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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Biden's energy secretary turns up heat Texas oil industry

Plus: Supreme Court blocks SB 4 again.

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Texas Take with Jeremy Wallace

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In Texas, Granholm defends Biden climate change policies

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm clearly didn't come to Houston to apologize.

Instead, in a room full of oil industry experts still steaming from the Biden administration's decision in January to "pause" approvals of new liquefied natural gas exports, Granholm came defending their climate change initiatives and pushing the oil and gas industry to move into cleaner technologies, like geothermal.

"The oil and gas industry is incredibly well positioned to lead in geothermal," Granholm told more than 7,000 people at the annual CERAWeek conference in Houston. 

Geothermal energy extracts heat from below the Earth's surface, but it is cleaner than traditional fossil fuels, always available unlike solar and wind, and has a smaller surface footprint than other energy sources.

Granholm used her speech to stress that the Biden administration is bringing down key barriers to help companies shift into geothermal energy. 

"All federal oil and gas leases can be converted to geothermal leases without having to go through any permitting review, " she said. "Come on, you can repurpose your permits and use your existing workforce literally today to build new geothermal projects."

Her advocacy comes just months after the Energy Institute at the University of Texas put out a new report where it called the state a "sleeping giant" in the geothermal energy sector that has mostly been developing in the western United States.

But you didn't have far to look to find critics of the Biden administration's green energy policies. Just before Granholm was set to speak in Houston, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, put out a campaign message to supporters that "anti-energy Joe" is leading an assault on U.S. energy. And in D.C., the House Oversight Committee was pushing Granholm and the White House for more details on their decision to pause the new LNG leases.

Much more about Granholm's speech from Amanda Drane on our business team.

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Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com


Who's up, who's down

Who's up and who's down for Texas Take newsletter.

Up: Joe Biden.

Just two weeks after being in Brownsville, President Joe Biden is already on his way back for stops in Dallas and Houston this week. The White House said Biden is scheduled to participate in "campaign receptions." That usually means mostly fundraisers with no public events on the schedule in Texas as of now.

Down: Greg Abbott.

The Supreme Court on Monday indefinitely delayed a Texas law that would empower state authorities to arrest and deport migrants, an effort by Republican legislators to give the state immigration enforcement powers long left solely to the federal government. Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law last year saying Texas has the right to defend itself since the federal government wasn't. He had predicted the case would get to the Supreme Court.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.


What else is going on in Texas

Texas State Board of Education Chairman Keven Ellis, (Lufkin), left, and member Pam Little, (Fairview), listen to public testimony on the proposed changes to the state's social studies curriculum in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022.

Photo by: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News / Staff Photographer

GOP challengers threaten takeover of Texas State Board of Education

The election winners are poised to have a big impact right away, as the board is scheduled to revise the state's social studies curriculum standards next year for the first time in more than a decade.

Demonstrators chant after being escorted outside by police during the

Photo by: Annie Mulligan, Contributor

Pro-Palestine demonstrators interrupt Houston Mayor

A group of pro-Palestine activists staged a demonstration during Mayor John Whitmire's controversial appearance at the iftar event.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Biden is joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)

Photo by: Chip Somodevilla/TNS

Fact check: Did Trump grow the national debt more than any president?

Biden said the Trump administration "added more to the national debt than any presidential term in American history."

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign rally Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.

Photo by: Jeff Dean, AP

Trump ramps up dark rhetoric in Ohio stump speech

Former President Donald Trump warned of a "bloodbath" if he loses in November as he campaigned for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio. 


Pick of the day

People line up along Main Street in downtown Eagle Pass, Texas, hoping to catch a glimpse of former president Donald Trump as he arrives to Shelby Park on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. The park is currently the epicenter of an immigration enforcement battle between Texas officials and the federal government.

Photo by: Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Eagle Pass is hoping to be in the headlines this spring for reasons that have nothing to do with immigration. When the border city learned it would be the first in the United States to get the full effect of the total solar eclipse on April 8, leaders started making plans to capitalize on the spectacle, hoping to draw attention and generate an economic boost.  Reporter Liz Teitz looks at how the city has worked around the immigration strain and planned a big music festival around the eclipse.

https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/eagle-pass-solar-eclipse-music-festival-border-19028578.php


What else I'm reading

Here we go again. The Washington Post is reporting that another government shutdown is looming this week if Congress and the White House can't strike a deal on a funding plan for roughly 70 percent of the federal government — including the departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security as well as the IRS and Transportation Security Administration. With Biden scheduled to be in Texas on Thursday, you can bet things will get a little more intense by then if something doesn't get worked out soon.

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Alert: Texans new uniforms leaked

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Here's what the Texans new uniforms look like, CEO Cal McNair confirms

Texans alerts from the Houston Chronicle.  ͏  ͏  ͏

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Texans CEO Cal McNair dropped a photo in Reddit of Tank Dell and Nico Collins wearing one version of the new uniforms the team is expected to wear in the 2024 season.

Photo by: Cal McNair, Reddit

Here's what the Texans new uniforms look like, CEO Cal McNair confirms

"Leaked pic? How about a real photo of Nico and Tank!? Way more to come in April!" McNair posted.

  • Why did Texans trade out of first round? NFL experts explain why it makes sense: Most NFL draft experts like the move because the difference between pick No. 23 and No. 42 may not be that significant on the Texans draft board.
  • Solomon: Super Bowl talk for Texans isn't crazy after team's moves: Houston's moves in free agency, especially on defense, have made a team that was one of the NFL's final eight last season even better.

Notice: You're receiving this update as part of our special coverage of the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Follow the rest of our coverage by reading our latest stories and listening to the Fifth Down podcast.

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