Overnight Energy: Oil export bill moves forward

OIL EXPORT BILL SLIDES THROUGH COMMITTEE: The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed its bill to lift the ban on crude oil exports Thursday.

The vote was nearly along party lines, with three Democrats bucking their colleagues and joining Republicans to pass it 31-19.

“America wins when we support free trade and open markets, and this bill would lift the 40-year-old restrictions on oil exports that President Ford signed into law in 1975. Much has changed since 1975 when these restrictions were imposed but the dramatic growth in domestic oil output over the last decade has flipped the script,” said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the committee’s chairman.

{mosads}While more Democrats signaled a willingness before to vote for the bill with some changes, only Rep. Gene Green’s (D-Texas) amendment was adopted to preserve the president’s power to stop oil exports for various emergencies.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called the bill “a blunt object that broadly undermines 40 years of protections for national security, our economy, consumers and the environment.”

The measure can now head to the House floor, which Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said would happen in the next few weeks.

Read more here. 

TURNING UP THE HEAT: This summer was the hottest on record and 2015 is likely to win the same title when the year is over.

That’s the assessment from federal officials who released their monthly report on temperature trends Thursday.

Surface temperatures around the globe were 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit above their average over the summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Thursday.

This summer broke the record held by last year’s summer by 0.2 degrees, NOAA said. The agency’s record keeping goes back to 1880.

In the end, NOAA said, this year is shaping up to the warmest on record, and “it appears extremely unlikely that 2015 will lose its commanding lead.”

Read more here. 

ON TAP FRIDAY: A House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee will hold a hearing on “NEON Warning Signs: Examining the Management of the National Ecological Observatory Network.” 

AROUND THE WEB: The state of Alaska is considering buying out TransCanada Corp.’s stake in a liquefied natural gas project for up to $100 million, Reuters reports. 

A group of interests in Hawaii is trying to significantly weaken Hawaiian Electric, the state’s electricity utility, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. 

Arctic mosquitoes are a thing, apparently, and increasingly warm temperatures in the region are helping them live longer and grow larger, Time reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 

Check out Thursday’s stories … 

-Conservation group: sage grouse, drilling can coexist 
-GOP senators move to overturn Obama’s water rule 
-Summer was the hottest on record 
-EPA chief on mine spill response: ‘We should have done it better’ 
-House moves one step closer to lifting ban on crude oil exports 
-11 Republicans vow to fight climate change 
-Clinton opposes bill to lift oil export ban 

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