The Week Ahead (April 7-11)
On Tuesday, April 8, the Subcommittee on Water and Power will receive testimony on: S.2259/H.R. 813, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Prado Basin Natural Treatment System Project and the Lower Chino Dairy Area desalination demonstration and reclamation project; H.R. 31, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate […]
Hearing Statement: Bingaman Asks, ‘Is Oil the New Gold?’
“I want to begin by thanking the witnesses for joining us today. Today’s hearing will be about an issue we have been debating in Congress for a number of years now: how increased speculation in financial energy markets is contributing to recent, record-setting oil prices. “Certainly, there is a broad recognition that the fundamentals […]
Domenici Backs Clean Energy Tax Credit Extensions
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today announced his support for a bipartisan plan to extend tax credits for clean energy that are set to expire at the end of this year. Domenici is an original cosponsor of the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act […]
Bingaman Demands Justification for Waivers
Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman today took to task the Interior Department and Department of Homeland Security for waiving nearly 40 Federal laws in order to speed construction of the U.S.-Mexico border fence. While Bingaman is a strong supporter of strengthening security along our nation’s borders, he questions the need to waive laws such […]
Domenici Receives Assurances on Loan Guarantees, Discusses DOE FY2009 Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of both the authorizing and appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over the Department of Energy, today received assurances from DOE officials that the Bush Administration’s proposed FY2009 budget will allow the federal loan guarantee program to fully operate. Domenici, a longtime advocate of loan guarantees, lamented […]
Speculation in Crude Oil Markets
Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen 366, Senate ENR will drill into an issue that Congress has puzzled over for years: how speculation in financial energy markets is contributing to the high price of oil. Specifically, the committee will examine the role of non-commercial, institutional investors in determining crude oil prices. It’s worth noting […]
Domenici Statement on the Forest Landscape Restoration Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today made the following opening statement during a hearing to receive testimony on S. 2593, the Forest Landscape Restoration Act. Domenici is a cosponsor of the legislation. “Chairman Bingaman I want to thank you for holding this hearing […]
The Week Ahead (March 31- April 4)
On Tuesday, April 1, the full committee will consider S. 2593, a bill to establish a program within the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to carry out collaborative ecological restoration treatments for priority forest landscapes on public land. Witnesses include Gail Kimbell, chief, U.S. Forest Service; Henri Bisson, deputy director, Bureau of […]
The Weeks Ahead (March 17-28)
On Wednesday, March 26, the Subcommittee on Energy will hold a field hearing on the challenges associated with rapid deployment of large-scale carbon capture and storage technologies. Witnesses include Tim Spisak, fluid managers division chief, U.S. Department of the Interior; Scott Klara, director, Office of Coal and Power R&D, National Energy Technology Laboratory; Bonnie Lovelace, […]
Mining Law Reform — Abandoned Mines, Uranium
“Welcome to today’s oversight hearing on the two subjects relating to reform of the Mining Law of 1872: abandoned mine lands and uranium mining. Both of these topics are important in our consideration of how to reform this century-old law. “First, abandoned hardrock mines are a blight on our landscapes in the West. While […]