Maureen Lorenzetti
OGJ Online
WASHINGTON, DC, June 5 -- US Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alas.), outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Tuesday said the new Senate majority still must move forward with legislation "that ensures reliable, affordable energy."
Murkowski told reporters in a wide-ranging press conference that the US "can't afford to go back to the way things were in 1992" when Bill Clinton was elected president. He said past policies of the Democratic White House were one of "denial" and "status quo."
House and Senate Democrats have been resisting calls for one comprehensive energy bill like the one Murkowski introduced earlier this year. Democrats say they want targeted legislation that will help consumers and ensure that ratepayers are being protected.
However, the chairman, who formally turns over the gavel to Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) tomorrow when Democrats take control of the Senate, said he was confident he could work well with his soon to be former ranking member.
Murkowski said that based on discussions with Bingaman, he expects the Democrats to add an additional member to the committee instead of the Republicans being forced to drop a lawmaker from the panel. And he predicted that Bingaman would work hard to foster bipartisan energy proposals, although they may not have the same emphasis as his plan did.
When asked what was the most important part of his 7-year chairmanship, Murkowski said he felt during his tenure that "there was a recognition that through technology we could look forward to whatever challenges ahead and offer Americans safe, reliable, and affordable energy."
In a more narrow sense, Murkowski listed as his most significant legislative victory passage of a sweeping parks bill that transferred the former Presidio military base in San Francisco to the National Park Service.
Despite his past critical comments about most Democratic leaders, the lawmaker had nothing but gracious comments about Bingaman as chairman, saying he was confident the two could work together on passing energy legislation.
Industry officials say that bodes well for some kind of legislation to pass the committee, if not the floor of the Senate this summer. Murkowski and Bingaman both have legislation designed to improve energy resources from wellhead to burnertip. Both men have proposed tax credits for marginal well production and energy efficiency, for example.
Bingaman, however, does not support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
The Democrat would also like to see stronger fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and more government commitment to preventing climate change.
Given the new dynamics of the Senate, the conventional industry wisdom is that the ANWR issue is dead.
But Murkowski refused to rule out the possibility that Capitol Hill could approve drilling in the northeast corner of ANWR. He also made it clear he won't sidestep Bingaman to reach that goal.
"Bingaman and I can work together," he said. "We will work in committee."
Another controversial item before the Senate is wholesale electricity price caps. Murkowski said he supported the Bush administration's view that wholesale price caps run the risk of quashing new plant investment.
However, he did not completely rule out supporting a price cap proposal "provided that we have assurances that investment will not be hurt." He declined to predict under what circumstances he would support such legislation, noting "any formula is going to be complicated."
It is clear to industry, though, that Republicans are beginning to fear the public's wrath over the price cap issue. House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) said he will ask two House committees to investigate possible price gouging on gasoline, heating oil, and electricity.
Contact Maureen Lorenzetti at [email protected]