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Cabinet Members Discuss Budgets

By Doug MacGillivray posted 06-22-2017 11:32 AM

  
Over the past two weeks, cabinet members took to Captiol Hill to defend the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request. Energy Secretary Perry, Interior Secretary Zinke, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Pruitt all sat in front of congressional panels probing the Departments of Energy and Interior, and EPA budgets.
The hearings generally focused on more hot-button topics rather than policy specifics regarding natural gas issues. Perry fielded questions on nuclear safety, cleanup, and the MOX facility in South Carolina, while Zinke and Pruitt received questions on federal land use and climate change.

Perry did receive additional questioning on national labs and funding for various offices, including EERE. While he generally defended the President’s fairly steep cuts, he also acknowledged that executive budgets are meant to change once they get to Congress. This could mean a softening on his part. He also touted his line about the U.S. as an all-the-above energy country, but it is unclear what specifically that means for natural gas.

Appropriators are expected to continue working on initial legislative language. Expect bills to be introduced in the coming weeks.

For questions on this article, please contact Doug MacGillivray of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0834 or by email at dmacgillivray@apga.org.

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