To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: POLITICO Pro Energy
Sent: Tue 6/6/2017 9:44:35 AM
Subject: Morning Energy: Four energy nominees get committee votes today -- Chinese diplomat
resigns over Paris pullout -- Pruitt feared Paris might force domestic climate rules
By Anthony Adragna | 06/06/2017 05:42 AM EDT
With help from Esther Whieldon and Darius Dixon
NEW JOLT OF ENERGY (NOMINEES)! The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is set to advance four crucial energy nominees to the full Senate by midday today as Republican votes alone are sufficient to move them forward. Arguably the greatest fight may be over President Donald Trump's pick for the No. 2 slot at Interior, David Bernhardt. Expect Democrats to raise concerns about Bernhardt's industry ties, ethics waivers and his assertion at his confirmation hearing that the Interior will take its cues on climate change from Trump, who has called it a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. A coalition of environmental groups sent a letter to committee leaders on Monday citing what they said were "serious legal and ethical questions" about his actions in 2008 with California water districts while serving as Interior's Solicitor and calling for an investigation before his confirmation (The League of Conservation Voters sent its own letter opposing Bernhardt's nomination).
Don't expect any Republicans to break from their party's support for Neil Chattel)ee or Rob Powelson, Trump's picks for FERC commissioners, or Deputy Energy Secretary nominee Dan Brouillette. Sen. Ron Wyden has already announced his opposition to Chattel)ee and Powelson, but they're likely to get at least some Democratic votes. Keep in mind however that anti-pipeline protesters showed up at their nomination hearing -- when the nominees' families were present -- so there's no reason to think there won't be a bit of a ruckus today. The panel's top Democrat, Sen. Maria Cantwell, wouldn't tip her hand when ME caught up with her Monday night, but did say she had unspecified "concerns" with some of the nominees.
If you go: The business meeting kicks off at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen 366.
U.S. DIPLOMAT QUITS OVER PARIS: David Rank, the Beijing embassy's charg d'affaires, resigned Monday in a move driven by Trump's call last week to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, POLITICO'S Nahal Toosi reports. Rank, who spent 27 years at the State Department, made the unusual move to inform colleagues of his decision in a public town hall. "Such a move shows the level of utter disdain for Trump and his policies by senior American diplomats," Brett Bruen, a retired State Department veteran who served as Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House, told POLITICO. "They face the brunt of the blowback from our allies and have to contend with the advantages it offers our adversaries."
Another Cabinet member weighs in: Energy Secretary Rick Perry, speaking in Japan, said those seeking out Trump's view on climate change are "chasing a rabbit down a hole," but he vowed the U.S. would remain involved in international discussions, according to multiple reports. "Is the climate changing? Yes," Perry said. "Is man having an impact? Yes. How are we going to address it going forward? And the answer is, that's not going to change. The United
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States is still going to be very engaged in that."
Meanwhile, new polling out Monday finds 59 percent of Americans oppose Trump's move to pull out of the landmark climate pact while just 28 percent back it, POLITICO'S Madeline Conway reports. A majority, 55 percent, said they believe the decision hurts U.S. leadership in the world, while just 18 percent said it would help American leadership's standing.
WELCOME TO TUESDAY! I'm your host Anthony Adragna, and LCV's Tieman Sittenfeld was first to identify Indiana as the state with hyper-restrictive Sunday laws on beer, wine and liquor. For today: There are three states that are entirely dry by default. (Counties must specifically authorize the sale of alcohol.) Which states are they? Send your tips, energy gossip and comments to aadragna@politico.com, or follow us on Twitter @AnthonyAdragna, @Morning Energy, and @POLITICOPro.
PRUITT WORRIED PARIS MIGHT COMPEL DOMESTIC REGULATIONS: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt took to Breitbart Radio Monday to reiterate a key reason he pushed for Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement was fear that staying might trigger litigation seeking to compel new regulations under Section 115 of the Clean Air Act. "[Paris] could trigger lawsuits by environmental groups here, the environmental left suing the EPA and the United States government and saying, 'Hey, we agreed to 26 percent and 28 percent targets in this international agreement. Why aren't you taking steps to meet those targets?' and then to compel action," he said. A group of environmental attorneys outlined ways EPA could pursue such regulations in a January 2016 report.
Bashes health concerns: Pruitt criticized comments from many that withdrawing from the Paris accord would have disastrous health consequences, arguing there's a key difference between carbon dioxide and other criteria pollutants. He said it was time for a new discussion about the health impacts of carbon dioxide. "What the American people deserve is a true, legitimate, peer reviewed, objective, transparent discussion about C02," Pruitt said. "The American people need to have that type of honest, open discussion, and it's something that we hope to help provide as part of our leadership."
Returning to the Hill: For the first time since his confirmation, Pruitt returns to the Hill June 15 to testify about the Trump administration's proposed 31 percent cuts to EPA, Pro's Alex Guillen reports. The hearing before the House Appropriations Interior-EPA subcommittee will take place at 1 p.m. ME expects House Democrats to aggressively question Pruitt on a host of actions to unwind the Obama administration's rules.
CALIFORNIA BACKS CLIMATE COOPERATION WITH CHINA: Led by Gov Jerry Brown, the government of California agreed today to work with China's Ministry of Science and Technology on deploying clean energy technologies and collaborating on emissions trading, Reuters reports. That comes after Brown signed an agreement with Jiangsu Province expanding their cooperation on climate change and another with Sichuan Province enhancing their work on clean energy efforts.
EPA TOUTS PROGRESS ON CHEMICALS BACKLOG: Citing effective prioritization and
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process efficiencies, EPA now says it will eliminate a backlog of new chemicals awaiting review under the Toxic Substances Control Act by the end of July. "Reviewing new chemicals quickly will enable those deemed safe to enter the marketplace to support jobs and our economy," Pruitt said in a statement. The agency says it plans to provide weekly progress updates. Back in April, Pruitt said the backlog stood at about 1,000 chemicals when he took office but he pledged to hit regulatory deadlines outlined in the revamped TSCA law this year.
WHAT'S AFTER STUCK IN THE MUD? The White House is making a push this week toward privatizing air traffic control and promoting Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure plan, but tossing infrastructure onto the existing heap of huge legislative lifts runs the risk of stalling the president's entire agenda, POLITICO'S Andrew Restuccia and Lauren Gardner report . "I believe a new president has about a year to get three to four big things done," said former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican who served under President Barack Obama. "And if they don't do it in that year, it's probably pretty much a lost opportunity."
SCHUMER BLAMES TRUMP FOR FEDERAL VACANCIES: Trump has slammed Democrats for "taking forever" to confirm his nominees to a litany of vacant federal positions, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer correctly noted that he hasn't nominated anyone to fill many of them. "President Trump ought to roll up his sleeves and get to work rather than pointing false fingers of blame," Schumer said in a statement. The White House has not formally nominated people to fill 441 of 559 key positions requiring Senate confirmation, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
NEVADA PASS BILL TO HIKE RENEWABLES: In its last day in session, the Nevada legislature on Monday sent Gov. Brian Sandoval a bill, A.B. 206, that would raise the state renewable portfolio standard to 40 percent by 2030 instead of 25 percent by 2025. The bill also eliminates the requirements setting out how much must come from solar projects and includes language allowing utilities to provide direct sales contracts to customers from renewable power projects.
MILITARY LEADERS SOUND ALARM ON ENERGY DISRUPTION: Successfully transitioning to an advanced energy economy will be decisive for U.S. competitiveness, diplomacy and national security for years to come, according to a report out this morning from the highest-ranking retired group of U.S. military officers. The CNA Military Advisory Board advises that a wide portfolio of advanced energy technologies will enhance geopolitical security and failure to lead in this space will compromise U.S. global influence and national security. The group will provide a closed-door briefing to administration defense and security officials on the report this week.
MORE NOMINEES WITH ENERGY TIES: Trump announced two picks for roles in the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a foreign development fund, and both have significant energy ties. Ray Washbume, nominated to be president of the entity, was on the Trump's short list for energy secretary during the transition. David Bohigian, up to be executive vice president of OPIC, founded E2 Capital Partners, which pushed new financing models for energy efficiency projects, and championed international clean energy deployment efforts while serving as an assistant secretary of Commerce during the George W. Bush administration.
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FOR PLANNING PURPOSES: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is scheduled to give a luncheon address today to a meeting of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association in Washington.
STORAGE SECTOR CONTINUES UTILITY-SCALE BOOM: The U S added 234 megawatt-hours of energy storage in the first quarter of this year, the industry's biggest quarter yet, GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association said in a report out this morning. Most of that growth was boosted by a few large utility-scale projects in Arizona, Hawaii and California, including one to offset power supplies lost during the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak.
REPORT: EMPLOYEE SENT HARASSING MESSAGES: A Bureau of Indian Affairs employee sent inappropriate -- and frequently sexual -- text and Facebook messages to Colorado River Indian Tribes employees and tribal members, an Interior inspector general report found. The employee admitted sending the messages and that his conduct was "unprofessional and inappropriate," but the report doesn't say whether he faced additional disciplinary action.
MOVERS, SHAKERS: Ryan Serote has joined Salt River Project as senior manager of federal affairs in the utility's Washington office; he comes from the lobbying shop of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project, a multi-racial civil rights organization, has joined the board of directors of Friends of the Earth. "The organization's staunch advocacy to protect our planet is vital in this moment when policymakers want to scrap environmental protections," she said in a statement.
John Deutch will join the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago as a distinguished fellow for the fall quarter; previous jobs include a professorship with MIT and several positions at DOE, including undersecretary, during Jimmy Carter's presidency.
Pat Hart has joined the Edison Electric Institute as director of preparedness and outreach with its security and business continuity group; he was most recently senior adviser to DOE Deputy Secretary Liz Sherwood-Randall.
Tristan Daedalus (who has what had to be one of the most distinctive names of any congressional staffer) has joined the American Forest Foundation as director of policy. He was previously communications director for Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) (h/t POLITICO Influence).
QUICK HITS
-- In This Texas Coal Town, Worry About Climate, But Not The Paris Accord. KUT.
-- EPA: Pruitt meant 'mining' jobs, not 'coal' jobs up 50,000 under Trump. SNL.
-- Review of Auto Standards Raises Concerns From Former EPA Officials. Morning Consult.
-- Qatar's dispute with Arab states puts LNG market on edge. Reuters.
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-- Hispanic Group With Ties To Soros' Open Society Targets Western Senators. Western Wire.
-- The U.S. is relocating an entire town because of climate change. And this is just the beginning. Quartz.
HAPPENING TODAY
9:30 a.m. -- Hearing to examine various nominations, Senate Energy and Natural Resources, 366 Dirksen
12:00 p.m. -- "Achieving a High-Performance Built Environment: Findings and Recommendations from the Consultative Council," High Performing Building Coalition, 122 Cannon
4:00 p.m. -- 314 Action to Hold Facebook Livestream Panel with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and More, panel here
THAT'S ALL FOR ME!
To view online'. https://www.politicopro.com/tipsheets/morning-energy/2017/06/four-energy-nominees-getcommittee-votes-today-023157
Stories from POLITICO Pro
U.S. diplomat in Beijing resigns over Trump climate stance Back
By Nahal Toosi | 06/05/2017 06:55 PM EDT
A top U.S. diplomat in Beijing resigned on Monday, a move that a source said was driven by President Donald Trump's decision last week to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that David Rank, the Beijing embassy's charg d'affaires, had resigned, citing only "a personal decision."
But a former State Department official familiar with the situation confirmed reports that Rank's departure was related to Trump's decision to exit the Paris climate change agreement.
Rank, who also had postings in Afghanistan and Pakistan during his 27 years at the State Department, publicly informed his colleagues at the embassy about his departure, according to John Pomfret, an editor for the English-language China news aggregator SupChina and author of a book on U.S.-China relations.
"Rank called a town hall meeting @USEmbassyBJ to say he could not deliver a demarche to the
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PRC govt over US withdrawal from @ParisAgreement," Pomfret tweeted.
Using a town hall to announce a resignation is unusual, said Brett Bruen, a retired State Department veteran who served as Director of Global Engagement in the Obama White House.
"I started as a diplomat under George W. Bush. Many in the Foreign Service had issues with the Iraq War," he told POLITICO. "A couple officers resigned over it. Yet, for those who stayed our views were always expressed in low whispers -- not at a town hall. Such a move shows the level of utter disdain for Trump and his policies by senior American diplomats. They face the brunt of the blowback from our allies and have to contend with the advantages it offers our adversaries."
Trump announced last week he would pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, the 2015 pact signed by 195 countries and designed to combat the emissions of greenhouse gases and adapt to rising sea levels and temperatures. Trump said he would seek to renegotiate a more favorable deal for the U.S., though several European countries have already dismissed the notion of the reopening talks that led to the agreement.
Eric Wolffand Tara Palmeri contributed to this report.
To view online click here.
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Poll: 59 percent oppose Trump's decision to exit Paris agreement Back
By Madeline Conway | 06/05/2017 03:57 PM EDT
Fifty-nine percent of Americans oppose President Donald Trump's decision to exit the Paris climate agreement, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Just 28 percent of people surveyed support Trump's decision to "withdraw from the main international agreement that tries to address climate change," as the poll, conducted from June 2 4, described the deal. While 13 percent said they have no opinion, 46 percent of respondents said they strongly oppose Trump's choice.
The White House has justified the decision to exit the 2015 pact, which more than 190 countries have signed, by claiming that it is a "bad deal" that puts the U.S. economy at a disadvantage and will cost American jobs.
Most people surveyed by the Post and ABC disagree: 47 percent of respondents said they expect Trump's decision to cost the U.S. jobs, while 39 percent said they expect it to create jobs. Overall, 42 percent of those surveyed said they expect exiting the agreement to hurt the U.S. economy, compared to 32 percent who think it will help it.
A majority, 55 percent, said they believe the decision hurts U.S. leadership in the world, while
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just 18 percent said it would help American leadership's standing.
The survey had a sample of 527 adults and a margin of error of 1.4 percent.
To view online click here.
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Pruitt to testify June 15 on proposed cuts to EPA budget Back
By Alex Guillen | 06/05/2017 04:18 PM EDT
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will testify on the White House's controversial proposal to slash his agency's budget by 31 percent.
The hearing before the House Appropriations Interior-Environment subcommittee will take place Thursday, June 15 at 1 p.m. It is Pruitt's first time testifying since his Jan. 18 confirmation hearing. He will be joined by Holly Greaves, a landing team member who works on budget issues.
Appropriators have already indicated they will not cut away EPA's budget as severely as the White House's proposal, particularly on state grants and popular programs cleaning up the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay and other regions.
WHAT'S NEXT: The subcommittee hearing is June 15 at 1 p.m.
To view online click here.
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Pruitt says EPA working to clear new chemical review backlog Back
By Alex Guillen | 04/07/2017 11:24 AM EDT
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said today that his agency's chemical safety office is working hard to clear a backlog of chemical reviews that manufacturers and companies must complete before they can sell products that contain new substances.
Pruitt said EPA's backlog had grown to about 1,000 chemicals when he took office in February, but there are now just 500 to 600 chemicals still awaiting review.
"Our chemical office is working very diligently to get those chemicals out and approved as soon as possible, or decisions made," Pruitt told state regulators in Washington for a meeting of the nonprofit Environmental Council of the States.
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The agency traditionally would review hundreds or thousands of chemicals every year, but industry groups say EPA has seen a growing backlog of chemical reviews since Congress last summer reformed the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Before Congress updated TSCA, EPA had just 90 days to review new chemicals, which would be automatically approved unless EPA declared them too risky. Now, the agency can take more time and must make an "affirmative finding" that new chemicals are sufficiently safe before they can move to market.
Pruitt noted that the TSCA reform law included a number of regulatory deadlines this year that "are going to be met."
"We're already on task to do that," he said.
WHAT'S NEXT: EPA by June must finalize a series of implementation regulations under the reformed TSCA, including rules on how risk evaluations will be conducted and prioritized and a new fee structure for the industry.
To view online click here.
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Trump's infrastructure pitch adds to legislative pileup Back
By Andrew Restuccia and Lauren Gardner | 06/05/2017 07:19 PM EDT
Health care and tax reform legislation are on ice, Congress faces a time crunch to prepare a budget and avoid a debt crisis this summer, and the White House is under pressure from the Russia investigations. But President Donald Trump is trying to turn D.C.'s focus this week to two other mammoth pitches -- privatizing air traffic control and promoting his $1 trillion infrastructure plan.
The problems: Capitol Hill aides say a broad infrastructure bill isn't going anywhere any time soon either. And the proposed air-safety overhaul failed to even make it to the House floor when GOP lawmakers proposed it a year ago.
Continuing to toss ambitious proposals into an already-stuffed legislative calendar poses a danger for Trump: If he and Congress can't regroup to focus on one priority at a time, they could end up seeing the president's three biggest policy objectives -- tax reform, health care and infrastructure -- stuck in the Capitol.
"I believe a new president has about a year to get three to four big things done," said former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican who served under President Barack Obama. "And if they don't do it in that year, it's probably pretty much a lost opportunity."
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But White House aide Reed Cordish said the administration has every reason to expect its agenda to succeed on the Hill. "We absolutely do feel that the infrastructure package can be accomplished this year," he told reporters Monday. "We are working every day to that end."
Trump kicked off the infrastructure theme Monday morning with a formal endorsement of a controversial GOP proposal to privatize air traffic control, a transportation initiative that the White House is lumping into its infrastructure push.
Trump's separate $1 trillion infrastructure plan, which so far amounts to a six-page fact sheet tucked into his fiscal 2018 budget, involves spending $200 billion in federal money over the next decade to upgrade roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and other transportation networks, along with broadband, schools and hospitals, the administration has said. The rest of the money would come from other sources, including private financiers who could recoup their money by charging tolls and fees.
But lawmakers haven't made much progress in trying to turn those infrastructure ideas into legislation -- and tax reform might need to happen first to provide the needed federal money. If so, "it could change the timeline quite a bit, depending," said California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, who leads the House Transportation Committee's rail subcommittee.
The air traffic control proposal that took center stage Monday at the White House is much further along, having been batted around in past administrations since the 1980s and more recently championed by House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). Shuster sponsored a bill on the topic last year and has already held one hearing on the issue this spring.
But Shuster's previous bill got a rough reception in Congress just a year ago, failing to even make it to the House floor after lawmakers of both parties attacked it. It's unclear whether its fortunes will change because of Monday's endorsement from Trump, who outlined broad legislative "principles" for a bill that would split air traffic control away from the FAA and place it under a private, nonprofit corporation governed by a board that includes the airline industry.
While the event in the East Room resembled a bill signing and included members of Congress, the principles still need to win congressional approval -- which is far from a sure thing.
Shuster's ideas had one thing going for them, however: Because of all his previous work, the administration could rely on a nearly ready-made proposal for Monday's rollout. That's one reason it went first.
"Part is because Chairman Shuster did a very good job in pulling together a package," Trump infrastructure adviser D.J. Gribbin said Monday when describing why the administration kicked off its infrastructure focus with air traffic control. "It seemed like naturally low-hanging fruit from a policy perspective. It also serves as a great template for how we think about infrastructure."
Privatizing the FAA's air traffic control operations may be an issue near and dear to Trump, who
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owns his own fleet of planes and helicopters and has complained for decades about the noise of jets flying over his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. But it isn't exactly the kind of infrastructure improvement that Trump talked about during the presidential campaign, when he called for a nationwide push to fix aging roads, bridges and airports.
"We have bridges that are falling down. ... We have many, many bridges that are in danger of falling," Trump said in August. "We're going to have to rebuild our infrastructure. We have no choice."
Trump returned to the theme during his election-night victory speech in November, pledging that "we're going to rebuild our infrastructure -- which will become, by the way, second to none -- and we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it."
The idea seemed for a while to have bipartisan appeal. The $1 trillion price tag "sounded good to
me," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to
1 News in December.
But Democrats have increasingly soured on Trump's plan as the details became clearer -- including the fact that the federal government would provide only a fifth of the money, while the rest would come from states, cities, counties and private investors. Trump's proposed 2018 budget would provide just $5 billion for the infrastructure initiative, while imposing sharp cuts on various existing transportation programs.
"When the president ran, he said it was about America First and creating jobs in America. He talked about infrastructure. The average person thinks roads, bridges, school, broadband, water delivery systems," said Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, a critic of Trump's plan who joined fellow liberal Democrats offering their own infrastructure proposal. "A very small part of it is going to be traditional infrastructure. And a lot of it is going to be the selling out of our roads and bridges to the private sector."
Shuster's air traffic control proposal is faring little better so far. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called it "a tired Republican plan that both sides of the aisle have rejected." Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon has staunchly opposed it from his perch as top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. Meanwhile, tax-writers from both parties have been lukewarm to the idea, and senior Republican appropriators like former Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Bal art (R-Fla.), who oversees DOT spending, have outright opposed it.
At the same time, Trump's infrastructure ideas have had to overcome initial skepticism from conservative budget hawks.
A White House official huddled with representatives from more than a dozen conservative groups last week in a bid to sell them on the $1 trillion infrastructure plan. And while conservatives are warming to the proposal, they also acknowledge that an infrastructure bill could take a backseat to must-pass legislation.
"Infrastructure doesn't have a deadline attached to it, which makes it easier to push back to next year," said one official from a leading conservative group who has talked to the White House
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about the proposal. "The longer this goes, there's certainly an intersection with the midterm elections."
White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short told reporters Monday night that Trump's team has made "a lot of progress" on the president's agenda, citing efforts to overturn Obama administration regulations, and said the administration will focus on health care and tax reform throughout the summer and fall. Short declined to give a specific timeline for when Congress would take up an infrastructure bill, but he said he hoped lawmakers will "tackle" it this calendar year.
Short dismissed concerns that Trump's indignant tweeting distracts from the administration's agenda. "He may not have a conventional style in doing that, but many of his efforts are extremely helpful to us in getting our legislative agenda accomplished," he said. He added later that there's "no doubt" that the Russia investigations distracts lawmakers from Trump's policy agenda, but he said he didn't know how much.
As with health care, Trump could also face sharp differences of opinion between the House and Senate on infrastructure. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barras so (RWyo.) said last month that he is striking out on his own, working on legislation within his own committee -- and with Democrats.
"We are going to work with the White House, but we're not going to wait," he said.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure push continues.
On Wednesday, Trump will travel to Ohio and Kentucky for a speech that will focus on waterways and rural infrastructure, followed by a Thursday meeting in the White House with mayors and governors and a Friday address at DOT.
White House officials have dubbed this week "infrastructure week," part of a series of policythemed weeks that the administration is expected to roll out in the coming months, including one focused on energy planned for late June that could include a trip to Louisiana to visit a liquefied natural gas export facility, administration officials said. But if past is precedent, it's very possible Trump could change the subject again with a series of indignant tweets or an offhand comment during a rally.
On infrastructure, which requires a sizable pot of money from the federal government regardless of how much private financing the administration expects to leverage, any tough votes on scrounging up that funding -- like a gas tax increase or a fee based on miles driven -- would ideally happen before members find themselves in campaign season again, LaHood said.
If "Congress doesn't really begin to start talking about the funding alternatives by the August recess, I think a lot of time has been lost and I think we're right back behind the curve again in terms of getting anything done," LaHood said.
"The tough votes need to be taken this year," he said.
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Perry to visit Trump Tower today Back
By Darius Dixon and Alex Isenstadt | 12/12/2016 09:53 AM EDT
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is making a previously unannounced trip to Trump Tower today, POLITICO has confirmed.
Perry is a leading candidate for Energy secretary, along with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who is meeting with President-elect Donald Trump today, and Ray Washbume.
CBS first reported Perry's visit this morning.
Also visiting Trump Tower today is Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the expected pick to become Interior secretary.
To view online click here.
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Trump's Commerce transition team pick championed clean energy, climate change Back
By Esther Whieldon | 11/21/2016 03:54 PM EDT
David Bohigian, who was named to President-elect Donald Trump's Commerce Department transition team today, once led the nation's international clean energy deployment efforts and advocated for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Bohigian, managing director of investment advisory group Pluribus Ventures, was assistant secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009 and helped promote the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a joint effort of the U.S. and six other major Asia-Pacific countries. Member countries worked together to address barriers and aid deployment of clean energy technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In a January 2008 interview with China Daily, Bohigian said, "If China and the U.S. are not working together, the problems will only get worse with air and water pollution, and climate change. Our companies have the ability to work together closely with your companies."
He also said in the interview that clean energy should attract bipartisan support. "Republicans and Democrats seek to develop cleaner energy, and energy that doesn't have the same carbon
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footprint that we've had in the past. It's important that we show cooperation in trade and on clean energy," he said.
After leaving Commerce, Bohigian went on to found E2 Capital Partners, which promoted energy efficiency business models. He later spent three years at hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.
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