Delay says House to get energy bill soon
WASHINGTON -- A Republican-written energy bill should reach the House floor for a vote next week, Tom DeLay, the House Republican leader, said yesterday.
DeLay, of Texas, said on the House floor that details of the bill -- which will include some $16 billion in incentives to boost oil drilling and the use of nuclear power and other forms of energy -- will be unveiled Monday and the House will probably vote on it three days later.
The Bush administration and Republicans are praising the bill for carrying out the first major overhaul of US energy policy in a decade, but Senate Democrats have threatened to filibuster if they think it unfairly favors energy companies over consumers.
Democrats have contended that they have been largely shut out of the bill-writing process for the past two months. Although a few details of the draft bill, such as ethanol fuel-tax provisions, have surfaced, Republicans have kept a tight hold on the language and refused to release information about most policy measures.
An energy bill is a top priority of the White House, which wants to step up oil drilling, coal production, nuclear power plant construction, and electric grid expansion. Environmental groups say they worry that the bill will be too industry-friendly and will offer few enticements to conserve fuel and expand alternative energy sources.
The draft energy bill, which Republican negotiators are still hammering out, will be presented Monday to all members of a joint Senate-House conference committee, DeLay said.
The bipartisan conference committee would have to pass the bill before it could be sent to the House and Senate floors. The committee will vote Wednesday, according to DeLay. The bill is scheduled for a full House vote on Thursday morning, DeLay said. The timetable has been endorsed by Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico and the energy bill manager, a congressional aide said.
On Thursday, two Senate Democrats said they were concerned the legislation would hurt American consumers by weakening federal clean air laws and shielding methyl tertiary-butyl ether fuel additive producers from lawsuits over the pollution of water supplies. Under Senate rules, 60 votes are needed in the 100-member chamber to end debate on the energy bill and proceed with a final vote. There are 51 Republicans in the Senate, 48 Democrats, and an Independent.
Republican leaders hope to complete work on the energy bill and other priorities before Thanksgiving. Congress is tentatively scheduled to adjourn on Nov. 21
Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, who has had a role in the tax section of the energy bill, told reporters that a handful of issues remained to be resolved. Those issues should be done within "the next several days," opening the way for a floor vote next week, he told reporters.
President Bush urged Congress yesterday to pass an energy bill, saying it was needed to help reduce US dependence on foreign oil and enhance the nation's security. Meanwhile, yesterday, the Senate confirmed the nominations of a Republican and a Democrat to fill the vacant seats on the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees wholesale electricity markets.
The nominations of Joe Kelliher, a senior adviser at the Energy Department, and Suedeen Kelly, a former New Mexico state utility commissioner, were approved by voice votes.
Material from the Associated Press was also used in this report.
