The nomination of Stephen J. Isakowitz to be the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy. The draft of an original bill drawn from the text of bills: S. 731, S.962, S. 987, and S. 1115.
CQ:
A tenuous agreement to delay action on divisive issues blew up Wednesday as a Senate panel marked up its first major energy legislation of the year.
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee had agreed not to consider amendments on coal and renewable electricity. But the deal fell apart when Republicans forced a vote on an amendment by Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., to create a new mandate for coal-based transportation fuels.
Democrats tightened ranks — despite the fact that many support “coal to liquids” technology — and defeated the amendment 11-12 in a party-line vote.
The panel went on to adopt, 15-8, an amendment by Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., that would make various industrial facilities — including coal-to-liquids facilities — eligible for a 50-50 cost share program that would help pay for projects that capture the resulting greenhouses gases and store them underground.
The deal between Bingaman and ranking Republican Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico was intended to save controversial amendments for the Senate floor debate on the legislation. The underlying bill, which is still unnumbered, includes language from four measures that would address biofuels (S 987), energy efficiency (S 1115) and carbon sequestration technologies (S 962, S 731).
Although Republicans broke what one Democratic aide called a “ceasefire,” Democratic committee aides said Bingaman plans to keep his end of the bargain and withhold his amendment to create a “renewable portfolio standard” until the bill moves to the floor. That language would require utilities to produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
Thomas and Jim Bunning, R-Ky., plan to bring their proposal to boost coal-to-liquids technology to the floor as well.
The committee also adopted by voice vote 22 minor amendments that had been cleared with staff on both sides of the aisle in advance.
02/05/2007 at 10:00AM