Key House Republicans, led by House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Joe Barton of Texas, Thursday rolled out a package of 13 energy bills that are intended to boost the supply of domestic energy.

“These bills touch every portion of the energy sector, and whatever it takes to get them to the House floor, we’re for because we want energy prices down,” Barton said. He was joined by Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), the ranking member of the House Way and Means Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the ranking member of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee.

“This is actual [energy] policy, not more of the feel-goodism that the House has engaged in over the past two weeks,” Barton noted.

One measure calls for increased access to the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to carry out oil and natural gas activities, provided coastal states, their governors and legislatures support leasing off their coasts. The Republicans said they also plan to offer a bill to unlock the reserves in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Another bill would require several federal agencies to study the effects of speculation in the futures markets for natural gas, crude oil and gasoline on cash market and retail prices for the commodities. It would charge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Energy Information Administration to conduct the study in consultation with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The bill would require the FTC to submit the results of the study to the House Energy and Commerce Committee within 180 days after enactment of the measure. It also calls for the CFTC to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on whether the regulation of futures contracts and derivatives (including any related position limits, margin requirements and reporting requirements) by a foreign country is comparable to regulation in the U.S. under the Commodity Exchange Act, from which the CFTC derives its authority.

Other pieces of GOP-sponsored legislation would promote the construction of new refineries; develop oil shale resources; repeal the ethanol tariff; extend renewable tax credits; tailor the renewable fuel standard; repeal the ban on use of oil sands, shale oil and coal-to-liquids; maximize the benefit of coal-to-liquids; target boutique fuels; begin nuclear fuel recycling; and provide nuclear science education and workforce opportunities.

©Copyright 2008Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.