WASHINGTON — Although results for key congressional races are still rolling in, a comeback for President Donald Trump and GOP control of the Senate puts the Biden administration’s policies on climate and electric vehicles on the chopping block.
The election held high stakes for the future of climate and energy policy. Trump and Republicans have campaigned on rolling back the climate, tax and health care reconciliation law that aims to boost clean energy investments and EV adoption, brushing aside Democrats’ argument that such policies are needed to compete with China.
Trump’s win will likely mean the end of some Biden administration policies, such as the moratorium on new liquefied natural gas export permits to certain countries, and possible rollbacks of rules finalized by the EPA and the Energy and Interior departments. Trump has also promised to increase domestic production of oil and natural gas, despite already record-high levels.
“Energy was on the ballot, and voters sent a clear signal that they want choices, not mandates, and an all-of-the-above approach that harnesses our nation’s resources and builds on the successes of his first term,” American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.
Senate
In a night of big wins for the GOP, Republican Bernie Moreno won his bid to represent Ohio in the Senate, unseating Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Moreno, a former car dealer and businessman, has focused his campaign message on advocating for “energy dominance” — a stance adopted by many Republicans for policies aimed at boosting fossil fuel production to reducing reliance on foreign sources. Ohio holds the second-largest workforce for autos and auto parts manufacturing.
Brown accused Moreno of selling a Chinese-made Buick model and employing anti-worker practices. But Moreno doubled down on criticism of Biden’s electric vehicle incentives as taking away consumer choice.
“I ran lots of dealerships,” Moreno told reporters at a Columbus kickoff event for a statewide bus tour. “I’ve never had one customer walk in and ask me what kind of car their politician wanted them to buy. It’s their money. Let the consumers pick the car they want.”
Republican control of the Senate also means Sen. Ted Cruz, who retained his seat against Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, is expected to control the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has a big say on transportation policy.
Cruz, who was the committee’s ranking member during the 118th Congress, has been outspoken against Biden administration policies to cut transportation-sector emissions and transition to electric vehicles.
He voted against the 2021 infrastructure law backed by several other Republicans that greatly expanded the surface transportation reauthorization bill to include $550 billion in new spending. If the House stays in GOP hands, that could revert to a standard authorization bill without the extra outlays.
Cruz’s reelection means he will be among the primary lawmakers negotiating the next version of this bill before the current one expires in 2026. The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over its provisions on railroads and certain transportation safety programs.
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., lost reelection to businessman Tim Sheehy in one of the most Republican-leaning states in the country.
Sheehy criticized Tester over his support of laws signed by Biden and argued he was not doing enough to support the state’s oil, gas and mining industries. Sheehy campaigned on what has become the common Republican platform calling for an “all of the above” energy approach and opposing many of the EPA regulations supported by Democrats.
Sheehy was previously the CEO of Bridger Aerospace, an aerial firefighting company. Democrats criticized Sheehy over the company’s finances, as well as the fact that language concerning climate change and environmental, social and corporate governance was removed from its website after Sheehy announced his run.
House
Democrats’ messaging in support of electric vehicles and a transition to clean energy wasn’t necessarily for naught — as of Wednesday morning, the party had some success and was leading in tight House races in areas with heavy auto industry.
It could take days, though, to determine which party ultimately controls the chamber.
Democratic contender Kristen McDonald Rivet won her bid against Republican Paul Junge to succeed retiring incumbent Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat, in representing Michigan’s 8th District.
Like other Michigan Democrats in tight races, McDonald Rivet had to defend against accusations she’s driving an “EV mandate.” Junge also criticized her for supporting a controversial deal to provide $175 million in state subsidies for a controversial battery manufacturing plant pursued by China-linked Gotion Inc.
McDonald Rivet contended that the battery plant deal has been screened by the federal government and does not pose national security risks, adding it will bring jobs to the area. She says does not support mandates on what cars consumers drive, but invites investment into domestic EV production.
Democrats’ EV messaging wasn’t as successful, however, in Michigan’s 7th District, where Republican Tom Barrett successfully flipped a previously blue district in a race against Democrat Curtis Hertel. The seat is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is engaged in a tight race with former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow.
Barrett was another critic of President Joe Biden’s so-called “EV mandate” and also played up concerns over Hertel’s connections to the Gotion battery plant.
“Mark my words, electric vehicle plants will systematically replace and reduce the number of good paying auto manufacturing jobs here in Michigan and across America,” Barrett said in August in an op-ed.
Too close to call
As of Wednesday morning, officials had yet to call a number of tight races across the Midwest and Southwest where climate change and energy has been a flashpoint.
The margin in the race to fill Stabenow’s seat was razor thin on Wednesday morning. Slotkin has been careful about her messaging when it comes to EVs. Battling claims from Rogers that she supported Biden administration policies, Slotkin has said she supports investments in domestic EV production to keep jobs in the state, and noted in a campaign ad that she lives on a “dirt road, nowhere near a charging station,” so she doesn’t own an electric vehicle.
In Pennsylvania, Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick has repeatedly accused Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of supporting policies counter to the state’s fracking industry, which has supported jobs and communities affected by the decline of coal.
Officials had yet to call the race as of Wednesday morning. Election results from the Associated Press estimated McCormick was ahead by 0.9 percent with 97 percent of the vote counted.
Casey pointed to votes he cast in 2021 for amendments that would prohibit the White House and EPA from banning fracking and further questioned some of the administration’s actions, such as placing a pause on some permits for new liquefied natural gas exports.
In the House, Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s tight reelection bid to represent the state’s 9th District had not been called. Kaptur is currently the top Democrat on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee and is running for her 22nd term in Congress.
In her position, Kaptur has helped secure millions for programs to address pollution in the Great Lakes and has urged the Biden administration to do more to address algal blooms in Lake Erie. On energy, she has touted the legislative and Biden administration investments going to her district’s automotive sector.
And in Iowa, Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ race against Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan had yet to be called Wednesday morning. Miller-Meeks, who chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus, is one of many Republicans who have expressed support for an “all of the above” energy approach, pointing to her support for wind, hydropower and ethanol.
Bohannan criticized Miller-Meeks for campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. Bohannan’s platform called for more investments to help farmers invest in “sustainable solutions” that will help them adapt to the effects of climate change. Bohannan also called for greater investments to address water quality issues and for the deployment of more renewable energy.
Other races
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, won her bid for reelection in a district near Tampa. One of the few competitive seats in Florida, Luna praised President Joe Biden for his response to Hurricane Milton, telling Fox News that the president “stepping in and taking control to assist for the right reasons was honestly kind of shocking for me.”
In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice beat Democrat Glenn Elliot in the race to take the seat of Sen. Joe Manchin III, a former Democrat turned independent. Justice inherited his father’s coal, farming and hospitality companies that, at one point, made him the richest man in West Virginia.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., won reelection against former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. After the state was hit back to back by hurricanes Helene and Milton, Scott positioned himself as a leader on storm recovery. He has expressed his desire to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as the chamber’s top Republican.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., won his reelection bid in his district that spans the southern part of the state, including the oil-rich Permian Basin. Vasquez has bucked his party to vote in favor of a Republican bill that would prohibit the president from declaring a moratorium on fracking unless authorized by Congress.
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