| By Miranda Green President Trump will decide in the coming week whether to impose trade tariffs or quotas on imported solar panels. The decision, expected Friday, will close a major chapter in a dispute that puts tens of thousands of jobs on the line and has tested longstanding alliances. Trump has repeatedly criticized China and past administrations for setting up a trade system in which Beijing has been "ripping us off." Solar panels imported from China already have hefty tariffs, but proponents of heavier tarrifs say Chinese manufacturers get around those trade remedies by establishing operations in Vietnam and Malaysia and exporting to the U.S. from those countries. The legal deadline for Trump to take action is Jan. 26. He has said his decision would come "pretty soon." Lawmakers on Friday were scrambling to see if they could pass a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. Hopes though for a deal were fading after Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) left a meeting with President Trump without a deal. The House passed a month-long continuing resolution to fund the government, but Senate Democrats oppose the measure. They want the measure to include an immigration fix to protect so-called Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents, who could face the threat of deportation. If lawmakers are able to pass a funding measure and keep the government open, they'll be able to turn their attention to energy and environment issues. The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is slated to consider how weather patterns affect the U.S. electric grid. The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, aims to focus on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and specifically will look at how electric systems faired in winter weather storms, such as the most recent bomb cyclone that brought record breaking freezing temperatures to the east coast. Representatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Department of Energy (DOE) are scheduled to testify. Members of the Senate Energy Committee as well as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representative will be attending and holding meetings atthe Washington Auto Show on Thursday to talk public policy. The event will be keynoted by Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Mich.) who is expected to talk about his vision for the auto industry's future. EPA Assistant Administrator Bill Wehrum is slated to hold his own keynote address at lunchtime. Wehrum heads the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. The EPA plans to remain open next week, despite the looming threat of a government shutdown. Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Friday afternoon that EPA funding levels would allow employees to work normal hours next week if a shutdown occurs. If the shutdown were to continue through January 26 though, Pruitt said further updates would be made about the agency's operating status.
The status for camping at national parks during a government shutdown looks more bleak. The National Park Service (NPS) said Friday that all campgrounds would be closed in the event of a shutdown and contingency plans listed on the Interior Department's website said that roads in and out of parks are to be restricted "wherever possible." Recent stories: Pruitt: EPA can operate for at least a week of shutdown National parks to close camping sites if government shuts down Trump officials cast doubt on Zinke's Florida offshore drilling exemption Energy Department will initially stay open in shutdown Trump faces pivotal decision on tariffs Keystone XL has sufficient customer demand to build, developer says House Republican to bring Bill Nye to Trump's State of the Union 2017 was world's second-hottest year on record, federal scientists say EPA official declines to testify at Superfund hearing | 
