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Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] POLITICO Pro Energy Whiteboard Tue 6/13/2017 10:30:55 PM EPA proposes two-year delay of oil, gas methane rule
By Alex Guillen
06/13/2017 06:27 PM EDT
EPA today proposed a two-year pause on key methane leak detection and repair requirements for new oil and gas wells, saying it needs the time to reconsider the Obama-era rule.
The Trump administration last month issued a 90-day stay, but EPA has to go through a rulemaking process to finalize the two-year delay. The agency will take public comment for 30 days once the proposal is published in the Federal Register.
The delay also pushes back a provision on pneumatic pumps, as well as a requirement that professional engineers certify closed vent systems. EPA said last month that it also intends to review the rule more broadly than just those requirements.
Environmental groups last week sued over the initial 90-day stay and asked a court to lift it immediately. EPA's response to that request is due June 15.
WHAT'S NEXT: EPA will take public comment on its proposed two-year delay before issuing a final decision that is likely to be challenged in court.
To view online'. https://www.politicopro.com/energy/whiteboard/2017/06/epa-proposes-two-year-delay-of-oilgas-methane-rule-089048
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To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Transportation
Sent: Thur 6/15/2017 2:04:12 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by the Association of Equipment
Manufacturers: DHS authorization heading to House floor -- Self-driving car industry wish list -- Metro
safety oversight plan inches forward
By Tanya Snyder and Lauren Gardner | 06/15/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With help from Stephanie Beasley
DHS AUTHORIZATION HEADING TO HOUSE FLOOR: A bill to authorize the Department of Homeland Security is expected to reach the House floor by the end of this month, says Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. The committee approved a DHS reauthorization bill (H.R. 2825) Wednesday that will now head to the Rules Committee, where it will be consolidated with legislation from seven other committees with jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland who have signed off on the process.
'Unprecedented': It's the first time DHS has been authorized together with its component agencies, including TSA. "This has never been done before," McCaul said. "It's really kind of an unprecedented process." McCaul said that the plan moving forward is to reauthorize DHS on an annual basis. Senators have yet to indicate whether they will launch a similar process, but McCaul said that given the level of support from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, he expects Senate leadership will get on board with plans to authorize DHS this year.
Committee tries to shield TSA from Trump: During the markup Democrats doggedly attempted to block President Donald Trump's proposals to slash some TSA programs and were successful in pushing measures through that would ensure TSA continues to staff airport exit lanes, maintain at least 30 VIPR teams and reimburses airports that hire local law enforcement officers. However, an amendment from full committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (DMiss.) that would allow TSA to keep revenue from passenger security fees currently being diverted to deficit reduction was tossed in the rejection pile.
IT'S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Lauren and Tanya are sharing MT duties, so please send us tips, feedback and lyrics: tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSnyderDC and lgardner@politico.com or @GardnerJLM.
Want to keep up with MT's song picks? We only need a few more followers to hit 100 on our Spotify playlist - get listening!
A PERSONAL NOTE: Our thoughts are with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and the others injured and affected by Wednesday's shooting in Alexandria. Our gratitude goes out to
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the Capitol Police officers who put their lives on the line every day.
Off the roster: According to a quote from House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster's spokesman in the Daily American, Shuster (R-Pa.) "used to play every year in the charity game and would've been at practice, but isn't playing this year."
I'LL GRANT YOU THREE WISHES: At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday on driverless cars, industry officials made it clear that they want more exemptions from federal motor vehicle safety standards so they can test and deploy cars without traditionally essential features such as steering wheels and brakes. There also was broad support for a federal framework governing vehicle safety to avoid a "patchwork" of state laws that people need to keep track of as they drive across state lines. And, manufacturers added that they want to be free to meet safety goals using whatever technology or practices they want.
Echo, echo: Those points are also included in a statement of legislative principles committee leaders released ahead of the hearing. They're hoping to introduce a bill in the next few weeks, according to an aide.
Safety groups want regulations: Jackie Gillan of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety dismissed the idea that voluntary guidelines are faster and as effective as regulating, saying relying on the "good intentions" of manufacturers without imposing legally binding rules is "inadequate to ensure safety and protect the public." And Consumer Watchdog warned that "robot cars operating without mandatory safety, security, privacy and ethical standards will pose unprecedented risks to the American public."
It takes money to make money: Mitch Bainwol of the Auto Alliance said it's important for regulators to put a framework in place before rules can be written, because car companies need to make money by deploying vehicles, not just testing them. "There's a massive economic commitment here," Bainwol said. "This is billions of dollars of R&D. In order to make it economically attractive, to make the math work, you've got to deploy."
You too, Kansas: Lawmakers from rural areas have found themselves playing defense on several big initiatives lately from spinning off air traffic control to financing infrastructure with public-private partnerships, but on self-driving cars they're happy to go with the mainstream. Congestion isn't typically a problem in rural areas, and ridesharing will likely never be widespread there. But Bainwol said the technology will break down barriers for people with physical and visual disabilities in rural and urban areas, and noted the safety benefits from crash avoidance technologies will accrue to everybody, regardless of geography.
Threat to transit: Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) speculated that with the advent of autonomous technology, "metro systems will end up collapsing" and "become parking stations." That's been the subject of ongoing debate among planners, but Gardner questioned whether it's "worth pursuing appropriations of billions of dollars" for public transit if autonomous vehicles are going to render it obsolete.
LIKE A RUSH-HOUR SPEED RESTRICTION: The process of setting up a federally
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compliant state safety oversight agency for WMATA's Metrorail system continued to inch along Wednesday, much like a Yellow (or Blue) Line train traveling between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Old Town Alexandria. The House Judiciary Committee approved two joint resolutions endorsing both the new compact among D.C., Maryland and Virginia standing up the new body; and amendments made to a regional transit agreement specifying that DOT has authority to appoint federal directors to Metro's board.
What's left? Congress' eventual blessing of the new compact is but one step on a checklist FTA will examine before giving its final approval of the safety oversight organization - and before releasing millions in federal funds it's withheld since February from all three jurisdictions (and that's statewide for Maryland and Virginia) because of what regulators say is their foot-dragging on setting up the new agency. Some of the steps remaining before that can happen, per an agency spokeswoman, include: the selection of commissioners for the agency; submission of a certification application to FTA, including documentation proving the agency is independent from Metrorail and has enforcement and investigation powers; and a transitional period where FTA officials work alongside workers at the new agency to ensure they're meeting requirements.
** A message from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers: Infrastructure is the backbone of America's economy. The U.S. currently ranks 11th in infrastructure competitiveness. To have the strongest economy in the world, America must have the best infrastructure in the world. It is time to reclaim our Infrastructure Advantage. Learn more: aem.org/Advantage. **
CHAO POPS UP AT FIRST DAUGHTER EVENT: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao attended a White House event hosted by Ivanka Trump Wednesday as part of Workforce Development Week. The administration has called for a million apprentices in the infrastructure field, in part to address a shortage of construction workers ahead of a planned building spree supported by the Trump administration.
'Transform'-ers: Vanity Fair took a deep dive Wednesday into the White House's Office of American Innovation, which Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner oversees - and it seems the group has some aggressive infrastructure ideas. The office is focusing on four areas within the infrastructure umbrella, including permitting acceleration and "transformative" projects. On that latter point, those efforts would encompass "cutting-edge solutions that would 'unleash significant amount of economic growth,' [a White House] official explained, such as building an underground high-speed rail system across the Northeast corridor." Is that what would happen if Hyperloop and the Gateway project joined forces as an infrastructure superpower?
Shipbuilders wanted: If Trump's plan to plus up the Navy to 350 ships ever gets funded, the shipbuilding industry will have to figure out where to find 18,000 to 25,000 qualified builders. After "a couple decades of anemic shipbuilding" the workforce has dwindled "to dangerously low numbers of people," said Jim Dolbow, an analyst at the U.S. Naval Institute. "The chickens are coming home to roost." Jacqueline Klimas has much more for Pros.
TODAY IS 'DUMP THE PUMP' DAY: It's the American Public Transportation Association annual day to encourage people to "Dump the Pump" by riding transit. According to the June
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APTA Transit Savings Report, a two-person household can save more than $9,700 a year by downsizing to one car and using public transit instead.
THE AUTOBAHN:
- "Gasoline prices likely to remain low - for now at least." The Washington Post.
- "Trump set to unveil new Cuba policy after promising to reverse Obama's 'bad deal.'" The Washington Post.
- "Europe's aviation safety chief warns U.S. on expanding laptop ban without research." The Wall Street Journal.
- "Auto dealers join NEC Director Gary Cohn in conversation on tax reform." Dealer Marketing.
- "0 for 2: Senate hearings on autonomous vehicles so far ignore aftermarket role." Repairer Driven News.
- "New York speeds up road projects ahead of Penn Station work." Bloomberg.
- "Tesla should brace for 'serious competition' from Apple in driverless cars: Morgan Stanley." Marketwatch.
- "Mobile ATCs mounted on trucks to be deployed at small airports in India." NDTV.
- "Renault called sexist for hawking paint to women for nails, cars." Bloomberg.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 108 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 108 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,204 days.
** A message from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers: America's infrastructure used to be the envy of the world, but decades of chronic underinvestment and neglect has left us on the verge of losing that advantage. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers believes it is time for the United States to reclaim its Infrastructure Advantage. To effectively compete in the global marketplace, America's infrastructure must be number one in the world. That's the Infrastructure Advantage. So how do we reclaim it? Here are five key steps. Focus on network and systems. Maximize the use of smart technology. Ensure rural-urban connectivity. Expedite project delivery. Provide adequate and reliable resources. Now is the time to act. It is time to prioritize America's roads and canals, railroads and highways, locks and dams, pipelines and broadband. Learn more about The U.S. Infrastructure AdvantageTM: aem.org/Advantage. **
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