Analysis by Energy Workforce President Tim Tarpley
Vice Presidential Debate Briefly Hits on Energy
Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Waltz squared off in what may be the final debate of this Presidential cycle. Considering that Harris and Trump have yet to agree on terms for a second debate, it is very likely that this could be our last opportunity to get a read on where the two campaigns are truly going to come down on energy issues. As for the debate itself, most commentators seem to think Vance was the victor and appeared more polished with his debating skills. It is hard to say if the solid performance will have much of an effect on the race, though, which remains very, very close.
As for energy policy, the only relevant discussion came up in the context of Hurricane Helene and the devastation caused by the huge storm. The moderators attempted to connect the storm to climate change and asked the two candidates for their take on what could be done. Vance came out strong and made the point that if we agree that carbon emissions were the problem, we should all agree that producing more energy and manufacturing in the United States should be encouraged as we produce the world’s lowest carbon energy and manufacturing. He criticized encouraging manufacturing of renewable energy equipment in countries like China as the carbon intensity of their manufacturing is much higher. Waltz seemed a bit knocked off center by the answer and retorted that oil and gas production has never been higher and that the Biden Administration has invested in infrastructure and other programs that help communities with weather resilience. Notably, he did not address the LNG pause or the Biden-Harris administration’s lease slowdown, nor was he pressed for more details by the moderators. Overall, from the exchange, we learned very little about energy policy, and from an EWTC perspective, Vance came out stronger in articulating a clear and coherent long-term energy message.
Harris Campaign Signals Support for Permitting Reform (Sort of)
On Thursday of last week, the Harris campaign released an economic policy blueprint that calls for easier permitting rules in addition to additional federal subsidies for renewable energy. The release of this blueprint follows the major speech Harris gave Wednesday spotlighting the role in manufacturing investments, and she stated that she would “cut red tape and get things moving faster.” “The simple truth is, in America, it takes too long and costs too much to build……Whether it’s a new housing development, a new factory, or a new bridge, projects take too long to go from concept to reality.”
What the economic policy blueprint does not include is details into what kind of “permitting reform” she supports. The most likely vehicle for real across-the-board permitting reform at the current time is the Manchin-Barrasso bill, which passed out of Senate Energy; however, she does not explicitly say she supports this package. Some on the left have criticized this bill as including too many provisions to speed up permitting for traditional fossil fuel projects, such as the 90-day clock on LNG permit approvals, which is meant to directly counteract the LNG permitting “pause” that is nearly a year old and has been undertaken by the Biden Administration. It is possible that the permitting reform in this blueprint is only meant to be transmission-related projects meant to help support growth in renewable energy production. Without additional details like her stance on this “pause,” the policy blueprint really does little to give us real details on what a Harris energy policy package would look like. While support for permitting reform generally is welcome, we will have to wait and see if there is an opportunity for more real details before election day.
Port Strike Could Disrupt US Supply Chain
Starting on Tuesday of this week, 50,000 ILA union longshoremen walked off the job at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports after failing to reach a new agreement, setting up the first strike since 1977. Between 43%-49% of all US imports and billions of dollars in trade monthly move through the affected ports. A 50% wage hike over six years was rejected at the last minute by the union. The 14 ports involved are Boston, NY/NJ, Philadelphia, South Carolina, Savanna, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, New Orleans, Mobile, and Houston. The long-term effects of the shutdown will depend on its length. Food and automotive will see the quickest disruptions, but if the strike continues, her sectors will feel the pain soon enough. The strike is likely to become a major issue in the US Presidential race very quickly and could not come at a more critical time in the race. The President does have the ability to invoke Taft-Hartley, which would suspend the strike for an 80-day “cooling off period” in cases where national health or safety is at risk. So far, the President has indicated that he is not yet considering that option. “We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now.”
Tim Tarpley, Energy Workforce President, analyzes federal policy for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
