Recently in Washington

Simpson Hails Passage of Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has hailed passage of legislation to clarify federal regulation of pesticides by the House of Representatives.  H.R. 935, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, would remove duplicative requirements that have added layers of paperwork on top of day-to-day operations for small businesses, farmers, and local governments by clarifying that pesticides which are already regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) are not also regulated under the Clean Water Act.  The bill, of which Simpson is a cosponsor, reinstates EPA’s long-standing position on the issue, which was overturned as the result of a lawsuit in 2009.

“This ruling didn’t make applying pesticides any safer; all it did was create duplicative and unnecessary new regulations that cost money and increase the risk of litigation for local governments, irrigation districts, and farmers and ranchers,” said Simpson.  “Passing this legislation is common sense, and I’m hopeful that the Senate will act quickly on the bill so that we can address this issue once and for all.”

Simpson has been a cosponsor of similar legislation since 2011.  H.R. 935 is bipartisan and widely supported in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  After passing the House by a vote of 267-161, it is now under consideration by the U.S. Senate.

Simpson Works to Stop EPA Water Grab
Lends support to new bills addressing controversial provisions in proposed rule

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has cosponsored two new bills to address widespread concerns with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new proposed rule expanding its jurisdiction over water throughout the U.S.  H.R. 5071, the Agriculture Conservation Flexibility Act, would address some of the most controversial provisions in the proposed rule, withdrawing the Interpretive Rule proposed in March that has resulted in great uncertainty and concern across the agriculture sector.  H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, would support the existing partnership between states and the federal government by preventing EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers from redefining “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. 

“These two bills respond to some of the most troubling aspects of the EPA’s efforts to expand its jurisdiction,” said Simpson.  “The EPA initially claimed that its new rule would provide clarity and flexibility for American agriculture, but my initial concerns that this would not be the case have proven true.  Farmers across Idaho have expressed to me their serious concern about how the EPA may decide to interpret this rule in the future, leading to even less certainty than they have now.

“Moreover,” he added, “These bills recognize that the EPA’s proposed rule undoes many existing and successful partnerships for cleaning up and maintaining our waterways, whether those are partnerships between farmers, ranchers, and conservationists or local, state, and federal governments.  I think it’s an arrogant assumption on the part of the EPA to say that they alone should have such authority over every drop of water across the country.”

H.R. 5078 is scheduled for a vote this week in the House of Representatives.

Floor Schedule

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH

On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) S. 231 - Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization (Sponsored by Sen. Rob Portman / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

2) H.R. 4939 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2551 Galena Avenue in Simi Valley, California, as the "Neil Havens Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Buck McKeon / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

3) H.R. 4651 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 601 West Baker Road in Baytown, Texas as the "Specialist Keith Erin Grace Jr. Memorial Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Steve Stockman / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

4) H.R. 2819 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 275 Front Street in Marietta, Ohio, as the "Veterans Memorial Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Johnson / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

5) H.R. 5089 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2000 Mulford Road in Mulberry, Florida, as the "Sergeant First Class Daniel M. Ferguson Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ross / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

6) H.R. 2678 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10360 Southwest 186th Street in Miami, Florida, as the "Larcenia J. Bullard Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Joe Garcia / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

7) H.R. 5019 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1335 Jefferson Road in Rochester, New York, as the "Specialist Theodore Matthew Glende Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Louise Slaughter / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

8) H.R. 4443 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 Vermilyea Avenue, in New York, New York, as the "Corporal Juan Mariel Alcantara Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Charlie Rangel / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

9) H.R. 3957 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 218-10 Merrick Boulevard in Springfield Gardens, New York, as the "Cynthia Jenkins Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

10) H.R. 78 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4110 Almeda Road in Houston, Texas, as the "George Thomas 'Mickey' Leland Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

11) H.R. 4189 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4000 Leap Road in Hilliard, Ohio, as the "Master Sergeant Shawn T. Hannon and Master Sergeant Jeffrey J. Rieck and Veterans Memorial Post Office Building", as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Steve Stivers / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

12) H.R. 5030 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 13500 SW 250 Street in Princeton, Florida, as the "Corporal Christian A. Guzman Rivera Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

13) H.R. 5106 - Designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo, California, as the "Philmore Graham Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

14) H.R. 2495 - American Super Computing Leadership Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Randy Hultgren / Science Committee)

15) H.R. 5309 - Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2014 (Sponsored by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici / Science Committee)

16) H.R. 744 - Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2014 (Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz / Judiciary Committee)

17) H.R. 3109 - To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt certain Alaskan Native articles from prohibitions against sale of items containing nonedible migratory bird parts (Sponsored by Rep. Don Young / Natural Resources Committee)

18) H.R. 4283 - To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Simpson / Natural Resources Committee)

19) H.J.Res. 120 - Approving the location of a memorial to commemorate the more than 5,000 slaves and free Black persons who fought for independence in the American Revolution (Sponsored by Rep. G.K. Butterfield / Natural Resources Committee)

20) H.R. 4527 - To remove a use restriction on land formerly a part of Acadia National Park that was transferred to the town of Tremont, Maine (Sponsored by Rep. Michael Michaud / Natural Resources Committee)

21) H.R. 4751 - To make technical corrections to Public Law 110‐229 to reflect the renaming of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial (Sponsored by Rep. Derek Kilmer / Natural Resources Committee)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.

On Friday, no votes are expected.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) H.R. 5057 - EPS Service Parts Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Cory Gardner / Energy and Commerce Committee)

2) S. 276 - A bill to reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the American Falls Reservoir (Sponsored by Sen. James Risch / Energy and Commerce Committee)

3) H.R. 5161 - E-LABEL Act (Sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta / Energy and Commerce Committee)

4) H.R. 4067 - To provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2014 (Sponsored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins / Energy and Commerce Committee)

5) H.R. 4701 - Vector-Borne Disease Research Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Chris Gibson / Energy and Commerce Committee)

6) H.R. 4290 - Wakefield Act of 2014 (Sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson / Energy and Commerce Committee)

7) H.R. 3670 - Anti-Spoofing Act of 2013 (Sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng / Energy and Commerce Committee)

8) H.R. 669 - Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act (Sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone / Energy and Commerce Committee)

H.R. 5078 - Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Steve Southerland / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

H.Res. 644 - Condemning and disapproving of the Obama administration's failure to comply with the lawful statutory requirement to notify Congress before releasing the Taliban 5 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Scott Rigell / Armed Services Committee)

H.R. 3522 - Employee Health Care Protection Act of 2013 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy / Energy and Commerce Committee / Ways and Means Committee)

Possible Consideration of a Continuing Resolution

In the News
Idaho’s congressional delegation urges USDA to aid rain-ravaged farms
By Journal Staff, Idaho State Journal, Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Idaho's congressional delegation is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to quickly respond to the crop damage suffered by Gem State farmers due to massive rainstorms last month.

U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson and Raul Labrador, are asking the USDA to promptly approve any request by an Idaho county to be declared a disaster area because of rain damage to crops.

Such declarations would make USDA emergency low-interest loans available to any eligible farmer in or near a county declared a disaster.

Thus far Twin Falls, Clearwater and Jerome counties have requested USDA disaster declarations and other counties are expected to shortly follow suit.

The heavy rainfall in August was well documented, with Pocatello and many other Southeast Idaho cities nearly breaking records for precipitation last month.

Throughout Eastern Idaho much of the wheat and barley crops have been decimated.

In south-central Idaho, Twin Falls County is reporting that more than half of its grain crop has been lost with the damage likely to exceed $12 million.

Northern Idaho's Clearwater County experienced a severe hail storm on the Weippe Prairie last month that damaged much of the grain grown there.

In addition to counties with crop damage, Elmore County near Boise has been declared to be in a state of emergency by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter because rain-caused flooding has washed out roads there. The declaration will enable Elmore County to access state and federal funds to repair the damage.

But in most places in Idaho, the destruction last month was to crops rather than infrastructure.    

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, Idaho's congressional delegation wrote:  “In multiple locations, excessive rainfall late in the summer amounted to several inches more than what is normal for the region.  

“These severe rain events could not have come at a worse time as mature wheat and barley crops were nearing harvest. Other crops, such as hay, peas and beans, have been adversely impacted as well.”  

Risch, Crapo, Simpson and Labrador urged Vilsack to quickly grant disaster declaration requests from Idaho counties reeling from the rain.  

The delegation wrote: “It is clear that these weather events have had a destructive impact on many important agriculture regions in Idaho, making the farm safety net all the more important at this time.... It is our understanding more counties in Idaho may be requesting disaster declarations in the near future and it is our hope that you (Vilsack) will promptly review and grant these declarations so our farmers and rural communities may begin to recover as soon as possible.”

Moniz zeroes in on nuclear energy
By Luke Ramseth, Idaho Post Register, August 21, 2014

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz touted an “all of the above” energy strategy at the Intermountain Energy Summit on Wednesday.

That strategy includes investment in coal, oil, natural gas and renewables, he said, plus continued support for nuclear energy.

“We are, and we will continue, to make significant investments across all the fuels, all the technologies,” he said. “The reason is pretty simple: even as we move toward a low carbon future, we should understand that low carbon solutions will look very different in different parts of our country, and in different parts of the world.”

Moniz, during his morning talk at the Idaho Falls Shilo Inn & Conference Center, broadly outlined the Energy Department’s energy investment strategy, then dug into several nuclear-centric topics.

He also announced $67 million in federal funding slated for nuclear technology around the country, out of which $3.7 million will be earmarked for Idaho-based research. It includes three projects at Idaho National Laboratory, two at Idaho State University and one at Boise State University.

The two-day conference, which ended Wednesday, was meant to spark discussion about challenges facing the energy industry and peer into its future. It was organized by Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper, Idaho National Laboratory, international engineering conglomerate Fluor and the Post Register.

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter spoke to attendees Tuesday. The Wednesday schedule featured Moniz, Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and James Risch, Rep. Mike Simpson and Kristine Svinicki, a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Moniz said he had not been to the state since working as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission several years ago. The commission reviews management policies of the nuclear fuel cycle.

“I’m getting a big taste for Idaho,” said Moniz, who enjoys fishing.

On a tour of the West, Moniz made stops in North Dakota, New Mexico and Alaska before traveling to Idaho Falls this week. While here, he toured Idaho National Laboratory and met with lab officials. He was headed to Cheyenne, Wyo., on Wednesday afternoon.

“This is the first Secretary of Energy I’ve worked with who gets it,” Simpson said.

The Republican congressman cited Moniz’s deep background in science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plus his public policy experience. Simpson is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

During his remarks, Moniz first pitched the Obama administration’s energy approach.

He touted DOE investments in everything from coal to natural gas, which he said can be credited with significant recent carbon dioxide emission reductions in the U.S. In the same breath, he said U.S. oil production only will increase in the next several years.

“But that doesn’t take our eye off the ball of reducing oil dependence,” he said.

Oil imports have decreased, Moniz said, while increasingly efficient cars and new energy technologies should slowly lower our reliance on gasoline.

On nuclear power, he conceded there were challenges. Natural gas, with its low prices, is is an attractive way to produce power. As a result, he said, keeping older nuclear plants up and running has not always made sense for operators. Several plants have closed recently.

There are a few positive signs for the nuclear industry, however, Moniz said. He cited two new nuclear plants being built in Georgia, and another two in South Carolina. Another “thrust” in nuclear, he said, was the development of small modular reactors that are more adaptable to changing energy needs and can be prefabricated.

“The interest in this technology is tremendous,” he said. “This is an area where INL, in particular, will have a very important role. This could be a transformative approach in the nuclear world.”

Reactivating the Transient Test Reactor — or TREAT — at INL also is in the works, Moniz said. The reactor, which has been closed for about 20 years, allowed scientists to conduct experiments with different types of nuclear fuel, and increase efficiency. The goal, Moniz said, is to have it back online by 2018.

NRC commissioner Svinicki talked about the possibility of more premature nuclear plant closures coming around the country — at least that’s what Wall Street investment reports are saying.

“There’s rife speculation,” she said. “If the money people on Wall Street are right about the wave of taking high-performing, low-emitting nuclear power plants out of the energy picture … (that) could have horrible unintended consequences.”

Svinicki, a former Idaho Falls resident, worked as a nuclear engineer and later, a staffer in the U.S. Senate for Sens. John Warner and John McCain before joining the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2008. She put in a final call to action for the scientists, politicians and energy company officials gathered at the event, which Otter said Tuesday may have been the first of its kind in Idaho.

“I think this (conference) has been really, really successful, but it will not be successful at all if it is just this — if we all decide that it was just an interesting two days out of our lives,” she said. “There is no one coming from Washington with a briefcase of answers to solve these problems.”