US House Republican leader expects broad energy bill this year

Washington (Platts)--28Mar2006

US House Majority Leader John Boehner Tuesday predicted the chamber will
consider new legislation this year to reduce US reliance on energy imports,
one year after Congress enacted the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

One goal would be to accelerate and broaden President Bush's goal of
reducing US reliance on foreign oil.

The Ohio Republican told reporters the bill would include measures
promoted recently by President Bush to increase domestic production of
biofuels and other forms of energy, and possibly provisions to encourage the
construction of new nuclear reactors.

Boehner said he had met with Bush and House Energy and Commerce Committee
Chairman Joe Barton, Republican-Texas, on a new energy bill, but added he was
not prepared to offer details.

"Those policies that we need to enact to achieve energy independence
ought to be priorities," he said. The House bill, he added, would seek energy
independence in 10 years.

Boehner said the House is not ready to proceed yet, but will do so before
the end of the year.

In his State of the Union address in January, Bush proposed more funding
for biofuels from plant materials such as switchgrass and set a goal of
cutting U.S. imports of Middle East oil 75% by 2025. In addition, he has since
reiterated his position that the United States should rely more on nuclear
energy.

In the Senate, Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete
Domenici, Republican-New Mexico, said he was discussing the possibility of
comprehensive energy legislation with the panel's top Democrat, Senator Jeff
Bingaman of New Mexico. Domenici has said previously that he doubted Congress
could pass such a bill this year because of a relatively brief legislative
calendar.

Asked Tuesday about the House leader's 10-year goal for energy
independence, Domenici said, "We're not moving in that direction yet."

Separately, Boehner said that he did not think the House would pass a
fiscal 2007 budget bill with authorization for drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge. However, he left open the possibility that lawmakers would
attempt to put an ANWR provision in the budget.

The House Budget Committee is scheduled to vote on an ANWR bill
Wednesday. The Senate budget resolution, which the chamber passed earlier this
month, includes $3 billion in revenues from arctic drilling within five years.

--Dan Whitten, dan_whitten@platts.com

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