The House Republican in charge of Interior Department and U.S. EPA spending said yesterday that he expects his proposal for fiscal 2013 to make its first appearance during the week of June 18, after the chamber recesses next week.

The Interior-EPA appropriations bill is "not done yet," according to Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). Still, the dozens of riders constraining Obama administration policy that his party attached to last year's version of the measure -- ultimately pulled from floor consideration as congressional leaders reached a sweeping spending deal with the White House -- are expected to return to the agenda.

"We're trying to limit the amount" of proposed restrictions to Interior and EPA programs that are attached to the fiscal 2013 bill, Simpson said, "but there will be some. There will be some that are controversial, to be sure."

The Idahoan predicted last month that his spending plan would "never get to the floor" because of limited available time for the House to consider appropriations bills before the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year (E&ENews PM, May 10). In addition to the prospect of numerous politically divisive riders to debate, the Interior-EPA legislation also must operate under an effective $2 billion cut below the levels agreed to in December's omnibus appropriations package.

But that outlook for floor debate may have grown rosier in recent days, as the House works through its individual spending bills. This week has seen the passage of plans funding the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers as well as the Department of Homeland Security.

One rider Simpson already has committed to revisiting would block EPA from implementing or enforcing its proposed guidance policy to expand federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction over seemingly isolated streams and wetlands.

The appropriator said earlier this month during House floor debate over a similar bid to block the Obama water policy that "we will have the same opportunity again" when his Interior-EPA bill comes up.

Another rider that Republicans plan to fight for this summer would stop Interior's Office of Surface Mining from moving ahead with a stream protection rule aimed at limiting pollution from mountaintop-removal mining.

That proposal's sponsor, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), said yesterday that he "absolutely" plans to resume his effort on the fiscal 2013 bill, echoing a common GOP refrain in charging the administration with waging "war on the coal industry."

Reporters Paul Quinlan and Manuel Quinones contributed.