Change in US House energy authority unlikely, says key Republican on Platts Energy Week TV
Washington - November 22, 2010
Also on EWTV: EPA’s planned emissions regulations roll-outs and US Nuke building in India
A proposal to shake up jurisdiction over energy policy in the U.S. House of Representatives is likely to fail, a Republican congressman seeking to become chairman of the chamber's Energy and Commerce Committee said Sunday on Platts Energy Week, an all-energy television program.
Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican considered to be a leading candidate for the committee's chairmanship, predicted on the TV program that Republicans would reject the proposal to transfer energy policy to the House Natural Resources Committee. To watch Upton’s full interview, click here.
Representative Doc Hastings, a Washington state Republican and the presumptive chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, last week proposed consolidating energy-policy jurisdiction in his panel.
When asked if Hastings has sufficient support among Republicans for his proposal, Upton said, "I don't think he does. He's sprung this literally at the last minute."
House Republicans, whose wins in the November congressional elections gave them control of the House in 2011, will choose committee chairmen during the first week of December. Most of those decisions, including chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, are considered apparent. But others, including the Energy and Commerce Committee, remain undecided.
All of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Republicans and Democrats are opposed to Hasting's proposal, said Upton, who accused Hastings of trying to "steal that jurisdiction" over energy.
"We've made that known to Speaker-elect [John] Boehner and others in the [Republican] leadership," Upton said.
But Upton acknowledged that Boehner has not taken a public position on Hastings' proposal.
"He's letting this play out," Upton said of Boehner. "It's not been decided in terms of what happens."
Still, Upton said he was confident over the outcome.
"We're hoping to get it stopped. The troops are aroused and we're doing all we can to kill his proposal," Upton said. "We feel good about trying to stop it."
Upton said he expects Republicans will reject a request by Representative Joe Barton for a waiver to become chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Barton, Republican-Texas, is ineligible to become the panel's leader under Republican rules that limit members to six years as either chairman or ranking Republican on a committee. Barton has served in either position in the past six years.
"We have to consider whether six years is six years," Upton said. "It seems as though the freshmen members, almost to a person, are saying we're not changing the rules literally the first day we're here. Most observers would argue that Joe Barton will not get a waiver. But we'll see."
Barton and Upton face competition for the chairmanship from Representatives John Shimkus of Illinois and Cliff Stearns of Florida. Upton reiterated his pledge to hold hearings to scrutinize Obama administration energy policies.
"This administration, I think, is going to look clearly at regulating what it's been unable to legislate," he said. "As part of our pledge, we're not going to let that happen."
Upton said administration officials will spend a lot of time before the committee. Among them, he said, will be Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which plans to start regulating greenhouse-gas emissions in January.
"They're going to be up here quite a bit," he said. "In fact, I've made a point with Lisa Jackson and the others [of saying] we'll give them their own parking place in the horseshoe of the Rayburn Building..."
Rayburn, with a horseshoe-shaped driveway at once entrance, is the office building where the Energy and Commerce Committee is housed.
Also on Platts Energy Week, host Bill Loveless spoke with Jeffrey Holmstead, a former assistant administrator for air and radiation at EPA; Bill Becker, executive director - National Association of Clean Air Agencies and David Doniger, policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. To watch the full panel discussion, click here.
In addition, the program looked at U.S. companies' bid to build nuclear power plants in India and the huge challenges they face following India’s enactment of a liability law. Ron Somers, president of the U.S.-India Business Council, discussed with Bill the prospects for a solution. Click here to watch the full interview.
This week’s Market Spotlight looked at natural gas prices, and how both liquefied natural gas and the shale gas are shaking up market dynamics and affecting global prices. Click here to watch the full clip.
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