Overnight Energy: Colonial Pipeline says it has restored full service | Biden urges people not to panic about gasoline shortages | EPA rescinds Trump-era cost-benefit rule

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!  Welcome to Overnight Energy, your source for the day’s energy and environment news.Please send tips and comments to Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@digital-staging.thehill.com . Follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin . Reach Zack Budryk at zbudryk@digital-staging.thehill.com or follow him on Twitter: @BudrykZack . Signup for our newsletter and others HERE. 

Today, we’re looking at the Colonial Pipeline coming back online, President Biden’s message on the ongoing gasoline shortages facing some Southeast states and the EPA’s decision to nix a Trump-era rule that was expected to make it harder to regulate air pollution. 

 

AT YOUR SERVICE: The Colonial Pipeline, the target of a ransomware attack last week, has resumed full operations, the company announced Thursday afternoon.

“We can now report that we have restarted our entire pipeline system and that product delivery has commenced to all markets we serve,” the company said in a statement.

The company said it anticipates “several days” before supply chains return to normal after the pipeline shutdown prompted gas shortages and panic-buying.

“Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during this start-up period,” the statement said. “Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.”

Meanwhile…Bloomberg reported today that Colonial paid nearly $5 million to hackers following the attack. 

Read more about the latest update here.

 

KEEP CALM, CARRY ON AND DON’T HOARD: Biden urges people not to panic about gasoline shortages

President Biden on Thursday urged the public not to panic about gasoline shortages and warned people against hoarding gas, which analysts have said is the major factor in the lack of gasoline seen in a number of states on the East Coast.

“Don’t panic,” Biden said in prepared remarks at the White House. “I know seeing lines at the pumps or gas stations with no gas can be extremely stressful, but this is a temporary situation. Do not get more gas than you need in the next few days.”

“We expect the situation to begin to improve by the weekend and into early next week and gasoline supply is coming back online,” he added. “Panic-buying will only slow the process.”

Biden said to expect a “region-by-region” return to normalcy “beginning this weekend and continuing into next week.”

Read more about his remarks here.

 

DEEMING THE COST-BENEFIT RULE TOO COSTLY: EPA rescinds Trump rule expected to make air pollution regulation harder

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rescinding a Trump-era rule that was expected to make it harder to regulate air pollution, the agency announced on Thursday. 

The agency issued an interim rule to rescind the previous rule, stating that the changes made by the prior rule were “inadvisable, untethered to the [Clean Air Act], and not necessary to effectuate the purposes of the Act.”

Rescinding the Trump-era rule will allow the agency to use the pre-Trump process as it carries out its own regulations.

The rule in question changed the way that the agency conducted cost-benefit analyses, technical pro-con lists used in rulemaking that justifies the regulations they put forward. 

The changes made by the Trump administration included removing the consideration of benefits of reducing additional pollutants besides the one specifically targeted a regulation in the cost-benefit analysis, though it did allow these co-benefits to be included in a separate document. 

Read more about the rescission here.

 

NOMS NOMS NOMS: Interior, DOJ picks advance

Senate committees advanced President Biden’s nominees for the second-in-command role at the Interior Department and the leader of the Justice Department’s environment division. 

Tommy Beaudreau, the Interior nominee, advanced 18-1, with only Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) opposing him. Todd Kim, the Justice Department nominee, advanced 15-7. 

Both nominees next go to the full Senate for a confirmation vote. 

 

WHAT WE’RE READING:

St. Croix refinery halts operations after raining oil on local residents once again, The Washington Post reports

ExxonMobil wants you to feel responsible for climate change so it doesn’t have to shoulder the blame, Vox reports

Cities Are Woefully Unprepared for the Havoc of Climate Change, Mother Jones reports

Heinrich floats bill to aid states hit by federal oil leasing pause, Reuters reports

WV clean energy advocates seek to reframe infrastructure debate as Manchin, Capito have Biden’s ear, The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports

Asia Is Home to 99 of the World’s 100 Cities Facing the Greatest Environmental Challenges, TIME reports

 

ICYMI: Stories from Thursday…

Senate Finance Committee to consider clean energy legislation this month

Biden urges people not to panic about gasoline shortages

EPA watchdog calls for improved enforcement presence after decade-long decline

Senate panel advances Biden’s deputy Interior pick

Colonial paid hackers almost $5M in ransom: report

EPA rescinds Trump rule expected to make air pollution regulation harder

Colonial expects restored service to all markets by midday

Biden waives US shipping law to mitigate fuel shortages

Company continues operating pipeline through Michigan despite governor’s order

Colonial Pipeline says it has restored full service

 

FROM THE HILL’S OPINION PAGES:  Outages and outrages: The fossil fuel industry exploits blackout fears opine Clean Energy Group’s  Lewis Milford and Abbe Ramanan. 

 

OFF-BEAT AND OFFBEAT: A cat jumps out a window and lives to tell the tale.