Senior Republican says execution of Energy Policy Act is too slow

Washington (Platts)--13Dec2005

The second-ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee Tuesday took the Bush administration to task for the pace at which
it is implementing the Energy Policy Act. 

     "I'm in the business of trying to convince the secretary and Clay that we
passed a national energy policy," Sen Larry Craig (Republican-Idaho) said of
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell. "For
some reason, what they are doing and the budgets they are proposing are not
quite reflective of what the Congress has done and spoken to." 

     Craig told the National Coal Council in Washington that he was
particularly concerned over funding for technology for coal and nuclear power
plants. 

     While the senator acknowledged that budget constraints make it difficult
to find funds to support all of the energy law's authorizations, he suggested
some money could be shifted from other accounts, such as wind energy research.

     "We don't need to spend any more money there, as much as we [need to] do
in baseload technology, and that means clean technology for coal; that means
nuclear," he said. 

     Craig called on the coal council, which advises the US Dept of Energy, to
demand more action from the administration. He said: "My job--and your job--is
to work collectively together to put pressure on this and future
administrations for full implementation of the [new law] and all it brings..."

     Craig's comments appear to put him at odds with energy committee Chairman
Pete Domenici (Republican-New Mexico). 

     "I am generally pleased by the strong effort I have seen from several
federal agencies to implement the Energy Policy Act of 2005," Domenici said in
a statement Tuesday after energy trade groups offered recommendations to
mitigate the price of natural gas on consumers. 

     Among the agencies, Domenici said DOE has codified appliance standards
included in the law and has begun work on regulations aimed at reduction
gasoline use by federal fleets.

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