President Obama is scheduled to meet today with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council, composed mostly of business executives, at the Durham, N.C., headquarters of LED manufacturer Cree. The council will deliver recommendations on speeding up growth in sectors including clean energy, manufacturing, construction and health care. According to the (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) News & Observer, Cree has become a favourite spot for appearances by politicians, because it is a relatively new, energy-efficient company that has grown to about 5,000 employees.
The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a fiscal 2012 spending bill that would slash renewable energy funding by 27 percent, and would reverse the Obama administration’s decision to abandon plans to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The bill is expected to pass, the Hill reports.
On Tuesday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote on an amendment to eliminate about $6 billion in annual ethanol tax credits. The amendment is sponsored by Tom Coburn (R-OK).
House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) published a memo on Friday promising summer votes on bills to expand federal review of environmental regulations, spur approval of an oil pipeline and speed up drilling off of Alaska’s coast, the Hill reports.
The federal Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s subcommittee on natural gas is holding another meeting today on hydraulic fracturing, according to the Hill.