Category — New Legislation

On July 22, 2010, Senate Democrats held a caucus meeting  to discuss strategies for passing energy legislation in the Senate, after which they announced that they have temporarily abandoned plans to introduce a comprehensive bill before the August recess including either cap-and-trade of carbon emissions or a renewable electricity standard.  [Read more →]

As Congress returned from the July 4 recess, legislative efforts on cap-and-trade focused on the possibility of a utility-only program.  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that he intends to bring a bill to the floor during the week of July 26 that will include four components:  the Gulf oil spill, clean energy, energy efficiency and cap-and-trade.  [Read more →]

On June 15, 2010, President Obama gave an Oval Office speech on the BP oil spill.  The President used the devastating effects of the spill as an impetus to call on the country to transition towards energy independence and the use of “clean energy.” [Read more →]

 On June 10, 2010, the Murkowski Resolution to disapprove EPA’s endangerment finding on greenhouse gases (“GHG”) was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 47-53.  All Senate Republicans and six Senate Democrats voted in favor of the resolution. [Read more →]

On June 9, 2010, Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) introduced an energy legislation alternative to the Kerry-Lieberman and Waxman-Markey bills, entitled the “Practical Energy and Climate Plan” (S. 3464).  [Read more →]