Heather Zichal Promotes Clean Energy Economy, Keystone Again on Legis Agenda, WaPO on Natural Gas

Deputy Assistant to the President on Energy and Climate Change, Heather Zichal has an op-ed in POLITICO in advance of Earth Day about the myriad of Administrative initiatives to support a clean economy for America.  She outlines a list of proposals by this Administration to supports small businesses, encourage broad-based economic growth and protect the health and welfare of its people and environment.  Zichal points to the record number of legislation initiated in Congress to that, in the opinion of the Administration, are anti-environment.

Like the energizer bunny, the relentless House of Representatives has yet again put the Keystone XL pipeline back in the national spotlight, attaching language green-lighting the pipeline to a 90-day extension of transportation programs. The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday on the extension, which means it could be on the House floor as soon as Wednesday.

The Washington Post has a lead editorial today on the critical role of cheap natural gas to today's energy supply.  Using natural gas to run heavy fleet vehicles is a good thing, they say.  But the rules about to be finalized at the EPA, which would require natural gas producers to prevent leaks from wells, pipelines, storage tanks and other infrastructure could have a significantly higher impact on the environment.  These rules, would reduce the release of volatile organic compounds that form dangerous smog, but the EPA estimates that they would also result in the collection of 3.4 million tons of methane annually, a quarter of current methane emissions from the sector. On top of environmental benefits, gas producers would have more product to sell. Reducing leaks might not be a money-making proposition at every well — and the industry naturally claims the government is off in its figures — but the EPA reckons that, overall, new standards will save the industry about $30 million a year committee.