House Republicans plan major US energy bill

OREANDA-NEWS. February 10, 2015. Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives plan to issue a series of discussion drafts in coming months as they cobble together a comprehensive energy bill to be voted on later this year.

Beginning work on what they envision as the first, broad energy package to be considered in eight years, House Republicans today rolled out a legislative framework focusing on four key areas: modernizing US energy infrastructure; preparing a workforce for the 21st century; using energy as an arm of US diplomacy; and boosting efficiency and accountability.

"Our energy realities have changed dramatically," House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Michigan) and Energy and Power Subcommittee chair Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) said. "Today's energy policies are lagging far behind and are better suited for the gas lines in the 1970s."

The lawmakers hope to improve US energy infrastructure by addressing delays and red tape in permitting of oil and gas pipelines, "domestic and cross-border," as well as electric transmission lines.

Republican leaders have long pointed to the delays in approving TransCanada's permit to build its \\$8bn, 830,000 b/d Keystone XL crude pipeline, a process that has dragged on for more than six years.

The House on 11 February is expected — for the 11th time — to approve a bill to authorize TransCanada to build the line. The House approved a similar bill on 9 January, but the new measure incorporates some minor amendments added by the Senate. The bill will then go to President Barack Obama, who has vowed to veto the measure.

With the oil industry warning that over the next 7-10 years half of its technical personnel could retire, House Republicans House Republicans want to help foster development of a workforce capable of addressing the US' 21st century energy challenges. They are working on a proposal that would enable the Energy Department, together with the national laboratories, community colleges and public-private partnerships "to better coordinate and leverage existing resources."

Upton and Whitfield plan to issue a proposal designed to help strengthen the US' energy partnerships with Canada and Mexico, while creating a process to evaluate how energy permitting decisions affect international energy security issues.

"From a decision to allow the expert of energy commodities to a decision on infrastructure, policymakers should assess our national interest with an eye toward our allies and our ability to leverage our resources to advance our foreign policy goals," the framework said.

And the House leaders plan to issue a draft designed to promote "simple and affordable" methods to reduce energy demand and bring down costs.

Beyond the energy bill, the Energy and Commerce Committee this year plans to address the US Environmental Protection Agency's "regulatory overreach," as it tries to curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The panel also plans to monitor's the agency's handling of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires increasing volumes of biofuels in the US' fuel supply, and its efforts to reduce methane releases.

In the Senate, Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaksa) is conferring with members of her panel, trying to find common ground for a legislative package covering infrastructure, supply, efficiency and federal accountability.

Today, senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) introduced a bipartisan measure designed to expedite permitting of natural gas gathering lines on federal and tribal lands.

The Natural Gas Gathering Enhancement Act would require the interior secretary to issue rights-of-way for gas gathering lines on federal lands within 90 days, unless that pathway would violate the Endangered Species Act or the National Historic Preservation Act.

The bill would eliminate "duplicative" environmental reviews for gathering lines that are adjacent to existing rights-of-way or already disturbed areas.