ENVIRONMENT &
ENERGY DAILY (portion)
Monday, January 23, 2006
SPOTLIGHT
1. HOUSE
LEADERSHIP
Energy policy to surface in bid for Western
votes
Ben Geman,
E&E Daily reporter
Does energy matter in the race to replace Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas)
as majority leader? If the Western Republican caucus has anything to say about
it, the answer is a resounding yes.
All three of the members vying for the slot -- Reps. Roy Blunt
(R-Mo.), John Boehner (R-Ohio) and John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) -- have voted in favor
of developing more traditional energy supplies, including drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. But how aggressive they will be on supply policy, and
how they will address the issue tactically, will come under scrutiny in a forum
with Western GOP lawmakers the day before the Feb. 2 leadership election,
according to Cody Stewart, executive director of the Congressional Western
Caucus. All three candidates are scheduled to address the caucus and take
questions, though not at the same time.
While 20 members of the caucus remained uncommitted publicly as of
Jan. 19, so far 26 back Blunt, 14 have declared for Boehner and two plan to vote
Shadegg, according to the caucus, though Shadegg is not releasing the names of
his supporters.
"That
[energy] will be probably be one of three or four core issues we bring up,"
Stewart said Friday about the planned Feb. 1 meeting with the caucus, adding
members will likely ask about ANWR and efforts to speed development of Western
oil shale and sands, as well as property rights issues. Rep. Chris Cannon
(R-Utah), the caucus chair, has already come out in support of Boehner.
While the caucus lists 22
members as uncommitted, that tally includes Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), an
outspoken conservative who has called for lobbying reform and encouraged Shadegg
to run, and Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who backs Shadegg, according to press
reports.
Blunt was at the
helm when the ANWR drilling effort collapsed last year. He was forced to
jettison ANWR drilling from budget reconciliation legislation because enough GOP
moderates said they would vote against the package and leaders realized that its
removal was needed to squeak the measure through -- especially because House
Democrats that back drilling stuck with their party to oppose the overall bill.
But removing ANWR,
offshore energy development and a controversial mining provision upset
supporters of more aggressive development. Stewart said members will want to
know how the three plan to try and shepherd ANWR through. "It's more tactical,"
said Stewart of questions that may surface at the forum. "Their [the candidates]
support for the issue is pretty much a given."
While ANWR has majority support in the House, it lacks
a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, prompting supporters to try and use
budget measures immune from filibuster. But that proved its undoing in the House
because it was included in a budget measure which advanced entitlement cuts that
left all Democrats against the bill. The House later backed ANWR's 11th hour
inclusion in defense spending legislation but the Senate did not go along.
It is not clear if last
year's ANWR meltdown is affecting commitments in the leadership race. Energy and
Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas), who was upset when ANWR was
removed from the budget measure before the floor vote and cast a visibly final
reluctant vote for the reconciliation bill in November, is backing Blunt in the
race.
Barton's support of
Blunt is not surprising, industry observers say, as they have served together on
the Energy and Commerce Committee for several years and have relationships with
former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Other key Energy and Commerce
Committee members who have thrown their support to Blunt are Energy and Air
Quality Subcommittee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-Texas), Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and
Michael Burgess (R-Texas).
But the leadership fight pits two members of the committee against
each other: Blunt and Shadegg.
Energy "could be an issue, but it is not a top-tier issue" among
members, an energy industry lobbyist said. Key is the ethics question, and then
individual members may have individual concerns, such as committee chairmanships
or assignments they may want.
And though Shadegg may have fewer public commitments than either
Blunt or Boehner, his attractiveness as majority leader may increase over the
next week "because he doesn't quite have the same kinds of connections or
baggage with lobbying that the other two do," the lobbyist said.
"You have to remember, the
ballots are all secret," one lobbyist with Republican contacts said. "People may
say they're voting for one of the candidates, but you won't know until the votes
are counted who wins. It's mushy as anything."
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), chair of the Resources
Committee that added the ANWR language to the budget bill, was also upset by
ANWR's removal. The Resources Committee handles public lands energy issues, and
unlike Barton, Pombo has committed to backing Boehner. Jennifer Zuccarelli, a
spokeswoman for Pombo, said the decision to back Boehner was not about any
single issue but rather who could best provide strong leadership with vision.
"There are certainly votes
that will come up where we need strong leadership and the chairman [Pombo]
thinks Boehner will be able to help in situations like that," she said Friday.
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), a major ANWR drilling supporter, is among the
publicly uncommitted in the race thus far.
GOP moderates who oppose ANWR drilling surface in both
Blunt and Boehner's list of publicly declared supporters. Sen. Pete Domenici
(R-N.M.) has said he will try and use the budget process again this year to win
ANWR development.
Senior reporter Mary O'Driscoll contributed to this report.