1. ENERGY POLICY:
White House opposition to drilling dims prospects for energy trust
President Obama and his advisers thought they had finally hit on an idea that could gain bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and end a years-long drought in energy policymaking: Use revenues from oil drilling to fund clean energy research. But a bright line in the sand against opening new lands and waters to exploration seems likely to doom the proposal's chances in Congress, where Republican support would be necessary to create the envisioned "energy security trust fund."