E&E: BUDGET:Green groups urge cutting environmental riders from debt ceiling bill

Nick Juliano, E&E reporter
Published: Thursday, September 26, 2013

A coalition of environmental groups is urging congressional leaders to avoid including controversial environmental and energy-policy provisions in legislation being crafted to increase the debt ceiling. More than two dozen groups yesterday sent a letter to House and Senate leaders from both parties in response to reports that House Republicans are preparing a debt ceiling bill that would include a long wish list of GOP priorities. Among the measures being written into the bill are mandatory approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, an end to U.S. EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, and expanded oil and natural drilling on federal lands and offshore (E&ENews PM, Sept. 20).

“These riders would increase costs to American families through higher health care costs and reduced value of environmental values and natural systems that sustain us all,” wrote the groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters and National Parks Conservation Association.

House leaders are expected to formally introduce their debt ceiling package later today. In addition to the energy provisions, the bill also is expected to propose several changes to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as well as GOP policy goals in other areas.

The debt ceiling will have to be raised by Oct. 17 to prevent a government default, the Treasury Department said yesterday. Congress also continues to work on a stopgap spending bill, with the Senate continuing to debate its proposed changes to a House-passed continuing resolution that could be sent back to the lower chamber by this weekend.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said this morning that he would not accept the “clean” CR Senate Democrats are expected to send him, setting up another round of legislative pingpong that would occur with little time remaining to avoid a Tuesday government shutdown.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

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