Last week, President Biden delivered the State of the Union and outlined his vision for the U.S. energy transition. Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) responded to a request from Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Roger Wicker (R-KS) and concluded that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action to exempt small refineries under the Renewable Fuel Standard does not constitute a rule and is not subject to the Congressional Review Act. On the West Coast, Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-CA) introduced a bill to divest the California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in fossil fuel companies. Finally, in anticipation of the Conference of Parties 28 (COP 28) the European Union (EU) is considering an agreement to shift away from fossil fuels.
To read Akin’s most recent climate policy update, please click here.