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Senators on Wednesday suggested there may be too many competing proposals and too little political will for a last-minute breakthrough on energy legislation before the Senate adjourns for the year.
The grim prognosis came as senators reacted to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) strategy of holding votes on four separate energy bills in the final week before lawmakers recess on Sept. 26.
House members voted 236-189 to expand offshore drilling as part of a broader energy bill — but that bill has few backers in the upper chamber.
Few senators expressed optimism that the two parties could resolve deep disagreements in such a compressed, politically charged atmosphere, especially with 60-vote thresholds likely necessary. Reid himself suggested a lame-duck session after the Nov. 4 elections might be necessary if the issue cannot be resolved.
“It would definitely be the triumph of hope over experience,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the GOP’s chief deputy whip. “The Democrats will run their bill, the Republicans will run our bill, none of them will reach 60, and my guess is that’s where everything stops.”
Still, there is some reason for hope. Both Democrats and Republicans say the energy debate will be simplified by passing alternative energy tax incentives in a separate tax package, leaving only the sticky problem of expanding offshore oil drilling. But that could also be addressed quietly by removing a 27-year-old congressional ban on offshore drilling from this year’s stopgap spending measure — which is expected to clear before lawmakers leave at the end of the month.
The ban is set to expire on Sept. 30, and Democratic leaders have conceded they don’t have the votes to keep it intact — although it could conceivably be re-implemented under a future Democratic president.
The House bill that passed Wednesday lacks enough support to clear the Senate, making it an unlikely vehicle for any breakthrough. It allows coastal states to decide whether to allow offshore drilling, although it does not include a provision many senators want that offers states a share in the resulting revenue. It also contains renewable energy tax incentives funded through a repeal of tax breaks for oil companies.
Republicans in both chambers have derided the House bill, describing the repealed tax breaks as a “tax increase” on oil companies.
“It’s a cover vote for Democrats in the House. It’s not serious,” said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). “It’s not going to produce new oil.”
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