POLICY COMMUNICATONS, INC. for WESTERN BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
What was lobbied
5 issue areas, each in the filer's own words, with who lobbied on it and where.
Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX
Support for extension of several tax provisions important to job creation and business development across the West: bonus depreciation (allowing companies eligible for bonus depreciation to instead claim a portion of unused AMT credits); Section 179 expensing; dividend treatment.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY E PROPST | U.S. House of Representatives |
Waste (hazardous/solid/interstate/nuclear) WAS
1. Educating policymakers on the implications of proposals to regulate coal combustion residuals as "hazardous wastes" under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Activities include ongoing support for the legislative approaches taken by H.R. 1391 and H.R. 2273. Supported efforts to include the language of H.R. 2273 as an amendment to other legislation (including H.R. 4348). 2. Educating policymakers on problems with EPA's risk assessment system (IRIS).
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY E PROPST | U.S. House of Representatives |
Energy/Nuclear ENG
1. Educating policymakers on the need to work towards energy independence through a true "all of the above" domestic energy policy which makes responsible use of the full range of the nation's domestic energy resources. Legislation supported: H.R. 1287, H.R. 2016, H.R. 1719, H.R. 3407, H.R. 3408, H.R. 3410, H.R. 4381, H.R. 4382, H.R. 4384, S. 706, S. 629, S. 631. 2. Educating policymakers on the need to strengthen and expand the nation's electric transmission system. 3. Educating policymakers on the cumulative negative consequences of the growing body of regulations being instituted that impact the nation's electric generation fleet's reliability and which inflict growing costs on consumers (further discussed in the Air, Waste and Water pages of this report.) 4. Educating policymakers on the nexus between a robust energy policy and a strong minerals policy. Particular emphasis has been on critical minerals and their importance as inputs to a vast array of clean energy, electronics, high tech, health, defense, transportation and other applications. Past activities have included input for S. 1113 and support for H.R. 2011 and H.R. 4402. 5. Stressing with policymakers the implications of proposed Executive Branch requirements (NEPA, GHG, climate adaptation, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, federal land management policies, etc.) -- that hamper energy and natural resource development projects across the West -- on the nation's energy and economic security. Support for various reform efforts to constrain regulatory overreach (listed under relevant issue pages of this report). 6. Educating policymakers on the need to focus on policies that encourage development of the nation's full range of "clean energy" resources/supporting technologies, including hydropower. 7. Support for H.R. 1996 and S. 1061. 8. Continuing to educate policymakers on the impacts to Western energy consumers of DOE Secretary Chu's proposed shift in the mission of the federal PMAs. 9. Support for House passage of the alternative offshore drilling plan for 2012-17 (H.R. 6082). 10. Support for House passage of the "Stop the War on Coal" Act of 2012 (H.R. 3409, H.R. 910, H.R. 2401, H.R. 2273, H.R. 2018).
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY E PROPST | U.S. House of Representatives |
Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW
1. Educating policymakers on the costs vs. benefits of various approaches to regulation of GHGs, including: EPA actions to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as CEQ and other agencies' efforts to integrate impact analyses into regulatory decisionmaking processes (i.e. DOI/FWS/CEQ/EPA/USDA Climate Action Plans/Sustainability Plans/Climate Adaptation Plans and other planning and operational documents). The Roundtable has encouraged oversight of such policies by Congress. 2. Educating policymakers on the negative implications of suggested EPA actions to increase the stringency of Clean Air Act regulations, including: GHG NSPS standards for power plants, mercury, boiler MACT, utility MACT, oil and gas regualtions and Western States' regional haze requirements. Activities include ongoing support for various Congressional efforts to stave off the economic damage caused by the cumulative impacts of this onslaught of regulations. Legislative efforts supported include: H.R. 2401, S. J. Res. 37, H.R. 2250, H.R. 1633 (along with various amendments to other legislation [including S. 3240] seeking to achieve similar results). 3. Educating policymakers on promising clean energy technologies, including discussion of the challenges facing carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Support for legislative efforts to support technology and infrastructure to support both CCS and EOR. 4. Educating policymakers on the implications of efforts by EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to unilaterally expand their regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act. Activities have included support for various legislative efforts to oppose this regulatory over-reach, including legislative language stopping the EPA/Corps from proceeding with "Waters of the U.S." jurisdictional guidance. Legislation supported includes: S. 2245, H.R. 4965 (and various amendments to other legislation seeking to achieve the same result). 5. Support for legislation (H.R. 3409) to force DOI's Office of Surface Mining to cease rulemaking on Surface Mining and Reclamation Act regulations designed to replace the Stream Buffer Zone Rule. 6. Educating policymakers regarding the potential consequences for Western headwater states of the President's unilaterally-instituted National Oceans Policy. Support Congressional efforts to limit funding of the Policy's implementation. 7. Educating policymakers regarding the negative consequences of the EPA's draft assessment of potential mining impacts on Bristol Bay, Alaska. The assessment, done in the absence of any defined project, will prematurely and inappropriately determine "impacts" of an important economic sector, based on hypotheticals and subjective projections/modeling.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY E PROPST | U.S. House of Representatives |
Natural Resources NAT
1. Opposition to the DOI/USDA policies that seek to unilaterally change -- through administrative fiat -- the designation/multiple use of millions of acres of Western federal lands (through land withdrawals, roadless policies, climate adaptation policies, critical habitat designations and other restrictive regulations). Activities include onoing support for various reform initiatives, including: H.R. 1581, H.R. 4716, H.R. 758, H.R. 302, H.R. 817, H.R. 846, H.R. 3147, H.R. 4965, S. 224, S. 1097 and related amendments to 1. (Cont.) other bills designed to constrain federal agencies from engaging in such activities unilaterally. 2. Ongoing support for common sense legal reform, including: H.R. 1996, S. 1061 and H.R. 4078. 3. Stressing the implications of the proposed Executive Branch requirements (i.e. NEPA, GHG, CAA, CWA, climate adaptation, federal land management policies, ESA listings, national ocean policy, etc.) that hamper energy and natural resource developemnt projects across the West. 4. Continued emphasis on responsible development of the nation's domestic energy resoruces, including those on the West's federal lands (see more under the Energy portion of this report). 5. Educating policymakers on the impacts of the Executive Branch's efforts to establish "projected future climate impacts-related species vulnerabilities" as justification for a whole new range of regulatory actions/authority by agencies across the federal government. Included: discussions of the CEQ proposal to insert "future climate impacts" as a required part of analysis under NEPA; FWS' use as a rationale for expansion of critical habitat designations under ESA; use by the USFS in interpretation/implementation of revised Forest Planning Rule. 6. Educating policymakers on the need for a robust domestic minerals policy to support U.S. economic, energy and national security interests. Activities include support for: S. 1113, H.R. 3155, S. 1690, H.R. 2011 and H.R. 1904, H.R. 4402, H.R. 1192. 7. Educating policymakers on issues arising as a result of federal land management agencies' "interim" measures related to Greater Sage Grouse conservation. 8. Supporting ESA reform, including efforts to clarify critical habitat designations, to make the statute work better for the regulated community and to result in improved recovery of species. 9. Support for efforts to continue funding of the Upper Colorado River and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery programs (H.R. 6060). 10. Opposition to EPA's suggestion that project-specific NEPA reviews should be expanded to include life-cycle cumulative impact analyses (including impacts of use of ultimate products' use by consumers abroad). Oppose effort by EPA and allies to use such a technique to stymie exports of specific U.S. commodities. 11. Support for language added to the FY13 House Appropriations packages that would exempt minor USFS activities from public notice, comment and appeals processes. Language would solve bureacratic requirements dictated by federal court decision.
| Lobbyist | Covered position, as disclosed |
|---|---|
| HOLLY E PROPST | U.S. House of Representatives |
Shown as published by the Senate Office of Public Records and the House Clerk under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The official filing is the record; open it for the full form.