Domenici, Stevens, Inhofe Call for Energy Bill Conference
Senators Send Letter to Senate Leadership
October 18, 2007
04:42 PM
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a formal Senate-House conference committee to finalize an energy bill.
Domenici was joined on the letter by Senator Ted Stevens, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Senator James Inhofe, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The full text of the letter appears below:
Dear Leaders Reid and McConnell:
We are writing in regard to energy legislation pending before the Congress. As you recall, the Senate passed H.R. 6 on June 21st. On August 4th, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3221. Last Wednesday, Speaker Pelosi announced her intention to bypass the appointment of a conference committee to reconcile the differences between these two bills. We regret the Speaker’s decision to do this and we are deeply concerned about the integrity of long-standing procedures in the Congress if the Speaker’s decision is allowed to stand. Upon the commencement of the 110th Congress, the Senate Majority Leadership stated that the Congress would have “real, public, conferences in which public issues would be debated and voted upon.” Today, the Majority Leadership in the House of Representatives is putting that promise to the test.
In 2005, we worked together, Republicans and Democrats in both the Senate and House of Representatives, to craft the first bipartisan, comprehensive energy bill in over a decade. When fully implemented, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will strengthen America’s energy future. The conference committee for this legislation appointed by the House and Senate leadership met on five separate occasions in a public forum, with a debate and amendment process available to all members of the conference. This process resulted in a conference report signed by the Chairmen and Ranking Members of both the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Furthermore, the conference report received majority support of both parties in both Houses of Congress. In contrast, because of the decision of the House Majority Leadership, today we are left to start a new, unprecedented process of drafting comprehensive energy legislation without the benefit and expertise of a bipartisan, bicameral conference committee. We are still hopeful that a bipartisan energy bill is achievable this year.
However, we are informed by our many decades of experience in the Congress that the best way for strong and effective legislation is through a bipartisan, bicameral conference committee process. Thank you for your attention to this important concern.
Pete V. Domenici
Ted Stevens
James M. Inhofe
--30--
