OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA is all ears, coal group expands lobbying, and more

The tour arrives as senior Obama administration officials are promoting the White House’s second-term climate plan. The EPA plans to propose draft carbon standards for existing power plants next year.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will appear Thursday with Al Gore and others at a climate change event hosted by the Center for American Progress.

MAKING THE KEYSTONE CASE: Energy industry groups and the Canadian embassy will host the North American Energy Dialogue at the embassy on Wednesday, an event slated to include a heavy dose of pro-Keystone pipeline remarks.

{mosads}Speakers include U.S. and Canadian officials, including House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Gary Doer, Canada’s ambassador to the United States.

In addition to Keystone specifically, the event will focus on the overall U.S.-Canada energy relationship and surrounding trade and infrastructure topics.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 

Check out these stories that ran on E2-Wire Tuesday…

— Canadian ambassador: Path to energy independence is through Keystone XL
— GOP water bill amendments would limit EPA’s reach
— Chemical safety groups push for action ahead of agency recommendations
— House committee to review ‘bullying‘ by land management agencies
— White House considers whale protections
— State Department official: Time to face ‘hard reality’ on climate aid
— State Department official says a ‘rigid’ global climate deal won’t fly
— Major oil group boosts lobbying

LOBBYING WORLD:  The prominent firm Van Ness Feldman is now lobbying for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), a new disclosure filing shows.

The ACCCE is an industry group whose members include mining giants such as Peabody Energy and utilities that burn coal such as American Electric Power and Southern Co.

It’s battling EPA climate change regulations at a time when the industry is already facing threats from the natural-gas drilling boom that has driven down prices for the competing fuel.

The firm will represent ACCCE on regulation of coal-fired power plants, the filing states.

GAS GROUP GETS NEW LEADER: The Marcellus Shale Coalition announced Tuesday that David J. Spigelmyer will be the new president of the Pennsylvania-based business group.

The group promotes gas development in the booming Marcellus Shale formation underlying Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.

Spigelmyer most recently served as vice president of Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s Appalachia division. And he has been involved with the Marcellus Shale Coalition in various roles for years.

AROUND THE WEB:

The Washington Post explores the struggle to deploy carbon capture and storage technology.

The Houston Chronicle examines an Energy Department report on U.S. oil-and-gas production trends.

The New York Times reports on the environmental toll of rare earth metals mining.

Reuters reports that Iran is “reaching out to its old oil buyers and is ready to cut prices if Western sanctions against it are eased.”

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