"Divided Panel Approves Rider-Filled Interior-EPA Bill"

"The Senate Appropriations Committee [Thursday] approved 16-14 a spending bill for the Interior Department, U.S. EPA and the Forest Service after adding money for wildfire fighting and rejecting a Democratic attempt to strike a dozen policy riders.

The party-line vote sends the $32.7 billion fiscal 2017 measure to the full Senate. But Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) predicted that the riders -- touching on everything from water regulations to the Endangered Species Act -- will likely keep the bill from clearing the 60-vote procedural hurdle needed to take it up on the floor.

Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) in a statement said the bill makes 'responsible recommendations' on taxpayer spending for federal lands programs and 'improves environmental policy by emphasizing infrastructure improvements over new EPA regulations.'"

Sean Reilly, Scott Streater, and Amanda Reilly report for Greenwire June 16, 2016.