democratic Press
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee staff has invited 32 groups to present and discuss their proposed solutions to the predicted U.S. shortage of natural gas at a half-day bipartisan…
Five senators joined Sen. Bingaman on a letter today asking the White House to increase – not reduce – funding for domestic oil and gas R&D programs in the upcoming…
Perhaps hoping that it will be little noticed during Christmas week, the Bush Administration today announced new rules which will weaken protections for forest wildlife and dramatically alter the way…
"This nomination highlights the important role that the Department of Energy plays in maintaining our national technological competitiveness. The Department is steward to most of our premier Federal scientific laboratories,…
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) today praised the new report of the National Commission on Energy Policy, entitled "Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenges." The…
Last week, as lawmakers prepared to leave, Sen. Bingaman’s plan for advancing energy legislation in a manageable, step-by-step way seems to have taken bipartisan hold in Congress. As early as…
Tonight the Senate unanimously passed a package of 32 public lands bills. Among them is S. 437, the Arizona Water Settlement Act, introduced by Sen. Kyl and Sen. McCain. This…
Today, in a rare weekend session, the Senate passed the Defense Authorization conference report. The bill (HR 4200) now goes to President. Once signed, it will set in motion major…
In the Defense Bill conference, negotiators not only agreed to adopt the Senate’s position on reauthorizing Energy Savings Performance Contracts, they also extended the program an additional year! That bipartisan…
The corporate tax bill conference report is on track to be passed by the House tonight. Sen. Bingaman, a conferee, signed the report and intends to vote for it when…
Today, in a gratifying win for Sen. Bingaman (a corporate tax bill conferee), his provision to establish a tax credit for marginal oil and natural gas wells during times of…
In FSC/ETI conference talks today, an amendment to help rural electric co-ops remain competitive in today’s restructured utility industry was added to the conference report. The so-called “85-15 rule amendment,”…
Chairman Thomas’s mark for the corporate tax bill conference report includes 15 energy-related items. Last night, the chairman led conferees in a line-by-line walk-through of the revenue tables contained in…
News that the Russian government last week took a big step toward approving the Kyoto Protocol on global warming means that the long-delayed treaty is likely to soon come into…
Yesterday was the cut-off for filing prospective amendments to the FSC/ETI conference report. Earlier this week, Chairman Thomas distributed a discussion draft as a starting point for negotiations. That draft…
The opening FSC/ETI (corporate tax bill) conference meeting was today, led by House Ways & Means Chairman Bill Thomas. After opening statements, the Chairman distributed a discussion draft and charted…
Sen. Bingaman has joined a bipartisan group of senators seeking emergency funding for a program that helps needy families, senior citizens and others on fixed incomes pay their home utility…
After three and a half years (and just weeks before an election), the Bush Administration is finally coming around to our view that it needs a more sophisticated approach to…
The Senate today passed middle class tax cut legislation that includes an extension through 2005 for the popular wind energy tax credit. Also included in the bill (H.R. 1308) are…
The Senate is debating H.R. 4567, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Sen. Robert C. Byrd tonight offered an amendment to direct the government to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve….
Congress has started a 6-week recess. During that recess, on Aug. 14, we will mark the first anniversary of last summer’s crippling blackout. Knowing that, it is hard to understand…
With the corporate tax bill conference stalled because of political and procedural wrangling, the governors of our nation’s four most populous states (California, Texas, New York and Florida) have written…
After wasting much of this week fussing over whom can marry who, something worthwhile happened on the floor of the United States Senate today: Party leaders agreed to begin conferencing…
The Bush Administration today proposed undoing a regulation that protects parts of our national forests from road construction, logging, mining and other commercial activity. Sen. Bingaman, top Democrat on the…
The Senate last night passed a resolution recognizing the loyal service to America of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the Los Alamos National Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, but…