Overnight Energy: Republican looks to impeach EPA chief

GOSAR VS. MCCARTHY: Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is telling his colleagues he wants to impeach Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Gina McCarthy. 

Gosar sent members a letter on Wednesday seeking co-sponsors for a forthcoming resolution seeking McCarthy’s impeachment. Gosar alleges McCarthy committed perjury while testifying about the EPA’s clean water rule earlier this year.

{mosads}”Administrator McCarthy committed perjury and made several false statements at multiple congressional hearings, and as a result, is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors – an impeachable offense,” Gosar said in his “dear colleague” letter.

Many of Gosar’s complaints center on disagreements between the two authors of the water rule, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, and how McCarthy described the rule during congressional hearings. 

Gosar, a frequent McCarthy critic, said his impeachment bill would “hold Administrator McCarthy accountable for her blatant deceptions and unlawful conduct.”

The EPA had no comment on Wednesday. 

Read more here. 

ON TAP THURSDAY I: A House Energy and Commerce Committee subpanel will mark up and vote on a bill lifting the ban on crude oil exports. A Senate panel passed a similar measure in August, but this is the first time a House committee will vote on legislation lifting the ban.

ON TAP THURSDAY II: The House Natural Resources Committee will continue marking up a series of seven bills. 

Rest of Wednesday’s agenda … 

A House Science Committee subcommittee will hold a hearing on vulnerabilities in the power supply. 

The Senate’s Climate Action Task Force will hold a roundtable discussion with groups supporting the Obama administration’s climate rule for power plants. 

NEWS BITE: The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. could fall as low as $2.03 before the end of the year, federal analysts reported Wednesday. 

The Energy Information Administration said gas prices could dip toward the $2 mark as the cost of crude oil continues to fall around the world. The agency has previously said a confluence of factors — from increased oil supply to diminishing demand in emerging markets — is likely to keep those crude prices low this year. 

The average price of gasoline in August was $2.64 per gallon, which was 85 cents cheaper than in August 2014. 

Because of low prices, the EIA said it expects American crude oil production to fall to 9.2 million barrels a day, a decline of about 0.1 million barrels a day from its previous estimates.

AROUND THE WEB:

Pennsylvania’s environmental regulators expect that they’ll be able to meet the deadlines in the EPA’s climate rule for power plants, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China should embrace its obligations to fight climate change, Reuters reports. 

Alberta’s climate minister says “there is a great appetite for action on climate change in our province, and the days of denial are over,” CBC News reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out Wednesday’s stories …

-Court refuses to block Obama climate rule
-Fuel refiner group warns vulnerable senators against oil exports
-Oil group launches ads hitting crude export ban
-GOP lawmaker looks to impeach EPA chief
-Dems, EPA defend agency over mine spill criticism
-Poll: ‘Overwhelming’ support for EPA smog rule
-Solar power passes milestone

Please send tips and comments to Timothy Cama, tcama@digital-release.thehill.com; and Devin Henry, dhenry@digital-release.thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @Timothy_Cama, @dhenry, @thehill