case. Kagan, one of the court’s three liberal members, criticized the majority in Sackett v. EPA for placing a “thumb on the scale” in favor of landowners looking to escape water permitting requirements, even though the Clean Water Act was explicitly designed to stop property owners from polluting.” [Politico, 5/26/23 (=)]