Researchers announced Friday that they had discovered a “large-scale” six-year campaign by Iranian-linked hackers to surveil Iranian dissidents and expats, including through targeting accounts on the instant messaging app Telegram.

A report released by Check Point Software Technologies said that, beginning as early as 2014, Iranian entities targeted government dissidents including resistance group Mujahedin-e Khalq and the Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization through attacking their mobile devices and personal computers. 

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“The conflict of ideologies between those movements and the Iranian authorities makes them a natural target for such an attack, as they align with the political targeting of the regime,” Check Point researchers wrote in the report. 

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The Iranian-linked hackers used multiple methods to surveil and attack the victims, including an Android back door that posed as a service for Persian speakers in Sweden to apply for a driver’s license, extracting two-factor authentication codes from SMS messages, recording the audio surroundings of a phone, and hijacking Telegram accounts. 

Check Point researchers noted that the surveillance and hacking effort was likely part of an “effort to collect intelligence on potential opponents to the regime.”

Lotem Finkelsteen, manager of threat intelligence at Check Point, said Friday that in light of the findings, Telegram was “clearly hijack-able,” emphasizing that “instant messaging surveillance, especially on Telegram, is something everyone should be cautious and aware of.”

“The mobile, PC and web phishing attacks are all connected to the same operation,” Finkelsteen said in a statement. “Meaning, these operations are managed according to intelligence and national interests, as opposed to technological challenges. We will continue to monitor different geographies across the world to better inform the public around cyber security.”

The findings were published on the heels of a flurry of actions taken by the Trump administration this week to crack down on Iranian-linked malicious hacking efforts.

The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned 45 Iranians and two hacking groups for allegedly targeting Iranian dissidents, with the agency noting that some victims were eventually arrested and subjected to physical and psychological abuse. 

And Justice Department announced indictments against Iranian nationals linked to malicious cyber efforts targeted at satellite companies and against those accused of stealing hundreds of terabytes of data from U.S. and international companies on behalf of the Iranian government.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

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BLOWING SMOKE: Smoke from the wildfires in the West is spreading across the United States and has even reached Europe, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

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Satellite images show the smoke hovering above the United Kingdom moving into Northern Europe, a nearly 5,000 mile journey.

“The scale and magnitude of these fires are at a level much higher than in any of the 18 years that our monitoring data covers,” Mark Parrington, CAMS senior scientist and wildfire expert, said in a release.

Read more on the fires here. 

TRAINING DAY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will postpone training on environmental inequity faced by communities of color and low-income communities following a White House order calling for agencies to stop training involving what it described as “anti-American propaganda.”

EPA spokesperson James Hewitt confirmed to The Hill that the agency would put the training “on hold” until it receives “greater clarification” from The White House. 

Politico first reported that the training would be halted, noting that the agency put off a virtual event that was slated for Tuesday and was part of a series on “Structural Racism and Environmental Justice.”

In announcing the postponement, EPA official Charles Lee cited a White House memo, according to the news outlet. 

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The memo in question, issued earlier this month by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget’s Russel Vought, said that unspecified “press reports” indicated that taxpayer dollars were being spent on training where employees “are told that ‘virtually all White people contribute to racism’ or where they are required to say that they ‘benefit from racism.’”

The memo further said that federal agencies should “cease and desist” from using taxpayer funds on such training and ordered the agencies to identify contracts or spending relating to any training on topics such as white privilege. 

That’s a big departure from recent promises from EPA…

The EPA’s action follows a speech by Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOvernight Energy: Smoke from wildfires has reached Europe | EPA postpones environmental justice training | UN report: Countries have failed to meet a single target to protect wildlife in last decade EPA postpones environmental justice training after White House memo OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats tee up vote on climate-focused energy bill next week | EPA reappoints controversial leader to air quality advisory committee | Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ MORE in which he outlined his vision for a second term and said that the agency needs to center its efforts on environmental justice for communities overburdened by pollution. 

Studies have shown that low-income communities and communities of color face greater impacts from pollution. 

However, the Trump administration has also taken actions that advocates say will harm these communities, like no longer requiring environmental analyses to consider how a construction project’s pollution will interact with existing sources of pollution in a community. 

Environmentalists criticized the decision to postpone the training. 

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“Agencies like the EPA have a responsibility to center Environmental Justice in all of its work, in order to effectively carry out its mission to ‘protect human health and the environment,’” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a statement. “The postponement of an anti-discrimination series at the behest of Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power ‘is invested in the attorney general’ Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy MORE’s racist directive is an outrage and proves, yet again, just how hollow Andrew Wheeler’s words are. 

The story is here. 

MISSING TARGETS: The United Nations said the international community is not doing enough to adequately protect biodiversity and wildlife after determining that countries have not achieved any of the goals in a list of targets laid out 10 years ago. 

The Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, which was published Tuesday before a UN summit on the issue later this month, said the world has failed to meet any of the 20 objectives that the world agreed to at a 2010 summit in Japan that was intended to compile ways to slow the decay of wildlife and life-sustaining ecosystems.

Among the goals were eliminating, phasing out or reforming “incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity,” halve “the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests” by 2020 and reduce pollution “to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.” 

“Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the pressures driving this decline are intensifying. None of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets will be fully met, in turn threatening the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and undermining efforts to address climate change,” Tuesday’s report read.

“At the global level none of the 20 targets have been fully achieved, though six targets have been partially achieved.”

The report specifically found that natural habitats are still disappearing, several species are still threatened with extinction and hundreds of billions of dollars in environmentally damaging government subsidies have yet to be eliminated, among other things.

The world did not meet the goals of protecting 17 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 percent of marine habitats, but some progress has been made on targets regarding protecting other ecosystems, including having 44 percent of vital biodiverse areas falling under protection a boost from 29 percent in 2000.

Read more about the report here. 

SOUND FAMILIAR? A coalition of environmental and tribal groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rollback of two rules meant to limit the amount of methane emitted by the oil and gas sector. 

The lawsuits, announced late Tuesday, target two rules promulgated by the agency last month. Under one rule, the agency rescinded standards that specifically regulate the emissions of methane, and the other rolled back industry requirements for detecting and repairing methane leaks.

Together, the two changes were expected to cause an increase of 850,000 tons of methane emissions over 10 years. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is significantly more powerful than carbon dioxide. 

This is the second suit this week challenging the methane rollback…

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The groups will argue that the EPA’s actions violate the Clean Air Act and that it must reinstate methane emissions standards issued by the Obama administration, according to a statement from the Sierra Club.  

“With a rapidly warming planet and the most devastating global pandemic in 100 years, the Trump administration has somehow seen fit to worsen both of these crises by attacking safeguards that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean up the air we breathe,” said Sierra Club attorney Andres Restrepo in a statement. 

Read more on the suit here. 

ON TAP TOMORROW:

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on titled “Examining the Barriers and Solutions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Department of the Interior”

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY:

Federal charges brought against former head of company that hopes to begin search for oil in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, The Anchorage Daily News reports

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Toxic exposure risks lurk in menstrual products, E&E News reports

Forecasters Are Running Out of Names This Hurricane Season. What Then? The New York Times asks

Is California serious about environmental justice? This water fight is a test, The Los Angeles Times reports

ICYMI: Stories from Wednesday (and Tuesday night)…

Smoke from Western wildfires has reached Europe

EPA postpones environmental justice training after White House memo

Senators offer disaster tax relief bill

Green groups sue EPA over methane rollbacks

UN report: Countries have failed to meet a single target to protect wildlife in the last decade

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has explored charges against Portland, Ore., officials after nightly protests for police reform led to clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, a spokesperson told The Associated Press on Thursday.

DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said the department had conducted research on whether it could pursue charges against Portland officials over their handling of the unrest. She declined to tell the AP what the status was on the charges and whether they would be brought.

The consideration of pressing criminal or civil charges against Portland officials follows as President TrumpDonald John TrumpHR McMaster says president’s policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is ‘unwise’ Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE’s administration has prioritized cracking down on violence related to the demonstrations. 

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If criminal civil rights charges were brought against city officials, the DOJ would likely face a challenge in reaching a conviction, the AP noted.

The charges would come after federal officials deployed to the city were informed that Portland police officers were instructed not to respond to the federal courthouse where hundreds of demonstrators were throwing projectiles at federal law enforcement.

Protests have continued in Portland since the May death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, which sparked calls and demonstrations nationwide and internationally for racial justice. The majority of these demonstrations have been peaceful, with some having some instances of looting and violence.

The report on possible charges in Portland comes after The New York Times reported Wednesday that Attorney General William BarrBill BarrBiden rips Barr’s comments on coronavirus restrictions as ‘sick’ OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups  MORE requested prosecutors to look into charging Seattle Mayor Jenny DurkanJenny DurkanDOJ explored charges against Portland officials after protesters clashed with law enforcement Seattle mayor: Barr’s reported suggestion that prosecutors charge her is ‘chilling’ Barr asked prosecutors to explore charging Seattle mayor over protest zone: report MORE (D) because of the protest zone established over the summer. DOJ officials have disputed the report. 

During his reelection campaign, Trump has highlighted the chaos associated with protests in Portland and other cities and connected it with Democratic city leaders. He has criticized Portland officials, especially Mayor Ted Wheeler (D), for not quelling the demonstrations. 

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More than 100 people have been charged with federal charges related to the Portland protests, according to the AP.

Wildfires that have left parts of California and other Western states with some of the worst air quality in the world are posing a major threat to people with asthma and other underlying health conditions who are already at greater risk of serious COVID-19 complications.

Exposure to wildfire smoke can weaken immune systems and cause respiratory illnesses, and experts worry that combining those effects with the coronavirus could lead to more severe cases, even death.

As the pandemic continues to take its toll, having killed nearly 200,000 people in the U.S., the western part of the country is facing dual crises that could have a compounding effect. 

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“At the levels of air pollution we’re seeing in the Northwest now, it’s a matter of concern for everyone,” said David Hill, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

“So, certainly by itself, we’d be concerned. But with COVID circulating, having worse air quality might make it more likely for them to get infected and have worse disease with COVID-19,” he added.

Wildfires have been burning in Western states for weeks, and at least 34 people have died, according to The Associated Press.

When wildfires burn they release pollutants that can worsen air quality, including one known as particulate matter, which inflames the lungs and has also been linked to heart issues. The elderly and people with underlying health conditions like asthma and lung disease are at greatest risk for serious illness from both COVID-19 and poor air quality caused by wildfires.

On Thursday, the city of Portland, Ore., registered “hazardous” levels of a small type of particulate matter known as fine particulate matter, or PM2.5. Other cities, like Seattle, Salem, Ore., and Fresno, Calif., showed unhealthy or very unhealthy levels of the pollutant on Thursday.

In the short term, it can cause shortness of breath, coughing, sore throat and eye irritation, with symptoms potentially worsening in people with asthma or lung disease. It can also increase the risk of getting lung disease and respiratory infections, including COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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While research on the effect of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 is scant, hospitalizations for other respiratory infections typically increase during wildfire seasons, said Stephanie Christenson, an assistant professor of pulmonology at University of California San Francisco.

“We don’t know for sure if COVID-19 is going to be worse in the setting of wildfires, but we can speculate that is true,” she said.

“If you have inflammation from one thing like wildfires and you get COVID-19 on top of that also causing inflammation, that could compound each other and cause hospitalizations or other bad outcomes.”

Inflammation from wildfire smoke can last weeks or months, potentially delaying recovery for COVID-19 patients or making them sicker.

Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford, said the university hospital has seen increases in admissions for a variety of issues since the fires began.

Three weeks after the fires started, hospital admissions increased 17 percent for asthma, 14 percent for cardiovascular disorders, 43 percent for cerebrovascular disorders like strokes, 18 percent for kidney-related disorders and 15 percent for substance abuse disorders compared to three weeks before the fires, she said, citing an analysis by Stanford researcher Bibek Paudel.

Prunicki also said the elderly tend to have even worse outcomes and noted that socioeconomic factors can play a role in who is affected because people with more money can escape to other areas.

For those who can’t travel to safety, Prunicki said, fine particulate matter can cause issues because its small size allows it to reach many parts of the body.

“The majority of wildfire smoke is PM2.5, and the reason we care so much about it with human health is because it’s small enough — it’s like 1/30th the width of a human hair — it’s small enough that it can cross over into the bloodstream once it’s inhaled into the lungs, whereas bigger particles can’t do that. And so once it’s in the bloodstream it can cause problems in lots of … organs,” she said.

Studies have already linked long-term exposure to PM2.5 to worse coronavirus outcomes.

Researchers with the State University of New York (SUNY) linked exposure to a higher quantity of the substance to a 7 percent increase in mortality rate, while a Harvard study found that someone living in an area with a higher quantity had an 8 percent greater likelihood of dying from the virus.

Michael Peroni, who worked on the SUNY study, said that even though wildfires are shorter term events and his study looked at long-term exposure, he believed it can still be helpful in looking at wildfires because “more hazardous air pollutants and particulate matter that is in the air … is going to affect how us as a population are able to fight off these respiratory illnesses.”

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Medical experts say the adverse effects of wildfire smoke on the immune system could also put people at greater risk of other illnesses.

“We don’t know much about coronavirus and wildfire smoke, but the data that we do have on wildfire smoke would suggest that it has the ability to suppress our immune system and leave us vulnerable to the coronavirus,” said Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist and assistant professor at Boise State University.

The combination of wildfires and COVID-19 is also creating challenges to the pandemic response. Illnesses caused by both can have similar symptoms, creating confusion about when people should get tested for COVID-19 or see a doctor.

Preventive measures are also becoming more complicated. While people are generally encouraged to engage in outdoor activities since the virus spreads more easily indoors, residents of areas with poor air quality are being asked to stay inside. The only masks that offer protection against both smoke particles and COVID-19 are N95 respirators, which are in shortage and typically reserved for health care workers.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus is making it harder to combat the fires, as volunteers who usually clear undergrowth and brush have had to stay home and firefighters face staff shortages due to infections.

“We have these massive amounts of smoke that are blanketing whole communities. There’s no way to get away from that smoke,” said Montrose. “The dose is high. The duration is long and the … frequency of exposure has been numerous.”

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A new poll finds double-digit support among Republicans for Russia interfering in the U.S. midterm elections to try to help Republicans keep control of Congress in the fall.

A Yahoo Finance–SurveyMonkey poll released Tuesday finds that 11 percent of Republican or GOP-leaning Americans surveyed said it is “appropriate” for Russia to try to help Republicans, while 29 percent said it’s “not appropriate, but wouldn’t be a big deal.”

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A majority of Republicans, 55 percent, called it “not appropriate and it would be a big deal” for Russia to try to help Republicans keep control of Congress in November.

On the Democratic side, 14 percent of Democrats said it either would be appropriate or “wouldn’t be a big deal” for Russia to intervene on behalf of Democrats. Eighty-six percent called it “not appropriate” and “major” for Russia to try to help Democrats.

Among all respondents, 72 percent said they are strongly opposed to Russia helping Republicans in the 2018 elections, and 77 percent said they are strongly opposed to Russians lending a hand to the Democrats.

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Multiple top Trump administration officials have confirmed that Moscow is conspiring to meddle in the upcoming midterm elections after U.S. intelligence agencies said that Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Last week, the Daily Beast reported that Russian intelligence agents targeted Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) with an attempted breach ahead of the midterms. 

Facebook on Tuesday also revealed a new coordinated disinformation campaign on its platform ahead of the fall elections, saying it removed more than two dozen accounts across Facebook and Instagram involved in “inauthentic behavior.”

President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE last week suggested he was “concerned” that the Kremlin would attempt to meddle in the midterms to elect Democrats.

At a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted Trump to win the 2016 presidential election.

“Yes, I did, because he was the one who wanted to normalize relations with Russia,” Putin said. 

The Yahoo Finance–SurveyMonkey poll surveyed 2,509 Americans from July 25 to 27. 

Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money. I’m Naomi Jagoda, filling in for Sylvan Lane.

See something I missed? Let me know at njagoda@thehill.com or tweet me @njagoda. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N.

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane, @NJagoda and @NivElis.

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THE BIG DEAL — Pelosi: ‘Hard to see’ Democrats supporting less than $2.2T in COVID-19 aid

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said that she’s hopeful the parties will reach an agreement on the next round of coronavirus relief but suggested Democrats aren’t prepared to accept anything less than her last offer — $2.2 trillion — on a deal.

“When we go into a negotiation it’s about the allocation of the resources,” she told reporters in the Capitol. “But it’s hard to see how we can go any lower when you only have greater needs.”

The comments come as both sides are voicing some optimism that, after weeks of stalled negotiations, a bipartisan deal on an emergency coronavirus bill is possible before the November elections.

Background:

• Trump on Wednesday had urged congressional Republicans to seek more emergency funding, and Pelosi subsequently spoke to Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinMcConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Hillicon Valley: FBI chief says Russia is trying to interfere in election to undermine Biden | Treasury Dept. sanctions Iranian government-backed hackers On the Money: Pelosi draws line at .2T | Jobless claims dip | Swing-state jobless numbers an issue for Trump MORE, but Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on a top-line number.
• Democrats are asking for a relief package to be at least $2.2 trillion, while Senate Republicans’ most recent proposal was only $650 billion.
• Most House Democrats appear to back Pelosi’s hard-line negotiating demand, but a number of moderates want a vote on another bill even if there’s no agreement with Republicans.

Read more from The Hill’s Mike Lillis here.

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LEADING THE DAY — Initial jobless claims dip to 860,000

Initial jobless claims dipped to a seasonally adjusted 860,000 in the week ending Sept. 12, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week, a sign of gradual but steady improvement for the economy.

Unadjusted claims fell significantly, dropping 8.8 percent to 790,021.

The Labor Department’s weekly report showed that claims the previous week had increased rather than remaining flat, as initially reported.

The report also showed that the total number of people receiving any kind of benefit continued to increase through the end of August, reaching 29.8 million.

The Hill’s Niv Elis has more about the jobless claims data here.

High jobless rates in Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania point to problem for Trump

Key swing states vital to President Trump’s reelection effort are suffering through unemployment rates higher than the national rate, something that could be a factor in the home stretch of the presidential campaign. 

The unemployment rates in Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona, three of the tightest contests in the country, stood at 13.7 percent, 11.3 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively, in July, the most recent month recorded. The national jobless rate in July was 10.2 percent, and it fell to 8.4 percent in August.

Niv and Morgan Chalfant take a look here at what these numbers could mean for Trump’s bid to win a second term.

Virtual Event Announcement — Monday, Sept. 21: Ecommerce and the American Small Business

“Online everything” continues to be an essential component of daily life, especially now, as Americans take safety precautions in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. How will the introduction of more small businesses to the digital, global marketplace change the way we buy and sell goods? On Monday, Sept. 21 at 1PM, The Hill Virtually Live discusses steps that can be taken to improve our digital infrastructure, and by extension, our digital economy. Small Business Committee members Rep. Adriano EspaillatAdriano de Jesus Espaillat CabralHispanic Caucus members embark on ‘virtual bus tour’ with Biden campaign On the Money: Pelosi draws line at .2T | Jobless claims dip | Swing-state jobless numbers an issue for Trump Sharpton, police reform take center stage at National Mall MORE (D-NY) and Rep. Kevin HernKevin HernOn the Money: Pelosi draws line at .2T | Jobless claims dip | Swing-state jobless numbers an issue for Trump What we learned from COVID: Telehealth is here to stay Democrats hurt small business when they attack Big Tech MORE (R-OK) join The Hill’s Steve Clemons. RSVP now for event reminders

GOOD TO KNOW

• Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Thursday said that the former vice president views the race as “Park Avenue versus Scranton,” as the campaign sought to contrast the Democratic nominee’s position on taxes with President Trump’s.
• White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Thursday there was “no sector worse hurt than energy” during the economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The U.S. stock market plunged Thursday, continuing a period of volatility that has seen sudden drops and spikes in recent weeks.
• Mastercard has announced it is launching a massive $500 million investment into Black communities amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit those groups disproportionately hard.

OPINION

• Municipal bond investors have to share the burden in state bailouts, by Joshua Rauh, a senior fellow for the Hoover Institution and the Ormond Family Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
• A deal for coronavirus fiscal relief, by Alex Brill of the American Enterprise Institute and Betsey Stevenson of the University of Michigan.
• New Fed approach takes inflation targeting more seriously, by Scott Sumner, the Ralph G. Hawtrey Chair of Monetary Policy with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

 

Rollbacks put forth by the Trump administration could cause the release of an extra 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, according to a new analysis. 

The report, from Rhodium Group noted that the excess 1.8 billion tons of what’s known as carbon dioxide equivalent would equal about one-third of the country’s total emissions from 2019. 

Carbon dioxide equivalent is a measurement used to equate various greenhouse gases based on their potential to contribute to global warming.

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The Trump administration has repeatedly moved to roll back regulations that seek to curb greenhouse gas emissions and has shown little interest in trying to mitigate climate change. It has justified its rollbacks by saying that they lessen regulatory burdens on industry and contribute to economic growth. 

Some of the policies that are expected to contribute the most to these additional emissions are rolling back attempts to limit vehicle emissions by preventing California from setting its own emissions standards and loosening fuel economy requirements.

Other actions that could contribute are weakened regulations on both methane emissions from the oil and gas sector and pollution from coal-fired power plants and rescission of a regulation that would have phased out the use of greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons in appliances. 

However, many of the administration’s changes are facing court challenges and could be partially or totally struck down. They also could be undone by future presidential administrations.

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HAPPY THURSDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our newsletter.

ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION: Rep. Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups  Press: The big no-show at the RNC MORE (R-Wyo.) has asked the Justice Department to investigate some of the country’s leading environmental groups, arguing that Russian and China are attempting to influence U.S. policies through the groups. 

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The third-ranking House Republican, in a letter to Attorney General William BarrBill BarrBiden rips Barr’s comments on coronavirus restrictions as ‘sick’ OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups  MORE this month, asserted that the interests of environmentalists align with those of foreign governments when it comes to energy policy. 

Her letter rehashed some old claims from Republicans that foreign countries have influenced these organizations, a charge the groups have firmly denied. 

“Environmental groups are major contributors to U.S. political campaigns and have filed hundreds of lawsuits against the Trump Administration in an effort to advance their agendas,” her letter said. 

“This robust political and judicial activism—combined with the fact that these groups often espouse views that align with those of our adversaries—makes it all the more critical that the Department is aware of any potential foreign influence within or targeting these groups,” Cheney added.

“I urge the Department to investigate Chinese and Russian attempts to influence environmental and energy policy in the United States, including within or through such groups as the NRDC, Sea Change, the Sierra Club, and others,” she concluded. 

A spokesperson for the Sierra Club declined to comment, while the NRDC and Sea Change did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. However, the groups have previously denied similar accusations. 

In 2017, Rep. Randy WeberRandall (Randy) Keith WeberOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups  GOP’s Gohmert introduces resolution that would ban the Democratic Party MORE (R-Texas) and then-Rep. Lamar SmithLamar Seeligson SmithOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups  How effective are protests and riots for changing America? MORE (R-Texas) claimed that “entities connected to the Russian government” were giving money to  Sea Change, a philanthropic organization that donates to environmental causes, through a shell company called Klein Ltd. 

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They argued that donations from Sea Change to other environmental organizations would be “used to execute a political agenda driven by Russian entities.” 

However, philanthropist Nat Simons, who has helped run the Sea Change foundation, told Inside Philanthropy in 2017 he is the sole director of Klein Ltd. and that it is funded by his family’s money only. 

Read more here.

PANDEMIC PAIN: White House economic adviser Larry KudlowLarry KudlowMORE said Thursday there was “no sector worse hurt than energy” during the economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The pandemic’s been brutal. And no sector worse hurt than energy. No question. At one point, no one would take delivery and we had negative prices, crazy stuff,” Kudlow said in apparent reference to the oil industry at an Energy Department symposium on natural gas.

His remarks don’t take into account many industries that make up the bulk of the nation’s high 2020 unemployment claims.

In April, oil prices dropped into their lowest point ever, at one point trading at negative $37.63, the lowest level recorded since the New York Mercantile Exchange began trading oil futures in 1983. The price drop reflected the willingness of futures traders to pay someone to take physical possession of the oil.

Prices have since recovered to around $40, a break-even point for many oil companies, but still below the $50 range before the pandemic.

Though a historic moment that reflected the uncertainty of the markets, several different analyses of the economy suggest that oil and energy broadly are hardly the only industries reeling.

A March analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence found airlines were the most likely to default, with the oil and gas industry taking the No. 2 spot after trailing the gaming and leisure industries for most of the month.

The energy industry accounts for a much smaller share of unemployment claims. A six-month outlook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found leisure and hospitality accounted for the largest share of unemployment claims filed over the last six months, at 24 percent, followed by education and health services and professional and business services. Each of those areas has accounted for more unemployment claims over the last six months than every part of the energy sector combined.

The event largely served as a way for administration officials and industry representatives to bash environmental groups and Democrats for not doing more to promote natural gas. The discussion largely mirrored rhetoric used by the Trump campaign, broadly casting Democratic environmental policies as dangerous for the economy. 

Read more about his remarks here.

FISHING FOR SALMON OR GOLD?: President TrumpDonald John TrumpHR McMaster says president’s policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is ‘unwise’ Cast of ‘Parks and Rec’ reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE is pledging to keep politics out of decision making involving the controversial Pebble Mine that has been proposed at the site of a prominent salmon fishery. 

“Don’t worry, wonderful & beautiful Alaska, there will be NO POLITICS in the Pebble Mine Review Process. I will do what is right for Alaska and our great Country!!!” he tweeted late Wednesday. 

The language of his tweet was similar to that used in advertising by Pebble Limited Partnership, the company behind the proposed mine, in favor of the project. 

“President Trump, continue to stand tall and don’t let politics enter the Pebble Mine review process,” said an ad from the company. 

The proposed gold and copper mine has become a lightning rod among conservatives in recent weeks after prominent figures such as Donald Trump Jr. and Tucker CarlsonTucker CarlsonOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups | Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic | Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review Trump ABC town hall pulls in fewer viewers than ‘America’s Got Talent,’ NBA, Fox News MORE spoke out against it. 

Following this, Trump said he would look at “both sides” of the issue. Weeks later, the federal government notified Pebble that it would have to take extra steps to mitigate “unavoidable adverse impacts to aquatic resources.”

The notification, from the Army Corps of Engineers, came after the agency had already issued an environmental impacts assessment saying that the proposed project would not impact salmon harvests in the area, reversing an Obama-era determination that it would. 

Joel Reynolds, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told The Hill at the time that he believed it was unusual for the government to require new mitigation measures this late in the process, saying that “these sorts of issues typically have been resolved by this stage.”

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Environmentalists have argued that the initial assessment was flawed and part of an attempt to rush the mine through. 

Asked about the president’s latest tweet, Pebble spokesperson Mike Heatwole said in an email: “We thank President Trump for keeping his word. All Pebble has asked for is a fair shake and we look forward to getting our Record of Decision this Fall.”

The Bristol Bay area where the mine would be located is the world’s largest commercial sockeye salmon-producing region, and opponents of the mine fear its discharges could contaminate local waters.

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Read more about the situation here. 

PAUSE, BUT NOT REWIND: A court has temporarily halted an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that rescinded Obama-era standards for methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, preventing the rollback from taking effect for the time being. 

A panel of three federal judges issued a procedural pause on the rule called an administrative stay while the court decides whether to halt it for a longer period of time.

They wrote that the order “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits” of whether to grant the longer pause. 

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The EPA rule, issued last month, would eliminate requirements to regulate methane emissions from the production, processing, transmission and storage of oil and gas. They also rescind standards that regulate volatile organic compounds, a type of chemical, from oil and gas transmission and storage. 

The change is expected to allow an additional 450,000 tons of methane and 120,000 tons of volatile organic compounds to be emitted into the air over a 10-year period. 

Read more about the temporary halt here. 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY:

EPA bails on mining case after Minn. balks, E&E News reports

Some of Glacier National Park’s glaciers have lost as much as 80% of their size in the last 50 years, CNN reports

Federal officials stockpiled munitions, sought ‘heat ray’ device before clearing Lafayette Square, whistleblower says, The Washington Post reports 

Trump’s climate change rollbacks to drive up U.S. emissions, Politico reports

ICYMI: Stories from Thursday…

First death reported from Hurricane Sally in Alabama

Kudlow: ‘No sector worse hurt than energy’ during pandemic

Court temporarily pauses EPA methane emissions rollback

Trump pledges ‘no politics’ in Pebble Mine review

Cheney asks DOJ to probe environmental groups 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will postpone training on environmental inequity faced by communities of color and low-income communities following a White House order calling for agencies to stop training involving what it described as “anti-American propaganda.”

Charles Lee, the EPA’s senior policy adviser for environmental justice, told employees in an email that the department would postpone an event that was part of its speaker series on structural racism and environmental justice. 

“Pursuant to the memorandum issued by OMB [Office of Management and Budget] and with the expectation of more detailed guidance on implementation to be issued shortly, we are postponing this event for now. Once EPA has received and had the chance to review this more detailed guidance, we will let you know about next steps regarding the EJ and Structural Racism series,” Lee wrote.

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EPA spokesperson James Hewitt confirmed to The Hill that the agency would put the training “on hold” until it receives “greater clarification” from The White House. 

Politico first reported that the training would be halted.

The White House memo in question, issued earlier this month by OMB Director Russell Vought, said that unspecified “press reports” indicated taxpayer dollars were being spent on training where employees “are told that ‘virtually all White people contribute to racism’ or where they are required to say that they ‘benefit from racism.’”

The memo further said that federal agencies should “cease and desist” from using taxpayer funds on such training and ordered the agencies to identify contracts or spending relating to any training on topics such as white privilege. 

The EPA’s action follows a speech by Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOvernight Energy: Smoke from wildfires has reached Europe | EPA postpones environmental justice training | UN report: Countries have failed to meet a single target to protect wildlife in last decade EPA postpones environmental justice training after White House memo OVERNIGHT ENERGY: House Democrats tee up vote on climate-focused energy bill next week | EPA reappoints controversial leader to air quality advisory committee | Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ MORE in which he outlined his vision for a second term and said the agency needs to center its efforts on achieving environmental justice for communities overburdened by pollution. 

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Studies have shown that low-income communities and communities of color face greater impacts from pollution. 

However, the Trump administration has also taken actions that advocates say will harm these communities, such as no longer requiring environmental analyses to consider how a construction project’s pollution will interact with existing sources of pollution in a community. 

Environmentalists criticized the decision to postpone the training. 

“Agencies like the EPA have a responsibility to center Environmental Justice in all of its work, in order to effectively carry out its mission to ‘protect human health and the environment,’” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a statement. “The postponement of an anti-discrimination series at the behest of Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power ‘is invested in the attorney general’ Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy MORE’s racist directive is an outrage and proves, yet again, just how hollow Andrew Wheeler’s words are.”

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Airline executives met with President TrumpDonald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power ‘is invested in the attorney general’ Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy MORE‘s chief of staff, Mark MeadowsMark Randall MeadowsAmerican Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid McEnany tells CNN reporter to come work at the White House for details on health care plan Trump undercuts GOP, calls for bigger COVID-19 relief package MORE, at the White House on Thursday to urge the administration to extend the relief for the airline industry, which is warning of massive layoffs.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly spoke to reporters at the White House after the meeting, stressing the need for a six-month extension to the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for airlines that was included in the CARES Act in March.

Meadows told reporters after the meeting that it is “incumbent” that Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiPowell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could ‘scar and damage’ economy Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump’s military controversies Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (D-Calif.) act to assist the airlines and that the White House has looked at a number of executive actions but “all of them are less than ideal.”

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“There’s a few things that we could do, but I don’t know that it actually solves the problem of curtailing furloughed workers,” Meadows said.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Airlines for America CEO Nick Calio were also in the White House meeting.

“We airline CEOs are here on behalf of the people that work for us who are doing great jobs out there … they’re out there putting their uniforms on going to work every day and making sure we’re moving. Without action, they’re going to be furlough on Oct. 1 and it’s not fair. It’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to our country,” Parker told reporters.

Under the terms of the CARES Act relief funding, airlines are prohibited from firing or laying off any employees until Oct. 1. The industry is now asking for a $25 billion injection to postpone any job cuts at least until April.

“There’s enormous bipartisan support for an extension of the Payroll Support Program, which would keep those people employed. And the only problem we have is we don’t have a vehicle for getting it done. We need to have a COVID relief package that includes that,” Parker said. 

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Meadows noted in his conversation with reporters, “Compared to $1.5 trillion, [$25 billion is] a rather small amount of additional assistance that could potentially keep 30 to 50,000 workers on the payroll.”

Kelly called the meeting with Meadows “very good” and said the CEOs are not meeting with Trump directly.

“Chief Meadows assured us that the White House is very interested in getting something done, so we reached out to the Speaker, just encouraged two sides working together so we can save jobs and really in a broader sense save this economy,” Kelly said.

Pelosi told MSNBC on Wednesday that Democrats are planning on adding airline money to a future coronavirus relief bill.

“[The HEROES Act vote] was four months ago, May 15, many — this has accelerated since then. We have additional needs for restaurants, airlines and the rest and those — those things have to be taken into consideration as well,” she said.

On Oct. 1, American Airlines expects to ax 19,000 jobs, and United Airlines said it plans to cut 16,370. Southwest Airlines also warned that as many as 36,000 employees could face furloughs. 

Mike Lillis contributed to this report.