Overnight Energy: New EPA chief faces test before Congress | Trump officials tout progress on air quality | Dem bill would force watchdog to keep investigating Pruitt

View in your browser     WHEELER HEADS TO THE HILL: Interim Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler is facing a major congressional test Wednesday, testifying at his first hearing since taking over for scandal-plagued Scott Pruitt. While Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee plan to grill Wheeler -- a former energy lobbyist -- over his intended policies at the agency, most expect the appearance will greatly differ from the "gotcha" moments and dramatics that frequently accompanied Pruitt's time on Capitol Hill. Without any scandals or controversies to mire Wheeler's testimony, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hoping that they can focus on EPA's policy initiatives -- a big change from the past. "When we had Mr. Pruitt before us there were so many distractions to deal with. The substantive issues were critically important, but there were a lot of issues unrelated to the substance. Here I think we'll get right into the substance," Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the panel, said of the hearing. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the panel's previous chairman, said he expects the tone of the hearing to be drastically different from Pruitt's previous appearance on Capitol Hill. "Andy's a totally different type of person than his predecessor. He has the advantage of being able to say that he was confirmed already. He's a very conciliatory type of person, very calm, soft-spoken," said Inhofe. Wheeler previously was a senior aide to Inhofe for more than a dozen years before leaving to work at the lobbying firm Faegre Baker Daniels. "I think he'll take good care of himself. I make a pretty good witness, too, since he worked for me for 14 years. That's probably the reason they're opposing him," Inhofe said of Democrats. What we're watching for: Wheeler has been on a bit of a campaign to distinguish himself from Pruitt in areas like management style, the rule of law and of course ethics. We'll be looking to see how that plays out before the committee. We're also looking for how much leeway Democrats give him. Democratic senators have been outspoken about how much more they like Wheeler compared to Pruitt. But his policy plans are quite similar. "There doesn't appear to be a big difference between the philosophy that he has and that Scott Pruitt had," Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) told The Hill. Check back at The Hill tomorrow for more on the hearing.   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.   EPA TOUTS AIR QUALITY: The Trump administration celebrated newly released data Tuesday showing improvements in most air quality measurements, despite the administration's efforts to roll back emissions regulations. The Tuesday release from the EPA includes 2017, so it is the first time that any effects of President Trump's policies could potentially be reflected in the data. The report found decreases in levels of pollutants like sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone and nitrogen oxides. And while Trump officials focused on decades-long air quality improvements compared with 1970, Tuesday's report found that levels of particulate matter -- also known as soot -- had ticked up slightly. "These are remarkable achievements that should be recognized, celebrated and replicated around the world," EPA acting chief Andrew Wheeler told reporters. "How is this accomplished? Largely through federal and state implementation of the Clean Air Act and technological advances in the private sector to improve emissions controls and minimize air pollution." The 73 percent drop in key pollutants since 1970 came as the United States's economy tripled, which officials said shows that the economy can grow while air quality improves. Bill Wehrum, head of the EPA's air office, said the Trump administration is helping keep up the trend by "aggressively" enforcing air rules, improving the process to carry out air programs and improving how it implements standards. Wehrum attributed the particulate matter increases to last year's unusually strong wildfires in the West. Lead pollution levels also increased, but he said that is due to an increase in air quality monitors. We've got more here.   NEW INTERIOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS PARK MAINTENANCE BACKLOG: The Department of the Interior launched a new digital campaign Tuesday highlighting the current $12 billion maintenance backlog plaguing the National Park Service. As part of the campaign, Interior rolled out a website and 3-minute film entitled, "National Parks: A Love Story." Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has frequently warned that the country's national parks are being "loved to death" and has encouraged a proposal that would earmark funds made from oil and gas leases on public lands to go towards the backlog. Interior Spokesperson Heather Swift said the digital campaign will used on the Interior's social media pages, but not in paid for campaigns. She did not respond to requests on the price tag for the professionally produced video.   NEW BILL WOULD FORCE EPA IG OFFICE TO CONTINUE PRUITT INVESTIGATIONS: Two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would make the EPA's Inspector General office continue its investigations into former agency administrator Scott Pruitt. The Ensuring Pruitt is Accountable Act (EPA Act) was introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). "Scott Pruitt brought unprecedented corruption and industry influence to the EPA," said Merkley in a statement. "His actions cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged, and at the very least, these destructive moves must be put on hold until the numerous investigations into Pruitt's activities have concluded. It's time to restore an EPA that actually acts to protect our clean air and clean water rather than protecting the profits of powerful polluters."   ON TAP WEDNESDAY: Wheeler will testify at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will vote on eight bills, including some on oceans and fishing policy.   OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY: Earnings rose at BP in the second quarter on higher oil prices, The Wall Street Journal reports. The United Kingdom's government declared that the nation is hotter than it's been in 100 years, and blamed climate change, The Independent reports. The spate of wildfires in California has killed eight people, CNN reports.   IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out Tuesday's stories ... -Trump EPA touts air quality improvements -Senate extends flood insurance program hours before deadline -EPA announces largest voluntary recall of trucks over faulty emissions controls -Perry: US to become net energy exporter within 18 months         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Energy Newsletters     Forward Energy Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2018 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

SearchCap: Google adds dataset schema, Bing maps update, HTTP status code guide & more

Featured story

Google search adds dataset schema support to search results   Jul 31, 2018 by Barry Schwartz Data nuts, here is your chance to get your data and charts looking pretty in the Google search results snippets.

From Search Engine Land

Google adds deep breathing exercises to search results   Jul 31, 2018 by Barry Schwartz Google wants their searchers to take a breather with this new relaxing search result.

You need 23 keywords in a blog post to rank well. Not.   Jul 31, 2018 by Jessica Foster Contributor Jessica Foster debunks keyword density myths and other SEO content misconceptions.

The ultimate guide to HTTP status codes and headers for SEO   Jul 31, 2018 by Barry Adams Do you understand how HTTP protocol works and the impact it has on crawling and indexing web pages? No? Here's a guide written by Contributor Barry Adams on HTTP status codes and headers that will make it easier to learn.

Bing Maps adds build and share your itinerary   Jul 31, 2018 by Barry Schwartz Now in the US and the UK, you can plan your trips using Bing Maps with predefined itineraries that can be customized.

From Marketing Land

Rebranding your local business? Don't start without reading these tips   Jul 31, 2018 by Jamie Pitman Rebranding an established business is not easy, says contributor Jamie Pitman, especially for small businesses. Here are 6 marketing and local search tips to help make the process a success.

Snapchat launches ad marketplace for Discover partners & brings Commercials to Ads Manager   Jul 31, 2018 by Amy Gesenhues A select group of Snapchat's Discover partners have been given access to Snap Private Marketplace, a beta program for publishers to monetize content.

Twitter shares how it ranks search results after being accused of shadow banning accounts   Jul 31, 2018 by Amy Gesenhues The company confirmed it does not shadow ban accounts. There had been a problem, but it was isolated to its auto-suggestion feature for search.

Facebook updates video ad metrics & adds Moat as measurement partner   Jul 31, 2018 by Amy Gesenhues Advertisers will soon be able to use Moat's measurement platform to verify Facebook's new Video Play metric.

Search News From Around The Web

48x Free SEO Tools To Super Charge Your Search Rankings [2018], Matthew Woodward

5 Areas of Local SEO For B2B Marketing, KoMarketing

Better Than Basics: Custom-Tailoring Your SEO Approach, Moz

Featured Snippets: Who's Winning the Battle for Position Zero?, Searchmetrics

How to Use F & Z Patterns in Your Landing Page Design, Wordstream

How to Use Google AdWords Optimize Feature To Create Custom Landing Pages, Adespresso

Making it easier to discover data in Search, Google

Paid Search Targeting Brand Keywords = SEO Death, Local SEO Guide

Quality Scores for Queries: Structured Data, Synthetic Queries and Augmentation Queries, SEO By The Sea

What is Programmatic Marketing?, Smartinsights

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Overnight Health Care: Trump health official warned against family separations | Study ignites debate over cost of 'Medicare for All' | Individual market enrollment drops as premiums rise

View in Browser     Welcome to Tuesday's Overnight Health Care. In today's news, a Trump health official said he warned the administration about the consequences of separating children from their families. Also, liberal House Democrats are laying the groundwork to push "Medicare for all," even as a study about the costs ignited the debate over the plan.   We'll start with some revelations from a Senate hearing today:   Trump official warned of potential trauma because of family separations A Trump administration official told lawmakers Tuesday that he warned for months against "any policy" separating children from their parents, before the administration enacted a policy that would do precisely that. Jonathan White of the Department of Health and Human Services oversees reunification efforts of parents separated from their children after crossing the southern border illegally. He told a Senate panel:  "There is no question that separation of children from parents entails significant potential for traumatic psychological injury to the child." Significance: This is one of the only times an official has acknowledged the administration was told that its policy of separating migrant families could result in harm that could result in harm to the children. White said he was in the dark about the end result of the policy. He had private conversations with administration officials while he served as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, but he left that post a few weeks before the "zero tolerance" policy was implemented. "I was advised that there was no policy which would result in separation of children from family units," White said. More criticism: At the same hearing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the administration is "failing miserably" at treating some of the migrant children humanely. However, he couched his criticism by saying the policy was "well intentioned" and the policy was an unintended consequence. Backstory: A federal judge set a July 26 deadline to force the administration to reunite more than 2,000 children it has in custody. As of the deadline, the administration said it had reunited more than 1,400 children with their parents, while an additional 700 children remained in government custody. Get the full story on today's hearing here.   Liberal Dems lay groundwork to push 'Medicare for all' It's not too early to start thinking about next year if you are a liberal Democrat and support Medicare for all. House Democrats are starting to plan for actions on the issue if they win back the House. Some examples: A new Medicare for All caucus, with over 60 Democratic lawmakers, is holding briefings with experts. Lawmakers plan to update a Medicare for All bill first introduced by former Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, plans hearings on the cost of Medicare for All next year if he is chairman. Some Democrats even want a vote on a Medicare for All bill next year. When asked if she wanted the House to vote on a "Medicare for all" bill next year if Democrats control the chamber, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said, "Yes, we're going to travel the country talking about why it makes a difference." Notes of caution: Even if Democrats win back the House, a Medicare for All bill might not be able to pass, given that many Democrats do not support the idea. And it certainly couldn't become law with President Trump in office. Still, the activity shows how Medicare for All is gaining ground as an idea among Democrats, and that it is sure to be on the table when Democrats have united control of Washington again.   Read more on Dems' efforts here.   Meanwhile, a new study has ignited a debate over the cost of "Medicare for all." The analysis, from the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center at George Mason University, focuses on legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and estimates that his proposal to create a national health insurance system would lead to a $32.6 trillion increase in federal spending over a 10-year period. But proponents of Medicare for all, also known as a single-payer system, are quick to note this isn't quite the full picture. So how much does it really cost? The study also estimates national expenditures on health care would decrease by about $2 trillion by 2031 if the Sanders bill were signed into law. That means overall health-care spending would decline, but the government's share of that figure would go up, something small-government Republicans find unsettling. Foreshadowing: Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation said the Mercatus study is a good indicator of both the "promise and peril" of Medicare for all. "You can save money and cover everyone, but it would be a big shift from private payers to the public, and a $32 trillion increase in taxes is going to be scary." Read more on the debate here.   Today's the day the comment period for the administration's proposed changes to Title X family planning program closes at midnight. If you need a refresher: Title X funds organizations that provide family planning services to low-income women and men. The administration's proposal would ban these organizations from referring women for abortions and would lift the requirement that organizations receiving funds tell women that abortion is an option. The proposal would also require Title X grantees have a physical and financial separation from abortion providers, which some argue is targeted at Planned Parenthood. The rule has been cheered by Republicans as a way to defund Planned Parenthood, which serves 40 percent of Title X patients. Some reproductive health advocates say the proposal favors projects that provide limited contraception options. Some responses: American Medical Association CEO and Executive Vice President James Madara: "We are very concerned that the proposed changes, if implemented, would undermine patients' access to high-quality medical care and information, dangerously interfere with the patient-physician relationship and conflict with physicians' ethical obligations, exclude qualified providers, and jeopardize public health."  New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee threatened to sue if the rule is finalized: "Title X is a tremendously successful family planning program – providing affordable, confidential, and desperately-needed care to low-income patients across New York," Underwood said. " This gag rule will drive health care providers out of the program and harm the very patients that Title X is intended to serve. The Proposed Rule must be withdrawn in its entirety – and if it becomes law, we will sue." "The Trump Administration has given our state no choice but to explore all possible avenues, including legal options, to block this policy from harming the women of Washington," Inslee said. "I believe the rule as written will not withstand legal challenge, and I'll do all I can to prevent it." National anti-abortion group the Susan B. Anthony List supports it (and has lobbied for it): "We wholly support the Protect Life Rule, which draws a bright line between abortion and family planning in the Title X program. Abortion is not health care and it is not 'family planning.' The American people have repeatedly and clearly voiced their opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion, but for years, their will – expressed in the statute itself – has been ignored." 44 Senate Democrats urged the administration to reverse course: The proposed rule would allow politicians with extreme ideological views to interfere with women's personal health care decisions, undermine the provider-patient relationship, and leave women's access to health care increasingly dependent on how much money they have and where they live. On the lookout: The final rule on expanding short-term plans is expected soon. The move would open plans that are cheaper for healthy people. But those plans can also charge people with pre-existing conditions higher premiums. Democrats deride the plans as "junk" insurance.   A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that rising premiums are forcing unsubsidized enrollees off the market: 17.4 million people enrolled in the individual market in 2015, compared to 15.2 million in 2017 and 14.4 million in the first quarter of 2018. Most of the decline is in the off-exchange market, signaling that unsubsidized consumers are being priced out. Why it matters: The Trump administration last year canceled key ObamaCare subsidies for insurers, leading insurers to increase premiums substantially. While ObamaCare enrollees who receive subsidies are mostly shielded from these increases, those who don't are left to pay the full price. As the administration continues to push cheaper policies outside of ObamaCare (like short term health plans,) more people are likely to leave the individual market -- especially those who don't get subsidies. Read more here.   What we're reading Poll: Majority backs ObamaCare, disapprove of Trump on health care (The Hill) Sanders thanks Koch brothers for accidentally making argument for 'Medicare for all' (The Hill) Pfizer CEO expects Trump to eliminate drug rebates (Reuters) States defend family planning program against Trump administration's threats (The Washington Post) Trump spurns Medicaid proposal after furious White House debate (The New York Times)   State by state North Carolina's Blue Cross cutting 'ObamaCare' prices despite changes (Associated Press) These Republican governors are bolstering ObamaCare in their states (CNN.com)   From The Hill's op-ed page The Trump administration stands up for health-care workers and Medicaid recipients         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters     Forward Healthcare Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2018 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.