On the Horizon…

April 20: 8th Anniversary of BP Oil Spill

April 22: Earth Day

April 21-29: National Parks Week

April 24: EPA Coal Ash hearing in Arlington VA

April 26: Pruitt before House Energy and Commerce

May 1: White House FY18 recission package release

May 9: Zinke before Senate Appropriations Committee

 

Letters:

• Border wall: Sign onto #NoBorderWall coalition FY19 Sign-On letter by COB FRIDAY April 20 here
• Monuments: Please fill out this form to sign your organization onto the letter on national monuments and the Antiquities Act (Deadline extended to EOD Friday, April 20). If you have any questions, please email arubio@lcv.org.
• ESA: Sign onto letter urging the Department of Interior to withdraw from White House review its proposal to rescind the longstanding blanket 4(d) rule for all threatened species protected by the Endangered Species Act. .Here is the google link to sign on: https://goo.gl/forms/LjAlLrPRJ2Rs4nLc2. The deadline for this letter is COB Friday, April 27, 2018.
• CPP comment letter: If your organization has not already, please consider signing onto the comment letter to register your organization’s opposition here https://goo.gl/forms/2V5yCksQkVGjdYob2. The last day to comment on this proposed repeal is April 26^th, so please sign on by 5 PM EST April 24^th . Link to the form (and letter text): https://goo.gl/forms/2V5yCksQkVGjdYob2

 

Help Needed:

• BP Oil Spill Anniversary tomorrow, 4/20
  • Thunderclap and tweetstorm scheduled for 12p EST/9a PST
  • Sign on for thunderclap here
  • Social toolkit here
• Help recruit Tricaucus members to FY19 EPA budget letter before next week!
  • At about 30 members signed on now -- need to get to 60!
  • Targets and tracking spreadsheet can be found here.
  • Reach out to Melissa Vargas <mvargas@edf.org> with any questions!  
• Defend Our Future twitter chat with Rep. Carlos Curbelos
  • 2:30 EST today
  • Promote here
• League of Conservation Voters released a special report yesterday highlighting environmental leadership from members of Congressional Caucuses of color
  • Report here
  • Share and retweet
• Sign up to speak at the EPA Coal Ash hearing on 4/24 in Arlington  
• GreenLatinos fly-in this week with an emphasis on cars and NEPA -- look for guidance to amplify! 
• Attend rally with AFGE at 12pm on April 25 at Federal Triangle outside the EPA!  

Intel 

• FERC meeting today on pipeline approval policy 
  
• Vote on Bridensteine today 
• Rep. Diana DeGette and Udall led more than 100 colleagues to send a letter to Zinke opposing the Bureau of Land Management's proposal to reverse the Methane Waste Prevention Rule.
• The Interior Department will start conducting an environmental review for possible oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
  
• The Senate approps process will move through regular order -- we could see Senate bills being markedup or even moved to the floor by June 

BP Oil Spill Anniversary

• 8th anniversary on Friday
• Tweetstorm at 12pm EST with Climate Safe Caucus
• Cantwell introducing a bill this afternoon that would codify the well control rule and the Arctic standards recs that came from the commission after the spill
• >> Sign on for thunderclap here
• >> Social toolkit here

Pruitt Updates

• Main messages today:
  • Likely in Indiana today making a visit to a metal superfund site
  • Large coalition of enviro/civil rights/labor groups placed full page ads calling for Pruitt. Story here. resignation in NYT (DC edition), NY Post, and Oklahoman 
  • Congressional resolution introduced! 

• Pruitt Hearing 
  • Plans are coming together for visibility and actions around Pruitt on the Hill next week
  • Join the 9:30 Boot Pruitt calls to plug in 
  • >> Attend rally with AFGE at 12pm on April 25 at Federal Triangle outside the EPA! 

 

Government Funding

• FY19 policy resources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q4eFUo7-HI2Zs1zeg7sBJCGH5AKFZlKk71lwDJ4GTF8/edi
• Tricaucus is circulating an FY19 letter on EPA funding to members. The letter calls for a 10% increase in funding. Deadline for members to sign on is 4/24 ahead of the Pruitt hearing.
  • At about 30 members signed on now -- need to get to 60!
  • >> Targets and tracking spreadsheet can be found here.
  • Reach out to Melissa Vargas <mvargas@edf.org> with any questions!
• New hearings scheduled:
  • Pruitt now going before House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Approps on 4/26 
  • Zinke will be before Senate Approps on May 9

Open Comment Periods

Topic	Agency	Status	Deadline
DOE Emergency Authority	DOE	Open
Clean Power Plan Repeal	EPA	Open	4/26
BLM Methane Replacement	BLM	Open	4/23
Coal Ash	EPA	Open	4/30
Proposed changes to Categorical Exclusions	BIA	Open	5/4