Today on the Hill: Energy Amendments in the Senate

The Senate is set to begin working through amendments on a wide-ranging energy bill, as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is working to ensure the bill moves forward in a bipartisan fashion. The legislation (S. 2012) is designed to boost energy efficiency, speed construction of electric transmission lines, and streamline permitting for natural gas exports. Among the bill’s provisions, it would strengthen building codes, increase cybersecurity protections for the electricity grid, and expedite the licensing process for hydropower projects. 

Sen. Murkowski has released a bipartisan managers’ amendment (No. 2953) that would cut a provision requiring the Department of Energy to notify Congress before making any non-emergency test sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Further, she has indicated that she’ll work to keep “poison pill” amendments off the bill in an effort to pass something that the president would sign.
 
The chamber has agreed to vote today on an amendment (No. 3021) by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) to enable advanced nuclear energy technologies by public and private institutions and on an amendment (No. 2965) by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) to modify funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Also pending is an amendment (No. 2954) by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) that would allow the Energy Secretary to sell oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when prices are higher and would specifically apply to the $5 billion worth of oil that is to be sold as part the budget agreement passed last year.
 
Other amendments up for debate today include:
 
·         Shaheen amendment #2968 (smart manufacturing definition);
·         Murkowski amendment #2963 (bulk power system reliability);
·         Barrasso amendment #3017 (technology prizes);
·         Markey amendment #2982 (energy production/crude report);

Later this week, Senate Democrats will try to amend the bill with a provision to help residents of Flint, Michigan combat the city’s water-pollution crisis, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said yesterday. He said that Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) would unveil details of their amendment today. Another amendment that may be offered is one by Sen. Cassidy to stop the Interior Department’s blowout preventer rule that was in response to 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and one from Sen. Schatz to phase out tax breaks for oil producers. And Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has said he wants to force the Interior Department to end its moratorium on coal production on public lands.
 
While the House is not in session this week, that chamber’s Democrats are meeting at their annual issues convention in Baltimore, with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden featured today as keynote speakers. The agenda includes breakout sessions on issues including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), advancing changes to the criminal justice system in Congress, and closing the national security gap.

‘Today in on the Hill’ includes updates provided by the House and Senate majority leaders, as well information derived from publications including Bloomberg Government, The Hill, Politico, Roll Call, and National Journal.