FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 11, 2005

Domenici, Bingaman Announce May 17-19 Mark-up

Of Nine Titles of Bipartisan Energy Bill

Draft language to be made public Friday

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Pete V. Domenici and Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman today announced the May 17 mark-up of nine draft titles of the bipartisan energy bill.  The mark-up is set to begin May 17 at 9:30 a.m. in the committee’s hearing room, SD-366 and will continue through May 19.

Senator Domenici’s Statement:

“Sen. Bingaman and I have worked with committee Republicans and Democrats for three months to write an energy bill that, when combined with the energy tax title, will do more for efficiency and conservation than Congress has done before. We have sought to increase and diversify our energy supply while employing new technologies to make coal cleaner, electricity more reliable and affordable and nuclear energy more abundant. It has sometimes been tough to work through these issues, but we have reached a number of important agreements. I look forward to a productive mark-up next week on the first nine titles and prompt completion of the remaining titles of the bill.”

Senator Bingaman’s Statement:

“I appreciate the bipartisan approach that Sen. Domenici has pursued this year in developing an improved national energy policy.  Both of us recognize that America faces critical energy needs, and we both know that America must update its laws to meet those needs.  I’m hopeful that this mark-up will advance the Senate toward a bill that strikes the necessary balance between increasing supplies and encouraging conservation.”

The committee has preliminarily identified the following titles for mark-up next week: Coal, DOE Management, Efficiency, Electricity, Hydrogen, Indian Energy, Personnel and Training, R&D and completed portions of the Nuclear title.

Agreed-to text of the nine titles will be posted on the committee website this Friday at 9 a.m. at: http://energy.senate.gov/public.  Republican and Democrat committee staff are still finishing work on the remaining portion of the nuclear title, provisions related to incentives for innovative clean energy technologies as well as the following four titles: Renewables, Fuel and Vehicles, Oil and Gas and Studies. The committee anticipates posting text for these titles on its website May 20 with a mark-up the week of May 23.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Staff directors Alex Flint and Bob Simon will brief news media tomorrow on the first nine titles.  INFORMATION PROVIDED AT TOMORROW’S BRIEFING IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:00 MIDNIGHT.  Only credentialed reporters will be allowed into the briefing. The briefing will be held at 2:15 p.m. in SD-366.  Reporters are encouraged to arrive early to facilitate credential checks.

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