Energy Package Clears Senate Committee

A comprehensive energy package was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday by a vote of 15 to 8.  Following the bill's move out of Committee, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman said in a press release, “This bill will help shift our country to cleaner sources of energy, and more secure sources as well.”  Ranking member Sen. Murkowski voted for the bill and said,

Despite an uphill fight against Democrats’ three-vote majority, we were able to include a number of provisions that will lead to more domestic production of the conventional energy we need to drive this country.  While I support this bill in its present form, we simply must do more to increase our domestic production and use of nuclear energy.

The carbon capture and storage portion of the bill had two amendments adopted, one that is fairly significant. It was proposed by Sen. Murkowski and provides for a $10 billion liability cap per CCS project.