Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Following the midterm elections in November, President Joe Biden faces a GOP-controlled House of Representatives largely opposed to the administration’s climate change and clean energy policies and efforts to curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuel production.
Although Republicans have a slim majority in the House, newly GOP-led committees have started to launch oversight of the administration’s climate agenda and have unveiled legislation aimed to maintain or increase fossil fuel production.
It’s unlikely that Republicans will advance major legislation to the president’s desk, but they will conduct oversight hearings on climate and energy legislation and attempt to redirect funding for climate programs under the historic Inflation Reduction Act.
Meet the three Republicans who are now leading key House environmental and climate committees:
Bruce Westerman, chair of House Committee on Natural Resources
Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on the Save Our Sequoias Act, that aims to protect the trees from wildfires on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
House Republicans selected Westerman to lead the committee that oversees the Interior Department and the Forest Service and plays a role in dictating policy on issues like mineral resources, wildlife conservation, mining and irrigation.
Westerman, a representative for Arkansas’s fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He’s argued the country should focus on advancing technology such as nuclear power and carbon sequestration to address climate change, rather than aggressively limiting the country’s fossil fuel production. He’s also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere.
As the Natural Resources Committee chair, Westerman said he would focus on conducting oversight of the Interior Department’s proposed five-year plan for new offshore oil and gas leases in federal waters. The proposal would block all new drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans within U.S. waters but allow some lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and the south coast of Alaska.
“We’re going to be using a lot of oil and gas for the foreseeable future,” Westerman said in a phone interview with CNBC. “Under this administration, they have attacked U.S. production on federal land. That is bad policy, it’s not following the law, and we plan to have oversight.”
Westerman also said he’s open to working with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat, on bipartisan permitting reforms for the country’s energy projects. Such legislation includes Westerman’s Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act, which aims to speed up the review process for energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act.
“I’ve spoken to Manchin a couple of times — he is willing to work on common sense solutions,” Westerman said.
While the Natural Resources Committee is one of the most influential panels for environmental and climate policy, the GOP’s agenda will likely be limited by the Biden administration and the Democratic Senate.
Domestic critical mineral production could be an area where Democrats and Republicans might work together. Westerman has called for expanding mining to collect minerals necessary for electric vehicles and other clean energy sources, like lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel, arguing that doing so will boost U.S. energy security and limit the country’s dependence on Chinese supply chains.
But Westerman has also emphasized that the U.S. is focusing too much on EV production as a climate solution and has opposed curbing fossil fuel development, both of which are key components of the Biden administration’s climate agenda.
“We need a realistic approach to energy and the environment to address climate issues,” he said. “I want to focus on policies and programs that actually work.”
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Zach Gibson | Getty Images
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents the fifth district of Washington state, is leading the committee at the center of GOP plans to pass energy legislation and conduct oversight of the president’s climate agenda.
Rodgers, who opposed the president’s Inflation Reduction Act, has argued that Democrats are moving forward with the clean energy transition too quickly, making the country more reliant on China for technology like solar panels and EV batteries.
She’s introduced legislation that would limit the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Energy Department develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.
As the Energy and Commerce Committee chair, Rodgers has supported oversight plans that involve investigating climate spending under the IRA as well as legislative plans focused on streamlining permitting to modernize energy infrastructure and promoting carbon capture, nuclear power, natural gas and hydropower.
For instance, Rogers has highlighted concerns over a Department of Energy loan program aimed to advance clean energy technology not yet funded by the private sector. The program will be expanded under the IRA.
“The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the center of solving the most important issues facing hardworking Americans – lowering costs, promoting free speech, and preserving free markets,” Rodgers said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the committee reviewed 17 energy bills, including those that would boost mining and oil and gas drilling, curb taxes on the fossil fuel industry and roll back climate provisions under the IRA.
The actions include repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion dollar program designed to finance energy saving projects, as well as eliminating the IRA’s Methane Emission Reduction Program, which imposes a federal fee on methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
It’s unlikely, however, that Republicans will have success changing or repealing climate programs under the IRA, since the president has the authority to veto congressional efforts to change climate spending provisions.
Frank Lucas, chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, is interviewed by CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images in his Rayburn Building office on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Rep. Frank Lucas, a fifth-generation Oklahoman who operates a farm and cattle ranch, is the new chair of the committee that has jurisdiction over key federal scientific research and development as well as authority over research activities at agencies like the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Weather Service and the EPA.
Lucas has said the committee would focus on issues including securing the supply chain for advanced technologies, renewing U.S. leadership in space and aeronautics and researching ways to make domestic energy cleaner.
“We’ll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition,” Lucas told CNBC. “Our goal is to make American energy cleaner, more affordable and more reliable. So every energy source and technology pathway is on the table in our effort to reduce emissions.”
Lucas has introduced legislation that would make the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the agency that forecasts weather, monitors storms and researches climate change impacts — an independent agency rather than a part of the Commerce Department. The bill would require Democrats’ support to pass.
Lucas said the committee would also conduct “robust oversight” of the spending being distributed to advance the country’s clean energy sector.
“We’ll focus on helping fossil fuels become cleaner and more efficient now, investing in battery storage and other tools to make renewable sources like wind and solar energy more reliable and supporting advanced technologies for nuclear and hydrogen,” Lucas said.
The previous chair of the committee, the now-retired Lamar Smith, R-Texas, had repeatedly questioned the science of climate change and accused federal researchers of manipulating climate research.
In contrast, Lucas has acknowledged the threat of disasters like drought and heatwaves that are growing worse with climate change, but has resisted the idea of curbing fossil fuel production to address the problem.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says renewables and AI are reshaping the world’s energy future, and that transformation is happening faster than anyone expected. In its new “World Energy Outlook 2025,” the IEA warns that energy security risks now stretch far beyond oil and gas. Critical minerals essential to clean tech, defense, and AI have become the new fault lines in global supply chains. The IEA also states that energy has become a central focus of geopolitical power struggles, making it one of the defining economic and security challenges of our time.
A more complex, electrified future
The IEA’s annual “World Energy Outlook” explores three possible scenarios for the future, emphasizing that none are predictions. Instead, they’re roadmaps that show what could happen depending on the choices governments and industries make on policy, technology, and investment.
Across every scenario, one theme stands out: electricity demand is surging faster than for any other form of energy. Electricity currently accounts for only about 20% of global energy use, yet it powers more than 40% of the global economy. Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said the trend is accelerating: “Last year, we said the world was moving quickly into the Age of Electricity – and it’s clear today that it has already arrived.”
Driving that growth are data centers, AI, and electrification across transportation, heating, and manufacturing. Global data center investment alone is expected to hit $580 billion in 2025 – even higher than the $540 billion the world will spend on oil supply.
Shifting global energy dynamics
Emerging economies, led by India and Southeast Asia, are now shaping energy markets that were once dominated by China. These regions are experiencing a rapid increase in demand for power, mobility, and industrial energy use. By 2035, 80% of global energy consumption growth is expected to come from countries with high solar potential.
At the same time, the IEA warns that grid expansion and storage aren’t keeping up with this growth. While investments in power generation have jumped nearly 70% since 2015, spending on transmission and distribution has risen at less than half that pace. The agency calls for urgent grid upgrades and stronger government coordination to prevent future electricity bottlenecks.
Renewables and nuclear on the rise
Solar leads the charge across all IEA scenarios, with renewables growing at a faster rate than any other energy source. Nuclear energy is also making a comeback: after two decades of stagnation, global nuclear capacity is projected to increase by at least a third by 2035, thanks to both large-scale projects and small modular reactor designs.
Dave Jones, chief analyst at global energy think tank Ember, said, “The world is moving in the right direction, and continued acceleration can drive a more rapid transformation of the energy system. Renewables and electrification will dominate the future – and fossil-importing nations will gain the most by embracing them.”
Energy access and climate urgency
The IEA highlights two critical areas where the world is falling short: universal access to energy and climate goals. Roughly 730 million people still live without electricity, and nearly 2 billion rely on polluting cooking methods. Even in the agency’s most ambitious pathways, global temperatures surpass 1.5C of warming before potentially returning below that level later in the century.
Meanwhile, the effects of climate change are already disrupting energy systems. In 2023 alone, over 200 million households worldwide were affected by energy infrastructure failures, with transmission lines accounting for about 85% of incidents. The IEA says governments must prioritize resilience not only against extreme weather but also against cyberattacks and supply chain shocks.
Birol summed it up: “When we look at the history of the energy world in recent decades, there is no other time when energy security tensions have applied to so many fuels and technologies at once. With energy security front and center for many governments, their responses need to consider the synergies and trade-offs that can arise with other policy goals – on affordability, access, competitiveness, and climate change.”
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Tesla has released a confusing hint that appears to tease a launch in Colombia, which would be Tesla’s second market in South America.
For the last few years, Tesla has been looking to launch its electric vehicles in South America, but progress has been slow.
Last year, Tesla opened its first Supercharger stations in Chile, and opened its first store last month.
Now, Tesla appears to be teasing a launch in Colombia as it posted an image with the outline of the country:
The confusing part is the fact that this was posted on Tesla’s official ‘North America’ account. The automaker doesn’t appear to have a South America or Americas account yet, despite having launched in Chile already.
Tesla won’t be the first automaker to sell electric cars in Colombia. It will have to compete with Chinese electric automakers BYD and Zeekr, which have already entered the market.
Colombia has a reasonably small auto market. From its highs of ~300,000 passenger cars per year in the 2010s, it has never recovered, and it currently registers about 200,000 new cars per year.
Electric vehicles still account for only a small share of the market, as more charging infrastructure needs to be deployed and more automakers need to launch electric models.
Electrek’s Take
This is excellent news. When Tesla launches in a new market, it generally deploys charging infrastructure—DC fast chargers, Superchargers, and level 2 chargers.
Electricity is relatively cheap in the country, and with the proper charging infrastructure, which Tesla excels at, it should help accelerate EV adoption in the country – even though Tesla’s own EV are on the expensive side for the Colombian market.
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Solid-state batteries have long been the holy grail of electric vehicles, especially for light EVs like electric bicycles that are usually charged indoors. They hold major safety benefits over traditional lithium-ion batteries, plus offer better energy density, making it possible to use smaller batteries or simply fit more capacity in the same-sized battery pack.
Solid-state batteries have spent decades being touted as five years away, but if you thought you’d have to keep waiting, then I’ve got news for you: yes, you still have to keep waiting.
However, in the meantime, semi-solid-state batteries are here and will be launched on their first production e-bike next month.
I had the chance to check out the batteries in person at EICMA 2025 when I visited with the company that makes them, T&D. The company was spun out of e-bike component maker Bafang (and founded by the same co-founder of Bafang, Sunny He) in order to move more in the direction of electric motorcycle component development.
In addition to their drivetrain components, a significant portion of their R&D has also focused on semi-solid-state batteries, which contain a minimal amount of electrolyte compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries found in today’s e-bikes. With a fraction of the electrolyte material, these semi-solid-state batteries developed by T&D are more energy-dense and safer than traditional batteries. The cells can be stabbed through by a nail and won’t ignite – don’t try that with the battery on your current e-bike!
Whereas most e-bike batteries today have an energy density of around 150-250 Wh/kg, these new semi-solid-state batteries push the needle even further into the 250-350 Wh/kg ballpark, depending on the specific packaging.
The cells are also rated for long cycle lifespan, with an expected 1,500 charge cycles before reaching 70% of the original capacity. And with fast-charging support, those same cells can be recharged significantly more quickly.
T&D’s semi-solid-state batteries will roll out on their first production e-bike next month, though the company isn’t at liberty to announce which e-bike maker will land the title of first production electric bike with semi-solid-state batteries. Hopefully we’ll hear that announcement soon.
T&D is also known for its e-moto drivetrains. The company’s new Equator City commuter e-moped project, launched in collaboration with Dimentro, utilizes T&D’s swingarm-mounted motor system.
The drivetrain offers 11 kW of peak power, a 5 kWh high-capacity LFP battery, and supports a range of over 100 km (62 miles).
Other projects featuring T&D’s drivetrains at the booth included interesting examples such as a part go-kart, part tractor project that resembles a heavy-towing ATV.
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