“It will also repeal a ban on fossil fuel generated energy at federal buildings created by Section 433 of the 2007 energy bill, replacing that section with widely supported fuel-neutral energy efficiency policies for new and renovated federal buildings”.
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The energy package is the first major piece of energy legislation passed in nearly a decade. DOE’s smaller ARPA-E program, which aims to commercialize high-risk energy technologies, would grow to $375 million in 2020 (up from $291 million this year).
Environmental policy analyst Peter Van Doren of the Cato Institute told The Christian Science Monitor by phone that the reason this bill had passed was less due to genuine goodwill than the success of each side’s agenda. That version included a 4% annual raise for the Office of Science, and a smaller boost for ARPA-E.
The Louisiana senators agreed to drop their amendment after Sen.
“I think the vote you see reflected this morning is indicative of the need to update and modernize our energy policies”, Sen. “These will help strike a balance between a healthy economy and a clean environment, and my measures will support the future of coal, provide good jobs and make our country more energy diverse, effective, and secure for years to come”.
The expected next step is a conference committee with the House of Representatives, to reconcile the Senate legislation with a more politically contentious House bill.
An assortment of energy industry groups applauded the Senate bill’s passage.
Faster decisions for energy projects.
2012) includes a wide range of provisions, including measures to expedite the federal approval process for liquefied natural gas exports, streamline the approval process for electric transmission lines, increase cybersecurity protections for the electricity grid and expedite the licensing process for hydropower projects. Today, there is no deadline. They also argue that it incentivizes cutting forests for energy, and undoes provisions of the Clean Power Plan that call for reductions in carbon emissions from the electricity sector through increased use of renewable sources. The pilot would be located in one state and include at least 2,000 drilling spacing units in a location where 25% or less of the underlying mineral rights are owned by the federal government, and no surface land is owned/held in trust by the federal government. It expired in 2015, only to be kept alive temporarily as part of the budget agreement reached at the end of the year.
Its authors, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, and Maria Cantwell of Washington, the panel’s ranking Democrat, purposely stepped away from any sweeping efforts to solve or fundamentally change the nation’s core energy challenges. “I’m pleased the Senate passed this legislation that will make critical investments in our manufacturing industry, and I urge the House to swiftly approve it so that our auto manufacturers and suppliers can continue developing the next big thing in advanced vehicle technology”. Its passage alone is somewhat momentous; that it was by an 85-12 margin signals that energy diversity can transcend partisanship – in the Senate at least.
In a statement, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said he was looking forward to going to conference.
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The bill received praise from Murkowski’s colleague Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who said the new legislation would help support home energy efficiency programs, mineral development and faster permitting for any LNG export programs.
