Download Washington Update – Daily Briefing

WASHINGTON UPDATE
DECEMBER 4, 2007
BUILDING REGIONAL COMMUNITIES – LARGE, SMALL, URBAN AND RURAL – THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING
**REGISTER TODAY – 2008 National Conference of Regions, Feb. 4 – 6, 2008**
Appropriations –
Senate Leadership Puts Approps Bills as Top Priority
Senate Majority Leader Reid is looking to finish the 2008 appropriations bills to avoid enacting a
continuing resolution (CR) into next year. Likewise, Minority Leader McConnell is urging both
parties to work together to get the spending bills passed, but also touted administration rhetoric
about avoiding war funding conditions.
Homeland Security –
Reports Reveal Proposed Cuts to First-Responder Grants
The Bush administration released a report detailing that a first-responder grant program could be
cut in half in the fiscal 2009 budget request. This reduction could lead to the elimination of firstresponder grants for port security, transit security and emergency management programs. State
and local governments, which receive funding under the grant programs, also could stand to lose
under the reported funding reductions. Congress seems to have enough support to kill this type of
administration effort that might arise.
The current 2008 Homeland Security Appropriations bills, which have not been conferenced,
include $7.2 billion in the House version for and the Senate version includes $6.9 billion for FEMA
respectively. These totals exceed the $5 billion that Bush proposed in his fiscal 2008 budget.
Environment –
Senate to Markup Climate Change Bills
Today the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will mark up several bills on
research and solution strategies for climate change. These bills include S 1581, Federal Ocean
Acidification Research And Monitoring (FOARAM) Act of 2007; S 2307, Global Change Research
Improvement Act of 2007; S 2355, Climate Change Adaptation Act; and, HR 3221, New Direction
for Energy Independence, National Security and Consumer Protection Act. These bills will be aimed
at helping federal, state and local officials adapt to the possible consequences of global warming.
Bill Highlights:
 S 2307 – would set up a “national climate service” within the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, to assess the impacts of climate change at state and local
levels, as well as would require a new strategic plan for the Global Change Research
Program. To read more about this bill, visit http://www.thomas.gov/cgibin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02307:.

S 2355 – would require the president to prepare a strategy for addressing the impacts of
climate change in the United States and require departments and agencies to prepare a
detailed adaptation plan. The Commerce secretary would be responsible for conducting
regional assessments. To read more about this bill, visit http://www.thomas.gov/cgibin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02355:.

S 1581 – would establish an interagency committee on ocean acidification. To read more
about this bill, visit http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.01581:.
White House Signals That It Might Veto Energy Bill
By Steven Mufson
Tuesday, December 4, 2007; D01
From The Washington Post
Efforts by members of Congress to pass an energy bill hit another bump yesterday when the White
House suggested that President Bus might veto the bill, but Democratic leaders said they would not
alter the package assembled last week after intense negotiating over fuel efficiency standards.
Allan B. Hubbard, director of the National Economic Council, said in a letter yesterday to House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that the energy package failed to meet criteria he set out in
October and that "it appears Congress may intend to produce a bill the President cannot sign."
But after Pelosi met for more than an hour with Hubbard at the Capitol last night, her spokesman,
Drew Hammill, said that "the speaker is hopeful that, when the president reviews the final bill
language, he will join the business, labor and environmental communities and support this
legislation."
Hubbard objected to a provision that would require utilities to use renewable electricity sources for
at least 15 percent of their power generation by 2020. The provision would allow utilities to count
energy efficiency as up to 4 percent of that amount. Many utilities in the Southeast, especially
Southern Co. of Atlanta, have complained that they cannot meet this target, and Sen. Pete
Domenici (R-N.M.) said it would make the bill "untenable for many in the Senate."
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), when asked whether there were enough votes to
pass the energy package in the Senate, said: "I think, yes, we do have enough votes. But time will
tell."
Hubbard also said that the president preferred his own "alternative" fuel standard to the
compromise language worked out by the House and Senate to set minimum levels of biofuel use.
Democrats believe that by using the word "alternative" instead of "renewable," Hubbard was
signaling a desire to include liquid fuels derived from coal.
In addition, Hubbard said the proposed legislation leaves "ambiguous" the role of the Environmental
Protection Agency in setting mileage standards, a reference to the possibility that court rulings
might require the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Chrysler has led a push
to make sure that the EPA will not be able to make fuel efficiency standards more stringent.
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who has introduced several fuel efficiency bills since 2001, said
he doubted that Bush would veto the bill because public opinion is heavily in favor of greater fuel
efficiency and renewable use. Markey also said that the fuel savings would be a "huge
downpayment" on what the United States would need to do to meet widely accepted greenhouse
gas targets by 2030.
"It's a tough thing to veto," Markey said.
Miscellaneous –
Bush blasts Senate over pro forma sessions
By Klaus Marre
From The Hill
President Bush Monday welcomed back Congress by criticizing Democrats for their priorities and
blasting the Senate for using a procedural maneuver to prevent him from making recess
appointments.
“In a political maneuver designed to block my ability to make recess appointments, congressional
leaders arranged for a senator to come in every three days or so, bang a gavel, wait for about 30
seconds, bang a gavel again, and then leave,” Bush said. “Under the Senate rules, this counts as a
full day. If 30 seconds is a full day, no wonder Congress has got a lot of work to do.”
Senate Democrats had held pro forma sessions throughout the Thanksgiving break to keep the
Senate “in session” and block Bush from making recess appointments.
Bush also criticized the Democrats’ continued efforts to end the war in Iraq. He reiterated threats
made by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that a failure to get war funds would force the Pentagon
to soon begin sending out layoff notices.
The president also called on Congress to pass a permanent update to the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act that is to his liking, a fix that will shield taxpayers from the Alternative Minimum
Tax, and the bulk of fiscal year 2008 spending bills that remains undone.
Today’s Hearings/Markups –
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold an Executive Session
Markup on Tuesday, December 4th at 2:30pm in 253 Russell to consider the following: S. 2307,
Global Change Research Improvement Act of 2007; S. 2355, Climate Change Adaptation Act of
2007; and, others.
Upcoming Hearings/Markups –
House Budget Committee hearing on the “State of the U.S. Economy and Implications
for the Federal Budget” on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 10am in 210 Cannon.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the Clean Water Restoration
Act of 2007 on Thursday, December 6 at 10am in 2167 Rayburn.