ROCKEFELLER’S EXIT FUELS SPECULATION

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
1/18/13

Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-W.Va.) recent retirement announcement leaves the Senate without an obvious champion for carbon capture and storage, but some analysts think enhanced oil recovery could provide an opening for bipartisan cooperation on the issue. Rockefeller said Jan. 11 that he will not run for a sixth term in the Senate when his current term expires in 2014. The announcement was a major blow to CCS proponents, who have looked to West Virginia’s senior senator as one of their key allies in the Senate, particularly after other powerful supporters like Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) retired last Congress. Before stepping down, Rockefeller is expected to introduce comprehensive CCS legislation aimed at accelerating the deployment of the technology in his home state.

Rockefeller was one of the only members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation to both speak out in support of the state’s coal miners while also pushing hard for coal technology advancements and climate change mitigation. He ruffled feathers last June after he criticized the coal industry in a speech on the Senate floor for failing to modernize and fighting “false enemies” like the EPA. Dave Hawkins, director of Climate Programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Rockefeller’s leadership in pushing for the development of CCS technologies will be hard to replicate. “Rockefeller brings an awful lot to the subject,” he said in an interview. “He has, from the standpoint of industry, the credibility of coming from the state where coal is very important, but he’s different from many coal-state legislators in that he recognizes that coal has to move into the 21st century.” Hawkins added that finding someone to replace Rockefeller as a champion on those issues will be a “challenge,” but would not speculate on any replacements. 

Judi Greenwald, vice president for Technology and Innovation at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, said that looking forward, enhanced oil recovery could become a rallying point for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ultimately support CCS. “We’re confident there will be additional champions who will want to promote increasing domestic oil production while advancing carbon capture technology,” she said. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity’s Paul Bailey also agreed in an interview that EOR could play that role in the short term.

Coal Industry Expresses Interest in Capito

Bailey in particular suggested that Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), the only candidate to throw her hat into the ring for Rockefeller’s seat so far, could ultimately be a strong voice for CCS in the Senate. Ever since announcing that she would run for Rockefeller’s seat, Capito has received praise from many in the coal industry. “We’re looking hopefully to Ms. Capito’s candidacy in particular as being another strong voice for coal in the Senate,” National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich told GHG Monitor. Capito is the co-chair of the House Coal Caucus and in the past has worked on legislation to delay greenhouse gas-related regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2009 she co-sponsored legislation that would have used money from offshore drilling leasing royalties for CCS and other clean energy technologies. “Carbon capture is our most important tool to address carbon dioxide emissions from coal. It will not only benefit a state like mine with jobs and revenue, it will also benefit our nation and world by making clean coal a reality,” Capito wrote on her website in 2009.

Other candidates, though, are soon expected to step into the race now that Rockefeller’s retirement is ensured. While Republicans are eyeing Rockefeller’s seat as a likely pickup in the increasingly red West Virginia, the Hill newspaper reported late last week that Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) is considering making a move for Rockefeller’s seat, which would put another coal-friendly figure in the running. The newspaper said West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, former state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Callaghan and state Supreme Court Justice Robin Davis are also considering running for the seat.

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