By OGJ editors
WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 13 -- Tax issues again stalled negotiations over an omnibus energy bill this week, with no conference report made available by the bill managers for lawmakers to review.
Senate Republicans and White House officials still predicted legislation would pass this year but Senate Democratic leaders were pessimistic: Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) told reporters Tuesday the chances of a measure passing by yearend 2003 were "far less than 50-50."
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) renewed his promise to give Democratic lawmakers at least 48 hours to review proposed legislation before a conference committee vote is taken. With that timetable, action on the bill may happen next week although many Democrats have suggested they might consider a filibuster if the bill contains provisions they don't like, most notably a House plan to give limited liability production for the fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether.
Most other oil and gas provisions in the sweeping 1,700-page document are largely resolved according to industry and congressional sources. This includes leaving out a controversial House provision to allow the Department of the Interior to lease a limited portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but including a modified loan guarantee for an Alaskan gas pipeline to the Lower 48 that would provide government backing to the Alaska portion of the project.
Meanwhile, Republicans are still arguing with each other over at least three pending provisions supported by bill managers, namely a royalty provision designed to direct more money to coastal states sponsored by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Bill Tauzin (R-La.), a $220 million "biodiversity pond" in southern Iowa championed by the head of the Senate Finance Committee Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), and a nuclear power tax credit sought by Domenici.
