Washington (Platts)--13Jun2007

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Wednesday said he expects to wrap up
Senate floor debate sometime next week on a broad energy bill with or without
a tax package.

     The Nevada Democrat told reporters the Senate Finance Committee has yet
to finish its work on the energy tax package and if tax measures aren't ready
before floor debate on the bill concludes, then the tax provisions would be
considered as a separate bill at a later date. 

     Reid said there are a significant number of amendments to the energy bill
still in play that involve a renewable energy portfolio standard, corporate
average fuel efficiency and setting a standard for coal-to-liquids production.

     Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman told
reporters that while he plans soon to offer his RPS amendment to set a 15%
renewable energy standard on electric utilities' retail supplies by 2020, he
was unable to say when a vote would occur on the amendment. 

     Bingaman, a Democrat from New Mexico, said he does not believe he needs a
filibuster-proof 60 votes to get his RPS through the Senate. But the
committee's senior Republican, Pete Domenici, also from New Mexico, is
prepared to offer an amendment he says would provide a more flexible
alternative to the Bingaman's RPS. 

     Domenici's "clean portfolio standard" would require utilities to obtain
20% of their supply by 2020 from a broader range of generation sources that
includes nuclear power, advanced coal-fired generation and other low-emission
sources.

		--Cathy Cash, cathy_cash@platts.com