Category: Headlines

Just In | The Hill 

Water cuts are forcing Arizona’s incoming governor to get moving on water issues. Meanwhile, we’ll look at a new report’s estimate on the impacts of the Keystone Pipeline cancellation.

This is Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk. Subscribe here.

Hobbs hits the ground running amid water cuts

Arizona’s newly inaugurated Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has no time to waste as she faces the daunting challenge of addressing the state’s use of water from the overallocated Colorado River.

Arizona is one of three states in the river’s lower basin, along with California and Nevada. Historic drought, intensified by climate change, has battered the region for the entire 21st century, and last year, the river’s waters dropped to a level that triggers automatic allocation cuts from the federal Bureau of Reclamation.  

Arizona was issued the largest cut of any state, at 21 percent. The cuts took effect on Jan. 1, the day before Hobbs took office, forcing her to hit the ground running on the issue.  

Ultimately, she will need to oversee decisions about how the state allocates its dwindling supply from the key river, balancing competing interests between rural agricultural communities and booming cities.  

One of the “first and most important thing[s]” directly under Hobbs’s control is something she’s already done, according to Dave White, director of Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. Ahead of her inauguration, Hobbs confirmed she’d retain Tom Buschatzke as director of the state Department of Water Resources.  

The details: 

Buschatzke, appointed by Hobbs’s predecessor Doug Ducey (R) in 2015, has been “an integral and important leader in water policy and management in the state” as well as representing the state in interstate negotiations over Colorado River allocation, White said, making his continued presence vital to continuity on water policy.

If basin states cannot reach a new agreement, updating the century-old compact that governs the river’s waters, the federal government has raised the prospect of imposing cuts itself, separate from the Bureau of Reclamation cuts.

As a result of that decision, “we’re not losing momentum here, which is very important,” said Sharon Megdal, director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.   

What the state water director says: In an interview with The Hill, Buschatzke said that by remaining in his position he would be able to continue building on the relationships with other negotiators he has already established.

“It’s really important to have that basic relationship throughout the basin and I think it will serve Arizona well and it will serve Gov. Hobbs well as she helps define the policy direction that the state is following,” Buschatzke said.   

What comes next? Buschatzke said Arizona was well-prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation cuts, but “the real issue [is] much more needs to be done to stabilize the system, and it’s uncertain as to how big a number we’re going to come up with to stabilize the system.”

“I will continue to advocate for collaborative solutions to get as much voluntary compensated conservation or into Lake Mead to avoid mandatory cuts from the federal government,” he said. 

Read more about the issues at play here.  

Keystone cancelation cost jobs: agency 

A review from the Energy Department determined that the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline ultimately resulted in fewer jobs, but found the move’s impacts on consumer prices were “inconclusive.” 

The department conducted a literature review of several studies on the impacts that the Keystone XL Pipeline would have had, including studies sponsored by the federal government as well as the company behind the pipeline, TC Energy. 

On his first day in office, President Biden canceled a permit that was needed for the pipeline’s construction — leading to the project’s ultimate demise. The move sparked praise from environmental organizations but condemnation from Republicans and the energy industry.  

The findings: 

The new report found that the pipeline was expected to create about 50 permanent jobs once it was operational.

It also said that studies estimated the construction period would support between 16,149 and 59,468 jobs, though it said that the high-end estimate “overstates” jobs because it included jobs outside the United States.

It also said that estimates of the broader economic impacts “show wide variations” across studies and so they are “not directly comparable” due to major differences in modeling assumptions. Specifically, it said that the impacts on consumer prices were inconclusive in light of changes that have happened in the U.S. and Canadian oil markets since the pipeline was proposed. 

The new assessment was dated December 2022, but was announced by the offices of Republican Sens. Steve Daines (Mont.) and Jim Risch (Idaho) on Thursday.  

“The Department of Energy finally admitted to the worst kept secret about the Keystone Pipeline: President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline sacrificed thousands of American jobs,” Risch said in a statement.

What the administration is saying: A spokesperson for the Energy Department described the job impacts as “limited,” citing the permanent jobs figure. 

“The U.S. Department of Energy released a report evaluating existing analysis on economic and job effects of the XL portion of Keystone pipeline. It concluded there were limited job impacts, with approximately 50 permanent jobs estimated to have been created were the pipeline operational,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. 

Read more about the report here.  

HOUSE SPEAKER BATTLE DRAGS ON

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) once again failed to claim the Speaker’s gavel on the 10th vote the House has conducted, a number of Speakership ballots that hasn’t been seen since before the Civil War. 

His vote total appears largely unchanged. He received 200 votes. Twenty Republicans voted for someone else, as on every other ballot on Wednesday and Thursday, and one voted “present.” 

This means that the voting is expected to drag on until Republicans can come to an agreement. 

The speakership requires a majority vote — 218 if all members are present.  

Follow along with updates on from The Hill’s staff here.  

WHAT WE’RE READING

DOE official warns of solar supply chain risks (Axios) 

Has the Amazon Reached Its ‘Tipping Point’? (The New York Times Magazine) 

Why can’t the West just pipe in water from the Mississippi or Missouri rivers to save the Colorado River? (The Denver Post) 

National Bird Day: These are some of the species most at risk of extinction in the US (ABC News) 

EPA targets plastics company in PFAS probe (E&E News) 

🍻 Lighter click: Cheers? 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Energy & Environment page for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.  

​Overnight Energy & Environment, Energy & Environment, Policy, Colorado River, Katie Hobbs, keystone pipeline Read More 

Politics, Policy, Political News Top Stories 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Matt Gaetz is leading the resistance against Kevin McCarthy — but the Florida Republican wasn’t always an anti-establishment rebel.

Just ask the lawmakers and political operatives who knew him when he served in the Florida Legislature. They say the Panhandle Republican could cause people headaches but was known for helping leadership.

“Every speaker in Florida knew he could be a pain in the ass, but they handled him well. He ran a lot of leadership bills that passed,” said a Florida political operative who has known Gaetz since he served in the Florida House for six years beginning in 2010.

Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is capturing a moment right now in Congress after weathering a federal sex trafficking probe. He’s placed himself in the national spotlight by being part of the effort to block McCarthy from gaining the speakership, bringing the House to a standstill in the process. He’s drawn the ire of many in his party, including Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) who called Gaetz a “D-lister” and a fraud and former GOP speaker Newt Gingrich, who called the Republicans trying to prevent McCarthy’s speakership as “kamikazes.” It all comes as Gaetz eyes a run for Florida governor in 2026, even though the field will be crowded.

During his time in the Florida Legislature from 2010-2016, he was known as a pugilist who could get headlines, now a hallmark of his three terms in Congress. But when he walked the halls of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, he was seen, at least in part, as a part of the legislative leadership teams. He was never perceived a counterweight to Republican leadership in the Florida House and even chaired the House’s powerful finance and tax committee. He was among the Florida lawmakers closest to lobbyists, notable since he called McCarthy a “vessel for lobbyists.”

Lobbyists who knew Gaetz in Tallahassee say his role as one of the most disruptive members of Congress — leading 20 Republicans rising up against McCarthy’s speakership bid — caps a transformation for the 40-year-old lawmaker.

“I don’t know that I’ve known 10 House members in my life that were closer to lobbyists and the swamp than he was while he was here,” said a veteran Florida lobbyist granted anonymity to speak freely of Gaetz. “My assessment is that Matt deserves a fucking Academy Award.”

Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.

Gaetz’s run for Congress came after he bowed out of a Florida Senate race to replace his father, Don, who was a former Florida Senate president facing term limits. His father was known as “Papa Gaetz” while Matt was known as “Baby Gaetz.” Matt Gaetz briefly ran against Republican George Gainer, a Republican who would go on to serve six years in the state Senate before his retirement in 2022. Gaetz got out of the Florida Senate race after former U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller retired from his western Panhandle seat, giving Gaetz an open district to run in.

From the start of his 2016 congressional campaign, he framed himself as an anti-establishment figure who wanted to shake up Washington.

“I’m not running for Congress because I want to go to Washington,” Gaetz said at the time. “I’m running for Congress because we can’t trust Washington.”

But during the 2016 election cycle, Gaetz was still essentially part of the establishment. He supported former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, an effort that was swamped by Trump, who turned Bush into a pariah with many in the Republican Party base who are now among Gaetz’s biggest supporters.

“@JebBush was an outstanding conservative governor,” Gaetz tweeted in Aug. 2015, two months after Bush got in the race. “I like action, not just talk.”

Gaetz is now known as one of Trump’s biggest champions and is supporting Trump’s 2024 White House bid even if the former president is challenged by current Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose 2018 campaign for governor Gaetz helped run.

Trump has backed McCarthy for speaker, a move that didn’t dissuade Gaetz, whose opposition remained staunch Thursday afternoon. On the ninth vote, Gaetz voted for Trump as most of his fellow anti-McCarthy Republicans chose other members of the House, including fellow Florida Republican Byron Donalds.

Donalds is also considered to be potential 2026 GOP candidate for Florida governor.

But Gaetz is also known for a federal probe examining whether he had sex with a 17-year-old and paid her for it. The investigation, which started during the end of Trump’s administration, lasted more than two years but a person familiar with the probe told POLITICO in September that authorities aren’t expected to charge Gaetz. The Florida Republican consistently denied the accusations.

The standoff over McCarthy, however, is one of Gaetz’ most high-profile fights yet. During an interview on Fox News Wednesday night, Gaetz railed against McCarthy and Washington in general, saying “this town needs to change, and we’re going to change it one or the other.”

“My team are the people in Florida who sent me here to fight for them,” he said. “My team is not the assembly of group think that occurs inside the swamp. We got to drain the swamp.”

​ Read More 

Just In | The Hill 

As lawmakers failed to elect a Speaker of the House for the third straight day, the State Department and lawmakers alike warned that it may compound concerns on Capitol Hill over the ability of lawmakers to carry out their duties related to national security and foreign policy.  

We’ll share more of what the Biden administration and some members of the House warned, plus the details of the armored fighting vehicles soon to head to Ukraine and Russia’s proposed ceasefire that the West isn’t buying. 

This is Defense & National Security, your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell. A friend forward this newsletter to you?

State Dept: Speaker fight a national security concern

The State Department on Thursday said that inconclusive elections for Speaker of the House are likely to compound concerns on Capitol Hill over the ability of lawmakers to carry out their duties related to national security and foreign policy.  

The absence of a Speaker of the House — with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy losing 10 rounds of votes for Speaker — has left lawmakers and members-elect without the credentials to attend briefings or meetings on sensitive and classified information with administration officials. 

Compounded: State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday that lawmakers’ concerns “will be compounded” the longer the House remains without an elected Speaker — necessary to swear in members and authorize committee formations that allow them to participate in foreign policy and national security tasks. 

“Well, of course, over time, those concerns, concerns on the part of the members themselves and the members-elect themselves, will be compounded,” Price said. 

No clear path: The spokesperson continued that it is “much more difficult” for the State Department to take “into account the prerogatives and the perspectives of members of both chambers of Congress” when there is not a seated House of Representatives.   

“But this is the process. The process is playing out. And I expect, we can all expect at some point, before too long, the process will conclude.” 

Read that story here 

SPEAKER DELAY HALTS NATIONAL SECURITY BRIEFINGS 

The disorder in the House is leaving lawmakers fuming over their inability to stay apprised on national security matters, as it is blocking them from entering classified briefings or meeting with top officials.  

Lawmakers say they can’t even go into a special room known as the sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, where they discuss top-secret information with national security officials.   

No entry: Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said he was blocked from entering the SCIF by security as he arrived for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on “matters in the Indo-Pacific.”   

“I’m informed by House security that technically, I don’t have a clearance. I’m a member of the Intel Committee. I’m on the Armed Services Committee, and I can’t meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business. My point is we have work to do that we can’t do right now,” he said at a press conference alongside other Republicans pleading for a quick resolution to Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) quest for the gavel.   

Complaints: Incoming chairs for the House intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees complained the delay is hindering their oversight of the Biden administration — a top priority for the GOP majority.   

“There is no oversight of the White House, State Department, Department of Defense, or the intelligence community. We cannot let personal politics place the safety and security of the United States at risk,” Reps. Michael Turner (Ohio), Mike Rogers (Ala.) and Michael McCaul (Texas) said in a statement. 

Some background: Lawmakers don’t directly hold security clearances but are deemed trustworthy for receiving such information simply by the office they hold. 

Other briefings are restricted by committee membership — and the committees cannot be formally comprised until a Speaker is elected.   

A GOP staffer told The Hill that staff who receive security clearances due to the nature of their work are still able to access the SCIF and receive briefings, even as lawmakers cannot.   

Read the full story here 

US, Germany give more fighting vehicles to Ukraine

The United States and Germany have agreed to send additional fighting vehicles to Ukraine, a decision that could mean Kyiv getting more powerful Western tanks in its fight against Russia. 

The deal, which was cemented after President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone Wednesday, means Washington with send the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and Germany intends to provide Ukraine with Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, the White House announced in a Thursday release. 

From the Pentagon: The Bradleys will be included as part of “another round of security assistance for Ukraine” anticipated on Friday, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters later on Thursday. 

More about the Bradley: The Army’s primary infantry fighting vehicle, the Bradley is a powerful armored and tracked vehicle that carries a turret-mounted machine gun. Made by BAE Systems, the vehicle has been called a “tank killer,” capable of destroying any other vehicle on the battlefield with its heavy firepower. 

The vehicles will likely boost Ukraine’s battle abilities, as they are lighter and more agile than the Soviet-era tanks Ukraine has, which also includes those given by European countries after Russia first attacked on Feb. 24.   

Earlier: The decision by the United States and Germany follows France’s Wednesday announcement that it will send Ukraine its own light battle tanks, the AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicle, becoming the first nation to arm the embattled country with the Western-style fighting vehicles.   

Thanks but please send tanks: But President Volodymyr Zelensky, who on Wednesday thanked France for the contribution, still urged the West to send its tanks, such as the Abrams or Leopard, and other heavy weapons. 

“There is no rational reason why Ukraine has not yet been supplied with Western tanks,” Zelensky said. 

A boost: The United States has already given Ukraine more than 2,000 combat vehicles, including Humvees and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. The addition of the Bradley, however, will boost Kyiv’s battle abilities as it plans a renewed spring offensive in the east. 

Read the rest here 

Biden: Putin looking for ‘oxygen’ with brief cease-fire

President Biden said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for a temporary, Christmas cease-fire is an effort to “find some oxygen,” dismissing that the Kremlin is serious about finding an off ramp for its assault against Ukraine.   

The president said he was “reluctant to respond to anything Putin says,” but characterized the Kremlin as cynically attacking civilians over the December holidays.   

“He was ready to bomb hospitals and nurseries and churches on the 25th and New Years — I mean, I think he’s trying to find some oxygen,” Biden said. 

A ‘cynical ploy’: State Department spokesperson Ned Price expanded on Biden’s remarks, saying the administration views Russia’s call for a cease-fire as a “cynical ploy … to rest, to refit, to regroup, and ultimately to reattack, to reattack with potentially even more vengeance, even more brutality, even more lethality, if they had their way.”  

Price further said that the administration has not seen any indication that Russia was open to negotiations or any diplomacy. 

And an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, also said Putin’s call for a Christmas truce “is a cynical trap and an element of propaganda.” 

The supposed ceasfire: In a statement posted to the Kremlin’s website, Putin said he would implement a 36-hour cease-fire to occur on Orthodox Christmas, from noon on Friday and through Saturday, and called on Kyiv to do the same.  

“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a cease-fire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ,” Putin’s order, published on the Kremlin’s website, reads.  

Putin called for the cease-fire “along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine.” 

Dialogue demands: Ahead of the cease-fire statement, Putin spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, calling for Kyiv to answer its demands as a condition for dialogue, per a statement published by the Kremlin. 

“Vladimir Putin again reaffirmed that Russia is open to a serious dialogue – under the condition that the Kiev authorities meet the clear demands that have been repeatedly laid out, and recognise the new territorial realities,” the statement read. 

Read that story here 

ON TAP TOMORROW

The Wilson Center will hold a preview of the Tenth North American Leaders’ Summit at 3:30 p.m. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

France to send light battle tanks to Ukraine in first for Kyiv 

CISA director: US needs to be vigilant, ‘keep our shields up’ against Russia 

House Speaker vote: McCarthy loses 10th straight ballot 

Democratic members, Fanone call on GOP to condemn political violence ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary 

Biden’s Venezuela strategy upended along with US-backed opposition 

OP-EDS IN THE HILL

Putin at war with his own words 

On Ukraine aid, Republicans should follow the leader 

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

​Overnight Defense, Defense, National Security, Overnight National Security, Policy Read More 

Just In | The Hill 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Thursday blasted a number of her fellow GOP lawmakers, including Colorado’s Rep. Lauren Boebert, for opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for Speaker as the House kicks off its 11th round of voting for the top leadership slot.  

“I think the American people, no matter how you vote, are sick and tired of drama. And this is nothing but drama,” Greene told CNN. 

Greene accused Boebert, who nominated Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) during an earlier vote, of “obstruction” as McCarthy seeks to secure the majority of votes needed to win. 

“We’re on multiple days now with multiple candidates from this group, so I’m not sure how Lauren Boebert on one hand can demand so much out of Kevin McCarthy, but then demand nothing out of someone else and then be willing to vote for them to be Speaker. That’s not serious,” Greene said.  

The comments weren’t the first time tensions between Greene and Boebert, both outspoken and controversial voices within the party, have publicly broken out over McCarthy’s Speakership ambitions in recent weeks.

Voting for the House’s top spot will continue until a candidate wins the required majority. As of Thursday evening, McCarthy has lost 10 consecutive rounds in the Speaker election as around 20 GOP lawmakers have forced a stalemate each time by casting their ballots for alternative candidates.

Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) has secured more votes than McCarthy in each bout with support from House Democrats, but neither he nor McCarthy has won the majority required to grab the gavel in the newly Republican-controlled House.  

Lawmakers can’t be sworn in until a Speaker is chosen, and legislative business is on hold until that happens. 

​House, Hakeem Jeffires, House Speaker vote, Kevin McCarthy, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene Read More