In This Issue:

Energy and Climate Debate; Congress; Administration; Department of Agriculture; Department of Energy; Department of Treasury; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; International; States; Sustainability; And Miscellaneous.

Energy and Climate Debate -

The House took the lead on energy issues last week. On Wednesday, the House approved H.R. 2609, the FY14 Energy and Water Appropriations bill; the package includes $30.4 billion in funding, including $24.6 billion for the Department of Energy. However, as the $34.8 billion Senate version allocates $28.2 billion for the Department of Energy, a conference is needed to reconcile the two bills. The next day, the House approved H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. A conference committee is also needed for this bill as there are many differences between the House and Senate versions, namely an energy title present in the Senate bill but lacking in the House version. More detailed discussions on the two bills are below.