OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Where does Keystone bill go now?

by Laura Barron-Lopez and Timothy Cama - 02/25/15 6:23 PM ET

GOP’S NEXT MOVES ON KEYSTONE: Shortly after President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL bill Tuesday, the GOP began mobilizing to try and override the veto.

To do so, Keystone’s supporters will have to convince some Democrats to buck President Obama and support the pipeline.

{mosads}Part of the effort, from the National Republican Congressional Committee, focuses on robo-calls to voters in states with vulnerable Democratic senators.

In the House, Republicans launched an investigation into how the State Department is conducting its lengthy review into whether or not Keystone is in the country’s national interest.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the Senate will try to override the veto by March 3.

ON TAP THURSDAY: BUDGET HEARINGS …

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Gina McCarthy will testify before a House Appropriations subpanel on the agency’s budget request for 2016. It will be the second House hearing for McCarthy in as many days to talk about the EPA’s budget.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will testify before a different House Appropriations subpanel on the Energy Department’s budget request for 2016.

Thomas Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the service’s 2016 budget.

Rest of Thursday’s agenda …

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s subpanel on the Interior Department and EPA will hold a hearing to examine the impacts of the EPA’s air and water pollution regulations. The panel will hear from the attorneys general for Montana and Arkansas, in addition to two officials from Nera Economic Consulting, which has conducted a number of studies on various EPA regulations. It is the first hearing for the new committee, headed by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) will hold a press conference to announce the reintroduction of a bill aimed at finding “a path forward for coal” and ensuring that it remains a major fuel source for the country while meeting environmental goals. She introduced similar legislation last year that was aimed at increasing federal support for various efforts around carbon capture technology.

NEWS BITE: The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) flew in representatives from member companies Wednesday to lobby lawmakers to change the ethanol mandate in the renewable fuel standard.

Franchisees operating Wendy’s, TGI Friday’s and Arby’s restaurants were among the people on Capitol Hill for the event, said Rob Green, the group’s executive director.

The NCCR’s argument is that the ethanol mandate increases corn prices, which increases the cost of food supplies for restaurants.

“The concern is that it increases food commodity costs and the costs to consumers,” Green said.

NCCR members met with members and staff from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and leadership offices.

“Our real ask is to have the Energy and Commerce Committee mark up legislation that would address the RFS,” Green said.

AROUND THE WEB:

The operator of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said it failed to report a radioactive water leak at the facility for months, NBC News reports.

Environmentalists are hoping to stop a plan by Royal Dutch Shell to use the Port of Seattle as a launching point for its planned Arctic Ocean oil drilling this summer, KING 5 news reports.

Carbon emissions permits in California’s cap and trade system sold for $12.21 a ton at the state’s first auction of the year, the Sacramento Bee reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out Wednesday’s stories …

– Yellen: Drop in oil price an ‘overall plus’ for economy
– Chemical agency officials used private email accounts, watchdog says
– GOP battles with EPA over rules
– Sen. King: Climate impacts on Arctic are ‘canary in coal mine’
– Bloomberg: US should negotiate with Canada on Keystone
– House GOP probes Obama’s Keystone XL decision
– House GOP targets vulnerable Dems with Keystone robo-calls