07-14-2001
ENERGY: Panel Pumps Up Action on Energy Legislation
The House Energy and Commerce Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee this
week launched the first installment of a multibill attempt to produce a
national strategy for increasing energy production and promoting
conservation. During a three-day markup ending on July 12, subcommittee
Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, fended off attempts to inject controversies
into the bill, the Energy Advancement and Conservation Act.
The idea was to preserve deals made on the pending legislation by Barton,
Energy and Commerce Chairman W. J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., and
ranking member John D. Dingell, D-Mich. A key last-minute Tauzin-Dingell
agreement on auto fuel-efficiency standards, not yet formally presented to
the subcommittee at press time on July 12, put off a decision on specific
miles-per-gallon standards for vehicles until a National Academy of
Sciences study issues a report in early fall.
Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., proposed an amendment to require combined
fuel standards of 40 mpg for auto manufacturers' fleets by 2017, but he
withdrew the proposal as work continued on the broader compromise
plan.
The panel also went appliance shopping with Markey, but members didn't
like what he was selling. As part of the energy conservation portion of
the bill, he proposed reinstating tougher air-conditioner efficiency
standards proposed by the Clinton Administration but scuttled by the Bush
White House. Markey also sought to limit energy consumption by
"vampire" appliances, such as televisions and certain lamps,
that guzzle energy while switched off. The subcommittee rejected both
ideas.
Cyril T. Zaneski
National Journal
