In This Issue:

- Energy and Climate Debate

- Congress

- Department of Agriculture

- Department of Energy

- Department of Treasury

- Environmental Protection Agency

- International

- States

- Sustainability

- Miscellaneous

- Excerpt from Energy and Climate Debate:

Budget hearings continue this week, following a week during which budget reviews and tax extenders negotiations dominated much of the national energy and environment agenda.

The Senate Finance Committee approved April 3 an $85.3 billion package extending through 2015 more than 50 tax provisions that expired at the end of last year. During the committee mark up, senators approved eight amendments to Chairman Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) revised draft. While the package that passed out of committee generally did not make substantive changes, the committee did vote to make the tax credit for research and experimentation available to small, start-up businesses without income tax liability. The modification would tie the tax credit to employment taxes rather than income taxes for small companies with fewer than $5 million in receipts and less than five years old.