On Wednesday morning, the Senate passed the first broad energy bill since the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The measure, known as the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015, includes provisions to enhance the electric grid, improve the energy efficiency of buildings, and speed the export of natural gas from US producers. The bill, however, avoids politically divisive topics such as climate change and oil exploration.
RFF President Phil Sharp notes in the Washington Post that despite the Senate sponsors deserving “considerable credit” for their bipartisan compromise, “This Congress, for the last couple congresses, simply has taken no action in that direction, and frankly that is the ultimate, significant energy legislation that we need.” The vote in the Senate was 85–12. That bill now must be reconciled with a very different House version.
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