U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today convened the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to continue consideration of the bipartisan Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 with discussion on 20 additional amendments to the bill. In total, the committee has worked through 45 of the 94 amendments filed to the bipartisan legislation since the markup process began on Tuesday.

Chairman Murkowski talking to reporters after Wednesday’s meeting. Click to view video.

“The committee has made good progress over the past two days working through the issues members felt were important to address in the context of a bipartisan energy bill. I think our progress should serve as an example for how we can work together through regular order to advance important legislative initiatives,” Murkowski said. “I’m looking forward to wrapping up the amendment process and reporting out the broad energy bill before the Senate goes home for the August recess. I also want to make sure we have time for the rest of the items on the agenda, including my own legislation to ensure Alaska and other coastal states receive a share of the revenue from production in federal waters and ending the ban on oil exports.”  

Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, began Wednesday’s business meeting with the unanimous approval of a second manager’s package containing 13 amendments. The committee also voted on seven additional amendments, including approving a measure by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., to expand clean coal technology research programs; a measure by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to enhance cybersecurity protection of critical electricity infrastructure; and a measure by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to study the effects of exporting liquefied natural gas.

At the end of the second day of the business meeting, the committee had considered 45 of the 94 amendments filed to the broad energy bill. The committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, to continue consideration of the Energy Policy Modernization Act, as well as Murkowski’s Offshore Production and Energizing National Security Act, which would provide revenue sharing for coastal states and lift the ban on exporting most domestic crude oil.