The energy package is the first major piece of energy legislation passed in nearly a decade.
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The Senate has revived a wide-ranging bill that would promote various forms of energy, from renewables such as solar and wind power to natural gas, hydropower and geothermal energy. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told her colleagues that while she had “hundreds of pages” of energy policy she would like to see passed, she was pleased with the bipartisan work done on her bill.
Drafted in response to changing energy standards and technologies, the bill addresses sustainable construction, renewable energy, and cybersecurity for energy infrastructure.
The Senate passage of the bill was held up earlier in February as a result of members introducing controversial amendments to aid in the Flint, Michigan lead poisoning, and a measure that could have potentially expanded offshore oil drilling on the U.S. east coast. That sets up a conference with the U.S. House, which passed a similar piece of legislation in December.
The oil and gas industry heralded the passage of the bill Wednesday. The bill also includes provisions important to hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationalists that improve access to public lands, open federal land to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, and improve some of the most important conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and the National Fish Habitat Conservation Program. It also would update building codes to increase efficiency and strengthen electric-grid safety standards, among dozens of provisions.
“This bipartisan energy bill will help the United States maintain its brainpower advantage and create an abundance of clean, cheap, reliable energy to fuel innovation in our free enterprise system”.
“We look forward to working with House and Senate leaders to ensure that any final measure sent to the president has strong pro-solar policies and leaves out any provisions harmful to our industry”, concludes Mansour.
Energy Policy analyst Kevin Book said the chances of the Senate bill turning into a law this year is about 65%, since the White House is still seeing differences from the House bill.
“Our congratulations and deep appreciation goes to the Senate for passing the Energy Policy and Modernization Act”. Those can be challenges, but I think we have demonstrated with the process that we have used here on the Senate side – both through committee and now through the floor – we can work through issues.
The Senate bill includes a long-delayed energy efficiency measure that includes incentives to cut energy use in commercial buildings, manufacturing plants and homes.
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The measure also provides $500 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a widely popular and effective program that invests in land purchases and projects for outdoor use. A substantial energy efficiency section takes up many pieces of a bill by Senators Rob Portman, Republican-Ohio, and Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat-New Hampshire, and as such won support from the Alliance to Save Energy.
