The Briefing - 6/12/07: Senate Energy Bill Edition

The Senate energy bill looms large... here's a quick rundown of all the news on the bill and its components.

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The Briefing – 6/11/07: Senate Energy Edition
510 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Media Coverage of the Senate Energy Bill
- What’s Happening:
o Reid hopes to make quick work of energy bill
§ He’s offering a course for energy independence
o Senate and House turn focus to energy
o Regional interests shaping the bills
- Fuel Economy:
o Senate tackles fuel economy rules
o Climate looks ripe
o Reid: Standards must rise
o It’s the Senate v. Automakers on MPG
- Renewables/Biofuels:
o 15% renewable standard may cut CO2 by 3 billion tons by 2030
o National RPS rules key to fixing flaws in state policies
o Focus on mileage and biofuels
o Thune focuses on biofuels
- Global Warming:
o In drive for climate bill, Reid is all energy
- Bad Stuff:
o Groups warn against coal shale subsidies
o Controversial oil substitutes sharply increase emissions, devour landscapes
§ Man, even China doesn’t want CTL
o Coal-to-liquid industry taps controversy
- Controversy:
o Here comes the lobbyists
o Energy bill under fire from several different directions
o The American Petroleum Institute isn’t so happy
- Editorials/Op-Eds
o Harry Reid: How the U.S. Should Fuel Its Prosperity
o LA Times: Serious Energy Reform
o Des Moines Register: Focus Energy Bill on Conservation, Research
o Bangor Daily News: A Better Energy Bill
o Colorado Springs Gazette: Mining the Taxpayers
Quotes O’ the Day
“Our search for solutions must begin at home, powered by American-made ingenuity and innovation. But the impacts of our oil addiction do not stop at our borders; they reverberate around the planet and in the atmosphere that surrounds it.” ~ Majority Leader Harry Reid