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
Legislative Activity Keystone Legislative Action Continues Amid Veto Threat, Legal Action Last Thursday, on January 8, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the “Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act” with a 13-9 vote. One day later, the House voted on Friday, January 9 to approve identical legislation by a 266-153 vote, with 28 Democratic … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Tuesday, July 29: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing titled “Breaking the Logjam at BLM: Examining Ways to More Efficiently Process Permits for Energy Production on Federal Lands.” Tuesday, July 29: The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “FERC Perspectives: Questions Concerning EPA’s Proposed … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA to Hold Public Hearings on Clean Power Plan This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold public hearings in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Pittsburgh to receive comments on its proposed Clean Power Plan. EPA’s Clean Power Plan intends to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants to 30 percent below … 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 Pursuant to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon propose to prohibit certain chemicals contributing to emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of greenhouse gases. According to EPA, the “proposed action would change the status of certain high-global warming potential (GWP) HFCs that were previously listed … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Approves New Measurements for Ozone In significant news for entities attempting to maintain or attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it has approved four new testing methods that are now allowed for measuring ozone and related pollutants in determining compliance. The alternative tests can … 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 Greenhouse Gas The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Clean Power Plan” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from existing power plants will fundamentally shift the nation’s energy economy for generations to come. Broadly speaking, the proposal would require state governments to implement plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from existing power plants by … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Greenhouse Gas Rule The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) anticipated Proposed Rule concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for existing coal and natural gas fired power plants will be released to the public on Monday, June 2, at 10:30 am. To advance public awareness of the proposed rule, the President devoted his Saturday radio address … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Shaheen/Portman Energy Cloture Vote Fails On Monday, May 12 the Senate voted against a motion to invoke cloture and end debate on S. 2262, the “Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2014,” after Senate leaders were unable to reach a deal to consider a group of energy-related amendments. While Senate Majority Leader … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate to Consider Environmental Nominations On Tuesday, May 13, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee hearing to evaluate President Obama’s nominations for key environmental positions. Dr. Monica Regalbuto is being nominated for Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) to oversee the department’s Office of Environmental … 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
Regulatory Activity Clean Water Act The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have finally published for public comment their proposed rule defining the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA). As we previously noted in the Capital Thinking Report, the proposed rule is potentially likely to have … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Greenhouse Gas Emissions The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a panel to consider proposed rule changes to amend and extend the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards beyond the model year 2018. According to the EPA, the proposed changes are likely to include “more stringent engine and vehicle GHG … 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
Executive Branch Activity Climate Change Announcement The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has announced the creation and launch of www.data.gov/climate which is intended to collect information related to climate change in order to help cities and the business community prepare to become more resilient to climate change. Initially focusing on sea level rise … 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
Regulatory Activity EPA To Propose New GHG Emissions Rule for Oil and Gas Facilities The EPA is proposing revisions to the greenhouse gas reporting rule for oil and gas facilities that will revise calculation methods, monitoring and data reporting requirements, terms and definitions including confidentiality determinations. Affected parties are likely to include: pipeline transportation of … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Seeks Public Input on Climate Change The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a request for comment on its draft report concerning the impacts of climate change to human health. The agency is seeking input from the public on “proposed plans for scoping, drafting, reviewing, producing, and disseminating the Interagency Special Report on the Impacts … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Future Climate Scenarios The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released phase-two of its National Stormwater Calculator. EPA highlights that “the updated calculator includes future climate vulnerability scenarios.” Primarily used to estimate the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific location, EPA notes that the tool also includes “changes in seasonal precipitation levels, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers Request EPA to Revise Corn Ethanol Volume Targets On Thursday, January 16, a bipartisan group of 30 House members sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting the agency to reverse course on its latest proposal to revise the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume obligations for corn ethanol. In the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Energy and Commerce to Consider Bill to Limit EPA’s Regulatory Authority On Monday, January 13, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a markup vote on H.R. 3826, the “Electricity Security and Affordability Act.” The legislation seeks to curtail the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) ability to control … Continue Reading
