Overnight Energy: Greens take aim at trade deals

GREEN GROUPS PUSH LAWMAKERS ON TRADE DEALS: More than 450 green groups on Monday urged lawmakers to reject trade deals they say will make it easier for fossil fuel companies to challenge government climate regulations.

The groups, including the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth, cited TransCanada’s plan to sue the United States under a North American trade treaty, and warned that, if instituted, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could lead to similar disputes.

{mosads}”The TPP and TTIP would more than double the number of fossil fuel corporations that could follow TransCanada’s example and challenge U.S. policies in private tribunals,” the letter said.

“Indeed, the pacts would be the first to allow the world’s largest polluters — including all of the eight largest private greenhouse gas emitters outside of the U.S. — to wield this tool against U.S. climate policies.”

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have lined up to oppose the trade deals. But the Obama administration has tried to dampen those fears.

The administration has highlighted other environmental groups’ support for the TPP, and in a statement, a U.S. Trade Representative spokesman said it “includes the strongest environment commitments of any trade agreement in history and upgrades NAFTA by putting fully enforceable environment obligations at the core of the agreement.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders tweeted on Monday: “We must stop letting multinational fossil fuels corporations rig the system to pad their profits at our expense.”

Read more here.

SANDERS, CLINTON FIGHT FOR GREEN VOTERS IN CALIFORNIA: In a tight primary fight in California, both Sanders and Hillary Clinton are hoping environmentally inclined voters will put them over the top on Tuesday.

Clinton locked up two key endorsements last week– from an environmental group and Gov. Jerry Brown (D) — both thanks to her positions on environmental issues.

Sanders, meanwhile, has taken his environmental message directly to California voters. He’s endorsed local efforts to block new fracking operations, an issue where he argues Clinton is weak, and pushed her on other initiatives dear to greens.

Their fight comes as California experiences a number of environmental trends that greens blame on climate change as well as fights over fossil fuels that activists have used to push for a quick transition to clean energy.

Read more about the candidates’ green strategies in California here, and read more primary coverage at TheHill.com

OREGON DEMS CALL FOR OIL TRAIN MORATORIUM: Four of Oregon’s Democratic congressional lawmakers and its governor are asking for a halt to oil train movements in the Columbia River Gorge.

The call from Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer and Gov. Kate Brown came Monday, days after multiple cars of an oil train derailed and caught fire Friday in the gorge, right next to the river.

“Oil train tankers are still lying on their sides in Mosier, the ground and water have yet to be cleaned up, and there’s still no good explanation for the cause of Friday’s crash,” they wrote. “It is too soon to resume oil train traffic through the Columbia River Gorge.”

They said oil trains should stop at least until the investigation into the incident is complete. But after that, they want the state to “take a hard look” at alternative routes for oil trains.

No one was injured in the incident. But the area around Mosier, Ore., is still largely shut down as the cleanup continues, the Oregonian reports.

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN MOVES TO EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency is getting a new top spokesman.

Frank Benenati, currently an assistant press secretary at the White House, will start next week as the assistant administrator for the office of public affairs, agency Administrator Gina McCarthy told staff Monday.

Benenati’s been at the White House since 2014, with responsibilities including the energy and environment portfolio.

Before that, he worked in various political public relations roles, including in President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the coordinated campaign for Sen. Al Franken’s (D-Minn.) 2008 election.

He’s replacing Liz Purchia, who left the agency last month to join her brother’s public affairs firm.

ON TAP TUESDAY I: The House Rules Committee will meet to set floor debate parameters for three bills: one to undo an EPA ozone rule and two voicing opposition to a carbon tax and a tax on barrels of oil. The bills will hit the House floor this week.

ON TAP TUESDAY II: Local officials will testify at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on local EPA mandates.

AROUND THE WEB:

Representatives of European Union nations failed Monday to get the necessary votes to allow sales of weed killer glyphosate, Reuters reports.

Devon Energy Corp. is selling nearly $1 billion in oil and natural gas producing properties in Oklahoma and Texas, the Oklahoman reports.

Esquire’s Charles Pierce endorses anti-Keystone XL pipeline activist Jane Kleeb’s run for a Democratic party leadership position in Nebraska.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out stories from Monday and this weekend…

-Supreme Court rejects Ecuador appeal in Chevron case
-Senate bill would encourage ‘retro’ grid security approach
-Hundreds of green groups tell lawmakers to reject trade deals
-BP to pay investors $175M for 2010 spill
-Sanders, Clinton fight for green vote in tight Calif. race
–Week ahead: Ozone rule, chemical safety top agenda

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