OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA climate rule arrives, political attacks in tow

Green groups are touting the rules and seeking to score a preemptive strike against GOP efforts to block them in Congress.

“Any attempts by Congress to block implementation of these limits would go against the majority of Americans who support these common sense steps and would only benefit the country’s biggest polluters,” said League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski in a statement.

{mosads}But Republicans and industry groups allege the rules are part of a broader campaign against the coal industry, arguing that carbon capture and storage technology isn’t ready for deployment in the power industry. That means the rule is a de facto ban on new coal plants, they allege.

The rules are slated to be followed by a more far-reaching proposal to set emissions rules for existing power plants. Those rules will be proposed next year.

“EPA regulations that hamper or stifle innovation in the coal-powered sector represent a profound threat to the future of energy security, electric reliability, and job creation in the United States,” said Scott Segal, a lobbyist with Bracewell & Giuliani who represents power companies.

Watch The Hill’s E2-Wire and RegWatch blogs tomorrow for updates.

THURSDAY’S ACTION:

Government funding battle knocks stalled efficiency bill off Senate floor

Bipartisan energy efficiency legislation that has stalled on the Senate
floor will be shoved aside completely next week by debate on a funding
bill, leaving the fate of the energy measure highly uncertain. Click here for more.

Keystone XL backers split over GOP’s debt-ceiling maneuver

Keystone XL oil pipeline supporters are divided over a high-stakes House GOP plan to require approval of the project in legislation to raise the debt ceiling. Click here for more.

Delays, poor satellite management leave US with data holes

The federal government is behind on putting new climate and science
satellites into space, which could leave the country with a gap lasting
up to three years.
Click here for more.

GOP senators back linking Keystone XL to debt ceiling increase

Several Senate Republicans said Thursday that they support a high-stakes
House GOP maneuver to tether an increase in the debt ceiling to
approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. Click here for more.

Halliburton pleads guilty to destroying evidence in BP spill case

The oilfield services company Halliburton formally pleaded guilty Thursday to destroying
evidence from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Click here for more.

McConnell says he’ll ‘work to defeat’ Obama’s FERC nominee

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that he
opposes President Obama’s choice to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission and will actively work against the nomination. Click here for more.

GOP blames ‘red tape’ for five-year Keystone pipeline review

The federal review of the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline hit the
five-year mark Thursday, prompting fresh criticism from GOP lawmakers
who contend that over-regulation is holding up tens of thousands of new
jobs. Click here for more.

Please send tips and comments to Ben Geman, ben.geman@digital-staging.thehill.com

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