The Senate’s energy leaders pressured their House colleagues Wednesday to support legislation to boost renewable energy and bolster cybersecurity.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Maria Cantwell, the chairwoman and top Democrat of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, respectively, described themselves as partners in supporting clean energy and power grid modernization, as they gave separate addresses to the American Council on Renewable Energy’s annual policy forum in Washington.
The duo is seeking to soon advance a comprehensive energy bill they co-authored that would be the first update to the country’s energy policies from Congress in a decade.
A version of their bill passed out of the Senate in 2016 by a 85-12 vote but failed to advance in the House. The legislation would boost energy efficiency and improve land management, infrastructure and cybersecurity of the energy system.
It aims to increase U.S. shale gas exports by speeding up the permitting process for liquefied natural gas export facilities, invests in research for industrial-scale batteries, and improves the efficiency of commercial buildings and homes.
“We are looking for floor time to move the Senate energy bill,” Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Wednesday. “This will be major shot in arm for innovation, energy efficiency and grid modernization all at once.”
She expressed irritation that the Senate has been bogged down by considering Trump administration nominees, which will get worse with the president’s shuffling of the State Department and CIA leadership. But she’s optimistic the Senate will vote on the energy bill this session. The real challenge is the House, she said.
“What we have built and demonstrated is bipartisan support for this policy, which is somewhat evergreen in that it was good two years ago and is still good now, and needs to be moved forward,” Murkowski said. “The more important issue is how we move it on the House side. That is where things broke down last time. But my hope is we find a short window of time to make it through the Senate.”
The two senators are also pushing policies to support renewable energy.
Murkowski said it’s possible Congress, as part of its infrastructure package, could include a provision that would allow solar and wind producers to lighten their tax loads.
Murkowski wants renewables to have access to financing tools created for the oil and gas industry, called “master limited partnerships.” The partnerships allow companies to pool their capital resources, while lowering their overall corporate taxes.
Companies have used these limited partnerships to create oil refineries and pipelines.
Renewable companies want Congress to expand the partnerships to include wind turbines and solar farms, for example.
“There is a growing group of supporters interested in moving forward to allow for this financing in the renewable sector,” Murkowski said. “It’s just the right policy in my view. I believe we will be able to advance it. I think it’s this year. I only say that because it’s been so many years coming. I am bullish on it.”
Cantwell, D-Wash., meanwhile, said she expects the Senate to include renewable energy “tax extenders” as part of the upcoming spending bill.
The tax benefits, set to expire, would benefit electric vehicles, residential energy equipment, biodiesel, and more.
“In the Senate, there is bipartisan anger at our House colleagues on this stingy approach to extenders for renewable energy,” Cantwell said. “We have to better educate them. They are holding back the American economy. Maybe they, like the president, want to hold onto the past. The energy transition will happen no matter what.”
