WASHINGTON, D.C.­ Chairman Frank H. Murkowski today announced a markup process for the electric competition measure and a date for the consideration of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, CARA, S. 2123. At a meeting of Committee members and staff, the Chairman said he will proceed to a markup process beginning May 17th, followed by a second session on May 24th, 2000. The CARA is set for consideration on June 14th.

Murkowski intends to continue the process of finding areas of agreement among the Members from the many electric competition measures that have been referred to the Committee. "These sessions will be part of a process in which we will address individual concerns to see how far we can get on a comprehensive package," said the Chairman.

"Since the 104th Congress, we have had 21 days of hearings and heard from 178 witnesses. We have invested a lot of time and effort in order to move a bill," he said.

On the CARA bill, the Chairman advised the Committee that he expected the bill to have a House vote soon with as many as 400 votes in favor. The pressure will be on the Senate Committee to report out its bill. But Murkowski cautioned, "The budgeteers and the appropriators have concerns about finding offsets for the $2.8 billion cost of the bill. And, Western state Committee Members have concerns about giving the federal government the ability to purchase more land when as much as 79 percent of some Western states is already owned by the federal government. We still have a long way to go."