Sen. Lisa Murkowski said her hopes of passing broad energy legislation come as much from desire as scheduling necessity, with the Republican-led Senate staring down a mountain of bills it can finally pass as majority party.
Since passing a bill authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline took three weeks out of the Senate schedule, the Alaska Republican said lumping bills together is likely the most prudent approach.
“I’ll be honest, there’s people here who say, ‘Oooh, Lisa, remember, we don’t do big well,’ ” Murkowski told reporters. “But there’s just not a lot of time for the Energy committee to take all the floor time out there.”
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairwoman channeled her intention to work on a comprehensive energy bill last month. The Senate hasn’t seriously attempted one since the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act and has generally been skittish of voluminous bills since passing the Affordable Care Act.
Murkowski noted that her Democratic counterpart on the committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, has demonstrated interest in working on a large energy bill. Murkowski said she and Cantwell have already found some common ground on forests and public lands.
“We both agree that it’s long overdue that we have an energy reform package,” Murkowski said.
Conversations with House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., have been constructive, Murkowski said. She noted, however, that the House panels has some different jurisdiction than the Senate committee, so working in tandem on a package of bills might not be possible.
For the meantime, Murkowski said she plans to mark up groups of bills in committee that fit under four subheadings — supply, energy efficiency, infrastructure and accountability of current policies — she envisions for her energy legislation.
