SENATE PANEL APPROVES ENERGY BILL

The Senate panel last week approved an energy bill in a 15-8 vote from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The new energy bill opens large tracts of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and natural gas drilling and provides federal loan guarantees for a gas pipeline project in Alaska. The energy bill also requires utilities to produce up to 15 percent of electricity from renewable sources (like green steam, wind, solar power), by 2021.

The Senate bill represents a compromise between Democratic members seeking to reduce energy use and global warming emissions and Republican members intent on increasing production of oil, gas and nuclear power. The Senate bill represents a compromise between Democratic members seeking to reduce energy use and global warming emissions and Republican members intent on increasing production of oil, gas and nuclear power.

The Senate energy bill includes:

- funding for clean energy technologies
- training for workers in new energy-related industries
- the bill calls for expansion of the nation’s stockpiles of petroleum reserves to deal with sudden shortages or price hikes
- provides federal guarantees for carbon capture &storage programs and encourages a resolution of the problem of storing nuclear waste
- the bill trys to resolve conflicts over the placement of electrical transmission lines
- provides authority for federal agencies to ensure the security of the nation’s electrical grip

The committee released a summary and analysis of its proposal.

RELATED LINKS:

Senate Advances Comprehensive Energy Bill

Senate Energy Bill: Love It Or Hate It?

U.S. Senate panel approves comprehensive energy bill

Senate energy bill on tight timeline

Senate Passes Energy Bill

Posted By: C. Keddy

Short URL: http://naturalgasforamerica.com/?p=452

Posted by admin on June 23rd, 2009. Filed under Environment, Natural Gas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry