The GOP debate Wednesday was a bust when it came to energy policy, except for the end when moderators briefly brought up climate change.
But a slew of high-level energy policies on the Republican agenda were swept under the rug in favor of foreign policy, immigration and healthcare.
In Washington, high on the agenda is passing legislation to lift a 40-year-old ban on oil exports. Now that the U.S. is the largest producer of crude oil, the bill would open U.S. producers to the wider global market.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said this week that he wants to pass a bill lifting the ban on exports in the next two weeks. The White House says it opposes the measure.
Other top energy concerns not mentioned during the debate include:
* The Keystone XL pipeline: a massive pipeline to connect the Canadian tar sand oil fields with U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast. The Obama administration has been reviewing the proposal for more than six years. The GOP says it is stalling in favor of its climate change agenda.
* Solar and wind energy subsidies: many conservatives want a fair market-driven policy when it comes to renewable energy.
* The president’s emissions deal struck with China in November: Republicans think the deal the president signed last year lets China off the hook on cutting its emissions, while forcing the U.S. to reduce output by as much as 28 percent in the next decade. China agreed to peak its emissions in 2030, which the GOP says would require the country to do nothing.
