“We must reduce our dependence on foreign countries for our oil and gas,” Lucas said. “This bill will create a balanced approach to solving our long-term energy needs, including improvements in both production and conservation.”

The energy bill, H.R. 4, is the comprehensive energy legislation designed to promote dependable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy production and distribution. The House passed its version of the bill on Aug. 2, 2001. The Senate passed its version of the bill on April 25, 2002.

Lucas will be a conferee on the sections of the bill under the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committee, of which Lucas is a subcommittee chairman.

“I’ll be working to ensure that this bill encourages renewable energy sources like wind energy,” Lucas said. “That’s a resource we have in abundant supply in Oklahoma, and we’ll be working to increase the opportunities of making renewable energy a bigger part of the energy we use in the U.S.”

Lucas said the agriculture sections of the bill also will include grants to rural communities for energy projects, biodiesel tax credits, and research funding on carbon sequestration.

Lucas is among 28 Republican House members named as conferees on the bill. Other members named as conferee are Majority Whip Tom Delay(Texas), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas(Calif.), Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young(Alaska), and Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest(Texas).

Conferees are needed when there are differences between House and Senate versions of a bill. The conference committee works out the differences in the two bills to create an identical bill both bodies can pass and send to the President for his signature. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert named Lucas and the other 27 conferees on Wednesday.

The House passed its original version of the bill by a vote of 240 to 189.