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House Panel Dismisses Democrats' Hydro, LNG, Refinery Amendments

Democrats yesterday threw as many amendments as they could at the energy bill but very few — and none of the major ones — stuck. After a seven-hour markup session that ended shortly before 9 p.m., the House Energy and Commerce Committee had completed work on three titles of the bill — with 13 titles to go. Today’s session, scheduled to start at 10 a.m., will start with the coal policy section of the bill. Yesterday’s session, a continuation of a markup that began last week, was marked by heated debates over hydropower facility licensing, renewable portfolio standards, liquefied natural gas terminal siting policies and efforts to speed up the licensing process for oil refineries. But it also was notable for some public efforts at forging a compromise. The debate over hydropower licensing pits committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) against ranking member John Dingell (D-Mich.), who charged that the bill’s language weighed too heavily in favor of power generation license applicants and not enough for other groups that use navigable waterways — municipalities, recreation users and shippers — particularly those who fight the hydropower applicants in licensing proceedings. “This is simply, clearly and plainly, obviously unfair,” Dingell said, chiding the […]

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Bipartisan House Bill Would Set Renewable Fuels Standard

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) praised Representatives Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Tom Osborne (R-NE), Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Steve King (R-IA) for introducing a renewable fuels standard (RFS) bill that would require the use of 8 billion gallons of renewable fuels, like ethanol and biodiesel, by 2012. The legislation mirrors S. 650, a Senate RFS bill. According to a recent national survey of registered voters conducted by Moore Information, 74% of registered voters support establishing an 8 billion gallon per year RFS in an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and improve air quality. Support for the RFS is strong regardless of party affiliation or geographic location. The same survey also found that 79% of registered voters support extending the current biodiesel federal tax incentive in order to encourage biodiesel use in the United States. Last fall, Congress approved a two-year tax incentive for biodiesel that took effect Jan. 1, 2005. The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Sam Graves (R-MO), Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ike Skelton (D-MO), Mark Kennedy (R-MN), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), John McHugh (R-NY), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jim Leach (R-IA), […]

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