Document DG3qRpXaMpMJqnDRO5w49YLB5

To: Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] From: POLITICO Pro Energy Sent: Mon 12/4/2017 10:42:16 AM Subject: Morning Energy: Trump visits Utah for monument announcement today -- Energy world reacts to Senate tax bill passage -- EPA axes mining cleanup rule By Anthony Adragna | 12/04/2017 05:40 AM EDT With help from Alex Guillen TRUMP'S MONUMENTAL DECISION: The news spotlight will shift to Salt Lake City today, where President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his decision to drastically trim Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments after deciding the designations under the Antiquities Act were overreach. The moment marks a huge victory for the state's congressional delegation, which fought hard to undo the designation. "Every elected official from the mayors to the commissioners, every single elected representative, got engaged in it. It was the real, Utah cumulative, everybody-pull-together kind of thing," Boyd Matheson, president of the Sutherland Institute, told the Salt Lake Tribune. Look for a whole bunch of VIPs, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Sen. Orrin Hatch and House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop, to be on hand for the Trump's announcement. But expect the pushback to be instantaneous and lengthy legal battles to follow. Some 5,000 people protested the anticipated decision outside the Utah State Capitol over the weekend (picture via League of Conservation Voters here). Look for Native American, public lands and environmental groups to lodge lawsuits arguing the Antiquities Act doesn't provide the president authority to change a prior designation. Representatives from the Navajo, Ute, and Hopi Tribes will hold a telephone press conference tomorrow at 5 p.m. EST responding to announcement. Trump is due to speak at 2:40 p.m. EST in Salt Lake City. One thing to watch for is whether his comments touch on the other national monument designations that Zinke recommended shrinking such as Cascade-Siskiyou, Organ Mountain-Desert Peaks, Rio Grande del Norte and Katahdin Woods and Waters. Also, look for Trump to use the trappings of a presidential trip -- and a roundtrip flight on Air Force One -- to heap praise on Hatch as he tries to persuade the seven-term Utahn to seek reelection and block Mitt Romney's path to the Senate, POLITICO'S Alex Isenstadt reports. ANWR IN AS HOUSE-SENATE MOVE TO TAX CONFERENCE: House lawmakers vote today on whether to go to conference on their tax plans H.R. .1 (.1.15) after senators voted 51 to 49 early Saturday morning to pass their massive tax overhaul. Sen. Maria Cantwell's push to block language opening ANWR to oil and gas drilling fell short on largely party lines 48 to 52 during the debate. Here's what the energy and environment world had to say following the vote: --Clean energy groups: "We applaud the reduction in the corporate tax rate and preserving frameworks that support the clean energy sector. However, we are concerned about provisions that will have a negative impact on clean energy investments, including Base Erosion Anti Abuse Tax (BEAT) provision and the impact of the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00001 on investment tools that have been critical to the growth of the clean energy sector," a statement, signed by six groups including American Wind Energy Association and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, reads. --Oil, gas and utility industry groups liked what they saw and encouraged the chambers to iron out their differences ASAP. "We are encouraged that both the House and Senate agree that reducing the corporate tax rate is vital to modernizing the tax code, and urge Congress to quickly finalize legislation for the President to sign into law," American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers said in a statement. --Environmental groups warned the bill would undermine public health and environment: "The bill would threaten the climate by leaving billions of dollars of fossil fuel subsidies intact while changing the tax code in ways that would jeopardize the financing of numerous clean energy projects under construction and discourage future clean energy investments in wind and solar," Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in one such statement. Someone's not happy: Coal magnate Bob Murray bashed the Senate's plan as a "mockery" of the tax reform process and warned it might put him out of business, according to the Wall Street Journal. "This is not job creation. This is not stimulating income. This is driving a whole sector of our community into nonexistence," he said. Speaking of ANWR, two-thirds of voters (including 43 percent of Republicans) don't think Congress should make ANWR drilling a major priority, according to a new poll conducted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and POLITICO, Pro's Ben Lefebvre reports. What's next on taxes? Pro Tax's Brian Faler has an excellent rundown. WELCOME TO MONDAY! I'm your host Anthony Adragna, and Squire Patton Boggs' James Eklund was first to identify Michael Bennet as the senator who once led the public schools of his state's largest city. For today: Which current senator was once roommates (briefly) with former Sen. Trent Lott? Send your tips, energy gossip and comments to aadragna@politico.com, or follow us on Twitter @AnthonyAdragna, @Morning Energy and @POLITICOPro. Legislative Compass - Preferred Pricing for 2017: Test out POLITICO Pro's powerful, easy-touse tool that simplifies federal and state legislative tracking. Get started. THE PLAYBOOK POWER LIST: 18 TO WATCH IN 2018: The final Playbook Power List of the year highlights 18 politicians, activists and operatives across the country who are poised to make waves in 2018. From the anti-Trump "Resistance" on the left to the far right Bannonite wing trying to remake the GOP, keep an eye on these people over the next 12 months. Click HERE to find out who made the list. Please welcome to the stage: The Pro Energy team's Darius Dixon and his wife recently expanded their family. Marcus Inali Dixon was bom at 3:06 a.m. Friday at a healthy 81bs. lOoz. All is well with the Dixon clan but it's not yet clear whether Marcus will share Dad's interest in FERC and nuclear waste. Here's a pic! Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00002 EPA SAYS NEVERMIND ON MINE BONDING RULE: EPA on Friday evening backtracked on the Obama administration's proposal to require hardrock miners to prove they have the money to clean up their mines, saying that it's actually "not appropriate" to regulate. The issue has been brewing for years following an environmentalist lawsuit that said EPA had never fulfilled part of the Superfund law requiring it to write financial assurance regulations for industries that could leave behind toxic messes. The Obama administration's proposed rule required hardrock miners to obtain some type of bonding or collateral would have cost $171 million annually and was projected to save taxpayers $527 million in Superfund clean-ups over 34 years. It was strongly opposed by industry and Republicans. On Friday, at the court-ordered deadline to finalize a rule, EPA said no regulation was necessary . "EPA is confident that modem industry practices, along with existing state and federal requirements address risks from operating hardrock mining facilities," Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. "Additional financial assurance requirements are unnecessary and would impose an undue burden on this important sector of the American economy and rural America, where most of these mining jobs are based." The final rule noted especially that the savings for taxpayers would have been "relatively small" and that miners would have faced costs "an order of magnitude greater" than the government's savings. Industry, Republicans celebrate: Supportive statements flooded in Friday night from the National Mining Association, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barras so, and Bishop. EPA's own release included praise from three Republican governors and Sen. Steve Paines, who chairs the Senate Western Caucus. Earthjustice, which represented a coalition of green groups in the lawsuit, vowed to sue over the decision in a statement over the weekend. Two more points: 1) The Obama administration's plans to write similar rules for chemical makers, electric utilities and petroleum and coal products manufacturers are looking unlikely to happen following this decision. 2) Coal mines are regulated differently and are required to obtain financial assurance, a practice regulated by the states. Hardrock mining covers a variety of non fuel resources, including gold, copper, silver, iron, gypsum and sulfur. TAKE A PASS? Ahead of a Thursday meeting between Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and other senior officials about biofuels policy, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott formally asked for a Renewable Fuel Standard waiver from Pruitt. "The time is ripe for EPA to grant substantive relief from the unique, adverse impacts the RFS program is having on the state of Texas," he wrote in a Friday letter . "The extreme, detrimental impacts on large portions of the refining sector have now placed unacceptable burdens on the Texas economy and the economy and security of the nation as a whole." Abbott, in particular, cited high RIN prices as causing hardship to refiners across the state. SHUTDOWN? WHAT SHUTDOWN? Senior Republicans projected strong confidence Sunday they'd be able to avoid a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding package before the Friday deadline, POLITICO'S Kevin Robillard reports. "There's not going to be a government shutdown," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on ABC's "This Week." "It's just Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00003 not going to happen." House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen on Friday released a two-week CR that would keep the lights on through Dec. 22. But disaster aid will wait: House Republicans are tentatively planning to package the next installment of disaster aid with the Dec. 22 stopgap funding bill, Pro Budget & Appropriations Brief reports. "There's working agreement to that model," Texas Rep. Pete Sessions said Friday. "I think some of these things all collide together." No word yet on how much bigger that package will be compared to the White House's $44 billion request. WHITEFISH HIRES MORE LOBBYISTS: Whitefish Energy, the tiny Montana-based company that drew controversy for its now-canceled $300 million grid repair contract in Puerto Rico, hired the Tallahassee office of Foley & Lardner to lobby on its behalf, POLITICO'S Matt Dixon reports. Lead lobbyists will be Robert Hosay, a former Gov. Jeb Bush administration official, and Jason Allison, who once led the Scott administration's Agency for State Technology. The hiring comes as the company filed a lawsuit Friday alleging a subcontractor interfered with tens of millions in payments, the Associated Press reports. Speaking of which, Senate Homeland Security ranking member Claire McCaskill sent a letter Friday seeking additional information about a $200 million contract inked by Puerto Rico's utility with Cobra Acquisitions LLC, another newly-formed company, for grid restoration work. Link here. OBAMA LAMENTS CLIMATE LEADERSHIP PAUSE: Speaking in France on Sunday, former President Barack Obama said U.S. states and cities were making up for what he called "a temporary absence of American leadership" on climate action, Reuters reports. Obama also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, his predecessor Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. CALLING ALL COMMENTERS! EPA convenes a public hearing this morning at 10 a.m. at agency headquarters on its plan to repeal the Obama-era Phase 2 emissions rule for heavy-duty trucks that classified "glider kits" as new vehicles or engines that are subject to more stringent requirements. More information here. PERRY'S IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Energy Secretary Rick Perry continues his Middle East swing this week. Among this weekend highlights: Meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and touring Aramco's facilities in Dhahran. ME readers will of course remember that Trump asked the oil giant to make its hugely anticipated stock offering on the New York Stock Exchange. GETTING IN THE FAST LANE: Zinke used a trip to Louisiana over the weekend to pledge to remove regulatory barriers slowing down coastal restoration projects, The Advocate reports. "Louisiana and the coastline are important, and we're losing too much of it. ... There's a lot of things that Interior can do," Zinke said. Photos from his visit here and here. CLARIFYING: ME wrote last week that coal magnate Robert Murray said at a conservative energy conference that he had met with Pruitt seven times. A spokesman clarified that Murray Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00004 was referring to all meetings with anyone from the Trump administration, not just Pruitt, including "before and after the election." It was previously reported Murray has met several times this year with President Trump himself to discuss strategies to boost the coal industry, including his ultimately unsuccessful proposal to use the Energy Department's emergency authority to keep coal plants operating. QUICK HITS -- VW Bosses Coached Me to Lie, Jailed Manager Tells U.S. Judge. Bloomberg. -- Anchorage's climate change conundrum. The Week. -- A county in Utah wants to suck 77 million gallons a day out of Lake Powell, threatening the Colorado River. Los Angeles Times. -- Builders Said Their Homes Were Out of a Flood Zone. Then Harvey Came. New York Times. -- Blankenship has told courts that Las Vegas is his 'home'. Charleston Gazette-Mail. -- Study aims to determine feasibility of underground carbon storage. Bismarck Tribune. HAPPENING THIS WEEK MONDAY 10:00 a.m. -- EPA holds hearings on proposed repeal of emission requirements for glider vehicles, glider engines, and glider kits, 1201 Constitution Avenue NW 5:00 p.m. -- Representatives from the Navajo, Ute, and Hopi Tribes will hold a telephone press conference tomorrow on national monuments, RSVP: BearsEars@fenton.com TUESDAY 9:30 a.m. --U.S. International Trade Commission holds meeting and vote on "Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia," 500 E Street SW 10:00 a.m. -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on nominations, Dirksen 366 2:30 p.m. -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Energy Subcommittee holds a hearing on a series of bills, Dirksen 366 5:30 p.m. -- "Subnational Climate Diplomacy: New Roles Post-Paris," German Marshall Fund, 1744 R Street NW Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00005 WEDNESDAY 9:30 a.m. --USTR hearing on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, 1724 F Street NW, Rooms 1 and 2 10:00 a.m. -- Hearing on "Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017," House Natural Resources Water Subcommittee, Longworth 1324 10:00 a.m. -- Senate Environment and Public Works holds a hearing on the nomination of R.D. James to be assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, Dirksen 406 12:00 p.m. -- "The Role of Natural Gas in the US Economy," Women's Council on Energy and the Environment, Denton's, 1900 K Street NW 12:30 p.m. -- "Agriculture and the environment in 2018: Conservation programs, the waters of the United States, and the Renewable Fuel Standard," American Enterprise Institute, 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW 1:00 p.m. -- "Fleeing Change : Relocating the Village of Newtok, Alaska," Wilson Center, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW 2:30 p.m. -- "Challenges Facing Superfund and Waste Cleanup Efforts Following Natural Disasters," Senate Environment and Public Works Superfund and Waste Management Subcommittee, Dirksen 406 2:45 p.m. -- Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on water rights, Dirksen 628 THURSDAY 9:00 a.m. -- The Washington International Trade Association holds an event as part of its NAFTA series: "Energy and the h ," Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW 10:00 a.m. -- EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt appears before the House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee, Raybum 2123 10:00 a.m. -- "Transforming the Department of the Interior for the 21st Century," House Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Longworth 1324 11:00 a.m. -- The World Bank conference call briefing on the One Planet Summit, RSVP: himtiaz@worldbankgroup.org 12:00 p.m. -- "The Business Case for Tax Incentives Promoting Energy Efficiency," Alliance to Save Energy, Raybum 2203 2:00 p.m. -- The House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee holds a hearing on Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00006 various bills, Longworth 1324 2:00 p.m. -- "OPEC's World Oil Outlook 2017/' Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW FRIDAY 9:00 a.m. -- "Examining the Role of the Department of Energy in Energy Sector Cybersecurity/1 House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee, Raybum 2123 THAT'S ALL FOR ME! To view online'. https://www.politicopro.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2017/12/trump-visits-utah-formonument-announcement-today-03 8971 Stories from POLITICO Pro Trump moves to block Romney from the Senate Back By Alex Isenstadt | 12/03/2017 08:23 PM EDT Donald Trump is going all out to persuade seven-term Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to seek reelection -- a push aimed in no small part at keeping the president's longtime nemesis, Mitt Romney, out of the Senate. Romney has been preparing to run for Hatch's seat on the long-held assumption that the 83-yearold would retire. Yet Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is now refusing to rule out another campaign -- a circumstance Romney's infuriated inner circle blames squarely on the president. Their suspicions are warranted: Trump has sounded off to friends about how he doesn't like the idea of a Senator Romney. The president's mostly behind-the-scenes campaign to sway Hatch will burst into public view on Monday, when he arrives in Salt Lake City to hold a well-choreographed event designed to showcase his affection for the powerful Senate Finance Committee chairman. Trump's appearance is ostensibly official in purpose: He will announce his decision to reduce the size of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments, a cause that Hatch has championed. But it's also undeniably political: To use the trappings of presidential power to get a veteran lawmaker to rethink his long anticipated plans to leave the Senate. Trump is slated to ride with Hatch both ways on Air Force One -- a total of roughly nine hours round-trip. After descending from the plane together, the two will meet with Mormon leaders and then head to the state capitol for the signing of the executive order, according to three White House officials. Hatch will introduce Trump, who in turn is expected to lavish praise on the senator. After the order is signed, Hatch is expected to receive the president's pen. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00007 The public display of affection isn't just about blocking Romney, senior administration officials say. Trump has felt loyal to Hatch since the senator defended him in the wake of the "Access Hollywood" tape episode late in the 2016 campaign. Hatch stuck by Trump even as other members of Utah's Republican delegation withdrew their support. More recently, Hatch has played a key role in moving Trump's prized tax reform bill through the Senate. Trump aides say the president's bond with Hatch began long before Romney emerged as a potential successor. Hatch visited Trump in the Oval Office during the first week of his presidency for a lengthy discussion about the then-vacant Supreme Court seat and Utah's national monuments. Yet people close to Romney are convinced that Trump's main motivation is to keep the 2012 GOP presidential nominee out of the Senate. Romney himself has expressed frustration with the ongoing uncertainty about Hatch's plans, said three Republicans who've spoken with him recently. The former Massachusetts governor has pointed out that it was Hatch who urged him to consider running in the first place, but now appears to be wavering on whether to step aside. "Hatch is a known entity for Trump and has been really good for the president for the most part," said Kirk Jowers, a friend of Romney who formerly served as the chairman and general counsel of his political action committee. "He knows for a fact he's not going to get that with Romney. I don't know that he knows what he's going to get with Romney, but it's not going to be what he's got with Hatch." Indeed, there's widespread concern within the White House that Romney in the Senate could make Trump's life difficult. During the 2016 campaign, the former Massachusetts governor emerged as the de-facto leader of the GOP establishment's "Never Trump" campaign, delivering a nationally-watched speech in which he blasted candidate Trump as a "phony, a fraud" and implored the party to stop him. Hatch, by contrast, went all-in for Trump in Utah, where Trump received just 46 percent of the vote but still carried the state because of a third-party candidate. Before the election, the senator also campaigned for Trump in four states, hitting the trail with the candidate's son, Donald Trump Jr. While many Republicans air their issues with Trump publicly, Hatch has usually chosen to telegraph his concerns in private discussions with the president. "I'll just put it this way. Sen. Hatch was one of the leading voices for the president during the entire campaign," said Don Peay, a Trump family friend who led his Utah campaign. "Hatch clearly was a strong supporter of Trump from the beginning," said Peay, who helped to organize Monday's event. Trump's push to get Hatch to run for an eighth term has taken place in furtive phone calls and West Wing visits. In early October, the senator called the president to invite him to Utah to announce his monument plan, said one person briefed on the discussion. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00008 Near the end of the call, the president conveyed a request. "Orrin," he said, "I really hope you will consider running again." Hatch told Trump he hadn't made up his mind. Their mutual endearment has at time been public. When Hatch was asked last week by reporters about Trump's decision to retweet several anti-Muslim videos, the senator said he wasn't "aware" of the firestorm -- and then praised Trump. "I'll say this for ya.' He's been one of the best presidents I've served under, and the reason is he's not afraid to make decisions. He's not afraid to take on the big boss around here," Hatch said. Trump responded by tweeting out a video of the remark. "Thank you @SenOrrinHatch," he added. "Let's continue MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Romney's post-election relationship with Trump has been far more ... complicated. During the transition, Trump considered appointing Romney as secretary of state. Trump was expecting not to like Romney but was surprised by how well they gelled during the interview process, something he told aides repeatedly at the time. Trump ultimately decided against Romney. As the year wore on, the former governor praised the new president for some of his personnel choices. But he also made his differences known. During an appearance in Park City, Utah, in June, Romney told a group of prominent Republican donors that Trump's White House was too consumed by palace intrigue. He also offered an implicit critique of the president's "America First" approach to foreign policy, growing emotional as he outlined the country's humanitarian responsibilities overseas. Then, in August, Romney struck again -- this time to implore the president to apologize for equating white supremacists who sowed violence in Charlottesville, Va. with their counter protesters. "Mr. President," Romney wrote in a Facebook message, "act now for the good of the country." Romney has been making the rounds in Utah amid speculation that Hatch is nearing retirement, huddling with an array of Republican figures including state House Speaker Greg Hughes. Romney has told people that while he wouldn't be reflexively anti-Trump as a senator, he would be more than willing to let his criticisms be known. Some Trump allies contend that Utah would be better served by having a presidential loyalist in the seat. "I think he could be a great ally of the president but, as you well know, they're very different Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00009 people and have very different personalities," said Hughes, who recently met with Romney in his office in the state capitol. "Sen. Hatch," he added, "understands the president very well." Asked who the president would rather have in the seat, Hughes, who was once mentioned as a candidate for a position in the Trump administration, said he had little doubt: "I think the president enjoys having a strong ally." Romney, for his part, won't be at Monday event. He was invited but, several people close to him said, will be out of town. Over the weekend, Romney wrote a tweet that underscored his respect for Hatch but also, perhaps, hinted at a belief that the senator had now accomplished what he needed to before moving on. "A very big week for Utah's own Senator @OrrinHatch," he wrote, "with tax reform, Bears Ears reversion, and a presidential visit." To view online click here. Back Trump to meet with Cruz over biofuel policy Back By Ben Lefebvre and Andrew Restuccia | 12/01/2017 04:04 PM EDT President Donald Trump will meet with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several Cabinet members next week to discuss U.S. biofuel policy and fuel efficiency standards, an administration official told POLITICO on Friday. The Thursday meeting is an attempt by the White House to reach a compromise between Cruz, who has held up a Trump nominee to the Agriculture Department nominee over the administration's support for the Renewable Fuel Standard, and the farm-state lawmakers who pressured EPA to back down from potential changes to the regulations for biofuels. The White House had until now ignored Cruz's requests for a meeting. Cruz and eight other senators sent a letter in October requesting changes to the program overseen by EPA, which sets the minimum volumes of ethanol and biodiesel to be used in the fuel market. Refiners must either purchase the biofuels to blend with their gasoline or diesel fuel, or buy credits to show their compliance -- credits the refiners say are too expensive and threaten to push some refiners out of business. Cruz retains a hold on Trump's nomination of Bill Northey to a senior USDA post, a move seen as payback after EPA backed down from considering changes in how the biofuels program is implemented amid an outcry from farm-state lawmakers. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00010 "The key here is they need to get Cruz something to get rid of that hold," said one industry representative familiar with the meeting. The meeting will include Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, the administration official said, though the person added that the attendee list could change. No industry representatives are expected to attend. While biofuels will most likely be the first topic discussed, attendees will also delve into the higher CAFE standards the Obama administration put into place, as well as octane requirements. The Trump administration has delayed implementing an increase in civil fines for automakers who violate the fuel economy standards, a move that triggered a lawsuit from environmentalists. Cruz and Trump have had a rocky relationship in the past, including after Trump linked Cruz's father to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy during the 2016 campaign, though they have been on better terms in in recent months. Cruz's office did not reply to a request for comment, and the White House declined to comment. To view online click here. Back McConnell: 'There's not going to be a government shutdown' Back By Kevin Robillard | 12/03/2017 10:16 AM EDT Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday he was confident there wouldn't be a government shutdown when funding runs out at the end of the week. "There's not going to be a government shutdown," he said on ABC's "This Week" when asked whether the Republican-controlled Congress could keep the government running. "It's just not going to happen." Democrats have threatened to withhold their votes for government funding unless Congress acts to provide legal relief to tens of thousands of children of undocumented immigrants who are protected by an Obama-era program that is set to end in March. McConnell argued there is no "crisis" that would justify tying saving the so-called Dreamers to government funding. "That's a ridiculous position. There is no crisis," McConnell said. "There's no emergency. The president has given us until March to address it. I don't think the Democrats would be very smart to say they want to shut down the government over a non-emergency." Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00011 Government funding is expected to run out on Friday. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, appearing on CBS' "Face The Nation," was slightly less confident, but predicted Republicans would be able to avoid a shutdown despite a "broken' system of government spending. "I think there's a group of right-wingers in the House who say they want to shut the government down," he said. "There's a group of Democrats who want to shut the government down over DACA. And there's a group of lawmakers from some of the hurricane states who want to shut the government down until they get what they want. This just sheds light on the fact that the appropriations, the spending system is broken when any little group can sort of hold the government hostage. We need to get beyond that. I think that we will, I don't think you'll see a government shutdown." When host John Dickerson noted Mulvaney was once a fiscal hardliner in the House, the OMB director replied: "All the more reason the system should be fixed. We don't spend money properly in Washington, D.C." To view online click here. Back EPA proposes repealing 'glider kit' part of truck rule Back By Alex Guillen | 11/09/2017 12:48 PM EDT EPA today proposed repealing part of the Obama-era Phase 2 emissions rule for heavy-duty trucks that classified "glider kits" as new vehicles or engines that are subject to more stringent requirements. Glider kits are new truck chassis with rebuilt engines and can cost significantly less than a new truck with a new engine. The proposal argues that EPA does not have the authority to regulate glider kits under the Clean Air Act. In a statement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the Obama administration unlawfully tried to expand the Clean Air Act's reach. "Gliders not only provide a more affordable option for smaller owners and operators, but also serve as a key economic driver to numerous rural communities," he said. Pruitt announced plans to revisit that part of the rule in August following a May meeting with and a July petition from Fitzgerald Truck Sales, the biggest U.S. manufacturer of glider kits. WHAT'S NEXT: EPA will take public comment through Jan. 5 and hold a hearing on Dec. 4 at EPA headquarters in Washington. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00012 To view online click here. Back Was this Pro content helpful? Tell us what you think in one click. Yes, very Somewhat Neutral Not really Not at all You received this POLITICO Pro content because your customized settings include: Morning Energy. To change your alert settings, please go to https://www.politicopro.com/settings This email was sent to jacksomryan@epa.gov by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001002-00013