Lobbyists

As debate on the nation’s energy and environmental policy continues in Washington, coal lobbyists weighed in with a study showing that coal production and generation is responsible for between $163 and $659 billion in increased economic output in the U.S.

Countering comments from labor unions supporting the coal industry, the heads of three natural gas associations in Washington Thursday advised Sen. James M. Jeffords, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, that natural gas is not claiming an undue share of the power generation market. Further, natural gas reserves are plentiful and the delivery system is adequate.

Gas pipeline industry lobbyists are missing out on an excellentopportunity in the power generation market to promote greaterexpansion of the pipeline network, says Commissioner Brent Alderferof the Colorado Public Utlities Commission. And the power industryas well is overlooking the importance of gas pipelines indistributed generation in creating greater power reliability.

The Clinton Administration’s electric restructuring proposalreleased this week faced immediate praise and vilification bylobbyists and legislators. “I appreciate the apparent progress onthe Administration taking a position,” said Sen. Frank H. Murkowski(R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and NaturalResources. “But the devil’s in the details-and we don’t yet havethe details since DOE has yet to provide Congress with its specificlegislative proposal.” When that is provided “we can begin holdinghearings on their measure and the other bills before the EnergyCommittee,” he added