Senate begins debate on first broad energy legislation since 2007

Dive Brief:

The U.S. Senate began debate yesterday on the first broad energy policy bill since 2007. But while the bill has so far been crafted to attract wide support, voting begins today on amendments and it is possible a "poison pill" could be attached.
Already a point of contention is brewing over President Obama's decision to halt coal leases on federal lands earlier this month. Lawmakers expect at least one amendment will be introduced as a way to coutner that decision, along with a slew of others concerning energy research and climate action.
Voting on amendments is scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday. Among those expected are provisions on advanced nuclear research, funding for the Department of Energy's ARPA-E initiative, and amendments to rescind the EPA's Clean Power Plan and recent water regulations.

Dive Insight:

The bill, championed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the chair of the Senate Energy Committee, is a rarity in today's Congress, the New York Times points out.

“It’s the product of the committee process,” Murkowski told the Times. “It is not everything to anybody, and I recognize that."

Murkowski, along with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) are the chief sponsors of the legislation, which was crafted to bypass the most controversial energy issues and focus on less ambitious policy proposals that both parties can support. While the bill includes provisions to modernize the electricity grid and fossil fuel transportation, it stays away from policies that would aggressively combat climate change or expand fossil fuel production, a GOP priority.

But while the compromise bill passed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee by an 18-4 vote, the real fight is likely still on the horizon. A number of amendments are expected this week on the bill, leaving the bill's backers wary that a "poison pill" may be adopted that would threaten passage or prompt a veto from President Obama.

As Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) put it last week, "this energy bill will be an opportunity to speak out with amendments specifically related to the president’s most recent actions."

Chief among those are amendments expected on the president's recent coal leasing moratorium on public lands, the EPA Clean Power Plan and water regulations, E&E Daily reports. Democratic senators are also expected to push funding for the ARPA-E initiative, which provides funding for clean energy innovation, and a provision to address the nationwide fight over net metering.

"We're working on something right now," Sen. Angus King (I-ME) told E&E yesterday, saying that the amendment will include parts of his pathbreaking distributed energy bill introduced last year. King, who caucuses with Democrats, is preparing the provision with Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), whose state is currently embroiled in a contentious net metering debate.

Additionally, Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) expressed hope yesterday that their bipartisan energy efficiency measure would be folded into the final bill as well. The two senators have tried in the past two legislative sessions to get their legislation passed, but it was sunk by amendment fights both times.

Whether that same fate awaits this broad, bipartisan legislation could become clearer by the end of the week.

"There are possibilities all over," Murkowski said yesterday, according to E&E. "I think we recognize that anytime you have an open amendment process, stuff can happen."