E2-Wire

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should be investigated for the way it estimates new costs stemming from regulations and requirements, according to two prominent Republicans.

In a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the lawmakers express suspicion of the cost analysis measures used by the federal nuclear watchdog.

Rumors have long swirled that Obama might link approval of the pipeline to policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers in the House announced on Thursday that they were forming a caucus for public transportation supporters.

The lawmakers, Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), said the caucus would "provide a forum for members of Congress to engage in constructive dialogue on the challenges and needs of mass transit agencies across the country."

“Buses, trains, and light rail that run safely and reliably reduce congestion on our roads, improve travel times across all modes, cut down on air pollution, and make our communities more attractive places to live, work, and own businesses,” Lipinski said in a statement. 

The Washington Post looks at the politics of energy in the race for governor of Virginia. Read more...

In a 241 to 175 vote, the House approved a bill that would take the decision of building Keystone out of Obama's hands.

Tom Steyer's engagement is a potentially pivotal development that the climate activist and aides hope will boost Rep. Edward Markey.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will convene a meeting Thursday on “best practices and environmental concerns.”

Vanishing Arctic sea ice and ecological threats from maritime oil traffic will present big challenges to the incoming generation of U.S. Coast Guard officers, Vice President Biden said Wednesday.

Biden, speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy commencement, said the “new fault lines” between nations are the global shipping lanes and straits that enable commerce but also bring security and environmental risks.

“You graduate into a world where our environmental security, our shorelines, our fisheries — all are threatened by this country’s need to drill in deep seas and transport hundreds of billions of gallons of oil on the high seas,” he said in New London, Conn.

“You graduate into a world where the consequences of global warming offer the possibility of ice-free passage across Arctic regions that didn’t exist when you were born — presenting entirely new challenges that will demand greater international cooperation,” Biden said, according to a White House transcript.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) noted Wednesday that a carbon tax could generate “significant” revenues for the United States and avert “catastrophic” effects of climate change.

CBO said in a new report that there are many uncertainties about how to design and implement a carbon tax, but waiting too long to curb greenhouse gas emissions would have clear results.

“[D]elays would increase the expected damage from climate change by increasing the risk of very costly, potentially even catastrophic, outcomes. … In general, the risk of costly damage is higher as the extent of warming increases and as the pace of warming picks up; thus, failing to limit emissions soon increases that risk,” the report said.

Legislators in the Senate are unveiling a bipartisan agreement to update federal toxic chemical regulations, though environmental groups are responding with mixed emotions.

Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and David Vitter (R-La.) on Wednesday released an agreement to update the Toxic Substances Control Act, the consumer safety law passed in 1976.

The bill, which has the support of 14 other senators from both parties, gives new powers to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and lays out a clearer path for bringing new chemicals to the market.