Senate passes energy bill; conference committee could be named

Senate passes energy bill; conference committee could be named

Washington (Platts)--29Jun2005


The Senate voted 85-12 in favor of the Clean Energy Act of 2005 (S. 10)
Tuesday morning. The bill now heads to conference with the House's Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6). 

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said that passage of the bill reflected "the will
of the Senate that America's energy supply should be as clean and renewable as
possible. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. I anticipate the swift
naming of conferees and immediate progress to conference. The president has
asked us to have a bill on his desk before August. I intend to do everything I
can to meet that deadline." Sen. Jeff Bingaman, R-N.M., agreed. "We still have
many hurdles to overcome, and I hope we can work them out in conference."

Other members expressed the belief that although the bill didn't contain
everything they wanted, overall it was a good bill. "It isn't a perfect bill,
but we used opportunities to improve it," said Senate Minority Leader Harry
Reid, D-Nev.

After the vote, senators and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman predicted success
on a final energy bill. They said conferees should be named this week to begin
negotiations. Domenici said there are three differences between the House and
Senate bill that must be resolved: a dispute over a liability waiver for
makers of the fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether, the tax package and a
renewable portfolio standard included in the Senate bill. "We have
disagreements, but they are less important than getting an energy bill done.
That's urgent," Domenici said.

Bodman said the administration would work to cut the cost of the bill, to put
it in line with the White House's request for legislation costing no more than
$6.7-bil.
 
"The Senate demonstrated a strong bi-partisan commitment to develop the next
generation of advanced clean coal technologies. ... The [research and
development] funding and investment incentives provided for in the bill will
hasten the deployment of technologies needed to continue progress in further
reducing emissions from coal-based power that today generates over half of the
nation's electricity," the National Mining Assn. said.

"I applaud the Senate for working in a bipartisan way to pass comprehensive
energy legislation consistent with what I proposed in 2001," President Bush
said in a statement. "This bill will help our economic growth by addressing
the root causes of high energy prices and reducing our dependence on foreign
sources of energy. It will encourage the use of technology to improve energy
conservation and efficiency, help increase domestic energy supplies, support
alternative and renewable sources, and enhance reliability. I urge the House
and Senate to resolve their differences quickly and get a good bill to my desk
before the August recess."

This story was originally published in Platts Coal Trader
http://www.coaltrader.platts.com

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