Senators set to introduce bill that would lower US gas costs
Washington (Platts)--6Apr2005
Sens Lamar Alexander (Republican-Tennessee) and Tim Johnson (Democrat-South Dakota) on Wednesday plan to introduce a bill they say will take "bold and aggressive steps" to lower the cost of natural gas in the US. During a press conference in Washington Wednesday, Alexander said natural gas prices "are at record levels" in the US and that dynamic is having "drastic consequences for blue-collar workers, for farmers and for homeowners." Alexander said that his bill should address the issue of "contradictory energy policies," in which the US encourages the use of gas while restricting access to supply. Alexander anticipates the bill will be a stand-alone piece of legislation, but he did not rule out the possibility that it would be incorporated into the comprehensive energy bill. The bill, which will be introduced on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, contains provisions to increase offshore production as well as promote energy efficiency and conservation, alternative fuel strategies, research-and-development of new energy technologies and streamline the permitting process for liquefied natural gas terminals and pipelines. Alexander said that the bill would raise revenues of up to $6-bil over a five- to six-year period. This story was originally published in Platts Natural Gas Alert http://www.naturalgasalert.platts.com
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