When U.S. Energy Sec. James Watkins took office 2 years ago he was disappointed to discover the nation's energy plan consisted of vague, uncoordinated goals.
So he began a process to develop a National Energy Strategy, which he perceived as a set of balanced, realistic objectives along with a roadmap showing how to achieve them.
Now that the process is near fruition, Washington energy lobbyists are fascinated with two key questions: When will Bush release it, and what will it contain?
The first question is perhaps the hardest to answer. The cabinet's economic policy council has briefed President Bush on the final NES draft.
Now he must make about 65 choices among options, setting the basic direction of energy policies. Then the final strategy will be compiled and released.
There is no deadline for Bush's decisions. Presumably he will be preoccupied through much of January with events in the Middle East-and perhaps into February or March.
Some energy lobbyists think Bush's track record is not good. An offshore leasing task force presented him with options on holding three sales last January, and he kept coming back to it for more information, delaying a decision until June. One lobbyist said "He could take a long, long time on the NES. It could be months and months."
Charles DiBona, American Petroleum Institute president, points out that Bush does not face easy decisions this time either. "If there are 65 choices on the list, there must be controversy over at least 64 of them."
Industry association officials who were shown parts of an early draft of the NES said it recommended leasing part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, tighter auto fuel efficiency standards, more emphasis on alternative fuels, higher taxes on all fuels, increased use of nuclear power, interstate pipeline rate decontrol, and mandatory pipeline carriage.
But any of those provisions may be changed or discarded by the time the strategy is issued.
The association executives said the NES appears to be well thought out and documented. "You have to commend the thoroughness of the job that has been done."
Copyright 1990 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
