Document DM722Vp7XkkVeLw2joVLZYgNM

To: Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] From: POLITICO Pro Energy Sent: Tue 9/26/2017 9:45:25 AM Subject: Morning Energy, presented by the U.S. Chamber's Global Energy Institute: Republicans eye budget process for ANWR opening -- Highlights from Zinke, Perry's joint appearance -- Democrats want faster action for Puerto Rico By Anthony Adragna | 09/26/2017 05:42 AM EDT With help from Esther Whieldon and Ben Lefebvre AN OPENING FOR ANWR? Senate Republicans intend to use their fiscal 2018 budget blueprint to lay the groundwork for new energy production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by using special rules that would allow them to avoid a Democratic filibuster, Pro's Ben Lefebvre and Sarah Ferris report, citing sources familiar with the process. While the budget document couldn't mandate specific policies, it would enable Senate Energy Chairman Lisa Markowski to write legislation that would remove restrictions on drilling in ANWR that could be bundled into a massive tax reconciliation package that needs just 50 votes in the Senate. Doing so would realize a long-standing goal of Republicans and oil companies, while attracting vehement opposition from environmental groups and virtually all Democrats. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that part of ANWR, a wide swath of tundra on the northern Alaska coast, home to polar bears, porcupine caribou and a landscape that hasn't been touched in thousands of years, could hold up to 12 billion barrels of oil. But Senate Republicans have little margin for error since two members of their caucus -- Sens. Susan Collins and John McCain -- have opposed similar bills in the past, though they'd be forced to consider that provision as part of the broader tax effort. A McCain spokeswoman says he's open to a "full debate" on the subject despite his past opposition. Collins told ME Monday night that ANWR has been far from her mind recently. "I've been focused on health care," she said, just after coming out against the latest Obamacare repeal effort. There are a number of key questions. Some wonder if Murkowski's prior breaks with GOP leadership and the White House will hamper her pursuit of other priorities. Current low oil prices might make opening ANWR less urgent than in the past and there's some question whether oil and gas companies would flock to the area at today's crude price of $50 a barrel (though that answer would likely depend on the company). Infrastructure is not likely to be a major barrier, though, with the biggest requirement a short pipeline to connect drilling wells in ANWR to the main Trans-Alaska Pipeline System pipeline. "A pipeline is not a big lift,' said one oil and gas company representative who asked to speak on background to discuss the matter. "If the oil is there like they think it is, it's not prohibitive." WELCOME TO TUESDAY! I'm your host Anthony Adragna, and API's Carrie Domnitch was the first (of many) to identify Sen. John McCain's cameo in "Wedding Crashers." For today: Way back on Season 2 of "Saturday Night Live," this future presidential candidate hosted an episode. Who was it? Send your tips, energy gossip and comments to aadragna@politico.com, or follow us on Twitter @AnthonyAdragna, @Morning Energy and @POLITICOPro. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00001 Pro Policy Summit Highlights: Don't miss the highlights from the 2017 Pro Policy Summit. The Pro newsroom has assembled must-read stories, scoops and video content from a day packed with breaking news and insightful policy discussion. Summit Highlights. LOTSA GROUND COVERED: Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke covered a wide array of topics during a Monday appearance at the National Petroleum Council. Highlights from that event via Pro's Ben Lefebvre: --New infrastructure study coming: DOE Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette, in coordination with the National Petroleum Council, will lead a study on how to improve the permitting process for pipelines and other energy infrastructure, Perry announced. The former Texas governor also called on the group to study how to make carbon capture, utilization and storage infrastructure economically viable. More here. --Interior reorganization still under consideration: Zinke expects to complete an evaluation of whether to combine the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management within the next couple months. He's also mulling the possibility of establishing Interior offices according to 13 watershed areas and moving BLM and Bureau of Land Reclamation headquarters out West. More here. --Zinke's report on national monuments remains under review by the White House. "We're working on it. Most people will find it to be a very reasoned approach," he said. --Perry touts benefits of energy industry: After being interrupted several times by protesters, Perry launched an extended diatribe against environmentalists criticizing the industry's record on climate change. "If you want to talk to something that saves lives, it's energy across the globe. You're involved in an industry that saves lives, lots of them, every year, around the globe," he said. --On loyalty to the administration: Zinke said about a third of his workforce remained loyal to the previous administration. "I know that when I assumed Interior that I have 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag," he said. "I had a Fish & Wildlife Service that hated people to a degree." ** A message from the U.S. Chamber's Global Energy Institute: Insightful analysis is an important part of our mission. From economic modeling of proposed policies to our groundbreaking energy security index, the Global Energy Institute's reports and analysis are helping to shape the discussion on energy policy. Click here to learn more: http://bit.ly/2huaJ4F ** DEMOCRATS CALL FOR FOCUS ON PUERTO RICO: FEMA Director Brock Long and Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert arrived Monday on the devastated island, but congressional Democrats expressed concern the administration wasn't doing enough. "Puerto Rico has taken a serious punch to the gut and they need our help. They need it now," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "The administration must quickly prepare an appropriate aid package for Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Western States for Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00002 Congress to act on in the near future," he added. Speaker Paul Ryan said: "Our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico remain in our prayers as we make sure they have what they need." Jones Act waiver sought: Seven House Democrats requested a one-year waiver from the Jones Act to expedite hurricane relief aid to Puerto Rico, Pro Transportation's Tanya Snyder reports. An Energy Department status report Monday found nearly all of the island remained without power. POLITICO'S Jacqueline Klimas reports from San Juan that political leaders on the island are once again afraid their needs are an afterthought in Washington. "The important part is to make sure it's not forgotten," Sen. Marco Rubio said. "We have a fundamental obligation to a U.S. territory and American citizens to respond to a hurricane there the way we would anywhere in the country." Governor assumes dam will collapse: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said he's operating under the assumption the Guajataca Dam will collapse, a fear that led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of area residents. "Some of the dam has fallen apart," he told CNN Monday. "I'd rather be wrong on that front than do nothing and having it fail and costing people their lives." The president tweets: "Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble," President Donald Trump said in a statement released via his Twitter account Monday night. "It's (sic) old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well." he added in a pair of follow-up tweets. Trump's first words on Puerto Rico since Sept. 20 came after the White House forcefully defended his fixation with NFL players' protests, which generated more than a dozen tweets since Friday. U-TURN ON CLIMATE RULE: Reversing course, DOT told a federal judge in New York in a. letter it will publish a regulation requiring states to track emissions from highways and craft reduction goals, Pro's Alex Guillen reports . Once published, the regulation takes effect immediately. Environmental groups and Democratic attorneys general had sued Federal Highway Administration for placing the rule on hold indefinitely. "Our lawsuit held the Trump administration accountable for illegally halting a common-sense tool to curb carbon pollution from transportation," said the NRDC's Amanda Eaken in a statement. The regulation is expected to run in the Federal Register Sept. 28. ZINKE, PERRY SPEAK AT NATIONAL CLEAN ENERGY WEEK: It's a day of events as National Clean Energy Week kicks off in earnest today with a breakfast discussion at 8 a.m. featuring Perry and Zinke (hosted by former GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte). Also expected to speak throughout the day are Sen. Lindsey Graham, House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Reps. Derek Kilmer and Ryan Costello. Full details here. But greens cry foul: Twelve environmental organizations sent a letter to Congress arguing that Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00003 technologies like biomass, carbon capture or nuclear energy should not be considered clean. "The sponsors of'National Clean Energy Week' include some of the dirtiest actors in the energy industry," the groups, which include 350.org, Food & Water Watch and Oil Change International, wrote. HEARING ROUNDUP -- TWO DOE NOMINEES IN SPOTLIGHT: Murkowski's push to quickly advance agency nominees continues today as her committee examines Steven Winberg's nomination to be assistant Energy secretary for fossil energy and Bruce Walker's selection to be assistant Energy secretary for electricity, delivery and energy reliability. Winberg previously headed up research and development for CONSOL Energy and also was a member of DOE's National Coal Council, while Walker's resume includes stints at National Grid and Consolidated Edison. Things get going at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 366. E&C LOOKS AT ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES: The House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee holds the latest in its "Powering America" series of hearings today with an examination of "the role advanced energy technologies play in empowering the nation's electricity consumers." Witnesses include representatives from Advanced Energy Economy, Holy Cross Energy, ComEd and LO3 Energy, among others. The hearing is set for 10 a.m. in Raybum 2123. GATHERING INPUT ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hosts a hearing at 10 a.m. today with a panel of public and private sector witnesses on what they'd like to see for water infrastructure in a forthcoming legislative package. The full list of witnesses for the hearing in Raybum 2167 is available here. MAIL CALL! CEQ VETERANS CALL OUT NEPA SHORTCUTS: Trump's efforts to streamline environmental reviews leave his administration's decisions more vulnerable to being overturned in court because they don't allow for enough input from the public, four veterans of the Council on Environmental Quality warned in a letter to the White House Monday. "Emphasizing speed over quality sends the wrong message to agencies and creates significant legal risk that future environmental reviews of federal actions will be rejected by the courts and need to be redone," wrote Katie McGinty, Nancy Sutley, Christy Goldfuss and Brenda Mallory, all of whom served in Democratic administrations. STATE AGs DISCUSS TRUMP-ERA ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION: A session at 2:45 p.m. with three attorneys general -- Maryland's Brian Frosh, Illinois' Lisa Madigan and New York's Eric Schneiderman -- discussing ongoing environmental litigation fighting White House efforts to weaken environmental protections is among the highlights of the Institute for Policy Integrity's state climate action conference today. Follow along here. DEMOCRATS SEEK INFORMATION ON MINE SAFETY PICK: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Bob Casey released a letter Monday seeking information on Mine Safety and Health Administration's investigations into Rhino Resource Partners, which mine safety nominee David Zatezalo worked at in a variety of senior roles between 2007 and 2014. They asked for the records no later than Sept. 29. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00004 FAA, FLOOD INSURANCE FLOPS: Democrats blocked a Republican push to fast-track an FAA extension that also included additional provisions on flood insurance and tax credits for victims of recent hurricanes, POLITICO'S Heather Caygle and Lauren Gardner report. The chamber is expected to consider the measure again later this week under a rule, which requires a simple majority, unlike Monday's fast-track procedure that required a two-thirds vote. STUDY: RAIL DAMPENING PIPELINE INVESTMENTS: New research out from the National Bureau of Economic Research finds the flexibility associated with crude-by-rail shipping has led to decreased investments in long-term pipeline projects given the high upfront costs of such infrastructure. "The ability to ramp rail shipments up and down is valuable to crude oil shippers, and it reduces incentives to make long-run investments in pipeline capacity," Ryan Kellogg, a professor at the Harris School of Public Policy who co-authored the study, said in a statement. CHAMBER URGES REJECTION OF GARRETT: Count the U S Chamber of Commerce as the latest group urging senators to reject former Rep. Scott Garrett's nomination to head the Export-Import Bank, Pro Financial Services' Zachary Warmbrodt reports. In a Monday letter, senior executive vice president Suzanne Clark expressed concern Garrett could use his position to prevent the agency from properly functioning while voicing strong support for four other nominees: Kimberly Reed, Claudia Slacik, Judith Pryor and Spencer Bachus. ZINKE SPENT S2.5K ON TRAVEL IN MARCH: Zinke spent $2,508 in flights, lodging and meals meet with members of the Blackfeet Nation, agency staff and toured national parks in Wyoming and his home state of Montana in his first month in office in March, according to public records the agency released Monday. Zinke stayed at his home in Whitefish for most of his first trip, according to the secretary's trip itinerary for March through July the agency released earlier this month. Unlike Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price who POLITICO earlier reported took private jets, Zinke's flights were commercial. GRID-CONNECTED BATTERIES TAKING OVER RESIDENTIAL STORAGE MARKET: Homeowners are increasingly installing electricity batteries that connect to the grid instead of closed systems that feed power only to the residence, GTM Research says in a report out today. The report does not cite a specific reason for the change but notes customers are looking for back-up power in case of electric outages and to save money, while utilities are encouraging adoption to mitigate the impacts of growing solar power. Grid-connected projects will make up 57 percent of annual deployments by the end of this year, the report says. DOESN'T LOOK STRESSED: Murkowski doesn't look like the heated health care debate is getting to her in this picture with a pink polar bear she tweeted out Monday from her visit over the weekend to the Anchorage Museum. ALL-TIME HIGH: Bolstered by more than 500,000 people who've joined since last November, the Natural Resources Defense Council tells ME it now has three million-plus members and online activists. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00005 MOVER, SHAKER: Ann Bartuska has joined Resources for the Future as vice president in its newly formed land, water, and nature program. She comes after serving as deputy undersecretary for research, education and economics as well as chief scientist at USDA. QUICK HITS -- In World's Hottest Oil Patch, Jitters Mount That a Bust Is Near. Bloomberg. -- After Hurricane Maria, what will it take to turn Puerto Rico's power back on? The Verge. -- OPEC's Efforts Pay Off: Oil is Back in Bull Market. Wall Street Journal. -- Companies building failed nuclear project 'were looking to cut comers' as state's top cop asked to investigate. The Post and Courier. -- FPL, JEA to shut down Jacksonville coal electric plant. Palm Beach Post. HAPPENING TODAY 7:30 a.m. --National Clean Energy Week symposium kicks off with remarks from Secretaries Zinke and Perry, Reserve Officers Association, 1 Constitution Avenue NE 9:30 a.m. -- Institute for Policy Integrity green states conference, New York University School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, Vanderbilt Hall, New York, N.Y. 10:00 a.m. -- "Powering America: Technology's Role in Empowering Consumers," House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee, Raybum 2123 10:00 a.m. -- "Legislative Hearing on 4 Fishery Bills," House Natural Resources Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee, Longworth 1334 10:00 a.m. -- Senate Energy and Natural Resources holds hearing on DOE nominations, Dirksen 366 10:00 a.m. -- "Building a 21 st Century Infrastructure for America: Water Stakeholders' Perspectives," House Transportation and Infrastructure Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, Raybum 2167 12:00 p.m. -- "Maryland's Offshore Wind and Energy Efficiency Policies," Women's Council on Energy and the Environment, Dentons, 1900 K Street NW 12:00 p.m. -- "The Future of Nuclear Power: Technology, Security and Geopolitics," Global American Business Institute, 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 230 12:00 p.m. -- "Energy Transition and the Future of Hydrokinetic Energy in the United States," Environmental Law Institute, 1730 M Street, NW, Suite 700 Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00006 12:30 p.m. -- Natural Gas Roundtable hosts David Carroll, president of the International Gas Union, for monthly luncheon, University Club, 1135 16th Street NW 2:00 p.m. -- House Natural Resources Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee hearing on various bills, Longworth 1334 2:00 p.m. -- "Examining America's nuclear waste management and storage," House Oversight and Government Reform Interior-Environment Subcommittee, Raybum 2154 THAT'S ALL FOR ME! **A message from the U.S. Chamber's Global Energy Institute: Today, America's diverse energy resources are providing abundant, reliable and affordable electricity that is critical to our economy. Unfortunately, that mix is at risk. A new report by IHS Markit cosponsored by the Global Energy Institute explains just how important a diverse set of resources really is. Our current energy mix, including nuclear and coal, is saving us $114 billion per year in electricity costs--lowering the average price by 27%. Without all of our resources, America could lose 1 million jobs within 3 years and $158 billion in GDP, and each American household could see a loss of up to $845 in income each year. To read the report and learn more about how a balanced set of electricity resources is key to our economy and security, click here: http://bit.ly/2huaJ4F ** To view online: https://www.politicopro.com/tipsheets/morning-energy/201 7/09/republicans-eye-budget-processfor-anwr-opening-O Stories from POLITICO Pro Reconciliation may provide opening for ANWR Back By Ben Lefebvre and Sarah Ferris | 09/25/2017 06:07 PM EDT Senate Republicans plan to open the door to oil drilling in an Alaskan wildlife refuge using special rules that would allow them to avoid a Democratic filibuster, according to sources tracking the budget process. The Senate Budget Committee is still drawing up its fiscal 2018 blueprint, which is expected to lay the groundwork for tax reform using special budget reconciliation rules. Two sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations say the document also is expected to lay the groundwork for new energy production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- a longtime goal of Republicans and oil companies. It's a potentially risky strategy, with two Republican senators on record opposing similar bills in the past: Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine. If those two remain in opposition, Senate leadership couldn't lose a single other GOP vote without jeopardizing their Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00007 entire reconciliation package, centered on tax reform. Congress last tried to open ANWR more than a decade ago, and any legislation to do so would run into fierce opposition from environmental groups and virtually all Democrats. But proponents of the idea say their chances have improved since the election of President Donald Trump, who has sought to increase U.S. oil, gas and coal production. "Energy dominance requires ANWR," said Matt Shuckerow, a spokesman for Alaska Rep. Don Young, invoking a favorite Trump administration catch-phrase. "We are working with leadership and looking at reconciliation." The Senate budget resolution is expected to give special deficit-reducing instructions to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the upcoming fiscal year, totaling about $1 billion over a decade. While budget writers can't mandate specific policies, sources say it would enable ENR Chairman Lisa Murkowski to write legislation that would remove restrictions on drilling in ANWR or other currently off-limits areas. Opening up drilling in the arctic could raise as much as $5 billion over a decade, the CBO estimated in 2012, when oil was selling for about twice as much as it is now. That measure could then be bundled into a massive tax reconciliation package, which will need just 50 votes in the Senate. The House's budget, which has been stalled for months amid GOP infighting, goes even further. That version calls for $5 billion in extra energy revenues, and a House GOP aide says ANWR is "definitely on the table in terms of reconciliation." The White House also "will continue to push for more domestic production," an administration official said. Trump's budget request sought $1.8 billion from opening new areas to energy production. ANWR is a wide swath of tundra on the northern Alaska coast, home to polar bears, porcupine caribou and a landscape that hasn't been touched in thousands of years. Congress designated the 19-million-acre area a wildlife refuge in 1980, but set aside a 1.5-million-acre parcel known as "10-02" for possible future drilling if future lawmakers approved such a plan. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that part of ANWR could hold up to 12 billion barrels of oil. In the past, drilling in the refuge only became a hot issue when gasoline prices were high, said Athan Manuel, director of lands protection program for the Sierra Club, which has been lobbying heavily against its development. "Now it's completely become an ideological and political fight," Manuel added. "There are fewer Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00008 moderate Republicans than we need. The vote numbers for us are difficult on the Senate side if they go to budget reconciliation." Young, the Alaska Republican who has spent much of his career advocating for expanded Arctic drilling, has raised ANWR with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Shuckerow said. Zinke is quietly working to allow oil companies to conduct seismic exploration in the region, The Washington Post reported this month. But actually letting them extract oil and gas from ANWR would require action by Congress. The GOP has tried twice in the past to open ANWR for energy development through budget reconciliations. An attempt in 1995 failed after President Bill Clinton vetoed the overall budget package, while a second attempt in 2005 could not overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. Even using reconciliation, Republicans have little margin for error with only 52 seats in the Senate. And two of their caucus have voted against ANWR provisions in the past. A spokeswoman for McCain, Julie Tarallo, said despite his past opposition the senator "is open to having a full debate in Congress about the United States' energy policy." Collins' office did not respond to requests for comment. At least one Democrat, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, may join Republicans if they try to use reconciliation to open ANWR. "The energy we receive from Alaska is much needed for American energy independence," Manchin told POLITICO. "If it can be done in a safe way, and I think we've proven it can, we should look at every option we have." Murkowski, who joined McCain and Collins to kill the Senate's Obamacare repeal bill in August, has introduced legislation that would direct the Interior Department to offer oil-and-gas production leases for at least 300,000 acres in ANWR, S. 49 (.115). But she told POLITICO last week that Interior had not yet reached out to her about its push to open ANWR for seismic exploration or to form strategy on how to possibly open the area to drilling. Some question whether her earlier breaks with GOP leadership and the White House will hamper her pursuit of other priorities. "Murkowski is on the outside looking in" when it comes to GOP energy policy, said one energy lobbyist who requested anonymity to discuss political matters. Another problem is current low oil prices. More than a decade of into the shale oil boom, the country looks cushioned from a possible oil supply shock, something that could make opening ANWR less urgent than in the past. "Now that we're in this age of oil supply adequacy, the negotiating power of energy has Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00009 diminished," said Kevin Book, managing director of energy consultancy ClearView Energy Partners. "What adequacy has done has increased the political cost of opening up ANWR for production." Another question is whether oil and gas companies would flock to ANWR at today's crude price of $50 a barrel. Chevron and BP drilled one exploratory well in the area in the early 1980s at the behest of a local native tribe, according to Alaska Oil and Gas Association President Kara Moriarty. The drilling was done with the permission of the Interior Department, with which Chevron shared the data, but a strict confidentiality agreement keeps the results a closely held secret. The answer would depend on the company. Prices are expected to rise eventually, and the refuge's onshore topology would make ANWR a more tempting target than the choppy waters and extreme winds off of Alaska's coastline, Moriarty said. The steady spread of oil and gas pipeline networks immediately outside ANWR also means that bringing any oil from the refuge to market would be easier than it was in decades past, Moriarty added. The biggest infrastructure requirement would be a short pipeline to connect drilling wells in ANWR to the main Trans-Alaska Pipeline System pipeline taking the crude south. "A pipeline is not a big lift,' said one oil and gas company representative who asked to speak on background to discuss the matter. "If the oil is there like they think it is, it's not prohibitive." Chevron put itself in the group of companies that would welcome the chance to set rigs there permanently. "Chevron supports increased access to federal and private land for the responsible exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources, including the ANWR coastal plain," Chevron spokeswoman Veronica Flores-Paniagua said. Environmental groups and other Democrats are already alarmed about how far the talk of opening ANWR has come this year. Interior's move to allow seismic exploration, if approved, could harm the polar bears, caribou, wolves and other wildlife already feeling the effects of climate change in the region, and the oil brought from under the tundra would add to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental and Alaskan native groups said. "Protecting the Arctic Refuge has broad public and bipartisan support and deserves a full debate in regular order, not rushed through as part of the budget process," said Alaska Wilderness spokesman Corey Himrod. Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in April offered legislation to enshrine the entire region as a wilderness area protected from drilling. The bill, S. 820 (.1.15), was introduced with 37 Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders (Vt.) as original co-sponsors. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00010 "We're going to battle this," Markey told POLITICO, arguing that expanded shale oil production has made ANWR moot. "With efficiency gains and growth of fracking in the lower 48 states, there's no need to open ANWR." Nick Juliano contributed to this report. To view online click here. Back Perry calls for study on expanding energy infrastructure Back By Ben Lefebvre | 09/25/2017 04:14 PM EDT Energy Secretary Rick Perry called for a study on how to improve the permitting process for pipelines and other energy infrastructure, saying protests against those plans were slowing economic growth. Perry asked the National Petroleum Council, whose membership includes various heads of the energy industry, to conduct the study with help from the Energy Department. While domestic oil production has steadily increased since the mid-2000s, pipelines, railways, oil storage "and related system components" needed to move fossil fuel from well to market have to be "expanded, upgraded and maintained," Perry said. With the rise of oil and natural gas fields in North Dakota, environmentalists have objected to major oil pipeline projects, including Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipeline. "We have to ensure we have an uninterrupted flow of energy product," Perry said. "In recent years, objections to and restrictions on the construction of needed transportation infrastructure have increased, slowing the development of new infrastructure and hindering economic growth." Perry also called on the NPC to study how to make carbon capture, utilization and storage infrastructure economically viable. The event also attracted protesters, two of whom were escorted from the room after demanding Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke address climate change. WHAT'S NEXT: Perry designated DOE Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette to coordinate on the study with the NPC. To view online click here. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00011 Back Zinke: BOEM-BSSE study expected in two months Back By Ben Lefebvre | 09/25/2017 05:48 PM EDT The Interior Department expects within two months to complete a study on the feasibility of combining its bureau that regulate offshore drilling safety with one that sells leases, Secretary Ryan Zinke said today. Zinke said he hasn't yet decided whether to combine the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which were carved out of the former Minerals Management Service in 2010. Rejoining BOEM and BSEE is one of several ideas Zinke is considering to reorganize the department around the Trump administration's goal of increasing domestic energy production. Zinke also floated the possibility of establishing Interior offices according to 13 watershed areas and moving BLM and Bureau of Land Reclamation headquarters out West. "There's no reason for BLM to be where they don't have holding. Push your generals out to where the fight is," Zinke told members of the National Petroleum Council today. Zinke blamed a lag in oil and gas project permitting on the abundance of choke points in the existing process. "There's too many ways in the present process for someone who doesn't want to get it done to put it in a holding pattern," he said. He also estimated that a third of Interior's workforce remained loyal to the previous administration. "I know that when I assumed Interior that I have 30 percent of the crew that's not loyal to the flag," Zinke said, comparing his tenure to "capturing a prize ship at sea and only the captain and first mate row over." WHAT'S NEXT: Zinke said he expected the report on BOEM and BSEE to be ready within 60 days. To view online click here. Back Lawmakers ask for Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico Back By Tanya Snyder | 09/25/2017 06:35 PM EDT Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00012 Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and six other Democrats are asking the Trump administration for a one-year Jones Act waiver to expedite hurricane relief aid to Puerto Rico. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, the lawmakers, most of them members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, asked for a "one-year comprehensive waiver of the Jones Act requirements for Puerto Rico." The Jones Act, which requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-built, -owned and -operated vessels, is often blamed for driving up prices in Puerto Rico. "The island is now facing an unprecedented uphill battle to rebuild its homes, businesses and communities," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "Temporarily loosening these requirements -- for the express purpose of disaster recovery -- will allow Puerto Rico to have more access to the oil needed for its power plants, food, medicines, clothing, and building supplies." In a separate statement, Velazquez noted that the storm has brought about a sustained and complete shutdown of Puerto Rico's power grid, which "already faced serious infrastructure problems." Local officials predict it could take six months to get the power fully restored. "Even before Maria made landfall, the Island was already suffering from economic and financial crisis," she said. "Now, at the worst time possible, the Island has endured a natural disaster of historic proportions ... We cannot and will not turn our backs on them." To view online click here. Back In Puerto Rico, another desperate plea for help Back By Jacqueline Klimas | 09/25/2017 09:39 PM EDT SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Days after Hurricane Maria barreled through here virtually no people are on the streets and the usually bustling tourist area is littered with curled sheets of metal. Lines of cars waiting to fill up on gas are backed up along the highway off-ramps. "We haven't forgotten about you," Adm. Paul Zukunft, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, told a gathering on Monday after what the governor has called the "biggest catastrophe" in the U.S. territory's history. But the political leadership of Puerto Rico worries that the suffering of its 3.5 million U.S. citizens is once again an afterthought in Washington. "We don't have a voice in the Senate unless it's Marco Rubio," Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, Puerto Rico's single nonvoting member of the House of Representatives, said at an emergency operations center here, where POLITICO accompanied visiting dignitaries before touring the Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00013 Coast Guard's main base in the region, which suffered extensive damage. "We don't have two senators," added Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), whose constituents have been similarly hard hit by the season's historic storms and similarly lack a vote in Congress. President Donald Trump has come under fire for failing to focus more attention on the plight of Puerto Rico and the nearby Virgin Islands over the weekend, while tweeting over a dozen times about the National Football League. The crisis was also largely absent from the 24-hour news networks, where Hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida received wall-to-wall coverage. Trump on Monday tweeted about the island's plight but seemed to blame Puerto Rico itself for its woes. "Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble," he tweeted. "It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities -- and doing well." It's an all-too-familiar predicament for disenfranchised residents of Puerto Rico, which is poorer than all 50 states, has an unemployment rate of nearly 12 percent, and is still reeling from a financial crisis of historic proportions in which it declared a form of bankruptcy earlier this year. After Maria, the territory's leaders are hoping their strongest leverage to get long-term aid from Washington will be the sizable populations of Puerto Ricans who reside on the mainland and constitute a powerful voting bloc, especially in places like New York and Florida. They are focused on building a coalition of lawmakers to gain support for a new federal aid bill. Congress has already passed a $15 billion package to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, but House Speaker Paul Ryan has signaled that more aid is on the way. While Puerto Rico does not have a vote in Congress, large populations of Puerto Ricans on the U.S. mainland do have a voice in the midterm and presidential elections, and some experts predict how the White House and Congress respond could have an impact at the ballot box. About 20 percent of Puerto Ricans live on the U.S. mainland, said Robert Stein, who teaches urban politics at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The two states with the largest Puerto Rican populations, Florida and New York, control 54 House seats and 58 votes for president in the Electoral College. "This may be a big issue in upcoming elections," Stein predicted. Rubio of Florida said on Monday that helping Puerto Rico is personal for him. "The important part is to make sure it's not forgotten," the former GOP presidential hopeful said. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00014 "We have a fundamental obligation to a U.S. territory and American citizens to respond to a hurricane there the way we would anywhere in the country." Rubio said it will be a challenge to get more hurricane aid through the Senate, but said lawmakers knew the first aid bill "would not be enough." "There's an acknowledgment that we have to go back and do more, and now maybe sooner than anticipated," he said, noting that he expects Congress to address a funding bill for Maria and Irma later this month or early next. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, who is up for reelection in 2018, tweeted Monday that he is "calling on U.S. military to send additional search & rescue, medical and construction teams to Puerto Rico." Even before Maria, Nelson and Rubio sent a letter to Trump last week urging a greater role for the federal government in assisting U.S. territories after recent storms emanating from the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Other Puerto Rican officials also argued it is time for lawmakers to make the territory's needs a greater priority. "Let them know that we are committed U.S. citizens, that we are proud U.S. citizens, that we helped others when they were going through difficult times not more than 10 days ago and that now it's the time to help Puerto Rico back," Gov. Ricardo Rossello told reporters Monday. The situation in Puerto Rico, where downed trees and power lines and roofs and siding ripped off of buildings are now commonplace, could become more dire before it improves. Residents lack basic necessities, including food and clean drinking water, and the island could have no electricity for many months. Many residents have no safe place to live. And a lack of temporary housing means residents are at greater risk of disease, such as dengue fever or other mosquito-borne ailments. Early reports from the island's rich farmland also suggest its agricultural sector, which along with tourism is a major element of its already shaky economy, could be set back for a year or more. Over the weekend, reports of hysteria started to spread from areas outside the capital, including a warning that a hospital full to capacity was at risk of collapsing, along with a major dam. Rossello, calling Maria the "biggest catastrophe" in the island's history, appealed for far more assistance, especially from the Pentagon. "We still need some more help. This is clearly a critical disaster in Puerto Rico. It can't be minimized and we can't start overlooking us now that the storm passed, because the danger lurks," he told the The Washington Post. Plaskett, who was elected to the at-large Congress seat in 2014, also said she expects Rep. Nydia Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00015 Velazquez (D-N.Y.), the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), who has previously worked on legislation to address Puerto Rico's problems, to take the lead for Puerto Rico on a recovery bill in the House. But Plaskett said she is also aware that her fellow lawmakers from the mainland can easily get distracted once Puerto Rico's plight drops from the headlines. "They have their own interests to look out for as well," she said. Compounding the island's dire situation is the fact that Hurricane Maria itself followed two other major storms in the 2017 season: Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida. "We're tired," Zukunft told POLITICO en route to Puerto Rico on Monday to assess the damage. "Hopefully we get a chance to take a knee at some point in time." At Coast Guard Sector San Juan, the power is still off but sunlight streams in through gaping holes in the roof. There is the overwhelming smell of mold. A Coast Guard cutter is anchored just off shore to ensure those helping with the storm response have some communications. (Zukunft related that tons of cocaine are aboard because the ship had to be quickly diverted from its drug interdiction mission to aid in storm relief). But the bigger challenge may be ahead as the government tries to manage the rebuilding of economies from Texas to Florida to Puerto Rico. "There's no doubt that agencies are being stretched to their limits. As much as they've been challenged up until this point, the real challenge lies ahead," said Gary Webb, the chair of emergency management and disaster science at the University of North Texas. "It's a totally different bailgame managing the recovery from three disasters." Rubio assured Puerto Rican leaders Monday that he would be a solid voice for them among his colleagues on Capitol Hill. "I will do everything I can when I get back to Washington tonight to be sure you have the resources and support not just to be able to respond now, but to get ready for the next one," Rubio told a room full of first responders in San Juan. But experts predict it will have to be a multiyear investment by Congress to truly rebuild the island. The territory was already suffering from a debt crisis before the storm, and now the hurricane has wiped out its other major industry: tourism. When asked if he thought there was an appetite in Congress to provide funding over the longer term to support rebuilding Puerto Rico, Rubio, responded, "I don't know, I hope so." To view online click here. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00016 Back White House defends Trump's NFL fixation as Puerto Rico seeks help Back By Matthew Nussbaum and Colin Wilhelm | 09/25/2017 06:56 PM EDT The White House on Monday defended President Donald Trump's muted response to the devastation Hurricane Maria left behind in Puerto Rico, brushing off criticism that he's been more interested in kneeling NFL players than a U.S. territory suffering from a humanitarian crisis. Before Monday night, Trump last tweeted about the storm on Sept. 20, writing, "Governor @RicardoRossello- We are with you and the people of Puerto Rico. Stay safe! #PRStrong." For five days after that, as the scale of the devastation became apparent, Trump did not address the catastrophe from his Twitter account. Over the same period, he tweeted twice about Hillary Clinton, three times about Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), once about NBA star Steph Curry and 12 times about the NFL, along with numerous additional posts about the national anthem that did not explicitly mention the NFL. "It really doesn't take that long to type out 140 characters and this president is very capable of doing more than one thing at a time and more than one thing in a day," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, arguing that Trump's Twitter feed should not be taken as an indication of his priorities. Several hours after Sanders spoke, and after four days of back and forth with the NFL, Trump wrote a series of tweets about the dire situation Puerto Rico, contrasting it with Texas and Florida, which he said were "doing great" after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Puerto Rico, he said, was in "big trouble" and had already been suffering from "broken infrastructure & massive debt." "It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars.... owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities -- and doing well. #FEMA," the president tweeted. Earlier Monday, Sanders called the Trump administration's response to the storm "unprecedented," even as it has been far less public than the responses to Irma and Harvey. Maria has left much of Puerto Rico -- a U.S. territory of 3.4 million citizens -- without power and with limited access to food and water. "We've done unprecedented movement in terms of federal funding to provide for the people of Puerto Rico and others that have been impacted [by] these storms, we'll continue to do so," Sanders said, noting that FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert had traveled to the island to assess the damage and the response efforts. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00017 She also pushed back against the idea that Trump is sending a message by tweeting attacks against NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem and not tweeting about Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, which also took a big hit. "He's not emphasizing sports. You're missing the entire purpose of the message," Sanders said. Trump, however, has been noticeably less engaged with Maria's devastation. After Harvey and Irma ripped through Texas and Florida, Trump told several advisers he was very pleased with the administration's handling of the storms, and senior administration officials were buoyed by the idea that the response caused his poll numbers to climb. But Trump has not seemed as focused on Maria, administration officials say, though they note he has called Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, to ask about the damage. Rossello has so far praised FEMA's response and other parts of the Trump administration, but has had to petition the government for more military resources, mainly aircraft, for searches and air drops of essential goods to towns cut off by the natural disaster. "We know that there are capabilities in the surrounding areas, helicopters, planes and so forth. And our petition is for us to be able to use them and be flexible in using them with making sure that resources arrive to those areas of that are more vulnerable in Puerto Rico," Rossello told POLITICO on Sunday night. Rossello stopped short of criticizing Trump's level of engagement. "I think he's paid attention," Rossello said. "He's called me three times and he offered two pre landfall emergency declarations before both storms hit Puerto Rico," though Rossello said Trump had overlooked the "granular detail" of declaring a federal disaster for every section of the island. But criticism against Trump has mounted from other comers. And reports that a White House disaster-aid request might not reach Congress until October further fanned the flames. "Hey @realDonaldTrump you can't wait that long," Lin-Manuel Miranda, the "Hamilton" playwright of Puerto Rican descent, wrote on Twitter. "There will be a lot of American deaths on your watch if you wait that long." "Just spoke w/ fmr Gov @luisfortuno5.1: 'PR on brink of humanitarian disaster.' USVI too. DC must put aside controversies, prioritize rescue," former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney tweeted. Trump's election rival Hillary Clinton also called on Trump's administration to do more, and to recognize Puerto Ricans as U.S. citizens. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00018 "President Trump, Sec. Mattis, and DOD should send the Navy, including the USNS Comfort, to Puerto Rico now. These are American citizens," Clinton tweeted on Sunday, referring to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Puerto Rico's government, which is effectively bankrupt and in over $70 billion of debt, has asked the federal government to waive the costs the commonwealth might have to pay out of pocket. A majority Republican federal oversight board put in place last year to oversee the island's economic recovery already loosened its budgetary requirements on the local government to allow Rossello to spend more in the immediate response, though Puerto Rico had limited resources to begin with. Though implicit, Rossello's fears about being forgotten came across. During his interview, Rossello underscored the uniquely precarious situation Puerto Rico faces because of its long term economic struggles, while maintaining that Americans in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands should receive no less aid than the residents of any state. "Whatever relief package we have, whatever impact we have, we are U.S. citizens. We shouldn't be the lesser for it," the governor said. If a response proves lackluster, Rossello predicted "massive migration that would deteriorate our [economic] base here in Puerto Rico and would provoke significant demographic shifting in other areas of the United States." On Monday the governor, who like Trump is highly active on Twitter, retweeted a statement from Puerto Rico's last Republican governor, Luis Fortuno. "The Federal Gov needs to act immediately to assist PR," it said. "Congress should support the 3.5 m US citizens residing in PR in same way as TX and FL." Josh Dawsey contributed to this report. To view online click here. Back DOT reverses course, will publish highway emissions rule Back By Alex Guillen | 09/25/2017 04:55 PM EDT The Transportation Department will allow an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from big highways to take effect following lawsuits from environmental groups and Democratic attorneys general. The Federal Highway Administration delayed the rule from taking effect several times earlier this year before placing it on hold indefinitely. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00019 But DOT today reversed course. In a letter to a federal judge in New York, the Justice Department said the rule has been submitted to the Federal Register and is expected to run on Sept. 28. The rule will take immediate effect upon publication, DOJ wrote. The rule will require states to track emissions from highways and craft reduction goals. "Our lawsuit held the Trump administration accountable for illegally halting a common-sense tool to curb carbon pollution from transportation," said the NRDC's Amanda Eaken in a statement. "Now the Federal Highway Administration should get busy working with planners nationwide to clean up the air, protect our health and provide smarter transportation options for Americans such as more public transit, bikeways and pedestrian walkways." WHAT'S NEXT: DOT says the rule is expected to be published in Thursday's Federal Register. To view online click here. Back House Democrats block FAA extension Back By Heather Caygle and Lauren Gardner | 09/25/2017 12:25 PM EDT House Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican push to fast-track an FAA extension , with just days to go until current law expires Sept. 30. Top Democrats announced plans to vote against the six-month extension earlier in the day, citing opposition to unrelated Republican add-ons dealing with flood insurance, tax credits for victims of recent hurricanes and expiring health care programs. The bill failed 245-171. The fast-track process used to consider the bill requires two-thirds support of members for passage. House Republicans are expected to bring up the bill again under a rule -- which requires only a simple majority for passage -- later this week. But Senate Democrats are also uneasy with the extension, and it's unclear whether they would block the bill in the upper chamber. Speaker Paul Ryan blasted Democrats for their opposition, accusing them of playing politics while federal aviation programs hang in the balance. "It is a sad day when House Democrats will -- in the name of politics -- vote against disaster relief and air traffic safety measures," Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a statement Monday afternoon. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the "sprawling" bill goes far beyond just extending federal aviation programs and includes many provisions that don't have Democratic backing, including language dealing with the federal flood insurance program and Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00020 tax credits for hurricane victims. The Democratic leader also cited Republican inaction on the Dream Act -- the bipartisan bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some young, undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers -- as reason for her opposition. Ryan said Republicans are committed to addressing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the program that shields Dreamers from deportation, before it ends in March. But, Ryan said, that issue should remain separate from the six-month FAA extension. "These are two unrelated and bipartisan initiatives with broad support from both sides of the aisle," he said. "It's shameful that politics will trump meaningful relief for families suffering from these devastating hurricanes. House Democrats are willing to shut down air traffic control to make a political point." Some Republicans who oppose House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster's separate effort to divorce air traffic control functions from the FAA have said they also oppose the extension. These lawmakers think the Transportation chairman should accept that the Senate has no interest in such an overhaul and don't want the agency to operate in fits and starts under stopgap measures. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Transportation Committee, called Republicans "a bunch of losers" for continuing to push breaking up the FAA. "We're here today because the chairman of the committee has stubbornly persisted in trying to privatize air traffic control," DeFazio said, blasting Shuster on the House floor. Senate Democrats are reviewing the legislation, but, like House Democrats, believe the flood insurance provisions are problematic and noted that the tax breaks included in the FAA bill weren't offered to Hurricane Sandy victims in 2012, according to a senior aide. Pelosi panned the bill's tax relief provisions for citizens affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria for not "treat[ing] all families recovering from natural disasters the same." The California Democrat also criticized Republicans for not quickly acting on other programs that need reauthorization -- such as the children's health insurance program -- and reiterated her call for a vote on the Dream Act. "Instead of acting on these priorities, House Republicans are advancing a sprawling FAA extension package laden with completely unrelated and inadequate items," she said. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, top Transportation Committee Democrat Peter DeFazio of Oregon and other Democrats also signed onto a Dear Colleague letter opposing the bill. Brianna Gurciullo and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00021 To view online click here, Back Chamber urges Senate to reject Garrett for Ex-Im, confirm other nominees Back By Zachary Warmbrodt | 09/25/2017 02:58 PM EDT The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is joining the chorus of business groups calling on lawmakers to block the confirmation of former Rep. Scott Garrett to head the Export-Import Bank. In a letter sent today to Senate Banking Committee leaders, U.S. Chamber senior executive vice president Suzanne Clark said the group was "extremely concerned" about reports that the bank's critics might try to derail the confirmations of other appointees to the export agency if Garrett's nomination were rejected. "Each nominee deserves to stand or fall on his or her own merits," Clark said. "We trust that senators from both parties will reject any attempt to hold qualified nominees who enjoy the support of the majority of the Senate hostage in an attempt to gain leverage for the approval of a nominee who does not enjoy the support of a majority of the Senate." Business groups have been lobbying to stop Garrett's appointment after he worked to kill the Export-Import Bank while in Congress. The Chamber strongly supports the nominations of Kimberly Reed, Claudia Slacik, Judith Pryor and Spencer Bachus to serve on the Export-Import Bank's board, Clark said. But Garrett could use his position to prevent the agency from properly functioning, she added. "As Chairman of the Ex-Im Bank, Mr. Garrett would have extraordinary powers to stop transactions from being voted on by the board, even when they have the support of a majority of Board members," she said. "While the temporary lapse in Ex-Im's charter and the lack of a quorum for the Ex-Im board have hobbled the bank's activities from the outside, confirming an opponent of Ex-Im as its chair would have the same impact regardless of a quorum." WHAT'S NEXT: The Senate Banking Committee has not scheduled a vote on the nominees. To view online click here. Back Price's private-jet travel breaks precedent Back By Dan Diamond and Rachana Pradhan | 09/19/2017 10:30 PM EDT Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00022 In a sharp departure from his predecessors, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price last week took private jets on five separate flights for official business, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial travel. The secretary's five flights, which were scheduled between Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, took him to a resort in Maine where he participated in a Q&A discussion with a health care industry CEO, and to community health centers in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, according to internal HHS documents. The travel by corporate-style jet comes at a time when other members of the Trump administration are under fire for travel expenditures, and breaks with the practices of Obama-era secretaries Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially while in the continental United States. Price, a frequent critic of federal spending who has been developing a plan for departmentwide cost savings, declined to comment. HHS spokespeople declined to confirm details of the flights or respond to questions about who paid for them, with a spokesperson saying only that Price sometimes charters planes when commercial flights aren't feasible. All three organizations that hosted Price last week -- the Massachusetts-based health IT firm athenahealth, Goodwin Community Health Center in New Hampshire and the Mirmont Treatment Center in Pennsylvania -- told POLITICO they did not pay for his flights or other travel costs. "As part of the HHS mission to enhance and protect the health and well-being of the American people, Secretary Price travels on occasion outside Washington to meet face to face with the American people to hear their thoughts and concerns firsthand," an HHS spokesperson said, adding, "When commercial aircraft cannot reasonably accommodate travel requirements, charter aircraft can be used for official travel." Price's spokespeople declined to comment on why he considered commercial travel to be unfeasible. On one leg of the trip -- a sprint from Dulles International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport, a distance of 135 miles -- there was a commercial flight that departed at roughly the same time: Price's charter left Dulles at 8:27 a.m., and a United Airlines flight departed for Philadelphia at 8:22 a.m., according to airport records. Sample round-trip fares for the United flight ranged from $447 to $725 per person on United.com, though the price would have been lower if booked in advance or if Price's party received government discounts. Similarly priced commercial flights also left from Reagan National Airport and Baltimore Washington International. By contrast, the cost of chartering the plane was roughly $25,000, according to Ultimate Jet Charters, which owns the Embraer 135LR twin jet that ferried Price and about 10 other people to the clinic event. In addition, Amtrak ran four trains starting at 7 a.m. that left Washington's Union Station and arrived at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station no later than 9:58 a.m. The least-expensive ticket, on the 7:25 a.m. train, costs $72 when booked in advance. It is just a 125-mile drive from HHS Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00023 headquarters in downtown Washington to the Mirmont Treatment Center outside of Philadelphia, where Price spoke. Google Maps estimates the drive as about 214 hours. A one-way trip was estimated by travel planners to be about $30 in gasoline per SUV plus no more than $16 in tolls. An HHS spokesperson declined to answer questions on how many private charter flights Price has taken since being confirmed as secretary on Feb. 10, but wrote in an emailed response, "Official travel by the secretary is done in complete accordance with Federal Travel Regulations." Current and former staffers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say Price has been taking private jets to travel domestically for months. Ethics experts say the use of private charters by government officials, while legal, is highly dubious and in most cases a misuse of taxpayer funding. "I can understand why the secretary might have to use a charter flight to get to a hurricanedevastated region, but Philadelphia is not one of those regions this year," said Walter Shaub, who was director of the United States Office of Government Ethics until July. "I find it hard to believe he couldn't find a suitable commercial flight to Philadelphia." "This wasteful conduct reflects disdain for the ethical principle of treating public service as a public trust," said Shaub, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama. "Public office isn't supposed to come with frivolous perks at taxpayer expense." Shaub said that the trips violate the "spirit" of the Federal Travel Regulations, citing the express guidance contained in the regulations that "taxpayers should pay no more than necessary for your transportation." Members of the Trump administration have come under scrutiny for excessive use of government travel resources. The president and his family have rung up travel expenses at a faster rate than previous presidential families. The inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency recently announced a probe into Administrator Scott Pruitt's frequent travel to his home state of Oklahoma. The Treasury Department's inspector general is looking into Secretary Steve Mnuchin's use of a government jet on a trip to Fort Knox, Kentucky, that involved viewing the solar eclipse. Most recently, ABC News reported that Mnuchin had requested a government plane to take him on his overseas honeymoon. The request was withdrawn on the grounds that it was unnecessary. Price is an orthopedic surgeon who served in the U.S. House for 12 years representing a district in suburban Atlanta. After President Donald Trump nominated him to be HHS secretary in January, Price came under fire from Democrats and ethics watchdogs for having made stock trades in health-care companies while serving on a House panel overseeing Obamacare and other health issues. He has also positioned himself as a champion of fiscal efficiency, backing major spending Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00024 reductions to agencies he oversees and legislation that would cull hundreds of billions of dollars from health entitlement programs. This month, Price had been scheduled to submit a department reform plan to the White House that is expected to propose new spending and staffing cuts. He also backed a nearly $6 billion proposed cut to the National Institutes of Health in March, and an overall 18 percent spending cut to HHS included in Trump's first budget proposal. "Tough choices had to be made to identify and reduce spending within the department," Price said in a statement to Congress about his budget request. "Our goal is to ... [try] to decrease the areas where there are either duplications, redundancies or waste ... and get a larger return for the investment of the American taxpayer." Price's travel itinerary last week included five charter flights that charter operators estimated would cost at least $60,000. The itinerary, according to airport records and sources with knowledge of Price's travels, began on Wednesday, Sept. 13 (arrows do not represent actual flight paths): Price and staff took a private charter that left Dulles that Wednesday at 2:26 p.m. and arrived in Waterville, Maine, at 3:37 p.m., where he then traveled to the Point Lookout resort and spent the night. On Thursday, Sept. 14, Price held a fireside chat with the CEO of athenahealth at the Point Lookout resort. He then took a private jet that departed Waterville, Maine, at 11:41 a.m. and arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at 12:09 p.m. for a scheduled visit to nearby Goodwin Community Health Center. Later on Thursday, Price made an announcement about grants for fighting the opioid epidemic, after which he took a private jet that left Portsmouth at 2:34 p.m. and arrived at Washington Dulles at 3:45 p.m. On Sept. 15, Price, accompanied by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, left Dulles aboard a charter at 8:27 a.m. and touched down at Philadelphia International Airport at 9:01 a.m. for a scheduled visit to Mirmont Treatment Center, a local addiction treatment facility. Also on Sept. 15, Price, Conway and other staff departed Philadelphia aboard a charter plane at 12:39 p.m. and touched down at Dulles at 1:19 p.m., where the plane was met on the tarmac by two SUVs and a police escort. The round trip to the Philadelphia airport, which is about 15 miles from Mirmont Treatment Center, where Price and Conway met with staff and patients -- cost about $25,000, an official with the charter agency told POLITICO. Eddie Moneypenny of Ultimate Jetcharters, who confirmed that his company's 30-seat jet was used for a Dulles-Philadelphia roundtrip last week, said he wasn't aware that the trip was for a government official and the charter had been booked through a third party. Other charter services confirmed that charter flights between Washington and Philadelphia run Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00025 tens of thousands of dollars when retaining the same plane. "I've been doing this for seven years," said Jake Sheeley of EvoJets, another charter service. "I've never seen a flight like this for less than $20,000." Sheeley also estimated that an itinerary modeled on Price's three-flight trip between Washington, Maine and New Hampshire would cost about $40,000. Several former HHS staffers who had close knowledge of the travel plans of former HHS secretaries Burwell and Sebelius could not recall booking a charter flight for short-haul travel. Staff for Burwell and Sebelius said booking even a single charter flight was, in the words of one, a "non-starter" within the department. For example, for last year's Obamacare enrollment kick off, HHS staff had planned a multi-city tour for Burwell to urge Americans to sign up for coverage. The effort, which would have required charter aircraft, was ultimately scrapped because of its estimated $60,000 cost. "We were worried about the optics and the cost to taxpayers," said one former staffer involved in the planning. In her more than five years as a Cabinet secretary, Sebelius says she took a charter flight only to get to remote areas in Alaska, which she and staff said were otherwise inaccessible. "The basic rules that our scheduling team worked under were, you flew commercial and you flew economy," she said in an interview. "That's just what they did." Tracking Price's travel and meetings has been much more difficult than tracking those of his predecessors. His office only recently began informing reporters of trips ahead of time, and have declined to post most of his remarks and speeches to the HHS website despite his frequent speaking engagements. Nonetheless, he's spent much of his tenure on the road. POLITICO identified at least 24 separate flights that Price has taken to conduct HHS business in the past four months alone. Those flights don't include Price's weekend trips home to Georgia. An HHS spokesperson said, "Secretary Price pays for personal travel out of his own pocket." One of those unannounced trips was to last week's conference hosted by athenahealth, the health information company, at the Point Lookout resort in Maine. Price held a wideranging fireside chat with athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush, the nephew of former President George H.W. Bush and first cousin of former President George W. Bush. The HHS secretary apparently used his remarks to tweak the government's role as would-be reformers. "Don't assume the federal government is gonna do the right thing in health care," Price said, according to one account of his talk. Sierra Club v. EPA, 1:17-cv-01906 ED_001523_00001512-00026 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_00001512-00027