Democrat

In a letter to FERC Friday, Massachusetts Democrat Sens. John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy said they were opposed to the Weaver’s Cove Energy planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal for Fall River, MA, citing the project’s potential harmful effects and risks to the city and surrounding area.

“Let’s roll” was the oft-repeated refrain of Republican and some Democrat conferees Friday, as they met in an initial conference committee session and pledged to finish work by the end of the month on a comprehensive energy bill that would respond to the public’s concerns about an aging electric transmission infrastructure, potential winter price spikes in natural gas and obscenely high gasoline prices.

“Let’s roll” was the oft-repeated refrain of Republican and some Democrat conferees Friday, as they met in an initial conference committee session and pledged to finish work by the end of the month on a comprehensive energy bill that would respond to the public’s concerns about an aging electric transmission infrastructure, potential winter price spikes in natural gas and obscenely high gasoline prices.

Ending six weeks of arduous and sometimes rancorous debate, the Democrat-led Senate last Thursday passed sweeping energy legislation, the Energy Policy Act of 2002, that dangles “carrots” in front of pipeline companies to build an Alaskan natural gas transportation system, gives small producers multi-billion dollar tax breaks to spur domestic oil and gas production, increases renewable fuel use and production, and offers reforms to further enhance competition in the electricity markets.

A lame duck California state legislator and pro-market Democrat, Roderick Wright, chairman of the state Assembly energy/utilities committee, Thursday night threw his hat in the ring for a future appointment ot the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during a speech to an industry audience in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, has stepped up his campaign to ferret out what the Bush administration knew about Enron Corp.’s financial problems and when, sending out another round of letters to top White House and administration officials for information and records.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, has obtained internal Enron Corp. e-mails that he says suggest that Chairman Kenneth Lay “misled” company employees about the prospects for Enron and its stock, just weeks before the energy trader collapsed and began its headlong plunge toward bankruptcy.

Rep. Robert Matsui (D-CA) last week introduced an energy tax bill as a companion to the comprehensive energy legislation that was unveiled by Senate Democrats earlier this year. The Energy Security and Tax Incentive Policy Act proposes a number of tax incentives and credits to spur the construction of new interstate electric and natural gas transmission facilities — notably an Alaska pipeline — and more gas distribution lines, as well as additional gathering to promote development in remote areas.

In a rebuff to the Senate Republicans’ omnibus energy bill, theranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommittee plans to introduce his own comprehensive energylegislation this week, according to a spokeswoman.