Senate energy chief Wyden: Get gas policy right

The Democratic chairman and top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee have laid out their visions for the panel in op-eds in The Hill’s opinion section.

Check out the columns by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) here and here.

The committee’s first hearing of the new Congress, on Feb. 12, will explore natural-gas policy – including battles over whether the U.S. should greatly expand natural gas exports.

“I want to ensure misguided government policy doesn’t shut down the manufacturing resurgence this country has seen as a result of reliable, low-cost natural-gas supplies. But I don’t oppose all exports. My aim is to find a sweet spot that allows some exports and keeps wells in production, while ensuring U.S. manufacturing and national security are not harmed by allowing unfettered liquefied natural-gas exports,” Wyden writes.

Murkowski, for her part, touts the broad energy blueprint, called "Energy 20/20," that she unveiled this week and hopes will inform various committee bills.

“I believe there’s a consensus that it’s in our national interest to make energy abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure. Our challenge is to align federal policy with that consensus. Energy 20/20 includes ideas to do so under seven headings: producing more, consuming less, clean-energy technology, energy delivery infrastructure, effective government, environmental responsibility and ‘an energy policy that pays for itself,’ ” she writes.

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