Senator: No energy bill debate this month

Houston Chronicle ^ | Nov. 5, 2007 | DAVID IVANOVICH

[thackney]

WASHINGTON — Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said today he does not expect the Senate to take up an energy bill before December at the earliest.

With lawmakers poised to leave town at the end of next week for a two-week Thanksgiving break, "I just don't see how we get it done," Bingaman said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said repeatedly she hopes to have an energy bill to send to the president by the end of the year.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are trying to craft an energy package that can pass muster in both chambers. But they are working from two very different energy bills passed out of the House and Senate.

The House bill would rescind $16 billion worth of tax breaks for oil and gas companies. It also would require utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity using renewable energy sources by 2020. The Senate bill would raise fuel mileage requirements for cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles to an average 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and products and mandate greater use of renewable energy sources.

[mysterio]

Nuclear power now.

[Rodm]

Yes, Democrat are responsible for high gas prices. A few hundred thousand barrels of oil from drilling in the USA would completely change the market.

[stylin19a]

2 week Thanksgiving Day break ? recess appoint everybody....

[thackney]

NIMBYs and environmentalists are succeeding in making us dependent on foreign nations for our nuclear fuel as well.

Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased a total of 67 million pounds U3O8e (uranium oxide equivalent) of deliveries from U.S. and foreign suppliers during 2006. The weighted-average price paid was $18.61 per pound U3O8e, an increase of 30 percent compared with the 2005 price. Approximately 16 percent of all uranium purchased was U.S.-origin at an average price of $17.85 per pound U3O8e. Foreign-origin uranium accounted for 56 million pounds (84 percent) of the deliveries at an average price of $18.75 per pound.

Uranium Marketing Annual Report
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/umar/umar.html

We need greater energy independence, not just a change of who we are most dependent upon.

[drc43]

I see they are trying for $6.00 per gallon gasoline, and long lines.

[shankbear]

DO NOTHING CONGRESS!!!! Please continue but stop bitchin.

[Red Badger]

IOW, we’ll talk amongst ourselves for two weeks, trying to decide just how we can sell a huge tax hike on all energy sources as a “solution” to our problems..............

[FreedomNeocon]

On one hand I’m ok with them never doing anything... but on the other...

I mean really... they haven’t passed any of the spending bills, no energy bill, no time for any of that... but time to go to a 4 day work week, and take 2 weeks off for thanksgiving, working for 2 weeks, then going away until mid Jan.

Meanwhile they do have time to hold hearings on how global warming is making fires worse, pass schip half a dozen times, and all kinds of other BS.

[Diogenesis]

[HD1200]

When your whole constituency is a mish mash of special interest groups thrown together as a voting block; any decision you make on anything is bound to tick some of them off.

It is far safer for them to say nothing, do nothing, and for God’s sake, don’t pass any legislation.....