OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Republicans push natural gas exports
FINDING DEMS WEAK SPOT: Republicans are pushing more natural gas exports, and in doing so could find a weak spot to hit the administration and fellow Democrats on when it comes to foreign policy and energy.
European countries are calling for more U.S. natural gas and Republicans are picking up the plea, claiming the administration has exhibited weakness in the current Ukrainian crisis.
{mosads}”With the current shale gas revolution in the United States, American companies are seeking to export gas, including to Europe. But the existing bureaucratic hurdles for the approval of the export licenses to non-FTA countries like the Visegrad countries are a major hurdle,” the letter said.
The Natural Gas Act presently allows for exports to Free Trade Agreement countries but not World Trade Organization member countries, which includes much of Central and Eastern European nations.
E2-Wire has more here.
UP ALL NIGHT FOR CLIMATE: Senate Democrats are on the Senate floor right now and will continue to be into the night as the country sleeps in an attempt to “wake up” their colleagues to the threats of climate change.
Will it be successful?
Republicans don’t seem too pleased that they are being cornered as climate skeptics, and others argue Democrats should be paying attention to what they say are more pressing issues.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the Senate floor ahead of the all-nighter, blasting Democrats for making excuses while families in Appalachia are losing work due to the Obama administration’s proposed rules on coal-fired power plants.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a known climate change skeptic and opponent of Obama’s climate agenda, is the only Republican expected to speak during the all-night session.
The pushback isn’t stopping Democrats, however, who will keep the lights on all night and into the morning on Tuesday, wrapping up at about 9 a.m.
ON TAP TUESDAY: Building trade union leaders will join oil and gas lobby the American Petroleum Institute at a press conference, urging the immediate approval of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Leaders from the North America’s Building Trades, Laborers International and the International Union of Operating Engineers will speak at the event.
Rest of Tuesday’s agenda …
On Tuesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will hold a roundtable talk on the whistleblowers who were fired after raising safety concerns at the Hanford site before the hearing.
NEWS BITES:
Dispatches from the climate change all-nighter on the Senate floor …
“Climate change is not a problem of the future, it is increasing acidification in the oceans today,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on Monday evening.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said he plans for the Senate Commerce Committee to hold a hearing and possibly take it to Florida where he will show the coastal erosion occurring due to climate change.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
– McConnell: Climate change talkathon will be ’30 hours of excuses’
– Rubio warns of UN Internet ‘takeover’
– Europe calls for more US natural gas exports
– WH ‘absolutely’ behind climate talkathon
– Rubio calls for end to crude oil export ban
– Week ahead: Dems to pull climate all-nighter in Senate
Please send tips and comments to Laura Barron-Lopez, laurab@thehill.com.
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