H.R. 6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007

Summary and Background

On June 11, 2007, Senator Reid et al introduced the Senate Energy bill, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, as a complete substitute amendment to H.R. 6 on the Senate floor. The Senate Energy bill combines the text of bills reported out of the Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works, Foreign Relations, and Commerce, Science and Transportation Committees by broad bipartisan margins.

Major Provisions

Title I—Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation

This title includes provisions of S. 987, the Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act of 2007. The term “advanced biofuel” is defined as any fuel derived from a source of renewable biomass other than corn starch. The definition of “renewable biomass” clarifies that it does not include biomass harvested from federal lands that is derived from the main stem of old-growth trees. The definition of “renewable biomass” further clarifies that certain Indian lands are to be considered “non-Federal lands” for purposes of the definition even though held or administered by the United States.

Subtitle A—Renewable Fuels Standard

The bill would:

Require the President to promulgate regulations to ensure that renewable fuels are consumed for motor vehicles, home heating oil, and boiler fuels in amounts escalating from 8.5 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons in 2022;

Require that, of those amounts, advanced biofuels not derived from corn starch comprise volumes rising from three billion gallons in 2016 to 21 billion gallons in 2022;

Stipulate that the regulations issued under this section must ensure that biofuels facilities built after the date of enactment achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, compared to gasoline;

Allow participation by small refiners, specify opportunities for the President to waive the program requirements, and establish a fuel producer credit trading program; and

Provide for the creation of a credit not to exceed the equivalent of 1.5 gallons, awarded under a fuel producer credit trading program established by the Act, for facilities that use renewable energy to displace more than 90 percent of fossil fuel typically used in the production of renewable fuel.

Subtitle B—Renewable Fuels Infrastructure

The bill would:

Establish renewable fuels corridors through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Vehicle Technology Deployment Program (formerly the Clean Cities Program);

Increase the funding for bioenergy research and development by 50 percent for Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009;

Increase the number of bioresearch centers focused on biofuels to 11, to cover the range of climates, regions, and feedstocks in the United States;

Allow the DOE’s renewable fuel facilities loan guarantee program to issue its first six loan guarantees in advance of the final rulemaking;

Require the Secretary of Energy to approve or disapprove applications for these six applications in 90 days, and to provide written explanations to Congress of any disapproved applications;

Redefine “commercial technology” not to include technologies that are only commercialized through loan guarantees; and

Require DOE to guarantee 100 percent of the loan;

Authorize $25 million annually from 2008 through 2010 for grants for research in renewable fuels technologies in states with low rates of ethanol production;

Establish a program to provide grants to local governments and other entities to promote the development of infrastructure to support the transportation of biomass to local biorefineries;

Establish a biorefinery information center to make available information on renewable fuel resources, producers, and users, and legislation and incentives related to biorefineries, through a website and call center;

Direct DOE and the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) to establish a public database and standard reference materials for physical properties of renewable fuels;

Require that fuel tanks of flexible fuel vehicles shall be clearly labeled to inform customers that that they operate on E85, starting in model year 2010;

Require a study identifying any research and development challenges associated with increasing to five percent the amount of biodiesel contained in diesel fuel sold in the United States;

Require the President to promulgate regulations establishing uniform labeling of biodiesel blends, consistent with published standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM); and

Require the President to issue regulations within 180 days of enactment to ensure that only biodiesel certified in compliance with the ASTM6751 standard is introduced into interstate commerce.

Subtitle C—Studies

The bill would direct the DOE to study:

With the National Academy of Sciences, the state of technology and the availability of advanced biofuels by 2015;

The feasibility of nationwide consumption of ethanol at levels of E10 through E40;

The feasibility of dedicated ethanol pipelines;

Optimization of FFVs for E85, to reduce the efficiency loss those vehicles experience when fueled by E85;

The feasibility of issuing RFS credits to electric vehicles powered by electricity produced from renewable energy sources;

The effects of varying concentrations of biodiesel blends on engine durability;

The renewable fuels industry and markets in the United States, including costs for producing conventional and advanced biofuels, factors affecting market prices for biofuels, and financial incentives necessary to enhance the domestic biofuels industry and reduce dependence on foreign oil from 2011 through 2030;

Published methods for evaluating lifecycle fossil and renewable carbon content of fuels, including conventional and advanced biofuels, and methods for performing simplified, streamlined lifecycle analyses of these factors;

Adequacy of railroad transportation for domestically-produced renewable fuels; and

The effects of ethanol-blended gasoline on off-road vehicles and recreational boats.

Title II—Energy Efficiency Promotion

Title II of the bill is drawn from S.1115, the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act, which includes provisions to increase energy efficiency efforts within the federal government for buildings and federal fleets. The bill also establishes appliance standards for consumer and industrial products and promotes high efficiency vehicles, advanced batteries, and energy storage. The legislation also sets forth national energy savings goals and seeks to assist state and local governments in their energy efficiency efforts.

Subtitle A—Promoting Advanced Lighting Technologies

The bill would:

Require all general purpose lighting in federal buildings to be Energy Star rated or designated as efficient by the Federal Energy Management Program by October 1, 2010 pursuant to guidelines issued by the Secretary;

Expand the types of incandescent reflector lamps covered by efficiency standards that will be effective January 1, 2008;

Award three Bright Light Tomorrow prizes based on LED technology for: 1) replacing the 60-watt incandescent ($10 million); 2) the type 38 Halogen Parabolic reflector ($5 million); and 3) a “twenty-first century lamp” whose performance and efficiency characteristics exceed any light source in current use ($5 million) and direct the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop guidelines for government-wide purchase of the winning technologies;

Express the Sense of the Senate that federal policies to transform the U.S. market to more efficient lighting whould be adopted; and

Authorize grants for construction of certain renewable energy projects, requiring eligible applicants to contribute not less than 50 percent of total project costs.

Subtitle B—Expediting New Energy Efficiency Standards

The bill would:

Authorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to issue standards with multiple components if certain criteria are met;

Authorize DOE to set up three regional standards for space heating and air conditioning products;

Require DOE to complete standards for residential furnace fans by December 31, 2014;

Allow an expedited energy conservation standards rulemaking if certain conditions are met;

Establish a schedule for Department of Energy review of energy conservation standards to determine if the standards should be updated;

Direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in consultation with DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program, to promulgate regulations to add personal computers, computer monitors, televisions, set-top boxes, and digital video recorder devices to the Energy Guide labeling program;

Adopt a consensus agreement on minimum efficiency standards for residential gas, oil, and electric boilers, effective September 1, 2012;

Adopt consensus agreement on new efficiency standards for three broad categories of electric motors, effective 36 months after enactment;

Adopt a consensus agreement on new efficiency standards and water conservation standards for residential clothes washers and dishwashers, adopt a new standard for residential dehumidifiers, and mandate a final rule on efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers by 2011;

Authorize research on technologies to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and appliances in extremely cold climates and include energy efficient products in the rebates program in the Energy Policy Act of 2005;

Authorize the Secretary of Energy to competitively award financial incentives for the manufacture of high-efficiency consumer products based on bids for dollar per megawatt hour or million Btus saved; and

Direct the Secretary, in cooperation with materials manufacturers and energy-intensive industries, to establish a program that supports, develops, and promotes the use of new materials manufacturing, industrial, and commercial processes, technologies, and techniques to optimize energy efficiency.

Subtitle C—Promoting High Efficiency Vehicles, Advanced Batteries, and Energy Storage

The bill would:

Authorize $60 million per year for each of Fiscal Years 2007-2012 for the Secretary of Energy to establish a research and development program on the use of light-weight materials such as advanced carbon composites and light-weight steel alloys in the construction of vehicles;

Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize the Secretary of Energy to issue loan guarantees for facilities for the manufacture of parts for fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrid and advanced diesel vehicles;

Authorize awards to manufacturers and suppliers for 30 percent of qualified investment for incremental costs, including engineering costs, incurred to re-equip, expand or establish a manufacturing facility to produce advanced technology vehicles or eligible components;

Authorize a research and development program on energy storage and advanced battery development for vehicles and electricity transmission; and

Authorize a research, development, and demonstration program for electric drive transportation technology, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and establish a near-term oil saving transportation deployment program.

Subtitle D—Setting Energy Efficiency Goals

The bill would:

Establish goals of reducing gasoline usage relative to levels projected by the Energy Information Administration of 20 percent by 2017, 35 percent by 2025, and 45 percent by 2030 and require the Secretary of Energy to submit a strategic plan to Congress biennially to ensure compliance with these goals;

Establish a goal to improve overall U.S. energy productivity by at least 2.5 percent by 2012 and require the Secretary of Energy to submit a strategic plan to Congress biennially to ensure compliance with these goals;

Authorize $5 million annually for four years to conduct a media campaign to educate consumers about efficiency and conservation; and

Authorize the Secretary, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and other federal agencies as appropriate to carry out programs in support of the use, development, and demonstration of advanced transmission and distribution technologies.

Subtitle E—Promoting Federal Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The bill would:

Require the Secretary of Energy to issue regulations for federal and state fleets covered by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to meet this goal of reducing petroleum consumption by 20 percent from a 2005 baseline by October 1, 2015, including a mandate to purchase energy-efficient replacement tires for agency fleets to the maximum extent practicable;

Require the federal government to purchase 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 15 percent by 2015 and expands the requirement to include the Capitol complex;

Permanently authorize the Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) program, clarify that federal agencies may retain 100 percent of savings under an ESPC, expand the definition of energy savings to include savings from on-site renewable energy generation, and require a study of opportunities to use ESPC’s for transportation and other non-building energy savings;

Require a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption in existing federal buildings by 2015, as required in E.O. 13423;

Require identification of federal sites that could achieve significant energy savings through the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) or district energy systems and allow efficiency achieved to be counted toward the federal building consumption reduction requirement;

Require new and renovated federal buildings to reduce fossil fuel energy consumption by 50 percent compared to existing federal buildings of the same type, to reduce fossil fuel consumption by at least 10 percent every 5 years, and to eliminate fossil fuel-generated energy consumption by 2030;

Require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to update the standards for all public and assisted housing to the most recent energy conservation code; and

Direct the Secretary to enter into an agreement with a consortium of eligible stakeholders to undertake an initiative to reduce the quantity of energy consumed by U.S. commercial buildings with the goals of making energy efficient all newly-constructed commercial buildings by 2030, 50 percent of the entire U.S. commercial building stock by 2040, and all commercial buildings by 2050.

Subtitle F—Assisting State and Local Governments in Energy Efficiency

The bill would:

Reauthorize the Weatherization Assistance Program through 2012 at $750 million annually;

Reauthorize state energy programs through 2012;

Require state utility regulatory commissions and non-regulated utilities to consider federal standards to promote energy efficiency and authorize the National Laboratories to provide technical assistance;

Authorize grants to local governments for energy efficiency programs;

Authorize grants to institutions of higher learning for energy efficiency and renewable energy demonstration projects;

Authorize a program to provide workforce training to meet the demand for skilled workers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries; and

Encourage local educational agencies to develop policies to reduce school bus idling and authorizes $5 million annually through fiscal year 2012 for the Secretary of Energy to work with the Secretary of Education to inform States and local educational agencies of ways to reduce bus idling and the attendant benefits.

Title III—Carbon Capture and Storage Research, Development, and Demonstration

This title contains provisions from S. 731, the National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007, and S. 962, the Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2007.

The bill would:

Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include a carbon capture and storage demonstration program;

Increase the funding authorization for all projects included in the new carbon capture and storage research, development, and demonstration program, with an emphasis placed on large-scale geologic CO₂ injection demonstration projects;

Direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out fundamental science and engineering research to develop and document new approaches to CO₂ capture and storage;

Direct the Secretary of Energy to promote the regional carbon sequestration partnerships and to conduct geologic sequestration tests involving, but not limited to, CO₂ injection and monitoring, mitigation, and verification operations in geologic settings including operating oil and gas fields, depleted oil and gas fields, unmineable coal seams, saline formations, and deep geologic systems that may be used as engineered reservoirs to extract heat from geothermal resources;

Require the Secretary to conduct no less than seven large-scale geologic sequestration tests, with at least one as an international partnership;

Authorize $150 million in 2008, $200 million in 2009, $200 million in 2010, $180 million in 2011, and $165 million in 2012 for this program;

Direct the Secretary to develop a methodology for conducting a national assessment of the geological storage capacity for CO₂ within one year of bill enactment and begin the assessment within two years after the methodology is published;

Direct the Secretary to establish a publicly accessible database on the Internet containing the results of the assessment and a description of the data collection; and

Create a new carbon capture and storage initiative that would provide a 50/50 cost share for large-scale carbon dioxide capture projects that would have the ability to capture at least 500,000 short tons of carbon dioxide per year, authorized at $100 million per year for the years 2009 to 2013.

Title IV—Cost-Effective and Environmentally Sustainable Public Buildings

Subtitle A—Public Buildings Cost Reduction

This subtitle contains provisions from S. 992, the Public Buildings Cost Reduction Act. S. 992 would create a cost-effective technology acceleration program. The GSA would be required to:

Establish a program to speed the use of cost-effective and energy-efficient technology and practices in its buildings;

Name a manager responsible for accelerating the use of cost-effective technologies and practices for each GSA building;

Review current and available highly-efficient lighting within 90 days;

Complete a plan within six months for installing highly-efficient lighting in GSA buildings;

Issue a detailed timetable within one year to replace all existing inefficient lighting in GSA buildings as quickly as feasible, to be completed in five years, using available funds;

Carry out a program, and describe current and needed funding, that will achieve a 20 percent reduction in operating costs at GSA facilities as quickly as feasible, to be completed no later than five years, through the application of cost-effective, highly efficient technologies and actions, to the extent feasible using available funds;

Recommend uniform standards for federal agencies for highly efficient technologies; and

Recommend ways to allow federal agencies to keep their savings from using efficient technologies and practices, to use them for additional investments and other purposes.

The bill would also create a $20 million per year matching grant program at the EPA to help local governments renovate their buildings to make them more cost-effective and energy-efficient. The grant program would:

Require a 40 percent match from the local government (except economically distressed communities, which can get a reduction or waiver of this matching requirement);

Require grantees to show they will cut utility bills by 40 percent through renovations that use highly-efficient technologies and practices;

Require EPA to verify the efficiency and savings;

Allow grants of up to $1 million per grantee; and

Require reports to Congress on progress and savings achieved under the program.

Subtitle B—Department of Energy Solar Wall

This subtitle contains provisions from H.R. 798 as reported by the EPW Committee. The bill would direct the Administrator of the GSA to install a photovoltaic system for the headquarters building of the Department of Energy.

Subtitle C—High Performance Green Buildings Act of 2007

This subtitle contains provisions from S. 506, the High Performance Green Buildings Act of 2007, as reported by the EPW Committee. The bill would:

Create an office in the GSA to improve the energy efficiency, air quality, and other environmental and health impacts of federal buildings;

Authorize grants, and develop voluntary guidelines, for states to incorporate green design into schools;

Direct the GSA to promulgate rulemakings to consider energy use, environmental and health impacts, and indoor air quality in the procurement of leased or owned buildings; and

Authorize three demonstration projects.

Title V—Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards

This title contains provisions from S. 357, the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act. The title reflects modifications made by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Commerce committee after S. 357 was reported. Specifically, the modification would:

Clarify that the bill does not affect any Clean Air Act authorities granted to states or the federal government;
Mandate an annual ratable increase of average fuel economy standards from 2011 – 2020 (Ten-in-Ten period);
Require an increase in fuel efficiency for medium and heavy duty trucks at the maximum feasible level, after conducting a DOT study and a determination of appropriate tests and methodologies as opposed to a required 4 percent per annum increase;
Change the definition of cost effectiveness from a total cost/total benefit analysis to a cost/benefit analysis;
Include an average fuel economy standard exception for work trucks up to 10,000 lbs.;
Modify the biodiesel fuel standards to comply with ASTM standards; and
Return the ability of automakers to borrow CAFE credits from five years to three years in the future, as is set in current law.

The bill would:

Require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to achieve a ratable nationwide fleet fuel economy average of 35 mpg by 2020 for passenger cars and light trucks up to 10,000 lbs;

After 2020, mandate that NHTSA increase the average nationwide fleet fuel economy for passenger cars and light trucks by four percent per annum over the previous year;

Require NHTSA to establish fuel economy standards for medium duty and heavy duty trucks that will increase medium and heavy duty fuel economy standards to the maximum feasible level over the previous year after establishment of the initial standards;

Allow NHTSA to prescribe fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks using a vehicle attribute system and to express the standards in the form of a mathematical function;

Provide the Secretary of Transportation the discretion to lower the rate of improvement of the fuel economy standard for passenger cars and light trucks, if the analysis leads the Secretary to find that the cost effectiveness and maximum feasible level of improvement is less than four percent for that model year;
Include an average fuel economy standard exception for work trucks up to 10,000 lbs.;

Require NHTSA to initiate a rulemaking in 2012, and issue a final rule in 2018, to issue standards to mitigate the difference in weight and size between the largest and smallest vehicles, and to improve bumper height compatibility between vehicles;

Mandate that the Secretary commission a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study to update the NAS fuel economy technology study from 2002 and to evaluate how the technologies could be integrated to meet the reformed fuel economy attribute system. The study would be commissioned as soon as practicable after the date of enactment and the NAS must report its findings within 18 months of the study being commissioned. The study would be updated every five years; and

Allow the Secretary to establish, by regulation, a fuel economy credit trading program to allow manufacturers whose automobiles exceed the average fuel economy standards to earn credits to be sold to manufacturers whose automobiles fail to achieve the prescribed standards. Automakers may carry forward earned fuel economy credits for five years as opposed to three years as currently permitted.

Title VI—Price Gouging

This title contains provisions from S. 1263, the Petroleum Consumer Price Gouging Protection Act. The title reflects modifications made by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Commerce committee after S. 357 was reported. Specifically, the modification amended this title in the following ways:

After an energy emergency has been declared, price gouging becomes illegal if there is a gross disparity from the average price 30 days prior to the emergency. As introduced, comparison was to the price immediately prior to the declaration.
The definition of price gouging was further clarified to provide additional safeguards against retailers being unfairly or inadvertently accused of gouging. Specifically, the price must now grossly exceed similar prices in a relevant geographic area.
The introduced bill was amended to clarify that retailers could raise prices in anticipation of their replacement costs, and that local, regional, national, or international market conditions should be taken into account.
As amended, the legislation now makes it illegal to falsely report wholesale price data to any federal agency, not just the FTC.
As amended, the President may now end the energy emergency before 30 days.

The bill would:

Give the President the authority to declare a temporary national energy emergency, in instances where the President determines that a threatened or existing disruption of oil or petroleum supplies constitutes a danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the United States. This is similar to the emergency authority triggered by a number of Governors in response to Hurricane Katrina;

Upon declaration of an emergency, trigger a prohibition on price gouging, punishable by federal penalties, when an energy emergency has been declared. This provision is modeled after anti-price gouging statutes in about 28 states. It specifically relies on a standard established in New York state law, related to “unconscionably excessive” prices. The provision also gives state Attorneys General authority to levy penalties at the retail level; and

Apply to the oil industry a new statutory ban on manipulative practices in the wholesale petroleum markets, new measures to ensure transparency for petroleum prices, and new civil and criminal penalties for companies that break the rules.

Title VII—Energy Security and Diplomacy

This title contains provisions from S. 193, the Energy Security and Diplomacy Act. The bill would:

· Express the sense of Congress respecting energy diplomacy and security;

· State that the Secretary of State should seek immediately to establish:

· Strategic energy partnerships with the governments of major energy producers and major energy consumers, and with governments of other countries;

· Petroleum crisis response mechanisms with the governments of China and India;

· A Western Hemisphere energy crisis response mechanism; and

· A regional-based ministerial Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum;

· State that the President should place on the agenda for discussion at the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency the merits of establishing an international energy program application procedure;

· Urge the Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum (established in response to this Act) to implement:

· An Energy Crisis Initiative;

· An Energy Sustainability Initiative; and

· An Energy for Development Initiative; and

Directs the Secretary to approach other governments in the Western Hemisphere to seek cooperation in establishing a Hemisphere Energy Industry Group of industry and government representatives, coordinated by the U.S. Government.

Legislative History

On May 7, 2007, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee marked up a bill that the Energy Committee reported on May 7, 2007 as S. 1321. This bill combined the text of S. 987, the Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act of 2007; S. 1115, the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act of 2007; S. 731, the National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007; and S. 962, the Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2007. The Committee reported this bill favorably by a vote of 20-3.

On March 27, 2007, Senators Boxer, Inhofe, Alexander, Cardin, Clinton, Craig, Klobuchar, Lieberman, and Lautenberg introduced S. 992, the Public Buildings Cost Reduction Act. The Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the bill on March 28, and the Committee marked up and reported the bill on March 29, 2007 with amendments.

On February 2, 2007, Senators Lautenberg, Boxer, and Snowe introduced S. 506, the High-Performance Green Buildings Act. On June 6, 2007, the Environment and Public Works Committee marked up and reported the bill favorably with a substitute amendment sponsored by Senators Lautenberg, Boxer, and Warner. The Committee also reported H.R. 798, a bill to direct the Administrator of General Services to install a photovoltaic system for the headquarters building of the Department of Energy, which passed the House of Representatives on February 12, 2007.

On January 22, 2007, Senator Feinstein and 11 cosponsors introduced S. 357, the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act. On May 8, 2007, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee marked up S. 357 and reported it favorably by voice vote with amendments, including an amendment by Senator Cantwell regarding price gouging and market manipulation.

On May 2, 2007, Senator Cantwell and 15 cosponsors introduced S. 1263, the Petroleum Consumer Price Gouging Protection Act. On May 8, 2007, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee adopted the provisions of this bill as an amendment to S. 357.

On January 4, 2007, Senators Lugar, Biden, Coleman, Craig, Hagel, Landrieu, Lieberman, Salazar, Snowe, and Thune introduced S. 193, the Energy Security and Diplomacy Act. On April 12, 2007, the Foreign Relations Committee marked up S. 193 and reported it favorably without amendment.

On March 26, 2007, Senators Bingaman and Domenici introduced S. 987, the Biofuels for Energy Security and Transportation Act of 2007. The Energy Committee held a hearing on the bill on April 12, 2007. Cosponsors are Senators Akaka, Cantwell, Dorgan, Craig, Martinez, and Salazar.

On April 16, 2007, Senators Bingaman and Domenici introduced S. 1115, the Energy Efficiency Promotion Act of 2007. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill on April 23, 2007. Cosponsors are Senators Akaka, Craig, Dorgan, Kerry, Klobuchar, Lugar, Menendez, Murkowski, Salazar, Sanders, and Snowe.

On March 1, 2007, Senators Salazar, Bingaman, Bunning, Tester, and Webb introduced S. 731, the National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007. The Energy Committee held a hearing on the bill on April 16, 2007. Cosponsors are Senators Allard, Brownback, Casey, Corker, Hagel, Landrieu, Lugar, and Ben Nelson.

On March 22, 2007, Senators Bingaman, Domenici, Bunning, Obama, Salazar, Tester, and Webb introduced S. 962, the Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Storage Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2007. The Energy Committee held a hearing on the bill on April 16, 2007. Cosponsors are Senators Brownback, Corker, Craig, Dorgan, Durbin, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, and Thomas.

Expected Amendments

The DPC will distribute information on amendments as it becomes available.

Administration Position

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not released a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on the Senate Energy bill.