Senators set to introduce bill that would lower US gas costs

Senators set to introduce bill that would lower US gas costs

Washington (Platts)--6Apr2005


Sens Lamar Alexander (Republican-Tennessee) and Tim Johnson (Democrat-South
Dakota) on Wednesday plan to introduce a bill they say will take "bold and
aggressive steps" to lower the cost of natural gas in the US. During a press
conference in Washington Wednesday, Alexander said natural gas prices "are at
record levels" in the US and that dynamic is having "drastic consequences for
blue-collar workers, for farmers and for homeowners." Alexander said that his
bill should address the issue of "contradictory energy policies," in which the
US encourages the use of gas while restricting access to supply. Alexander
anticipates the bill will be a stand-alone piece of legislation, but he did
not rule out the possibility that it would be incorporated into the
comprehensive energy bill.

The bill, which will be introduced on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon,
contains provisions to increase offshore production as well as promote energy
efficiency and conservation, alternative fuel strategies,
research-and-development of new energy technologies and streamline the
permitting process for liquefied natural gas terminals and pipelines.
Alexander said that the bill would raise revenues of up to $6-bil over a five-
to six-year period.

This story was originally published in Platts Natural Gas Alert
http://www.naturalgasalert.platts.com

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