Dems on spending bill: EPA riders out, study of agency regs in

Senate Democrats engaged in high-stakes talks on a federal spending package have agreed to accept an interagency review of the effects of Environmental Protection Agency regulations in exchange for Republicans dropping policy riders restricting various EPA rules, top Democrats said Friday.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Friday the spending plan the parties are racing to craft does not include any GOP-backed riders to block funding for various EPA regulations, including greenhouse-gas rules.

However, Democrats have agreed to an interagency review of the effects of EPA regulations, Boxer told reporters in the Capitol.

“There are no provisions that would block any funding for EPA regulations,” said Boxer, who heads the Environment and Public Works Committee.

“There are no riders involving EPA. That is my understanding. Period. Now when I say my understanding, it is because there is no deal [that is] final. But at this stage there are no riders,” she added.

Sen. Patty Murray, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, confirmed Democrats have agreed to the study.

Republicans have been seeking provisions in a six-month spending plan that would prevent EPA from implementing greenhouse-gas permitting rules, air toxics standards for cement plants and other regulations.

It’s not clear what the interagency study would look like, but many Republicans have long alleged that EPA analyses of various air pollution rules and other policies fail to adequately gauge their economic effect.

House and Senate Republicans are pushing legislation that would mandate a new interagency analysis of certain rules to better understand their effect on competitiveness, energy costs, employment and other issues.

Democrats also said the plan does not thwart regulation of mountaintop removal coal-mining practices.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Friday morning that provisions on mountaintop-removal coal mining are among a number of sticking points in the negotiations. But he told reporters Friday afternoon a mountain-top removal rider had been dropped.