American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2021 - 20

IndustryDigest
report for what it is: at best a politically
motivated document repeating old antidevelopment
talking points, and at
worst a nonsensical screed. " ❒
EPA Tells Court It May
Propose Stricter NAAQS
Governing Ozone
WASHINGTON-With a document
filed in federal court, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
revealed it was re-evaluating its
December 2020 determination not to
tighten the Clean Air Act National
Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone.
The filing, a motion to hold the case
in abeyance, was submitted for State of
New York, et al., v. EPA, consolidated
litigation that more than a dozen states
and antidevelopment groups filed
shortly after the agency determined
during President Trump's administration
that the NAAQS ozone standards the
Obama administration set in 2015 were
adequate. The filing indicates EPA " will
be reconsidering the 2020 ozone
NAAQS decision, with the intention of
completing the reconsideration by the
end of 2023. "
The document notes that President
Biden's Jan. 20 " Executive Order on
Protecting Public Health and the
Environment and Restoring Science to
the Climate Crisis " requires a review
of certain agency actions taken during
the Trump era, which has prompted
the re-evaluation.
" EPA has now determined that it will
be reconsidering the 2020 ozone
NAAQS decision through a notice-andcomment
rulemaking proceeding, and
its expected timetable for this
reconsideration confirms its intention to
move as expeditiously as practicable, "
the document states. " EPA's goal is to
complete this reconsideration by the end
of 2023. " ❒
USA Strikes Steel Deal
With European Union,
But Criticisms Remain
WASHINGTON-The United States
and the European Union say they have
agreed to joint steps to re-establish
historical transatlantic trade flows in
steel and aluminum. Although media
reports characterize the announcement
20 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
as an easing of Trump-era
protectionism, some analysts suggest
the pact appears to help cement it.
The trade partners add that, as a part
of their partnership, they intend to
negotiate for a first-ever global
arrangement to address carbon intensity
and global overcapacity.
" The European Union and the
United States have a shared
commitment to joint action and
deepened cooperation in these sectors
and are taking joint steps to defend
workers, industries and communities
from global overcapacity and climate
change, including through a new
arrangement to discourage trade in
high-carbon steel and aluminum that
contributes to global excess capacity
from other countries and ensure that
domestic policies support lowering the
carbon intensity of these industries, "
indicates a joint U.S.-E.U. statement
released by the U.S. Trade
Representative's office.
The statement adds, " In a
demonstration of renewed trust, and
reflecting longstanding security and
supply chain ties, the United States
will not apply section 232 duties and
will allow duty-free importation of
steel and aluminum from the EU at a
historical-based volume and the
European Union will suspend related
tariffs on U.S. products. "
According to press accounts, those
American products include bourbon,
motorcycles, blue jeans and orange juice.
The joint statement says the United
States and the European Union's next
step will be to create a technical
working group charged with sharing
relevant data and developing a common
methodology for assessing emissions of
traded steel and aluminum.
Free trade advocates pan the deal. In
a piece for the Cato Institute, Inu Manak
and Scott Lincicome say the new
agreement simply trades tariffs " with a
different, more opaque and distortionary
system of restrictions. " They go on to
note that Biden could have ended the
tariffs and dispute with the stroke of a
pen. " In so doing, however, Biden would
have run afoul of politically important
steelmakers and unions (and their
congressional backers). "
The free trade advocates warn that
the finer points of the deal actually limit
European exports severely.
Although the Biden administration
asserts that the new arrangement will
provide relief for U.S. manufacturers
who rely on accessible and affordable
steel, Manak and Lincicome demur.
" Given the new system's costs and
complexities, there's little support for
the Biden administration claims, " they
write. " Only the complete removal of
the tariffs would ensure broad benefits
for U.S. consumers and the economy. "
❒
USA Agrees To Nix
Financing For Foreign
Fossil Fuel Projects
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND-The United
States is among the countries that
have pledged to stop providing financial
aid for fossil-fuel-fired projects in foreign
countries, media accounts report,
noting that other participants include the
United Kingdom, Italy, Costa Rica, Mali,
Denmark and Canada. The announcement
came during the COP26 international
climate conference in Glasgow.
Published reports, note that activist
groups are lauding the move, with
Justin Guay, director for global climate
strategy at the Sunrise Project, claiming
that the pact constitutes one of the most
significant developments to emerge
from COP26.
" Given how important public finance
is for de-risking and crowding in private
capital for fossil fuel projects, especially
in emerging markets, it's quite a big
deal, " Guay is quoted.
The press accounts point out that the
agreement does not include liquefied
natural gas facilities. ❒
DOE Funds Projects
To Capture, Store CO2
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department
of Energy has announced $45
million in funding for 12 projects to advance
point-source carbon capture and
storage technologies designed to capture
at least 95% of carbon dioxide
emissions from natural gas power plants
and industrial facilities that produce
commodities such as cement and steel.
Point-source carbon capture seeks to
prevent certain emissions from entering
the atmosphere by filtering out CO2 and
other gases from a power plant or industrial
facility, DOE describes, noting that
American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2021

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