Underground Infrastructure - February 2023 - 18

INSIDEINFRASTRUCTURE
Eben Wyman | Wyman Associates
After Surprising Election, Chaotic Start,
118th Congress Begins Its Work
EDITOR'S NOTE
Eben Wyman is a veteran advocate
for key underground utility and pipeline
associations. He can be contacted
at eben@wymanassociates.net.
related tax increases, as well as expansion of beneficial tax incentives
related to generation of future energy sources, including
carbon capture and hydrogen projects.
In one of the first Biden Administration post-election actions
to reflect its intent to stay the course on regulatory actions to
combat climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) issued a supplemental proposal seeking expanded scope
of its long-anticipated rule to limit methane emissions. Despite
EPA's already significant plans, the EPA also included a new
methane tax subject to emissions that will take effect in January
2024. This year, House Republicans are sure to try to prevent
the methane tax from being implemented, to the extent possible.
In what turned out to be a very unpredictable 2022 midterm
election, Democrats managed to avoid the dreaded " wave " that
is so common, where the party of the sitting president is often
subject to significant losses in both chambers of Congress.
However, last year's midterms resulted in Republicans winning
control of the House while, surprising to many, Democrats
gained one seat in the Senate, expanding their majority from
50-50 (with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie
breaker) to 51-49.
The first week of the 118th Congress was a tough one for
the new GOP majority in the House, as Rep. Kevin McCarthy
(R-Calif.) spent several days and a lot of political capital over
15 ballots needed to secure his confirmation as Speaker of the
House. After what was considered an embarrassingly public
display of political chaos, the 118th Congress began its work in
earnest the second week of January.
A few things were clear. Republican control will slow down
consideration of some overzealous climate proposals, at least
in the House of Representatives. Democratic control of the
Senate will allow for harmful energy proposals to be considered
and advanced. The onslaught of regulatory proposals and executive
actions from the Biden Administration should not be
expected to go away anytime soon.
With the GOP controlling the House agenda, President
Biden has made no secret about his plans to achieve his climate
objectives through executive action and agency rulemaking,
rather than through traditional legislation.
Congressional oversight, however, will mean increased
scrutiny of not only new initiatives coming out of the White
House, but also implementation of the bipartisan Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act
(IRA). These included many overzealous climate provisions and
18 FEBRUARY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Renewables need gas, pipeline infrastructure
It has become clear to thoughtful stakeholders in the energy industry
that America simply will not achieve its lofty clean energy
goals without the help of natural gas, and the increasing hostility
toward it, as a sustainable source of American energy, is largely
misplaced. In addition, significant expansion of our gas pipeline
network will be needed if we are serious about moving toward
alternatives to conventional fossil fuels for power generation.
Hydrogen is a great example. While considered a promising
fuel source, transporting it to facilities such as power plants, industrial
sites and fuel distribution hubs, will require an extensive
buildout of hydrogen pipeline systems. Carbon capture, use and
storage (CCUS) efforts are also considered critical to America's
energy future, but new infrastructure is needed to transport
captured CO₂. Pipeline transportation brings a track record of
success and continues to be the safest method of transporting
American energy, including CO₂ and hydrogen.
Nearly $20 billion for CCUS and hydrogen energy projects
was provided in the IIJA, and tax incentives for both were included
in the IRA last year. In the energy sector, forward-thinking
construction associations are working to make sure that demonstration
projects and other efforts to promote and advance the
role of pipeline transportation for hydrogen and CO₂ are a top
priority, as implementation of these laws continues.
Renewable natural gas gains traction
Renewable natural gas (RNG), also known as biogas, is collected
from waste of agricultural facilities, food waste, wastewater
treatment plants and other sources that emit surface-level
methane during the decomposition process. Processes and
technologies exist that can capture methane from waste streams
and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere. Federal
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Underground Infrastructure - February 2023

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