Wild Blog

Energy Bill Update
Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Here’s a quick update on the House omnibus energy bill, the bill House energy bill that includes the Rahall bill. The bill pulls together energy bills from the Natural Resources – the Rahall bill – along with Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees.

We expect a floor vote on Friday, August 3rd, the day Congress adjourns for the August recess.
As you know, we liked the version of the Rahall bill that came out of the Natural Resources committee. But several oil patch Ds, led by Reps. Matheson (Utah), Melancon (Louis.) and Boren (Okla.), lobbied Speaker Pelosi and chair Rahall to weaken the bill. Negotiations between the House leadership and the oil patch members of Congress lasted through the weekend, and on Monday the Speaker’s office posted the new omnibus energy bill, HR 3221, on the web at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c110:./temp/~c110Z2cNcG.

The good news is, most of the Rahall bill made it into HR 3221. Provisions reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee to reform the DOI’s runaway oil and gas program, reinstate public input in the oil leasing process, and provide important protections to fish and wildlife impacted by global warming made into the omnibus bill. It also provides property protections to individuals who own the surface rights to their lands but who do not own the subsurface mineral rights.

The bad news is some key public lands provisions were watered-down. These concessions include the removal of a provision that would have required the BLM to conduct a study of the impacts and suitability of energy corridors throughout the country. Our friend Rep. Raul Grijalva is reportedly quite upset by this development, and may offer an amendment to reinstate the corridors language on the floor on Friday. Another provision that would have strengthened regulations governing oil and gas drilling activities in wildlife areas was dropped. Dropping that provision means oil and gas companies will have to abide by existing, CEQ guidelines governing drilling.

Even in a slightly weakened form we are encouraged by the public lands provisions included in the final House energy bill. The bill will help ensure that oil and gas development takes place in a more responsible manner, in more appropriate places, with improved environmental safeguards and increased public involvement.

We will keep working for final passage, and are talking to Grijalva about the corridors issue.

Labels: energy solutions, wild legacy

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