American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2015 - 40

circumstances, but I have not yet seen any
legislation that would strike the right
balance."
Some Washington observers speculate
the Obama administration also sees crude
exports as a bargaining chip. According
to transcripts, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Sept. 15 expressed
the administration's opposition to HR 702.
"This is a policy decision made at the
Commerce Department," Earnest stated.
"For that reason, we wouldn't support legislation (such as) the one put forward by
Republicans."
He went on to advocate an end to federal tax deductions for American oil and
gas production and more help for renewable energy, both of which figured into an
energy bill Senate Democrats released in
late September. According to a description on the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee website, the Energy
Innovation Act of 2015 encompasses six
titles, which the bill's backers say:
* Empower and protect consumers by
investing in securing and protecting the
country's electrical grid, as well as ensuring consumers can access energy market
data;
* Modernize infrastructure and train
a workforce to accommodate new and distributed generation and storage from renewable sources, while deploying advanced vehicles and manufacturing technologies that reduce emissions;
* Cut pollution and waste while addressing climate change by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 2 percent a year; while establishing an energy
efficiency resource standard and setting
energy efficiency provisions to help manufacturers and utilities cut costs and reduce
emissions;
* Triples the country's spending on
basic energy research while putting research and development closer to other
technologically intensive sectors and
bringing U.S. investment in line with that
of other countries;
* Invests in clean energy through
the tax code; and
* Permanently reauthorizes the Land
and Water Conservation Fund as well as
the Historic Preservation Fund, while
also creating a new National Park Maintenance and Revitalization Fund.
According to Senator Maria Cantwell,
D-Wa., ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
the legislation represents ideas from 25 of
her colleagues, including senators Debbie
Stabenow, D-Mi.; Al Franken, D-Mn.;
Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Edward Markey, D-Ma.,
and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
"America needs to lead on this issue
and that is what we are trying to do, as De40 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

mocrats-to say, 'this is the agenda that will
move our country forward on clean energy,'" Cantwell says. "It is a technologydriven pathway to a clean energy future,
and by tackling energy efficiency in sectors ranging from trucks to buildings to our
electric grid, we target the most important
opportunities for reducing carbon, creating jobs, and helping consumers have
more and better choices. It is an actionable path we think can get implemented."
A number of oil and gas spokespeople,
including API's Finkel, say they are
unimpressed. "This proposal uses taxpayer dollars to raise the cost of energy for
American consumers," he describes.
"America's oil and natural gas industry
pays one of the highest tax rates among
U.S. businesses, generating billions of dollars every year in revenue for the federal government. Instead of higher taxes and
royalty rates that discourage domestic production, policymakers should follow prodevelopment energy policies that create
jobs and help our nation provide affordable and reliable energy for consumers."

Damming The Waters
Other Capitol Hill activity pertinent to
oil and gas producers in September includes a joint resolution sponsored by Senator Joni Ernst, R-Ia., and 46 other senators that seeks to use the Congressional
Review Act to block the Obama administration's efforts to redefine "waters of the
United States (WOTUS)" under the Clean
Water Act.
"This ill-conceived rule ignores the
thoughtful comments and serious concerns
raised by farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and small businesses across the county," Ernst states. "Furthermore, its expanded definition causes confusion, uncertainty and unnecessary red tape. Simply put,
this one-size-fits-all method is the wrong
approach that puts our agriculture community at a disadvantage."
In May, the House passed legislation
that would require the Environmental
Protection Agency and Secretary of the
Army to withdraw the WOTUS rule,
and in June the House Appropriations
Committee approved 2016 U.S. Department of Interior and EPA appropriations
that would eliminate funding to implement
the rule. Similar riders would cut off funding for EPA's Clean Power Plan covering
power plants' GHG emissions and delay
EPA's proposal to tighten the country's
ozone limits.
❒

Coming In November
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Northeast Profile
American Oil and Gas Reporter - October 2015

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