Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) plans to unveil legislation next week that would overhaul federal oversight of offshore oil-and-gas drilling and impose new safety standards.
Bingaman is readying the bill ahead of plans by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to bring wide-ranging energy legislation to the floor as soon as July.
Bingaman spokesman Bill Wicker declined Friday to provide details about Bingaman’s bill, but suggested it will be expansive. “It will address all the things which are in the scope of our committee's jurisdiction,” Wicker said.
He said it would be released some time ahead of a Thursday hearing that will explore several pieces of legislation in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Various lawmakers are exploring plans that would require stronger blowout prevention safeguards, improve response to spills and ensure that Interior Department regulators maintain an arm's-length relationship with oil company officials.
This all seems like completely basic stuff here. The real question is how much pushback the Republicans and oil-friendly Gulf Coast Dems will provide against the legislation. It won't pass the Senate 100-0 any more than it will pass the House 435-0. You can bet the Republicans are going to pile on against this in order to protect their oil company clients, and call the measure a job killer.
The even bigger issue is "Is Bingaman's bill part of a larger compromise on climate and energy legislation?" In other words, are oversight and drilling restrictions in this bill being watered down in order to try to earn additional support for Reid's larger energy initiative? It wouldn't surprise me at all if this were the case.
In other words, is wimping out on tough offshore drilling regulations the price Harry Reind has to pay to get climate legislation passed? That's what I want to know.
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