Following the midterm elections, Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time since 2019. House Republicans have already announced ambitious oversight priorities for the 118th Congress. As to public-sector oversight, House Republican leadership have already announced an interest in focusing on the Biden Administration’s trade, law enforcement, and immigration policies. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Rep. Greg Walden to Chair House Energy & Commerce Committee in the 115th Congress Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) has been selected by the House Republican Steering Committee (the body that assigns party members to House committees) to chair the House Energy & Commerce Committee (House Commerce Committee) in the 115th Congress, which will … Continue Reading
Legislative Action Energy Bill Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee released a 50-page section-by-section of the recently passed S. 2012 Energy Modernization Policy Act of 2016. Looking forward to a potential conference of the Senate and House energy bills, Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Zika Virus Priority Review Voucher Slated for House Floor Consideration House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced that S. 2512, Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, will be considered on the floor on Monday, April 11. This bill, introduced by Al Franken (D-MN) in the Senate, amends the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This week, the Senate could return to floor consideration of S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. Last week there was progress made toward hotlining a procedural proposal to separate consideration for a potential agreement on Flint, MI water funding and the Energy bill in order to vote on the two items … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity US/Europe Energy Relations On Thursday, November 5, the U.S. House of Representatives and the European Parliament will jointly discuss energy security issues. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold an “Energy Security Roundtable” with European members of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue. The event will be co-chaired by … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Oil and Gas The Department of the Interior has issued a Proposed Rule to establish “minimum standards for accurate measurement and proper reporting of all gas removed or sold from Federal and Indian leases.” The proposal excludes the Osage Tribe. Comments are due December 14. Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: On Tuesday, October … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate “Comprehensive” Energy Bills Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Power held a markup of its comprehensive energy legislation that will be considered by the full House in the weeks ahead. In the Senate, Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Waters of the U.S. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers announced the issuance of their final rule defining “Waters of the U.S.” However, according to the EPA, the rule could take up two weeks to be published in the Federal Register. Once published, the rule will … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate Consider Medical Modernization Capitol Hill focuses on the future of health care this week. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) will conduct a discussion on medical advancement and improvement with a hearing titled “Continuing America’s Leadership: The Future of Medical Innovation for Patients.” Dr. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Information Sharing Bills Continue to Multiply Last week, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the bill text of S. 754 – the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) – which previously passed out of the committee by a 14-1 vote. In response to the bill’s release, a number of privacy advocates expressed their … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Avoids DHS Shut-Down With only hours to spare before the midnight Friday deadline, the House and Senate passed a stop-gap measure extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by one week, delaying a long-term solution to the current partisan impasse but avoiding a temporary shut-down of the agency. In remarks … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Discusses Potential Data Breach Legislation Last week during the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX) hinted about his plans to develop legislation addressing federal standards on data security and breach notification. While the Subcommittee Chairman did not explicitly state a timeline for this legislation, it is expected … Continue Reading
Executive Activity Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for EPA On Monday, February 2, President Obama will announce his Fiscal Year 2016 Budget request to Congress to fund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We expect a significant focus in the proposed budget on climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is some concern that these … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Pesticides and Waters of the United States The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting comment on its proposed data collection concerning potential changes to its permits for discharges to waters of the U.S. from biological and chemical pesticides that leave a residue. Comments are due by September 15. Ozone EPA is considering updating … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Greenhouse Gas Data The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to publish data it has collected from industry and related parties under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The agency is seeking comment on its plan to publicly release information by aggregating in order to protect the confidentially of entities that provided information. Comments on … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Ozone A court order issued last week instructs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue its proposed rule concerning ozone by December 1, 2014, and a final rule by October 1, 2015. This action would finalize the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that are expected to significantly impact cities, counties, transportation systems … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House E&C Committee to Vote on LNG Export Legislation On Wednesday, April 30, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider H.R. 6, the “Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.” The legislation, which enjoys the support of the Committee’s senior most Republican leadership and appears headed for the House floor for a vote … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Tuesday, April 8: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to review the President’s nomination of Ms. Janet McCabe to lead EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. On Tuesday, April 8: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a subcommittee markup to consider H.R. 6, the “Domestic Prosperity … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congressional Committees Evaluate Expedited LNG Export Application Processing Last week, congressional interest in exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) reached a crescendo as three different congressional committees held hearings to evaluate the economic and geopolitical impact of expedited U.S. processing of liquefied natural gas (LNG) applications to countries that do not have a Free-Trade-Agreement … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Proposed Changes to Clean Water Act The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have released a proposed rule to clarify protections under the Clean Water Act for streams and wetlands. The new definitions will apply to all Clean Water Act programs. The controversial proposed rule, once final, is likely … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Greenhouse Gas Emissions The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period on its proposed Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Stationary Sources for Electric Utility Generating Units until May 9. Lead and Copper EPA has announced public meetings of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council Lead and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Schedules “Energy Week” for Legislative Debate This week, the House Republican leadership has planned a thematic “energy week” to organize legislative debate on the floor. The House will consider three rules bills and several non-controversial bills under suspension of the rules. The three rules bills include: (1) H.R.3826, the “Electricity Security and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings Wednesday, February 26: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Natural Resource Adaptation: Protecting Ecosystems and Economies.” Wednesday, February 26: The House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing titled, “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Veterans.” Thursday, February 27: The House Energy and Commerce … Continue Reading
