House, Senate Energy Bills Remain At Odds Over Issues Including LNG Exports
The “Morning Energy” blog of Politico reported that with little time left before Congress adjourns for the year, “optimism is waning” that the House and Senate can reach a compromise on the energy bill that has been languishing this year. Reportedly, exports of liquefied natural gas “are one of the latest sticking points in the floundering effort to get an energy bill across the finish line by the end of the year,” and Democrats in the House “appear to be vetoing their inclusion in a conference report.” House Energy and Commerce Chair Fred Upton signaled the negotiations are now “House versus Senate.” The offer sent by the House to the Senate “apparently did not include much, judging by what Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Maria Cantwell stuck back into the bipartisan offer they sent over to the House last week – and the absence of LNG export language was among the most perplexing omissions, given its widespread support among House Republicans.” Upton said, “I think what we sent over was something that both the Dems and the Republicans could support. … Frank Pallone did not support it, and he’s sitting at the table too.” However, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop said negotiations were still ongoing on the bill.
Utility Dive reported that lawmakers have been working to merge energy bills from the Senate and House into one measure that President Obama could approve. While leaders in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee “have indicated they reviewed” House legislation, they decided “to restore some provisions that had been removed before sending back a new proposal” to the House. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said in a joint statement, “Neither of us supports every provision in this proposal, it is the result of good faith bipartisan negotiations, it encompasses the broad range of work that can be completed this year, and it balances competing preferences for energy and resource policy that will remain just as strong in the next Congress.” However, with a Dec. 16 Congressional recession deadline looming, experts suggest it’s unlikely the legislation will be merged into a measure for President Obama’s signature.
What This Means For Small Businesses
Congressional inaction has prevented meaningful legislation from passage in a number of areas in 2016, including energy reform. Looking ahead, a new Administration in 2017 may be able to more swiftly work with Congress to pass legislation.
Additional Reading
SNL Financial and the Washington Examiner also reported on last-minute efforts to revive stalling energy reforms.
Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.
