Energy and Climate Debate -

With the November 20 deadline looming, Congress will focus much of this week on the surface transportation bill as House and Senate conferees try to quickly negotiate differences on H.R. 22 and enact the first multi-year highway authorization law since 2012. The measure would renew highway and surface transportation programs for six years, paying for three of them. Conferees are expected to meet on Wednesday, and the House is taking up legislation to extend the current authorization through December 4, giving Congress an additional two weeks to negotiate past Friday’s deadline.

Shortly thereafter, Congress must come to an agreement on the 12 spending bills by December 11, and though appropriators are trying to get the package ready as soon as possible, sorting out specific allocations and negotiating riders, as well as taking into account the Thanksgiving holiday recess, means that finalization of the $80 billion omnibus is not truly expected until the week of December 7. Congressional Democrats said last month that they would oppose the inclusion of all policy riders, but they appear to be softening their stance, opening up the possibility for Congressional Republicans to attach, among other things, a handful of riders that target environmental policy issues, with language to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s waters of the U.S. and ozone rules as most likely contenders for inclusion, though unsuccessful efforts will also be made to attach Clean Power Plan and new and modified power plant language as well.