Senate Panel Moves Toward Passage of Bill Setting Up New DOE Agency
May 7th, 2009
On May 5, 2009 the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee neared passage of legislation that would establish a new agency in the Department of Energy. This agency will be charged with helping finance development of clean energy technologies that are often regarded to be too risky to attract private investment.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman pushed back a vote to report the overall legislation while the panel marks up two other parts of the comprehensive energy package. These include a measure expanding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's authority to site transmission lines and a bill creating a commission to propose solutions to the problem of nuclear waste. However, the markups have been indefinitely postponed since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scheduled a long series of floor votes.
Helios Strategies will continue to monitor the movements of the proposed legislation to establish a new Department of Energy agency as well as other climate and energy related legislation.