Topic: U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Energy Voices Keystone XL pipeline: Could Congress bypass Obama to get it built?

The Keystone XL pipeline's fate hangs in the air, with some in Congress hoping to move forward without approval from the Obama Administration. New legislation for the Keystone XL pipeline proposes to do just that, but faces significant obstacles.

Energy Voices How US energy policy fails to address climate change

To manage energy supplies and climate change risks, the United States has done little in terms of policy that makes sense given the gravity of the climate change challenges it and the world face, Cobb writes.

Energy Voices More politics than policy in Arctic oil drilling debate

The political debates around Shell's Arctic drilling plans and the Keystone XL pipeline are becoming less about energy and more about partisanship, Graeber writes.

EPA head Lisa Jackson will resign

Lisa Jackson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, says she will step down at the beginning of President Obama's second term. Her four-year tenure includes some victories, especially car fuel-efficiency standards, but was marked with disappointments over global warming and coal ash controls.

Energy Voices House passes 'No More Solyndras Act'

House Republicans passed a bill that would require the US Treasury to review loans given through the energy sector stimulus funds. The move is an effort to call attention to bad investments made through the stimulus program, according to Consumer Energy Report.

Opinion After Penn State scandal, Congress should make NCAA put students, education first

In light of the scandal at Penn State, which reveals how big-time college sports often overwhelm the core values of higher education, Congress should closely examine whether the NCAA is running a not-for-profit enterprise or a commercial entertainment empire.

GOP veterans Tommy Thomspon and John Mica survive primary, but Fla. tea partier steals the show

While some GOP strongholds have held in the primaries, Florida tea party member Ted Yoho is on the verge of upsetting a 12-term Republican representative.

Senators spar with power industry: Is it safe from cyberattack?

A Senate hearing on protecting the power grid and other crucial infrastructure from cyberattack pivots on the question: Should federal cybersecurity standards be voluntary?

New EPA guidelines on soot: a political cloud for Obama?

Forced by a federal court to act, the EPA issued new clean air guidelines lowering permissible levels of soot. The move was attacked by Republicans and industry leaders as harming the economy.

Can birth-control flap rekindle 'repeal ObamaCare' crusade?

Republicans see the surge in support for religious freedom as an opening to overturn President Obama’s signature health-care reform. Conservatives are not likely to let the issue go lightly.

Boehner vows Congress will reverse Obama birth control policy

Congress enters the church-state fray over the Obama policy on birth control, with House Speaker John Boehner saying Wednesday that lawmakers will reverse it if the White House doesn't.

Canada hopeful US will approve Keystone pipeline

Obama called Prime Minister Stephen Harper to explain that the decision on Wednesday was not on the merits of the pipeline but rather on the 'arbitrary nature' of a Feb. 21 deadline for a decision.

Energy secretary, grilled over Solyndra, says politics played no part in loan

Energy Secretary Chu testified in Congress Thursday for nearly four hours. He took responsibility for extending loan guarantees to the now-bankrupt Solyndra, but said his actions were strictly legal.
11/17/2011 07:10 pm

Solar energy loan not political, Chu says

Solar energy company, Solyndra, got $528 million federal loan based on rigorous analysis, not politics, Energy Secretary Chu says. House committee to probe loan and loan restructuring for the failed solar energy venture.
11/17/2011 08:27 am

Solyndra scandal probe widens as White House orders new review

Faced with a growing scandal over the bankrupt Solyndra solar power company, the Obama administration has ordered an independent review of government loans to energy companies. Republican lawmakers say they'll subpoena internal White House communications on Solyndra.
10/29/2011 06:03 pm

Solyndra: Did Energy Department break the law?

Solyndra loan restructuring might violate federal law, Treasury worried, according to released e-mails. House panel aims to determine Energy Department's culpability in aiding Solyndra investors ahead of taxpayers.
10/14/2011 12:51 pm

Solar energy: Solyndra leaders invoke 5th Amendment at hearing

Solar energy company Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison and the chief financial officer, Bill Stover, both invoked their Fifth Amendment right to decline to testify to avoid self-incrimination.
09/23/2011 08:11 pm

Why tax code appears to offer deficit 'super committee' rare common ground

Congress's deficit 'super committee' began its look into reform of the tax code. Despite the partisanship consuming Washington, the $1 trillion in personal and corporate tax breaks buried in the code are an appealing target for both sides.
09/22/2011 08:55 pm

Solyndra bankruptcy: Did White House press for subsidies?

Solyndra bankruptcy is causing Congress to look into how the solar manufacturer got federal subsidies. The Energy Department restructured the loan seven months before the Solyndra bankruptcy.
09/14/2011 04:37 pm

FBI Solyndra raid: misuse of federal loans?

FBI Solyndra raid believed to be related to more than $500 million in federal loans the solar firm received before filing for bankruptcy. FBI: Solyndra investigation is being carried out jointly with Energy Department.
09/09/2011 08:57 am

In Pictures Who's who on the US deficit super committee

Bankruptcy of solar firm: ominous sign for industry

Bankruptcy of Solyndra, once touted by President Obama, is third failure of a US solar firm this month. Bankruptcy will serve as fuel for critics of government stimulus.
08/31/2011 11:52 pm

Who's who on Congress's debt 'super committee'

Congress has created a special super committee to devise a way to cut at least $1.2 trillion from US spending in coming years. Its real name is the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, and its deadline is Nov. 23. If a majority of the bipartisan, bicameral committee approves the plan, it goes to the House and Senate for a vote, and they must act by Dec. 23. If the plan is voted down, automatic spending cuts are slated to occur. Here are the 12 lawmakers serving on the super committee.
08/11/2011 09:23 pm

Fukushima prepares for cold shutdown: Will it finally stabilize Unit 1?

At Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, nuclear reactor Unit 1 is being prepared for 'cold shutdown,' which requires flooding the reactor's containment structure with cold water to stop steam production.
05/04/2011 05:53 pm

New warning of poisonous chemicals in natural gas 'hydrofracking'

A congressional report finds that chemicals used in 'hydrofracking' to extract natural gas are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under federal environmental laws.
04/17/2011 03:48 pm