At the direct urging of Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) did a complete about-face Tuesday and suspended formal mark-ups of comprehensive energy legislation and a national energy security bill for this session of Congress, in favor of a stripped down set of only the most critical issues.

Bingaman said he has been asked by Daschle to propose “comprehensive and balanced energy legislation” that could be added to the Senate Calendar for potential action before Congress adjourns for the year. Such legislation would include only those “things that are urgent, urgent, urgent,” such as energy security measures, said a press aide for the Senate committee. Daschle plans to exercise Senate Rule 14 to expedite consideration of critical energy issues.

He noted that Bingaman’s proposed “Energy Infrastructure Security Act,” which calls for criminal background checks of “sensitive” energy personnel and stepped-up protection by law enforcement authorities of the nation’s energy facilities, provides a clear outline of “what the committee believes needs to be acted on” before the Senate adjourns (See Daily GPI, Oct. 10)

Bingaman’s announcement comes only days after he said the Senate panel would mark up an energy security bill this week and resume markup of comprehensive legislation during the week of Oct. 14. The decision to suspend the formal mark-ups came directly from Daschle, according the press aide.

In a prepared statement, Bingaman said, “It has become increasingly clear to the Majority Leader and to me that much of what we are doing in our committee is starting to encroach on the jurisdictions of many other committees. Additionally, with the few weeks remaining in this session, it is now obvious to all how difficult it is going to be for these various committees to finish their work on energy-related provisions.”

And “perhaps most importantly,” he noted, “the Senate’s leadership sincerely wants to avoid quarrelsome, divisive votes in committee. At a time when Americans all over the world are pulling together with a sense of oneness and purpose, Congress has an obligation at the moment to avoid those contentious issues that divide, rather than unite, us.”

Democratic and Republican members of the Senate panel are sharply split over what the size of the energy reform bill should be in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes. The bill, as currently structured, addresses initiatives on electricity restructuring, energy efficiency, domestic oil and gas production, and general energy policy initiatives.

As late as last week, Bingaman and other Democrats still advocated a comprehensive, broad-based measure, while Republicans favored a more scaled-back approach that would address energy issues that have consensus support and could be easily passed this year.

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