Washington (Platts)--27Jun2007
A bloc of fiscally conservative Democrats in the US House of Representatives unveiled Wednesday a set of energy principles that could make it harder for their more liberal counterparts to pass comprehensive energy and global-warming legislation this summer. The "Blue Dog Coalition" -- a group that conservative House Democrats formed in 1995 to emphasize issues such as national security and balancing the budget--currently has 47 self-identified members, which could be enough to derail any energy or global-warming bill that is more liberal or environmentally focused than they would like. The group's first, overarching principle is that any legislative effort on energy must not reduce access to existing US energy resources, or cut back on production incentives to oil and other energy companies, unless the new policy provides a mechanism for replacing these lost capabilities. This is a version of the so-called "paygo" principle, which requires that any increases in congressional spending be offset by decreases elsewhere, or by tax increases. The coalition also calls for more investment in ethanol and other non-petroleum biofuels, but emphasize that oil and natural gas will remain a vital part of the US energy mix for the foreseeable future. "Until technology catches up, a reliable supply of conventional fuels are essential for our economy," said Representative Jim Matheson, a Utah Democrat who played a key role in writing the Blue Dogs' energy principles. "It would be wrong to produce an energy policy that creates disruption and chaos," added Matheson, who also is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee that is crafting a big section of the comprehensive energy bill that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, plans to bring to the House floor next month. In their principles, the Blue Dogs also emphasized that energy legislation should not raise electricity prices or force US industries to relocate overseas. --Brian Hansen, brian_hansen@platts.com
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