US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leaders introduced fresh legislation on June 29 to address long-standing federal energy policies that recent improvements in the US oil and gas outlook may have rendered obsolete. S. 1460 is the successor to their earlier broad policy reform bill that failed to advance out of a House-Senate conference toward the end of 2016.
“It has now been a full decade since Congress has passed legislation to modernize and reform our nation’s energy and resource policies,” Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas.) said.
Ranking Minority Member Maria A. Cantwell (D-Wash.) said, “Our energy infrastructure is under attack and we need the tools to fix it right now. Our bipartisan legislation will not only help modernize our energy infrastructure, but secure it from extreme weather, climate change, and serious cyber threats.”
Formally called the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, the new bill contains 11 titles that its sponsors said reflect common ground on efficiency, infrastructure, supply, accountability, conservation, federal land management, National Park System management, sportsmen’s issues, water infrastructure, natural hazards, and American Indian energy.
S. 1460 has been placed directly on the Senate calendar for expedited floor consideration, the senators jointly said.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
