ENERGY POLICY: Bingaman announces Senate summit as House GOP continues protest (08/04/2008)
Katie Howell, E&ENews PM reporter
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman said today he would lead an energy summit next month in hopes of crafting bipartisan energy legislation after Congress returns from its five-week recess.
Expressing frustration over stalled energy bills, the New Mexico Democrat said in a statement, "I hope that all senators will participate in the energy summit next month so that we can find a way to move forward in a bipartisan manner."
The idea for the summit was planted before the Fourth of July recess by a bipartisan group of senators who urged Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to host a daylong gathering of energy experts. Reid accepted the proposal last week and asked Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to help host the event.
Republicans have slammed Democrats' efforts to address oil market speculation and tax incentives for renewable energy, and a bipartisan "Gang of 10" senators introduced compromise legislation last week that would relax some offshore drilling bans while repealing oil industry tax breaks and funding major investments in renewable energy and conservation (Greenwire, Aug. 1).
Meanwhile, House Republicans today staged an empty-floor protest, saying they would not leave for August recess until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allowed a vote on GOP energy legislation.
Continuing a protest that began Friday after the recess began, Republicans Mike Pence of Indiana and Tom Price of Georgia spoke today under dimmed lights with no microphones and no C-SPAN cameras. About 20 Republicans are participating, addressing tourists in shorts and T-shirts.
The lawmakers repeatedly called for Pelosi to reconvene the House for a vote on energy legislation that would allow more drilling on federal land.
"Let's produce more energy in America, and let's produce it today -- that's an idea that will work," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
The Republicans vowed to continue speaking from the floor until Pelosi allows a vote on the energy issues.
Pelosi's offices could not be reached for comment today. But on ABC's "This Week" yesterday, she called the Republican protest a "diversionary tactic."
"This is a decoy, not a solution," she said.
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