Plans for National Energy Bill May Be Losing Steam in House

Nov 24 - The Dallas Morning News

Nov. 25--WASHINGTON -- After four years of failure, House energy committee chairman Joe Barton said Wednesday that he won't pursue national energy policy legislation in the next Congress.

"I would just as soon split the bill up, move what you can move, do it by bits and pieces, and if we can get good things passed that way, I'm all for it," Mr. Barton, R-Ennis, said. "But I'm not going to tie up the committee for energy when we have so many other things we need to do."

Mr. Barton's decision dealt a blow to White House and industry hopes for an energy bill that would overhaul the nation's electricity grids, boost production of corn-based ethanol as a gasoline additive, and encourage nuclear power and cleaner-burning coal-fired power plants.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Mr. Bush still intends to push for a broader bill.

"The president remains committed to enacting a comprehensive energy policy," Mr. Duffy said. "The country still needs one for economic security, national security and long-term economic growth, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Congress on accomplishing that."

Most energy analysts agree that the United States needs to move across the board on energy issues to deal with mounting price shocks, shortages and pollution problems. Even Mr. Barton says a comprehensive bill would be the best way to address the problem.

From energy conservation to research to production incentives, "we need it all," said Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

Still, a bill encompassing numerous energy supply and conservation measures failed several times in Congress during Mr. Bush's first term.

Mr. Bush made it a top priority during the 2000 election. Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force in 2001 recommended legislation to address issues such as California's electricity crisis and price spikes for oil and natural gas.

Demands for a sweeping bill were also fed by the 2003 blackout across much of the Northeast and this year's soaring gasoline prices.

But these economic shocks have not been enough to overcome differences between the House and the Senate.

One of the biggest was a fight led by Mr. Barton and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, to protect makers of the gasoline additive MTBE from lawsuits filed by water utilities.

MTBE helps gasoline burn more cleanly. But even trace amounts can create foul odors in drinking water. A filibuster in 2003 derailed the energy bill over the MTBE provision.

Energy bill supporters didn't push the legislation this year because of the presidential campaign, where Sen. John Kerry and Mr. Bush expressed clear differences on energy issues.

Mr. Barton unsuccessfully urged the Senate to take up the bill again last week as part of a catchall spending measure. Senate energy committee staffers said the votes still weren't there to overcome objections to the MTBE provision.

Mr. Barton said he has told House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., that he would pursue other bills next year in his House Energy and Commerce Committee, as the panel is formally known.

"What I've told the speaker and the committee is, for whatever reason, the United States Senate has seen fit to do almost nothing on energy for two consecutive Congresses," Mr. Barton said. "And the public for various reasons hasn't seemed to be too disappointed about it. The markets have adjusted."

A spokeswoman for Senate energy committee chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said a comprehensive bill was "the only viable option."

"The rising costs of coal, natural gas, heating oil, crude oil and gasoline mandate a comprehensive bill. Why fix these problems one at a time when you can fix them all at once?" asked Marnie Funk.

"We've picked up four Republican seats in the Senate, and our energy problems are more pressing than ever. We're going to pass a comprehensive energy bill out of the Senate next year. What the House does with it is up to the House."

Mr. Barton said his committee has other pressing business.

"Medicaid needs be reformed. The telecommunications industry is in transition. The broadcast industry's in a transition to digital" signals, Mr. Barton said.

"There are all kinds of issues before the Energy and Commerce Committee that haven't been addressed, because we have tended to focus on energy," he added. "Energy is going to be part of our program, but it's not going to be the priority it has been."

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