House Democrats on Friday unveiled a gargantuan $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, the first step of codifying the proposal crafted by President BidenJoe BidenREAD: House Democrats’ mammoth COVID-19 relief bill House panel unveils .9T relief package Nunes lawsuit against CNN thrown out MORE’s administration.

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The package that will be considered by the House Budget Committee is the result of a combination of measures that have already been approved by at least nine different committees.

The full package could pass the House as soon as next week, though it faces what is expected to be a fierce battle in the Senate given Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the upper chamber and opposition from some centrists over some of the bill’s language, particularly over a boost to the minimum wage.

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“This reconciliation bill is the next step toward implementing the American Rescue Plan and finally changing the direction of these crises,” said Rep. John YarmuthJohn Allen YarmuthHouse panel unveils .9T relief package GOP highlights unspent relief funds in criticizing Biden plan Senate Democrats likely to face key test of unity on 2022 budget MORE (D-Ky.), the chair of the Budget panel. “Without this relief package, conditions will spiral further out of control and families will suffer needlessly.”

“We are in a race against time, and aggressive, bold action is needed before our nation is permanently scarred by the human and economic costs of inaction,” he added. “We have the plan and the fiscal space, we have the American people behind us, and now we have the bill to get it done.”

The unveiling of the 591-page bill comes as Congress stares down a deadline for expanded unemployment benefits, which are set to start expiring next month.

Several of the provisions advocated by Biden are in the legislation, including stimulus payments of up to $1,400 following the $600 that millions of Americans received under the last package.

The legislation also extends supplemental unemployment benefits and boost them from $300 per week to $400. Nutrition assistance and housing aid are also included in the bill.

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Other provisions include $195.3 billion to states, $130.2 billion to local governments and $14 billion to research, develop and distribute vaccines.

The most controversial provision of the bill is an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025.

The legislation is likely to be changed in the Senate, where Democrats are trying to muscle the bill through via budget reconciliation, a gambit that would allow it to pass with a simple majority rather than reach a 60-vote threshold.

Republicans have come out swinging against the package, saying the federal government still hasn’t doled out all the money it has already allocated for pandemic relief. And centrist Democrats like Sens. Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinHouse panel unveils .9T relief package Biden won’t pull Tanden nomination, says she’ll get the votes On The Money: What’s next for Neera Tanden’s nomination MORE (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) have voiced opposition to its $15 minimum wage provision.

The minimum wage increase may be scrapped altogether by the Senate parliamentarian, who could decide that it does not comply with the budget reconciliation guidelines. 

TGIF! 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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NO, THAT’S NOT A BODY DOUBLE… John KerryJohn KerryOVERNIGHT ENERGY: US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement | Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules | Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say Kerry: Climate change among ‘most complex security issues we’ve ever faced’ Kerry warns the US has 9 years to avoid worst climate consequences MORE just gave four climate-focused speeches in one day…

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Bonjour! The U.S. on Friday officially rejoined the Paris Agreement after former President TrumpDonald TrumpUN report says Erik Prince violated arms embargo against Libya: report Lee after Romney’s impeachment vote: There’s enough room in GOP ‘for both of us’ Nunes lawsuit against CNN thrown out MORE withdrew from the deal.

On his first day in office, President BidenJoe BidenREAD: House Democrats’ mammoth COVID-19 relief bill House panel unveils .9T relief package Nunes lawsuit against CNN thrown out MORE signed an executive order that set the country on track to rejoin the global accord, but it took 30 days for the country to formally reenter. 

Special envoy for climate John Kerry stressed at an event on Friday that there is still more work to be done. 

“We know that just doing Paris is not enough,” Kerry said. “If every country delivered, we’d still see a warming planet Earth.”

Under the Paris deal, the world’s countries agree to attempt to limit the planet’s warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with the further goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. 

The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the agreement, arguing that it is burdensome for business and workers. 

But Biden has stressed that he sees an opportunity for jobs as the country moves toward clean energy. He has also argued that climate change is among several crises the country currently faces. 

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Kerry will be leading much of the administration’s climate diplomacy, including at a United Nations conference set for November in Scotland, where countries will formally adopt more stringent climate commitments.

Former President Obama set the goal of reducing U.S. emissions by between 26 and 28 percent compared to 2005 levels by 2025. 

Biden administration officials have said that they will announce updated goals before a summit on Earth Day this year.

Read more about the official rejoining here.

From Paris to Munich… Special envoy John Kerry called climate change “among the most complex security issues we’ve ever faced” at the virtual Munich Security Conference on Friday.

Kerry pointed to Texas’s struggle to keep the power on this week amid unusually cold temperatures, an unprecedented number of tropical storms last year that quickly exhausted naming conventions and a melting Arctic creating competition over new shipping passageways as proof people “just have to look out the window” to see the effects of climate change. 

“What these extreme weather events translate to on the ground should concern every single one of us,” the former secretary of State said, calling climate change a threat multiplier.  

“When we talk about the impacts of climate change, we’re talking about security, energy security, economic security, food security, even physical security. And the question now is, pregnantly, what will the world do about it?” Kerry said, noting the need to limit the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Read more on the speech here. 

WASHING AWAY TRUMP’S EFFICIENCY POLICIES? The Biden administration will review several of the Trump administration’s most controversial energy rules, teeing up a possible reversal of policies that eased or erased efficiency regulations for lightbulbs, showerheads and more.

A Friday list from the Department of Energy (DOE) notified the White House of a number of Trump-era policies the department will weigh suspending, revising or rescinding. The move follows a Day 1 order from President Biden mandating a sweeping review of Trump’s environmental policies.

On the list are a number of pet policies of Trump, who often complained about low-flow fixtures and LED lightbulbs on the campaign trail.

One such rule eliminated efficiency standards for about half the bulbs on the market, pushing continued use of less-efficient bulbs expected to cost the average household more than $100 a year and create more pollution as utilities produce energy that otherwise would not be needed. 

Another rule targeted by the Biden administration changes the definition of a showerhead, essentially allowing different components within the device to count as individual fixtures, sidestepping requirements that allow no more than 2.5 gallons to flow through per minute.

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The DOE process doesn’t guarantee rules will be reversed and will instead kick off a new notice and comment period.  

Read more about the review here. 

CLOSE CALL: The top official in charge of Texas’s power grid said Thursday that the state had been just minutes away from a total grid failure early Monday morning when operators made the decision to cut the power and begin rolling blackouts across the state.

Bill Magness, president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), told the Texas Tribune in an interview that the state’s grid was “seconds and minutes” from potentially going down, adding that damages caused by the grid failure could have caused uncontrolled blackouts lasting for months.

“It needed to be addressed immediately,” he said, according to the Tribune. “It was seconds and minutes [from possible failure] given the amount of generation that was coming off the system.”

Had grid operators not acted Monday to begin controlled blackouts that have affected millions across the state for days, Magness said, the damage caused by higher power demand than supply could have caused an “indeterminately long” crisis.

“The operators who took those actions to prevent a catastrophic blackout and much worse damage to our system, that was, I would say, the most difficult decision that had to be made throughout this whole event,” he said.

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Read more about what Magness said could have happened here. 

KEEP IT MOVING: Senate Majority Leader Chuck SchumerChuck SchumerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement | Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules | Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say Trump’s Slovenia Ambassador Lynda Blanchard jumps into Alabama Senate race League of Conservation Voters adds racial justice issues to 2020 congressional scorecard MORE said in a dear colleague letter that he hopes to rapidly confirm several of President Biden’s nominees, including Jennifer GranholmJennifer GranholmOVERNIGHT ENERGY: US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement | Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules | Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say A bold and comprehensive proposal to act on major crises facing America OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA alleges political interference| Biden seeks delays on Arctic drilling | Biden names pick for deputy Energy chief MORE and Michael ReganMichael ReganOVERNIGHT ENERGY: US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement | Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules | Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say Capito asks White House to allow toxic chemicals rule to proceed EPA alleges political interference by Trump officials over toxic chemical MORE, who would lead the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency, respectively. 

“With the cooperation of Republicans, we can confirm these nominations quickly,” Schumer wrote. “President Biden deserves to have his team around him as he tackles the defining crises of our time.”

ON TAP NEXT WEEK:

On Tuesday:

• The Senate Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing to consider Deb HaalandDeb HaalandOVERNIGHT ENERGY: US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement | Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules | Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Five things to know about Texas’s strained electric grid | Biden honeymoon with green groups faces tests | Electric vehicles are poised to aid Biden in climate fight Overnight Energy: Biden administration reverses Trump changes it says ‘undermined’ conservation program | Biden administration delays Trump rule allowing companies to pay less money for drilling on federal lands MORE’s nomination as Interior secretary
• The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on “The Urgent Need for Investment in America’s Wastewater Infrastructure”
• The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “Climate Change and Social Responsibility: Helping Corporate Boards and Investors Make Decisions for a Sustainable World”

On Wednesday:

• The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing titled “Building Back Better: Investing in Transportation while Addressing Climate Change, Improving Equity, and Fostering Economic Growth and Innovation.”

On Thursday: 

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• The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on climate change and the U.S. agriculture and forestry sectors
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on strategies for energy and climate innovation

WHAT WE’RE READING:

Revealed: chemicals giant sold Louisiana plant amid fears over cost of offsetting toxic emissions, The Guardian reports

Jerry Jones’ Company Hits ‘Jackpot’ As Harsh Storms Send Natural Gas Prices Surging, NPR reports

Okla. tribes’ Black Freedmen seek ally in Haaland, E&E News reports

Native Americans ‘Left Out in the Cold’ Under Trump Press Biden for Action, The New York Times Reports

ICYMI:Stories from Friday…

House Democrats criticize Texas’s ‘shortcomings in preparations‘ on winter storms

Biden Energy Dept orders sweeping review of Trump energy rules

Kerry: Climate change among ‘most complex security issues we’ve ever faced‘

Kerry warns the US has 9 years to avoid worst climate consequences

Scientists clone black-footed ferret, first for endangered US species

US officially rejoins Paris climate agreement 

Senate committee plans grid reliability hearing after Texas outages

Texas power grid was ‘seconds and minutes’ from total failure, officials say

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President BidenJoe BidenIntercept bureau chief: minimum wage was not ‘high priority’ for Biden in COVID-19 relief South Carolina Senate adds firing squad as alternative execution method Obama alum Seth Harris to serve as Biden labor adviser: report MORE said Tuesday he is calling on all states to prioritize teachers for COVID-19 vaccinations so that all teachers and school staff will have received at least one dose by the end of March. 

“My challenge to all states, territories and the District of Columbia is this: We want every educator, school staff member, child care worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. 

He noted that more than 30 states have already prioritized teachers for vaccinations but said he is using the “full authority of the federal government” in “directing every state to do the same.”

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He did not elaborate on what that authority is, though he did say the federal government will use its partnership with pharmacies across the country to allow teachers to get vaccinated at their local pharmacies throughout the month of March.  

“Our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive a shot this month, the month of March,” Biden said. 

Biden has been under intense criticism from Republicans for not doing enough to urge schools to reopen given evidence that they can do so safely with precautions such as mask wearing and distancing. 

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance last month that teacher vaccinations “should not be considered a condition” for reopening schools. 

Biden acknowledged this but pointed to “anxieties” among teachers and parents. 

“We can reopen schools if the right steps are taken even before employees are vaccinated, but time and again, we’ve heard from educators and parents that have anxieties about that,” Biden said. “So as yet another move to help accelerate the safe reopening of our schools, let’s treat in-person learning like an essential service that it is.”

The school vaccination push comes as supply of vaccines ramps up, easing shortages. Biden separately announced Tuesday that the country will have enough doses for every U.S. adult by the end of May. 

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The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee will launch a series of hearings on proposals to address what it sees as an abuse of online market power with the first scheduled for Feb. 25. 

The subcommittee said it plans to call antitrust experts, affected businesses and “other knowledgeable witnesses” to assist with the development of legislation, but the Thursday announcement did not include details on specific witnesses that will take part in the hearings.  

The scheduled hearings are a continuation of lawmakers’ efforts to clamp down on the market power of the four biggest tech companies in the country. 

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Following a 16-month investigation into the state of online competition, Democrats on the House Judiciary panel on antitrust released a report in October that accused Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon of stifling competition. 

“During our investigation into the rise and abuse of monopoly power online, we uncovered significant evidence of anticompetitive conduct and harmful business practices by Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple that enabled these companies to entrench their monopoly power, abuse competitors, and harm consumers,” subcommittee chairman Rep. David CicillineDavid CicillineHouse to launch antitrust hearings starting next week Congress faces news showdown with Facebook, Google Biden pledges action on guns amid resistance MORE (D-R.I.) said in a statement.  

“After publishing a comprehensive report documenting this conduct, I pledged to undertake a series of legislative reforms to restore competition online and to strengthen the antitrust laws. I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to do just that,” he added. 

The investigation launched as a bipartisan effort, but the resulting recommendations split along party lines. 

Rep. Ken BuckKenneth (Ken) Robert BuckHouse to launch antitrust hearings starting next week Congress faces news showdown with Facebook, Google House Republicans gear up for conference meeting amid party civil war MORE (R-Colo.), now the ranking member of the subcommittee, releasing a separate GOP-backed report titled “The Third Way.” Buck’s report agreed with the majority staff’s views on the effects of big tech’s market dominance, but opposed some of the recommendations including structural separation, elimination of arbitration clauses and opening up companies to class action lawsuits. 

Despite differences in recommendations, the top subcommittee members of both parties are embracing the upcoming hearings to discuss proposals. 

“I am proud of the bipartisan work we have been able to accomplish this far and I look forward to working with Chairman Cicilline and the members of the subcommittee in this series of hearings,” Buck said in a statement. “As I outlined in the Third Way report, there are several areas of bipartisan agreement and I believe we will be able to accomplish some important antitrust reforms.”

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The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 85 percent effective 15-28 days after just one dose, according to a new Israeli study, helping bolster the case for possibly delaying the second dose of vaccine to cover more people.

The study of health care workers at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, published in the journal The Lancet, found the vaccine was 85 percent effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19. When asymptomatic cases were included too, the figure was 75 percent.

Those are promising results for just one dose of the vaccine. The Pfizer clinical trials were conducted with a two-dose regimen, which found 95 percent effectiveness.

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Some experts have been pushing for delaying the second dose in an effort to vaccinate more people faster. The United Kingdom has controversially adopted such a strategy.

A limitation of the study, though, is that it does not determine how long the protection from just one dose will last.

Some experts are also worried that providing a weaker vaccination of just one dose could allow dangerous variants of the virus to evolve to evade that lower level of protection. 

“Early reductions of COVID-19 rates provide support of delaying the second dose in countries facing vaccine shortages and scarce resources, so as to allow higher population coverage with a single dose,” the authors write in The Lancet. “Longer follow-up to assess long-term effectiveness of a single dose is needed to inform a second dose delay policy.”

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A four-way number one contender’s match will decide the next challenger for Rush’s ROH World Championship.

ROH has announced that Jay Briscoe, Matt Taven, Jay Lethal, and EC3 will face off in a four corner survival match on the ROH TV episode that premieres this weekend (will begin airing on local affiliates starting Saturday, March 6). The winner will challenge for Rush’s ROH World Championship at ROH’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view on Friday, March 26.

Rush retained the ROH World Championship by defeating Shane Taylor on the latest episode of ROH TV. Rush’s La Faccion Ingobernable stablemate Kenny King acted like he was going to stop Rush from using a chair while the referee was down during the match — but King then hit Taylor with the chair himself. La Faccion Ingobernable’s King & Dragon Lee also defeated Lethal & Jonathan Gresham to win the ROH Tag Team titles on that episode.

It was announced last week that EC3 has signed a contract with ROH and is making the company his pro wrestling home. He recently returned to ROH TV and continued his storyline with Briscoe. 

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After Mike Bennett defeated Bateman on ROH TV in February, Taven attacked Bateman and threatened to hit Bateman’s ankles with a chair unless Vincent Marseglia would agree to face Taven. When Marseglia said no, Taven hit Bateman’s ankles with the chair and said he’ll do this every week until Vincent faces him.

The ROH TV episode that premieres this weekend will also feature Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods in a Pure Rules match.