Dear Readers,
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright sharply criticized the Biden administration’s energy and climate policies before a group of oil and gas executives on Monday, promising a 180-degree turnaround. The former fracking executive supports President Donald Trump’s plan to expand fossil fuel production in the US while eliminating federal measures to curb global warming. Wright was dismissive of renewable energy, saying it represents only a small part of the global energy mix. He pointed out that a quarter of the world’s energy is supplied by natural gas, while solar and wind power provide about 3 percent. Wright argued that fossil fuels are important for global poverty reduction. Reducing emissions too quickly could drive up global energy prices. He called countries’ efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century a “dark ambition.” Many countries have invested in renewable energy in recent years. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2024, countries invested approximately $1.2 trillion in solar and wind power, power grids, and batteries—more than the $1.1 trillion spent on gas, oil, and coal infrastructure. More on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO3tcz-_CV0
The market for bio-based plastics is expected to reach a value of USD 46.93 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.04% between 2024 and 2032. This market growth is primarily driven by the growing number of environmentally conscious consumers and stricter government regulations and policies regarding CO2 emissions and plastic waste. Bio-based polymers made from renewable raw materials such as starch, cellulose, polylactic acid (PLA), and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are increasingly being sought as replacements for conventional petroleum-based plastics,” the report states. More at: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/bioplastics-market-101940
Egypt’s Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk and Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding private investment in waste management projects. In a joint statement, they emphasized that these initiatives are in line with Egypt’s broader economic vision, which aims to strengthen private sector participation in economic and development activities while attracting foreign direct investment, particularly with a view to the transition to a green economy. https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2025/03/04/egypt-strengthens-commitment-to-private-sector-investment-in-waste-to-energy-projects/
MAIRE announces that NEXTCHEM’s subsidiary KT Tech has been awarded a licensing contract for the implementation of NEXTCHEM’s proprietary NX AdWinMethanol Zero technology for Pacifico Mexinol, an ultra-low carbon methanol facility near Los Mochis, Sinaloa, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, with an output in excess of 2.1 million tons per year. https://www.nextchem.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/detail/nextchem-awarded-a-licensing-contract-by-transition-industries-for-a-21-million-tons-per-year-ultra-low-carbon-methanol-plant-in-mexico-based-on-its-proprietary-nx-adwinmethanol-zero-technology/
Head of the US Environmental Protection Agency has 31 environmental regulations deleted
Lee Zeldin, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), spoke during his Senate confirmation hearing to certify environmental and public works on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on J26. January.
In what the EPA administrator called the EPA’s “most consequential day of deregulation in American history,” the EPA chief announced on Wednesday 31 deregulation measures that will roll back Biden-era environmental regulations, including those affecting climate change, electric vehicles and pollution limits for coal-fired power plants.
If confirmed, Zeldin said the measures will lower prices for shared expenses such as home heating, buying a car and running a business by eliminating trillions in “regulatory costs and hidden taxes.”
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has experienced. We’re driving a dagger right into the heart of climate change religion to lower the cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring jobs back to the U.S., and more,” Zeldin said in an EPA press release. “Alongside President Trump, we are fulfilling our promises to unleash American energy, reduce costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, and work hand-in-hand with our government partners to advance our common mission.”
Of the dozens of environmental regulations to be rolled back, one is a 2009 EPA decision that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and well-being. The Clean Air Act provision is the basis for a variety of climate regulations for power plants, cars, and other sources of pollution.
Climate scientists and environmentalists consider the threat of the Obama era, which finds a cornerstone of U.S. law, and say that any attempt to reverse it is unlikely to succeed.
“Given the overwhelming science, it’s impossible to believe that the EPA could come up with a conflicting finding that would stand up in court,” senior strategists at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said in an NRDC Expert blog post. “In fact, the courts have repeatedly rejected attacks on the result. Even Trump’s EPA administrators understood that the reversal was “a stupid final decision.”
Other regulations being “considered” by the EPA include “regulations to curb the oil and gas industry,” mercury standards that the agency said “inappropriately targeted coal-fired power plants,” the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and regulations for wastewater from coal-fired power plants.
“From the campaign path to day one and beyond, President Trump has delivered on his promise to unleash energy dominance and reduce the cost of living,” Zeldin said in a video. “We at E.P.A. will do our part to drive the great American comeback.”
Zeldin spoke of the changes without mentioning the EPA’s guiding principles: protecting the environment and public health.
In a statement from the EPA’s mission, the first administrator of the William D. Ruckelshaus said the agency had “no obligation to promote agriculture or trade; only the critical obligation to protect and improve the environment”.
Weeks after its founding by former President Richard M. Nixon in 1970, Ruckelshaus said his focus will be on research as well as five areas of standards and enforcement: air and water pollution, pesticides, waste disposal and radiation, the New York Times reported.
Zeldin said that restrictions on chimneys related to respiratory problems and premature deaths would be lifted, along with the Clean Air Act provision requiring states to be responsible for their own pollution when blown into neighboring states. The EPA would also abolish enforcement efforts that prioritize the safety of predominantly poor and minority communities.
If the environmental policy is created by the agency, Zeldin said it will no longer take into account the societal costs of storms, wildfires, droughts, and other disasters that could be exacerbated by the pollution associated with the policy.
The EPA’s announcements are not legally binding, and in almost every case, the agency would have to go through a lengthy public comment process, as well as formulate economic and environmental justifications for each revision.
Environmentalists and Democrats accused Zeldin of taking on the responsibility of the EPA to protect the environment and human health.
“Today is the day that Trump’s Big Oil mega-donors paid for,” said Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, as reported by the New York Times. “Administrator Zeldin clearly lied when he told us that he would respect the science and listen to the experts.”
Jackie Wong, senior vice president for climate change and energy at NRDC, said that weakening the rules would lead to an increase in health problems such as heart attacks and asthma.
“At a time when millions of Americans are trying to rebuild themselves after horrific wildfires and climate-driven hurricanes, it’s nonsensical to try to deny that climate change is affecting our health and well-being,” Wong said.
Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator during the Obama administration, called it “the most disastrous day in the history of the EPA. Rolling back these rules is not only a shame, it is a threat to all of us. The agency has completely abandoned its mission to protect the health and well-being of Americans.”
Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiLc9u4dowQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlKheY4nEfk