Energy policy took center stage in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as the body took up S. 2012, The Energy Policy Modernization Act. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is the primary author of the bill. She’s also the chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which passed the bill to the Senate floor with a strong bi-partisan vote.
As the first day of debate got underway, Sen. Murkowski set the stage.
“We are beginning the debate on energy legislation, energy reform legislation. Senate bill 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act. Mr. President, this is the first time that the United States Senate has debated energy policy reform in more than eight years. More than eight years that we’ve had this kind of debate.”
Since the last energy policy debate, the world of energy has changed. U.S. shale producers have become more efficient and have created an oversupply, the export ban has been lifted, new technologies are bringing energy costs down, Iran has joined the global marketplace, and the U.S. has become a major energy producer which is less dependent on exports.
“Eight years ago when we talked about LNG (liquid natural gas), what we were talking about was seeing if we couldn’t structure our LNG terminals so that they could be import terminals. Think about where we are now. We’re talking about how we export our LNG. How we move to share our energy wealth with others. That’s a prime example of making sure that what is happening in energy markets, what is happening within our energy technologies is consistent with what our policies, regulations, and our laws allow,” said Murkowski from the Senate floor.
The Senate is expected to consider amendments to the bill working toward a vote this week.
