Starting with what's possible

Aug. 3, 2015
Before anyone snickers too loudly that the "comprehensive" energy bill the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee planned to mark up on July 28 contained no significant oil and gas provisions, consider this long-held congressional truth: Start with what's possible before attempting the impossible.

Before anyone snickers too loudly that the "comprehensive" energy bill the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee planned to mark up on July 28 contained no significant oil and gas provisions, consider this long-held congressional truth: Start with what's possible before attempting the impossible.

That obviously was what Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas.) had in mind when she proposed ending restrictions on exports of US-produced crude oil and establishing shares of federal revenue for coastal states from production off their shores in a separate measure.

Keeping such controversial issues out of the broader bill clearly made it more palatable to its cosponsor, Ranking Minority Member Maria E. Cantwell (D-Wash.). It also continued the committee's bipartisan tradition, which sets it apart from most other congressional bodies, so it could discuss other pressing energy policy issues.

"After months of working together, the bipartisan legislation we introduced today marks a critical step toward the modernization of our federal energy policies," Murkowski said when she and Cantwell introduced the bill on July 22.

"By focusing on areas where agreement was possible, we have assembled a robust bill with priorities from many senators that will promote our economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness," the committee's chair indicated.

Cantwell cited the bill's provision that would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. "This important program has helped to protect many of our nation's iconic and most popular national parks, forests, and public lands, and is itself a treasure," she said.

The bill's primary oil and gas provisions deal with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, LNG exports, and working more closely with states on oil and gas exploration and production oversight.

Governors' concerns

This last point aligns with what Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) said when he became chairman of the National Governors Association at that group's summer meeting on July 25. His 2015-16 initiative, "States: Finding Solutions, Improving Lives," aims to enhance federal-state partnerships, highlight state solutions, and share best practices.

Herbert and other Rocky Mountain governors did not like the US Bureau of Land Management's approach to regulating hydraulic fracturing on the onshore public and Indian tribal lands it oversees.

Murkowski, meanwhile, called proposals calling for the sale of 101 million bbl of SPR crude for $9 billion to partially pay for the federal highway bill "a bad deal" on July 27 as she issued a new report highlighting the reserve's importance to domestic energy security.

"It would be like cashing in our home insurance policy to pay for repaving the driveway," Murkowski said. She wants a full SPR review before Congress raids that particular cookie jar.