In a rebuff to the Senate Republicans’ energy package, theranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommittee plans to introduce his own comprehensive energylegislation either later this week or early next week, according toa spokeswoman.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) intends to take a “more centrist andbalanced approach” to energy issues in his bill, said the senator’sspokeswoman, Jude McCartin. While the Republican omnibus energybill unveiled by Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) two weeks ago “wasfocused pretty heavily on the supply side, Sen. Bingaman’slegislation will be more balanced in dealing with both supply anddemand issues.”

A draft of Bingaman’s measure includes a series of proposals toimprove energy efficiency, reflecting the senator’s belief thatimproved energy efficiency is the single most effective and leastcostly way for the nation to work through its short-term andlong-term energy problems. “We cannot produce our way toindependence from foreign oil supplies,” Bingaman said two weeksago.

Of interest to the oil and natural gas industries, the draftBingaman measure proposes to address an area that the Republicansstayed clear of in their legislation — producer access to publiclands. He calls for an inventory to be taken of public lands withthe greatest geologicial potential, focusing on the “mostprospective areas, evaluation of geological complexity and cost ofdevelopment.”

Bingaman also proposes increased planning and staffing toencourage the development of public lands. In addition, the draftseeks a review of the policies and practices that are restrictingoil and gas development on non-federal lands.

The proposed initiative also is expected to include a provisionor provisions that seek to maximize deep-water production of oiland natural gas.

Unlike the Republican’s energy legislation, the Bingamanproposal will not include a provision to open the coastal plainregion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gasexploration and development, McCartin said. However, it willpropose tax incentives for early construction of a long-linenatural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of Alaskato the Lower 48 states, she noted.

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