Document JJ6n8pwMYJB5rw1kGDNMOd8Je

To: Leila Sepehri Getto[leila_getto@ios.doi.gov] From: Ben Getto Sent: 2018-09-10T18:03:53-04:00 Importance: Normal Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Morning Energy: Going to California -- Samuel Bodman, remembered -- Commerce modifies steel exclusion request process Received: 2018-09-10T18:04:15-04:00 thanks On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 9:31 AM Getto, Leila <leila getto@ios.doi.gov> wrote: Bodman ... Leila Getto U.S. Department of the Interior Immediate Office of the Secretary Deputy Director, Scheduling and Advance Direct: 202-208-5359 Main: 202-208-7551 Cell: 202-706-9435 Email: eila getto@ios.doi.gov --------- Forwarded message --------From: POLITICO Pro Energy <politicoemail@politicopro.com> Date: Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 6:04 AM Subject: [EXTERNAL] Morning Energy: Going to California Samuel Bodman, remembered Commerce modifies steel exclusion request process To: leila getto@ios.doi.gov By Kelsey Tamborrino | 09/10/2018 06:01 AM EDT With helpfrom Alex Guillen and Doug Palmer GOING TO CALIFORNIA: The center of the U.S. climate change movement will officially be California this week as state government officials and advocates meet at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco to push for measures to move beyond the 2015 Paris climate pact. The conference and a raft of side events are aimed at keeping momentum going to curb greenhouse gases since the Trump administration tore up the Obama playbook that sought to start a shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. Of course, President Donald Trump, who has derided climate change as a hoax and intends to withdraw the U.S. from the international pact, won't be sending anyone to participate at the conference that will take place in California Gov. Jerry Brown's backyard. But ME is expecting a series of announcements on new action as investors and state and city leaders press for ever-deeper commitments on climate change, despite the White House's inaction. The main event will begin Wednesday, but a host of affiliate events in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere have also cropped up. Environmental leaders including Brown, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change head Patricia Espinosa, former Vice President Al Gore and former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy are among the names billed to speak throughout the week. The festivities kick offjust as a U.N. meeting in Bangkok failed to yield a breakthrough and deliver concrete proposals to the upcoming gathering in Katowice, Poland in December, where the nearly 200 nations that signed the Paris agreement had hoped to lay out a rulebook for the pact. Specifically, the talks hit roadblocks over defining responsibility for cutting emissions and coming up with the financial support for climate efforts. POLITICO Europe's Kalina Oroschakoff has more. Those not attending this week's event can live-stream its happenings on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. BROWN SIGNS OFFSHORE BAN: Ahead of the summit, Brown signed a bill Saturday blocking new federal offshore drilling in the state's waters, as well as any expansions to existing oil and gas infrastructure signaling California's opposition to any potential Trump administration effort to expand oil drilling there. The bill would prohibit any new leases for construction of oil and gas-related infrastructure within state waters If the federal government authorizes any new offshore leases. "Today, California's message to the Trump administration is simple: Not here, not now," Brown said in a statement. "We will not let the federal government pillage public lands and destroy our treasured coast." Some green groups panned the move as "pure theater." In a statement, 350.org Co-Founder Bill McKibben blasted Brown's signing. "Today's announcement is incredibly ironic since Brown has refused every effort by hundreds of community groups to get him to slow the pace of new permits for oil wells," he said, referring to state's ongoing oil and gas drilling activity. Related reading: C40 Cities, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and the NewClimate Institute released new research backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies that highlights global reductions in carbon emissions driven by urban climate policies. Among the findings: By 2030, urban climate action can prevent approximately 1.3 million premature deaths per year and generate a net 13.7 million jobs across cities. WELCOME TO MONDAY! I'm your host, Kelsey Tamborrino. Friday's trivia winner is David Bancroft from the Council on Environmental Affairs, who knew there are 10 former House members who have received Electoral College votes for both president and vice president in separate elections. Today's question: Which member of Congress created the first congressional website? Bonus points if you can name the web address. Send your tips, energy gossip and comments to ktamborrino@politico.com, or follow us on Twitter @kelseytam, @Morning Energy and @POLITICOPro. BAKER-SHULTZ CARBON TAX GROUP SAY IT WOULD BEAT PARIS TARGET: The carbon tax plan pushed by Republicans like James Baker, George Schultz and Christine Todd Whitman would exceed the 26-28 percent pollution reductions promised by the Obama administration under the Paris agreement. The proposal, first released by the Climate Leadership Council in February 2017, would start a tax at $40 per ton of carbon dioxide and increase it over time, with the revenues being returned to Americans via a "carbon dividend." The group's new analysis claims it would curb overall U.S. emissions 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, solidly beyond the Paris targets. The analysis also incorporates a Resources for the Future study from June that projected a $43/ton tax starting in 2021 could achieve 41 to 47 percent reductions by 2035, depending on the tax's growth rate. The CLC also conducted some polling showing majority support for such a carbon tax, but don't expect Congress to jump to action anytime soon. "We've always known this was going to be a longer-term play," CLC Senior Vice President Greg Bertelsen told ME. "This is a major piece of legislation that we're promoting and like any major piece of legislation, that takes time to develop, time to educate lawmakers on it and it takes time to build the coalition of support." The current administration isn't likely to be receptive to a carbon tax either. Baker personally pushed the tax plan last year with top White House officials, who of course are focused on developing a plan to subsidize coal-fired power plants. FOR YOUR RADAR: Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that the House will vote on the finished version of its first so-called minibus, H.R. 5895 (115) , which contains Energy and Water titles, this week. Still, both chambers will only be in town for a few days, with the House and Senate out until Wednesday for Rosh Hashanah. The Senate won't vote until 5:30 p.m. that day, and the House takes its first vote at 6:30 p.m. That leaves just seven working days when both chambers are in session before the Sept. 30 funding deadline. SAMUEL BODMAN REMEMBERED: Former Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman died at the age of 79 last week. Bodman, who served under former President George W. Bush, was both a chemical engineer and businessman. He served atop the Energy Department from 2005 to 2009, and was also deputy secretary of both Treasury and Commerce under Bush. The former president and former first lady mourned the loss of Bodman in a statement marking his passing. "Sam had a brilliant mind, and we are fortunate that he put his intellect to work for our country as secretary of energy," Bush said. "Sam was a real life success story with an impressive career in the private sector before turning his attention to public service, serving in senior appointments across the government," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement. "He led the Department of Energy during the passage of landmark energy legislation that became the foundation for much of America's energy successes." Bodman died Friday at his home in El Paso, Texas. PERRY TO MEET SAUDI, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS: Perry joined Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Khalid Al-Falih and Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods on the field during a Texas A&M University football game this weekend against Clemson. "It was great to join a few world energy leaders and fellow Aggies, @Khalid_AlFalih and Darren Woods, on Kyle Field for the @TAMU football game tonight. #GigEm," the secretary tweeted with a video. Perry will meet with Saudi officials today in Washington, including Al-Falih, a U.S. government source told Reuters. The Energy secretary will also meet with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday in Moscow, according to the news agency. EXODUS AT EPA: Nearly 1,600 workers have exited EPA during the first 18 months since Trump took office, new records released under FOIA and analyzed by The Washington Post found. Those numbers include at least 260 scientists, 185 "environmental protection specialists" and 106 engineers. Amid the departures, fewer than 400 employees were hired in the same period, the newspaper found. The trend follows a months-long buyout and retirement process offered by EPA last year. "Several veteran EPA employees, who have worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations, said the agency's profound policy shifts under Trump hastened their departure," the Post reports. ONE AND DONE: EPA announced it will host just one public hearing on its proposed replacement for the Clean Power Plan. The hearing will occur in Chicago on Oct. 1, according to a notice in the Federal Register. Each commenter will have 5 minutes to speak. The agency said it will take comments on the proposed Affordable Clean Energy rule no later than Oct. 31. The proposal, which has been condemned by blue states and green groups, would ease carbon regulations for coal-fired power plants and replace the stricter requirements pushed by the Obama administration. COMMERCE MODIFIES STEEL EXCLUSION REQUEST PROCESS: After months of complaints about its slow and cumbersome process for reviewing requests for certain steel and aluminum products to be excluded from Trump's new tariffs, the Commerce Department is making some changes, according to a Federal Register notice set to published on Tuesday. "The Department understands the importance of having a transparent, fair and efficient exclusion and objection process. The publication of today's rule should make significant improvements in all three respects," the agency said in the notice, which lists many of the questions and complaints companies have about the current process, as well as the Commerce Department's response. As of Aug. 30, the department had received more than 38,000 exclusion requests and more than 17,000 objections from domestic firms saying they could supply the product in question. The Federal Register notice did not say how many exclusion requests had been resolved. However, a recent letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from Sen. Pat Toomey put the number at 2,900 as of Aug. 23. FISHING, HUNTING EXPANDS AT WILDLIFE REFUGES: The Fish and Wildlife Service will open up more than 251,000 acres to new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities across 30 national wildlife refuges, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke declared Friday. "The last thing I want to see is hunting to become an elite sport, rather than a tradition passed on from generation to generation," Zinke said. "Today's announcement protects critical conservation funding, and ensures sportsmen have access to public lands for generations to come." STATES PREPARE FOR HURRICANE FLORENCE: Several states have declared states of emergency ahead of Hurricane Florence's expected landfall. The storm reached sustained winds of 75 mph on Sunday, and it could directly hit the Southeast toward week's end, according to the National Hurricane Center. While it's too soon to know the storm's precise path, the storm center said: "All indications are that Florence will be an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane while it moves over the western Atlantic toward the southeastern United States." The South Carolina Emergency Operations Center tweeted this weekend it was "preparing for the possibility of a large-scale disaster or emergency situation as we all monitor the #Florence forecasts." PLAINS ALL AMERICAN FOUND GUILTY IN 2015 SPILL: The Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline was found guilty Friday by a California jury for its 2015 oil spill at Santa Barbara's Refugio Beach. The company was found guilty of a felony for failing to properly maintain its pipeline. It was also found guilty on eight misdemeanor charges including failing to call emergency response agencies in a timely matter. Plains All American faces at least $1.5 million in penalties if the conviction is sustained, John Savrnoch, the chief deputy district attorney for Santa Barbara County, told Reuters. HEADS UP! Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will address an audience at The Heritage Foundation today to discuss the department's proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, which Republicans and industry say has stymied economic growth in the West. Comments on that proposal are due by Sept. 24. PLAYING THE FIELD HEARING: The House Natural Resources Oversight Subcommittee will hold a field hearing today focused on the federal Columbia River power system, mere days after a dispute played out on the Hill over a provision to the minibus bill that would impact salmon runs in the Columbia and Snake Rivers in Washington state. Today's oversight hearing will take place in Pasco, Wash., focusing on "the multipurpose benefits of the Columbia and Snake Rivers and the Federal Columbia River Power System." Officials from the Bonneville Power Administration, Washington Association of Wheat Growers and Nez Perce Tribe will testify, among others. If you go: The hearing begins at 10 a.m. PDT at Pasco City Hall. MAIL CALL! YOU'RE INVITED: Three Michigan lawmakers wrote to acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler last week, inviting the agency chief to the state to further discuss the nonstick toxic chemicals known as PFAS. The letter follows last week's House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the class of chemicals. "Michigan has been hit hard," Bipartisan Reps. Debbie Dingell, Fred Upton and Tim Walberg write. "The number of PFAS confirmed sites has been growing rapidly over the last few years." Conservative groups, including Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity and Competitive Enterprise Institute, signed onto a letter last week to EPA calling on the agency to rescind the proposed 404 veto on Pebble Mine. Fourteen California lawmakers called on House Speaker Paul Ryan last week to make sure Jeff Denham's amendment to block a state water plan is included in the next spending bill signed into law. Denham, whose Central California district would feel some of the deepest cuts under the plan, successfully attached an amendment to the House's Interior-EPA appropriations bill to block federal funding related to implementation of the plan. QUICK HITS "Inside the 'simple assault' case that got complicated," E&E News. "Nevada officials vow to fight federal plutonium storage plan," Associated Press. "Rise for Climate: Thousands march across U.S. to protest environment crisis," The Guardian. "Ex-GOP FERC chair on coal bailout: 'This too shall pass,'" Utility Dive. "Report: 10 percent of U.S. coal mined in 1H2018 went to plants scheduled to retire," POWER Magazine. "In Butte, acting EPA chief says Superfund remains a priority," Montana Public Radio. HAPPENING THIS WEEK MONDAY 9 a.m. Resources for the Future's Policy Leadership Forum on "Evidence-Based Decision making," focusing on environmental natural disasters, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW. 11:30 a.m. The Washington Automotive Press Association and the Diesel Technology Forum discussion on "Why Diesel has a Future in the U.S. Automotive Market," 1626 North Capitol Street NW. Noon The Heritage Foundation discussion on "Improving the Implementation of the Endangered Species Act," 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE. 12:30 p.m. The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies discussion on "Affordable and Clean Energy for All," 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW. 1 p.m. House Natural Resources Oversight Subcommittee hearing on "The Federal Columbia River Power System: The Economic Lifeblood & Way of Life for the Pacific Northwest," Pasco, Wash. TUESDAY 8:30 a.m. PRI Academic Network Conference 2018, San Francisco. 9 a.m. Low-Emissions Solutions Conference on "The Land-Energy Nexus In Climate Change Mitigation," San Francisco. 9 a.m. Alliance for a Sustainable Future discussion "Mayors and Business Advancing Climate Action," San Francisco. 11 a.m. The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center discussion on "Connecting Europe: The Southern Gas Corridor and the Future of European Gas Supply," 1030 15th Street NW. Noon Inter-American Dialogue discussion on "Smart Cities in Latin America," 1155 15th Street NW. 1 p.m. The Diesel Technology Forum webinar on "Carbon Cutting, Industrial Size an official Global Climate Action Summit affiliate event." 4:30 p.m. Global Women's Leadership Initiative discussion on "Global Climate Action Summit: Women Policy Leaders Driving Change in Global Climate Policy," San Francisco. 6:30 p.m. 2018 Climate Action Forum with NPR and Climate One, San Francisco. WEDNESDAY 9 a.m. Global Climate Action Summit, San Francisco. 12:15 p.m. The Henry L. Stimson Center discussion on "The Security Impacts of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing," 902 Hart. 1 p.m. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo convenes a half-day Cities4Climate conference, San Francisco. 3 p.m. The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center discussion on "California Stories: Grounded Perspectives on Climate Policies and Actions," San Francisco. 6 p.m. The Women's Council on Energy and the Environment's Career Building Section discussion on "leading across the energy sector," 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. THURSDAY 10 a.m. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on "Advanced Nuclear Technology: Safety and Associated Benefits of Licensing Accident Tolerant Fuels for Commercial Nuclear Reactors," 406 Dirksen. 10 a.m. House Science Committee's Environment Subcommittee and Oversight Subcommittee joint hearing on "Examining the Underlying Science And Impacts of Glider Truck Regulations," 2318 Rayburn. 10 a.m. Senate Energy Committee hearing "to Examine the Role of U.S. LNG in Meeting European Energy Demand," 366 Dirksen. 1 p.m. The National Academy of Sciences meeting of the Committee on Assessing the Taxonomic Status of the Red Wolf and the Mexican Gray Wolf, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW. 1 p.m. House Oversight Committee hearing on "Evaluating Federal Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts," 2154 Rayburn. 1:30 p.m. C-CHANGE at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discussion on "Children's Health, the Measure of Success when Addressing Climate Solutions What We Know, Don't Know & Need to Know," San Francisco. 2 p.m. Route Fifty webcast on "Build Back Better: State and Local Lessons on Long-Term Disaster Recovery." 2 p.m. House Natural Resources Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs Subcommittee hearing on H.R. 4985 (115), the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas Equal and Fair Opportunity Settlement Act, 1324 Longworth. 3 p.m. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions discussion on "Meeting the Paris Goal: Strategies for Carbon Neutrality," San Francisco. 6 p.m. As You Sow discussion on "Oil & Autos: Transition Planning for a Low-Carbon Future," San Francisco. FRIDAY 8:30 a.m. EPA Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee meeting to discuss water infrastructure, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. 9 a.m. Washington Post Live discussion on "Transformers: Space," 1301 K Street NW. 9 a.m. Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment briefing on "The 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding: Even Stronger Evidence in 2018," San Francisco. THAT'S ALL FOR ME! To view online: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2018/09/going-to-california- 334301 Stories from POLITICO Pro Republican heavyweights to push carbon tax in White House meeting Back By Eric Wolff| 02/08/2017 11:35 AM EDT Former Secretary of State James Baker will lead a delegation of Republican former officials and economists today to lobby the White House to create a carbon tax. Baker said he will meet with Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser, to push for a revenue neutral carbon tax as a "limited government, free market" approach to dealing with carbon emissions. The AP reported that Vice President Mike Pence, Senior adviser Jared Kushner and Trump's daughter Ivanka have been invited to the meeting. "I was and remain a skeptic on climate change, but the risks remain too great to ignore," Baker told reporters before the meeting. "We believe this would make America great again." Trump himself is not expected to attend the meeting, and Baker said he did not request a meeting with the president. Baker will be going to the White House as part of the Climate Leadership Council, a group of Republicans pushing a carbon dividend program. Economists Greg Mankiw and Marty Feldstein, and Ted Halstead, CEO of the group, will attend today's meeting. Former treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and former Secretary of State George Shultz are part of the group but will not attend the meeting. The group's proposal would start with a $40-per-ton tax on carbon and escalate over time. The money would then be distributed back to the public quarterly. In exchange for the carbon tax, Baker wants the EPA to drop most of its carbon emissions regulations, including the right to regulate carbon at all. To view online click here. Back EPA sheds 450 workers through buyouts, retirements Back By Alex Guillen | 09/05/2017 08:31 PM EDT EPA will shed more than 450 workers by the end of September, largely via early retirement and buyout packages, according to an agency official. After a monthslong process, 362 workers last week accepted the voluntary buyouts, known in federal jargon as VERA and VSIP. Another 45 workers are still considering offers. Meanwhile, 12 more employees retired at the end of August, and another 33 are expected to retire at the end of this month, bringing EPA's workforce to 14,428, according to the official. That's roughly in line with late-1980s levels. According to EPA's website, the agency employed 14,370 workers in 1989 before hitting a high of more than 18,000 in 1999. "We're giving long-serving, hard-working employees the opportunity to retire early. We're proud to report that we're reducing the size of government, protecting taxpayer dollars and staying true to our core mission of protecting the environment and American jobs," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. It was not immediately clear how much EPA spent on those buyouts, which can run as high as $25,000 per person. During a similar round of buyouts in 2014, EPA spent $11.3 million in incentives on 456 employees though many of those positions were refilled, unlike most of the positions in this round. The White House's proposed EPA budget sought single-year workforce reductions of 3,200, or about 21 percent of the agency, although Congress has resisted such drastic cuts to EPA's budget. To view online click here. Back Interior proposes changes to Endangered Species Act Back By Ben Lefebvre | 07/19/2018 02:26 PM EDT The Trump administration is proposing changes to the Endangered Species Act the government says will clarify the decades-old law, but that environmental groups argue could weaken it. One proposal would adjust how the Interior and Commerce departments decide to add or remove plants and animals from lists of federally protected species and designate critical habitat. Another would rescind a blanket Fish and Wildlife Service rule that automatically provided endangered species protections to wildlife listed only as threatened. And a third would simplify the consultation process other agencies are required to go through with FWS or NOAA Fisheries to ensure their actions would not jeopardize protected species. The proposed rules will appear in the Federal Register "in coming days," according to FWS. "It's a question of certainty, predictability, stability, and at the same time ensuring the lawful requirements to protect species," Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said of the proposed changes during a call with reporters. "But I think we can do it in a way that's a little better after 30-odd years of experience with these regs." Environmental groups fired back, arguing that the changes will make it easier for industry, including companies in the oil and gas sector, to operate in protected areas. "These proposals would slam a wrecking ball into the most crucial protections for our most endangered wildlife," Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a press release. WHAT'S NEXT: A 60-day public comment period will start once the proposed rule changes are published in the Federal Register. To view online click here. Back House Republicans stalling appropriations 'minibus' package Back By John Bresnahan, Sarah Ferris and Rachael Bade | 09/04/2018 08:38 PM EDT Policy fights between House Republicans and nearly everyone else on Capitol Hill are slowing down final action on the first "minibus" package of annual spending bills, throwing in doubt a GOP plan to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1. One of the policy disputes is over a provision being pushed by Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other House Republicans. McMorris Rodgers the No. 4 House Republicans and the top GOP woman lawmaker in Congress faces a tough reelection fight this year. The quarrel between House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee and the other "three corners" of the 2019 spending negotiations House Democrats, plus Senate Republicans and Democrats comes as GOP congressional leaders will tramp down to the White House on Wednesday to implore President Donald Trump not to provoke a government shutdown over border wall funding. Trump is seeking $5 billion for his controversial project next year, far more than Congress agreed to during negotiations earlier this year to end a prolonged funding fight. Yet with House Democrats increasingly confident they will recapture control of the chamber in November meaning Trump may not get any wall funding in the next Congress some White House officials are urging Trump to fight it out now, even if that means a shutdown on Oct. 1, potentially sealing the fate of the House GOP majority. Against this backdrop, Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, top Republican on the Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, said disputes over more than a dozen policy riders including a provision that impacts salmon runs in the Columbia and Snake River in Washington State, McMorris Rodgers' home state have held up action on the first of the "minibus" conference reports, the $145 billion package that covers the Energy and Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch funding bills. This minibus, H.R. 5895 (115), is considered the easiest of the three such packages to get through Congress. The minibus, which funds agencies such as the Department of Energy, is typically noncontroversial. And breaking up the 12 annual spending bills in this fashion was the GOP congressional leadership's scheme to guarantee that at least some federal spending gets signed into law before the Sept. 30 deadline. Appropriators in both chambers warn that if Congress has to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government, it will be at a funding level $36 billion lower than the omnibus funding deal, split equally between defense and non-defense spending. "We're working through the bill," Simpson insisted on Tuesday, declining to get into the specifics of the policy fights. "The Columbia River is one of them. That's OK, we'll work through this." "The three corners the Democrats in the House and Senate, and the GOP in the Senate kind of struck a deal. But they left us out," Simpson added. "And that's what created part of the problem." House GOP leaders had wanted to have a conference report on this minibus voted on this week, but Simpson asserted "I can't say whether we'll get it done in time to have it out this week just because the time it takes to get through the bill." Simpson said he'd like to have a deal in place by the end of this week. Simpson said he and House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) met with their Senate counterparts Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) to try to settle their disputes. Negotiations are ongoing, Republican lawmakers and aides said. "We're making progress, we hope that we can continue that," Shelby said. One of the key issues involves "spill over" of water at the Columbia and Snake River dams. Environmental groups say that procedure makes it easier for salmon to spawn. But industry groups say the process cuts energy output at the dams, which could lead to higher electricity costs. A Democratic aide called the "spill over" provision a political "gift" to McMorris Rodgers as she faces a rough reelection challenge. McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Dan Newhouse (RWash.) have pushed a provision to ban such spill overs. It was included in the House-passed Energy and Water bill, but was not part of the bipartisan deal. "Dams and fish can coexist, and this language in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill is another avenue for us to stop the spill at the Columbia and Snake River dams," said McMorris Rodgers in a July statement. "We have to get this done to protect our dams, our fish, and ratepayers in the Pacific Northwest." With final action slowing on such a normally straightforward funding package, multiple Hill aides say there's little chance a final agreement can be reached this week, eliminating GOP leaders' room for error with just 11 working days left until the deadline. To view online click here. Back You received this POLITICO Pro content because your customized settings include: Morning Energy. To change your alert settings, please go to https://subscriber.politicopro.com/settings This email was sent to leila getto@ios.doi.gov by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA