Overnight Energy & Environment: Keystone headed to Obama's desk Tuesday

SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?: It may not be a war game, but the messaging battle over Keystone XL will rise again on Tuesday. Republicans said they will send legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline over to the White House Tuesday morning where it is expected to meet a swift demise. White House spokesman Josh Earnest reiterated the president's plan to veto the bill on Monday and said not to expect "a lot of drama or fanfare" surrounding the veto. He added he doesn't expect a "lengthy delay" on the veto, hinting at a fast rejection of the bill, which the Senate spent nearly one month debating. Check back with The Hill Tuesday morning for more details on the pending veto. MURKOWSKI VS. JEWELL: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and the rest of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will get a chance Tuesday to challenge Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on her department's budget request for fiscal year 2016. Jewell will be the sole witness at the hearing on Interior's budget. The Obama administration is asking for $13.2 billion, an 8 percent hike from the current funding. It includes items like reducing the payments the states get for offshore drilling and new money for the National Park Service to prepare for its centennial next year. Murkowski, who also chairs the appropriations panel for Interior's budget, threatened last week to slash funding for the agency for its policies that hurt Alaska. HOUSE'S TUESDAY AGENDA: The House will vote on the Drinking Water Protection Act, which would mandate that the EPA formulate a plan to protect drinking water from toxic algae. Rest of Tuesday's agenda... Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) will reintroduce his cap-and-trade bill for carbon dioxide emissions. He will be joined by 350.org founder Bill McKibben and Sierra Club D.C. Director Debbie Sease on a call. A coalition of climate-focused groups will continue its Climate Leadership Conference. Notable speakers will include EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Stanley Meiburg, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. The American Gas Association will host its monthly Natural Gas Roundtable, featuring Melanie Kenderdine, director of the Energy Department's Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis. The Geothermal Energy Association will hold a briefing on the state of the industry. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) will speak, in addition to congressional and agency staffers and representatives of the private sector. The Middle East Institute will hold a discussion with experts on the impact of falling oil prices on the future of the Middle East. NEWS BITES: One-two punch... Like we mentioned earlier, tomorrow's Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing could make for some entertaining political, wonky theater as Murkowski and Jewell go head-to-head. Robert Dillon, spokesman for Murkowski on energy issues gave a little preview. "Interior's budget is unrealistic and it exceeds caps that Senate is working under. Not giving them what they ask for is not necessarily a cut. Sen. Murkowski is not happy with Jewell and this Interior Department -- that's been pretty much from day one. Secretary Jewell is worried about jobs of bureaucrats and we are worried about the impact bureaucrats will have on jobs of Alaskans," Dillon said. Jewell said last week that a cut to Interior's funding could threaten jobs at the department and key jobs for Alaska, pushing back at Murkowski. Come on over to Iowa... Freshman Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) invited Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy to her state on Monday to discuss the agency's Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) regulation, which seeks to clarify EPA's authority over streams and wetlands, and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). "It is critical for you to fully understand first-hand the impact that these regulatory actions are having on everyday Iowans," Ernst wrote to McCarthy in a letter on Monday. "Therefore, I would invite you to visit Iowa and directly engage with the people impacted the most by your regulatory choices. It is critical to hear and see how your proposed changes to WOTUS and failure to put forth required levels for the RFS could, and have, impacted farmers, biofuel producers, and all of the important related industries." Random thoughts from Pat Sajak... The Wheel of Fortune host thought aloud on Twitter Monday about ways humans can help reduce emissions. It's not the first time Sajak has given his two cents on global warming. Last year he said "global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists." "Reducing CO2 today by breathing one less time per minute. If we all do it, we can make a difference," Sajak tweeted Monday. EPA climate rule... A pair of Harvard Law School professors are defending the Environmental Protection Agency's climate rule for power plants in court, saying case law supports the agency's conclusion that the rule is legal. Richard Lazarus and Jody Freeman filed their joint brief in Murray Energy Corp.'s lawsuit challenging the proposed rule, saying "EPA's proposed interpretation is at the very least reasonable." The brief from Lazarus and Freeman contrasts with comments filed on the rule last year from Laurence Tribe, another Harvard Law professor who taught President Obama and later became an adviser to him. AROUND THE WEB: Leader of the United Nations' expert panel on climate change, R.K. Pachuri, pulled out of a key meeting in Nairobi over the weekend to cooperate with a police investigation on sexual harassment allegations, the Associated Press reports. Western governors are hopeful the administration may decide against listing the sage grouse as an endangered species after a meeting with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, the Washington Post reports. Coal companies in Wyoming are fighting against proposals to increase the royalties they pay on federal land, the Casper Tribune reports. Chevron Corp. is pulling out of a shale gas drilling project in Romania, the Associated Press reports. A new University of Michigan study took issue with Michigan state standards and industry practices for hydraulic fracturing, the Detroit News reports. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:  Check out Monday's stories... - GOP gov: Obama open to discussing oil exports - Most Keystone oil would stay in US, study says - Sen. Markey to investigate industry funding of climate studies - No 'drama or fanfare' for Keystone veto, WH says - Park Service missed out on $32M, review finds - Keystone bill to arrive at White House Tuesday - Steelworkers strike expands to more oil refineries - Report links climate skeptic researcher to industry money Please send tips and comments to Laura Barron-Lopez, laurab@thehill.com, and Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill @lbarronlopez @Timothy_Cama