This week: Senate heads toward energy fight

The Senate is heading toward a battle over energy reform as it returns to Washington after a historic snowstorm.

Senators are expected to formally start debate Wednesday on wide-ranging legislation from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), after a brief session Tuesday.

{mosads}Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) teed up lawmakers last week to move to the proposal, suggesting it could be an area of bipartisanship for the Senate.

“It’ll be open for amendment, and since it came out of committee 18-4, I hope we’ll be able to replicate what we did on frequent occasions last year with the re-write of No Child Left Behind, the highway bill and other matters,” he told reporters last week, announcing his intention to move to the proposal.

The legislation, which came after months of talks between Murkowski and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), could give senators an early opportunity to push back on President Obama’s recent announcement that he would temporarily halt new leases for coal mining on federal land.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters that the administration’s decision “is going to just be sending pink slips to thousands of people who earn their living and their livelihood with coal.”

Senators on both sides of the aisle are planning to introduce amendments that could sink the bipartisan support for the energy legislation.

In addition to trying to get a vote on Obama’s moratorium, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) suggested that he could use the bill to get votes on Democratic policies, but declined to go into specifics.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) also suggested that she could link the legislation to her long-standing push to make energy-efficient homes more affordable, after the provision was left out of the Energy Committee’s proposal.

The energy bill comes after Republicans have repeatedly used the Senate floor to battle with the Obama administration on its energy policies, including a failed attempt last week to override his veto that preserved a controversial water rule.

House Democrats’ Baltimore retreat

While a historic snowstorm forced House leadership to cancel votes for this week, it isn’t stopping House Democrats from gathering for their annual retreat.

The caucus is expected to meet in Baltimore starting Wednesday to discuss its legislative strategy, which could spill over into the 2016 presidential race and the battle between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) days before the Iowa caucus.

Democrats are hoping to use the conference’s theme, “united for opportunity,” to contrast themselves with a fractured Republican Party ahead of the 2016 election.

The retreat is expected to be a star-studded event, with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to speak to lawmakers. The conference could mark one of their final times to speak in front of the entire House Democratic caucus before they leave office early next year.

A Democratic aide told CNN earlier this month that comedian and “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah is also scheduled to speak to House Dems during their retreat.

In addition to Noah—who took over for long-time Daily Show host Jon Stewart—Democrats have also invited wealthy businessman Tom Steyer and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.