Republican

Two House Republican amendments seeking to remove the congressional moratorium on exploration and production in portions of the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) were vanquished Thursday.

The House on Thursday passed by a wide margin Republican-crafted omnibus energy legislation that gives energy companies multi-billion dollar tax breaks, clarifies that FERC has sole authority over the siting of liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals and lays the groundwork for oil and natural gas exploration and production to begin on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The House bill is a major victory for President Bush, who has backed drilling in ANWR as part of his national energy policy.

The U.S Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday it plans to urge Republican lawmakers and the Bush White House to immediately tackle “unfinished business,” such as comprehensive energy legislation, in the new session before taking on hot-button issues like reform of the Social Security system.

Republican members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday picked Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) to be chairman of the powerful committee for a third year in a row.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have three new Republican members and two new Democratic members when the 109th Congress gets down to business in January.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will have three new Republican members and two new Democratic members when the 109th Congress gets down to work in January.

In a move that surprised many on Capitol Hill, Senate Republican and Democratic leaders reached a consent deal to attach the 10-year, $13 billion energy tax package to a corporate tax cut measure before leaving for Easter recess.

In a move that surprised many on Capitol Hill, Senate Republican and Democratic leaders reached a consent deal late Thursday to attach the 10-year, $13 billion energy tax package to a corporate tax cut measure before leaving for their spring recess.

The Republican-crafted energy bill has drawn Democratic fire on a host of provisions affecting the oil and natural gas industry, which they say will “raid the Treasury for billions.”