DJ Senate Rejects Dem Plan To Cut Oil Imports 40% By 2025
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Senate on Thursday voted against adding a provision to a pending energy bill that would require the president to come up with a way to reduce U.S. imports of foreign oil by 40% in 20 years.
Lawmakers rejected the provision in a 53 to 47 vote.
The energy bill already includes a provision, that is opposed by the Bush administration, that would call on the president to find ways to reduce U.S. oil demand by 1 million barrels per day in 2015, but Sen. Maria Cantwell,D-Wash., and several other Democrats had argued that the provision is too weak.
"In 2015, we'd still be consuming more oil than we do today. To me, that's not a goal," she said, pointing out that her provision would mean the U.S. would, in 2025, import 1.5 million barrels per day less than it does today.
Several Republicans, however, argued that the energy bill as is enjoys bipartisan support and that the Cantwell provision was unnecessary and also unrealistic.
" I haven't heard anybody in the world suggest that the United States of America can do what she says," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Wednesday during debate on the Senate floor. "She says the United States should reduce our energy dependence by 40%, 7 million barrels (a year). Are we going to...invent a new president that can do miracles?"
-By Maya Jackson Randall, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; Maya.Jackson-Randall@dowjones.com |
