In This Issue:

- Energy and Climate Debate

- Congress

- Administration

- Department of Agriculture

- Department of Commerce

- Department of Energy

- Department of Defense

- Department of Interior

- Department of State

- Department of Treasury

- Environmental Protection Agency

- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

- Government Accountability Office

- Nuclear Regulatory Commission

- International

- States

- Sustainability

- Miscellaneous

- Excerpt from Energy and Climate Debate:

Congress returns from the Presidents Day recess, and energy and climate issues will heat up again this work period as Congress sends the Keystone XL pipeline legislation to President Obama, committees consider fiscal year 2016 spending requests, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) prepare to introduce a broad energy efficiency package, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee holds a workshop on the Clean Power Plan, all in the midst of a calendar filled with other issues such as funding for the Department of Homeland Security, nominations, the Doc Fix, an authorization for the use of force against ISIS, and a handful of other potential measures.

The tax reform debate is expected to continue in the coming days, weeks, and months, though it is becoming increasingly likely that comprehensive tax reform may be too difficult a lift this year. If Congress is unable to come to an agreement on tax reform, we will turn increasingly to tax extenders as we near the end of the year. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI) clashed February 12 over the committee’s decision to make permanent several expired tax provisions ahead of any discussion of broader tax reform, including a permanent tax credit for research and experimentation (H.R. 880) and a permanent deduction for state and local sales taxes (H.R. 622). The committee approved the same day changes to tax-favored college savings accounts under Section 529 (H.R. 529). Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is still considering how to move forward with broader tax reform, and the Obama administration opposes taking up tax extenders separately without budget offsets.