Upton to hand out this season's must-have gift - Hall eyes Sensenbrenner for oversight subcommittee - Dems want to sweeten tax deal with energy extenders
[Readers, it is mind boggling to read the quotes from Hall -- honestly, he sounds like he is more clueless than Bush and even speaks English worse than Bush did, which is going some.]
‘TIS THE SEASON – House Republicans officially gave Fred Upton the reigns to the Energy and Commerce sleigh yesterday, and now the Michigan moderate must decide who will get this season’s must-have gift: E&C subcommittee gavels. The only problem, of course, is that much like a Tickle Me Elmo or a Nintendo Wii in years past, there won’t be enough to go around. Then again, after the bruising challenge Joe Barton and Co. posed to Upton, the chairman-to-be might not be too upset about that.
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT – Republicans are set later today to fill out their portion of the committee roster, and Greg Walden told Morning Energy that as of yesterday there was still a “very lively discussion” going on about whether to shrink the total size of the panel (which currently tips the scale at nearly 60 members). And what’s an appropriate number for Republicans? “I don’t know,” Walden told ME. “As long as I don’t lose my seat, that’s an appropriate cut off.”
WHO’S BEEN NAUGHTY – Before Upton starts wrapping the subcommittee gavels, ME assumes he’ll take a good, hard look at his Naughty List. That’s bad news for Joe Barton. Upton has declined to say whether he’ll be able to forgive the former chairman for his aggressive challenge for the energy chairmanship but has made it clear that the two men’s relationship is no longer what it once was.
The good news for Barton, however, is that he isn’t the only one who has a reason to worry that he might end up with a lump of coal: Cliff Stearns and John Shimkus also challenged Upton for the gavel, and Ralph Hall, Lee Terry, Michael Burgess, Marsha Blackburn and Steve Scalise all backed Barton’s bid for the waiver he’d have needed to upset Upton.
Upton immediately tapped Joe Pitts (who also signed the Barton letter) to lead the health panel, so he’s proven capable of forgiving, if not forgetting. Others who signed the letter are hoping that Upton’s able to do the same for them. “That’s obviously a question you’d have to pose to Fred,” said Burgess, who hopes to remain the top Republican on the oversight panel. “I made my preference known, and in Texas we do always support the Texans when they’re going for something, and I think Fred understood that.”
WHO’S BEEN NICE – Upton’s staff has stressed that their boss won’t hand out any more gavels until next week. But if there is one man on Upton’s Nice List, it has to be Ed Whitfield, the Kentucky Republican who was quick to have Upton’s back when the going got tough. Sources say that Whitfield will almost certainly be given first pick of the subcommittee gavels, and the lawmaker told POLITICO earlier this week that energy and environment is his first choice.
If somehow Whitfield’s Christmas list doesn’t make it to Upton’s workshop, Walden remains a possibility to fill the post. Although, the Oregon Republican stressed yesterday that he’d be plenty content with leading either the telecom or oversight subcommittee. “I enjoy energy issues, [but] I’m not moving to take away the energy stuff,” he told ME, referring to POLITICO’s reporting that the energy gavel is already wrapped and under Whitfield’s tree.
Happy Thursday and welcome to the season’s first – but likely not last – Christmas-themed edition of Morning Energy. E-mail your legislative holiday wish list to Josh Voorhees at jvoorhees@politico.com
TAX EXTENDERS – Expiring tax incentives for the ethanol and renewable industries could help ease the bitter pill that Democrats may have to swallow if they agree to the tax deal Obama and Republicans carved out, POLITICO’s Darren Goode reports. http://politi.co/eKHzor
So far, it appears as though some type of extension of the ethanol credits will make its way in the final package, but the fate of the Treasury grant program for renewables remains uncertain. While no one appears to be coming out and saying they need the tax incentives to vote for the overall package, some Democrats are coming awfully close to issuing that ultimatum. “They're getting close to being deal-breakers,” said Ben Nelson, who is supporting both the ethanol and renewable energy incentives. “There's no reason for them not to be” in the bill.
MORE E&C ACTION – The soon-to-be minority party made it official yesterday and decided Henry Waxman will remain the top Democrat on the panel. Next up will be subcommittee ranking member assignment, but those will need to wait until the Republicans announce the committee structure.
FILLING MARKEY’S SHOES – When asked earlier this week if he was interested in the ranking member slot on the energy and environment subcommittee, Gene Green told ME he’ll take what he can get. “I’m going to use my seniority for whichever is the most major subcommittee,” he said.
G.K. Butterfield told POLITICO yesterday that Bobby Rush will likely be the top Dem on telecom, and Frank Pallone will be the ranking member on health. “The unknown will be energy,” Butterfield said. Asked about Green, Butterfield said: “I’d support him, but he hasn’t asked me.”
** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: Nothing fuzzy about this math: Nat gas vehicles are 30% cleaner than traditional gas or diesel cars, while costing about half the price per gallon of traditional fuels:http://bit.ly/arwIwT **
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT – Republicans are set later today to fill out their portion of the committee roster, and Greg Walden told Morning Energy that as of yesterday there was still a “very lively discussion” going on about whether to shrink the total size of the panel (which currently tips the scale at nearly 60 members). And what’s an appropriate number for Republicans? “I don’t know,” Walden told ME. “As long as I don’t lose my seat, that’s an appropriate cut off.”
WHO’S BEEN NAUGHTY – Before Upton starts wrapping the subcommittee gavels, ME assumes he’ll take a good, hard look at his Naughty List. That’s bad news for Joe Barton. Upton has declined to say whether he’ll be able to forgive the former chairman for his aggressive challenge for the energy chairmanship but has made it clear that the two men’s relationship is no longer what it once was.
The good news for Barton, however, is that he isn’t the only one who has a reason to worry that he might end up with a lump of coal: Cliff Stearns and John Shimkus also challenged Upton for the gavel, and Ralph Hall, Lee Terry, Michael Burgess, Marsha Blackburn and Steve Scalise all backed Barton’s bid for the waiver he’d have needed to upset Upton.
Upton immediately tapped Joe Pitts (who also signed the Barton letter) to lead the health panel, so he’s proven capable of forgiving, if not forgetting. Others who signed the letter are hoping that Upton’s able to do the same for them. “That’s obviously a question you’d have to pose to Fred,” said Burgess, who hopes to remain the top Republican on the oversight panel. “I made my preference known, and in Texas we do always support the Texans when they’re going for something, and I think Fred understood that.”
WHO’S BEEN NICE – Upton’s staff has stressed that their boss won’t hand out any more gavels until next week. But if there is one man on Upton’s Nice List, it has to be Ed Whitfield, the Kentucky Republican who was quick to have Upton’s back when the going got tough. Sources say that Whitfield will almost certainly be given first pick of the subcommittee gavels, and the lawmaker told POLITICO earlier this week that energy and environment is his first choice.
If somehow Whitfield’s Christmas list doesn’t make it to Upton’s workshop, Walden remains a possibility to fill the post. Although, the Oregon Republican stressed yesterday that he’d be plenty content with leading either the telecom or oversight subcommittee. “I enjoy energy issues, [but] I’m not moving to take away the energy stuff,” he told ME, referring to POLITICO’s reporting that the energy gavel is already wrapped and under Whitfield’s tree.
Happy Thursday and welcome to the season’s first – but likely not last – Christmas-themed edition of Morning Energy. E-mail your legislative holiday wish list to Josh Voorhees at jvoorhees@politico.com
TAX EXTENDERS – Expiring tax incentives for the ethanol and renewable industries could help ease the bitter pill that Democrats may have to swallow if they agree to the tax deal Obama and Republicans carved out, POLITICO’s Darren Goode reports. http://politi.co/eKHzor
So far, it appears as though some type of extension of the ethanol credits will make its way in the final package, but the fate of the Treasury grant program for renewables remains uncertain. While no one appears to be coming out and saying they need the tax incentives to vote for the overall package, some Democrats are coming awfully close to issuing that ultimatum. “They're getting close to being deal-breakers,” said Ben Nelson, who is supporting both the ethanol and renewable energy incentives. “There's no reason for them not to be” in the bill.
MORE E&C ACTION – The soon-to-be minority party made it official yesterday and decided Henry Waxman will remain the top Democrat on the panel. Next up will be subcommittee ranking member assignment, but those will need to wait until the Republicans announce the committee structure.
FILLING MARKEY’S SHOES – When asked earlier this week if he was interested in the ranking member slot on the energy and environment subcommittee, Gene Green told ME he’ll take what he can get. “I’m going to use my seniority for whichever is the most major subcommittee,” he said.
G.K. Butterfield told POLITICO yesterday that Bobby Rush will likely be the top Dem on telecom, and Frank Pallone will be the ranking member on health. “The unknown will be energy,” Butterfield said. Asked about Green, Butterfield said: “I’d support him, but he hasn’t asked me.”
** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: Nothing fuzzy about this math: Nat gas vehicles are 30% cleaner than traditional gas or diesel cars, while costing about half the price per gallon of traditional fuels:http://bit.ly/arwIwT **
E STAYING PUT – It appears as though Doc Hastings’s Christmas dream won’t come true. No official decision has been made, but lawmakers and aides say that the Energy and Commerce Committee will retain jurisdiction over the energy portfolio. “I think that’s been settled,” Burgess said. “I think that has, because clearly, they’re going ahead with making committee assignments, and it would be awfully unfair to do that and then change [it] after the fact.” POLITICO’s Darren Samuelsohn has more: http://politi.co/eU6OdJ
BACHMANN SEES THE LIGHT – Michele Bachmann, the tea party favorite who endorsed Barton, told POLITICO yesterday that Upton will make a good chairman despite his history with energy-efficient light bulbs. “I always believe the best about people and I like Fred Upton,” she said, adding that she never was “anti-Fred Upton.”
Bachmann said Upton has reassured her that he’s open to revisiting legislation he co-authored that would have phased out some incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy efficient light bulbs. “And I found that to be a real act of transparency and accountability. … He wasn’t being adamant, he was very open to that, and I appreciated his approach.”
NOT SO SECRET SANTA – Incoming Science and Tech Chairman Ralph Hall will also have a few gavels to hand out to his friends and colleagues in the coming weeks. He told ME yesterday that he has no plans to restructure any of the subcommittees and that there won’t be many surprises when it comes to who gets the gavels. “I’ll go on seniority pretty much,” he said.
The Texan wants Jim Sensenbrenner to lead the oversight subcommittee, assuming Paul Broun jumps over to E&C. “I don’t know what [Sensenbrenner’s] going to do with Judiciary, but if he’s available, that’s where he belongs,” Hall said in an interview. “But I don’t presently intend to change Dr. Broun from it. If Dr. Broun gets on Energy and Commerce, he’ll leave our committee. Otherwise, he’ll probably be the guy still because he did a good job.”
COAL FOR DANA ROHRABACHER? – “I don’t have anything in mind for him. He wants [a subcommittee chairmanship], but I can’t remember which one. … I told him I’d talk to him before I appointed anybody and I will,” Hall said. Asked if he’ll hold a grudge over the Californian’s decision to challenge for the full committee gavel, Hall responded: “I don’t like him any better for it, but that doesn’t bother me.”
HAPPY WITH WHAT HE’S GOT – Hall said he has no plans to give the Science Committee a bigger profile in the next Congress. “I’m satisfied,” he said. “We have enough to do. We have some real challenges; we have the global warming or global freezing and then we have the space, the NASA program, that’s enough for any one committee.”
CANCUN! 20!10! – CEQ chief Nancy Sutley and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack are both in Cancun today. Sutley speaks at 12:45 p.m. EST at an event highlighting the government’s efforts to reduce emissions from federal buildings. Vilsack will be speaking about how his department is helping farmers and ranchers deal with the threats posed by climate change. He’ll hold a conference call with reporters afterwards at 3:30 p.m. EST.
The Washington Post has a look today at the behind-the-scenes action going on in Cancun.http://wapo.st/gBL3lc
ALSO HAPPENING TODAY:
-- The American Council on Renewable Energy holds a daylong summit on federal renewable energy policy. Panel participants include: FERC Chairman John Wellinghoff (9:30 a.m.) and Google’s Dan Reicher (10:45 a.m.). Keynotes by: Reps. Chris Van Hollen, Bob Inglis and Roscoe Bartlett (12:45 p.m.), and Sen. John Thune and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (1:15 p.m.). Full agenda: http://bit.ly/fCqqPQ
--DOE’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee meets in L’Enfant Plaza to discuss, among other things, the agency’s exploration of small modular reactors. http://bit.ly/hjDB38
TOP TALKER – The Wall Street Journal today continues its recent front-page binge on drilling. The paper reports: “In the months before and after the rig exploded and sank … the industry was hit with several serious spills and alarming near-misses, some of them strikingly similar to what happened aboard the Deepwater Horizon.” http://on.wsj.com/g9rcLW
DRILLING UPDATE – The CR the House passed yesterday includes language that would triple the amount of time BOEMRE officials have to review a drilling plan to 90 days.
INTERIOR RESPONSE – The agency responded yesterday to criticism from Gulf state lawmakers over the drilling provision. “Thirty days … was never a sufficient time frame to conduct these reviews, and in light of the new safety and environmental protection requirements and policies the current time limitation is even less appropriate,” a spokeswoman e-mailed POLITICO. “Without this change, there would be significant additional costs for BOEMRE to significantly increase staff and contractors in order to meet these short time frames.”
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES – Oil billionaire and natural gas vehicle advocate T. Boone Pickens will be riding in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Pickens; his wife, Madeline; and SMU football coach June Jones will be riding on the Saving Americas Mustangs float, according to Jones and T. Boone’s tweets.
AND, ROLL CREDITS – POLITICO’s Robin Bravender, Darren Samuelsohn, Darren Goode and Dan Berman made things easy for your sick morning host by contributing a bounty of reporting to today’s edition of Morning Energy. Now if only one them would bring ME some chicken soup.
BACHMANN SEES THE LIGHT – Michele Bachmann, the tea party favorite who endorsed Barton, told POLITICO yesterday that Upton will make a good chairman despite his history with energy-efficient light bulbs. “I always believe the best about people and I like Fred Upton,” she said, adding that she never was “anti-Fred Upton.”
Bachmann said Upton has reassured her that he’s open to revisiting legislation he co-authored that would have phased out some incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy efficient light bulbs. “And I found that to be a real act of transparency and accountability. … He wasn’t being adamant, he was very open to that, and I appreciated his approach.”
NOT SO SECRET SANTA – Incoming Science and Tech Chairman Ralph Hall will also have a few gavels to hand out to his friends and colleagues in the coming weeks. He told ME yesterday that he has no plans to restructure any of the subcommittees and that there won’t be many surprises when it comes to who gets the gavels. “I’ll go on seniority pretty much,” he said.
The Texan wants Jim Sensenbrenner to lead the oversight subcommittee, assuming Paul Broun jumps over to E&C. “I don’t know what [Sensenbrenner’s] going to do with Judiciary, but if he’s available, that’s where he belongs,” Hall said in an interview. “But I don’t presently intend to change Dr. Broun from it. If Dr. Broun gets on Energy and Commerce, he’ll leave our committee. Otherwise, he’ll probably be the guy still because he did a good job.”
COAL FOR DANA ROHRABACHER? – “I don’t have anything in mind for him. He wants [a subcommittee chairmanship], but I can’t remember which one. … I told him I’d talk to him before I appointed anybody and I will,” Hall said. Asked if he’ll hold a grudge over the Californian’s decision to challenge for the full committee gavel, Hall responded: “I don’t like him any better for it, but that doesn’t bother me.”
HAPPY WITH WHAT HE’S GOT – Hall said he has no plans to give the Science Committee a bigger profile in the next Congress. “I’m satisfied,” he said. “We have enough to do. We have some real challenges; we have the global warming or global freezing and then we have the space, the NASA program, that’s enough for any one committee.”
CANCUN! 20!10! – CEQ chief Nancy Sutley and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack are both in Cancun today. Sutley speaks at 12:45 p.m. EST at an event highlighting the government’s efforts to reduce emissions from federal buildings. Vilsack will be speaking about how his department is helping farmers and ranchers deal with the threats posed by climate change. He’ll hold a conference call with reporters afterwards at 3:30 p.m. EST.
The Washington Post has a look today at the behind-the-scenes action going on in Cancun.http://wapo.st/gBL3lc
ALSO HAPPENING TODAY:
-- The American Council on Renewable Energy holds a daylong summit on federal renewable energy policy. Panel participants include: FERC Chairman John Wellinghoff (9:30 a.m.) and Google’s Dan Reicher (10:45 a.m.). Keynotes by: Reps. Chris Van Hollen, Bob Inglis and Roscoe Bartlett (12:45 p.m.), and Sen. John Thune and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (1:15 p.m.). Full agenda: http://bit.ly/fCqqPQ
--DOE’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee meets in L’Enfant Plaza to discuss, among other things, the agency’s exploration of small modular reactors. http://bit.ly/hjDB38
TOP TALKER – The Wall Street Journal today continues its recent front-page binge on drilling. The paper reports: “In the months before and after the rig exploded and sank … the industry was hit with several serious spills and alarming near-misses, some of them strikingly similar to what happened aboard the Deepwater Horizon.” http://on.wsj.com/g9rcLW
DRILLING UPDATE – The CR the House passed yesterday includes language that would triple the amount of time BOEMRE officials have to review a drilling plan to 90 days.
INTERIOR RESPONSE – The agency responded yesterday to criticism from Gulf state lawmakers over the drilling provision. “Thirty days … was never a sufficient time frame to conduct these reviews, and in light of the new safety and environmental protection requirements and policies the current time limitation is even less appropriate,” a spokeswoman e-mailed POLITICO. “Without this change, there would be significant additional costs for BOEMRE to significantly increase staff and contractors in order to meet these short time frames.”
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES – Oil billionaire and natural gas vehicle advocate T. Boone Pickens will be riding in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Pickens; his wife, Madeline; and SMU football coach June Jones will be riding on the Saving Americas Mustangs float, according to Jones and T. Boone’s tweets.
AND, ROLL CREDITS – POLITICO’s Robin Bravender, Darren Samuelsohn, Darren Goode and Dan Berman made things easy for your sick morning host by contributing a bounty of reporting to today’s edition of Morning Energy. Now if only one them would bring ME some chicken soup.
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