Overnight Energy: Trump White House kicks off ‘Energy Week’

by Timothy Cama and Devin Henry - 06/26/17 6:23 PM ET

HAPPY ENERGY WEEK: The Trump administration is celebrating this week as “Energy Week” in a push to promote the president’s energy policies.

At a handful of events during the week, President Trump and his administration will push their quest for “energy dominance,” a term officials are using for their goal to become the world’s energy superpower.

“President Trump is committed to utilizing our abundant domestic energy resources both to create jobs and a growing, prosperous economy at home and to strengthen America’s global influence and leadership abroad,” a White House spokeswoman said Monday.

{mosads}Energy Week is one of numerous designations that the White House has made in recent weeks to try to focus on particular pieces of Trump’s agenda, such as infrastructure and technology.

In each of those weeks, other policy news dominated national headlines, including healthcare reform and the investigations into Russian involvement in last year’s election.

The Energy Week events are likely to focus on Trump’s policies since taking office, which have centered on removing barriers to the use and production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal.

That has mostly been through repealing regulations from the Obama administration limiting carbon dioxide emissions, regulating mountaintop removal mining, extending the reach of federal water regulations and more.

Read more here and keep an eye out for more coverage throughout the week.

Healthcare to get in the way: But as much as the White House trumpets its “Energy Week” events, the festivities are certain to be overshadowed by the Senate’s effort to pass a bill repealing ObamaCare.

The Congressional Budget Office’s release of its report on the Senate GOP’s replacement bill — legislation that would leave 22 million Americans without insurance by 2026, the office reported — quickly became the focus for lawmakers on Monday.

Case in point: Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) went to the Senate floor Monday evening and gave a quick speech supporting Kristine Svinicki’s renomination to lead the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before a confirmation vote on the matter (more on that below). Carper then went off-book and spoke about the healthcare bill instead.

Expect other “Energy Week” events to be similarly upstaged by the healthcare fight.

Day one: Modi meeting: The White House said Trump would bring up energy Monday in his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Trump mentioned it after the meeting.

“We’re also looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. Trying to get the price up a little bit,” Trump remarked at a White House ceremony after the meeting.

SENATE CONFIRMS NUKE REGULATOR: The Senate confirmed Svinicki to a new five-year term as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday.

Senators voted 88-9 to reconfirm Svinicki, less than one month after President Trump renominated her to the position. The Senate fast-tracked her confirmation because her current term at the NRC ends at the end of the month.

Svinicki has served on the NRC since 2008 after a decade-long career as a Senate staffer working on security, science and technology issues. She also worked as a nuclear engineer at the Department of Energy and spent time as an energy engineer for the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

Trump designated her to be chairwoman of the NRC on Jan. 23 and renominated her for the position on June 6. Two other Trump NRC nominees — David Wright, a former chairman of the South Carolina Public Service Commission, and Annie Caputo, a senior Senate adviser — are awaiting confirmation.

Read more here.

PRUITT BACK TO CAPITOL HILL: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to discuss Trump’s budget proposal for his agency.

When Pruitt testified before a House Appropriations Committee panel about the budget earlier this month, lawmakers slammed the proposal and insisted they will spend more on the EPA than the 30 percent cut the Trump administration has called for.

Pruitt is likely to receive a similar reaction on Tuesday when he testifies on the budget at the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Read more about the hearing, and the rest of the week’s schedule, here.

ON TAP TUESDAY I: Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks at an Energy Information Administration event.

ON TAP TUESDAY II: The House Natural Resources Committee marks up several bills, including the RECLAIM Act, a bill to help revitalize distressed local economies in coal country. Tomorrow in The Hill, read more about local groups’ fight to strengthen the bill and their hopes for the legislation this session.

Rest of Tuesday’s agenda …

A Senate Commerce Committee panel will hold a hearing on marine sanctuaries.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on self-driving cars.

AROUND THE WEB:

Federal officials said Monday that the $15.5 billion Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnels project in California isn’t likely to harm endangered and threatened species, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Researchers found that soot from wildfires can contribute to glacial melting thousands of miles away, the Washington Post reports.

Some American Indians in the Northern Cheyenne Reservation are mulling developing the extensive coal that sits under the reservation, NPR reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out stories from Monday and the weekend…

-Senate confirms NRC chairwoman to new term
-Poll: Voters want US to seek new climate pact to replace Paris
-Regulators get more time to review Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops merger
-Supreme Court won’t hear Gold King Mine spill case
-Trump administration marks ‘Energy Week’
-Bill Clinton: ‘The water is going to keep rising‘ whether US stays in Paris or not
-Week ahead: EPA chief faces more questions over Trump budget