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Energy & Environment
Energy & Environment
The Big Story
Biden issues flexible guidance for EV components
The Biden administration granted leeway for qualifying for electric vehicle (EV) tax credits — allowing some foreign minerals to be used for two extra years.
The rule pertains to provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that bar vehicles from eligibility if their battery minerals come from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The final rule issued Friday cements a previously proposed two-year carve out for certain minerals whose sources are difficult to trace.
It also expands the provision — adding graphite — a mineral that can make up a significant share of an EV battery and often comes from China.
The move won cheers from the auto industry, which said it will bolster electric vehicle adoption and give companies more time to shore up their supply chains.
But critics, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), argue that the rule circumvents stipulations in the law meant to reduce reliance on foreign powers like China.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin  and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
The Biden administration’s pause on natural gas export projects is putting the president in a tricky political spot in Pennsylvania, one of the key swing states in November.
Residents of households with gas or propane stoves are regularly inhaling pollutants that are both exacerbating childhood asthma rates and causing early death, a coast-to-coast study of U.S. homes found.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and his wife were indicted Friday on charges related to allegedly accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes and laundering the funds.The indictment details payments Cuellar allegedly accepted from an oil company owned by the Azerbaijan government and a Mexican bank.
House Republicans and Democrats have released two dueling visions for the farm bill, the massive $1.5 trillion omnibus that underpins the U.S. food system. The contrasting proposals show the fault lines between the two parties’ visions for American agriculture as it is beset by rising supply costs and climate change
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on an EPA chemical safety rule.
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup on three bills including conservation legislation.
Wednesday
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold hearings to examine the fiscal 2025 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency. Administrator Michael Reganis scheduled to testify.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold hearing to examine the fiscal 2025 budget request for the Interior Department. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is scheduled to testify.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
Strife at Sierra Club as staff fears more layoffs (E&E News)
Venomous snakes likely to migrate en masse amid global heating, says study (The Guardian)
American oil tycoon accused of trying to conspire with OPEC to inflate prices (CNN)
Former President Trump’s ex-political adviser Hope Hicks testified for hours Friday in his hush money trial in Manhattan where she detailed the chaos that enveloped his 2016 campaign. Read more
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) took a shot at Fox News after a columnist for the outlet called her “an idiot” who is trying to “wreck the GOP.” Read more
Opinions in The Hill
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