Omnibus Energy Legislation, 109th Congress: Side-by-Side Assessment of House and Senate Versions of H.R. 6 (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
July 25, 2005 |
| Report Number |
RL33006 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Mark Holt and Carol Glover, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The House approved an omnibus energy bill ( H.R. 6 ) on April 21, 2005, that would
open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas leasing, substantially change
oversight of electric utilities, increase the use of alternative motor fuels, provide $8.1 billion in
energy tax incentives, and authorize numerous energy R&D programs. The Senate passed its
version
of H.R. 6 on June 28 without ANWR provisions but with $14.1 billion in tax incentives
-- including a nuclear energy production credit -- and provisions on global climate change.
Highlights of the bills include:
Electricity. Both the House and the Senate versions of the bill would repeal the Public
Utility
Holding Company Act (PUHCA), but the Senate bill has provisions for more stringent oversight of
utility mergers than the House version. Standard market design (SMD) would be remanded to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the House bill, while the Senate version would
terminate the rulemaking altogether.
Renewable Energy. An increase in renewable fuel and ethanol consumption to 5 billion
gallons
annually by 2012 would be mandated by the House bill, as opposed to 8 billion gallons in the Senate
bill. The Senate bill includes a "renewable portfolio standard" (RPS) -- rejected in
the House --
requiring utilities to generate at least 10% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
MTBE. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive widely used to meet
Clean Air
Act requirements, has caused water contamination. The House and Senate bills would phase out the
use of MTBE with some possible exceptions and provide funds for MTBE cleanup, with some
differences. The House version would provide protection for fuel producers and blenders of
renewable fuels and MTBE from defective product lawsuits, while the Senate bill would cover
renewable fuels but not MTBE.
Energy Taxes. The House bill would reduce energy taxes by about $8.1 billion over 11
years,
as compared with $14.1 billion in the Senate version. A nuclear energy production tax credit is
included among the Senate incentives.
ANWR. The House-passed bill would authorize oil and gas exploration, development,
and
production in ANWR, with a 2,000-acre limit on production and support facilities. No ANWR
provisions are included in the Senate version.
Energy Production on Federal Lands. Both bills include numerous provisions to increase
energy production on federal lands. The Senate version of H.R. 6 would require an
inventory of oil and natural gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), while the House
version would not.
This report will not be updated.
