Downtown mobilizes to pass GOP energy package

From: POLITICO Influence - Monday Mar 27,2023 10:59 pm

Mar 27, 2023

Presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

With help from Daniel Lippman

TRADE GROUPS RAMP UP PUSH ON GOP ENERGY BILL: House Republicans are readying to send one of their first major legislative packages to the floor, and the downtown community is mobilizing to support the sprawling energy package, even as the White House said President Joe Biden would veto the measure if it makes it to his desk.

— Beginning tomorrow, the Independent Petroleum Association of America and leaders of its board will head to the Hill to shore up support for the Lower Energy Costs Act, which includes red meat policy items — like boosting fossil fuel production on federal land, prohibiting a ban on fracking and disapproving of Biden’s decision to block the Keystone XL pipeline — alongside reforms to the permitting and environmental review process that have bipartisan backing.

— IPAA will also talk up broader permitting reforms as well as flag its concerns with efforts to clamp down on the industry and tax carbon emissions. The trade group is set to meet with senior leaders, committee chairs and rank-and-file members from both chambers of Congress, according to the group.

— The National Association of Manufacturers reiterated its support for Republicans’ energy package and urged House members to vote for it in a letter to the Hill this morning. In an effort to win Democratic votes, the group’s top lobbyist Aric Newhouse argued H.R. 1 “will help drive domestic development of critical minerals” necessary for growing the electric vehicle industry — and eligibility for the Inflation Reduction Act’s EV tax credits.

— “If we fail to utilize our domestic natural resources and modernize existing processes, we will continue to miss opportunities to create good-paying jobs and reduce financial burdens on American families,” Newhouse wrote, calling passage of the bill “critical.”

— The pressure from downtown will only continue to build. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to issue a “key vote” alert on the bill as early as tomorrow, making the package a factor in its annual legislative scorecard.

— The Chamber has also thrown its weight behind a sprawling coalition demanding the passage of permitting reforms by the end of the summer, as POLITICO’s Josh Siegel reports. The campaign includes fossil fuel and energy groups like IPAA, Edison Electric Institute and the American Petroleum Institute, renewable energy groups like the American Clean Power Association, Solar Energy Industries Association and the American Council on Renewable Energy, labor groups like North America’s Building Trades Unions and climate activists like Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

— The push includes stakeholders from a number of other sectors as well, underscoring the broad interest in speeding up new projects boosted by the last Congress’ infrastructure bill, semiconductor legislation and climate package — and possibly granting cover for cross-party votes on the GOP energy bill.

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FIRST IN PI — SECONDARY TICKETERS HEAD TO THE HILL: The head of a coalition of ticket brokers and resellers will make the rounds in Washington this week to meet with key stakeholders in the debate over reforms for the ticketing and live events industry.

— Jason Berger, the head of the ticket resale site Event VIP and executive director of the Coalition for Ticket Fairness, will be on the Hill tomorrow to meet with members and staff from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees in addition to the offices of leaders on those committees like Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Reps. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.).

— The head of the coalition, whose supporters have included StubHub, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, Automatiq, Logitix and the National Association of Ticket Brokers, will also meet Wednesday with staff from the White House’s National Economic Council. The New York-based group has turned its attention from lobbying on ticket reforms in the Empire State to the federal level, where ticketing practices are under the microscope after Ticketmaster’s botched presale for Taylor Swift’s tour.

— The fight over ticket reforms is playing out along familiar fault lines, with Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation seeking to deflect some blame onto ticket brokers and resellers in its push for reforms, while secondary marketplaces and consumer groups have bemoaned restrictions placed on ticket holders by primary sellers.

SPEAKING OF EV TAX CREDITS: “A major U.S. battery manufacturer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are making an eleventh-hour push to persuade the Treasury Department to reverse its interpretation of Inflation Reduction Act domestic content provisions that could boost foreign components used in electric vehicles that qualify for federal incentives,” POLITICO’s James Bikales reports.

— “Treasury’s interpretation of a phrase in the legislation could determine whether entire factories and thousands of jobs end up in the U.S. or other countries, according to Nevada-based battery manufacturer Redwood Materials.” The Biden administration, which is expected to roll out proposed guidance this week, “has indicated it will side with automakers and EV advocates, who argue that Redwood’s interpretation would choke supply of EVs when consumer demand is soaring.”

— “At issue is whether the metal powders within the electrodes of a car battery are considered ‘critical minerals’ or ‘battery components.’ That’s a vital distinction because the components are subject to more restrictive domestic sourcing requirements.”

CRYPTO PUNCHES BACK: “Crypto businesses have warned for months that the Biden administration is quietly moving to push them out of the U.S. Now, with the collapse of three crypto-friendly banks, they say the evidence is piling up,” POLITICO’s Declan Harty reports.

— “The $1 trillion crypto industry is going on the offensive against what executives say is an existential threat to ‘de-bank’ digital asset businesses, mounting a lobbying campaign to oppose efforts to discourage lenders from taking them on as customers. … The clash marks the latest front in what is already an all-out battle between the once high-flying industry and officials in Washington that could shape the future of crypto in the U.S.”

— One of the industry’s top trade groups, the Blockchain Association, wants to investigate concerns that regulators are de-banking crypto firms, while other industry executives are calling for probes of financial regulators over claims that the fall of both Silvergate Capital and Signature Bank was connected to their crypto ties. The industry’s allies on Capitol Hill are joining the fight.

— Others, including within the crypto sphere, dismiss the notion of an anti-crypto conspiracy. No banking agencies “have indicated that there is anything preventing banks from dealing with crypto clients, as long as they are operating within the law and properly managing the risks. The effort, former FDIC official Todd Phillips said, is instead about alerting banks to rising and lurking risks — basic bank supervision.”

FRANCHISES ADD TOP ATTORNEY: The International Franchise Association has hired Sarah Bush as the group’s first in-house general counsel as the trade association retools to “navigate the ever-changing legislative and regulatory landscape” for franchises. Bush, who will support IFA’s government relations team, was most recently general counsel for Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, and before that specialized in franchise and labor issues at firms like DLA Piper, Foley & Lardner and Perkins Coie.

— IFA has been active at the federal level in the first two years of the Biden administration as it sought to fend off a Democratic labor overhaul and expanded joint employer rules that seek to hold corporations accountable for franchisees’ labor practices. IFA was also at the forefront of a vociferous opposition campaign against a landmark fast food labor law in California last year.

— “Never in IFA’s 65 years has franchising faced as many existential policy threats as we see today,” IFA President and CEO Matt Haller said in a statement. Bush’s “depth of experience will provide critical support in IFA’s mission to protect franchising and serve as an invaluable resource for our members to navigate today’s business landscape,” he added.

ASSOCIATION FOR ASSOCIATIONS FLIES IN: The American Society of Association Executives will convene its annual fly-in this week with dozens of advocates from 20 states meeting with more than 50 offices. Advocates are set to meet with members of the tax-writing committees, House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and ranking member Tim Scott (R-S.C.), according to the association, and will push for proposals that would increase access to 529 education savings plan tax advantages.

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Jobs Report

— Matt McNally is now a senior vice president at Rasky Partners. He previously was chief of staff for former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) and is a Jeff Merkley alum.

— Point 2 Strategies President Blair Gladding was named executive director of the Congressional Football Game, and Elevate Government Affairs’ Bret Manley will serve as the new chairman of the event’s charity board. Previous leaders Bill Sells of the Sports and Fitness Industry Association and Glenn LeMunyon of the LeMunyon Group will remain members of the board.

— The Motion Picture Association has hired Josh Levin as vice president of state government affairs for the Northeast region. He most recently served as the associate commissioner of intergovernmental and community affairs in New York City’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

— Ian Mair is now senior director of government relations for fintech at GeoComply. He was most recently head of U.S. public policy at Blockchain.com and was previously vice president at The Smith-Free Group.

— Biruktawit Zelalem is now manager of public relations and communications at Root Capital. She was most recently an account executive at Berlin Rosen and will continue to do freelance PR and comms.

— Harleen Gambhir is now counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). She most recently was in the litigation group at Elias Law Group.

— Katy Montgomery is now executive vice president and chief client officer at Adfero. She previously was executive vice president for corporate affairs and communications at Cyber Defense Labs.

— Jeff Longsworth is joining Earth & Water Law as partner with a focus on Clean Water Act matters, per Morning Energy. He previously was partner at Barnes & Thornburg.

— Jon Reinish has been promoted to partner at Mercury. He most recently was a managing director at the firm and is an alum of SKDK and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

— Gregory Lorjuste is now assistant secretary for executive operations for the New York State Executive Chamber. He most recently was deputy chief of staff at the Urban Institute and is an alum of Barack and Michelle Obama’s post-presidential office and the Obama White House.

— Putnam Partners is adding Amy Kennedy and Mark Nickolas as senior vice presidents. Kennedy previously was at Planned Parenthood Southeast and Vote Choice PAC, and is a New Hampshire Dem veteran. Nickolas is a Democratic campaign veteran and documentary filmmaker.

— Matthew Bishop will return to Rep. Jerry Carl’s (R-Ala.) office as legislative director. He most recently was a senior consultant at Booz Allen, and is a Bradley Byrne alum.

— Meghan Milloy is now a managing director in the strategic communications segment of FTI Consulting’s financial services public affairs practice. She previously was director of strategic comms at the Institute of International Bankers.

— Ellen Locke is now PAC manager for UnitedHealth Group. She most recently was director for U.S. government relations at MetLife, and is a Nationwide alum.

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New Joint Fundraisers

Sessler Victory Fund (Catapult PAC, Jerrod Sessler for Congress)

New PACs

Catapult PAC (Leadership PAC: Jerrod Sessler)
City Hall Watch (Super PAC)
Green Beret Political Action Committee (Super PAC)
R.E.D PAC (Super PAC)
Their Future PAC (Hybrid PAC)

New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS

Actum I, LLC: High Throughput Productions, LLC (Dba Bitboy Crypto)
Avenue Solutions: Siemens Medical Solutions USa, Inc.
Broydrick & Associates: Tim James, Inc.
Capitol Integration: Redshred
Cassidy & Associates, Inc.: Supernal, LLC
Corrigan & USsery LLC: Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC
Corrigan & USsery LLC: Friends Of The Falls
Corrigan & USsery LLC: Gas Technology Institute
Delta Development Group, Inc.: Alleghany County
Delta Development Group, Inc.: City Of Saratoga Springs
Fora Partners: Zūm
High Street Strategies LLC: Cleanwater Wind LLC
Holland & Knight LLP: University Of Pittsburgh
Holland & Knight LLP: Wallbox USa Inc.
Klein/Johnson Group: Norfolk Southern Corporation
Lot Sixteen LLC: Proterial America Ltd.
Nextgen Climate Action: Nextgen Climate Action
Peter Damon Group LLC: Besi
Prest Public Strategies, LLC: Youngstown Cityscape
Schaerr Jaffe LLP: Directtv, Inc.
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Dba Taft Advisors LLC Fka (Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP): Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
Thorn Run Partners: City Of Overland Park, Kansas
Thorn Run Partners: Transcarent
Tiger Hill Partners LLC: Council For Investor Rights And Corporate Accountability, Inc.

New Lobbying Terminations

Actum I, LLC: High Throughput Productions, LLC (Dba Bitboy Crypto)
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Community Health Development Coalition, Inc.
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Individual Retirement Rights Association
Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Knowbe4, Inc.

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