Energy Bill on fast track; President calls for support of nuclear energy in State of the Union address
The House's goal it to move its energy bill out of the relevant committees the week of February 7 and bring to the House floor for a vote before the President's Day recess begins on February 21. A goal of passage before March 21 has also been discussed should the committees which have jurisdiction over pieces of the bill fail to report their titles in time to meet the February 21 goal.
The Senate leadership has indicated it will hold several hearings prior to the development of an energy bill, with the goal of sending a bill to the Senate floor sometime in the spring. Once both chambers have passed their versions of the legislation, a House-Senate conference committee will be formed to resolve the differences in the bills in a conference report. It is hoped that the process will allow a final bill to be sent to the President for enactment sometime this summer.
During his State of the Union speech this week, President Bush called on Congress to pass energy legislation and specifically cited the need for nuclear power. "Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home - including safe clean nuclear energy," President Bush stated in his speech. The full text of the address can be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050202-11.html.
On Monday, February 7, the fiscal year 2006 budget request will be formally submitted to Congress by President Bush. It is expected that nondefense programs will all be held flat or reduced. More details will be provided following an analysis of the program requests at the Department of Energy and other relevant agencies.
