Two congressional Republicans are poised to move into important positions for the oil and gas industry as the US Senate and House change committee assignments. Lisa Murkowski (Alas.) is in line to be the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s new ranking minority member, and Darrell E. Issa (Calif.) will likely be the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Democrats will continue to set the agendas for both committees. Republican leaders nevertheless could have an impact, especially in developing bipartisan solutions.
Murkowski would succeed Pete V. Domenici (NM), who worked for years with Democrat Jeff Bingaman (NM) in developing substantive energy legislation before retiring at the end of this session. Larry E. Craig (Ida.) had more seniority but did not run for re-election.
Concise questions
At Senate Energy committee hearings, Murkowski has asked concise, relevant questions (in contrast to other committee members who tend to ramble). Moreover, Murkowski’s points usually aren’t overtly partisan but seem to be genuine attempts to get more information. She and Bingaman should work well together.
Issa, who is the sole candidate so far to succeed Thomas M. Davis III (Va.) as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ranking minority member, is in a different situation.
As ranking minority member of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, which he became when the GOP lost its majority in the 2006 elections, Issa and Davis tried several times to bring issues to the attention of committee chairman Henry A. Waxman (Calif.).
Issa seemed particularly frustrated that Waxman and other committee Democrats did not continue the deepwater oil and gas royalty investigation, which the Energy and Resources Subcommittee began during the 109th Congress.
Missing thresholds
That inquiry examined the absence of price thresholds in deepwater leases issued by the US Minerals Management Service in 1998-99. The Government Accountability Office estimated this could cost the government more than $10 billion.
If Issa becomes the committee’s ranking minority member, he must work with a new chairman; Waxman replaces John D. Dingell (Mich.) at the helm of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Democrats have not chosen Waxman’s successor on the Oversight and Government Reform panel.
Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall (W.Va.) also has taken the lead in examining federal natural resources management the past 2 years in the House and has raised other questions about royalties.
Issa could decide to move on to other issues, or could continue his attempts to revive the deepwater royalty relief investigation. In either case, the US Department of the Interior might want to investigate long-time parking on Capitol Hill for officials who will be called before committees there.
