Washington -- Dec 28 - Chattanooga Times/Free Press
Gasoline prices have moderated significantly since Congress stalemated over
energy legislation during the summer, but lawmakers say that hasn't dampened
the need to address energy supply and conservation.
Senators in the bipartisan self-named "Gang of 10," who announced a
compromise proposal earlier this year, say they still plan to formally
unveil their legislation when Congress reconvenes in the new year.
"Although we have experienced lower energy prices this fall, there is still
more work to be done," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who is co-chairman
of the Gang of 10 with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.
Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., also are among the
Gang of 10, which eventually got 20 co-sponsors, 10 Republicans and 10
Democrats.
Their $84 billion proposal includes some limited offshore drilling on the
Atlantic Coast, along with significant investments in alternative fuels and
incentives for conservation measures.
But Democratic and Republican Senate leaders expressed tepid support for the
bipartisan proposal, and the bill never made it to the floor this year.
Offshore drilling was a nonstarter for most Democrats, while some
Republicans complained that the package did not include enough offshore
drilling. With next year's Congress featuring greater Democratic majorities
in both houses, such a compromise package faces an uncertain future.
The Gang of 10 has not made any plans yet to meet in January when Congress
reconvenes, but a spokeswoman for Sen. Corker, who sits on the Senate Energy
Committee, said energy legislation is likely to be a key issue.
"Our sense is that there will be momentum for comprehensive energy reform to
happen through the normal committee channels, and we look forward to
participating in that process," spokeswoman Laura Lefler said.
The group of 20 co-sponsors also will shrink somewhat, with the retirement
of Sen. Richard Warner, R-Va.; the appointment of Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.,
as Interior Secretary; and the election defeats of Sens. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.,
and John Sununu, R-N.H.
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., another member, is locked in a recount battle
against Democrat Al Franken and no winner has been announced.
But the lawmakers are buoyed by the fact that President-elect Barack Obama
has made energy independence and alternative fuels a priority.
In previous decades, efforts to reduce the country's fossil fuel consumption
and boost the development of alternative fuels -- plans that rose to the
forefront when gas prices spiked -- have fizzled after prices eventually
moderated.
President-elect Obama noted those failures when he announced his energy and
environment policy team earlier this month and has said so-called "green"
jobs will be a focus of the economic stimulus package he plans to announce
early in his term.
"This time we cannot fail, nor be lulled into complacency simply because the
price at the pump has -- for now -- gone down from $4 a gallon," he said.
Sen. Conrad, in a letter this month to President-elect Obama, urged him to
adopt the proposals included in the Gang of 10 plan. The legislation calls
for $18 billion in alternative fuels research, funded by closing tax
loopholes on oil companies. It also invests $35 billion in energy efficiency
and conservation efforts.
Though it includes offshore drilling provisions in which four Atlantic Coast
states, including Georgia, can share in the royalties, it keeps the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge off-limits.
The plan also contains provisions to expand nuclear power and develop
coal-to-liquids technology.
"I urge you to include provisions that will spur the development of
renewable energy supplies and the infrastructure to bring that energy to
customers," Sen. Conrad wrote.
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