E2-Wire

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Drilling bills take center stage in House

by Ben Geman and Laura Barron-Lopez - 11/19/13 6:27 PM ET

ON TAP WEDNESDAY: The House is set to vote on GOP legislation that would set new drilling permit deadlines and expand the amount of land the Interior Department must offer for oil-and-gas development.

The bill would also charge activists thousands of dollars to lodge formal protests against drilling leases and permits.

{mosads}It’s part of a big GOP push on energy this week. The House is also slated to debate separate GOP legislation Wednesday that would thwart planned Interior Department hydraulic fracturing regulations.

A third bill on the floor this week addresses natural-gas pipelines.

The White House has threatened to veto the bills (click here and here to learn why), but they’re not slated to advance in the Senate.

Instead they’re giving Republicans and critics of White House energy policies a fresh platform on which to make their case.

Also look for at least some oil-patch and conservative Democrats to join Republicans on the fracking measure, and maybe other votes.

The GOP’s energy efforts this week are also unfolding at the committee level. See below for more, and watch The Hill’s E2-Wire and Floor Action blogs for up-to-date coverage.

THE REST OF WEDNESDAY’S AGENDA:

House panel to move cross-border energy bill

A House Energy and Commerce Committee panel will mark up legislation to expedite cross-border energy projects in North America.

Click here for more information.

Efficiency advocates seek momentum on Capitol Hill

Lawmakers will take part in two events touting energy efficiency based on state and local success stories.

First up, Reps. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will speak at an event hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute on ways to promote energy efficiency in Congress.

Next, Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) will speak at an Alliance to Save Energy’s Great Energy Efficiency Day, which will discuss ways to double U.S. energy productivity by 2030.

The two are trying to revive their stalled bipartisan energy efficiency bill.

In addition to Portman and Shaheen, the panel will include utility reps, a top Energy Department official and other lawmakers.

NEWS BITES:

Tesla probe’s genesis in dispute

Did Tesla Motors ask for the new Transportation Department probe into a pair of recent battery fires in its Model S electric car? Or did the government initiate the probe? It may be the latter, said a senior Transportation Department official.

The Detroit News reports:

The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration flatly denied Tuesday that Tesla Motors had sought an investigation into battery fires in Model S vehicles, and questioned if it would even be proper for the electric vehicle company to make the request.

Click here for more on the probe.

And elsewhere around the Web …

The Houston Chronicle reports that the head of ConocoPhillips called for removing the U.S. ban on crude oil exports.

A piece in Slate magazine argues that the movement for “climate justice,” given new energy by Typhoon Haiyan, is at odds with efforts to craft a global climate treaty.

Bloomberg reports that “United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon lashed out at rich nations that are watering down commitments to fight global warming.”

Reuters looks at the complicated nexus between environmentalists, nuclear power and climate change.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out the stories that ran on E2-Wire on Tuesday …

– Bill would allow states to regulate endangered species
– Nuclear regulator predicts delays, cuts
– Biofuels industry, allies push back against EPA decision
– House cuts green energy permitting funds from energy bill
– EPA ethanol decision pushes farm bill toward finish line
– Court orders DOE to halt collection of nuclear waste fees
– Conservative group to lawmakers: Your fracking vote counts
– House advances drilling, tracking bills
– House Dems to Reid: No Dodd-Frank waiver in drilling bill
– Interior announces $14.2B in energy revenue
– White House waves veto pen at GOP tracking, energy bills
– House lawmakers demand refund for shuttered parks