The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to mark up “broad” legislation this week to tighten the security of the nation’s major energy infrastructure facilities, and then resume mark-up of a comprehensive energy bill by the middle of the month.

For the security bill, the committee will use as a starting point the Department of Interior’s (DOI) proposed measure (S. 1480), which seeks to provide improved security for dams, energy facilities and other resources under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation. It also will consider proposals from the Department of Energy and energy industry to “strengthen energy’s physical and cyber infrastructure” against terrorist strikes, said committee spokesman Bill Wicker. The bill would focus on the security needs of all energy facilities — oil and gas pipelines, power transmission lines, generators, storage, hydroelectric dams, energy-related marine facilities, and refineries.

Additionally, Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) is floating an outline of his “Homeland Energy Security Act of 2001,” which addresses both the protection of energy infrastructure facilities and domestic supply. Murkowski may attempt to offer his proposal as separate legislation, a substitute for S. 1480 or as an amendment, according to the senator’s press aide.

But there are “many things in this Homeland Energy Security Act that have nothing to do with infrastructure” and have no place in the committee’s bill, said Wicker. For example, the Murkowski measure would deal with drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), pipeline safety legislation, weatherization programs and efficiency standards. During mark-up, the committee plans to “maintain a very tight focus” on issues solely related to energy infrastructure security, he noted.

The Senate panel also is likely to weigh proposals to expand the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the Northeast heating oil reserve, which Wicker said “are considered part of the infrastructure.”

The committee has scheduled a hearing on the security bill on Tuesday (Oct. 9), with plans to mark it up the following day and report it to the full Senate. Some Capitol Hill sources are predicting that the Senate could pass the bipartisan effort by the end of the month.

Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) has asked about a dozen energy trade associations to provide the committee with specific security proposals. The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), which represents interstate natural gas pipelines, has proposed the creation of an interagency task force to coordinate energy security issues, shielding sensitive information about pipelines and other energy facilities that is collected by the federal government from Freedom of Information Act disclosure, and a reduction in the federal government’s data requests pertaining to the security practices of energy companies. An INGAA official said energy companies are spending so much time responding to the requests that it is taking away from their efforts to beef up security.

Bingaman’s committee held a closed hearing last month to hear from the energy industry about the steps they were taking in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes to protect their critical energy facilities.

Separately, the committee will resume markup of its comprehensive energy bill during the week of Oct. 14, according to Wicker. It will take up electricity restructuring first, he said, and then move onto provisions that improve energy efficiency, strengthen domestic oil and gas production, and general energy policy initiatives. Bingaman said he expects the panel to finish mark-up within a few weeks.

Given the compressed legislative schedule on Capitol Hill, some senators speculate that the Senate would have to stay in session much later if it is to pass a broad energy bill this year. Senate Republicans are calling for a scaled-back energy bill in the wake of Sept. 11, but Bingaman remains firm in his conviction that the committee will send a comprehensive energy bill to the Senate during this session.

On MSNBC last Thursday, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay stressed the need for the Senate to follow the House’s example and pass an energy bill that includes ANWR this session. The Texas Republican said that opening up ANWR to oil and natural gas drilling had taken on even more importance following the terrorist strikes. He called on the public to flood the Senate switchboard with calls urging Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) to schedule energy legislation for a vote before it adjourns for the year.

Some Capitol Hill observers are hoping the Senate will be more open to drilling in ANWR and expanding producer access to the eastern Gulf of Mexico in light of the terrorist assaults.

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