Most Senate Republicans felt that Murkowski's loss of a leadership position was enough.

The era of big climate bills is over, at least for a while, according to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.).

“I don't see a comprehensive bill going anywhere in the next two years,” Bingaman told a summit hosted by Reuters, according to the news service.

He’s hardly alone. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), for instance, this month said the next Congress should start with a “piecemeal” approach.

The Interior Department apparently doesn’t want to answer questions about oil spill response legislation that faces an uncertain future in Congress.

As Michael Bromwich – Interior’s top offshore drilling regulator – was departing a forum Wednesday on strengthening blowout safeguards, an aide allowed one press question after initially saying Bromwich would not take any.

“It looks like the oil spill response bill is stalled on Capitol Hill . . .,” a reporter for E2 began.

The report will focus on "whether and how" the department will alter the controversial freeze on deepwater oil-and-gas drilling.

A left-leaning veteran’s group is starting a national ad campaign Wednesday to counter claims made by major oil companies about the costs of lowering U.S. dependence on oil.

The $100,000 national cable ad campaign from VoteVets.org charges that “Big Oil and their backers are spending millions to scare us, saying it costs too much to break our dependence on oil, while they make record profits.” The group may expand the ad buy up to roughly $1 million.

The 30-second ad features the brother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq.

“My brother went to Iraq to keep us safe. He came home in a flag-draped coffin,” Dante Zappala says in the ad. “Big Oil wants to talk about costs? Don't let Big Oil lie to you about what our dependence really costs.”

The ad is meant to directly counter those being run by the American Petroleum Institute, which argue that efforts to scale back industry tax incentives would kill jobs and hurt the overall economy.

VoteVets.org was cofounded and is chaired by Jon Soltz — a war veteran and outspoken critic of the Iraq war — and is closely aligned with congressional Democrats. 

This post was updated at 12:58 p.m.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) are floating legislation that would require oil-and-gas companies seeking drilling permits in U.S. waters to certify that they’re not running afoul of sanctions against Iran.

“Despite strong bipartisan sanctions that were passed against the Iranian regime this summer, the Iranian government has actively sought to avoid these sanctions through joint ventures and partnerships with foreign companies, and investing in energy projects in Europe and Asia,” Cardin said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

“To shine a spotlight on those companies working with Iran to circumvent these sanctions, this new legislation would require companies that apply for drilling permits in U.S. federal waters to certify that they do not engage in any illegal activity in Iran, and to disclose any partnership with a company designated by the Treasury Department as a supporter of terrorism or a ‘proliferator of Weapons of Mass Destruction,’” states a description of the measure from Cardin’s office.

Both sponsors are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They introduced the bill Tuesday.

President Obama needs to work with Congress to ensure the Energy Department (DoE) begins providing financing for biorefinery projects, industry groups say.

Since the department has not yet issued loan guarantees for biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts projects, the three groups want Obama to work with Congress to change the criteria for the program to ensure financing.

“While we recognize the serious fiscal constraints we face as the economy rebounds from recession, these funds are essential to meeting the unwavering goals shared by your administration, Congress and the public for clean, abundant, renewable energy and manufacturing deployment,” the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Advanced BioFuels Association and Algal Biomass Organization wrote Obama.

Murkowski slated to be stripped of top energy committee slot

Sen. Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alaska) fall from power since her stunning GOP primary loss to Joe Miller is slated to continue Wednesday.

The Senate GOP conference is expected to strip Murkowski – who has launched a write-in bid in the general election – of her spot as ranking member of the powerful Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

Republican members of the committee acted Tuesday to remove Murkowski, a prominent advocate of her state’s oil-and-gas industry, ahead of Wednesday afternoon’s planned full conference meeting.

It was McConnell all along; Burr poised to take over on acting basis

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) is expected to take over as senior Republican on the Senate Energy panel. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was behind the switch.

McConnell told Republican colleagues at Tuesday’s conference meeting that he had arranged for members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to vote on someone to replace Murkowski as ranking member of the powerful panel.

A GOP lawmaker said Republican leaders thought the fairest solution was to have Burr take over as acting ranking member until Election Day. If Murkowski wins, she can have her post back, but GOP leaders see that as a remote possibility.

Murkowski’s plight creates political cash quandary

The oil-and-gas firms that are key to the Alaskan economy must decide whether they can, or should, risk undermining their long-held ties to Murkowski and shift their financial support to Republican nominee Joe Miller, The Hill’s Darren Goode reports.

Renewables lobbyists target swing Republicans

Environmentalists and renewable energy companies have their work cut out for them as they seek backing for the bipartisan renewable electricity standard, or RES, unveiled Tuesday.

“We’re doing the same thing we're usually doing which is to bring the benefits of back home into the Senate offices,” said Marchant Wentworth, a top renewables lobbyist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. He said supporters are continuing to target the cadre of Senate Republicans that have supported the concept, including Charles Grassley (Iowa) and Judd Gregg (N.H.).

Three Republicans – Sam Brownback (Kan.), Susan Collins (Maine) and John Ensign (Nev.) – already joined Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) in sponsoring the bill.

The bill requires many utilities to provide 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2021, although roughly a fourth of the mandate can be met with energy efficiency measures. One advocate tracking the bill said it had 22 original sponsors as of last night – including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

More on the lobbying push

Biomass industry officials are coming to D.C. Thursday for a one-day fly-in to lobby for an RES. The industry can help corral support for the bill because biomass is found “in a bunch of places that a lot of [other] renewables aren’t” said one advocate for the mandate. This includes the Southeast, where some lawmakers fear there are not enough wind resources to meet the renewable standard.

But highlighting biomass isn’t without political peril – environmentalists also worry that the push to make electricity and motor fuels from plant matter can put sensitive forests and other ecosystems at risk.

Bingaman defends left, right flanks of the renewable energy bill

Bingaman on Tuesday defended the RES plan against allegations that it’s too modest to spur renewable energy generation beyond what’s already expected due to the stimulus, state renewable standards and other existing initiatives.

He said that while the federal mandate would be at best business as usual in some states, those lacking a standard would have to at least meet the federal requirement. And, he added, nothing prevents states from going above and beyond the federal standard.

Bingaman is also continuing his years-long resistance to opening up the standard to non-renewable forms of energy. While some Republicans want more energy sources toward the mandate -- including all nuclear energy production -- Bingaman said this would complicate and water down the plan.

On tap Wednesday: Salazar, Chu, Exxon CEO headline oil spill forum

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will lead an event Wednesday on how to strengthen the response to potential oil-and-gas well blowouts in deep waters.

“The September 22, 2010 panel discussion will help guide reforms that are raising the bar for the oil and gas industry’s practices, inform recommendations on whether and how to lift the current deepwater drilling suspension, and assist in establishing a path forward for government and industry collaboration on improving blowout containment capabilities,” according to Interior’s announcement of the event, which will he held at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the afternoon.

Other panelists include ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Michael Bromwich, and Andrew Inglis, who is BP’s head of exploration and production.

On tap Wednesday II: House climate panel looks at ‘clean energy race’

The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will hear from a range of experts on “the form and scale of investments in the clean energy sector, where these investments are occurring around the world, what is driving them, the broader economic and employment implications of these investments, and the challenges to growing an American clean energy sector.”

The hearing is at 10 a.m. in Room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

What to look for: Top green investment expert warns U.S risks falling behind

“Before we become too pessimistic about the state of clean energy in the US, we should recall that it remains by far the world’s leading venue for venture investment, even in clean energy technologies. US companies spend more as a percentage of revenue on research, and the US stock markets continue to attract public offerings from companies around the world,” says Michael Liebreich, head of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, in prepared testimony.

But that aside, he adds: “There is no question that the period 2007 to 2009 saw Asia take over from the Americas as the number two region of the world for clean energy investment. And indeed, when we compile the figures for 2010, we will see that Asia has eclipsed Europe to take the global lead.”

Downturn gave green energy the blues

Liebreich comes armed with all kinds of interesting stats on worldwide and U.S. clean energy investment. The global economic slump hardly spared the industry despite green-focused stimulus plans in the U.S and elsewhere.

He notes that global investment in clean energy, after surging for five years to a peak of $173 billion in 2008, fell back to $162 billion in 2009.

It could have been worse. Liebreich notes that the World Ban Group’s International Finance Corp., the European Investment Bank and other institutions increased their lending. “The role these multilateral institutions and development banks have played and continue to play often gets overlooked,” his prepared testimony states.

Wanted: Policy ‘certainty’

Mark Fulton, the Managing Director and Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research at Deutsche Asset Management, warns the panel that, “uncertainties are discouraging to capital deployment in the U.S. in the long-term.”

“This year in the United States has been a challenging one for those looking to invest in these new clean energy industries on a longer term basis. Uncertainty abounds,” he said, noting the collapse of broad climate and energy legislation in the Senate.

“At the same time, the most comprehensive climate and clean energy provisions of any state are under threat from California’s proposition 23 which seeks to suspend the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32), and would have a significant impact,” he said.

Markey: Probe China’s energy trade tactics, but carefully

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the select committee’s chairman, will back the United Steelworkers’ push for a White House probe of alleged Chinese violations of trade rules through huge subsidies and preferences for domestic renewable energy companies.

“I am very concerned about China’s use of unfair trade practices to bolster the competitiveness of its industries, and I strongly urge the Obama Administration in act promptly to address violations found through the US Trade Representative’s investigation,” Markey plans to say in his prepared remarks.

Richard Burr (N.C.) is expected to take over as senior Republican on the Senate Energy panel after Lisa Murkowski lost the position.