This is Good News for
Us Phyllis Mains-
ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY DAILY
(portions)
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
SPOTLIGHT
1. BUDGET
Gibbons strikes mining language from
reconciliation
Allison A. Freeman, E&E Daily
reporter
Rep. Jim
Gibbons (R-Nev.) gave in last night and decided to remove his changes to mining
law in the budget reconciliation bill, saying he realized it could not survive
in the Senate.
Gibbons had
successfully included language in the House version that would have allowed
mining companies to purchase public lands, but it faced opposition from hunting
and environmental groups, as well as some Western governors and senators who
said it could lead to a "fire sale" of public lands. The Senate bill did not
contain a similar provision.
Gibbons struck one portion of the title earlier this week in an
effort to gain support, but admitted last night that even his scaled-down
proposal would not survive.
"Unfortunately, it has become clear that the integrity of the
mining law modernization policy I authored in the House could not be maintained
while also complying with Senate procedural rules of the reconciliation
process," Gibbons said.
Resources Committee staff said their negotiations with senators
broke down when they realized the mining language could not survive the Senate's
"Byrd Rule," which bars extraneous provisions in budget reconciliation bills. It
requires 60 votes to waive the rule.
The proposal also seemed to lack any staunch Senate supporters.
Gibbons yesterday praised Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) as a "strong ally" in
efforts to revamp the law. "I applaud his efforts and look forward to expanding
our partnership as we build a broad coalition of support for mining law
modernization," Gibbons said.
But Craig said yesterday morning that he wanted to pull the mining
provision from the budget, in part to keep other things in the measure, like oil
and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. House and Senate
negotiators are trying to find agreement this week on the conference report.
"I am doing things
personally to try to jettison things that shouldn't be in it," Craig said,
naming the mining language specifically.
Gibbons vowed to work to move legislation to revamp
the 1872 Mining Law through Congress next year as a standalone bill. And Craig
released a statement last night saying he would like to work with Gibbons and
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) next year to make changes to the mining law.
"This entire process has
brought recognition to the critical need to update mining law," Gibbons said,
noting he would use the budget's mining language as a start for a standalone
bill.
ON
THE HILL
2. ANWR
Arctic drilling battle continues amid talk of budget
delay
Ben Geman,
E&E Daily senior reporter
Business groups continued pressing for Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge oil drilling yesterday even as a top House lawmaker acknowledged
it will be tough to include ANWR in a final spending reconciliation package.
House Majority Leader Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters yesterday that drilling supporters face a challenge
as the chambers seek a deal on spending cut bills. Leaders have been gunning for
a reconciliation deal before the holidays, but Blunt said yesterday that
consideration may bleed into next year.
"I don't hold the opinion that it [ANWR] would be impossible, but
it is clearly something that is very difficult for us to do inside
reconciliation," Blunt said, quickly adding that leaders "haven't given up." He
also said, "We haven't given up on looking at alternatives."
ANWR has emerged as a key
sticking point between dueling House and Senate spending cut packages. The
Senate measure authorizes oil and gas leasing on ANWR's coastal plain; the House
measure does not.
ANWR
presents a vexing problem because a reconciliation bill immune from filibuster
is seen as the best -- and perhaps only -- way to advance ANWR through the
Senate, which is closely divided on the issue. But in the House, Democrats are
united thus far against GOP spending cut plans, so opposition to ANWR drilling
by a coalition of moderate House Republicans has forced the leadership in that
chamber to dump it from the bill.
Blunt also said the entire budget measure may be delayed until
after the holidays. Asked if it was essential to pass the spending cut measure
this year, Blunt appeared to indicate he would prefer debate continue into next
year rather than conceding on a number of thorny issues.
"Not so essential that we
would have to give up, that we would give up our negotiating position on a
number of issues," Blunt said. "I think it is better to get that right than to
get it quickly." But he also said he hoped and believed it could done before the
break. The House's $50 billion spending cut package is more agressive than the
Senate's $35 billion measure, with differences on health entitlement spending
cuts and other issues.
A
business group, the Alliance for Energy and Economic Growth, released a Dec. 13
letter sent to all members of Congress that pushes for inclusion of the ANWR
provision. The alliance's steering committee includes the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, oil and gas producer groups such as the American Petroleum Institute,
utility groups, the chemical sector, manufacturers, and several other business
interests.
"Our members
believe that ANWR is one more critical part of securing America's energy
future," the letter states. "While ANWR alone can't provide us with all the
domestic energy we need, combined with the rapid development of other domestic
oil and natural gas supplies, ANWR would make a tremendous difference,
especially when coupled with greater energy efficiency, conservation and
diversification."
It cites
estimates that ANWR could hold 10 billion barrels of recoverable oil. "ANWR's
coastal plain holds the nation's greatest potential for another Prudhoe Bay-size
discovery," states the letter, which argues it would be developed with tough
environmental safeguards.
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has been seeking a way around the ANWR
impasse, perhaps by winning support from House Democrats who back drilling but
have stood against the spending cut bill for other reasons. Efforts to win over
House Democrats reportedly include sweetening the package with aid for Gulf
coast areas devastated by the hurricanes.
It is not clear how a delay in the measure would
affect chances of ANWR passing. If the budget issue is addressed after the House
reconvenes -- which Blunt has said he expects to be in late January -- many
members' constituents will have experienced high home heating costs this winter.
Jennifer Zuccarelli, a
spokesperson for Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), declined to speculate as to how
a delay might affect the ANWR debate specifically, but said the higher costs
will put pressure on Congress. "People will hear more and more calls for doing
something to address energy supply," she said.
Athan Manuel of U.S. PIRG said that including ANWR
only gets harder as time goes by. "It is closer to the midterm elections, and so
many of these moderates are even less likely to want to even debate this thing
in an election year," he said. In reference to Blunt's comments about the
difficulty of passing ANWR through the budget process, he credits Blunt with
understanding "the moderates are sincere about taking down a conference that
includes ANWR."
Conferees
for the spending cut package are expected to be named as soon as today.