Washington (Platts)--18Mar2008

The US Energy Information Administration will release in "about two
weeks" its assessment of climate legislation currently pending before the US
Senate, EIA Administrator Guy Caruso said Tuesday.

Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman and Virginia Republican John Warner
are sponsors of the bill, which would set up a cap-and-trade program to limit
greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power, natural gas and
transportation fuel sectors.

The bill is scheduled to reach the Senate floor in June after
Congress returns from its May recess, Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said March 12.

Given constraints on nuclear power plant construction, Caruso said the
agency expects US natural gas demand and prices will go up, but he declined to
say by how much.

Meanwhile, Caruso acknowleged criticism of EIA's National Energy Modeling
System, but said the agency "has to work within existing policy."

Critics of the model, including the American Gas Association, Natural
Gas Supply Association and Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, have
daid it assumes the US will build 140 new nuclear plants by 2025. Caruso noted
the US has not built a new nuclear plant since 1977.

--Rodney White, rodney_white@platts.com