Senate

Nevada attorney Jon Wellinghoff was sworn in last Monday as a new FERC commissioner by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada at his Capitol Hill office. He is the last of the three FERC nominees to take the oath of office. The commissioners already are at work at the agency, according to a FERC spokeswoman.

Nevada attorney Jon Wellinghoff was sworn in Monday as a new FERC commissioner by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada at his Capitol Hill office. He is the last of the three FERC nominees to take the oath of office. The commissioners already are at work at the agency, according to a FERC spokeswoman.

A coalition of 19 Senate Democrats led by Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico has called on Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to take a closer look at several issues surrounding an oil and natural gas lease sale that is scheduled for September in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

It’s premature to determine the impact of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) on oil and gas development in the Rocky Mountain region, but experts told a Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday they believe that at least one provision shows the promise of increasing the nation’s supply of gas and oil while also improving environmental oversight. Several panelists, however, had their doubts.

A bill has surfaced in the California Senate to prohibit new and renewed coal-fired electricity supply contracts for private and public utilities. SB 1368, sponsored by Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland), is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The long-standing “phantom tax” issue that Oregon lawmakers tried to fix this year (Senate Bill 408) prompted a 29-page opinion last Tuesday from state Attorney General Hardy Myers, giving state regulators broad authority to make annual adjustments to keep the tax payment collection component of rates consistent with what each private-sector utility pays for a given year. Consumer groups and utilities are promoting different implementation approaches.

Citing the disruptive effect of the active hurricane season on the domestic energy markets, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has urged the heads of the departments of energy, interior and treasury to take immediate steps to head off a natural gas supply and price crisis this winter.

The energy lawyer and perceived “moderate” among the California Public Utilities Commission’s five members, Dian Grueneich, was confirmed by the state Senate last Friday, leaving only the more recently nominated John Bohn needing to gain the lawmakers’ approval. Grueneich is a Democrat, Bohn is a Republican, and the California legislature is heavily Democrat-controlled in both houses.

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the panel has already begun to consider the five energy proposals advanced by President Bush on Wednesday, as well as some novel initiatives.