Hill Heat

Sen. Menendez presiding.

Witnesses:

• James L. Connaughton, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President

• Jim Lyons, Vice President for Policy and Communication, Oxfam America
• Elliot Diringer, Director of International Strategies, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
• Glen Prickett, Senior Vice President, Business and U.S. Government Relations, Conservation International
• John J. Castellani, President, Business Roundtable

Sen. Barbara Boxer continues the investigation.

• Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency

• Martin O’Malley, Governor of Maryland
• Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont
• Edward G. Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania
• Mike Cox, Attorney General, State of Michigan
• Doug Haaland, Director of Member Services, Assembly Republican Caucus, State of California

• David D. Doniger, Policy Director, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Counci
• Jeffrey R. Holmstead, Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani

Just a few hours after its release in Europe, a new global warming pollution auction-and-trade system will arrive on American soil tomorrow morning at a hearing before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. A leading figure in the European Commission’s carbon market will appear before the Select Committee to discuss how the European Union has shifted from a pollution trading scheme where credits are given out for free to a system where companies must bid on credits.

“Because this administration has refused to push forward on global warming policy, we must look to the E.U. and other countries for lessons on global warming policy,” said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Select Committee. “Europe has learned some hard lessons which can help America avoid policy pitfalls and reduce carbon dioxide emissions sooner and more effectively.”

The hearing will examine the role of auction or allocation systems for global warming emissions credits in a cap-and-trade climate bill. Along with several prominent witnesses from the United States, Peter Zapfel, Coordinator for Carbon Markets and Energy Policy, European Commission – Environment Directorate General, will cover these new developments in the E.U.

• Peter Zapfel, Coordinator for Carbon Markets and Energy Policy, European Commission – Environment Directorate General
• Hon. Ian Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Dallas Burtraw, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future
• John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress
• Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, Center on Budget Policies and Priorities

EE News:

Advisory panel expected to put gas tax increase plan before House committee

Alex Kaplun, E&E Daily reporter

A House panel is poised to open a debate this week into increasing the federal gas tax as a means for funneling additional dollars toward bridge repairs, highway construction and other transportation projects.

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to examine a report from the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, which is expected to outline a series of recommendations for improving the country’s transportation infrastructure.

The report will not be formally released until tomorrow morning but reports late last week indicate that the majority of the 12-member panel will endorse raising the gas tax to pay for a wide range of transportation initiatives. The size of the proposed increase to the 18.4 cent per gallon tax remains unclear and could range from as little as a dime or as much as a quarter per gallon.

Three members of the panel – including Transportation Secretary Mary Peters – are expected to oppose the increase. The Bush administration has consistently opposed any boost to the gas tax, arguing that it is an inefficient way to pay for future transportation projects.

Still, several key lawmakers in the last couple years have said that Congress should explore increasing the tax to inject extra dollars into federal transportation funds that are failing to keep up with the nation’s needs. But the idea has yet to gain any significant traction on Capitol Hill.

In the wake of last summer’s Minnesota bridge collapse, T&I Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) proposed a temporary five-cent gas tax increase to repair and replace bridges across the United States. The increase would sunset after three years and raise roughly $25 billion over that period.

Oberstar’s plan never made it out of committee before the end of the last session of Congress. It remains to be seen whether he will try to revive a similar plan this year.

But one influential Republican has already come out against any proposal to increase the gas tax, saying that it would place an extra burden on consumers without substantially increasing federal transportation dollars.

“This is a disappointment and probably even a big waste of tax dollars. A special commission came up with an old, cold, bad idea,” said Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). “Raising the gas tax puts the brunt of the long-term trust fund expenses on automobile drivers, when diesel trucks and other heavy vehicles also use the highways.”

The House begins a new round of global warming hearings this year.

• James Connaughton, chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will question members of the Bush Administration regarding the delay of a decision to list polar bears under the Endangered Species Act until after a controversial lease sale for oil drilling off of Alaska. The hearing will also feature experts on wildlife protection and oil drilling.

Earlier this week, the Interior Department announced it would miss the statutory deadline to reach a decision on listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), saying it would take up to a month more to reach the decision. That would put the listing decision one day after the sale of oil drilling rights in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, scheduled for February 6th. The Chukchi Sea is a sensitive polar bear habitat.

In the most thorough study to date, the Interior Department determined that under current trends, disappearing sea ice would result in a two-thirds drop in the world population of polar bears resulting in the disappearance of polar bears from Alaska by 2050.

• Mr. Dale Hall, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service
• Mr. Randall Luthi, Director, Minerals Management Service
• Dr. Steven Amstrup, Polar Bear Team Leader, U.S. Geological Survey

• Ms. Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President, Defenders of Wildlife
• Ms. Deborah Williams, President, Alaska Conservation Solutions
• Ms. Kassie Siegel, Director, Climate, Air and Energy Program, Center for Biological Diversity

The National Council for Science and the Environment invites you to participate in the 8th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment to develop and advance science-based solutions to climate change.

Join us in the dialogue with leading scientists, policy makers, industry leaders, educators, and other solutions-oriented innovators to develop comprehensive strategies for protecting people and the planet against the threat of climate change.

The three-day conference will be held January 16-18, 2008, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. An interactive agenda features skill-building workshops, targeted breakout sessions, plenary sessions, and symposia to provide participants with an expansive understanding of climate change solutions—and how we can achieve them.

Energy: A Conversation About Our National Addiction BIOFUELS, AT WHAT COST? with Glenn Prickett of Conservation International

Co Sponsored by: DoD, DoE, USDA, EPA, DoT, DHS, DoI, FERC, Commerce, State, Labor, NASA, NSF and DNI on behalf of the entire Intelligence Community

January 14, 2008 5:30-6:15 PM Reception 6:15-8:30 PM Presentation & Discussion

Doubletree Hotel 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA

Biofuel subsidies continue to change at a very fast rate and do little to constrain the enormous environmental issues that arise when so much land and water are used to produce fuel. Glenn Prickett, Senior Vice President for Business and U.S. Government Relations at Conservation International, will address these issues and more at our first seminar of the new year. Join the Conversation.

Please RSVP to Sarah Minczeski, minczes@cna.org.

• THERE IS NO REGISTRATION FEE
• Registration is not mandatory but STRONGLY encouraged
• Refreshments: A vegetarian friendly buffet is available for $10.
• Transportation. The Pentagon City Metro on the blue/yellow line is just 3 blocks from the hotel.
• Parking: Street parking is limited. Hotel parking with validation costs $8.