July 27, 2012
by Avery Fellow
The U.S. departments of State and Transportation will host a meeting July 31-Aug. 1 of approximately 15 countries that oppose the European Union's decision to include aviation emissions in its cap-and-trade system.
July 23, 2012
by Regina Cline
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week turns its attention to transportation fuels, and more specifically the use of natural gas to power vehicles. Meanwhile, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power again will try to mark up the No More Solyndras Act.
July 20, 2012
Representatives of a new green building coalition told lawmakers this week that the federal government is creating a monopoly by using a third-party green building rating system. The General Services Administration's use of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, "effectively creates a monopoly for federal buildings," said Steven Russell, vice president of the plastics division at the American Chemistry Council. Russell testified at a July 19 hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform examining the effect of regulations on business.
July 16, 2012
Assessing the costs of the Obama Administration's commitment to solar energy projects will be the subject of a House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing July 18. As detailed in a World Climate Change Report article, top Republicans on the committee introduced a bill July 10—the No More Solyndras Act—which would phase out the Energy Department's clean energy loan guarantee program.
July 9, 2012
The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up a draft farm bill July 11 that would cut $6 billion over 10 years from conservation programs and save $500 million by eliminating mandatory funding for energy programs and reducing discretionary energy spending for reauthorized programs. Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) described the draft Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) as a bipartisan bill that saves taxpayers billions of dollars.
July 2, 2012
Energy, sustainable development, and follow-up on the Rio+20 summit are among the priorities Cyprus said it will focus on during its six-month term as president of the Council of the European Union. Holding the Council presidency means setting agendas and steering debates on mainly budgetary, economic, and societal matters. Cyprus holds the presidency from July 1 through Dec. 31.
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The Week Ahead: U.N. Climate Negotiations on Agenda, Court to Hear Hurricane Katrina Damage Arguments
The Week Ahead: Keystone Headed to House Floor; Hydropower, Natural Gas on Senate Agenda