OVERNIGHT REGULATION: House aims to speed up pipeline permits
January 20, 2015
January 20, 2015
Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown and enforcement news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s not just any Tuesday evening here in Washington. We’re gearing up for a late night as Obama prepares to address Congress. But before we start counting how many times he says "middle class," in his State of the Union address, here’s today’s biggest news and tomorrow’s most compelling storylines from the agencies and Congress.
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On Wednesday, the House is expected to vote on legislation to streamline the federal review process for permitting natural gas infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline.
The vote comes two weeks after the House approved the controversial project that opponents like Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) have said will unlock Canadian tar sands, one of the dirtiest sources of energy on the plant. The Senate is still debating its Keystone bill.
But the White House has already threatened to veto the Natural Gas Pipeline Reform Act if the legislation passes both chambers. In a memo issued Tuesday, the White House said the bill sets "rigid, unworkable" timelines.
The Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) would provide for the timely consideration of all licenses, permits, and approvals required under federal law with respect to the sitting, construction, expansion, or operation of any natural gas pipeline projects, said Sarah Minkel, a spokeswoman for the House Committee on Rules.
"Consumers must have affordable and reliable electricity choices," Pompeo said in a statement. "Ongoing delays because of a complex permitting process must not prohibit families in Kansas, and across the country, from obtaining reliable and economical heating for their homes in the winter and cooling for them in the summer."
– Here’s what’s the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act would do:
1. 12 months: How long the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has to approve or deny applications for natural gas pipeline projects.
2. 90 days: How long federal agencies have to issue permits or licenses for projects approved by the commission.
3. 30 days: How long an agency can extend the permitting process beyond the initial 90 days if they can demonstrate a valid reason why more time is required. But if an agency misses that 30-day extended deadline, any permits and/or licenses will be granted automatically.
ALSO ON TAP FOR TUESDAY:
Both houses of Congress are expected to discuss how to protect the Internet and consumers through Congressional action.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing is at 10 a.m., while the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing is at 2 p.m. Non-government expert witnesses are expected to testifying about current authorities of the Federal Communications Commission and Congress’s options to update outdated laws at the Senate hearing. http://1.usa.gov/
The hearings come as the FCC prepares to unveil new net neutrality rules in February. Republicans have offered draft legislation that would block the FCC from treating the Internet as a public utility, a move the agency is expected to take.
The Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension Committee will hold a hearing to discuss how to fix the No Child Left Behind law’s testing and accountability. http://1.usa.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee will meet to talk about how to maintain healthy soil, the impact soil has on air and water quality, and how extreme weather events impact the health of soil. http://1.usa.gov/1Gq1ATq
TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY:
The Obama administration will publish 202 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.
Here’s what to watch:
-The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will consider new industrial emissions standards.
The EPA issued separate emissions standards for industrial solid waste incinerators and commercial boilers in February 2013, but announced Tuesday it will reconsider those rules. The decision comes after several groups petitioned the agency.
The potential changes to the emissions guidelines for solid waste incinerators could affect mining companies, oil and gas exploration, and pipeline operators, the agency said. http://bit.ly/1CeYoFS
School buildings, churches, and restaurants could be affected by any changes to the emissions standards for boilers, the agency said. http://bit.ly/1BbOrrm
The public has 45 days to comment on each rule.
-The Coast Guard will consider new security protocols on cruise ships.
Cruise ships would be required to screen all passengers, crew members, and visitors and their baggage before setting sail, the Coast Guard says.
The Coast Guard is announcing a public meeting that will be held next month to discuss the proposed rules.
"The proposed regulations would standardize the security requirements of cruise ship terminals and would eliminate redundancies in current regulations that govern the security of cruise ship terminals," the Coast Guard wrote. http://bit.ly/1J95FHS
-The Department of Justice (DOJ) will restrict federal agents from harassing journalists starting Wednesday.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced last week a new policy aimed at reining in overly aggressive federal agents and prosecutors who target journalists. They will now be prohibited from investigating, questioning, arresting, or charging reporters with crimes without Holder’s direct authorization.
The new policy will become official when it is published in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.
This comes after the Justice Department was caught snooping on journalists from the Associated Press and Fox News in 2013. http://bit.ly/1yEMe6U
-The Railroad Retirement Board will consider new procedures for collecting debts owed to the government.
The agency says it may speed up the process by referring non-tax debts that have been delinquent for more than 120 days to the Treasury Department for administrative offset. Previously, the agency waited 180 days.
The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1xuoaRw
NEWS RIGHT NOW:
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a drone: The Federal Aviation Administration is compelling local police departments around the country to report people who violate drone regulations, according to news reports. http://bit.ly/1552inO
Climate change: EPA chief Gina McCarthy hopes to draw attention to climate change during this year’s Winter X Games. http://bit.ly/1CxIAfr
Abortion: A Republican bill banning certain abortions would cause the national deficit to rise, according to the CBO. http://bit.ly/1Cf2UUX
Health and safety: Public interest groups are pushing President Obama to call for stronger public health and safety regulations during his State of the Union (SOTU) address Tuesday evening.http://bit.ly/1GnQkqA
Gas tax? President Obama will likely avoid any mention of raising the federal gas tax during SOTU. http://bit.ly/1BbUBrH
Cybersecurity: President Obama is expected to weigh in on cybersecurity issues during his State of the Union address.http://bit.ly/1yFo3IO
Open Internet: The Federal Communications Commission should hit the brakes on its open Internet rules, says the agency’s former Republican commissioner. http://bit.ly/
Debit cards: Banks can charge retailers higher "swipe fees" to accept debit card payments from customers, the Supreme Court acknowledged Tuesday. http://
BY THE NUMBERS:
20: The number of weeks after pregnancy that a GOP bill would ban abortions.
10,000: The number of abortions that occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to government estimates.
$500 million: The possible increase in Medicaid spending to cover the increased number of babies who would be born, according to government estimates.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Setting the tone? SOTU day veto threat," Tamara Keith, NPR’s White House Correspondent, tweeted with a picture of the White House statement threatening a presidential veto of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The bill would ban abortions after the first 20 weeks.
We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://thehill.com/regulation
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