The Congress continues to be focused on health care, with energy and climate change continuing on the backburner.  Members in both chambers nevertheless continue substantive conversations.  Most of the action on energy will be in the various appropriations subcommittees.  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will appear before the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, where she will likely be asked about Administrative rulemaking on stationary sources of greenhouse gasses and what, if anything, the Administration plans to do.  Secretary Chu will appear before the House Energy and Water subcommittee and the Senate Appropriations committee. Likely topics will be carbon capture and storage, alternative and renewable energy funding, hydrogen, and nuclear loan guarantees.  Also appearing before the committees will be Interior Secretary Salazar and Commerce Secretary Locke.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lisa Jackson, U.S. EPA  Administrator, will testify before the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee  to defend the White House’s $10 billion budget request for EPA. The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. in Room 124 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, will testify before the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee to defend the White House’s FY 2011 budget for the Department of Energy. The hearing will be held at 12:00 p.m. in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the President’s FY 2011 budget for the U.S. Department of Interior. Secretary, Ken Salazar, will testify before the Senate at 10:00 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will also hold a hearing to consider the nominations of Larry Persily as Alaska’s coordinator for natural gas transmission projects and Patricia Hoffman as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Electricity Delivery and Energy Liability. The hearing is scheduled before the budget hearing at 10:00 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, will testify before the Senate Committee on Appropriations to defend the White House’s FY 2011 budget for the Department of Energy. The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Room 192 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a hearing on the Department of Commerce FY2011 budget which significantly increases climate satellite spending. Witnesses include Gary F. Locke, Secretary of  Commerce and Todd J. Zinser, Inspector General of Commerce. The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Room 138 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Secretary of Commerce, Gary F. Locke, will also appear before the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee regarding Commerce’s  FY2011 budget. The hearing will be held at 2:00 p.m. in Room 2359 in the Rayburn House Office Building.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to “examine the Department of Energy’s implementation of programs authorized and funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.” The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Witnesses include Matthew Rogers, senior adviser to the Secretary for recovery act implementation, DOE; Malcolm Woolf, director, Maryland Energy Administration, and vice chair for the National Association of State Energy Officials; Patricia Dalton, managing director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO; and Michele Nellenbach of the National Governors Association.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Clean Air Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing entitled, “”Legislative Hearing: S. 2995, The Clean Air Act Amendments of 2010.”  The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

For further information about this topic, please contact Akin Gump.