In This Issue:

Energy and Climate Debate; Congress; Administration; Department of Defense; Department of Energy; Department of State; Department of Treasury; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; States; International; and Miscellaneous.

Excerpt from Energy and Climate Debate

As the House and Senate fill their legislative schedules between now and the August congressional recess, energy issues continue to play a major role in political debates both in and outside of the beltway.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) said during a July 17 committee hearing that he plans to offer his legislation (S. 1342) to strengthen the country’s electric grid from cybersecurity threats as an amendment to broader cybersecurity legislation that may come to the Senate floor before the August recess. The Grid Cyber Security Act would authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish deadlines for issuing new standards, grant the secretary of Energy emergency authority to deal with imminent cybersecurity threats to the grid; and give the North American Electric Reliability Corporation a more significant role in enforcing standards. The Senate is also expected to consider legislation to extend Bush-era tax cuts before the August recess. Fiscal year 2013 appropriations bills are likely to be on hold until senators return from recess in early September.