These updates capture the most important items of evidence collected by the LobbyMap platform, allowing users to track how companies are industry associations are seeking to influence climate policy in real-time.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently held a hearing from 19-21 August, on its proposal to both repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which is the legal foundation for the regulation of greenhouse gasses, and also, to repeal all existing GHG emissions standards for motor vehicles.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents various vehicle manufacturers, such as Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and BMW, testified at the hearing and stated existing GHG emissions standards are “unachievable,” and advocated to create an interim GHG rule, which conflicts with the EPA’s proposal to do away with GHG emissions regulations entirely. The American Petroleum Institute (API) also testified at the hearing, and appeared to support the proposal, and opposed the existing GHG emissions standards for motor vehicles. API represents most major petrochemical companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP.
Chevron CEO, Mike Wirth promoted gas investments and raised concerns with Western Australia’s domestic gas reservation policy in a direct meeting with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, as reported by The Australian on 15 August. Wirth also cautioned against a global transition away from fossil fuels and appeared to support the US Trump administration’s decision to withdraw the country from the Paris Agreement, in an interview with The Australian published on the same day.
In statements published 7 August in Transport Topics, Daimler Truck supported EPA's proposal to repeal GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The EPA's complete proposal would repeal GHG emissions standards for light-, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles that are currently in effect, future GHG regulations, in addition to repealing the "endangerment finding," the EPA rule that allows the agency to regulate GHG emissions.
The Transport Project (TPP), an industry association representing Volvo Group, Cummins, Amazon, Chevron, Shell, PepsiCo, and others, has applauded the EPA's new proposal to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding and GHG emissions standards for motor vehicles in a statement issued 29 July.
The EPA's proposed rule would prevent the government from regulating the emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and other greenhouse gases.
In a 15 July press release, American Gas Association (AGA) CEO Karen Harbert celebrated President Trump's Innovation and Energy Summit held in Pennsylvania, which focused on using fossil fuels -- rather than renewables -- to meet energy demands from artificial intelligence. In an accompanying opinion article in Real Clear Energy, Harbert called for policy measures such as permitting reform to facilitate new fossil gas infrastructure, writing that "we currently have a front row to history with the opportunity to accelerate the buildout of the vast natural gas pipeline system to meet the increasing energy demands from data centers." FirstEnergy's CEO also advocated to use fossil gas to power artificial intelligence in a 16 July White House press release, stating that the utility was planning significant investments in "shale gas development."
In a 28 June press release, Solar Energy Industries Association CEO Abigail Ross Hopper opposed the Senate budget reconciliation bill, which proposes repeals to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s climate incentives and facilitates fossil fuel expansion. Hopper emphasized the negative consequences in terms of electricity bills and job losses, stating that any Senators who vote for the bill to pass will "answer for it when families open their utility bills, when workers lose their paychecks, and when voters head to the polls." A 26 June blog by the industry group repeated similar points, mainly that repealing the IRA's tax credits would trigger higher energy bills and cost states tax revenues generated by the solar and storage industry.
In a 28 June press release, American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet opposed the Senate budget reconciliation bill's proposal to tax wind and solar, stating that "the Senate has proposed a punitive tax hike targeting the fastest-growing sectors of our energy industry." Grumet urged Senate leadership to remove this tax increase, emphasizing its economic costs in stating that it would "strand hundreds of billions of dollars in current investments, threaten energy security, undermine growth in domestic manufacturing and land hardest on rural communities who would have been the greatest beneficiaries of clean energy investment." The budget bill also proposes to rapidly repeal the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits and facilitate the expansion of fossil fuels.
In a 28 June press release titled "Senate Backpedals on American Energy Dominance," Advanced Energy United CEO Heather O'Neill urged Senators to either vote against the budget reconciliation bill or amend its provisions so that the Inflation Reduction Act's energy tax credits are preserved. O'Neill emphasized that if the Senate approves the current version of the bill, it will "abruptly terminate countless advanced energy projects in active development and construction, killing jobs, destroying billions in private investment, and kneecapping American energy dominance." The industry group concurrently launched another ad blitz across six states -- announced 27 June -- specifically targeting House districts in Arizona, California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
In 28 May statements, General Motor's CEO Mary Barra supported the US Senate's recent vote to overturn the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks rules. Barra stated that "We tried to work at both the state and federal level, but what happened in Congress last week was necessary to protect the customer." Previously, General Motors asked its employees to directly support the Senate's vote to overturn the rules, according to a 17 May Wall Street Journal article.
In an 11 June interview with Axios, the CEO of Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid appeared to support the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy tax credits by emphasizing that their repeal would result in higher energy prices. In the same interview, the CEO suggested that the state of Massachusetts needed to facilitate increased gas capacity, stating that "we've been saying for a long time we need to fix access to gas in Massachusetts." The Senate is currently in talks over the budget bill, which currently proposes to repeal many of the Inflation Reduction Act's climate incentives.
Several clean energy groups quickly responded to the US Senate Finance Committee's reconciliation budget bill, which proposes to effectively repeal many of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s climate-related tax credits. In 16 June press releases, the Clean Energy Buyers Association CEO Rich Powell called upon Congress to "preserve all clean energy tax credits to keep electricity low cost and America globally competitive" while the American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet emphasized that the repeals would "unnecessarily penalize companies that are making good faith investments under current law." Meanwhile, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Advanced Energy United have both ramped up their advocacy campaigns in defense of the IRA's clean energy tax credits: SEIA held a "Save Main Street Solar" rally on Capitol Hill on 17 June, while Advanced Energy United launched a six-figure ad campaign across six target states -- Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas -- and the District of Columbia to educate Republican Senators on the economic value of preserving these tax credits in their districts. The budget bill passed in the House in May 2025 and is currently being negotiated in the Senate.
In a 17 June press release, Advanced Energy United celebrated the passage of New York legislation that repeals the state's "100-foot rule" that effectively subsidizes new gas connections. The industry group stated that the rule has been "making the achievement of New York's vision for affordable energy and clean, electric buildings more difficult" and urged Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law.
As announced in a 30 May press release, the US Chamber of Commerce has launched a six-figure paid advocacy campaign in support of the federal budget reconciliation bill, which proposes to rapidly phase out or repeal the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s climate incentives. The US Chamber's messaging appears to focus mainly on the bill's tax provisions, with no mention of its impact on the transition of the energy mix. Following the release of the Senate Finance Committee's version of the bill, which includes more aggressive cuts to the IRA's climate-related tax credits, the industry group issued a 16 June press release in support of the proposal. As part of the campaign, the US Chamber has also been conducting public engagements with members of Congress, including a 16 June roundtable with US Representative Troy Downing in Montana. The budget reconciliation bill is currently being negotiated in the Senate.
In separate 11 June press releases, the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) celebrated the Trump administration's proposal to repeal the power plant carbon standards, which were finalized by the Biden administration in April 2024. The US Chamber stated that it "supports terminating the unworkable Clean Power Plan 2.0", while NAM CEO Jay Timmons called the proposed repeal a "critical and welcome step toward rebalanced regulations and American energy dominance." The proposal is open for comment until 7 August 2025, and reflects the Trump administration's latest in a series of regulatory rollbacks.
In a 16 June press release, Clean Energy Buyers Association CEO Rich Powell announced the release of an analysis demonstrating the negative economic and jobs consequences that would occur if the Inflation Reduction Act's clean electricity tax credits were repealed. Powell called upon Congress to maintain the tax credits, stating that "there is no question that removing tech-neutral energy credits would cause economic harm and job losses and drive up electricity prices in more than half the country." The budget reconciliation bill, which is currently being negotiated in the Senate, threatens to repeal or rapidly phase out many of the Inflation Reduction Act's climate investments.
In a 12 June press release, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers issued a joint statement following the passage of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning the EPA’s 2024 authorization of California’s 2035 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales target. The two industry leaders described the move as a “win for the American people” and a measure to “protect national energy security,” while criticizing California’s EV mandate as “extreme and restrictive.”
In an 11 June press release, Advanced Energy United CEO Heather O'Neill opposed the Trump administration's proposed regulatory repeal of the finalized power plant carbon standards. O'Neill emphasized the need to transition away from fossil fuel power plants, stating that "continuing to invest in and depend on these plants into the future will lead to more stranded costs and price volatility for consumers."
The standards, which were finalized by the Biden administration in April 2024, will soon be open for public comment as the Trump administration proposes to rollback all GHG emissions standards for the power sector under the Clean Air Act; as stated in the Environmental Protection Agency's press release, the Trump administration is "proposing that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants do not contribute significantly to dangerous air pollution within the meaning of the statute."
In a 5 June letter to US Senate leadership, a range of companies and industry groups advocated for Congress to maintain the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s clean hydrogen production tax credit, which is under threat of being effectively repealed as budget reconciliation talks continue in the Senate. The letter was signed by over 200 entities including the American Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, American Chemistry Council, National Association of Manufacturers, US Chamber of Commerce, Acciona, Air Liquide, Cummins, DuPont, ENGIE North America, Entergy Texas, Fortescue, Honeywell, Johnson Matthey, Hyundai Motor North America, Siemens Energy, thyssenkrupp-nucera USA, and Toyota Motor North America. The letter appeared to emphasize a role for fossil gas-based hydrogen -- which the finalized tax credit guidance allows with carbon capture and storage -- without mention of renewable feedstocks beyond nuclear and hydropower. Many of these entities, as detailed in InfluenceMap's policy tracker, previously engaged to weaken the implementation guidance and called for greater flexibility around the use of fossil fuel based feedstocks.
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) appears to have increased its advocacy for the defense of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s climate provisions, in response to the House budget reconciliation bill which proposes to cut or rapidly phase out many of the IRA's clean energy tax credits.
In a 19 May press release, CEO Abigail Ross Hopper announced SEIA's new "Under Threat" website, which describes how the reconciliation bill would result in negative economic impacts and links to the industry group's existing "Solar Powers America" campaign.
Hopper then issued a 22 May press release opposing the passage of the budget reconciliation bill in the House, stating that "this legislation will upend an economic boom in this country that has delivered a historic American manufacturing renaissance, lower electric bills, hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, and tens of billions of dollars of investments primarily to states that voted for President Trump." The Senate is now back from recess and will continue talks around the budget reconciliation bill.
In a 22 May press release, American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet opposed the passage of the House budget reconciliation bill and urged the Senate to "reject the House approach and pass a reasonable energy policy for the American people." Similarly to previous statements released the prior week on the week, Grumet appeared to reference the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)'s clean energy tax credits in criticizing the bill's proposal to "immediately end the clean energy tax incentives that provide economic growth, good-paying jobs, and low-cost electricity to millions of Americans." The bill, which proposes to cut and phase-out the IRA's tax credits related to climate and energy, now moves to the Senate.
InfluenceMap's latest Transport Bulletin highlights insights into the advocacy of major companies and their industry associations on global transport policy during the first half of 2025.
This online briefing is the fourth in InfluenceMap’s regular series expanding on recent corporate engagement with global methane policy captured on the Methane Platform.
This briefing contains an overview of the corporate lobbying detected by InfluenceMap related to fossil fuels from Q1 2025.
A new report by InfluenceMap shows how the oil & gas and utilities industries are leveraging a common fossil fuel playbook to prolong the use of fossil gas in buildings globally.
The latest Transport Bulletin highlights recent insights into the advocacy of major companies and their industry associations.
The third briefing in InfluenceMap's regular series on corporate policy engagement with global methane policy, as captured on the Methane Platform.
