House Makes Changes to Senate
Energy Bill
By CAR lobbyist Jeremy Cottrell
As
anticipated, the House had its own interpretation of what the nation’s newest
energy bill should look like. After leaving the Senate last week, the House got
its first chance to examine what portions of the bill it liked and which parts
would make it to the cutting room floor.
Currently, major sections of the Senate version of the Energy bill have been omitted from what the House Energy and Commerce Committee is considering--namely, the fuel efficiency standards emphasized by the Senate have been removed. It is too early to surmise whether this bodes well for the auto manufacturers or if this could present a more onerous set of standards.
Some guess that many details that Democrat leaders originally intended to include may be omitted from the current energy bill and presented separately in a climate change bill to be introduced later this year.
Sen. John W. Warner (R-VA) indicated that determining a ceiling on greenhouse gas emissions and permitting companies to trade allowances to comply with those standards is a viable and plausible solution.
Another possibility lies with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Kerry (D-MA), who are expected to propose legislation allowing automakers to issue approximately $12 billion in tax free, private bonds to pay for the facilities and technology needed to develop and test alternative vehicles.
The upcoming weeks are expected to bring forth a host of new compromises and possible solutions palatable to both sides of the energy bill. These of course, could be as temporary as the prior Senate suggestions, since the bill will then return to the Senate following House considerations.