As the balance of power shifted in the Senate last week from Republicans to Democrats, members from both sides of the aisle offered up plenty of hints that the contentious issue of reining in California’s runaway wholesale energy prices will be in play over the next couple of weeks. Democrats said they may take action on legislation that would direct FERC to set cost-based rates to ensure just and reasonable wholesale energy prices in the state, while Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK), the outgoing Senate Energy and Natural Resources chairman, indicated flexibility on the subject, but not if such open-mindedness means sacrificing additional generation in California.
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House Energy Panel Resumes CA Energy Bill Markup
Fresh from their recent recess, House Democrats and Republicans who sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee this morning will take another crack at marking up legislation designed to provide relief to the troubled California wholesale energy markets. A Capitol Hill aide expressed confidence that the bill will be voted on today by the full committee.
Senate Ushers in Omnibus Energy Legislation
Before a packed crowd of the Who’s Who in Washington, D.C.energy circles, Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and other SenateRepublicans last week touted their omnibus energy legislation asboth “sound” and “well balanced.” The mix of tax credits,incentives, royalty relief and other measures offered in the bill,they vowed, will reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil toless than 50% by 2010 by increasing domestic production ofconventional energy fuels and improving energy efficiency andconservation.
Senate Calls for Hearing into High Gas Prices
There appears to be one issue that Republicans and Democrats onCapitol Hill can agree on — gas prices are too high. ChairmanFrank H. Murkowski (R-AK) of the Senate Energy Committee andRanking Minority Member Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) have called for anoversight hearing to look into rising natural gas prices.
Senate Debuts Broad-Based Energy Legislation
Alarmed by the U.S. appetite for foreign oil, key SenateRepublicans last week introduced a broad-based legislative packagethat would open up areas that have been closed to drilling in thepast, as well as offer tax measures and other incentives tostimulate the production of crude oil, natural gas and alternativeenergy in the Lower 48 states and Alaska.