Energy Bill Gives Way to Old One in the Senate

[goobergunch]

By CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON, July 31 — Bogged down in an effort to pass a new energy bill, the Senate tonight hit on a novel solution: It took its energy bill from last year off the shelf and passed it again, throwing a fight over the nation's energy policy into negotiations with the House.

By re-approving the measure adopted on an 88-to-11 vote in April 2002, the chamber now controlled by Republicans gave its blessing to a measure written when Democrats were in power. That bill died when the House and Senate could not come to a final agreement, an outcome lawmakers hope to reverse this year. Tonight's vote on last year's, now this year's, measure was 84 to 14.

The unusual approach surfaced after consideration of a sweeping energy measure went badly off track, with Republicans and Democrats trading sharp accusations over delaying tactics and the handling of the Senate schedule by the majority leader, Bill Frist.

With the chamber in disarray, the Republican leadership was left groping for ways to salvage legislation it had hoped to complete before leaving for a monthlong break. Dr. Frist seized on the idea of passing last year's Democratic plan after Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the Democratic leader, said that bill was a preferable alternative to the legislation on the floor.

more...http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/01/politics/01ENER.html

Senators voting in the negative: Boxer, Cantwell, Clinton, Feingold, Feinstein, Kennedy, Kyl, Lautenberg, McCain, Murray, Reed (RI), Schumer, Sununu, and Wyden.

Senators not voting: Kerry and Lieberman.

Vote No. 317

[goobergunch]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=45857&mesg_id=45857

I have alerted the mods. Sorry.

[umcwb]

2. Locking - Dupe

Please continue here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=45857&mesg_id=45857



Thanks,
UMCWB
DU LBN Moderator

[gottaB]

3. Why the Opposition?

I was glad that the nuclear subsidies for new plants were gone. The fossils and nukes still get juicy breaks, but it's about what you'd expect with 51 Republicans. Domenici is promising to add the nuclear power plants back in when it gets to conferrence.

I couldn't figure out exactly why these dems were opposing it.

sfgate reports:

"I opposed this energy bill in 2002 because it did not offer the sound and innovative policy that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, protect the environment, improve our energy and fuel efficiency and protect consumers from Enron-like scams," Boxer said. "All of these reasons still stand."

My Washington State Senators opposed (reported here):

The lack of measures to prevent manipulation of the energy market prompted several senators to vote against the bill, including Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.

Cantwell, a Democrat, had been at the center of the partisan debate over the now defunct bill - she was repeatedly frustrated as she tried to offer amendments to curb Enron-style abuses of the wholesale energy market.

"I deserve to be heard and my constituents deserve to be heard," Cantwell said. "My constituents were not invited to discuss energy policy in Vice President Cheney's office."