Highway Bill May Be Way To Overhaul U.S. Energy Plan
Provider: Reuters WASHINGTON Senate Republicans plan a new push this week to pass a stalled energy bill through Congress by hitching a ride on legislation on highway spending moving toward approval, a Republican aide said on Monday. Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee, will likely try to tack a pared-down energy bill onto a $318 billion package to pay for highway projects that could face a Senate vote this week, the lawmaker's aide said on Monday. "Senator Domenici is looking to move the energy package as part of the highway bill," spokeswoman Marnie Funk said. The cost of the energy legislation has been nearly cut in half from its original price tag of $31 billion to appease some budget hawks who are worried about the federal budget deficit. Domenici has not yet revealed which energy bill subsidies and incentives are likely to be attached to the highway bill. The original energy bill aimed to double the production of corn-distilled ethanol to be used as a gasoline additive, impose nationwide electric reliability standards, and spend $3 billion on new ways to generate electricity from coal. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona criticized a move to […]