AG WARY OF BIDEN'S CARBON BANK: The Biden administration is facing skepticism on one of its most ambitious climate change initiatives: A multibillion-dollar bank to pay farmers to capture carbon. While some environmentalists view it as a positive sign of the administration's climate commitment, other parts of the agriculture industry aren't so sure. Farmers and ranchers fear the program could short change them as corporations and financial middlemen flood carbon markets. And questions have arisen around how effective the program would be at reducing carbon in the atmosphere. But the program — and general acceptance of climate risks — is gaining ground in the agricultural sector, and the administration remains confident it'll be able to sell the program. Still, it'll be a political tightrope to get there. "There's a balance between moving really quickly and also being deliberate enough that we can bring folks along with us," a senior USDA official told Pro's Zack Colman, Liz Crampton and Helena Bottemiller Evich. Zack, Liz and Helena have more for Pros. BIDEN IS HEADED TO PITTSBURGH on Wednesday where he'll unveil the main pillars of his major infrastructure overhaul. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed to Fox New's Chris Wallace Sunday that Biden's Build Back Better agenda will be split into two proposals: One for infrastructure and another for issues such as health care and child care. Biden's address in the City of Bridges will be focused on the first proposal, while details of the second part will come out later in April, Psaki said. Watch the full interview here. STATE DEPARTMENT SENDS KIGALI PACKAGE TO BIDEN: The State Department on Friday sent the White House a "transmittal package" it can send the Senate to ratify the Kigali Amendment, the 2016 addition to the Montreal Protocol that requires a phase-down of the potent climate warming hydrofluorocarbons. The White House didn't return questions over the weekend about when it will send the package on to the Senate. Ratification requires 67 votes, so at least 17 Republicans will be needed if all Democrats back it. But the measure enjoys significant bipartisan support — 13 Senate Republicans in 2018 called on Donald Trump to send them Kigali for ratification — plus the backing of U.S. manufacturers planning to sell next-generation technologies. Environmentalists hope U.S. ratification will prompt two major big holdouts — China and India — to ratify as well. But winning 70 votes will be tricky. A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) — who voted for the AIM act and sits on the Foreign Relations Committee — told ME in January that the senator "doesn't believe action on the amendment is needed." Meanwhile, EPA sent its proposed phase-down of HFCs (Reg. 2060-AV17) to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The rule is required by the Senate's December passage of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act. The law requires EPA to craft rules to reduce HFCs by 85 percent by 2036. HFCs, which are used as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners and to make foam products, can range anywhere from dozens to tens of thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. TRUST THE PROCESS: The Biden administration appears to be moving forward on proposed changes to the so-called process rule of the Trump era. Biden signed an executive order in January that directed the Energy Department to consider "suspending, revising or rescinding" certain agency actions, including the Trump administration's amended process rule, which set a high bar for new energy efficiency requirements for appliances and was slammed by energy efficiency advocates and green groups. Biden's order set a March deadline for major proposed revisions, and on Friday, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs completed its review on DOE's proposal ( Reg. 1904-AF13). Worth noting: Officials from the Office of Management and Budget met last week with several industry groups on the process rule, including members of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers; Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute; National Electrical Manufacturers Association; and Consumer Technology Association. Manufacturer trade groups previously praised the Trump changes to the rule. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER: China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin are among the guests invited to Biden's April climate summit, according to a list the White House released Friday. The 38 other invitees are leaders from both established climate allies and growing economies, such as Chile and Bangladesh. See who else is on the list and what it means from Zack. NORD STREAM 2 WATCH: The controversial pipeline will be done this year, Gazprom's chair of the board of directors, Viktor Zubkov, told reporters. It's unwelcome news for the Biden administration and U.S. lawmakers, who continue to object to the Russian project in NATO territory. POLITICO Europe's Aitor Hernández-Morales has more for Pros. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the administration's objection Sunday, but didn't seem all too gung-ho about shutting it down. When asked by CNN's Dana Bash if there's any way to stop the project, he replied: "Well, ultimately, that's up to those who are trying to build the pipeline and complete it. We just wanted to make sure that our position, our opposition to the pipeline, was well understood." Watch the full interview here. AUTO RULES GO TO OMB: EPA and the Transportation Department last week sent two major proposed regulations to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent over a rule (Reg. 2127-AM33) regarding CAFE program preemption, which appears to be the rule to restore California's special regulatory authority for tailpipe emissions. That rule is not expected to change the actual federal standards, the proposal for which is expected in July. NO PARTY FOR YOU: Freshly minted Interior Secretary Deb Haaland had to cancel her party plans earlier this month after the White House raised concerns a celebration she was planning could become a superspreader event. Haaland's staff had intended to have a small get-together of about 50 people on March 16, catered by the Northern Virginian restaurant chain Anita's, which specializes in New Mexican-style food (and was a favorite ME haunt back in high school). POLITICO's Daniel Lippman has more. | 
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