E2 Morning Roundup: Obama pledges no letup in spill response, moment of truth for U.N. on climate, NRA claims victory over EPA, spill panel chief presses Senate on subpoena power, greens at a crossroads, and much more

“We applaud the EPA for its understanding of the law and its common sense in this situation — both of which were totally missing in the petition filed by these extreme anti-gun and anti-hunting groups,” said Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, in a statement.

But green groups say EPA had the authority and the evidence to bar the ammo

“The EPA had ample evidence that lead bullets and shot have a devastating effect on America’s wildlife, yet has refused to do anything about it. It’s disappointing to see this country’s top environmental agency simply walk away from the preventable poisoning of birds and other wildlife,” said Darin Schroeder, vice president for conservation advocacy at the American Bird Conservancy, in a prepared statement. The group is one of several that had petitioned EPA.

On tap Monday II: Greens, coal industry battle over EPA rule

In Arlington, Va., EPA kicks off a series of public hearings nationwide about its proposal to regulate so-called coal ash, a waste product of power plants. EPA is weighing two options for regulating the stuff — which drew attention when it flooded a Tennessee river in 2008 — under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, one more aggressive than the other.

Pro-coal lawmakers, backed by the industry, say there’s no reason to regulate coal ash under the law’s hazardous waste title. Enviros, on the other hand, say there is, and late last week several groups released a report about water contamination from coal ash nationwide. Look for each side to show their flags at the hearing, which include testimony from the National Mining Association, Earthjustice, and many other groups on all sides of the matter.

On tap Monday III: GE Hitachi to press federal panel on nuke fuel recycling

The company’s CEO is among the witnesses Monday at a Washington, D.C., meeting of a commission on advising the Energy Department on nuclear waste policy (the Obama administration set up the panel after it pulled the plug on building the Yucca Mountain waste dump).

Jack Fuller, the board chairman of the reactor and fuel company, plans to tell a panel of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future that waste can safely be re-used with advancing recycling technologies. The U.S. doesn’t currently reprocess nuclear waste, but advocates say that emerging technologies can enable re-use without creating separated plutonium, a proliferation risk.

“GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a global alliance formed by GE and Hitachi, is prepared to offer these new technologies to customers around the world. However, as is often the case in the nuclear industry, government policy is the key to success,” he will tell the panel, according to a summary of his comments.

“In order to meet the demands of the predicted worldwide growth in the nuclear industry, we believe that the U.S. should adopt a national policy to recycle used nuclear fuel.”

Getting technical: GE’s pitch

“Full recycling takes used nuclear fuel and separates the usable uranium and transuranics using a molten salt bath and electricity. The recovered uranium and transuranics are then used as fuel for Generation IV reactors, thereby generating electricity from nuclear waste. The remaining fission product wastes are placed into ceramic and metal alloy, which require safe storage for just a few hundred years. Because no pure plutonium is extracted, the proliferation risks are minimized,” GE says in the testimony.

The Washington Post, A1: Enviros at a crossroads after climate bill sputters

The paper looks at the sagging fortunes of the environmental movement, which had high hopes on climate change not long ago.

“A year ago, these groups seemed to be at the peak of their influence, needing only the Senate’s approval for a landmark climate-change bill. But they lost that fight, done in by the sluggish economy and opposition from business and fossil-fuel interests,” the Post reports. 

“Now the groups are wondering how they can keep this loss from becoming a rout as their opponents press their advantage and try to undo the Obama administration’s climate efforts.”

Tips, comments or complaints? Please send them to ben.geman@digital-staging.thehill.com and dgoode@digital-staging.thehill.com.

This post was updated at 1:14p.m. on August 30.