Daily on Energy: Spain floods update, FEMA struggles to answer calls, and a promising sign for Russia sanctions

In today’s edition, Maydeen and Joe continue to follow the aftermath of the devastating flash floods that hit southeastern Spain late Tuesday. The death toll has risen to at least 158 people and emergency teams continue to search for missing people. 

We also take a look at several reports of note, including data released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that showed the agency struggled to answer almost half of the calls it received. Plus, there are reports that Russia is having trouble finding international buyers to purchase tankers, indicating that sanctions might be working.

For today’s election countdown, we take a look at a Washington ballot measure “Initiative 2066,” preventing state and local governments from prohibiting access to natural gas. 

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.

SPAIN FLASH FLOOD DEATH TOLL RISES: As of the afternoon, around 158 people have died from the flash floods that hit Spain late Tuesday, BBC reported. A rainstorm hit parts of southeastern Spain, particularly in Valencia and the surrounding communities. 

The flash floods swept cars away and destroyed roads and buildings. Spanish emergency teams continue to search for missing people and identify those who died. The region’s emergency group said this morning on X that “The process of collecting and identifying victims continues.” There are more than 1,000 Spanish military that have been deployed to help with rescue efforts. 

Valencia saw the heaviest rainfall in 28 years and suffered the deadliest flood Spain has witnessed in decades. CNN reported that “In 1959, 144 people were killed by a flood in the Spanish town of Ribadelago. However, that disaster was caused by the failure of a dam, releasing water from the Vega de Tera reservoir, rather than a natural event.”

“The last comparable natural disaster was in 1996, when floods killed 87 people near the town of Biescas in the Pyrenees mountains,” it added. 

FEMA STRUGGLED TO ANSWER DISASTER AID CALLS IT RECEIVED: Federal Emergency Management Agency data show that the disaster-response agency failed to answer almost half of the aid calls it received, E&E News reports. 

The call data published by FEMA Tuesday show that the agency struggled with staffing levels a month after Hurricanes Milton and Helene made landfall. The agency on Tuesday was responding to 110 major disasters, with 530 workers available for a new assignment. 

E&E News said thousands of people who are recovering from disasters have been unable to reach federal call centers. For those calls answered, it took on average more than an hour for federal workers to answer. 

According to FEMA’s data, 900,000 calls were made to call centers during the week from Oct. 14 to 20, with 47% of the calls not answered. The call situation improved on Oct. 21, when the agency received 500,000 calls with 68.5% answered and an average of 25 minutes wait time. 

A SIGN OF SUCCESS FOR TIGHTENED RUSSIA SANCTIONS? Bloomberg identified three tankers that were loaded with cargo from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 station and now are anchored off the port of Nakhodka in the country’s far southeast – indicating that they are having trouble finding international buyers. 

All three ships, and the LNG terminal, are the target of sanctions, which the Biden administration tightened earlier this year in response to indications that Russia’s government was continuing to bring in massive revenues from fossil fuels to fund its war in Ukraine. The plant stopped liquefying natural gas earlier this month as sanctions made it more difficult to sell abroad, Bloomberg says. 

NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS MUST FALL TO REACH PARIS CLIMATE GOALS: If countries are unable to curb nitrous oxide emissions, they will struggle to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, according to a new analysis reported by Reuters. 

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment found that nitrous oxide emissions have increased globally by 40% since 1980 and are expected to rise to 30% over 2020 levels by 2050. 

Nitrous Oxide emissions mainly come from agriculture, synthetic fertilizers, and manure. Nitrous oxide is one of the top greenhouse gas pollutants, and the worst in terms of depleting ozone. 

“Ambitious action to reduce nitrous oxide emissions could move the world closer to meeting a wide range of global climate, ozone and other environmental and human health goals,” the assessment said. 

The assessment is released shortly before the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) that will be hosted in Baku next month. The meeting includes 198 countries that will negotiate climate plans. 

SHELL REPORTS SMALL DROP IN THIRD QUARTER EARNINGS: Shell reported this morning that its third-quarter adjusted earnings were $6 billion, down from $6.3 billion in the second quarter. Lower crude prices and smaller refining margins were offset by higher gas sales, CNBC reports. 

Climate goals: After announcing in March that it would scale back its 2030 emissions reductions goals, Shell faced criticism from activist investor Follow This, which noted that the company’s investments in renewables fell in the quarter. Chief Financial Officer Sinead Gorman responded by noting, among other things, the company’s investment in a North Sea carbon capture project.

MORE CORPORATIONS REPORTING ESG GOALS DESPITE GOP PUSHBACK: More corporations are reporting data related to ESG goals, according to a new Reuters analysis, despite the ramp-up in pushback from Republicans and conservatives in recent months. 

The trend: The share of large-cap corporations publicly reporting greenhouse gas emissions data, specifically, has risen from 54% in 2019 to 85%, according to ESG investment advisor HIP Investor.

Why it matters: Conservative activists and Republican officials, particularly state-level financial officers, have increasingly sought to reduce business with corporations that implement ESG or diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Most recently, activists have successfully pressured some prominent businesses to drop DEI activities and stop reporting some data related to social issues. 

But this data suggests that the trend is still toward ESG. 

“Establishing corporate policy in reaction to the latest pro- or anti-ESG news story is not a recipe for success,” Ken Rivlin, partner at law firm A&O Shearman, told Reuters. 

ELECTION COUNTDOWN – WASHINGTON BALLOT MEASURE: Next week, Washington voters will vote on Initiative 2066, which would prevent the state and local governments from restricting access to natural gas or prohibit the use of natural gas in any building. 

The initiative is in response to a state law passed earlier this year, House Bill 1589, that would incentivize utility companies and its customers through programs and requirements to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Protect Energy Choice is leading the campaign in support of Initiative 2066, which is also supported by the Building Industry Association of Washington. 

“Do you like cooking with natural gas? Do you have a gas water heater or furnace? Do you enjoy eating out at restaurants?” the Building Industry Association of Washington said. “If so, then vote Yes on 2066 to keep the gas on in your homes and at countless restaurants and businesses.”

Opponents of the measure include Washington Conservation Action, which argues that the initiative would increase energy bills and harm energy efficiency. 

There are 4 more days until Election Day.

RUNDOWN

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