Today in Washington D. C. - May 2, 2008
The Senate: No votes are scheduled until Tuesday. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Reid filed for cloture on the FAA reauthorization bill (H.R. 2881) and the Rockefeller substitute amendment. A cloture vote on the substitute is scheduled for 2:30 PM on Tuesday. Reid has filled the amendment tree on the FAA bill effectively blocking Republicans from offering amendments.
From Senate & News Sources: At a press conference yesterday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Pete Domenici (R-NM), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and ten other GOP senators unveiled Republican energy proposals to increase domestic oil production and help lower gas prices. The GOP bill would allow oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf and oil and gas drilling in 2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Reuters listed other major provisions of the bill:- Allow states to petition the federal government to allow oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts;
- Suspend filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 180 days;
- Require production of 6 billion gallons of coal-derived transport fuels by 2022;
- Repeal a 1-year moratorium on drilling in oil shale regions in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah;
- Repeal previous legislation prohibiting federal agencies from using alternative fuels that emit more greenhouse gases than conventional sources, which has been viewed as a de facto ban on U.S. government use of fuels refined from the Canadian oil sands. Senate Democrats are set to present their energy proposals today. In stark contrast to Republicans, the Democrats appear to have no plans to increase domestic energy supplies. Instead, their plan revolves around scapegoating and punishing oil companies. CongressDaily reports, “Democrats have proposed making price gouging a federal crime; allowing the United States to sue OPEC for manipulating crude oil prices; and repealing billions in tax incentives for oil and gas companies.”
Democrats’ historic mismanagement of Congress continues unabated. After denying Republicans the ability to offer amendments on the FAA bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture, forcing a premature vote on a bill that Democrats loaded up with controversial unrelated provisions. The cloture motion is likely to fail; Republicans would prefer to debate the bill and improve it. Reid has repeatedly claimed this is a GOP filibuster, but in fact it is Reid’s heavy-handed and erratic approach to legislating that results in much wasted time and stalled bills. A senate staff member expressed, "It’s really quite galling to hear the denunciations of Republicans over this Congress’ lack of accomplishments when Democrats have so badly mismanaged things from the very beginning."
In the House: Mismanagement is not limited to the Senate. Politico reports that the House left for the weekend without approving an extension of the Higher Education Act thereby allowing it to expire. CQ Today reports that House Democrats may not move any regular appropriations bills this year. CQ Today and the AP both detail Democrats’ continuing struggle to produce a supplemental war funding bill that can satisfy the competing demands of their members. Leadership, appropriators, Blue Dogs, and anti-war members are all at odds over various aspects of the bill ranging from procedure to spending to troop withdrawal provisions.
Tags: drilling, energy, gasoline, natural gas, oil, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate & News Sources: At a press conference yesterday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Pete Domenici (R-NM), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and ten other GOP senators unveiled Republican energy proposals to increase domestic oil production and help lower gas prices. The GOP bill would allow oil exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf and oil and gas drilling in 2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Reuters listed other major provisions of the bill:
- Suspend filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for 180 days;
- Require production of 6 billion gallons of coal-derived transport fuels by 2022;
- Repeal a 1-year moratorium on drilling in oil shale regions in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah;
- Repeal previous legislation prohibiting federal agencies from using alternative fuels that emit more greenhouse gases than conventional sources, which has been viewed as a de facto ban on U.S. government use of fuels refined from the Canadian oil sands.
Democrats’ historic mismanagement of Congress continues unabated. After denying Republicans the ability to offer amendments on the FAA bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture, forcing a premature vote on a bill that Democrats loaded up with controversial unrelated provisions. The cloture motion is likely to fail; Republicans would prefer to debate the bill and improve it. Reid has repeatedly claimed this is a GOP filibuster, but in fact it is Reid’s heavy-handed and erratic approach to legislating that results in much wasted time and stalled bills. A senate staff member expressed, "It’s really quite galling to hear the denunciations of Republicans over this Congress’ lack of accomplishments when Democrats have so badly mismanaged things from the very beginning."
In the House: Mismanagement is not limited to the Senate. Politico reports that the House left for the weekend without approving an extension of the Higher Education Act thereby allowing it to expire. CQ Today reports that House Democrats may not move any regular appropriations bills this year. CQ Today and the AP both detail Democrats’ continuing struggle to produce a supplemental war funding bill that can satisfy the competing demands of their members. Leadership, appropriators, Blue Dogs, and anti-war members are all at odds over various aspects of the bill ranging from procedure to spending to troop withdrawal provisions.
Tags: drilling, energy, gasoline, natural gas, oil, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 9:51 AM - Post Link
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