Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill's roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@thehill.com, and Miranda Green, mgreen@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @mirandacgreen, @thehill. CLICK HERE to subscribe to our newsletter. PRUITT CANCELED APRIL TRIPS EPA HAD ALREADY PAID FOR: Facing bipartisan criticism over his travel expenses, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt in April canceled a pair of official trips for which he had already bought tickets, new records show. Records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show that Pruitt had spent $909.97 for flights for an April 9 to 11 trip to Mexico City and San Diego, which was later canceled. He also spent $1,314.44 for flights to and from northwestern Arkansas on April 16 and 18, the records show, although the agency was able to get $450.60 of that refunded. Pruitt resigned in July under pressure after months of ethics and spending scandals. A main source of his problems was his use of taxpayer money, including frequent first-class travel and a trip to Italy last year that cost more than $100,000, when the costs of aides’ travel and hotels are included. The months before the planned trips saw numerous reports about Pruitt’s travel expenses, but it’s unclear if that controversy spurred the cancelation. The Washington Post reported on the scheduled trip to Mexico in February. Pruitt also canceled planned trips to Israel and Australia, and the Post said Japan and Canada were also in the mix for potential visits. Aides made an advance trip to Australia before Pruitt was due to go, at a cost of about $45,000. The former Oklahoma attorney general also went to Morocco last year, partially to promote exports of liquefied natural gas from the United States. The EPA didn’t respond to The Hill’s requests for comment. Read more. SENATE PANEL PASSES CONSERVATION FUND, PARKS BILLS: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted in a bipartisan fashion Tuesday to indefinitely extend the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which expired Sunday. Under the bill sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (Wash.), the committee’s top Democrat, 1.5 percent of the fund's payouts must help improve access to lands for recreation. Before the 16 to 7 vote, Cantwell said the LWCF “has pumped billions of dollars into the outdoor economy and has provided for millions of good jobs." “Protecting our public lands is good for the environment, it’s good for the economy and it’s good for the health and welfare of our people,” she said. “The Land and Water Conservation Fund is one of the most important programs we have. I believe it is the crown jewel of our conservation programs,” said Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.). The panel rejected a series of amendments from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to put restrictions on the program, like renewing it for only 10 years and requiring that it spend more money on public lands maintenance than on the government buying new land. Don’t forget the maintenance backlog: The Senate committee also passed Tuesday, by a vote of 19 to 4, a bill to create a new fund that could pump billions of dollars into the National Park Service. The Restore Our Parks Act would take half of the money the federal government gets from energy production offshore and on federal land and that hasn’t been dedicated to another purposes and put it toward the Park Service’s nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog. The idea has the backing of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. “To me, it’s about good stewardship,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who introduced the bill with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). “And it’s about saving federal tax dollars over the long term, with predictable funding for capital expenditures.” Read more. |
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