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Energy & Environment

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The Big Story

Biden OKs $9 NYC traffic toll

Federal officials have approved a plan that would allow New York City to implement a $9 toll on cars entering Manhattan as part of a bid to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.

The city originally planned to charge $15, but axed those plans earlier this year. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently announced that it would instead impose a $9 fee.

In a letter to the city this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation said that the new plan did not require further federal analysis — clearing a significant hurdle to making the plan reality in January.

“Today is the moment we’ve been waiting for — when we cleared the final bureaucratic hurdle to implement congestion pricing,” said Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In addition to benefits related to traffic and pollution, climate advocates have also hailed the plan as a win for the fight against climate change.

The revival was announced mere days after President-elect Trump’s victory, which gave rise to expectations that states, rather than the federal government, are likely to take the lead on climate action in the years ahead.

Trump opposes the congestion pricing plan, and the Biden administration’s swift move to approve it could prevent Trump from blocking it.

Read more at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

Biden proposes to restrict pollution from new gas plants

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities.

Full Story

Congress poised for another farm bill punt after Senate nonstarter

House Republicans rejected a farm bill proposal by Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) this week, increasing the likelihood that lawmakers will pass another one-year extension of the massive legislation by the end of the year rather than a new, longer-term measure.

Full Story

Trump expected to name Kelly Loeffler for Agriculture secretary

President-elect Trump is expected to name former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) to serve as secretary of Agriculture, a source close to the transition told The Hill.

Full Story

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Biden administration adding dozens of Chinese firms to forced-labor blacklist

The Biden administration added more than two dozen Chinese companies to its forced labor blacklist Friday in its latest effort to combat the exploitation of China’s ethnic Uyghur population

Full Story

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

COP29 climate summit overruns as $250 billion draft deal stalls (Reuters)
How to Cut AI’s Appetite for Electricity and Water (The Wall Street Journal)

What Others are Reading

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Trump immigration crackdown: Denaturalization just a drop in the bucket

President-elect Trump’s incoming administration is expected to take aim at legal immigration in addition to cracking down on the illegal variety, slowing the pace of application approvals and redirecting resources to look for fraud in old applications, including naturalizations. Read more

GOP senator blocks promotion of top general who oversaw Afghanistan withdrawal

GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) is holding up the promotion for a top general who oversaw the 82nd Airborne Division during the deadly 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a source has told The Hill and NewsNation.

Read more