CRUDE CRUISES: Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-Texas) bill to lift the ban on crude oil exports passed its first subcommittee by voice vote Thursday.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on energy and power passed the bill after Democrats lodged various objections.
But most of the Democrats who spoke at the meeting said they’d be willing to work with Barton and Republicans to make changes to the bill.
{mosads}“This bipartisan bill would put an end to the outdated restrictions on the export of American oil,” Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), chairman of the subcommittee, said during the brief meeting.
“Allowing oil exports would provide a major boost for jobs and the economy, help keep gasoline affordable and strengthen our national security,” he said.
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), the ranking member, said he wanted to make the bill better for minorities.
“Before opening the door to this global market, I must feel confident that underrepresented communities all around this country would indeed benefit from the opportunities that will come from lifting this ban,” he said.
Read more here.
ON TAP FRIDAY I: The House Space, Science and Technology’s environment subcommittee will hold a hearing on the impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan on power plants.
ON TAP FRIDAY II: The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s environment subcommittee will hold a hearing on implementation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as the Superfund law. Officials from the EPA, Energy Department, Defense Department and Government Accountability Office will testify.
Rest of Friday’s agenda …
Four administration officials — including Mathy Stanislaus, the assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response at the EPA — will testify at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on federal cleanup at Superfund sites.
The House Natural Resources Committee’s federal land panel will discuss a bill to establish a national memorial at the World Trade Center site in New York. Reps. Thomas MacArthur (R-N.J.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) will testify.
NEWS BITE: Democrats on the House Natural Resources have a new website.
Committee staffers unveiled the site on Thursday, calling it a “top-down online remodeling” for the committee.
The site offers a scorecard based on the committee’s voting record, live streaming of hearings with a Spanish translation and an “in-depth analysis of the issues” the committee is considering.
“This site presents information, from the daily news to the big picture, to help the people we represent decide what kind of environment they want to live in and leave to their children,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ranking member of the committee, said. “We’re excited about its potential and hope it encourages our colleagues to do the same.”
AROUND THE WEB:
An anti-pipeline group in Minnesota has asked a judge to halt the flow of Canadian oil through the state, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Alberta is on pace to have the worst air quality of any Canadian province, the environmental minister there said, according to the National Post. She blamed coal-fired power plants and emissions from vehicles and oil and gas operations.
A coalition of Ohio businesses and environmental groups want the state to reinstate the renewable energy goals that lawmakers “paused” earlier this year, the Telegraph-Forum reports.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Check out Thursday’s stories …
– Court overturns EPA’s approval of bee-harming pesticide
– Small businesses tell Obama to reject Atlantic drilling
– EPA settles air pollution case with utility for $5.4M
– California climate bill loses key gasoline provision
– House panel votes to lift oil export ban
– House panel votes to delay Obama coal mining rule
– Massive biz blitz aims to torpedo ozone rule
– Federal contractors tell Obama: Stop picking on us