WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden of Oregon said today he's putting together a special campaign team to target seven House Democrats whom he views as his top targets of the 2014 cycle.

That list includes a pair of House Energy and Commerce Committee members, Reps. John Barrow (D-Ga.) and Jim Matheson (D-Utah), as well as House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), a senior member of the Agriculture panel.

The top target list also includes a pair of newly elected Arizona Democrats, Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber.

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney performed well in all seven districts during the 2012 election, taking more than two-thirds of the vote in Matheson's district and 65 percent in Rahall's district.

In five of the districts -- those of Matheson, Rahall, McIntyre, Peterson and Barber -- Romney outperformed Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) showing in the 2008 White House election. The other two districts did not change.

Walden told reporters at the House Republican retreat at a resort here this afternoon that the group is mostly composed of what is left of the Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats.

"These are seven Democratic seats that are actually Republican seats," he said, "Seven seats that Democrats are in that they know they don't belong in. We know they don't belong in."

Walden said that while he has a top seven, his entire target list right now is made up of more than 40 Democratic-held seats. And while that map will be smaller than past cycles, he argued that it is weighted in Republicans' favor, pointing out that 15 Democrats currently sit in Republican-leaning districts while just four Republicans currently occupy Democratic-leaning districts.

But that is not to say there aren't unique challenges facing Republicans this cycle.

Walden said he expects that with President Obama no longer having to worry about re-election, the president will turn the full force of his vaunted campaign machine on the Republican-controlled House.

"We know we have our work cut out for us," he said. "We know it's a challenge."

The Presidential Inaugural Committee today announced eight "citizen co-chairs" of next week's 57th inaugural ceremonies -- including the owner of an Iowa wind energy company.

The eight will attend the main inaugural ball and ride the "Our People, Our Future" float in the inaugural parade.

"The National Inaugural Citizen Co-Chairs were chosen for their extraordinary contributions to their communities," committee Executive Director David Cusack said in a statement. "Whether co-founding a nonprofit to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina or serving bravely in our armed forces, each of these women and men reminds us that the strength of America comes from the strength of its people."

Among the co-chairmen is Rob Hach, the founder of Alta, Iowa-based Anemometry Specialists, a company that provides site assessments for wind turbines. The company, which was named Iowa's small business of the year in 2010, has 31 employees.

According to a news release on the company website, Hach, who has been in the wind energy business since 1994, met with President Obama in September 2011, when the president made a three-day bus tour through Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

"Policies affect my business and can have far-reaching effects in not only renewable energy industries, but small businesses in every sector," Hach said at that time. "I believe that, with the other business leaders at the table, we were able to convey that to the president that good policies, and not politics, are what we need to succeed."

According to Federal Election Commission records, Hach did not donate to either of Obama's presidential campaigns but did give $1,000 to Rep. Steve King's (R) re-election bid in 2012.

The other citizen co-chairs for the inauguration are retired nurse Ida Edwards of Virginia; Erica Chain of California, who survived a brain tumor; Lily Griego of Colorado, whose son received Pell Grants; General Motors employee Kenyetta Jones of Ohio; Liz McCartney of Louisiana, co-founder of the nonprofit St. Bernard Project, which provides services to communities hit by natural disasters; Air Force veteran David Hall of Washington, D.C.; and Navy veteran Taylor Morris of Iowa.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- House Republicans are considering a short-term debt limit extension as a way to provide more time for broader negotiations between the White House and Congress to succeed, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters here this afternoon.

The move could offer a bit of breathing room in the looming battles over budgetary matters, but the White House has already indicated that President Obama won't negotiate over the full faith and credit of the United States.

"The fact is, default is not an acceptable option here," White House spokesman Jay Carney said today. "Congress has to simply do its job and pay the bills that they've already racked up, meet the obligations that they have already made. ... The president has made clear he's not going to negotiate over raising the debt ceiling."

Experts currently predict that without a debt ceiling increase, the country could default on its bills between Feb. 15 and March 1. If that were to happen, the United States would likely be in line for a credit downgrade.

Ryan said a short-term debt ceiling extension is just one option being discussed at today's House Republican retreat as party leaders facilitate a wide-ranging conversation among members about the various fiscal deadlines that are quickly approaching. The goal, he said, is to get everyone on the same page about the mechanics and consequences of the debt ceiling issue as well as the still-looming sequester cuts that are scheduled to kick in March 1 and the end of the current budget continuing resolution in late March.

Ryan acknowledged today that it's still possible one of those fiscal issues could become a vehicle to institute a major tax code reform effort.

"That's definitely one option that's going to be discussed," he said. "Speaking as a Ways and Means [Committee] guy ... we are serious about doing tax reform this year. We think it's among the best ways to create jobs and grow the economy."

Part of fixing the tax code, Ryan said, would involve getting rid of the "crony capitalism" that exists in the current code.

"We see tax reform as an important step to grow the economy and therefore reducing debt," he said.

He added that even if tax reform isn't tied to one of the looming fiscal debates this spring, Republicans will still pursue the issue during this Congress.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration today released a rule aimed at making it easier for regulators to tag a mine for increased safety scrutiny.

The rule -- which has been under Office of Management and Budget review for several months -- revises criteria for putting a mine under Pattern of Violation notice, letting regulators skip putting a work site under "potential" POV scrutiny first.

"Getting this done during my tenure has been one of my top priorities," outgoing Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said during a conference call.

The new rule also eliminates a standard limiting consideration for POV scrutiny to final agency actions. MSHA made that move to make sure mine operators couldn't use the appeals process to avoid getting on the list.

"MSHA should not be prevented from taking action to protect the life of miners," MSHA chief Joe Main said. The new rule, he added, "provides for a more open and transparent process."

The rule, which takes effect in two months, keeps an existing requirement for MSHA to review mines for POV status at least once a year. The agency predicts that three will make the list every year based on the new guidelines.

The rule is the third released by MSHA in response to the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion, which killed 29 miners in West Virginia. The blast had already created pressure for the agency to enhance its oversight, placing two mines under POV review for the first time ever, three decades after the law created the system.

POV reform was also part of mine-safety reform bills that failed to get votes in either the House or Senate during the 112th Congress. Whether the current Congress takes another look at the bills, Main said, "is an open question."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Education and Workforce Committee, say they plan to reintroduce mine-safety legislation this year.

Recalling the Upper Big Branch aftermath, Rockefeller said today, "I said then that I would work to reform and strengthen these rules so that mine operators who are repeat offenders stop shirking their responsibilities and start running mines that are fit for people to work in -- and I'm keeping up that fight."

MSHA kept provisions that industry leaders said violated due process rights -- most notably, that a mine can be put under POV scrutiny even if violations are under appeal.

"Because any unsafe conditions must be remedied under current regulations, no miner is put in harm's way if a citation is appealed," the National Mining Association said. "As such, the loss of due process rights serves no safety objective."

NMA also said that while the agency scrapped only a small number of citations after appeal, about half, based on recent numbers, were reduced to less severe violations.

"Under the final rule, even if citations that serve as the basis for a mine being placed on POV are later determined to have been issued in error, the mine remains in POV status and the efficiency of mining operations is significantly impacted," he trade group said.

Workforce panel Chairman Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) released a statement saying, "I am pleased MSHA continues to use its authority to develop policies intended to strengthen mine safety protections."

He added, "The rule issued today raises a number of questions, including the use of nonfinal orders in the pattern of violations process. I will review the regulation carefully."

Last summer, OMB assembled administration officials and labor and industry advocates to discuss the issue. MSHA said it's addressing due process concerns by letting mining companies submit corrective action programs and request meetings with regulators to discuss discrepancies. The agency has also touted an online monitoring tool.

Also today, West Virginia U.S. District Judge Irene Berger sentenced former Upper Big Branch mine superintendent Gary May for conspiracy to prevent MSHA enforcement at the mine leading up to the explosion. He has been cooperating with U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin's investigation.

This week, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) touted the state's recent mine safety law. Last month, he appointed Eugene White, a former miner, to direct the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training, where he was deputy chief.

U.S. EPA today launched a voluntary program aimed at helping communities meet new air emissions limits for fine particles, or soot.

With the program, PM Advance, EPA plans to work with states, tribes and local governments to implement programs to cut back on fine particles, or PM 2.5, which come from auto tailpipes, power plants, drilling operations and boilers.

The program, EPA said, may be used by communities that are currently in attainment for the 1997 standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over a year and are looking for ways to meet the new standard of 12 micrograms finalized in December (Greenwire, Dec. 14, 2012).

One such program, EPA said, could be a school bus retrofit program. In such a case, EPA would provide technical advice and other support.

Fine particles are particularly dangerous, public advocates have argued, because they can get lodged deep within the lungs, leading to myriad harmful health effects. EPA estimates that the new 12-microgram standard will provide health benefits worth $4 billion to $9.1 billion per year.

For every dollar invested in pollution reduction, EPA said, the country will reap returns of $12 to $171 in health benefits.

It's unclear, however, how many communities will opt to use the new voluntary program. According to EPA's analysis, more than 90 percent of the country would be able to comply with the 12-microgram standard without any additional actions because of various EPA air rules taking effect. EPA identified about 65 counties that will violate the new standard if no additional action is taken.

The United States today nominated a complex of prehistoric earthworks for inclusion on the World Heritage List, a designation bestowed upon such marvels as the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty and Stonehenge.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said United Nations recognition of northeast Louisiana's Poverty Point State Historic Site and National Monument in West Carroll Parish would attract more tourists to the 3,500-year-old site, which is tucked into a bayou of the Mississippi River.

"The Poverty Point earthworks are the remarkable legacy of a prehistoric hunter-gatherer society that existed thousands of years ago," Salazar said in a statement this afternoon.

The one-of-a-kind complex, which includes six concentric earthen ridges and is more than a half-mile wide, is considered one of the largest and most elaborate in North America, Interior said.

The nomination will undergo review by the World Heritage Centre staff and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. The World Heritage Committee, which is a rotating body of 21 nations, will then determine whether it warrants inclusion on the World Heritage List.

The list currently contains 21 U.S. sites, including the Grand Canyon, the Everglades and Mammoth Cave. Poverty Point would be Louisiana's first world heritage site.

Such a designation would not give the United Nations any management or ownership rights over the property.

The last U.S. site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List was the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii in 2010, and the most recent before that were the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, both in 1995.

Two more advocacy groups today added their voices to the list of those urging President Obama to step up efforts to combat climate change in his second term.

Scholars at the left-leaning Center for American Progress released a 10-part environmental wish list ahead of Obama's second inauguration Monday, aimed at ensuring that the United States meets its international commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent compared with 2005 levels by 2020.

Clean Air Act rules for power plants, refineries and other sources topped the list. U.S. EPA proposed a carbon dioxide rule for new power plants last year, which is expected to be finalized in the next few months. But a rule for existing power plants is running behind schedule, and there is little information about what it might look like.

Senior fellow Daniel Weiss and Jackie Weidman, who penned the CAP list, pointed to a recent proposal by the Natural Resources Defense Council that would create differentiated standards for power plants in different states. They said it would help significantly close the gap between current U.S. emissions and the 2020 target.

The two also urged adoption of a price on carbon, perhaps in the form of a progressively designed carbon tax that would rebate some revenue to low- and middle-income consumers.

Weiss and Weidman also urged the White House to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry fuel from Alberta oil sands to the Gulf Coast. The two said the pipeline would counteract the vehicle fuel economy standards the administration often touts as its principal environmental achievement of the first term.

"President Obama has already approved several unprecedented measures to reduce carbon pollution from vehicles," Weiss and Weidman wrote. "This progress, however, could be undone by the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline."

While Obama will have the final say on whether the controversial project goes forward, the State Department will first sign off on a supplemental environmental impact statement. Weiss said in a recent interview that the nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a leading Senate voice on climate change, to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State makes it less likely that Keystone will get the nod from State.

Also today, a coalition of 21 groups with Latino membership said in an open letter to the president that climate and air quality concerns are of particular importance to that politically sought-after demographic.

"This election made it clear that Latinos want a strong economy, immigration reform and a bright and healthy future for our children," the coalition wrote.

Latinos are at particular risk for increased smog and other conditions that would be worsened by climate change, the letter said, because they tend to live in areas with a higher concentration of pollution.

"Your Administration's stronger standards for automobile fuel efficiency, limits on mercury from power plants, and carbon standards for new power plants, will benefit all Americans, particularly Latinos, one in two of whom live in counties that violate air pollution standards," they wrote.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. electric grid overseer settled their dispute yesterday over the grid agency's expenditures and transparency.

A FERC audit last May faulted the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) for a lack of transparency, saying the organization "significantly deviated from its budgeted activities" without approval from FERC commissioners or its own board of trustees (Greenwire, May 7, 2012).

Among other things, the audit found NERC had spent more than $74,000 in 2010 and $109,000 in 2011 for holiday parties and failed to accurately record those expenditures.

FERC auditors said NERC is a nonprofit, and "to protect ratepayers it is imperative that NERC not incur costs that have not been explicitly approved." The report covered NERC spending from August 2006 to March 2012.

NERC criticized the audit, calling it a "relatively one-sided appraisal of the issues" that "is dismissive of NERC's positions, or the findings and recommendations of independent consultants, in often harsh tones."

But the two entities reached a settlement yesterday, in which NERC agreed to improve its process for sharing information tied to expenditures and to obtain FERC approval for unforeseen expenditures of more than $500,000. NERC also agreed to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of implementing a more detailed budgeting and accounting system by March 31, 2014.

FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff told reporters today that neither party got all it wanted but that enough common ground was reached to produce a settlement.

"We want to ensure we have a good relationship, and I'm glad we settled the differences and we're moving forward," he said.

The Utah manufacturer of a product that disabled diesel pickup trucks' emission controls will pay a $500,000 fine to settle claims that it violated the Clean Air Act.

The device made by Ogden-based Edge Products LLC allowed truck owners to remove controls that prevented emissions of excess particulate matter and let trucks spew black smoke, the Obama administration said.

The company sold more than 9,000 of the devices, leading to an estimated 158 tons of particulate matter emissions, according to the Justice Department. Edge stopped selling the product in mid-2011.

As part of today's settlement, Edge will offer to buy back the product and spend $157,600 on an emission-mitigation project.

Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA's regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest, said in a statement that "allowing black smoke to billow conspicuously from the tailpipes of diesel pickup trucks is a practice that directly harms public health."

The director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is calling for ending the current per-gallon fuel tax to avert what he calls the "transportation fiscal cliff."

John Horsley, who is stepping down from his AASHTO post after 14 years, advocated for a sales tax on fuel at a rate high enough to avert a transportation-funding crash that he said could come as early as 2014. The current tax structure represents most of the receipts that go toward the ever-shrinking Highway Trust Fund.

"Fully supporting the program through highway user fees, rather than through transfers from the U.S. Treasury, would reduce the federal deficit by $150 million over 10 years," Horsley said, during a keynote address at the Transportation Research Board annual conference in Washington, D.C. "The cost of the reform to taxpayers would be less than $1 per week, per vehicle."

Government audits note the Highway Trust Fund will run out of operating money in a few years. Funding this program will be among the leading issues transportation authorizers in the House and Senate tackle in the 113th Congress. Horsley said there is support in the Senate for restoring the depleting fund. Garnering enough support from House lawmakers is more challenging.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) "was with us in the last cycle, and we got there," Horsley said. "But the question is, what kind of sustained revenue measures can you pass? We're looking for a tax reform proposal."

With funds quickly depleting and gridlock on Capitol Hill worsening, fixing the country's transportation woes does not look very likely, some experts say. Without federal funds to rebuild old infrastructure, roads and transit programs, transportation systems are likely to break down.

Speaking before Horsley's farewell speech, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said finding ways to pay for myriad road and infrastructure programs is going to be "what the debate will be about" in the 113th Congress.

Horsley will be succeeded by Frederick "Bud" Wright, who most recently was a consultant to Lindsay Transportation Solutions/Barrier Systems Inc., a manufacturer of products used in highway lane management and safety.

How do industry leaders in the United States believe energy policy uncertainty is affecting investments and innovation? During today's OnPoint, Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew's Clean Energy Program, discusses a new report based on round-table discussions with more than 100 industry leaders pointing to the need for consistent, long-term energy policies. Cuttino also discusses the potential for a clean energy standard under the new Congress.

Click here to watch today's OnPoint.

Monica Trauzzi: Hello and welcome to OnPoint. I'm Monica Trauzzi. Joining me today is Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew's Clean Energy Program. Phyllis, nice to see you again.

Phyllis Cuttino: Thanks for having me.

Monica Trauzzi: Phyllis, this week Pew has released a report outlining its recommendations to the administration and Congress on how to move forward on clean energy during the president's second term. The president's already made clear that he wants to address energy, is your sense that he may be though stepping away from the sort of all-green approach and really focusing more on an "all of the above" policy?

Phyllis Cuttino: Well, I think he's been clear for some time, certainly during the campaign, that he really wanted to promote an "all of the above" approach. So I think clean energy is a piece of that, and certainly the clean energy landscape and the energy landscape in general is changing quite a bit. And so what's clear is, America really needs new policy or some national energy policy to really ensure that we're maximizing the opportunities that are associated not just with clean energy but with energy generally.

Monica Trauzzi: One of the things you highlight in the report is the need for a clean energy standard, and Sen. Bingaman was a champion of this type of policy. He's left the Senate and now Sen. Wyden is taking over the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. How do you think Sen. Wyden may shape the future of something like a clean energy standard, and where do you think it stands on his agenda?

Phyllis Cuttino: Well, I think what's very heartening is that he and Sen. Murkowski have really pledged to work together, and it seems that their staffs are already talking. We know there are some things on the agenda. I certainly think that Sen. Wyden has been a champion of clean energy in the past, whether or not it's been from his perch on the Finance Committee or now as the chairman of Energy and Natural Resources. So I'm hopeful that we're going to have a good discussion. Again, I think it's going to be a very broad discussion, given the multiple interests on the committee, but I think we can move forward with legislation at some point during this Congress.

Monica Trauzzi: What does that clean energy standard need to look like? I mean, there are lots of questions on what should be included, things like natural gas, so sort of broadly outline what you think it needs to include.

Phyllis Cuttino: Well, this report is actually -- let me kind of make clear -- this report is actually based on a set of industry recommendations. We really felt last year that one of the things we needed to do with our report is not just acquire kind of empirical data, look at trends and clean energy both here in the United States and around the world, but also really seek out what industry experts and business leaders have been saying about what they think the Congress and the administration need to do. So we had six round tables, we were in Ohio with manufacturers, financiers in New York, we were with innovators in Colorado, solar and biomass developers in Georgia and Mississippi, so we really talked to industry. And these frankly are their recommendations coming out of our conversations. So these really reflect what those participants said. And they said first and foremost that policy uncertainty was really holding them back. They're suffering from kind of intense competition, that is certainly something we're seeing all around not only the United States but around the world with so many new actors, there's a lot of competition, and they have some of the same problems that we've seen in other industries, tight access to credit, other things. But they really have identified the lack of policy certainty as a hamper both in mobilizing private investment and planning and making their own investments. So they believe a clean energy standard should just be a set of guidelines, they think it ought to be broadly based, something we've talked about before, and they frankly think it ought to account for regional differences, it ought to have trading measures for cost savings, and it ought to include clean and cleaner forms of energy.

Monica Trauzzi: All right, and one of the things that industry wants are these incentives to move forward with business. This last round of fiscal cliff negotiations proved tough for incentives though because they really went down to the wire without knowing what was going to happen. Do you think that those negotiations marked a shift in what the future of government incentives might look like, and how is industry preparing for that?

Phyllis Cuttino: Well, industry certainly believes that those incentives have been very powerful in mobilizing private finance. They also believe that government's role ought to be limited, and they think that while the investment tax and production tax credits have been very effective and need to continue for a time, they should probably be term limited. And when we really push participants on what they could identify as a time, they really thought perhaps out to 2020, but they strongly believe that this sector needs to stand on its own at some point. But they have pointed to the fact that the playing field is not level. That the United States has made all kinds of investments in various technologies, whether it's conventional, energy, and they would point to subsidies, permanent tax credits, some of them 100 years old, some of them 50 years old, for more conventional energy technologies compared to this episodic on-again off-again tax credits for their industry. But you know, they can point to telecom, to health care, to other things where government has set some rules of the road and has made some investments in the early stages, and they think that they are a good sector to invest in, because there's plenty of opportunity out there. Our research shows, with Pike Research, who worked with us on this report, that the revenues associated with clean energy installations around the world are going to be 1.9 trillion by 2018 cumulatively, and there will be 700 gigawatts of clean energy installed, 126 gigawatts of clean energy right here in the United States. So there's a lot of opportunity, particularly outside the borders of the United States. And so, you know, they had other recommendations in addition to a clean energy standard or incentives for a private investment, level the playing field, we talked about that. They do think the tax code already picks winners and losers. And many of the participants pointed to the need to invest in clean energy manufacturing and in STEM workers, and also, frankly, the government should work to expand markets for them. So they had a whole host of suggestions for this president and Congress.

Monica Trauzzi: And in terms of expanding markets, you talked about the international opportunities that exist -- is the U.S. currently just really missing out on a piece of the pie when it comes to its opportunity to exchange information and technologies with other countries?

Phyllis Cuttino: We do think that by a number of indicators that the United States is lagging. And this is a worrisome development from our point of view, because, after all, the United States has pioneered so many of these technologies and used to manufacture and export them in kind of greater numbers than we do now. There's a lot of competition, lots of new actors and countries getting involved. And particularly, even in R&D, we've seen a lot of investment in other countries in research and development while our R&D has really fallen off since the 1970s. So, yes, they are, the sector, at least those that we talked to, are very optimistic about what can go on in terms of the international opportunity for them, but they do feel as though they're being held back and we are lagging behind. We are behind in our rate of investment intensity, in our five-year growth rate of installed capacity. So there are a number of indications that we are lagging behind.

Monica Trauzzi: ARPA-E is considered to be a significant step that this administration took on funding for advanced energy technologies. So is that not enough, and what needs to be done beyond that?

Phyllis Cuttino: Well, it's very interesting that you mentioned ARPA-E, because our industry participants did too. They had good things to say about some of these recent efforts, the frontier hubs, the ARPA-E, the way that the labs are increasingly working with industry to kind of drive down costs and production and other things. But they really believe that it's very difficult for the private sector to mobilize the kind of investment that needs to happen in basic R&D. And that is very important because what industry participants told us was that really the second kind of most principle benefit that the United States has is its ability to innovate and continue to innovate. And unless we're inventing new things, improving upon things, making technologies more efficient, it's going to be very difficult to continue to sell them into the international market.

Monica Trauzzi: All right, interesting stuff. We'll end it there. Thank you for coming on the show.

Phyllis Cuttino: Great, thanks, Monica.

Monica Trauzzi: And thanks for watching, we'll see you back here tomorrow.

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Click here to watch today's OnPoint.