iLegislative Action
Senate Energy Policy Modernization Act
As the holds have been removed on S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016, we now expect the bill to come to the Senate floor this week. Floor consideration will include 29 amendments by voice vote and eight by roll-call vote. Of note, Senators have agreed to decouple the proposed Flint funding package from the Energy bill. The proposed $100 million for Flint and $700 million for water infrastructure throughout the U.S. is now likely to be included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). We expect this water funding proposal to stay largely intact as Senator Jim Inhofe had structured much of the Flint funding package and chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee with jurisdiction for writing WRDA.
Renewables in FAA Reauthorization
The proposed renewable energy investment tax credits that were to be included in the Senate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill have largely evaporated with the exception of a carbon capture measure still possible.
This Week’s Hearings:
Oil and Gas
On Tuesday, April 19, the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation Security, will hold a hearing titled “Pipelines: Securing the Veins of the American Economy.
On Tuesday, April 19, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to consider oil and gas development in differing price environments.
Nuclear Energy
On Wednesday, April 20, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Energy, will hold a hearing titled “An Overview of Fusion Energy Science.” The Subcommittee will hear from the Los Alamos National Laboratory among others.
On Wednesday, April 20, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on the Environment and Economy, will hold a hearing to examine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s FY 2017 Budget Request.
On Thursday, April 21, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, will hold a hearing titled “Enabling Advanced Reactors” and a Legislative Hearing on S.2795,“the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act.” The Subcommittee will hear testimony from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, among others.
Land-Grant Colleges
On Wednesday, April 20, the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Federal Lands, will hold a hearing titled “Exploring Current Natural Resource Research Efforts and the Future of America’s Land-Grant Colleges and Universities.”
Water
On Wednesday, April 20, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing titled “New Approaches and Innovative Technologies to Improve Water Supply.”
Brownfields
On Thursday, April 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on the Environment and Economy, will hold a hearing titled “EPA’s Brownfields Program: Empowering Cleanup and Encouraging Economic Redevelopment.”
ESA
On Tuesday, April 19, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing titled “Recent Changes to Endangered Species Critical Habitat Designation and Implementation.”
On Wednesday, April 20, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on Interior, will hold a hearing titled “Barriers to Endangered Species Act Delisting, Part I.” In addition, on Thursday, April 21, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Subcommittee on Interior, will hold a hearing titled “Barriers to Endangered Species Act Delisting, Part II.”
Regulatory Action
Latest Report on U.S. Rooftop Solar Capacity
For the latest on rooftop solar capacity in the U.S., the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) surveyed 128 U.S. cities and released an updated estimate of total U.S. potential for rooftop photovoltaic systems. The recently released report reveals a significant increase over past estimates and shows a potential for 1,118 gigawatts of rooftop solar capacity. The report notes that rooftop solar in the U.S. could generate nearly 40 percent of all electricity sales.
