Senate Democrats Abandon Cap and Trade; Both Houses Rush to Pass Oil Spill and Energy Measures

On Capitol Hill, the House and Senate rush to pass measures to reform offshore oil drilling and encourage energy and job-creation efforts. These measures were sparked by an announcement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) last week that he would not push for comprehensive climate change and energy legislation this summer.  Reid admitted that there are not 60 votes in the Senate to pass climate change legislation.  Senators John Kerry (D- Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) had been working on a more limited proposal to price carbon emissions of power plants.  Reid did not rule out a larger bill in the fall or later.  However, the Senate faces a busy agenda and few legislative days in which to consider such legislation. Late on July 27, Senate Democrats released the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010, which it hopes to pass before the August recess.  The House is planning to debate and pass its related legislation, the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2010, before its recess at the end of the week. Both chambers are focusing on offshore drilling reforms and oil spill response measures, along with scaled-back energy-related measures.  For more information, contact Karen Lapsevic at lapsevick@agc.org or (202)547-4733.